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Mangala Arati | ISKCON Chennai | 17 April 2025
ŚB 1.2.24 पार्थिवाद्दारुणो धूमस्तस्मादग्निस्त्रयीमय: । तमसस्तु रजस्तस्मात्सत्त्वं यद्ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ॥ २४ ॥ pārthivād dāruṇo dhūmas tasmād agnis trayīmayaḥ tamasas tu rajas tasmāt sattvaṁ yad brahma-darśanam Synonyms pārthivāt — from earth; dāruṇaḥ — firewood; dhūmaḥ — smoke; tasmāt — from that; agniḥ — fire; trayī — Vedic sacrifices; mayaḥ — made of; tamasaḥ — in the mode of ignorance; tu — but; rajaḥ — the mode of passion; tasmāt — from that; sattvam — the mode of goodness; yat — which; brahma — the Absolute Truth; darśanam — realization. Translation Firewood is a transformation of earth, but smoke is better than the raw wood. And fire is still better, for by fire we can derive the benefits of superior knowledge [through Vedic sacrifices]. Similarly, passion [rajas] is better than ignorance [tamas], but goodness [sattva] is best because by goodness one can come to realize the Absolute Truth. Purport As explained above, one can get release from the conditioned life of material existence by devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. It is further comprehended herein that one has to rise to the platform of the mode of goodness (sattva) so that one can be eligible for the devotional service of the Lord. But if there are impediments on the progressive path, anyone, even from the platform of tamas, can gradually rise to the sattva platform by the expert direction of the spiritual master. Sincere candidates must, therefore, approach an expert spiritual master for such a progressive march, and the bona fide, expert spiritual master is competent to direct a disciple from any stage of life: tamas, rajas or sattva. It is a mistake, therefore, to consider that worship of any quality or any form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is equally beneficial. Except Viṣṇu, all separated forms are manifested under the conditions of material energy, and therefore the forms of material energy cannot help anyone to rise to the platform of sattva, which alone can liberate a person from material bondage. The uncivilized state of life, or the life of the lower animals, is controlled by the mode of tamas. The civilized life of man, with a passion for various types of material benefits, is the stage of rajas. The rajas stage of life gives a slight clue to the realization of the Absolute Truth in the forms of fine sentiments in philosophy, art and culture with moral and ethical principles, but the mode of sattva is a still higher stage of material quality, which actually helps one in realizing the Absolute Truth. In other words, there is a qualitative difference between the different kinds of worshiping methods as well as the respective results derived from the predominating deities, namely Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Hara.
SB_1.2.24 - Rising beyond the modes - HDG Srila Prabhupada !
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Darshan Arati | ISKCON Chennai | 17 April 2025
ŚB 1.13.55 विज्ञानात्मनि संयोज्य क्षेत्रज्ञे प्रविलाप्य तम् । ब्रह्मण्यात्मानमाधारे घटाम्बरमिवाम्बरे ॥ ५५ ॥ vijñānātmani saṁyojya kṣetrajñe pravilāpya tam brahmaṇy ātmānam ādhāre ghaṭāmbaram ivāmbare Synonyms vijñāna — purified identity; ātmani — in intelligence; saṁyojya — perfectly fixing; kṣetra-jñe — in the matter of the living being; pravilāpya — merging; tam — him; brahmaṇi — in the Supreme; ātmānam — pure living being; ādhāre — in the reservoir; ghaṭa-ambaram — sky within the block; iva — like; ambare — in the supreme sky. Translation Dhṛtarāṣṭra will have to amalgamate his pure identity with intelligence and then merge into the Supreme Being with knowledge of his qualitative oneness, as a living entity, with the Supreme Brahman. Being freed from the blocked sky, he will have to rise to the spiritual sky. Purport The living being, by his desiring to lord it over the material world and declining to cooperate with the Supreme Lord, contacts the sum total of the material world, namely the mahat-tattva, and from the mahat-tattva his false identity with the material world, intelligence, mind and senses is developed. This covers his pure spiritual identity. By the yogic process, when his pure identity is realized in self-realization, one has to revert to the original position by amalgamating the five gross elements and the subtle elements, mind and intelligence, into the mahat-tattva again. Thus getting freed from the clutches of the mahat-tattva, he has to merge in the existence of the Supersoul. In other words, he has to realize that qualitatively he is nondifferent from the Supersoul, and thus he transcends the material sky by his pure identical intelligence and thus becomes engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. This is the highest perfectional development of spiritual identity, which was attained by Dhṛtarāṣṭra by the grace of Vidura and the Lord. The Lord’s mercy was bestowed upon him by his personal contact with Vidura, and when he was actually practicing the instructions of Vidura, the Lord helped him to attain the highest perfectional stage. A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-called material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual current of the Lord’s identical interest, and thus he is permanently freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva. He is always in the spiritual sky, which he attains by being transcendental to the sevenfold material coverings by the effect of his devotional service. The conditioned souls are within the coverings, whereas the liberated soul is far beyond the cover.
