HOLI PASTIMES OF GAURANGA

Mahanidhi Swami

From the first day of spring, Vasanta Pancami (Visnupriya's appearance day) until Gaura Purnima, Lord Gauranga plays Holi for 40 days continuously. On each day of these 40 days, Sri Gaurasundara performs Holi lila in the homes of His various confidential devotees. First Holi is in Advaitacarya's house on Vasanta Pancami. Then on Trayodasi, He plays Holi in Nityananda's house. In this month on Sukla Sasthi (March 6) , Gauranga plays Holi in Gauridasa Pandita's house. Then on astami, in Uddharana Datta's house. On Purnima, Mahaprabhu plays Holi in own home.
Holi Pastimes of Gauranga
On the bank of the Ganga, Sri Gauranga divided His intimate devotees into two groups: One team with Gauranga, and one team with Gadadhara Pandita. In Gadadhara’s team, there were Svarupa Damodara, Mukunda, Vasu Ghosa and many others. Gauranga's side was led by Gauridasa Pandita. As previously in Krsna-lila, all the sakhis and manjaris sided with Radha and all the sakhas teamed up together with Krsna to attack the sakhis. And now in Nadiya, the same devotees sided with either Gaura or Gadadhara respectively. Picking up pichkaris (syringes), Gauranga's team squirted Sri Gadadhara and his team. Then in retaliation, Svarupa Damodara and others began to hurl coloured powders bombarding Gauranga and His party from all sides. As the fun pastimes of Holi progressed, Gauridasa started clapping his hands and shouting excitingly, "Gauranga has won, Gauranga has won!" Then Svarupa Damodara angrily replied, “No, Gauranga has lost. The winner is my Gadadhara!" At this instant, some devotees slapped their chests and others sang and danced raising their hands into the sky, “Haribol! Haribol! Gaura Haribol!” (Mohandasa, disciple of Srinivasa Acarya)

Guru Bhakti

 
Mahanidhi Swami 

Guru bhakti is the basis of Krishna bhakti. If a disciple is fully absorbed in pleasing the spiritual master, he can very easily attain the eternal service of Radha-Govinda Yugala in the groves of Vrndavana. This point is confirmed in the ninth sloka, or benediction verse (phala-sruti), of the famous mangala arotika Samsara prayers. [note: Although many may not be aware of this, most Gaudiya Vaisnavas daily chant and heartly meditate upon this important verse.

srimad-guror ashtakam etad uccair, brahme muhurte pathati prayatnat
yas tena vrindavana-natha-saksat, sevaiva labhya januso ’nta eva
“That person who very attentively recites this ashtakam to Sri Gurudeva during the brähma muhürta period (4:30 a.m.) is sure to achieve the direct service to the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, the very life and soul of Vrindavana (vrindavana-natha), upon attaining his vastu-siddhi, or pure spiritual form.” (Sri Gurvashtakam, Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada)

Glorifying the spiritual master goes on eternally. With every breath, thought, word and action the dedicated disciple tries to please his beloved Gurudeva. In this world, I serve Sri Guru in my sadhaka rupa, practitioner form. In the divine realm of sweet love, I serve Sri Guru in my siddha rupa, ecstatic form of spiritual mellows. 
 
The divine realm is far far beyond the purview of our material perception. It is the plane of Goloka, Vraja Gokula wherein all live in harmony, sweetly cooperating to please Sri Krishna. 

Now let’s consider, can love be seen, measured or weighed on a scale? With words I try my best to pay a debt that cannot even be calculated. Sri Guru has given me everything but it may take many lifetimes to realize this and finally surrender to his will. 

But what is the will of the master? Sri Guru wants every disciple to love the holy name, to love Mahaprabhu, to love Radha-Govinda, and to love all; seeing the benign center within all beings. Sri Guru desires peace and happiness for all creatures, viçvaà pürëaà sukhäyate. “Let the whole world love Kåñëa! What is the difficulty?” proclaimed Çréla Prabhupäda as he gazed compassionately upon one and all.

