#Chaitanya Charitamrita
Photo
In the Spiritual World of Vṛndāvana https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2021/06/24/in-the-spiritual-world-of-v%E1%B9%9Bndavana-2/ In a temple of jewels in Vṛndāvana, underneath a desire tree, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. (CC/Adi/1/16)
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Chaitanya Bhagavata
My dear teacher Jma sent me this link to this nectarian audio book on Gaura Purnima 2022 (Lord Chaitanya's appearance day). Couldn't resist distributing the nectar!
I thought posting it would be a transcendental first post AND a good way to archive it incase the link becomes difficult to find online otherwise...
Jaya Nimai, Jaya Nitai!
#Chaitanya Bhagavata#Gauranga#Gaura#Nimai#Nitai#Nityananda#Hare Krishna#Internet archive#Vrindavana dasa Thakura#ISKCON#Mahaprabhu#Lord#Chaitanya Charitamrita#Sri Siksastakam
1 note
·
View note
Text
♥ Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ♥
“May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Lord Sri Chaitanya bestow His causeless mercy upon us. His smiling glance at once drives away all the bereavements of the world, and His very words enliven the auspicious creepers of devotion by expanding their leaves. Taking shelter of His lotus feet invokes transcendental love of God at once.”~Chaitanya Charitamrita
21 notes
·
View notes
Photo
The Rising Sun [Adi 13] [13.1-13.50] Having prefaced the Chaitanya-Charitamrita in the first twelve chapters, Krishnadasa now proceeds to narrate the life story of Shri Chaitanya. He begins by summarising the most noteworthy events. Faced with the uncertainty of old age and ailing health, Krishnadasa wanted to ensure that should he pass away before completing the book, the summaries would still be available for the reader. [13.51-13.71] Prior to Krishna’s advent, His eternal associates take birth in the world to “prepare the ground”. Krishnadasa outlines the most notable of those personalities, each with their own special role to play in the divine drama. Advaita Acharya, who was born fifty-two years prior to Shri Chaitanya, was the one who fervently worshipped the Lord, petitioning Him to personally descend. https://radha.name/news/announcements/caitanya-caritamrta-compact-e-book Shri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda Shri Advaita Gadadhara Srivasa adi Gaura Bhakta Vrnda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare https://youtube.com/c/HearSrilaPrabhupada https://youtube.com/user/AmritanandadasRPS https://sites.google.com/view/sanatan-dharma https://m.facebook.com/HDG.A.C.Bhaktivedanta.Svami.Srila.Prabhupada.Uvaca/ https://www.bhagavad-gita.us/famous-reflections-on-the-bhagavad-gita/ https://vanisource.org/wiki/760308_-_Morning_Walk_-_Mayapur https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/?audio=Has+audio&type=Bhagavad-gita https://prabhupada.io https://prabhupada.io/books/bg/ https://bookchanges.com/ http://www.govindadasi.com https://www.facebook.com/govinda.dasi.9 https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Main_Page #bhagavatam #srimadbhagavatam #vishnu #vishnupuran #harekrishna #harekrsna #harekrishna #harekrisna #prabhupada #bhagavadgita #bhagavadgitaasitis #bhagavadgītā #srilaprabhupada #srilaprabhupad #srilaprabhupadaquotes #asitis #india #indian #wayoflife #religion #goals #goaloflife #spiritual #bhakti #bhaktiyoga #chant #prasadam #picoftheday #photo #beautiful #usa https://www.instagram.com/p/CphqwriIv40/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#bhagavatam#srimadbhagavatam#vishnu#vishnupuran#harekrishna#harekrsna#harekrisna#prabhupada#bhagavadgita#bhagavadgitaasitis#bhagavadgītā#srilaprabhupada#srilaprabhupad#srilaprabhupadaquotes#asitis#india#indian#wayoflife#religion#goals#goaloflife#spiritual#bhakti#bhaktiyoga#chant#prasadam#picoftheday#photo#beautiful#usa
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Three Sanskrit Words Used To Explain Complex Subjects
“First a child is shown the branches of a tree, and then he is shown the moon through the branches. This is called shakha-chandra-nyaya. The idea is that first one must be given a simpler example. Then the more difficult background is explained.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 21.30 Purport) Download this episode (right click…Three Sanskrit Words Used To Explain Complex…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Video
youtube
Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-Lila, Chap 2 Text 117 | By H.H Bhakti Brihad Bhagvat Swami
(via Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-Lila, Chap 2 Text 117 | By H.H Bhakti Brihad Bhagvat Swami Maharaj - YouTube)
0 notes
Text
Verse 10.18 - Vibhuti Yoga
विस्तरेणात्मनो योगं विभूतिं च जनार्दन |
भूय: कथय तृप्तिर्हि शृण्वतो नास्ति मेऽमृतम् || 18||
In detail, of your own yogic glory, O Janardana,
Again describe, for satisfaction indeed, hearing there is not for me of nectar.
