Krishna Janmastami
Today is the most auspicious day of Sri Krishna Janmastami. On this day around 5,000 years ago the atmosphere in this universe was most pleasing and wonderful in preparation for the Lord's arrival. In his book, Krishna-The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains how auspicious the atmosphere was at that time:
"He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohini was predominant. This star is considered to be very auspicious and is under the direct supervision of Brahma. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Krishna's birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.
"At that time, in all directions -- east, west, south, north, everywhere -- there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages and pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brahmanas, who were accustomed to offering sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire had been almost stopped in the houses of brahmanas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brahmanas had been very much distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Krishna's appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear transcendental vibrations in the sky proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
"The denizens of the Gandharva and Kinnara planets began to sing, and the denizens of Siddhaloka and the planets of the Caranas began to offer prayers in the service of the Personality of Godhead. In the heavenly planets, the angels and their wives, along with the Vidyadharas and their wives, began to dance.
"The great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.
"When things were adjusted like this, Lord Vishnu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devaki, who appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Vishnu at that time could be compared to the rising of the full moon over the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that since Lord Krishna appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Krishna appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord's appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Krishna he could appear just like a full moon.
"In an astronomical treatise by the name Khamanikya, the constellations at the time of the appearance of Lord Krishna are very nicely described. It is confirmed that the child born at that auspicious moment was the Supreme Brahman, or the Absolute Truth."
Baby Krishna's Birthday Bathing Ceremony
By reading the above wonderful words describing the Lord's appearance our hearts become purified. On this most auspicious Janmastami we beg Lord Sri Krishna to become fully manifested within our hearts to drive away all of our material desires and situate us completely in his service.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
I do not mean to seek this answer from the material credentials perspective because almost every single guru I've met has been able to show me some form of higher authority. Some reside in opulent settings and have big ashrams and millions of followers. Some speak mesmerizing words. Some write extremely well. In short, almost every person I've met who could potentially be my guru has some achievement that can be materially measured. I want to be able to identify the guru not by material calculations, but at the same time I need to have some way to verify his authenticity. Am I being practical here?
What is the worst that can happen if I choose a wrong guru? Can I change gurus? Can I have more than one guru for different aspects of refinement of spiritual life?
Yours humbly,
Chetan
If you choose as your guru someone who is not Krishna conscious, you will unfortunately share the same hellish destiny as the so-called guru. Therefore you would be wise to be very careful in the matter of selecting who will be your guru. It's not that you should choose someone a guru as a matter of fashion because he is big name famous guru. A guru is not a pet dog that you accept because he looks good. No. Guru is that pure devotee of Krishna who can deliver you back to home, back to Godhead.
If by mistake you have accepted someone who is not bona fide as your spiritual master, you should immediately reject him and then take complete shelter of a bona fide spiritual master.
You should accept only one person as your spiritual master. Otherwise it will be, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." You will get confused when one guru tells one thing and another guru tells you something different. What will happen is that by having many gurus you will not have a guru.
Your guru will initiate you and thus bring you into your eternal transcendental existence. Therefore is known as your initiating guru. Then after accepting him, you may also accept guidance from others who help you to surrender to your initiating guru. These devotees who assist your initiating guru in delivering you are known as instructing gurus.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
"He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohini was predominant. This star is considered to be very auspicious and is under the direct supervision of Brahma. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Krishna's birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.
"At that time, in all directions -- east, west, south, north, everywhere -- there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages and pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brahmanas, who were accustomed to offering sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire had been almost stopped in the houses of brahmanas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brahmanas had been very much distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Krishna's appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear transcendental vibrations in the sky proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
"The denizens of the Gandharva and Kinnara planets began to sing, and the denizens of Siddhaloka and the planets of the Caranas began to offer prayers in the service of the Personality of Godhead. In the heavenly planets, the angels and their wives, along with the Vidyadharas and their wives, began to dance.
"The great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.
"When things were adjusted like this, Lord Vishnu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devaki, who appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Vishnu at that time could be compared to the rising of the full moon over the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that since Lord Krishna appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Krishna appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord's appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Krishna he could appear just like a full moon.
"In an astronomical treatise by the name Khamanikya, the constellations at the time of the appearance of Lord Krishna are very nicely described. It is confirmed that the child born at that auspicious moment was the Supreme Brahman, or the Absolute Truth."
Baby Krishna's Birthday Bathing Ceremony
By reading the above wonderful words describing the Lord's appearance our hearts become purified. On this most auspicious Janmastami we beg Lord Sri Krishna to become fully manifested within our hearts to drive away all of our material desires and situate us completely in his service.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: How Do I Know Who is a Bona Fide Guru?
I know that this question must have crossed thousands of minds. I has surely crossed my mind thousands of times, but still I have not been able to solve it on my own. How do I know that a person is a bona fide guru?I do not mean to seek this answer from the material credentials perspective because almost every single guru I've met has been able to show me some form of higher authority. Some reside in opulent settings and have big ashrams and millions of followers. Some speak mesmerizing words. Some write extremely well. In short, almost every person I've met who could potentially be my guru has some achievement that can be materially measured. I want to be able to identify the guru not by material calculations, but at the same time I need to have some way to verify his authenticity. Am I being practical here?
What is the worst that can happen if I choose a wrong guru? Can I change gurus? Can I have more than one guru for different aspects of refinement of spiritual life?
Yours humbly,
Chetan
Answer: He Must Be a Pure Devotee of Krishna
The bona fide spiritual master is a pure devotee of Krishna. Pure devotee means that he is 100% absorbed in Krishna consciousness. Therefore to judge who is a bona fide spiritual master you have to study his qualities, characteristics, teachings, and activities and judge them based on the descriptions of the spiritual master given in the scriptures. In this way you may study the guru to see if he always Krishna conscious in all times, places, and circumstances.If you choose as your guru someone who is not Krishna conscious, you will unfortunately share the same hellish destiny as the so-called guru. Therefore you would be wise to be very careful in the matter of selecting who will be your guru. It's not that you should choose someone a guru as a matter of fashion because he is big name famous guru. A guru is not a pet dog that you accept because he looks good. No. Guru is that pure devotee of Krishna who can deliver you back to home, back to Godhead.
If by mistake you have accepted someone who is not bona fide as your spiritual master, you should immediately reject him and then take complete shelter of a bona fide spiritual master.
You should accept only one person as your spiritual master. Otherwise it will be, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." You will get confused when one guru tells one thing and another guru tells you something different. What will happen is that by having many gurus you will not have a guru.
Your guru will initiate you and thus bring you into your eternal transcendental existence. Therefore is known as your initiating guru. Then after accepting him, you may also accept guidance from others who help you to surrender to your initiating guru. These devotees who assist your initiating guru in delivering you are known as instructing gurus.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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