Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

11 reasons why Kartik month is the holiest month

“As Sat- yuga is the best of yugas (ages), as the Vedas are the best among scriptures, as Ganga is best of rivers, so Kartik is the best of months , the most dear to Lord Krishna”. – Skanda Purana

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Kartika (or Kartik) month or Kartik maas is considered to be the holiest month. This month is very dear to the devotees of Krishna because it is very dear to Lord Krishna. And whatever is dear to Krishna is dear to the devotees.

Kartik month (Kartik maas) 2025 begins on 7th Oct and ends on 5th Nov.

So, the devotees of Iskcon in 2025 will be celebrating the sacred Kartik month from 7th October, Tuesday to 5th November, Wednesday.

Lord Shri Krishna says, “ Of all plants, the sacred Tulasi is most dear to Me ; of all months, Kartik is most dear, of all places of pilgrimage, My beloved Dwarka is most dear, and of all days , Ekadashi is most dear.” (Padma Purana, Uttara Khand 112 .3 )

The scriptures says that any devotional activity performed during this holiest month is very pleasing to Krishna.

Kartik is special because it represents Srimati Radharani, beloved of Krishna, and our eternal mother. In Bhagavad Gita 10.35, Krishna says, “Of months I am Margasirsa [November-December]”. Kartik month [October – November] represents Radharani and it precedes Krishna’s month.

Srimati Radharani is also known as Kartika Devi. If we can please her with our sincere devotion during this auspicious month then Krishna will also be pleased.

Skanda Purana glorifies the Kartik month, “ As Sat- yuga is the best of yugas (ages), as the Vedas are the best among scriptures , as Ganga is best of rivers, so Kartik is the best of months , the most dear to Lord Krishna.”

11 reasons why Kartik Month is so sacred

Kartik month (Kartik maas) is the best of the month for spiritual progress. Scriptures say that Kartik month is the holiest month. Sacred Vedic literatures sing the glories of the auspicious month in the following ways:

• A person who offers a lamp to Lord Damodara during Kartika attains the eternal spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no suffering.

• One who offers a steady ghee lamp to Lord Hari during the month of Kartika enjoys pastimes in Lord Hari’s splendid spiritual world. (Source: Padma Purana)

• Of all gifts the gift of a ghee lamp during the month of Kartika is the best. No gift is its equal. (Source: Narada Purana, in a conversation of Sri Mohini-devi and Sri Rukmangada)

Devotees take special vows called urja – vrata during this month. The purpose is to utilize most of the time and energy in practicing devotion to Krishna.

How to observe Kartik month?

Since Kartik is the holiest month, so the scriptures say that we should worship Krishna in a special way. This is described below:

Offering Ghee Lamp to Lord Damodara

During this month the Damodara pastime took place wherein mother Yashoda binds Krishna to a grinding mortar with a rope. The pastime illustrates that how Krishna who is the Supreme Lord and supremely powerful can be conquered by love.

• So, during Kartika which is also known as damodara month devotees offer lamp to the picture or deity of Krishna. Devotees choose that picture or deity of Krishna where he is bound by rope of love by his mother, Yashoda.

• Sanatana Goswami in Hari Bhakti Vilasa says that during Kartika month we should offer ghee lamp daily to Krishna.

• The lamp can be offered both in the morning and in the evening. If devotees do not have time they can offer lamp as per their convenience either in the morning or evening.

Singing Damodarashtakam

• While offering lamp with love we should sing Damodarashtakam prayers written by the sage Satyavrata.

Chanting the names of Krishna

• Chanting the holy names of the Lord is very important. Those of us who have taken a vow to chant 16 rounds of Hare Krishna mahamantra daily should chant more sincerely.

• Those who are chanting less than 16 rounds of mahamantra can increase their round at least by one or two.

Reading Scriptures

• We should daily read scriptures either Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita or any of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

• Reading is very important as it purifies our intelligence and clears many of our doubts.

Hearing about Krishna

• We should try to hear lectures of Srila Prabhupada or senior devotees this month.

• We should try to associate more with the devotees. Spiritual association will help us to develop spiritual consciousness and by seeing other devotees’ resolve we too get impetus to practice devotional life with sincerity.

Visiting Temple

• If possible we should try to visit the temple and participate with the devotees in offering lamp to the Lord.

• Chanting, singing, dancing and offering lamp to the deities in the temple is always very pleasing and brings joy to our heart.

Worshiping Lord Krishna at home

• But if we are staying at a place where temple is not nearby then we can invite devotees, family members, neighbours, office colleagues and together we can offer ghee lamp to the Lord.

• It is true that we may not be able to invite people every day to our homes but at least once in a week specially on weekends we can do so and rest of the days of the weeks we can offer the lamp with our family members at home.

Eating Only Prasada

• During this month we should try to eat only prasada i.e. food offered to the Lord.

• If some devotees have still not started offering food to the Lord then they can start doing it from this month onwards.

• Or at least to begin with some food items should be offered to the Lord and then eaten.

• Prasada means mercy and so we should not deprive ourselves from getting the mercy of the Lord.

Observing Celibacy

• At lease this month we can try to observe the vows of celibacy.

What not to do during this auspicious Kartik month?

 Don’t break four regulative principles

• Since this is a very auspicious month so we should not indulge in any inauspicious things.

