Darshan Online!

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees,

 

Hare Krishna!

 

I would like to invite the members of the list to contribute photos of

worshipable Deities of the Lord (archa-vigrahas). ISKCON temples (and

probably other Gaudiiya institutions in the West) have a very liberal

policy about allowing photography of the temple Deities. But the sad

fact is that many of us rarely get to have the darshan of all or even

most of the Lord's Deity expansions.

 

I therefore propose that each of us collect scans of our most

treasured darshan photos, or even photos of temples we have visited on

pilgrimmage, and please contribute them here. The Achintya website

(www.achintya.org) features a "Photos" section which should be

accessible to all list members who have a userid and

password (which are free). When you upload the photos, please give the

Names of the Deities and their location, i.e. "Sri Sri

Radha-Nilamadhava of ISKCON temple in Houston," or "Sri Venkateshwara

of Tirupati, India." The darshans would thus be available for us all,

and also we can share these photos by downloading directly from the

website.

 

your servant

 

- HKS

 

p.s. Those of you who don't have userid and password for the Achintya

website, and don't want one, can send me the scans along with their

description to achintya-owner

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

 

Some very kind devotee uploaded a beautiful photo

called "sharad.jpg" to the photo list. But no description was given

as to which Deities these were. Can that devotee please do the

needful by clicking on "photos" on the webpage, click on the

appropriate image, and click on "edit name?" Please provide an

appropriate file name (such as the name of the Deity) and in the

description please type where They are from, where the photo was

taken, etc.

 

Thank you, and please keep the darshan photos coming!

 

yours,

 

- K

[Guest guest]

Pranams, vaishnavas. Jaya Prabhupada!

 

On Mon, 11 Feb 2002, krishnasusarla wrote:

> I would like to invite the members of the list to contribute photos of

> worshipable Deities of the Lord (archa-vigrahas).

 

I just posted a picture of Pisima Gosvamini's Gaura-Nityananda

Deities in Vrndavana. I had posted Their story long ago, but I'll do so

again here. Haribol!

 

Your humble servant,

 

Mukunda Datta dasa

 

 

--------

 

 

In a village named Rayapura (SiuDI District), there were Deities

of Sri Gaura-Nitai that were worshipped by the descendents of Sri Murari

Gupta, the eternal associate of Lord Caitanya. These Deities Deities of

the Lords Caitanya and NityAnanda in childhood form were worshipped until

there was no one left in Murari Gupta's family to look after them; after

an outbreak of malaria, everyone had left the area and it became overgrown

by the jungle. The temple was abandoned, the Deities were eventually

buried beneath so much foilage and dirt, and having forgotten the history

of the place, people began to use the area a pasturing ground for their

cows. Once, a gopa noticed that his most productive cow used to drip her

milk into a spot on the ground. Curious, they dug in that spot and found

the Deities there. Removing Gaura-NitAi, they saw that the word

"dAsamurArigupta" was written on their base.

The Deities were again established in a temple with first-class

worship. After some time, and according to directions he had recieved in a

dream, one resident of Orissa, Balaramadasa Babaji, came there and began

to worship Gaura-NitAi.

Fortuitously, a respectable young brAhmaNI named Candrasasi

Mukhopadhyaya had come to Rayapura on business related to her wealthy

family's nearby land holdings. She happened to be staying near the

Gaura-Nitai temple. Daily taking darzana of the Deities, a desire to

render Them service arose in her--she wanted to make Them some payesh

(sweet rice khir) for Their bhoga-offering. She later had a dream in

which Gaura and Nitai came to her, saying, "Ma, we're very hungry. Feed us

some payesh that you've cooked for us." When she later told the temple

priest Balaramadasa Babaji about this, he said, "According to Vaishnava

sastras, an unitiated person cannot cook for the Deity." Smt. Candrashashi

Mukherjee then accepted her mantra from Balaramadasa and thus she

fulfilled her desire to prepare bhogas for Gaura-Nitai with her own hands.

That very night in a dream, gaura-NitAi came again and

pulling on her ancala (the edge of her sADI) said, "Ma! Don't go

away. If you go away, who will feed us payesh? You are our Mata. We won't

let you go." Candrasasi affectionately smiled and told Them to let go of

her cloth, but They wouldn't let go; from Their repeated tugging at her

ancal, a piece of it finally ripped and the swatch of her cloth was in

Gaura's hand. Candrasasi's dream broke and she woke up. But she saw that

the corner of her ancala had indeed ripped! At that very moment, she went

to inform Balaramadasa everything about her dream.

At that time, before the sun had risen, the temple wasn't opened

yet. Balaramadasa went to the temple to wake the Deities. To the amazement

of all present, everyone saw that the piece missing from Candrasasi's

cloth was in Gaura's hand. All were immersed in premAnanda, and everyone

began to praise Candrasasi's good fortune. Candrasasi lost all sense of

her body and mind, and began to dive and surface in thousands of

unprecedented, transcendental feelings all at once.

