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DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT Rekindling The Spiritual Spark
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DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT
His Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad
What’s the goal of the
magazine
Devotional Quotient is a sincere effort inspired by
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila
Prabhupada, to present a cultural magazine to inspire
the youth devotees to Krishna Consciousness.
Our Endeavor is:
1. To help all the people discern reality from
illusion spirit from matter, the eternal from
the temporary
2. To expose the faults of materialism
3. To offer guidance in the Vedic
techniques of spiritual life
4. To preserve and spread the Vedic culture
5. To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of
God as taught by Lord Sri Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu
6. To help every living-being remember and see
Sri Krishna, The Personality of Godhead.
For monthly subscriptions, please mail us at
Pancha Tattva Deity Painting.
Message from the Editor
SHAURYA RAMESH KUMAR
Welcome to this month’s issue
of Devotional Quotient,
which is for the pleasure and
benefit of our young devotees
and their parents.
A monthly magazine, full of
articles from children and their
teachers. Recipes, activities, a
structured study of the
Bhagavad Gita, to keep the
readers engaged and
stimulated
Prayers oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master
opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my
respectful obeisances unto him.
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te saraswate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord
Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our
respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master,
servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. You are
kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and
delivering the Western countries, which are filled with
impersonalism and voidism.
sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu-nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara
srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
I offer my obeisances to Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu
Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all others
in the line of devotion.
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By the Divine Mercy of His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
(Founder Acharya of ISKCON –
International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
Dedication:
We humbly offer the “Devotional Quotient” to
the compassionate hands of His Holiness Bhakti Bhringa Govinda
Swami Maharaj. He has been instrumental in inspiring and guiding not
only our young devotees but many others all over the world with his
benevolent and encouraging words. Year after year he has personally
spoken to them about the importance of going deep into Krishna
Consciousness. We thank him and hope that he will be happy to read
the various contributions from
all the children.
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Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Words of Wisdom From the origin
SLOKA OF THE MONTH
ananda-lilamaya-vigrahaya hemabha-divyac-chavi-sundaraya tasmai maha-prema-rasa-pradaya caitanya-candraya namo namaste
Obeisances unto Him, Sri Caitanya-
candra, the giver of the mellow of
the highest love of Godhead, who is
the embodiment of blissful
pastimes, and who is so beautiful,
having a dazzling luster, like gold.
Caitanya-Candramrta
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Lord Chaitanya in East Bengal Once Lord Chaitanya was visiting Kheturi in East
Bengal with all His associates. All of a sudden Lord
Chaitanya started crying, “ Narottam, Narottam, My
dear Narottam, where are you?” The associates of
the Lord were very surprised, because they did not
know anyone called Narottam. “Who is Narottam?”
they asked. The Lord replied, “Narottam will come
in the future.” The next day when Lord Chaitanya
took His bath in the Padma, He gave His divine love
to the river and requested her to give it to Narottam
in the future. Padma asked how she could recognise
Narottam, and the Lord told her, “When Narottam
comes, your heart will swell up, your waters will
overflow, and you will feel great ecstasy.”
The Arrival of Narottam Das Thakur Some years later, Narottam das Thakur was born on
a full moon day in Kheturi. His father Krishnananda
Datta, was a fabulously rich king belonging to the
kayastha-shudra class. As a child, Narottam had
attractive features and dark skin. He became devoted
to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu after hearing of His many
pastimes from his teachers. One day, he left the palace and went to bathe in the
river Padma. He was gone for so long that his family
became worried. Where was Narottam? They
searched everywhere, but with no success.
Eventually, on the riverbank, they saw a boy with a
golden complexion, dancing madly and constantly
crying. Upon approaching him they saw that it was
actually Narottam. When Narottam had taken a bath
in the Padma, the river gave him the love of God that
Lord Chaitanya had left there. As a result, the colour
of his skin changed from dark to golden, resembling
the Lord’s own complexion. His parents, not knowing this, thought that their son
had gone mad. They did not understand that his
behaviour was normal for a pure devotee
experiencing love of God. Narottam eventually
calmed down enough to be taken home, but from
that day on he could think only of going to
Vrindavan. His parents had great plans for their son.
He was to be the king after his father; therefore they
tried everything they could to keep him in the palace.
But their Narottam did not change his mind. He
cared not for wealth or worldly pleasures. At the first
opportunity, he ran away, and even thought a king’s
son, he ran barefoot all the way to Vrindavan.
