01-Nov-08, 10:00pm report
Dr P.P Ashok had visited the hospital around 9pm and was calling Guru
Maharaja for which Guru Maharaja just opened his eyes for few seconds and
just moved his head few times. Doctor will wait and see for tommorrow. Right
now the BP is stable.
Let us keep begging for Lord Krsna’s mercy upon our Gurudeva to recover. I
found some nice quote from Srimad Bhagavatam, regarding taking shelter of
the lotus feet of the Lord by chanting His holy names and praying to Lord
Narasimhadeva for protection. Although it is a long quote it is appropriate
and encourages us to chant the holy names for our Guru Maharaja.
“In the Skanda Purana, as well as in other Puranas, there is the following
statement: maha-bhagavata nityam kalau kurvanti kirtanam. “During Kali-yuga
the great devotees of the Lord always engage in kirtana, chanting the Lord’s
holy names.” It is the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be
merciful, and He is especially merciful to those who, in a helpless
condition, take complete shelter of His lotus feet. One can immediately take
shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord by chanting His holy names. According
to Sridhara Svami, even in previous ages such as Satya-yuga it was not
possible for the living entities to achieve the perfection that is available
in Kali-yuga. Srila Jiva Gosvami has explained this as follows. In former
ages such as Satya-yuga human beings were perfectly qualified and easily
performed even the most difficult spiritual processes, meditating for many
thousands of years practically without eating or sleeping. Thus, although in
any age one who completely takes shelter of the Lord’s holy name gets all
perfection, the highly qualified inhabitants of Satya-yuga do not consider
that merely moving the tongue and lips, chanting the Lord’s holy name, is a
complete process and that the Lord’s holy name is the only shelter within
the universe. They are more attracted to the difficult and elaborate yoga
system of meditation, complete with sophisticated sitting postures,
painstaking control of the breath and deep, extended meditations in trance
on the Personality of Godhead within the heart. In Satya-yuga sinful life is
practically unheard of, and therefore people are not afflicted with the
terrible reactions seen in Kali-yuga, such as world war, famine, plague,
drought, insanity, etc. Although in Satya-yuga people always worship the
Personality of Godhead as the ultimate goal of life and meticulously follow
His laws, called dharma, they do not feel themselves to be in a helpless
condition, and thus they do not always experience intense love for the Lord.
However, in Kali-yuga living conditions are so unbearable, modern
governments are so obnoxious, our bodies are so ridden by physical and
mental disease, and even self-preservation is so troublesome, that the
conditioned souls intensely cry out the holy name of Krsna, begging for
relief from the onslaught of this age. The members of the Krsna
consciousness movement have vivid and unforgettable experiences of the
terrible contradictions inherent in human society in this age, and thus they
are firmly convinced that there is nothing to be achieved except the mercy
of the Supreme Lord. In ISKCON centers throughout the world we observe
wonderfully ecstatic kirtana performances in which men, women and children
from all walks of life chant with startling enthusiasm the holy names of
Krsna and dance in ecstasy, becoming completely indifferent to so-called
public opinion. In America a prominent professor from Oberlin College
visited a Hare Krsna center in California and was astonished by the
enthusiasm with which the devotees chant the holy name of Krsna in their
congregational performances.
Thus, due to their helpless and pathetic condition, the living entities in
Kali-yuga have great impetus to surrender fully to the holy name of Krsna,
putting all of their hope and faith in the Lord’s holy name. Kali-yuga is
therefore the best age because in this age, more than in Satya-yuga or other
ages, the conditioned souls become disgusted with the kingdom of illusion
and surrender fully to the Lord’s holy name. This status of full surrender
is called paramam santim, or supreme peace.
Srila Madhvacarya has quoted a passage from the book called Svabhavya to the
effect that a bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession is able to
understand the mentality and capability of his disciples and engage them in
worshiping the particular form of the Lord suitable for them. In this way
the spiritual master destroys all obstacles in the path of his disciples.
The general rule is that one must worship the particular form of the Lord
that appears in the current yuga. One may also offer his love and worship to
other forms of the Lord that appear in other ages, and specifically one is
recommended to chant the holy names of Lord Nrsimhadeva to get all
protection. Practically all of these injunctions are being carried out
within the ISKCON movement. Within the Krsna consciousness society, men,
women and children are all being engaged in worshiping the Lord according to
their particular natures. In addition, according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s
order, we are worshiping Balarama and Krsna, who appeared in Dvapara-yuga,
because They are the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, by
chanting the Dasavatara-stotra, jaya jagad-isa hare, and by reading
Srimad-Bhagavatam, the members of ISKCON worship all of the plenary
expansions of the Personality of Godhead. And after every arati performance
devotional prayers are duly chanted to Lord Nrsimhadeva for protection of
this movement, which is so essential to human society.
SB 11.5.38, SB 11.5.39, SB 11.5.40, SB 11.5.38-40
Your humble servant,
Ratnavali dd