Tag Archive for: Siddhi

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Eclipse & Mantra Siddhi

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

To attain siddhi or perfection in chanting of the diksha mantras i.e. gopal mantra, Sri Sanatana Goswami says the one must observe the purashcaran process which he and Sri Rupa did before meeting Sri Chaitanya. (Bhakti-ratnakara I.647)

In over 220 verses, Hari Bhakti Vilasa describes the details of purashcaran

Puja- traikaliki- nityam- japas -tarpanam -eva -ca
Homo- brahmana-bhuktish- ca- purashcaranam ucyate
Guror- labdhasya -mantrasya -prasadena -yatha-vidhi
Panchanga upasana-siddhyai –purash- caitad -vidhiyate

“The purashcaran process is as follows:

‘In the morning, afternoon and evening of each day of purashcaran, one must do:

murti-puja;
murmur the gopal diksha mantra;
offer tarpana, oblations to ancestors;
perform homa, fire sacrifice; and
feed brahmins.

‘To do purashcaran vrata, one must do these five activities daily for as many days (20, 30, 45) it takes to chant one’s diksa mantra 18,000 times or whatever number one vows to murmur (sankalpa). To attain siddhi in the gopal diksha mantra received from Sri Guru, one must observe the purashcaran process.’” (Hari Bhakti Vilasa 17.11–12)

Hari-bhakti-vilasa (17.4–5, 7) says:

vina -yena -na –siddhah – syan -mantro -varsha-shatair -api
krtena -yena -labhate -sadhako –vanchitam -phalam
purashcarana-sampanno -mantro -hi -phala-dhayakah

“Without doing purashcaran, one cannot attain mantra siddhi even by chanting the diksha mantra for hundreds of years. But one who does purashcaran can very easily attain mantra siddhi.”

At the end of the description of the purashcaran process, Sri Sanatana Goswami describes a samkshipta-purashcaran, a brief or “short cut” form of it.

“During a solar or lunar eclipse, one should fast, remain in a pure state of mind, and chant the gopal diksha mantra from the beginning of the eclipse until the end (sparsha time to moksha time), while standing in the water of a river that flows into the sea up to his waist.” (Hari Bhakti Vilasa 17.235-236)

Regarding this point, Pandit Sri Krishna Das Babaji said that according to Hari Bhakti Vilasa (17.17-21), one may chant in other places also: “Purashcaran may be done by the side of a river, underneath a bilva or banyan tree, within water, in a holy place, before murti of Sri Krishna [best place], on the seashore, or any place where you can easily concentrate your mind.”

Before observing a purashcaran vrata one should receive blessings from Sri Guru. After bathing, dress in clean cloth (dhoti & chadar or sari), sit on a pure asana, and chant the gopal mantra without stopping or getting up for the entire eclipse period.

The Moon eclipse on June 5-6th is not mentioned or observed in the Radha-kunda Babaji Panchangam. But the Sun eclipse is described, and one can do purashcaran then.

Sun eclipse June 21
Chanting time 10.20 a.m. to 1.50 p.m.

After doing purashcaran, one must bathe, change clothes, worship Sri Guru and take maha-prasad after full Thakurji puja.

Jai Jai Sri Radhe! Mantra siddhi ki jai!

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Self-Realization Means What?

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

Sometimes we hear someone say, “O so and so is self-realized” which is the goal of all spiritual practices. But exactly what does it mean to be a self-realized soul? There is a common saying, “it takes one to know one” which means that the self-realized one is the best person to answer this question.

Thus, we turned to Srila Prabhupada’s direct words describing self-realization because he is a perfectly self-realized soul, and liberated pure devotee of Sri Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. All the sincere Krishna bhaktas striving for self-realization and Radha-Krishna prema will greatly benefit by studying these words of Srila Prabhupada, and trying to embody these qualities and actions in their personal lives.

The following statements are taken from the BBT Folio collection of Srila Prabhupada’s personal words.

16 DEFINITIONS of SELF-REALIZATION

Srila Prabhupada said:

– Self-realization means understanding Krishna and one’s eternal relationship with Him.

-Self-realization means “I am dependent on Krishna. I am eternal servant of Krishna. Let me engage myself to the service of Bhagavan Sri Krishna.”

-Self-realization means becoming indifferent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and becoming serious about the activities of the self.

-Self-realization means becoming a pure devotee of Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

-Self-realization means seeing one’s proper identity as the infinitesimal jiva. At the present moment, we are seeing the body, but we have no vision of the real person occupying the body.

-Self-realization means that energy should be transferred for Krishna.

-Self-realization means to know that “I am not this body. I am spirit soul. I am part and parcel of God.”

-One who is self-realized knows that all mundane emotions have nothing to do with the pure soul, whose natural propensity is to engage in the loving service of Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

-One who is self-realized is not bewildered by the birth and death of the material body, knowing himself to be eternal.

-When one becomes self-realized, two things are conspicuous by absence: no more hankering and no more lamenting [for material things].

-A self-realized person knows that this material cosmic manifestation is a temporary, illusory representation appearing to be truth.

-A self-realized person knows quite well that material happiness is the very cause of continued material existence and forgetfulness of one’s own constitutional position.

-When one is self-realized he becomes joyful because he is free from the material contamination of lamentation and hankering.

-A self-realized person automatically gives up everything irrelevant to his spiritual advancement.

-A self-realized person sees all living entities equally.

-A self-realized person is always engaged in Krishna consciousness.

By the blessings of Sri Sri Guru, Nitai-Gaura Sitanatha and Sri Hari Nama Prabhu may we all very quickly become self-realized, pure loving devotees of Sri Sri Radha Govindadeva.

Giriraja Baba ki jai! Srila Prabhupada Pure Devotees ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!