11.30.07
Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 2:58 pm by David Bruce Hughes
yāni nāmāni gauṇāni
vikhyātāni mahātmanaḥ
ṛśibhiḥ parigītāni
tāni vakṣyāmi bhūtaye
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
“In order to attain the supreme goal of life, I shall now chant the celebrated Thousand Holy Names of Lord Viṣṇu. Great sages glorify these Holy Names, because they describe the Lord’s transcendental qualities and pastimes. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya – let me invoke auspiciousness by offering my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with all divine opulence, the son of King Vasudeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 13 [23:13m]:
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oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
janmādy asya yato ‘nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ‘mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
“O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.1]
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
“O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1]
PURPORT
Vāsudevāya means “to Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva.” Since by chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, one can achieve all the good results of charity, austerity and penances, it is to be understood that by the chanting of this mantra, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, the author or the speaker or any one of the readers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is offering respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of all pleasure.
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
mantreṇānena devasya
kuryād dravyamayīṁ budhaḥ
saparyāṁ vividhair dravyair
deśa-kāla-vibhāgavit
“Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. This is the twelve-syllable mantra for worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. One should install the physical forms of the Lord, and with the chanting of the mantra one should offer flowers and fruits and other varieties of foodstuffs exactly according to the rules and regulations prescribed by authorities. But this should be done in consideration of place, time, and attendant conveniences and inconveniences.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.54]
PURPORT
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya is known as the dvādaśākṣara-mantra. This mantra is chanted by Vaiṣṇava devotees, and it begins with praṇava, or oṁkāra. There is an injunction that those who are not brāhmaṇas cannot pronounce the praṇava mantra. But Dhruva Mahārāja was born a kṣatriya. He at once admitted before Nārada Muni that as a kṣatriya he was unable to accept Nārada’s instruction of renunciation and mental equilibrium, which are the concern of a brāhmaṇa. Still, although not a brāhmaṇa but a kṣatriya, Dhruva was allowed, on the authority of Nārada, to pronounce the praṇava oṁkāra. This is very significant. Especially in India, the caste brāhmaṇas object greatly when persons from other castes, who are not born in brāhmaṇa families, recite this praṇava mantra. But here is tacit proof that if a person accepts the Vaiṣṇava mantra or Vaiṣṇava way of worshiping the Deity, he is allowed to chant the praṇava mantra. In Bhagavad-gītā the Lord personally accepts that anyone, even one of a low species, can be elevated to the highest position and go back home, back to Godhead, simply if he worships properly.
raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya
prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu
śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṁ nṛṣu
“O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.” [Bhagavad-gita 7.8]
kara-nyāsaṁ tataḥ kuryād
dvādaśākṣara-vidyayā
praṇavādi-ya-kārāntam
aṅguly-aṅguṣṭha-parvasu
“Then one should chant the mantra composed of twelve syllables [oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya]. Preceding each syllable by the oṁkāra, one should place the syllables of the mantra on the tips of his fingers, beginning with the index finger of the right hand and concluding with the index finger of the left. The four remaining syllables should be placed on the joints of the thumbs.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.8.7]
vṛndāvane ‘aprākṛta navīna madana’
kāma-gāyatrī kāma-bīje yāṅra upāsana
puruṣa, yoṣit, kibā sthāvara-jaṅgama
sarva-cittākarṣaka, sākṣāt manmatha-madana
“In the spiritual realm of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa is the spiritual ever-fresh Cupid. He is worshiped by the chanting of the Kāma-gāyatrī mantra with the spiritual seed klīm. The very name Kṛṣṇa means that He attracts even Cupid. He is therefore attractive to everyone—male and female, moving and inert living entities. Indeed, Kṛṣṇa is known as the all-attractive one.” [Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 8.138-139]
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11.28.07
Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 3:21 pm by David Bruce Hughes
tasya loka-pradhānasya
jagan-nāthasya bhū-pate
viṣṇor nāma-sahasraṁ me
śṛṇu pāpa-bhayāpaham
“Please hear from me the Thousand Holy Names of Lord Viṣṇu, the supreme master and controller of the universe. These Holy Names of the Lord destroy the fearsome reactions of past sinful deeds.