This verse expresses the eagerness and devotion of Arjuna, who wants to hear more about the divine glories and manifestations of Lord Krishna. He addresses Krishna as Janardana, which means "the one who looks after the people" or "the one who destroys the wicked". He asks Krishna to tell him in detail about his yogic glories, which is the mystic power by which he pervades and controls the entire creation. He also asks him to tell him about his vibhuti, which are the opulences or the special manifestations of his divinity in various forms and beings. Arjuna says that he is not satisfied by hearing Krishna's words, which are like nectar to him. He wants to hear more and more, as he is enchanted by the sweetness and wisdom of Krishna's speech.
The verse reveals the attitude of a true devotee, who is always eager to know more about the Lord and his wonderful activities. A devotee does not get bored or tired of hearing the glories of the Lord, but rather finds them to be a source of joy and bliss. A devotee also does not ask for any material benefits or favors from the Lord, but only wants to hear his words and see his form. A devotee has a deep love and reverence for the Lord, and considers him to be his supreme friend and master.
The verse also shows the compassion and grace of the Lord, who is ready to reveal his secrets and mysteries to his devotees. The Lord does not hide anything from his devotees, but rather shares with them his own nature and power. The Lord also enjoys speaking to his devotees and satisfying their curiosity and desire. The Lord considers his devotees to be his own parts and parcels, and treats them with affection and respect.
There are many other verses in the Vedic scriptures that describe the eagerness of the devotees to hear about the Lord and his glories, and the willingness of the Lord to speak to them.
- In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (1.1.19), it is said: "Those who are devoted to Lord Krishna never tire of hearing descriptions of his divine pastimes. The nectar of these pastimes is such that the more it is relished the more it increases." (vayaṁ tu na vitṛipyāma uttamaśhlokavikrame yachchhṛiṇvatāṁ rasajñānāṁ svādu svādu pade pade)
- In the Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya 25.279), it is said: "The topics of Lord Krishna are like nectar. When they enter one's ears, they revive one's life." (kṛṣṇa-kathā amṛta-sindhu kāṇe jihvāya dhare jīva uddhāre)
- In the Brahma-Saṁhitā (5.38), it is said: "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who plays on His transcendental flute. His eyes are like lotus flowers, He is decorated with peacock feathers, His unique loveliness charms millions of Cupids." (veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi)
0 notes
Video
youtube
Noha az esemény Indiából származik, a Szekérfesztivál 1968 óta hatalmas népszerűségnek örvend immár nyugaton is, ahol a fesztivál szorosan beépült a Krisna-hívők tradíciójába. Már közel 200 országban, így hazánkban is megrendezik és több ezer hívő és érdeklődő csatlakozik egy-egy ünnepi menethez.
