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Post by Nitaidas on Apr 24, 2022 10:33:40 GMT -6
Thanks Radhapada for your post on Bhaktivedanta's comments and relationship with his childhood guru. His references to Professional gurus is, of course, Vaisnava aparadha. Who knows what his goswami guru was really like? I wonder if there is any more information on him and his family. Sri Jiva is clear. Even if one's gurudeva is a fool, one should not reject him, but see him only occasionally and offer him due respect. Only in the case of Vaisnava aparadha can one justifiably reject a guru. The rules on that are given in the footnotes of in Manindra Guha's Nectar of the Holy Name (Namamrta-sindhu-bindu).
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Post by Nitaidas on Apr 24, 2022 10:58:02 GMT -6
KalA would mean part and parcel correct? Right! It is literally one sixteenth of something. There are sixteen kalAs in a whole. KalA, of course, also means art as in the 64 arts. It is based on the root kal which has twelve meanings in Apte, the last one being To take hold of the die called Kali.  I guess I already answered this and forgot  |
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Post by Nitaidas on Apr 24, 2022 11:07:02 GMT -6
I don't know if he wrote anything directly on CV. I am finally reading his Initiation into Yoga, and I just got his Yoga of the Bhagavad-gita. His Yoga of the Kathopanisad is on the way. I don't understand his relationship with Theosophy and Madam Blavatsky. Talk about fictional mystics. Anyway, his disciple Madhav Ashish seems to have respected her work and maybe he did, too. They wrote a book together called Man, the Measure of All Things that is a commentary on stanzas supposedly "revealed" to the good madam by some ascended master. There seem to be some collections of Sri Krishna Prem's letters that I would like to look at and Madhav Ashish was writing a biography of Sri Krishna Prem when he died (1997). Perhaps that will come out sometime and clear up some of these questions. His guru was a Bengali woman named Yasoda Mai who was initiated by one of the Radharaman Goswamis, I believe. It would be great to turn up something clearly influenced by CV in his work, but perhaps he kept that to himself. Hi everyone, Just me, bumping a 12-year-old thread again, as I came across this post about Krishna Prem and wanted to reply! Yes, he was a Theosophist first, then a Buddhist, then briefly a Vedantist, before becoming a Vaishnava. Theosophy is something I find hard to accept, too, but Yashoda Mai's husband, a Shakta by background, was a committed Theosophist who knew HPB and accompanied Annie Besant to the Parliament of Religions (where Vivekananda represented Hinduism). He was also regarded as the latter's guru for a time. theosophy.wiki/en/G._N._ChakravartiBoth Yashoda Mai and Krishna Prem accepted the existence of the Theosophical 'Masters' and the Uttar Brindaban ashram had pictures of Blavatsky’s Masters alongside those of Radha-Krishna and other Hindu gods. He learnt Hindi from the Bhagavata, and obviously wrote commentaries on the Gita and Kathopanishad, but as far as I know never mentions the Goswamis or their writings. Both Madhava Ashish and Charles Brooks, in The Hare Krishnas in India, are of the opinion that neither were particularly attracted to Chaitanya, but the fact the Chakravartis had a pre-existing relationship with Bal Krishna Goswami of Radha Raman Temple meant they ended up in the Gaudiya sampradaya. Monica was keen that her disciple be accepted by Vaishnava society and made sure he got a proper initiation, whereas she probably wouldn't have bothered otherwise. So they are in the lineage but I think it could have just as easily been the Pushtimarg or whoever, depending on how things shook out. (Interestingly, Dilip Kumar Roy is supposedly in the Advaita vamsa!) He also very much stressed a multi-faceted yogic approach towards the 'Path' -- Madhava Ashish would say he liked gyana to bones and bhakti to flesh: neither can live without the other. This is similar to what Helena Blavatsky once told GN Chakravarti on the difference: "‘Some people like jam with their bread and some like cheese." The biography, which is really more of a history of the ashram, exists, though it finishes abruptly in 1950. While it would not be released in its current form (it's more a collection of notes and anecdotes) but I am drawing on it for my biography. Thanks for revitalizing this thread, Jon. It sounds like you have done some great work on Sri Krishna Prem. I look forward to hearing more about what you have discovered. He wrote a lot to Sri Aurobindo, too, did he not? I remember coming across some of those letters way back when. |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 26, 2022 1:13:50 GMT -6
