Dear Matus, Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! First thing, the Lord may not wait for all His pastimes to get over in one material universe to begin His pastimes in another universe. He may be performing pastimes simultaneously in numerous universes as well simultaneously in the spiritual world. For this purpose, not only He but His pure Associates, Abodes and Paraphernalia also expand in numerous universes while still being present in the spiritual world.
Dear Srinath! Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Thank you for your reply. Please, let me disagree with you in some points:
1) I am not a prabhu. At least not in this life
2) "We can't define the spiritual world as a place existing in some location defined by space and time. It is not different from the Lord. It is everywhere."
In some point you are right - Spiritual world is fully trancendental. But Srimad Bhagavatam gives us it's direct location - it is above material world. And it is even more high then Vaikuntha. Spiritual world can not be compared with material world. This is truth - Lord is present in each and every creature as a paramatma, but the place where we are living is just a reflection of Spiritual world. As Srila Prabhupada told, our world is like a moon, reflecting in a lake - looks the same, but its not real moon. Same is what you see around you - it is just illusory energy of Lord, but not Lord Himself. So, the place where we are living, can not be even compared to the Spiritual world - it is just illusory energy of Lord.
3) "Actually the pastimes the Lord showed on earth are exactly the same in the spiritual world."
Here also I must humbly disagree. In scriptures is clearly told, that in Spiritual world Lord is always 16 years old. In this case he can not preform his childhood pastimes. Pastimes of Lord in Spiritual world are pastimes with Radha and Gopis... Material world is created for 2 main reasons: 1) Lord wants to entertain (like He did with different demons) and 2) He wants us, fallen souls put on the right path. Like He did by telling Bhagavat Gita, or as He did introducing Ahimsa as Buddha, or like He tought us lesson of dharma as Raam and in the same time He shows His glories to us, so that we have more devotion. In Goloka he doesn't need to be warrior or a teacher. For that reason there is place, where we all are living now i.e. material world.
4) "As for the other thing, when I say pastimes, you must be thinking that what you are reading within a few hundred pages of a book is all there is being monotonically repeated..."
There can be planet of ants, and He will also incarnate Himself there. We may not say, that He incarnates or shows Himself in some sequence. There is no sequence. It's continuous and has no limitations.
My question was about development of universes - if they develop equally - is it so, that pastimes in these universes are also equal to ours? Its known, that in each Universe there will be Garbhodakasayi Vishnu and Brahma... If creation of particular universe starts same way as in other universes and destruction comes in the same time for all universes (Narayana inhales)... then would that mean, that pastimes of Lord are also the same? (millions and billions of pastimes)
5) "What we read with material eyes are just empty words"
I must comment, that these words are words of Lord Himself and how He is explaining to us all the creation. We can not drawn into personal experiences without gaining some theoretical knowledge of what our experience. This way our mind can easy mislead us.
I hope, i have explained my thoughts clear... Usually i am not very good in that ) Always ys
Nityaananda Gauranga All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!
Hare Krsna Maharaj Please accept my humble obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet.
Maharaj, I truly appreciate your guidance. I request you to please enlighten me on this subject matter.
Srila Prabhupada says in Nectar of Devotion that it is very difficult to understand Krsna and the transactions of the Spiritual world. One must be in touch with Krsna's pleasure potency to understand His inconceivable nature. It is also mentioned that from one of Krsna's intimate associates this Svarupa shakti descends in the heart of a bhava bhakta.
So my question is that as a sadhaka, are we also in touch with this svarupa shakti. What is this bliss we experience while chanting the holy names of the Lord. Is it just the bliss of being in goodness (ananda) that a sadhaka experiences while chanting. Dosent he get a reciprocation from the Guru parampara or the nitya siddhas.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! My humble obeisances!
As far as my little understanding goes, the Lord is continuously performing his pastimes in the spiritual world and also when he incarnates in the material world. I have heard from great devotees that the Lord is present in every atom with his abodes, names, associates and all. We can't define the spiritual world as a place existing in some location defined by space and time. It is not different from the Lord. It is everywhere.
Actually the pastimes the Lord showed on earth are exactly the same in the spiritual world. They are not different in any aspect. Just as one can see the sun from any place on earth, one can see the same spiritual world anywhere in the material world. It's not different. The Lord has inconceivable powers. Factually, a complete answer is not fully expressible in words. It has to be experienced with spiritual senses.
