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ISSUE 010 01 / / MARCH / / 2021 PAGE 0 DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT Rekindling The Spiritual Spark

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Page 1: DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT

ISSUE 010

01 / / MARCH / / 2021

PAGE 0

DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT Rekindling The Spiritual Spark

Page 2: DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT

01 / / MARCH / / 2021 DEVOTIONAL

QUOTIENT

PAGE 1 HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

DEVOTIONAL QUOTIENT

His Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad

What’s the goal of the

magazine

Devotional Quotient is a sincere effort inspired by

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila

Prabhupada, to present a cultural magazine to inspire

the youth devotees to Krishna Consciousness.

Our Endeavor is:

1. To help all the people discern reality from

illusion spirit from matter, the eternal from

the temporary

2. To expose the faults of materialism

3. To offer guidance in the Vedic

techniques of spiritual life

4. To preserve and spread the Vedic culture

5. To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of

God as taught by Lord Sri Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu

6. To help every living-being remember and see

Sri Krishna, The Personality of Godhead.

For monthly subscriptions, please mail us at

[email protected]

Pancha Tattva Deity Painting.

Message from the Editor

SHAURYA RAMESH KUMAR

Welcome to this month’s issue

of Devotional Quotient,

which is for the pleasure and

benefit of our young devotees

and their parents.

A monthly magazine, full of

articles from children and their

teachers. Recipes, activities, a

structured study of the

Bhagavad Gita, to keep the

readers engaged and

stimulated

Prayers oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master

opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my

respectful obeisances unto him.

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

namas te saraswate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord

Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our

respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master,

servant of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami. You are

kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and

delivering the Western countries, which are filled with

impersonalism and voidism.

sri-krishna-chaitanya

prabhu-nityananda

sri-advaita gadadhara

srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda

I offer my obeisances to Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu

Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all others

in the line of devotion.

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PAGE 2 HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

By the Divine Mercy of His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

(Founder Acharya of ISKCON –

International Society for Krishna Consciousness)

Dedication:

We humbly offer the “Devotional Quotient” to

the compassionate hands of His Holiness Bhakti Bhringa Govinda

Swami Maharaj. He has been instrumental in inspiring and guiding not

only our young devotees but many others all over the world with his

benevolent and encouraging words. Year after year he has personally

spoken to them about the importance of going deep into Krishna

Consciousness. We thank him and hope that he will be happy to read

the various contributions from

all the children.

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PAGE 3 HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Words of Wisdom From the origin

SLOKA OF THE MONTH

ananda-lilamaya-vigrahaya hemabha-divyac-chavi-sundaraya tasmai maha-prema-rasa-pradaya caitanya-candraya namo namaste

Obeisances unto Him, Sri Caitanya-

candra, the giver of the mellow of

the highest love of Godhead, who is

the embodiment of blissful

pastimes, and who is so beautiful,

having a dazzling luster, like gold.

Caitanya-Candramrta

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PAGE 4 HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Lord Chaitanya in East Bengal Once Lord Chaitanya was visiting Kheturi in East

Bengal with all His associates. All of a sudden Lord

Chaitanya started crying, “ Narottam, Narottam, My

dear Narottam, where are you?” The associates of

the Lord were very surprised, because they did not

know anyone called Narottam. “Who is Narottam?”

they asked. The Lord replied, “Narottam will come

in the future.” The next day when Lord Chaitanya

took His bath in the Padma, He gave His divine love

to the river and requested her to give it to Narottam

in the future. Padma asked how she could recognise

Narottam, and the Lord told her, “When Narottam

comes, your heart will swell up, your waters will

overflow, and you will feel great ecstasy.”

The Arrival of Narottam Das Thakur Some years later, Narottam das Thakur was born on

a full moon day in Kheturi. His father Krishnananda

Datta, was a fabulously rich king belonging to the

kayastha-shudra class. As a child, Narottam had

attractive features and dark skin. He became devoted

to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu after hearing of His many

pastimes from his teachers. One day, he left the palace and went to bathe in the

river Padma. He was gone for so long that his family

became worried. Where was Narottam? They

searched everywhere, but with no success.

Eventually, on the riverbank, they saw a boy with a

golden complexion, dancing madly and constantly

crying. Upon approaching him they saw that it was

actually Narottam. When Narottam had taken a bath

in the Padma, the river gave him the love of God that

Lord Chaitanya had left there. As a result, the colour

of his skin changed from dark to golden, resembling

the Lord’s own complexion. His parents, not knowing this, thought that their son

had gone mad. They did not understand that his

behaviour was normal for a pure devotee

experiencing love of God. Narottam eventually

calmed down enough to be taken home, but from

that day on he could think only of going to

Vrindavan. His parents had great plans for their son.