In Vrindavan In the holy dhama, Narottam developed great
attachment to Lokanath Goswami and wanted him
as his guru. Lokanath Goswami had been a direct
associate of Lord Chaitanya and was by now very
old. Out of humility, he had taken a vow never to
accept disciples. Narottam, however, was very
determined and refused to give up hope. Every day
he secretly served Lokanath Goswami by cleaning
the place he used as a toilet. Lokanath was very
surprised but did not know who was responsible.
One day he found out that it was Narottam, and he
became upset and embarrassed. After all, since
when does the son of a kind become a toilet
cleaner? It was in this way that Narottam
conquered the heart of Lokanath Goswami and
became his only disciple. Lokanath told him,
“Your determination is stronger than mine. Besides
that, it will be a blessing upon me to have such a
disciple as you.”
Back to East Bengal Following his guru’s order, Narottam
joined Shrinivas Acharya and Shyamanada Pandit
in Vrindavan, studying under Jiva Goswami. Jiva
Goswami ordered these three intelligent pupils to
take to Bengal all the books written by the
Goswamis of Vrindavan. There they could be
copied and studied by the resident Vaishnavas.
After delivering the great collection of books by
ox-cart, Narottam returned to his home town of
Kheturi. There he found out that his father had
died and his cousin, who was also a devotee of
Lord Chaitanya, was now king. Narottam did not want to live in the opulent
palace, preferring for himself a simple life. The
king kindly provided him with a modest hut at a
place called Chandi-mandapa. Narottam, therefore,
spent much of his time there preaching Krishna
consciousness and defeating the smartha-
brahmins, who, although expert at performing
Vedic rituals, had no devotion to Lord Krishna.
Vaishnav Acharyas
Each issue of Devotional Quotient will include one of these pages. We would like to dedicate these to our previous Acharyas.
We must glorify our previous Acharyas so that we can learn from them and spread Krishna Consciousness in their footsteps.
Each monthly edition will include one of these pages where we slowly go up the vaishnava Parampara. This time continuing
to
Narottam Das Thakur (Part 1)
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Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the
avatara of mercy.
“Sambhavami yuge yuge”,
He is non-different from Sri Krishna of
Dvapara-Yuga. But His mood is the
mood of extreme causeless mercy.
He and His associates have broken the
lock of the storehouse of love of God
and they have drunk so much of the
content that they have become like
indiscriminately intoxicated people. And
consequently they are giving the
greatest treasure of the love which is
experienced in Goloka Vrindavan, even
to people who have no qualification.
And they do that through the nectar
from the treasure house of the Holy
Names of the Lord.
“Golokera prema dham hari nama
sankirtan”, by this process of
Nama Sankirtana the love of Goloka
Vrindavana has descended into this
world.
All the people who are sinful and all the
people who are burning in the fires of
material existence, they are fully
uplifted by the Holy Names of the
Lord.
So Sri Krishna, he requested “Man
mana bhava mad bhakto”,
always remember me. “Sarva dharman
parityaja”, surrender exclusively to
me. And with an open heart, with eyes
full of tears Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,
He said "Harer Nama Eva Kevalam",
just take the Holy Names of the Lord.
So these Holy Names, they are the Great
Treasure. And we should worship these
Holy Names.
Actually Sri Krishna explains, all
the residents of Vaikuntha explain,
that the Holy Name of the Lord is
even more dear to the Lord than His
own form. Sanatana Goswami
questions "How is it that there can
be something more dear to the Lord
than the Lord's own form?". A
reference from Shastra where He
says things like "Uddhava, you
are more dear to me than my own
form and my own life". So this is the
great wonder and the great treasure
of Sri Krishna's Holy Names.
Let us worship the Holy Names, let
us keep the Holy Names on
our tongue, keep the Holy Names
of Sri Krishna within our hearts.
Let us be like Srila Prabhupada.
Let us be like these wonderful
sadhus who have come to visit Sri
Vrindavan Dham. And let us
dedicate our lives for giving these
Holy Names to other people. And
then “bhava maha
davagni nirvapanam”, even this
treacherous material world becomes
a place which isn't so horrible! By
the grace of Sri Krishna and by the
grace of His Holy Names.
Let us remain steadily on the path of
devotional service. Surely there
will be some problems along the
way, but we should never give up
the glorification of the Lord. Then
we will be qualified to go to His
place and engage in His service in
the association of His servants.
HH BB Govinda Swami
04.09.07 BBGS Holy Name 2
Sri Vrindavan Dham farm,
Kazakhstan
Pearls of Wisdom
A transcript of a lecture given by H.H Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami Maharaj
Treasure House of the Holy Names
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Hari Ananta – Hari Katha Ananta. The Lord is
unlimited and His glories also are unlimited.
Similarly, unlimited are the devotees of the Lord and
their glories.