As for the other thing, when I say pastimes, you must be thinking that what you are reading within a few hundred pages of a book is all there is being monotonically repeated, but that's not it. The Lord's pastimes are infinite. There is a first layer, a tenth layer, a hundred millionth layer and etc in everything He does. He performs every pastime with infinite variations. No boredom there friends! You are imagining something right now -- "It may be like this, it is like that." What I request is please close up all that, go with a clean blank slate and give the Lord His space so that He can give you the power to realize the truth.
I hear that after the Lord performs pastimes in one universe, he goes to another and yet the activities are always happening somewhere in some universe. As we speak, somewhere the pastimes of the Lord are visible to some universe. Still the Lord manages to go through infinite universes in finite time. How he does it only He knows.
It might look meaningless and confusing, but factually the Lord doesn't obey any logic. He created logic you know. All of this doesn't obey any logic but it's own. When we say the Lord is omnipotent, there's definitely more to it than one word .
What is there in the books is a drop of a drop of a drop that can be expressed in words. What we read with material eyes are just empty words. Therefore we must pray to the sacred books to reveal their spiritual potency so that the words then reveal the actual spiritual experience by their spiritual power which is WAY beyond dictionary meaning.
The scriptures speak of appearance and disappearance, but factually all the pastimes are eternal. Infinite activities, infinite variety, all going on eternally. To our minds and words bound up by space and time (past, present, and future), we cannot understand this. Mere words have no power to express the indescribable by means of dictionary meanings alone. That is the difference between a divine spiritual book and just another book of words. Isn't it all so wonderful.
We must start by first accepting Lord Gauranga Krishna for who He is. And we must also accept that he is manasa vacha gochara -- beyond the reach of mind and material words.
It is a very interesting question! As soon as Matus asked it from my side rose another one - As i understood, that all the universes are created at a time by Karanodakasayi Vishnu: 1) He breathes out -> matherial world starts its creation 2) He breathes in -> matherial world again becomes inactive By logics i understand, that in this case all universes are created and developed paralelly. I.e. in the same time. That automatically would mean, that in all universes and everywhere Lord's pasttimes are happening in the same time. At once. Then it would mean that He is expanding Himself to all universtes at the same time. Or in each universe Lord's pasttimeas are different... and in different Yugas? Because doing same thing at a time in uncountable amount of universes... Maybe it would be a bit boring And i understnd, that pasttimes on Earth and pasttimes on Goloka are two different things - Krishna, who was in Dvapara Yuga is an expansion of Krishna in Goloka?
Dear Swami Gaurangapada Maharaja, Dear Devotees Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Please accept my most humble obeisances.
Since longer time i can not understand the following:
It is said the Lord Gauranga Krishna performs His Pastimes continually in this material world. He is compared to the sun in this regard, means that as soon as His Pastimes end in one universe, they start just after that in another universe... And like this all the time... Eternally... But what about His Eternal Abode in the spiritual world? If He is eternally performing His Pastimes here in this material world, does that mean, that He is actually not present in His Eternal Abode? Or does He expand for this purpose?
From Chapter 7 of Embankment of Separation By Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja
According to Skanda Purana, the Jyestha Purnima, or the full moon day of the month of Jyestha (May-June), is the birthday of Jagannath. Jagannath is Krishna, but Krishna’s birthday is Janmastami, the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadra. Therefore, when it is said that the Jyestha Purnima is Jagannath’s birthday, it is understood that on that day Krishna appeared in His form with big dilated eyes, a round face and His hands and legs shrunken. This is known as mahabhava-prakasa, or the ecstatic manifestation of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra.
Krishna and Balarama are the sons of Vasudeva. Krishna’s mother is Devaki, and Balarama, His elder brother, is the son of Rohini. Their sister Subhadra is the daughter of Vasudeva and Devaki. So They are brothers and sister and They appeared in Their forms as Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra in Purusottama Kshetra.