A Szekérfesztivál közelebb hozza a hétköznapi életünkhöz a spiritualitást, a szakralitást, rámutatva, hogy Isten nem egy távoli, ismeretlen személy, hanem az életünk szerves része, a lelkünk őre és az emberek legjobb barátja. Ott lakozik a szívünkben, jóságunkban, imáinkban, a közösség erejében. A Ratha-játrá vallási jelentősége az, hogy ilyenkor az Úr Krisna ismét találkozik szeretett híveivel – ez tehát a felismerés és összekapcsolódás ünnepe.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Egy jelentős valláskutató szerint az istenség legszebb (legköltőibb) leírása a világon Krisna-hívők által történik. Én, csekély értelmű medvebocs, ezzel egyet is értek (5-6 vallást ha tanulmányoztam). Ezért érdemes olvasnunk a Krisna-irodalmat (a magyar fordítás is varázslatos). Vannak a kis ismertető könyveik, én ezeket az általános iskola szintjének gondolom. A Bhagavad Gita a középiskolás szint-amelyet lehet nevezni a hindu bibliának is. A Srimad Bhagavatam az egyetemi szint -ez inkább a gyakorló egyházfik szintje, és a Chaitanya Charitamrita a posztgraduális emelet. Legalább is az én értelmezésem szerint. Azt szeretem a legjobban az írásaikban, hogy mindent rendszereznek, besorolnak, legyen az pszichológiai tényező, vagy akár társadalmi jelenség, mindennek helye van a világukban.
Olvassátok, jobb mint a drog, ha már a valóság átértelmezése a cél, a harmonikus jövő érdekében
0 notes
Text
October 28. Today begins my second week in Vrindaban, and a most auspicious day it is: Anna Kuta, Festival of Grain, a harvest celebration, the most joyous day of Govardhan Puja. This morning, all the temples are decorated with long strips of neern branches and wreaths of mango and tamarind. Flower garlands are strung throughout the temple courtyards. The Deities are dressed in Their best clothes, and huge quantities of food will be offered to Lord Krishna and then freely distributed to everyone. Today, thousands of pilgrims will circumambulate Govardhan Hill.
In Chaitanya Charitamrita, Krishnadas Kaviraj writes:
Of all the devotees, this Govardhan Hill is the best. O my friends, this hill supplies Krishna and Balarama, as well as Their calves, cows, and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities: water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers, and vegetables. In this way, the hill offers respect to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Krishna and Balarama, Govardhan Hill appears very jubilant.
Govardhan Puja was established by Lord Krishna Himself in order to humble the demigod Indra. Being devotees, demigods do not usually forget Krishna’s supremacy, but somehow, as chief of the demigods, Indra had become mad with power. Therefore Krishna decided to rectify him.
The Supreme Lord Krishna ultimately supplies everything to everyone. As long as He’s worshiped, there’s no need to worship the demigods or anyone else. To discourage demigod worship, Krishna argued in various philosophical ways, and the Brijbasis finally agreed to replace the sacrifice to Indra with a harvest festival, called Anna Kuta (anna=grain), in honor of Govardhan Hill and the brahmins.
“Prepare delicious food from all the grains and ghee collected for Indra’s sacrifice,” Krishna told them. “Prepare rice, dhal, halavah, pakora, puri, and milk dishes like sweet rice, sweetballs, sandesh, rasagulla, and laddhu. Then invite all the brahmins to eat their fill. After this, give them some money. Also give sumptuous prasadam to the dog-eaters and untouchables. Then give some to the animals, and give fresh grass to the cows. This Govardhan Puja will satisfy Me very much.”
The Brijbasis, led by Krishna’s foster father, Nanda Maharaj, began to worship Govardhan Hill by chanting Vedic hymns and offering enormous quantities of food. They gave the cows fresh grass, and, keeping the cows in front, began to circumambulate Govardhan Hill. The gopis rode in bullock carts and chanted Krishna’s glories, and the brahmins blessed the cowherd men and their wives. Krishna was pleased to see that all His instructions were being followed. He assumed a great transcendental form and told the Brijbasis, “Govardhan Hill and I are identical.” Then, in the form of Govardhan Hill, He devoured the offered food, and thus favored His devotees.
Of course, this infuriated Indra. He mounted his elephant Airavata and stormed across the sky, leading the dangerous samvartaka clouds. These clouds poured water incessantly, icy winds blew, and lightning flashed. The terrified Brijbasis sought shelter at Lord Krishna’s lotus feet.
“As My devotees, you always depend on My mercy,” Krishna told them. “Now I will save you with My mystic power.”
Krishna picked up Govardhan Hill with one hand, just as a child plucks a mushroom, and held it over all the Brijbasis. like a great umbrella. Thus they were shielded from the torrents of Indra, and Indra himself, being humbled, returned to his abode.
