The Thief of Time

In Srimad Bhagavatam, the result of not utilizing time for devotional service to the Supreme Lord Krishna is very emphatically stated in the following verse: SB 2.3.17

aayur harati vai pumsaam / udyann astam ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-kshano neeta / uttama-shloka vaartayaa

"Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead."

In his transcendental purport, Srila Prabhupada explains:

"This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values. Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold."

Very often in devotional service, we always give excuses for not reading Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.. The main reason we give is "time". 'If only I have more time!!'. The fascinating thing that we discover that when we suddenly have "more time", it is quickly taken up. The "new" time we have is somehow eaten up. It's hard to put our finger on it - material society is such that life has become complicated and unnecessarily busy. We rarely have anyone say that they have plenty of time on their hands. We always complain that there aren't enough hours in a day. Every living entity has exactly the same number of minutes - 1,440 minutes in a day. The truth is that everybody wants more time but everybody has all the time there is. It is the one that the poorest beggar on the street or the most powerful person in the world has exactly the same amount of. Everyone starts each new day with a bag filled with 1440 minutes. The problem is the existence of a "thief" - a thief who steals time from us.

At the start of every new day, a bag full of minutes is delivered to us and at that very moment onwards, the thief of time strikes at our hearts. He will rob us of our valuable time with the Supreme Lord Krishna, to do our daily chanting and reading of scriptures. This thief's name is 'Later', and he has dedicated his 'life' to stealing the living entity's time. Whenever he meets somebody who wants to engage in the process of devotional service, he says, ".. Very good. But not today. Today you should clean your car, spend time with your family, catch up on your sleep". He will urge you to do anything and everything except devotional service - that comes later! The truth is that there is no way for us to progress in devotional service until we deal with this creature. His power lies in his stealth; if you see him you have him beaten.

Therefore, as our beloved Guru Maharaj says: "No matter how small a step towards devotional service - start it now and do not delay." If the task is too great - break it down into small parts. We must be involved in a daily battle with "later" in devotional service. He must not allow us to be robbed of the chance to engage in the transcendental service of the Lord.

In the Bhagavad-gita (2.40) the Lord has explained such contact in the following words: "Endeavors in devotional service are never baffled. Nor is there failure. A slight beginning of such activities is sufficient even to deliver a person from the great ocean of material fears."

Simplicity

In Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 verse 8 Lord Krishna while explaining Arjuna about what all comprises to be knowledge says

amaanitvam adambhitvam    / ahimsaa kshaantir aarjavam
aacaaryopaasanaḿ shaucam / sthairyam aatma-vinigrahah

"Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control"  are some of the important qualities which Krishna is declaring to be knowledge.

Here the quality - aarjavam is worth meditating. Srila Prabhupada gives very nice definition for this word in his purport to the above verse. He says - "Simplicity means that without diplomacy one should be so straightforward that he can disclose the real truth even to an enemy."

Our life should be simple. The way we think should be simple. Our speech and actions should be simple. Our interaction with other living entities must also be simple. Only when we are in this position, we will be able to peacefully and blissfully perform devotional service. On the other hand if we are having duplicit nature, then we will be constantly meditating on how to revenge/retaliate other living entities and there will hardly be any room for Krishna in our thoughts, heart or even in our homes.

Devotional service is simple for simple-hearted people and complex for the complicated souls. We can see this practically in children. They are innocent and their hearts are not filled with anarthas like us and so they pick up the process of bhakti at a greater speed than compared to us. I was fortunate to have the association of few young devotees from a village near Chennai and I was casually asking each one of them how many rounds they chant - Those devotees were in the age group of 5 to 12 and each one of them were saying 8,12,16 etc. One boy among them was chanting 40 rounds daily. I was simply surprised when he said that. His friend immediately remarked that he spent all his spare time chanting - and that's why he was able to chant at least 40 rounds. Here I was struggling to chant 16 rounds daily and even on days when I had spare time - I didn't bother to chant extra rounds and even when I did, it indeed requires a great effort to convince my obstinate mind to chant those extra rounds - in spite of knowing the importance of Holy Names.

Another practical experience many of us would have experienced is that children learn the shlokas faster than us. Basic reason being  the children are more eager and receptive to hear about the Lord whereas our minds are not 100% present there when we do it . We think about ‘n’ different things and engage ourselves superficially in this process. Since we keep complicating our lives with so many things, even after years of practice - we are not able to relish the process of chanting or study of scriptures.  So how to improve our fabric of devotional service ?  Maharaj always insists upon giving this valuable gift of bhakti to the next generation - Reality is he very well knows our complex minds and that’s why is insisting on us to take association of simple children and in the process of teaching them shlokas, bhajans etc, we not only get into the habit of studying the scriptures and also practically learn from them how to simply love Krishna. Couple of weeks back in one of the classes, one child was telling me happily that she had invited Krishna for her sister's b'day party. Indeed Krishna would have been very pleased by her loving gesture and I was just wondering how many times I have missed to talk to Krishna with the same loving mood like her. I thank Gurudev and Krishna for the association of such children and hope that I give away all complex thoughts and approach the Lord with simple heart like these children and perform sincere devotional service.

Krishna - The All Wonderful Absolute Person

In Srimad Bhagavatam, we find in many places that Krishna is glorified as "adbhuta karmana" (one whose actions are wonderful). In the 10th canto, we come across this word when Sri Sukadeva Goswami recites the Lord's pastimes related to the killing of demons like Putana, Dhenukasura, Aghasura etc. A question came up in my mind, "The Supreme Lord is the creator, maintainer and annihilator of this material world and this activity cannot be done by anyone else. He does all this just by His sankalpa. For such a person, it is not at all a difficult task to destroy the demons who are tiny specks in creation. He is the one who gives powers to these demons. Then why He is called 'adbhuta karmana', just because He kills demons or defeats Jarasandha's army and why Srila Sukadeva Goswami should explain such incidents in great details with great wonder ?" Its like glorifying a great boxing champion as wonderful when he kills a mosquito. The person may actually get offended by this glorification(?). However by the blessings of Maharaj, I came across the answer for the above question in the following shloka of Srimad Bhagavatam (10.50.29)

sthity-udbhavaantam bhuvana-trayasya yah
samihite 'nanta-gunah sva-leelayaa
na tasya citram para-paksha-nigrahas
tathaapi martyaanuvidhasya varnyate

"For Him who orchestrates the creation, maintenance and destruction of the three worlds and who possesses unlimited spiritual qualities, it is hardly amazing that He subdues an opposing party. Still, when the Lord does so, imitating human behavior, sages glorify His acts."

Though the Lord is all powerful and can do anything He likes, even small (from His point of view) deeds such as killing demons are glorified as wonderful because of the following reasons.

