Dear Brother Hem (Hem Chandra Ghose),

After an age I have received your letter today. I am very glad to hear that you have sanctified yourself by a visit to Sri Brindaban. Unfortunate as I am, it has never been my lot to see Brindaban. To spend the rest of your life in joy, make the Name of the Sovereign of Braja your shelter. No Name sweeter than Krishna's can be had in the universe. Name is the chief reservoir of all energies. Do not forget the name. You have spent the most part of your life in the trivial pleasures of the world; why any further ? Leaving these aside it is now necessary to be ready for the life to come, by taking shelter under the really Holy Name of Sri Krishna. This is not the last of lives there are others before. Dipped in error, do not therefore spoil the life to come. The body is becoming weaker and weaker day by day. Better therefore to change Tamasik diet for Satwik. Fish, meat etc are regarded, as most delicious food, should now be avoided as poison, else health will be seriously impaired. Fruits, roots and vegetables should now be the chief articles of food. Good diet will render the body healthy, and a healthy body will make the mind healthy; and with a sound mind you will be able to take Krishna's Name with great effect. It is not at all desirable to mar the firture life for earthly riches and worldly thoughts. The very idea of oppressing others should be cast out of the mind and the terrible egotism 'I' and I mine' should be given up. The best part of the life is.gone, still no halt! Good use should be made of money. To a mass wealth, to obtain jewelry for wife and other relations, or the consumption of rich viands at the table does not mean the proper use of money. To bring relief to the needy, to feed the starving, to clothe the naked, etc., should be reckoned as money well spent. Even the Kaiser when leaving this world is forced to depart like a beggar. None can bring anything with him when he comes to this world, nor can he take anything with him when he leaves it. He brings and takes away with him only his good or bad deeds. Thus it is desirable to lay by with the help of money good actions, which will follow after death. It is necessary to be devoid of self-esteem; otherwise the most selfless Nitai will not be kind. Imperative it is to make the heart tender, otherwise the tendrest feet of Sri Krishna will not be found therein. Hence it is well that attempt should be made to cast out from the heart anything hard therein. It will not do to proceed any further like a child. With the setting sun it is necessary to be a little quicker, else with the approach of darkness nothing can be affected. Take the Name yourself and tell others to do so. Resolve to avoid the company of the utterly worldly, and seek that of the devotees with all the eagerness you can command. Taking me for a mad man disregard my foolishness. I am a great sinner and a great dissembler. Tender our love to your loving wife and beg her to be kind to us. Tell her not to fall into error by regarding man as god. Man is for ever a man. Tell her also that we are utterly helpless; nothing can come or go at our desire. They are all will, and can do at will what they please. Hence if she kindly appears before me, I shall be gratified. Nothing whatever can come of my wishes

KUSUMAHARA

HAPPY      KRISHNAASHTAMI

Jai Kusumaharanath jai

I am really very much delighted by a perusal of your letter. Would that Krishna will ever keep us in such joy. When you are happy, I am happy too. May Krishna grant you happiness for ever. If you want to remain happy for ever, do not forget the most delightful Name of Sri Krishna : remain absorbed day and night in that Name and you will see what joy it brings you. Do not allow thoughts of sanctity or uncleanness enter your mind when taking Krishna's Name. As no impurity can approach fire, mere contact with which purifies every object, ? so no impurity can ever approach Krishna's Name. Repetition of the Name will generate Prema ; and through Prema, Hari, the object of Prema, can be had. As you take Krishna's Name, so feel for the distressed and helpless and be ever ready to bring relief to them. Strive to remove their sufferings with money or consolation. Do not allow yourself to be incited in any way to involve any one into trouble. If, for any reason, you are angry do not make anger your constant companion. Cast it out of your heart quickly. The sprout of a tree, however big, can easily be removed ; but if it is uprooted after it has grown big, it is sure to leave a mark. Similarly anger, once fed strong in the heart would be difficult of removal and if removed at all, would leave a nasty mark behind. Passion, anger and other similar enemies once creeping into the system do not want to leave it ; if, however they are some how driven out, they fail not to destroy it totally when leaving. Do not, therefore, ever allow such enemies to lodge in your heart. Even if they chance to approach you, strive to turn them out then and there. Never think of doing harm to others. It is better to harm in actual deed than to think of doing it. ne force of thought is indeed very potent. Thoughts are so very powerful that with them even He who is beyond conception can be caught. The power and mother of thought are ever irresistible. No one can rest at ease after making such a powerful agent his enemy. Nothing remains unattainable to him who makes it his ally. When by constant meditation the heart is purified the All? benevolent Krishna will find for ever a habitation there. He will come even when not called for, and will not leave even when asked to go. The joy which that state will afford is beyond description. Attain it by practice and you will understand it. Thought is the cause of bondage and liberation. The lighter the thought is the higher it raises the thinker; and the heavier it is, the more it bears him down. Mother should be served and tended as living God. There is not a second person on earth superior to mother. See that she does not suffer in any way. You are fortunate since you have your mother still. You two should set an example to the world how to take Krishna's Name and show what vast profit and joy result there from.