He was to be the king after his father; therefore they

tried everything they could to keep him in the palace.

But their Narottam did not change his mind. He

cared not for wealth or worldly pleasures. At the first

opportunity, he ran away, and even thought a king’s

son, he ran barefoot all the way to Vrindavan.

In Vrindavan In the holy dhama, Narottam developed great

attachment to Lokanath Goswami and wanted him

as his guru. Lokanath Goswami had been a direct

associate of Lord Chaitanya and was by now very

old. Out of humility, he had taken a vow never to

accept disciples. Narottam, however, was very

determined and refused to give up hope. Every day

he secretly served Lokanath Goswami by cleaning

the place he used as a toilet. Lokanath was very

surprised but did not know who was responsible.

One day he found out that it was Narottam, and he

became upset and embarrassed. After all, since

when does the son of a kind become a toilet

cleaner? It was in this way that Narottam

conquered the heart of Lokanath Goswami and

became his only disciple. Lokanath told him,

“Your determination is stronger than mine. Besides

that, it will be a blessing upon me to have such a

disciple as you.”

Back to East Bengal Following his guru’s order, Narottam

joined Shrinivas Acharya and Shyamanada Pandit

in Vrindavan, studying under Jiva Goswami. Jiva

Goswami ordered these three intelligent pupils to

take to Bengal all the books written by the

Goswamis of Vrindavan. There they could be

copied and studied by the resident Vaishnavas.

After delivering the great collection of books by

ox-cart, Narottam returned to his home town of

Kheturi. There he found out that his father had

died and his cousin, who was also a devotee of

Lord Chaitanya, was now king. Narottam did not want to live in the opulent

palace, preferring for himself a simple life. The

king kindly provided him with a modest hut at a

place called Chandi-mandapa. Narottam, therefore,

spent much of his time there preaching Krishna

consciousness and defeating the smartha-

brahmins, who, although expert at performing

Vedic rituals, had no devotion to Lord Krishna.

Vaishnav Acharyas

Each issue of Devotional Quotient will include one of these pages. We would like to dedicate these to our previous Acharyas.

We must glorify our previous Acharyas so that we can learn from them and spread Krishna Consciousness in their footsteps.

Each monthly edition will include one of these pages where we slowly go up the vaishnava Parampara. This time continuing

to

Narottam Das Thakur (Part 1)

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PAGE 5 HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the

avatara of mercy.

“Sambhavami yuge yuge”,

He is non-different from Sri Krishna of

Dvapara-Yuga. But His mood is the

mood of extreme causeless mercy.

He and His associates have broken the

lock of the storehouse of love of God

and they have drunk so much of the

content that they have become like

indiscriminately intoxicated people. And

consequently they are giving the

greatest treasure of the love which is

experienced in Goloka Vrindavan, even

to people who have no qualification.

And they do that through the nectar

from the treasure house of the Holy

Names of the Lord.

“Golokera prema dham hari nama

sankirtan”, by this process of

Nama Sankirtana the love of Goloka

Vrindavana has descended into this

world.

All the people who are sinful and all the

people who are burning in the fires of

material existence, they are fully

uplifted by the Holy Names of the

Lord.

So Sri Krishna, he requested “Man

mana bhava mad bhakto”,

always remember me. “Sarva dharman

parityaja”, surrender exclusively to

me. And with an open heart, with eyes

full of tears Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,

He said "Harer Nama Eva Kevalam",

just take the Holy Names of the Lord.

So these Holy Names, they are the Great

Treasure. And we should worship these

Holy Names.

Actually Sri Krishna explains, all

the residents of Vaikuntha explain,

that the Holy Name of the Lord is

even more dear to the Lord than His

own form. Sanatana Goswami

questions "How is it that there can

be something more dear to the Lord

than the Lord's own form?". A

reference from Shastra where He

says things like "Uddhava, you

are more dear to me than my own

form and my own life". So this is the

great wonder and the great treasure

of Sri Krishna's Holy Names.

Let us worship the Holy Names, let

us keep the Holy Names on

our tongue, keep the Holy Names

of Sri Krishna within our hearts.

Let us be like Srila Prabhupada.

Let us be like these wonderful

sadhus who have come to visit Sri

Vrindavan Dham. And let us

dedicate our lives for giving these

Holy Names to other people. And

then “bhava maha

davagni nirvapanam”, even this

treacherous material world becomes

a place which isn't so horrible! By

the grace of Sri Krishna and by the

grace of His Holy Names.

Let us remain steadily on the path of

devotional service. Surely there

will be some problems along the

way, but we should never give up

the glorification of the Lord. Then

we will be qualified to go to His

place and engage in His service in

the association of His servants.

