Tag: Krishna

Significance of Gita Jayanti – the day when Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna

Gita Jayanti is the day when Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, the day has lots of significance. It was spoken by Krishna to Arjuna about 5000 years ago. This sublime message of Bhagavad Gita was spoken at the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The setting was unprecedented. Millions of mighty Pandava and Kaurava warriors had swarmed the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The armies from both the sides were ready to take the life and give the life.

But just before the beginning of the war, Arjuna got completely bewildered. He lost the desire to fight the most important battle of his life. He wanted to run away from the battlefield and was ready to live by begging.  But Arjuna was fortunate because Krishna was with him. Krishna was Arjuna’s friend, philosopher and guide. The bewildered warrior who had won many battles in his life turned towards Krishna. With tears in his eyes, fear in his heart and in a faltering voice he begged Krishna to help him, to show him the right path, “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”: Bhagavad Gita 2.7.

Krishna is a well-wishing friend of all. He is ever ready to help those who seek his shelter. He shows special mercy to his devotees. So, when Arjuna beseeched Krishna for help, Krishna immediately came to Arjuna’s rescue. He removed ignorance from Arjuna’s heart which was the main cause of Arjuna’s perplexity.

By all the Vedas, Krishna is to be known

In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna speaks about five main topics – Isavara (God), Jivatma (Soul), Kala (Time), Karma (actions) and Prakriti (Nature). In Gita, Krishna reveals his identity that he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (Bhagavad Gita 10.8). The purpose of all the Vedic literatures is to know Krishna, “vedais ca sarvair aham eva Vaidya” which means “by all the Vedas, Krishna is to be known”. Krishna also reveals our true identity that we are souls, parts and parcel of Krishna. Once we realize this identity of ours and start working to develop relationship with Krishna, all the problems of our life will end.

Always think of Krishna and do your duty

Krishna also speaks about prescribed duties, capricious work and inaction. Prescribed duties are activities which one performs as enjoined in the Vedic scriptures, capricious work are the activities which are not recommended in the scriptures and inaction is not doing one’s duty at all. Krishna advised Arjuna to perform his prescribed duties by keeping him always in the centre and without any attachment for the result. “Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.” Bhagavad Gita 8.7

If we always keep Krishna in the centre of our life and do all our duties, we will live happily in this world. and after leaving this body and this world, we will attain Krishna and go to the kingdom of Krishna which is free from birth, old age, disease and death.  Krishna promises that those who come under his shelter has nothing to fear, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Bhagavad Gita 18.66).

After hearing the sublime message of Gita, Arjuna’s bewilderment goes away and he decides to act as per Krishna’s instruction, “Arjuna said: My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.” Bhagavad Gita 18.73.   

Bhagavad Gita is the king of all knowledge

The Gita is the crest jewel of all Vedic literatures. It is called Raja Vidya – the king of all knowledge. Singing the glories of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, “This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.” Bhagavad Gita 9.2. If all the Vedic literatures are cows then Bhagavad – Gita is the milk of the cow i.e. it is the essence of all the Vedic literatures. Krishna is the milkman, Arjuna is the calf who drinks the milk. The same milk is now available to us in the written form by the great sage, Vyasa – Dev.

This holy book full of transcendental wisdom has impacted the conscience of humankind for ages. The glories of Gita stems from the fact that it transcends all the artificial boundaries of caste, creed, religions, race, nation and gender. Bhagavad – Gita is not just 5000 years old. It has been in existence since the dawn of creation. Krishna informs Arjuna that “I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku” Bhagavad Gita 4.1. Since the knowledge got lost by the influence of time so Krishna again spoke it to Arjuna. Through Arjuna, Krishna is speaking this sublime message to us.

What is the best way to celebrate Gita Jayanti and understand its significance?

Gita wasn’t spoken only for Hindus or Indians. It is for the entire humanity. Great scholars throughout the ages have sought refuge of this pearl of wisdom when confronted with challenges. It has inspired world fame leaders like Gandhi, Churchill, Einstein, Newton and several others. After reading Bhagavad – Gita a Hindu will become a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian and a Jew a better Jew. Srila Prabhupada’s commentary on Bhagavad Gita is known as “Bhagavad Gita As It Is.”

It is the best selling edition of Bhagavad Gita in the whole world. More than 100 million copies of “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” has been sold. And this book has been translated into more than 80 languages.

Gita Jayanti is celebrated every year in the month of December. The best way to celebrate Gita Jayanti and understand its significance is by reciting the Bhagavad Gita verses. Along with the verses recitation, we should also read the meaning of the verses. The devotees read entire Bhagavad Gita on the day of Gita Jayanti. At Iskcon temples and at different Iskcon centers there is Bhagavad Gita recitation and also Gita Jayanti Yagna. Not just this on the day of Gita Jayanti, people come forward and distribute Bhagavad Gita. They happily give Gita as gift to their friends, family members and also to those who cannot afford it.

Let us pray to Krishna on the auspicious occasion of Gita Jayanti to show us the right path so that we can know Him, love Him and understand the significance of this great book. And let us also pray to Arjuna that like him we also surrender completely to Krishna after reading Bhagavad Gita.

This year Gita Jayanti is being celebrated on 14th December, Tuesday, 2021.

What Krishna says about lust in Bhagavad Gita? It destroys life.

Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that lust is the biggest enemy of men and women in this world. It destroys a person’s life completely.

In Bhagavad Gita 3.36, Arjuna has a question. He asks Krishna, “Why is it that one ends up committing sins even if he is unwilling to do it?” You might have this question too. Sometimes you do not want to do something sinful but ends up doing it.  Let us see what Krishna says to Arjuna.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.”  Bhagavad Gita 3.37.

Lust forces a person to do things even if he does not want to do it. So, Krishna says lust is the sinful enemy of this world.

What is the origin of lust?

In the spiritual world everyone has love for Krishna. But when one wants to enjoy in this material world away from Krishna then love transforms into lust.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “When a living entity comes in contact with the material creation, his eternal love for Kṛṣṇa is transformed into lust, in association with the mode of passion. Or, in other words, the sense of love of God becomes transformed into lust, as milk in contact with sour tamarind is transformed into yogurt.” Bhagavad Gita 3.37 purport.

Can lust be satisfied?

No matter how best we try we cannot satisfy lust.  This is confirmed by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. “Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire.” Bhagavad Gita 3.39.

For example, Ravana had many queens and one of his queens was Mandodari who was very beautiful and chaste. But still impelled by lust, Ravana also wanted to enjoy with mother Sita.  Desire to enjoy with opposite sex is very strong in material life.

As prisoners are bound by shackles in a prison. Similarly in this material world everyone including you and me are bound by the shackles of lust.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “Therefore, this lust is the symbol of ignorance by which the living entity is kept within the material world. While one enjoys sense gratification, it may be that there is some feeling of happiness, but actually that so-called feeling of happiness is the ultimate enemy of the sense enjoyer.” Bhagavad Gita 3.39.

Lust is not just the desire to enjoy with the opposite sex. Any form of sense gratification is lust. “Sense gratification” means any desire to satisfy our senses rather than Krishna’s senses. As long as we are affected by lust, we will remain miserable.

Trying to satisfy lust is like pouring ghee in the fire. The more we try to satisfy lust, our lust becomes stronger. When lust is not satisfied then it gives rise to anger. Many times, it makes a person insane. So, at any cost we should give up lust.

At what stage we should control lust?