We sit in Srila Prabhupada’s room while he answers letters read to him by Sruta Kirti. It appears that the situation in Bombay will warrant Prabhupada’s personal supervision. The owner of the land in (Bombay) Juhu is stalling. The Society has already given him 50,000 rupees deposit, but he’s claiming that some of his kinsmen oppose the deal. Never before has he mentioned the involvement of other family members. Moreover, the devotees living in the straw huts have fallen sick with malaria.
“What to do?” Prabhupada asks. “As soon as you Western boys and girls come to India, you let yourselves be cheated. Then you get sick. Either stomach sickness or malaria. You don’t know how to take proper care. What can be done? I’m an old man, and now our Society has become too big for me to manage personally. If I’ve committed some offense, it’s that I’ve taken on too many disciples.”
“That’s your compassion, Srila Prabhupada,” Pradyumna says. “You’re too compassionate to let others suffer.”
“It is my Guru Maharaj who is taking care. And he’s under the guidance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Let us go
to hell, if necessary, but let others be saved. That is the Vaishnava attitude.”
After breakfast prasadam, Achyutananda, two European brahmacharis—Sukadeva das and Vasudeva—and I hire a taxi to Govardhan. By leaving early, we hope to avoid the crowds along the twenty-eight-kilometer road. Srila Prabhupada tells us that instead of walking the whole fourteen-kilometer parikrama—difficult for tender-footed Westerners—we can walk just a little distance around the Govardhan Deities, who reside near the hill on the road between Kusum Sarovar and the town of Govardhan.
“It would be nice to walk the whole parikrama,” he says, “‘but whatever you do, Krishna will appreciate. Just walk the right direction, what do you call—?”
“Clockwise?”
“Yes. You cannot go backwards. When you stop, you must leave the parikrama.”
On the way, we pass only a few pilgrims. The long, flat plain gives no indication of a hill’s existence. Then, just after Kusum Sarovar, we see reddish brown rocks abruptly rising about twenty or thirty feet above the flat expanse. Some cactuses grow between the rocks.
“It’s not very high,” I say. “It looks more like a big quarry than a hill.”
“Every day, the hill sinks into the ground to the measurement of one mustard seed,” Achyutananda replies.
In Braja, it’s not uncommon for great personalities to manifest themselves as hills. Balarama, in the form of Sesha Naga, manifests as Charanpari, Shiva as Nandisvara, and Lord Brahma as Barsana. Millions of years ago, during Satya Yuga, King Dronachal appeared as a mountain in Salmali, eastern India. He had a son, whom he named Govardhan. At Govardhan’s birth, all the demigods showered flowers from the sky. When the sage Pulastya Muni saw Govardhan’s lustrous beauty, he asked for the mountain-son as a gift. King Dronachal, weeping and trembling at the thought of separation from Govardhan, informed the sage that he could never part with him. Pulastya Muni raised his hand to curse the king in anger, but Govardhan suddenly announced that he would follow the sage on one condition: that he be allowed to remain wherever he was set down.
Pulastya Muni agreed and carried Govardhan away in his right hand. As soon as the sage reached Braja, he set Govardhan down and went off to take his evening bath. Govardhan was overjoyed to be in Braja Bhumi. When Pulastya returned and tried to pick him up, he found that Govardhan had become so heavy that he couldn’t be budged. It was then that the sage cursed Govardhan to sink into the ground to the measure of one mustardseed a day. At the time, Govardhan was twenty-four miles high. Today, he’s only eighty feet tall at his highest point. This great sinkage gives some indication of Govardhan’s immense age.
The mountain was transformed at the first Govardhan Puja five thousand years ago. According to the Govinda Lilamrita, Govardhan is shaped like a peacock. This can actually be seen when one consults a map. Radha Kund and Shyama Kund in the northeast indeed serve as the eyes of a gigantic peacock. The tip of its tail is at Punchari. Jatipur—currently the highest point and the place where Krishna stood to lift the hill—lies across from Aniyora, about one-third up the tail. Manasi Ganga is located midway up the body, and Kusum Sarovar is at the heart.