Let us continue with the pastimes of Thirumazhishai
Azhwar. There is so much to be said and heard about
this glorious devotee. Thirumazhishai Azhwar was
born in an area called Thirumazhishai which in
Sanskrit is Mahisar – essence of the earth, it also
means the holiest place on earth. As mentioned earlier
this Azhwar lived in this material world for over 4500
years. During his sojourn through life, he mastered
the Vedas, their corollaries and many other
scriptures. He was brought to the shelter of the lotus
feet of Sriman Narayana by none other than another
glorious Azhwar by the name of Pey Azhwar, who by
his acharana showed beyond the shadow of a doubt
the supremacy of Sriman Narayana. He was
saddened to see Thirumazhishai Azhwar practicing
paths other than Vaishnavism. To show him the right
path, Pey Azhwar planted a tree, leaves in the soil and
roots striking upwards. Taking a bucket filled with
holes, tied with frayed rope he attempted to draw
water from a well in order to water the upside - down
sapling. Thirumazhishai Azhwar upon seeing this
laughed at Pey Azhwar, saying what you are trying to
achieve is impossible. So Pey Azhwar reiterated that
if Shiva can grant paramapadam, i.e. ascent to Sri
Vaikuntha then this upside down tree also can grow,
it can be watered by a leaking bucket tied with a
frayed rope. After some debate on the matter of
Dvaita and Advaita and the ultimate superiority of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Thirumazhishai
Azhwar accepted initiation into Vaishnavism from
Pey Azhwar. Thirumazhishai Azhwar visited many
Divya Desams and sang beautiful Pasurams in honor
of the Lord. The Lord loved Thirumazhishai Azhwar
very much and was ready to do anything for His pure
devotee.
Once Thirumazhishai Azhwar was visiting
Thirukudanthai known in modern times as
Kumbhakonam. There are many Divya Desams in
and around Kumbhakonam, 2 of which are very
famous – The Sarangapani (means the Lord who
holds the bow named Saranga) and the other is
Chakrapani (means the Lord who wields the most
famous discus – Sudarshan Chakra). As
Thirumazhishai Azhwar was nearing Kumbhakonam
he came upon a group of brahmins who were
chanting some Vedic mantras. They stopped their
chanting immediately and waited for
Thirumazhishai Azhwar to be away from their
earshot as they did not want to chant Vedic hymns in
the presence of someone from the fourth caste
(although Thirumazhishai Azhwar was born from
Bhargava Muni– who was most certainly a very high
caste Brahmin, but due to the divine arrangement of
the Lord, he abandoned the child and left.
Upon hearing the piteous crying of the hungry
baby, the presiding Deity of Thirumazhishai
known as Jagannath Perumal requested Bhoodevi
to nourish the child with her celestial
transcendental milk. After some time, the baby
was found by a childless couple who were cane
craftsmen. As they were of 4th class,
Thirumazhishai Azhwar was also considered
similarly). When Thirumazhishai Azhwar moved
away some distance, safely far away from the
earshot of the Vedic brahmins, he paused for a
while. Meantime the brahmins wanted to resume
their chanting but due to the influence of maya of
the Lord, they forgot where they had left off and
were wonder struck as this had never happened to
them before. They were very much aggrieved at
their inability to resume their
chanting. Thirumazhishai Azhwar saw their
dilemma, he knew exactly the mantra that they
were supposed to resume from. Keeping in
accord with the Vedic injunctions that Veda
mantras should only be chanted by Dvijas,
Thirumazhishai Azhwar did not chant the mantra
to remind the brahmins but decided to give them
a visual clue to indicate where they were supposed
to start the chanting from, so he picked a black
sesame seed and pierced it with his nail – taking
this to be the clue the brahmins remembered the
mantra and they also came to the realization that
Thirumazhishai Azhwar was not an ordinary
person albeit someone who had complete mastery
over the Vedas and other
scriptures. Thirumazhishai Azhwar continued on
his journey to Kumbhakonam. When he arrived
at the temple of Aravamudhan Piran (Piran is a
suffix always attached to the name of the Lord
signifying His benefactory nature or as a
bestower). The Lord was in a reclining position
similar to that of Lord Ranganath. Upon seeing
the Lord in a sleeping posture, Thirumazhishai
Azhwar teased the Lord by saying, “ Oh Lord!
Why are you sleeping? Are you tired from your
exertions during the churning of the ocean where
you had to carry the Mandarachal mountain on
your back as your Kurma avatar? Or are you
fatigued from your fight with Hiranyaksha and the
ordeal of lifting Bhoodevi from the netherlands
whence Hiranyaksha had hidden her”. “Please
get up – I have come to take your darshan”. So
obedient is the Lord to his devotee that He
immediately began to rise from His snake bed,
upon seeing this, Thirumazhishai Azhwar was
very embarrassed due to having disturbed the
Lord’s rest.