This human life is special. In this life it is possible for us to free ourselves from lust. And transform our lust into love for Krishna.  Lust covers our real knowledge. We forget that we are parts and parcels of Krishna. We start thinking that we are material beings, and the purpose of our life is to enjoy our material senses.

But lust has to be controlled. And it can be controlled. Krishna explains that we should try our best to control our lust. It is always better to control the lust in the beginning.  Krishna says to Arjuna, “Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.” Bhagavad Gita 3.41

To control lust, we should control our senses.  The first step is that we should not allow our senses to engage in any form of activities which will aggravate lust. Also, it is important that we should not contemplate on the objects of the senses. For this, we should flood our mind with Krishna Conscious thoughts and activities. By doing this our mind will get busy with Krishna Conscious subject matters. And it won’t have time to think about lusty subject matters.

As of now our understanding is that we will become happy if we satisfy our material desires. But the truth is that we will become happy if we do not engage our senses in fulfilling our material desires.  And we will become supremely happy if we start engaging our senses in serving Krishna.

Personal experience with lust

In my personal life also, I have observed that many activities I do not want to do but many times I end up doing it. It seems as if someone is compelling me do it. When I was not into Krishna Consciousness then I did not know what is good for me and what is bad for me. But after coming to Krishna consciousness, I understood what is harmful for my life. But in spite of knowing that sense gratification is harmful it is not always easy to give it up.

Many times, I took a vow to give up sense gratification. I succeeded for few days then I found that there is some force within me which is forcing me to indulge in those activities. For example, I find very challenging to give up internet addiction especially reading online news. Although I try to restrain myself, but I fail quite a number of times. 

However, the best thing about Krishna Consciousness is that although initially it may look that giving up certain non-Krishna Conscious activities are difficult but if we pray to Krishna and try to work on it then gradually we are able to give it up. I won’t be right to say that I have been able to completely give up addiction for internet. But I can confidently say that it is reducing day by day. 

And I am hopeful that if I follow Krishna’s advice and Srila Prabhupada’s teachings then I will be able to give my lust for material sense gratification one day. For me, internet addiction.

What is the best way to control lust according to Krishna in Bhagavad Gita?

To give up lust, it is important that we do not surrender to the demands of our senses and mind. But instead using our intelligence we should educate our mind about the harmful effects of lust which is sense gratification. To strengthen the intelligence, it is important that we do sincere spiritual practice. And read life transforming books like Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna gives us a formula by which we can control lust. He says, “O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence [Kṛṣṇa consciousness] and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.”  Bhagavad Gita 3.43

Control lust before it controls you. Destroy lust before it destroys you.

My prayer to Lord Krishna on his appearance day, Janmashtami

Dear Krishna, the day when you appeared in this world is celebrated as Janmashtami all over the world. This year, 2021, we are celebrating Janmashtami on 30^th August. In Bhagavad Gita 8.15, you say that this world is duhkhalayam, abode of miseries. But still you appear here in every millennium because you feel pain when you see us in pain.

But unfortunately, people like me who have chosen to live here do not realize that we are in pain. In fact, our consciousness is so blunted that many times we consider pain as pleasure. Just like a hog who considers stool as a palatable food.

In spite of trying my best I have hardly experienced any happiness in this world. Any success or achievement we get here is always accompanied with fear and anxiety.  So, in reality there is no happiness. But in spite of these experiences, I hope again and again of finding happiness in this material world.

My mind is always full of desires. And with a shame I want to admit that all my desires are material. And this is the root cause of all my sufferings.

My wrong desires making me miserable

I do not have desire to take your shelter. Although in Bhagavad Gita 18.66 you say to me through Arjuna that if I take your shelter then you will free me from all my past sins and thus I won’t suffer here. “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Bhagavad Gita 18.66.  

In fact, by taking your shelter I will be freed from all the fear of this world. But still, I fail to follow your instructions. It is because my mind is always overflooded with material desires.

Many times, I have tried to purge all worldly cravings from my mind but again and again I have failed.

You say in Bhagavad Gita that you reciprocate with us as per our desires – ye yathā māṁ prapadyante/tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham. “As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly.” Bhagavad Gita 4.11.

But as I said earlier Krishna, all my desires are wrong desires.  And this is the reason that I am living here all alone away from you.

Why I am not able to see you, Krishna?

Although I voluntarily decided to not live with you but you never abandoned me.  Right now also you are present in my heart as Supersoul, Paramatma. But because of my contaminated consciousness I cannot see you. A blind person sees darkness everywhere even when the sun is shining bright. Similarly, a spiritually blind person like me fails to see your beautiful effulgent transcendental form although you are here in my heart.

How unfortunate I am. My anarthas (vices) – lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, illusion – is separating me from you. I do not have the power to free myself from these anarthas. Honestly speaking I also do not have much desire to free myself from these anarthas.

Krishna, you are most merciful

Dear Krishna, please be merciful upon me. You have been merciful even to the demons who came to kill you. Putana came to give you poisonous milk, but you removed all the poisons from her milk and gave her the position of a mother in your spiritual kingdom. Who can be more merciful other than you?

Because of my wrong desires my mind has become poisonous and is now not allowing me to devote my life to you. It has made me insane. Although I try to serve you but my powerful mind does not allow me do so.

But why should I blame my mind?

It is me who have misused my free will and allowed the mind to enjoy the so-called pleasures of this world.

Unfortunately, I forgot to control my mind

In the journey of my life I forgot to control my mind. And now my mind controls me. I do not remember the exact date when my mind started overpowering me. But if I try to look back I find that I have always been under the subjugation of my mind. I have been in this material world for many lifetimes.  And in each life I have just tried to enjoy the material pleasures through my mind and senses. 

And now my mind has become so strong that it refuses to listen to me. It disobeys me. It controls me. I am a puppet of my mind. But I do not want to suffer anymore because of my mind. I am going through these sufferings because of my unholy desires. I know that as soon as I develop the desire to serve you all my misfortune will go away from my life.

All the miseries will disappear just as darkness disappears as soon as the sun appears.

My prayer to Lord Krishna

On this auspicious occasion of Janmashtami I beseech you Krishna to purify my desires. Shower your mercy upon me so that I develop spiritual desire, the desire to constantly serve you. I beg you to purify my heart of all the anarthas which is separating me from you.  Dear Lord Krishna, please consider my prayer. I am an ignorant person who does not know what is good for me.

Like a madman in the mental asylum thinks that he is the king of the whole world. Afflicted by my material madness I think I can control my life. But the fact is that I am just a puppet, and you are the puppeteer.

Please take control of my mind and make me your puppet.  

Dear Lord Krishna, my prayer at your lotus feet on this auspicious occasion of your appearance day is that please purge my mind of all material thoughts. Let my mind only think of you. Let my mind experience joy in always singing your glories. Let my mind develop distaste for the illusionary pleasures of this temporary world.

Let my mind have only one desire – the desire to serve you every moment of my life, life after life.  

Why do we worship Radha? To get love of Krishna.

Why do we worship Radha if Rukmini is the legally wedded wife of Krishna? Is it not better or moral to worship Rukmini and Krishna than Radha and Krishna?

Worshipping Rukmini is great, its wonderful, and we should do it. In fact, devotees do worship Rukmini Krishna and there are many temples which have the deity of Rukmini and Krishna.

But still the great saintly personalities revere the relationship between Radha and Krishna. The transcendental loving relationship between Radha and Krishna cannot be equalled in this world and not even in the spiritual world.

Is Radha and Krishna married?