SB_1.13.55 - The difference between how yogis & devotees get rid of the coverings of soul !
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Darshan Arati | ISKCON Chennai | 16 April 2025
Hare Krishna!
Mangala Arati | ISKCON Chennai | 16 April 2025
ŚB 1.13.54 जितासनो जितश्वास: प्रत्याहृतषडिन्द्रिय: । हरिभावनया ध्वस्तरज:सत्त्वतमोमल: ॥ ५४ ॥ jitāsano jita-śvāsaḥ pratyāhṛta-ṣaḍ-indriyaḥ hari-bhāvanayā dhvasta- rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-malaḥ Synonyms jita-āsanaḥ — one who has controlled the sitting posture; jita-śvāsaḥ — one who has controlled the breathing process; pratyāhṛta — turning back; ṣaṭ — six; indriyaḥ — senses; hari — the Absolute Personality of Godhead; bhāvanayā — absorbed in; dhvasta — conquered; rajaḥ — passion; sattva — goodness; tamaḥ — ignorance; malaḥ — contaminations. Translation One who has controlled the sitting postures [the yogic āsanas] and the breathing process can turn the senses toward the Absolute Personality of Godhead and thus become immune to the contaminations of the modes of material nature, namely mundane goodness, passion and ignorance. Purport The preliminary activities of the way of yoga are āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, etc. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was to attain success in those preliminary actions because he was seated in a sanctified place and was concentrating upon one objective, namely the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Hari). Thus all his senses were being engaged in the service of the Lord. This process directly helps the devotee to get freedom from the contaminations of the three material modes of nature. Even the highest mode, the material mode of goodness, is also a cause of material bondage, and what to speak of the other qualities, namely passion and ignorance. Passion and ignorance increase the material propensities of hankering for material enjoyment, and a strong sense of lust provokes the accumulation of wealth and power. One who has conquered these two base mentalities and has raised himself to the platform of goodness, which is full of knowledge and morality, cannot also control the senses, namely the eyes, the tongue, the nose, the ear and touch. But one who has surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of Lord Hari, as above mentioned, can transcend all influences of the modes of material nature and be fixed in the service of the Lord. The bhakti-yoga process, therefore, directly applies the senses to the loving service of the Lord. This prohibits the performer from engaging in material activities. This process of turning the senses from material attachment to the loving transcendental service of the Lord is called pratyāhāra, and the very process is called prāṇāyāma, ultimately ending in samādhi, or absorption in pleasing the Supreme Lord Hari by all means.
SB_1.13.54 - Intricaces of astanga yoga, jnana yoga, mixed bhakti & pure bhakti practices !
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Darshan Arati | ISKCON Chennai | 15 April 2025
Hare Krishna!
Mangala Arati | ISKCON Chennai | 15 April 2025
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