April- May Sita navami-Sita Jayanti - Janaki Navami

1. sita navami साठी प्रतिमाप्रतिमांची तक्रार नोंदवा
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   sita navami साठी अधिक प्रतिमा

Sita Navami 2015 - April 27 (Monday)

Goddess Lakshmi took birth as Sita in Treta yug in the kingdom of Mithila and the this birth anniversary is celebrated as Sita Navami. This festival is also known as Sita Jayanti . In some parts of India it is also called Janaki Navami. Maa Sita was also known as Janaki because she was the daughter of Janaka, the king of Mithila. 

Sita Navami is celebrated on the Navami tithi (9th day) of the Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Vaishakha month because Maa Sita was born on Navami and  married to Lord Rama who was coincidentally  born on the same tithi (day) during the Shukla Paksha of the Chaitra month. Vaishnavites celebrate this festival during Krishna Paksha of Phalgun month or Magh month. According to the Hindu calendar this festival falls exactly a month after Sri Rama Navami.

An Indian Hindu woman worships many  Gods and Goddesses for the long life of her husband. She also prays that she should be a sumangali throught her life i.e., die before her husband. One among such pujas is the Sita Navami Vrat.  Married women worship Goddess Sita along with Lord Rama and Lakshman. They make a four pillar puja mandap in their homes and decorate the mandap with colorful flowers. Then they install the idols of Lord Sri Rama, Maa Sita, King Janaka and Mata Sunayana in the mandap. A plough and Goddess Earth are also placed in the mandap and are worshipped. Rice, til and barley are offered to the gods and goddesses during this puja. Women fast on this day.

Lord Rama and Maa Sita are considered to be the ideal couple. Though they faced many hurdles in their life they were very firm as far as their relationship was concerned. Maa Sita is known for her sincerity and purity. Hence women take her as an inspiration and celebrate this vrat with lot of dedication. They believe that their married lives will be at peace, filling their homes with lot of happiness and joy.

This festival is celebrated all over India with great enthusiasm. In most of the temples Maha-abhishek, Sringar Darshan and Arati are performed. The idols of Lord Rama, Maa Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman are taken in processions on this day and Bhajans are sung and Ramayana is recited in temples.

There are a few interesting stories regarding the birth of Maa Sita. When king Janaka was ploughing a field for performing a Yagna, he found a baby girl in the golden casket under the layers of earth. He believed that she was a divine gift to him and accepted her as his daughter. This is how Goddess Lakshmi took birth in Janaka’s house. Because Sita emerged from the Goddess earth, a plough is worshiped on Sita Navami. 

Another legend says that Sita is a rebirth of Vedavati. Vedavati was a beautiful woman who gave up all worldly things, became a hermit and meditates for Lord Vishnu. This is when King Ravana sees her, gets attracted and tries to violate her. To escape from him, she jumped into a fire and before dying cursed him that she would be responsible for his death in the next birth.

- See more at: http://www.festivalsofindia.in/sita-navami/#sthash.78HCl34W.dpuf

Sita-navami, The appearance day of Srimati Sita Devi

Sita-navami
A Talk by Giriraj Swami
May 9, 1995
Bombay

Today is Sita-navami, the appearance day of Srimati Sitadevi, the eternal
consort of Lord Ramacandra. To begin, we shall read from Sri
Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Nine: “Lord Caitanya’s Travels to
the Holy Places.”

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda
Prabhu! All glories to Sri Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to all the
devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

TEXT 178

daksina-mathura aila kamakosthi haite
tahan dekha haila eka brahmana-sahite

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at southern Mathura from Kamakosthi, He
met a brahmana.

TEXTS 179-193

The brahmana who met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu invited the Lord to his home.
This brahmana was a great devotee and an authority on Lord Sri Ramacandra.
He was always detached from material activities.

After bathing in the river Krtamala, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the
brahmana’s house to take lunch, but He saw that the food was unprepared
because the brahmana had not cooked it.

