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fromthroughandto
07 February 2013, 09:36 PM
My first encounter with someone who said they were Bhakti, was in 1982. He was loving, and he talked softly. I remember, but now here I am thinking about this and listening to lectures by Swami Tripurari
If you are Bhakti marga (path of devotion), please tell me your story. I want to learn more about this way.

Namaste

Viraja
08 February 2013, 04:30 PM
Dear Sir,

I have been in bhakti marga since my 20's. When I was about 20 - 22 years old, my family faced many profound hardships, everyone was taken to severe health concerns and my beloved ones were bedridden. It was that time when I first started taking to spirituality deeply. I used to wake up at 5:00 each day, without fail, every single day, used to pray to Sun god and Tirupathi Venkatachalapathi for 2 hrs each morning then go to college. I also, at one point, started reciting the Panchakshari mantra "Om Namoh Narayanaya Namaha" continuously within my mind and I did this for 1 full year.

This is the way I entered into bhakti marga.

smaranam
09 February 2013, 02:18 AM
My first encounter with someone who said they were Bhakti, was in 1982. He was loving, and he talked softly. I remember, but now here I am thinking about this and listening to lectures by Swami Tripurari
If you are Bhakti marga (path of devotion), please tell me your story. I want to learn more about this way.

Namaste

Namaste

Welcome to Hindu Dharma Forums. Congratulations on having stumbled across this auspicious path of devotion, bhakti mArga. Since, that happens by the grace of the Supreme Lord and mercy of the saints - His devotees.

The devotee is a bhakta and the devotion itself is bhakti.

Regarding story, I shall not start because it will not stop.
Just this: BhagavAn Shri KRshNa, the Supreme Lord, is my Lord. He came and conquered the heart...and everything and everyone is of Him by Him for Him and but His energy.

Thanks Viraja for sharing your beautiful experience.

Books:
Bhagavad Gita - VaishNav Commentaries - bhakti oriented.
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/
http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/en

Shrimad BhAgavatam - the mahApurAN - the nectar of Truth.
http://srimadbhagavatam.com/en

You can get hard cover or paperback copies of these precious grantha (scriptures) but these are online links for now.

_/\_

boliye BhagavAn Shri GopAl KRshNa KanhaiyA lAl ki jay
om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ~

smaranam
09 February 2013, 02:38 AM
A nice devotee once said:
A is for Association (of devotees - sadhu sanga)
B is for Books - Vedic scriptures
C is for Chanting the Holy Names of BhagvAn & Compassion (towards fellow beings)
D is for Deity worship (love and worship you Deity)

just typing the rest (making it up) as He gives inspiration to... (please note i am merely the tunnel conveying the msg)
E is for engaging oneself and others in kirtan, or e-satsang
F is for Food offered to the Supreme Lord and then accepted as prasAd.
G is for the knee-long Garland you just made for Him
H is for Humility, a primary ornament of the devotee; & Home worship - serve the Lord and your family with Him in the centre

I is for the right Inquisitiveness - basic faith is required, but learn about Him and bhakti with an open heart.
J is for Jealousy-free outlook - anusUya.
K is for Kirtan! and more Kirtan
L is for Love. prema. Love all beings by seeing BhagavAn in them
M is for mAkhan - butter for Lord KRshNa
N is for natkhat - playful little KRshNa; also for NAma saMkIrtan (congragetional chanting of the holy names)
O is for Obeissances to Lord, devotees, Guru, and all beings
P is for Perfection in bhakti - it is feasible.
Q is for Quoting scriptures and words of saints and the Lord Himself, for benefit of others
R is for Rati - attraction to the Lord
S is for surrender at His Lotus Feet, sharaNAgati. I am all Yours.
T is for total surrender - Atma nivedanam
U is for Universal Love, Him being the source
V is for VrndA-worship. VRndA = Tulasi devi. Pray to Her for attaining loving devotion to Him
W is for warrior of spirituality - declare war against the internal asur (demons i.e. vices - kaam -krodh-lobh-moha-matsar ; lust anger greed temptation envy etc.)
X is for eXternal devotional service (that benefits self and others )
Y is for Yoga with the Divine Lord, Nandanandan - joining the jivAtmA (devotee) to-with paramAtmA (BhagavAn). Yog --- Yuj = to join; & yama-niyama - yogic discipline and rules
Z is for zaDu seva - sweep/clean the temple - and simultaneously the temple of you heart - where He resides.

