Bhakty -Yoga of Animals . (Eye-Witness Reports )

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Hare Krishna, Bhakty of a Dog ( Witnessed and Written by Sri.K.V.Gopalalrishna) Here is a real experience which we all at Bangalore appreciated . In the month of February or so last, there were a series of discourses by Brahmashri B. Sundar kumar at a place called Tippasandra in Bangalore. As the place was quite far off, we had organised a minibus to take us from Sanjay Nagar and bring us back after the discourse. The boarding place was the Radhakrishna Temple next to the Police Station at Sanjay Nagar. The time of pick-up was 5.30 P.M. everyday. The temple also opens at 5.30 P.M. for the evening session. One day, as we were all waiting for the minibus and watching in front of the temple, a dog stole its way into the temple. As dogs are not normally

allowed inside the temple premises, the devotees standing there were trying to chase the dog out. But the dog would not go. It went round the Radhakrishna temple three times, came to the front of the Deity, lay prostate on the ground for a few seconds as if doing a Sashtanga Namaskaram and went out its own way !. I was reminded of the Gajendra Moksham episode in Bhagavatam, where Gajendra, the king elephant was a real king by name Indradyumna in the previous birth, and was cursed by Sage Agasthya to

become an elephant owing to his failure to respect the Sage when he arrived. In fact, the king was deeply absorbed in worshipping the Lord when this happened, and the neglect apparently shown to the Sage was merely accidental . But the king elephant was blessed with the memory of the past birth, and remembered the worship of the Nishkala-brahman, the Whole Indivisible one. Might be this dog too could have been something like the Gajendra, we thought !. Might be, the dog was a Jivan-mukta waiting for his turn! Regards K.V.Gopalakrishna. Bhakty of Animals ( Experiences of Sri . Sundararajan) I have seen a small child find itself right in front of a huge galloping cow. Even as the mother screamed in terror, the cow stopped and playfully toyed with the child by placing it in between its huge horns before sauntering away. In India animals have religious significance. Bhagavan Maha Vishnu’s lays in yogic-sleep atop serpent- king Ananta and HIS vehicle is bird-king Garuda . Cow is very dear to Sri Krishna . Near places where Lord Rama or Hanuman is worshipped you would find monkeys in plenty. In southern India is a spot called Pakshiteertha, meaning religious place of the birds. Every evening two pigeons hone in on the temple, stay awhile and then fly away. This has been happening for centuries. In Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, was a majestic bull which refused to accept any food that was not offered to the Lord . I myself, like all other devotees, used to touch the forehead of the bull as a mark of respect and it used to nod sagely in return.

After the bull passed away, the locals cremated it as they would do for a devotee. In my own town lives a bull which attends religious discourses. At first the people used to shoo it away but later they realized the bull meant no harm and only wished to listen to the name of Bhagavan. Now discourses in the area do not begin until the bull appears. Again in the temple of Lord Jagannath, a secret tantric ritual is performed where fish is offered to the Goddess Vimala . The fish is then disposed off outside the temple. A fierce black Dog then appears

out of nowhere to eat the fish preparation. No other dog dares to challenge it . This too has been happening for centuries. In the nearby town of Jajpur used to live a monkey which used to

bathe in the temple tank every morning and sit in front of the Deity. It was offered fruits by the devotees which it used to keep aside . It used to eat only after the Deity was offered food. Needless to say, this monkey too received a cremation according to vedic rites . Snakes appearing during temple inauguration ceremonies and staying the whole period

are not rare in this part of the world. Nearby a pigeon appeared during the inauguration of a Jagannath temple by a Krishna-devotee, which stayed in the sanctum sanctorum the full night . In Cuttack there is a Vaishnav ashram. The monk in charge used to treat a dog

like an inmate . It was the last birth of a sinful person in a past life, he used to say. When the dog died, he arranged for the funeral and then invited the brahmins in the customary 12th day Feast . The brahmins were furious and felt insulted . None came . But the feast went ahead regardless and hundreds of dogs attended . After the feast they just melted away. This incident is inscribed in all vaishnav temples as a miracle. So the next time you meet an animal, treat it with respect. Hare Krishna !!!

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This is indeed a very rare event, though I have seen dogs who like to stay at temples and Ashrams too. They simply decide to stay there and they never go away.

We had a Lhasa Apso who always sat behind my mother when she was praying, and in fact there used to be a smile on the face of the dog! They relish spiritual environment.

Maybe some dogs are more elevated in their understanding, and actually perform Parikrama of the Deities! Some dogs usually stay around the temple for food dropped by visitors, and this is for them a kind of prasadam perhaps, to help them along the path of spiritual unfoldment. Truly, spiritual unfoldment is open for all, Krishna has made sure of this!

