IBSA (ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Sadhana Asrama), Govardhana, India
27 January 2004
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| A painting of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu sitting under
the tamala tree. |
Predictions from Vayu Purana
The following is an excerpt of Sesi-khanda of Vayu Purana. These
verses predict the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the most merciful
avatara of Lord Krsna. sri satananda uvaca
bruhi tata kripasindho bhaktanugrahakatara
paritranaya lokanam hetum kalmasacetasam
Sri Satananda said:
O father, O ocean of mercy, O saint overcome with mercy for the
devotees, to protect the people please tell why the hearts of the
people in Kali-yuga have become dirtied with sin. na tapas ca na cejya ca na dhyanam jnanam avyayam
na danam sattvasamyuktam kalau na dirrghajiivanam
In the Kali-yuga there is no austerity, worship, meditation, eternal
knowledge, charity, truth, or long life. kenopayena nistaro bhavisyati kalau yuge
How may the people in Kali-yuga be delivered?
sri gautama uvaca
sadhu pristam tvaya putra guhyad guhyatamam mama
samahitamana bhutva srinu tat paramadbhutam
Sri Gautama Muni said:
My son, your question is very good. Please attentively hear from me a
wonderful answer, an answer that contains the most secret of all
secrets. etad guhyatamam vakyam brahma lokapitamahah
vaikuntham nagaram gatva sendrair devaganaih saha
vakta srilokanatham vai karunamayavigraham
Accompanied by Indra and the demigods, Lord Brahma, the grandfather
of the worlds, went to Vaikuntha and spoke to Lord Narayana, the
master of the worlds. sri satananda uvaca
katham vai brahmana tata pristah sri purusottamah
karanam tatra va kim vai kathyatam munipungava
Sri Satananda said: What question did Brahma present before the Supreme Lord? O best of
sages, please tell. sri gautama uvaca
srinu putra prayatnena kalau kalmasasamjnake
sarve paparata lokas chanda mithyavivadinah
Sri Gautama Muni said:
O son, please listen carefully. In the contaminated Kali-yuga
everyone is a sinner. Everyone is passionate, hot-tempered, and a
liar. svadhyayadina rahita devatatithivancakah
parasvalolupah keccit paradarabhigaminah
The people do not worship the demigods, observe the holy days, or
study the Vedas. Some are eager to snatch the property of others. Some
are adulterers. iti viksya samudvigna dharani bharasankula
dhenurupadhara dina kripana malinanana
Seeing this, the earth-goddess became unhappy with the burden she
bore. She assumed the form of a cow. She was filled with
lamentation. Her face was filled with sorrow. gatva vai brahmasadanam rodamana punah punah
sagadgadavaco bhuutva stutva brahmanam isvaram
She approached the demigod Brahma. Weeping again and again, with
words choked with grief she said to him:
sarve kalimalagrastah papistha lobhatatparah
mahapatakasamyukta devadvijavinindakah
Everyone in Kali-yuga is a great sinner, a greedy materialist, a
blasphemer of demigods and brahmanas. tesam padapraharena kampate mamaki tanuh
tasmat lokaparitranam prthivyam kena jayate
My body trembles when they walk. How can the people of the earth be
delivered?
tad eva kuru devesa yena santir bhaven mama
ity yuktvadhomukhibhuya stita bhur asurakula
O master of the demigods, please do something to make them peaceful
and saintly. After speaking these words, the earth goddess, troubled by the
presence of so many demons, lowered her face. tatah sancintya devesam brahma lokapitamahah
vaikunthanagaram gatva stutva tam purusottamam
After thinking for some time, Lord Brahmaa, the grandfather of the
worlds, went to Vaikuntha and offered prayers to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. sri brahmovaca
jaya krsna jagannath jaya vaikuthanayaka
jaya deva kripasindho jaya laksmyah pate prabho
Sri Brahma said:
O Krsna, O master of the worlds, glory to You! O master of
Vaikuntha, glory to You! O ocean of mercy, glory to You! O husband of
Laksmi, glory to You!'