HH BB Govinda Swami

04.09.07 BBGS Holy Name 2

Sri Vrindavan Dham farm,

Kazakhstan

Pearls of Wisdom

A transcript of a lecture given by H.H Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami Maharaj

Treasure House of the Holy Names

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PAGE 6 HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Hari Ananta – Hari Katha Ananta. The Lord is

unlimited and His glories also are unlimited.

Similarly, unlimited are the devotees of the Lord and

their glories.

Let us continue with the pastimes of Thirumazhishai

Azhwar. There is so much to be said and heard about

this glorious devotee. Thirumazhishai Azhwar was

born in an area called Thirumazhishai which in

Sanskrit is Mahisar – essence of the earth, it also

means the holiest place on earth. As mentioned earlier

this Azhwar lived in this material world for over 4500

years. During his sojourn through life, he mastered

the Vedas, their corollaries and many other

scriptures. He was brought to the shelter of the lotus

feet of Sriman Narayana by none other than another

glorious Azhwar by the name of Pey Azhwar, who by

his acharana showed beyond the shadow of a doubt

the supremacy of Sriman Narayana. He was

saddened to see Thirumazhishai Azhwar practicing

paths other than Vaishnavism. To show him the right

path, Pey Azhwar planted a tree, leaves in the soil and

roots striking upwards. Taking a bucket filled with

holes, tied with frayed rope he attempted to draw

water from a well in order to water the upside - down

sapling. Thirumazhishai Azhwar upon seeing this

laughed at Pey Azhwar, saying what you are trying to

achieve is impossible. So Pey Azhwar reiterated that

if Shiva can grant paramapadam, i.e. ascent to Sri

Vaikuntha then this upside down tree also can grow,

it can be watered by a leaking bucket tied with a

frayed rope. After some debate on the matter of

Dvaita and Advaita and the ultimate superiority of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, Thirumazhishai

Azhwar accepted initiation into Vaishnavism from

Pey Azhwar. Thirumazhishai Azhwar visited many

Divya Desams and sang beautiful Pasurams in honor

of the Lord. The Lord loved Thirumazhishai Azhwar

very much and was ready to do anything for His pure

devotee.

Once Thirumazhishai Azhwar was visiting

Thirukudanthai known in modern times as

Kumbhakonam. There are many Divya Desams in

and around Kumbhakonam, 2 of which are very

famous – The Sarangapani (means the Lord who

holds the bow named Saranga) and the other is

Chakrapani (means the Lord who wields the most

famous discus – Sudarshan Chakra). As

Thirumazhishai Azhwar was nearing Kumbhakonam

he came upon a group of brahmins who were

chanting some Vedic mantras. They stopped their

chanting immediately and waited for

Thirumazhishai Azhwar to be away from their

earshot as they did not want to chant Vedic hymns in

the presence of someone from the fourth caste

(although Thirumazhishai Azhwar was born from

Bhargava Muni– who was most certainly a very high

caste Brahmin, but due to the divine arrangement of

the Lord, he abandoned the child and left.

Upon hearing the piteous crying of the hungry

baby, the presiding Deity of Thirumazhishai

known as Jagannath Perumal requested Bhoodevi

to nourish the child with her celestial

transcendental milk. After some time, the baby

was found by a childless couple who were cane

craftsmen. As they were of 4th class,

Thirumazhishai Azhwar was also considered

similarly). When Thirumazhishai Azhwar moved

away some distance, safely far away from the

earshot of the Vedic brahmins, he paused for a

while. Meantime the brahmins wanted to resume

their chanting but due to the influence of maya of

the Lord, they forgot where they had left off and

were wonder struck as this had never happened to

them before. They were very much aggrieved at

their inability to resume their

chanting. Thirumazhishai Azhwar saw their

dilemma, he knew exactly the mantra that they

were supposed to resume from. Keeping in

accord with the Vedic injunctions that Veda

mantras should only be chanted by Dvijas,

Thirumazhishai Azhwar did not chant the mantra

to remind the brahmins but decided to give them

a visual clue to indicate where they were supposed

to start the chanting from, so he picked a black

sesame seed and pierced it with his nail – taking

this to be the clue the brahmins remembered the

mantra and they also came to the realization that

Thirumazhishai Azhwar was not an ordinary

person albeit someone who had complete mastery

over the Vedas and other

scriptures. Thirumazhishai Azhwar continued on

his journey to Kumbhakonam. When he arrived

at the temple of Aravamudhan Piran (Piran is a

suffix always attached to the name of the Lord

signifying His benefactory nature or as a

bestower). The Lord was in a reclining position

similar to that of Lord Ranganath. Upon seeing

the Lord in a sleeping posture, Thirumazhishai

Azhwar teased the Lord by saying, “ Oh Lord!