Seeing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My dear sir, please tell Me why
you have not cooked. It is already noon.”

The brahmana replied, “My dear Lord, we are living in the forest. For the
time being we cannot get all the ingredients for cooking.

“When Laksmana brings all the vegetables, fruits, and roots from the forest,
Sita will do the necessary cooking.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very satisfied to hear about the brahmana’s
method of worship. Finally the brahmana hastily made arrangements for
cooking.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took His lunch at about three o’clock, but the
brahmana, being very sorrowful, fasted.

While the brahmana was fasting, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him, “Why are
you fasting? Why are you so unhappy? Why are you so worried?”

The brahmana replied, “I have no reason to live. I shall give up my life by
entering either fire or water.

“My dear Sir, Mother Sita is the mother of the universe and the supreme
goddess of fortune. She has been touched by the demon Ravana, and I am
troubled upon hearing this news.

“Sir, due to my unhappiness I cannot continue living. Although my body is
burning, my life is not leaving.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “Please do not think this way any longer.
You are a learned pandita. Why don’t you consider the case?”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Sitadevi, the dearmost wife of the
Supreme Lord Ramacandra, certainly has a spiritual form full of bliss. No
one can see her with material eyes, for no materialist has such power.

“To say nothing of touching Mother Sita, a person with material senses
cannot even see her. When Ravana kidnapped her, he kidnapped only her
material, illusory form.

“As soon as Ravana arrived before Sita, she disappeared. Then just to cheat
Ravana she sent an illusory, material form.”

TEXT 194

aprakrta vastu nahe prakrta-gocara
veda-puranete ei kahe nirantara

TRANSLATION

“Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material
conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Puranas.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As stated in the Katha Upanisad (2.3.9, 12):

na sandrse tisthati rupam asya
na caksusa pasyati kascanainam

hrda manisa manasabhikÿpto
ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti

naiva vaca na manasa
praptum sakyo na caksusa

“Spirit is not within the jurisdiction of material eyes, words, or mind.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.84.13) states:

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah

“A human being who identifies his body made of three elements with his self,
who considers the by-products of his body to be his kinsmen, who considers
the land of his birth worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage
simply to take a bath rather than to meet men of transcendental knowledge
there is to be considered like an ass or a cow.”

These are some Vedic statements about spiritual substance. Spiritual
substance cannot be seen by the unintelligent, because they do not have the
eyes or the mentality to see the spirit soul. Consequently they think that
there is no such thing as spirit. But the followers of the Vedic injunctions
take their information from Vedic statements, such as the verses from the
Katha Upanisad and Srimad-Bhagavatam quoted above.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We know from Srila Prabhupada, from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:

nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Namah cintamanih krsnah: the holy name of Krsna is Krsna Himself.
Caitanya-rasa-vigrahah: it is the form of rasa, the reservoir of pleasure.
It is purna, complete; suddha, pure; and nitya-mukta, always free from
material contamination. Why? Because there is no difference between the holy
name of Krsna and the possessor of the name, Krsna Himself (abhinnatvan
nama-naminoh).

Now the question arises, “When the Lord is spiritual and beyond the
jurisdiction of material senses, how can one with materially covered senses
touch, or chant and hear, the holy name of Krsna?” In the next verse of the
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami explains:

atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah

Atah means “therefore,” as in athatho brahma-jijnasa. Atah: therefore (that
is, because the holy name of Krsna is completely spiritual like Krsna) one
cannot chant or hear the holy name–touch the holy name–with materially
contaminated senses. However, if we engage our senses in the service of the
Lord and the Lord becomes pleased with our service, then the Lord will
reveal Himself to us.

In other words, although we cannot perceive the Lord with materially
contaminated senses, the Lord can reveal Himself to us when He is pleased by
our service: He can purify our senses and make Himself visible to us.