Yes. Radha and Krishna are eternally married.  They are eternally one. Just like our parents are married before our birth, similarly Radha and Krishna are married since the dawn of creation. As our parents do not again marry to prove to us that they are married.

Similarly, our eternal parents – Radha and Krishna – do not have to marry again in this world to prove their marital status.  

But there is also a pastime which is quite famous in braj, Vrindavan, that Lord Brahma got Radha and Krishna married when they were performing their childhood pastimes in Vrindavan and Barsana.

Radha is the source of incarnation of goddesses of fortune

Krishna is the source of incarnations of Vishnu and Narayan who reside in various Vaikuntha planets. Similarly, Radha is the source of expansion of Krishna’s pleasure potency.

She is the source of all the gopis and also the source of goddess of fortune, Laksmidevi.

Wherever Krishna is, there is Radha. So, when Krishna is in Dwarka, Radha expands as Rukmini, the goddess of fortune, to serve Krishna and to give pleasure to Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada writes, “According to expert opinion, Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, is a subordinate expansion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. As Kṛṣṇa has numerous expansions of viṣṇu-mūrtis, so His pleasure potency, Rādhārāṇī, also has innumerable expansions of goddesses of fortune.”

Radha is very dear to Krishna

Krishna without Radharani is like sun without sunshine.  Krishna is the supreme enjoyer and Radharani is the source of that enjoyment.

There are millions of gopis in Goloka Vrindavan, the spiritual world. And all the gopis always serve Krishna and give joy to Krishna.  All the gopis are great devotees and they desperately desire to be with Krishna but Krishna longs to be with Radha.

And although the gopis want to be with Krishna but they get great pleasure when they see Radha and Krishna together.  

And Radharani, the best among all the gopis, wants to give Krishna to others. So, she happily allows the gopis to enjoy pastimes with Krishna.

In fact, if Srimati Radharani is pleased with our devotion then she will allow us also to participate in the eternal blissful pastimes of Goloka Vrindavan.

She wants us to be always with her in the spiritual world. She does not want anyone of us to suffer. In fact, if we cry for her help then she will quickly free us from all sufferings.

Radha saves a suffering soul in Vrindavan

Once in Vrindavan, some kids were harassing a jackal, they were chasing him with sticks and throwing rocks at him. And the Jackal running for his life entered into a hole in the ground. When the boys saw Jackal inside the hole they set fire around the hole. The heat was intolerable and the Jackal started screaming and crying.

Radharani was within the vicinity. When she heard the cry she asked Lalita Sakhi, her friend, to find out what was happening.  She said, “This is Vrajbhumi, my land, no one should be suffering here.”

Lalita Sakhi immediately went and saw boys giving trouble to the Jackal, she chased the boys away. She took the Jackal out from that hole, he was trembling in fear. The Jackal was brought to Radharani. He fell at her feet and she blessed the Jackal. She gave the Jackal the body of a gopi.

And this gopi became an associate of Radharani in the spiritual world. The Jackal’s sincere cry for mercy attracted the mercy of Srimati Radharani.

It is explained that the hole in which Jackal got confined represents the material existence.  The Jackal represents us, the living entities. The fire around the hole is the misery of material existence. The loud cry of Jackal represents our utter helplessness in this material world.

But like the Jackal if we cry for Radha’s mercy then she will surely free us from all miseries. She will give us her shelter and an opportunity to be with her and serve her in the land of Vraja where Krishna is the King and she is the queen.

Why worship of Radha is important?

To get freedom from material sufferings and to become dear to Krishna and attain love of Krishna, we should worship Radha.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura one of the most prominent Vaisnav acharyas underlines the importance of worshipping Radha in his book Gitavali. He writes, “radha-bhajane jadi mati nahi bhela/krsna-bhajana tava akarana gela – If your desire for the worship of Radha does not come about, then your so-called worship of Krsna is completely useless.”

Once when a person was worshiping Krishna at Radha Kunda and begging for Krishna’s mercy then Bhaktisiddhnata Saraswati Thakura immediately remarked, “We are worshippers of the servant of the servant of Srimati Radharani. This is the mood of all the followers of Rupa Goswami.”

We cannot attain Krishna without becoming a devotee of Radha. She is not like a demigod or demigoddess. She is greater than all the demigods of any material universe.

As Krishna is the supreme father of all living entities of all the universes, Radha, Krishna’s eternal consort, is the supreme mother of all the living entities of all the universes.

Pleasing mother is easier than pleasing father. Why? Because mothers are soft-hearted. Similarly, our eternal mother, Radharani’s heart is soft like butter. She can be easily pleased.  And we know that Krishna loves butter! 

So, if by our sincere devotion we attract Radharani’s attention, we will eventually get Krishna’s affection.

Bhaktivinod Thakura further writes in Gitavali, “If one considers oneself to be a humble maidservant of Radhika, then such a person very quickly meets the Lord of Gokula.”

What were Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war?

What were Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war at Kurukshetra? The Pandavas and the Kauravas had assembled at Kurukshetra for the epic war. Arjuna was one of the most formidable warriors. But just before the war, he felt that he should not fight. He was overwhelmed with the situation.

In fact, once he thought that it would be better if he flees the battlefield. At this moment of crisis he turned towards Krishna, the Supreme Lord, who was his charioteer, to share his feelings. He explained to Krishna why he did not want to fight.

Let us what were Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war:

1. Compassion

Arjuna was full of compassion. Although a fearsome warrior yet kind-hearted. A dear friend of Krishna and a well-wisher of all. He did not want war.

Krishna had tried his best to convince Duryodhana to not compel Pandavas for the war. But the evil son of the blind king, Dhritarashtra, was adamant. So Pandavas and Kauravas had assembled at Kurukshetra. Both the armies were facing each other.

But Arjuna shuddered at the thought that he will be fighting to kill his own family members. He will be shooting arrows towards Bhisma, his great grandfather, and Dronacharya, his guru. 

He remembered his childhood days when he would sit on the lap of Bhisma and the great grandfather would caress him. Bhisma loved him so much. But today he was standing opposite to him to kill him. How can he do so?

Arjuna was one of the the greatest archer. Everyone accepted it. No one could face him in the battle. Even he pleased Lord Shiva with his archery skill. And all this was possible only because of Dronacharya, the great martial teacher. Dronacharya loved Arjuna like his own son.  He put in his best efforts to make Arjuna the best archer of the world.

How can Arjuna fight against his guru, who was like his father?

The hundred Kauravas were his cousins. All were not bad.  For example, Vikarna was a righteous person. Many were his younger brothers.

And then there were thousands of soldiers on both the sides. What were their crimes? Why to put their lives on risk? Why should they die?

Arjuna shares his feelings with Krishna

These thoughts filled Arjuna’s heart with compassion.  He lost his composure. He was torn apart internally. At this hour of crisis, he turned towards Krishna, his friend, his ever well wisher and said,

• “My whole body is trembling, my hair is standing on end, my bow Gāṇḍīva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.” Bhagavad Gita 1.29

• “I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kṛṣṇa, killer of the Keśī demon.” Bhagavad Gita 1.30

• “I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kṛṣṇa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom or happiness.” Bhagavad Gita 1.31

2. Enjoyment

Arjuna further said that even if I am victorious still, I won’t be able to enjoy the kingdom. To win the war I will have to kill my own family members. The kingdom will be soaked with the blood of my family members. My adorable grandfather, Bhisma, guru Drona who is like my father, my uncles, brothers, all will be killed. In their absence even if I win still I will be a loser. Fame and fortune cannot be enjoyed alone. To enjoy it we need to share it. But if they are killed then with whom I will share my joy.