1. For devotees who forget that the Lord is the Absolute Truth (because of their excessive love for Him), these superhuman activities appear wonderful because they see the Lord as their companion and not the Supreme Person.
2. For others who do not recognize Him as the Absolute Truth and consider Him to be just a powerful human being, these activities sound very wonderful because they cannot be imitated by normal human beings.
3. For great sages and scholars, the Lord's activities are wonderful because they are completely spiritual (beyond the material modes) and just by hearing them, one can attain liberation from birth and death. Nowhere, we have the instance of a person becoming liberated by hearing somebody's activities. In Bhagavatam, the pastimes of baby Krishna stealing the butter etc in Vrindavan is described in a few shlokas. Everyday many living enitities in this material world steal. But great sages like Sukadev Goswami do not glorify them or record them in the scriptures. Also we cannot attain liberation by listening to our pastimes.
4. All His activities are wonderful because whatever the Lord does is beneficial to all living entities. When He kills the demons, the demons attain liberation from material sufferings being purified by the Lord's direct touch. People who hear about such activities also become purified and walk straight on the path back to Godhead. In this regard, Srila Prabhupada writes - "God is Absolute. So even His killing is good. When He becomes angry at someone, even His object of anger is blessed". So all His actions are nothing but expression of His compassion towards all living entities. We should submissively study the scriptures with faith to appreciate this fact.

It is because of this reason the Lord makes a solemn declaration in Bhagavad Gita verse 4.9

janma karma ca me divyam / evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktvaa deham punar janma / naiti maam eti'so arjuna

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

In this regard Maharaj was explaining to us in Rajkot, "Why to think about His creation of this world? If we just see our body, we can understand that Krishna is adbhuta karmanah. Our mouth is the most sophisticated plumbing system. It produces the exact amount of saliva required to digest the food. There is food pipe, wind pipe inside our body. When I eat and breath at the same time, the food never goes to the wind pipe. It is so perfectly arranged. The blood vessels in our body are so much intertwined and they work in perfect co-ordination to ensure continuous pumping of blood throughout our body. In this way, if we just study our body we can understand that Krishna's acts/creation are wonderful. No one can imitate His actions."

All we need to do is to submissively study and hear His glorious activities and by such purification process we can reach His lotus feet.

I pray at the lotus feet of Maharaj and Srila Prabhupada so that I will get some taste and faith in listening to the pastimes of the Supreme Lord and get purified.

Taking Shelter Of Scriptures

When we face difficult situations in our lives, and do not know how to handle those situations, we should take shelter of sadhu/spiritual master and submissively inquire from him and learn what needs to be done and what should not be done. During times, when we are not blessed with the physical association of sadhus, we should turn our attention to scriptures bestowed by Supreme Lord, wherein He has very clearly explained the do's and dont's in our lives. Krishna resides as "mantra-murti" in these shastras and mercifully reciprocates to our queries in mind if we learn them with faith.

Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.1.2 very nicely glorifies the beauty of Bhagavatam and also about the qualifications required for us to understand this great scripture.

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaraanaam sataam
vedyam vaastavam atra vastu shivadam taapa-trayonmulanam
shrimad-bhaagavate mahaa-muni-krte kim vaa parair ishvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate 'tra krtibhih shushrusubhis tat-kshanaat

"Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Puraana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart."

The quality of the person who will be able to understand the message revealed through the scriptures is very clear defined in this verse. Only if we are 100% pure in heart - nirmatsaraanam - non-envious, then we would be able to understand the message of Bhagavatam. We would not be able to gain any kind of knowledge or instruction from the scriptures - either by possessing the scriptures at home, or by reading it in challenging mood. Unless we are simple and straight forward in our thoughts, words and deeds, we will not be able to even touch the scriptures. It is not only important to seek shelter of scriptures, it is equally more important to follow the instructions provided in them.

In verse 16.23 of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna very nicely explains the position of those who don't follow the scriptural injunctions.

yah shaastra-vidhim utsrjya / vartate kaama kaaratah
na sa siddhim avaapnoti     / na sukham na paraam gatim

He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.

In his purport to the above verse, Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains the meaning for whimsical nature and also the result of this attitude - "The word 'kaama-kaaratah' is very significant. A person who knowingly violates the rules acts in lust. He knows that this is forbidden, but still he acts. This is called acting whimsically. He knows that this should be done, but still he does not do it; therefore he is called whimsical. Such persons are destined to be condemned by the Supreme Lord. Such persons cannot have the perfection which is meant for the human life."

By the mercy of spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Sri Krishna and Srimad Bhagavatam - we are provided with all the details of what needs to be done and what should not be done. Even after knowing these instructions, if we are lethargic and negligent in following them - then we are digging our own graves. I pray at the lotus feet of Srila Gurudev to bless me to to take shelter of the scriptures sincerely and to give up this whimsical nature.

What Is In A Name?

It is said that the sweetest sound for any person is the sound of one’s own name. Whenever we hear someone talking about us mentioning our name, immediately we become attentive. Nowadays the parents are so crazy to see that their children’s name is on the top of the list that the majority of parents name their child beginning with the alphabet ‘A’ so that their child’s name will be in the top of the list at least alphabetically, if not by any other merit. We are mad about numerology and give all kinds of meaningless names to our children without giving proper thoughts. Even if we give them a nice name, we tend to abbreviate it in so many crazy ways and call them in that way. On the day of initiation we are given a Krishna daasya naama (name of Krishna’s servant) and even after being so fortunate, we do not endeavor to remember or call by this initiated name but continue with the karmic name. I came to understand what a great misfortune it is to do like this, after I went through the pastime of Ajamila. We find that Ajamila named his youngest son as Narayana and he was very much attached to this child. Because the child’s name was Narayana, the old man always chanted the holy name of Narayana.

While describing the life of Ajamila to Maharaj Parikshit Sukadev Goswami says in Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.26 -

bhunjaanah prapiban khaadan / baalakam sneha- yantritah
bhojayan paayayan mudho / na vedaagatam antakam

"When Ajamila chewed food and ate it, he called the child to chew and eat, and when he drank he called the child to drink also. Always engaged in taking care of the child and calling his name, Naarayana, Ajamila could not understand that his own time was now exhausted and that death was upon him."

Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to SB 6.1.25 that although Ajamila was referring to the small child and not to the original Narayana, the name of Narayana is so powerful that even by chanting his son’s name he was becoming purified. Prabhupada also mentions that Ajamila was saying, ‘Narayana, please come eat this food. Narayana, please come drink this milk.’ Somehow or the other therefore he was attached to the name Narayana. This is called ajnaana sukriti. Then in his purport to SB 6.1.26 Srila Prabhupada makes a very very powerful statement which is worth remembering by all of us. Although calling for his son, he was unknowingly chanting the name of Narayana, and the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so transcendentally powerful that his chanting was being counted and recorded.

How much kind the Lord is to the conditioned souls like us? This reminds us of the statement by our beloved Guru maharaj , ‘whatever condition you are in, please chant on japa mala beads. If you cannot chant on the beads, then at least chant on your fingers and if you cannot chant on your fingers, at least start chanting and KRISHNA WILL COUNT for you.’

Ajamila was engaged in so much abominable sinful activities and the question arises in our mind as to how he could name his son as ‘Narayana’ to become eligible for all this fortune. Srila Prabhupada gives a wonderful explanation in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatham 6.2.32

‘In the beginning of his life Ajamila was certainly very pure, and he associated with devotees and brahmanas.; because of that pious activity, even though he was fallen, he was inspired to name his son Narayana. Certainly this was due to good counsel given from within by the Supreme Personality Of Godhead. The Lord, who is situated in everyone’s heart, is so kind that if one has ever rendered service to Him, the Lord never forgets him. Thus the Lord, from within, gave Ajamila the opportunity to name his youngest son Narayana, so that in affection he would constantly call ‘Narayana! Narayana!’ and thus be saved from the most fearful and dangerous condition at the time of his death. Such is the mercy of Krishna. In our Krishna consciousness movement we therefore change a devotee’s name to a form that reminds him of Vishnu. If at the time of death the devotee can remember his own name, such as Krishna dasa or Govinda dasa, he can be saved from the greatest danger. Therefore the change of names at the time of initiation is essential. The Krishna consciousness movement is so meticulous that it gives one a good opportunity to remember Krishna somehow or other.’