When even a sadhaka, a devotee who is practicing devotional service, cannot
touch even the holy name of the Lord, how could a demon like Ravana see or
touch Mother Sita, who is directly the spiritual energy of the Lord? It is
not possible. What Ravana saw and touched was not the original Sita but maya
Sita, an illusory representation of the original Sita. Thus Lord Caitanya
was consoling the brahmana: “Don’t lament that Mother Sita has been touched
by the demon Ravana. The demon Ravana could not even see her, what to speak
of touch her. There is no need to lament.”

TEXT 195

visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane
punarapi ku-bhavana na kariha mane

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then assured the brahmana, “Have faith in My words
and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

PURPORT

This is the process of spiritual understanding. Acintya khalu ye bhava na
tams tarkena yojayet: “We should not try to understand things beyond our
material conception by argument and counterargument.” Maha-jano yena gatah
sa panthah: “We have to follow in the footsteps of great authorities coming
down in the parampara system.” If we approach a bona fide acarya and keep
faith in his words, spiritual realization will be easy.

COMMENT

In the material world everyone is acting independently. Actually, people are
not independent, but they imagine themselves to be independent. They want to
think for themselves, see for themselves, make their own decisions, make
their own plans. Even when they come to the subject of God, they keep the
same attitude: “I don’t need anyone to tell me about God. I can think for
myself; I can decide for myself.” Or they may accept some authority
according to their liking. Many people go to various authorities and pick
and choose what they like from each, and in the end they find confirmation
for whatever they thought or wanted to begin with. That is not the way to
understand God. Rather, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and
surrender. Surrender means “no wavering to this side or that side.” One must
remain fixed in submission and obedience to the spiritual master and accept
the spiritual master’s instructions without argument.

Of course, the whole process is based on faith, and therefore Lord
Caitanya’s first words are visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane: “Have faith in
My words.” If you do, He says, you will be relieved. But if you don’t have
faith in His words, you’ll go on suffering and nobody will be able to help
you.

visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane
punarapi ku-bhavana na kariha mane

“Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this
misconception.”

TEXT 196

prabhura vacane viprera ha-ila visvasa
bhojana karila, haila jivanera asa

TRANSLATION

Although the brahmana was fasting, he had faith in the words of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and accepted food. In this way his life was saved.

COMMENT

The brahmana was fasting because he thought that Ravana had touched Sita and
kidnapped her. He was ready to give up his life, but because he had faith in
the words of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he gave up his misconception, took
prasada, and saved his life.

TEXT 197

tanre asvasiya prabhu karila gamana
krtamalaya snana kari aila durvasana

TRANSLATION

After thus assuring the brahmana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded further
into southern India and finally arrived at Durvasana, where He bathed in the
river Krtamala.

TEXT 199

setubandhe asi’ kaila dhanus-tirthe snana
ramesvara dekhi’ tahan karila visrama

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went to Setubandha [Ramesvara], where He took
His bath at the place called Dhanus-tirtha. From there He visited the
Ramesvara temple and then took rest.

PURPORT

The path from Mandapam through the ocean to the island known as Pambam
consists partly of sand and partly of water. The island of Pambam is about
seventeen miles long and six miles wide. On this island, four miles north of
Pambam Harbor, is Setubandha, where the temple of Ramesvara is located. This
is a temple of Lord Siva, and the name Ramesvara indicates that he is a
great personality whose worshipable Deity is Lord Rama. Thus the Lord Siva
found in the temple of Ramesvara is a great devotee of Lord Ramacandra. It
is said, devi-pattanam arabhya gaccheyuh setu-bandhanam: “After visiting the
temple of the goddess Durga, one should go to the temple of Ramesvara.”

