Krishna's Names

Sometimes at work, I end up with nothing at all to do while I wait for some tasks to be assigned to me. Obviously, I get really bored and try to come up with ways to entertain myself. I'll open up Excel, type down numbers, count the seconds, count in French, make lists, etc.

Yesterday, I thought I'd try to see how many names of Krishna I knew. I was sad to see that I only remembered about 10-12 names. Upon racking my brains, I got that number to about 20-25. Good enough, I thought. I wanted to reread the list.

Little did I know Krishna's joy was hiding somewhere. As I reread the list, Krishna's leelas flooded my mind. Each name reminded me of the story behind it. Each leela appeared before my eyes, but fast forwarded. 'Ranchoddrai' because he left a fight, 'Madhusudana' because he killed the demon Madhu, 'Govardhandhari' because he lifted the Govardhan hill... Each leela was played out in front of me and before I knew it, I was swelling with fond rememberance of his pastimes, smiling at my monitor like a mad girl, but my heart was in a whole other world.

 What a glorious way to spend my time! If only I could do this always! It would be nice to think of Krishna all the time! It feels soooooo gooooood! If only thinking of his wonderful names can create such a beautiful experience, imagine what being in his company will do! The Lord is so merciful that he has invested his potencies in all his names. Therefore even calling his name is as good as being in direct association with him. Could he make it any more easier for us to reach him?!

 Some of my favourite names of Krishna are: 'Madhav' meaning bringer of springtime; 'Krishna' meaning all-attractive; 'Gopinath' meaning Lord of the gopis; 'Keshav' meaning beautiful haired; and 'Madan' meaning the Lord of Love. What are some of your favorite names of Krishna and their meanings? Leave comments please :)

Lord Hari-please attract me more!

As without the sunlight, the lotuses can’t blossom, without Hari’s sweet & kind intention to attract me, I can’t think of him….

Kodhai(Andal) lived for 15 years absolutely immersed in Hari bakthi…If only I could get just 5 mins from her 15 years, I’ll consider myself lucky! And during those precious 5 mins(generously shared by my elder sister Kodhai), I shall grab his beautiful lotus feet and ask him, “Hari, let me constantly have this love for you ever & ever…no matter how many births this soul awaits to take, let me always be bound by your love….let this heart be filled with over-flowing passion for you! Let this mind & intelligence be fixed on you! Let me please you with my thoughts & deeds! Let this mouth always sing your names and your glories, let this ears always hear about you! Let me forget myself in thoughts of you…….let me unite with you!”


For what better purpose this birth was blessed on me?
Only to please Hari, serve Hari, Talk about Hari, Write about Hari…..above all, Love Hari whole-heartedly!! What else can give this happiness? What else can give this pain? Who else other than Hari can make me so crazy? Who else can this heart hold when there is no space literally as Hari has occupied all the space!


I have never loved anyone so much, have never been angry with anyone so much, have never craved for anyone so much, have never talked about anyone so much, have never cried for anyone so much, have never laughed so much, have never been aroused so much, …..all the emotions are directed to him. Like how the waves belong to the sea alone, all my emotions are greedily taken by that Hari……yet everything feels so little…not even close to the size of a drop of water in the ocean…..why do I want Vaikuntam? Why Do I want heavenly planets? All that this heart yearns is to love him more, experience this love for him again & again & again…..


Oh!! Mother Earth is my home----will return here as much as possible to think of him, wander hither & thither singing about him, Shall be housed in a place encircled with sweet & colorful flowers which I shall pluck singing about him, deeply immersed in love, make beautiful garlands and decorate him, Shall decorate myself with sweet smelling flowers and beautiful attire for him to gaze at me & embrace me, shall rag him, chide him, play with him, be mad at him until he consoles me, shall grab him and celebrate love with him……shall make him happy, so happy that he sheds tears of joy! Shall give him immense pleasure to the extent that he starts to sweat and pant! Oh! What will I do to ease the situation for him other than stroke his beautiful hair with my delicate fingers!!! Shall cook for him, serve him & fan him while he eats.., as a gift for the delicious food I shall partake some food along with him…..shall massage him with oil and bathe him……though his wife I shall take care of him like a child!!! Vaikuntam cannot facilitate as much as my mother Earth facilitates me----!!!! I keep asking myself then…..”Ok what is the end then? When only will this soul reach Vaikuntam-his abode and unite with him eternally?” My only answer is…”Hari only cares!!!! Who am I to care? Only He belongs to me……He decides every step for me….When He is there why should I keep wondering about other things?” All that I want is “BIRTH” to love HIM and unite with himJ- He only gives desires….He is the DOER! Who am I but a puppet in his hands!!


