De heiligen in de Bhutabhrteshwarnath mandir staan op de muren van deze prachtige tempel afgebeeld. Aaradhakananda, een bewoner van de ashram, beschrijft op zijn Facebook-pagina het leven van deze heiligen. Een unieke kans om tien Vaishnava heiligen en Alvars (heilige poëten) te leren kennen en over de diepe kracht van overgave te lezen.
Ramanujacharya leefde in de elfde eeuw. Sri Ramanuja Acharya benadrukte bhakti, overgave, chanting, het herhalen van mantra (japa mala) en de relatie tussen de Guru en de discipel. Hij zag Shriman Narayana als de Hoogste, oorspronkelijke Godheid. Hij speelde een belangrijke rol in het zich opnieuw vestigen van het Vaishnavisme in India, in een tijd dat het Zuiden door het Shaivisme werd gedomineerd. Hij leerde ons dat de Jiva (ziel), Jagat (universum) en God de drie Waarheden zijn. Hij zei dat God de wereld ook heeft geschapen, wat betekent dat de wereld niet onwaar kan zijn. Ramanujacharya zei dat de relatie tussen het universum en God dezelfde is, als die tussen de zon en zijn stralen. De Jiva en Jagat zijn derhalve delen van God en niet onecht. De theorieën van Ramanuja waren revolutionair. In zijn uitleg bestond er geen discriminatie. Hij geloofde dat de handelingen van Brahmin, Brahmin zijn. Er is geen Brahmin van geboorte of welke kaste dan ook. Hij behandelde alle rassen gelijkwaardig.
stenen murti van Ramanuja, Srirangam temple, India
De belangrijkste mantra die Hij ons leerde was OM Namo Narayanaya.
Toen Ramanuja zijn levenswerk had volbracht, ging hij in trance om zijn lichaam te verlaten, maar het luide gehuil van zijn devotees bracht hem terug naar het aardse bewustzijn. De devotees vroegen hem langer te blijven, waarmee hij instemde en hen nog drie dagen gaf. Tijdens deze drie dagen schonk hij al zijn wijsheid aan de aanwezigen. Uiteindelijk gaf hij zijn lichaam over en keerde hij terug naar de verblijfplaats van Heer Narayana. Hij stierf op 120-jarige leeftijd in 1137 AD. Zijn fysieke lichaam (dat stolde en veranderde in een stenen murti, zie foto boven) wordt zelfs tot op de dag van vandaag in zittende positie bewaard in de Samadhi, die aan hem is opgedragen op de zuidwestelijke hoek, op de vijfde omgang van de Srirangam tempel, zoals bevolen door Heer Ranganath zelf.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu en Sri Nityananda Prabhu is de Heer die 500 jaar geleden incarneerde. Chaitanya was Radha-Krishna Zelf. Nityananda is Adishesh (de slang). Zij zijn altijd bij elkaar. Ze hebben vele prachtige leela’s op de aarde gespeeld. Ze hebben het zingen van de Namen van God wijd verspreid, als de gemakkelijkste en hoogste weg naar bevrijding. Ze spelen ook een belangrijke rol in het bloot leggen van het verleden van Radha-Krishna en brachten zo de glorie van Vrindavan terug. De Maha mantra die in Kanchi in Zuid-India, als universele mantra werd onderwezen, werd aan Hen opgedragen. Alle glorie aan deze prachtige vorm van God! NitaiGaura Premanande! Haribol!
Bhajo Nitai Gaur Radhe Shyam Japa Hare Krishna Hare Rama
Betekenis: we aanbidden en dienen Gauranga en Nithyananda, die de belichamingen van Radha Krishna zijn, en we chanten de heilige Namen ‘Hare Krishna Hare Rama’ om deze dienst te verrichten.
De mantra komt van Radharamancaran Das Babaji, een groot Vaishnava Heilige, die leefde in de 19e eeuw in Navadvip, India. De mantra kan in een aantal delen worden opgesplitst. Ten eerste bieden we onze dienst aan (Bhajo). Wat is dienstbaarheid? Ten behoeve van de wereld (Nitai Gaur) offeren we de kwaliteiten van Sri Nityananda en Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, namelijk compassie en devotie in de vorm van energie. Waarvoor wordt deze dienst geleverd? Het verspreiden van compassie en devotie zal naar het bereiken van het doel van het leven, de Lotus Voeten van Sri Radha Krishna (Radhe Shyam), leiden. Tot slot, hoe leveren we deze dienst? Dit wordt allemaal bereikt door het herhaaldelijk chanten van de Maha Mantra (Japa Hare Krishna Hare Rama).
