GITA - Glorification of Chapter Eleven

Thereafter 

Lord Shiva

 narrated to 

Parvati

 the glories of the eleventh chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita. 

In Meghankara, the town of the famous temple of Jagad-ishvara, “the controller of the universe,” there lived a pure brahmana named Sunanda. He remained a brahmacari - a celibate, all his life. Sunanda often sat in front of Lord Jagad-ishvara and recited the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita and remembered the Lord’s universal form. By reciting chapter eleven, Sunanda gained complete control over his senses and was always able lo remember Jagad-ishvara.

Once Sunanda and his associates went on a pilgrimage. One day they reached a town called Vivaha-mandapa, where they took rest in a guesthouse for pilgrims, but when Sunanda woke up, he found all his associates gone, and so he at once went out to look for them. After some time, Sunanda met the mayor of the town, who couldn’t say where Sunanda’s associates were but who fell at Sunanda’s feet because he could see that as a devotee Sunanda had no equal. When the mayor invited him to stay in the town, Sunanda agreed.

After eight days, a villager approached Sunanda, crying loudly because his son had been eaten by a Rakshasa, an evil being. Sunanda inquired, “Where does that Rakshasa stay, and how did he eat your son?” The villager replied that this demon was eating villagers every day. Because of that, the villagers had requested the demon to protect them in exchange for daily food. To arrange for the demon’s meals of human beings, the villagers had built a guesthouse, and all travelers were sent there. While the travelers slept, the Rakshasa would eat them, and in this way the villagers were safe.

The villager then explained how his son had been eaten. The night before, a friend of his son had come and the villager, not knowing who the friend was, had sent him to the guesthouse. The son soon found out and tried to rescue the friend, but by the time the son got to the guest-house it was too late: his friend had already been eaten. And unfortunately for the son, he too was eaten, along with some travelers.

Afterwards, the villager had gone to the Rakshasa and asked why the Rakshasa had eaten the villager’s son along with the travelers. The villager also asked if there was any possibility of getting the son back. The Rakshasa replied that he had been unaware of the presence of the son and so had ate him along with everyone else. There was, however, a way to get him back, but only when the Rakshasa was freed from his demonic body by the mercy of a person who had daily recited the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita.

The Rakshasa said that there was a brahmana whom he had not eaten because somehow he knew that the brahmana regularly recited the eleventh chapter. If this brahmana would recite the chapter and then sprinkle water on him, the Rakshasa would be freed from the curse.

Thereafter Sunanda inquired what sin this person had performed lo attain a Rakshasa body, and the villager replied by telling the Rakshasa’s story. Once a farmer saw a vulture attack someone in the fields, but the farmer did nothing about it even though he stood just a short distance away. When a 

yogi

 passing by saw what was happening, he tried to help but was too late. The yogi then became angry with the farmer and told him that one who helps others in need pleases Lord Vishnu, whereas one who can help others but does not do so is liable to be punished by 

Yamaraja,

 made to suffer in hell, and then be born as a wolf. The yogi then cursed the farmer to be born as a Rakshasa.

But the farmer said, “I was watching the fields the whole night, and I was quite tired, so kindly be merciful to me.” The yogi replied, “When someone who daily recites the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita sprinkles water on your head, then you will be free of this curse.” After telling this story, the villager asked Sunanda to kindly sprinkle water on the head of the Rakshasa. Sunanda agreed.

When they went to the Rakshasa, Sunanda recited the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. And as he sprinkled water on the Rakshasa’s head, the creature at once attained a four-armed form like that of Lord Vishnu. More astonishing not only the Rakshasa but also the thousands of people he had eaten attained the same type of spiritual form and were all ready to depart for 

Vaikuntha.

 Before they could go, however the villager stopped them and wanted to know which one was his son, because the villager wanted him to return home.

Then one of those beautiful persons said, “My dear sir, many times you have been my son and I have been yours, but now by the grace of this great devotee Sunanda I have been released from birth and death. Now I am going to my real home, Vaikuntha. “Dear sir, kindly surrender to Sunanda and hear from him the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita because then you also will be able to attain the abode of Lord Vishnu. Of this there is no doubt. Lord Krishna spoke these nectarean instructions on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra as a reply to Arjuna’s questions. Only by hearing and reciting this discourse can one cut the tight knot binding us to the cycle of birth and death.”