I beg him to attract me more to him!

Message to Lord Hari..

Hmm My Lord Hari, won’t you come out of your intricate maze and reveal yourself to me?

You are the one who stole this heart and now how could you be so detached from me?

You are one who came chasing me but the moment I looked around to find you, YOU have GONE to the invisible city to which no one knows the route!!!(atleast I do not know the route)…

The more I try to find you, the more you hide behind the screens…

The more I try to understand you, you try to make it more complex for me by hiding in puzzles..

The more I want to be with you, looks like you make me chase you more vigorously…..I do get breathless Hari….!

The less or more I talk to you….your ONLY response is SILENCE!!! Am I talking to my bedroom walls Hari? Hmm…even in that case, the walls would have given me some response to my tears?

Is this fair on your part dear lord??

I have told my friends that you are easily approachable with a lot of confidence in you…now you are contradicting my understanding is it dear lord?

Is it a new test? Or a new game of love?

Whatever be it…..am yours! You have full authority on me. Am ALL yours for ever & ever! You may play any sort of game whether it brings smile on my face or tears on my eyes…both are same to me as long as this heart is glued to your enchanting form….

Dear Narayana.., If you are going to complain about my inadequate devotion to you & if you are going to establish that as a reason for not coming in front of me , dear Lord, here …I have only one response to all your complains……**am Surrender unto you totally**...Nothing belongs to me except YOU Hari! Am like a clay in your beautiful hands. You have to give your desired shape, color, size and make it your favorite pot! What control does the clay have Hari????? Can the poor clay turn into a beautiful huge colorful pot on its own? I can’t even untangle myself from materialistic complex knots all by myself without YOU then how do you expect me to please you Hari……?

You should only bless me to please you Hari……forever!

You should bless me to make you HAPPY…forever!

You should make me a worthy instrument in your hand….forever!

You should ALWAYS keep me attracted to you alone…..

The moment I place a cup of milk in a vessel and say, “krishnarpanam!” thinking about you, it becomes yours, isn’t it? I place myself on a bed of roses and say.., “Krishnarpanam!”……..only the roses reach you is it sweet Hari? I don’t think so my pillows get drenched in tears of those lucky roses Hari? ……oh if you have misunderstood……please watch me closely Hari…….my pillows get drenched out of my unstoppable tears………my bed sheets get drenched out of passion for YOU alone Hari…..

Nothing more can this shameless creature say Hari……

I Love you my dear lord…..perhaps it is nothing in front of your eyes after having immersed in the immense love of your other dear girlfriends and consorts BUT please remember dear Narayana this heart doesn’t crave for anyone or anything else as it craves for you! You have swallowed my entire heart and forgotten all about it totally L

tanvee's : radha-krishna in the forest painting :)

How will I be able to capture their eternal love story on a piece of paper?
Nevertheless, here is my small, innocent trial :)

PS: I don't post my creations on facebook, blogs etc for creative reasons, copyright reasons, modesty reasons and all sorts! lol!! But since LUEN has asked, and I since I love the blog...I will post a few in my future posts.
Today, i have chosen one that was right in front of me when i was reading my mails.

hope u all liked it! :)

Shri Krishna Sharanam Mamah!

The Pictures Say it All!

i have no words to describe the beautiful pics that follow...no catchy captions...no poetic uselessness...no pretend-smart comments...no words to describe the beauty and greatness of our dear Lord. So, do enjoy the feast!

Chanting Sri Hari's name saved us from danger!!!

Hai All,

Just returned yesterday from Badrinath trip. It was AWESOME! Had a miraculous experience on our way to badri and couldn't wait to share it with you guys. I would write an exclusive blog on Badri trip very shortly(perumal's grace) but before that I wanted to share the importance of his "Naama smaranam"-(chanting his wonderful names) & how much we are saved by him by just uttering his wonderful name. I do not have the capability to explain his love or his grace but I cannot stop myself from trying to explain his grace.....

