Special Mercy on Gaura Purnima

Today is the most auspicious day of Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It was on this day in 1486 that Lord Caitanya appeared in what is now known as West Bengal, India. He is the most merciful of all the incarnations of God. In His other manifestations He made the condition that first of all you must surrender to me before receiving My mercy. But in this most merciful manifestation of Lord Caitanya there is no such condition. Simply He bestows pure love of Godhead upon everyone without making any distinction between who is qualified and who is not qualified. Therefore we pray in this way:

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other avatar, even Krishna Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given -- pure love of Krishna."

This day is celebrated by fasting up until moonrise, at which time a sumptuous vegetarian feast is offered to Lord Caitanya, the remnants of which are then distributed to the devotees. It is a day for increased chanting and hearing of the glories of the Lord. In the evening time all the devotees gather together for kirtan (congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra) and for hearing discourses on the glories of Lord Caitanya.

If you are in the Austin, Texas area you are invited to our program at 10700 Jonwood Way starting at 6pm. Call 512-835-2121 for further information. In other parts of the world please consult the following directory:

http://iskcon.com/worldwide/centres/index.html

Take this opportunity to get the special blessings of Lord Caitanya and feel your spiritual consciousness take off like a rocket.

If you'd like to make a special offering for Gaura Purnima, you can do so at the following:
Gaura Purnima Offering

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Is Temple Worship Idol Worship?..

The Bible says that we shouldn't bow down to any graven or molten image/idol of God. It says God thinks that worshiping an idol is bad. Wouldn't temple worship fall under this category of idol worship?

Best regards,

Your servant

Answer: Krishna Appears in a Visible Form...

"Graven image" or "molten image" means something formed according to our own imagination. Such concocted forms of worship are also condemned in the Vedic literatures. The authorized deity form of Lord Krishna in the temple is not concocted according to imagination. It is strictly based on the scriptures and confirmed by the Spiritual Master. It is not an image of Krishna. It is Krishna Himself kindly appearing in a form that is visible to us. Just as God appears in the Old Testament in the form of burning bush, Lord Krishna appears in the authorized deity form within the temple.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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