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In the Name of Krishna: the Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town
In the Name of Krishna: The Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Sugata Ray IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Frederick M. Asher, Advisor April 2012 © Sugata Ray 2012 Acknowledgements They say writing a dissertation is a lonely and arduous task. But, I am fortunate to have found friends, colleagues, and mentors who have inspired me to make this laborious task far from arduous. It was Frederick M. Asher, my advisor, who inspired me to turn to places where art historians do not usually venture. The temple city of Khajuraho is not just the exquisite 11th-century temples at the site. Rather, the 11th-century temples are part of a larger visuality that extends to contemporary civic monuments in the city center, Rick suggested in the first class that I took with him. I learnt to move across time and space. To understand modern Vrindavan, one would have to look at its Mughal past; to understand temple architecture, one would have to look for rebellions in the colonial archive. Catherine B. Asher gave me the gift of the Mughal world – a world that I only barely knew before I met her. Today, I speak of the Islamicate world of colonial Vrindavan. Cathy walked me through Mughal mosques, tombs, and gardens on many cold wintry days in Minneapolis and on a hot summer day in Sasaram, Bihar. The Islamicate Krishna in my dissertation thus came into being. -
View Entire Book
Orissa Review * June - 2006 A Cult to Salvage Mankind Sarat Chandra The cosmic and terrestrial : both realities are The Hindu inclusiveness is nowhere as reflected in the Jagannath cult of Orissa. The evident as in the rituals of Lord Jagannath. Even cosmic reality of the undying spirit which romance is not excluded in the deity's schedule: abides, endures and sustains; the cosmic reality Once in a week the God is closeted with his of birth and death, as well as the beauty and consort Laksmi (in the ritual Ekanta). The refinement of the terrestrial world are mirrored Sayana Devata golden sculpture used in the in this all-inclusive mid-night ritual after the religious practice. "The Bada Singhara Dhupa, is visible and invisible both not only suggestive but worlds meet in man", even explicit. sang the British poet T.S.Eliot in the Four Over a year Lord Quartets. We may say Jagannath, like human that the Jagannath cult is beings, is engaged in designed to reflect both multification activities. the visible, this-worldly On one occasion realities as well as the (Banabhoji Besha) He cosmic phenomena. sets out on a picnic trip, Hence, the cult reflects a to an idyllic forest land, life style of a god who has which is suggestive of the numerous human God's love for natural attributes. beauty. On the other occasions (seven times in a year), the Lord goes This makes the God and the cult unique. for hunting expeditions. During the summer Several traits characterize the God: the everyday rituals of bathing, brushing of teeth, he goes for boat rides for twenty-one days dressing-up and partaking of food materials. -
Spiritual Successors of the Six Goswamis
All glory to Sri Guru and Gauranga Spiritual Successors Of The Six Goswamis By the Grace of the Founder-President-Acharya Of Nabadwip Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Ananta sri vibhusita Nitya-lila-pravistha Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakarchary kula chudamani Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Goswami Maharaj Under the Divine Guidance and Inspiration Graciously Granted by His Most Beloved Attendent and Authorized Successor Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev Goswami Maharaj This book was published from Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Sridhar Mission, Sydney Australia, by Muralidhar das. Contents Vande Rupa Sanatana......................................................................3 Sri Srinivas Acharya .......................................................................6 Srila Narottam das Thakur ............................................................11 Srila Shyamananda Prabhu ...........................................................16 Sri Vishnupriya Devi..................................................................... 20 The Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya............................................24 The Gaura Purnima festival at Kheturi..........................................29 After the Kheturi festival...............................................................36 Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur ........................................... 41 The clash of Spirituality and Sectarianism.................................... 47 Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusan .........................................................52 -
Vrindaban Days