Bhakti - The Only Way to Realize Krishna

In our day to day life, we come across so many kinds of incidents both in our lives as well as in the external world. If we try to comprehend the reasons for these things using our mind, or try to manipulate why Krishna has allowed these things, it will simply lead to bewilderment. Our senses are limited and Krishna is unlimited - so we can never judge or ascertain Krishna's actions.

In the 4th Mantra of Sri Isopanishad it is said

anejad ekam manaso javiyo / nainad devaa aapnuvan purvam arshat
tad dhaavato 'nyaan atyeti tishthat / tasminn apo maatarishvaa dadhaati

"Although fixed in His abode, the Personality of Godhead is swifter than the mind and can overcome all others running. The powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Although in one place, He controls those who supply the air and rain. He surpasses all in excellence."

There are few points we can learn from the above verse:

i) Although fixed in His abode - It means that though Krishna is fixed in one place, localized and the greatest, He can be simultaneously omni-present.A very good example of this is found when the Lord stood before Kunti mata as she was glorifying him. However,at the very moment, Uttara mata shouted and called out to Krishna as the Brahmastara was about to kill Parikshit Maharaj in her womb. The Lord was still standing before Kunti Mata but simultaneously he covered the child with his own energy and protected Parikshit Maharaj. Also during His pastimes in Dwaraka with His queens, with His friends in Vrindavan and in so many other places we find the Lord exhibiting His omnipresent nature - though He eternally continues to reside in His Supreme abode. This act of the Lord is inconceivable by mental speculation and unexplainable by material standards. This is due to our limited understanding and potency to understand the Lord's actions.

ii) The personality of Godhead is swifter than the mind and can overcome all others running - Our mind is supposed to be swifter than our actions. But this verse clearly points out Krishna is swifter than the mind. Since Krishna is the Supreme personality of Godhead, He is the fastest and the most excellent. No one is greater or equal to Him. He can do anything He wants. He is the cause of all causes. It is stated by the Lord personally that He is the cause of all the demigods and sages. Even the demigods and great sages cannot understand Krishna as their energies are limited.

Glorifying these potencies of Supreme Lord, Prajapati Daksha prays in Srimad Bhagavatam verse (6.4.29) :-

yad yan niruktam vacasaa nirupitam
dhiyaakshabhir vaa manasota yasya
maa bhut svarupam guna-rupam hi tat tat
sa vai gunaapaaya-visarga-lakshanah

"Anything expressed by material vibrations, anything ascertained by material intelligence and anything experienced by the material senses or concocted within the material mind is but an effect of the modes of material nature and therefore has nothing to do with the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is beyond the creation of this material world, for He is the source of the material qualities and creation. As the cause of all causes, He exists before the creation and after the creation. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him."

Daksha very carefully points out that material designations cannot be names of the worshipable Lord: yad yan niruktam vacasaa nirupitam. Nirukta refers to the Vedic dictionary. One cannot properly understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead merely by picking up expressions from a dictionary. In praying to the Lord, Daksha does not wish material names and forms to be the objects of his worship; rather, he wants to worship the Lord, who existed before the creation of material dictionaries and names. As confirmed in the Vedas, yato vaaco nivartante/ apraapya manasaa saha: the name, form, attributes and paraphernalia of the Lord cannot be ascertained through a material dictionary. However, if one reaches the transcendental platform of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he becomes well acquainted with everything, material and spiritual

In the above verse, Kind Daksha clearly tells us that we cannot understand Krishna through the process of mental speculation or using our mind. If we try to speculate about Him, then Krishna will be illusive to us. The Lord is Supreme Pure and we are completely impure. The only way we can understand the Lord is through the purificatory process of Bhakti which is non-different from the Lord. So instead of speculating the reasons for each and every happenings using our mind, let us simply accept His Supremacy and simply endeavor to act in a manner pleasing to Him.

Evaporation of Miseries

In the second chapter of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Shri Arjuna is asking Shri Krishna about the symptoms of a transcendentally situated personality. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is clearly answering this question by explaining the qualifications of such a personality and I was listening to a lecture given by our beloved Maharaj on one of the qualifications from Srimad Bhagavad Gita 2.56 and I am summarising herewith a few of the points spoken by Maharaj.

duhkheshv anudvigna-manaah / sukheshu vigata-sprhah
vita-raaga-bhaya-krodah / sthita-dhir munir ucyate

"One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind."

Maharaj was telling that it is very difficult to come to the conclusion that in both happiness and misery, we should become very steady. It is nearly impossible in this age because this age is particularly meant for activities which are increasing the sense gratification and as soon as there is some impediment into it, we become angry and agitated. Here Krishna advises us that if we can cultivate Krishna consciousness in our life, then when there is misery we won't be miserable. One thing we have to understand is that everything is under the control of Krishna and as soon as we remember this control of the Supreme Authority, then whatever comes, we take it as His mercy and He never does anything wrong for us. It may appear to us that this is not good for me, but in the end it proves to be a very nice thing for us. For a few moments or few months we may feel what Krishna is doing with me. But later everything becomes clear for us.

Sudama was completely poor and he was an intimate friend of Lord Krishna but he was not at all dissatisfied with his condition and because he was equal minded in poverty too, in the end, Krishna gave him so much that he got all the opulences. On the other side, there were the two sons of Kuvera - Manigriva and Nalakuvera. As we know, rich man’s son gets easy money and as soon as the riches are there and they see that they are going to inherit the father’s property then three things follow.

1. stri – illicit connection with women
2. dyutam – gambling
3. aasavam – intoxication

These three things are there without fail, when easy money is there. Once in order to enjoy, they entered into the Kailasha gardens and were playing in the waters of the lake, completely intoxicated along with some girls. And it so happened by their destiny, that Narada muni passed that way. They were completely shameless and did not even care for Narada muni and they remained naked. Those who drink wine, they completely forget themselves and their lives are described in Srimad Bhagavad Gita 16.7 as

pravrttim ca nivrttim ca / janaa na vidur aasuraah
na shaucam naapi caacaro / na satyam teshu vidyate

"Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them."

The mentality of persons intoxicated with riches is wonderfully spoken by the Lord in Srimad Bhagavad Gita 16.13-15:

The demoniac person thinks: “So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.” In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.

When Narada muni saw that these 2 boys were behaving like trees standing naked, he cursed them to accept the body of the trees. By the causeless mercy of Narada muni, they became the yamalarjuna trees in the courtyard of Nanda maharaj and they were delivered by Krishna. The point is that if we do not behave properly, then we are going to glide down. Intoxicated by riches, if we ignore the saintly elderly persons, then the horrible results awaits us. That is why Krishna advises us that in miserable conditions we should not be disturbed at all. When we are in nice situations, we should not be elated, as this elation will throw us into bad activities.

