The Greatness of Lord Vishnu

[निताइ dasa]

This is my favourite picture of Lord Visnu, he completely enchants me, like a moth to a flameView attachment 14442

Jaya Jaya! haribol! This painting is wonderful. I love the tiny details. The tulsi at His feet. His lotus eyes...the peacock feathers.

I made a poem to Sriman Narayana a month ago, it's not very good, but i was feeling very inspired that day.

Oh Lord, my Smiling Lord, please be gentle with me, this fallen jiva, unable to follow your rules or even think of you at times. But when I do, your smiling face oh so illumines my soul, your graceful body, your shining yellow garb, your beautiful locks of hair, You, oh Blue Hued Lord, are the Infinite Supreme Lord, the One who manifests as every single universe in existence, Your sweet fingers carrying your weapons, the Sudarshana Chakra, the blinding light of a million suns, Your conch, able to hear the praises of your devotees, and the cries of all beings trapped in the cycle of death and rebirth. Oh One who holds the mace, You who destroys Your enemies, hate, malice, jealousy, and purify the fallen souls from Your gaze alone, Your lotus eyes blooming in every direction, to see such a sight, one would immediately be gripped by Your transcendental form. Your lotus flower, held up by your soft blue fingers, blooms magnificently, the very life of every jiva depending on You, Oh Maintainer of Reality, every jiva breathing is doing so only from Your Grace.


Listen to your consorts oh Infallable One, they, very compassionate to us, want you to forgive our lust and greed, our malice, our intolerable ignorance, help those who do not regard You as The Supreme Being. Sri-devi, Your pink-hued companion, wishes you to turn a blind eye to our ignorance. Bhu-devi, Your green-hued companion, wishes You to forget our sins, and Nila-devi, Your blue-hued companion, doesn’t believe we have sins at all!


Oh Para-Vasudeva, oh You, the Immanent Being, sit on your cushion, the transcendental Ananta-Shesha, Your 1000 headed devotee, eternally singing your glories from his innumerable mouths, Your eternal companion, he who is very dear to You. There, in Your abode, Sri Vaikuntha is the highest abode of all the worlds, eternal, ever-existing, there was no time or place when it was not.

Wow Wow! Jaya Nitai! Haribol! This is truly amazing. I love it...seems like Lord Hari is inspiring you within your heart. Very poetic. I love the description of His consorts. Sri, Bhu Nila devi ki Jaya!! Ananta Sesha ki Jaya!! Sudarshan Chakra ki Jaya! It is described, that all of the Lord's jewelry and ornaments only serve to increase His beauty. How fortunate His flute and His vaijanta mala is to be able to touch His divine body.

The thing that entrances me about the Lord, is His mercy. However He is so desperate to save us fallen Jivas. I mean...He doesn't have to descend and take avatar. If He wanted, He could've killed Raavan simply with a flare of His eyebrows. But still, out of His causeless Mercy, He descends from age to age. People ask, "what motivates the Lord's actions?". And the answer is "Mercy only". That is why His actions are described as karuna karunam (mercy is the cause of His actions). There is a story. There was a women, whose name was Ahilya, and due to some offense against her husband (and due to her own pride) she had been cursed to turn into a stone. But Lord Rama out of His infinite compassion put His lotus feet on Her and delivered her. Not only that...He gave her Bhakti too. Ahilya was sadhana hina (devoid of any spiritual practice), but still the Lord gave her the highest treasure! When Jatayu was wounded due to Raavan, Lord Rama Himself performed His funeral rights. There is a verse during this pastime that Tulsi Dasji sings that is so beautiful:

avirala bhakti magi vara gidha gao haridhama
taki kirya jato cita, nija kar kinhi rama

"Asking for constant Bhakti, the vulture (Jatayu) went to Haridhama (Vaikuntha). And Lord Rama with His own hands performed the funeral rites"


komal cita ati dina dayala
karana bina raghunatha kripala

"One whose heart is so soft, and who is merciful to the fallen, that Raghunatha is merciful to others without any reason"

gidha adhama khaga amish bhogi
gati dina je yachaka yogi

"He bestowed upon a carnivorous vulture a destination which is desired even by the greatest Yogis!"

 

[निताइ dasa]

I want to exclaim how epic the fight between Lord Varaha and Hiranyaksha was.

From what i remember, Hiranyaksha was very boastful about his tremendous abilities, and arrogantly tried to hit Lord Varaha with his club. He began swinging and the Lord was fighting equally well. But it was all his lila, a pastime of His, oh when the Lord actually displayed His power, it was magnificent. When Hiranyaksha smashed his club to Lord Varaha's chest, it was as if he was as soft as flower to Him, and truly the tide changed, when, Lord Varaha wielding His mace, ready to strike, absolutely crushed Hiranyaksha's head, the force so strong all his bravado and arrogance evaporated immediately, then, the Lord, with his Sudarshana Chakra, cut of the head of this villain, and saved Bhu-devi from the engulfing waters. Showers of praise were given to Lord Varaha, His transcendental form shining like the moon in the night

Jaya Jaya! Imagine How epic this battle would have been?

vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna
sasini kalanka-kaleva nimagna
kesava dhrita-sukara-rupa jaya jagadisa hare


"0 Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a boar! All glories to You!
The earth, which had become immersed in the Garbhodaka Ocean at the bottom of the universe, sits fixed
upon the tip of Your tusk like a spot upon the moon."





