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The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri
Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati
Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in
the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri
Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to
rejoin them. (Click on photo to see a larger
image.) | |
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| Our Mission: To help everyone awaken
their original Krishna consciousness, which is
eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss.
Such a global awakening will, in one stroke,
solve all the problems of the world society
bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and
prosperity for all. May that day, which the
world so desperately needs, come very soon. We
request you to participate in this mission by
reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and
assisting us in spreading this science all over
the world. |
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Dedicated with love to
ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His
Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and
to you, our dear readers. | |
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Today's Thought: |
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Ecstatic Govardhana Parikrama
Uploaded from Sri Vrindavan Dhama | |
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 Today
(4 April 2011) we took a party of devotees on Govardhana
Parikrama, a circumambulation of Govardhana Hill.
Govardhana is the famous hill that was lifted by Krishna
5,000 years ago to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana
from the devastating storm sent by Indra, the king of
heaven. At the beginning of our parikrama we sat at the
foot of Govardhana, and I told the amazing story of how
Govardhana appeared in this universe in a place known as
Salmalidvipa, one of the seven islands on Bhumandala,
was later transferred to Vraja Dhama. It was a truly
sublime experience to spend so many hours fixing our
minds on the wonderful Govardhana Hill, which is an
incarnation of Krishna.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Krishna Lifts Govardhana 5,000 Years Ago
http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Spring/lifting-govardhana.jpg
Govardhana As It Appears Today
htp://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Spring/Govardhana.JPG
Describing How Govardhana Appeared
http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Spring/Govardhana_Katha2.JPG
A Most
Auspicious Atmosphere
http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Spring/Govardhana_Katha.JPG
Praying
for Radharani's Mercy at Radha Kunda
http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Spring/Praying_at_Radha_Kunda.JPG |
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Answers According to the Vedic Version: | |
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Question: Why Do We Need a Guru? |
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I
have a questions about guru. In your article you
mentioned that if it's important to have a living guru
instead of just accepting Krishna as guru. I would like
you to explain the reason why we need a physical
(living) guru.
Who is a guru?
Where can we find a true guru?
What is the qualification of a guru?
Who can become a guru?
And why do we need a guru for spiritualism?
If we go to school we need a teacher to guide us. In all
walks of life we need someone physical to teach us. Yes, Lord Krishna is the guru of the entire universe.
But do you or anyone have a personal relationship with
Krishna? You can only use words to talk about
Krishna. But do have experience of closeness with
Krishna?
I would like for you to explain the parampara (disciplic
succession) of the guru as well.
Lord Krishna is not confined in one form or name. So too
the guru must have qualification in all dimension in
life? Can you explain?
Thank you,
S.S.M.
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Answer: Krishna Orders Us
to Accept a Guru |
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Thank you very much for
your sincere inquiry.
There is only one guru, Lord Sri Krishna. All we need to do
to attain spiritual perfection is to fully surrender
ourselves unto Lord Sri Krishna. Surrender means that
whatever instruction Krishna gives us we are obliged to
follow.
Krishna directly orders us in the Bhagavad-gita that we
are to approach a spiritual master, inquire submissively
and render service to him. So if we are truly devoted to
Krishna we cannot ignore his order to accept a guru. Who
will we accept as our guru? This question is answered
in the Mundaka Upanisad. We must accept as our spiritual
master that person who is purely following and
presenting the teachings of Krishna without any
adulteration.
The spiritual master has a very special relationship
with the Lord because he understands the innermost
desire of the Lord to deliver all of the
fallen, conditioned souls of this material world back to
home, back to Godhead. Therefore he personally
experiences closeness with the Lord at every moment, and
his words are surcharged with deep spiritual meaning.
The spiritual master is not an upstart. He is the
humble servant of his spiritual master who is coming in
an unbroken line of disciplic succession which begins
with Krishna Himself. Our specific preceptorial line is
the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya listed as follows:
1. Kṛṣṇa
2. Brahmā
3. Nārada
4. Vyāsa
5. Madhva
6. Padmanābha
7. Nṛhari
8. Mādhava
9. Akṣobhya
10. Jaya Tīrtha
11. Jñānasindhu
12. Dayānidhi
13. Vidyānidhi
14. Rājendra
15. Jayadharma
16. Puruṣottama
17. Brahmaṇya Tīrtha
18. Vyāsa Tīrtha
19. Lakṣmīpati
20. Mādhavendra Purī
21. Īśvara Purī, (Nityānanda, Advaita)
22. Lord Caitanya
23. Rūpa, (Svarūpa, Sanātana)
24. Raghunātha, Jīva
25. Kṛṣṇadāsa
26. Narottama
27. Viśvanātha
28. (Baladeva) Jagannātha
29. Bhaktivinoda
30. Gaurakiśora
31. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
32. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
33. Disciples of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
The spiritual master's only duty is to deliver his
disciples back to the spiritual world. It is not that
he has to fulfill other roles such as curing diseases,
supplying money, or reading horoscopes.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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and attract the all-auspicious
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Lord Sri
Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our
mission.
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