Nobody really can escape the miseries and we all have 7 problems (birth, death, old age, disease, adhibautic, adhyatmic, adhidaivic) in front of us. These 7 problems are inevitable and there is no cure for it.

Krishna advises us to get attached to Him and all these miseries even though inevitable become happily bearable. Without Krishna we cannot face the misery. That is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada insist us that we chant the holy names of Krishna. Communion with the Lord through the transcendental sound vibration is the complete perfect way out of our miseries. If we take advantage of these transcendental vibrations, then we cannot go wrong at all. In the same way, if we learn a few verses and we sing them, we become completely elevated from the material platform to the spiritual platform. As soon as we speak a verse from Bhagavad Gita, we are speaking out Krishna. As soon as we get in touch with the whole spirit Krishna, our mind leaves the limited boundary and there is complete evaporation of miseries.

Importance of Arcanam

While explaining about the nine process of devotional service Prahlad Maharaj says in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.5.23 as follows..

shri-prahraada uvaaca

shravanam kirtanam vishnuh / smaranam paada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam daasyam / sakhyam aatma-nivedanam
iti pumsaarpitaa vishnau / bhaktis cen nava-lakshanaa
kriyeta bhagavaty addhaa / tan manye 'dhitam uttamam

Prahlada Maharaja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Vishnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Krishna through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.

Among the above nine process - arcanam means worshiping the Deity. Deity worship is very essential for householders. The bliss and benefit of having Deity at home can only be experienced individually and indeed cannot be expressed in few words. Deities regulate our life and force our dirty, lazy minds to keep things clean. They eliminate the feeling of voidness in the home and our lives and keeps us going at all times. We remember our Maharaj giving the example of how even an adult feels scared to enter a big hall when its dark - whereas if we have Deity of Lord, even a small child enters the hall bravely without any fear. Such is the power and potency of the Deity. The process and mood with which we should worship the Deity is very nicely explained by His Divine Grace in his purport to the above verse.

He says - "Especially for householder devotees who are opulent in material possessions, the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended. An opulent householder devotee who does not engage his hard-earned money in the service of the Lord is called a miser. One should not engage paid brahmanas to worship the Deity. If one does not personally worship the Deity but engages paid servants instead, he is considered lazy, and his worship of the Deity is called artificial. An opulent householder can collect luxurious paraphernalia for Deity worship, and consequently for householder devotees the worship of the Deity is compulsory."

Having Deity at home is to revive our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord. So understanding this, we should serve the Deities with our own endeavor and not employ others for serving Them. If we keep servants for serving our Deities at home, then even after millions of birth, we will not be able to revive our relationship with Him. We might very well see that even in case of our own relatives like parents, grand-parents or our children, the loving reciprocation which we experience, the satisfaction which we get when we serve them directly is much more than when we employ care-takers for the same.

Our hunger cannot be satisfied, if we ask someone else to eat for us. Similarly we will never remember Krishna - if  we keep delegating to others, even the basic service which we are supposed to do Him. Ambarsih Maharaj was the king of the whole planet and had so many people under his control. But still He used to clean the temple with his own hands (karau harer mandira-maarjanaadishu - SB 9.4.18-20), bathe the Deities, offer flowers to Them, perform pooja etc.

We are nothing when compared to Ambarish Maharaj's powerful position. So let us atleast sincerely endeavor to serve our Deities at home to the best of our capabilities. Indeed the only way to control our wavering senses, is to engage them in the service of Deity who is non-different from the Lord of Senses - Hrshikesha.

Whom To Invite

Recently I came across a following story which very nicely tells what level of importance needs to be given to wealth, success and love. Once a woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a house together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one,"He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed to our daughter's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest." The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

The word "Love" is being used very loosely and rampantly in this misguided civilization. The point is that love is present, but it is a perverted form of love. Why ? Because this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world and thereby everything is topsy turvy and it is not eternal. This does not mean that we don't know how to love and what to love.

In Caitanya-cartitamrta (Madhya 22.107) it is said "Pure love for Krishna is eternally established in the hearts of living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, the living entity naturally awakens."

Nectar of Instruction Text 4 shows the right path :

dadaati pratigrhnaati / guhyam aakhyaati prcchati
bhunkte bhojayate caiva / sad-vidham priiti-lakshanam

There are six kinds of activities :

1. giving charity to the devotees
2. accepting from the devotees whatever they may offer in return
3. opening one's mind to the devotees
4. inquiring from them about the confidential service of the Lord
5. honoring prasada, or spiritual food, given by the devotees
6. feeding the devotees with prasada.

"The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees."

He further adds : "The life of the Krishna conscious society is nourished by these six types of loving exchange among the members, therefore people must be given the chance to associate with the devotees of ISKCON because simply by reciprocating in the six ways mentioned above an ordinary man can fully revive his dormant Krishna consciousness."

So Whom should we invite? The answer is we must invite Krishna. Will He come by just mere utterance of invitation. No. We have to invite with LOVE. One an only way is by sincerely calling out

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

This is the only way to purify our existence. I sincerely pray to our beloved Maharaj to bestow upon me his love and blessings which will allow me to chant lovingly.

Supreme Lord's Will is Supreme

Atheistic persons, in order to avoid Krishna consciousness, in order to avoid Krishna, the Supreme Person, they push forward the theory that life is caused by matter. But that is not the fact. It is Krishna who has entered this material world and He is supervising all the actions and reactions of this material world. Therefore it is moving. Foolish persons, they are thinking that material world is by chance and the prakrti is working automatically. Prakrti is jada. Jada-prakrti. without any sense. The motor car has got the wheels, the machine, everything, but it has no sense. So unless there is a sensible driver there, it cannot move. But we are so foolishly educated that we do not accept this fact. We say that:"Matter is the cause of life. We do not accept this theory that life is the cause of matter." As soon as they accept that life is the cause of matter, they have to accept God. Immediately. Immediately they have to accept God.

Lord Krishna said in Bhagavat Gita 9.10:

mayaadhyakshena prakrtih / suyate sa-caraacaram
hetunaanena kaunteya / jagad viparivartate

"This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again."

It is clearly stated that the Supreme Lord is the Supreme director Supreme will and the background of this material manifestation, but the management is being conducted by material nature and without the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot do anything. The Supreme Lord by His mere glance injects all the living entities into the womb of material nature, and they come out in their different forms and species, according to their last desires and activities. He simply glances over material nature; material nature is thus activated, and everything is created immediately according to supreme will. In this context there is a story of Jagannathji. In Puri temple every day at night at the time of Shayan arati, the Lord wears new dress because after closing the Jagannathaji temple the demigods visits the temple. One night when demigods were taking darshan of Lord Jagannathji. Yamaraj saw one bird sitting on one of the pillar. Garuda dev saw Yamaraj looking at the bird and thought that Yamaraj will take the life of this small bird because once Yamaraj drshti is cast on someone, it means he is sure to die.To save this bird Garuda dev took the bird and left him at long distance in a tree hole near Mansarovar in Himalaya and thought that Yamaraj cannot find the bird. After darshan when Yamaraj saw up, the bird was not there he got angry on Jagannathji and said that you tell us to do our work properly and on the other hand you are interferring in our work. I saw a bird who was sitting here, his life had come to an end but you gave him protection. Then Jaganathji himself looked into the matter and said that this bird is suppose to die after 2 minutes by snake in a hole on the tree at Manasarovar. and Garuda dev kept this bird at the same place. This means every thing happens according to Supreme will of the Lord.

