Utpanna Ekadasi & SRI NARAHARI SARKAR THAKURA. (Disappearance)

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Utpanna Ekadasi.

 

Suta Goswami said, "O learned brahmanas, long ago Lord Sri Krishna, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, explained the auspicious glories of Sri

Ekadasi and the rules and regulations governing each observance of fasting

on that holy day. O best of the brahmins, whosoever hears about the origins

and glories of these sacred fasts on the Ekadasi days goes directly to the

abode of Lord Vishnu after enjoying many different kinds of happiness in

this material world.

"Arjuna, the son of Prithaa, asked the Lord, 'O Janardana, what are the

pious benefits of complete fasting, eating only supper, or eating but once

at midday on Ekadasi, and what are the regulations for observing the

various Ekadasi days? Kindly narrate all this to me'.

"The Supreme Lord Krishna replied, 'O Arjuna, in the beginning of

winter (northern hemisphere), on the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark

fortnight of the month of Margasirsha (November-December), a novice should

begin his practice of observing a fast on Ekadasi. On Dasami, the day

before Ekadasi, he should clean his teeth nicely. Then during the eight

portion of Dasami, just as the Sun is about to set, he should eat supper.

" 'The next morning the devotee should make a vow, according to the

rules and regulations, to observe fasting. At midday he should bathe

properly in a river, lake or small pond. A bath in a river is most

purifying, thsat taken in a lake is less so, and a bath in a small pond is

the least purifying. If neither a river, lake nor pond is accessible, he

may bathe with well-water.

"'The devotee should chant this prayer containing the names of Mother

Earth: "O Asvakrante! O Rathakrante! O Vishnukrante! O Vasundhare! O

Mrttike! O Mother Earth! Kindly remove all the sins I have accumulated

throughout my many past lives so that I may enter the sacred abode of the

Supreme Lord." As the devotee chants, he should smear mud over his body.

"'During the day of fasting the devotee should not speak to those who are

fallen from their religious duties, to dog-eaters, to thieves, or to

hypocrites. He should also avoid speaking with slanderers; with those who

abuse the demigods, the Vedic literatures, or brahmanas; or with any other

wicked personalities, such as those who have sex with forbidden women,

those who are known plunderers, or those who rob temples. If any such

person is spoken to or even seen during Ekadasi, one must purify oneself by

looking directly at the sun.

"'Then the devotee should respectfully worship Lord Govinda with first-

class food, flowers, and so forth. In his home he should offer the Lord a

lamp in pure devotional consciousness. he should also avoid sleeping

during the daytime and should completely abstain from sex. Fasting from

all food and water, he should joyfully sing the Lord's glories and play

musical instruments for His pleasure throughout the night. After remaining

awake all night in pure consciousness, the worshipper should give charity

to qualified brahmanas and offer his humble obeisances unto them, begging

their forgiveness for his offences.

"'Those who are serious about devotional service should consider the

Ekadasis that occur during dark fortnights to be as good as those that

occur during bright fortnights. O king, one should never discriminate

between these two kinds of Ekadasi.

Please listen as I now describe the results obtained by one who observes

Ekadasi in this way. Neither the merit one receives by taking a bath in

the sacred place of pilgrimage known as Sankhoddhara, where the Lord killed

the Sankhasura demon, nor the merit one receives upon seeing Lord Gadadhara

directly is equal to one sixteenth of the merit one obtains by fasting on

Ekadasi. It is said that by giving charity on a Monday when the moon is

full, one obtains a hundred thousand times the results of ordinary

charity. O winner of wealth, one who gives charity on the day of the

sankranti (equinox) attains four hundred thousand times the ordinary

result. Yet simply by fasting on Ekadasi one obtains all these pious

results, as well as whatever pious results one gets at Kurukshetra during

an eclipse of the sun or moon. Furthermore, the faithful soul who observes

complete fasting on Ekadasi achieves a hundred times more merit than one

who performs an Asvamedha-yajna (horse sacrifice). One who observes

Ekadasi just once earns ten times more merit than a person who gives a

thousand cows in charity to a brahmana learned in the Vedas.

"'A person who feeds just one brahmacari earns ten times more merit than

one who feeds ten good brahmanas in his own house. But a thousand times

more merit than is earned by feeding a brahmacari is achieved by donating

land to the needy and respectable brahmana, and a thousand time more than

that is earned by giving away a virgin girl in marriage to a young, well-

educated, responsible man. Ten times more beneficial than this is

educating children properly on the spiritual path, without expecting any

reward in return. Ten times better than this, however, is giving food

grains to the hungry. Indeed, giving charity to those in need is the best

of all, and there never has been or ever will be a better charity than

this. O son of Kunti, all the forefathers and demigods in heaven become

very satisfied when one gives food grains in charity. But the merit one

obtains by observing a complete fast on Ekadasi cannot be measured. O

Arjuna, best of all Kurus, the powerful effect of this merit is

inconceivable even to the demigods, and half this merit is attained by one

who eats only supper on Ekadasi.