In this area there are twenty-four different holy places, one of which is
Dhanus-tirtha, located about twelve miles southeast of Ramesvara. It is near
the last station of the South Indian Railway, a station called Ramnad. It is
said that here, on the request of Ravana’s younger brother Vibhisana, Lord
Ramacandra destroyed the bridge to Lanka with His bow while returning to His
capital. It is also said that one who visits Dhanus-tirtha is liberated from
the cycle of birth and death, and that one who bathes there gets all the
fruitive results of performing the yajna known as Agnistoma.

COMMENT

It is said that when Lord Rama was on the way to Lanka, He worshiped a deity
of Lord Siva. Some ignorant people say, “Because Lord Rama worshiped Lord
Siva, Lord Siva is the Supreme and Lord Rama is subordinate to him.” But
actually the opposite is true: Lord Siva himself is a great devotee of Lord
Rama. Sometimes, however, the Lord likes to serve His devotees, as in the
case of Krsna and Yasoda. Krsna used to obey the dictations of Yasoda, but
that doesn’t mean that Yasoda is God. Krsna used to carry the shoes of Nanda
Maharaja, but that doesn’t mean that Nanda Maharaja is God. Krsna drove the
chariot of Arjuna, but that doesn’t mean that Arjuna is greater than Krsna.
Krsna washed the feet of Sudama Vipra, but that doesn’t mean that Sudama is
superior to Krsna. The Lord takes pleasure in worshiping His devotees. Lord
Ramacandra wanted to glorify His devotee Siva, and therefore He may have
worshiped him.

Other ignorant people say that because Ravana was a devotee of Lord Siva,
Rama approached Lord Siva to ask his permission before killing Ravana. Once,
at Juhu Beach, a disciple mentioned this idea to Srila Prabhupada. Srila
Prabhupada replied that people who say that Lord Rama had Lord Siva’s
permission to kill Ravana want to say that Lord Siva is a rascal, that he
would give permission for someone to kill his devotee: “Oh, yes. He is my
devotee, but it’s all right–you can kill him.” So Prabhupada said they want
to prove that Lord Siva is a rascal. Rather, Srila Prabhupada said (and he
quoted the sastra) that when Rama was in the process of killing Ravana,
Mother Parvati asked Lord Siva, “Ravana is your great devotee, and now he is
in trouble. Why don’t you do something to help him?” And Lord Siva replied,
“Lord Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; when He wants to kill
Ravana, what can I do?”

TEXT 200

vipra-sabhaya sune tanha kurma-purana
tara madhye aila pativrata-upakhyana

TRANSLATION

There, among the brahmanas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu listened to the Kurma
Purana, wherein is mentioned the chaste woman’s narration.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Öhakura remarks that only two khandas of the
Kurma Purana are now available, namely the Purva-khanda and Uttara-khanda.
Sometimes it is said that the Kurma Purana contains six thousand verses, but
according to Srimad-Bhagavatam the original Kurma Purana contains seventeen
thousand verses. It is considered the fifteenth of the eighteen
Maha-puranas.

TEXT 201

pativrata-siromani janaka-nandini
jagatera mata sita–ramera grhini

TRANSLATION

Srimati Sitadevi is the mother of the three worlds and the wife of Lord
Ramacandra. Among chaste women she is supreme, and she is the daughter of
King Janaka.

TEXT 202

ravana dekhiya sita laila agnira sarana
ravana haite agni kaila sitake avarana

TRANSLATION

When Ravana came to kidnap Mother Sita and she saw him, she took shelter of
the fire-god, Agni. The fire-god covered the body of Mother Sita, and in
this way she was protected from the hands of Ravana.

TEXT 203

‘maya-sita’ ravana nila, sunila akhyane
suni’ mahaprabhu haila anandita mane

TRANSLATION

Upon hearing from the Kurma Purana how Ravana had kidnapped a false form of
Mother Sita, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very satisfied.

TEXT 204

sita lana rakhilena parvatira sthane
‘maya-sita’ diya agni vancila ravane

TRANSLATION

The fire-god, Agni, took away the real Sita and brought her to the place of
Parvati, goddess Durga. An illusory form of Mother Sita was then delivered
to Ravana, and in this way Ravana was cheated.