Hi everyone, Just me, bumping a 12-year-old thread again, as I came across this post about Krishna Prem and wanted to reply! Yes, he was a Theosophist first, then a Buddhist, then briefly a Vedantist, before becoming a Vaishnava. Theosophy is something I find hard to accept, too, but Yashoda Mai's husband, a Shakta by background, was a committed Theosophist who knew HPB and accompanied Annie Besant to the Parliament of Religions (where Vivekananda represented Hinduism). He was also regarded as the latter's guru for a time. theosophy.wiki/en/G._N._ChakravartiBoth Yashoda Mai and Krishna Prem accepted the existence of the Theosophical 'Masters' and the Uttar Brindaban ashram had pictures of Blavatsky’s Masters alongside those of Radha-Krishna and other Hindu gods. He learnt Hindi from the Bhagavata, and obviously wrote commentaries on the Gita and Kathopanishad, but as far as I know never mentions the Goswamis or their writings. Both Madhava Ashish and Charles Brooks, in The Hare Krishnas in India, are of the opinion that neither were particularly attracted to Chaitanya, but the fact the Chakravartis had a pre-existing relationship with Bal Krishna Goswami of Radha Raman Temple meant they ended up in the Gaudiya sampradaya. Monica was keen that her disciple be accepted by Vaishnava society and made sure he got a proper initiation, whereas she probably wouldn't have bothered otherwise. So they are in the lineage but I think it could have just as easily been the Pushtimarg or whoever, depending on how things shook out. (Interestingly, Dilip Kumar Roy is supposedly in the Advaita vamsa!) He also very much stressed a multi-faceted yogic approach towards the 'Path' -- Madhava Ashish would say he liked gyana to bones and bhakti to flesh: neither can live without the other. This is similar to what Helena Blavatsky once told GN Chakravarti on the difference: "‘Some people like jam with their bread and some like cheese." The biography, which is really more of a history of the ashram, exists, though it finishes abruptly in 1950. While it would not be released in its current form (it's more a collection of notes and anecdotes) but I am drawing on it for my biography. Thanks for revitalizing this thread, Jon. It sounds like you have done some great work on Sri Krishna Prem. I look forward to hearing more about what you have discovered. He wrote a lot to Sri Aurobindo, too, did he not? I remember coming across some of those letters way back when. He wrote a lot to Sri Aurobindo in the 1930s, as part of a 'three-sided' correspondence organised by Dilip Kumar Roy (as included in the first part of Yogi Sri Krishnaprem), who was a friend and admirer of Krishna Prem and disciple of Aurobindo. Sri Krishna Prem also reviewed Lights on Yoga and "Savitri" (very positively -- also included in Yogi Sri Krishnaprem) in the Aryan Path in 1934 and 35. As for his personal feelings on the man, I believe he thought him very learned and showed him great respect, but not a "Mahatma" on the level of other sadhus he met, such as Ramana Maharishi. On a personal level, I've created a Facebook page for the book, to which I have yet to invite any Facebook friends, so it's just me and my wife who have "liked it" for now! If there is any interest in following it, please do: www.facebook.com/srikrsnaprema |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 27, 2022 2:22:48 GMT -6
Regarding the Goswamis' writings, I just came across this this morning, in which Sri Krishna Prem thanks Sri Kanupriya Goswami for making a summary of the Goswamis' literature available in Bengali. Is anyone familiar with this book and its contents? archive.org/details/yeFD_jivera-svarupa-o-svadharma-bengali-kanupriya-gosvami/page/n257/mode/2up?q=%22Krishna+Prem%22Krishna Prem references Sat Sandarbhas, so he is aware of its existence (having presumably been instructed by Bal Krishna Goswami), but I note with slight amusement he thinks it's "Gouriya Vaishnavism", rather than "Gaudiya", and this is two years after his initiation! |