Because Jyestha Purnima is the birthday of Jagannath, on that day He takes public bath along with His brother and sister. This festival is known as snana-yatra, and hundreds of pots of water are poured over Them. Because of this, Jagannath’s color fades away and for fifteen days He will not give darsana. This is known as anavasara. During this time He will be painted with new colors, therefore He cannot give darsana. It is generally said that Jagannath falls sick, but that is not correct. The people say this, but it is not mentioned in the scriptures such as Skanda Purana. Sastra says that during these fifteen days His wooden form, carved out of neem wood, is repainted. Another name for Lord Jagannath is Daru-brahma. ‘Daru’ means wood. So a thin piece of cloth is pasted over that murti. The old cloth is removed during this period and replaced with a new cloth on which the new colors are painted. Then, one day prior to Ratha-yatra, Jagannath gives darsana in His fresh color and young appearance, known as nava-yauvana vesa. This is how it is described in the Skanda Purana.
JAGANNATHA’S ELEPHANT DRESS
From Sri Krishna Kathamrita issue 4
Hati means “elephant.” The full moon day of the month of Jyestha is the occasion of Lord Jagannatha’s snana-yatra or bathing festival. In the afternoon and evening of this day Lord Jagannatha wears an elephant dress. In the Oriya “Daryata Bhakti”, a famous devotional book about Lord Jagannatha, the following story is given:
In the village of Kaniyariin the South Indian state of Karnataka lived a devotee of Ganesa known as Ganapati Bhata. He once came to Puri to see Lord Jagannatha’s snana-yatra festival. Upon his arrival he saw Daru-brahma, Lord Jagannatha, as Krishna. Unhappy at not seeing seeing his worshipable Ganesa, he thought, “Jagannatha is said to be Daru-brahma, the transcendent Supreme Lord in whom is contained all incarnations and demigods. Not seeing Ganesa here in Jagannatha, how can I accept this as true?” Lord Jagannatha is known as vancha-kalpataru, or the fullfiller of the desires of His devotees. He became happy seeing the one-pointed faith of this devotee for Ganesh and He manifested Himself like an elephant, gajanana-rupa. According to the prayer of this ganapati-bhakta, in order to establish His position as vancha-kalpataru, as long as the moon and the sun are in this universe Jagannatha will accept this dress on the auspicious snana-yatra day. From that day until now every year on the day of snana-yatra, when Jagannatha and Baladeva sit on the snana-vedi, the bathing platform, they dress like Ganesa. And putting many lotus flowers around the face of Subhadra Devi, the pandas dress her in the padma vesa, or lotus dress. This seva is carried out by the head priest of the Sri Gopal Tirtha Math.
Some pandas give another explanation of the hati-vesa, saying that on one occasion Krishna and Balarama dressed up as elephants in order to make the gopis laugh.
Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! This topic will contain photos of the NITAAI Gaudiya Math complex in Puri. For all other full-size high quality photos of NITAAI Gaudiya Math, check here.
Today is Shri Snana Yatra, the divine and merciful public bathing of Lord Jagannatha on His most holy birthday. This is the time when all non-Hindu devotees can see the Lord face to face to their hearts' content. He apeared floating as 3 wooden logs in the ocean at Chakra Tirtha around 1.6 billion years ago. He will be worshiped in Puri for the remaining 50 years of Brahma which is our earthly 150 trillion years.
Snana Yatra or the Lord Jagannatha's bathing festival which takes place 14 days before Shri Ratha Yatra Festival. During the 14 days period, the temple remains closed for Darshana on the plea that Jagannatha Swami has caught a cold. It also enables the Deities to be repainted, or renewed. Still others say that the reason that Lord Jagannatha feigns sickness is to take a break from the thousands and thousands of people who visit Shri Puri Dhama everyday, most of who are asking, "Lord Jagannatha, please fulfill my desires, give me this, give me that." So Lord takes it easy for a couples of weeks before the Ratha Yatra, and along with His brother and sister They peacefully enjoy fine sweet preparations and nectar drinks made cream, molasses and invigorating herbs.
Snana Yatra is when the Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Deities are bathed. Snana means "bathing." This is done on Jyestha Purnima. The main Deities along with Sudarshana disc are bought to the snana mandapa (a platform in front of the temple). Around mid-day 108 pots of water are poured on the Deities from a sacred well which is dear to the goddess Sitala. An emissary of the king of Orissa ceremonially sweeps the platform. Then elephant-head masks are put on the Deities. This is their Ganesh vesha. The Deities are then offered cooked food and an arati is perform. This is the only time in a year that the public can see a food offering to the Deities. The Deities go back into the temple in a procession and stay in seclusion for 15 days. The Deities are placed in a semi-reclining position in the hallway between the inner and outer sanctum.