We leave our taxi just past the bathing tank at Kusum Sarovar. Many pilgrims are surprised to see Westerners at Govardhan Puja.
They crowd around us, and there’s no shaking them. We walk to a pandal that has a bright yellow canvas roof shading the Govardhan Deity. Sheets are spread on the ground, and pilgrims sit around a harmonium and chant.
When we take off our shoes and enter, all eyes turn our way, but the chanting goes on. We offer dandavats to the Deity, stretching out on the ground and reciting the mantras of obeisances to guru and Saraswati, the goddess of learning.
The Deity is formed from a stone rising out of the hill. Eyes and mouth have been painted on, and clothing draped over Him. Being the embodiment of the hill, the Deity is considered nondifferent from Lord Krishna Himself. We offer some rupees. The pujari, smiling, gives us chanori, those little white sugar balls. The pilgrims seem friendly enough. I take some photos of the Deity, and the pujari requests to get in the picture. Before long, I’m photographing dozens of giggling pilgrims and their wide-eyed kids.
“This is getting out of hand,” I tell Achyutananda. “Tell them I’ve no more film.”
Achyutananda translates, but no one believes him.
“One photo, one photo,” they insist. I detach the flash and pack the camera away. Across the road, a herd of cows passes, led around Govardhan by proud herdsmen. The cows are covered with bright orange sindhur handprints, and spots, and the holy names of Vishnu. Today, they receive extra fodder.
Now the road is crowding up with pilgrims who have finished their morning bath at Manasi Ganga. Govardhan Puja attracts people from all over India. Caste and economic status are irrelevant. Maharajas, goatherds, knife sharpeners, fishermen, untouchables, industrialists, teachers, students, beggars, merchants, mango peelers, incense dippers, garbage pickers, peasant farmers, whatever—all walk barefoot around Govardhan Hill, equal in God’s eyes, members of the world’s largest democracy, Krishna’s immense family.
Today, the maharajas, brahmins, teachers, and other upper class gentlemen are the disadvantaged ones. They survey the ground before walking, trying to avoid pebbles, thorns, and sizzling hot rocks. Others—the barefoot echelons of ricksha-wallas, cowherds, and peasants—walk merrily along, chanting and offering obeisances before the little shrines along the way, bowing down to the ground and touching a particularly holy stone reminding them of Krishna and Balarama.
According to Krishna’s original directions, food is prepared and distributed liberally. Everyone is fed as much as he can eat: raita (chopped cucumber with yoghurt), milk sweets, potato kachoris, samosas, and cauliflower pakoras. Some temples even invite people to sit before plates made of leaves while boys serve big helpings of halavah (farina with sugar, ghee, and nuts), sweet rice, various saffron-flavored sweets—from those purple-flowered saffron fields of Kashmir—dhal soup, rice, chapatis, curried squash, crispy peppery papadams (which look like big potato chips), spinach with curds swimming in ghee, clay cups of watermelon juice and limeade, big white rasagullas (sweet rose-scented cheeseballs that squeak when you bite into them), gulabjamuns, and jelebis, pretzel-shaped sweets of flour, pure sugar, and ghee, congealed on the outside but still hot and liquid inside.
What a variety of physiognomies now crowd the road! The tall, hawk-nosed, mustachioed Rajasthanis lead their families to the parikrama. These were the Rajput warrior clans that controlled northwest India for thousands of years and served as a formidable buffer against the Persians. The men wear turbans—usually pastel colored, sometimes bright orange—and the women wear the traditional mirror-skirts, embroidered and studded with tiny bits of reflecting glass, complemented with big chunky necklaces of jade, ivory, and garnet, enormous silver earrings, and thick silver bracelets and anklets weighing 100-200 grams each.
There are also many Bengalis, golden complexioned, with refined features. The women are dressed in pastel saris and tend to be chubby.
Bengali men, lean and handsome, prefer pencil-thin mustaches, in contrast to the Rajasthani soup-strainer. Gujaratis also abound, often identifiable by their stainless-steel, multi-tiered tiffin lunch containers. Since their vegetarian cuisine is the best in India, they bring it along. Even a few Nepalis—short, muscular, round-faced Mongoloids—walk around Govardhan, observing everything with tiny smiles, and giggling when they see us. Yes, what a wonderful celebration is Govardhan Puja!
