I am going to become a sanyasin

[Guest guest]

and it was easy for him to see everyone with an equal eye. Others are not so lucky.

[Guest guest]

But it's true. I'm barbaric. Srila Prabhupada used to quote his spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, saying that this material world is no place for a gentleman. So why am I here? A fool and rascal, no more. I wish it were otherwise, but we have to call a spade a spade.

 

Hare Krishna.

[Guest guest]

but there are gradations. In this material world, everyone may be a fool (or they wouldn't be here, they would be in Vrindavan), but it doesn't mean they're all barbaric. A sadistic murderer is barbaric, a rapist is barbaric, but there are good people who mean no harm to anyone. So we must make distinctions at least for practical purposes, or we might believe that all people are similar and so on. that isn't a good idea, is it?

[Guest guest]

Only speaking for myself. Thank you.

[bhakta_john]

"a female is never awarded the order of sanyass, because a

female is never considered independent and sanyassa was never awarded to any female in the past by great acaryas like Sankara, Ramanuja, etc.. the female sanyassis are to be immediately understood as pretenders or prostitutes. In india they have organized so many organizations where especially young females are maintained to attract rich women-hunterswho pretend to pose as righteous in the society."

 

__ Srila Prabhupada letter to Brahmananda, 14th March, 1967

[Guest guest]

And your point?

[bhakta_john]

i don't have a "point", but apparently Srila Prabhupada does; what part of his message don't you understand?

[Guest guest]

i am not joking GOD is for all & I can really take u to GOD

[Guest guest]

I mean how's this relevant to the thread?

[theist]

 

i am not joking GOD is for all & I can really take u to GOD

 

No offense but who needs you to find God?

 

 

[theist]

http://srimadbhagavatam.com/11/23/en1

 

 

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam

 

SB 11.23 Summary

 

SB 11.23.1: Sukadeva Gosvami said: Lord Mukunda, the chief of the Dasarhas, having thus been respectfully requested by the best of His devotees, Sri Uddhava, first acknowledged the fitness of his servant's statements. Then the Lord, whose glorious exploits are most worthy of being heard, began to reply to him.

 

SB 11.23.2: Lord Sri Krishna said: O disciple of Brihaspati, there is virtually no saintly man in this world capable of resettling his own mind after it has been disturbed by the insulting words of uncivilized men.

 

SB 11.23.3: Sharp arrows which pierce one's chest and reach the heart do not cause as much suffering as the arrows of harsh, insulting words that become lodged within the heart when spoken by uncivilized men.

 

SB 11.23.4: My dear Uddhava, in this regard a most pious story is told, and I shall now describe it to you. Please listen with careful attention.

 

SB 11.23.5: Once a certain sannyasi was insulted in many ways by impious men. However, with determination he remembered that he was suffering the fruit of his own previous karma. I will narrate to you his story and that which he spoke.

 

SB 11.23.6: In the country of Avanti there once lived a certain brahmana who was very rich and gifted with all opulences, and who was engaged in the occupation of commerce. But he was a miserly person -- lusty, greedy and very prone to anger.

 

SB 11.23.7: In his home, devoid of religiosity and lawful sense gratification, the family members and guests were never properly respected, even with words. He would not even allow sufficient gratification for his own body at the suitable times.

 

SB 11.23.8: Since he was so hardhearted and miserly, his sons, in-laws, wife, daughters and servants began to feel inimical toward him. Becoming disgusted, they would never treat him with affection.

 

SB 11.23.9: In this way the presiding deities of the five family sacrifices became angry at the briahmana, who, being niggardly, guarded his wealth like a Yaksha, who had no good destination either in this world or the next, and who was totally deprived of religiosity and sense enjoyment.

 

SB 11.23.10: O magnanimous Uddhava, by his neglect of these demigods he depleted his stock of piety and all his wealth. The accumulation of his repeated exhaustive endeavors was totally lost.

 

SB 11.23.11: Some of the wealth of this so-called brahmana was taken away by his relatives, My dear Uddhava, some by thieves, some by the whims of providence, some by the effects of time, some by ordinary men and some by government authorities.

 

SB 11.23.12: Finally, when his property was completely lost, he who never engaged in religiosity or sense enjoyment became ignored by his family members. Thus he began to feel unbearable anxiety.

 

SB 11.23.13: Having lost all his wealth, he felt great pain and lamentation. His throat choked up with tears, and he meditated for a long time on his fortune. Then a powerful feeling of renunciation came over him.

