Parikramā E-Book

Yaśomatīnandana Dāsa

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 76

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

This book is compiled to open the Eastern Shore of spirituality for the seekers of Truth. It is also to introduce everyone to the wonderful miracles of Bhakti-Yoga, especially inherent to Bharat-Bhumi or India. "One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people." (CC Adi 9.41) For everyone interested in Bhakti-Yoga, this book presents a nice variety of pastimes, histories and stories connected to the holy places of Bharat-Bhumi. Especially Kṛṣṇa bhaktas may find delight in this writing as it tells of Śrī Chaitanya in Prayag, Navadvipa and Vrindāvana. Śrī Chaitanya is non-different from Radha-Kṛṣṇa, thus all devotees will eventually find a little mercy within this pilgrimage leading to Vrindavana. Eventually, all preachers of the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement may find new enthusiasm in the story told. How can pilgrimage invigorate the preaching spirit and how can it strengthen our faith? Most importantly, this writing aims to please Kṛṣṇa and the Guru parampara. Often one comes to a sacred place of pilgrimage and forgets about its significance. The stories, presiding deities and memories remain vague or insignificant. But, one has to be honest and remember Kṛṣṇa, the Supremely attractive person. Berlin- Jandelsbrunn (Simhachalam) - Vienna - Mumbai - Prayagraj - Ayodhyā - Varanasi - Māyāpur - Kolkata - Jagannath Puri 25.12.2024 - 4.4.2025

Leseprobe

PARIKRAMĀ

A Journey of Deity Worship

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From the most simple ways of worshipping Kṛṣṇa to the most sublime.

In the separation to my beloved Radha-Parisisvara

By Yaśomatīnandana Dāsa (Jan Wolter)

Disciple of His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami

© YOGA PLUS (freelance Yoga instructor) 2025

www.linktr.ee/YashomatinandanaDasa

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Invocation

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

śrī-Chaitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ

sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ

dadāti sva-padāntikam

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.

When wil Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfil the desire of Lord Chaitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?

vande ’haṁ Śrī-guroḥ Śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ Śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca Śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ Kṛṣṇa-Chaitanya-devaṁ

Śrī-rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-Śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and unto the feet of al Vaiṣṇavas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī along with his elder brother Sanātana Gosvāmī, as wel as Raghunātha Dāsa and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa Chaitanya and Lord Nityānanda along with Advaita Ācārya, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and other associates. I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with Their associates Śrī Lalitā and Viśākhā.

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Foreword

Parikramā means pilgrimage. This book is a compilation of al the places of Pilgrimage in Europe, Prayag, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Navadvipa, Jagannatha Puri and Vrindavana that I have personal y visited. In these specific places are unique and wonderful deity forms of Kṛṣṇa cal ed arca-vigraha. It is to contemplate, remember and deepen the connection to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, whom I worship in the form His arca-vigraha, or bonafide Deity form.

The beautiful Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.27.44-45) describe the festival of Deity Worship:

“Singing along with others, chanting loudly and dancing, acting out My transcendental pastimes, and hearing and tel ing stories about Me, the devotee should for some time absorb himself in such festivity. The devotee should offer homage to the Lord with al kinds of hymns and prayers, both from the Purāṇas and from other ancient scriptures, and also from ordinary traditions.

Praying, “O Lord, please be merciful to me!” he should fal down flat like a rod to offer his obeisances.”

Deity Worship, or Arcana, is a festival for the senses, because one can see the Supreme Lord, touch His Lotus Feet, dress Him, feed Him and offer everything to Him. Especial y recommended for the neophyte, Deity Worship goes hand-in-hand with the other eight limbs of devotional service, namely hearing, chanting, remembering, serving His lotus feet, offering prayers, being a servant, making friends and surrendering everything for the pleasure of the Lord.

Writing about Kṛṣṇa is also sravanam, kirtanam, Kṛṣṇa Smaranam, and it helps to grasp the unlimited beauty of the Lord. In 2023/24 I already compiled a book about ARCANA, Deity Worship, while being trained as a Vedic priest. This freely available book is meant for the pleasure of my Guru, Śrīla Prabhupāda and everyone who can't make the journey to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur to learn the science of Bhakti-Yoga.

