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96. Mirror of the Heart

Mirror of the Heart: Jagannath is seen and understood in so many ways by so many devotees. Yet when the Lord wants to see Himself, how does He do so? Krishna asks, "What is My beauty?" But how can He understand it? Can you see your own face? You may see the face of someone else, but to see your own face the help of a mirror is required. Then you can see your own face, but that is only a reflection. A mirror reflects and you see the reflection. How can Krishna see His beauty? What kind of mirror is required?  sat-prema-hrdaya-darpana - The heart is a mirror, darpana, and sat-prema-hrdaya is the heart of a premi-bhakta, one who has developed completely pure love. So the heart of such a premi-bhakta is a mirror and in that mirror Krishna sees His form. But that is not a reflection. In a mirror you may see the reflection, but in the heart of a premi- bhakta, in the mirror of pure love, Krishna sees Himself.... In English prati-bimba means reflection, but Krishna never sees the pr...
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95. Union in Separation

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Union in Separation: In a lecture given on his last visit to Alarnath, Orissa, on the morning of 18 May 1934, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur described, "Sri Kshetra, Jagannath Puri Dham, is vipralambha-kshetra, the place of separation." Sri Srimad Goura Govinda Swami has similarly described the nature of Puri and Jagannath: Mahaprabhu is feeling the pangs of separation from Krishna and always crying, rorudhya mana. Gaura is crying for Krishna and Jagannath is crying for Radha. Two crying forms are there in Jagannath Kshetra. Therefore that kshetra is known as vipralambha-ksetra, crying kshetra. Krsna-viraha-vidura and radha-viraha-vidhura. Two viraha- vidhuras meet together in Purushottama Kshetra. So we should understand who is Gaura, who is Jagannath, and the strange meeting between these two... Gaura is crying for Krishna and Jagannath is crying for Radha. Two are crying in the ecstatic mood of mahabhava. The exalted nature of vipralambha is described in these word...
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94. Radha and Jagannath

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Radha and Jagannath: A question remains: How could Sri Gaurasundar, being in the mood of Radharani, be attracted to a form of Krishna if Krishna's beloved consort Sri Radha is not present with that form? Or is she? According to the 6th verse of Jagannathāṣṭakam, Radharani is situated in an embrace with Jagannath: para-brahmapidaḥ kuvalaya- dalotphulla-nayano nivasi niladrau nihita- carano 'nanta-sirasi rasanando radha-sarasa- vapur-alingana-sukho  jagannathaḥ svami  nayana-patha-gami  bhavatu me Lord Jagannath, whose eyes resemble full-blown lotus petals, is the last limit of the absolute. He is a resident of Nilachal Hill and His lotus feet are placed on the heads of Anantadeva. Overwhelmed by the mellows of love, He joyfully embraces Srimati Radharani's body to His chest. May that Jagannath Swami be visible before me! References to Srimati Radharani's presence with Lord Jagannath in Puri can also be found in several other little known ceremonies during the worship of ...
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93. All Important Radha

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All Important Radha: As described above, Gauranga's worshipable Lord is Jagannath, whom He sees as Vrindavan Krishna. But, understanding that, an all-important question arises where is Srimati Radharani? According to the siddhanta of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, one cannot approach Krishna without Radharani. Dhyanachandra Goswami, the disciple of Srila Gopal Guru Goswami, has written in text 188 of his Gaura- govindarcana Smarana-paddhati vinā rādha-prasadena kṛṣṇa-präptir na jayate tataḥ śri radhika kṛṣṇau smaraniyau su-samyutau Without the mercy of Radha, one can never attain Krishna. Therefore one must remember Them together, as They are always nicely situated by each other's side. In the Sva-niyama Dasakam of his Stavăvali, Sri Chaitanya's intimate associate Srila Raghunath das Goswami has described the mood of the followers of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. In text 6 he states: anadṛtyodgitām api  muni-ganair vainika-mukhaih pravinám gandharvam api  ca nigamais tat priyatamam ya ekam...
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92. Lord Jagannath and Chaitanya

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Lord Jagannath and Chaitanya: In text 137 of the first chapter of the sesa khanda of Sri Caitanya-mangala, Srila Lochana das Thakur quotes the following verse, which he accredits to the Vayu Purana: kaleh prathama-sandhyāyām  laksmi kanto bhavisyati  daru-brahma samipantah  sannyāsau gaura-vigrahah In the beginning of Kali-yuga, Lord Narayan will appear on the earth in a golden form. Taking sannyasa, he will reside in Purushottama Kshetra near Lord Jagannath. There is a special relationship between Jagannath and Sri Chaitanya. It is significant that Jagannath was the main deity worshiped by Mahaprabhu. Many of His associates in Puri had deities that they worshiped there, including Tota Gopinath, who was worshiped by Srila Gadadhar Pandit, Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, worshiped by Bhagavan das and Chota Haridas, Madhavi devi's Radha Gopinath; the Radha Damodar deities of Swarup Damodar Goswami; Radha Giridhari worshiped by Jagadananda Pandit; Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra wo...
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91. Mahaprabhu's Pastimes at Jagannath Temple

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Mahaprabhu's Pastimes at Jagannath Temple: The pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are unlimited, and so many books glorify these most relishable pastimes. The following is just a few of the Lord's pastimes that took place inside Jagannath Mandira: Jagamohana-pari-munda Yau: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went with His personal associates to see Lord Jagannath when Lord Jagannath arose early in the morning. After seeing Lord Jagannath, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His all-encompassing sankirtana. He formed 7 groups, which then began to chant. In each of the 7 groups was a principal dancer, such as Advaita Acarya or Lord Nityananda. The dancers in the other groups were Vakreśvara Pandita, Acyutananda, Pandita Śrīvāsa, Satyaraja Khan and Narahari dasa. As Śri Caitanya Mahaprabhu walked from one group to another inspecting them, the men in each group thought, "The Lord is within our group." The congregational chanting made a tumultuous roar that filled the sky. All the inhabit...
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90. How should the non-Hindu devotees take it, when they are allowed no entry into Jagannath Temple

How should the non-Hindu devotees take it, when they are allowed no entry into Jagannath Temple: One may think - "The tradition around Him seems very cruel and abusive! It smacks of racism. How is He merciful if He won't allow His devotees entrance? How can He be called Patita pavana?" If one contemplates on Lord Jagannath's purpose and activities, though, they will find that He is not so easy to understand. When a devotee from another country stands outside of the Puri temple feeling sad that they are denied entry, they should look over their shoulder to see who is standing next to them. They may find themselves to be in quite good company. Good company: So the next time foreign devotees are standing outside of the temple in Puri feeling dejected and abused from being barred entry, they should look around. They may find themselves standing next to great devotees like Haridas Thakur, Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis, Maharaja Ramachandra dev, Salabeg, Dasia Bauri, the demig...
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