She forgot all thoughts of going back to her native place. The

illusions of family, prestige, wealth, and so forth had been lost. She

began to serve Gaura-Nitai in the temple, as her life and soul. On account

of her leaving home at such an age (she was only 20 at that time) to live

in the temple along with the Babaji, people naturally began to talk about

their relationship in so many ways, and this gave her intolerable mental

distress. One night, after praying repeatedly and having emptied her

heart before Gaura-Nitai, she eventually falling asleep in that state.

Gaura-Nitai came to her in a dream, and, hanging on to her neck, They

said, "Ma, take us to Vrndavana now--chalo (let's go)."

Immediately she took Gaura-Nitai, and along with Balaramadasa

Babaji, proceeded by boat to Vrndavana. As They arrived there, a devoted

lady from Nadiya named BhaktA devi was bathing in the Yamuna and saw Them.

She respectfully invited Them to her home in VanakhandI-mohalla. In great

ecstacy, Candrasasi began to serve Gaura-Nitai in her home, and BhaktA

devi used to assist her. People in the nieghborhood called BhaktA

"Pisima," and so they began to call Candrasasi "pisimA" as well.

Consistent with the Lords' statement to that effect, Pisima used to dandle

and nurture Gaura-Nitai as if They were her own sons. Gaura-Nitai were

always pleased by her service. One day, as she was busily cooking for

Them, she noticed indications of her monthly strI-dharma. Going outside of

the temple kitchen, she remained in the courtyard looking again and again

in the direction of Gaura-Nitai and crying--"Today I won't be able to

offer my own cooking for Gaura-Nitai's bhoga!" Thus suffering over the

matter, she saw a kind of dream-vision, even though she was awake. Both

brothers, Gaura and Nitai, came and said, "Ma, there's nothing to be sad

about. You just do what mothers in your condition usually do. There's no

fault in that. Get up. Take your bath and give us something to eat. We're

very hungry. From now on, you'll be free of this disease." Pisi Ma did as

she was told. After that, she never had her courses again.

After coming to Vrndavana, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai began to play with

many other devotees and perform various pastimes. Sometimes, if there was

a need for this or that, they would beg, borrow, or steal it from

anywhere and everywhere. For example, Gaura-Nitai had no shoes. They asked

PisI Ma for them, but since she didn't want Them to leave her even for a

moment she probably simply told Them, "What do You need shoes for? Do you

have to come or go anywhere?" Thus, Gaura-Nitai remained on the watch for

some other devotees who might come there.

Once, in the month of Savan, a woman of a Bengali family

travelling from Serpura BeguDA came to Vrndavana to see the swing

festival. They stayed near Gaura-Nitai's temple, in CiDiyAkuJja. That

very day, in the midmorning it was raining. PisimA was sitting on the

temple veranda. With her left hand, she was pulling the rope attached to

Gaura-NitAi's fan. With her right hand, she was chanting on her japa-mALA.

It began to rain very hard. PisI MA dozed off a little. At that time, she

saw that Nitai had left the temple and was running about the courtyard in

the water. Gaura then followed Him. PisImA shrieked, OH! Where are you

going? You'll catch a cold!" This dream was as clear as if it weren't a

dream at all--it seemed as if she saw it while yet awake. But she again

began pulling on the pankha, and eventually dozed off again.

Meanwhile, Nitai-Gaura had arrived in CiDiyAkuJja. The woman from

Serpura BeguDA was sleeping at that time. Gaura-Nitai went in and sat at

the end of the bed. Shaking Their heads, they said, "Have you come here to

sleep? Get up!"

In her sleeping state, the woman mumbled, "Wha...who are you?"

"Our names are Nitai and Gaura; we're the sons of PisimA of

Vanakhandi."

"Pisi Ma's kids? How's that?"

"People in the mohalla just call us Pisi Ma's boys. Everybody in

Vrndavana knows we're her children."

"So why are you here?"

"Look at how our feet are covered with mud. Give us some shoes."

 

Upon seeing Gaura-Nitai's extraordinary beauty, the woman became

fascinated. She had never before imagined such beauty. Upon awakening, she

began to cry, remembering the two boys. Weeping thus, she left the house,

even though it was still pouring rain. On the road, she asked anybody she

saw where Pisi Ma's children lived. One Brajavasi showed her Nitai Gaura's

mandira at Banakhandi. The woman went inside. Pisi Ma was still pulling

the pankha and chanting japa. The woman asked, "Is this the house of Pisi

Ma's Gaura-Nitai?"

"Yes, mother, this is the home of Pisi Ma's Gaura Nitai. Mataji,

why are you crying?"

"Where are your two boys? I want to see them," the highly agitated

woman said, trying to be demure and respectful.

Pisi Ma respectfully seated the woman and opened the mandira.

Taking Gaura-Nitai's darsana in the temple, which exactly resembled the

vision in her dream, the woman burst into tears. Her very being was filled

with trembling in all her limbs. She was simply unable to do anything at

all; for a long time time, she remained fallen on the floor in a state of

faint. Upon coming to consciousness and controlling herself, she related

the whole story of her dream to Pisi MA. PisI MA too told of what she had

seen. For quite some time, both simply remained in an embrace, shedding

tears of ecstacy. That fortunate woman later made silver shoes for

Gaura-Nitai, which remain in Their possession even today. Nitai and Gaura

continue to use them with love.