The word Anavasara is used when Shri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony. Lord Jagannatha is supposed to become sick. He is therefore removed to His private chambers. During the Anavasara festival, it is said that Lord Jagannatha suffers from fever; and is offered an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. The dayita servants take care of Lord Jagannatha from the time of Snana Yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from His throne to the Ratha Yatra carts. They sleep and stay with the Deities.
This 15 day resting and renovation period is also called Nibhrita, in honor of the solitary place where the Supreme goddess of fortune lives. Lord Jagannatha lives there in seclusion enjoying svakiya rasa in the company of His wife, Lakshmi. Then He asks Her permission lo leave and comes out for His Rathayatra chariot festival.
The body of Lord Jagannatha having been washed needs repainting. This is known as Anga-Raga. This is done by the daityas. It takes about two weeks to complete the painting of Lord Jagannatha's body. The renovation festival is also called Nava-Yauvana, which indicates that the Jagannatha Deity is being fully restored to youth.
Netrotsava (Reappearance) is when after two weeks absence, Lord Jagannatha reappears. At sunrise, fifteen days after the bathing ceremony the Deities have recovered from their cold and are placed in front of the inner sanctum in a reclining posi¬tion. They have been totally repainted, except their eyes. At this time the eyes of the Deities are painted by their respective priests and the normal worship in the temple is resumed, except the Deities are still reclining.
Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about 14 miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Lord Jagannatha there and a very large stone slab containing the imprint of Lord Gauranga's transcendental body. The stone melted while the Lord lay their in ecstacy.
When Lord Jagannatha retires after His bathing ceremony for two weeks, Lord Gauranga becomes very unhappy because He can't see Lord Jagannatha. Due to separation from Lord Jagannatha, Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu gave up all association and went to Alalanatha temple. The Puri devotees came there requesting Lord Gauranga to return because all the devotees were coming from Bengal to see Him. Lord Gauranga would often come here during the fortnight when Lord Jagannatha remained in seclusion before the Ratha Yatra festival.
Shri Snana Yatra Pastimes of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu in Shri Jagannatha Puri Dhama from Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami. Translations and Purport by Shrila Prabhupada:
--------------------------------
TEXT 121 punarapi nilacale gamana karila, bhakta-gane meliya snana-yatra dekhila
After collecting these books, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannatha Puri. At that time, the bathing ceremony of Jagannatha was taking place, and He saw it.
Madhya 1.122
anavasare jagannathera na pana darasana, virahe alalanatha karila gamana
When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known as Alalanatha.
PURPORT By Shrila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about fourteen miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Jagannatha there. At the present moment a police station and post office are situated there because so many people come to see the temple.
The word anavasara is used when Shri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony (snana-yatra), Lord Jagannatha apparently becomes sick. He is therefore removed to His private apartment, where no one can see Him. Actually, during this period renovations are made on the body of the Jagannatha Deity. This is called nava-yauvana. During the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha once again comes before the public. Thus for fifteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is not visible to any visitors.
Madhya 1.123 bhakta-sane dina kata tahani rahila, gaudera bhakta aise, samacara paila
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu remained for some days at Alalanatha. In the meantime, He received news that all the devotees from Bengal were coming to Jagannatha Puri.
When the devotees from Bengal arrived at Jagannatha Puri, both Nityananda Prabhu and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya greatly endeavored to take Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu back to Jagannatha Puri.
Madhya 1.125 virahe vihvala prabhu na jane ratri-dine, hena-kale aila gaudera bhakta-gane
When Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu finally left Alalanatha to return to Jagannatha Puri, He was overwhelmed both day and night due to separation from Jagannatha. His lamentation knew no bounds. During this time, all the devotees from different parts of Bengal, and especially from Navadvipa, arrived in Jagannatha Puri.
After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Chaitanya’s mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.
PURPORT
Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannatha’s person, form, picture and kirtana are all identical. Therefore when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, He was pacified. Previously, He had been feeling very morose due to separation from Jagannatha. The conclusion is that whenever a kirtana of pure devotees takes place, the Lord is immediately present. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, we associate with the Lord personally. ---------
TEXT 60 snana-yatra kabe habe puchila bhattere, bhatta kahe,——tina dina achaye yatrare
When the King asked the Bhattacarya when the bathing ceremony [Snana-yatra] of Lord Jagannatha would take place, the Bhattacarya replied that there were only three days left before the ceremony.