jaya nilambu jashyama nilajimutasaubhaga
kandarpakotisaundarya jaya srivatsalanchana
O Lord dark like a blue lotus, O Lord dark like a monsoon cloud,
glory to you! O Lord more handsome than millions of Kaamadevas, O Lord
marked with Srivatsa, glory to You!
jaya pitambaradhara jaya kaustubhabhusana
jaya padma palasaksa jaya padmanana prabho
O Lord dressed in yellow garments, glory to You! O Lord decorated
with the Kaustubha jewel, glory to You! O Lord whose eyes are lotus
petals, glory to You! O Lord whose face is a lotus flower, glory to
You!
jaya padmapadadvandva tilapuspasunasika
jaya natha jagadbandho vinatasutavahana
O Lord whose feet are lotus flowers, glory to You! O Lord whose
graceful nose is a sesame flower, glory to You! O friend of the
worlds, glory to You! O Lord carried by Garuda, glory to You!
jaya cakragadapadmasankhahasta caturbhuja
jaya padmadharitribhyam nisevitapadambuja
O Lord who hold a disc, club, lotus, and conchshell in Your four
hands, glory to You! O Lord whose lotus feet are served by the
goddesses Padma and Dhariti, glory to You!
sri gautama uvaca
iti samstuyamano'pi shri krsnah karunanidhih
brahmanam devadeveso jagada kripayanvitah
Sri Gautama Muni said:
After hearing these prayers, Lord Krsna, who is an ocean of mercy
and the master of the demigods, kindly asked the demigod Brahma:
kim vrittam jagatinatha bruhi kim karavami te
ityuktva padmayonis ca provaca sri gadagrajam
O master of the universe, how are things with You? What may I do for
you? Please tell. Hearing these words, Brahma spoke to Lord Krsna:
sri brahmovaca
kalau paparata lokah svadhyayavidhivarjitah
sudravrittidvijah sudra brahmanadvesakarinah
Sri Brahma said:
In Kali-yuga the people are sinners. They neither study the Vedas nor
follow their rules. The brahmanas act like sudras, and the
sudras hate the brahmanas. dvijanam gunato nicah sudra mantrapradayinah
sisnodarapara vipra vipratve sutradharinah
The brahmanas are degraded and addicted to pleasing their bellies
and genitals. Brahminical status is determined only by possession of a
sacred thread. The sudras are now gurus and give mantras.
mahaharah kharvakaya alasa mandabuddhayah
janas tvadvimukhah sarve paradravyabhilasinah
The people are gluttonous, short in stature, lazy, foolish, greedy
after others' property, and averse to You.
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In the modern age, the personality of quarrel, Kali, spreads sinfulness and violence throughout the world.
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asatpatharatah sarve agamyagaminas tatha
tyaktasvadharmakarmano devadvijavinindakah
Everyone follows the wrong path. They abandon their prescribed
duties, commit adultery, and blaspheme the demigods and brahmanas. iti tadbharamagna sa dharani rudati punah
tasmal lokaparitram prithivyam kena jayate
tat kurusva jaganatha dinadurgatinasana
Troubled by the burden of these sins, the earth-goddess weeps again
and again. How may the people of the earth be delivered? O master of
the worlds, please do something to deliver them. sri gautama uvaca
iti samjnapito devo brahmana prabhu achyutah
sa devan aha tad visnur guhyad guhyatamam vacah
Sri Gautama said:
Hearing Brahma's words, Lord Visnu, the infallible Supreme
Personality of Godhead, spoke to the demigods words that revealed the
most secret of secrets. He said:
diti ja bhuvi jayadhvam jayadhvam bhaktarupinah
kalau sankirtanarambhe bhavisyami sacisutah
O demigods, please take birth as devotees on the earth. I will take
birth as Saci-devi's son and I will start the sankirtana
movement, a movement of chanting the holy names. kriite japai mama pritis tretayam homakarmabhih
dvapare paricaryabhih kalau sankirtanair api
In Satya-yuga I am pleased by japa, in Treta-yuga by yajna and
karma, in Dvapara-yuga by worship, and in Kali-yuga I am pleased by
the chanting of the holy names. brahmovaca
bruhi me karunasindho kirtanam kim svarupakam
katham vatra bhagavtah para pritir bhavisyati
The demigod Brahma said:
O ocean of mercy, please describe to us the nature of this movement
of chanting the Lord's holy name. How should it be performed so that
Your Lordship will be most pleased?