Great thread though Teresaji! Thank you for bring it up again. Your poem actually inspired me to find a poem I actually wrote (though this was in high school...so its quite bad). I was trying to avoid mentioning the Name of Krsna, but when my teacher read it he said to me "this reminds me of the Bhakti movement in Hinduism". Jackpot! ahahah


Forgetfulness

Oh Lord, I have spent my life in futility!

Having gained human birth, I have not remembered You,

Thus knowingly I have drunken Poison.


Taking birth from my mother’s womb,

I spent my childhood in play.

In my ignorance I forsook Him,

To whom all mortal pray.


Enjoying my youth in intoxication,

Of my knowledge and so called birth,

My swollen pride grew under me,

Yet, Meaning would not unearth.


What was pious? What was sin?

Who was I? Where did I belong?

He told this, she said that,

Hadn’t a sense of right or wrong.


Nothing seemed clear to me, nothing logical.

Can there exist something unable to be proved?

To believe in a concept, solely on faith,

All my efforts left me confused.


Then when all seemed lost, You sent Your servant,

Lifting me out of ignorance; opening my eyes with rays of Knowledge



“Listen O Sinful Soul for I have brought Good News,

Man must give up sect for God.

Those thoughts of race and sect,

Don’t agree with what is called Religion”


“A dancing puppet of hundred joints,

Thy Mortal coil running thin

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust,

What was once beautiful is now wretched”


“To adore it is the greatest misconception,

To think it reality, the greatest fault,

Trapped in the material chain of reactions

Thou art a scribe unable to write”


“Instead allow thy mind to be absorbed

In the land where sweetness predominates

Constantly worshiping, thy mind controlled,

Thy tongue vibrating the Holy Name.”


“Love alone is perfect, Love alone unites,

Therefore attain that Love, the essence of creation is this!”

Taking these instructions upon my head,

I walked the trodden path; reaching your door.


I forsook Thee and came to this world,

And now only You can help me now.

 

[Terese]

Jaya Jaya! Imagine How epic this battle would have been?

vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna
sasini kalanka-kaleva nimagna
kesava dhrita-sukara-rupa jaya jagadisa hare


"0 Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a boar! All glories to You!
The earth, which had become immersed in the Garbhodaka Ocean at the bottom of the universe, sits fixed
upon the tip of Your tusk like a spot upon the moon."





Great thread though Teresaji! Thank you for bring it up again. Your poem actually inspired me to find a poem I actually wrote (though this was in high school...so its quite bad). I was trying to avoid mentioning the Name of Krsna, but when my teacher read it he said to me "this reminds me of the Bhakti movement in Hinduism". Jackpot! ahahah


Forgetfulness

Oh Lord, I have spent my life in futility!

Having gained human birth, I have not remembered You,

Thus knowingly I have drunken Poison.


Taking birth from my mother’s womb,

I spent my childhood in play.

In my ignorance I forsook Him,

To whom all mortal pray.


Enjoying my youth in intoxication,

Of my knowledge and so called birth,

My swollen pride grew under me,

Yet, Meaning would not unearth.


What was pious? What was sin?

Who was I? Where did I belong?

He told this, she said that,

Hadn’t a sense of right or wrong.


Nothing seemed clear to me, nothing logical.

Can there exist something unable to be proved?

To believe in a concept, solely on faith,

All my efforts left me confused.


Then when all seemed lost, You sent Your servant,

Lifting me out of ignorance; opening my eyes with rays of Knowledge



“Listen O Sinful Soul for I have brought Good News,

Man must give up sect for God.

Those thoughts of race and sect,

Don’t agree with what is called Religion”


“A dancing puppet of hundred joints,

Thy Mortal coil running thin

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust,

What was once beautiful is now wretched”


“To adore it is the greatest misconception,

To think it reality, the greatest fault,

Trapped in the material chain of reactions

Thou art a scribe unable to write”


“Instead allow thy mind to be absorbed

In the land where sweetness predominates

Constantly worshiping, thy mind controlled,

Thy tongue vibrating the Holy Name.”


“Love alone is perfect, Love alone unites,

Therefore attain that Love, the essence of creation is this!”

Taking these instructions upon my head,

I walked the trodden path; reaching your door.


I forsook Thee and came to this world,

And now only You can help me now.

Oh Nitai-Dasa ji, that is a very beautiful poem, it really shows us clearly the effects of Kali-Yug and the ignorance of thinking oneself as the body, not the soul, which is eternal in all respects. Jai jai, this Love is Krsna

 

[निताइ dasa]

Oh Nitai-Dasa ji, that is a very beautiful poem, it really shows us clearly the effects of Kali-Yug and the ignorance of thinking oneself as the body, not the soul, which is eternal in all respects. Jai jai, this Love is Krsna

Jaya Jaya! Mustn't let this thread die. Will try and post hear about glories of the Lord if I read/hear something interesting.

 

[HarihOm]

Namaste,

Let all feel comfortable to Glorify either Shiva or Vishnu as they like, there is no conflict, only in misunderstanding is their conflict.

