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Vyasa Puja
Offering for Srila Prabhupada - 2006
2006
(Gaurabda 520) Vyasa-puja offering - Rasananda
das
part 2
updated
9/16
Worship
of great saintly persons representative of Krishna is better than direct
worship of Him:
"...pure
devotees of the Lord are as glorious as the Lord; they are, in fact,
recommended by the Lord as more worshipable then He Himself.
Worship
of
the devotee is more potent than worship of the Lord. It is therefore
the duty of the transcendental students to hear of pure devotees, as
explained
by
similar devotees of the Lord, because one cannot explain about the
Lord or His devotee unless one happens to be a pure devotee himself."
- SB 3.13.4 Purport
"My
dear Srutadeva, you may therefore accept all these great saintly
persons,
brahmanas and sages as My bona fide representatives. By
worshiping
them
faithfully, you will be worshiping Me more diligently. I consider
worship of My devotees to be better than direct worship of Me. If someone
attempts to worship Me directly without worshiping My devotees, I do not
accept such worship, even though it may be presented with great
opulence."
-
from Krishna Book, chapter 86.
mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika
/ sarva-bhutes'u man-matih'
Worshipping
My devotees is better than directly worshipping me.
- CB Adi
1.9
The
words mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika are significant in this verse.
Abhyadhika
indicates "superior quality." The Lord is extremely satisfied
with those who offer worship to His pure devotees, and He rewards them
accordingly. Because of the Lord's generous appraisal of His pure
devotees, worship of the pure devotees is described as superior to worship
of the Lord Himself." - SB 11.19.21 p
more
added 9/16 here-
Mad-bhakta-puja
abhyadhika. To worship Vyasadeva, worship the bona fide spiritual master
and worship the Lord, they are the same. Rather, Krishna says that if you
worship His bona fide representative, that worship is better than directly
worshiping. Directly it is not possible to worship
the
Supreme Lord. - lecture, SB 1.7.5 Vrindavana, Sept 4 '76
"amara
bhaktera puja-ama haite bada" / sei prabhu vede-bhagavate kaila
dadha
That
same Supreme Personality of Godhead has declared in the Vedas and
Srimad
Bhagavtam, "Worship of My devotee is superior to worshipping
Me." - Caitanya
Bhagavata Adi 1.8
arcayitva
tu govindam / tadiyam narcayet tu yah
na
sa bhagavato jneyah / kevalam dambhikah smritah
One
who performs worship of Govinda but fails to worship His devotees should
be understood to be not a devotee of the Lord but simply a victim of false
pride. - Padma
Purana Uttara-kanda
ye
me bhakta-janah' partha / na me bhaktas" ca te janah'
mad-bhaktanam'
ca ye bhaktas / te me bhakta-tama matahh'
"Lord
Krishna told Arjuna, 'Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My
devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My
devotees.' -CC Madhya 11.28 quoting Adi Purana
Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested Ramananda Raya to retire from his government
post and come to Sri Purushottama-kshetra (Jagannatha Puri) to live with
Him. When this proposal was submitted to King Prataparudra, he immediately
accepted it and also encouraged Ramananda Raya by allowing him a full
pension. This was very much appreciated by the Lord, and this confirms the
fact that the Lord is more pleased when one serves the servant of the
Lord. In ordinary parlance it is said, “If you love me, love my dog.”
-
CC Madya 11.27 p
Krishna
doesn’t accept anyone’s service directly:
Narottama
dasa Thakura says. If you don’t become a faithful servant of
Vaishnava, there is no possibility of your liberation. cadiya
vaishnava-seva nistara payecha keba, tandera carana-sevi-bhakta-sane vasa,
janame janame
haya
ei abhilasha. This is Narottama dasa Thakura’s... Our determination
should
be to serve the previous guru and acarya. Evam parampara-praptam.
That
is our determination. Tandera carana-sevi. Our service... Not
directly
Krishna.
Because to serve Vaishnava is more than serving Krishna
directly.
Mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika.
Krishna likes that. He doesn’t accept anyone’s service directly. That
is a gross mistake.
-
Lecture, SB 1.7.44 Vrindavana, October 4, 1976
So
bhagavat-priyanam, one who is very dear to Krishna, if you love such
person, then Krishna is more pleased. Krishna is more pleased.
Bhagavat-priyanam.
There
is a version in the Puranas, Devi Purana. Parvati was asking
questions to Lord Siva, and Lord Siva was replying. This is the process at
home.
The
wife is supposed to inquire from the husband about spiritual advancement
of
life, and the husband must be competent to reply all the questions of
wife.
That
will keep relation very nice. Sravanam kirtanam. That is bhakti. So
Parvati was asking... Because according to Vedas, there are so many
demigods. Vishnu is sometimes taken, but Vishnu is not... Brahma, Vishnu,
Mahesvara.
They are the principal deities. So the inquiry was “Which
worship is the best? Vishnu, or Lord Siva, or Brahma or Candra?” There
are so many demigods. Sometimes they are misunderstood that all of them
are Gods. No.
They
are called demigods. God is one. That is... Originally, God is Krishna.
Isvarah
paramah krishnah.
So
the inquiry was, “There are so many gods. So which worship is the
best?”
So
Lord Siva replied,
aradhananam
sarvesham vishnor aradhanam param, tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam
samarcanam
Means
“My dear wife, Devi...” Wife is addressed “Devi,” not by name. The
husband should address the wife, “Devi.” They must be like devi. Devi
means goddess. And the wife must address the husband as “lord.” This
is the system. So he replied, “Devi, aradhananam sarvesham. There are
many kinds of recommendation. ‘If you want this, you worship this God.
If you want
this,
you worship...’ ” These are described in the Bhagavatam. “So of all
different types of worship, the worshiping of Lord Vishnu is the best,”
he
said.