sri bhagavan uvaca
srnu brahman pravaksyami sankirtanam atah param
samahitamana bhutva sarat sarataram hi yat
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said:
O Brahma, please listen carefully and I will describe to you the
most exalted sankirtana movement. mrdangaih karatalais ca svarabhavasamanvitaih
ragaraganvitam ganam yatah syat tulyakirtanam In the sankirtana movement are sweet singing and the music of
mrdangas, karatalas, and other musical instruments. te sabdenocyate radha na sabdenocyate janah
teneti srutimatrena yathaivardratarobhavam
When in sankirtana there is the word tena, the syllable te
means Radha, and the syllable na means person. In this way
the word tena means "O Lord Krsna, O master of Radha!"
tatha catra bhavisyami bhaktyanugrahakamyaya
sahasraso 'vatara me gita brahman yuge yuge
O Brahma, yuga after yuga I kindly appear in many thousands of
incarnations. banamargair vedamargai ripunam tatra sanksayam
bhaktanam taranam kritva khyapitam vayashah ksitau
Walking either on the path of arrows or the path of the Vedas, I
deliver the devotees, destroy their enemies, and place My glory on the
earth. kalau nastadrisam esa matpadyarka udesyati
For they who have become blinded by Kali-yuga, a verse with My holy
names will rise like a glorious sun. This verse is:
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
sakrid dvistrir yathasakti yavaj jivam athapi va
vyaaharan svapaco 'pi syan mama bhakto na samsayah
One should chant this mantra once, twice, thrice, as many times as
one is able, or again and again for as long as one lives. By chanting
this mantra even a person who was a dogeater may become My devotee. Of this there is no doubt. sarvavedavido viprah puranagamaparagah
na cen madbhaktabhaktas te dure tisthanti varitah
Even if they are learned in all the Vedas and even if they have
traveled to the farther shore of the Agamas and Puranas, they who
are not devotees of My devotees cannot approach Me. They must stay far
away from Me. api cet suduracarah pukkasah svapaco 'thava
madbhaktibhaktikritsa syaan mama kaustubhasannibhah
Even a barbarian, a dogeater, or a person who has performed the most
abominable action may come very close to Me, almost touching my
Kaustubha jewel, if he has devotedly served My devotee. bhaktarupam aham dhritva bhaktajnaparipalakah
matparan uddharisyami ghorasamsarasagarat
Fulfilling My devotee's request, I will accept the form of a devotee
and I will deliver My devotees from the terrible ocean of repeated
birth and death. tilakancitabhalah sri tulasikanthikasritah
sankhacakralasadbahumulah kaupinah vasasah
In that form of a devotee My forehad will be decorated with tilaka, My
neck with Tulasi beads, and My hands with the marks of a disc and
conchshell. I will accept the dress of a sannyasi. madbhakta vicarisyanti kalau bhagavatottamah
In Kali-yuga My devotees will work to convince the people to become
devotees also. svarnaditiram asthaya navadvipajanalayah
tatra dvijakulam prapto bhavisyami janalaye
I will take birth in a brahmana family in Navadvipa, by the Ganges'
shore. bhaktiyogapradanaya lokasyanugrahaya ca
sannyasarupam asthaya krsnacaitanyanama dhrk
To show mercy to the people and give them devotional service, I will
become a sannyasi. My name will be Sri Krsna Caitanya. anandasrukalapurnah pulakavalivihvalah
bhaktiyogam pradasyami harikirtanatatparah
Devoted to chanting the holy names of Lord Hari, My eyes filled with
tears, and the hairs of My body erect, I will give to the people the
gift of devotional service. tenaiva sarvalokanam nistaro vai bhavisyati
mannamasmaranat kincit kalau nastyeva vaidikam
By remembering My holy names everyone will be delivered. In Kali-yuga
it is not possible to follow the path of the Vedas. madbhakta yatra gayanti tatra tisthami niscitam
tat svayam bhuvi bhakta vai jayadhvam bhaktitatparah
I stay wherever My devotees sing My glories. All of you please become
My devotees on the earth. yena lokasya nistaras tat kurudhvam mama jnaya