Mahabharata (Anusasana-parva 135) says that Vishnu and Shiva are nondifferent and even counts the names Shiva, Sarva, Sthanu, Isana, and Rudra—names traditionally identified with Shiva—among the thousand names of Vishnu.

SB 4.6.42:
brahmovāca
jāne tvām īśaṁ viśvasya
jagato yoni-bījayoḥ
śakteḥ śivasya ca paraṁ
yat tad brahma nirantaram

SB 4.7.50 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ahaṁ brahmā ca śarvaś ca
jagataḥ kāraṇaṁ param
ātmeśvara upadraṣṭā
svayan-dṛg aviśeṣaṇaḥ

12.10.08

sūta uvāca
ity uktvā tam upeyāya
bhagavān sa satāṁ gatiḥ
īśānaḥ sarva-vidyānām
īśvaraḥ sarva-dehinām

In both Vishnu Sahastranam and Shiva Sahastranam, both names of Vishnu Tattva and Shiva Tattva are called out equally.

In so many Shastra the non difference of Shiva and Vishnu is told. There is so much authority ( Sabda Brahma) to back this up.

In Bhagavata Purana which is the gem Shastra for Vaishnavas says there is no difference between Vishnu and Shiva

hari

Another name of Kṛṣṇa is hari हरि . If we look at the components ha + ri it gives us a good indication of this name. That a root of 'ha' is 'han' and this means killing , destroying , removing.
The 2nd definition of ha is meditation , auspiciousness, sky , heaven , paradise. This ha is found both in hari हरि (Kṛṣṇa) and also found in hara हर (śiva).
What is of great interest ( to me) is both are rooted in hṛ हृ- to take away , carry off , seize ; it also means to remove , destroy , dispel .

So now the common sense question , what is to taken away , carried off , seized, removed , destroyed or dispelled? Ignorance. The ignorance of one's true level of Being.

Why not just call kṛṣṇa & śiva 'ha' ? We could. Yet what is added? hari and hara. What is being offered?
ri रि is rooted in rī री, and this rī is rooted in rā रा (as is ra र is rooted in rā रा).
If we understand rā रा we have broken the code.
rā रा is to acquire or possess, yet also to grant , give , bestow , impart.
On one end hṛ हृ is there to remove , destroy or dispel ignorance; and this is then replaced with rā रा , to bestow, impart and grant.
But what is given ? IMHO its is grace some call anugraha; of the Supreme. And what is given? Fullness of Being. In Vedānta it is considered sat + cit + ānanda (pure existence + all consciousness + bliss).

 

[निताइ dasa]

Let all feel comfortable to Glorify either Shiva or Vishnu as they like, there is no conflict, only in misunderstanding is their conflict.

Wonderful answer. Welcome to the thread!!

Yes there is no problem in glorifying Lord Shiva. Of all the Vaishnavs, Lord Shiva is the foremost Vaishnav. Bhagavatam calls him "vaishnavanam yatha sambhu". Lord Shiva is the guna avatara of Sri Krsna, so obviously he should be respected. There are very subtle differences between Shiva and Vishnu Tattva which are not understood by the population at large. Lord Vishnu is like milk and Rudra is like Yogurt. When we add something to milk (bacteria) it becomes yogurt, in a similar way when Lord Vishnu wishes to interact with the material nature (Maya), He takes the form of Rudra to do this. That is how this material world (Mahatattva) is formed. That is why, there is a whole category of scriptures which describe Lord Shiva as Brahman. But Narayana is even His origin. In the beginning there was only Narayana, in the end everything will return into Narayana. The names of all the devatas, like Rudra, Siva etc all come from Narayana. Non-difference should not be understood as "exactly the same". Even in the forms of Lord Vishnu there are certain distinctions. Certain Avatars are only amsa (partial) avatars. Others are empowered jivas in whom Narayana resides (Shaktyavesha avatars). Even we are non-different from Vishnu in a way because we are fragments of His Jiva Shakti. Srila Ramanujacharya has explained this most beautifully in his philosophy of Vishishtadvaita in which everything is Brahman...but even in that Brahman there are divisions and categories. Being followers of the Vaishnav acharyas like Ramanujacharya, Madhavhacharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we are obliged to accept their conclusions on this matter.


For us, Lord Shiv is very dear to Lord Hari, so we worship him in that way. His worship should not be done independently of Lord Hari, but neither should he be disrespected or ignored. Jaya Shiva Shambhu!!

shri-naradadyaih satata sugopya-jijnasitayasu vara-pradaya
tebhyo harer bhakti-sukha-pradaya, sivaya sarvva-gurave namah

"I offer my respectful obeisances to you, Shri Siva, who are forever inquired of confidentially by Shri Narada and other great sages, who very easily bestow boons on them, who bestow the happiness of Hari-bhakti to those who seek boons of you, who thereby create auspiciousness and are thus the guru of everyone."

 

[Terese]

Jaya Jaya! Mustn't let this thread die. Will try and post hear about glories of the Lord if I read/hear something interesting.

Thank you very much Nitai-dasa ji!

 

[Terese]

Namaste,

Let all feel comfortable to Glorify either Shiva or Vishnu as they like, there is no conflict, only in misunderstanding is their conflict.

Mahabharata (Anusasana-parva 135) says that Vishnu and Shiva are nondifferent and even counts the names Shiva, Sarva, Sthanu, Isana, and Rudra—names traditionally identified with Shiva—among the thousand names of Vishnu.