(From the Desk of: SRI KUSUMA HARANATHA JI)

Real incidents……..at Tirumala

Ananthacharya was a disciple of Ramanujacharya. Ramanujacharya entrusted his disciple to serve Lord Venkateswara!  Lord Venkateswara is a lover of flowers  and garlands.  Ananthacharya partook the decking of the lord with flowers. He performed it as yoga but not as a duty. Every morning, he gathered meticulously various flowers, prepared garlands out of them, decked the lord with them and admired the Almighty with a pleasing smile.  He sang many songs in praise of the Lord.

            This practice continued for a few days.  Then one day he had a flash of an idea!  When he needs so many flowers every day why not he grow a flower garden himself? The minute he had this idea, he wanted to implement it. After he finished his morning yoga of offering flowers, he began the afternoon yoga of growing a flower garden!  This is a special task relating only to His God and Himself! Not even a fly can come in between! Of course his wife was given a share in the project.

            Sri Ananthacharya wanted to dig a lake, to begin with. He chose a place to the south of the temple.  In the scorching heat of the sun he dug heaps of mud.  His wife’s duty was to throw the mud far away. She was pregnant and so it was a hectic task for her.  But he was unmindful of her suffering. It was not because he did not care her but because he was always lost in the thought of Garden of Eden he was going to cultivate.  They were an ideal couple. The wife had no complaint against her husband though he made her slog. She was glad to share her husband’s spiritual act.

            They were unmindful of their trouble but how can God be unmindful? He wanted to help them. So he went to Ananthacharya as a 12 year old boy and sought work.  Ananthacharya did not want even a fly to interfere, as already mentioned. So he refused. The boy pleaded again but he angrily drove him away.

            His sincerity, his fond love pleased God all the more.  So God came to him everyday and asked him repeatedly to employ him and all the times Ananthacharya bluntly refused.  God could not bear to see the pregnant lady suffer.  So he employed himself in the task one day.  Without the knowledge of his devotee, he snatched the mud vessel from her hand and threw it outside.  He did this in a jiffy very actively. The lady was pleased at the boy’s gesture and she could not say no to him.  But the husband, after a few trips wondered how his wife could accomplish her task so fast!  His wife told him the truth. He was so angry with the boy for breaking the law.  He ran after him and when he couldn’t catch hold of him, he threw his shovel angrily at him. The shovel hit at the boy’s chin and at once blood gushed out of it.  Anybody would have pitied him, but Ananthacharya was unmoved since he felt the boy deserved it for his interference.

            That evening when Ananthacharya went to the temple, the temple priests were having a round table conference. When he asked the reason for their discussion, one of them took him inside to behold the Swami! Lo! Lord Venkateswara’s chin was hurt and blood was oozing out!  Ananthacharya could understand at once that he had hurt not a small boy but the very God Himself! His devotion to God made God suffers!  He cried over his unreasonable act and asked God for forgiveness. God was not at all angry with him.  He spoke affectionately to Ananthacharya. ‘Don’t worry; this wound will remain on me as a token of your love to me. Your name will remain eternally as a staunch devotee of mine. Chandanam will be applied there every day to mitigate the pain’.  He was touched by God’s love for him.