 

SB 11.23.14: The brahmana spoke as follows: O what great misfortune! I have simply tormented myself uselessly, struggling so hard for money that was not even intended for religiosity or material enjoyment.

 

SB 11.23.15: Generally, the wealth of misers never allows them any happiness. In this life it causes their self-torment, and when they die it sends them to hell.

 

SB 11.23.16: Whatever pure fame is possessed by the famous and whatever praiseworthy qualities are found in the virtuous are destroyed by even a small amount of greed, just as one's attractive physical beauty is ruined by a trace of white leprosy.

 

SB 11.23.17: In the earning, attainment, increase, protection, expense, loss and enjoyment of wealth, all men experience great labor, fear, anxiety and delusion.

 

SB 11.23.18-19: Theft, violence, speaking lies, duplicity, lust, anger, perplexity, pride, quarreling, enmity, faithlessness, envy and the dangers caused by women, gambling and intoxication are the fifteen undesirable qualities that contaminate men because of greed for wealth. Although these qualities are undesirable, men falsely ascribe value to them. One desiring to achieve the real benefit of life should therefore remain aloof from undesirable material wealth.

 

SB 11.23.20: Even a man's brothers, wife, parents and friends united with him in love will immediately break off their affectionate relationships and become enemies over a single coin.

 

SB 11.23.21: For even a small amount of money these relatives and friends become very agitated and their anger is inflamed. Acting as rivals, they quickly give up all sentiments of goodwill and will reject one at a moment's notice, even to the point of committing murder.

 

SB 11.23.22: Those who obtain human life, which is prayed for even by the demigods, and in that human birth become situated as first-class brahmanas, are extremely fortunate. If they disregard this important opportunity, they are certainly killing their own self-interest and thus achieve a most unfortunate end.

 

SB 11.23.23: What mortal man, having achieved this human life, which is the very gateway to both heaven and liberation, would willingly become attached to that abode of worthlessness, material property?

 

SB 11.23.24: One who fails to distribute his wealth to the proper shareholders -- the demigods, sages, forefathers and ordinary living entities, as well as his immediate relatives, in-laws and own self -- is maintaining his wealth simply like a Yaksha and will fall down.

 

SB 11.23.25: Discriminating persons are able to utilize their money, youth and strength to achieve perfection. But I have feverishly squandered these in the useless endeavor for further wealth. Now that I am an old man, what can I achieve?

 

SB 11.23.26: Why must an intelligent man suffer by his constant vain efforts to get wealth? Indeed, this whole world is most bewildered by someone's illusory potency.

 

SB 11.23.27: For one who is in the grips of death, what is the use of wealth or those who offer it, sense gratification or those who offer it, or, for that matter, any type of fruitive activity, which simply causes one to again take birth in the material world?

 

SB 11.23.28: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari, who contains within Himself all the demigods, must be satisfied with me. Indeed, He has brought me to this suffering condition and forced me to experience detachment, which is the boat to carry me over this ocean of material life.

 

SB 11.23.29: If there is any time remaining in my life, I will perform austerities and force my body to subsist on the bare necessities. Without further confusion I shall pursue that which constitutes my entire self-interest in life, and I shall remain satisfied within the self.

 

SB 11.23.30: Thus may the presiding demigods of these three worlds kindly show their mercy upon me. Indeed, Maharaja Khatvanga was able to achieve the spiritual world in a single moment.

 

SB 11.23.31: Lord Sri Krishna continued: His mind thus determined, that most excellent Avanti brahmana was able to untie the knots of desire within his heart. He then assumed the role of a peaceful and silent sannyasi mendicant.

 

SB 11.23.32: He wandered about the earth, keeping his intelligence, senses and life air under control. To beg charity he traveled alone to various cities and villages. He did not advertise his advanced spiritual position and thus was not recognized by others.

 

SB 11.23.33: O kind Uddhava, seeing him as an old, dirty beggar, rowdy persons would dishonor him with many insults.

 

SB 11.23.34: Some of these persons would take away his sannyasi rod, and some the waterpot which he was using as a begging bowl. Some took his deerskin seat, some his chanting beads, and some would steal his torn, ragged clothing. Displaying these things before him, they would pretend to offer them back but would then hide them again.

 

SB 11.23.35: When he was sitting on the bank of a river about to partake of the food that he had collected by his begging, such sinful rascals would come and pass urine on it, and they would dare to spit on his head.