dharitri bhavita cabhir mayaiva dvijadehinah
By My order please act in such a way that the people of the world will
become delivered. In this way I will accept the form of a brahmana
and relieve the earth of her fears. sadyas tatra svagopanam santa tu kamalalaya
namna gadadhara iti vikhyato dharanitale
The cowherd people of My Vraja village will also take birth on the
earth. She who is the resting place of the goddess of fortune will be
known on the earth as Gadadhara. balaramo mamaivamsah so 'pi matpristham esyati
nityananda iti khyato nyasicudamanih ksitau
Lord Balaraama, who is My incarnation, will stay by My side. On the
earth His name will be Nityananda. He will be the crest jewel of
sannyasis. kritvavadhutavesam sa dharman bhagavatan bahun
grahayitva janan ittham grihinam asramam tatah
He will give to the people the gift of devotional service to the
Lord. First He will be a sannyasi, but then He will be a
householder. jahnavyadibhir atmanam darsayisyati manavan
Accompanied by Jahnavi-devi and many other associates, He will
reveal His transcendental form to the people. kamadeva iti gatva dhruvanandeti samjnitah
jahnavisisyatam etya lokan nistarayisyati
The demigod Kamadeva will be known as Dhruvananda. He will become a
disciple of Jahanvi-devi and He will deliver many people. naicim tanum samasthaya lokasiksarthatatparah
vikhyato haridaso yo mama bhaktim karisyati
To teach the people what is genuinely important, the demigod Brahma
will accept the form of a low-caste man. His name will be Haridasa
and he will diligently engage in My devotional service. rudro 'vatirya madbhaktim sri madadvaitasamjnakah
grahayisyati lokams ca yatnat karunikah prabhuh
Merciful Lord Shiva will accept the name Sri Advaita. He will give
devotional service to many people. naaradah sri nivaseti ramanandeti tumburuh
vikhyatim prapya madbhaktau kurutam bhaktim avyaye
Narada will become Srinivasa, and Tumburu will become
Ramananda. They will diligently engage in My service. brihaspatir vasavaguruh sarvabhaumo bhavisyati
nanante vasinas tatra sastranyadhyapayisyati
Indra's guru, Brihaspati, will become Sarvabhauma. He will teach
the truth contained in many scriptures. punah siromanir bhutva nyasadin prathayisyati
The crest jewel of teachers, he will deliver many sannyasis and
many others. candro bhaved vardhamano yas tu dayalutavadhih
evam anye bhavisyanti devah svamsena bhartah
Many other demigods will expand by their parts and appear on the
earth. As the moon increases day by day, so their mercy and other
virtues will also increase. tatraiva bhavita brahman vyasah kesavabharatih
sannyasasyopadesena bhavisyati gurur mama
O Brahma, Vyasa will appear as Keshava Bharati. He will become My
sannyasa guru. indro'vatiirya matiman prithivyam prithivipatih
prataparudro vikhyato madbhaktanam samasrayah
Indra will descent to the earth as King Prataaparudra. He will take
shelter of My devotees. anye devaganah sarve madbhaktah matparayanah
kurvanti mamakim bhaktim srinu brahman samahitah
All the other demigods will also become My devotees. They will
diligently engage in My devotional service. O Brahma, please hear
this with great attention. sarve samagamisyamah svasthanam punar acyutam
prakasam amam devadyah bhaktah krisnaparayanah
After manifesting these pastimes as devotees of Lord Krsna to
assist in My incarnation on the earth, the demigods and others will
return to their respective abodes. idam ye srinuyan nityam bhaktitah parikirtayet
kotijanmar jitam papam tatksanat tasy nasyati
They who with devotion regularly hear or recite these words become
free of sin. The sins they committed in ten million births are at once
destroyed. sri gautama uvaca
tato devaganah sarve brahma lokapitamahah
pranamya devadevesam gantarah svapuram yatha
Sri Gautama Muni said:
Accompanied by all the demigods, Lord Brahma, the grandfather of the
worlds, bowed down before Lord Krsna, the master of the demigods,
and then returned to his own abode.
