PURUSOTAM MONTH !!

[Guest guest]

HARE KRISHNA !!!

 

ITS PURUSOTAM MONTH !!

 

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE POST THE GLORY OF THIS MONTH..AND THE DOs & DONTs

 

HARI-BOL !!

 

 

**********************************************************************

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and

intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they

are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify

the system administrator: administrator.

 

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by

F-Secure for the presence of computer viruses.

 

Visit us at www.smollan.co.za

**********************************************************************

[Guest guest]

-

"Jaswant Soni" <SoniJ

<achintya>

Monday, July 19, 2004 9:38 PM

PURUSOTAM MONTH !!

 

 

| HARE KRISHNA !!!

|

| ITS PURUSOTAM MONTH !!

|

| CAN SOMEONE PLEASE POST THE GLORY OF THIS MONTH..AND THE DOs & DONTs

|

| HARI-BOL !!

|

|

| **********************************************************************

| This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and

| intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they

| are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify

| the system administrator: administrator.

|

| This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by

| F-Secure for the presence of computer viruses.

|

| Visit us at www.smollan.co.za

| **********************************************************************

|

|

|

|

| Achintya Homepage: achintya

|

| DISCLAIMER: All postings appearing on Achintya are the property of their

authors, and they may not be cross-posted to other forums without prior

approval by said authors. Views expressed in Achintya postings are those of

their authors only, and are not necessarily endorsed by the moderator or

spiritual leaders of the Gaudiiya school. not necessarily endorsed by the

moderator or spiritual leaders of the Gaudiiya school.

| Links

|

|

|

|

|

|

| [ Scanned by JARING E-Mail Virus Scanner ( http://www.jaring.my ) ]

[Guest guest]

achintya, "Jaswant Soni" <SoniJ@s...> wrote:

> HARE KRISHNA !!!

>

> ITS PURUSOTAM MONTH !!

>

> CAN SOMEONE PLEASE POST THE GLORY OF THIS MONTH..AND THE DOs &

DONTs

>

> HARI-BOL !!

 

-

sreecgmath-us

Tuesday, July 13, 2004 3:29 PM

[sreecgmath-us] Holiest Month - Purushottama

 

Holiest Month - Purushottama

- H.D.G. Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj

 

(Starting from July 17th, 2004)

 

This is a summary of discourse on significance of Purushottama-

month, by HIs Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami

Maharaj, President-Acharya of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math.

 

vande navaghana-syam dvibhujam murlidharam

pitambardharam devam saradham purusottamam

 

"I offer my obeisances to Navaganasyam (Krsna, who has the color of

a fresh rain cloud), who is holding the flute with His two hands. I

worship Purusottama who is so beautiful in His yellow dress

(pitambhara).I pray for the causeless mercy of my Gurudeva, His

Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami, to give me

strength, to sing the glories of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna and His

personal associates, to purify my mind and to get exclusive one-

pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. I pay my innumerable

prostrated obeisances to my most revered siksa gurus and I pay my

due respects to all who are present here.

 

By the will of the Supreme Lord we have come back to India during

this month of Purusottama, which is actually the holiest month.

 

According to our almanac every three years, one month is added. This

is done to harmonize the lunar month (Chandra-maas) with the solar

month (Soar Maas). The inserted month is known as 'Purusottama', and

is technically called an 'intercalary month'. According to some

smarta Brahmins, this month is unholy. They call it 'tarnished'.

 

Prescribing various holy functions for all months of the year, they

left out this additional month taking it to be unholy ('tarnished')

for no holy activity can be performed therein.

 

Yet Vaishnava devotees object to this, arguing that not a single

moment is to be spent without the worship of the Supreme Lord. If

you spent it to the contrary, your life will be spoiled. If we shall

not do any holy work in this month, then if we will die in this

month we shall go to hell? This is not the purpose. But these karma-

kandis, who prescribed these rituals and regulations were inclined

to observe them merely for achieving material benefits in this world

and being uplifted after death to heaven. Taking this to be the aim

and not being able to understand the purpose behind it, they

encourage the observance of rules and rituals. So, they neglected

this month.