On this most auspicious day of our Holy Masters appearance, Srila Prabhupada’s wonderfully blissful Vyasa-puja Celebration, I pray to Radha-Giridhari that all of you will deepen and increase your attachment,
dedication, surrender and service to His Divine Grace and your own spiritual guides, the emissaries of love divine!

Sri Guru ki jai!
Jai Jai Sri Radhe! 

The Direct Words of Thakura Haridasa

Mahanidhi swami

Diving into the fathomless ocean of the Chaitanya-caritamrta, we found some very precious rare rubies in the form of Haridasa Thakura’s direct words. Although Haridasa Thakura is an intimate eternal associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he speaks so humbly about himself. His words reveal the nature of the truly unpretentious devotee who has been blessed by the constant loving association of Sri Harinama Prabhu.

By reading and hearing, within the walls of our hearts, the sacred vibrations emanating from the prema-filled heart of Haridasa Thakura, we may someday manifest that type of genuine humility which attracts Sri Harinama Prabhu to come live in our hearts. Kirtaniya sada Hari!
In addition, we have included a brief but powerful illumination on the Holy Name by the Namacharya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jai!

* HUMILITY:
Haridasa Thakura said, “I am the most sinful and lowest among men (muïi päpiñöha adhama). I am a low-born, abominable person, and I have no qualification to go anywhere near the Jagannatha Mandira (néca-jäti chära mandira-nikaöe, yäite mora nähi ädhikära). O Mahaprabhu, please do not touch me, for I am most fallen an untouchable; I am the lowest of mankind (parama pämare).

* NAMA TATTVA:
In an assembly of Brahmins discussing the glories of Sri Krishna’s Holy Name, Haridasa Thakura revealed the real truth of Nama-tattva:

Namacharya Srila Haridasa Thakura said, “The twin benedictions of liberation and the destruction of sins, papa-kshaya, moksha haya, are not the true result of chanting the Holy Name. The actual result of chanting is that it produces prema, ecstatic divine love, for the lotus feet of Krishna, nämera phale kåñëa-pade prema upajaya. Liberation and extinction of sins are two concomitant by-products of chanting.

“Devotees of Krishna, however, are not concerned with any of the five forms of liberation. They are experiencing such transcendental bliss from serving Krishna (bhakti-sukha) that mukti is completely extremely insignificant (mukti ati-tuccha). Devotees will never accept it. One can never understand the truth and glories of the Holy Name merely by logic and argument.

“Just consider the example of the rising sun, which immediately dissipates the deep darkness of night. As the sun begins to rise, even before it is visible it dissipates the darkness of night, and immediately destroys the fear caura, preta and räkñasa—thieves, ghosts and demons. After sunrise everything is clearly visible, and everyone begins performing his daily rites and religious activities. Similarly, when one begins to chant the Holy Name his sins are diminished, and as he continues chanting he achieves Krishna prema.

“Once chanting of Krishna’s Holy Name completely finishes one’s material bondage to the endless cycle of birth and death, samsara. All glories to Harinama, which fills the whole world with auspiciousness, jayati jagat-maìgalam hari näma!” (Cc. 3.3.178-207)

Namacharya Srila Haridasa Thakura ki jai!
Sri Harinama Sankirtana ki jai!
Nitai Gaura Premanande ki jai!

Questions on Deity Worship

Mahanidhi Swami

The following article answers the commonly asked question, “Are you worshiping an idol or is it really God?” And then Srila Prabhupada provides some philosophy and logic to improve our understanding. To conclude the article there are some FAQAA. This is another article I found on my hard drive with an unknown author. I thank that person and pray for their long life. May all benefit from this article.

Jai Jai Sri Radhe!