SB 4.6.42:
brahmovāca
jāne tvām īśaṁ viśvasya
jagato yoni-bījayoḥ
śakteḥ śivasya ca paraṁ
yat tad brahma nirantaram

SB 4.7.50 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ahaṁ brahmā ca śarvaś ca
jagataḥ kāraṇaṁ param
ātmeśvara upadraṣṭā
svayan-dṛg aviśeṣaṇaḥ

12.10.08

sūta uvāca
ity uktvā tam upeyāya
bhagavān sa satāṁ gatiḥ
īśānaḥ sarva-vidyānām
īśvaraḥ sarva-dehinām

In both Vishnu Sahastranam and Shiva Sahastranam, both names of Vishnu Tattva and Shiva Tattva are called out equally.

In so many Shastra the non difference of Shiva and Vishnu is told. There is so much authority ( Sabda Brahma) to back this up.

In Bhagavata Purana which is the gem Shastra for Vaishnavas says there is no difference between Vishnu and Shiva

hari

Another name of Kṛṣṇa is hari हरि . If we look at the components ha + ri it gives us a good indication of this name. That a root of 'ha' is 'han' and this means killing , destroying , removing.
The 2nd definition of ha is meditation , auspiciousness, sky , heaven , paradise. This ha is found both in hari हरि (Kṛṣṇa) and also found in hara हर (śiva).
What is of great interest ( to me) is both are rooted in hṛ हृ- to take away , carry off , seize ; it also means to remove , destroy , dispel .

So now the common sense question , what is to taken away , carried off , seized, removed , destroyed or dispelled? Ignorance. The ignorance of one's true level of Being.

Why not just call kṛṣṇa & śiva 'ha' ? We could. Yet what is added? hari and hara. What is being offered?
ri रि is rooted in rī री, and this rī is rooted in rā रा (as is ra र is rooted in rā रा).
If we understand rā रा we have broken the code.
rā रा is to acquire or possess, yet also to grant , give , bestow , impart.
On one end hṛ हृ is there to remove , destroy or dispel ignorance; and this is then replaced with rā रा , to bestow, impart and grant.
But what is given ? IMHO its is grace some call anugraha; of the Supreme. And what is given? Fullness of Being. In Vedānta it is considered sat + cit + ānanda (pure existence + all consciousness + bliss).

Pranam HariHOm ji, there will be no Lord Siva bashing in this thread

 

[Sw. Vandana Jyothi]

Ha!! I feel like an old kitty here, a small, white-haired creature who happened upon a giant, beautifully decorated bowl overflowing with sweet bhakti milk and while clumsily trying to take a lick--just a lick, mind you!--by perching only on the rim of the bowl, attempting not to be greedy and with all proper decorum (why!?!)... fell in.

Ah!! Had a very enjoyable swim, thanks to all of you very much! Now will go out into the sun and allow my fur to dry... so crystals form from the leftover amrita, of course... heh, heh, then I will proceed to enjoy dessert!

 

[Terese]

Ha!! I feel like an old kitty here, a small, white-haired creature who happened upon a giant, beautifully decorated bowl overflowing with sweet bhakti milk and while clumsily trying to take a lick--just a lick, mind you!--by perching only on the rim of the bowl, attempting not to be greedy and with all proper decorum (why!?!)... fell in.

Ah!! Had a very enjoyable swim, thanks to all of you very much! Now will go out into the sun and allow my fur to dry... so crystals form from the leftover amrita, of course... heh, heh, then I will proceed to enjoy dessert!

Glad you are enjoying the Lord's pastimes Mataji

 

[Sw. Vandana Jyothi]

Glad you are enjoying the Lord's pastimes Mataji

Sorry, what's that you say? I'm a bit intoxicated at the moment....

 

[Kirran]

Here's a picture of Sri Ranganatha, reclining in the ocean. I was at this temple for a mahabhishekham last week.

In the second picture you can sort of see other murtis in the background - the temple also includes Shiva, Krishna, Venkateshwara, Subramanium...

Aum Namo Narayanaya.

 

[Sw. Vandana Jyothi]

Here's a picture of Sri Ranganatha, reclining in the ocean. I was at this temple for a mahabhishekham last week.

In the second picture you can sort of see other murtis in the background - the temple also includes Shiva, Krishna, Venkateshwara, Subramanium...

Aum Namo Narayanaya.

OH!!!! So BEAUTIFUL!!!! Namo! Namo!

 

[Terese]

Jai jai, i decided to copy and paste a chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam onto here, from a PM i had previously wrote.

Krishna Returns to the Gopis

The gopis thus went on singing and speaking deliriously, endearingly weeping loudly and hankering for the audience of Krishna.

