The Third Day The previous day’s defeat had warned Bhishma, who more prudently organized his armies into the Garuda formation. He had placed himself in the beak of the gigantic bird; in the eyes stood Drona … Read More
The Second Day With the image of Bhishma still before their eyes, the Pandavas deployed their troops in the form called krauncha, deeming it more effective in countering his action. Seeing this, Duryodhana became alarmed and … Read More
Other main disciples A short list of some of Syamananda’s prominent disciples is given in the Bhakti Ratnakara[1]: Rasika Murari, Radhananda, Purusottama, Manohara, Cintamani, Balabhadra, Jagadisvara, Uddhava, Akrura, Madhuvana, Govinda, Jagannatha, Gadadhara, Anandananda and Radhamohana. … Read More
Krishna took compassion upon Brahmā because of his inability to see how Krishna was displaying the forms of Visnu and transforming Himself into calves and cowherd boys, and thus, while fully manifesting the Visnu expansions, … Read More
Upon arriving there, Syamananda paid his obeisances to his Guru, and Hridaya Caitanya Prabhu embraced him and inquired about the well-being of the Gosvamis of Vrindavana. When he heard that the books of the Gosvamis … Read More
Following Agastya’s advice, Rama, Laksmana, and Sita went to Pancavati. As they made their way to their destination, they encountered a giant vulture watching them menacingly. It was so big that Sita began to tremble with … Read More
The humility of the devotee is described by Sanatana Gosvami in the next verse, quoted by Srila Rupa Gosvami in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. One who has reached the level of rati (bhava) and with steadfast faith … Read More
What is the Aranyaka portion of the Vedas? They are sections of Sruti (the Vedas), some of which are the Samhitas, the Upavedas, the Vedangas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, the Sutras, the Upangas, etc. The … Read More
The same person who was Maharaja Janaka, the king of Mithila, appeared during Lord Caitanya’s pastimes as Vallabhacarya. Some people differ from this view, and say that Vallabhacarya was an incarnation of Maharaja Bhismaka[1]. … Read More
At that point it was necessary to choose the right place to hide. In fact, the quiet period that followed the union of Bhima with Hidimbi had certainly not canceled the serious problem that poisoned their … Read More
After this manifestation of Lord Visnu, Brahmā saw that many other Brahmās and Śivas and demigods and even insignificant living entities down to the ants and very small straws – all moving and nonmoving living entities … Read More
He who chants the holy names has no other desire than pure devotion to Krishna. This is confirmed in the Siksastaka (4) as follows: na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye … Read More
After Tulasi Puja, a nice set of 16 rounds or more of quality Japa. This means articulate pronunciation of the holy names for the pleasure of the Divine Couple. Quality Japa means when you don’t want … Read More
Phullakalika’s father is called Sri Malla and her mother is Kamalini. Her syama complexion[1] is like that of a blue lotus and she wears enchanting clothes resembling the rainbow. Her shining forehead is beautified by a … Read More
One day, after finishing his religious rites and ablutions, the sage returned to the hermitage. And there, radiant with the light of a thousand suns, Brahma, the first being born, the one who designed and built … Read More
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped … Read More
It was late at night. Not far from their camp lived a Rakshasa named Hidimba and his sister Hidimbi. For years the two had been spreading death and pain and the inhabitants of that region trembled … Read More
I was very young when I started wondering what kind of life I wanted to lead. Among my friends there were those who wanted to be politicians, some astronauts, some physicists. I wanted to be … Read More
Ananga Manjari, Sri Radha’s younger sister, has an enchanting complexion resembling a spring ketaki flower[1] and she wears clothes resembling a blue lotus. Even Cupid (Ananga) is attracted by her beauty and sweetness; thus her … Read More
But let’s go back to the Pandavas. The escape of the five brothers was so frantic that Kunti could not keep up. Bhima then took his mother on his shoulders so that they could continue running … Read More