• During this month we should try our best to observe the four regulative principles – no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxication and no illicit sex.

Try to give up meat and intoxicants at least this month

• Suppose that you have just started practicing devotional life and have not been completely able to give up meat eating or intoxication then you can try to not indulge in it at least during the holiest month of Kartik.

• And if you can observe it during the Kartika month then Krishna and Srimati Radharani will be very pleased and give determination to give up meat eating and intoxication forever.

What about tea and coffee?

• Those who take tea and coffee, if possible, can also stop it at least for this month and instead take herbal tea and herbal coffee if they need it.

Krishna will be pleased with our resolve to observe regulative principles.

• Whether it is tea or coffee or meat or intoxicants these are not necessary for our body but unfortunately many of us because of social pressure or may be due to ignorance started consuming it and now find it difficult to give it up.

• But if at least in the month of Kartik we take a vow to not indulge in any activity which is forbidden by the scriptures then Krishna will strengthen our resolve to give up all those things which is coming between us and him.

Facebook/Whatsapp/Twitter addiction

• Let us not try to indulge in social media too much this month. Most of us are addicted to Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter.

• We spend hours checking messages, forwarding messages, compiling messages, identifying the right emoticons to be sent with the messages.

• Although the message may be spiritual but we need to ask ourselves if it is helping us to come closer to Krishna.

• I have observed that I get hundreds of messages on social media and most of it I rarely read. And this is true for many others.

• Many times while chanting we check our whatsapp messages or facebook or Twitter.

• We need to use the social media judiciously so that it does not impact our devotional journey.

Conclusion

Kartik month is the holiest month because this month belongs to Srimati Radharani. Any spiritual activity we do in this month is going to please Srimati Radaharni.

And if Radha is pleased then Krishna is pleased.

If we observe the auspicious Kartik month as per the guidelines of scriptures then we will attain success in our spiritual life. We will attract the mercy of Krishna and Radharani.

Sri Hari Bhakti Vilasa 2.16.198 says, “In the month of Kartik one should worship Lord Damodara and daily recite the prayer known as Damodarastaka, which has been spoken by Sage Satyavratra and which attracts Lord Damodara.”

Vedic Scriptures and pure devotees have explained the importance of Kartik month. They say that Kartik is the holiest month. So during the Kartik month, we should always try to meditate on the beautiful Damodara pastimes of the Lord. And try to bind Krishna within our heart with love.

Related articles:

5 most important spiritual activities to perform during Kartik month

24 wonderful results one get by offering lamp in Kartik

23 negative results one get for not observing Kartik vrata

Festivals in the month of Kartik 2019

When Yashoda punishes Krishna, the Supreme Lord

Why Balaram could not untie Krishna

Controlling the controller with the ropes of love

Damodarastakam

7 unique features of Bhagavad Gita

 

Bhagavad Gita, one of the most celebrated literary masterpiece, contains pearls of wisdom which has served as a beacon light for humanity since ages.

 

Gita mahatmya 7 says, ekaṁ śāstraṁ devakī-putra-gītam: let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world – Bhagavad-gita. Eko devo devakī-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world – Sri Krishna.

 

In Bhagavad Gita there is a conversation primarily between Krishna, the Supreme Lord, and Arjuna who represents the living entities and who is struggling in the midst of a battlefield with his emotions.

 

Arjuna’s Identity Crisis

Krishna in Bhagavad Gita teaches us that even a personality like Arjuna who was the greatest warrior of his time too became helpless when he was just about to  fight the most important battle of his life at Kurushetra.

 

Arjuna had started giving his own reasons to not fight the war, “It’s true that I am a Kshatriya and I should not shy away from fighting but they are not my enemies they are my relatives. If I kill them I will incur sins.”

 

It is true that situations most of the time will not remain in our control but we can chose our responses by controlling our consciousness.  Like Arjuna a situation may arise when we may have the skill to win but may lose the will to fight the battle of life.  

 

Arjuna came to the battlefield as a warrior but upon seeing Bhsima and Drona he started identifying himself as a grandson, as a student and as a brother.

 

• As a warrior he was supposed to fight with Bhisma but as a grandson he was supposed to offer respects to Bhsima.

 

• As a warrior he was supposed to slay Dronacharya, one of the most formidable warriors on the side of the Kauravas, but as a student he started remembering his duty as a disciple.

 

• And as a brother he was supposed to shower love and affection on his siblings and was not supposed to destroy them.

 

This identity crisis made Arjuna helpless so much so that his famed weapon, Gandiva, started falling from his hand and he started quivering.

 

During this difficult phase of his life even a slightest mistake would have destroyed his reputation and the fate of the Pandavas during the epic battle.

 

Fighting in proper consciousness

Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura explains that when Arjuna was reluctant to fight the battle then Krishna, in a chastising mood, said to Arjuna, “Now you are not honoring my words, but later, because you are a great hero, your natural eagerness to fight will unavoidably manifest itself. Then, when you set out to kill Bhisma and others on your own accord, I will laugh at you.”

 

Although Arjuna is giving many reasons not to fight but Krishna knows that since he belongs to a warrior clan so he will ultimately fight.

 

So if Arjuna is anyway going to fight then why does Krishna speak the message of Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna?