Then Lord Krishna, a smile on His lotus face, appeared before the gopis. Wearing a garland and a yellow garment, He directly appeared as one who can bewilder the mind of Cupid, who himself bewilders the minds of ordinary people. When they saw that He, their dearest one, had returned to them, the girls full of affection opened their eyes wide and stood all simultaneously up as if life itself had returned to their bodies. One of them joyfully seized the hand of Sauri [The son of Vasudeva, or the Son of the Hero] with her folded palms while another one put His arm, adorned with sandalwood paste, around her shoulder. A slender gopi took the remnants of the betel nut He had chewed in her joined hands and another one took His lotus feet and placed them on her burning breasts. Another one with frowning eyebrows biting her lips threw, beside herself in her love, agitated, sidelong looks at Him as if she wanted to harm Him. Another one [said to be Radha] staring at Him relished His lotus face but could, despite the full taste, not get enough, just like saints cannot get enough of His feet. One of them placed Him, through the openings of her eyes, in her heart and kept embracing Him there with her eyes closed, while her hairs stood on end being drowned in ecstasy, as if she was a yogi. All of them experienced a supreme jubilation at the sight of Kesava [one with the curly locks] and gave up the distress of their separation, just like normal people do when they meet a spiritually enlightened person. My dear King, in the midst of those who were relieved of their sorrow, Acyuta, [the infallible one] the Supreme Lord, appeared even more brilliant, as the Original Person complete with all His spiritual potencies.

The Almighty One took them with Him and arrived at the banks of the Yamuna. There the auspicious river with the hands of her waves had collected soft sands. The kunda and mandara flowers fragrantly bloomed with bees [attracted] by the autumnal breeze, while the moon, plentifully shining, with its rays dispelled the darkness of the night. The pain of the desires in their heart was dispelled by the ecstasy of seeing Him. By arranging a seat for their dear friend with their shawls that were smeared with the kunkuma from their breasts, the gopis attained the ultimate fulfillment of their souls as [described in] the scriptures. The Supreme Lord and Controller for whom the masters of yoga arrange a seat in their hearts, present in the assembly of the gopis was seated there resplendently. Thus exhibiting His personal form He was worshiped as the exclusive reservoir of all beauty and opulence in the three worlds. He who awakens Cupid, (Lord Krishna) was honoured with smiles, with playful glances, with sporting their eyebrows, with massaging His feet and hands upon their laps and was thus offered praise, but still being somewhat incensed they addressed Him.

The fine gopis said: 'Some follow the example of those who respect them, some show respect without being respected themselves and some have no love for anyone. Oh dear one, can You explain that to us?' The Supreme Lord said: 'Those who as friends mutually reciprocate exclusively for their own sake, are in that endeavor indeed not to the principle, not of true friendship; they are after their own benefit, nothing else.
They who are respectful and kind without being respected themselves, like parents e.g., are faultless in their sense of duty and of real friendship oh slender girls. Some are sure not to reciprocate even with the devout; what indeed should one say of those who do not reciprocate, of the [spiritually] self-satisfied, of the ones who have all their desires fulfilled, of the ingrates and of those who are inimical towards the venerable?
But I My friends, despite the respect I receive from other living beings, do not reciprocate that propensity [for pure love] in order to let it increase. Someone will entertain no thought of anything else then, just like a poor man who collected some wealth and is afraid to loose it again. Because of your for My sake defying of what the people, the scriptures and your relatives all say and because of [My desire to increase] your propensity to love Me, I have answered by disappearing from your sight My dear girls. So do not be displeased with your Beloved, oh dear ones. I will, not even living as long as a god in heaven, be able to repay you for your unadulterated worship of Me. May your own pious activities constitute the answer [be the reward] for that cutting with the so difficult to overcome chains of your household lives.'

I decided to make Lord Krishna's words pink, as all his words are oh so flowery
If i have made some error in this post, please notify me, this site is the only place the company of Vaisnavas are present to me.

 

[ratikala]

Namaskar am Prabhu ji's

@Terese ji @निताइ dasa ji .... thank you for reawakening this thread with your sweet poems and beautifull stories , ..and thank you @Kirran ji for the beautifull pictures , ...and to @Sw. Vandana Jyothi for diving in , ....
of couse I particularly love the story of Varaha and such a beautifull picture , .....

and Gomata sitting so peacfuly undisturbed , ..such is the mercy of the Supreme lord who cares for all Jivatma , this reminds me also of the Mercy shown by Sri Visnu in his Buddha avatara , where he comes in the form of Prince Siddhatha Gautama who upon seeing the suffering of mankind traped in the cycle of birth and death without method of finding their own liberation gave up his princely position and went into the forest insearch of the answer to put an end to the suffering experienced by the common man , .....

Lord Buddha arrived only some 250 years after the begining of this age of Kali by which time the efects of Kaliyuga were already begining to show them selves , lord Buddha was born into a Kshatriya family , Vedic sages were consulted at his birth , as was tradition his horoscope was drawn and it was fortold that he would be either a great king and ruler or that he would become a great spiritual teacher , His father wanting him to continue in his footsteps as a Kshatriya King ensured that he was given every comfort in the palace and that he was sheltered from all external influence , thus Siddhatha grew up knowing little of the outside world and the realities of life , as a young man he became curious to know how the people of his kingdom lived , thinking that if he were to rule justly he must know more about his people , so he instructed his charioteer to take him out side of the palace , althought the father had tried to prohibit this the charioteer obeying Siddhatha took him into the sarounding villages , where Siddhatha saw first hand the realities of life , he saw the physical suffering of Birth , Old age , Sickness and Death , ..never having seen this he asked the charioteer to explain about the conditions faced by his people , mooved by their suffering Siddhatha vowed to find a solution to end all suffering , ...thus he decided to go into the forest in search of instruction from the sages and ascetics , ...thus out of mercy he gave up his princely life and went in search of liberation for the sake of others , .....

the story from here is long and has many beautifull complexaties all of which reveal the great mercy of Sri Visnu who comes again and again to re establish rightiousness and to reveal Sanatana Dharma , ....
please if any one has any questions relating to Sri Visnu's incarnation as Lord Buddha I am only too happy to discuss further as there are many misconceptions regarding the position of lord Buddha as a Visnu Avatara , ....