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Post by Nityānanda dāsa on Apr 27, 2022 4:52:06 GMT -6
...Krishna Prem references Sat Sandarbhas, so he is aware of its existence (having presumably been instructed by Bal Krishna Goswami), but I note with slight amusement he thinks it's "Gouriya Vaishnavism", rather than "Gaudiya", and this is two years after his initiation! Radhe Radhe! Gaudiya is often mis/spelled or transliterated as Gouriya. It is not a reference to something totally separate. And the book you sent a link to is FANTASTIC!!! It is a book I've been working on republishing and I'm close but have been lazy about the work ☹. If ever there was a good and true book on 'self realization' this book by Prabhupad Kanupriya Goswami is it!!! Thanks for sharing the link. I didnt know it was there on archive! 🙏🏻 |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Apr 27, 2022 7:09:45 GMT -6
...Krishna Prem references Sat Sandarbhas, so he is aware of its existence (having presumably been instructed by Bal Krishna Goswami), but I note with slight amusement he thinks it's "Gouriya Vaishnavism", rather than "Gaudiya", and this is two years after his initiation! Radhe Radhe! Gaudiya is often mis/spelled or transliterated as Gouriya. It is not a reference to something totally separate. And the book you sent a link to is FANTASTIC!!! It is a book I've been working on republishing and I'm close but have been lazy about the work ☹. If ever there was a good and true book on 'self realization' this book by Prabhupad Kanupriya Goswami is it!!! Thanks for sharing the link. I didnt know it was there on archive! 🙏🏻 Yes, Sri Madhava Ashish always wrote it Ga/ouriya, but that's because he thought it was a reference to Ga/our(anga) rather than Gauda, so it seems he picked it up from his guru. I hadn't seen it written that way elsewhere but I just googled and you're right. That's great to know! It was just added to Archive a few days ago. Are you planning on translating it or just republishing in Bengali? |
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Post by Nitaidas on Jun 2, 2022 11:56:35 GMT -6
I want to plug a couple of excellent books I am reading now: A surprising find is The Sweet Teachings of the Blessed Sankaracarya Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. Swamiji was the Sankaracarya of the Jyotir Math in the Himalayas. This book is a translation of a Hindi work ( Sri Sankaracarya Upadesamrta) based on his lectures compiled by one of his disciples, Rameshwar Prasad Tiwari. Note how misleading the Hindi title is. It implies that this is a presentation of the teachings of Adi Sankara and demonstrates how it came to be that over 200 books are attributed to Adi Sankara most of which were actually by later Sankaras who were/are mahants at the various maths. Anyway, Brahmananda Sawaswati was the gurudev of the the Maharshi of Transcendental Meditation fame. I had heard of him before as an elevated saint who in addition to being the Sankaracarya of an important and ancient monastery (Jyotir Math) and a member of the highest class of Sankarite sannyasi, studied and loved the Bhagavata Purana. So it is no surprise to find that Swamiji sounds amazingly more like a bhakta than an Advaitin sannyasi. The book contains 108 teachings that emphasize the importance of devotion to Bhagavan and of reciting his names. The influence of the Bhagavata is clearly present throughout the book. One can find it here.It is interesting to approach the Bhagavata through the eyes of a sadhu like Brahmananda Sarasvati. Up next a fine study of the rise of the Goddess ( Devi-mahatmya). |
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Post by Nitaidas on Jun 16, 2022 11:13:49 GMT -6
Greetings everyone,