Why are you sleeping? Are you tired from your

exertions during the churning of the ocean where

you had to carry the Mandarachal mountain on

your back as your Kurma avatar? Or are you

fatigued from your fight with Hiranyaksha and the

ordeal of lifting Bhoodevi from the netherlands

whence Hiranyaksha had hidden her”. “Please

get up – I have come to take your darshan”. So

obedient is the Lord to his devotee that He

immediately began to rise from His snake bed,

upon seeing this, Thirumazhishai Azhwar was

very embarrassed due to having disturbed the

Lord’s rest.

He immediately fell at the Lord’s feet and said,

“Please do not get up on my account – I am the servant

and you are the Supreme Master. Who am I to order

you to get up? Please remain as you are and give

blessings to everyone.” Even to this day the Lord

Aravamudhan is in a half sitting and half reclining

posture, unlike any other Deity in the world. That’s

why Aravamudhan is also known as Utthanshayi

Vishnu means half sitting half reclining. The Lord

was extremely pleased with Thirumazhishai Azhwar

and performed one more lila, most unique. He

exchanged His epithet with His devotee. He declared

that henceforth you shall be known as Thirumazhishai

Piran and I will take on your title and be addressed as

Aravamudhan Azhwar.

Such are the sweet, unimaginable and inconceivable

pastimes between the Lord and His devotees.

Gyanamritam

Pastimes of Thirumazhishai Azhwar

BY HG GOKULCHANDRA DAS

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As discussed in the previous section, Krishna describes

the process of karma yoga in this chapter. He further

continued to explain about setting the right example of

work. He also cites examples of persons who attained the

perfection of life, through karma yoga, this included the

example of King Janaka. A leader has to teach the public

by his own practical behaviour, and this teaching should

be based on the scriptural injunctions. A leader who

derides the scriptures and acts on his own whims should

be rejected. Even Lord Krishna engages in work, however,

there is no work prescribed for Him, nor is he in want or

need for obtaining anything. He does this so that all men

can follow His path, to stop the world from ruination and

enable peace of all living beings. Though Lord Krishna

teaches us by performing prescribed duties, He is

independent of the law as the law maker is beyond law.

Krishna lifted the Govardhana Hill, Lord Shiva drank

poison, and many other examples of such acts establish

the fact that an ordinary human cannot do such things. It is

best, therefore, not to imitate the powerful, but to simply

follow their instructions. As the Supreme Lord performs

prescribed duties, a person who is established in

knowledge (jnana) should also work to set the right

example. Through this one can avoid sinful reactions in

such work by doing it with detachment.

Ignorant people cannot appreciate activities in Krishna

consciousness. Therefore Krishna advises not to disturb

them or waste valuable time. Only pure devotees of the

Lord know the value of this confidential knowledge and

understand the Lord’s purpose. That is why they approach

ignorant men to try to engage them and inspire them to

practice spiritual activities, this is what is truly beneficial

to all. Bhakti is by nature very strong, even stronger than

jnana, as jnana is dependent on purity of heart. Moreover,

bhakti is not even dependent on purity of the heart. It is

possible to inspire people with faith in bhakti, then one

can disturb the minds of those attached to action. One who

has faith in the process of bhakti has no obligation for

performing karma.

A question may arise, that if a person in knowledge and a

person in ignorance perform work in a similar manner,

how to distinguish between the two? One who is in

ignorance thinks himself to be the doer, but in actuality all

activities are being carried out by the three modes of

material nature- goodness, passion and ignorance (these

will be covered in detail in the later sections). A person in

knowledge of the Absolute truth understands that he is

separate from the senses and sense objects, and does not

engage in sense gratification, such a person knows well

about the differences between work in devotion and work

for fruitive results.

Having described about the process of karma yoga, Krishna will now

mention that ultimately, He is the object of it and every activity needs

to be done as an offering to Him. Such karma yoga is actually bhakti

yoga. Our purpose should be to work for Krishna and follow Him.

The cashier may count millions of dollars for his employer, but

nothing belongs to him, and thus he doesn’t claim a cent for himself.

Similarly, one has to engage in his prescribed duty for the Lord,

without reluctance, knowing that nothing in the world belongs to any

individual person, but that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord.

That will lead to the path of perfection and self-realization.