“So, where should we leave our shoes?” I ask Achyutananda.
“Carry them,” he says.
“Can we trust these kids to watch them?” I ask.
“No.”
“Shoes, shoes, shoes,” one of the kids starts chanting, understanding our dilemma. “One rupee, watching.”
If I lose my shoes, I’ll never find replacements. Size ten is the limit in India. I open the camera kit, take out the camera, and put our shoes inside.
“Photo, photo,” the kids chant, jumping up and down. They follow us to the parikrama, a narrow dirt path through cactus and big red stones.
In my entire life, I’ve never walked very far barefoot, except on a beach. As I start along the path, the kids point at my feet and laugh. Kids the world over are natural sadists.
The parikrama offers no relief. The tiny pebbles are sheer torture.
“I’m not going to last very long,” I tell Achyutananda.
“It’s a long way to Aniyora,” he says.
“No. I mean, I’m not going to make two kilometers. Maybe not even a hundred yards.”
When I try walking, my toes crumple up to relieve the pressure. The body will do anything to avoid pain. Suddenly, I’m holding my foot and stifling a cry of anguish: I’ve stepped on a thorn. It won’t be the last, judging by all the cactus.
The kids laugh as I extricate the thorn. At least I’m amusing someone. But how will I ever get the spiritual benefit of going on the parikrama? The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
“Go on ahead,” I tell Achyutananda. “I’ll just sit around here and chant japa. Krishna understands.”
“Then I’ll meet you back at the pandal,” he says. “We’ll go into town later.”
Agreeing, I head back.
I offer namaskars to a bearded, long-haired sadhu performing the dandabat parikrama. Between prostrations, he chants Hare Krishna on 108 beads while standing on one leg, one foot placed behind the opposite knee. Then he moves forward one body length and stretches out on the ground. How wonderful to be able to perform such an austerity! I find myself envying him and wishing for such a birth next lifetime.
After putting my shoes back on, I sit on the roadside beside the pandal, chant japa, and wait for Achyutananda.
He returns sooner than expected. Obviously, his feet are killing him.
“Those pebbles are torture,” he says.
“Even old ladies passed us by,” I say. “What’s wrong with us?”
“We’re Yavanas; they’re yogis,” he says.
“And what happened to Sukadeva and Vasudeva?”
“They’re walking a little further, then taking another taxi back. Let’s go into town.”
The same taxi drives us about three kilometers into the town of Govardhan. On the way, we pass the Maharaj of Bharatpur’s summer palace, one of the finest examples of Mathura carving in existence. Today, no artist can be found to carve sandstone lattice windows, peacocks, or any of the other designs adorning the two-hundred-year-old palace and cenotaphs. The art is lost. Still, the buildings stand, neglected yet magnificent.
The town of Govardhan itself is a one-street village centered around Manasi Ganga. Leading to the Manasi Devi Temple are numerous restaurants and scores of pan, cigaret, soda, and chai stands, all catering to pilgrims.
At the entrance to Manasi Ganga, we check in our shoes. Within an open-sided pavilion are the holy bathing tanks, crowded with pilgrims. We push through them to the water, sprinkle a few drops on our head, then push our way back out.
“Actually, we’re supposed to bathe here before going on parikrama,” Achyutananda reminds me.
Outside, we hire another taxi. From the town of Govardhan to the Radha Kund turnoff, we creep along, the taxi’s horn blaring for the people and herds of cows to make way. As they do so, I think of the first Govardhan Puja. Basically, little has changed: Lord Krishna is here, the cows are here, and the Lord’s devotees are here. Thanks to my pampered Western body, I could not walk very far on parikrama, but I feel blessed by just seeing the hill and the great flow of devotion around it.
The enormous tank at Kusum Sarovar is now filled with bathers. We stop for a glass of sugar cane juice mixed with ice and a pinch of lime—delicious and cooling. After Radha Kund, the traffic begins to thin out, and soon we’re racing across the plain to Vrindaban.
