Dear Devotees,
Hare Krishna!
It is time to capitalize on a golden opportunity to get some Bonus blessings. Tomorrow is beginning of the month of Kartik.
Kartik is the month of Srimati Radharani and performing devotional activities gives multiplied results. Please see below the Benefits of Kartik Month.
It is highly recommended that one chants the Damodar astaka prayers every morning and evening and offer a lamp to Lord Damodar in this month. Please see below the Damodarastaka prayers and the link to hear and chant these prayers. For those who are unable to sing, can sing and chant along with the bhajan sung by HH Radhanath Maharaj.
Let us help enthuse and inspire each other by remembering Krsna in various ways in this month.
Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.
Your servant,
Shyamsundar Das.
(Please forward this email to your family and friends whom you think can benefit from this beautiful opportunity)
Link to hear damodarastaka kirtan:
PADMA PURANA OF KARTIKA VRATA
quoted by Srila Sanatana Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti Vilasa
Glories of Kartika Vrata-Kartik is the best, the purest of purifiers, and most glorious of all months. Kartika month is particularly dear to Lord Sri Krsna.
This month is full of bhakta vatsalya. Any vrata, even the smallest, will yield huge results. The effect of performing a Kartika Vrata lasts for one hundred lifetimes, whereas ordinary vratas only last for one lifetime!
As Krsna says in Gita that He is the month of Nov-Dev, similarly, Srimati Radharani is the holy month of Kartik which precedes His month. Rupa Gosvami and others refer to Radharani as the Kartika-devata or Kartika Devi, in other words, Radharani is the goddess or presiding Deity of the Kartika Vrata.
All sins flee from the heart. Perform other vratas one hundred times not equal to one performance of Kartik Vrata. All the holy places will live within your body. Proper performance of Kartik Vrata gives one a million times the result of chanting mantras. Those who worship Sri Damodara in Vrndavana even once. easily attain Krsna bhakti. Dhruva Maharaja attained Hari darsana by worshiping Krsna in Mathura during the Kartika month.
Also in the morning after bathing go to your prayer place and offer lamp to a picture of Lord Damodara (which is provided at the top). Offer the lamp 7 times around the whole picture of Lord Damodara.
Benefits of Kartika Month:
Lord Shiva states in the Padma Purana to his wife Parvati Devi that, "if one offers a lamp with a Tulsi twig in it to Sri Krsna that person gets the benefit of 10 million arati's", BUT in this period remember I mentioned that everything is multiplied by 1000. So by offering a lamp the benefits you receive is 10 million x's 1000. You can also add Sesame seeds to the lamp, as this is most holy. Sesame seeds originated from the pores of Lord Visnu and remove millions of sins committed. By offering Lord Damodara a lamp with Tulsi and sesame seeds daily you will receive unlimited punya karma - spiritual merits.
"In the month of Kartik, which is very dear to Sri Hari, one who bathes early in the morning attains the merit of bathing in all places of pilgrimage. Anybody who offers the Lord a ghee lamp in the month of Kartik, O brahmana, becomes free from all kinds of sins, such as killing a brahmana, and he goes to the abode of Lord Hari." (Brahma Khanda).
"Suta Goswami says, "If anyone fasts and observes the Kartik-vrata according to the rules and regulations, the Yamadutas, the messengers of Yamaraja, run away from him, just as an elephant runs away by seeing a lion. This dear fast [vrata] of Lord Vishnu is even better than performing one hundred great sacrifices that would take him to heaven because the person who observes the Kartik-vrata goes to the spiritual world." (Padma Purana)
"O sage, that foolish person who does not offer a lamp in Lord Keshava's temple during Kartik is not considered a Vaishnava (a devotee of the Lord)."
The conclusion is, as Lord Brahma tells Narada in the Skanda Purana: 'O son Narada, the month of Kartik is very dear to Lord Keshava. If anyone acts meritoriously in this month just to please Lord Visnu, he receives unlimited results"
The point to emphasize here is that Kartik is not just about fasting. The most important thing is to somehow or another increases our activities in devotional service, especially during this holy month. If hundreds of millions of Islamic faithfuls can follow severe vows of fasting during their month of Ramadan, then we should be able to perform some special austerities to please the Lord of Kartik, Sri Damodara, as it has been prescribed and laid down by our Acharyas.
Radharani is Herself the Queen of Vrndavan, who maintains the vows of and directly reciprocates with Her devotees during this, holy month, which is also called Urja-vrata.
Suggestions during Kartika Vrata:
Remember-Kartika Vrata is a special time to worship Radha Damodara, and especially one gets the mercy of Radharani, since it is Her month, and She is very very easily pleased this month. if one worships Her along with Her beloved Damodara.
- Rise early every day by Brahma Muhurta, bathe, chant japa offer Mangala Arotik
- Hear Srimad Bhagavatam daily in association of Vaisnavas. By regularly reading Srimad Bhagavatam during Kartika month, one gets the benefit of reading all the 18 Puranas. All other duties should be given up in favor of hearing from Srila Prabhupada's Books from devotees during this month.
- Chant extra rounds and more kirtana with family.