I. Is Deity Worship Idol Worship?           
LORD Kåñëa's appearance in deity form is another display of His compassion, another opportunity for loving exchange with Him. The deity is not a material idol. With our present eyes and other senses we can perceive only matter, though we may appreciate the existence of spirit. For example, when a person dies we note that consciousness, the soul’s energy, leaves the body, but we cannot see the soul itself depart. The supreme soul, the Lord of the universal body, is similarly not visible to material eyes, but He makes Himself visible as a deity to accept our service. All the material elements are God’s energies. He can use them as He likes and appear as He likes. He is omnipotent. For Him there is no distinction between matter and spirit.
One may fashion a deity of wood, stone, clay, or jewels, or the deity may be a painting or a drawing. Mind too is God’s subtle material energy, so a mental image of the Lord in line with scripture is also a worshipable deity. The key is that the deity must be a form authorized by scripture, just as a mail box must be authorized by the post office. Dropping your mail in any old box will not do. As each mailbox has the support of the entire postal system, the deity form authorized by the Lord through scripture has the same unlimited potency as the Lord Himself.
Service rendered to an authorized deity on the other hand, whether we fashion the deity of stone, wood, paint, or mental elements, is service to the Lord Himself, to His original personal form of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. Servants of the deity gradually realize that they are in direct contact with the supreme person.

II. Srila Prabhupada on Deity Worship and Realizing Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa
God is present everywhere. He is omnipotent, omnipresent. He is present here in the temple as arcä-vigraha, the form of the body by which He can accept our worship. It is not that He is different from the original Kåñëa. No, He is Kåñëa, the same Kåñëa, goloka eva nivasati, who is living in Goloka Våndävana, but akhilätma-bhütaù [Bs. 5.37], He can present Himself in different forms for accepting service for realization.
The arcä-vigraha is also Kåñëa. Therefore, adhokñajam. Adhokñajam, adhah-kåtaà akñajaà jïänam. Our knowledge is what we see. We can see stone. We can see metal. We can see other material elements, wood. Kåñëa has appeared as we can see Him. Because we cannot see more than stone, wood, metal, therefore Kåñëa has appeared as stone statue. But He is not stone statue. That we have to understand. He is Kåñëa, but He is so kind that He has appeared before us as we can see Him.
And Kåñëa is, being omnipotent, He can accept your service any way. Provided you want to render service, Kåñëa is ready to accept it. Therefore our duty is that we should never think of this Deity as something made of stone or metal. We should always think, "Here is Kåñëa personally present." That is devotion. And we should worship Him like that. We should offer respect, that "Here is Kåñëa. Similarly, we cannot see at the present moment by the imperfect senses what is Kåñëa. Therefore it is Kåñëa's kindness that He has appeared before you in a manner by which you can see Him. This is Kåñëa's mercy. (SP 750303sb.dal)