Why Lord Krishna Is God ?

Do you know God’s name, qualities, address, description, history dating back to billions of years, witnessed by millions, and proven?If you can answer these questions, only then can you truly say you know God. Otherwise you are simply living in darkness.

The Vedic scriptures are the oldest scriptures in the World and the only scriptures that can answer all these questions and in detail. The Vedic scriptures completely describe God. His history, address, qualities, description, how he creates and maintains and so on. That God is Lord Krishna.

1. The first requirement is that the contender for the position of the supreme has been seen.

Seeing is believing, not seeing is pure speculation.

Lord Krishna has incarnated at least 9 times so far in the current cycle of creation. In each incarnation millions saw him. There is scientific evidence to prove that he existed 5000 years ago, as stated in the Vedic scriptures. Scientists have found the city where Lord Krishna lived in Dwarka, India, as described in the Vedic scriptures. NASA has taken satellite pictures of the bridge between India and Sri Lanka that Lord Krishna built in his Lord Ram incarnation, some 1.7 million years ago.

2. The second requirement is that the contender’s description is known.

How can you believe in someone without actually seeing them or knowing what they look like?

Lord Krishna has a form just like a human being. Even the Christian Bible states that man is made in the image of God. This means that God is a person with two hands, 2 legs and so on. That person is Lord Krishna.

His complexion is dark-blue, like that of a rain filled cloud.

His eyes are like lotus petals.
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He is ever youthful.
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He is full of bliss and his beauty excels that of thousand of cupids.
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He likes to play the flute.
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He wears a peacock feather in his crown.
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He wears the Kaustubha jewel around his neck.
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He wears yellow garments.
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Lord Krishna is complete in six kinds of opulence – wisdom, beauty, fame, power, wealth, and renunciation.

3. The third requirement is that the contender’s divinity is proven.

Anyone can claim to be God, but who can actually prove it?

To protect innocent people from imposters, Arjuna asked Lord Krishna to prove his divinity. Lord Krishna granted Arjuna divine vision and revealed his spectacular unlimited forms as the cosmic universe. Thus he conclusively established his divinity.

“Arjuna saw in that universal form unlimited mouths, unlimited eye, unlimited wonderful visions. The form was decorated with many celestial ornaments and bore many diving upraised weapons. He wore celestial garlands and garments, and many divine scents were smeared over his body. All was wondrous, brilliant, unlimited, all expanding.

If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the supreme person in that universal form.”(Bhagavad-Gita 11.10-12)

In each incarnation, Lord Krishna proved that he was God, all the details can be found in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Here we will focus on his incarnation 5000 years ago.

*Lord Krishna performed miracles that no other being can perform.*

When Lord Krishna was 7 years old, he lifted a mountain (26 miles in perimeter) and held it up with his one hand for 7 days. Witnessed by tens of thousands of people who were standing underneath the mountai.

*Lord Krishna expanded his body into 16,108 forms. Which means he duplicated his body into 16,108 identical bodies.*

*Lord Krishna transformed himself into others. This means he can make himself into a copy of anyone.*

Lord Krishna made the sun rise and fall at his will.

*Lord Krishna granted Arjuna divine vision and reveled his spectacular unlimited form as the cosmic universe. In which Arjuna could see the various forms of Lord Krishna, and unlimited Planets while being seated in one place. He was also shown the past, present, and future.〉*

*Lord Krishna showed within his mouth, the cosmic creation with unlimited Planets.*When a woman called Draupadi was disrobed in a court of kings, she called out to Lord Krishna for help and he supplied her with an unlimited sari and thus she could not be disrobed.

Many atheists tried to kill Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna very easily defeated them all and also gave them on the spot liberation. Lord Krishna is most merciful; he gives liberation even to those who try to kill him. The Lord can give on the spot liberation; one does not need to wait for the Day of Judgment.

*Lord Krishna brought back to life many dead people including the six children of Devaki.*Lord Krishna cured diseased people including transforming a hunchback woman into a most beautiful woman in return for offering sandalwood pulp to the Lord.

*Lord Krishna killed all the wicked Kings who were tormenting and harassing the public.* People were saved in this very life and didn’t have to wait for the Day of Judgment.

4. The fourth requirement is that the contender’s qualities are known and proven *Lord Krishna has 64 qualities, which are all mentioned in the Vedic scriptures.*

Supreme Father:

“It should be understood that all species of life, o son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed giving father” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.4)
“I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.17)

Supreme Creator: Lord Krishna is the origin of all.

“The whole cosmic order is under me. By my will it is manifested again and again, and by my will it is annihilated at the end” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.8)

“Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving, that can exist without me” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 10.39)

"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts"(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 10.8)

"Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution" (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 7.6)

Supreme Controller: Lord Krishna is the supreme controller.

"I give heat, and I withhold and send forth the rain" (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.19)
“With a single fragment of myself I pervade and support this entire universe”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 10.42)

Supreme Maintainer:

“The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of the whole world, comes from me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from me” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.12)
“I enter into each planet, and by energy they stay in orbit” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.13)
“This material nature, which is one of my energies is working under my direction”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.10)
Omnipresent: Lord Krishna is omnipresent, meaning he is present everywhere.“I am the supersoul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities, I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 10.20)
Omnipotent: Lord Krishna is omnipotent, meaning he is the greatest.

"There is no truth beyond Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread"(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 7.7)

Omniscient: Lord Krishna knows the past, present, and the future.

“O Arjuna, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities" (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 7.26)
“Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot!"(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 4.5)

There is Only One God:

“Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way. I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who do not recognize my true transcendental nature fall down”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.24)

5. The fifth requirement is that the contender’s history dating back to Billions of years is known.
Full details on the pastimes of Lord Krishna in each of his incarnations can be found in the Srimad Bhagavatam.The Vedic scriptures contain the history of Lord Krishna dating back to billions of years.

6. The sixth requirement is that the contender’s supremacy is mentioned in authorized scriptures.The Vedic scriptures are the only scriptures that have existed since the beginning of time, and thus eternal and the absolute truth. There is no higher authority than that of the Vedic scriptures.

Lord Brahma who is the first created living being states in Brahma Samhita: “Krishna who is known as Govinda is the supreme godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and he is the prime cause of all causes.” (Brahma Samhita 5.1)

After Describing various incarnations of the Lord such as Rama, Balrama, Vamana, Nrsimha, and Vishnu, Sukadeva Goswami states: “All of the above mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions of portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.28)

Lord Shiva in the Gita Mahatmya states:
“Only one God – Krishna, the son of Devaki (verse 7)

In the Padma Purana it is stated:
“By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Narayana is the supreme absolute truth, and thus he alone should be worshipped”

In the Skanda Purana it states:
“In the material world, which is full of darkness and dangers, combined with birth and death and full of different anxieties, the only way to get out of the great entanglement is to accept loving transcendental devotional service to Lord Vasudeva.” *The position of Krishna as God is confirmed by great personalities like Narada, Asita, Devela, Parasara, Brahma, and Shiva.*

7. The seventh requirement is that the contender’s address is known.
The Srimad Bhagavatam gives the address of Lord Krishna as:
The top most Planet shaped like a Lotus called Goluka Vrandavan in the spiritual universe called Vaikuntha.