Lord Buddha Ki Jai , ......



​

 

[Terese]

Namaskar am Prabhu ji's

@Terese ji @निताइDasa ji .... thank you for reawakening this thread with your sweet poems and beautifull stories , ..and thank you @Kirran ji for the beautifull pictures , ...and to @Sw. Vandana Jyothi for diving in , ....
of couse I particularly love the story of Varaha and such a beautifull picture , .....

and Gomata sitting so peacfuly undisturbed , ..such is the mercy of the Supreme lord who cares for all Jivatma , this reminds me also of the Mercy shown by Sri Visnu in his Buddha avatara , where he comes in the form of Prince Siddhatha Gautama who upon seeing the suffering of mankind traped in the cycle of birth and death without method of finding their own liberation gave up his princely position and went into the forest insearch of the answer to put an end to the suffering experienced by the common man , .....

Lord Buddha arrived only some 250 years after the begining of this age of Kali by which time the efects of Kaliyuga were already begining to show them selves , lord Buddha was born into a Kshatriya family , Vedic sages were consulted at his birth , as was tradition his horoscope was drawn and it was fortold that he would be either a great king and ruler or that he would become a great spiritual teacher , His father wanting him to continue in his footsteps as a Kshatriya King ensured that he was given every comfort in the palace and that he was sheltered from all external influence , thus Siddhatha grew up knowing little of the outside world and the realities of life , as a young man he became curious to know how the people of his kingdom lived , thinking that if he were to rule justly he must know more about his people , so he instructed his charioteer to take him out side of the palace , althought the father had tried to prohibit this the charioteer obeying Siddhatha took him into the sarounding villages , where Siddhatha saw first hand the realities of life , he saw the physical suffering of Birth , Old age , Sickness and Death , ..never having seen this he asked the charioteer to explain about the conditions faced by his people , mooved by their suffering Siddhatha vowed to find a solution to end all suffering , ...thus he decided to go into the forest in search of instruction from the sages and ascetics , ...thus out of mercy he gave up his princely life and went in search of liberation for the sake of others , .....

the story from here is long and has many beautifull complexaties all of which reveal the great mercy of Sri Visnu who comes again and again to re establish rightiousness and to reveal Sanatana Dharma , ....
please if any one has any questions relating to Sri Visnu's incarnation as Lord Buddha I am only too happy to discuss further as there are many misconceptions regarding the position of lord Buddha as a Visnu Avatara , ....

Lord Buddha Ki Jai , ......



​

Pranam Mataji, i am very curious to see these misconceptions you speak of; i do not know much of Maha-Visnu's avatara

 

[ratikala]

Jai Jai , ...

Krishna Returns to the Gopis

so many nectarian pastimes even the moon in your picture enjoys the sweet melow , ....

 

[ratikala]

Pranama's Terese ji

Pranam Mataji, i am very curious to see these misconceptions you speak of; i do not know much of Maha-Visnu's avatara

you have been reading Bhagavatm so you will have seen there is some mention there fortelling the arival of Lord Buddha avatara ...

tataù kalau sampravåtte
sammohäya sura-dviñäm
buddho nämnäïjana-sutaù
kékaöeñu bhaviñyati
tataù—thereafter; kalau—the age of Kali; sampravåtte—having ensued; sammohäya—for the purpose of deluding; sura—the theists; dviñäm—those who are envious; buddhaù—Lord Buddha; nämnä—of the name; aïjana-sutaù—whose mother was Aïjanä; kékaöeñu—in the province of Gayä (Bihar); bhaviñyati—will take place.​

Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Aïjanä, in the province of Gayä, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist.
​

, .....sometimes it is translated as ''to delude the atheists'' , .....these translations are very dificult to understand , ....

the First clue comes in the previous discriptions of Kaliyuga , ....where it is said that man's memory will be poor , his ability to descriminate will become weak , he will become increasingly more self posessed and concerned with his material life , and that his attraction to the lord and to rightiousness will become diminished , ....