III. Questions and Answers on Deity Worship
1. How does the completely spiritual, transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa appear in the form of the arcä-vigraha, a Deity supposedly made of earth, stone or wood?
Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa has unlimited varieties of inconceivable potencies, and thus by his sweet will He can convert His material energies into spiritual energy.
2. But why does Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa choose to manifest in the deity?
As materially conditioned souls we cannot see the Supreme Lord due to our faulty impure vision. To favor His loving devotees and accept their service Sri Kåñëa agrees to appear in a so-called material form known as the arcä-vigraha. The deity form of the Lord is not fashioned according to the whims of the worshiper. This form is eternally existent with all paraphernalia and a sincere devotee can perceive it. Devotees are not worshiping an idol. They are factually worshiping Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa, who has agreed to appear before them in an approachable way.
Srila Prabhupada clarifies this principle by comparing the Deity to a postal mailbox. The government post office has fixed authorized mailboxes in many locations. Posting a letter in any of these mailboxes will give the same result as bringing it to the main post office. Any old box or some non-government box, which we may find somewhere, will not work.” Similarly, Sri Kåñëa  has authorized the arcä-vigraha incarnation, so He will accept service through this form. Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa appears in this way for the convenience and accessibility of His devotee.
3. How to increase my faith in deity worship?
One can solidify his convictions by studying Srila Prabhupada’s teachings on Bhagavat-tattva and sakti-tattva contained in the Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad and Srimad Bhagavatam, and also by reviewing the many Vedic verses that confirm Deity worship. One can gain strength and inspiration from reading pastimes about the reciprocation between the Deity and His devotees like Ksira-cora Gopinatha and Mädhavendra Puré; Säkñi-gopäla and the brahmana; Gopala and Raghunandana Thakura; ISKCON Mayapura’s Jagannatha and Nrsimha Deity pastimes; and the many pastimes of Lord Jagannatha in Sri Ksetra Jagannatha Puri. The Vedas abound with testimonies proving that the Deity of the Lord is not a stone, brass or wooden idol but completely Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa.
4. Are worshipers of the deity are in the lowest stage (kanistha) of devotion? The answer is no. In reality, both beginners in bhakti and perfectly realized souls like Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami engage in deity worship. What is the difference? A neophyte, kanistha-adhikari, devotee sees the arcä-vigraha as a representation of God, whereas the advanced devotee, uttama-adhikari, sees that the Deity is really Bhagavan Sri Kåñëa Himself. Gauranga Mahaprabhu displayed intense ecstatic symptoms in relationship with the Deity of Lord Jagannätha in Puri. He swooned in divine rapture just by seeing Lord Jagannätha. During the Ratha-yäträ, Mahaprabhu would gaze upon the Deity with eyes full of longing and a heart surging in separation as He glorified Vrajendranandana Syamasundara Jagannatha in the mood of Rädhäräëé. During the medieval period, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was famous as a world class scholar and Vedantist who defeated the greatest philosophers and logicians of the day. Therefore, His divine revelations and raptures in relationship with the deity form of the Supreme Lord can never be taken as sentimentalism or fanatical idolatry.
5. Will the Deity speak?
  The Deity form of the Lord is made of earthly elements but it is not material. Those elements (wood, brass, clay, stone), although separated from the Lord, are also part of Sri Kåñëa’s energy. Because there is no difference between the energy and the energetic Lord, Sri Kåñëa can appear through any element as in the case of Nrsimha who appeared from a stone pillar. As the sun acts through sunlight to distribute its heat and light, Sri Kåñëa, by his inconceivable power, appears in His original spiritual form in some material element.
Philosophically, since all material elements emanate from the supreme spiritual entity, nothing is really material; everything is transcendental. The Deity, as in the case of Saksi Gopala, can act just like the Supreme Person Kåñëa and speak and walk for his devotee. To a non devotee, however, the Deity will appear to be made of stone, brass or wood. But for the pure devotee, the Kåñëa Deity will speak, walk or even play as Madana Gopala did in Mathura. “Being omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, Kåñëa can deal with His devotee in any form without difficulty. By the mercy of the Lord, the devotee knows perfectly well about the Lord’s dealings. Indeed, he can talk face to face with the Lord.” (Cc. 2.5.97)
6. What is the difference between idol worship and Deity worship? The word “idol” is derived from the Greek word eidolon, “image.” An idol is a powerless image of a person or thing, such as a photograph, painting or statue. An idol and the substance it represents are not the same thing. An idol is simply an image of the original, perhaps even something imagined.
The word deity, on the other hand, is derived from the Latin word deus, God. Unlike objects of this material world which are separate from their names and forms, the names and forms of God are transcendental and absolute. Because God is absolute, His name, form and person are not different from Him.
In the material world the name of something is not the same as the substance. For example, if we are thirsty, we cannot experience refreshment simply by calling “Water, water, water.” But because God is spiritual and absolute, when you chant Kåñëa’s name, see Kåñëa’s form and discuss Kåñëa’s pastimes, you will experience direct union with God. The proof is your experience. Followers of all religious traditions experience direct communion with God by praising Him, praying to Him or seeing His form. That is the universal experience of the Absolute Truth.
Giridhari Shyama ki jai!
Radha Shyamasundara ki jai!

Vaisnava Tattva

FB quote "as one becomes purified by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord, so one can be purified simply by chanting the name of a holy devotee."

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This quote is a little strange or maybe I am not understanding the meaning, cause Srila Prabhupada also said we should chant Krishna’s name and Lord Chaitanya also?

