Spiritual Calendar, February 2011.

Shri Murari Bapu

1^st January to 7^th February, 2011: Enjoy the spiritual discourse of Murari Bapu from 4 to 7 pm on Astha Channel. Our nation is indebted to Murari Bapu for his reciting the legends of Sri Ram and Shri Hari with an indepth study of the Sri Ram Charit Manas,The Bhagavad Gita, The Srimad Bhagavad and other religious scriptures.Though Chinmayanand Bapu is not related to him and much younger in age, India is all set to get this younger edition of Murari Bapu in the coming years. Do not let the moments spent with a saint and fragments of crops pass you by in vain. We can not come into contact with saints without the grace of Shri Hari and the trove of virtuous acts performed by us.

2^nd February, 2011: Mauni Amavasya and the famed holy dip in Prayag during the Magh Mela. Mauni Amavasya is the no moon day in the month of Magh(January to February) as per the traditional Hindu calendar followed in North India.Several Hindus keep a vow of absolute silence on this day.According to Hinduism, mauna or silence is an integral part of spiritual discipline. Derived from the word muni, mauna ideally symbolizes a state of oneness with the Self. Silence has also been described by Adi Shankaracharya as one of the three essential attributes of a sanyasi. In recent times Ramana Maharshi popularized silence as a medium of spiritual instruction.

Devotees Bathing at the Sangam in Prayag

On Mauni Amavasi a large number of Hindu devotees join Kalpavasis at Sangam in Prayag (Allahabad) and meditate the whole day in an attempt to calm the restive mind. Bathing in the holy Ganges and other such sacred rivers,frugally eating selective foodstuffs like fruits or items made of kootu-flour, visiting religious shrines and listening to discourses by holy men on this particular day is said to bestow great merit.

In fact the MaghMela in Allahabad attracts millions of devout Hindus to bathe at the confluence of rivers Ganga and Yamuna. Many mendicants and aspirants stay on the banks of these rivers in Prayag. Aspirants who come here and stay for the entire month of Magh while doing religious observances are known as kalpavasis. Religious discourses, kirtans and satsangs are held for the devotees. Brahmans and others are bestowed with gifts and foods in charity.

On Mauni Amavasya traditionally Lord Vishnu is worshipped and the peepul tree is religiously circumambulated.

Shri Banke Bihari ji, Vrindavan

There is a great rush of devotees at the Shri Banke Bihari ji Temple in Vrindavan on every Amavasya. Since this is the Mauni Amavasya of the Magh Month, the devout Hindus thronging the shrine will be far greater.

Godess Saraswati

8^th February,2011: Basant Panchami is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the panchami or fifth of Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship (Pitr-tarpan) is performed; Kamdev, the god of love, is worshipped; and most educational institutions organise special prayers for Ma Saraswati.Notebooks, pencils and pens are kept at the Devi's feet for blessings and used by the students thereafter.

Celebrating Basant Panchami with Joyous Abandon

The colour yellow has an important role to play. People usually wear yellow garments, Ma Saraswati is dressed in yellow and worshipped with puja and havan, and yellow-hued sweets are relished and distributed amongst families.

The virtuous worship goddess Saraswati for spiritual enlightenment and the white swan of Saraswati stands for sattva or the quality of goodness.

Seasons undergo change and Basant Panchami heralds the arrival of spring.

Sprinkling of Gulal Starts in Vrindavan

From Basant Panchami the sprinkling of gulal or red coloured powder starts in Braj-Vrindavan and continues up to 20th March that is Holi. In Braj this festival of colours is celebrated for a span of 41 days (foreword on Braj Bhoomi Mohini by Saint Ushaji).

Saint Usha ji's Yugal Sarkar

At Vrindavan our Sri Yugal Sarkar (the svarupas of Shri Radha-Krishna) are decked with mustard flowers specially brought from Sri Nandgaon and padas of Basant are joyously sung in the evening.

Mustard Flowers

On Basant Panchami adorn your Thakurji or living presence of Lord Krishna with yellow or mustard flowers.Offer yellow rice (namkeen tahri/sweet pudding and halwa (including the one made of besan) or besan laddus to your Thakurji.

Shri Hari

13^th February, 2011: The monthly Shri Hari Kirtan is on a Sunday from 5 to 7 pm in the evening and falls on Kumbh Sankranti ( when the sun enters the Aquarius sign of the zodiac).