Thereupon the son and all those other fortunate souls left for Vaikuntha. Later the villager learned the eleventh chapter of theBhagavad-gita from Sunanda, and shortly thereafter both he and Sunanda went to Vaikuntha.

source: ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Ten

Thereafter 

Lord Shiva

 said that in Kasipuri there was a peaceful brahmana named Dhira-buddhi, whose senses and mind were fixed in glorification of Lord Krishna. Wherever Dhira-buddhi went, Lord Shiva served and protected him with great love.

Seeing those activities of Lord Shiva, his eternal servant Bhringiriti asked him what this great devotee had done to merit Lord Shiva’s personal service. Lord Shiva then narrated a story. Once as he sat in the moonlight, a sudden great wind made the trees shake wildly. A shadow was cast all around, and a large bird of the color of a rain-cloud appeared. The bird said to Lord Shiva, “O Mahadeva, all glories to you, the shelter of all. Your glories are limitless because you protect the devotees, and you are the foremost devotee of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Great souls like Brihaspati, the preceptor of the 

demigods, 

sing your glories. But even the thousand-headed 

Ananta-Shesa

 cannot fully describe your glories, so what to speak of a swan like me, with such small intelligence.”

After hearing this prayer, Lord Shiva asked the swan why he had a black, crow like color. The swan, who resembled the swan carrier of Lord 

Brahma,

  told Lord Shiva a story.

Once the swan had enjoyed in a beautiful lake. But on one occasion, when he had wanted to fly off, he fell to the ground, and his body turned black. He wondered why, and then he heard a voice from lotuses in the lake. “O swan,” the voice said, “get up. I shall tell you why you fell and turned black.” The swan got up and went to the center of the lake, where he saw five extraordinarily beautiful lotuses. From the lotuses appeared a beautiful lady.

After circumambulating the lady, the swan was told that he had flown over her and thus committed an offense and become black. Because she had felt sorry for him, she had called him back. This lady obviously had extraordinary powers. She told the swan how she had attained them.

She said, “In a previous life, I was Sarojavadana, a chaste young woman, and when I married I served my husband faithfully. But one day I found a black maina bird, and because I took care of it, my service to my husband slackened. So my husband said I would become a maina in my next life, which indeed happened. But because I had been chaste, I came in contact with some sages, and one of their daughters look care of me. During my stay with them I heard recitations of the tenth chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita

 every morning and evening. As a result, I attained the body of an apsara, a divine nymph who is fond of water and can change her form at will. In my apsara life. I was called Padmavati.

One day I saw the beautiful lotus flowers in this lake, and when I came here I started to enjoy in the water. At that time, however, 

Durvasa Muni

 arrived and saw me naked. Out of fear of him, I took on the form of five lotuses. Durvasa Muni’s eyes started to emanate fire, and he cursed me to stay in that form of lotuses for one hundred years. Fortunately enough, though, I was able to remember the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. Today I was freed from his curse. If you hear from me this tenth chapter, you will also be able to free yourself from your awkward situation.”

After completing her recitation of this tenth chapter, Padmavati left in an airplane for 

Vaikuntha.

 Thereafter the swan went to Lord Shiva and offered him a beautiful lotus from the lake and told Lord Shiva his story. When he completed his tale, he gave up his body and took birth as Dhira-buddhi. From childhood, Dhira-buddhi always chanted the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita and whoever, in whatever condition of life, would hear his recitations would attain the darshana, or audience, of Lord Vishnu. For this reason, Lord Shiva always served Dhira-buddhi.

source: ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Nine

Then Lord  

Shiva 

related to 

Parvati 

the glories of the ninth chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita.

  Once in a town called Mahishmati there lived a brahmana named Madhava. He strictly followed all the Vedic injunctions, and he was so learned that he always received much charity, with which he performed great sacrifices. Once, however, when he was about to offer a goat in sacrifice the goat laughed and said, “O brahmana, what benefit is there in performing these sacrifices, which simply keep one in the cycle of repeated birth and death? Just see my position after performing so many fire sacrifices.”

Madhava asked the goat what activities it had performed in previous lives to become a goat. Everyone at the sacrifice gathered around to hear the goat’s words. The goat told them that he had been a ritualistic brahmana. Because his wife had wanted her child cured of some disease, she had once asked him to offer a goat to 

Durga,

  the wife of Lord Shiva.