My gurudeva said this while glorifying one Gaudiya acharya on his tirobhava. The lecture was centered on vaisnavas and how powerful and purifying is remembering them, worshiping them and chanting their names and qualities, at any time especially on their disappearance day. Obviously krsna nama nirantara lao, Mahaprabhu said take Krsna's name without stopping. But remember God and everyone and thing intimately connected with Him is also worshipable and purifying, tadiyanam samarcanam, as told by Lord Siva and often quoted by Prabhupada (cc 2.12.38)

Seventy Obstacles / Anarthas to Vraja – Bhajana

Mahanidhi Swami

The following list of obstacles to Vraja-bhajana comes from Bhaktivinoda Thakura's 'Caitanya Siksastakam'. The demons manifesting in Vraja Gokula on earth have symbolic significance. They are not found in the spiritual world. There they appear only as rumors or impressions.
By reading the namittika (occasional) lilas of killing the twenty demons mentioned in the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, the sadhaka purifies his heart of all the impediments, obstacles, anarthas and aparadhas. Then one becomes eligible to read, reflect upon and taste the asta-kaliya lilas of Radha Krsna.
Until one reaches the platform of bhava-bhakti, it is necessary to cultivate devotion by meditating on both the naimittika and asta-kaliya lilas. By reading and remembering the asta-kaliya lilas (Bhavanasara Sangraha, Krsnahnika Kaumudi), one gets a taste of madhura-rasa. By understanding and appreciating the naimittika lilas, a devotee will destroy all the obstacles to tasting the bhakti rasa within Radha Krsna's eternal pastimes. With a sincere desire to become purified of all material contaminations, one should read all the above pastimes from the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. With all humility, one should pray to Krsna and Balarama to remove the impurities personified by the demons whom they had killed.
The demons killed by Krsna in the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam represent anarthas (impurities or obstacles) preventing a devotee from attaining pure love for Radha and Krsna. These undesirable impurities and demoniac qualities must be completely uprooted from the core of one's heart. Only cent percent pure devotees of Krsna can live eternally in Vrndavana blissfully serving the Divine Couple.
If a devotee cries out humbly and sincerely to Lord Sri Krsna to remove these demoniac qualities which are represented by the demons killed by Lord Krsna, then Sri Krsna Himself will remove those evils. But the devotees must personally work to drive out the anarthas represented by the demons killed by Lord Balarama. This is a mystery of Vraja-bhajana. The aspirant must personally remove these strong impediments with his best care and efforts and by obtaining the mercy of Krsna. If the devotee's humility- becomes very deep and intense, Krsna will be merciful. In that case, the feeling of Lord Baladeva will arise in his mind and quickly destroy these demoniac qualities. Then one will gradually improve his cultivation of bhajana.

anarthas

Remedy – Tenth Canto Chapter

Aisvarya—
Attachment to awe and reverence instead of Krsna's sweetness
Brahma-vimohana Lila – Ch.13

Argument—
Attachment to false arguments
Trnavarta - Ch.7

Argument—
Accepting arguments as your guru
Putana - Ch.6

Argument—
Pointless
Forest fire - Ch.17 & 19

Arrogance—
Due to wealth and high birth
Liberation of yamala-arjuna trees - Ch. 10

Association—
With atheists believing in chemical evolution
Trnavarta – Ch.7

Association—
With proud people
Trnavarta – Ch.7

Association—
With dry logicians
Trnavarta – Ch.7

Association—
Giving up association of false, deceitful devotees
Vyoma - Ch.37

Attachment—
To enjoyment and salvation
Putana - Ch.6

Battles & Conflicts—
Fighting mental enemies or looking for fight with others due to ego
Forest fire - Ch. 17&19

Buddhist philosophy—
Trapped in the whirlwind of
Trnavarta - Ch.7

Cheating propensity—
Tendency to disobey the instructions of guru & Krsna due to material attachment
Bakasura - Ch.11

Compassion—
Lack of, for others
Aghasura –Ch.12

Crookedness—
Illegal, dishonest, bent out of shape
Kaliya - Ch.16

Cruelty—
In any form by the actions of one's body, mind or words
Liberation of yarnala-arjuna trees - Ch.10

Cruelty & unkindness—
Due to envy of other living entities
Kaliya - Ch.16

Cunningness—
Skilled at deceiving people
Bakasura - Ch.11

Debauchery—
Indulging in sex, alcohol and drugs
Liberation of yamala-arjuna trees - Ch.10