He immediately fell at the Lord’s feet and said,
“Please do not get up on my account – I am the servant
and you are the Supreme Master. Who am I to order
you to get up? Please remain as you are and give
blessings to everyone.” Even to this day the Lord
Aravamudhan is in a half sitting and half reclining
posture, unlike any other Deity in the world. That’s
why Aravamudhan is also known as Utthanshayi
Vishnu means half sitting half reclining. The Lord
was extremely pleased with Thirumazhishai Azhwar
and performed one more lila, most unique. He
exchanged His epithet with His devotee. He declared
that henceforth you shall be known as Thirumazhishai
Piran and I will take on your title and be addressed as
Aravamudhan Azhwar.
Such are the sweet, unimaginable and inconceivable
pastimes between the Lord and His devotees.
Gyanamritam
Pastimes of Thirumazhishai Azhwar
BY HG GOKULCHANDRA DAS
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As discussed in the previous section, Krishna describes
the process of karma yoga in this chapter. He further
continued to explain about setting the right example of
work. He also cites examples of persons who attained the
perfection of life, through karma yoga, this included the
example of King Janaka. A leader has to teach the public
by his own practical behaviour, and this teaching should
be based on the scriptural injunctions. A leader who
derides the scriptures and acts on his own whims should
be rejected. Even Lord Krishna engages in work, however,
there is no work prescribed for Him, nor is he in want or
need for obtaining anything. He does this so that all men
can follow His path, to stop the world from ruination and
enable peace of all living beings. Though Lord Krishna
teaches us by performing prescribed duties, He is
independent of the law as the law maker is beyond law.
Krishna lifted the Govardhana Hill, Lord Shiva drank
poison, and many other examples of such acts establish
the fact that an ordinary human cannot do such things. It is
best, therefore, not to imitate the powerful, but to simply
follow their instructions. As the Supreme Lord performs
prescribed duties, a person who is established in
knowledge (jnana) should also work to set the right
example. Through this one can avoid sinful reactions in
such work by doing it with detachment.
Ignorant people cannot appreciate activities in Krishna
consciousness. Therefore Krishna advises not to disturb
them or waste valuable time. Only pure devotees of the
Lord know the value of this confidential knowledge and
understand the Lord’s purpose. That is why they approach
ignorant men to try to engage them and inspire them to
practice spiritual activities, this is what is truly beneficial
to all. Bhakti is by nature very strong, even stronger than
jnana, as jnana is dependent on purity of heart. Moreover,
bhakti is not even dependent on purity of the heart. It is
possible to inspire people with faith in bhakti, then one
can disturb the minds of those attached to action. One who
has faith in the process of bhakti has no obligation for
performing karma.
A question may arise, that if a person in knowledge and a
person in ignorance perform work in a similar manner,
how to distinguish between the two? One who is in
ignorance thinks himself to be the doer, but in actuality all
activities are being carried out by the three modes of
material nature- goodness, passion and ignorance (these
will be covered in detail in the later sections). A person in
knowledge of the Absolute truth understands that he is
separate from the senses and sense objects, and does not
engage in sense gratification, such a person knows well
about the differences between work in devotion and work
for fruitive results.
Having described about the process of karma yoga, Krishna will now
mention that ultimately, He is the object of it and every activity needs
to be done as an offering to Him. Such karma yoga is actually bhakti
yoga. Our purpose should be to work for Krishna and follow Him.
The cashier may count millions of dollars for his employer, but
nothing belongs to him, and thus he doesn’t claim a cent for himself.
Similarly, one has to engage in his prescribed duty for the Lord,
without reluctance, knowing that nothing in the world belongs to any
individual person, but that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord.
That will lead to the path of perfection and self-realization.
Bhagavad Gita Section Wise: SECTION 9 –
CHAPTER 3 (TEXT 21 – 30)
BY: SRI NANDARANI DEVI DASI
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Children’s Articles
Why should we only eat food first offered to
Krishna? If one offers food to Krishna as a sacrifice with
love and devotion, he will be released from all
kinds of sins. A person who does not offer food to
Krishna before eating, eats for his own personal
enjoyment. This will lead him to suffer the
reactions of karma. Preparing and offering food to the Lord shows the
passion and enthusiasm we have for him. When we
offer food to Krishna, he gives his mercy. When
we eat that food ( prasadam) we will be liberated
from all kinds of sins. This will help us to reach the
spiritual world. The food that is offered should be very
clean.This shows respect and devotion. Here are
some points to remember before we offer bhog to
Lord Krishna. 1- We should be clean and wash our hands before
cooking. 2- While cooking, our mind should be thinking and
chanting the names of the Lord. 3- We should use fresh ingredients, new utensils
and tulsi leaf should be placed over the bhog.