TEXT 205

raghunatha asi’ yabe ravane marila
agni-pariksa dite yabe sitare anila

After Ravana was killed by Lord Ramacandra, Sitadevi was brought before the
fire and tested.

TEXT 206

tabe maya-sita agni kari antardhana
satya-sita ani’ dila rama-vidyamana

TRANSLATION

When the illusory Sita was brought before the fire by Lord Ramacandra, the
fire-god made the illusory form disappear and delivered the real Sita to
Lord Ramacandra.

TEXT 207

sunina prabhura anandita haila mana
ramadasa-viprera katha ha-ila smarana

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this story, He was very pleased, and He
remembered the words of Ramadasa Vipra.

TEXT 208

e-saba siddhanta suni’ prabhura ananda haila
brahmanera sthane magi’ sei patra nila

TRANSLATION

Indeed, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard these conclusive statements from
the Kurma Purana, He felt great happiness. After asking the brahmanas’
permission, He took possession of the manuscript leaves of the Kurma Purana.

TEXT 209

nutana patra lekhana pustake deoyaila
pratiti lagi’ puratana patra magi’ nila

TRANSLATION

Since the Kurma Purana was very old, the manuscript was also very old. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu took possession of the original leaves in order to have
direct evidence. The text was copied onto new leaves in order that the
Purana be replaced.

TEXT 210

patra lana punah daksina-mathura aila
ramadasa vipre sei patra ani dila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to southern Mathura [Madurai] and delivered
the original manuscript of the Kurma Purana to Ramadasa Vipra.

TEXTS 211-212

sitayaradhito vahnis
chaya-sitam ajijanat
tam jahara dasa-grivah
sita vahni-puram gata

pariksa-samaye vahnim
chaya-sita vivesa sa
vahnih sitam samaniya
tat-purastad aninayat

TRANSLATION

“When he was petitioned by Mother Sita, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an
illusory form of Sita, and Ravana, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false
Sita. The original Sita then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord
Ramacandra tested the body of Sita, it was the false, illusory Sita that
entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original Sita from
his abode and delivered her to Lord Ramacandra.”

PURPORT

These two verses are taken from the Kurma Purana.

TEXT 213

patra pana viprera haila anandita mana
prabhura carane dhari’ karaye krandana

TRANSLATION

Ramadasa Vipra was very pleased to receive the original leaf manuscript of
the Kurma Purana, and he immediately fell down before the lotus feet of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu and began to cry.

TEXTS 214-218

After receiving the manuscript, the brahmana, being very pleased, said,
“Sir, You are Lord Ramacandra Himself and have come in the dress of a
sannyasi to give me audience.

“My dear Sir, You have delivered me from a very unhappy condition. I request
that You take Your lunch at my place. Please accept this invitation.

“Due to my mental distress I could not give You a very nice lunch the other
day. Now, by good fortune, You have come again to my home.”

Saying this, the brahmana very happily cooked food, and a first-class dinner
was offered to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed that night in the house of the brahmana.
Then, after showing him mercy, the Lord started toward the Tamraparni River
in Pandya-desa.

COMMENT

The chastity of Mother Sita is glorified in similar terms in the summary of
the pastimes of Lord Ramacandra in the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Because Ravana had been cursed by the anger of Mother Sita, his armies were
vanquished and ultimately he was killed.

te ‘nikapa raghupater abhipatya sarve
dvandvam varutham ibha-patti-rathasva-yodhaih
jaghnur drumair giri-gadesubhir angadadyah
sitabhimarsa-hata-mangala-ravanesan

“Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramacandra faced the
elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots of the enemy and hurled against
them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs, and arrows. Thus the soldiers of Lord
Ramacandra killed Ravana’s soldiers, who had lost all good fortune because
Ravana had been condemned by the anger of Mother Sita.” (SB 9.10.20)