As the brahmana offered the goat, it cursed him: “You sinner! Lowest of all! You wish to make my children fatherless? You will also have to take birth as a goat.” So at the time of his death the brahmana had attained grace of 

Govinda 

he remembered his previous birth. The goat continued: Once in 

Kurukshetra

  there lived a king named Candrasarma, who belonged to the sun dynasty. At the time of a solar eclipse, the king decided to give a 

shudra,

 a worker, to a brahmana. After he offered this worker to the brahmana with much devotion, two of dog-eaters, appeared from the worker’s body. Both of them closely approached the brahmana, and suddenly entered his body. The brahmana, however, remained undisturbed, and while remembering Lord Govinda he began chanting the ninth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita.

The whole event stunned the king. His amazement increased, however, when the Vishnudutas, the devotees of Lord Vishnu, appeared. The Vishnudutas ousted the chandelas from the body and drove them away. Then the king asked the brahmana: “O learned one, who were those two persons, and which mantras did you chant? Which Deity did you remember?”

The brahmana explained that sin personified, accompanied by offense personified, had appeared as two candalas. And he had been chanting the ninth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, which can release one from all fearful situations. He informed the king that by chanting this chapter, anyone can remember the lotus feet of Govinda. Thereafter the king learned from the brahmana to chant the ninth chapter, and he gradually attained the lotus feet of Govinda. When Madhava heard this narration from the goat, he at once set the goat free. Thereafter Madhava recited the ninth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita daily.

source: ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Eight

Thereafter Lord 

Shiva

 asked 

Parvati

 to listen to the glories of the eighth chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita.

 

A brahmana of the name Bhavasharma once lived in the important town Amardakapura. He had taken a prostitute as his wife, and he enjoyed meat-eating, intoxication, stealing, adultery and hunting. Once, after a bout of drinking wine, Bhavasharma contracted a serious disease, and after many days of suffering he died and attained the body of a date palm tree.

One day, two ghosts 

(Brahma-raksasa)

  took shelter beneath this palm tree after unceasingly wandering over the earth, hungry and thirsty by their activities in a previous life, they had attained these ghostly bodies. One of them had once been the brahmana Kusibala, who had been conversant with many branches of knowledge and had been learned in the 

Vedas.

  The other ghost had been his wife, Kumati. Kusibala and his evil-minded wife, both greedy, had been in the habit of collecting much charity daily without ever giving charity to other brahmanas. When they died they both became ghosts.

So while these two ghosts were resting under the palm tree, the one who had been the wife asked her former husband how to atone. He replied that by having knowledge of Brahman, the self and 

Fruitive activities

 this could be accomplished. Upon hearing this, his wife inquired, “What is Brahman? What is the self? What are fruitive activities?” Because she spoke in Sanskrit, she coincidentally chanted the first two lines of the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita.

Upon hearing these lines, Bhavasharma became freed from his tree body and again attained the body of a sinless brahmana. And suddenly a spiritual airplane appeared to take the ghostly husband and wife back to 

Vaikuntha.

 Thereafter Bhavasharma wrote down the two lines from the Bhagavad-gita and he went to Kasipuri with the intention of worshiping Lord Krishna by performing great austerities and continuously chanting these two lines: kim tad brahma kim adhyatmam kim karma purushottama. 

After some time, in Vaikuntha Lord Vishnu once unexpectedly arose from His rest. 

Lakshmi devi

  inquired with folded hands what had awakened Him. Lord Vishnu said. “My dear Lakshmi, in Kasipuri, on the bank of the river Ganges, My devotee is performing great austerities by continuously chanting half a verse of the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. For a long time I have been thinking how to reward his devotion.” Lord Shiva then told Parvati that Bhavasharma pleased Lord Vishnu so much that the Lord awarded him a place in Vaikuntha to engage eternally in the service of His lotus feet. Moreover, all his ancestors also attained the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu.

source: ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Seven

After narrating how Lord Vishnu had spoken to 

Lakshmi devi 

the glories of the first six chapters of the 

Bhagavad-gita,

 Lord 

Shiva

 said to 

Parvati,

 “Now I will tell you the glories of the Seventh Chapter.”

