Honoring Parvati

A godsister recently left her body [passed away]. This is always difficult for me, but more-so when I knew the person. Actually, I am simply lucky to have met her.

Parvati devi dasi lived across the street from me for a while. At my house she told me that she a made children version "Krsna Book." I became excited about this, wanting one for my children. But next she said that the BBT was out of stock. Ok, I surrendered.

Yet, later she surprised me. Parvati took one from her private stock, walked over to my door, and handed it to me. [If memory serves, she did not have many - at all.] Months later, I obtained the second volume from her. 

Parvati told me she wrote these for her children; that she wished she could read them bedtime stories but did not have any [Krishna Conscious ones]. Therefore, she made her own. 

And of course getting them published, they were for the rest of the devotee children as well. I still have mine and now my grandchildren benefit from them.

Another time, Parvati came over my house with her hair twisted and stuck in a fan. She was trying to dry it, but the fan snapped it up! And she had a lot of hair! :)

There we were, an hour or more - probably more ha - trying to get her hair to unwind. While we did not get it all out, we did make an improvement.

At that time her girls were about 2 and 4 years old. Long ago.  :) Here is a pic of her two grown girls now, with Parvati in bed at the hospital:

[Thank you Mahadevi Dasi for the pics!]

Eventually her and I both moved away from that particular temple to different temples. When I attended Ratha Yatra in California, I bumped into her at that festival.

Secretly I felt she was an "A" list devotees :), but not coming from her at all. Just someone that would be hard for me to get near, or maintain - because she was a staunch devotee very busy in service. However, as much of a warrior that Parvati was, she also was very nice! As soon as she saw me at RathaYatra, she was so friendly, talked to me about topics you would only share with a friend. It was as if no time passed! She was humble, and she was real.
 
Next, many more years passed and I wondered what happened to Parvati. Eventually found out she was doing service via Prabhupada's samadhi. Therefore she was in India. Wonderful!

Accepting I'd probably never see her again if she was in India, I also was very happy for her to be there.

Additionally, it was good because when the time came, she got to leave her body in Vrindavan!

I'm sad, and a little startled that Parvati left. Thought she was getting better, but that was most likely my idealism.  Well, three times the doctors expected that she would not make it over night, and three times she pulled through. Once even asking for papaya. :) 

It was the fourth time that she departed, after she was moved from the hospital back to her home located in Vrindavana. Hmmmm

Therefore I'm simultaneously happy she left in the Holy Dhama and is with Prabhupada and Krishna somewhere. Certainly she is busy in some type of devotional service to the Lord. 

I will miss you Parvati, but you go girl! I know you're up to something. A very good something. Hare Krishna on up to you.
 

NrsimhaDeva

Many do not understand Lord NrsimhaDeva [also spelled NaraSimhaDeva] I hope to make this post a simple but direct explanation of how we devotees have accepted worshiping a half man/half animal. 

First, He is not an animal. Everything originally was created by God, and thus we have this transcendental Lion form. But that may not be enough for some, which is fine. So here's more:

Understand, God is unlimited. Many say or think: "Well, yes, of course God is unlimited." If we believe that, we need to accept He can appear however He darn well pleases. :)  But why a lion, or half lion/half man? Details on that will be clarified below. First....

I am trying to have compassion & understanding that this form as God is difficult to fit into the brain. It can be hard or at least a bit unclear, to some, why God would choose to appear in these various ways.

Over time & with explanation, anyone can comprehend it. Maybe God is having fun. After all, these are pastimes. Maybe He is protecting his devotee. Devotees don't like to say "maybe" as it's often viewed as speculation. I was just having fun, not speculating as you will see below. Anyhow, there are many reasons we may not initially have thought up, He did. :)

However, I'd like to add a point I do not feel I have brought up before, at least not here. 

Looking at various religions, we see similar belief in the unusual. For example, from the Bible we have a person who turned to salt, Noah's Arc, a burning bush, and much more. All of which many believe deeply. 

Kindly do not assume I don't or do believe in these. I have not disclosed that here. It would take a huge post to explain my point of view on those. Simply pointing out - if one can believe the Biblical "Jonah and the Whale," please make room for Nrsimhadeva. 

Next, a young 5 year old boy [named Prahlada] was being severely, SEVERELY, abused by his father. Actually, his father tried to murder him, repeatedly.

HaranYaKashiPu (the dad), was a very powerful king. Yet he increased that strength by preforming austerities reputed to grant mystical power too. 

As a reward for such austerities, he asked to be blessed to never ever die. Lord Brahama [a demi-god, not to be confused with God], told him he could not grant such a blessing. 

This clever father [HaranYaKashiPu] said fine, then benedict me that I shall never be killed in daytime nor night. Not inside nor outside. Not by any weapon, not by any man nor by any animal.  ....You get the picture. :) 

Brahama said ok. To make a long story short, when Lord Nrsimha [God] appeared, He made sure not to break any of those promises. 

Haranyakashipu was not killed in the day nor the night, but at twilight. He did not die inside nor outside, but in between the two, on a threshold on the Lords lap. He also did not die by any weapon but by the Lords transcendental nails. He was not killed by any man and not by any beast - but by a half man/half lion transcendental incarnation of Krishna known as Lord Nrsimhadeva. 

In order to protect little child Prahlada, who also was a devotee, Lord Narasimha appeared in this way to still observe the promises, yet to make the abuse and chronic attempts at murder - stop.

Some may wonder, "Why didn't God just zap Haranyakashipu with mercy, healing, etc?" 

The answer is long and I'm trying to keep this post short. Simply put: In his past life Haranyakashipu was a devotee but made a big offense. Karmic reaction / consequences presented them-self. Yet a type of mercy was given. He was offered a choice. Did he want to take many births as a devotee, or shorten all those births as demon? 

Haranyakashipu himself made the choice to take birth as a demon and be killed by God. When one is killed by God, he or she is immediately liberated!

The other day was Lord NarasimhaDeva's Appearance day and on fb I often wonder how my nondevotee pious friends  handle this. I become a tiny bit concerned posting about Him, for their sake of course. I will always post about God, but wish to do so with explanations when needed. Thus this blog post. Hope I've cleared up any confusion about this wonderful incarnation, because He is here to protect you! 

Scripture: "When Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared, Prahlāda Mahārāja was never afraid of Him, whereas his atheist father was immediately faced with death personified and was killed. Therefore, although Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva appears as death for an atheist like Hiraṇyakaśipu, He is always kind and is the reservoir of all pleasure for the devotees like Prahlāda. A pure devotee is not, therefore, afraid of birth, death, old age and disease."  Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto, also known as Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 87

"In the Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva says: 'Anyone who prays unto Me and takes shelter from Me becomes My ward, and I protect him always from all sorts of calamities."   Source: Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 11

  

Full "Nectar Of Devotion" / free book, opens here.

Poem

      Poem for Srila Prabhupada - By Saradiya devi dasi

[Lovely poem composed by one of Prabhupada's early disciples.]

Our tears falling like rain

Come back to see You again.

You we have come to meet,

Bow down at Your Lotus Feet;

To hear Your nectarine words,

Praise of the Supreme Lord.

Your presence like morning dew,

You're covered with golden hue.

So long waited for this time,

That again could bathe in Your shine.

Still, the whole truth is not in meeting,

But in separation; that’s Your teaching.

This is actually more sweet

Than touching Your Lotus Feet.

Because that is our life’s perfection:

Feeling love for You in separation.

By Saradiya Dasi, 1968