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 12 [21:19m]:
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śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
“Now hear, O son of Pṛthā [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.” [Bhagavad-gita 7.1]
satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate
“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” [Bhagavad-gita 9.14]
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11.26.07
Posted in Community News, Sunday Satsangs at 1:19 pm by David Bruce Hughes
Here is the latest Sunday Satsang video. This program is streamed live over the Internet every Sunday at 11 AM CST. Please join us and you can send in your messages using our interactive videoconferencing system.
Sunday Satsang 11/25/2007:
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11.22.07
Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 12:14 pm by David Bruce Hughes
yataḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni
bhavanty ādi-yugāgame
yasmiṁś ca pralayaṁ yānti
punar eva yuga-kṣaye
“All living beings in the material world come from Lord Kṛṣṇa at the beginning of the creation. Lord Kṛṣṇa maintains them while the creation is manifest, and they enter into Him again when the creation is destroyed.
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 11 [21:29m]:
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aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ‘vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham
“Brahmā, 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.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.33]
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva
“O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” [Bhagavad-gita 7.7]
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni
paśya me yogam aiśvaram
bhūta-bhṛn na ca bhūta-stho
mamātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of creation.” [Bhagavad-gita 9.4-5]
pitāham asya jagato
mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ
vedyaṁ pavitram oṁkāra
ṛk sāma yajur eva ca
“I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support, and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable om. I am also the Ṛk, the Sāma, and the Yajur [Vedas].” [Bhagavad-gita 9.17]
mama yonir mahad brahma
tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham
sambhavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
tato bhavati bhārata
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
“The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata. It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” [Bhagavad-gita 14.3-4]
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” [Bhagavad-gita 10.8]
avyaktād vyaktayaḥ sarvāḥ
prabhavanty ahar-āgame
rātry-āgame pralīyante
tatraivāvyakta-saṁjñake
sahasra-yuga-paryantam
ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ
rātriṁ yuga-sahasrāntāṁ
te ‘ho-rātra-vido janāḥ
“By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahmā’s one day. And such also is the duration of his night. When Brahmā’s day is manifest, this multitude of living entities comes into being, and at the arrival of Brahmā’s night they are all annihilated.” [Bhagavad-gita 8.17-18]
amī hi tvāṁ sura-saṅghā viśanti
kecid bhītāḥ prāñjalayo gṛṇanti
svastīty uktvā maharṣi-siddha-saṅghāḥ
stuvanti tvāṁ stutibhiḥ puṣkalābhiḥ
“All the demigods are surrendering and entering into You. They are very much afraid, and with folded hands they are singing the Vedic hymns.” [Bhagavad-gita 11.21]
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
“Glory to the Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.” [Sri Siksastaka, 1]
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11.19.07
Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 7:55 pm by David Bruce Hughes
pavitrāṇāṁ pavitraṁ yo
maṅgalānāṁ ca maṅgalam
daivatam devatānāṁ ca
bhūtānāṁ yo ’vyayaḥ pitā
“Lord Kṛṣṇa is the most purifying of purifiers, and the power of the Ganges and other places of pilgrimage to remove sinful reactions is derived from Him. He is the most auspicious of all auspicious personalities, and He gives to Gaṇeśa and others the power to remove obstacles. He is the most worshipable person, superior to Brahmā and all the demigods. He is the eternal, original Father of all living entities.