After thus encouraging the King, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya returned home. On the day of Lord Jagannatha’s bathing ceremony, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very happy at heart.
Madhya 11.62 snana-yatra dekhi’ prabhura haila bada sukha, isvarera ‘anavasare’ paila bada duhkha
Upon seeing the bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannatha, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became very happy. But when Lord Jagannatha retired after the ceremony, Lord Chaitanya became very unhappy because He could not see Him.
PURPORT
After the bathing ceremony of Shri Jagannatha, which takes place just a fortnight before the Ratha-yatra ceremony, the body of the Lord Jagannatha Deity is repainted, and this takes just about a fortnight to complete. This period is called Anavasara. There are many who visit the temple to see Lord Jagannatha regularly every day, and for them His retirement after the bathing ceremony is unbearable. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt Lord Jagannatha’s absence from the temple very much.
Due to separation from Lord Jagannatha, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt the same great anxiety the gopis feel in separation from Krishna. In this condition He gave up all association and went to Alalanatha.
The devotees who had followed the Lord came into His presence and requested Him to return to Puri. They submitted that the devotees from Bengal were coming to Purushottama-kshetra.
In this way Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya brought Lord Chaitanya back to Jagannatha Puri. He then went to King Prataparudra and informed him of the Lord’s arrival.
The word dayita refers to one who has received the mercy of the Lord. Lord Jagannatha has a number of stalwart servants known as dayitas. These servants do not come from very high-caste families (brahmanas, kshatriyas or vaisyas), but because they are engaged in the service of the Lord, they have been elevated to a respected position. Thus they are known as dayitas. These servants of Lord Jagannatha take care of the Lord from the day of the Snana-yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from the throne to the Ratha car. In the Kshetra-mahatmya these dayitas are said to come from the sabaras, a caste that keeps and sells pigs. However, among the dayitas there are also many who come from the brahmana caste. Those dayitas coming from the brahmana families are called dayita-patis, or leaders of the dayitas. The dayita-patis offer food such as sweetmeats to Lord Jagannatha during the anavasara, the resting period after Snana-yatra. They also make the early-morning offering of sweetmeats daily. It is said that during the anavasara Lord Jagannatha suffers from fever and that the dayita-patis offer Him an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. It is said that in the beginning Lord Jagannatha was worshiped by the sabaras and was known as the Deity Nila Madhava. Later, when the Deity was established in the temple, the Lord became known as Jagannatha. Because the Deities were taken from the sabaras, all the sabara devotees were elevated to the position of dayitas.
Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! For full-size high quality photos, check here. Many devotees had requested the following photos. So here they are now.
Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! All glories to Swami Gaurangapada!
I have found a nice archives of high-definition pictures of Lord Krishna and photos of different holy places. And so, that it is easier for you to download archives I am listing 2 links for download:
Wonderful Archive of all Pictures about Lord Krishna you can download HERE (3 Gb archieve)
Archieve (980 Mb large) of photos of Holy places you can download HERE
The five-syllable NITYAANANDA (Haladhara Balarama) Mantra is the direct speed-dial 24 hour free hotline to the most merciful God in the whole of creation which is confirmed in Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita .. 'nityaananda' balite habe krishna premodaya ..
(1) Try to complete as much Mantra Chanting as you can before starting other work in the morning. And try to chant audibly in the presence of Tulasi plant. Your consciousness during the whole day will depend on how much and how well you chant after taking your bath in the morning.
(2) Daily sing Naama Kirtans and Gaudiya Bhajans for at least 15 to 30 minutes, that will nourish your faith in all devotional activities. Don't miss it any cost.
(3) Try to read of hear audio or watch a video or memorize verses about the Lord for at least 15 to 30 minutes daily. Try to do these along with your whole family together whenever possible.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna All glories to Swami Gaurangapada!
This is atheistic argument or attempt to "frame" omnipotent God into our logical and limited mind. Gurudeva and Srinath gave wonderfull explanation, I just want to add few words.
In Isopanisad we can find perfect explanation - om purnam adah purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate
"The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes."
That is transcedental logic and dry atheists can not understand this logic. How it is possible that Lord is complete -purnam and he creates so many things and still remain complete! And more - all emanations from Him are also complete wholes. And more...
purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate
"Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance."