Vrindaban Days Memories of an Indian Holy Town By Hayagriva Swami Table of Contents: Acknowledgements! 4 CHAPTER 1. Indraprastha! 5 CHAPTER 2. Road to Mathura! 10 CHAPTER 3. A Brief History! 16 CHAPTER 4. Road to Vrindaban! 22 CHAPTER 5. Srila Prabhupada at Radha Damodar! 27 CHAPTER 6. Darshan! 38 CHAPTER 7. On the Rooftop! 42 CHAPTER 8. Vrindaban Morn! 46 CHAPTER 9. Madana Mohana and Govindaji! 53 CHAPTER 10. Radha Damodar Pastimes! 62 CHAPTER 11. Raman Reti! 71 CHAPTER 12. The Kesi Ghat Palace! 78 CHAPTER 13. The Rasa-Lila Grounds! 84 CHAPTER 14. The Dance! 90 CHAPTER 15. The Parikrama! 95 CHAPTER 16. Touring Vrindaban’s Temples! 102 CHAPTER 17. A Pilgrimage of Braja Mandala! 111 CHAPTER 18. Radha Kund! 125 CHAPTER 19. Mathura Pilgrimage! 131 CHAPTER 20. Govardhan Puja! 140 CHAPTER 21. The Silver Swing! 146 CHAPTER 22. The Siege! 153 CHAPTER 23. Reconciliation! 157 CHAPTER 24. Last Days! 164 CHAPTER 25. Departure! 169 More Free Downloads at: www.krishnapath.org This transcendental land of Vrindaban is populated by goddesses of fortune, who manifest as milkmaids and love Krishna above everything. The trees here fulfill all desires, and the waters of immortality flow through land made of philosopher’s stone. Here, all speech is song, all walking is dancing and the flute is the Lord’s constant companion. Cows flood the land with abundant milk, and everything is self-luminous, like the sun. Since every moment in Vrindaban is spent in loving service to Krishna, there is no past, present, or future. —Brahma Samhita Acknowledgements Thanks go to Dr. -
Lotuses in Muddy Water: Fracked Gas and the Hare Krishnas at New Vrindaban, West Virginia
Lotuses in Muddy Water: Fracked Gas and the Hare Krishnas at New Vrindaban, West Virginia Kevin Stewart Rose American Quarterly, Volume 72, Number 3, September 2020, pp. 749-769 (Article) Published by Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/aq.2020.0043 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/765831 [ Access provided at 6 Jul 2021 14:51 GMT from University of Virginia Libraries & (Viva) ] Fracked Gas and the Hare Krishnas at New Vrindaban, West Virginia | 749 Lotuses in Muddy Water: Fracked Gas and the Hare Krishnas at New Vrindaban, West Virginia Kevin Stewart Rose ach morning before the sun rises, devotees of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New Vrindaban gather in a Edimly lit temple to chant the mahamantra to Krishna. As the residents of this remote religious commune in West Virginia’s northern panhandle chant in unison, their voices rising and falling over the hourlong service, robed worshippers offer a series of objects to an image of Krishna to stir up their lord’s love for the Earth. The flame of a ghee lamp is waved before the image, offering Krishna the pleasure of warmth and light produced from the milk of the community’s sacred cows. Then the lamps are carried to each of the devotees, who, one by one, briefly hold their hands over the flame before placing them on their heads, transferring the warmth of the lamp to their own bodies. Next, a pink flower is held up to Krishna before again being carried to the devotees. -
Women Saints in Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Women Saints in Gaudiya Vaishnavism - Jagadananda Das - There are few traditional societies in which women have played a dominant historical role. In this respect, Gaudiya Vaishnavism is no different. The egalitarianism of bhakti movements, which stress the universality of devotion and deny any disqualifications based on birth, sex, or caste, seems to have had limited real effects on the actual social circumstances of any of these classes of people. There are some, including the eminent Bengali historian, Ramakanta Chakravarti, who feel that the status of women was improved in Chaitanya Vaishnavism, mainly due to the singular example of Jahnava Devi. (1) Indeed, it does appear that literacy rates among women (and men) in Vaishnava castes in Bengal were somewhat higher than in other, comparable groups, but this evidence is far from overwhelming. Today, some women may be found playing the role of guru, especially ministering to other women, and there are some Chaitanya Vaishnava women who sing padavali kirtan or give discourses on Vaishnava texts. On the whole, however, despite their dominant numbers at most religious events, the role of women continues to be a supporting one and subordinate to that of men. One question that needs analysis is whether the importance of Radha in the Vaishnava pantheon and the general weight given to the female principle and feminine virtues in the Gaudiya Vaishnava culture has had any influence on the status of women. Many feminist analysts have pointed out that the worship of goddesses has no proven relation to any such amelioration in societies where such worship is conducted. -
Theme 3A : the Reasons for the Development and Growth of ISKCON GCE a LEVEL