Conclusion

Everyone is looking for God, well here is the person God, Lord Krishna. Since you do not know anyone else with the details and proof just mentioned. Why don’t you accept him?

Always Chant And be happy!

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare

Always Chant And be happy!

Always think of Me

Become My Devotee

Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me

Thus you will come to Me without fail

I PROMISE you this because you are My very dear FRIEND!

(Bhagavad-Gita 18.65)

As the gazed upon the universal form of the Lord, Arjuna prayed with joined palms

Arjuna said, "Lord, as Thou hast described Thyself in that way, O Purushottama, I wish to behold with these eyes your complete form, the form in which is manifest all the power of your glory." What Arjuna prayed for was vishva-rupa-darshan, the vision of the cosmic (universal) form.

The Supreme Lord said, "O son of Pritha, see now My opulences, hundreds of thousands of varied divine and multicolored forms. Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Ashvins and also the forty-nine Maruts; behold many wonders never seen before, O Bharata. O Arjuna, whatever you wish to see, behold at once in this body of Mine! This universal form can show you whatever you now desire to see, and whatever you may want to see in the future. Everything -- moving and nonmoving -- is here completely, in one place.

But certainly you will never be able to see Me with your normal eyes; divine eyes I give you to perceive My Divine Union." After having spoken thus, the Great Lord of Yoga, the Supreme Personality, showed Arjuna the beyond of the Universal Form.

Arjuna saw in that Universal Form unlimited mouths, unlimited eyes, unlimited wonderful visions. The form was decorated with many celestial ornaments, and bore many divine weapons. He wore celestial garlands and garments, and many divine scents were smeared over His body. All was wondrous, brilliant, unlimited, all-expanding. If there were the light of the simultaneous presence of many thousands of suns in the sky, such might resemble the effulgence of Him, the Greatness of the Soul. At that time Arjuna could see in the Universal form of the Lord, the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place, although divided into many, many thousands.

Overwhelmed with wonder and his hair standing on end, Arjuna offered the God his obeisances with folded hands, bowing his head and began to speak. Arjuna said, "My dear Lord Krishna, I see assembled in Your body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting on the lotus flower, as well as Lord Shiva and all the sages and divine serpents. I see Thee without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power of endless arms, the sun and the moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth heating the whole universe with the radiance.

Thou art the Primeval God, the Ancient Purusha; Thou art the Supreme refuge of this universe. Thou art the knower, the knowable and the Supreme abode. By Thee is this universe pervaded, O Being of infinite form. I am delighted, having seen what was never seen before, and yet my mind is distressed with fear. Show me that form only with four hands, O God; have mercy, O God of gods, O Abode of the Universe."
The Blessed Lord assumed His gentle form with four hands and showed this form to Arjuna, and consoled him who was terrified. The Blessed Lord said, "Neither by the Vedas nor by austerity, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice can I be seen in this form, as thou hast seen Me so easily. But by the single-minded devotion, can I of this form be known and seen in reality, and also entered into, O Arjuna.

He who does actions for Me, who looks on Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards no creature, he comes to Me, O Pandava." This is the essence of the Gita's teaching.

His Devine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!!!!

Radha and Krishna is the embodiment of love, passion and devotion.

The whole universe material and spiritual is the creation of Shri Radha - Krishna. The relationship of Radha and Krishna is the embodiment of love, passion and devotion. Radha's passion for Krishna symbolizes the soul's intense longing and willingness for the ultimate unification with God. Shri Krishna is the soul of Radha and Radha is definitely the soul of Shri Krishna. She is the undivided form of Shri Krishna. She will remain a mystery unless one can know her inexpressible divine elements. She is worshipper as well as his deity to be worshipped.

An End of Days and The Sun is On the Cross

It is like a large check mark on the calendar, a pointer aimed at 13.0.0.0.0, the "End Date" of the Mayan Long Count Calendar. From the Mayan point of view, this is the "End of Days." It is so significant that the calendar just comes to a stop. It is like having an alarm set when it's time to take your medicine. This date is also December 21, 2012, the day of the Winter Solstice. But what is this check mark trying to tell us. What medicine are we suppose to remember to take? The Mayan calendar was started in 3113 BC. But, most of the documents that could tell us what this calendar was for were destroyed long ago. In Mesoamerica, South America and on Easter Island, zealot priests destroyed almost all the written documents. Before that the library at Alexandria in Egypt was distorted by fire, several times. Almost all ancient history books in China were destroyed on the order of a dying emperor. Someone does not seem to want us to know where we come from or where we are going. Yet not all was lost. Writings on stone, lost to the world when the past was being destroyed, have since been found. In Mesopotamia were found thousands of clay tablets. On these tablets is the description of a society in which the government, economy and religion was controlled by one organization. This organization is a family of fallen gods . In Mesoamerica, the writings are on the temples, altars and other stone structures. Even better, in Mesoamerica, there still live the descendants of these ancient people. There are those that still follow the ancient ways. So here we are. Someone put this big check mark on the calendar. If there was a note telling us what the mark is for, it was destroyed with most of the history of the ancient world. So what is one to do? Look for clues.

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One Morning A Baktun Ago


It is December 14 of the year 1603 and the Sun rises into the morning sky as Venus comes out from behind the Sun. Both are near the center of the Milky Way, near where the ecliptic and the galactic equator cross. The Maya put much importance on this celestial crossing. It appears on the sarcophagus lid at Palenque. A baktun from now the winter solstice Sun will stand on this galactic crossing, an event that happens once every 25,920 years. This is the event that the check mark on the calendar seems to point to. But why is this of any importance?


Venus does an interesting dance with the Sun as they twirl their way across the sky. Venus rushes past the Sun as it moves into the morning sky. Over the next 589 days Venus first rises above the Sun. It then pauses for a bit and slowly follows the Sun. It then passes behind the Sun and moves into the evening sky. Venus climes high into the evening sky as is follows the Sun to the horizon each night. After hanging above the Sun for a bit Venus plunges back into the morning sky. Venus and the Sun do this dance almost exactly five times in eight years. Venus passes across the face of the Sun on a longer cycle. There are two transits eight years apart every 113.5 and 129.5 years alternately . We are now, as we approach the "End of Days," in a time of these transits; 12.19.11.6.2, June 8, 2004 and 12.19.19.8.1, June 5, 2012. The Maya followed the movements of Venus with great care. Many ancient societies build great stone observatories to keep track of what the sky was doing. These great civil engineering projects were very expensive for the people that built them. Knowing the sky must have been very important to them. Ancient documents advise us to look for "Signs in the Sky. " Should not the sky be as important to us? This may be where we find the message that tells us what the mark on the calendar is for. Above the Sun and Venus on this December day in 1603 are Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn as well as a red super giant star named Anteres. In the west Orion and Sirius have slipped below the horizon. These are be the lead players in a celestial drama. The constellations of the Zodiac are the stage setting. We are invited to a performance of the "Theater of Millions of Years." In just 409 years these players will act in another chapter of this drama, a wedding procession to announce the beginning of a new age.
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Yet Another Clue

Now back to the present and the web page is titled "Why 2012?". This page proposes a conjunction as the key to the December 21, 2012 "End Date." This conjunction is the location of the sun at the time of the winter solstice with respect to the cross formed by the galactic equator and the ecliptic. This crossing point has meaning in the Mayan tradition. The claim is that this will be the closest the solstice occurs to this Cross for many years.