14th Febrary, 2011: Jaya Ekadasi is on a Monday and is observed on the eleventh day of Shukla Paksha Magh.Though Magh is an auspicious month for propitiating Shiva, this Ekadasi is auspicious for Vishnu Puja. On this day, Lord Vishnu and Shiva are both worshipped. Keeping the Jaya Ekadasi Vrat gives devotees an opportunity to get rid of their sins and attain salvation.

Lord Krishna Narada & Yudhistira

The legend of Jaya Ekadasi Vrata is explained in the Padma Purana as a conversation between Lord Krishna and Yudhistira.

Lord Shiva

16th February, 2011: Lord Shiva's Pradosha Fast is on a Wednesday. Pradosh means dusk and this fast is kept for propitiating Lord Shiva. With his blessings all desires are fulfilled and one attains spiritual enlightenment. Generally people observe the Pradosha Vrata on every trayodashi tithi (13th lunar day falling in Krishna and Shukla Pakshas) in the evening. Please offer plain water and bel patra to Lord Shiva. The bel patra or leaf of the wood-apple tree represents the three eyes of lord Shiva and the three gunas.

Magh Purnima

18^th February, 2011: Magh Purnima is the full moon day in the month of Magh (January – February) during which the famous Kumbh Mela and the annual Magh Mela take place at the Triveni Sangam in Prayag, Allahabad. Thousands of Hindu devotees converge to take a holy dip at the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati in Allahabad. It is an important date to bathe and for some Hindus, the last date of Magh Snana.

It is believed that Vishwamitra II performed the ritual bath during the Kumbh Mela on a Magh Purnima in 2382 BCE.

Maghi Purnima usually falls at the end of Magh month and signals end of the Kumbh Mela. Most Kalpvasis start their return journey from Sangam on this day.

Svami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

18^th February,2011: Jayanti of Svami Ramkrishna Paramahamsa. He was born on 18th Feb 1836 in West Bengal in Kamarpukur, some 70 miles from Calcutta. Later Swami Vivekananda, Brahamanada and others became his disciples and set up Ramakrishna Missions, Ramakrishna Maths and hospitals all over India and the world. He lived in this mundane world for 50 years and worshipped Goddess Kali. He also practised Christianity and Muslim rituals to endorse that all religions lead to one God if one is sincerely unbiased in his commitments.

Saint Usha Bahenji Fondly Known as Bobo

20^th February, 2011: Saint Ushaji's Punya Tithi (anniversary of her death) falls on 20th February, 2011, a Sunday and will be observed at Gaura Nagar Colony, Vrindavan. Born on 30th July,1925, Usha Bahenji gained entry into Gauloka (where Lord Krishna forever dwells) in 1992 after Basant Panchami but before Sri Shivrtari. In this way both the festivals were unaffected, a truly sublime happening!

28th February, 2011: Vijaya Ekadasi Ekadashi is on a Monday. It is observed during the Krishna Paksha of the month of Phalgun as per the North Indian calendar. Thus those who observe this Ekadasi are said to triumph and this is highlighted in the Skanda Purana and narrated by Lord Brahma to Sage Narada.

Lord Rama Wanting to Cross the Ocean

Legend has it that Lord Rama and his army comprising of monkeys and bears was searching for a means to cross the ocean to reach Lanka.That is when Lakshman spoke of a great Saint living nearby, who could provide them with a solution. It is this sage who raved about Vijaya Ekadasi and said that observing it would make Lord Rama victorious.

It is said that demon Mura found a place to dwell in grains of rice and Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Ekadasi to annihilate Mura. Therefore devotees who fast on the Ekadashi day avoid food made from grains and rice.

Vinaya Patrika: Ganesh Stuti

Raag Bilaaval

Shri Ganesh Stuti

[1]

gaaiye ganapati jagabandana | sankara-suvana bhavaanee-nandana ||1||

siddhi-sadana, gaja-badana, binaayaka I kripaa-sindhu, sundara, saba-laayaka ||2||

modaka-priya, muda-mangala-daataa. bidyaa-baaridhi, buddhi-bidhaataa ||3||

maangata tulasidaasa kara jore | basahin raamasiya maanasa more ||4||

Sing the glories of Shri Ganesh who is adored by the entire world and is the Lord of the Ganas (a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva). The son of Shiva and Parvati, He is the one who pleases them. Ganesha is the seat of siddhis or spiritual power, has an elephant like face and is widely revered as the nayaka or remover of all obstacles. He is a reservoir of mercy, is handsome and gifted in every possible way.

The laddu is very dear to Ganesha and He bestows joy and grants our well-being. An imponderable ocean of learning, Lord Ganesh is the ordainer of buddhi or knowledge. Humbly Tulsidas ji folds his hands before such a Shri Ganesh and asks for just this boon that Shri Sita-Ram ji should forever dwell in the temple of his heart.