GCE A LEVEL Eduqas A-LEVEL RELIGIOUS STUDIES Theme 3A : The Reasons for the Development and Growth of ISKCON Theme 3A : The Reasons for the Development and Growth of ISKCON Contents Glossary Key Terms 3 The reasons for the growth and development of ISKCON with special 4 reference to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) Key Beliefs e.g. importance of bhakti for Krishna consciousness; 11 Issues for discussion 13 Other Useful Resources 14 2 Glossary Key terms Bhakti – Devotion - in bhakti traditions it is believed that devotion to God is the path to liberation. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) – Hindu Vaishnava movement, founded in the USA in 1965 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It follows the tradition of Caitanya (a.k.a. Chaitanya), and aims for the state of permanent Krishna consciousness. Dancing and chanting the maha-mantra are important features of worship. It welcomes non-Indians who are willing to commit to its stringent rule and regulations. Swami Prabhupada – A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who founded ISKCON in 1965. Other useful terms Bhagavad Gita – Part of the Mahabharata, though it also stands alone. An important scripture in which Krishna teaches Arjuna the importance of dharma, Karma yoga and the path of bhakti. Bhaktivedanta Manor – Headquarters of ISKCON in the UK. A stately home near Watford bought for ISKCON by George Harrison of the Beatles. 3 The reasons for the growth and development of ISKCON with special reference to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) Prabhupada’s life and influence Prabhupada was born into a Vaishnavite family and originally named Abhay Charan, meaning “one who is fearless, having taken shelter at Krishna’s feet". -
Greater Houston Ratha Yatra Witnessed by Huge Crowd of Houstonians
Greater Houston Ratha Yatra witnessed by Huge Crowd of Houstonians Report by Sujata Srikanteswaran, Houston: Over 4000 Houstonians witnessed the grand Chariot Festival of the Lord of the Universe, “Jagannath Ratha Yatra”, on Saturday, July 13, 2013 at the Discovery Green Park in Houston. The wide eyed and beautifully smiling siblings - Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra cast Their cooling and soothing Divine glances on the Houstonians, offering them respite from the hot summer weather. The Chariot festival traces its roots back to a long standing tradition of ‘Sri Kshetra’ - Puri, in Eastern India, where the Annual Ratha Yatra Festival at Jagannath Puri commemorates the summer vacation of Lord Jagannath, with His elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, from the main Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri, India to a neighboring temple, Gundicha Mandir. To make the glories of Jagannath known to everybody on this planet Earth, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder Acarya of ISKCON, made Lord Jagannath’s mercy accessible to people outside India by introducing the tradition of celebrating Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Yatra outside India. Following the same spirit and tradition, ISKCON has been celebrating Ratha Yatra for more than 35 years, across India and in all major cities of the world to fulfill one of its core purposes to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness - ISKCON, Houston and Char Dham organized an unprecedented three Chariot parade through the streets of downtown Houston, with hundreds of Houstonians chanting and dancing in devotional fervor for the pleasure of the Lorships . -
The Yogapitha in Sri Vrindavan
Çré Pasankusa Ekädaçé Issue no:97 20th October 2018 THE YOGAPITHA IN SRI VRINDAVAN VRINDAVAN IS INTIMATELY WHAT PASTIMES DOES LORD KRISHNA CONNECTED WITH KRISHNA PERFORM IN GOLOKA, IN VRAJA, AND IN His Divine Grace SVETADVIPA? A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura GOKULA AND GOLOKA ARE IDENTICAL THREE SPECIAL PLACES IN ÇRÉ BRAJABHÜMI Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Sri Gopiparandhan Dasa THE YOGAPITHA IN VRINDAVAN Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakura Issue no 96, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä VRINDAVAN IS INTIMATELY At any rate, we must understand the CONNECTED WITH KRISHNA transcendental importance of Mathura- His Divine Grace Vrindavan and Navadvipa dhama. Anyone A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who executes devotional service in these places certainly goes back home, back It is understood that Mathura City is the to Godhead, after giving up his body. transcendental abode of Lord Krishna. It Thus the words mathurä bhagavän yatra is not an ordinary material city, for it is nityaà sannihito hariù are particularly eternally connected with the Supreme important. A devotee should fully utilize Personality of Godhead. Vrindavan is this instruction to the best of his ability. within the jurisdiction of Mathura, and it Whenever the Supreme Lord personally still continues to exist. Because Mathura appears, He appears in Mathura because and Vrindavan are intimately connected of His intimate connection with this with Krishna for eternal time, it is said place. Therefore although Mathura and that Lord Krishna never leaves Vrindavan Vrindavan are situated on this planet (våndävanaà parityajya padam ekaà earth, they are transcendental abodes of na gacchati). At present, the place known the Lord. -
