Padmini Ekadasi

Hand-colored Engraving by Mrs. S.C. Belnos, c. 1851

May 27, KUALA LUMPUR (SUN) — Padmini Ekadasi from the Skanda Purana.

Sri Suta Goswami said, “Yudhishthira Maharaja said, Oh Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight (shukla paksha) of the extra, leap year month? How does one observe it properly? Please narrate all this to me.’

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, replied, ‘Oh Pandava, the meritorious Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight of the extra month of leap-year is called Padmini. It is very auspicious. The fortunate soul who observes it with great determination and faith will return to My personal abode. This extra-month Ekadasi is as powerful as I am in nullifying sins. Even four-headed Lord Brahma cannot glorify it sufficiently. Long ago Lord Brahma told Narada about this liberating, sin-removing Ekadasi.’

“Lotus-eyed Lord Krishna became very pleased by the enquiry of Yudhishthira and spoke to him the following pleasing words: ‘Oh king, please listen carefully as I narrate to you the process of fasting on Padmini Ekadasi, which is rarely done even by great sages.

Mars Bars get Veggie Status Back

May 20, UK (SUN) — Mars, Snickers and Twix chocolate bars - The move affected Masterfoods’ chocolate and ice cream bars.

Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to “upset” vegetarians. The firm had said it would change the whey used in some of its products from a vegetarian source to one with traces of the animal enzyme, rennet.

The Vegetarian Society organised a campaign against the move, asking members to voice their concerns to parent company Masterfoods. Mars said it became “very clear, very quickly” that it had made a mistake.

In just one week, more than 6,000 people bombarded the company, which produces the Mars, Snickers, Maltesers and Galaxy brands, with phone and e-mail complaints.

High Alert for Delhi Temple

May 19, NEW DELHI, INDIA (TUE) — High Alert in Delhi following Andhra Mosque Blast.

A high alert was sounded in the capital on Friday evening following a blast in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid that killed at least five people, with security beefed up at all sensitive points, especially the Jama Masjid and the Metro stations.

“An alert has been sounded in the wake of the blast in Hyderabad,” Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said. Additional police personnel have been deployed along with bomb disposal squads at Delhi Metro stations, at railway stations and bus terminals. “An extra security cover has been extended to all the religious places, including the Jama Masjid, Akashardham and Iskcon temples,” Bhagat added.

Kazakhstan Devotees Face Eviction

BY ABDUJALIL ABDURASULOV

May 19, ALMATHY, KAZAKHSTAN (SAT) — Long-running saga takes a new turn as the Supreme Court says Hare Krishnas do not own the land they have settled.

Analysts have criticised a Kazak Supreme Court ruling against the Hare Krishna community’s claim to a farm plot near Almaty, saying it appears to be faith-based discrimination.

In the May 8 decision, judges ruled against the Society for Krishna Consciousness, which was seeking legal backing for its purchase of a piece of farmland which the community now occupies. Many of the analysts interviewed by IWPR argue that the move could damage Kazakstan’s image and its international ambitions.

The Krishna society began acquiring land in the Karasai district on the outskirts of Almaty in 1999. Calling itself Sri Vrindavan Dham, the commune developed as Krishna devotees joined a cooperative of “dacha” or allotment owners paying for the use of land plots, and grew to include 66 homes, in addition to the farmland that is the subject of the Supreme Court ruling.

Holiest Month - Purushottama

BY RASHBEHARIDAS

May 15, CALCUTTA, INDIA (TUE) — Starting from May 17th, 2007.

This is a summary of a discourse on the significance of Purushottama-month, by HIs Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj, President-Acharya of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math.

vande navaghana-syam dvibhujam murlidharam
pitambardharam devam saradham purusottamam

“I offer my obeisances to Navaganasyam (Krsna, who has the color of a fresh rain cloud), who is holding the flute with His two hands. I worship Purusottama who is so beautiful in His yellow dress (pitambhara).” “I pray for the causeless mercy of my Gurudeva, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Gosvami, to give me strength, to sing the glories of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna and His personal associates, to purify my mind and to get exclusive one-pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances to my most revered siksa gurus and I pay my due respects to all who are present here.

By the will of the Supreme Lord we have come back to India during this month of Purusottama, which is actually the holiest month.

Parishad: King Sri Prataparudra Deva

May 11, KUALA LUMPUR (FRI) — The parishad associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

indradyumno maharajo jagannatharcakah pura
jatah prataparudrah san sama indrena so’dhuna

Indradyumna, who previously worshiped Lord Jagannath, was born as Prataparudra, with the same opulences as Indra himself.
(Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika11

[Note: In a Satyayuga during the second half of Brahma’s lifetime, a certain king named Indradyumna was born into the Dynasty of the Sun. He ruled over the kingdom of Malava and had his capital at Avantipura. He was a great devotee of Vishnu, as was his priest Vidyapati. In the first half of Brahma’s life, Jagannath had appeared in Nilachala as Nila Madhava with the purpose of delivering the conditioned souls of this world. He was served by a tribal king named Vishvavasu. Nila Madhava manifested the deity form of Jagannath through these three persons: Indradyumna, Vidyapati and Vishvavasu. The Lord appeared in three forms at the place known as Banki Mohana in order to show his mercy for King Indradyumna. These three deities are, of course, Balaram, Subhadra and Jagannath.]

Parishad: Sri Ramananda Raya

May 7, KUALA LUMPUR (MON) — Disappearance Day of Sri Ramananda Raya.

priya-narma-sakha kashcid arjunah pandavo ‘rjunah
militva samabhud ramananda-rayah prabhoh priyah
ato radha-krishna-bhakti-prema-tattvadikam kriti
ramanando gauracandram pratyavarnayad anvaham
lalitety ahur eke yat tad eke nanumanyante
bhavanandam prati praha gauro yat tvam prithapatih
gopyarjuniyaya sardham ekibhuyapi pandavah
arjuno yad raya-ramananda ity ahur uttamah
arjuniyabhavat turnam arjuno ‘pi ca pandavah
iti padmottara-khande vyaktam eva virajate
tasmad etat trayam ramananda-raya-mahashayah

There are two Arjunas in Krishna lila: one is a priya-narma-sakha in Vraja, the other is one of the Pandavas. These two combined to become Ramananda Raya, the dear companion of Mahaprabhu. He was very knowledgeable in the teachings of loving devotion to Radha and Krishna, which he described to Gauracandra on a daily basis. Some people say that Ramananda Raya was Lalita Sakhi, while others do not. Mahaprabhu himself told Bhavananda Raya that he was Pandu, the husband of Kunti and father of the Pandavas. The Pandava Arjuna also united with the gopi named Arjuniya. Thus the most aware say that Ramananda Raya combined all these three personalities. Proof of this is found in the Padmapurana, where it is stated that the Pandava Arjuna became the gopi Arjuniya. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 120-124)