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!Sanjeev Kumar Punj

 

punjsanjeev

 

 

 

Krishnadaya <krishnadaya To: Subject: Bhakty -Yoga of Animals . (Eye-Witness Reports )Wed, 5 Jul 2006 08:41:18 -0700 (PDT)

 

 

 

 

Hare Krishna,

 

 

Bhakty of a Dog

( Witnessed and Written by Sri.K.V.Gopalalrishna)

 

Here is a real experience which we all at Bangalore appreciated . In the month of February or so last, there were a series of discourses by Brahmashri B. Sundar kumar at a place called Tippasandra in Bangalore. As the place was quite far off, we had organised a minibus to take us from Sanjay Nagar and bring us back after the discourse. The boarding place was the Radhakrishna Temple next to the Police Station at Sanjay Nagar. The time of pick-up was 5.30 P.M. everyday. The temple also opens at 5.30 P.M. for the evening session.

 

One day, as we were all waiting for the minibus and watching in front of the temple, a dog stole its way into the temple. As dogs are not normally allowed inside the temple premises, the devotees standing there were trying to chase the dog out. But the dog would not go. It went round the Radhakrishna temple three times, came to the front of the Deity, lay prostate on the ground for a few seconds as if doing a Sashtanga Namaskaram and went out its own way !.

 

I was reminded of the Gajendra Moksham episode in Bhagavatam, where Gajendra, the king elephant was a real king by name Indradyumna in the previous birth, and was cursed by Sage Agasthya to become an elephant owing to his failure to respect the Sage when he arrived. In fact, the king was deeply absorbed in worshipping the Lord when this happened,

and the neglect apparently shown to the Sage was merely accidental . But the king elephant was blessed with the memory of the past birth, and remembered the worship of the Nishkala-brahman, the Whole Indivisible one.

 

Might be this dog too could have been something like the Gajendra, we thought !. Might be, the dog was a Jivan-mukta waiting for his turn!

 

Regards

 

 

K.V.Gopalakrishna.

 

 

 

Bhakty of Animals

( Experiences of Sri . Sundararajan)

 

I have seen a small child find itself right in front of a huge galloping cow. Even as the mother screamed in terror, the cow stopped and playfully toyed with the child by placing it in between its huge horns before sauntering away.

 

In India animals have religious significance. Bhagavan Maha Vishnu’s lays in yogic-sleep atop serpent- king Ananta and HIS vehicle is bird-king Garuda . Cow is very dear to Sri Krishna . Near places where Lord Rama or Hanuman is worshipped you would find monkeys in plenty. In southern India is a spot called Pakshiteertha, meaning religious place of the birds. Every evening two pigeons hone in on the temple, stay awhile and then fly away. This has been happening for centuries.

 

In Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, was a majestic bull which refused to accept any food that was not offered to the Lord . I myself, like all other devotees, used to touch the forehead of the bull as a mark of respect and it used to nod sagely in return. After the bull passed away, the locals cremated it as they would do for a devotee.

 

In my own town lives a bull which attends religious discourses. At first the people used to shoo it away but later they realized the bull meant no harm and only wished to listen to the name of Bhagavan. Now discourses in the area do not begin until the bull appears.

 

Again in the temple of Lord Jagannath, a secret tantric ritual is performed where fish is offered to the Goddess Vimala . The fish is then disposed off outside the temple. A fierce black Dog then appears out of nowhere to eat the fish preparation. No other dog dares to challenge it . This too has been happening for centuries.

 

In the nearby town of Jajpur used to live a monkey which used to bathe in the temple tank every morning and sit in front of the Deity. It was offered fruits by the devotees which it used to keep aside . It used to eat only after the Deity was offered food. Needless to say, this monkey too received a cremation according to vedic rites .

 

Snakes appearing during temple inauguration ceremonies and staying the whole period are not rare in this part of the world. Nearby a pigeon appeared during the inauguration of a Jagannath temple by a Krishna-devotee, which stayed in the sanctum sanctorum the full night .

In Cuttack there is a Vaishnav ashram. The monk in charge used to treat a dog like an inmate . It was the last birth of a sinful person in a past life, he used to say. When the dog died, he arranged for the funeral and then invited the brahmins in the customary 12th day Feast . The brahmins were furious and felt insulted . None came . But the feast went ahead regardless and hundreds of dogs attended . After the feast they just melted away. This incident is inscribed in all vaishnav temples as a miracle.

So the next time you meet an animal, treat it with respect.

Hare Krishna !!!

 

 

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