Comments Posted By Japa Jim
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I haven’t read the book, but I would just like to make a comment about the kirtan talent of Uttamasloka prabhu. I was in the Chicago mandir during the heyday of Uttamasloka prabhu. I remember a time when I came down from kitchen duty to the downstairs temple room in the old Chicago temple in Evanstan to join the kirtan in the temple room on a festival day. When I got to the doors of the temple rooms I just stopped and was shocked at the power that was emanating from the temple room. I struck me like there was some kind of nuclear reactor of kirtan inside the temple room. The power of that kirtan was just totally awesome. I was partial to playing the gong in the kirtans of Uttamasloka prabhu, years before I became a fairly decent mridanga player myself.
Wow, Uttamasloka prabhu? I always felt he was some demigod who had come down to Earth to join the movement of Srila Prabhupada.
I still believe that to this day.
He was truly one of the greatest kirtan leaders in the history of ISKCON.Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 30.09.2008 @ 23:10
I think it is a little improper and unfair that the author of an article published on this website becomes the first person to respond to the article.
The author should just stand back and let the response from the devotee community come on it’s own.
Hare Krishna.Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 23.09.2008 @ 23:50
Is there some reason why we are never given any explanation of how or why a Godbrother has passed away. Why is it that in these announcements of deaths that there is never given any explanation of how it happened. Is there something wrong with an explanation of how it happened?
Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 20.09.2008 @ 00:26
Constitutional position of the soul
The last two paragraphs were not in quotation marks. As such they are not presented as quotes of Srila Prabhupada but are the words of the person who wrote the article.
Please note the quotation marks around the quotes from Sri Caitanya Caritamrita. There is also a third paragraph not in quotation marks.
However, all of the comments of the author of the article simply emphasize the points being made in the two verses and purports that were quoted. Nothing extra was added.
There was no deception intended in the article.
Anyone who knows rules of grammar should be able to know what quotation marks or the lack thereof indicate.Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 16.09.2007 @ 12:39
Our constitutional body is eternal, could it be that we are presently dreaming?
Srila Prabhupada addressed the origins question in this purport and gives what he calls the conclusion.
Srimad Bhagavatam 4.30.5:
“The conclusion is that the origin of all life is the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
end quote.
Thus, the conclusion to the origin debate is given by Srila Prabhupada.
Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 04.11.2007 @ 15:00
Akruranatha says:
“Sometimes I try to read books like H.H. Sivarama Swami’s “Krsna-sangatiâ€. The actual answers are probably in books like that. I have dipped into such books but I do not feel ready to seriously study such things. If someone asked, I would probably tell them to ask Sivarama Swami or someone else with very advanced realizations and understanding of this sort of issue.”Sivarama Swami has written:
“The sadhana-siddhas are novices to Sri Krsna’s pastimes and have truly not met Him. Their purva-raga is a consequence of associating with the eternal associates.” (Venu Gita p.52 by Sivarama Swami)
Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 30.10.2007 @ 12:23
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur writes in “Brahmana and Vaisnava” , Harijana-khanda:
“”Before acquiring material designations, the living entity is supremely pure. EVEN THOUGH HE IS NOT ENGAGED IN SERVING THE SUPREME LORD, he remains situated in the neutral position of santa-rasa due to his marginal nature. Though the living entity born from the marginal potency does not at that time exhibit a taste for serving the Lord due to a LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF SELF REALIZATION, his direct propensity of serving the Supreme Lord nevertheless remains within him in a dormant state. Though the indirect propensity of material enjoyment, which is contrary to the service of the Lord, is not found in him at that time, indifference to the service of Hari and the seed of material enjoyment, which follows that state of indifference, are nevertheless present within him.”
Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 28.10.2007 @ 01:27
Chapter 5: Hymn to the Absolute Truth
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: ÅšrÄ« Brahma-samÌhitÄ 5.21
sa nityo nitya-sambandhaḥ
prakrÌ£tiÅ› ca paraiva sÄ
SYNONYMS
sahÌ£ — that (jÄ«va); nityahÌ£ — eternal; nitya-sambandhahÌ£ — possessing an eternal relationship; prakrÌ£tihÌ£ — potency; ca — and; parÄ â€” spiritual; eva — certainly; sÄ â€” that.
TRANSLATION
The same jīva is eternal and is for eternity and without a beginning joined to the Supreme Lord by the tie of an eternal kinship. He is transcendental spiritual potency.
PURPORT
Just as the sun is eternally associated with his rays so the transcendental Supreme Lord is eternally joined with the jÄ«vas. The jÄ«vas are the infinitesimal particles of His spiritual effulgence and are, therefore, not perishable like mundane things. JÄ«vas, being particles of Godhead’s effulgent rays, exhibit on a minute scale the qualities of the Divinity. Hence jÄ«vas are identical with the principles of knowledge, knower, egoism, enjoyer, meditator and doer. KrÌ£sÌ£nÌ£a is the all-pervading, all-extending Supreme Lord; while jÄ«vas have a different nature from His, being His atomic particles. That eternal relationship consists in this that the Supreme Lord is the eternal master and jÄ«vas are His eternal servants. JÄ«vas have also sufficient eligibility in respect of the mellow quality of the Divinity. Apareyam itas tv anyÄmÌ prakrÌ£timÌ viddhi me parÄm. By this verse of the GÄ«tÄ it is made known that jÄ«vas are His transcendental potency. All the qualities of the unalloyed soul are above the eightfold qualities such as egotism, etc., pertaining to His acit potency. Hence the jÄ«va potency. though very small in magnitude, is still superior to acit potency or MÄyÄ. This potency has another name, viz., tatÌ£asthÄ or marginal potency. being located on the line demarcating the spheres of the spiritual and mundane potencies. He is susceptible to the influence of the material energy owing to his small magnitude. But so long as he remains submissive to KrÌ£sÌ£nÌ£a, the Lord of MÄyÄ, he is not liable to the influence of MÄyÄ. The worldly afflictions, births and rebirths are the concomitants of the fettered condition of souls fallen into the clutches of the deluding potency from a time that has no beginning.
Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 26.10.2007 @ 01:38
The “svarupa” of the jiva is perfectly explained by Lord Chaitanya in his teachings to Srila Rupa Goswami.
Despite some ideas that the original svarupa of the jiva was a spiritual body as an associate of Krishna in Goloka/Vaikuntha, Lord Chaitanya describes the “svarupa” of the jiva as being a spirit spark 1/10,000th the size the tip of a hair.Here is Lord Chaitanya’s definitive and unambiguous pronouncement on the “svarupa” of the living entity.
quote:
Chapter 19: Lord ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu Instructs ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ«Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: ÅšrÄ« Caitanya CaritÄmrÌ£ta Madhya 19.139
keÅ›Ägra-Å›ateka-bhÄga punahÌ£ Å›atÄmÌÅ›a kari
tÄra sama sÅ«ksÌ£ma jÄ«vera ’svarÅ«pa’ vicÄri
SYNONYMS
keÅ›a-agra — from the tip of a hair; Å›ata-eka — one hundred; bhÄga — divisions; punahÌ£ — again; Å›ata-amÌÅ›a — one hundred divisions; kari — making; tÄra sama — equal to that; sÅ«ksÌ£ma — very fine; jÄ«vera — of the living entity; svarÅ«pa — the actual form; vicÄri — I consider.
TRANSLATION
“The length and breadth of the living entity is described as one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair. This is the original subtle nature of the living entity.
end quote.
Lord Chaitanya instructed Srila Rupa Goswami that the original svarupa of the jiva and the original subtle nature of the jiva was as a spirit spark 1/10,000th the size the tip of a hair.
The theory that we have a spiritual form in Goloka that we have lost remembrance of necessitates that maya penetrated the svarupa-shakti of Vaikuntha/Goloka and influenced the jiva to forget Krishna.
Maya cannot influence the liberated devotees of Krishna in the spiritual world.
Maya cannot enter there to do her work.quote:
Chapter 9: Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: ÅšrÄ«mad BhÄgavatam 2.9.10
pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ
sattvamÌ ca miÅ›ramÌ na ca kÄla-vikramahÌ£
na yatra mÄyÄ kim utÄpare harer
anuvratÄ yatra surÄsurÄrcitÄhÌ£
SYNONYMS
pravartate — prevail; yatra — wherein; rajahÌ£ tamahÌ£ — the modes of passion and ignorance; tayohÌ£ — of both of them; sattvam — the mode of goodness; ca — and; miÅ›ram — mixture; na — never; ca — and; kÄla — time; vikramahÌ£ — influence; na — neither; yatra — therein; mÄyÄ â€” illusory, external energy; kim — what; uta — there is; apare — others; harehÌ£ — of the Personality of Godhead; anuvratÄhÌ£ — devotees; yatra — wherein; sura — by the demigods; asura — and the demons; arcitÄhÌ£ — worshiped.
TRANSLATION
In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of ignorance and passion do not prevail, nor is there any of their influence in goodness. There is no predominance of the influence of time, so what to speak of the illusory, external energy; it cannot enter that region. Without discrimination, both the demigods and the demons worship the Lord as devotees.
end quote.
So, considering that maya cannot enter the spiritual world and tempt the devotees, we have to conclude that the theory of the dormant spiritual body in the spiritual world cannot be factual.
A fall from Goloka necessitates that maya has penetrated the svarupa-shakti and put devotees into illusion.
According to the shastric siddhanta this is an impossibility.
Mahaprabhu has properly narrated the svarupa of the jiva as being a spirit spark 1/10,000 the size the tip of a hair.
Anything beyond this idea is speculation that cannot be verified by shastra.Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 25.10.2007 @ 17:21
Chapter 31: The Supreme Perfection
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Quote:When spiritual energy is overwhelmed by ignorance, it is called marginal energy.
end quote
ÅšrÄ«mad BhÄgavatam 7.3.34
anantÄvyakta-rÅ«penÌ£a
yenedam akhilamÌ tatam
cid-acic-chakti-yuktÄya
tasmai bhagavate namaḥ
SYNONYMS
ananta-avyakta-rÅ«penÌ£a — by the unlimited, unmanifested form; yena — by which; idam — this; akhilam — total aggregate; tatam — expanded; cit — with spiritual; acit — and material; Å›akti — potency; yuktÄya — unto he who is endowed; tasmai — unto him; bhagavate — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; namahÌ£ — I offer my respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who in his unlimited, unmanifested form has expanded the cosmic manifestation, the form of the totality of the universe. He possesses external and internal energies and the mixed energy called the marginal potency, which consists of all the living entities.
end quote.
So, it appears from these two references that marginal energy is when spiritual energy is overwhelmed by ignorance and becomes a mixture of internal and external energy.
This condition does not apply to the liberated devotees of Vaikuntha/Goloka, so it seems that we cannot really apply the “marginal” designation to them.
Comment Posted By Japa Jim On 24.10.2007 @ 17:46
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