Saphala Ekadasi takes place during the waning moon of the Pausa month – December/January. The glories of this Ekadasi are insurmountably great. Actually there is no way to extol the divine results of observing Ekadasi; but still they are given in the Brahmananda Purana. Sri Krsna said to Arjuna: “Oh best of the Bharata lineage, just as Lord Sesa is best among snakes, Garuda is best among birds, the horse yajna is best among sacrifices, the Ganges is best among the rivers, Sri Visnu is best among the demigods and the brahmanas are best among human beings; so, among all vows of austerity the day of Ekadasi is best.
Living in Kuliya during Sri Caitanya’s pastimes, Sri Devananda Pandit gave professional readings of Srimad Bhagavatam tainted with Mayavada philosophy. One day Srivasa Pandit heard his Bhagavata-katha, began crying, and fell to the ground.
Uddharana Datta Thakura, a dvadasa gopala, lived in Saptagrama, a cluster of seven villges. Raised in luxury within a family of gold merchants, he later married and worked as a wealthy state minister. The place where he once held office is today called Uddharanapura in his honor.
Sri Locana Dasa Thakura, a disciple of Narahari Sarakara Thakura, wrote many Bengali songs glorifying Lord Caitanya. His most famous poetic work is the Caitanya-mangala, a depiction of Lord Caitanya’s life.
Sri Sanatana, Sri Rupa and Sri Vallabha were three brothers, all employed in the service of the Badsa Hussain Shah. Amongst the three, there was only one descendent, Sri Jiva. Having been rewarded richly by the Badsa for their sevices, their household life was very opulent.
There was nothing lacking in whatever was necessary for the upbringing of the only son. The house was illuminated by the effulgence of the child’s golden complexion; his eyes were like the expanded petals of the lotus; every part of his body was graced with a lusterous, radiant splendor. When Sri Gaurasundara came to Ramakeli, Sri Jiva was blessed by having darshana of His worshipable lord, though he was just a baby at the time.
Jagadisa Pandita lived near Jagannatha Misra, the father of Lord Caitanya, in Sridhama Mayapur. Jagadisa Pandita assisted Lord Caitanya in spreading the sankirtana movement in Jagannatha Puri.
The fantastic glories of Putrada Ekadasi are told in the Bhavisyottara Purana, they cannot be vilified by any means. This Ekadasi occurs in the waxing moon of the month called Magha (December/January).
Sri Krsna said to Maharaj Yudhistira: “Oh my dear King, the Putrada Ekadasi is very great; It’s power is incalculable. Anyone who practices penance by abstinence of eating on this day, receives immeasurable benediction from the Personality of Godhead. All ones sinful reactions are eradicated and great wealth, fame and sagacity await with folded palms, eager to serve one who observes this Ekadasi.
Jagadisa Pandita lived near Jagannatha Misra, the father of Lord Caitanya, in Sridhama Mayapur. Jagadisa Pandita assisted Lord Caitanya in spreading the sankirtana movement in Jagannatha Puri.
Srila Prabhupada once explained the festival this way: “Krishna was just a toy in the hands of the Gopis, so one day the Gopis decided that we shall decorate Him. Pusya abhisheka means a ceremony to decorate the deity profusely with flowers, ornaments, cloths.
Shri Gopala Bhatta Goswami (the son of a Vyenkata Bhatta, a Shri Vaishnava brahmana) appeared in Shri Rangam, South India. Lord Chaitanya once stayed four months in his home, and converted the family to Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
Ramacandra Kaviraja, the son of Sri Ciranjiva Sena appeared in Sri Khanda. “Ramacandara Kaviraja was especially earnest, beautiful, intelligent, energetic, and enthusiastic,” said one biographer.
Jayadeva Goswami is the author of the Gita govinda, a poem about the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. Lord Caitanya relished hearing the Gita govinda sung by His close associates. To this day the poem is recited daily in the temple of Lord Jagannatha in Jagannatha Puri, Orissa.
Sri Locana Dasa Thakura, a disciple of Narahari Sarakara Thakura, wrote many Bengali songs glorifying Lord Caitanya. His most famous poetic work is the Caitanya-mangala, a depiction of Lord Caitanya’s life.
This Ekadasi occurs in the Phalguna month, as the moon wanes at this time a very special atmosphere is created. The glories of Sat-tila Ekadasi are narrated in the Bhavisyottara Purana in a conversation between the sage Dalbhya and Pulastya muni.
“Oh esteemed brahmana!” began Dalbhya muni.
“People are most polluted in the age of Kali, there are sinful acts taking place at all times! Heinous crimes such as the killing of brahmanas, killing of cows and general freeloadering are rife.
Raghunandan was born into a family of physicians in the Shaka year 1432 (1510 AD). His father’s name was Mukunda Das, his mother’s name is unknown. Mukunda Das was Narahari Sarkar Thakur’s older brother.
Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, one of the six Goswamis, at a young age renounced his beautiful wife and opulent home to join Lord Caitanya and His sankirtana movement. For sixteen years, he was the personal assistant of Svarupa Damodara.