Aradhananam
sarvesham vishnor aradhanam param. And again he said,
tasmat
parataram devi: “There is still better worship.” What is called?
What
is that? Tadiyanam samarcanam: “To worship the devotee of Vishnu,
Vaishnava.” Tadiyanam samarcanam. That is the best. First of all he
said, vishnor aradhanam param: “That is the supreme.” Then again he
said, tasmat,
“From
that,” tasmat parataram, “still better,” tadiyanam samarcanam, “to
worship the devotee of God.” So this is very simple method. You cannot
approach God. It is not very easy thing. But God’s representative,
God’s devotee, on behalf of God, who is canvassing, tadiyanam—that
worship is better. Tadiyanam samarcanam.
-
SB 1.15.51 lecture, Los Angeles, December 28, 1973
More
to add later....
Offering by Vishoka
dasa- This is not exactly a Vyasa-puja offering, but it's an offering to
both Lord Krishna and His pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada on Their
appearance days, 2006- here
many
more quotes on the supreme platform of Jagat-Guru
No Time
A poem for Srila Prabhupada
by Kalakantha dasa
You preached in Delhi tea stalls,
Of knowledge most sublime,
And often took disdaining looks,
From men who had no time.
No Time! I'm very busy,
No Time! I'm running late!
For they had dates with Yamaraja,
And wouldn't make him wait.
How foolish were your countrymen,
How fortunate were we,
To take the time to learn from you,
The science of bhakti.
One boy became your student,
His elders told him, "No,
You shouldn't bother Prabhupada,
He's busy now, you know!
"No time," they said, "He's traveling.
No time! He's writing, too.
Just read his books and find out what
He has to say to you.
In no time you departed from,
Your vapu form, it seemed,
And left behind your teachings so,
The world could be redeemed.
In no time nineteen years went by,
Your boy became a man,
Awash in countless daily tasks,
A family demands.
You sit within the temple room,
Your books rest at your side;
You have all day to listen to,
Each soul that comes inside.
"No time! I'm very busy.
No time! I'm running late,
Your busy man thinks quickly,
As he rushes to his date.
How odd the twist of irony,
How cruel the hand of fate;
He doesn't find the time he had,
As a new candidate!
One day it strikes his turbid skull,
In no time he returns,
To sit before your lotus feet,
To think of all he's learned.
In no time he has understood,
You dwell within his heart,
Though he may fail to think of you,
That won't make you depart.
"No time right now? That's quite all right.
Come see me when you can.
In no time you will preach with me,
For that is Krishna's plan.
When will that blessed day arrive!
With service all around,
Each step a dance, each word a song,
And no time to be found!
by Kalakantha dasa
Offering in
the 1975 Vyasa Puja book, written as Bhakta Tom (Visoka dasa)
Dear Srila
Prabhupada,
Please engage
me in your service of Lord Caitanya’s tree.
We were fools in darkness, but you gave us the holy name, which shines
like the rising sun. You gave us the light of mercy to see that we are the
menial servants of a branch of Lord Gauranga’s golden tree.
We were dead men, but only by your divine grace can we now dance and chant
in ecstasy, filling our hearts with nectar from your lotus lips, which
invite us to serve and be a golden branch of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhus’s
sankirtan movement tree.
Every early morning, we rise with the holy name in our ears and hearts.
There is nothing else to be had in all three worlds. Then we bathe, and we
prepare ourselves to see the holy eternal forms of Their Lordships Sri Sri
Radha-Gokulananda, to clean Their temple and to honor Their prasada.
It is only by your ocean of divine mercy that we are allowed the chance to
be eternal servants of a branch of Lord Sri Gaurasundara’s shimmering
golden tree. There is no way for us to repay. We can only beg for more
service, so that we will be fully engaged in spreading this mercy of love
of Godhead, flooding this planet over by your divine will. What more can
we ask? Except that, by your grace, please, please help us to be more
serious and sincere, and help us "desire to desire" to get a
higher taste for Lord Sri Krsna’s holy name and service to Lord
Caitanya’s universal tree.
offering of
Srestha Prabhu for 1998
Dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please bless me with the dust from your holy lotus feet for without that
dust I cannot make any significant spiritual advancement. It is said in
the scriptures that great souls traverse the earth to offer redemption to
those envious souls who have turned away from the face of the Supreme
Lord. To give them a chance to re-establish their eternal relationship
with the Lord. Srila Prabhupada - surely there is no one more envious and
sinful than me. Therefore, I am in special need of your mercy. Please be
kind to me and bless me with the desire for service to you. For without
service to the bona fide guru no one can attain a taste for devotional
service to Their divine Lordships Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. That dust
from your lotus feet is the nectar for which these souls traveling in the
material planets have been searching for life after life. You freely
distribute the mercy of Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu without
considering who is qualified or not. Surely, that is your special mercy
for no one is more uniquely unqualified than I am. Without that dust from
your lotus feet I have no reason to live but foolish as I am I am
constantly forgetting that eternal truth. It is said in the scriptures -
"All Glory to Sri Guru and Gauranga!" but my eyes have no power
to see any hint of your infinite glory. And yet I remain puffed up and
proud of this bag of bones and blood. Without the dust from your lotus
feet the need of the soul to express its love for Krishna will never be
rekindled and so I must remain here constantly being kicked by the
she-donkey of maya and trying to express that love in so many nonsense and
perverse ways. There is no antidote to this poison that I have willingly
taken than the dust from your lotus feet. There is nothing more glorious
in all of the fourteen worlds than the dust from the feet of a pure
devotee. I remain your most insignificant servant and the most needful of
your special mercy.
Your insignificant servant, Srestha dasa.
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