Madhav Manoj. Age: 8
Why did Jaya and Vijaya choose to become
the Lord's enemy? The four Kumaras( sons of Brahma) cursed Jaya
and Vijaya, because they restricted entry to meet
Lord Vishnu.So both of them pleaded to the Lord
Vishnu to lift the curse.The Lord said he could not
reverse the curse but can give them two options. Number one, to take three births as the Lord's
enemy or taking 7 births as the Lord's devotee.
After completing either of these sentences, they
could come back to Vaikunta and serve the Lord
permanently. Jaya and Vijaya thought long and hard as they
wanted to be his devotee and closely serve the
Lord, but they can’t wait for seven births to finish.
They also couldn’t bear the fact that they would
have to stay for 7 births away from the Lord. So
they picked to be the Lord's enemy for 3 births,
reason being that it was a much faster and quicker
way to reach the Lord. Rhea Ranganathan. Age: 12
Who did Krishna give the knowledge in the
beginning and how it was lost and why is He
giving it to Arjuna now?
In the beginning, the knowledge of the supreme science
was passed down from Lord Krishna to the Sun god
‘Vivasvan’ and he passed on this knowledge to Manu,
the father of mankind and he in turn passed it to
Iksvaku. And so, the supreme science was passed
following the chain of the disciples. However, during
this process somewhere someone did not pass down this
knowledge to the next generation and so the knowledge
Krishna had passed on was lost. Years later, once again Lord Krishna is passing down
this valuable knowledge about the supreme science but
this time to Arjuna. This is because Krishna considers
Arjuna to be his closest companion. In addition to that,
Arjuna is a strong devotee of the Lord and the lord
believes that Arjuna is the right person to take up this
responsibility. He is passing this knowledge to make
sure that all the future generations learn about the
supreme science and its importance.
Jahnvi Jayakrishnan
Age: 12
Lord Vishnu and His Paraphernalia
Lord Vishnu has come down in many forms with
different features and in different ages. But all are
equally invested with supreme potency . The
Dashavatara forms of Lord Vishnu are most prominent.
The first Dashavatar being Matsya, followed by Kurma,
Varaha, Narshima, Vamana, Parushurama, Rama,
Krishna ,Balarama, Buddha, and lastly Kalki. Starting off with Matsya Avatar, the lord came down in
the form of fish to save the Vedas from drowning in the
ocean. In each situation, Lord Vishnu comes down to
protect his devotees and help them. Lord Vishnu’s first
creation is Lord Brahma who was assigned to create
Lord Shiva, the four Kumaras and more devotees of the
lord. Lord Vishnu always carries four items: the shankha
(conch), the Sudarshana chakra, the padma (lotus) and
the Kaumodaki gada. The conch symbolizes the sacred
Om sound, whilst Lord Shiva gave Lord Vishnu the
Sudarshana Chakra which helps him to conquer all his
enemies. Lord Shiva gave the Sudarshana Chakra to
Lord Vishnu as he offered Lord Shiva 999 lotus flowers
and one was missing. The gada is used to teach lessons
to irreligious rulers and demons.
Diya Ranganathan Age: 11
How can the demigods be satisfied? And
what is the result?
All the Demigods get powers from Lord Krishna,
they are also a part of the Supreme personality of
Godhead. So by pleasing Krishna they are also
satisfied. Each Demigod has a special power,
which they bestow on earth. The Demigods can
be pleased by the performance of yajnas. The
Demigods supply and manage all the things
needed for a living being. Example: Indra the God of rain when he pleased
bestows rain on earth. The rain helps us to grow
food and also provides water to drink.
Joshith Jalluri. Age: 10
My thoughts about Karma yoga.
Karma Yoga is when the work is done selflessly
for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
Otherwise work causes material bonadge.
Therefore one should perform the prescribed
duties for Vishnu’s satisfaction; so will always
remain free from material bondage. By eating food ( Prashad) after offering to the
Lord, protects us from sinful reactions. Others,
who prepare food for personal pleasure, eat only
sin.
Shreyaansh.
