Guest guest Posted November 25, 2001 Report Share Posted November 25, 2001 That's all fine for those who enjoy wrangling, but where does fit on the Krsna Katha conference? Many of the things listed are the most common foods, so giving them up is some tapasya. But is not the essence of Ekadasi. Eating grains and beans is sinful, but other fasting is voluntary according to one's taste. If one does nirjala he will never have to worry about the details of what to eat and what not to eat, and will be peacefull.. Otherwise, whatever you eat, you can find some pandit who will say it is "verboten". >From Srila Prabhupada Why just 25 rounds? You should chant as many as possible. Real Ekadasi means fasting and chanting and no other business. When one observes fasting, the chanting becomes easier. So on Ekadasi other business can be suspended as far as possible unless there is some urgent business. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Jadurani -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1971 .. Ekadasi is observed for increasing the strength of devotion. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Madhusudana -- Los Angeles 1 February, 1968 Tamala Krsna: Sometimes we have heard that ekadasi is a inauspicious alignment of the planets and therefore one has to counteract this inauspiciousness by more chanting. Prabhupada: (laughs) No, no. It is the most auspicious. And chanting is more effective. [break] Yes. Tamala Krsna: I remember you were instructing once that all of your initiated disciples should chant twenty-five rounds... Prabhupada: Minimum. Tamala Krsna: Minimum on this day. Is that a rule that we should all follow in our temples? Prabhupada: We are sixteen rounds. Tamala Krsna: No, I mean on ekadasi. Prabhupada: Oh yes. Ekadasi, simply you should chant. No other business. Nirjala. Tamala Krsna: No preaching work? Should they go out for preaching? Prabhupada: No, those who are preaching, not for them. Those who are sitting idle, or they... (laughter) [break] ...has no other regulation, simply preaching. A preacher is so exalted. He hasn't got to follow any regulation. But don't take it. (laughter) And actually if one is busy in preaching work, that is first-class. [break] ...not my manufactured word, my Guru Maharaja, that the... That Madhava Maharaja, when he was a brahmacari, his name was Hayagriva. So he was to go somewhere. So but he was sick. Guru Maharaja was informed that he was sick and "Today is ekadasi. He cannot take his regular meals." So Guru Maharaja said, "No. Let him take immediately meals and go." >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- July 5, 1975, Chicago Prabhupada: No. Ekadasi means that, fasting and chanting. Tamala Krsna: Sometimes I'm wondering, because our men have to go out on book distribution. Prabhupada: No, no. That is also preaching work. For that purpose you can stop this, but generally, one who has no preaching work, he can chant. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- February 11, 1976, Mayapura Prabhupada: Bhima-ekadasi, yes. Ramesvara: So I've been told that if one fasts on Bhima-ekadasi, that it is like fasting on all the ekadasis. Is that true? Prabhupada: Yes. Ekadasi is meant for fasting, either Bhima or Arjuna. But we cannot fast, therefore we have to take little fruits and.... Otherwise, ekadasi means fasting. Tamala Krsna: If it is possible, should we go without eating at all? Prabhupada: Yes. But don't lie down and sleep. Mahendra: Eating maha-prasadam is also fasting. Prabhupada: Who says? Mahendra: You said that to Paramahamsa Swami once. Prabhupada: And you heard from Paramahamsa. Mahendra: No, I was in the room. It was when he was trying to observe Caturmasya. Prabhupada: I never said that. Mahendra: Oh, okay, I must have heard wrong. Prabhupada: If there is service and, on my fasting, service will be stopped, then I can take. First consideration, service. Now if somebody feels weak, he can take maha-prasada, render service. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- June 7, 1976, Los Angeles Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Vegetable, fruits, very innocent, little milk. That's all. Even if you don't eat these foodgrains, that is preferred. Better. Vegetable and fruits and milk, that is sufficient nutritious. There is no question of disease. But for our tongue taste we eat so many cooked food, but if we eat vegetables, boiled vegetables and fruits and milk, ah, it is sufficient. Ekadasi. (laughter) Daily ekadasi. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad That's all fine for those who enjoy wrangling, but where does fit on the Krsna Katha conference? Many of the things listed are the most common foods, so giving them up is some tapasya. But is not the essence of Ekadasi. Eating grains and beans is sinful, but other fasting is voluntary according to one's taste. If one does nirjala he will never have to worry about the details of what to eat and what not to eat, and will be peacefull.. Otherwise, whatever you eat, you can find some pandit who will say it is "verboten". >From Srila Prabhupada Why just 25 rounds? You should chant as many as possible. Real Ekadasi means fasting and chanting and no other business. When one observes fasting, the chanting becomes easier. So on Ekadasi other business can be suspended as far as possible unless there is some urgent business. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Jadurani -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1971 .. Ekadasi is observed for increasing the strength of devotion. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Madhusudana -- Los Angeles 1 February, 1968 Tamala Krsna: Sometimes we have heard that ekadasi is a inauspicious alignment of the planets and therefore one has to counteract this inauspiciousness by more chanting. Prabhupada: (laughs) No, no. It is the most auspicious. And chanting is more effective. [break] Yes. Tamala Krsna: I remember you were instructing once that all of your initiated disciples should chant twenty-five rounds... Prabhupada: Minimum. Tamala Krsna: Minimum on this day. Is that a rule that we should all follow in our temples? Prabhupada: We are sixteen rounds. Tamala Krsna: No, I mean on ekadasi. Prabhupada: Oh yes. Ekadasi, simply you should chant. No other business. Nirjala. Tamala Krsna: No preaching work? Should they go out for preaching? Prabhupada: No, those who are preaching, not for them. Those who are sitting idle, or they... (laughter) [break] ...has no other regulation, simply preaching. A preacher is so exalted. He hasn't got to follow any regulation. But don't take it. (laughter) And actually if one is busy in preaching work, that is first-class. [break] ...not my manufactured word, my Guru Maharaja, that the... That Madhava Maharaja, when he was a brahmacari, his name was Hayagriva. So he was to go somewhere. So but he was sick. Guru Maharaja was informed that he was sick and "Today is ekadasi. He cannot take his regular meals." So Guru Maharaja said, "No. Let him take immediately meals and go." >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- July 5, 1975, Chicago Prabhupada: No. Ekadasi means that, fasting and chanting. Tamala Krsna: Sometimes I'm wondering, because our men have to go out on book distribution. Prabhupada: No, no. That is also preaching work. For that purpose you can stop this, but generally, one who has no preaching work, he can chant. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- February 11, 1976, Mayapura Prabhupada: Bhima-ekadasi, yes. Ramesvara: So I've been told that if one fasts on Bhima-ekadasi, that it is like fasting on all the ekadasis. Is that true? Prabhupada: Yes. Ekadasi is meant for fasting, either Bhima or Arjuna. But we cannot fast, therefore we have to take little fruits and.... Otherwise, ekadasi means fasting. Tamala Krsna: If it is possible, should we go without eating at all? Prabhupada: Yes. But don't lie down and sleep. Mahendra: Eating maha-prasadam is also fasting. Prabhupada: Who says? Mahendra: You said that to Paramahamsa Swami once. Prabhupada: And you heard from Paramahamsa. Mahendra: No, I was in the room. It was when he was trying to observe Caturmasya. Prabhupada: I never said that. Mahendra: Oh, okay, I must have heard wrong. Prabhupada: If there is service and, on my fasting, service will be stopped, then I can take. First consideration, service. Now if somebody feels weak, he can take maha-prasada, render service. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- June 7, 1976, Los Angeles Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Vegetable, fruits, very innocent, little milk. That's all. Even if you don't eat these foodgrains, that is preferred. Better. Vegetable and fruits and milk, that is sufficient nutritious. There is no question of disease. But for our tongue taste we eat so many cooked food, but if we eat vegetables, boiled vegetables and fruits and milk, ah, it is sufficient. Ekadasi. (laughter) Daily ekadasi. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad Tapasya means to undergo voluntarily some inconveniences of this body. Because we are accustomed to enjoy bodily senses, and tapasya means voluntarily to give up the idea of sense gratification. That is tapasya. Tapasya. Just like Ekadasi. Ekadasi, one day fasting, fortnight. That is also tapasya. Or fasting in some other auspicious day. That tapasya is good, even for health, and what to speak of advancing in Krsna consciousness. So we should accept this tapasya. The upavasa. There are many prescribed days for fasting. We should observe. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974 Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. Just like today, ekadasi-vrata. Vrataih. This ekadasi-vrata is required. Just see. Here it is that "You have performed all the vratas." The purpose of ekadasi-vrata is that today we should not eat much usual food, grains. The actual prescription is fasting. Nirjala-ekadasi. Nirjala means there are many devotees who does not take even water. Water, drinking water, according to sastra, it is taking food... It is drinking of food or no food. We can take both ways. So sometimes drinking of water is excused as upavasa also. But there are many devotees who even..., drink even a drop of water. Whole day and night they fast and observe ekadasi-vrata. And the night is called harivasara. Harivasara means the whole night they would chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama... This is called vrata. Drdha-vrata. Drdha-vrata. Drdha means very firm, steady. Krsna is so kind that He has given us so many concession. But we should be... Because there are some concession, better we should not take advantage of the concession, but we should be very steady and strong in our conviction and perform devotional service strictly. That is nice. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.1-8 -- New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969 I welcome you. Of course, today is ekadasi. We are, mostly we are fasting. Some prasadam will be given. So it is not the question of prasadam; it is the question of the important work we are taking in hand, how to spread a God consciousness movement. Otherwise, you will never be happy >>> Ref. VedaBase => Cornerstone Laying -- Bombay, January 23, 1975 Just like Ekadasi day -- there is no eating sumptuously. Simply you take little fruits and flowers. Try to avoid that also. You don't take even water. That is really ekadasi. But because we cannot do it -- in the Kali-yuga the time is different -- therefore we are allowed to take little fruit and milk, which is called anukalpa. These are different methods of tapasya. And yajna. This yajna, sankirtanaih prayair yajnaih, yajanti hi su-medhasah. In this age you cannot perform that big asvamedha yajna, gomedha yajna, rajasuya yajna >>> Ref. VedaBase => Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 7, 1971 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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