 

As everything has got consciousness in the background -- the example

is given of the sun, which is presided over by the Sun god, the moon

which is presided over by the Moon god and Srimati Ganga Devi, who

is the presiding Deity of the river Ganges -- so similarly this

month has a presiding deity.

 

Being depressed due to her seemingly useless existence, the

personified deity of this month approached Lord Narayana. This

incident is described in the scriptures. She went to Narayana,

asking, 'What offense did I commit? No one is performing any pious

activities during my time. Why?' Lord Narayana directed her towards

Lord Krsna: 'You come with Me, I shall take you to Lord Krsna.' Upon

being approached by her, Lord Krsna responded: 'I am Purusottama and

I can not be comprehended by finite beings of this world. They can

not comprehend Me by their mental comprehension and sense organs as

I am beyond these means.' Those Brahmins also are under the control

of the illusory energy. They give some prescriptions for getting

mundane benefits without understanding that these various

prescriptions simply have been given to facilitate different classes

of persons to finally submit to the Supreme Lord. Yet the purpose is

not the achievement of material benefits, but it is to recover from

the disease of birth and death and to finally develop loving

devotion to the Supreme Lord, and thus experience supreme bliss.

They do not understand this.

 

Krsna explained: 'This additional month is like Me. I can not be

comprehended by the conditioned souls of this world and I am

supremely superior to Brahman and Paramatma so I am designated

as "Purushottama." You are identical with Me. You are the holiest

month. If anybody observes vrata (vow of austerity) during your

time, he can get everything. If as by scriptural injunctions he

observes it, it is even more auspicious than Kartik-vrata, the

holiest month. So you will be known by the name "Purusottama".'

 

Vaisnavas do observe this Purusottama-vrata.

 

This year Purushottama month is being observed from 17th July. to

16th Aug. (Things to do:) We shall read the glories of Purushottama-

Vrata, from the writings of Sri Bhakti Vinode Thakur, in the

morning; daily recite 'Sri Jagannathastakam' and 'Chauragraganya

Purusashtakamas' in the afternoon and perform Japam instructed by

Kaundinya Muni:- Goverdhana-Dharam Vande Gopalam Goparupinam,

Gokulotsavameeshaanam Govindam Gopikapriyam.

 

Then in the evening - Deep-dan (to offer a lamp of pure ghee) before

Vishnu-Mandir (a temple of Lord Vishnu, Krishna or Rama), Lastly, at

night to read 'Brahmastava' 40 slokas, from Srimad Bhagwattam,

Chapter 14th, Canto 10th.

 

But as by the eligibility of those who perform it Srila Bhaktivinoda

Thakura has given three categories, known

as: 'Svanistha' 'Parinistitha' and 'Nirapeksa.' Svanistha: Svanistha

refers to those persons who have inclinations with Varnasrama-dharma

and are still striving for material temporary benefits.

 

Being covered by the illusory potency -- sattva, raja and tama guna

they nevertheless follow some rituals. Prescriptions on how to

perform this vrata are given by Valmiki Muni. Yet, hearing them may

make you faint. They are very strict, like lying down only on a bed

of nails rather than on a normal bed.

 

Parinistitha:

Another section, superior in quality yet less in number is called

Parinistitha. Parinistitha refers to those who are not striving for

any material benefits and are correctly following the prescriptions

as given by the respective acaryas of one of the four Vaisnava

schools on how to observe this Purusottama-vrata (in a similar way

as Kartika-vrata).

 

Nirapeksa:

The highest form of observance is called Nirapeksa. Nirapeksa refers

to those possessing one-pointed devotion to Sri Krsna. They

concentrate on worshipping the Supreme Lord by hearing, chanting and

remembering the name, form, pastimes and qualities of Sri Krsna day

and night for spiritual benefit only. Reasoning correctly that any

tendency for material benefit will certainly divert their minds,

they observe this vrata by hearing about Krsna, chanting the Maha

Mantra and taking prasadam. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura recommends we

follow this path."

 

Submitted by

 

Rashbeharidas,

Secretary, GOKUL (India)

 

Note: All the purushottam month vrata related material can be

downloaded from www.sreecgmath.org