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Ṣuka’s Corner
Children Artwork
Artwork By: Mannat Ruia
Age: 7
Artwork By: Shreya Singh
Age: 7
Artwork By: Aditi Yadav
Age: 7
Artwork By: Advika Singh
Age: 9
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Children’s Articles
The Three modes of material nature
Three modes of material nature which are: 1- Sattva gun(mode of goodness) 2- Raja gun(mode of passion) 3- Tama gun(mode of ignorance)
In Vedic literature, mode of goodness means when
you are in greater knowledge of the divine and in the
path of devotion. Mode of passion is when you are
always suffering from stress, greed and anxiety.
Finally mode of ignorance is being in a state of
foolishness. Krishna explains that mode of goodness is purer than
the other two modes of nature since in mode of
goodness one develops knowledge. Tatra sattva mnirmalatvāt
prakāśakam anāmayam
sukha-sańgena badhnāti
jshāna-sańgena cānagha [ B.g 14.6] “O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than
the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all
sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become
conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.” Hence, mode of goodness is better than the other modes
because in this mode one is able to see all the things in
their right perspective and hence it gives a chance to
develop devotional service to Godhead. So if one wants
to develop this love and become eternally blissful he
has to perform his duty to the Lord’s satisfaction.Then
he can maintain this mode of goodness and eventually
transcend this. Modes of passion and ignorance are not
conducive qualities for developing devotional service
and hence they should be completely avoided. In today’s times, most of the people are under the mode
of passion as they want to achieve some or the other
goal to get more money and fame. Rest who are in the
mode of ignorance are doing all the wrong things to
achieve the same goal. To stay in the mode of goodness
we should always remain in bakthi and try to gain
spiritual knowledge and stay away from sin. Namish Johar. Age 12
Lord Nityananda
Lord Nityananda is a great devotee of the Lord. He appeared in
this world alongside Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who we know to be
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Nityananda Himself
is the incarnation of Balaram. Both Nimai and Nitai were
inseparable, rarely was one named without the other. Both
Gauranga and Nityananda propagated the Hare Krishna
Sankirtana movement. Even though Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is
the most merciful incarnation of the Lord, Nityananda Prabhu is
considered to be even more merciful. The only way to approach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would be
through the mercy of Nityananda prabhu. Lord Nityananda has
the whitish complexion of Lord Balaram. His garments resemble
a cluster of blue lotus flowers and His effulgence is said to
surpass the grandeur of a rising moon at sunset. He has a deep,
melodious voice which is constantly singing the glories of Sri
Krisna. He carries a red stick with benedictions for the devotees
but fear for the demons. He has a carefree mood and is always
absorbed in the service
Shaurya Kumar Age 13
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Saatvik Food
Ayurveda, the more than 5,000 year old system of
science and healing classifies food into sattvic,
rajasic and tamasic categories.
According to Bhagavad Gita, sattvic food gives life,
purity, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness. Food that is fresh and pure is known to have “prana”
or positive energy in it. And sattvic food is known
to be full of “prana” and life giving properties. When
food is cooked with fresh ingredients with love, the
prana quotient in the food increases. Likewise, if the
food is cooked by someone who is upset, the prana
in the food is reduced. And this is just one aspect of
the sattvic food philosophy.
Sattvic food is always freshly made and along with
the body it also nourishes the mind. Sattvic food has
many health inducing properties. Fresh fruits, dry
fruits, grains and legumes like rice and dal, milk and
milk products are all examples of sattvic foods. Eating sattvic food promotes the three necessary
ingredients for vitality ojas (responsible for overall
health, energy, immunity and liveliness) tejas
(intelligence) and prana (energy levels). Food cooked according to the principles of sattva
guna is devoid of meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, onions
and garlic. Vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and milk
products play a major role in Sattvic cuisine.
Offering food to Krishna
• Preparing and offering food to the Lord
shows Him our devotion and gratitude.
Krishna doesn't need to eat, of course, but
He accepts the love with which we offer
food to Him.
• As far as possible, use fresh, natural
ingredients for cooking. Krishna accepts
only vegetarian food, and packaged, store-
bought products may contain meat, fish, or
eggs, so read the labels carefully.
• Cleanliness is important in cooking for
Krishna. Wash your hands before you begin.
And don’t taste the food while cooking; the
meal is for Krishna’s pleasure, so He should
taste it first.
• It’s best to have a new set of dinnerware
used only for Krishna’s offerings and not
used by anyone else.
• Place the plate in front of a picture or deity
of Krishna and ask Him to accept the
offering. Then offer the preparations to
Krishna.
What is Ekadashi? Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the moon cycle, both
from the Purnima (full moon) and from the
Amavasya (new moon). Well-known as the day of
Lord Hari, this is celebrated as one of the highly
auspicious days suitable for fasting.
