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Re: kaNNan piRandhAn!

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Sadagopan • August 22, 1998 


Dear Sri Chandrasekhar :

Thanks for your note . I guess you intended to
copy your note to the other members .Hence I
am copying them .I am delighted to know that 
the Bangalore ISKON temple has the ArchA Murthys of 
Prahlada Varadan , Srinivasan besides Sri Krishnan ,
RaadhA RaaNi and Gauranga DevA .That is rather unique
combination for an ISKON temple .

You had asked as to who this Gauranga DevA is .
Number of our members following the Gaudiya VaishNavA 
tradition would have lot more precise  information on this subject .
I will say  a few words based on my limited understanding .

For the Gaudiya VaishNavAs , Sri Guru and Gauranga are very
important tattvams . A Gaudiya VaishNavA beleives that his/her
only hope in approaching RadhA KrishNA is by surrender at 
the lotus feet of Guru and Gauranga . BhakthAs of this faith
beleive in SaraNAgathi and they beleive further that "slavery"
(nithya Kaimkaryam ) to the Infinity is the highest freedom
( Muktha Jeevan ) . To them KrishNA is Maadhurya LilA ,which
is one step below audhArya Lila or Gaura LilA , which is recognized
as " the whole sale distribution of KrishNa prEmA " .In Brindhavanam ,
the "highest person " or position is held NOT by KrishNA ,
but by Sri RadhA RaaNi .The PrayOjana TattvA for the Gaudiya
VaishNavites is to be engaged in Her service ( Position of Sri
Devi and Her relationship to the Lord in our darsanam).
Sri GaurangA is the SOLE access to that plane of service .

Chaithanya MahA Prabhu born in Bengal ( 1486 AD ) was given
the name of GaurangA after his Upanayanam ceremony . A dear
fellow bhakthA by the name NithyAnandhA Prabhu preached 
about the greatness of Gauranga LilA .

In summary , GaurangA is the Combined form of 
Sri KrishNA ( VrajEsvarA ) and Sri RadhA RaaNi( Nappinnai?).
The supreme Lord combined with His inner pleasure
potency ( HlAdhini Sakthi ? ) appears in this world 
according to Gaudiya VaishNavAs as " the most merciful 
manifestation of God to distribute pure love for God
to the most fallen souls of this present age " . 

RadhA and KrishNA have in short come to this world 
in the form of Gauranga to "destroy the material world " .

I request my Gaudiya ViashNava friends to correct any
inaccuracies in this summary .

V.SadagOpan     
 


>The vigrahams on the right side were "Sri Krishnan 
>and Sri Balaraman", the left ones are those of Sri Gauranga 
>lifting both his arms above his head (other one I don't know; 
>also I don't know who this Sri Gauranga is) . Is he a saint 
>from Bengal?).  
>   adiyEn, 
>   chandrasekaran.