Arjuna said, “O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra?” Bhagavad Gita 1.32-35

3. Fear of sinful reactions

Killing is a sinful activity. If we kill others, we will incur sins. Sins will lead to suffering. I understand that Duryodhana and his ilks are aggressors, they are ruffians. So what? If they are acting impiously then should we also act irreligiously. What will be the difference between them and us? If like them we engage in this ghastly war and kill the enemies then we will be committing sins. So, it will be better Krishna if I do not fight.

“O Janārdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?” Bhagavad Gita 37 – 38

4. Destruction of Dynasty

When all the assembled warriors will be killed then what will happen to their family? Who will give protection to the elders of the family? Children will become orphans. Women will be unprotected. If the elders of the family are not there, then who will guide the younger generation. In absence of proper guidance dynasty will be destroyed. And destruction of the dynasty will create chaos in the society and bring great disaster.

Consequences of destruction of the dynasty (Bhagavad Gita 1.39 – Bhagavad Gia 1.43)

• With the destruction of dynasty, family tradition is destroyed.
• When family tradition is destroyed then family members start practicing irreligion. 
• And when irreligion increases then women of the family become polluted.
• When women become polluted then there is unwanted progeny.
• Unwanted progeny causes hellish life for the family and for those who are responsible for destroying family tradition.  These unwanted population will not follow religious tradition because of which:
• Ancestors fall down because no one is there to offer them food and water i.e. pinda daan is stopped.
• Community projects and family welfare activities also stop.

Arjuna contemplated that destruction of the dynasty will bring calamity upon all. He said, “Kṛṣṇa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell always in hell.” Bhagavad Gita 1.43

Arjuna did not want hellish life for anyone. And he did not want to be the cause of hellish for others. Expressing his anguish, Arjuna said, “Better for me if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield.” Bhagavad Gita 1.45

5. Indecision

Arjuna gave reasons as why he did not want to fight the Mahabharat war. But still he did not know if this was the right decision. He was confused. He was not convinced by his own argument. Bewildered and undecided he turned towards Krishna and expressed the feelings of his heart, “O Krishna, I do not know what is better for me. I see that the sons of Dhritarashtra are standing before me. But whether I should conquer them or be conquered by them, I do not know.”  Bhagavad Gita 2.6

Arjuna was thinking why to be part of unnecessary violence.  If Duryodhana was so adamant to be the king, let he be the king. I can live by begging. But he also knew that Duryodhana was cruel. He has committed so many sins.

Commenting on this verse Srila Prabhupada writes, “All these considerations by Arjuna definitely proved that not only was he a great devotee of the Lord but he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses.” Bhagavad Gita 2.6 purport

Finally Arjuna takes shelter of Krishna

Standing between both the armies the fearsome warrior was feeling helpless.  Arjuna had given five reasons to Krishna as why he did not want war.  But still he was not sure if not fighting was the right decision. He was not able to take the right decision. Arjuna the mightiest of the warrior on the battlefield of Kurukshetra decided to take shelter of Krishna. He beseeched Krishna to become his guru and guide him, who was now his surrendered disciple.

“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.” Bhagavad Gita 2.7

Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war did not convince Krishna. Krishna ultimately persuaded Arjuna to not run away from Kurukshetra. The Supreme Lord made sure that his friend and devotee fight for the right cause and establish dharma.

To know the details, please read – Why Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharat war?

Why Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharat war? To establish dharma.

At the onset of Mahabharat war, Arjuna wanted to flee away from Kurukshetra, the battlefield. But Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharat war. You may wonder why Krishna wanted the war? War brings mayhem. So, no sane man wants war. But still Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was unhappy when Arjuna was thinking not to fight.

You and I can list down many benefits if there was no Mahabharat war.

Tens and thousands of soldiers who died in the war would have been saved. Abhimanyu, Arjuna’s son, would have not lost his life. Bhisma and Drona would have not died.  If Pandavas and Kauravas would have not fought there would have been no deaths, no widows, no orphaned children.

It appears to be a noble thought. Now picture a scenario. Group of terrorists have entered a city.  Military comes to know about their hideout. They are about to ambush the terrorist camp. But the leader of the army develops cold feet. He does not want to attack the terrorists. Why should we kill them? They are our brothers; humans like us. Let us be non – violent. Let us let them live. The army aborts the mission. After few hours the terrorists create mayhem in the city. They kill hundreds of people – old, young, men, women, children none are spared.

What will you think about the leader of the army? A kind-hearted soldier? A generous leader or a coward? Will he be glorified or rebuked? Will he be punished or rewarded? The answer is obvious.

Duryodhana was not fit to become the king

Duryodhana was an atrocious person. Corrupt, cunning and cruel. To become the king of Hastinapur, he was ready to go to any extent. He had broken many religious principles to satisfy his wanton desires.  Krishna knew Duryodhana’s demoniac mindset. He knew that if evil Duryodhana becomes the king, he will act against the religious principles. He will be an unjust ruler.

Duryodhana committed five major crimes. For these misdeeds, he should be punished and not rewarded.

Below we discuss the five major evil deeds of Duryodhana.

Five major crimes committed by Duryodhana which justifies the Mahabharat war:

1. Duryodhana tried to kill Pandavas deceitfully

Duryodhana was envious of his Pandava brothers since childhood. He envied them.  Duryodhana especially disliked Bhima when they were kids. He tried to kill Bhima by mixing poison in his food. Later he threw unconscious Bhima into the water. But fortunately, Bhima did not die.

Later he tried to burn the Pandavas alive along with their mother, Kunti, in Lakshagriha. He did not have any hesitation in burning his aunt, Kunti, an old lady who was like his mother.

2. Duryodhana tries to disrobe Draupadi

In Kuru assembly, after the Pandavas lost the dice game, Duryodhana decided to insult Draupadi. Draupadi was his sister-in-law. It was his responsibility to protect her. But he was such a wicked person that he ordered his brother, Dushasana to bring Draupadi in the assembly hall. Karna supported him.

When Dushasana went to bring Draupadi, she was in her personal room. Dushasana dragged Draupadi, his sister-in-law, by her hair and brought her in the assembly. Draupadi was in shock. She was in tears. She feared for her honour and life. Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni were laughing seeing the plight of Draupadi.

Laughing loudly, madly and arrogantly, Duryodhana gestured Draupadi to come and sit on his left thigh. While saying so, he was slapping his thigh.

None of the elders in the assembly could do anything or say anything. Dhritarashtra, the king, blindly attached to his son, Duryodhana, remained quiet. Elders like Bhisma, Vidura, Drona, Kripa all were helpless.

Duryodhana then asked Dushasana to strip Draupadi naked. Dushasana, Duryodhana’s younger puppet, started pulling Draupadi’s sari. Helpless Draupadi was tightly holding her sari begging everyone to save her.  Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni were laughing like mad men seeing the plight of Draupadi.

Duryodhana who wanted to be the king of Hastinapur was publicly shaming a woman. He wanted to preside the assembly where he was now shaming a woman.

Did Hastinapur deserve a king like Duryodhana who was abusing a woman publicly?

In the great Kuru assembly, surrounded by hundreds of great personalities, Draupadi found herself all alone. No one was there for her. She begged, pleaded, cried tears but no one came to help her.