Lord Shiva narrated the story of Shankukarna, a brahmana occupied as a businessman. Shankukarna amassed so much wealth that kings visited his house to dine. But the miserly Shankukarna kept some of his wealth buried, concealed from his relatives, and he never performed devotional acts or the rituals for his forefathers. Once, after his fourth marriage, Shankukarna took rest for the night. While asleep, he received a snakebite and died. He attained the body of a snake-ghost, and he came to reside at the place where he had buried his wealth. Eventually he became tired of being trapped in a ghostly body, so he appeared to his sons in a dream and asked their help.

When his lazy sons woke up, they talked about their dream. Then one of them took a spade and went to the place his father had indicated. The son did not know exactly where to find the buried wealth, but he searched greedily until he found a snake hole. As he started to dig, suddenly a huge and appalling snake crawled out and asked, “Who are you? Who sent you to dig here?” Trembling for his life, the son replied: “It is me, your son, Shiva, to whom you appeared in a dream.”

The snake laughed and asked why the boy, if indeed his son, had not performed the necessary rituals to free him from hellish life. The son inquired how to do this. His father replied, “Not by any kind of charity or austerity but only by recitation from the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita will I become free from birth and death.” The father instructed his son to invite a brahmana to recite the seventh chapter during a ceremony to offer oblations to the forefathers. As this ceremony took place, the brahmana chanted the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, and Shankukarna gave up his frightful body and attained a divine four-armed form. Before he left for 

Vaikuntha

 he blessed his sons and told them the location of his wealth.

After digging it up, the sons, whose minds had become fixed in devotion to Lord Krishna, used the wealth to build temples, dig wells and holy ponds, and distribute sanctified food. Moreover, the sons daily recited the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita and quickly attained the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. Anyone who recites or hears this chapter will be freed from all sinful reactions.

source:ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Six

Lord Vishnu then recited the glories of the sixth chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita. 

In a beautiful town named Pratishthanapura on the bank of the Godavari River there ruled a popular king named Janashruti. He had many good qualities, and he daily performed an opulent fire sacrifice and many other pious acts: he gave charity, dug wells and lakes, and so on.

Once some demigods went to the king’s residence in the form of swans. As they flew above his palace, the demigod Bhadrashva heard several swans mention Janashruti’s greatness, but Bhadrashva laughed and asked, “Is Janashruti Maharaja as powerful as the great sage Raikva.”

The king happened to hear the swans’ conversation from the roof of his high palace, and then went down in a happy mood and ordered his charioteer to go out and find Raikva. Thus ordered, the charioteer departed for holy places. Upon arriving in Kashmir, he saw the sage sitting on a small cart near the door of a temple.

The charioteer fell at Raikva’s feet and asked him where he lived, what his full name was, and why he was sitting there. Raikva thought for some time and replied, “I am fully satisfied. I do not require anything.” The charioteer understood and returned at once to Pratishthanapura. When he arrived, he offered his respects to the king and informed him of all that had taken place. The king then decided to visit the great sage Raikva. Seated on a beautiful chariot filled with valuable gifts, he left for Kashmir.

When the king finally met Raikva and had fallen at his feet, he placed many silks and jewels before the sage. The sage, however, became angry and said, “You foolish king! Take these useless things away. Put them on your chariot and leave this place at once.” With great devotion the king fell at Raikva’s feet again and begged to be forgiven. He asked, “O sage, how have you attained such a level of renunciation and devotion to the Lord?”

Pleased by the king’s submissive attitude, Raikva replied that he had daily recited the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. There-after, King Janashruti also began to recite it daily. After some time a flower airplane appeared and took the king to 

Vaikuntha. 

Raikva, in the meantime, had also gone to Vaikuntha, where he engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

source: ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Five

Lord Vishnu asked 

Lakshmi devi

 to listen carefully as He described the glories of the fifth chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita.

  Once in a town named Puru-kutsapura there lived a brahmana called Pingala. Although well educated, he lacked interest in studying, and so when he reached youth he gave up his educational pursuits. Instead, he learned to play musical instruments and sing and dance. He became so skilled and famous that the king invited him to live in the palace. But his intimacy with the king made him proud, and he became fond of criticizing others; worse, he took up intoxication and adultery.