"'One should therefore observe fasting on Lord Hari's day either by

eating only once at midday, abstaining from grains and beans; or by fasting

completely. The processes of staying in places of pilgrimage, giving

charity, and performing fire sacrifices may boast only as long as Ekadasi

has not arrived. Therefore anyone afraid of the miseries of material

existence should observe Ekadasi. On Ekadasi one should not drink water

from a conch-shell, kill living entities such as fish or pigs, or eat any

grains or beans. Thus I have described to you, O Arjuna, the best of all

methods of fasting, as you have inquired from Me.'

"Arjuna then asked, 'O Lord, according to You, a thousand Vedic

sacrifices do not equal even one Ekadasi fast. How can this be? How has

Ekadasi become the most meritorious of all days?'

"Lord Sri Krishan replied, 'I will tell you why Ekadasi is the most

purifying of all days. In the Satya-Yuga there once lived an amazingly

fearsome demon called Mura. Always very angry, he terrified all the

demigods, defeating even Indra, the king of heaven; Vivasvan, the sun-god;

the eight Vasus; Lord Brahma; Vayu. the wind-god; and Agni, the fire-god.

With his terrible power he brought them all under his control.

"'Lord Indra then approached Lord Shiva and said, "We have all fallen

from our planets and are now wandering helplessly on the earth. O lord,

how can we find relief from this affliction? What will be the fate of us

demigods?'

"'Lord Shiva replied, "O best of the demigods, go to that place where

Lord Vishnu, the rider of Garuda, resides. He is Jagannatha, the master of

all the universes and their shelter as well. He is devoted to protecting

all souls surrendered to Him.'"

"Lord Krishna continued, 'O Arjuna, winner of wealth, after Lord Indra

heard these words of Lord Shiva's, he proceeded with all the demigods to

the place where Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe, the protector of

all souls, was resting. Seeing the Lord sleeping upon the water, the

demigods joined their palms and, led by Indra, recite the following

prayers:

"'"O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all obeisances to You. O Lord of

lords, O You who are praised by the foremost demigods, O enemy of all

demons, O lotus-eyed Lord, O Madhusudana (killer of the Madhu demon),

please protect us. Afraid of the demon Mura, we demigods have come to take

shelter of You. O Jagannatha, You are the doer of everything and the

creator of everything. You are the mother and the father of all

universes. You are the creator, the maintainer, and the destroyer of all.

You are the supreme helper of all the demigods, and You alone can bring

peace to them. you alone are the earth, the sky, and the universal

benefactor.

"'"You are Shiva, Brahma, and also Vishnu, the maintainer of the three

worlds. You are the gods of the sun, moon, and fire. You are the

clarified butter, the oblation, the sacred fire, the mantras, the rituals,

the priests, and the silent chanting of japa. You are the sacrifice

itself, its sponsor, and the enjoyer of its results, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Nothing within these three worlds, whether

moveable or immovable, can exist independent of You. O Supreme Lord, Lord

of lords, You are the protector of those who take shelter of You. O

supreme mystic, O shelter of the fearful, please rescue and protect us. We

demigods have been defeated by the demons and have thus fallen from the

heavenly realm. Deprived of our positions, O Lord of the universe, we are

now wandering about this earthly planet."'

"Lord Krsna continued, 'Having heard Indra and the other demigods speak

these words, Sri Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, replied, "What

demon possesses such great powers of delusion that he has been able to

defeat all the demigods? What is his name, and where does he live? Where

does he get his strength and shelter? Tell Me everything, O Indra, and do

not fear."

"'Lord Indra replied, "O Supreme Godhead, O Lord of lords, O You who

vanquish the fear in Your pure devotees' hearts, O You who are so kind to

your faithful servants, there was once a powerful demon of the Brahma

dynasty whose name was Nadijangha. he was extraordinarily fearsome and

wholly dedicated to destroying the demigods, and he begot an infamous son

named Mura.