 

SB 11.23.36: Although he had taken a vow of silence, they would try to make him speak, and if he did not speak they would beat him with sticks. Others would chastise him, saying, "This man is just a thief." And others would bind him up with rope, shouting, "Tie him up! Tie him up!"

 

SB 11.23.37: They would criticize and insult him, saying, "This man is just a hypocrite and a cheat. He makes a business of religion simply because he lost all his wealth and his family threw him out."

 

SB 11.23.38-39: Some would ridicule him by saying, "Just see this greatly powerful sage! He is as steadfast as the Himalaya Mountains. By practice of silence he strives for his goal with great determination, just like a duck." Other persons would pass foul air upon him, and sometimes others would bind this twice-born brahmana in chains and keep him captive like a pet animal.

 

SB 11.23.40: The brahmana understood that all his suffering -- from other living beings, from the higher forces of nature and from his own body -- was unavoidable, being allotted to him by providence.

 

SB 11.23.41: Even while being insulted by these low-class men who were trying to effect his downfall, he remained steady in his spiritual duties. Fixing his resolution in the mode of goodness, he began to chant the following song.

 

SB 11.23.42: The brahmana said: These people are not the cause of my happiness and distress. Neither are the demigods, my own body, the planets, my past work, or time. Rather, it is the mind alone that causes happiness and distress and perpetuates the rotation of material life.

 

SB 11.23.43: The powerful mind actuates the functions of the material modes, from which evolve the different kinds of material activities in the modes of goodness, ignorance and passion. From the activities in each of these modes develop the corresponding statuses of life.

 

SB 11.23.44: Although present along with the struggling mind within the material body, the Supersoul is not endeavoring, because He is already endowed with transcendental enlightenment. Acting as my friend, He simply witnesses from His transcendental position. I, the infinitesimal spirit soul, on the other hand, have embraced this mind, which is the mirror reflecting the image of the material world. Thus I have become engaged in enjoying objects of desire and am entangled due to contact with the modes of nature.

 

SB 11.23.45: Charity, prescribed duties, observance of major and minor regulative principles, hearing from scripture, pious works and purifying vows all have as their final aim the subduing of the mind. Indeed, concentration of the mind on the Supreme is the highest yoga.

 

SB 11.23.46: If one's mind is perfectly fixed and pacified, then tell me what need does one have to perform ritualistic charity and other pious rituals? And if one's mind remains uncontrolled, lost in ignorance, then of what use are these engagements for him?

 

SB 11.23.47: All the senses have been under the control of the mind since time immemorial, and the mind himself never comes under the sway of any other. He is stronger than the strongest, and his godlike power is fearsome. Therefore, anyone who can bring the mind under control becomes the master of all the senses.

 

SB 11.23.48: Failing to conquer this irrepressible enemy, the mind, whose urges are intolerable and who torments the heart, many people are completely bewildered and create useless quarrel with others. Thus they conclude that other people are either their friends, their enemies or parties indifferent to them.

 

SB 11.23.49: Persons who identify with this body, which is simply the product of the material mind, are blinded in their intelligence, thinking in terms of "I" and "mine." Because of their illusion of "this is I, but that is someone else," they wander in endless darkness.

 

SB 11.23.50: If you say that these people are the cause of my happiness and distress, then where is the place of the soul in such a conception? This happiness and distress pertain not to the soul but to the interactions of material bodies. If someone bites his tongue with his own teeth, at whom can he become angry in his suffering?

 

SB 11.23.51: If you say that the demigods who rule the bodily senses cause suffering, still, how can such suffering apply to the spirit soul? This acting and being acted upon are merely interactions of the changeable senses and their presiding deities. When one limb of the body attacks another, with whom can the person in that body be angry?

 

SB 11.23.52: If the soul himself were the cause of happiness and distress, then we could not blame others, since happiness and distress would be simply the nature of the soul. According to this theory, nothing except the soul actually exists, and if we were to perceive something besides the soul, that would be illusion. Therefore, since happiness and distress do not actually exist in this concept, why become angry at oneself or others?

 

SB 11.23.53: And if we examine the hypothesis that the planets are the immediate cause of suffering and happiness, then also where is the relationship with the soul, who is eternal? After all, the effect of the planets applies only to things that have taken birth. Expert astrologers have moreover explained how the planets are only causing pain to each other. Therefore, since the living entity is distinct from these planets and from the material body, against whom should he vent his anger?

