What follows is a review of one reader of Gaura Book:

Here's the info of what it contains :

Vedic Cosmography

Your Best Friend
Grhasta Manual
Cookbooks (Yummy...)
Brahmacharya Section (Can’t miss this one…many original articles. Also has 2 fantastic books.)

And many other books are there ....you read and find out what else is there. (My incentive :-)

And many articles … almost all articles are from this section. The philosophical analysis and mention of whatever pure spiritual teachings available in all the religions of the world are really a revelation and a welcome addition. They include.

Modern Science (starter)
Anthropology and History (Hmmm...very interesting. It has some real revealing facts that support the Puranic conclusion and we see a lot of lies exposed in the name of writing history)
Astronomy and Cosmography (Vedic Cosomology is a very great science alright...)
Modern Scientific theories exposed (Prabhupada was fond of bashing these speculations on evolution, universe)
Introduction to Vedic Science (Baby Feeding...Karma, Soul, etc...good sources). Also nice magazine articles.
Important Lessons for devotees (Really important as it says)
Advanced Philosophy (You should read this in real detail very carefully ... it's quite involved with so much analysis of every major faith and philosophy in the world and it is a minefield of pure devotional revelations. Now-a-days we see so much hate and other problems, and this loving approach to appreciate everything good in others is characteristic of our paramahamsa acharyas.

So anyway, getting to the book list, it has :

All Prabhupada Books (by browsing links to Vedabase, Vanipedia, etc… These books are not available in this ebook. Includes links to Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavatam, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Nectar of Devotion, Books on Reincarnation, Life comes from life etc...)
[Note : It has links to where you can download all Prabhupada's books posted by others on websites and even Internet Archive -- Sacred texts, so that is consolation for those who want to read offline]

Books directly available in this database are :

Special mention is needed as this is the Only place where you can download the full Chaitanya Bhagavatam.

Krishna Chaitanya Charita Mahakavya -- this is rare. I have yet to find this anywhere else.
Chaitanya Charita (Kavi Karnapura — rare)
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita By Acharyas (Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakura commentary (this HAS to be read, we haven't seen Gita in this flavour + Srila Prabhupada (only links to The BBT Vedabase)
Glories of Lord Nityananda Prabhu
Nityananda Charitamrita
Compilation of The Pastimes of Lord Nityananda

Chaitanya Bhagavata (Full 7 volumes — verses patchy, perhaps CHM botched up the diacritics, but the English is perfect. It is Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's Commentary. For consolation, a separate book of only verses is available and it is perfectly done.)

Shrimad Bhagavatam (Links To Vedabase Given)
Chaitanya Charitamrta (Links To Vedabase)
Shri Chaitanya Chandramrita
Jaiva Dharma
Brahma Samhita
Navadvipa Dhama Mahatmya
Shikshashtaka with Commentaries

The Holy Names of Nityanaanda and Gauraanga (A LOT of info from so many scriptures. I say this changed my spiritual life totally along with the Hare Krisha maha mantra. I have sworn allegiance to them)

Maha Mantra Yoga (Hare Krishna Mahamantra MUST READ)
Hari Naam Chintamani (By the Naamacharya Himself)
Divine Name Haridasa
Shri Namaamrita
Levels of Nityananda Gauranga and Hare Krishna Chanting
Nityananda Gauranga in Vedas, Puranas, Smritis and Shrutis
Additional Important Scriptures
Songs on Nityananda Gauranga
Bhaktivinoda Vani Vaibhava (All 3 volumes — Sambandha, Abhideya, Prayojana … All his writings in one book)
Glories of Lord Balarama
Glories of Lord Krishna
Glories of Shri Radha
Chaitanya Mangala
In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life (A very rare unpublished book of Prabhupada — very advanced)
Life of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Gaudiya Kanthahara (Essence of the Siddhanta)
Other books also include : Tattva Muktavali (Mayavada Shata Dushani – Madhva smashes imposters who claim to be Supreme)
Madhurya Kadambini (For the science of spiritual advancement)
Prakrita Rasa Shata Dushani
Unauthorized and Deviant sects
Hari Bhakti Kalpa Latika
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (Sooo sweet….)
The Path of Dedication
Tulasi Worship
Ekadashi Glories
Krishna Bhajanamrita
Sri Gayatri Mantrartha Dipika
Vaishnava Song Books (Infinite Bhajans for the Soul. Also contains poems -- Sharanagati & Kalyana Kalpataru)
Ramayana Mahabharata (Pure Devotional translation. No devotee’s collection is complete without these 2 greatest and most well known books.)
Ananda Vrindavana Champu
Vaishnava Siddhanta Mala QnA
Six Sandarbhas (Most advanced, for the real serious. These are really advanced)
Vedanta Sutra (Govinda Bhashya — the Ultimate Commentary on Vedanta. This is the only English translation made by pure devotees and is almost fully complete, except for some few odd verses and a smalls subsection. No one has fully translated it as of yet...)