om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ~

Viraja
09 February 2013, 07:05 AM
just typing the rest (making it up) as He gives inspiration to... (please note i am merely the tunnel conveying the msg)
E is for engaging oneself and others in kirtan, or e-satsang
F is for Food offered to the Supreme Lord and then accepted as prasAd.
G is for the knee-long garland you just made for Him
H is for home worship - serve the Lord and your family with Him in the centre
I is for the right inquisitiveness - basic faith is required, but learn about Him and bhakti with an open heart.
J is for jealousy-free outlook - anusUya.
K is for Kirtan! and more Kirtan
L is for Love. prema. Love all beings by seeing BhagavAn in them
M is for mAkhan - butter for Lord KRshNa
N is for natkhat - playful little KRshNa; also for NAma saMkIrtan (congragetional chanting of the holy names)
O is for Obeissances to Lord, devotees, Guru, and all beings
P is for Perfection in bhakti - it is feasible.
Q is for quoting scriptures and words of saints and the Lord Himself, for benefit of others
R is for rati - attraction to the Lord
S is for surrender at His Lotus Feet, sharaNAgati. I am all Yours.
T is for total surrender - Atma nivedanam
U is for Universal Love, Him being the source
V is for VrndA-worship. VRndA = Tulasi devi. Pray to Her for attaining loving devotion to Him
W is for warrior of spirituality - declare war against the internal asur (demons i.e. vices - kaam -krodh-lobh-moha-matsar ; lust anger greed temptation envy etc.)
X is for eXternal devotional service (that benefits self and others )
Y is for yama-niyama - yogic discipline and rules
Z is for zaDu seva - clean the temple - and simultaneous the temple of you heart - where He resides.


A wonderful write-up, Smaranam ji! Very creative!

Arjunesh
09 February 2013, 12:12 PM
Has somenone of you attained moksha thru Bhakti Yoga?

Viraja
09 February 2013, 01:12 PM
Has somenone of you attained moksha thru Bhakti Yoga?

Nope! We're all still very much here in 'Bhulokha' (Earth) toiling around to 'get there' ! :D

fromthroughandto
09 February 2013, 06:26 PM
I see that you are all Sanatana Dharma religion. :headscratch:

fromthroughandto
09 February 2013, 06:41 PM
(deleted)

fromthroughandto
09 February 2013, 06:52 PM
Gopi is a word of Sanskrit (गोपी) origin meaning 'cow-herd girl'. In Hinduism specifically the name gopi (sometimes gopika) is used more commonly to refer to the group of cow herding girls famous within Vaishnava Theology for their unconditional devotion (Bhakti) to Krishna as described in the stories of Bhagavata Purana and other Puranic literatures. Of this group, one gopi known as Radha (or Radhika) holds a place of particularly high reverence and importance in a number of religious traditions, especially within Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

From: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopi

This is what I am learning about from Swami Tripurari
Do you know his website?
http://swamitripurari.com/

Namaste

fromthroughandto
09 February 2013, 07:23 PM
Enjoy (http://swamitripurari.com/download/2013_01_23.php)

Viraja
09 February 2013, 07:26 PM
Gopis are great devotees of Sri Krishna, who are simple minded yet very pure and deep in their love for Sri Krishna. They were the inhabitants of Vrindavan, and were farmers, housewives, and cowherds. Everything they did, they did with Krishna in their mind. You should begin your quest for Krishna with Bhagavatam. All the very best. Here is something about Krishna and the gopis (http://www.glimpseofkrishna.com/individual/gopis.htm).

fromthroughandto
10 February 2013, 01:55 AM
(deleted)

fromthroughandto
10 February 2013, 02:04 AM
Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 5:50 Karanodakasayi Nityananda (http://swamitripurari.com/2013/01/caitanya-caritamrta-adi-5-50-karanodakasayi-nityananda/) :gotcha:

smaranam
10 February 2013, 09:29 AM
Namaste Virajaji


A wonderful write-up, Smaranam ji! Very creative!
Creativity flows from the Supreme Creative One, and His unlimited creative potency. (Who would know how creative Nandakishor is more than the residents of Vraja! including when it comes to telling tales and juggling truths)
while i was just the pen.