(Telugu bhakti pages)

This post is copied from Star Trekker's blog and pasted in my blog without any change. with the help of this post, one of my friend recoverd from depression and change their attitude in correct way. 

for my friends I again post in my iland 

The Flower that taught me

Sri Ramakrishna

                                                                                                By Swami Sunirmalananda

Vivekananda’s master, Sri Ramakrishna, was indeed such a unique personality, who influenced not the former, but Indian leaders like Gandhiji, Nehru, Patel, Ambedkar, and the savants of the world. The Life of Sri Ramakrishna gives you a graphic picture of what this person was.

Biography            -            The biographical details of Ramakrishna’s life are quite simple. Born in a remote village called Kamarpukur in West Bengal (18 February 1836), Ramakrishna went to Calcutta (Kolkata) as a youth in search of a living. He became a priest at the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, Kolkata, and remained there until almost the fag end of his life—for 30 long years. He developed throat cancer there and was shifted, after some other locality was tried, to a place called Cossipore, where he passed away on 15 August 1886. During his lifetime, he hardly stirred out of Dakshineswar, except for occasional visits to his native and a long pilgrimage to northern India.

Spiritual Life            -            He biography is so simple, but his spiritual life is profound. Ramakrishna (called Gadadhar in boyhood) knew from the very beginning that he was different from others. Fundamentally, his interests were spiritual. Ramakrishna learnt to read and write, but he did not care for breadwinning knowledge. He wanted divine knowledge. Hence every moment of his boyhood and youth were spent in ardent search for God. The superhuman struggles he underwent for God are thrilling. He, for instance, would spend his nights at the village graveyard, deeply absorbed in meditation. He would hardly sleep or eat. Months would go by without his having a wink of the eye. He would pray and weep for God day and night. Tears flowed in torrents. He would sing in ecstasy, dance, worship as he desired, talk to God, perform japa, meditate—there was nothing which he didn’t do to please God. His meditations were unique. When he meditated, oblivious of the outer world, birds would perch on his head. Snakes would crawl on his body. He never knew anything about such happenings.

Ramakrishna had countless experiences and numerous trances day and night. But nothing satisfied him. At Dakshineswar in Kolkata, specially, the floodgates of his spiritual aspiration were unlocked. Yearning flowed out in torrents. He would rub his face on the ground and weep: ‘O Divine Mother! When will you show yourself to me?’ Blood would flow out of his face. When his yearning for the vision of the Divine Mother became extremely intense, he did not want to live without seeing Her anymore. Then, at last, the Divine Mother revealed Herself to him. One should read his own words about this glorious vision. He remained intoxicated in the bliss of this supreme vision for days at a stretch.

Ramakrishna remained in a God-intoxicated always. He cared little for his body. Sometimes his body would burn like red-hot iron. People had to hold him using thick clothes lest they burn their hands. He suffered intensely in the body, but the mind was absorbed in god always. The ordinary people, naturally enough, called this insanity; and Kamarpukur was agog with this news. His mother Chandramani, a poor widow, thought that marriage could cure this ailment. And a little girl from the village of Jayrambati, Sarada Devi by name, was selected as the bride. Ramakrishna was 23 years old and Sarada Devi was only five. This little girl was purer than purity itself, holier than holiness itself. Her whole life was an ideal example of how one can hide all of one’s spirituality, divinity, qualities, and supreme capabilities behind the veil, and appear as if one is extremely simple.

Even after marriage, Ramakrishna forgot this world and continued his spiritual practices.

Visions and Ecstasies            -            Initially, sheer yearning took him to the threshold of the Divine. That vision would have been enough for ordinary aspirants. Not for Ramakrishna. The extraordinariness of Ramakrishna is evident in this very fact that even after God-realization, his aspiration to know more about God did not end. Surprisingly enough, teachers of different sects and schools—both men and women—began arriving at Dakshineswar, as if ordained by Providence, one after another. Ramayat sadhana, Tantric practices, the practice of all the devotional attitudes towards God—like the friend, servant, maidservant, beloved—Ramakrishna went on continuing his experiments in spiritual life, succeeding in each path with astounding precision and quickness. He also practiced Christianity, Islam, and other faiths. His gurus were not just men—women too were his teachers. Days and nights were spent in God-intoxication.

He received the formal vows of sannyasa from Totapuri, a mendicant knower of Brahman, and attained the highest possible state of sadhana, nirvikalpa samadhi and within three days.