Despite his promiscuity, Pingala had a wife named Aruna, who had been born in a low-class family. She too was lusty and promiscuous, and when Pingala discovered this, Aruna murdered him.Thereafter she enjoyed life with many men, but she soon contracted a venereal disease. Her youthful body therefore became ugly, and before long she died. Both husband and wife fell into the deepest regions of hell and suffered tremendously. In their next lives, they both took birth as birds, Pingala a vulture and Aruna a parrot.

One day while the parrot searched for food, the vulture attacked her. The vulture could somehow remember his past life, and he understood that the parrot had been his wife. After a flurry of fighting, both birds fell down and drowned in a human skull filled with water. They were brought before 

Yamaraja, 

and because they vividly remembered their sins, they were frightened. But Yamaraja said, “You are now freed of all sinful reactions and may go to 

Vaikuntha.”

Dumbfounded, Pingala and Aruna asked Yamaraja how persons of their caliber had the right to enter Vaikuntha. Then Yamaraja told them about a pure devotee of Lord Vishnu who had daily recited the fifth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. When this devotee, who was completely free of lust, left his body, he went straight to Vaikuntha. Because of his recitations of Bhagavad-gita his body had also become pure. Therefore, when Pingala and Aruna, as birds, had touched his skull, both of them had achieved freedom from sinful reactions and attained the right to enter Vaikuntha.

After Pingala and Aruna heard the glories of the fifth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita they became overjoyed, and a flower airplane arrived to take them to the spiritual world.

source: ISKCON

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Four

Lord Vishnu then described the glories of the fourth chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita.

 He told of a saint named Bharata, who lived on the bank of the 

Ganges.

 There the devoted Bharata daily recited the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita.

Once, Bharata went on pilgrimage to the town of Tapodhana and saw a Deity of Lord Krishna. On his way home he rested beneath two fruit trees, using the root of one as a pillow and the root of the other as a foot-rest. There, as usual, he recited the fourth chapter. When Bharata left that place, both trees dried up and died. The two souls living in those trees took their next births as daughters of a pious brahmana.

When the girls reached seven years of age, they went on pilgrimage and happened to meet the great sage Bharata. Upon seeing him, they fell at his feet and said in sweet words, “O Maharaja Bharata, by your mercy we were freed from the forms of trees.” Bharata heard this with surprise. Then the girls narrated their story to Bharata.

“Dear Maharaja Bharata, in a previous life we were apsaras, heavenly nymphs. Once, we were ordered by King Indra to cause the falldown of the sage Satya-tapa, who was performing difficult austerities on the bank of the river Godavari. Satya-tapa had complete control over his senses and had become so advanced in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead that Brahma the creator of the universe, daily visited him to inquire from him about devotional service.

But Indra was displeased to see Satya-tapa’s purity and elevation. Indra worried that this powerful sage would one day want to usurp the position of king of heaven. To prevent this, Indra sent us to the bank of the Godavari. There we danced provocatively to sexually agitate the sage and seduce him and Satya-tapa cursed us, saying, ‘You both go and become fruit trees on the bank of the river Ganga.

Upon hearing his curse, we fell at his feet and begged forgiveness, for we had acted merely as Indra’s servants. When Satya-tapa saw our repentant attitude, he became pleased and told us we would live as trees only until Maharaja Bharata came in contact with us. He also blessed us that we would be able to remember our previous lives.”

Reminding Bharata that he had rested between two fruit trees, the two girls said they had heard his recitation of the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, After being freed from that form of life, they said, they had been born in a family of devotees. Since then they had lost all desire to enjoy this world. They had carefully been reciting the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita daily and thus had attained devotion to the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu.

source: folknet

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Three

Lord Vishnu then recited the glories of the third chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita

 by narrating the story of Jada. Jada was a brahmana who had wasted his wealth in gambling, drinking, hunting, and visiting prostitutes. Once, after going on a business trip, he earned a lot of money and then decided to return home. On his way, Jada stopped for a night in a deserted place. Robbers there plundered his wealth and murdered him. And because of his sinful life, Jada attained the body of a ghost.

Jada’s son, in spite of his father, was religious and learned in the Vedic scriptures. When the father remained absent for a long time, the son decided to search for him. Wherever the son went, he inquired about his father. One day the son met a man who told him what had happened.

Jada’s son started at once for Gaya to worship Lord Vishnu, to release his father from ghostly life. One evening on the way to Gaya, the son happened to perform his daily worship of Lord Krishna under the same tree where his father had been killed. As the son recited the third chapter ofBhagavad-gita loud sound came from the sky. He looked up and saw his father changed into a most beautiful being, his body the color of a dark rain-cloud. He was four-armed, he was dressed in yellow cloth, and his bodily effulgence lit up all directions.