Vinaya Patrika: Introduction

The Vinaya Patrika

Goswami Tulsidas ji was instrumental in spreading religious devotion for Lord Rama. By the grace of Hanuman, the great Rama-Bhakta, Tulsidas ji was blessed with several visions of Rama who was none other than the Supreme Spirit and dwelt in his heart. Eager to share the Divine's blessings on him, Tulsidas ji composed the Vinaya Patrika which reveals his immense love for mankind.

Goswami Tulsidas ji

Vinaya Patrika, a humble petition to Lord Rama in the Vraja Dialect, is a devotional poem composed by Goswami Tulsidas ji (1532-1623). It contains hymns addressed in vinaya or extreme humility to different Hindu deities and Lord Rama in particular.

An important composition of medieval Hindi literature and the bhakti movement, the Vinaya Patrika has an interesting story which led to its origin.

Once a murderer came on a pilgrimage to Varanasi and begged: "For the love of Rama, give alms to me, a murderer." Hearing the name of his adorable Rama, Tulsidas called the man to his house and giving him consecrated food,declared that he was purified. The region's orthodox brahmins asked him how the murderer's sin was absolved.

Tulsidas ji responded, "Read your own scriptures and learn about the power of the Divine Name." Not satisfied; the brahmins asked for further proof.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi

All of them said that if the sacred bull of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple would eat from the hands of the murderer, they would accept Tulsidas's words. The man was taken to the temple and the bull did eat from his hands. Tulsidas ji proved that the devotee's sincere repentance was accepted by the Lord.

However a new calamity surfaced as Kali, the embodiment of evil, threatened to devour Tulsidas ji.

Lord Rama & Hanumana

Soon after Goswami Tulsidas prayed to Lord Hanuman who appeared to him in a dream, advising him to file a petition to Sri Rama,the Lord of the Universe, to remedy the evil. And that led to origin of the Vinaya-Patrika.

Kalki Avatara in the Kali Yuga

Vinaya Patrika has been written as a humble petition against the six passions of lust, wrath, greed, inebriation, attachments and ego, and the nine vices of violence, falsehood, pride, envy, strife, suspicion, jealousy, rivalry and covetousness (the defendants) which abound in the Kali Yuga or age of spiritual darkness. Hanuman, the messenger of Lord Rama, is the plaintiff's counsel and Kali Yuga, the age of spiritual darkness, is the counsel of the defendants.

Lord Rama

The plaintiff is Tulsidas ji himself, though he represents the whole of mankind. The judges addressed are Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrughan.

It also comprises of stutis or devotional hymns of praise to various Hindu Gods, like Ganesha, Surya, Devi, Ganga, Hanuman, Sita, Rama and the city of Kashi.

Usha Bahenji or Bobo(left) With Sushila Bahenji

Amazingly the copy of Vinaya Patrika was received from Gita Press, Gorakhpur, on 28^th December which is the appearance day of Sushila Bahenji, a great saint of Vrindavan. Vinaya Patrika is most dear to Bahenji and she considers it to be a jewel like the 'Ram Charit Manas' and 'Hanuman Chalisa' composed by Goswami Tulsidas ji.

Baba Shri Manohar Das ji, the Pride of the Spiritual World-XXXII

Manohar Baba Having Harinam Sankirtan

Revered Manohar Baba passionately tried throughout his life to keep ablaze the flame of Harinam Sankirtan lit by highly revered Shri Maharaj ji. Simultaneously with the objective of keeping the huge parikar strung in one cord, he auspiciously began the tradition of having sankirtan in Lucknow, Bhopal, Gurgaon and Delhi apart from Barwani.

It was his heart-felt desire that such mandals (groups) should be set up all over the country to do sankirtan on one day every month, at some fixed place. He would himself go to the smallest of such arrangements and escalate the enthusiasm of those taking part in the sankirtan.

Singing Songs of a Devotional Nature in Gurgaon

His final journey taken for this very purpose was to Gurgaon and Delhi. In the last week of May, 2009, when he returned to Vrindavan after getting the sankirtan done for eight days in both these cities, he began getting fever. Baba had considerable knowledge of Ayurveda and homeopathy and thus he took his own medication.