Totapuri was astonished. Nirvikalpa Samadhi—the highest a human being can attain after about 50 years of steady sadhana—in just three days! Ramakrishna’s Samadhi did not break for as long as six months. Some monk happened to be there at that period, and he would beat Ramakrishna with a stick to feed one or two morsels of food so as to keep the body alive while the soul enjoyed the bliss of Brahman.

At last, excruciating pain in the stomach caused him to come down to our plane. Then the Divine Mother told her supremely divine child to remain in bhavamukha—the threshold state between Divine and human.

With this, all his sadhanas had ended.  Ramakrishna had become the first being on earth to perform all sadhanas and succeed in all of them. And he declared from personal experience: ‘All religions are true; all paths lead to the same goal; as many ways, so many paths.’ This was the most wonderful declaration, made from firsthand personal experience, for the first time in the history of the world.

A new world had dawned. There would be a world where people from different faiths would come together, discuss their faiths with love and affection, know differences and similarities, and practice spirituality with unequalled zeal.

Now, Ramakrishna did one more thing, which has no parallel: he worshipped his own wife as the Divine Mother. The relationship between Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi was never for a moment like the ordinary. They were divine beings, immersed in God. They never cared for the world or its paltry happiness. When Ramakrishna worshipped his own wife as the Divine Mother, the world got a Divine Mother in new form.

With this worship, his aspirant attitude had ended and the world-teacher attitude began to manifest itself. He had realized several truths at the end of his sadhanas, among which were that he was an incarnation of God, that he had come to re-establish eternal religion on earth, that he would not have liberation, and so on.

Soon, disciples and admirers from all walks of life began to arrive from different directions. Spirituality poured and all hungry souls were satiated. In that small room at Dakshineswar, day in and day out there were singing, spiritual discussions, meditations, samadhis, prayers, and so on. So many came and all were happy to listen to the simple instructions of Ramakrishna, given using the most simple language and common examples. Of all the disciples, he found the young unmarried boys most dear to him because they were pure and untouched by worldliness. He formed a monastic order with Narendranath (Vivekananda) as its leader. He prophesied that Narendra would teach the world. That happened, when against all odds, Narendranath, then Swami Vivekananda, spread the broad message of Vedanta worldwide, beginning with his glorious addresses at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Ramakrishna developed throat cancer and having instructed Narendra about the future, he discarded his body on 15 August 1886.

What was Sri Ramakrishna’s chief teaching? Swami Vivekananda is best quoted about this. Swami Vivekananda says that his Master’s message was this: ‘Be spiritual and realize the Truth for yourself.’ (4.187).

THE ONE AND ONLY ...........

MAHA PURUSH

NO REPLACEMENT IN THIS KALI YUGA

Tiru k kachhi nambi is a Great devotee of Lord Varadaraja of Kancheevaram

He was born in Poonam ville near to chennai. He moves to Kancheevaram for perform service to Lord Varadaraja.

Tiru k kachhi nambi started doing services every day in the morning, afternoon and at bed time.Varadaraja likes the services of nambi very much. Within a short time they become  good friends. While doing the service at night before going to bed, Varadaraja

was interested to know the happenings of world from Nambi. Nambi used to bring to the notice of Lord each and every issue with more passion. The chit chats of Lord and Nambi having wide range…. It could be the administration of temple, administration of king, or it may be the war of mother in law and the daughter in law or whatever it may be.

“Lord you know everything, even though, I tell you,” like this way

Nambi tells everything to the Lord. They start their conversation before the bed time seva (around 10.00 pm) and it continues up to early mornings (3.00am). The days go this way.

Once, a small desire  breeds in the mind of the Lord Venkateswara (who  resides in Kancheevaram in the form of Lord Varadaraja). That is, Lord Venkateswara wants to listen to the news of Tirumala and the world from the mouth of Nambi. So Lord Venkateswara goes to Kancheevaram and requests  Nambi to come to Tirumala, and live with him and converse every night with him.

But Nambi loves Varadaraja deeply. He is not interested to leave Kancheevaram.

He refuses the request of Lord Venkateswara. But Lord is very curious to hear the news

of Tirumala through Nambi. So Lord Visits Kancheevaram everyday and requests Nambi. At last Nambi accepts the proposal of Lord Venkateswara. Lord very happily reaches  Tirumala along with Nambi. Nambi does the service to Lord Venkateswara

and at night time Lord spents his time  chatting with Nambi. After some days Nambi wants to go back to Kancheevaram. Lord Venkateswara accepts his desire and takes him to Kancheevaram and returns him to Lord Varadaraja with great satisfaction..