Krishna saves Draupadi from Dushasana

Draupadi understood that other than the Lord there is no one who can help a mortal being. She left her sari which she was holding tightly, raised her both harms and helplessly cried Krishna’s names. Krishna was not there in the assembly hall. But Krishna is there in everyone’s heart. He heard Draupadi’s cry for help and immediately came for her help.

Dushasana was trying to pull the sari and Krishna provided unlimited sari to Draupadi. Dushasana tried hard to undress Draupadi but failed. He was exhausted and almost fainted. Krishna saved Draupadi. Evil four – Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni – stopped laughing. Duryodhana failed to disrobe Draupadi.

Draupadi, seething with anger, took a vow in that assembly, “I will not tie my hair until it is bathed with the blood of Dushasana.”  

Bhima who was somehow controlling his anger, stood up and took two vows:

Bhima’s vow in the Kuru assembly

Fuming with anger Bhima looked towards Duryodhana and Dushasana. He then looked towards everyone present in the assembly and took a vow:

I will kill Dushasana, rip apart his chest and will drink his blood. With that blood I will bathe Draupadi’s lose hair. 

“O kings of the world,” he thundered, “listen to my words! I shall now make a vow unlike any that has been made before. Nor shall such a vow be made in future. If I do not forcefully tear open the breast of this sinful wretch on the battlefield and drink his blood, then may I not obtain the path of my ancestors.” – Draupadī Dragged to the Assembly

Although Duryodhana failed to disrobe Draupadi, but it shows his evil mindset.

3. Duryodhana abducts a Gandharva lady

Pandavas were exiled to the forest after they lost the dice game.  Without any riches, they were living frugally in the forest. Duryodhana, Karna and Sakuni thought to go to the forest to humiliate the Pandavas. They decided to stay near the place where the five Pandavas were residing. Duryodhana wanted to display his opulence. This he felt will embarrass the five brothers. 

In the forest Duryodhana committed another crime. He abducted a lady who was a Gandharva.  Later the Gandharvas led by Chitrasena rescued the lady by defeating Duryodhana and Karna. Gandharvas even captured Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Karna thought they were great warriors, but they were defeated by the Gandharvas. 

In fact, later Arjuna and Bhima went and rescued Duryodhana. Duryodhana had gone to humiliate the Pandavas but himself got shamed.  

This again shows Duryodhana’s character. He had no respect for women.

4. Duryodhana disobeyed everyone including Bhisma, his great grandfather, and Dronacharya, his guru

Duryodhana never listened to anyone’s advice. He disrespected Bhisma, who was his great grandfather. Duryodhana disobeyed his guru, Dronacharya. He always rebuked Vidura, his uncle and one of the most noble souls in Hastinapur. And Dhritrashtra, his father, who was the king was Duryodhana’s puppet. Dhritarashtra was so attached to his son that he did not have the courage to say no to him. 

A king should always be open to advice from the elders and the ministers. But Duryodhana was full of arrogance. He did not listen to anyone. Duryodhana always wanted to have his way. He only wanted to satisfy his ignoble desires.

5. Duryodhana tried to imprison Krishna, the Supreme Lord

Pandavas led by Krishna were very pious. Although Duryodhana had committed so many sins but still they were ready to forgive him and start afresh.

Krishna personally went to Hastinapur as a peace messenger. He wanted to convince Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana to give up all enmity.  Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, was the heir of the throne of Hastinapur. But Krishna told Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana that the Pandavas are ready to give the throne of Hastinapur to Duryodhana. However in return Duryodhana should give 5 villages to Pandavas to rule.

But Duryodhana said that he will not give them a land even of the size of the tip of a needle. 

Duryodhana did not stop there. He decided to imprison Krishna who had come as peace messenger.  He asked the soldiers to attack Krishna and capture Krishna. Krishna is not an ordinary person. He is the Supreme Lord. So, how can he be imprisoned? But Duryodhana who was full of pride thought he can capture Krishna and put him in prison.

Krishna expanded himself. He showed his gigantic form. Everyone present there was stunned. Duryodhana’s soldiers were fearful to even go near Krishna.

Krishna left the palace. All attempt to make peace came to an end. The war was inevitable.

Conclusion: Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight Mahabharat war to establish dharma

Duryodhana as a king would have been a disaster. So, Krishna did not want him to become the king of Hastinapur. It is said – yathā rājā tathā prajā. It means “as is the king, so are the subjects.”

The general public follows the footsteps of the ruler. So, if the ruler is corrupt, immoral then people follow his path and become corrupt and sinful.

Krishna had appeared to eliminate wicked people like Duryodhana and his supporters like Karna. He wanted to establish dharma.  

Yudhishthira was pious. He was Dharmaraj – upholder of religious values and principles. This is why, Yudhishthira was fit to rule Hastinapur. So, Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharata war and establish Dharma.  

How to apply teachings of Catuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita in personal life?

The four verses of Bhagavad Gita – BG 10.8, BG 10.9, BG 10.10, BG 10.11 – are called catuh – sloki – Bhagavad Gita.  Catuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita is called the essence of Bhagavad Gita. Because in these four verses Krishna shares the topmost knowledge and also reveals his heart.

Krishna through these verses establishes that:

1. He is the Supreme Lord
2. His pure devotees are always absorbed in his meditation.
3. He shows special mercy to his pure devotees.
4. His pure devotees attain him by his mercy.

Taking shelter of Krishna always

In the first verse ofCatuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita Krishna says,

“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” Bhagavad Gita 10.8.

Here Krishna is clearly saying “ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo,” i.e. “I am the source of all material and spiritual worlds.” This verse makes it clear that Krishna is the Supreme Lord, no one is superior to him. It implies that all the demigods including Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma derive their power from Krishna.  

So, in all situations and circumstances we should take shelter of Krishna and not the shelter of demigods.  We should have firm faith that if Krishna is pleased then automatically all the demigods will be pleased. So, there is no need for me to separately worship any demigods.

Focusing on śravaṇaṁ, kīrtanaṁ and smaraṇam

In the second verse ofCatuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita Krishna says,

“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.9

Here Krishna is glorifying his devotees. The Lord says that his devotees mind (mat–cittāḥ) are always engaged in him. And their lives (mat–gata–prāṇāḥ) are devoted to him.  His devotees derive great pleasure and satisfaction in talking (kathayantaḥ) about him and preaching (bodhayantaḥ) about him.  

Everyone wants to be happy in this world. But unfortunately, we look for pleasure in the outside material world. The so-called pleasure which we experience in this world is never going to satiate our hearts. In fact, it always results in frustration. In this verse Krishna is telling us how we can experience unlimited happiness and satisfaction in our life. 

So, we should not waste time and energy in searching for happiness in this mortal material world. But we should utilize each and every moment of our life in practicing devotion to Krishna. This is the elixir for all our miseries.

For bliss in our life,

• We should completely absorb ourselves in hearing (śravaṇaṁ) about Krishna
• Chanting (kīrtanaṁ) his holy names and glories
• And should always try to remember (smaraṇam) his wonderful pastimes.