It is so nice that irrespective of origin, place, time and circumstance, one can always worship the Supreme Lord. By chanting His holy name Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare one can directly associate with the sound representation of God, Kṛṣṇa. This is one important aspect of Deity Worship, another aspect was concluded by HG Jananivas Prabhu saying that the goal of Deity Worship is to see the form of the Supersoul, the localised representation of Kṛṣṇa, within the heart of the devotees.

The year 2025 arrived with a spiritual blast, a festival so grand in scale that it is cal ed ‘MAHA’.

The great festival of the urn, Kumbha Mela, was starting on the auspicious star constel ation of Makar Sankranti, January 14th 2025. Jupiter & Moon in Taurus, the Sun in Capricorn, a very powerful moment occurred, every 144 years, inaugurating an auspicious time to be reborn again in the sacred flow of the Holy Rivers.

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When arriving at the Triveni Sangam, where Yamuna, Ganga and Sarasvati meet, we were taking Snana, a sacred bath. Just before I received a message that my paternal father had passed from his painful bodily existence. Taking his life into my prayerful heart, I could take bath for him also, and faithful y offered this journey to him.

He liked my books and also my travels. Always supporting me on this journey, emotional y and financial y, he gave me the freedom to travel al over the world, as a pilgrim and writer. Here, to this point, I come as a devotee of God and also dedicate this writing to al my teachers and spiritual guides, especial y Śrīla Prabhupāda who cared so much about the present condition of the world. Thus, Śrīla Prabhupāda would compile the guidebook on how to live a spiritual life and leave behind this material misery. His works are impeccable and he would always recite this verse from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (ŚB 1.5.10-11) to beg for forgiveness.

na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo

jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit

tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā

na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo

yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api

nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni yat

śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

“Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the al -perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there. On the other hand, that literature which is ful of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, ful of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.”

Radha Parisisvara Mandir,

15. April 2025

Yashomatinandana Dasa

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Introduction

This book is compiled to open the Eastern Shore of spirituality for the seekers of Truth. It is also to introduce everyone to the wonderful miracles of Bhakti-Yoga, especial y inherent to Bharat-Bhumi or India.

“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of al other people.” (CC Adi 9.41) For everyone interested in Bhakti-Yoga, this book presents a nice variety of pastimes, histories and stories connected to the holy places of Bharat-Bhumi. Especial y Kṛṣṇa bhaktas may find delight in this writing as it tel s of Śrī Chaitanya in Prayag, Navadvipa and Vrindāvana. Śrī

Chaitanya is non-different from Radha-Kṛṣṇa, thus al devotees wil eventual y find a little mercy within this pilgrimage leading to Vrindavana.

Eventual y, al preachers of the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement may find new enthusiasm in the story told. How can pilgrimage invigorate the preaching spirit and how can it strengthen our faith? Most importantly, this writing aims to please Kṛṣṇa and the Guru parampara.

Often one comes to a sacred place of pilgrimage and forgets about its significance. The stories, presiding deities and memories remain vague or insignificant. But, one has to be honest. We are dealing with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so one should do one's utmost best to remember and never forget. Pada Sevanam, our serving the lotus feet can be realised by pilgrimage. Al great saints did pilgrimages, foremost Śrī Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Nityananda and al other devotees of Their Lordships. Śrī Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda not just became a great inspiration in my life, but are my worshippeable Deities. They represent the Absolute Truth and are Radha-Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. This fact was revealed to me by the mercy of my spiritual masters, mainly His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami, who al owed me to worship Gaura Nitai. On his recommendation I would pilger to the sacred site of Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, the birthsite of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who came along with his associates and the Maha Mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma 6

Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. This time, I was not alone but accompanied by devotees to whom I could reveal this Holy Dhama, just as it was revealed to me. Foremost Bhakta Luis was my travel companion on a 90 day excursion from Simhachalam in the Bavarian Forest to Vienna and eventual y India. We would stay for a good week in Mumbai. A common devotee friend of ours organised a stay, and we had the privilege to attend the opening festivities of the Khargar temple in Navi Mumbai. Although very much fighting with Jetlag, climate change and psychological pain due to various deceased family members, we could proceed by train to the holy site of Prayagraj, where Śrī Chaitanya instructed Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami. Here, the Maha Kumbha Mela took place, which occurs every 144 years. This festival surely deserves its own writing but let me just share a little poem about it: What is the heart of a spiritual journey,

an adventure and blissful discovery,

a sojourn of inner Revolution poetry?

Isn't it purity?

The driving force of spirituality.

Isn't it peacefulness and harmony?