After having visited Haridwar & Rishikesh , we were all set to head to Badrinath with so much of excitement. My heart was jumping out of joy to meet him. My Family members were listening to Vishnu sahasra naamam with immense devotion. I was constantly chanting his names while gazing at his beautiful mountains & picturing him in my mind throughout the trip. when all of a sudden we were shocked to notice rocks sliding down hitting our car left, right & center. I was on the right side were exactly the rocks rolled down & hit our car. When I saw a huge rock sliding down with so much of force I started shouting RAMAAAAAAAAAAA KRISHNAAAAAAAA and everybody in the car started shouting Rama!!!!! Krishna!!!!!....The huge rock hit our car leaving a very noticeable dent in the car. The glasses were broken to pieces including the headlights. The Tire was damaged severely & burning smell was coming out from the tires. So much happened to the car but not even a single small scratch happened to any of us in the car only because of his grace!!!! There was no way that our driver could stop the car or drive away from the landsliding area. If he had moved 3cms away towards his left our entire car would have fallen down from the mountain. The roads were so narrow and small in width.

That is the area where the landsliding took place. 

I was sitting by this window when this incident occurred & escaped without even a small scratch or a wound just because of his grace and Love.

I was seated on the right side as I told you and my MIL was seated just behind me. The huge rock hit exactly between me & my mom-in-law without causing us any pain or danger.

Cops & public gathered to offer us help and to check if we were wounded. Fortunately with his grace we were all safe & I started clicking pics to write a blog about his grace hehe....:-)) Perhaps he would have smiled tooo... "U & ur blog...........crazy girl" Yes I always want to be crazy about him. In my T.Nagar perumal koil, once one poojari asked me.., " why ma???? What is bothering you at this young age? Why do u cry so much whenever you come here????" I just smiled. Nothing hurts me and nothing troubles me.....its just the separation from him which brings ocean in my eyes and makes my heart as heavy as rocks.....and I don't see the rocks sliding down from my heart..... The only cure is to grab him & hug him.

His NAME, GRACE, LOVE always shields us from any sort of danger. 

On a lighter vein, take a look at my very personal idol of him which I keep it in my bedroom next to me. I am not allowed to touch or hug any vigrahams(idols) or photos in our pooja room. We are only supposed to do pooja and apply kumkum to the photos in pooja room. That was not sufficient for me....I wanted to express my love by hugging and kissing my lord always hence I kept this sweet perumal in my bedroom but my in-laws said, "no no you shouldn't have a single Krishna.... its incomplete you should always have Radhe krishna" I thought am perumal's radhe & we are always complete together. So now I have him next to me. I hug him, kiss him, place him on my lap, on my chest, sing for him, carry him & dance with him. My family members keep telling me, "U R inside the room locked most of the time" hahahahaha Only He knows why..........:-)))))

Namo Narayanaya namah!!!!!!!

Love U Govindha!!!!!!

Yeah...forgot to mention! After the accident, we took another car and drove the very next day to Badri & had his wonderful darshan.....Everything is due to his grace!

Hari bol......Lets chant his wonderful names always.

Madhuram madhuram HARI naamam inba theninum madhuram HARI naamam.....

OUR Sri Hari's names are sweeter than honey.....:-)))))

Govindha-longing to see YOU!

Oh Sri Hari, I just read about the way you have blessed one of your devotees...cannot stop thinking about you hence thought why not blog about YOU!

I can't wait to see you my charming Govindha....

I yearn for that wonderful moment of bliss

Air around me is filled with sigh being unable to hold U & kiss

"Radhe Govindha bajo" clapping & smiling, we dance in my imagination

My heart swells with ecstasy & am incapable of penning it in my narration

SriRanga natha, I imagine wrapping my arms lovingly around ur broad shoulders

peacefully wake up & look at me once with your lotus eyes sparkling with love ever

Enticed at ur naughty glance,I visualize embracing U with overflowing passion

without traces of ur Kasturi tilak on my cheek,my dream never attains completion

Love U Narayana! Love U!