Any claim such as this deserves to be verified. To this end, I went looking for the times of the solstices. An on-line almanac gave solstices for the years 2000 and 2001. Using Red Shift 4 the distance from the sun, at the time of the solstice, to the cross was measured. This first pass, done too quickly, seemed to show the distance diminishing between these two years. Encouraged, a new search was launched for more data on the winter solstice. The years 1992 through 2005 were found on an astrology page.

Editorial Note: It turns out that Red Shift 4 has a wandering galactic equator and center. The galactic equator and center are as fixed as the stars. All references to the galactic equator and center in the first edition of this document are meaningless. That is, the arguments justifying the story based on the conjunctions are not valid. In that these errors pointed to parts of the story that might have otherwise have been missed, there is meaning in the meaningless. After some testing it has been found that Red Shift and Starry Night agree nicely on the positioning of the stars and planets.

====================================================

Where is the Center of the Galaxy?

It is said that there is a black hole at the center of the galaxy. We, on the other hand, are out toward the edge of the visible galaxy. It is estimated that we revolve around the center of the galaxy once in about two-hundred million years. There is so much galaxy between us and the center that it can not be seen. To the right is an image from the web site of the Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy of The University of Alabama. This site explains the sky in the direction of the galactic center.

The World Cross or World Tree is where the ecliptic, the path of the Sun in the sky, and the galactic equator cross near the center of the galaxy. This Tree is seen in Mayan art, most famously, on the sarcophagus lid at Palenque. This tree is in the background, behind the goddess, in Card Number XVII of the Tarot, The Star.

The lower image to the right is a Starry Night rendering of the sky in the vicinity of this cross. The labeling and placement of the galactic center are my own. The placement of the galactic equator is part of the Starry Night program. It seems to agree with the University information.

I have recently read that the figure in the trunk of the tree on the Palenque lid is a Mayan water goddess rather than the tomb's occupant, Pascal. The World Tree is also the Tree of Life and as we look at the galactic center we are looking in the direction of life in the galaxy. Each star in this mist of billions of stars is home to billions of individuals like ourselves. This is a galaxy teaming with life.

There is no reasion to believe that modern atronomy knows more about the geometry of the Galaxy than did the Maya of old, I am just more accustom to it.. And counting years in the stories of millennia is akin to measuring with a micrometer, marking with a crayon and cutting with a chain saw. The stage is set. The play is now.

Where is the Sun this Year?

Now that we have a stable galactic equator in the Starry Night astronomy program, what can we tell about the conjunction with the winter solstice. Using solstice information for the years 1992 to 2020 from the US Naval Observatory the distance of the winter solstice and the World Tree was measured. The years 1992 through 2000 and 2012 are shown in the table to the right. It is 1997 that the conjunction is the closest. But in a 25,920 year cycle we can certainly say we are in the era of this conjunction. There is a one hundred and forty year period centered on 1997 that the Sun crosses the galactic equator on the day of the solstice.

It is said by some that Jesus of Nazareth was really born in 4 BC. If this is the case 1997 would be the first year of the third millennium after the birth of Jesus.

Year	Cross
1992	4' 38"
1993	3' 38"
1994	2' 49"
1995	2' 01"
1996	1' 16"
1997	0' 23"
1998	0' 29"
1999	1'18"
2000	2' 07"
~	~
2012	12' 08"..

The Sky on December 21, 2012

The check mark is on the calendar and we are asked to look for "Signs in the Sky." So, what does the sky look like on December 21 2012? Before the what can be answered the where must be found. When I was first starting the research on this "End of Days" my astronomy program was Red Shift 4. By default, Red Shift was set to show the sky at my residence. So my first look at the sky on this wondrous morning was from The City of the Sacrament. .. At the solstice, Saturn is just above the horizon. By five thirty Venus is on the horizon and the Sun is on the cross. Although the exact center of the Sun is not on the exact point of crossing of the galactic equator and the ecliptic, this intersection is behind the disk if the Sun. To the left of the Sun is the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula is below. I wonder if the people that live there call it that. The Sun, Venus and the Cross are strong Mayan symbology. As the morning progresses the sky begins to lighten Venus fades. The Maya used this heliacal rising to keep track of the Venus cycles.

But what is all this Mayan symbology doing almost three thousand miles from the Mayan homeland. From my atlas I got the coordinates of the Yucatan and entered them into the Red Shift location window. The Sun and Venus are well above the horizon. This is no good. This great Mayan event can't even be seen from the Mayan homeland. On the other hand, these ancient gods were all over the planet. And there must be many mythologies involved in this story. After all, this story is for all of us. With Venus on the horizon and the Sun stationary in the Milky Way, a path
was traced around the world to see if there was a better location to see this story unfold. There is a locus of locations from which this sky configuration is available for observation. This locus pretty much circles the globe. But, between mid Canada and the South Pacific. the Sun has yet to rise and Venus can be seen on the horizon. It is at the confluence of the River of the Sacrament and the River of the Land of Milk and Honey that this conjunction is first seen. Only from here does Venus rise so the line of observation is looking across the Mayan homeland in the Yucatan. About seven minuets later, on the other side of the world, in bright sunlight, with the Sun following Venus to the horizon, this conjunction is gone.

All this Mayan imagery rising, coming to life if you will, on the morning of the "End Date" of the Mayan calendar..

And in the West?

In the west Sirius and Orion, two key Egyptian icons are setting, passing into the Underworld.

It is the morning of 13.0.0.0.0, what else could this day possibly bring us?

A New Sun

In the British Museum is a small clay tablet, BM 86378. This tablet is a star list written in cuneiform by an ancient scribe. One star is listed as a giant star at the edge of the Vela constellation. In that there is no such star there now, this must have been a temporary star.

There is at this location a pulsar, PSR 0833-45, near the constellation Vela in the southern sky. A Pulsar is one object that can be left after a star explodes. Estimates of the age of this pulsar allow it to be as young as 10,000 years. This would be about the time Jericho was established, well within the time frame for a Sumerian scribe to list the supernova in his star list. It is said that this star will shine again. Another supernova?

Just a little over six degrees below and rising with Venus on December 21, 2012 is Antares, a red super giant just 604 light years away. If this star were to supernova as it came up with Venus, it would be as though a new Sun had been born. The Sun God would have a Twin.

Magnetic Somersaults

In the first quarter of 2001, the Sun switched magnetic poles. This occurs every eleven years. Prior to this the Sun's north magnetic pole was at the north rotational pole. Now the Sun's north magnetic pole is at its south pole. Since opposite poles attract, the magnetic poles of the Earth and Sun are now at their most stable.