Who should observe Ekadashi vrata? Ekadashi should be observed by all classes of
people. According to scriptures, from the age of
eight to the age of eighty, a person should fast on
Ekadashi days. What are the foods forbidden on Ekadashi?
▪ Food grains, cereals and beans (pulses)
must be avoided on Ekadashi.
▪ While spices can be used for cooking,
mustard seeds should be avoided.
▪ You cannot use powdered asafoetida (hing),
since it generally contains grains.
▪ As far as sesame seeds are concerned, they
may be used only on Sat-tila Ekadashi.
▪ Take care not to use any cooking
ingredients which may be mixed with
grains. For example, avoid reusing ghee
which you have used to fry puris, and spices
which you have touched with hands dusted
with chapati flour.
▪ You cannot take even Vishnu-prasadam
containing the above forbidden foods. But
such prasadam may be kept to be honored
the following day.
Different levels of observing Ekadashi
Ekadashi may be observed in different levels as
given below and one may choose a particular level
of fasting depending on one’s age, health and various
other factors pertaining to one’s lifestyle.
▪ The real way to observe Ekadashi is to fast
completely without even taking water. This
is called nirjala fast.
▪ If you cannot observe a nirjala fast, you can
take just water.
▪ If you cannot do that, you can also take a
little fruit and milk.
▪ The next option is that you can also take
other non-grain foods like vegetables
(except onion and garlic), roots, nuts, etc.,
only once during the fast.
▪ The last option is to take the above items
three times like on a regular day.
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Instructions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Sift together buckwheat flour,
baking soda, and cinnamon; then
set aside.
3) Blend together butter, sucanat
(or brown sugar), apple sauce (or
banana), and yogurt until smooth.
Pour in dry mix and combine
ingredients. Muffin batter should
remain slightly lumpy and
imperfectly mixed.
4) Spoon batter into muffin tins and
bake for about 25 minutes or until
cooked at the center. Insert a
wooden toothpick and it will come
out mostly clean when the muffin is
done baking.
You might also try adding dried
fruit or nuts to the batter after you
combine the wet and dry
ingredients.
Ekadashi recipe BY Supriya Radhika Devi Dasi
BUCKWHEAT MUFFINS
Ingredients
Makes about 18 regular
muffins
2 cups Buckwheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sucanat or brown sugar
2 cups apple sauce or mashed
ripe bananas
1/2 cup yogurt
Pinch of cinnamon
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Instructions
• Soak dal for around 3 hrs
• Drain water completely
• In a mixer , add dal , green chilies and ginger to
grind (quantity of chili and ginger can vary as per
taste)
• Make a thick batter. Add little water , as much
required to grind it
• In a bowl , add red chili powder, salt and chopped
coriander leaves to the dal batter and mix well
• Now take a slice of bread and make small round
pieces from a square slice, by any small bowl or lid
of a steel box
• Spread the dal mixture (small qty with a tea spoon),
on the round slices of bread
• Keep the oil ready for frying in a frying pan
• While frying , dip the dal side down in the oil, i.e.
bread is visible on top of the oil
• Fry them till golden brown
Dal gold coins are ready to serve with green chutney
and tomato ketchup
*it is better to make small gold coins, which looks
attractive and easy to eat with a toothpick
*You may use different shape cutters – star shaped, etc.
.
Saatvic recipe BY: Neelam Nevatia
APPLE CRUMBLE
Ingredients
• Yellow moong dal (without
skin) – 200 gms
• Green Chilies – 3
nos
• Ginger – 20 gm
• Coriander leaves (finely
chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Red Chili powder – 1 tsp
• Bread slices
• Oil for frying
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KEYWORD
Festival of the month
GAURA PURNIMA – APPEARANCE DAY OF LORD
CHAITANYA
Lord Krishna thought in Goloka, "I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the
age; nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord
in the form of Lord Gauranga. By accepting the role of a devotee, I shall make the
whole world dance in ecstasy, and thus realize the four mellows of loving
devotional service. In this way, I shall teach devotional service to others by
personally practicing it, for whatever a great personality does, common people
will follow. Of course, My plenary portions can establish the religious principles
for each age, but only I can bestow the kind of loving devotional service which is
performed by the residents of Vraja." "Sri Radhika is the highest abode of love, and I am it's only object. Radha's
pleasure is ten million times greater than Mine. This was Lord Krishna's second
desire, and His third desire was expressed while thinking as follows: "Everyone
says that I am the reservoir of all transcendental bliss, and indeed, all the world
derives pleasure from Me alone. Who could give Me pleasure? I think that only
someone having a hundred times more qualities than Myself could give pleasure
to My mind, but such a person is impossible to find." Advaita Acharya thought, "Only if Lord Krishna personally appears and preaches
the path of devotional service by His own example, will liberation become
possible for all people. Therefore, I shall worship the Lord in a purified state of
mind and constantly petition Him with all humility. Indeed, my name Advaita
will be fitting only if I am able to induce Lord Krishna to inaugurate the sankirtan
movement of chanting the holy name, which is the only religion for this age."
