Nityotsavaa - Daily festival Date: 2004-09-13 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi Hare Krishna dear Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble pranams! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev! Last week we had wonderful celebrations on the occasion of Janmashtami, the appearance day of Lord Shri Krishna! The advent of Lord Krishna gives everyone of us so much of joy, peace and happiness. Every one of us wants to have Krishna as our child! We are all wondering as to what will attract the Lord to come and play with us? When Krishna appeared as the son ofVasudeva and Devaki, He explained to them the reasons why He accepted them as His parents. Krishna appreciated the austerities undergone by both of them in their previous lives by which they cleansed their minds of all dirty things. Then the Lord says, "Since I found no one else as highly elevated as you in simplicity and other qualities of good character, I appeared in this world as Prsnigarbha, or one who is celebrated as having taken birth from Prsni." Thus the Lord glorifies, "Śīla-audārya guṇa" - the transcendental qualities of good character and magnanimity of Vasudeva and Devaki and this attracted the Lord to accept them as His parents three times. Vasudeva exhibited these great qualities when he delivered his first born son, named Kirtiman, to Kamsa for killing, in order to keep up the promise he had made to Kamsa. Immediately on telling this to Maharaj Parikshit, Sukadev Goswami was so overwhelmed thinking of the wonderful quality of Vasudeva and he says, SB 10.1.58 kiṁ duḥsahaṁ nu sādhūnāṁ viduṣāṁ kim apekṣitam kim akāryaṁ kadaryāṇāṁ dustyajaṁ kiṁ dhṛtātmanām What is painful for saintly persons who strictly adhere to the truth? How could there be not independence for pure devotees who know the Supreme Lord as the Substance? What deeds are forbidden for persons of the lowest character? And what cannot be given up for the sake of Lord Krishna by those who have fully surrendered at His lotus feet? Here Sukadev Goswami explains four situations to emphasize that the fully surrendered devotees sacrifice everything without exception and reservation for the sake of the Lord. 1. Saintly persons are adorned with the ornament of tolerance and nothing is painful for them. 2. The pure devotees of the Lord have complete knowledge of the Absolute truth and hence are not dependent on any of the temporary things. 3. Persons of the lowest character perform all kinds of abominable activities and they have no knowledge of forbidden activities, which entangle them. 4. Finally those who are fully surrendered at the Lord's lotus feet give up everything without exception for the sake of Lord Krishna. This is highly unimaginable for materialistic persons. Being fully surrendered to the Lord, Vasudeva sacrificed all his other sons, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Lord. Mother Devaki exhibited her wonderful quality when Kamsa came to kill Yogamaya devi who appeared as the daughter of Yasoda and who was brought to the prison house of Kamsa after placing Krishna on the bed of Yasoda. At that time, Devaki helplessly and piteously appealed to Kamsa not to kill the girl. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport, "Devaki, although safe because she had already given birth to her own son, Krsna, was anxious to save the daughter of someone else. "Devaki had lost all her six sons but now she appeals to Kamsa not to kill the girl who was actually born of Yasoda. Her love, affection and concern for another's daughter shows her extremely good character. If we try to develop these good qualities, then Krishna will definitely come and play in the courtyard of our hearts and we can celebrate daily Janmashtami then. I am a fallen wretched soul who is bowing down at the feet of Guru Maharaj and Srila Prabhupada to forgive me for all my sinful propensities and bad qualities and accept me as their servant by cleansing my mind of all the dirty things. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Vaijayantimala devi dasi Abu Dhabi..