 

It is because Krishna wanted that Arjuna fights in proper consciousness i.e. Krishna Consciousness. If Arjuna fights whimsically and is driven by modes of nature then he may commit sins and suffer. But if he fights as per the instructions of Krishna he will not just emerge victorious but he will not be subjected to any sinful reactions.

 

Arjuna being learned knew that in crisis it is better to seek guidance from one who is more knowledgeable, trustworthy and best well-wisher.  So without hesitation he turned towards Krishna and petitioned him, “Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.”

 

If we also make friendship with Krishna then when confronted with difficulties we will know where to go and whose shelter to take.

 

Identifying the eternal identity

Krishna first establishes that when we are confronted with many identities then we should rise above all identities and focus on our spiritual identity which is eternal and never changing.  All identities related to this ephemeral world has beginning and an end. Any identity in this world if it is preventing us to do our spiritual duty then we should reject it unconditionally.

 

If we are situated in our spiritual identity as an eternal parts and parcels of Krishna then situations of this world will not bewilder us.  And Krishna like an expert captain of the ship will help us to navigate through the turbulent waves of material miseries.

Action in Krishna consciousness

The nature of this world is that sufferings will come, bewildering situations will arise. But if we purify our intelligence with message of Bhagavad Gita then we will get the strength to tolerate the provoking situations and expertly find a solution to the challenging situation.

 

As long as we are living in this world we have to act, none of us can remain idle and not do anything. But if we do our duties as per our own accord then we put ourselves under the jurisdiction of material laws. But if we do our duties by keeping Krishna in the centre then we will be acting for Krishna and Krishna will always guide us and protect us.

 

Through Arjuna Krishna is teaching two important lessons:

• Human life is meant for hard work and so we should put in our best efforts like Arjuna in any activity we are doing and which is not against religious principles.
• In spite of all our material credentials we should always take guidance of Krishna and not act as per our whims.

 

Unique features of Bhagavad Gita

1. Bhagavad Gita also makes it clear that Krishna is not an ordinary living entity but he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. B.G. 9.10, 10.12,10.13,10.8, 14.4. So, the teachings of Bhagavad Gita is perfect and timeless because it has been spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

2. In Gita it is established that we the living entities are suffering because we have turned away from Krishna. So like Arjuna we should give the reins of our life to Krishna.

 

3. In Gita, Krishna’s love for his devotees is established. Krishna assures that one who takes his shelter is always under his protection, gets delivered from all sins and he never suffers (B.G. 18.66).

 

4. Like a loving father who takes all responsibility of his child, Krishna also takes all responsibility of his devotee and provides him everything which he requires in his life. B.G. 9.22

 

5. In Gita Krishna glorifies bhakti, devotion, (B.G. 6.47) and also explains how practicing it practically is so easy and simple. B.G. 9.26,9.27.

 

6. Those souls who surrender to Krishna finally reaches his eternal and imperishable abode by his grace. (B.G.15.6, 18.56)

 

7. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna continuously establishes through logics and examples that as soon as the living beings who have forgotten his actual identity comes closer to him and start executing his responsibilities as per his guidelines then his life becomes successful. So the concluding verse of Bhagavad says, “Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality.”

 

So, Gita mahatmya 1 says that Bhagavad Gita being a transcendental literature should be read carefully and if one follows its instructions wisely then he can free himself from all fears, miseries and anxieties of this world.

Krishna’s devotees – Too busy To be lazy

Once a person complained to Srila Prabhupada, “Your Krishna consciousness movement makes people dull.” Prabhupada immediately said, “The two most important wars which happened in Indian history was fought by Vaisnavas. One was the war between Lord Rama and Ravana and the other was the battle at Kurushetra.”  Prabhupada further said we want Vaisnavas like Arjuna who have a spirit to fight and not some dull people who are lazy.

Arjuna was the best archer of the world and also a great devotee of Krishna. He is praised as Gudakesa because he conquered sleep.  Once Arjuna was taking food in the night and suddenly the lamp blew off because of wind. Arjuna continued eating. After sometime he thought although it is dark but still my hand easily finds my mouth. It is happening because I have a desire to eat so even the darkness is not able to stop me. So if my hunger to become the best archer of the world is strong then I can even practice archery in the night. And so from that day onwards Arjuna started honing his archery skills in the night also while rest others enjoyed sleep.

But in spite of being the best warrior of the world Arjuna got bewildered when he was about to fight the most important battle of his life at Kurushetra.  He started giving his own reasons to not fight the war, “It’s true that I am a Kshatriya and I should not shy away from fighting but they are not my enemies they are my relatives. If I kill them I will incur sins.”

Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura explains that in response Krishna, in a chastising mood, says to Arjuna, “Now you are not honoring my words, but later, because you are a great hero, your natural eagerness to fight will unavoidably manifest itself. Then, when you set out to kill Bhisma and others on your own accord, I will laugh at you.”

Although Arjuna is giving many reasons not to fight but Krishna knows that since he belongs to a warrior clan so he will ultimately fight.

 

So if Arjuna is anyway going to fight then why does Krishna speak the message of Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna?

It is because Krishna wanted that Arjuna fight in proper consciousness i.e. Krishna Consciousness. If Arjuna fights whimsically and is driven by modes of nature then he may commit sins and suffer. But if he fights as per the instructions of Krishna he will not just emerge victorious but he will not be subjected to any sinful reactions.