"'"Mura's great capital city is Chandravati. From that base the terribly

evil and powerful Mura demon has conquered the whole world and brought all

the demigods under his control, driving them out of their heavenly

kingdom. He has assumed the roles of Indra, the king of heaven; Agni, the

fire-god; Yama, the lord of death; Vayu, the wind-god; Isha, or Lord Shiva;

Soma, the moon-god; Nairrti, the lord of the directions; and Pasi, or

Varuna, the water-god. He has also begun emanating light in the role of

the sun-god and has turned himself into the clouds as well. It is

impossible for the demigods to defeat him. O Lord Vishnu, please kill tis

demon and make the demigods victorious."

"'Hearing these words from Indra, Lord Janardana became very angry and

said, "O powerful demigods, all together you may now advance on Mura's

capital city of Chandravati." Encouraged thus, the assembled demigods

proceeded to Chandravati with Lord Hari leading the way.

"'When Mura saw the demigods, that foremost of demons started roaring

very loudly in the company of countless thousands of other demons, who were

all holding brilliantly shining weapons. The mighty-armed demons struck

the demigods, who began abandoning the battlefield and fleeing in the ten

directions. Seeing the Supreme Lord Hrsikesha, the master of the senses,

present on the battlefield, the furious demons rushed toward Him with

various weapons in their hands. As they charged the Lord, who holds a

sword, disk, and club, He immediately pierced all their limbs with His

sharp, poisonous arrows. thus many hundred of demons died by the Lord's

hand.

"'At last the chief demon, Mura, began fighting with the Lord. Mura used

his mystic power to render useless whatever weapons the Supreme Lord

Hrsikesa unleashed. Indeed, to the demon the weapons felt just like

flowers striking him. When the Lord could not defeat the demon even with

various kinds of weapons - whether those that are thrown or those that are

held - He began fighting with His bare hands, which were as strong as iron-

studded clubs. The Lord wrestled with Mura for one thousand celestial

years and then, apparently fatigued, left for Badarikashrama. There Lord

Yogeshvara, the greatest of all yogis, the Lord of the universe, entered a

very beautiful cave named Himavati to rest. O Dhananjaya, winner of

wealth, that cave was ninety-six miles in diameter and had only one

entrance. I went there out of fear, and also to sleep. There is no doubt

about this, O son of Pandu, for the great fight made me very tired. the

demon followed Me into that cave and, seeing Me asleep, started thinking

within his heart, "Today I will kill this slayer of all demons, Hari."

"'While the wicked-minded Mura was making plans in this way, from My body

there manifested a young girl who had a very bright complexion. O son of

Pandu, Mura saw that she was equipped with various brilliant weapons and

was ready to fight. Challenged by that female to do battle, Mura prepared

himself and then fought with her, but he became very astonished when he saw

that she fought him without cessation. The king of the demons then

said, "Who has created this angry, fearsome girl who is fighting me so

powerfully, just like a thunderbolt falling upon me?' After saying this,

the demon continued to fight with the girl.

"'Suddenly that effulgent goddess shattered all of Mura's weapons and in

a moment deprived him of his chariot. He ran toward her to attacker with

his bare hands, but when she saw him coming she angrily cut off his head.

Thus the demon at once fell to the ground and went to the abode of

Yamaraja. The rest of the Lord's enemies, out of fear and helplessness,

entered the subterranean Patala region.

"'Then the Supreme Lord woke up and saw the dead demo before Him, as well

as the maiden bowing down to him with joined palms. His face expressing

His astonishment, the Lord of the universe said, "Who has killed this

vicious demon? He easily defeated all the demigods, Gandharvas, and even

Indra himself, along with Indra's companions, the Maruts, and he also

defeated the Nagas (snakes), the rulers of the lower planets. He even

defeated Me, making Me hide in this cave out of fear. Who is it that has

so mercifully protected Me after I ran from the battlefield and went to

sleep in this cave?"

"'The maiden said, "It is I who have killed this demon after appearing

from You transcendental body. Indeed, O Lord Hari, when he saw You

sleeping he wanted to kill You. Understanding the intention of this thorn

in the side of the three worlds, I killed the evil rascal and this freed

all the demigods from fear. I am Your great maha-sakti, Your internal

potency, who strikes fear into the hearts of all Your enemies. I have

killed this universally terrifying demon to protect the three worlds.

Please tell me why You are surprised to see that this demon has been

killed, O Lord."

"'The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "O sinless one, I am very

satisfied to see that it is you who have killed this king of the demons.

In this way you have made the demigods happy, prosperous, and full of

bliss. Because you have given pleasure to all the demigods in the three

worlds, I am very pleased with you. Ask any boon you may desire, O

auspicious one. I will give it to you without a doubt, though it be very

rare among the demigods."