Bhagavad Gita Section Wise: SECTION 9 –

CHAPTER 3 (TEXT 21 – 30)

BY: SRI NANDARANI DEVI DASI

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Children’s Articles

Why should we only eat food first offered to

Krishna? If one offers food to Krishna as a sacrifice with

love and devotion, he will be released from all

kinds of sins. A person who does not offer food to

Krishna before eating, eats for his own personal

enjoyment. This will lead him to suffer the

reactions of karma. Preparing and offering food to the Lord shows the

passion and enthusiasm we have for him. When we

offer food to Krishna, he gives his mercy. When

we eat that food ( prasadam) we will be liberated

from all kinds of sins. This will help us to reach the

spiritual world. The food that is offered should be very

clean.This shows respect and devotion. Here are

some points to remember before we offer bhog to

Lord Krishna. 1- We should be clean and wash our hands before

cooking. 2- While cooking, our mind should be thinking and

chanting the names of the Lord. 3- We should use fresh ingredients, new utensils

and tulsi leaf should be placed over the bhog.

Madhav Manoj. Age: 8

Why did Jaya and Vijaya choose to become

the Lord's enemy? The four Kumaras( sons of Brahma) cursed Jaya

and Vijaya, because they restricted entry to meet

Lord Vishnu.So both of them pleaded to the Lord

Vishnu to lift the curse.The Lord said he could not

reverse the curse but can give them two options. Number one, to take three births as the Lord's

enemy or taking 7 births as the Lord's devotee.

After completing either of these sentences, they

could come back to Vaikunta and serve the Lord

permanently. Jaya and Vijaya thought long and hard as they

wanted to be his devotee and closely serve the

Lord, but they can’t wait for seven births to finish.

They also couldn’t bear the fact that they would

have to stay for 7 births away from the Lord. So

they picked to be the Lord's enemy for 3 births,

reason being that it was a much faster and quicker

way to reach the Lord. Rhea Ranganathan. Age: 12

Who did Krishna give the knowledge in the

beginning and how it was lost and why is He

giving it to Arjuna now?

In the beginning, the knowledge of the supreme science

was passed down from Lord Krishna to the Sun god

‘Vivasvan’ and he passed on this knowledge to Manu,

the father of mankind and he in turn passed it to

Iksvaku. And so, the supreme science was passed

following the chain of the disciples. However, during

this process somewhere someone did not pass down this

knowledge to the next generation and so the knowledge

Krishna had passed on was lost. Years later, once again Lord Krishna is passing down

this valuable knowledge about the supreme science but

this time to Arjuna. This is because Krishna considers

Arjuna to be his closest companion. In addition to that,

Arjuna is a strong devotee of the Lord and the lord

believes that Arjuna is the right person to take up this

responsibility. He is passing this knowledge to make

sure that all the future generations learn about the

supreme science and its importance.

Jahnvi Jayakrishnan

Age: 12

Lord Vishnu and His Paraphernalia

Lord Vishnu has come down in many forms with

different features and in different ages. But all are

equally invested with supreme potency . The

Dashavatara forms of Lord Vishnu are most prominent.

The first Dashavatar being Matsya, followed by Kurma,

Varaha, Narshima, Vamana, Parushurama, Rama,

Krishna ,Balarama, Buddha, and lastly Kalki. Starting off with Matsya Avatar, the lord came down in

the form of fish to save the Vedas from drowning in the

ocean. In each situation, Lord Vishnu comes down to

protect his devotees and help them. Lord Vishnu’s first

creation is Lord Brahma who was assigned to create

Lord Shiva, the four Kumaras and more devotees of the

lord. Lord Vishnu always carries four items: the shankha

(conch), the Sudarshana chakra, the padma (lotus) and

the Kaumodaki gada. The conch symbolizes the sacred

Om sound, whilst Lord Shiva gave Lord Vishnu the

Sudarshana Chakra which helps him to conquer all his

enemies. Lord Shiva gave the Sudarshana Chakra to

Lord Vishnu as he offered Lord Shiva 999 lotus flowers

and one was missing. The gada is used to teach lessons

to irreligious rulers and demons.

Diya Ranganathan Age: 11

How can the demigods be satisfied? And

what is the result?

All the Demigods get powers from Lord Krishna,

they are also a part of the Supreme personality of

Godhead. So by pleasing Krishna they are also

satisfied. Each Demigod has a special power,

which they bestow on earth. The Demigods can

be pleased by the performance of yajnas. The

Demigods supply and manage all the things

needed for a living being. Example: Indra the God of rain when he pleased

bestows rain on earth. The rain helps us to grow

food and also provides water to drink.

Joshith Jalluri. Age: 10

My thoughts about Karma yoga.

Karma Yoga is when the work is done selflessly

for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.

Otherwise work causes material bonadge.

Therefore one should perform the prescribed

duties for Vishnu’s satisfaction; so will always

remain free from material bondage. By eating food ( Prashad) after offering to the

Lord, protects us from sinful reactions. Others,

who prepare food for personal pleasure, eat only

sin.

Shreyaansh.