As long as we are living in this world we have to act, none of us can remain idle and not do anything. But if we do our duties as per our own accord then we put ourselves under the jurisdiction of material laws. But if we do our duties by keeping Krishna in the centre then we will be acting for Krishna and Krishna will always guide us and protect us.

Through Arjuna Krishna is teaching two important lessons:

• Human life is meant for hard work and so we should put in our best efforts like Arjuna in any activity we are doing.
• In spite of all our material credentials we should always take guidance of Krishna and not act as per our whims.

India’s #MeToo movement not answering all the questions

India’s #MeToo movement has arrived and is haunting the sexual predators who till few days back where the best known faces in India.  These culprits controlled the narratives and set the narratives. They presented themselves as most progressive, the torchbearers of modern day India who knew what the common man did not know. Some are famous comedians from AIB who cracked vulgar jokes, passed lewd comments, used abusive words and the top stars from the movie industry graced their shows. Any opposition to their brand of comedy immediately invited the wrath of the left liberals. They championed the cause of the women, advocated free sex and mocked those who loved to live a cultured life.

 

Media magnets, senior editors, reporters who write opinion pieces in the famous newspapers of India and teach us what is good for us and what is not good for us have now been exposed by women who once worked with them.  They have degrees from the best universities of the world, they work (or worked) at a very responsible positions but still they did not shy away from indulging in such heinous acts.  How can the Bollywood stars be left behind? Actors like Nana Patekar and Alok Nath who are inspiration for many budding actors have also been accused of sexual misconduct.

 

Every day or rather every hour one new incident is coming out wherein a woman is narrating how she was sexually exploited by men in power.

 

Whether all these allegations are true or not it is for the investigative agencies to determine but all the allegations are not false either. Many men accepted their misconduct and offered apology. Chetan Bhagat, one of the best-selling authors of India, accepted the charge and said sorry for his behavior.  In many of the cases the victims have posted the vulgar messages which were sent to them by the sex maniacs. AIB comics Tanmay Bhat and Utsav Chakraborty famous for their indecent comedy got completely exposed and their shows have been cancelled. Men from media like Mayank Jain of Business Standard, Prashant Jha of Hindustan Times and others  have been forced to quit or sent on leave till further notice for similar offences.

 

Many are lauding the courage shown by the women in naming and shaming their sexual harassers.  But India’s #MeToo movement is not answering all the questions.  One question which is pertinent to ask here is why at first place did it happen? What emboldened the men to indulge in such a crime? Was it possible for the victims to protect themselves from the vultures?

 

First I believe we should reconsider the meaning of ‘success.’ One of the victims while narrating her ordeal mentioned that “I was a successful woman. I smoked and I drank.”  Her statement imply that a successful woman smokes and drink or if you are not drinking and smoking then you are not sufficiently successful.  If one have such a definition of success then there is a great possibility that they will expose themselves to men having questionable character. There are many women who are successful but does not indulge in smoking and drinking and most importantly knows where to draw the line.

 

The vulgar shows of AIB were lauded by so called eminent people and so young boys and girls trying hard to be part of the modern society got forced to like such programs. When such men find that their substandard jokes laced with vulgarity gives them instant success they muster courage to send vulgar messages to innocent girls.

 

This world is filled with good people, not so good people and terrible people. One need to be careful and take all precautionary measures at first place so that people with wrong intention do not get a chance to take undue advantage of them. 

 

Competence without good character does not make a good person.  This is why Indian tradition based on teachings of Vedic books not just laid emphasis on material knowledge but also gave great emphasis on character building. And the society never judged a person based on his/her material achievements but his/her overall conduct also mattered a lot.

 

So those who drink, watch porn and crack vulgar jokes are not progressive whether they are media personalities, business tycoons, movie stars, famous comedians or people from any other field. There are great chances that such people are pervert or on the path of being one.

 

It is important that we as a society introspect and purge the evil forces who bring disgrace to humanity. This could be possible if we start leading a principle centred life and in the name of modernity do not compromise with our values.

Kolkata – the blessed city

The Himalayan musk deer teaches a very important lesson of life.  The musk is extremely expensive fetching more than 3 times its weight in gold.  The aroma of the musk is so alluring that when it catches the deer’s nose, he runs frantically in the forest day and night to find its source. Little did he realize that the source of the aroma lies within him. The musk is produced by the gland present in the stag’s navel.

Like the musk deer we also most of the times look outwards instead of inwards. We try to search happiness externally and not internally. The true treasure many a times is very near to us but unware of our surroundings we fail to appreciate it.

Scriptures teaches us that the true treasure is the love of the divine which is within us. The human life is meant to uncover and discover that treasure. On this holy land of India time and again many saintly personalities have appeared to distribute the treasure of divine love. The land where these great saintly persons appear becomes blessed.

The city of Kolkata is sacred because prominent Vaisvana saints Bhaktivinod Thakuara, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada laid the foundation of worldwide Krishna Conscious movement here and distributed the treasure of Krishna’s love all over the globe.

In the present secular world we mostly fail to give importance to spiritual personalities whose only business is to connect the forlorn souls to Krishna. Rather those who assist in gratifying our senses immediately occupies our heart and gain wide acceptability in the society.

So the media and the academia may many time ignore their massive contribution but if we try to study their life, their teachings and their conduct with an open mind then we would find that how these personalities selflessly strived hard to give us unadulterated love of Krishna.

