Symptoms of misfortune are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam as follows: daivena te hata-dhiyo bhavatah prasangat sarvasubhopasamanad vimukhendriya ye kurvanti kama-sukha-lesa-lavaya dina lobhabhibhuta-manaso ‘kusalani sasvat O Lord, people who lack the infinite joy that comes from chanting and … Read More
Bala Kanda Narada Muni Narrates the Ramayana to Valmiki Long time ago, when the sacred Veda books were studied, those who desired spiritual realization used to retreat to the sacred places of which India is still … Read More
Advaita Prabhu’s travels When Kubera Pandita and Nabha Devi disappeared, Advaita went to Gaya on the pretext of performing the appropriate rituals of mourning, and thence continued on a pilgrimage tour of all of India’s holy … Read More
When Vicitravirya was coming of age, Bhishma and Satyavati began to think about his eventual marriage. They learned that the three beautiful and virtuous princesses of Kashi, Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika had reached the right age … Read More
The Vaisvanara Samhita confirms that there are no strict rules regarding the time or purity for chanting the holy names: na desa-kala-niyamo na saucasuaca-nirnayah param sankirtanad eva rama rameti mucyate There are no restrictions … Read More
Acknowledgments We could not conclude this introduction without thanking those who made possible the publication of this book in English: Bhaktin Rosario, Isvara Dasa, Madhavendra Puri Dasa, Isvari Devi Dasi. Without them we would not have … Read More
Shantanu was not at all happy with his son’s oath, but Devavrata made him understand that this decision would prove to be good for both of them. Thankfully, the monarch blessed his son to die only … Read More
According to the Skanda Purana, Krishna has invested the holy names with all His powers: dana-vrata-tapas-tirtha-yatradinam ca yah sthitah saktayo devamahatam sarva-papa-harah subhah rajasuyasvamedhanam jnanasyadhyatma-vastunah akrsya harina sarvah sthapitah svesu namasu Whatever power they have, the … Read More
A few weeks passed and Devavrata realized that his father was neither happy nor calm as he was before, and he asked him why. Shantanu replied evasively and refused to reveal his secret. But as the … Read More
People are possessed by the most varied desires; therefore, You have distributed, thanks to Your mercy, many holy names. Whoever chants the holy name regardless of time or place, even while eating or sleeping, attains all … Read More
To Dispel Some Perplexities I am perfectly aware that when I affirm the historicity of the Ramayana, I arouse some perplexities in the minds of the readers. There are, in the narrative, numerous ideas that might … Read More
She took him home, and Shantanu asked the fisherman to give him Satyavati as his wife. The fisherman thanked the gods for the good fortune his daughter had, but asked that certain conditions be respected. “This … Read More
Bhajana in the morning Sadhu-sange anartha-nivrtti (Removal of the Anarthas through the association of devotees) There are no good or bad times to chant the holy names. As explained in the Siksastaka (2), the … Read More
In those days, among the upper social classes, the Kshatriyas were the only ones allowed to hunt, but only certain animal species. They thus learned to kill to defend their territories. One day, while Shantanu was … Read More
The Ramayana: Allegory or Historical Event? Not a few have referred to the Ramayana as an allegorical work, thus emptying it of its historical value. Many say that the Ramayana is actually a poetic description of … Read More