The father said, “My dear son, because you recited the third chapter of Bhagavad-gita, you freed me from a ghostly form. Now you should return home. The purpose of your going to Gaya has already been achieved. Then the father asked the son to liberate a brother and some ancestors who had also led sinful lives and were suffering in hell. The son said he would recite the third chapter of Bhagavad-gita until the time all the souls trapped in hell were freed.

Then an airplane arrived from 

Vaikuntha,

 the spiritual world, and transported the father to the supreme destination. The son returned home and began reciting daily the third chapter in front of a Deity of Lord Krishna. As the recitations continued, Lord Vishnu sent His messengers, the Vishnudutas, to the kingdom of Yamaraja, who punishes the sinful. The Vishnudutas told Yamaraja that Lord Vishnu wished him well and had ordered him to free the conditioned souls suffering in hell. Yamaraja at once had all the souls released.

Then Yamaraja went to 

Shvetadvipa

 to see Lord Vishnu. Yamaraja found the Lord lying on His serpent bed, Ananta Shesha, while Lakshmi-devi massaged His feet. His spiritual body had the effulgence of many suns, and demigods and sages surrounded Him and sang His praises. With folded hands Yamaraja offered obeisances and prayers lo Lord Vishnu: “My dear Lord Vishnu, You are the well-wisher of all the conditioned souls, and there is no limit to Your glories. From You the Vedas have come. You are time and the cause of time. You are the cause and the maintainer of the three worlds, and You will destroy all things. You are the 

Supersoul

 directing everyone’s activities. You are the guru of the universe and the goal of devotees. O lotus-eyed one, please accept my obeisances again and again.”

After praying Yamaraja asked the Lord for instructions. In a voice as deep as thunder and sweet as nectar, Lord Vishnu replied, “My dear Yamaraja, I need not instruct you on your duty. Kindly return to your abode and in the future continue your duty with My full blessings.” Thereafter Jada’s son was taken to the abode of Lord Vishnu, where he eternally engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

source: folknet

GITA - Glorification of Chapter Two

Lord Vishnu continued His glorification of the Bhagavad-gita   

“Please listen carefully Lakshmidevi,  as I tell you the glories of the Second Chapter.” Once a learned brahmana named Devasharma satisfied the demigods. But he remained unhappy because he desired to know the Absolute Truth. Out of his strong desire for such knowledge Devasharma spoke with many sages and rendered service to them. One day he met a meditating Yogi who was peaceful and devoid of material desires. The yogi who had complete knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, advised Devasharma to meet Mitravan a goatherd in Asau-pura, and take instruction from him in the science of God realization.

Hearing this Devasharma offered respectful obeisances to the yogi and left to find Mitravan. When Devasharma arrived in Asau-pura, he found Mitravan in a beautiful forest, beside a small river, sealed atop some rocks. Mitravan looked peaceful, and his goats moved here and there fearlessly. Some goats even sat next to tigers and other ferocious animals. Devasharma also became peaceful, and he approached Mitravan to inquire about devotion to Lord Krishna.

Mitravan narrated the following story: “My dear Devasharma, once when I was in this forest herding goats by the bank of this river, a tiger attacked. After the goats ran away and so did I. From a distance I saw one goat being chased by the tiger. But suddenly a strange wonderful thing happened: the tiger lost its anger and no longer desired to eat the goat.” Mitravan described that both the tiger and goat were confused by this sudden peacefulness and so they approached him to ask what had happened. Mitravan in turn, inquired from a monkey who told him the story of Sukama, a learned sage.

Sukama had once pleased another sage by feeding him sumptuously and speaking pleasant words. The pleased sage gave Sukama the second chapter of the Bhagavad-gita written on stone. The sage left after giving Sukama an instruction to recite this chapter daily. Because Sukama followed this instruction, he quickly attained complete knowledge of Lord Krishna. And because of his devoted austerities, performed at the very place where Mitravan and the monkey were standing, anyone who came there no longer fell the pangs of hunger and thirst and at once attained complete peace.

