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

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

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