Applying teachings of Bhagavad Gita 10.9

To apply the teachings of Bhagavad Gita 10.9, we should take following practical steps:

• Hearing at least one hour of Krishna conscious lecture daily. We can hear lectures of either Srila Prabhupada, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj or other senior sannyasis and devotees of Iskcon
• Reading one hour of Srila Prabhupada’s books daily like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
• Memorizing slokas and vaisnava songs so that we can keep on reciting it whenever possible.
• Hearing kirtan or Vaisnav songs while doing office work or household work if the work is not too mentally engaging.
• Preaching the message of Krishna proactively. We should try our best to spread Krishna Conscious movement.
• If possible, writing Krishna Conscious articles regularly. We can try to publish the articles in Iskcon’s official magazine – Back to Godhead. Or we can try to publish it on Iskcon authorized websites like Iskcon News and Dandavats. We can also have our personal blogs where we can post the articles. We can allocate sometime to write the articles. It can be 15 minutes or 30 minutes daily.

Whatever we hear or read or speak, we mostly contemplate upon those subject matters. So if we are properly engaged in śravaṇaṁ and kīrtanaṁ then smaraṇam i.e. remembrance of Krishna will also be taken care.

Our focus should be to deepen our relationship with Krishna by constantly engaging in devotional service.

Endeavoring to attain Krishna’s special mercy

Krishna is our supreme father and more than us, he is eager that we return back to him.

So, in BG 10.10, Krishna says that if someone is constantly devoted (satata–yuktānām) in serving Him then he gives them understanding (buddhi–yogam) to come to him.

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.10.

And in the next verse, BG 10.11, Krishna says that he shows special mercy (anukampā–artham) to his devotees by completely destroying (dispel) devotees’ ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge (jnana) which is the cause of suffering.

“To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” Bhagavad Gita 10.11

We suffer in this world because of ignorance.  And in ignorance we take decisions which becomes the cause of more suffering. Lust, greed and anger contaminates our intelligence and knowledge. And under the influence of these anarthas(vices) we take decisions. Such decisions instead of bringing bliss in our life makes us more miserable.

Suffice to say in our conditioned state we do not know what is right and what is wrong for us.

But if we are devoted to Krishna then the Supreme Lord who is our supreme father guides us towards the right path. That path is the path of peace and joy. This helps us to live happily in this world. And Krishna even gives us intelligence by which we can ultimately attain him. This is Krishna’s special mercy.

Applying teachings of Bhagavad Gita 10.10 & 10.11

If we want to attain Krishna’s mercy, then we should apply the teachings of BG 10.10 and BG 10.11 in our personal lives in following ways:

• We should be more sincere in our devotional life and get actively engaged in Krishna conscious activities.
• We should understand that our knowledge & intelligence is currently impure. So before taking any decision we should pray to Krishna for right guidance.
• Along with that we should also see that the decisions which we are taking is in line with guru, sadhu and sastra.
• Also before taking any decision, we should discuss with senior devotees. This will always help us to make right decisions which will be pleasing to Krishna.

These are the practical ways to apply the teachings of Catuh – Sloki – Bhagavad Gita. If we succeed in doing so, we will attain the mercy of Krishna.

Why Chandan Yatra is celebrated?

Chandan Yatra starts from the day of Akshaya Tritiya. During Chandan Yatra, Chandan(sandalwood) paste is applied to the deity of Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath. In Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri and Mayapur, this festival is celebrated in a grand way

Chandan Yatra Duration

Chandan Yatra is celebrated for 21 days in Vrindavan and Mayapur. But in Jagannath Puri, it is celebrated for 42 days.  For 21 days as Bahara(ouster) Chandan Yatra. And for another 21 days as Bhitara (inner) Chandan Yatra.

Chandan provides comfort to Krishna in hot summer

Month of May/June (Vaisakha/Jyestha) is very hot in India.  In this month temperature reaches its peak and the heat becomes unbearable. Devotees become very concerned about the Lord’s comfort. So, they decide to apply chandan (sandalwood paste) to Lord. Sandalwood paste has a cooling effect, and it also smells nice.

Chandan is applied artistically and not clumsily. It enhances the beauty of the beautiful Lord. Chandan is applied on the entire body including face, hands, legs and torso of Lord Krishna, Lord Jagannath and Lord Baladeva. The creamy paste is also put on Srimati RadhaRani and Subhdra Devi’s face especially on forehead.

Chandan Yatra history

Purushottama Kshetra Mahatmya tells that Lord Jagannath personally told king Indradumnya to celebrate the Chandan Yatra festival.

For the followers of Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya (Brahmā-Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya) there is a beautiful story associated with Chandan Yatra festival. Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya Lila Chapter 4) describes it in detail.

Gopala(Krishna) comes in Madhavendra Puri’s dream

Madhavendra Puri. was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. He was residing in Vrindavan near Govardhan Hill. He would do Govardhan parikrama and spend his day and night chanting the names of Krishna and meditating on beautiful pastimes of Krishna.

Once he was absorbed in his bhajan (devotion) near Govind kunda. A cowherd boy came to him with a pot of milk. The boy said, “In Vrindavan no one goes hungry. Some ladies who had come here to fetch water saw that you only do bhajan and do not eat anything. They asked me to give you this pot of milk. So, please take it.”

The boy’s sweet words gave joy to Madhvendra Puri. He looked so beautiful. Madhavendra Puri felt deep attraction for him. He drank the milk and experienced great satisfaction.

In the same night he saw a dream. In the dream the same boy appeared. Holding Madhavendra Puri’s hands, the boy took him to nearby bush in the forest. He said, “I reside here and because of this I suffer from severe cold, rain, hot weather and storms. My name is Gopala, and I am the lifter of Goverdhan hill. Take me out from here and place me nicely on top of the hill. After this wash me with huge quantities of cold water.”

Madhavendra Puri builds a temple of Gopala(Krishna) on top of Govardhan hill

Madhavendra Puri got up. He felt great pleasure. But he also lamented that he was not able to recognize Krishna when he came with a pot of milk. In the morning Madhavendra Puri gathered the villagers and went inside the forest to search the deity. They found the deity of Gopal covered with dust. The deity was heavy.

All the villagers carried the deity and nicely placed him on top of the hill. The deity was then bathed with huge quantity of water as per the desire of Gopala. Water was brought from Govinda Kunda. There was a big celebration. Everyone in the village participated in the festival. Even devotees from nearby villages came for the celebration.

Huge quantities of prasadam were prepared and offered to the Gopala deity. After that everyone took prasad. Madhevendra Puri felt great joy. Now daily the deity of Gopala was worshipped gorgeously under the direction of Madhevendra Puri.

Krishna asks Madhavendra Puri to go to Jagannath Puri to bring sandalwood

After two years Gopal again appeared in Madhevendra Puri’s dream and said, “My bodily temperature still has not decreased. Please bring sandalwood from the Malaya province and smear the pulp over My body to cool Me. Bring sandalwood pulp from Jagannātha Purī. Kindly go quickly. Since no one else can do it, you must.” Chaitanya Charitamrita (Text 106 – 107).

Madhavendra Puri immediately decided to go to Jagannath Puri to bring sandalwood for Gopal. Before leaving he made all arrangements so that service to Gopal continues nicely even in his absence.

Madhavendra Puri comes to Remuna where Gopinath steals ksira(sweet rice) for him

On the way to Jagannath Puri, Madhavendra Puri came to Remuna. There he took darshan of Gopinath. In Remuna a beautiful pastime of Lord Gopinath took place. The Supreme Lord showed his mercy upon Madhavendra Puri by stealing ksira (sweet rice) for him.  Because of this the deity is now called Kṣīra-corā (the thief who stole the sweet rice) Gopinath.

