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Unveiling of the Bronze Bas Relief Panels depicting the life, works and mission of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:52 AM PDT

Srila Prabhupada Samadhi Mandir

Srila Prabhupada Samadhi Mandir
BY: PARVATI DEVI DASI
Oct 20, 2011 — VRNDAVANA DHAM, INDIA (SUN)

Announcement of the unveiling of the bronze bas relief panels depicting the life, works and mission of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, to take place at the Krishna Balarama Mandir in the divine Samadhi at Raman Reti, Vrndavana, Dist. Mathura, U.P., on 29 October 2011, 5 p.m.

We would be privileged if you would kindly grace our function with your esteemed presence for this momentous occasion. Nothing of this magnitude, import, beautiful artistry and craft has ever been produced before anywhere in the world at any time. Created by esteemed American sculptor Bhaktisiddhanta das, it will make an historic landmark in the art world as well as the culture of Vrndavana, Land of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON culture.

Please take time out of your busy schedule to honour us by attending this brief but extraordinary cultural event.

Your servants for ISKCON
and the Samadhi Mandir,
Pancagauda das, Temple President
Parvati devi dasi, Samadhi Servant

Pasted from; http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/news/10-11/news4035.htm

Sri Damodarastakam as explained by Visnujana Swami / Verse Six

Posted: 21 Oct 2011 05:47 AM PDT

O unlimited Visnu! O master! O Lord!

namo deva dāmodarānanta viṣṇo
prasīda prabho duḥkha-jālābdhi-magnam
kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyāti-dīnaḿ batānu
gṛhāṇeṣa mām ajñam edhy akṣi-dṛśyaḥ

namaḥ–I bow down; deva–O divine Lord!; dāmodara–O Lord whose belly is bound with a rope!; ananta–O limitless Lord!; viṣṇo–O allpervading Lord!; prasīda–be pleased; prabho–O my Master!; duḥkhajāla–a network of material miseries; abdhi-magnam–immersed in the ocean; kṛpā-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyā–by the rain of merciful glances; āti-dīnam–very fallen; bata–alas!; anugṛhāṇa–please accept; īśa–O supremely independent Lord!; mām–me; ajñam–ignorant; edhi–please come; akṣidṛśyaḥ–perceptible to my eyes.

6) O unlimited Visnu! O master! O Lord! Be pleased upon me! I am drowning in and ocean of sorrow and am almost like a dead man, Please shower the rain of mercy on me; uplift me and protect me with Your nectarean vision.

Purport
Feelings of love arise from the purity and potency of longing, and then is only satisfied to behold the beauty of Sri Krishna directly (saksat darsana). The supreme method (param-sadhana) to attain this goal is chanting the Holy Name (sri-nama-sankirtana). Satyavrata Muni begins this verse chanting the Holy Names. In his ecstasy, feelings of awe and reverence are abandoned by the elimination of the word tubhyam (unto You). This creates the mood of being in the personal presence of the Lord.

The name deva indicates, he divya-rupa, O Lord of divine beauty! This beauty is the cause for desiring personal darsana. The address damodara specifically refers to His glorious quality of coming under the sway of the devotee’s pure love for Him (bhakta-vatsala), even up to the point of allowing Himself to be bound. How is one able to see Him unless qualified by bhakti, pure devotional service? He who is unlimited with no end (ananta) indicates the Lord who is inconceivable, infallible, beginningless, and who has unlimited forms for sporting in divine pastimes. Because He is inconceivable, He can only become visible to our eyes by His power, not by our own power. Moreover, the name visnu connotes He who is all pervading. Thus there can be no difficulty for Him to appear before our eyes.

In the last line of the verse, isa refers to the supreme controller who is completely independent. The poet prays, “Please accept this prayer, O independent Lord, (grhanesa) for nothing can cause You to act. You may accept my entreaty or not by Your own sweet will. Still I will continue to hope.”

The word prasida indicates the mercy of prabhu, the supreme master. The devotee hopes that Sri Krishna is pleased with him and will benedict him with His mercy. Why? Because he is drowning in an ocean of misery (duhkha-jalabdhi-magnam). Specifically, duhkha denotes the pain of repeated birth and death, or the agony of being separated from the Lord’s presence. The illusion (jala) of the material world is like the vast, bottomless ocean (abdhi) in which we are drowning (magnam). This is the cause of our condition of extreme distress (ati-dinam). Another meaning is, due to being bereft of sadhu-sanga, the association of saintly devotees, we experience distress. Moreover, we are extremely distressed not being able to see You, my Lord.

The problem is compounded because of being ignorant about what to do (ajnam). Therefore, please bestow Your merciful glance like a shower of nectar (krpa-drsti-vrstya), thereby uplifting and enthusing us with life (anugrhana). Thereupon, please become visible before our eyes (edhy aksi drsyah). This is the significance of the prayer.

Purport pasted from: http://kksongs.org/authors/purports/namamisvaram_visnujana.html