Purandaradasa was born in Karnataka in 1494. He was named Srinivasa Nayaka. The boy grew up, receiving a good education and he was very proficient in Kannada, Sanskrit and in music. Initially, Srinivasa Nayaka was not drawn towards the spiritual path. He continued with the family business and increased it multifold. He was known as ‘Navakoti Narayana’ a man of abundant wealth, but he was a miser who would not give a coin to anyone. A poor Brahmin frequently visits Srinivasa Nayaka’s shop and asks him for help. To put him off, Srinivasa Nayaka one day gives him a few worthless coins and tells him not to come back. The Brahmin then meets Srinivasa Nayaka’s wife, who’s a kind-hearted lady. Moved by the Brahmin’s story, she gives him her nose-stud which was a gift from her mother. The Brahmin goes to Srinivasa Nayaka and tries to sell this jewel to him. Identifying his wife’s jewel, Srinivasa Nayaka locks it away and rushes back to his house. He confronts his wife, tells him how he got the jewel and angrily demands that she show him her nose stud to him if she has it. Unable to answer him, she prays to Lord Krishna, and miraculously, the jewel appears in her palm. This incident changes Srinivasa Nayaka’s life and he realizes that it was the Lord Himself who had come to correct him. He then gives up all his wealth and starts a new life with his family. After his renunciation, Srinivasa Nayaka became the disciple of the great saint Vyasaraja, who gave him the title Purandara Vittala, after the Lord of Pandarpur. From that day on, Srinivasa Nayaka came to be known as Purandara Dasa. Purandara Dasa is said to have composed around 475,000 songs, in Kannada and Sanskrit. Only about a 1000 are available now. Purandara Dasa’s songs express his love for Lord Narayana, especially Sri Krishna. He sings of various aspects of Sri Krishna’s life. Purandara Dasa is considered to be the father of Carnatic Music, as he formalized the music system which was a blend of various traditions of South India.
St Narsi Mehta
Narsi Mehta belonged to a Vadanagar Nagar-Brahmin family of Junagarh in Kathiawar, Gujarat. He was born of a very poor family. From his very boyhood he had great devotion to Lord Krishna. He lived with his brother. All the time he kept singing songs on Krishna and Gopi Lila and dancing in ecstasy. As he did not care a bit for any of the household matters and as he did not earn anything, his brother’s wife taunted and ill-treated him. Narsi Mehta never entertained any idea of earning his livelihood. He had the firm conviction that Lord Krishna would provide him with all his wants. This was due to his previous Samskaras. He was of a happy-go-lucky nature. He did Tapasya at Gopinath, situated on the seaside. He had the Darshan of Lord Krishna through the grace of Lord Siva. He came back to his house and got married. He had a son by name Shyamaldass and a daughter by name Kunwarbai.
Narsi Mehta was a contemporary of Mira Bai. He had Sakhya Bhav.
Many miracles happened in Narsi Mehta’s life. He had direct Darshan of Lord Krishna on several occasions. Once he was moving with his brother along a road. He was very hungry. He could not get any food on the way. There Lord Krishna took the form of a shepherd boy and gave him good food in a small cottage. Narsi asked his orthodox brother to partake of the food and said to him that it was Lord Krishna Himself who was serving him. His brother had no faith. Narsi and his brother continued their journey onwards. Narsi’s brother forgot to take his vessel from the cottage. He ran back to the place and found out the vessel, but there was neither cottage nor shepherd boy. Narsi’s devotion was of a unique nature. He has pointed out to the world the true path of devotion. That is the reason why he still lives in our hearts, why his inspiring song, ” Vaishnava Janato Thene Kahiye”, which gives a fine description of a true Vaishnava, is sung even today by all the Bhaktas.
Haridasa Thakur, a fifteenth century contemporary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He became well-known for his constant chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, which upset the Muslim government of his time (He was born Muslim). He was ordered to either stop chanting or be beaten and chose to keep chanting.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu declared Haridasa Thakura to be the namacharya or the person who most exemplifies how to best chant the holy names of Krishna. His mood and behaviour was ideal and perfect as a devotee. He made a vow to chant the mahamantra 300.000 times days, what jendulfilled piously.
Haridasa Thakur had a handsome form with all aristocratic features. Highly intellectual, he won all debates in Sanskrit and philosophy. Yet, he never lost his temper. In his youth, he became famous for his extreme devotion and ascetism. Though born in a Muslim family, when he became a Vaisnava, even brahmanas would eagerly smear their bodies with the dust of his feet. At the end of his life Srila Haridas Thakur gave up his life at the Feet of Gauranga while completely absorbed in chanting the names of Krishna.