Just about the time of 2012 Winter Solstice, the Sun's poles will switch back. During this switch there will be a tendency for the Sun's magnetic field to pull the Earth's field with it.

If the Earth's magnetic poles switch, this would put stress on the planet aggravating earthquakes and volcanos, not to mention destruction of the electrical power distribution grid. And, if the switch happens fast enough don't ever expect your computer to work again. But if you have old tube type equipment, keep it. It should survive just fine. It will work if you can find electricity

Location, Location, Location

The confluence of the River of the Sacrament and the River of the Land of Milk and Honey is near the center of a great valley. These rivers, one from the north and one from the east, join at the northeast corner of a river delta. A third river flows into this delta from the south.

In the mountains that surround the valley are great timbers and fine stone for the building of temples. The valley will provide food for the staff of a large temple complex.

From the City of the Sacrament, flowing first south and then west, the River of the Sacrament will carry many large boats. This river empties into a sheltered bay.

Sitting on a blunt peninsula, surrounded on two sides by the river delta and the bay, stands Devil Mountain as though this was all an arrowhead pointing the way.

From the point of view of the Sumer described by Zecharia Sitchin, this mountain would serve as a beacon for a spaceport as did Mount Ararat in ancient Mesopotamia.

For this spaceport, the glide path is across the southern tip of Africa; along the northeast coast of South America; across the Mayan homeland and into the Valley of the Sacrament.

The only down side to this valley is an infestation of sentient simians. Civilized Man, acting a very uncivilized tenant, has trashed much of it. But, the extra Sun for a few months will heat up the oceans and bring more rain. The rain will flush out the delta and heal the damage to dead have done.

And there are still sufficient timbers to get the temple complex started. There are stones in the mountains to the east that, if lifted as a single piece and set in place at the confluence of the two rivers, would make a great temple platform.

Looking Across the Maya .

A Story Told in the Sky

As seen from the City of the Sacrament on 13.0.0.0.0, Saturn is on the horizon when the Sun is on the solstice. Saturn, said to be a god of fertility, also associated with Satan, is the god for which Saturday is named. He has held many jobs in the council of gods. This morning he has been tasked to be the Herald and lead a wedding procession. Saturn drags behind him the spent scales of Judgment, the constellation Libra. The judgment now over, Libra will be the symbol of Justice in a new age of Peace and Harmony, the Age of the Matriarch.

Libra has cleared the horizon at five and a half hours after midnight. In the west Jupiter the Mighty, is riding Taurus the Bull. He stands guard over the remnants of a dying age. Jupiter stands between the wedding party and Orion, the celestial symbol of Man. Orion's legs are below the horizon with his belt just above. The Age of the Patriarch is coming to an end as he sinks below the horizon and enters the Underworld for the last time. Behind Orion is his consort Sirius going to the Underworld with him.

In the East Venus is on the horizon. Venus, symbolic of war to the Maya, was the Greek goddess of love. As Inanna, her Sumerian persona, she started as a goddess of love and purity, but in the end her behavior was more lustful than loving. Also she took up the art of war and became known as a goddess of war. So here is a universal symbol of destruction, both social and personal, rising just above the celestial symbol for the God of Peace, Antares. Ares, the Roman god of war is opposed by Antares, the rival of War.

Venus is now cast in the roll of the BrideGroom. At the same time, still out of sight below the horizon, the Sun is on the galactic equator. The Sun is now playing the role of the Bride. She bathes in the pure waters of the galactic river. As the BrideGroom did before her, she washes away the quilt and lust that comes from judgment. Once cleansed she will rise to wed the One Who Grooms the Bride, the Earthly Father.

Antares is one of three red super giant stars that are the likely to supernova. One of the others is Betelgeuse, Orion's right shoulder. A supernova of Betelgeuse on this morning would be symbolic of the disarming of Orion, taking away his sward arm. With the warrior, the one who makes war gone, there is no need for opposition to war. It is too much to ask that the hundreds of billions of people living around these two stars give up their lives to get a message to us. But, if it is destiny for both of these red giant stars to supernova at the same time, the symbology of such an occurrence on this morning would be overwhelming.

Below Venus is the messenger Mercury. He comes to announce the Bride. Below the Bride are the other members of the wedding party. By order of their appearance they are Pluto, Mars, Neptune and Uranus. At the end of this procession is the most ancient symbol of sin. The Moon is the symbol of the Sumerian Moon God Nanna-Suen, also known as Sin. The Temple of the Moon was in Ur, now an ancient ruin in southern Iraq.

Sin was conceived before mankind was created when his father, Enlil, Lord Air, raped Sin's mother, Ninlil, Lady Air, on their first date. When it comes to sin you can't get much more original than a god raping a goddess. But by the end of this new age the Moon will have returned to its rightful job as symbol of the mother. It will set the rhythm of the reproductive cycle. The Sun will have returned to its job as symbol of the Universal Creator, the Light that shines in all of us. The Heavenly Father will have left the Earth and returned to the heavens to fulfill his mission as protector of the womb.

When Orion rises again, just after sunset, it will be symbolic of a cooking hearth. The left most star in the belt and the two knee stars are now the three stones of the cooking hearth and the Orion Nebula is the fire. The Maya see this in these stars of Orion and pattern their traditional hearth after it. The Bride is now tired after the first day of this long wedding festival. She returns to the hearth. The Matriarch is home.

In the spring of 2013, this is a spring wedding after all, the Bride, the Sun and the BrideGroom, Venus rise together as they say their wedding vows. In the late spring of 2016, just weeks before the summer solstice, the BrideGroom enters the Bride. Venus goes behind the Sun and passes very close to its center. They mate and conceive. The happy couple is due in 5616, give or take a century or two.

Reserve your seats now for this one time only performance by the Theater of Millions of Years.

Editorial Note: In the above it is said that the judgment is over as Saturn rises on December 21, 2012. There is another option. One of the ancient documents suggests there is to be three and a half years of "tribulation." This would be the period of judgment. For this to be over on December 21, 2012, the tribulation needs to start in June of 2009. The other option is that the time between the start of the wedding procession and the mating, a period of three and a half years, is the time for getting the house in order for the pregnancy. I have mixed felling about the two possibilities. The three and a half years of social turbulence we will have to go through is not going to be much fun for anyone. So from a personal point of view I would like to delay it as long as possible. On the other hand, the world we live in now is not much fun for most of us. Since nothing of the Creator is ever lost, the sooner we take our medicine the better. We have no choice in the matter. It will happen when it happens. Our mission is to share what we have with those in around us and bring as much joy and happiness into the world as we can.

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A Caution!

The relative positions of the celestial objects are all measured with Red Shift 4 and Starry Night. So the accuracy of the calculated positions is dependent on how well Red Shift and Starry Night give a true representation of the sky. As noted above, the galactic equator in Red Shift 4 is unreliable. This all started trying to verify calculation done by EZCosmos. Distant Suns, was used here prior to Red Shift and Starry Night. The Mayan Morning as seen in Distant Suns has Venus on the horizon at 5:33 am. There is no galactic equator in Distant Suns.

In Distant Suns

Until shown otherwise, it will be assumed that Starry Night, being the most recent, is also the most accurate. And, even if timings are a little different, both Starry Night, Red Shift and Distant Suns show the same sky configuration.

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For the Kids
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