0 notes
Text
The untold story of ‘Kantha’ and ‘Kantha Stitch’ of Bengal
Kantha, one of the oldest forms of embroidery from India and a craft practiced today by millions of South Asian women, originated from a humble beginning.
While the word kantha has no certain etymological root, it is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word kantha, meaning rags. One of the oldest forms of embroidery originating from India, its origins can be traced back to the pre-Vedic age (prior to 1500 BCE), though the earliest written record is found dating 500 years ago. In his book titled Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, poet Krishnadas Kaviraj writes how the mother of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sent a homemade kantha to her son in Puri through some traveling pilgrims. This same kantha is till date on display at Gambhira in Puri.
Born in the rural villages of Bengal as an object of daily life, this art form never had a commercial usage till it was revived and positioned in the 1940s by the daughter-in-law of the famed Bengali poet and Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore in Shantiniketan. She visualized the enormous potential in the art form and repositioned it as an indigenous article of desire for art lovers and thus providing a livelihood for the poor rural women folk who prepare it.
These simple stitching style evolved over decades and became famous as “Kantha stitch” and are presently practiced to create different apparel like Saree, Salwar Suit, Kurta and Churidar and many other garments and gaining huge popularity due to their aesthetic value and fine handmade artistry. Present-day kantha stitch is used on different exotic fabric like Tassaur Silk, Muga, or Bangalore Silk or simple cotton with complex and exotic design (Naksha) and thus called Nakshi-Kantha which gained high popularity within India and abroad.
As with all traditional textiles, the recycling of well used cloth-turned-rags was a natural step in the lifecycle of textiles the world over. Given that this recycling was home-based work, it usually fell to the women of the village to prepare, cut and stitch the rags – giving old textiles new life.
Traditionally, old cotton saris, lungis and dhotis, which had turned incredibly soft through wear, were used to make kanthas, with the thread for the stitching drawn out from the fabric itself. Recycling at its best! Collection from Srejonee
Women in almost every household in rural villages would be kantha experts, and spend whatever quiet time they had available – between looking after the house and children, tending to livestock and during the long days of the monsoon – on stitching the pieces. It could take months or even years to complete one kantha. The stitching could be handed down through generations, with grandmother, mother and daughter working on the same kantha.
Register Now
www.srejoneee.com
The Kantha Stitch
In modern usage, kantha more generally refers specifically to the type of stitch used. The earliest and most basic kantha stitch is a simple, straight, running stitch, like the type used on our Kantha Scarves.
Over time, more elaborate patterns developed, which became known as
“nakshi kantha”.
Elaborately designed Nakshi Kantha saree on pure Murshidabad silk is the first choice of the present-day elite. Shop the Srejonee collection
Nakshi comes from the Bengali word, naksha, which refers to artistic patterns. Nakshi kantha is made up of motifs influenced by religion, culture and the lives of the women stitching them. Village women from Birbhum district of Bengal stitching Kantha sarees’ in groups.
This most humble of cloths gave free reign to the imaginations of the women; kanthas told of folk beliefs and practices, religious ideas, themes and characters from mythology
and epics and the social and personal lives of the artisans; their dreams, hopes and every day village life. Although there is no strict symmetry to nakshi kantha, a fine piece will usually have a lotus as a focal point, with stylized birds, plants, fish, flowers and other scenes surrounding this.
Kantha Artist today have excelled in stitching an entire village scene with every perfection like a paint on a canvas. Shop from www.srejonee.com WhatsApp No: 7439906048
Srejonee team is working closely with the artisans and women self help groups of rural Bengal to bring out the best and most authentic Kantha Stitch articles to our elite customers world over.
Please log on to www.srejonee.com and register yourself to select from our exclusive collection and book your order.
References: www.wanderingsilk.org; www.wikipedia.org
1 note
·
View note
Photo
“By executing regulative devotional service, one becomes an associate of Nārāyaṇa and attains the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, the spiritual planets in the spiritual sky."
"Those who discuss the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa are on the highest platform of devotional life, and they evince the symptoms of tears in the eyes and bodily jubilation. Such persons discharge devotional service to Kṛṣṇa without practicing the rules and regulations of the mystic yoga system. They possess all spiritual qualities, and they are elevated to the Vaikuṇṭha planets, which exist above us."