Let us try to analyze the lives of these great saintly personalities who distributed the sublime teachings of the Vedas and how Kolkata occupied its prized position in shaping the future of the worldwide Krishna Conscious movement.

 

Reestablishing the mission of Lord Chaitanya

After few hundred years of Lord Chaitanya’s disappearance, His pure teachings were lost. Bhaktivinod Thakura aka Kedarnath Datta who appeared in the 19^th century revived the teaching’s of Lord Chaitanya, the writings of Goswamis and prominent acharyas in such a way that the modern secular world could understand it and appreciate it.

When the famous novelist Bankim Chandra wrote a book on Krishna, Krsnacarita, then he being influenced by western scholars had portrayed Krishna as an ordinary person having extraordinary qualities. But when the Thakura came to know about it then for four days without caring for food and sleep, he presented many arguments and logic from the scriptures to convince the famed novelist that Krishna is just not a mortal being but He is the Supreme being. Bankim Chandra incorporated many changes as suggested but when his book was published then the biased scholars criticized it because contrary to their views Krishna was not a mythical or an ordinary person in the book. It was a proof that Thakura was all alone fighting against the forces who wanted to belittle the scriptures. In fact Thakura’s deep scriptural understanding and purity was helping in re-establishing the pure teachings of Lord Chaitanya.

 

Kolkata becomes the center of the spiritual movement

In Kolkata, Bhaktivinod Thakura wanted to establish a preaching centre. He got a place at 181 Manikatal Street (presently Ramesh Dutt Street). It came to be known as Bhakti Bhavan. The price of the house was Rs 6000.  Many learned persons would assemble for meetings and discussions here and it was here where many books and articles were written.  In 1885, the Thakura opened a press in Bhakti Bhavan and named it Caitanya yantra (Caitanya Press). He started regularly publishing Sajjana – tosani magazine. He published books such as Gita with his commentaries, Sri Caitanya Siksamrta, Sanmodana – bhasyam – a Sanskrit commentary on Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s siksastakam and many more.  He founded Sri Visva Vaisnava Sabha in 1886 in Kolkata in which many educated people became its member.

 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings reaches west

In 1896 he decided to reach out to the west with his book, Sri Gauranga – lila smarana stotram, which is based on the life and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and contains 104 Sanskrit slokas. The book begins with 47 page introduction in English entitled – Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts. The introduction was especially meant for the English audience so that they can comprehend the meaning  of the Sanskrit slokas. The book found its place in many educational institutions of the world.  In fact several decades later one of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples found it in McGill University in Montreal. In 1896 for the first time the teachings of Lord Chaitanya reached to the western world from Kolkata, it was also the same year when Srila Prabhupada was born in Kolkata who inundated the western world with Krishna Conscious message. Is it mere a coincidence or was Krishna’s plan?

For establishing the temple of Lord Chaitanya

To construct Lord Caitanya’s temple in Mayapur, Thakura began going from door to door in Kolkata. Anand Bazar Patrika wrote on December 6, 1894:  Babu Kedar Nath Dutt, the distinguished Deputy Magistrate, who has just retired from the service, is one of the most active members. Indeed, Babu Kedar Nath has been deputed by the committee to raise subscription in Kolkata and elsewhere and is determined to go from house to house, if necessary, and beg a rupee from each Hindu gentleman for the noble purpose….we hope, no Hindu gentleman, whose house may be honoured by the presence of such a devout bhakta as Babu Kedar Nath, will send him away without contributing his mite, however humble it may be, to the Gaur Vishnupriya Temple Fund.”

 

The mission continues

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura carried the legacy of his father, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakuras. Acknowledging the fact that Kolkata has been the cultural centre of India,  Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura too established his base in Kolkata.

He established Bhagawat Yantra (Bhagawat Press) in 1913 and Gaudiya Printing Works  in 1923 in Kolkata. He continued publishing many magazines and books including the magazine Sajjana Tosani which he renamed as The Harmonist.

He preached boldly and asked his disciples to not compromise with philosophy at any cost. When his disciples went to Dacca (present day Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh) then they faced huge opposition from the professional gurus. These fake gurus asked people to boycott the preachers and not give them any support – money, place to reside, food, and even water.  The disciples immediately sent a telegram to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati narrating their hardships and in reply he said, “If necessary, survive by drinking the water of the Buriganga, but do not stop distributing the teachings of Lord Caitanya.”

He established Sri Gaudiya Math in Kolkata at No.1 Ultadanga Junction road in 1920, it was later shifted to the marble temple in Baghbazar. The foundation of a new temple at Bag – bazar, Kolkata was laid in September, 1928. When it was finally inaugurated then it attracted large number of people.

On 12 October 1930 the Liberty reported:

On Sunday the 5^th October last the streets of North Kolkata were scenes of a record procession on the occasion of the new Gaudiya Matha constructed in Bag-bazar. Devotees from different provinces of India, viz, Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Madra, United Provinces, and the Punjab had been pouring into Kolkata for days before the ceremony.  The sri – vigrahas of the Gaudiya Matha, Sri Gaura – Vinoda – Ananda Ji, preceded and followed by congregational chant of the holy name….the procession was about two miles long, the whole city seemed to be in a tremor, and it was a sight for the gods to see.