Sorry for my absence from the forum for a week or two. I have been traveling to Crestone Colorado where my wife Betsy and I have a small summer home and where we stay generally from June to November. It is a beautiful place to live, lots of sunshine and fresh air (well, provided there are no forest fires in California, New Mexico, Arizona, or Colorado: we sometimes get smoke from those fires wafted in by the great West to East winds of the planet). I must extend my thanks and gratitude to my gurubhai Jagadish Das who offered me this land repeatedly some years ago. Once I saw the land over shadowed by the great Sangre de Cristo mountain range I accepted his generous offer. He bought it many years ago thinking this area would become a spiritual Mecca, which to some degree it has thanks to generous offers of free land by Hanna Strong back in the 80s to religious organizations who would set up ashramas, retreat facilities, and other institutes here. Many Buddhist organizations accepted and so the place is filled with Tibetan monasteries, a Zen center, and a few Hindu groups. There is a lovely Hindu temple called Haidakhandi Universal Temple in which resides the great goddess Mahalaksmi. She is beautiful and powerful and is cared for by followers of Shri Haidakhan Wale Baba. Though he seems to have been a Shaivite himself, he encouraged his followers to embrace other Gods and Goddesses, as a result of which the image of Mahalakshmi was installed in this temple here. There is also an Aurobindo group here that has weekly sat-sangas and sponsors other programs as well. I find it a wonderful place to work and live. Daily walks through the forests keep me and Betsy healthy and the elevation (8000 ft) mean the weather is mild, though dry. At any rate, I will start posting more now that I am set up here. Hope everyone is well and receiving the full grace of Radha and Krsna and Mahaprabhu.
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Post by Nitaidas on Dec 19, 2022 16:31:58 GMT -6
Well it has been a minute (as they say nowadays). I see I lied in my last post. I said I would post more frequently once settling in Crestone, but I didn't. Perhaps I will start now. I say "perhaps" because I don't want to lie again. I have been busy over the last several months with a number of projects, some old, some not so old, and some new. I started a document, for instance, on the spur of the moment and in spite of being involved in many other projects, called The Holy Names of Sri Hari which is collection of documents, some from the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, on the theology of the Holy Names, which has been a recurring interest of mine.I just felt the need to think more about and promote the theology of the Holy Names. I have come to realize over the years that repeating, singing, glorifying the Holy Names is the single most important practice that we have. It is effective and powerful whether one is initiated or not, and, for those not yet initiated, the Holy Names, being not different from Hari, will lead them to the gurudev who is right for them. Thus, even those in IGM who have not been graced yet by diksa can still find their way to the feet of an authentic gurudev with the love and help of the Holy Name. As long as they and we chant the outcome will be good. Diksa may be necessary at some point for the performance of certain kinds of seva (puja. smarana, etc), but the foundation of our practice is nama-japa and nama-sankirtana. So, I thought, why not gather all the important documents on the Holy Names into one book and make it available in a new translation. I will post that document here somewhere. It has grow considerably since I started and will continue to grow as more materials are added. Keep any eye out for it. Jaya Radhe!
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Post by madanmohandas on Dec 24, 2022 2:52:24 GMT -6
Dear Nitai, I expect you are familiar with Shankara's commentary on Vishnu Saharsranama, well, there are a couple of lengthy ones where he cites many of the verses that we still do today on the greatness of the name. The commentary on 'esa me sarvadharmaanaam...' and on 'pavitraanaam pavitram yo....' apart from his tendency to casuistry and counter intuitive readings (maybe that's not fair), I love Shankara's writings, at least what I have in English. I heard it was the first work he undertook to elucidate and the legend goes that it was chosen by destiny 'yadrchayaa'  that's my favorite word right now, and one comes across it a lot, even Krishna uses it in reference to how one becomes a devotee; somehow or other. |
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that's my favorite word right now, and one comes across it a lot, even Krishna uses it in reference to how one becomes a devotee; somehow or other.