 

SB 11.23.54: If we assume that fruitive work is the cause of happiness and distress, we still are not dealing with the soul. The idea of material work arises when there is a spiritual actor who is conscious and a material body that undergoes the transformation of happiness and distress as a reaction to such work. Since the body has no life, it cannot be the actual recipient of happiness and distress, nor can the soul, who is ultimately completely spiritual and aloof from the material body. Since karma thus has no ultimate basis in either the body or the soul, at whom can one become angry?

 

SB 11.23.55: If we accept time as the cause of happiness and distress, that experience still cannot apply to the spirit soul, since time is a manifestation of the Lord's spiritual potency and the living entities are also expansions of the Lord's spiritual potency manifesting through time. Certainly a fire does not burn its own flames or sparks, nor does the cold harm its own snowflakes or hail. In fact, the spirit soul is transcendental and beyond the experience of material happiness and distress. At whom, therefore, should one become angry?

 

SB 11.23.56: The false ego gives shape to illusory material existence and thus experiences material happiness and distress. The spirit soul, however, is transcendental to material nature; he can never actually be affected by material happiness and distress in any place, under any circumstance or by the agency of any person. A person who understands this has nothing whatsoever to fear from the material creation.

 

SB 11.23.57: I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Krishna. This was approved by the previous acaryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

SB 11.23.58: Lord Sri Krishna said: Thus becoming detached upon the loss of his property, this sage gave up his moroseness. He left home, taking sannyasa, and began to travel about the earth. Even when insulted by foolish rascals he remained unswerved from his duty and chanted this song.

 

SB 11.23.59: No other force besides his own mental confusion makes the soul experience happiness and distress. His perception of friends, neutral parties and enemies and the whole material life he builds around this perception are simply created out of ignorance.

 

SB 11.23.60: My dear Uddhava, fixing your intelligence on Me, you should thus completely control the mind. This is the essence of the science of yoga.

 

SB 11.23.61: Anyone who listens to or recites to others this song of the sannyasi, which presents scientific knowledge of the Absolute, and who thus meditates upon it with full attention, will never again be overwhelmed by the dualities of material happiness and distress.

 

[bhakta_john]

this supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. but in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.

 

Purport

 

it is clearly stated that the Gita was especially meant for the saintly kings because they were to execute its purpose in ruling over the citizens. certainly Bhagavad Gita was never meant for THE DEMONIAC PER5ONS, WHO WOULD

DISSIPATE ITS VALUE FOR NO ONE'S BENEFIT AND WOULD DEVISE ALL TYPES OF INTERPRETATIONS ACCORDING TO PERSONAL WHIM.

AS SOON AS THE ORIGINAL PUPOSE WAS SCATTERED BY THE UNSCRUPULOUS COMMENTATORS THERE AROSE THE NEED TO REESTABLISH THE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION. FIVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO IT WAS DETECTED BY tHE lORD hIMSELF THAT THE DISCIPLIC

SUCCESSION WAS BROKEN, AND THEREFORE HE DECLARED THE PURPOSE OF THE GITA APPEARED TO BE LOST. IN THE SAME WAY, AT THE PRESENT MOMENT ALSO THERE ARE SO MANY EDITIONS OF THE GITA(ESPECIALLY IN ENGLISH), BUT ALMOST ALL OF THEM

ARE NOT ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORIZED DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION.

THERE ARE INNUMERABLE INTERPRETATIONS RENDERED BY DIFFERENT MUNDANE SCHOLARS, BUT ALMOST ALL OF THEM DO NOT ACCEPT THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD,KRSNA, ALTHOUGH THEY MAKE GOOD BUSINESS ON THE WORDS OF SRI KRSNA. THIS SPIRIT IS DEMONIAC, BECAUSE DEMONS DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD

BUT SIMPLY ENJOY THE PROPERTY OF THE SUPREME.

 

Bhagavad Gita 4:2

[theist]

Narada is speaking to Vyasdeva and describing his life immediately prior to his enlightenment in Krishna consciousness. This is just after his mother passed on due to snake bite and after his intiation by the association,service to and prasada of great devotees. He is describing his travels as a renunciate.

 

TRANSLATION SB 1.6.13

 

I then passed alone through many forests of rushes, bamboo, reeds, sharp grass, weeds and caves, which were very difficult to go through alone. I visited deep, dark and dangerously fearful forests, which were the play yards of snakes, owls and jackals.