While Advaita Acharya thought about how to satisfy Krishna by His worship, the
following verse came to mind: "Sri Krishna, who is very affectionate toward His
devotees, sells Himself to one who offers Him merely a tulsi leaf and a palmful of
water." (Gautamiya-tantra). Advaita Acharya considered the meaning of this
verse in the following way: "Lord Krishna cannot find any way to repay the debt
which He owes to one who offers Him a tulsi leaf and water. Therefore, the Lord
concludes, 'Since there is nothing in My possession which is equal to a tulsi leaf
and water, I will liquidate the debt by offering Myself to the devotee.' "
Thereafter, while meditating upon the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, Advaita Acharya
constantly offered tulasi buds in water from the Ganga. While thus engaged in
worship, Advaita Acharya petitioned Krishna to appear by His loud cries, and this
repeated invitation attracted the attention of the Lord, causing Him to descend. Before the appearance of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Jagannath Mishra (who was
formerly Nanda Maharaja) begot eight daughters in the womb of Sachidevi (who
was formerly Yashoda), but just after birth, they all died. Being very aggrieved at
the loss of his children, one after another, Jagannath Mishra worshiped Lord
Vishnu, while desiring a son. Thereafter, Sachimata gave birth to a baby boy
named Vishvarup, who was an incarnation of Lord Baladev. Being very pleased,
the mother and father began to serve the lotus feet of Lord Govinda even more
devotedly, because they realized that their happiness was by His mercy. Then, in the month of Magh (18th February 1486) of the year 1406, Shaka era,
Lord Krishna entered the bodies of both Jagannath Mishra and Sachidevi.
Thereafter, Jagannath informed his wife, "I see many wonderful things! Your
body seems to be effulgent, and it appears as if the goddess of fortune is
personally residing in our house. Wherever I go, everyone offers me respect, and
even without asking, they give me money, cloth and grains." Sachimata replied,
"I also see wonderfully brilliant beings, appearing in the sky, as if offering
prayers." Jagannath Mishra then said, "In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the Supreme
Lord enter into my heart. Then, from my heart it entered your heart, and thus I
can understand that a great personality will soon take birth."
However, when Sachimata's pregnancy approached the thirteenth month, and still
there was no sign of delivery, Jagannath Mishra became very apprehensive. At
that time, Nilambara Chakravarti made an astrological calculation and predicted
that the child would be born that very month, taking advantage of an auspicious
moment. Thus it so happened that on the evening of the Phalguni purnima, in the year 1407
Shaka era, corresponding to the modern year 1486, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
made His appearance at Nabadwip.
At this time, Rahu considered, "When the spotless moon of Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu is about to become visible, what need is there for a moon which is
full of black marks?" Thinking in this way, Rahu covered the full moon, and so
all of the Hindus went to the banks of the Ganga in order to bathe and chant the
names ``Krishna `` and''Hari ``. In all directions and within everyone's mind there was peacefulness and joy. In
Shantipur, Advaita Acharya and Haridas Thakur began chanting and dancing in a
very pleasing mood, although no one could understand why they did so. While
laughing again and again, they also went to the Ganga, and at that time. Advaita
Acharya took advantage of the lunar eclipse to distribute all kinds of charity to
the brahmanas. Upon seeing how the whole world had become jubilant, Haridas
Thakur addressed Advaita Acharya in great astonishment, "Since Your dancing
and distribution of charity appears very pleasing to me, I can understand that You
have some very special purpose."
(From Sri Chaitanya-Charitamrita)
March Vedic Calendar
• 03 Mar 2021 - Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura • 03 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Sri Purusottama Dasa
Thakura • 03 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Srila Gour Govinda
Swami • 09 Mar 2021 - Vijaya Ekadashi • 10 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Sri Isvara Puri • 12 Mar 2021 - Siva Ratri • 14 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Srila Jagannatha Dasa
Babaji • 14 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Sri Rasikananda • 17 Mar 2021 - Appearance Day of Sri Purusottama Dasa
Thakura • 25 Mar 2021 - Amalaki Vrata Ekadashi • 26 Mar 2021 - Disappearance of Sri Madhavendra Puri • 28 Mar 2021 - Gaura Purnima • 29 Mar 2021 - Festival of Jagannatha Misra
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