 Sketches of a Devotee's Pre-Krsna Conscious Life in India
Back in the late 1980's I tape-recorded a series of interesting stories
told me by an Indian devotee, whom I shall not name to protect his privacy. These stories relate his life as a young man from a South Indian smarta
brahmin family, and trace how he gradually turned away from material life
to Krsna consciousness. What you will read below begins at a Durga temple in
the city of Kalka.
While at the temple I asked the pujari if I could do prashna, a
way of putting questions to the murti. He handed me a red and
yellow flower. I touched them, and gave them back. He put them
on the deity and told me to stand before the altar and think of
my question. If the red flower fell, the answer was no. I gazed
at Durga's form with my palms pressed together, fingertips
touching my chin. 'Should I stay with the shakta baba?' After
two or three minutes, the red flower dropped. I was disappointed. But as I left the temple, I cheered myself
up. 'I can check the worth of the prashna by staying with the
baba,' I thought. 'Let's see if there's any truth in it. Besides, I don't have a reason to go anywhere else. It's not
that the prashna gave me an alternative course of action. ' I
returned to the ashram and told Babaji I would remain with him. The first three days of my stay were uneventful. In the morning
I chanted Vishnu-sahashra-nama and did my trotak meditation and
pranayama. I sang prayers when he did his homas to Kali, and
also did simple chores like fetching firewood. Although Babaji
gave me no particular instructions as I expected a guru should, I
could see that he had a clear plan in mind for me. I waited to
see what would unfold. Thrice daily he left the ashram with a plate of puja articles--
incense, flowers and a bowl of sindhur--and returned after about
half an hour. On the morning of the second day he took me with
him. We walked along the tracks in the direction of Kalka,
crossed the Simla road and continued for a few minutes until we
came to a sand and rock hill a short hike from the rail bed. Babaji led me up a trail to the top. There he showed me a
sindhur-covered rock which he said was a drop of Devi's blood. In the Puranas it is said that the goddess, in her incarnation as
Sati, gave up her life when her father Daksha insulted her
husband Shiva. Maddened with grief, Shiva danced across the sky
with her dead body which disintegrated and fell in pieces upon
the earth. There are one hundred and eight important Devi
temples (devi-pitham) in India that are said to be built on sites
where a part of Sati's body landed. "Most people do not know
that this site is also a pitha," Babaji confided to me. "The
goddess has revealed this place to me alone. It is full of
power. " He said this with such conviction that I believed him at
once and offered my respects to the blood-red stone. He did a
short puja to it and we returned. The fourth day was amavasya (the dark moon day). That morning,
as he left to worship at the pitha, Babaji told me he would go
into town from the hill to get ingredients for a special festival
we were to observe this evening. He also said I should not eat
anything today. While he was gone, I cleaned the ashram. He
returned after several hours, his cloth shoulderbag full. After bathing, Babaji did a homa, this one a little different
from the others I'd seen him do. From a metal trunk he took a
khadga (a large knife, a type of weapon held by Kali) and placed
it in the kunda before lighting the fire. At the completion of
the fire sacrifice, he prepared eighteen kinds of offerings from
various mixtures of the raw ingredients he'd brought--puffed
rice, fruit, sugar candy, flat rice, and so on. He told me we'd be doing an all-night ceremony at the pitha at
which I would have to chant from dusk to dawn. I was excited. Sure that he would judge my worth as a disciple by what he saw
tonight, I resolved to play my role in the ceremony with unflagging
enthusiasm. A hour before sunset he set out a plate with
eighteen bowls, filling each with a preparation. He gave me the
plate and told me to bring it up to the pitha. "I'll come
shortly," he said. "I must prepare the khadga. We'll be doing a
special worship to this at the pitha also. "
Carrying the plate in my hands, I walked down the tracks and up
the hill. There was a light drizzle in the air. I hoped it
would not get worse and spoil Babaji's ceremony. After setting
the plate down near the sacred stone, I felt the need to urinate. Considering the hill a sancified spot, I reversed my steps and
descended to the rail bed to relieve myself there. A freight
train had stopped on the tracks next to the hill. I had just
finished urinating when a man with a lantern came walking
alongside the train. It was a signalman. "Kon hai thum?" (Who are you?) he asked. "I am with that trackside babaji," I answered smilingly. "Tonight is amavasya, so we're having a special puja up on the
hill. I need to wash my hands after passing urine--do you have
water?"
