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This is the first of two bhajans I recorded in Vrndavan. The audio gets a bit distorted by the mrdanga (was a bit too close to the camera) but I’m posting anyway ’cause it is a nice bhajan.
Vrndavan, India
2008-02-26
I’ve returned from my trip to India. I spent 1 week in Vrndavan and then 1 week in Mayapur. Unfortunately, my wife and kids got sick in Vrndavan and then just as they were getting better we went to Mayapur and then I got sick. In Mayapur we stayed right next to the temple so I was able to get some nice recording of lectures and bhajans. I’ll start editing them now and will upload as they complete. I didn’t get as much as I’d have liked, but the realities of dealing with being sick restricted me somewhat.
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Today is the appearance day of Lord Nityananda. Nityananda Prabhu read a series of pastimes about the life of Lord Nityananda.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-18
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Hanumat Presaka Swami gave a lecture on Lalita Madhava in the evening. This lecture covers the Nectar of Instruction, Nectar of Devotion and then the play “Lalita Madhava.” All works by Rupa Goswami.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-14
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Hanumat Presaka Swami continues speaking on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7, Chapter 8, Verse 27. This verse continues the description of the battle between Lord Nrsimhadev and the demon Hiranyakasipu.
Click “continue reading…” to read the full verse, translation and purport.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-14
TRANSLATION
When Hiranyakasipu was freed from the hands of Nrisimhadeva, he falsely thought that the Lord was afraid of his prowess. Therefore, after taking a little rest from the fight, he took up his sword and shield and again attacked the Lord with great force.
PURPORT
When a sinful man enjoys material facilities, foolish people sometimes think, “How is it that this sinful man is enjoying whereas a pious man is suffering?” By the will of the Supreme, a sinful man is sometimes given the chance to enjoy the material world as if he were not under the clutches of material nature, just so that he may be fooled. A sinful man who acts against the laws of nature must be punished, but sometimes he is given a chance to play, exactly like Hiranyakasipu when he was released from the hands of Nrisimhadeva. Hiranyakasipu was destined to be ultimately killed by Nrisimhadeva, but just to see the fun, the Lord gave him a chance to slip from His hands.
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Hanumat Presaka Swami spoke at SMU regarding the “Light of the Bhagavat.” His presentation included samples of artwork. He concluded with a movie produced in Peru. I included a small portion of the beginning of the movie.
The book will be available in the next few months. The movie is not complete, but should be available soon. Visit bhati.org for more information.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-13
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Hanumat Presaka Swami gives a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7, Chapter 8, Verse 25 and 26. These verses describe the battle between Nrsimhadev and the demon Hiranyakasipu. Also, this day was the appearance day of Advaita Acharya. Hanumat Presaka Swami speaks about Advaita Acharya.
Click “continue reading” below to read the verse and purport.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-14
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the great demon Hiranyakasipu, who was extremely angry, swiftly attacked Nrisimhadeva with his club and began to beat Him. Lord Nrisimhadeva, however, captured the great demon, along with his club, just as Garuda might capture a great snake.
TRANSLATION
O Yudhishthira, O great son of Bharata, when Lord Nrisimhadeva gave Hiranyakasipu a chance to slip from His hand, just as Garuda sometimes plays with a snake and lets it slip from his mouth, the demigods, who had lost their abodes and who were hiding behind the clouds for fear of the demon, did not consider that incident very good. Indeed, they were perturbed.
PURPORT
When Hiranyakasipu was in the process of being killed by Lord Nrisimhadeva, the Lord gave the demon a chance to slip from His clutches. This incident was not very much appreciated by the demigods, for they were greatly afraid of Hiranyakasipu. They knew that if somehow or other Hiranyakasipu escaped from Nrisimhadeva’s hands and saw that the demigods were looking forward to his death with great pleasure, he would take great revenge upon them. Therefore they were very much afraid.