Addiction—
To drinking alcohol
Liberation of yamala-arjuna trees - Ch.10

Demigods—
Attachment to worshipping different demigods for fruits even after initiation
Stopping Indra-puja - Ch.24& 25

Doubts—
Illusions about Absolute Truth and position of Krsna
Brahma-vimohana lila – Ch.13

Fame—
Destroying the desire for name and fame
Sankhachuda - Ch.34

Falsity—
Leaving vaidhi-bhakti to practice raganuga-bhakti; but if one doesn't attain spiritual attachment to Krsna, he then cultivates perverted material attachments; becoming a show-bottle devotee.
Vyoma - Ch.37

Fighting—
Against the opinions of others
Forest fire-Ch.17& 19

Greed—
For position, worship and money
Pralambasura – Ch 18

Greed—
Performing bad activities due to greed
Vatsasura - Ch.11

Habits—
Bad - Old & new; load bearing down on bhakti
Sakatasura - Ch.7

Hatred—
Towards others; tendency to harass them
Aghasura - Ch.12

Hatred—
Towards others because of pride in one's birth and money
Liberation of yamala-arjuna trees - Ch.10

Hatred —
Inner hatred towards other communities and groups
Forest fire - Ch.l7&19

Honour—
Desire for honour
Pralarnbasura - Ch.18

Holy Name—
Ignorance about the oneness of Krsna, the person and His Holy Name
Dhenukasura - Ch.15

Hypocrisy—
In behaviour—Pretending to have higher standards
Bakasura - Ch.11

Ignorance—
About one's relationship with Krsna (sarnbandha-jnana)
Dhenukasura - Ch.15

Illicit Sex—
Removing the desire for illicit sex and attachment to it
Pralambasura - Ch.18

Illusion—
Freedom from the illusion of thinking, "I am a great devotee and acarya"
Kesi – Ch. 37

Intolerance—
Inability to tolerate ideas or behaviour different from yours
Aghasura – Ch.12

Intoxication—
Destroying the idea — "I can increase my bliss by intoxication"
Releasing Nanda Maharaja from Varuna – Ch. 28

Knowledge—
Loss of knowledge concerning one's spiritual identity
Dhenukasura – Ch.15

Karma -kanda—
Becoming indifferent to bhakti due to absorption in karma-kandiya activities
Yajnic brahmanas – Ch. 23

Laziness—
Due to bad habits or attachment to the mode of ignorance
Sakatasura – Ch.7

Lies—
Tendency to speak
Vyoma – Ch.37

Logic—
Attachment to material logic (nyaya)
Trnavarta – Ch.7

Lust—
An external show of devotion while maintaining lust for opposite sex
Pralambasura – Ch.18

Mayavada philosophy—
Letting the truth of bhakti be swallowed by Mayavada philosophy
Vidyadhara liberated – Ch.34

Mentality—
Ass-like neophyte mentality which can't appreciate books of previous acaryas and forbids others to read them
Dhenukasura – Ch.15

Mind—
Immature; performing sinful activities due to an immature mind
Vatsasura – Ch.11

Misconception—
Carrying the load of misconceptions and bad philosophies
Sakatasura – Ch.7

Neophyte—
Strong spirit to enjoy and tendency to perform illicit activities
Vatsasura – Ch.11 & read Krsna
sporting lila with the cowhered boys

Offenses—
Due to pride, one thinks that he is a great devotee and therefore offensively lords over others.
Kesi – Ch.37

Philosophies—
Other than bhakti, which try to diminish or destroy bhakti
Vidyadhara liberated – Ch.34

Pride—
Pride in scholarship and material learning
Trnavarta – Ch.7

Pride—
Pride caused by money and worldly attachments.
Kesi – Ch.37

Pride—
Thinking you are more expert in bhakti than other devotees
Vyoma – Ch.37

Religious practices—
Disregard for religious practices of others
Forest fire – Ch.17 & 19

Religious principles—
Not understanding the purpose of religious principles; merely carrying the burden of following them due to attachment
Sakatasura – Ch.7

Sampradayas—
Disagreement with other sampradayas and mathas
Forest fire – Ch.17 & 19

Sectarianism—
Due to sectarianism, you can't accept anyone outside your group as a vaisnava
Forest fire – Ch.17 & 19