""The maiden said, "O Lord, if You are pleased with me and wish to give

me a boon, then give me the power to deliver from the greatest sins that

person who fasts of this day. I wish that half the pious credit obtained

by one who fasts will accrue to one who eats only in the evening

(abstaining from grains and beans), and that half of this pious credit will

be earned by one who eats only at midday. Also, may one who strictly

observes a complete fast on my appearance day, with controlled senses, go

to the abode of Lord Vishnu for one billion kalpas after he has enjoyed

all kinds of pleasures in this world. This is the boon I desire to attain

by Your mercy, my Lord, O Lord Janardana, whether a person observes

complete fasting, eats only in the evening, or eats only at midday, please

grant him a religious attitude, wealth, and at last liberation."

"'The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "O most auspicious lady, what

you have requested is granted. All My devotees in this world will surely

fast on your day, and thus they will become famous throughout the three

worlds and finally come and stay with me in My abode. Because you, My

transcendental potency, have appeared on the eleventh day of the waning

moon, let your name by Ekadasi. If a person fasts on Ekadasi, I will burn

up all his sins and bestow upon him My transcendental abode.

"'"These are the days of the waxing and waning moon that are most dear to

Me: Tritiya (the third day), Ashthami (the eighth day), Navami (the ninth

day), Chaturdasi (the fourteenth day), and especially Ekadasi (the eleventh

day).

"'"The merit one attains by fasting on Ekadasi is greater than that

achieved by observing any other kind of fast or by going to a place of

pilgrimage, and even greater than that achieved by giving charity to

brahmanas. I tell you most emphatically that this is true."

"'Having thus given the maiden His benediction, the Supreme Lord suddenly

disappeared. From that time onward the Ekadasi day became most meritorious

and famous all over the universe. O Arjuna, if a person strictly observes

Ekadasi, I kill all his enemies and grant him the highest destination.

Indeed, if a person observes this great Ekadasi fast in any of the

prescribed way, I remove all obstacles to his spiritual progress and grant

him the perfection of life.

"'Thus, O son of Prtha, I have described to you the origin of Ekadasi.

This one day removes all sins eternally. Indeed, it is the most

meritorious day for destroying all kinds of sins, and it has appeared in

order to benefit everyone in the universe by bestowing all varieties of

perfection.

"'One should not discriminate between the Ekadasis of the waxing and

waning moons; both must be observed, O Partha, and they should not be

differentiated from Maha-Dvadasi. Everyone who fasts of Ekadasi should

recognise that there is no difference between these two Ekadasis, for they

comprise the same tithi.

"'Whoever completely fasts on Ekadasi, following the rules and

regulations, will achieve the supreme abode of Lord Vishnu, who rides upon

Garuda. They are glorious who devote themselves to Lord Vishnu and spend

all their rime studying the glories of Ekadasi. One who vows not to eat

anything on Ekadasi but to eat only on the next day achieves the same merit

as one who executes a horse sacrifice. Of this there is no doubt.

"'On Dvadasi, the day after Ekadasi, one should pray, "O Pundarikaksha, O

lotus-eyed Lord, now I will eat. Please shelter me." After saying this,

the wise devotee should offer some flowers and water at the Lord's lotus

feet and invite the Lord to eat by chanting the eight-syllable mantra

thrice. If the devotee wants to gain the fruit of his fast, he should

then drink water taken form the sanctified vessel in which he offered

water at the Lord's lotus feet.

"'On Dvadasi one must avoid sleeping during the day, eating in another's

home, eating more than once, having sex, eating honey, eating from a bell-

metal plate, eating urad-dal, and rubbing oil on one's body. The devotee

must give up these eight things on Dvadasi. If he wants to speak to an

outcaste on that day, he must purify himself by eating a Tulasi leaf or an

amalaki fruit. O best of kings, from noon on Ekadasi until dawn on

Dvadasi, one should engage himself in taking baths, worshipping the Lord,

and executing devotional activities, including the giving of charity and

the performance of fire sacrifices. If one finds himself in difficult

circumstances and cannot break the Ekadasi fast properly on Dvadasi, one

can break it by drinking water, and then one is not at fault if he eats

again after that.

"'A devotee of Lord Vishnu who day and night hears these all-auspicious

topics concerning the Lord from the mouth of another devotee will be

elevated to the Lord's planet and reside there for ten million kalpas.

And one who hears even one sentence about the glories of Ekadasi is freed

from the reactions to such sins as killing a brahmana. There is no doubt

of this. For all eternity there will be no better way of worshiping Lord

Vishnu than observing a fast on Ekadasi.'"

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Margasirsa-krsna Ekadasi, or

Utpanna Ekadasi, from the Bhavisya-uttara Purana.