He is complete independent Sweet Ruler and Autocrat - isavasyam idam sarvam. Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. Word sarvam means all - and that is all. He is supreme controller and Enjoyer, Bhagavan.
But atheists can not understand this logic. How can ant understand why Nitaai,net site is better optimized for Opera or Safari and not for Internet Explorer? That is simply impossible for ant to understand. It is because ant do not have capacity to understand such topic.
Similarly atheist ant-like scientists speculate about Supreme Lord Gauranga/Krsna, but they do not have capacity to understand.
Therefore if we may accept that Lord Gauranga/Krsna is owner and Lord of everything - sarveresvara, we may understand otherwise non-understandable transcendental logic. tumi sarveresvara vrajendra-kumara bharo bharo ei baro loho nija sath
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! The above article talks about fasting on the Lord's appearance days. On those days we fast completely till the advent time and then, if necessary, break fast with a light no-grain diet, not more than that. This is especially true on Janmashtami and Gaura Purnima. Since the Lord's associates celebrate their festival on the next day, we observe full feasting on the next day.
Actually if we can, we may very well fast the whole day of the Lord's appearance and break-fast with full feasting the next day which is the ideal standard. But for those who can't they are advised to take something light after the advent time, but not to feast. However even this rule isn't always enforced everywhere as people these days find even that to be so difficult. Others think that we should not fast on the Lord's appearance day for their own imaginary reasons. But they should know that feasting is only on the festival day, which is the day after Janmashtami or Gaura Purnima.
Srila Prabhupada didn't enforce all the rules everywhere considering the ability of new devotees to adapt to stringent standards. However if we can follow a higher standard than the basics, then we should as it gives higher spiritual results.
Regarding Ekadasi fasting, when the body fasts for a long time like 36 hours typical of Ekadasi, the digestive system stops working for a long time and so it is not advised to load the stomach to full all of a sudden as it may cause the digestive system to be excessively loaded. Consequently all throughout dvadasi you may feel slightly heavy. Light breaking is advised to warm up the body towards food intake so that when you take full fledged lunch you don't feel heavy. But as far as my little knowledge goes, it isn't against scripture to break ekadasi with full meals. I hope this helps. Swamiji or any senior devotee can correct our misunderstandings. Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!
I recently discovered some quotes and phrases by people close to Srila Prabhupada, and these quotes say that one should break a fast on the Purnima or Janmastami (or any other Appearance day of Lord Hari) with a light Ekadasi meal; like hot milk with bananas or something.
However, a lot of places break a fast with a full fledged feast on those days. It is also said that Prabhupada didn't force this kind of standard on his disciples either.
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krsna All glories to Swami Gaurangapada! All glories to Srilla Prabhupada!
Fully siddha is devote who fully realised his/her relation with Lord Sri Gauranga/Krsna and who is always meditating and thinking about Lord's Name, Form etc. Only moment of association with such devotee and hearing from such devotee is our only hope for attaining pure devotion.
We are happy to have this oportunity in this lietime by having association of Swami Gaurangapada and his words and teachings. This is rarest oportunity. Nitaai Naam and Nitaai tattva are most special form of Absolute merciful Lord and Naaam, Sastras etc are always revailing Themselves via pure devotee. We are happy to be here in this time when Nitaai and Gaura Naam decided to mercifuly manifest Themselves in this world via teachings and example of our Gurudeva Swami Gaurangapada. NiITYAsiddha is person who fully realised his relation with NITYANANDA and act according to that relation. Jaya Swami Gaurangapada!
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! I remember this one very well. One atheist asked me this question years back. To tell the truth, the Lord is so omnipotent that he can create a stone and simultaneously lift it and not lift it at the same time and same place. They try to challenge us with baffling questions, but they get baffled by the answer which is beyond their power of understanding. Ultimately can or cannot is decided by him. When he decides to be little Krishna he struggles to carry a pot of butter and simultaneously he also carries the unlimited universes on his head. He is the source of all sources, the cause of all causes. So ultimately even the ability to do or not to do also comes from Him and He is not dependent on it. When all logic comes from Him, how can one bind Him by it? Atheists' cheeky questions must be given equally sharp replies to turn their game back on them.
Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! The simple answer is Yes, God can create a stone which He cannot lift but since He is infinite, after creating it, He can increase His power even further and lift that stone.
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