Madhavendra Puri collects sandalwood & camphor from Jagannath Puri

From Remuna Madhavendra Puri went to Jagannath Puri. He took darshan (divine vision) of Lord Jagannath and felt great joy. The story that Gopinath had stolen ksira(sweet rice) for Madhavendra Puri in Remuna had also reached Jagannath Puri. Devotees of the temple town felt blessed to see Madhavendra Puri. Scores of people would come to see him and to offer respects to him. Madhavendra Puri thought that this would hinder his devotional service.

He told the devotees of Puri the purpose for which he was there. Everyone was eager and happy to help him. They arranged sandalwood and camphor for him. Two devotees also accompanied him to help him carry sandalwood and camphor.

In Remuna Gopala Deity asks him to apply Sandalwood paste to Gopinath Deity

While on his way to Vrindavan from Jagannath Puri, Madhavendra Puri again came to Remuna. The priest of Gopinath was so happy to receive him. He welcomed him and offered the ksira(sweet rice) which was offered to Gopinath.  Madhavendra Puri was happy to honour the prasad of Gopinath.

He decided to take rest that night in the temple only. He again saw a dream. In the dream Gopala came. Gopala said to Madhavendra Puri that he has already got the sandalwood and camphor. Now grind all the sandalwood and camphor and apply the pulp to Gopinath deity because he and Gopinath are same.

“There is no difference between My body and Gopīnātha’s body. They are one and the same. Therefore if you smear the sandalwood pulp on the body of Gopīnātha, you will naturally also smear it on My body. Thus the temperature of My body will be reduced.” Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya Lila, Chapter 4, Text 160)

Madahavedra Puri woke up. He narrated the dream to the servants of Gopinath. The servants were so happy to hear the instructions of Gopala. They grinded sandalwood and camphor and applied the pulp to the deity of Gopinath. 

Devotees throughout the world following the footsteps of Madhavendra Puri apply sandalwood paste to the deity of Krishna and Jagannath and celebrate it as Chandan Yatra.

To serve Krishna devotees do not care for their comfort

When we like and love a person then we are ready to do anything to please him/her. No difficulties ever deter us or decrease our desire to serve him. For e.g. a mother is ready to do everything to please her child. She tirelessly takes care of her baby without any complaint. She enjoys every moment she spends with her child and shudder at the thought of separation.

A devotee is similarly eager to serve God. A devotee is a mortal being who gives his life and heart completely to God. He thinks nothing but only about Lord, he does nothing which does not please Lord and he does everything to make sure that God is always happy, has all the comforts. Great devotees of Krishna like Madhavendra Puri teaches us by his personal example that how we should be eager to serve the Lord without caring for our personal comforts.

Iskcon devotees all over the world celebrate Chandan Yatra

Devotees of Krishna all over the world celebrate this festival. Iskcon devotees too celebrate Chandan Yatra. Everyone participates.  Monks (resident brahmacharis) and congregation devotees come together to celebrate the festival.  

Batan (Sil – Batta) is used to prepare sandalwood paste. The sandalwood is rubbed against the batan with some water.  The batan is kept in the temple hall and anyone irrespective of caste, creed, race, sex, colour, nationality can participate in this service of preparing sandalwood paste.

The beauty of devotional life is that every individual tries to serve the Lord and simultaneously also want to engage others in serving the Lord. The only requirement is that one should have love for Krishna.

With Chandan on his face, Lord Krishna & Lord Jagannath looks stunning. During Chandan Yatra every lover of Krishna compulsorily comes to see the Lord. They also enthusiastically participate in preparing sandalwood paste with their own hands; the paste is later applied to the Lord.  

Why Lord Krishna is called Lord Jagannath?

Lord Krishna is also called Lord Jagannath. They both are non-different.   When Krishna developed mahabhava i.e transcendental emotions, he took the form of Lord Jagannath. So, Krishna and Lord Jagannath are same.

Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Baladeva and sister Subhadra Devi look so different. Lord Jagannath has big eyes, large lips and a smiling face.  His hands are extended as if he is about to embrace someone and has no visible legs. In fact, no other deity has such a unique form.  Even Baladeva’s and Subhadra’s forms are similar to that of Jagannath.

But why Lord Jagannath’s form is so different? And why Krishna came to be known as Lord Jagannath.   There is a beautiful story behind Lord Jagannath’s unique form. The story goes back to the time when Lord Krishna was residing in Dwarka.

Krishna lived in Dwarka with 16,108 wives

Lord Krishna had left Vrindavan long back with a promise to the brajvasis, the residents of Vrindavan, that he will return soon. But several years had passed to that promise and he did not return to Vrindavan. 

In Dwarka he lived in a royal palace. He was the de facto king of Dwarka.  

He had married 16,108 beautiful women.  For all his 16,108 wives there were separate palaces. And Krishna had expanded himself into 16,108 forms and used to be simultaneously present with all his wives.

This can be possible only with Krishna and not with lesser mortals like us. You and I cannot expand into multiple forms and be simultaneously present with different people at the same time. No one has ever succeeded in doing so.

So, we should never try to imitate the pastimes of Krishna. Krishna took great care of all the queens. Each queen had their own palace. They had beautiful dress to wear, there were attendants to take care of them. And Krishna was always there for them. The queens of Dwarka were extremely happy at their great fortune. They also did their best to please Krishna.

Dwarka queens were eager to hear Krishna’s Vrindavan lilas(pastimes)

The queens were completely satisfied but still one thought would always puzzle them. They would often see that Krishna was always absorbed in the pastimes of Vrindavan. He would always remember mother Yashoda, father Nanda, gopas (coweherd boys), gopis (cowherd girls) and the cows. Most importantly Krishna would again and again take the name of Radha even in sleep.

“What so special happened in Vrindavan that Krishna remains completed immersed in his childhood pastimes?” the queens would often wonder.

They were eager to know Krishna’s Vrindavan pastimes. The queens wanted to know the truth. In Dwarka Rohini, Baladeva’s mother, was the only one who had the privilege to witness Krishna’s Vrindavan lilas(pastimes).

So, one day the queens approached mother Rohini. They requested Rohini to tell them about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan.  But Rohini was hesitant. “I can tell you everything in detail. I can tell you about Yashoda, Nanda, gopas, gopis and about Radha. But if Krishna hears this and Balaram hears this, they will leave Dwarka and immediately go to Vrindavan.” 

No one wanted Krishna to leave Vrindavan. But still everyone wanted to know what so special happened in Vrindavan.

Rohini narrates Krishna’s Vrindava lila to Dwarka Queens

Rohini finally agreed to tell the Vrindavan story. It was decided that Subhadra, Krishna’s younger sister, would stand at the door of the hall when Rohini will be narrating the story. Subhadra will immediately inform Rohini and the queens if Krishna and Balaram comes there. Rohini will immediately stop.

Rohini started narrating the Vrindavan pastimes while Subhadra guarded the door.

The pastimes were so wonderful that all the queens and Subhadra, the doorkeeper, got completely absorbed.

Rohini spoke about Krishna’s pastimes with mother Yashoda and Nanda Maharaj, with cowherd boys and most importantly with Srimati Radharani and the gopis.

Krishna suddenly appears to hear his Vrindavan lila in Dwarka

Meanwhile Krishna and Balarama understood that there is something special going on in the palace. So, they immediately rushed towards that place.

Subhadra who was completely engrossed in hearing the pastimes did not notice the presence of Krishna and Balaram.

Both the brothers silently stood beside her – Krishna to her left & Baladeva to her right – and began listening.

The pastimes were so sweet and nectarean that Krishna, Balarama and  Subhadra started developing transcendental emotions.  Their eyes dilated, legs and hand shrunk in their bodies.  