thus to re establish religious principles in the age of Kail lord Visnu must take on the Guise of a ordinary man and teach religious principles without preaching love of Godhead , .....many times it is thought that Lord Buddha supports atheism and that he is against theism , in this instance neither is correct , what had happened is that the Brahminical caste's had become complacent performing sacrifices only for an elite or penances for their own benifit , it is also said that the incidence of animal sacrifice have become rife and the populace had become the enjoyers of sacrifice , such behavior is not in accordance with Sanatana Dharma , ...(eternal religious principles) , ....in Rig Veda and Athara Veda it is said that we should not cause harm to Bhumi Devi or any who reside upon her , that we should not to polute the enviroment or take more from her than we need to support ourselves , .....your picture of Varaha shows beautifuly this earth planet being rescued from distruction by ignorance and upon the earth Gomata sits so peacfully in this picture eating only what she needs to support her life and that of her calf , this is the world in harmony , ....in this Kaliyuga man had through his own desirousness broken this rule , he had abandoned Sanatana Dharma , so lord Visni in the form of Buddha sought to re establish order , this he did by teaching the eightfold path , ... right understanding , right thought , right speach, right action , right livelihood , right effort , right mindfullness and Right Samadhi (Meditation) , ......within this path the same eternal principles are expressed , ...Wisdom, compassion and Knowledge , ... thus ahimsa , so when Lord Buddha taught , he taught without discrimination against Caste and without nececity to perform sacrifice , ...he taught tollerance , fewness of wishes and compassion , ...he did not directly speak of God or did he speak aginst God , ...he would not be drawn on this issue , ..His is primary concern was to liberate beings from the suffering of cyclic existance through renunciation of attachment to self and selfish desire and to raise us to a level of awareness so that we may answer our own questions , ......

 

[निताइ dasa]

Then Lord Krishna, a smile on His lotus face, appeared before the gopis. Wearing a garland and a yellow garment, He directly appeared as one who can bewilder the mind of Cupid, who himself bewilders the minds of ordinary people. When they saw that He, their dearest one, had returned to them, the girls full of affection opened their eyes wide and stood all simultaneously up as if life itself had returned to their bodies. One of them joyfully seized the hand of Sauri [The son of Vasudeva, or the Son of the Hero] with her folded palms while another one put His arm, adorned with sandalwood paste, around her shoulder. A slender gopi took the remnants of the betel nut He had chewed in her joined hands and another one took His lotus feet and placed them on her burning breasts. Another one with frowning eyebrows biting her lips threw, beside herself in her love, agitated, sidelong looks at Him as if she wanted to harm Him. Another one [said to be Radha] staring at Him relished His lotus face but could, despite the full taste, not get enough, just like saints cannot get enough of His feet. One of them placed Him, through the openings of her eyes, in her heart and kept embracing Him there with her eyes closed, while her hairs stood on end being drowned in ecstasy, as if she was a yogi. All of them experienced a supreme jubilation at the sight of Kesava [one with the curly locks] and gave up the distress of their separation, just like normal people do when they meet a spiritually enlightened person. My dear King, in the midst of those who were relieved of their sorrow, Acyuta, [the infallible one] the Supreme Lord, appeared even more brilliant, as the Original Person complete with all His spiritual potentiates.

Ahh re, you've posted one of the greatest chapter of the Bhagavatam! Thank you so much! It is so beautiful...can't fathom it. One actually can't imagine the separation of the Gopis. During the Gopi Geet (the songs of seperation which take place right before Lord Krsna's reappearance), the Gopis curse Brahma for giving them eyelids because when they blink...for a fraction of that second Krsna is no longer in their sight, and to the Gopis this moment seems like millions of Yugas. Lord Chaitanya has expressed this very sentiment in His Sikshastakam:

yugayitam nimeshena
chakshusha pravrishayitam
shunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda-virahena me

O Govinda! Feeling Your separations I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

es. I will, not even living as long as a god in heaven, be able to repay you for your unadulterated worship of Me. May your own pious activities constitute the answer [be the reward] for that cutting with the so difficult to overcome chains of your household lives.'

Jaya Jaya! This actually reveals the true position of the Gopis ahah! In Gita Krsna says ye yatha mam prapadye tams tathaiva bhajamy aham (that according to your degree of surrender I will reciprocate). But here Krsna is saying "O Gopis, you have given up Your very husbands and relatives and run off in the middle of the night simply to attain Me. Even I cannot repay this dept in so many lives!".

I hope this shows the exalted position of the Gopis! Their surrender to Krsna is so intense. Uddhava (who was very dear to the Lord being His cousin) desired to be simply a piece of grass in Vrndavana in the hope that the Gopis would step on him and give him their footdust.


Actually...I feel inspired to share with you guys some verses of the Gopi Gita (the song of seperation). The meanings of that verse are so so esoteric...and it is something applicable to our own Sadhana also, because we can also call out to the Lord in that mood of seperation, and since the prayer has been sung by the Gopis, the Lord will be very pleased.

 

[निताइ dasa]

Sri Gopi Gita (verses 1-2)


So let me set a context for these verse. What happens is that the Gopis of Vrndavana all did a fast to please Katyayani Devi (Yogamaya) and all of them wished to have Krsna in the form of husband. So during sarac purnima (the full moon of autumn) Lord Krsna played His sweet flute to call all the Gopis to dance. All the Gopis left everything that they were doing and rushed to meet their beloved. As the Gopis approached Krsna they began to dance. Lord Krsna danced with Radharani in the middle. Actually Bhagavatam says that the Lord expanded Himself to dance with each and every Gopi...but that is not entirely correct. Lord Krsna in Only One, and He moved so lightning fast it only appeared that He was dancing with each Gopi. Each Gopi thought that "Yes Krsna is dancing with Me only". Due to this pride...the Gopis became extremely proud:

tāsāṁ tat-saubhaga-madaṁ
 vīkṣya mānaṁ ca keśavaḥ
praśamāya prasādāya
 tatraivāntaradhīyata

"Lord Keśava, seeing the gopīs too proud of their good fortune, wanted to relieve them of this pride and show them further mercy. Thus He immediately disappeared."