The procession attracted humongous crowd and was so popular that a local theatre replayed film coverage of it for nine consecutive days.

Sowing the seed of worldwide Krishna Conscious movement

Kolkata is the place where Srila Prabhupada was born, he spent his childhood here under the love and care of his father and mother. His father always prayed and asked everyone to bless that his child, Abhay, becomes a devotee of Srimati Radharani. He studied here, got married here and worked here. And most importantly it was in Kolkata he met his spiritual master who planted the seed in his heart to preach the message of Lord Chaitanya. And it was from Kolkata on August 13, 1965 that Srila Prabhupada boarded the cargo ship M V Jaladutta to go to west to lay the foundation of worldwide Krishna conscious movement.

 

After successfully establishing ISKCON in the west and preaching to tens and thousands of people all over USA and Europe, Srila Prabhupada came to Kolkata to establish first temple of ISKCON in India at 3C Albert Road in 1971. Srila Prabhupada also inaugurated the Kolkata Rath Yatra in 1971.

 

Kolkata – the blessed city

People who are living in Kolkata are blessed because the beautiful city was chosen by great spiritual personalities to execute their mission. They have revealed to us the treasure of Krishna’s love. Kolkata is also the gateway to Mayapur and within and around Kolkata are many places where Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda and many acharyas have performed many pastimes.

 

References:

• Seventh_Goswami
• A_Ray_of_Vishnu
• Sri_Bhaktisiddhanta_Vaibhava
• Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita

With tears of sorrow, he said, “I was forced to leave Krishna”

 

India TV has been conducting programs wherein they bring the monks (brahmacharis) who have joined Iskcon temples and the parents who are completely against their sons becoming a monk together.  The parents of the monks are always furious, they display their emotions publicly. They blame the temple authorities for making their sons brahmacharis. In fact the parents curse the devotees saying that they will ultimately be destroyed.

Many times we think that the Vedic literatures are of bygone eras and not relevant today.  But the reaction of the parents is exactly the same as that of Prajapati Daksha whose sons became renunciates after being educated by sage Narada in the science of self-realization.  Prajapati Daksha said the sage Narada, “You have made me lose my sons once, and now you have again done the same inauspicious thing. Therefore you are a rascal who does not know how to behave toward others. You may travel all over the universe, but I curse you to have no residence anywhere.” Srimad Bhagavatam 6.5.43. May be the incidents mentioned in the Vedas happened thousands of years ago but the attitude of the parents and that of Prajapati Daksha is the same.

Although we may be considering the current relationship we are having as permanent. But this is not the case. Whatever relationship we have with our parents, brothers and sisters, with other relatives, with our country is temporary. In our previous lives we had different parents and siblings, we might have been born in a different country.  In our next life who our parents will be we do not know.

Srimad Bhagavatam narrates the story of King Citraketu who had a great desire to have a son. With the blessings of sage Angira he finally got a son from his wife Kṛtadyuti. But the co-wives of Kṛtadyuti out of envy poisoned the kid and killed him. The king was devastated, he was crying like a mad man, he was totally broken hearted. During that time sage Angira came along with sage Narada. Through his mystic power sage Narada brought back the soul in the dead body and told him to enjoy his life again in the company of his father, mother, friends and relatives. The little boy who was dead sometime back spoke,  “According to the results of my fruitive activities, I, the living being, transmigrate from one body to another, sometimes going to the species of the demigods, sometimes to the species of lower animals, sometimes among the vegetables, and sometimes to the human species. Therefore, in which birth were these my mother and father? No one is actually my mother and father. How can I accept these two people as my parents?”

Yes it is true that in this world all the relationships are temporary. The purpose of this life is to endeavour for a destination where every relationship is permanent and this can be possible only in the kingdom of Krishna.

For most of the people it is not easy to come out of the clutches of material energy and surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna. Those bravehearts who try for this faces severe opposition and criticism many times.  Those with strong determination continue with their devotional life amidst all the opposition but sometimes some devotee succumb to parents emotions and give up devotional life.

I remember one person few years back visited the Rath Yatra festival and there after meeting some devotees he started crying. With tears of sorrow, he said, “I was forced to leave Krishna”

He said that several years back he was a brahmachari in the temple but his parents forced him to leave the temple. He was forced to get married, take a job and was even forced to give up his devotional life.  If he would have not yielded to parents emotional pressure he would have not lost a great opportunity to practice devotional life. And on that day instead of having tears of lamentation he would be having tears of joy in his eyes.

 

Challenges will be there in this world for the devotees and it may appear in multiple forms. But we should never leave the lotus feet of Krishna, we are very fortunate that we got to know the purpose of life. And if we pray to Krishna then Krishna will surely protect us from those people who are creating hurdles in our devotional journey.

Iskcon Sannyasi – India TV fails to understand why an IITian became a monk

India TV recently had a program “Iskcon Sannyasi” (https://www.indiatvnews.com/video/india-tv-exclusive/watch-special-show-on-iskcon-sannyasi-465686) in which they invited a Iskcon brahmachari and his parents  who were against his son joining the temple as a monk. First the program title, Iskcon Sannyasi, was incorrect, the devotee had become a monk and not sannyasi. This showed that India TV had not done their homework properly and they did not know the difference between a sannyasi and a celibate monk.

 

Nevertheless the program gave chance to the parents and his son, now a monk, to present their viewpoints.

