By Mahanidhi Swami We are chanting the greatest of all possible mantras: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!!! And we are all chanting our diksha mantras with faith, love, determination, steadiness, knowledge and hope. The firm hope that these mantras will purify our minds, fill […]
By Mahanidhi Swami Om emanates from Krishna’s flute and manifests first as Gayatri, then as the Vedas, the Vedanta-sutras, and finally as the Srimad Bhagavatam. In its beginning, middle and end the Srimad Bhagavatam stresses the efficacy of chanting Krishna’s holy names. Indeed, the concluding sloka of Srila Vyasadeva’s great treatise recommends chanting Krishna’s holy […]
By Mahanidhi Swami The sastras repeatedly stress the incredible power of chanting Krishna’s holy names. Harinama, even without diksa, or any preliminary rites of purification immediately produces results as soon as it contacts the tongue, “The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is so amazingly powerful that it gives fruit as soon as it touches the tongue. This […]
By Mahanidhi Swami The Brahma-gayatri, om bhur bhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam… is certainly a most powerful and purifying mantra available to the fortunate few. However, the pancharatrika diksha mantras and the Hare Krishna maha-mantra are supremely powerful, and they are available to everyone irrespective of one’s caste, creed, country, color or gender. Now let’s […]
By Mahanidhi Swami When one becomes serious about spiritual progress in life he/she may seek a Guru to learn how to attain spiritual perfection. But who is my guru, what to look for, and how to choose which one among the thousands of divine preceptors gracing the planet? From whom should one accept mantra–diksa? Let’s […]
By Mahanidhi Swami Each and every Guru, be they vartma pradarshaka, siksha or diksha, is an extraordinary and special personality. If we are connected with any of these guardians of Divinity, we are fortunate and should be very grateful and always remain loyal. To further understand how to select a spiritual master, Srila Sanatana Goswamipada […]
By Mahanidhi Swami The word Upanayanam means adjacent to, supplemental to the eye, or keeping one close by. Upanayanam is the eye of spiritual knowledge, or the vision induced by proper initiation into the Gayatri. The term Upanayanam is connected with the Vedic gurukula tradition wherein the preceptor would keep his students close by in […]
By Mahanidhi Swami The word namaḥ is uttered by all disciples whenever they offer respects unto the lotus feet of their respective spiritual masters: om ajnana timirandhasya, jnan anjana shalakaya, chakshur unmilitam yena, tasmai sri guruve NAMAH. But exactly what does the word namah mean? In general, namah means, “I am offering obeisance unto the […]
By Mahanidhi Swami Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura describes how Caitanya Mahaprabhu instituted the first Vyasa-puga ceremony in 1509 a.d. through Sri Nityānanda Prabhu in Srivāsa Angana, Mayapura, West Bengal: “Srivasa Pandita, the head priest for the function, gave Lord Nityananda a flower garland to offer to a painting of Vyasadeva. Holding the garland in His […]
By Mahanidhi Swami To serve and not to be served is the constitutional position of the jiva, the living entity. Forgetting his real eternal nature, the conditioned soul becomes the false master of the material world. He plays the role of God and tries to enjoy his senses in every way imaginable and unimaginable. Though […]