1000 Questions and Answers (Mixed bag. Some of them are not answered - deals with various topics at random but some of them have some really good realizations. Very fitting replies given too.) But there was this one set of 30-40 odd questions that was really botched up with questions and answers randomly scattered with no continuity. Hope they fix that.

Some Beautiful Realizations of devotees (I’ve seen this one before, taken from well known sources).
Beautiful and inspiring -- but if you're really serious, then read, or it might be too much to swallow.


The book is available from 2 links : http://www.be-pure.info/Vedic-Literature.html


Also the full review for the book is located here : http://nitaaiyoga.com/ebooks/#comment-2447GauraEbook.zip

Mittwoch, 27. Februar 2008

One day i saw a sadhu...

Chapter 1 of Jaiva Dharma:

“One day I saw a Vaishnava sadhu loudly singing about the pastimes of Sri Hari. I opened my eyes and saw that he was bathed in streams of tears, and in his ecstatic rapture the hairs of his body
were standing on end. He was chanting the names “Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda!” in a choked-up voice, and as he danced, his feet slipped so that he fell on the ground again and again. When I saw him and heard his song, my heart filled with an indescribable ecstasy."

Faith in Gauranga, that is costly

i would like to share with You a conversation between Shrila B.R. Shridhara Swami and a devotee regarding the chanting of Gaura Naam.

Shrila B.R. Shridhara Swami: Gaura Haribol, Gaura Haribol, Gaura Haribol...

Devotee: Lord Nityananda Prabhu recommended that we chant Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga as the proper internal ... (inaudible)

Shrila B.R. Shridhara Swami: If we have faith in that we will be more gainer then taking Krishna Naam, because there is the consideration called offenses - Krishna Naam kare aparadhera vicara, and less offense in Gaura Naam. But faith in Gauranga that is rare. To have faith in Gauranga, that is costly. But if you anyhow can gather that, then it will be more beneficial than you negotiate direct with Krishna. Direct negotiate... The offense is more possible that side and less offense here. More forgiveness. But Krishna Naam has got some universal characteristics accepted by majority of persons and Gaura Naam is not accepted in such a wider circle. So it is difficult to put faith there. But if one can have his faith, then he will be gainer, because less consideration of aparadha, offense. He has particularily come for the fallen souls. So grace is more there. But to put faith in Him that will be ...(inaudible) difficult. Until we can understand Him ontologically we cannot go by the help of our experience. Not accepted by greater circle as Krishna is accepted. So many higher scriptures are also in favor of Krishna avatara, then the wide circle they accept Krishna as Lord, but minor circle accept Gauranga as God and there are not so many scriptures supporting Him. So it is difficult to have faith in Him. But if anyhow one can come nearer, He will be more gainer.

Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga, ...

For downloading and listening the original audio: http://guardian-of-devotion.de/audio/2a.mp3

Your servant,

Matus

Montag, 11. Februar 2008

Pancha Tattva Mantra & japa beads question

Question:

"i personally didnt know that srila prabhupada advises that one should not chant the pancha tattva mantra... i have been doing one round of it before i chant! so rather we chant nityanada and gauranga directly?"

Answer:

Yes, Shrila Prabhupada did not agree when He got to know that rounds of Pancha Tattva Mantra are being chanted on the japa beads, as there is not a single evidence of it being done by any of our previous acharyas (spiritual preceptors).

"Who is that rascal sannyasi who has recommended to chant Pancha Tattva mantra on the japa beads? First, send me his name." (Letter of Shrila Prabhupada to: Govardhan 4, Juhu, Bombay-54, 18 November, 1973)

Pancha Tattva Mantra should be chanted before the Hare Krishna Mahamantra (at least 1 time, recommended 3 times) and even can be chanted before the rounds of Nityananda and Gauranga Mantrarajas.

Pancha Tattva Mantra for does who don't know goes as follows:
SHRI KRISHNA CHAITANYA PRABHU NITYANANDA SHRI ADVAITA GADADHARA SHRIVASADI GAURA BHAKTA VRINDA

As in the case of Pancha Tattva Mantra, there is no such disaggreement on the side of Shrila Prabhupada or other previous acharya in regard of chanting Nityananda Gauranga on japa beads. On the contrary, it was done by our acharyas, as for example by Shrila Shivananda Sen, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, Sapta Rishis, Shiva and Parvati, etc... as per our authorized scriptures.