 

PURPORT

 

It is the duty of a mendicant (parivrajakacarya) to experience all varieties of God's creation by traveling alone through all forests, hills, towns, villages, etc., to gain faith in God and strength of mind as well as to enlighten the inhabitants with the message of God. A sannyasi is duty-bound to take all these risks without fear, and the most typical sannyasi of the present age is Lord Caitanya, who traveled in the same manner through the central Indian jungles, enlightening even the tigers, bears, snakes, deer, elephants and many other jungle animals. In this age of Kali, sannyasa is forbidden for ordinary men. One who changes his dress to make propaganda is a different man from the original ideal sannyasi. One should, however, take the vow to stop social intercourse completely and devote life exclusively to the service of the Lord. The change of dress is only a formality. Lord Caitanya did not accept the name of a sannyasi, and in this age of Kali the so-called sannyasis should not change their former names, following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya. In this age, devotional service of hearing and repeating the holy glories of the Lord is strongly recommended, and one who takes the vow of renunciation of family life need not imitate the parivrajakacarya like Narada or Lord Caitanya, but may sit down at some holy place and devote his whole time and energy to hear and repeatedly chant the holy scriptures left by the great acaryas like the six Gosvamis of Vrindavana.

 

-------------

 

Considering this purport why is the formal sannyasa ashrama still taken up? I have never understood this.

 

 

[stonehearted]

Commitment is a very powerful thing. At initiation we commit our lives to the spiritual master's service and to following his instructions. When we commit ourselves to, for example, chanting a particular number of rounds and honor that commitment, it has a strong effect on our consciousness. When we marry, we commit ourselves to work with our spouse for emotional and spiritual growth, forsaking intimacy with others. Similarly, for those few who can do so, a commitment to a life of serving only the Lord's ends with body, mind, and speech (which is the business of the tridandi sannyasi) can effect a powerful change in our consciousness. We voluntarily withdraw, as Srila Prabhupada says in the purport, from social intercourse and dedicate our thoughts, words, and deeds to practicing and sharing Krishna consciousness, without the being limited by identification with a particular family, nation, etc.

[krsna]

 

 

 

There is another type of “show-bottle” display, used solely for the purpose of preaching. That is Lord Chaitanya’s acceptance of the sannyasa asrama by which the

Mayavadi's are defeated.

 

— From The Poetry of Srila Prabhupada.

 

Translated

 

by Dasarath Suta Das. Nectar Books. Union City,Georgia, USA. 1998.

[theist]

Yes, I understand what you are saying and agree completely. But why does that necessitate the formal acceptance of sannyasa which in the above purport Srila Prabhupada points out is forbidden in this age.

 

One doesn't need a tridandi staff to be renounced.

 

I can even see it as krsna points out as a preaching tactic by His Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. But in the west it seems to have been famously misused. Why does it persist.

 

[stonehearted]

Sannyasa initiations persist because Srila Prabhupada instituted them. The formal acceptance of sannyasa is a way of taking a stand. There have been failures in India, too, not just in the West. Srila Prabhupada points out that anyone whose work, thoughts, and words are dedicated exclusively to preaching is a sannyasi regardless of his (or her) dress or apparent status in life. Still, society benefits from the examples of those who have taken such a bold stand and who live up to it. Do I think it's abused? Yep! Does it hurt society when sannyasis stumble and fall? You betcha! Do I suggest everyone--or anyone, for that matter--accept it? Nope! But a well-developed spiritual society should have a place for monks, as few as they are.

 

What's the need for initiation? There are plenty of disciples who fall away. What's the need for marriage? Plenty of marriages fail. Would society improve if we abandoned these practices as well?

 

The sannyasa forbidden in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana is sannyas in the realm of karma, in which old men accept sannyasa because they're worn out, not because they're self realized. There's also a jnana-sannyasa, whose goal is merging with brahman. However, vaishnava sannyasa, whose goal is service to Mukunda, Krishna, is glorified in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Padma Purana, and by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, when he discussed the sannyasa of the Avanti brahmana. You asked what its purpose is. If my explanation is insufficient, please read Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita for further help.

[theist]

What you say makes sense enough to me Babhru. You have provided enough of another angle of vision that my mind is now peaceful on the subject. I don't have a need to investigate further.

 

Thanks

[stonehearted]

I'm glad I could help a little. Considering all that, it appears the kind of sannyasa the person who started this thread is interested in would not fit the criteria given. But that's his business.

