Don’t You Get Tired Of Praising Devotees

Krishna's Mercy

“In any assembly where there are discourses about saints and devotees, O King Yudhishthira, even the enemies of the demons, namely the demigods, what to speak of you, would cite Prahlada Maharaja as an example of a great devotee.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.35)

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यं साधु-गाथा-सदसि
रिपवो ’पि सुरा नृप
प्रतिमानं प्रकुर्वन्ति
किम् उतान्ये भवादृशाः

yaṁ sādhu-gāthā-sadasi
ripavo ’pi surā nṛpa
pratimānaṁ prakurvanti
kim utānye bhavādṛśāḥ

Friend1: There is the statement by Narada Muni about how Prahlada would be praised in any assembly of devotees and certain other kinds of people.

Friend2: Do you understand why that needs to be stated, i.e. why that is remarkable?

Friend1: Because Prahlada was an outstanding devotee at just five years of age, showing wisdom well beyond his years?

Friend2: It’s primarily because of the great contrast. He was born in a Daitya family. These were typically enemies to…

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Five Body Parts Which Can Be Shown Through Medical Imagery

Krishna's Mercy

“Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.33)

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अहम् एवासम् एवाग्रे
नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत् परम्
पश्चाद् अहं यद् एतच् च
यो ऽवशिष्येत सो ऽस्म्य् अहम्

aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ‘vaśiṣyeta so ‘smy aham

It is a luxury that generations past never had. The reliance was on faith and the best guesses of the people involved. There were instruments to take measurements from the outside. As an example, you see smoke coming out of the building. A good guess is that an uncontrolled fire…

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Four Activities That Might Not Reflect Well On My Character

Krishna's Mercy

“I am faithfully engaged in the service of Rama, who is a hero and prince of wide renown, who has full control over His senses and mind [jitendriyam], who is mighty-armed, and whose face resembles a full moon.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 47.36)

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पूर्णचन्द्राननं रामं राजवत्सं जितेन्द्रियम्।
पृथुकीर्तिं महात्मानमहं राममनुव्रता।।

pūrṇacandrānanaṃ rāmaṃ rājavatsaṃ jitendriyam।
pṛthukīrtiṃ mahātmānamahaṃ rāmamanuvratā।।

Some people dread it. It’s the last thing they want to happen while they are out. If they are lucky enough to spot the other person first, they look for a way to hide. Move to another aisle in the supermarket. Pretend to be reading the ingredient list on a particular item. Turn around and walk the other way.

Yet the difficulty of the situation is precisely that the person you happen to run into hasn’t been in your vision for…

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Holi 2019

Krishna's Mercy

“Shanda and Amarka, the priests of the demons, were eager to know from Prahlada Maharaja who the Vaishnavas were that came to instruct him in Krishna consciousness. Their purpose was to discover the names of these Vaishnavas. In the beginning they did not threaten the boy because when threatened he might not identify the real culprits.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.8 Purport)

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It was an innocent enough question. Prahlada was young, after all. Just starting school, the father inquired as to the interests of the boy. What subjects grabbed his attention? What did Prahlada consider to be the most valuable knowledge?

In his reply, the boy was thoroughly honest. Too innocent to try to intentionally arouse the hostilities in the father, Prahlada revealed what he considered to be the most important. His words were based on the science of self-realization. The son was…

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Gaura Purnima 2019

Krishna's Mercy

“Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s special mission is the deliverance of all fallen souls in Kali-yuga. Devotees of Krishna must persistently seek the favor and mercy of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to become fit to return home, back to Godhead.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 14.16 Purport)

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Kali-yuga is like an ocean of faults. No one has a complete understanding of just how deep the difficulties stretch. There is one problem after another, with forces impeding genuine progress on all sides. The material world itself is like a vast ocean of suffering that is difficult to cross, and in the age of quarrel and hypocrisy the degree of difficulty increases significantly.

Thankfully, someone special once arrived on a full moon night in the month of Phalguna. Soon to be known as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He induced others to chant the holy names right from the beginning. Penetrating…

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Understanding Hiranyakashipu’s Rise To Power

Krishna's Mercy

“In one who has unflinching devotional faith in Krishna, all the good qualities of Krishna and the demigods are consistently manifest.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 5.18.12)

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यस्यास्ति भक्तिर् भगवत्य् अकिञ्चना
सर्वैर् गुणैस् तत्र समासते सुराः
हराव् अभक्तस्य कुतो महद्-गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहिः

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

How could such a bad person rise to power? It is said in Shrimad Bhagavatam that a person who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord, the personal God, automatically acquires the qualities of the demigods. Typically, the requirement is to first behave in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna. Something like the, “If you’re good you go to heaven,” model, there are delineated acts of charity, sacrifice, and austerity that accumulate pious credits, like in a bank account, to be redeemed at a later date.

Hiranyakashipu…

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Why Didn’t Prahlada Just Stay Quiet

Krishna's Mercy

“Narada Muni continued: When Prahlada Maharaja spoke about the path of self-realization in devotional service, thus being faithful to the camp of his father’s enemies, Hiranyakashipu, the King of the demons, heard Prahlada’s words and he laughingly said, ‘Thus is the intelligence of children spoiled by the words of the enemy.’” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.6)

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श्री-नारद उवाच
श्रुत्वा पुत्र-गिरो दैत्यः
पर-पक्ष-समाहिताः
जहास बुद्धिर् बालानां
भिद्यते पर-बुद्धिभिः

śrī-nārada uvāca
śrutvā putra-giro daityaḥ
para-pakṣa-samāhitāḥ
jahāsa buddhir bālānāṁ
bhidyate para-buddhibhiḥ

Friend1: Do you follow any of the drama involving a new supreme court pick?

Friend2: For the United States overall or under like a state jurisdiction?

Friend1: For the highest court in the land, where there are only nine seats at present.

Friend2: Oh. Not really. Granted, there only seems to be drama when the person making the pick has a specific political affiliation.

Friend1: Right; I…

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