 

It is natural for the parents to become very disturbed when they find their son has given up everything, has left home to become a monk in the temple.

 

For most of the people it may appear as an irrational decision but those who are the students of Gita and Vedic literature would not be surprised to find someone dedicating his life completely to serve the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Majority of the people in this world are interested in gratifying their senses, are busy pursuing their material goals. This is why Krishna in Gita says, “After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” Bhagavad Gita 7.19.

The mother was inconsolable, for most part of the program she kept weeping and pleading his son to return back home.  Father was in control of his emotions but he was angry that his son has become a monk.

 

Both the father and mother levelled many non-verifiable allegations against Iskcon such as – Iskcon has brainwashed their child, they forcibly took away their 28 year old son, they taught their son to speak lies, Iskcon devotees did not treat them nicely and so on.  Having spent more than a decade in Krishna Consciousness movement I am not surprised to see the reaction of the parents.

 

For most devotees who become a monk they rarely get the approval of their parents and their family members.

 

It is true that to practice devotional life one does not have to become a monk. One can become a grihasta – get married, have children, stay at home and work in the outside world. However different devotees have different nature and based on that they choose their ashram i.e. if they want to become a grihasta or a brahmachari.  As far as I know, I have never seen any devotee being forced to choose a particular ashram.  Also it is equally true that there is a tug of war in devotees’ mind during the initial years regarding choosing between being a monk or getting married.

 

 

My parents also had great fear that I may join the temple and not get married. But eventually I decided to get married and practice my devotional life. But I have great respect for the devotees who decide to just serve Krishna and so join temple as a celibate monk. Not getting married and staying in the temple gives one an opportunity to focus most of their time and energy in serving the Lord and sharing the message of the Lord.

 

But one may ask what about their responsibility towards their parents and family members?

 

Most of the monks whom I know never leave their parents suffering. For example after finishing their studies they work outside, earn money and give it to their parents so that their parents do no have to suffer financially. If their sister is unmarried then they make sure that their sister gets married.  While trying to serve the Lord they do not shun the family responsibility. In fact after they join the temple they continue visiting their parents and also their parents visit them in the temple and they continue to remain in touch with each other through phone.

 

In fact when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to take sannyas then his mother, Saci mata, was also disturbed but finally gave her permission when Mahaprabhu told her that he want to choose this life so that he can serve the humanity. Later Chaitanya Mahaprabhu decided to stay at Jagannth Puri on the request of his mother so that his mother, Saci mata, continue to get information about him. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu through his own example showed that he had not abandoned his mother and he cared for her emotions.

When media or common people are raising objections on devotees becoming a monk they fail to understand that the celibate monks are not relinquishing their responsibility towards their parents but while serving their parents they have chosen a life for a higher cause. Parents should feel proud about their children.

 

In the present world there are many sons who are earning lakhs of rupees in multinational companies but have no love and respect for their parents. Their parents are forced to stay at old age homes. Their was an incident of an elderly lady whose son was in USA and she was staying all alone in India. When she died no one was around her, in fact no one knew that she is dead. When her son came from USA after several months and broke open the door he found his mother’s skeleton (https://www.indiatoday.in/india/maharashtra/story/rituraj-sahni-asha-sahni-us-returned-nri-old-age-home-1029606-2017-08-14).  Although her son was earning in dollars was comfortably settled in his life but had no place for his mother.

However there are many instances wherein Iskcon monks have gone extra miles to serve their parents. One example is of Sankirtan Anand Das and Sundervar Das, both are brothers and are monk in Iskcon temples. When their mother and father became sick then both the brothers served their parents for several months and both the mother and later (after many years) the father left their body in the presence of their sons. They never gave up their service towards their parents.

 

While India TV is trying to portray that the son has done injustice to their parents by becoming a monk but if one thinks rationally one would find that the son has not left the parents. Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, does not stay with his mother but it does not mean that he has left his mother. For serving a higher purpose some sacrifice has to be made and this what the monks are doing.

 

India TV would do a great service to the society if they start showing the plight of the parents who have been abandoned by their wealthy sons and are suffering in old age homes.

Should a devotee give up his duty?

When Arjuna wanted to run away from the battlefield of Kurushetra, Krishna told him not to do so.

When Arjuna wanted to leave everything and go and beg, Krishna told him not to give up his prescribed duties.

When Arjuna overwhelmed with emotion was trembling and was not able to lift his Gandiva weapon Krishna wasn’t pleased. Why? Because Krishna wanted Arjuna to do his duty with all seriousness and sincerity.

Like Arjuna many times those of us who are practicing (or at least trying to practice) Krishna Consciousness try to run away from the field of action and justify it by saying that the action will entangle us in this material world. But how can we be sure that our non-action will not entangle us in this material world?

Scriptures never asks us to give up our prescribed duties which is not against the religious principles. If we study the lives of great devotees we would find that they were extremely hardworking and expert in their professional fields. Whether one is a monk or a householder, men or women one has to work. Materialists also work hard and devotees also work hard. The difference is that materialist work to gratify their senses, their aim is name, fame, money, power and positions. But a devotee works hard to satisfy the senses of Krishna, whatever he achieves he offers it to Krishna. A devotee tries to put in his best efforts and does not bother about success or failure. He knows that his sincere efforts will please Krishna and not its outcome. Whereas for materialists if the endeavor does not bring desired result he becomes miserable and he gets more entangled in this world.