 

Then you have the Rjneesh/Osho "sannyasins." That's a different pot of kichari.

[Guest guest]

Now there are very few persons that have eloquently discussed the topic of sannyasa ashram, according to our Srila Prabhupadas books, as this Vaisnava Prabhu 'stonehearted'

 

The Vaisnavas heart is not of stone rather it is an instrument by which he explains to others what is Krsna consciousness.By experience and realization one does so ...thank you

 

we beg to remain ever felicitate in the dust of the feet of genuine Vaisnavas...

[stonehearted]

Thanks for your kind words. I've explained the username "stonehearted" a couple of times over the years, but in case anyone new to this board wonders (or objects), here goes again.

 

A few years ago a vaishnava preacher I deeply respect suggested that I use the Internet to share whatever understanding I have of Krishna consciousness. One approach was participating in boards such as this one. When I came, it appeared to me that almost everyone was using some username other than their real name. I hung out for a while, and, because I wanted to fit into what I perceived was the culture of the 'net (and because I probably felt a little uncomfortable standing up in public, being somewhat reserved by nature), I thought about what username might be appropriate. I settled on "stonehearted" because it works as an ironic double entendre. On the one hand, it reflects the degree to which my heart remains callous to the world's real need, even after apparently trying for so many years to become Krishna conscious. On the other, it indicates that, at least in come corner, my heart increasingly belongs to my Thakurajis, which are, along with my long-worshiped Nitai-Goursundar, a Shalagam shila whom we call Murali-manohara, and my two little Girirajas. My daily service to Them is gradually melting the rock which passes for my heart.

 

I very quickly gave up the anomymity such usernames afford, and anyone who has been around any length of time knows that my name is Babhru das and that I live on the island of Hawaii.

[krsna]

 

"..my heart increasingly belongs to my Thakurajis, which are, along with my long-worshiped Nitai-Goursundar, a Shalagam shila whom we call Murali-manohara, and my two little Girirajas. My daily service to Them is gradually melting the rock which passes for my heart."

 

 

Dear Babhru Prabhu,

 

Pamho

All Glories to srila Prabhupada!

 

Such wonderful bhava for Sri Krsna who has so kindly appeared to you in this most blessed form.

 

How can I pray for such special mercy as to have the Lord come into my life in these Deity forms?

 

yours sincerely,

 

krsna das

[stonehearted]

Dear Krishna das, the key, in my experience at least, is to nurture the desire in your heart and pray that the Lord will kindly respond some day. Here's how it happened for me:

 

In '91 or '92, the temple president at the San Diego ISKCON center asked me if I would take responsibility for the worship of the temple's Govardhana shila, Giri Govardhana, a few days a week. I was reluctant, having heard stories about the dire consequences of offenses committed in worshiping Shalagrama shilas, and I thought that maybe Giriraja worship was even "higher" than Shalagrama worship. (I had always considered myself a regular Gaura-Nitai, Levis-and-t-shirt kind of a guy, and that it was no mistake that I became involved with Krishna consciousness in Hawaii, where the Deities eventually were Sri Pancha Tattva. Even worshiping Radha-Krishna in the temples wax uncomfortable for me.) However, the devotees suggested that I try it to see how it felt. After the first morning, I was sold out. I wanted Giriraja at home so I could serve him every day. I kept this desire in my heart for years without really discussing it with anyone very much. The temple's head pujari, Chaitanya-vallabha, was able to discern my desire. Several years ago he offered me one of his Shalagrama shilas to console me until Giriraja came. I accepted with the understanding that I could worship Him as Krishna, an understanding which was confirmed by a tape of a conversation with Visvambhar Goswami of Radha-raman temple. A couple of years later, an old friend, Ramananda Raya, called to ask if I would like two tiny Girirajas he had. I accepted his kindness without any reservation.

 

All our Deities, Sri Sri Nitai-Goursundar, Murali-manohara, and the Girirajas, came to us without my asking anyone. Krishna responded to my desire for service through the kindness of His devotees.

[krsna]

"All our Deities, Sri Sri Nitai-Goursundar, Murali-manohara, and th Girirajas, came to us without my asking anyone. Krishna responded to my desire for service through the kindness of His devotees. "

 

I shall pray to one day deserve such mercy as you have received.

 

Hare Krsna

[stonehearted]

I'm not sure mercy is something we can earn, or that we may deserve, except by becoming utterly destitute. Perhaps the best we can do is to leave ourselves open to receiving whatever mercy comes from above.