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Ṣuka’s Corner

Children Artwork

Artwork By: Mannat Ruia

Age: 7

Artwork By: Shreya Singh

Age: 7

Artwork By: Aditi Yadav

Age: 7

Artwork By: Advika Singh

Age: 9

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Children’s Articles

The Three modes of material nature

Three modes of material nature which are: 1- Sattva gun(mode of goodness) 2- Raja gun(mode of passion) 3- Tama gun(mode of ignorance)

In Vedic literature, mode of goodness means when

you are in greater knowledge of the divine and in the

path of devotion. Mode of passion is when you are

always suffering from stress, greed and anxiety.

Finally mode of ignorance is being in a state of

foolishness. Krishna explains that mode of goodness is purer than

the other two modes of nature since in mode of

goodness one develops knowledge. Tatra sattva mnirmalatvāt

prakāśakam anāmayam

sukha-sańgena badhnāti

jshāna-sańgena cānagha [ B.g 14.6] “O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than

the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all

sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become

conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.” Hence, mode of goodness is better than the other modes

because in this mode one is able to see all the things in

their right perspective and hence it gives a chance to

develop devotional service to Godhead. So if one wants

to develop this love and become eternally blissful he

has to perform his duty to the Lord’s satisfaction.Then

he can maintain this mode of goodness and eventually

transcend this. Modes of passion and ignorance are not

conducive qualities for developing devotional service

and hence they should be completely avoided. In today’s times, most of the people are under the mode

of passion as they want to achieve some or the other

goal to get more money and fame. Rest who are in the

mode of ignorance are doing all the wrong things to

achieve the same goal. To stay in the mode of goodness

we should always remain in bakthi and try to gain

spiritual knowledge and stay away from sin. Namish Johar. Age 12

Lord Nityananda

Lord Nityananda is a great devotee of the Lord. He appeared in

this world alongside Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who we know to be

the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Nityananda Himself

is the incarnation of Balaram. Both Nimai and Nitai were

inseparable, rarely was one named without the other. Both

Gauranga and Nityananda propagated the Hare Krishna

Sankirtana movement. Even though Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is

the most merciful incarnation of the Lord, Nityananda Prabhu is

considered to be even more merciful. The only way to approach Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would be

through the mercy of Nityananda prabhu. Lord Nityananda has

the whitish complexion of Lord Balaram. His garments resemble

a cluster of blue lotus flowers and His effulgence is said to

surpass the grandeur of a rising moon at sunset. He has a deep,

melodious voice which is constantly singing the glories of Sri

Krisna. He carries a red stick with benedictions for the devotees

but fear for the demons. He has a carefree mood and is always

absorbed in the service

Shaurya Kumar Age 13

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Saatvik Food

Ayurveda, the more than 5,000 year old system of

science and healing classifies food into sattvic,

rajasic and tamasic categories.

According to Bhagavad Gita, sattvic food gives life,

purity, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness. Food that is fresh and pure is known to have “prana”

or positive energy in it. And sattvic food is known

to be full of “prana” and life giving properties. When

food is cooked with fresh ingredients with love, the

prana quotient in the food increases. Likewise, if the

food is cooked by someone who is upset, the prana

in the food is reduced. And this is just one aspect of

the sattvic food philosophy.

Sattvic food is always freshly made and along with

the body it also nourishes the mind. Sattvic food has

many health inducing properties. Fresh fruits, dry

fruits, grains and legumes like rice and dal, milk and

milk products are all examples of sattvic foods. Eating sattvic food promotes the three necessary

ingredients for vitality ojas (responsible for overall

health, energy, immunity and liveliness) tejas

(intelligence) and prana (energy levels). Food cooked according to the principles of sattva

guna is devoid of meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, onions

and garlic. Vegetables, fruits, grains, milk and milk

products play a major role in Sattvic cuisine.

Offering food to Krishna

• Preparing and offering food to the Lord

shows Him our devotion and gratitude.

Krishna doesn't need to eat, of course, but

He accepts the love with which we offer

food to Him.

• As far as possible, use fresh, natural

ingredients for cooking. Krishna accepts

only vegetarian food, and packaged, store-

bought products may contain meat, fish, or

eggs, so read the labels carefully.

• Cleanliness is important in cooking for

Krishna. Wash your hands before you begin.

And don’t taste the food while cooking; the

meal is for Krishna’s pleasure, so He should

taste it first.

• It’s best to have a new set of dinnerware

used only for Krishna’s offerings and not

used by anyone else.

• Place the plate in front of a picture or deity

of Krishna and ask Him to accept the

offering. Then offer the preparations to

Krishna.

What is Ekadashi? Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the moon cycle, both

from the Purnima (full moon) and from the

Amavasya (new moon). Well-known as the day of

Lord Hari, this is celebrated as one of the highly

auspicious days suitable for fasting.