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Hanumat Presaka Swami gives a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7, Chapter 8, Texts 19-24. These contain a wonderful description of Lord Nrsimhadev’s appearance and the demon Hiranyakashipu’s reaction to Him. Hanumat Presaka Swami also gives a nice overview of the full Bhagavatam.
Click ‘Continue to read’ below to read the full verse.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-12
TRANSLATION
Hiranyakasipu studied the form of the Lord, trying to decide who the form of Nrisimhadeva standing before him was. The Lord’s form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue, which moved about like a dueling sword. His ears were erect and motionless, and His nostrils and gaping mouth appeared like caves of a mountain. His jaws parted fearfully, and His entire body touched the sky. His neck was very short and thick, His chest broad, His waist thin, and the hairs on His body as white as the rays of the moon. His arms, which resembled flanks of soldiers, spread in all directions as He killed the demons, rogues and atheists with His conchshell, disc, club, lotus and other natural weapons.
TRANSLATION
Hiranyakasipu murmured to himself, “Lord Vishnu, who possesses great mystic power, has made this plan to kill me, but what is the use of such an attempt? Who can fight with me?” Thinking like this and taking up his club, Hiranyakasipu attacked the Lord like an elephant.
PURPORT
In the jungle there are sometimes fights between lions and elephants. Here the Lord appeared like a lion, and Hiranyakasipu, unafraid of the Lord, attacked Him like an elephant. Generally the elephant is defeated by the lion, and therefore the comparison in this verse is appropriate.
TRANSLATION
Just as a small insect falls forcefully into a fire and the insignificant creature becomes invisible, when Hiranyakasipu attacked the Lord, who was full of effulgence, Hiranyakasipu became invisible. This is not at all astonishing, for the Lord is always situated in pure goodness. Formerly, during creation, He entered the dark universe and illuminated it by His spiritual effulgence.
PURPORT
The Lord is situated transcendentally, in pure goodness. The material world is generally controlled by tamo-guna, the quality of ignorance, but the spiritual world, because of the presence of the Lord and His effulgence, is free from all contamination by darkness, passion or contaminated goodness. Although there is a tinge of goodness in this material world in terms of the brahminical qualifications, such qualifications sometimes become invisible because of the strong prevalence of the modes of passion and ignorance. But because the Lord is always transcendentally situated, the material modes of passion and ignorance cannot touch Him. Whenever the Lord is present, there cannot be any darkness from the mode of ignorance. It is stated in Caitanya-caritamrita (Madhya 22.31):
krishna — surya-sama, maya haya andhakara
yahan krishna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara
“Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience.” This material world is full of darkness and ignorance of spiritual life, but by bhakti-yoga this ignorance is dissipated. The Lord appeared because of the bhakti-yoga exhibited by Prahlada Maharaja, and as soon as the Lord appeared, the influence of Hiranyakasipu’s passion and ignorance was vanquished as the Lord’s quality of pure goodness, or the Brahman effulgence, became prominent. In that prominent effulgence, Hiranyakasipu became invisible, or his influence became insignificant. An example illustrating how the darkness of the material world is vanquished is given in the sastra. When Brahma was created from the lotus stem growing from the abdomen of Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, Lord Brahma saw everything to be dark, but when he received knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything became clear, as everything becomes clear when one comes from night to sunshine. The important point is that as long as we are in the material modes of nature, we are always in darkness. This darkness cannot be dissipated without the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is invoked by the practice of bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga creates a transcendental situation with no tinges of material contamination.
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Hanumat Presaka Swami speaks about various education projects he is involved with in ISKCON. This includes the Radadesh colledge, affiliations with Oxford, history of Ravi Gupta, and a school in Peru. A nice overview of education in ISKCON.
Dallas, TX
2008-02-11
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At the conclusion of the GBC/TP Meetings Bhakti Marg Swami, the Dallas youth and their friends presented this extraordinary drama on Canto 10. The entire performance was incredible.
Keep an eye out for my two children participating in the play.
I also have this play in DVD form with full menus, chapter navigation, etc. $15 + shipping.
Dallas, TX
2008-01-26