There is no difference between Nitai-Gauranga and Hare Krishna. So logically, both of them can be chanted in the same way, means in kirtan, japa, and so on... Shrila Prabhupada confirms it:

"Nitai-Gauranga and Hare Krishna, there is no difference. Nitai-Gauranga is also nice. Whatever he finds convenient, let him chant." (Shrila Prabhupada's Room Conversation with Yoga Student regarding Japa)

by Matus

Donnerstag, 7. Februar 2008

Gaura-Kirtana

Meanwhile many devotees of Lord Krishna understood the importance of taking shelter of and understanding the nature Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu as well as Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Yet few of them understand and trust the confidential instruction of how to do it practically, that means to do it by performance of Gaura-Kirtana, by the concregational chanting of Lord Gauranga's Name, Form, Qualities and Pastimes. There is actually no other way as stressed by Shrila Murari Gupta in His Shri Chaitanya Charita Maha-kavya, Parikrama 4, Sarga 19:

etad antar-gata yasya / gauranga-guna-kirttanam
sa eva saki nanye ca / kotisho jnana-paragah

"Only one who can enter into the chanting of Gauranga's qualities can actually
comprehend them, and not millions of others who may be fully conversant with
transcendental knowledge."

Here especially the concregational glorification of Lord Gauranga's qualities, gauranga-guna, is mentioned, which makes it easy to understand that this kirtana, or congregational glorification, actually refers to non other than Lord Gauranga Himself. In many other instances however the term Gaura-Kirtana is being used by our acharyas as the summarizing term for Gaura-Naam- & Gaura-Rupa- & Gaura-Guna- and Gaura-Lila-Kirtana (Naam=Name; Rupa=Form; Guna=Qualities; Lila=Pastimes).

Some devotees believe that Gaura-Kirtana refers exclusively to the glorification of Lord Krishna as introduced by Lord Gauranga Himself. Still if one attentively studies the bonafide holy scriptures and songs about Lord Gauranga such as Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata, one can see that the terms Gaura-Kirtana and Krishna-Kirtana are used to indicate the glorification of Lord Gauranga or Lord Krishna respectively. Although they are the same Supreme Personality, there exist eternal processes of how to worship and glorify them, especially when considering the fallen condition of the souls of the present age.

There are many pastimes mentioned in our scriptures, where it is described how Lord Advaita Acharya and Lord Nityananda engage Themselves together with Their Companions in Gaura-Kirtana, beginning with Gaura-Naam-Kirtana. Just to mention one of them here:

tatash ca prema-gosvami / sammantrya sva-janaih saha
navina gaura-candrasya / nama-sankirttana shubham

karoti mandali-ktya / harena vainavaih saha
ntyati paramoddanda / garjjati dhavati kvacit

"Then Shri Advaita Acarya, the gosvami of prema assembled His own men and created a new form of sankirtana from the names of Gaura Candra. He jubilantly formed a circle of all the vaishnavas, and within it He danced very high, sometimes roaring and sometimes running." (Shri Chaitanya Charita Maha-kavya, Parikrama 4, Sarga 19)

These pastimes are being eternally enacted in the Eternal Abode of Lords Nityananda Gauranga. Bhakti-yoga means to gradually accomodate all our activites according to the model of the spiritual world. And Gaura-Kirtana is definitely an integrate part of that model. So if we want to enter and accomodate ourselves eternally in the company of Lord Gauranga, then there is no other way except repeated performace of Gaura-Kirtana.

So let us pray at the Lotus Feet of Lord Nitai, Lord Advaita Acharya and Their Holy Names, that They we may engage ourselves with faith and enthusiasm in this most auspicious and powerful performance of Gaura-Kirtana. Let us also fall at the Lotus Feet of all the Gaura-Bhakta-Vrinda, the Eternal Associates of Lords Nityananda Gauranga, to gain trust in their instruction to continuously and with simple heart chant the Holy Names, Qualities and Pastimes of Lords Nityananda Gauranga:

gao punah punah, gaurangera guna,
sarala haiya mana
e bhava-sagare, emana dayala,
na dekhi je eka-jana

"With a simple heart sing over and over again of Shri Gauranga’s glorious qualities! No one has ever seen such a compassionate person as He in the entire ocean of material existence." (Yadi Gauranga Nahita by Shrila Vasudeva Ghosha)

Your insignificant servant, searching after shelter of all Gaura-Kirtana-Bhaktas,
Matus