Astonished, he stared hard at me. All at once he barked,
"Escape-- right now! Quickly--go!"
Not understanding what he meant, I repeated my question about
water. "Never mind water," he yelled, seizing me by the should-
er. "That man is going to kill you tonight if you don't leave
here. Go down the track to the Kalka station. You'll find water
there. Report to the stationmaster. " He gave me a push. Propelled by the urgency of his voice, I trotted the whole way to
the station. Who was the killer the signalman warned me about?
I wondered if a madman was on the loose. At last, panting and
weary, I clambered from the rail bed to the station platform. I
saw a spigot and washed my hands and face. After a long refreshing
drink, I looked for the stationmaster. In an office I found a man in a blue uniform. "Excuse me," I
said to him, "but I've come here sent by the signalman down the
track who said someone wants to kill me. "
"What are you talking about?" he asked, perplexed. "You see, I'm staying with the babaji down the track. . . "
No sooner than these words had escaped my lips, the man ran out
and shouted for a khaki-uniformed guard with an Enfield rifle on
his shoulder. "Stay here with him," he ordered the guard. "I'll
get the police. Don't let him go anywhere, and don't let anyone
enter this room. " 'Oh no,' I thought to myself as the stationmaster
rushed out. 'What have I got myself into?'
After fifteen minutes the stationmaster returned with a police
inspector and his uniformed driver. The inspector ordered me to
identify myself and explain my connection to the baba. I did,
but I insisted he tell me what was happening. "Yes, I'm coming to that. We have reason to believe that man was
going to kill you tonight. If you make a complaint against him,
we'll take action. "
"You see," the stationmaster added, "for a long time our rail
workers have noticed very peculiar things about that baba. He's
had assistants like you before, all strangers to these parts, and
they just seem to disappear one after the other. "
The police inspector continued, "We've questioned him several
times, and he always says his men just suddenly leave to go
elsewhere. But bloodstained clothes have been found on the
tracks near that hill. He of course denies knowing anything, and
we would need more evidence to take further steps against him. But we suspect he's made human sacrifices on that hilltop. There's a rumor going around that he's killed twelve or thirteen
people in this way, and that he wants to perform one thousand
such sacrifices to gain total control over the elements of
nature. "
As I remembered the khadga, an eerie feeling crept over me. But
I didn't want to get involved in the entanglement of a police
investigation. Clearly it was time I moved on. 'I should have
done what the prashna said,' I moaned inwardly. "Look," I told the inspector. "I stayed with him for four days,
and I have no reason to suspect he meant me any harm. But I can
see that your concern must be well-taken. I'll not return to
that baba. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Simla. "
The stationmaster said earnestly, "People are gossiping about
that man. They criticize us--the rail service and the police--for
not doing anything about him. If you would testify, we could
be rid of this scandal. "
I refused. It was likely that the suspicions against the baba
were the result of nothing more than vicious rumors. In any
case, he'd done nothing to me. But I wondered what would have
happened had I not met the signalman. The stationmaster,
genuinely worried for my safety, gave me a room at his house that
night. The next day he put me on a bus to Simla, gratis. From
a person at the Theosophical Society, I heard the Dalai Lama
was in Dharamshalla.
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