Who should observe Ekadashi vrata? Ekadashi should be observed by all classes of

people. According to scriptures, from the age of

eight to the age of eighty, a person should fast on

Ekadashi days. What are the foods forbidden on Ekadashi?

▪ Food grains, cereals and beans (pulses)

must be avoided on Ekadashi.

▪ While spices can be used for cooking,

mustard seeds should be avoided.

▪ You cannot use powdered asafoetida (hing),

since it generally contains grains.

▪ As far as sesame seeds are concerned, they

may be used only on Sat-tila Ekadashi.

▪ Take care not to use any cooking

ingredients which may be mixed with

grains. For example, avoid reusing ghee

which you have used to fry puris, and spices

which you have touched with hands dusted

with chapati flour.

▪ You cannot take even Vishnu-prasadam

containing the above forbidden foods. But

such prasadam may be kept to be honored

the following day.

Different levels of observing Ekadashi

Ekadashi may be observed in different levels as

given below and one may choose a particular level

of fasting depending on one’s age, health and various

other factors pertaining to one’s lifestyle.

▪ The real way to observe Ekadashi is to fast

completely without even taking water. This

is called nirjala fast.

▪ If you cannot observe a nirjala fast, you can

take just water.

▪ If you cannot do that, you can also take a

little fruit and milk.

▪ The next option is that you can also take

other non-grain foods like vegetables

(except onion and garlic), roots, nuts, etc.,

only once during the fast.

▪ The last option is to take the above items

three times like on a regular day.

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Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Sift together buckwheat flour,

baking soda, and cinnamon; then

set aside.

3) Blend together butter, sucanat

(or brown sugar), apple sauce (or

banana), and yogurt until smooth.

Pour in dry mix and combine

ingredients. Muffin batter should

remain slightly lumpy and

imperfectly mixed.

4) Spoon batter into muffin tins and

bake for about 25 minutes or until

cooked at the center. Insert a

wooden toothpick and it will come

out mostly clean when the muffin is

done baking.

You might also try adding dried

fruit or nuts to the batter after you

combine the wet and dry

ingredients.

Ekadashi recipe BY Supriya Radhika Devi Dasi

BUCKWHEAT MUFFINS

Ingredients

Makes about 18 regular

muffins

2 cups Buckwheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup sucanat or brown sugar

2 cups apple sauce or mashed

ripe bananas

1/2 cup yogurt

Pinch of cinnamon

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Instructions

• Soak dal for around 3 hrs

• Drain water completely

• In a mixer , add dal , green chilies and ginger to

grind (quantity of chili and ginger can vary as per

taste)

• Make a thick batter. Add little water , as much

required to grind it

• In a bowl , add red chili powder, salt and chopped

coriander leaves to the dal batter and mix well

• Now take a slice of bread and make small round

pieces from a square slice, by any small bowl or lid

of a steel box

• Spread the dal mixture (small qty with a tea spoon),

on the round slices of bread

• Keep the oil ready for frying in a frying pan

• While frying , dip the dal side down in the oil, i.e.

bread is visible on top of the oil

• Fry them till golden brown

Dal gold coins are ready to serve with green chutney

and tomato ketchup

*it is better to make small gold coins, which looks

attractive and easy to eat with a toothpick

*You may use different shape cutters – star shaped, etc.

.

Saatvic recipe BY: Neelam Nevatia

APPLE CRUMBLE

Ingredients

• Yellow moong dal (without

skin) – 200 gms

• Green Chilies – 3

nos

• Ginger – 20 gm

• Coriander leaves (finely

chopped)

• Salt to taste

• Red Chili powder – 1 tsp

• Bread slices

• Oil for frying

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KEYWORD

Festival of the month

GAURA PURNIMA – APPEARANCE DAY OF LORD

CHAITANYA

Lord Krishna thought in Goloka, "I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the

age; nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord

in the form of Lord Gauranga. By accepting the role of a devotee, I shall make the

whole world dance in ecstasy, and thus realize the four mellows of loving

devotional service. In this way, I shall teach devotional service to others by

personally practicing it, for whatever a great personality does, common people

will follow. Of course, My plenary portions can establish the religious principles

for each age, but only I can bestow the kind of loving devotional service which is

performed by the residents of Vraja." "Sri Radhika is the highest abode of love, and I am it's only object. Radha's

pleasure is ten million times greater than Mine. This was Lord Krishna's second

desire, and His third desire was expressed while thinking as follows: "Everyone

says that I am the reservoir of all transcendental bliss, and indeed, all the world

derives pleasure from Me alone. Who could give Me pleasure? I think that only

someone having a hundred times more qualities than Myself could give pleasure

to My mind, but such a person is impossible to find." Advaita Acharya thought, "Only if Lord Krishna personally appears and preaches

the path of devotional service by His own example, will liberation become

possible for all people. Therefore, I shall worship the Lord in a purified state of

mind and constantly petition Him with all humility. Indeed, my name Advaita

will be fitting only if I am able to induce Lord Krishna to inaugurate the sankirtan

movement of chanting the holy name, which is the only religion for this age."