CC Madhya 24.(87-88)
#ISKCON#Hare Krishna#Krishna#Bhakti#Vedic#Vishnu#Vaishnava#Bhagavad Gita#Srimad Bhagavatam#chaitanya charitamrita#Srila Prabhupada
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Varanasi ISKCON to build Vedic cultural centre
Varanasi ISKCON to build Vedic cultural centre
[ad_1]
VARANASI: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is going to develop a grand Radha Gopal Mandir Vedic India Cultural Centre in Bhelupur, the second such after Kanpur.
According to the ISKCON authorities, the project will be completed by mid-2023.
Achyut Mohan Das, chairman ISKCON Varanasi, said that the temple will be named Sri Sri Radha Gopal Mandir Vedic India…
View On WordPress
#Banaras Hindu University#bhagavad gita#Bhagavata Purana#Chaitanya Charitamrita#International Society for Krishna Consciousness#Varanasi ISKCON#youth welfare centre
0 notes
Text
♥ Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ♥
“May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Lord Sri Chaitanya bestow His causeless mercy upon us. His smiling glance at once drives away all the bereavements of the world, and His very words enliven the auspicious creepers of devotion by expanding their leaves. Taking shelter of His lotus feet invokes transcendental love of God at once.”~Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi 3.63
9 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Ramachandra Vijayotsava On the tenth day of the waxing moon of Padmanabha (Asvina) month, occurs Vijayotsava. On this day Lord Ramachandra heard from Hanuman beneath the sami tree that he had found and seen Sita on the Island kingdom of Lanka. Hearing this, Ramachandra held a festival, and then set out for Shri Lanka. On this day one may perform special puja of Lord Ramachandra and then in His honour feed the Vaisnavas. This is a popular festival in north India, where, on this occasion, large paper effigies of the demon Ravana are burned to the resounding chants of Victory to Rama, Victory to Rama. In the pastimes of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he absorbed Himself in the transcendental lila of Lord Ramachandra in the following manner as recorded by Shrila Krishna dasa Kaviraj Goswami. Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya-lila Chapter 15 Texts 31-35. Madhya 15.31 parama-avese prabhu aila nija-ghara ei-mata lila kare gauranga-sundara TRANSLATION In great ecstasy, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu returned to His residence. In this way, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Gauranga-sundara, performed various pastimes. Madhya 15.32 vijaya-dasami——lanka-vijayera dine vanara-sainya kaila prabhu lana bhakta-gane TRANSLATION On the victory day celebrating the conquest of Lanka–a day known as Vijaya-dasami–Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu dressed up all His devotees like monkey soldiers. Madhya 15.33 hanuman-avese prabhu vriksha-sakha lana lanka-gade cadi’ phele gada bhangiya TRANSLATION Displaying the emotions of Hanuman, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took up a large tree branch, and, mounting the walls of the Lanka fort, began to dismantle it. Madhya 15.34 ‘kahanre ravna’ prabhu kahe krodhavese jagan-mata hare papi, marimu savamse’ TRANSLATION In the ecstasy of Hanuman, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu angrily said, “Where is the rascal Ravana? He has kidnapped the universal mother, Sita. Now I shall kill him and all his family.” Madhya 15.35 gosanira avesa dekhi’ loke camatkara sarva-loka jaya’ jaya’ bale bara bara TRANSLATION Everyone became very astonished to see the emotional ecstasy of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and everyone began to chant, “All glories! All glories!” https://www.instagram.com/p/CjV-h-_r-8t/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
From Seed To Plant
“May Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu be glorified. It was He who acted as the eastern horizon where the sun of the atmarama verse rises and manifests its rays in the form of different meanings and thus eradicates the darkness of the material world. May He protect the universe.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 24.1) Download this episode (right […]From Seed To Plant
View On WordPress
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
jashuboo
jashuboo
guillfch
Say No More
byustudioarts-blog
BYU Studio Arts Student Showcase
sanicsmut
That one bird named person
elronds-pointy-ears
I'm Rotten To The Core