- No eating honey, eggplant, portal, pickles, red rajma beans, or sesame seeds, or urad dahl (no kichoris).unless maha prasad is offered to you:)
- Daily sing the Damodarastakam, meditating on meaning...throughout the day.
- Daily offer arotik and prayers to Tulsi devi praying for eternal residence in Vrndavana and eternal service at the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupada, NitaiGoura, Krsna Balarama, and RadhaSyamasundara. And to the feet of all the assembled devotees...asking whenver possible, "Prabhu, may I be of some service?"
- Donate charity or seva to devotees whenver possible
- Offer special nice foods to your personal Deities for entire month.
- Chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ...
- read Srila Prabhupada's Books, attend Morning and Evening Program whenever possible, go on Parikramas, and serve the Vaisnavas.
- and taste the sweet feeling of spending the entire month absorbed in serving Srila Prabhupada and assembled Vaisnavas!
- Do not find faults in others.
Well many devout devotees of Lord Krishna give up something that they like for a month. For example if one likes milk, then one gives up milk and its products for a month. By performing this vrata one is showing one's devotion and austerities to please the Lord. Many also have only one meal after sunset.
(1)
namāmīśvaraḿ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaḿ
lasat-kuṇḍalaḿ gokule bhrājamanam
yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaḿ
parāmṛṣṭam atyantato drutya gopyā
(2)
rudantaḿ muhur netra-yugmaḿ mṛjantam
karāmbhoja-yugmena sātańka-netram
muhuḥ śvāsa-kampa-trirekhāńka-kaṇṭha-
sthita-graivaḿ dāmodaraḿ bhakti-baddham
(3)
itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe
sva-ghoṣaḿ nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam
tadīyeṣita-jñeṣu bhaktair jitatvaḿ
punaḥ prematas taḿ śatāvṛtti vande
(4)
varaḿ deva mokṣaḿ na mokṣāvadhiḿ vā
na canyaḿ vṛṇe 'haḿ vareṣād apīha
idaḿ te vapur nātha gopāla-bālaḿ
sadā me manasy āvirāstāḿ kim anyaiḥ
(5)
idaḿ te mukhāmbhojam atyanta-nīlair
vṛtaḿ kuntalaiḥ snigdha-raktaiś ca gopyā
muhuś cumbitaḿ bimba-raktādharaḿ me
manasy āvirāstām alaḿ lakṣa-lābhaiḥ
(6)
namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaḿ batānu
gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ
(7)
kuverātmajau baddha-mūrtyaiva yadvat
tvayā mocitau bhakti-bhājau kṛtau ca
tathā prema-bhaktiḿ svakāḿ me prayaccha
na mokṣe graho me 'sti dāmodareha
(8)
namas te 'stu dāmne sphurad-dīpti-dhāmne
tvadīyodarāyātha viśvasya dhāmne
namo rādhikāyai tvadīya-priyāyai
namo 'nanta-līlāya devāya tubhyam
TRANSLATION
1) To the Supreme Lord, whose form is the embodiment of eternal existence, knowledge, and bliss, whose shark-shaped earrings are swinging to and fro, who is beautifully shining in the divine realm of Gokula, who I (due to the offense of breaking the pot of yogurt that His mother was churning into butter and then stealing the butter that was kept hanging from a swing) is quickly running from the wooden grinding mortar in fear of mother Yasoda, but who has been caught from behind by her who ran after Him with greater speed--to that Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, I offer my humble obeisances.
2) (Seeing the whipping stick in His mother's hand) He is crying and rubbing His eyes again and again with His two lotus hands. His eyes are filled with fear, and the necklace of pearls around His neck, which is marked with three lines like a conch shell, is shaking because of His quick breathing due to crying. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His mother's pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.
3) By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbues with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great love I again offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times.
4) O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon (which may be obtained by executing the nine processes of bhakti). O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrndavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?
5) O Lord, Your lotus face, which is encircled by locks of soft black hair tinged with red, is kissed again and again by mother Yasoda, and Your lips are reddish like the bimba fruit. May this beautiful vision of Your lotus face be ever manifest in my heart. Thousands and thousands of other benedictions are of no use to me.
6) O Supreme Godhead, I offer my obeisances unto You. O Damodara! O Ananta! O Vishnu! O master! O my Lord, be pleased upon me. By showering Your glance of mercy upon me, deliver this poor ignorant fool who is immersed in an ocean of worldly sorrows, and become visible to my eyes.
7) O Lord Damodara, just as the two sons of Kuvera--Manigriva and Nalakuvara--were delivered from the curse of Narada and made into great devotees by You in Your form as a baby tied with rope to a wooden grinding mortar, in the same way, please give to me Your own prema-bhakti. I only long for this and have no desire for any kind of liberation.
8) O Lord Damodara, I first of all offer my obeisances to the brilliantly effulgent rope which binds Your belly. I then offer my obeisances to Your belly, which is the abode of the entire universe. I humbly bow down to Your most beloved Srimati Radharani, and I offer all obeisances to You, the Supreme Lord, who displays unlimited pastimes.
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