Why Krishna is called Lord Jagannath?

There is no difference between Krishna and Krishna’s body. So, when Krishna experienced deep emotions hearing his Vrindavan pastimes then those emotions were even exhibited externally i.e. in his transcendental body. This divine emotion is called mahabhava-prakasha. 

Mahabhava means the “highest form of emotions” and prakash means “manifestation.” 

Because of the spiritual ecstasy Krishna’s eyes became too big and hands and legs got absorbed in his body.  This form of Krishna is called Jagannath.

So, Lord Krishna is called Lord Jagannath when Krishna manifests highest form of transcendental emotions.

Lord Jagannath’s unique form

When Krishna was exhibiting these emotions, Narada Muni arrived. He saw that unique form which was never seen before.

Upon seeing Narada Muni, all the three came to their normal form. But Narada Muni pleaded Lord Krishna that he should let others also see these extremely unique and rare forms.

Lord Krishna agreed and said that he along with brother and sister will appear as Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi in Jagannath Puri.

Lord Jagannath has big eyes, no apparent hands and legs

We see Lord Jagannath’s eyes are big and round. He has no visible legs. Also, Jagannath has no apparent hands, his hands have no fingers.  All this happened because Lord Jagannath developed deep spiritual emotions.

To many this form of the Lord may appear incomplete, but this is not so. Lord Jagannath is complete. All the limbs of the Lord are perfect and complete and can perform any function.

Śrī Īśopaniṣad describes “the Personality of Godhead as perfect and complete, oṁ pūrṇam.”

For example, the Supreme Lord not just sees with his eyes, but he can also eat, speak and hear with his eyes. Similarly, the Lord can see, hear and speak with his hands or torso. Our limbs are limited. It can perform only that function for which it is designed. The eyes can only see, ear can only hear, nose can only smell and so on. This is why the Supreme Lord is called perfect and complete. 

So, when we see the deity of Lord Jagannath then we should not think that he is incomplete. When King Indradyumna first saw the deity of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, after being carved, he thought the deities are incomplete.  He started lamenting. Then a celestial voice assured him that the deities are complete. The voice further said that Lord Krishna has decided to appear in this form as Lord Jagannath in Puri. King became happy upon hearing this.

So, the deity of Lord Jagannath we see is Lord Krishna exhibiting his supreme spiritual emotions.

Hathi Vesa of Lord Jagannath

Why don’t we Surrender to Krishna?

If you and I surrender to Krishna, then all our miseries will immediately end. This is confirmed by Krishna himself in Bhagavad Gita 18.66, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”

In spite of Krishna’s assurance, we refuse to completely surrender to Krishna. Why is it so? Either we do not have complete faith in Krishna’s words, or we are so foolish that we fail to understand the message of Krishna.

Words of Krishna, the Supreme Lord, should be taken seriously.

Krishna is not an ordinary person like you and me. He is the Supreme Lord. He is the creator and maintainer of the entire world. Scriptures confirm this. Brahma Samhita 5.1 says, “Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.”

If Krishna is saying something, then it should be taken seriously. So, if Krishna is asking us to surrender then we should not just believe in his words but should also act on it.

But there is some force which does not allow us to surrender to Krishna. And that is our ignorance and impure consciousness.

Our consciousness is covered with material impurities

In this world we have lived for many lifetimes. And because of this our consciousness is covered by material impurities like lust, greed, pride, anger, envy and illusion.

Due to material contamination, we live in ignorance. In fact, we have forgotten our real identity. Our real identity is that we are spirit souls, parts and parcel of Krishna. But unfortunately, we fail to realize this fact. Instead, we identify ourselves with our material body, mind, and senses.

Since our consciousness is material, our senses crave for material pleasures. But these pleasures ultimately become the cause of suffering. “An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.” Bhagavad Gita 5.22

As long as we seek worldly pleasures, we will suffer. As long as we surrender to the demands of our body, mind and senses we will suffer.

But as soon as we understand that we are eternally related to Krishna and decide to surrender to Krishna, our miseries will slowly disappear.  

Our suffering began when we decided to leave our spiritual homes

Srila Prabhupada explains that we once belonged to the spiritual world where we enjoyed our life with Krishna. But sadly, we decided to come to this material world because we wanted to enjoy an independent life. Away from Krishna, we are undergoing many sufferings. We have forgotten our spiritual homes, our spiritual families and most importantly the love of Krishna.

Our condition is like a child who decides to abandon his father and mother and runs away from the house. The adamant child thinks that an independent life will give him great joy. He does not realize that he is voluntarily inviting unlimited miseries.

Away from his sweet home, he struggles for each morsel of food. For want of shelter he wanders here and there. Sometimes the biting cold makes him shiver. Sometimes the heat waves give him unbearable pain. Feeling pity on him, sometimes people offer him torn clothes, he accepts it and quickly wears it. Someone gives him some food; he immediately grabs and gorges on it. Someone offers him shelter and he feels so grateful. He thinks this is what life is all about. He slowly forgets the love and warmth he got at his home. Whatever he gets in the outside world, he mistakes it as real love.

Just like an orphan child we are struggling in this material world which is not our real home. We have forgotten the love and warmth of our spiritual homes.

Although a child may abandon his parents, but the mother and father always want him to return home. They are always ready to forgive and forget all the mistakes of their child.

Krishna wants us to return back to our spiritual homes

Similarly, Krishna, the Supreme Father, is also eager to get re-united with us. He wants us to come back to Him.

He makes many arrangements to facilitate our return to the spiritual world. Many times, he comes personally and tell us to come back to him. He also sends his devotees who tries to reawaken our dormant love for him so that we become eager to go back to our spiritual homes.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains, “Vaisnavas or devotees are usually very compassionate upon conditioned souls. Without even being invited, a devotee will go from door to door to enlighten people and to bring them out of the darkness of nescience by injecting knowledge of the living entity’s constitutional position as a servant of Lord Krsna. Such devotees are empowered by the Lord to distribute devotional consciousness, or Krishna consciousness, to the people in general.”

The Lord and his devotees put in their best effort to rekindle our love for Krishna. But we have to also play our part. Lord cannot force us to love him. Devotees too cannot compel us to love Krishna. We have to voluntarily decide to love Krishna.

What happens when we surrender to Krishna?

We all will agree that we are suffering. Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is saying that he can free us from suffering. So, will it not be better for us to take shelter of Krishna. If we put aside our stubbornness and surrender to Krishna, then we will save ourselves from many unwanted calamities.

“Surrender to Krishna” means following the instructions of Krishna as given in the scriptures.

The best way to surrender to Krishna is by chanting the holy names of Krishna i.e. the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Chanting helps us to rekindle our love for Krishna.

Also, by associating with the devotees of Krishna and by hearing the pastimes of Krishna, we develop love for Krishna.

Chanting and hearing also cleanses our hearts of all material impurities which is the cause of our ignorance and which is keeping us away from Krishna.

Once our hearts start getting cleansed of material impurities, we start understanding that we are suffering because we have forgotten Krishna. And as we start moving closer to him our miseries start decreasing.

We start tasting the happiness which we have always been looking for. And once we get free from all material impurities, our miseries cease to exist.

When You and I surrender to Krishna, we become qualified to go back home ‘Back to Godhead’, our spiritual home. We get reunited with Krishna, with our spiritual families and enjoy an eternal blissful life. We attain complete perfection.

So, without wasting a moment, let us surrender to Krishna.