A few additions:

H is for home worship - serve the Lord and your family with Him in the centre
...
Y is for yama-niyama - yogic discipline and rules

*C is also for chanting the Holy Names of BhagvAn
*H is also for humility, a primary ornament of the devotee
*Y is in fact for Yoga with Nandanandan - joining the jivAtmA (devotee) to-with paramAtmA (BhagavAn). Yog --- Yuj = to join

_/\_

Jai Shri KRshNa ~

fromthroughandto
11 February 2013, 05:34 AM
Namaste

Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 5.93-106: Nityananda as Maha-Vishnu and the Supersoul (http://swamitripurari.com/download/2013_02_05.php)
Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 5: Nityananda Blesses Krishnadasa Kaviraja (http://swamitripurari.com/download/2013_02_06.php)

:) :)

Arjunesh
19 February 2013, 12:51 PM
Nope! We're all still very much here in 'Bhulokha' (Earth) toiling around to 'get there' ! :D

So then Moksha is not the same as Nirvana? Because you can attain Nirvana in life or you reach it after, if you do.

kind regards
Arjunesh

Viraja
19 February 2013, 03:25 PM
So then Moksha is not the same as Nirvana? Because you can attain Nirvana in life or you reach it after, if you do.

kind regards
Arjunesh

'Nirvana' - isn't that a buddhist concept? I have heard of Buddha and Mahavira attaining Nirvana but in Hinduism, it is simply 'self-realization' that advanced yogis (and bhaktas) attain after a lifetime of efforts. There are supposed to be 7 spiritual centers of the body (called 'Chakras') and the self-realized yogi has his highest chakra known as 'Sahasrara chakra' open. He is the one who gets the divine power(s) of various kinds such as being able to cure others, foresee things and so forth. As such, he has no interest in materialistic life and is a man of god. Some examples of self-realized saints of Hinduism are saint Ramana, Ramakrishna paramahamsa, Sri Raghavendra and so forth. But these self-realization, as per what I know, is not a goal for after life. The self-realized yogi becomes released from chain of birth and death, or in other words, attains 'Moksha' after death. Attaining Moksha while still living is not possible even for someone who has attained self-realization.

Arjunesh
20 February 2013, 02:05 PM
'Nirvana' - isn't that a buddhist concept? I have heard of Buddha and Mahavira attaining Nirvana but in Hinduism, it is simply 'self-realization' that advanced yogis (and bhaktas) attain after a lifetime of efforts. There are supposed to be 7 spiritual centers of the body (called 'Chakras') and the self-realized yogi has his highest chakra known as 'Sahasrara chakra' open. He is the one who gets the divine power(s) of various kinds such as being able to cure others, foresee things and so forth. As such, he has no interest in materialistic life and is a man of god. Some examples of self-realized saints of Hinduism are saint Ramana, Ramakrishna paramahamsa, Sri Raghavendra and so forth. But these self-realization, as per what I know, is not a goal for after life. The self-realized yogi becomes released from chain of birth and death, or in other words, attains 'Moksha' after death. Attaining Moksha while still living is not possible even for someone who has attained self-realization.

Thank you for this Information. I understand it.

brahma jijnasa
23 February 2013, 03:46 AM
'Nirvana' - isn't that a buddhist concept?

Word "nirvana" is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā 6.15
http://vedabase.net/bg/6/15/

śāntiḿ nirvāṇa-paramāḿ

nirvāṇa-paramām — cessation of material existence

See also Bhagavad-gītā 5.24
http://vedabase.net/bg/5/24/

brahma-nirvāṇam — liberation in the Supreme

regards

Viraja
23 February 2013, 10:27 AM
Word "nirvana" is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā 6.15
http://vedabase.net/bg/6/15/

śāntiḿ nirvāṇa-paramāḿ

nirvāṇa-paramām — cessation of material existence

See also Bhagavad-gītā 5.24
http://vedabase.net/bg/5/24/

brahma-nirvāṇam — liberation in the Supreme

regards

'Cessation of material existence' - I guess this means 'renunciation of all material desires' and not 'death'.

So in my understanding, Nirvana means according to BG, 'complete renunciation'.

Thank you, Brahma Jijnasa ji.

brahma jijnasa
25 February 2013, 02:00 PM
'Cessation of material existence' - I guess this means 'renunciation of all material desires' and not 'death'.

So in my understanding, Nirvana means according to BG, 'complete renunciation'.

Thank you, Brahma Jijnasa ji.

Nirvāṇa means "liberation". I would not say that nirvāṇa specifically means "renunciation of all material desires" but rather that by renunciation of all material desires a person comes up to the level of nirvāṇa or liberation.
This is because the liberation is not achieved merely by renunciation of all material desires but by the grace of the Lord.
Scriptures say that a person achieves liberation as an act of grace of the Lord. If the Lord does not grant liberation and thus does not give his grace, even the most renunciated person will not achieve liberation!

regards