References:
arjuna uvāca
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum
Arjuna said: “You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty.” [Bhagavad-gita 10.12]
teṣāṁ vicaratāṁ padbhyāṁ
tīrthānāṁ pāvanecchayā
bhītasya kiṁ na roceta
tāvakānāṁ samāgamaḥ
“Dear Lord, Your personal associates, devotees, wander all over the world to purify even the holy places of pilgrimage. Is not such activity pleasing to those who are actually afraid of material existence?” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.30.37]
na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni
na devā mṛc-chilā-mayāḥ
te punanty uru-kālena
darśanād eva sādhavaḥ
“Mere bodies of water are not the real sacred places of pilgrimage, nor are mere images of earth and stone the true worshipable deities. These purify one only after a long time, but saintly sages purify one immediately upon being seen.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.84.11]
tatropajagmur bhuvanaṁ punānā
mahānubhāvā munayaḥ sa-śiṣyāḥ
prāyeṇa tīrthābhigamāpadeśaiḥ
svayaṁ hi tīrthāni punanti santaḥ
“At that time all the great minds and thinkers, accompanied by their disciples, and sages who could verily sanctify a place of pilgrimage just by their presence, arrived there on the plea of making a pilgrim’s journey.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.19.8]
punīhi saha-lokaṁ māṁ
loka-pālāṁś ca mad-gatān
pādodakena bhavatas
tīrthānāṁ tīrtha-kāriṇā
adyāhaṁ bhagaval̐ lakṣmyā
āsam ekānta-bhājanam
vatsyaty urasi me bhūtir
bhavat-pāda-hatāṁhasaḥ
“Please purify Me, My realm and the realms of the universal rulers devoted to Me by giving us the water that has washed your feet. This holy water is indeed what makes all places of pilgrimage sacred. Today, my lord, I have become the exclusive shelter of the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī; she will consent to reside on My chest because your foot has rid it of sins.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.89.10-11]
bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatās
tīrtha-bhūtāḥ svayaṁ vibho
tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni
svāntaḥ-sthena gadā-bhṛtā
“Saints of your caliber are themselves places of pilgrimage. Because of their purity, they are constant companions of the Lord, and therefore they can purify even the places of pilgrimage.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.10]
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” [Bhagavad-gita 4.34]
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 10 [21:31m]:
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Posted in Community News, Esoteric Teaching, Podcasts at 12:59 pm by David Bruce Hughes
In this third online Satsang we chant Sri Damodarastakam, talk about Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 9, and answer questions about spiritual life from students in various parts of the world.
Sunday Satsang November 18, 2007 [1:55:00m]:
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11.13.07
Posted in Community News, Sunday Satsangs at 7:05 pm by David Bruce Hughes
In this second Satsang we chant Sri Damodarastakam, talk about Sri Visnusahasranama Slokas 7 & 8, and answer several questions from our students located in various parts of the world.
Sunday Satsang November 11, 2007 [1:58:26m]:
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Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 1:21 pm by David Bruce Hughes
paramaṁ yo mahat-tejaḥ
paramaṁ yo mahat-tapaḥ
paramaṁ yo mahad brahma
paramaṁ yaḥ parāyaṇam
“Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is supremely powerful and splendid, and the sun and other luminaries derive their splendor and heat from Him. He is partially manifest as the Brahman effulgence. He is the ultimate shelter of all living entities.
References:
samāśritā ye padapallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhāvambudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
paraṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint. , or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” [Srimad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.58]
yad āditya-gataṁ tejo
jagad bhāsayate ‘khilam
yac candramasi yac cāgnau
tat tejo viddhi māmakam
“The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.” [Bhagavad-gita 15.12]
yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ
śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ
mama tejo-’ṁśa-sambhavam
“Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.” [Bhagavad-gita 10.41]
yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ
rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ
yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“The sun who is the king of all the planets, full of infinite effulgence, the image of the good soul, is as the eye of this world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in pursuance of whose order the sun performs his journey mounting the wheel of time.” [Brahma-samhita 5.52]
puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca
tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau
jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
tapaś cāsmi tapasviṣu
“I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.” [Bhagavad-gita 7.9]
buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ ṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ
sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo ‘bhāvo bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca
ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis apo dānaṁ yaśo ‘yaśaḥ
bhavanti bhāvā bhūtānāṁ matta eva pṛthag-vidhāḥ
“Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.” [Bhagavad-gita 10.4-5]
The Blessed Lord said: “Fearlessness, purification of one’s existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the passion for honor-these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature.” [Bhagavad-gita 16.1-3]
mama yonir mahad brahma
tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham
sambhavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
tato bhavati bhārata
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
“The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata. It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” [Bhagavad-gita 14.3-4]
sa vā ayaṁ brahma mahad-vimṛgya-
kaivalya-nirvāṇa-sukhānubhūtiḥ
priyaḥ suhṛd vaḥ khalu mātuleya
ātmārhaṇīyo vidhi-kṛd guruś ca
“The impersonal Brahman is Kṛṣṇa Himself because Kṛṣṇa is the source of the impersonal Brahman. He is the origin of the transcendental bliss sought by great saintly persons, yet He, the Supreme Person, is your most dear friend and constant well-wisher and is intimately related to you as the son of your maternal uncle. Indeed, He is always like your body and soul. He is worshipable, yet He acts as your servant and sometimes as your spiritual master.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.10.49]
“A self-surrendered devotee of the Lord is called nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa. Such a person is never afraid of any place or person, not even of death. For him nothing is as important as the Supreme Lord, and thus he gives equal importance to heaven and hell. He knows well that both heaven and hell are creations of the Lord, and similarly life and death are different conditions of existence created by the Lord. But in all conditions and in all circumstances, remembrance of Nārāyaṇa is essential. The nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa practices this constantly.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.18.2 Purport]
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 9 [22:09m]:
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11.09.07
Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 2:26 pm by David Bruce Hughes
eṣa me sarva-dharmāṇāṁ
dharmo ’dhikatamo mataḥ
yad bhaktyā puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
stavair arcen naraḥ sadā
“In my opinion, the best of all spiritual activities is to continuously and devotedly worship lotus-eyed Lord Kṛṣṇa by reciting prayers glorifying Him and describing His Holy Names.
References:
maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ
girām asmy ekam akṣaram
yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ’smi
sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ
“Of the great sages I am Bhṛgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental om. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the Holy Names [japa], and of immovable things I am the Himalayas.” [Bhagavad-gita 10.25]
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṇkīrtanam
“Glory to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
“O my Lord, Your Holy Name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Kṛṣṇa and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your Holy Names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
“One should chant the Holy Name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the Holy Name of the Lord constantly.” [Śri Śikṣāṣṭaka, 1-3]
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17]
kiṁ pramattasya bahubhiḥ
parokṣair hāyanair iha
varaṁ muhūrtaṁ viditaṁ
ghaṭate śreyase yataḥ
“What is the value of a prolonged life which is wasted, inexperienced by years in this world? Better a moment of full consciousness, because that gives one a start in searching after his supreme interest.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.12]
aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān
yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā
brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te
“Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your Holy Name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the Holy Name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the Holy Name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.33.7]
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 8 [20:25m]:
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11.07.07
Posted in Podcasts, Sri Visnusahasranama at 12:46 pm by David Bruce Hughes
brahmaṇyaṁ sarva-dharmajñaṁ
lokānāṁ kīrti-vardhanam
loka-nāthaṁ mahad-bhūtam
sarva-bhūta-bhavodbhavam
“Lord Viṣṇu is the protector and well-wisher of the brāhmaṇas, aware of all principles of religion, the Lord who expands the glory of His devotees, the supreme monarch of all planetary systems, the embodiment of all opulence and the original Father of Brahmā, Śiva and all living entities.
References:
sūta uvāca
iti bhītaḥ prajā-drohāt
sarva-dharma-vivitsayā
tato vinaśanaṁ prāgād
yatra deva-vrato ‘patat
Sūta Gosvāmī said: “Being afraid for having killed so many subjects on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira went to the scene of the massacre. There, Bhīṣmadeva was lying on a bed of arrows, about to pass away.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.1]
sūta uvāca
apīpalad dharma-rājaḥ
pitṛvad rañjayan prajāḥ
niḥspṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyaḥ
kṛṣṇa-pādānusevayā
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: “Emperor Yudhiṣṭhira administered generously to everyone during his reign. He was exactly like his father. He had no personal ambition and was freed from all sorts of sense gratification because of his continuous service unto the lotus feet of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.12.4]
namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ
“My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” [Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.65]
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
“The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.” [Bhagavad-gita 5.29]
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni
paśya me yogam aiśvaram
bhūta-bhṛn na ca bhūta-stho
mamātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of creation.” [Bhagavad-gita 9.4-5]
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.” [Bhagavad-gita 14.4]
Sri Visnusahasranama Sloka 7 [22:03m]:
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