Bhaktivinod Thakura was a high court judge and he was so expert in his work that when he wanted to take retirement then the government pleaded him not to do so. In fact when the authorities found that it is becoming difficult for him to go to office because his house was far from the court they constructed a railway line from his home to office because they did not want to lose such an expert professional.  And while doing his duty he practiced and preached the teachings of Lord Chaitanya. He has set a standard which we all should try to follow.

But many times I have observed that in the garb of devotional life we become less enthusiastic in our occupational duties and family responsibility. This creates a negative impression not just about us but about the entire Krishna Conscious movement. And since this is not what Krishna wants us to do so eventually it starts affecting our devotional life too.

So as a devotee it is imperative that while practicing our devotion, while diligently following the principles of devotional life we should also sincerely execute our responsibilities in this world. This will help us to become stable in our devotional life and will also help in building a happy and productive Krishna Conscious society. 

 

Let The Lord Not Leave Us Again

Is there anyone of us who want to suffer? How many of us want to be insulted by others? How many of us want to fail in our life? How many of us want to be separated from our loved ones? How many of us want to get diseased? But almost all of us go through these phases in our life and most of the time we find we are so helpless to do anything, we silently weep. Suppose our boss in the office shouts at us we feel humiliated but we can’t do anything else we may lose our job. And some people develop thick skin to such an extent that in spite of insults and sufferings they continue with their lives behaving as if nothing has happened.

Just like cats, dogs and donkeys do not bother for self-respect and continue serving their hostile masters for few morsels of food. We two legged being too do the same thing for our survival. We may think that this is an exaggeration but it is not so. Just look around or google and we can find many such instances of people being humiliated at home, at workplaces and even in public sometimes. In fact scriptures tell us that soul even gets used to suffer in hell. Many of us may not be realizing that we are suffering because we have got so used to suffering. Just like a hog, who gets so used to eat stool that even if someone tells that it is abominable he will just ignore the message.

Animals are always helpless they cannot do anything. But human beings have got the opportunity to change their destiny.  We souls are not meant for suffering. We are not meant for humiliation. We are not meant to suffer the cycle of birth and death. We are meant to enjoy eternally just like the Supreme Lord enjoys eternally. As long as our desires are separate from the Lord as long as we try to enjoy with our senses we will suffer. Let us not get fooled by the false promises of enjoyment of this temporary world. Let us stop serving the pseudo masters of this world who exploits us and instill fear in our heart. 

Let us seek shelter of the original master of the entire creation who is the supreme protector who promises to burn all our sins because of which we suffer. Let his glance enlighten our hearts with transcendental knowledge. Let his sharp arrows pierce our hearts to vanquish all our desires, which binds us to this mortal world. Let us bind our hearts to his lotus feet and cross over the turbulent ocean of material existence.  Let his abode become our permanent abode where we can serve him, love him and live with him forever. Let our sweet Lord not leave us again. We without him are like flower without fragrance, river without water and life like a barren island.

Published in ISKCON NEWS

We may have to leave at any moment

Once a visitor came to a sadhu’s ashram. He saw the sadhu was living in a very simple house. He looked around and found there was nothing worthy in his house –  no bed, no wardrobe, no chair, no table, no refrigerator. The visitor was surprised.  He immediately inquired, “Sir, where are your belongings.” The sadhu asked, “Where are yours?”

The visitor reasoned, “I am just a visitor here and will be here for a short period of time.” The sadhu said, “So, am I.”  While travelling we try to carry minimum luggage so that we travel without much hassle. We carry only essential items. In this world too we are a traveler, we cannot live here permanently although we may wish. But almost all of us believe that we will live here forever and so we keep on hoarding things.  Krishna tells us that to attain peace in this world we should give up all desires for sense gratification and give up all sense of proprietorship. B.G. 2.71.

But we think, “The more we have the more happy we will become.” And so we work hard, to earn more so that we accumulate more. The more desire we have more miserable we become, we also cannot fulfill all our desires. And since we are a cosmic traveler we are asked to vacate the place as soon as our visa expires. All our plea to extend our visa in front of the agents of death fall on deaf ears.  Death can come at any moment. It can come while I am writing this piece or it can come while you are reading this article.  Most of the time it comes without intimation. Using our worldly positions we cannot defy the order of the agents of death, through our wealth we cannot bribe them.

When we have to leave we have to leave and we may be asked to leave at any moment. Stephen Hawking, the renowned scientist, had solutions to many of the mysteries of the world but he too had to wind up all his research work and leave with the agents of death when they came calling. Sridevi, a very popular movie actress, was getting ready for a dinner date with her husband in Dubai. She went to take bath and her husband was eagerly waiting for her to get ready. Little did she or her husband know that there was also an uninvited guest who was waiting to take her with him.

Govinda Dasa Kaviraja, a poet and a devotee of the Lord reminds us that how everything in this world is temporary – e dhana, yaubana, putra, parijana/ ithe ki äche paratiti re/ kamala-dala-jala, jivana talamala/ bhajahu hari-pada niti re.  “What assurance of real happiness is there in all of one’s wealth, youthfulness, sons, and family members? This life is tottering like a drop of water on a lotus petal; therefore you should always serve and worship the divine feet of Lord Hari.”