Thereafter Mitravan told Devasharma that he and the tiger and goat had later found the stone in a temple and had begun reciting the second chapter of the Bhagavad-gita daily. In this way they had quickly attained devotion to Lord Krishna. Devasharma decided to carefully follow Mitravan’s example, and thereafter, in the village where Devasharma lived, visitors would recite with him the second chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. In this way Devasharma attained the mercy and the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.

source : folknet

GITA - Glorification of Chapter One

Susharma, although born in a brahmana family, was a sinful, wicked man devoid of piety. He particularly enjoyed hurting others. For his livelihood he sold leaves he had collected and sewn together to make plates and cups. One day Susharma entered the garden of a sage to collect leaves, and a snake slithered in and killed him. Because of all his sins, he was cast into many hells and suffered a longtime.

Afterward, he received the body of a bull. As a bull, he was purchased by a crippled man and for many years had to carry heavy loads. One day the bull, his back piled with such an extremely heavy load, fell unconscious. Bystanders felt sorry for the bull and bestowed upon it some results of their pious acts. One person there, a prostitute, doubted she had ever performed pious acts, but upon learning that everyone was offering pious credits to the bull, she also offered whatever results of pious activities, she might have had.

After the bull died and entered the abode of Yamaraja, the god of death, Yamaraja, informed him, “Now you are freed from the reactions to all your previous sinful deeds because a prostitute gave you her pious credits.”

In his next life Susharma again took birth as an elevated brahmana, but this time he could remember his past lives. He decided to find the prostitute who had caused his liberation from hell. When he found her, he asked her what pious acts she had performed. The prostitute replied that her pet parrot had daily recited verses that had completely purified her heart.

Thereafter the parrot told them about the recitation. In a previous life the parrot had been a proud and envious yet learned brahmana who had insulted other learned persons. He had now, therefore, received the body of a parrot.

But as a parrot he had often heard certain sages reciting the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, and he had also begun reciting it. So he had become purified. After being sold to the prostitute, the parrot continued his recitations and thus earned the prostitute pious credits. Susharma eventually became completely pure, and within a short time he attained Vaikuntha, the supreme destination.

source : folknet

Sayings on the Bhagavad Gita

The Gita is the universal mother. She turns away nobody. Her door is wide open to anyone who knocks. A true votary of the Geeta does not know what disappointment is. He ever dwells in perennial joy and peace that passeth understanding. But that peace and joy come not to the sceptic or to him who is proud of his intellect or learning. It is reserved only for the humble in spirit who brings to her worship a fullness of faith and an undivided singleness of mind. There never was a man who worshipped her in that spirit and went back disappointed.

I find a solace in the Bhagavad Geeta that I miss even in the Sermon on the Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad Geeta. I find a verse here and a verse there, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies--and my life has been full of external tragedies--and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of the Bhagavadgeeta.

                                                                                                     ...Mahatma Gandhi

Vaikunta Ekadashi - 17th December 2010

A major festival of South India, Vaikuntha Ekadashi is observed with all solemnity in the temples of Lord Vishnu.

According to Vishnu Purana, fasting on Vaikunta Ekadashi is equivalent to fasting on the remaining 23 Ekadashis of the (Hindu) year.. However according to Vaishnava tradition fasting is mandatory on all Ekadashi of both Sukla paksha and Krishna paksha. Fasting on Ekadashi is considered holier than any other religious observation.

Lord opened the gate of Vaikuntam (his abode) for two demons in spite of they being against the Lord. They also asked for the boon that who ever listens to their story and see the image of Lord coming out of the door (called Dwar) called Vaikunth Dwar they reach Vaikunth as well! Temples all over the India makes a door kind of structure on this day for devotees to pass through that.

The significance of this very day can be traced back to the Padma-Purana.  

According to this, the female energy of Lord Vishnu slayed demon Muran and protects `Devas'. Impressed by the act, Lord Vishnu names her as `Ekadashi' and gives her the boon that those who worship `Ekadashi' on the day of her victory over Muran would reach `Vaikunth' (His abode).

In Mahabarata, Bhagavad Gita - the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna at the beginning of Kurukshetra War is said to have occurred on this day.

The Vaikuntha Dwara (gate) of all Vishnu temples are opened on this day. Thousands of fans are going through this port to the special grace of the Lord Srinivasa Govinda. Lord Srinivasa Govinda gets a great bathing ceremony and special alankara on this day with sparkling jewels.