That is the love of God on true devotees.

(KRISHNA from live webcam pic of Mayapur, flowers from the garden of Star Trekker)

Dear Brother Hem (Hem Chandra Ghose),

After an age I have received your letter today. I am very glad to hear that you have sanctified yourself by a visit to Sri Brindaban. Unfortunate as I am, it has never been my lot to see Brindaban. To spend the rest of your life in joy, make the Name of the Sovereign of Braja your shelter. No Name sweeter than Krishna's can be had in the universe. Name is the chief reservoir of all energies. Do not forget the name. You have spent the most part of your life in the trivial pleasures of the world; why any further ? Leaving these aside it is now necessary to be ready for the life to come, by taking shelter under the really Holy Name of Sri Krishna. This is not the la9t of lives there are others before. Dipped in error, do not therefore spoil the life to come. The body is becoming weaker and weaker day by day. Better therefore to change Tamasik diet for Sa&ik. Fish, meat and wines regarded as most delicious food and drink during youth, should now be avoided as poison, else health will be seriously impaired. Fruits, roots and vegetables should now be the chief articles of food. Good diet will render the body healthy, and a healthy body will make the mind healthy; and with a sound mind you will be able to take Krishna's Name with great effect. It is not at all desirable to mar the firture life for earthly riches and worldly thoughts. The very idea of oppressing others should be cast out of the mind and the terrible egotism 'I' and I mine' should be given up. The best part of the life is.gone, still no halt! Good use should be made of money. To amass wealth, to obtain jewelry for wife and other relations, or the consumption of rich viands at the table does not mean the proper use of money. To bring relief to the needy, to feed the starving, to clothe the naked, etc., should be reckoned as money well spent. Even the Kaiser when leaving this world is forced to depart like a beggar. None can bring anything with him when he comes to this world, nor can he take anything with him when he leaves it. He brings and takes away with him only his good or bad deeds. Thus it is desirable to lay by with the help of money good actions which will follow after death. It is necessary to be devoid of self?esteem, otherwise the most self?less Nitai will not be kind. Imperative it is to make the heart tender, otherwise the tenderest feet of Sri Krishna will not be found therein. Hence it is well that attempt should be made to cast out from the heart anything hard therein. It will not do to proceed any further like a child. With the setting sun it is necessary to be a little more quick, else with the approach of darkness nothing can be effected. Take the Name yourself and tell others to do so. Resolve to avoid the company of the utterly worldly, and seek that of the devotees with all the eagerness you can command. Taking me for a mad man disregard my foolishness. I am a great sinner and a great dissembler. Tender our love to your loving wife and beg her to be kind to us. Tell her not to fall into error by regarding man as god. Man is for ever a man. Tell her also that we are utterly helpless; nothing can come or go at our desire. They are all will, and can do at will what they please. Hence if she kindly appears before me, I shall be gratified. Nothing whatever can come of my wishes.

Yours

visit:www.kusumahara.com                                                                                                               HARA

The Guru (preceptor) of Lord Dattatrey

Lord Dattatrey is honoured as a Jagadguru. He himself had twenty-four

preceptors. He closely observed different qualities in this world and accepted only those

qualities favourable for one’s accomplishment. He rejected unfavourable qualities.

1) From Earth, Lord Dattatrey accepted the qualities of forgiveness and

calmness.

2) From Air, He accepted the qualities of non-attachment and purity.

3) From Sky, He accepted the qualities of equality, aloofness, oneness, and

cleanliness.

4) From water, He accepted cleanliness and uniformity.

5) From Fire, He accepted aloofness, lustre and brilliance.

6) From Moon, He learned that this soul remains unaffected in spite of the

existence of emotions in human body.

7) From the Sun, He realized about aloofness and benevolence

8) From the Pigeon, He learned that excess love and attachment could lead to

damage.

9) From the Python, He learned to lie down quietly without any physical action,

since whatever is meant to happen, will happen in any case.

10)From the Sea, He accepted the qualities of earnestness and modesty.

11)He learned from a Moth that if one gets enamoured and clings, their Self

would be destroyed.