Scepticism—
Doubts regarding the path of bhakti
Brahma-vimohana lila – Ch.13

Shameful behaviour—
Breaking of four religious principles
Liberation of yamala-arjuna trees – Ch.10

Speech—
Loose speech; speaking offensively due to one's birth or money
Liberation of yamala-arjuna trees – Ch.10

Sense gratification—
Desiring to attain sense gratification via bhakti
Sankhachuda – Ch.34

Suddha bhakti—
Negligence or disregard for
Aristasura – Ch.36

Stealing—
Others' property
Vyoma – Ch.37

Varnasrama—
Due to pride and attachment to varnasrama, one neglects Krsna bhakti
Yajnic brahmanas – Ch.23

Vanity—
Pride in one's own appearance or achievements
Sakatasura – Ch.7
Kaliya – Ch.16

Violence—
Tendency of the mind to commit violence to others
Aghasura – Ch.12

Women —
Destroying the desire to associate with women
Sankhachuda – Ch.34

Yajna—
Attachment to vedic homas and yajnas, and therefore becoming indifferent to bhakti.
Yajnic brahmanas – Ch.23

Purity Means Pure Food

Mahanidhi Swami

In America, there is a common saying, “You are what you eat!” This means that eating impure food produces an impure mind and an unhealthy body. Eating good sattvic food, which means pure vegetarian only, will make you think good sattvic thoughts; act in a good, pure and righteous way; and produce good health and peace of mind.

Food falls into three categories:
1. Sattvic (goodness) food—Increases life-span, energy, strength, fitness, and it produces peace, balance and joy. It is healthy, full of essential nutrients to maintain the body and mind.
2. Rajasic (passionate) food—Is too bitter or sour, high in sodium, spicy, oily, hot or too sweet.
3. Tamasic (ignorance) food—Is dry, stale, foul-smelling and contaminated.

The Chandogya Upanishad says, “Pure sattvic (100 % vegetarian) food produces mental purity and continuous remembrance, ahar-shuddhou sattva-shuddhih sattva-shuddhou dhruva-smritih.
As devotees, we want to always remember Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s wonderfully attractive name, form, qualities and sweet pastimes. To achieve the requisite mental purity to do this one must be careful that the food he eats is free from contamination by foreign elements or mundane consciousness.

Food can be contaminated in three ways: by nature, by contacting impure items, and by material consciousness.
1) By nature certain foods are impure because they are sinful and produce disturbing vibrations of passion and ignorance within the mind. Such as meat, egg, alcohol, fish, onion, garlic, leeks, and mushroom.
2) External contamination means vegetarian food made impure by contacting dirt, mosquitoes, flies, saliva, blood or sweat.
3) Consciousness contamination means food purchased by, cooked by or served by individuals in impure material consciousness. In other words, even pure vegetarian food will become contaminated if any of the above three persons is miserly, lusty, greedy, angry, dull-witted person, or infected by a sexual disease. Their bad impure qualities are transmitted to the food and into the mind of whoever eats it.

One should eat only pure sattvic food, which is free from all the above contaminations, and offered to Bhagavan Sri Krishna with a pure mind and sincere heart. When Srila Prabhupada lived alone in the Radha-Damodara Mandir he never took prasadam at “bhandaras”, which is a function where sponsors invite sadhus to take free prasadam along with a donation. Srila Prabhupada was very strict; he only took Thakuriji Radha Damodara’s maha-prasada or food purchased and prepared by his own lotus hands.
In this regard, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “When one eats food offered by a materialistic man, one’s mind becomes contaminated, and then he cannot do Krishna smarana, remember Sri Krishna”… vishayira anna khaile, malina haya mana, malina mana haile nahe krsnera smarana. (Cc. 3.6.278)

In conclusion, sadhakas should be very careful about the purity of the food they eat. It should be purchased, prepared, offered to Sri Krishna, and served in pure Krishna consciousness. Then such pure food, Krishna prasadam, will sanctify our minds, purify our existence and enable us to always remember Radha Govinda Yugala throughout the day and night.
Jai Jai Sri Radhe!