While Advaita Acharya thought about how to satisfy Krishna by His worship, the

following verse came to mind: "Sri Krishna, who is very affectionate toward His

devotees, sells Himself to one who offers Him merely a tulsi leaf and a palmful of

water." (Gautamiya-tantra). Advaita Acharya considered the meaning of this

verse in the following way: "Lord Krishna cannot find any way to repay the debt

which He owes to one who offers Him a tulsi leaf and water. Therefore, the Lord

concludes, 'Since there is nothing in My possession which is equal to a tulsi leaf

and water, I will liquidate the debt by offering Myself to the devotee.' "

Thereafter, while meditating upon the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, Advaita Acharya

constantly offered tulasi buds in water from the Ganga. While thus engaged in

worship, Advaita Acharya petitioned Krishna to appear by His loud cries, and this

repeated invitation attracted the attention of the Lord, causing Him to descend. Before the appearance of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, Jagannath Mishra (who was

formerly Nanda Maharaja) begot eight daughters in the womb of Sachidevi (who

was formerly Yashoda), but just after birth, they all died. Being very aggrieved at

the loss of his children, one after another, Jagannath Mishra worshiped Lord

Vishnu, while desiring a son. Thereafter, Sachimata gave birth to a baby boy

named Vishvarup, who was an incarnation of Lord Baladev. Being very pleased,

the mother and father began to serve the lotus feet of Lord Govinda even more

devotedly, because they realized that their happiness was by His mercy. Then, in the month of Magh (18th February 1486) of the year 1406, Shaka era,

Lord Krishna entered the bodies of both Jagannath Mishra and Sachidevi.

Thereafter, Jagannath informed his wife, "I see many wonderful things! Your

body seems to be effulgent, and it appears as if the goddess of fortune is

personally residing in our house. Wherever I go, everyone offers me respect, and

even without asking, they give me money, cloth and grains." Sachimata replied,

"I also see wonderfully brilliant beings, appearing in the sky, as if offering

prayers." Jagannath Mishra then said, "In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the Supreme

Lord enter into my heart. Then, from my heart it entered your heart, and thus I

can understand that a great personality will soon take birth."

However, when Sachimata's pregnancy approached the thirteenth month, and still

there was no sign of delivery, Jagannath Mishra became very apprehensive. At

that time, Nilambara Chakravarti made an astrological calculation and predicted

that the child would be born that very month, taking advantage of an auspicious

moment. Thus it so happened that on the evening of the Phalguni purnima, in the year 1407

Shaka era, corresponding to the modern year 1486, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

made His appearance at Nabadwip.

At this time, Rahu considered, "When the spotless moon of Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu is about to become visible, what need is there for a moon which is

full of black marks?" Thinking in this way, Rahu covered the full moon, and so

all of the Hindus went to the banks of the Ganga in order to bathe and chant the

names ``Krishna `` and''Hari ``. In all directions and within everyone's mind there was peacefulness and joy. In

Shantipur, Advaita Acharya and Haridas Thakur began chanting and dancing in a

very pleasing mood, although no one could understand why they did so. While

laughing again and again, they also went to the Ganga, and at that time. Advaita

Acharya took advantage of the lunar eclipse to distribute all kinds of charity to

the brahmanas. Upon seeing how the whole world had become jubilant, Haridas

Thakur addressed Advaita Acharya in great astonishment, "Since Your dancing

and distribution of charity appears very pleasing to me, I can understand that You

have some very special purpose."

(From Sri Chaitanya-Charitamrita)

March Vedic Calendar

• 03 Mar 2021 - Appearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta

Sarasvati Thakura • 03 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Sri Purusottama Dasa

Thakura • 03 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Srila Gour Govinda

Swami • 09 Mar 2021 - Vijaya Ekadashi • 10 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Sri Isvara Puri • 12 Mar 2021 - Siva Ratri • 14 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Srila Jagannatha Dasa

Babaji • 14 Mar 2021 - Disappearance Day of Sri Rasikananda • 17 Mar 2021 - Appearance Day of Sri Purusottama Dasa

Thakura • 25 Mar 2021 - Amalaki Vrata Ekadashi • 26 Mar 2021 - Disappearance of Sri Madhavendra Puri • 28 Mar 2021 - Gaura Purnima • 29 Mar 2021 - Festival of Jagannatha Misra

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