12)He learned from the Bee that the tendency towards excessive collection

brings destruction.

13)He learned from the Elephant that because of its carelessness, it gets

entangled in difficulties and has to become a slave of his partner. Hence one

should avoid the company of a woman.

14)He learned from the Black bee that one should try to gain without inflicting

pain on anybody else.

15)He learned from the Deer that it is dangerous to become engrossed in music

and loose focus. One should always remain alert.

16)He learned from Fish that envy or jealousy could lead to death.

17)He learned from the Courtesan that one couldn’t be completely happy and

get good sleep if they have many expectations. For one’s rescue, one should

be self-supporting.

18)He learned from a Bird-lapwing (Titavi) that unwanted savings bring

destruction in the end.

19)He learned from a Young Boy that one should forsake respect, disrespect,

and anxiety.

20)He learned from a Maiden and her bracelets that solitude is always excellent

21)He learned from a Snake that one should live alone and without any

contacts.

22)He learned the importance of concentration in one’s work from the

Blacksmith.

23)A Black Bee is an enemy of a worm and out of fear, the worm contemplates

on the black bee to such an extent that the worm itself becomes a black bee.

Hence Lord Dattatrey realized the importance of concentration and

contemplation from the worm.

24)He learned from a Female Spider that in the expansion, creation and

destruction, there is ‘Advait’ (The doctrine that identifies universe with God).

In this manner, by accepting favourable qualities and rejecting unfavourable

qualities, Lord Dattatrey became a ‘Jagadguru’.

Lord Krishna used to play with his friends in Vrindavan during his childhood.At the same time a poor hunters family also used to reside there.The hunter had a daughter of 12 years of age.Unfortunately the hunter and his wife became sick and were unable to do work so there little daughter took up the burden to feed her parents on her tiny shoulders.Everyday she wandered into the nearby forest and plucked fruits that she would later sell and thus feed her parents and herself.She often heard about Shri Krishna wherever she went and soon she developed devotion for him.She always took Krishna’s name due to which she developed Bhakti for the lord.One day,she decided that she would meet her Lord and give him her tasty fruits.She went to the forest to pick them but she always found some fault in every fruit she picked which was strange.She was extra cautious as she was picking them for her Lord and wanted to give him only the best fruit.

The little girl then carrying the carefully selected fruits in a basket,set off to visit Krishna in Vrindavan.She reached Shri Krishna’s house and sat on the road outside and started calling out loud for Krishna to hear.

‘fruits..tasty fruits..come and buy my tasty fruits’ she yelled.

But when people came to buy ,she refused as she wanted to give them only to Shri Krishna.Minutes turned to hours but Krishna who was playing with his friends in the house,did not come out.The girl became anxious.She carried her fruit basket on the head and went around Krishna’s house three times, calling out loud.

.She kept taking his name as she went around.This was a ‘PRADAKSHINA’ that she did for the Lord.

Still Krishna did not come out.Now the girl’s heart weeped to see the lord.Krishna who is the all Knower,came out smiling and approached the girl.

The girl was overwhelmed and stunned to see the lovely form of Shri Krishna.When Krishna asked her to give him the fruits ,she asked him to pay for them as she had to fend for her family.Krishna told her that he didn’t have the money and he would pay later.The girl refused and Shri Krishna kept pleading.The girl truly did not want money.She kept refusing as this was a good opportunity for her to see and interact with the Lord for a longer time.She just could not take off her eyes from his Lovely form and wanted to keep seeing him forever that way.

The lord who understood the girl’s real intention,smiled to himself and was pleased with her devotion.God always is bound to true devotees.

Finally the girl obliged,fearing Krishna would get displeased and gave him the tasty fruits.She went home happily.When she reached her home she was stunned to find a palatial house in place of her hut and her parents emerged from the house happy amd healthy.They came and hugged her and cried tears of happiness.The girl at once knew that this was Shri Krishna’s blessings.She felt sad that Krishna thought that she approached him for money which was not true.Then suddenly Krishna appeared and blessed her saying that she could visit his house any time and after her demise she would get entrance into ‘Goloka’ ,his divine abode.

The Lord always is bound to the pure hearts of his True devotees..HARE KRISHNA!

HARE KRISHNA!

(This Post with the help of  STAR TREKKER)

Pic from :www.mayapur.com