After Ravana had been killed, his wife, Mandodari, praised the power of
Mother Sita’s chastity, addressing her husband:

na vai veda maha-bhaga
bhavan kama-vasam gatah
tejo ‘nubhavam sitaya
yena nito dasam imam

“O greatly fortunate one, you came under the influence of lusty desires, and
therefore you could not understand the influence of Mother Sita. Now,
because of her curse, you have been reduced to this state, having been
killed by Lord Ramacandra.” (SB 9.10.27) In his purport to this verse, Srila
Prabhupada explains that any woman who follows the example of Mother Sita’s
chastity and service can attain similar power–and that in fact women should
follow her ideal example. “Not only was Mother Sita powerful, but any woman
who follows in the footsteps of [m]{M}other Sita can also become similarly
powerful. There are many instances of this in the history of Vedic
literature. Whenever we find a description of ideal chaste women, Mother
Sita is among them. Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, was also very chaste.
Similarly, Draupadi was one of five exalted chaste women. As a man must
follow great personalities like Brahma and Narada, a woman must follow the
path of such ideal women as Sita, Mandodari, and Draupadi. By staying chaste
and faithful to her husband, a woman enriches herself with supernatural
power.”

Although Mother Sita was completely pure and chaste, some ignorant citizens
criticized Lord Rama for accepting her back after she had been abducted by
Ravana, and to preserve His authority as king–for the benefit of the
citizens–He was obliged to consign her to the care of the great sage
Valmiki Muni.

By her transcendental qualities and devotional service, Sitadevi attracted
her husband, Lord Ramacandra, the Personality of Godhead. And after she
completed her pastimes on earth, He remained absorbed in thought of
her–while perfectly executing His royal duties–until He followed her, to
continue their eternal lila in the spiritual world.

munau niksipya tanayau
sita bhartra vivasita
dhyayanti rama-caranau
vivaram pravivesa ha

“Being forsaken by her husband, Sitadevi entrusted her two sons to the care
of Valmiki Muni. Then, meditating upon the lotus feet of Lord Ramacandra,
she entered into the earth.” (SB 9.11.15)

tac chrutva bhagavan ramo
rundhann api dhiya sucah
smarams tasya gunams tams tan
nasaknod roddhum isvarah

“After hearing the news of Mother Sita’s entering the earth, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead was certainly aggrieved. Although He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, upon remembering the exalted qualities of Mother
Sita, He could not check His grief in transcendental love.” (SB 9.11.16) Of
course, the Lord’s grief upon hearing the news of Sitadevi’s entering the
earth was not material. In the spiritual world there are also feelings of
separation, but such feelings are a manifestation of the Lord’s internal
pleasure potency (hladini-sakti) and give rise to transcendental
bliss–although they resemble the miserable feelings experienced by ordinary
men and women who are materially attached to each other.

tata urdhvam brahmacaryam
dharyann ajuhot prabhuh
trayodasabda-sahasram
agnihotram akhanditam

“After Mother Sita entered the earth, Lord Ramacandra observed complete
celibacy and performed an uninterrupted Agnihotra-yajna for thirteen
thousand years.” (SB 9.11.18)

smaratam hrdi vinyasya
viddham dandaka-kantakaih
sva-pada-pallavam rama
atma-jyotir agat tatah

“After completing the sacrifice, Lord Ramacandra, whose lotus feet were
sometimes pierced by thorns when He lived in Dandakaranya, placed those
lotus feet in the hearts of those who always think of Him. Then He entered
His own abode, the Vaikuntha planet beyond the brahmajyoti.” (SB 9.11.19)

Sri Sri Sita-Rama ki jaya!