Kirtaniya Sada Hari

Kirtaniya Sada Hari: Always chant the name of Lord Hari

I just watched a few minutes of a beautiful Kirtan on television. I cannot believe just how energized, spiritually charged, and filled-to-the-brim with Krishna's love I am feeling! I feel literally ecstatic. I want to scream and jump for joy, all in praise of Krishna!

The glories of kirtan, the glories of Krishna's beautiful names... oh, I wish they would just take over us!

Krishna's Holy Name is just so merciful and so beautiful. The Holy Name is freely available to all. The Holy Name loves you. You may have noticed that once you hear it, once you are part of a kirtan, and if you listen closely, giving just a little bit of attention to the Holy Name, it overflows with love for you and doesn't leave you. It stays there in your minds and in your hearts, on your tongues, and you can't resist singing along, even after the kirtan has stopped! Please do not stop the kirtan going on in your heart. Let it go on forever! It is the only way for your soul to express itself and to feel happiness. It is how Krishna makes Himself present in your life. He has freely given us His Holy Name to sing and chant and to express ourselves. So as He has given it to us, we must also give it to others. Sing so that others may hear, and sing so that you may hear. Just sing! Chant the Holy Name. It will help you to always remember Krishna. Sing His praises, sing His glories, and please the Lord by always remembering Him. Do you not feel happy when you find that someone whom you love dearly remembers you? This is how Krishna feels. We have gone far away from Him, and He is waiting for us to return. He is still loving us; He never stops loving us. And when we remember Him, it gives Him great joy. The Lord is unconquerable but He agrees to be bound by our love. Think of Him always. Glorify Him, for there is no one else who deserves our worship! Fall in love with the Holy Name - it is your gateway to Krishna.

Kirtaniya sada hari!

True Story - "A New Life"

Taken from: http://www.iskcondesiretree.net/profiles/blogs/a-new-life-true-story?xg_source=facebook

*****

In the San Diego ISKCON temple in USA, there was a gentleman called *Mr. Prakash*. He was a reserved type of person who would come regularly to the temple feasts but never really showed a lot of enthusiasm.

One day he had a severe heart attack and was rushed to hospital. During the surgery he almost passed away on four occasions. It was touch and go and he slipped into a coma. He remained that way for several weeks after.

Badrinaryana Prabhu is a senior ISKCON devotee and was hence requested by Mr Prakash's wife to please visit her husband even though he was in a coma and pray for him.

Badri prabhu dutifully obliged and several times went to his bedside and read from shastra and chanted to the unconscious Mr. Prakash.

One day Badri got a call from Mrs. Prakash saying “Please come quickly to the hospital. My husband has come out of the coma but he only wants to speak to you.”

Badri went there to find some relatives and hospital staff gathered around his bedside. When he saw Badri he began to speak. “Badri, four times they came, four times they came!”

The relatives present thought he was talking about them. “Yes, we came several times but you were in a coma!”

Mr. Prakash shook his head to indicate that was not what he was talking about. “No. Badri, four times they came!”

So then the hospital staff said, “Yes, we almost lost you four times! You were in a coma but somehow we saved you.”

Again he shook his head. “No. Badri, four times they came!”

Badri started to realize what he was referring to. “Who came prabhu? *The Visnudutas?*“

“No, it was the bad people *[Yamadutas]*! They came the first time to take me away. But I told them ‘I am simply dependent on Lord Krsna.’ So they went away.”

“Then they came a second time. Again I told them, ‘Do whatever you must, but I am simply depending on Lord Krsna.’ Again they went away.”

“Then they came the third time, and told me they would take me away. I told them again, ‘You do whatever you must do, but I am dependent on Lord Krsna.’ Again they left.”

“Then they came a fourth time. But this time some of the good people came (Visnudutas). When the bad people saw them they said ‘OK, we have no jurisdiction here’ and they left. Then I came out of my coma.”

He called Badri close and told him, *“Badri, before I was not serious. But now, 100%!”*

Mr. Prakash recovered and became one of the most enthusiastic and humble servants at the temple.