Prasanna dasi of Serpura BeguDA lived in Vrndavana. One day she

dreamt that Gaura and Nitai were decorated with all kinds of dazzling

ornaments and came before her. Showing Their lotus feet, which were marked

with falg, aGkuza, thunderbolt, etc., and which are desired even by Brahma

and Shiva, they said: "Look at all the ornaments We got. But We don't have

nUpura (footbells). Give us nUpur." Upon awakening, Prasanna dasi went to

Pisi MA and narrated the whole story, streaming tears of love. Having them

made, and then putting the golden nupura on Gaura-Nitai's lotus feet, her

life became successful.

For some days one babaji, a very pure, dear servant of Lord, was

assisting Pisi MA in the seva-puja of Nitai Gaura. An impure idea arose in

his mind. Opening the temple door at night, he stole the ornaments worth

Rs. 500 and left with them. Arising early next morning, Pisi MA was

horrified to see that the door was opened and the Deities were without

Their jewels. She thought, "Oh who has done this despicable thing? Is

there anyone so sinful living in this world?" Full of anxiety, she fell

down in the corridor of the temple and remained there, devastated and

depressed. She saw Gaura-Nitai in her mind, and said, "Who took your

jewelry? They replied, Ma, that Vaishnava is very poor, but he fed us

brothers so much rabDI. So we gave it to him. Please, don't say anything

to him about it."

What did she do? She was furious over the behavior of these two

spoiled children. From where would she get more jewelry? Personally, she

ahd already left her own incomparable wealth long ago--coming to Vrndavana

in beggar's dress, her only possession was now Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Laughing, she said, "Okay. You can either give Your things to somebody or

keep them. What's it to me? If you need something again, then You'll get

it from somewhere. You certainly aren't bashful about asking people for

things."

In another dream, Gaura-Nitai told Pisi Ma, "Take us out for

Braja-maNdala-parikramA." She then readied a palanquin and assembled some

devotees for HarinAma-sankirtana, and they set out the very next day.

The Deities were extremely happy on this trip. After a month or so, when

They were concluding the parikramA and were at the outskirts of Mathura,

Pisi MA went with one devotee, Krishnadasa, to make arrangements ahead.

MAthuradasa followed behind with the palanquin. At that time, there were

British soldiers camped in Mathura. Some of the soldiers were curious

about the spectacle of the parikrama procession. Pointing at the

palanquin, they asked, "What's in that?"

Mathuradasa replied, "Thakuraji is inside."

The soldiers garrulously said, "Let's see Thakuraji!"

Mathuradasa became afraid--somehow the mlecchas shouldn't touch

the Deities. He replied in a very humble voice, "Just now Thakuraji's

darsana won't be possible."

His comment had escaped the attention of the soldiers, who

overwhelmed him and tried to see the Deities. At that very moment, a

blinding flash of light bolted from the palanquin, as powerful as

thunder, and blasting them away, scorched the eyes of the soldiers.

Screaming out, "Oh God!" they all fled in terror.

When Mathuradasa later narrated the whole episode to PisI Ma, she

said, "Now my boys are able to take care of themselves. I'm very happy to

know this. Now I have no anxiety."

 

Pisima thus passed many years, serving Gaura-Nitai faithfully.

Even when she was 100 years old, she continued to take three baths daily

in the sacred Yamuna and personally performed Gaura-Nitai's seva herself.

But gradually, this became impossible for her to continue, and so she

entrusted the seva-puja to Gopezvara Gosvami, a devotee in the family

line of Lord Nityananda. He was a staunch bhakta, but wasn't very

experienced in Deity seva. Thus he happened to bathe Gaura-Nitai in cool

water once, at the beginning of the cold season. They caught a cold, and

Their noses began to drip. But Gopezvara Gosvami didn't even notice this.

Pisima mostly stayed on the second floor--she could not easily negotiate

the stairs anymore. But in temple, the Deities were sad because Pisima

wasn't there anymore to pamper Them with her maternal attentions. Somehow

Pisima percieved this. She came down one day and saw that Gaura-Nitai's

eyes were red and Their noses weere dripping. Going near Them, she felt

that They were hot. She could not bear this. She wiped Their noses with

the edge of her sari and called for Gopesvara Gosvami. Crying, she said in

disbelief, "How could you do this? Bathing Them in cold water, you've now

made Them sick! See how Their noses are running!" She wiped Their noses

and showed it to him. Gopezvara didn't believe it, and he told her so.

Pisima fairly bristled with anger. She indignantly held the other end

of her sari to Gaura's nose and then thrust it into his face, saying,

"Gaura's snot!" Just then, Gaura's nose began to drip again. This

filled the temple with an unprecedented, Divine fragrance from beyond this

world. Astonished and full of remorse, Gopezvara fell at Pisima's feet and

begged forgiveness.

 

When she was 103, Pisima mentioned to Gopezvara Gosvami that she

would someday leave her body. On that very day, in good health, while

sitting before Gaura-Nitai, beholding Their beautiful moonlike faces and

chanting Their names, she gave up her earthly body and entered the eternal

pastimes of the Lord.