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SRI NARAHARI SARKAR THAKURA. (Disappearance)

 

Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakura was born at Sri Khanda. Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja

Gosvami describes that the residents of Sri Khanda formed a branch of the

desire tree of love of God. "Sri Khan?davasi (the residents of Sri Khanda)

Mukunda and his son Raghu?nandan were the thirty ninth branch of the tree,

Narahari was the fortieth, Chiran Jiva the forty first and Sulocana the

forty second. They were all big branches of the all merciful tree of

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of

Godhead anywhere and everywhere. [Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-lila 10:78-79]

Srila Jagannatha das Babaji Maharaj once stated - "Navadwip is the abode of

Goloka. Vrindavana is the abode of Gokula. And Sri Khanda is the abode of

Vaikuntha."

 

Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakura participated in all of Sri Gaurasundora's

pastimes. Bhakti Ratnakara states: "Sri Sarkar Thakura's glories are most

uncommon. In Braja he is known as Madhumati, whose good qualities are

unlimited." (thus proving he was not the author of it)

 

One day, Nityananda Prabhu arrived at Sri Khanda and said to Narahari, "All

right, we know who you are. So where's the honey, Madhu' ?" In Krsna-lila,

Narahari is the sakhi Madhumati, whose service is to supply honey for Sri

Sri Radha-Govinda and Their associates. So he immediately went to a nearby

pond and filled a pot which immediately turned into honey of the most

nectarean kind. Nityananda Prabhu and His associates drank from this pot to

their full and unlimited satisfaction.

 

Narahari däsa Sarakära was a very famous devotee. Locana däsa Thäkura, the

celebrated author of Sri Caitanya-mangala, was his disciple. In the

Caitanya-mangala it is stated that Sri Gadädhara däsa and Narahari Sarakära

were extremely dear to Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu, but there is no specific

statement regarding the inhabitants of the village of Srikhanta. (A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi-lila 10:78-

79.purport)

 

Sri Locana dasa Thakura was the dear disciple of Sri Narahari Sarkar. In

his book Caitanya mangala he introduces his guru in this way: "My Thakur

(spiritual master) is Sri Narahari das Thakura, who is very influential

amongst the medical caste. He is continuously absorbed in Krsna-prema, and

in fact his body knows nothing but Krsna. To his followers he speaks about

nothing other than love of Krsna. He was previously known in Vrindavana-

lila as Madhumati and was a storehouse of sweetness (honey), and very dear

to Radharani. Now he is now present in Kali-yuga with Sri Gaurasundara as

Sri Narahari. He is the keeper of the storehouse of love of Radha and

Krsna." [sri Caitanya Mangal, Sutrakhanda]

 

This is supported in Gaura Ganod-desh dipika of Kavi-karnapura 177.,

wherein it is said:

 

pura madhumati prana-

shakhi vrindavane sthitaa

adhuna naraharya-akhyah

saarakarah prabhoh priyah

 

"Srimati Radharani's dear friend, the Vraja-gopi named Madhumati-devi,

appeared as Narahari Saarakaara, who was very dear to Lord Chaitanya".

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in his Gaura-arati kirtana, sings of some of

that intimate service to that he performed for Lord Chaitanya: 'kiba

narahari adikari chamara dhulaya' "Narahari is fanning Gaurasundara with a

yak-tail (chaumara) fan."

 

Sri Narahari Sarkar Thakura was a very expert singer as well as poet. He

has composed many songs about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya and Lord

Nityananda. He composed a Sanskrit work entitled Sri Bhajanamrta.

Gaurviraha-gita pada kalpataru is also attributed to him, although some

scholar devotees doubt whether it is really his own composition.

 

Most of Narahari Sarkar Thakura's songs have gotten mixed up with Narahari

Chakravarti Thakura's compositions (Narahari Chakravarti Thakura is the

author of Bhakti-ratnakara). Therefore is difficult to ascertain which are

actually his. Before the appearance of Sri Gaurasundara he also composed

many songs about the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna.

 

Narahari was the only devotee who had the adhikara (right) to do Gaura-

kirtana in Gaurasundara's presence. Ordinarily, if anyone would praise

Mahaprabhu in His presence, or chant His Holy Name, He would block His ears

and call out "Visnu! Visnu!" Narahari, however, enjoyed the special

privilege of being able to sing about Mahaprabhu in a very unique mood and

with sweet descriptions of His transcendental beauty without objection from

Mahaprabhu.

 

But alas there is little else known of him.

 

His disappearance is on the ekadasi tithi day, of the dark fortnight, in

the month of Agrahayon (Mrigasir - Nov-Dec).

 

 

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