The words saubhaga-madam is very important here. Saubhaga means fortune, and madam means intoxicated. So the Gopis became extremely proud...intoxicated in their pride, and to remove this pride Krsna disappeared. A secondary reason that the Lord disappeared is because He wanted to test the Love of the Gopis. You see...the love we have towards material things (like our bodies etc) and the love that the Gopis had for Krsna are very different. In Scripture the comparison of iron and gold is given. The Gopis' love was like gold and our love for material objects is like iron. When iron is placed in fire it burns up into a crisp. Similarly when our love is put under some test..it collapses. We may love (or rather) lust for someone, but as soon as their body becomes old and frail...that 'love' disappears. This is the nature of all material attraction...it is temporary and weak. However when GOld is put into fire, it does not burn but rather becomes more pure (as the impurities are burn away). In a similiar way when the Gopis' love is put under some test, it simply becomes stronger. That is why the Lord decided to vanish and test the Love of the Gopis in the fires of separation. A third and more confidential reason why the Lord disappeared is due to that fact the Radharani has also left the rasa dance at that point. We know this because when Krsna leaves the Gopis sing the following verses:

kasyāḥ padāni caitāni yātāyā nanda-sūnunā
aṁsa-nyasta-prakoṣṭhāyāḥ kareṇoḥ kariṇā yathā
anayārādhito nūnaṁ bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
yan no vihāya govindaḥ prīto yām anayad rahaḥ

[The gopīs said:] Here we see the footprints of some gopī who must have been walking along with the son of Nanda Mahārāja. He must have put His arm on Her shoulder, just as an elephant rests His trunk on the shoulder of an accompanying she-elephant. Certainly this particular gopī has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place.

Also we see here that Sukadeva Goswami is revealing Radharani in this verse also in a very confidential way. He described the Gopi who left with Krsna as anayaradhito (which contain the name of Radha).


So in their separation the Gopis sing this most beautiful Gopi Geet, which in my favorite section in all of Bhagavatam. I will try and write some little thing about these verses from the commentaries of our Acharya.s Therefore I bow at the feet of all the Vaishnavs and beg for their mercy and forgiveness if I make a mistake. So without further ado, the first verse of Gopi Geet is as follows:

gopya ūcuḥ

jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ
 śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi
dayita dṛśyatāṁ dikṣu tāvakās
 tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate


The gopīs said: O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indirā (Lakshmi), the goddess of fortune, always resides here. It is only for Your sake that we, Your devoted servants, maintain our lives. We have been searching everywhere for You, so please show Yourself to us.

Now before I begin, I would like to draw everyone's attention to the poetry of these verses. They are sung in such a way that 1st and 7th syllable of each line are the same. Furthermore, the Gopis sung this in order to show us that it is only Nama Sankirtan, which can truly allow our prayers to reach the Lord. Now, as for the meaning, each verse in the Gopi Geet as a dual meaning...one meaning at this direct and another that is indirect. I will try and explain some of these meanings.

So the Gopis being with the line "jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi". They are saying "O Krsna all glories to Vrndavana, the place where You were born, where Lakshmi (Indira) Herself stays always. Because of this, the Land of Vrndavana is so beautiful and abundant in wealth and fortune. There is not suffering, no pain here because Lakshmi Herself resides here. Yet why is it, that in such a merciful place we are feeling so much pain? No matter how much wealth of opulence a place has...without You and Your vision, that place to us is dead and simply serves to cause us pain". The Gopis prefer Vrndavana to even Vaikuntha and this is revealed in two ways, vraja and janmana. Vraja means "to wander" so the Gopis are saying, glorious is this place, because You Krsna wander all around it barefoot all day, whereas in Vaikuntha you do not. Furthermore you have been born here (Janama), while in Vaikuntha You are never born. It is for this reason that Vraja is so glorious!

That is why the Gopis pray dayita drsyatam diksu tavakas tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate meaning "O Dayita, O Beloved please show Yourself to us, because it is only for this reason that we are holding our life breath within our bodies". Dayita also means "merciful One" so the Gopis are sort of taunting Krsna.. "O Krsna if you really are Dayita... Merciful then you would appear before us and not leave us in this ocean of suffering. So at least not for our sake, but for the sake of Your name as Dayita, please appear before us.

Jiva Goswami gives another explanation of the word dayita, which he took from the poet Ksira Svami : “Dayite cittam ädatte iti dayita" – one who takes another person’s heart is called dayita.” According to this meaning, the Gopis utter this word to imply, “You are dayita because You have taken our hearts. Please return that stolen property now.” Dayita also means ‘lover,’ or ‘one who can give up everything for his beloved.’ Srila Jiva Goswami explains that as the gopis sing this verse, they weep so that Krsna will hear them and bestow His mercy upon them. Mercy especially comes to those who bitterly weep for it in this way. A child who cries with full feeling evokes the mercy of his parents, who stop everything and attend to his needs. The gopis do not sing their song of longing within the forest, where the trees and mountains would have obstructed the sound of their voices. They have come out of the forest and are sitting down on the bank of the Yamunä. Now, wherever Krsna might be, He would hear them weeping; and certainly He would be unable to check Himself from coming before them.

So you can see, how even one verse can have so many meanings.