This is the first day of spring in India. On the fifth day of the waxing moon one should celebrate the coming of spring to Vrindavana by offering Krishna many types of leaves and flowers, and fresh shoots of sprouting grasses.
Things that symbolise life and new growth.Following in the footsteps of the Vraja-basis of Vrindavana, one should paint designs on His (Krishna’s) body and perform a special aratrika for Him. It is appropriate to offer yellow flowers too. The vasanta raga should be played on this day. The Deities in the temples, especially in Vrindavana wear yellow or yellow and green on this day.
The Supreme Lord Visnu has three different Saktis: Sri, Bhu, and Nila. Sri Visnupriya is the internal potency known as Bhu-sakti. She appeared in Gaura-lila to assist Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with his mission of spreading the holy name of Krsna.
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, a great Vaisnava acarya, appeared in 1674 in what is now the Nadia district of West Bengal. During his time, he served as the protector, guardian, and acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava line.
Pundarika Vidyanidhi was a disciple of Madhavendra Puri and was the guru of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. Pundarika Vidyanidhi was sometimes misunderstood to be too much attached to material pleasures, but just by hearing the recitation of one verse of the Bhagavatam he would enter into a trance.
Congratulations you have taken one giant step towards giving a sanctified healthy meal to an underprivileged Indian.
Face the fact: (Source Global Huger Index 2017)
India is world’s second largest food producer yet it is home to world second biggest undernourished population. Source FAO 2015 25 % of all hungry people worldwide live in India. 44% of Indian Children below the age of 5 are underweight. Out of Worst hunger struck 119 countries India is at 100
What does a healthy human being need?
A balanced diet is one that helps a person maintain or improve health. It includes carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, proteins, roughage, water, and minerals. The amount of these nutrients varies with gender, age, occupation, climate and region. However, at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh, we understand that a complete meal is not just numbers and formulae. It is not just chopped-up vegetables and boiled grains. It is love that is the primary constituent of a healthy meal. The same love that a mother pours while she is at work in the kitchen, the same love that a father ploughs when he is toiling in the office, and the same love that siblings share when they fight.
How does ISKCON Punjabi Bagh satisfy this hunger?
We, at ISKCON Punjabi Bagh, understand that apart from a person’s body craving for satisfaction of the stomach, the satisfaction of the person occupying that body is also of primary importance. We solve this eternal craving of the soul through World’s Largest vegetarian Non-Profit Food Relief program called the Hare Krishna Food-for-Life.
Each meal is not only delicious but is also prepared with full attention to personnel & infrastructure hygiene. The food so prepared is first offered to the almighty Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, therefore, although its quantity remains unchanged but qualitatively it is transformed from meal to Prasadam. Such sanctified meals on the one hand fulfil the basic necessity of the body and on the other purify the consciousness of a person. The fortunate people who receive Prasadam meals develop all good human qualities such as kindness, truthfulness, cleanliness, and gain immense control over the agitations of mind. No other food item in the world can offer such spiritual benefits.
Is it really World’s Largest?
Yes, ISKCON volunteers provide up to 2,000,000 (Two Million) free meals every day. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, instructed his disciples that no one should sleep hungry within a 10 mile radius of a Hare Krishna centre. Keeping true to His Divine Grace’s instructions, every centre based on the available resources tries to serve nutritious meals free of cost to every person who gives the temple an opportunity to serve. This includes visitors, pilgrims, and residents of neighbouring areas. In fact, monthly processions are also accompanied by free distribution of food. Apart from this, special relief packages are designed and dispatched to areas affected by natural calamities.
Can non-ISKCON people contribute?
We are all children of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This makes us God-brothers & God-sisters. Therefore, we encourage the more fortunate brothers and sisters to come forward and help the less fortunate ones. This can be achieved by sponsoring meals for the homeless, disadvantaged children, pilgrims and slum dwellers. We have created this web-page specifically for reaching out to people who have a big heart and a little time, energy and resources to spare. Your small contribution here can make 2 square meals possible for unprivileged brethren.
Where will my money go?
As every ISKCON temple is completely financially independent of the other, all money donated to ISKCON Punjabi Bagh temple is utilized locally within New Delhi. At times, we also travel the Indian sub-continent and distribute free Prasadam across the length and breadth of India.
No money from your donation is transferred outside the country without explicitly mentioning it. ISKCON centres worldwide manage their funds locally for the benefit of that region’s local population.
Because of this reason,currently, ISKCON Punjabi Bagh also does not accept any donations from foreign countries for the Food for Life program. In case, you are eager to contribute we suggest getting in touch with an ISKCON centre in your neighbouring area. The complete list of ISKCON centres world wide can be found here: http://centers.iskcondesiretree.com/ Hopefully, at a later time, when people all over the world have transcended the boundaries of nationality, colour, language, ethnicity and politics, we might be able to extend ourselves to help all children of God irrespective of geographical location.
I am still not sure if I want to contribute!
No Problem, we thank you for taking out time to read about the Hare Krishna Food for Life program. we suggest that you scroll through the rest of the website. It is highly probable that you will find another social cause that is worth investing your time and resources in such as education, organic farming, sustainable living and much more.