Dance Imagery in South Indian Temples : Study of the 108-Karana Sculptures
DANCE IMAGERY IN SOUTH INDIAN TEMPLES : STUDY OF THE 108-KARANA SCULPTURES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bindu S. Shankar, M.A., M. Phil. ***** The Ohio State University 2004 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Susan L. Huntington, Adviser Professor John C. Huntington Professor Howard Crane ----------------------------------------- Adviser History of Art Graduate Program Copyright by Bindu S. Shankar 2004 ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the theme of dance imagery in south Indian temples by focusing on one aspect of dance expression, namely, the 108-karana sculptures. The immense popularity of dance to the south Indian temple is attested by the profusion of dance sculptures, erection of dance pavilions (nrtta mandapas), and employment of dancers (devaradiyar). However, dance sculptures are considered merely decorative addtitions to a temple. This work investigates and interprets the function and meaning of dance imagery to the Tamil temple. Five temples display prominently the collective 108-karana program from the eleventh to around the 17th century. The Rajaraja Temple at Thanjavur (985- 1015 C.E.) displays the 108-karana reliefs in the central shrine. From their central location in the Rajaraja Temple, the 108 karana move to the external precincts, namely the outermost gopura. In the Sarangapani Temple (12-13th century) at Kumbakonam, the 108 karana are located in the external façade of the outer east gopura. The subsequent instances of the 108 karana, the Nataraja Temple at Cidambaram (12th-16th C.E.), the Arunachalesvara Temple at Tiruvannamalai (16th C.E.), and the Vriddhagirisvara Temple at Vriddhachalam (16th-17th C.E.), ii also use this relocation. -
50Th Anniversary Magazine
Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS (ISKCON) CELEBRATES ITS 50th ANNIVERSARY THE HARE KRISHNAS celebrating 50 years WHO ARE THE HARE KRISHNAS NOW? ISKCON’s Activities Around the World THE JOY OF DEVOTION Festivals, Food, Philosophy, Outreach 196 6 2016 Welcome THE HARE KRISHNAS celebrating 50 years … is the offcial commemorative magazine treasures of a diferent religious backgrounds, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the order, beyond tempo- but we share in an International Society for Krishna rary, ordinary pursuits. enthusiasm for life that Consciousness (ISKCON), Founder- The bhakti tradition, comes by knowing the Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. or the yoga of devo- happiness that is found tion, informs us that within. It is not depend- EDITORIAL PANEL at our core we seek to ent upon the ordinary Executive Editors love and be loved. Our course of life’s activities, Mukunda Goswami deepest pleasure comes and it continues even Krishnarupa devi dasi not from possessing, after the end of this life. Project Manager Bhakta dasa We are all seekers of but from giving—not I hope you enjoy Design/Layout one kind or another. in controlling, but in reading this magazine Ramprasad dasa We seek happiness, sharing. It lies in mak- and learning more Writers/Editorial advisors a good bank balance, ing meaningful contrib- about ISKCON and the Anuttama dasa, Damodara Pandit dasa and a peaceful environ- utions by serving others. devotional tradition we Project Managerial Assistant Ultimately, it is to know, represent. We welcome Bhakti devi dasi ment. -
Diary of a Traveling Preacher
Diary of a Traveling Preacher Volume One Indradyumna Swami TORCHLIGHT PUBLISHING Copyright 1995 and 2008 Indradyumna Swami All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any means, including mechanical, elec- tronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Cover design by Mayapriya Dasi Bookwrights Design Cover photo by Nrsimha Kavaca das Text formating and layout by Mani Deep das Published simultaneously in the United States of America and Canada by Torchlight Publishing. For information contact the Publisher Torchlight Publishing Inc. PO Box 52, Badger, CA 93603 Phone (559) 337-2200 Fax: (559) 337-2354 [email protected] www.torchlight.com Contents Diary of a Travelling Preacher Volume One Dedication.................................................................................................7 Acknowledgements..................................................................................8 Introduction..............................................................................................9 1. The Power of Simple Glorification................................................11 2. “Without Them, Many People Would Die”..................................16 3. “I Can Drink the Blood of Any Russian Soldier”........................19 4. Lining Up to Name the Children....................................................24 5. Nine-Year-Old Nadya Joins the Group......................................... 26 6. Warnings