From this you can understand that what is happening during coma is completely different for a devotee than a *karmi*. Mr. Prakash was not initiated but he had some sense of dependence on Lord Krsna, so Krsna gave him the chance to increase his attachment.

Krishna's Holy Names

What's so special about Krishna's names? Why do we need to build our love and faith in Krishna's names? Why is chanting Krishna's holy names so important? What's so special about the names of God? Let's look at what great saints and our religious scriptures say about Krishna's names:

1. The way to self-realization

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

“In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”

- Adi 17.22 - Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

2. It is Krishna Himself

nama chintaminih krishnash
chaitanya-rasa-vigrahah
pumah shuddho nitya-mukto
'bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

The holy name of Krishna is like a transcendental touchstone, for it is Krishna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krishna's name is complete, and it is the form of transcendental mellows. It is always pure and liberated from all material contamination. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are identical.

- Padma Purana

3. The way to approach Krishna

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

- Siksashtakam Verse 2

4. Krishna's Holy Name can save us

jaya namadheya muni-vrinda-geya he
jana-ranjanaya param aksarakrite
tvam anadarad api manag udiritam
nikhilogra-tapa-patalim vilumpasi

O Harinama, who are sung by the sages! O You who have assumed the form of transcendental syllables that bring great happiness to all people! Even if You are spoken only once, and even if You are spoken disrespectfully or in jest, You at once remove the many terrible sufferings of everyone.

- Sri Krishna Namastakam Verse 2 by Srila Rupa Goswami

5. It is everything

kalyananam nidhanam kali-mala-mathanam pavanam pavananam

patheyam yan mumuksoh sapadi para-pada-praptaye procyamanam

visrama-sthanam ekam kavi-vara-vacasam jivanam saj-jananam

bijam dharma-drumasya prabhavatu bhavatam bhutaye krsna-nama

May Krsna's holy name, which is

(1) A reservoir of all transcendental happiness,

(2) The destruction of Kali-yuga's sins,

(3) The most purifying of all purifying things,

(4) The saintly person's food (or lunch) as he traverses the path to the spiritual world,

(5) The pleasure-garden where the voices of the greatest saints, philosophers, and poets play,

(6) The life of the righteous, and

(7) The seed of the tree of religion, bring transcendental auspiciousness to you all.

- Author unknown - Padyavali Text 19 by Srila Rupa Goswami

*****

So based on this, many beautiful things about Krishna's names can be understood. In this age of Kali-yuga, Krishna's name is His incarnation. When we call out His name, when we chant, our beloved Krishna is actually present with us, in the form of His Holy Name. They say that the Holy Name is a person - the Holy Name is in fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Radhanath Swami explains that Krishna is pure, and Krishna's name is absolute. It is non-different from Krishna Himself. Therefore His name is pure. So with Krishna's name, we can drive out all impurity and inauspiciousness. Nothing inauspicious can reside where there is the purity and presence of Krishna. Glories to Krishna!

Chanting of Krishna's name can help us develop Krishna prema or love for God. It can help us fall madly in love with Krishna. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches that in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, in this Kaliyuga, there is no other way of self-realization. Krishna's Holy Name is our only refuge. God has so mercifully given us this gift of chanting, of pronouncing and saying His Holy Name, in which He has vested innumerable potencies. He has vested Himself in His holy names. Why don't we say it as much? He has made it so incredibly easy for us to approach Him just by calling out His name! It can purify us, cleanse our hearts, give us peace, and most importantly, it can bring us closer to Krishna and help us reawaken our dormant love for Krishna. His names are always with us, dancing on our tongues.

Rather than us running after Krishna, the Holy Name is at our beck and call, for God is so merciful that He has given us this gift of chanting at any time, any place, and in any circumstance. God is so merciful that He has let go of all rules and regulations, and permitted us to say His holy names, to taste ecstasy and bliss, to sing and dance, all in love of His holy names. His names will help us to always remember Him. They are on our tongues. Soon, with the process of chanting, they will become etched in our hearts. It will el

iminate our forgetfulness of Krishna, and help us to remember Him at all times. Through His names, Krishna becomes manifest wherever we are, wherever we go. It is up to us where we want Him to be, and whether we want Him to be around us at all.

His name is there. It's always there, waiting to dance on your tongues.

Let it dance.