But since he did not recoup, Dr.Chandresh Gupta, belonging to his parikar, got his blood and other tests done in 'Vraj Health Care and Research Centre'. It was found that he had typhoid. Thereafter one illness after another assaulted Baba and gradually weakened his body. He had a lack of appetite regarding food as well. Dr.R.C.Parikh, a renowned homeopathic practitioner of Agra himself came to Vrindavan from Agra and medically treated him but there was no improvement.

Soon after allopathic practitioners of Gurgaon and Agra gave the best of treatments to Baba but he did not recover. The bhaktas and followers of Baba prayed to him to go out of Vrindavan for special treatment but he refused outright. 

“ Now this physical body will not survive since its time ordained by fate is kind of over. I am not going to step out of Shri Dham Vrindavan and foray anywhere now. Whatever medical care is possible here, do that,” he said explicitly.

 Seeing Baba's stubbornness, Dr.Chandresh Gupta consulted several doctors and taking their advise, began treating Baba, himself.

In such dire state all the people connected with Baba were extremely worried.

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The Maha Mritunjaya Mantra

Sushri Manju Tiwari (Maheshwar)got the religious observance of chanting the 'Maha Mrityunjay Mantra' (addressed to Lord Shiva, the incantation is said to conquer death) done by Pundit Rajesh Tiwari and some of his assisting pundits. But nothing undertaken proved beneficial.

Manohar Baba remained absolutely alert, attentive and normal in spite of this condition. On 19^th August, 2009, he expressed a desire to hear that episode of the 'Mahabharat' from Pundit Mukund Sharan ji when

Lord Krishna Goes to Hastinapur as a Peace Envoy

Lord Krishna had gone to Hastinapur as a peace envoy during the battle of the Kauravas-Pandavas. Revered Manorma ji had asked Baba, “Won't you feel intimidated on seeing Lord Krishna's form dressed as a mighty warrior?”

The Madhurya or Sweetness of Lord Krishna

Smiling faintly Baba answered, “Scared! Just have a glimpse from my eyes. The scene is right in front. Where is madhurya or sweetness lacking? Krishna exudes madhurya through his acts and his gestures, his words and his flutes, his clothes and his sports. In fact Krishna who is madhurya incarnate, is wanting to show us all this.”

Vrindavan Bhava of Love Flowing Towards the Lord

Baba would always be absorbed in the charming realm of Vrindavana Bhava or love flowing towards the Lord. Pundit Mukund Sharan ji read the desired episode to Baba from the beginning to end. After hearing this section of the Mahabharat, Baba relished the rasa  of Vrindavan Bhava. 

“It seems my head will burst today with pain,"He revealed to the people attending to his needs.

When his adherents asked permission to press his head, Manohar Baba readily agreed. Whereas usually he would not accept any person's seva or service.

Lord Krishna is Omnipresent

When Baba was asked, “ Why did he think or reflect so much?” he answered, “What can I do? I see Lord Krishna everywhere.”

Due to these adverse circumstances Manohar Baba clearly told everyone that he would not be able to live in this mundane world till the coming Radhashtami. After this revelation, all members of his parikar became extremely worried and perturbed. Baba was made to sit up with support of the wall when he wanted. He was invariably lost in thought most of the time. 

 On 18^th August, 2009 Baba was steeped in divine emotional. Opening his eyes at times and closing them in quick succession was his condition for the entire day.

Manohar Baba Smiling Faintly

Baba opened his eyes at 35 minutes past 12 o'clock in the night and indicated to the people sitting in front that they make him sit up. He drank some water after sitting up and smiled faintly. Seeing the beaming features of his face it seemed as if the Sun God had just risen. He looked so very ecstatic.

Baba told the people present in front of him, “ Fantastic delight, divine delight. I want to remain stirred by the waves of this ocean of religious rapture. The body is in pain but on reaching the heights of elation and ecstasy, one does not feel physical suffering. Remarkably transcendental delight.” 

Saying these words Baba was quiet. 

Baba Relished Krishna's Playfull Dalliance

He kept relishing the playful dalliance of the Divine, as he sat in a state of intense bhava avesha for about forty minutes.

During this time span there was such an amazing and divine fragrance which circulated through his room that it can not be expressed in words. As soon as his state of bhava avesha got over his eyes opened on their own. He went to sleep soon after and woke up at fifteen minutes past five in the morning.

Days and nights were the same for Manohar Baba, as of now. He would go to sleep and wake up at times. His mindset would change after every two minutes. Baba would refuse to eat the same foodstuff which he had desired to eat a short while ago. His bhaktas and adherents conscientiously looked after and served him round the clock,in this erratic condition. (pages 387-388 of 'Smriti Kaumudi,'the memoirs of Manohar Baba)