Now, there is an important lesson for all of us here, whether we are in the
bodies of men or women: Sitadevi is the energy of Lord Rama, the property of
Lord Rama, and to take the property of the Lord for one’s sense
gratification is demonic. Ravana was a scholar, a devotee of Lord Siva, and
he had many, many good qualifications. However, he had one fault that put
him in the category of demons: he wanted to take the Lord’s property and
enjoy it for himself. As we have been discussing–and maybe
realizing–people in Kali-yuga have two sides: the devotee side and the
demon side. The demon side wants to take the property of the Lord and enjoy
it, like Ravana. So we must be careful that the demonic side does not become
predominant. Otherwise, just as Ravana and his whole dynasty were destroyed,
our spiritual life will be destroyed.

What is the difference between material and spiritual? When people challenge
us, “You are living in a marble palace, you are using telephones, computers,
tape recorders, and automobiles, so you are involved in materialism,” how do
we reply? We reply, “We are using everything in the service of the Lord.
What is used in the service of the Lord is no longer material but becomes
spiritual.” And it is true. The temple is spiritual because it is dedicated
to the service of the Lord, and all the paraphernalia used in the Lord’s
service is spiritual. So there is no contamination. However, if we use the
paraphernalia meant for the service of the Lord for our own sense
gratification, then it is no longer spiritual. It becomes maya. Ravana
wanted to take Rama’s Sita, but he couldn’t touch the original Sita. He
could get only the maya Sita. Similarly, the Lord’s paraphernalia is
spiritual when engaged in the Lord’s service, but if we try to use the same
things for our sense gratification, they become maya.

We should not be complacent and assume, “I am a devotee and everything I do
is spiritual. Even if I handle money, it is spiritual because it’s for
Krsna.” If it is for Krsna, it is spiritual, laksmi, but if it is used for
our sense gratification, it becomes material, maya. So we must be careful in
every situation–in every activity, every transaction–to consider: Am I
doing this for Krsna or for sense gratification? If an activity is done for
Krsna, it becomes spiritual, but if that same activity is done for sense
gratification, it becomes material. All the things we have, all the
paraphernalia, which are meant for Krsna’s service, become maya if we use
them for sense gratification. So we should be very careful, especially if we
take donations from the public. In the temple we take donations from the
public–directly or indirectly. Even if we don’t directly take donations, we
are using donations for our service, so we should take care that the
donations we take from the public are used exclusively in transcendental
devotional service and not one cent is used for sense gratification. If we
use any of it for sense gratification, we are implicated in a cheating
process, because the public think they are giving the money for Krsna’s
service but in fact we are using it for sense gratification.

Srila Prabhupada said that if we take money in the name of Krsna’s service
and then use it for sense gratification, we become debtors to the people who
gave us the money. In other words, we are supposed to be only peons,
carrying the money from the donor to the Lord–like Hanuman. He went to
liberate Sita from Ravana, not to keep her for himself but to deliver her to
Lord Rama. So we should be like Hanuman. We should liberate Sita from the
hands of whomever and deliver her to Rama. We are not meant to touch her. If
we do, we’ll have to come back in another life and pay our debt to the
people from whom we took the money. So, these are subtle laws, and Srila
Prabhupada was concerned that we should not become victims of our desires
for sense gratification. Therefore he explained everything very clearly, so
that we can be conscientious and use the Lord’s property only for the Lord’s
service. Then we will be like Hanuman, the great devotee who got the mercy
of Lord Rama. But if we try to use the Lord’s property for our sense
gratification, we become like Ravana and we will be destroyed.

On this occasion, we pray to Mother Sita to bless us to become pure-hearted
servants like Hanuman, Laksmana, and Mother Sita herself–and to save us.
Whatever Ravana-like demonic tendencies we have, let them be vanquished by
her mercy, by her will, so we may continue in our devotional service without
any impediment and ultimately attain pure love (prema), our ultimate goal.

Sri Sri Sita-Rama-Laksmana-Hanuman ki jaya!
Sri Sita-navami ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

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