Gaura Purnima-Appearance Day of Lord Caitanya

Today is the most auspicious day. On this day devotees fast all day until moonrise and then partake of a feast which has been offered to Lord Caitanya. This day is the transcendental appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna appearing in His most magnanimous incarnation. His magnanimity is that He is bestowing what no other incarnation has ever freely given before, pure love of Godhead. Srila Rupa Goswami prayed to Him as follows:

namo mahā-vadānyāya
kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

“O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You."

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
the Most Magnanimous Incarnation of God

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Is Work Worship?

Some people argue that work is worship and that therefore there is no need for any kind of worship of devotional activity such as chanting, deity worship, etc. So, what to reply to them?

Your unworthy servant,

Akhil Gupta

Answer: When It's Results Are Offered to Krishna

This is a common misconception in India. The clear distinction between karma and karma yoga is not understood. Those who are not properly educated in Vedic wisdom often consider karma to be karma yoga. They accept karma or work to be karma yoga or worship. The reality is that work is worship only if the fruits of the work is offered to Krishna. Otherwise, their work is karma and it binds them to the cycle of repeated birth and death. This is the difference between karma yoga and karma. Karma yoga is when one works and offers the result of that work to Krishna. Karma is when works and keeps the results of that work for himself and his extended self in the form of family, friends, etc. If one spends all of his income in the service of Krishna, that is karma yoga, worshipping Krishna through one's work. But if one spends his income on the sense gratification of himself and his family members, that work is karma and will oblige him to take birth again in this material world. One may think that working for sense gratification is worship, but he is living in a fool's paradise. His illusory bubble will popped by the material nature at the time of death when he is forced to enter into another material body to accept the results of his karma.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari