LORD JAGANNATHA AND SAINT BALARAM DAS

Lord Jagannatha and saint Balaram Das.


 
Saint Balaram Das was a great devotee of lord jagannatha and he was such a lover of lord jagannatha that he was just feeling it that beyond jagannatha there is nothing other in this world. Once the famous saint who was the writer of Dandi Ramayan (Ramayan in Oriya language) got an idea to make a visit to lanka, which according to the Ramayan was once the capital city of the demon Ravana. He told this to lord Jagannatha and at the time of night he went to visit lanka along with lord Jagannatha. Jagannatha during that visit   told him to hold his gold jhari(A typical ornament of gold). After finishing their visit Balarama das forgot to return the ornament. But at the morning the priests found it that the ornament has been stolen by somebody and when Saint Balaram Das came with that he was accused as the thief and was taken to the court of the Gajapati king. But latter Gajapati found it by taking proves from lord jagannatha that Balaram Das is not guilty and he is a great devotee of lord Jagannatha. So he paid due respect to him.

But Balarama Das was in love with a prostitute called jamuna Bai. When once he was with The prostitute he found it that it was the very day of car festival and the chariots are going to be pulled. He ran to the Chariot of lord jagannatha but the priests found it that he has just returned from the prostitute and the turmerics and the lipsticks of the prostitute are still prevailing there on him. So the priests beated them and he returned.
With tears on his eye Balaram das went near the sea(Bay of Bengal) and   there he prepared three chariots on sand for the two brothers Jagannatha,Balabhadra  and their sister Goddess Suvadra.Praying with tears he told it that if you are truly my God then the chariots there will not move and you three will come to this sand chariots of mine.

Suddenly all the three chariots of the car festival stopped and  after a huge effort the people were unable to move them even one inch. Everybody got worried so finally the Gajapati king got the message and he along with the priests on fasting started praying to lord Jagannatha. Then Lord jagannatha appeared on his dreams and told them everything and told that I cannot tolerate the insults of my devotees. If you pay proper respect to Balaram das and will beg pardon to him then only along with him I will return to the chariots made by you. The king did accordingly and the chariots started moving along with his great devotee Balaram Das.

source (Extract from) : http://www.orissadiary.com/news.asp?id=20028
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KING DIVYA SINGHA DEV AND LORD JAGANNATHA

King Divya Singha Dev and lord Jagannatha

It was 12.07.1972 and it was the famous Car festival of that year. Prior to this the managerial aspects of Srimandira (Lord jagannatha's temple is called as Srimandira) were under direct control of the Gajapati king who is regarded the first servant of the lord Jagannatha. But prior to this year due to the improper managements of the Gajapati king the Government of Orissa removed the power from them to get involved with the managerial aspects of Srimandira and appointed an A.D.M. (Additional District Magistrate) to look into the matters of Srimandira Management.

Gajapati remained silent with this decision of Government of Orissa. The A.D.M. was a very punctual person but he had a wrong notion that man is arranging this car festival for the lord so to complete it in a proper manner the lord should come to the chariots in proper time. Within 10A.M. of that morning lord Balabhadra and Goddess Maa Suvadra came to their chariots according to the schedule. But when it was the case of lord Jagannatha it became impossible to bring him to the chariot. Because the more the people were trying more they were becoming unsuccessful to do that wanted. Those who tried to use force they got injured. Finally the people there including the ministers and the chief minister got harassed, as they had no way out. But at very moment king Divya Singh Dev was present there as he had to perform the cleaning ceremonies there in the chariots. He finished his job in the chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Maa Suvadra and came towards the chariot of lord Jagannatha but till then people were not able to lift lord Jagannatha to his chariot so he started weeping the king in his weeping voice told that "oh, lord this festival is yours and we all are just the facilitators please pardon on us please move to the chariot." And surprisingly this few words of the Gajapati king Divya Singh Dev created an astonishing result and the idle, which was unimaginably heavy before, became as light as a flower. And finally the lord went to the chariot probably on his smiles he was giving the message to the people and Government of Orissa that "My servant is every thing for me I will only listen to him not to anybody other else and I am not guided by anybody other, rather all the others of the world are guided by me as I am the all mighty.

source (Extracted from ) : http://www.orissadiary.com/news.asp?id=20028
 - See more at: http://www.orissadiary.com/news.asp?id=20028#sthash.mUEPRU9C.dpuf

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ANGADA SINGH AND SRIJAGANNATHA

Angada Singh and Sri Jagannath

Durga Madhab Dash


Sri Jagannath is the all-merciful Lord. He is the ocean of profound divine love and fathomless
compassion. One cannot guess when He crowns. His devotees with mercy fulfilling their desires.Sri Jagannath is said to be the enigmatic Lord of the Universe. Scriptures say that He represents all religions. He is adored in myriad ways representing the various forms
of gods in Hindu religion.The devotees of Sri Ram say that He is Sri Ram incarnate on earth.
Vaishnavites say that He is worshipped in the wooden form as the incarnation of Lord Krishna. Buddhists describe Him as the Buddha, the enlightened Divine Form and theepitome
of wisdom. Jains portray Him as Lord Mahavir. And so on.

The Lord’s abode at Puri is known as Purusottam Kshetra.It is one of the four pilgrim centres as per the spiritual diction of Hindu Mythology. His temple is known as the Grand Temple which is a mysterious shrine. Sri Jagannath is thus venerated as the Sacred Divine Spirit related to all religions and all sects of the world. He is a multifaceted divine expression on earth.

The offerings to the Lord are known as Mahaprasad. It is a unique divine practice. This
system is not prevalent in the other three pilgrim centres namely Badrinath, Rameswaram and
Dwarika. It is believed in this connection that Mother Laxmi, the consort of Sri Narayan
prepares all the food in the Grand Temple.The Supakaras-the Cooks-are only the
mediums of this divine performance. It is further believed that Ma Bimala, the chief goddess of the Temple, supervises all the food offerings.The food offerings, after their oblation, are known as Mahaprasad.

There is a beautiful story in this regard. This would show that one Angada Singh, a very powerful general of the kingdom of Sainyagarh, became inclined to embrace Jagannath Dharma as his own religion attracted by the divine miracles of Lord Jagannath, so much so that over the period of time, he became a Servitor of the Lord. The story runs as follows.

In the good old days, there was a kingdom in the north of India known as Sainyagarh. It was a powerful kingdom for its general, Angada Singh by name. One Din Salaha Singh was the king of the said kingdom. He ruled his subjects with the advice of his general. All the neighbouring rulers of his time were morally afraid of Angada Singh when they heard his name. Because of Angada Singh, others dared not attack Sainyagarh at any point of time. The king therefore loved Angada Singh as his own son.

Angada Singh was highly materialistic in his general behaviour. Puffed with the love and
affection of the king, Angada Singh spent his time in worthless merriments. He was habituated to drinking and hunting. He considered himself ver great in his outward dispensation and viewed God’s great universe as a small earthen pot at his disposal. So the subjects of the kingdom pretended to respect him out of fear. They had no love for him from the core of their heart. Nobody ever knew that a person like him would
have the blessings of Lord Jagannath over the period of time. Angada’s life was therefore a great spiritual mystery.

As time passed by, Angada Singh married a simple and virtuous woman of his kingdom.
Angada’s wife was gracious in many ways. Shebwas a devotee of Lord Jagannath. She loved the poor and the destitute. She patronized an orphanage. Everyday, Angada’s wife performed some spiritual ritual or the other. Angada followed his wife’s instructions in all spheres of his life. Both lived happily. Although Angada Singh was materialistic by nature, he was never averse to his wife’s mode of living. Angada’s wife had a strong belief that no man is born bad, sinful or immoral in life. Actually, the outward surroundings mould his character. We have many instances in our scriptures that subscribe to this spiritual truth.One such example which strikes one’s attention most is the life-style of Dasyu Ratnakar. The Dasyu was a killer of human beings. He eked out the livelihood of his family by robbing others in the deep forest. For that, he even did not mind taking the life of any human being who came on his way. One day wisdom dawned upon Ratnakar with the mediation of Rishi Narad. He became a virtuous person by repeating the name of Sri Ram. Later, he was known to the world as Rishi Valmiki. He became the author of the Ramayan, a very popular scripture of the Hindus. Angada Singh too had a similar influence in his life. He had the meditation of his beloved consort.

One day Angada Singh was out on some work as per the orders of his king. In accordance
with the schedule of his programme, he was to return his home after four to five days. Angada took leave of his wife and set out for his destination. Angada’s wife was naturally alone in the big palace. She therefore thought that in the absence of her husband, she would arrange some spiritual programme at her residence to spend her time. Thus she invited her Gurudev and organized a Satsang for three days. She invited her neighbours to the spiritual programme. The Satsang was organized in pomp and ceremony.On the occasion of the auspicious celebration, she fed the poor and the destitute of the capital. In the evening hours, the Guru delivered spiritual discourses. However, one day after, Angada Singh returned home by restricting his programme. At that time, the Guru was delivering a spiritual discourse. The return of Angada Singh contrary to his programme was a surprise to his wife. When Angada Singh entered the palace, he saw a big spiritual gathering. He became wild seeing the presence of so many common people at his residence. Everything around pricked his ego. Ina huff, he proceeded straight to his room and scolded the servants indirectly aiming at his wife.

The Guru came to know Angada’s reaction. In haste, he concluded the spiritual programme and left for his Ashram. Following him, all others dispersed to their respective places. The turn of the event shocked Angada’s wife very much. She was complacent about her husband’s change in the usual behaviour. She had a feeling that her husband had become spiritual-minded over the period of time. But it was not so. Angada’s wife could not withstand her Guru’s sudden departure from her place. Soon she swooned at the place
where she was standing. Angada Singh got the information, ran to his wife and sprinkled water on her face. After some time, his wife regained consciousness and looked at the disturbed face of her husband who was full of remorse.

Angada Singh expressed his repentance for his unsavory behavior and apologized to his
wife for the disastrous happening. Controlling her tears, his wife said,” My dear! You have
committed a great sin today. You disrespected Gurudev Maharaj and hurt his feelings. Guru is God. He is the living God of his disciple. By displeasing your Gurudev today, you have
displeased your living God. For attainment of your sin, you should now go to his Ashram and
apologize for your misdeed. And at the same time, you should take a vow that you would not be succumbed to this sort of behaviour in future. Angada Singh did all that his wife advised him to do.

Man is the slave of time. He is the victim of circumstance. Over the period of time, an
emperor may become a beggar or a beggar an emperor. There are many examples in scriptures which subscribe to this truth. Angada Singh who was an angry man of his time turned out to be a saintly person as time passed by. A big change came over his life due to the tiring efforts of his wife. A ferocious animal in Angada Singh actually became devoted to god under the advice of his Gurudev. At this, the joy of his wife knew no bounds. She felt as if she had achieved everything in her life. Gradually, all austerities started in the
life of Angada Singh. Nonetheless, he performed his duties as a very good general of the state. He performed Rajakarma like Arjuna with a spirit of
total surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord. He listened to scriptures from his Gurudev with rapt attention. He embraced Lord Jagannath as his tutelary deity. He repeated the Mantras of Lord Jagannath everyday as initiated by his Gurudev.

One day king Din Salaha Singh informed Angada Singh that the emperor of Delhi was
making preparations to attack their kingdom for reasons best known to him. He told Angada Singh to remain in readiness to fight a battle with the emperor’s army when necessary or else the sovereignty of the kingdom would be at great stake. Angada Singh by then had made a programme to go on a pilgrimage to Puri with his wife. With the information of the king, he cancelled his programme and remained alert in the capital of his kingdom. Angada Singh assured his king that victory would be on their side if there was a battle with the emperor of Delhi. Angada Singh had utmost confidence in himself this time. He was fortified with the spiritual strength of the Lord.He had the blessings of Lord Jagannath in all hisplans and preparations.

The emperor of Delhi, as per his programme, waged the battle against the kingdom of the Sainyagarh. The Subedar of the emperorwas leading the emperor’s army that was steady in the mission. However a miracle happened while the emperor’s army was marching towards
Sainyagarh. The Subedar received a message from the emperor that he was soon to divert a
portion of the army to Delhi for some other reason not known to the Subedar. The Subedar was to reluctantly carry out the orders of the emperor. Despite a good portion of the emperor’s army thus withdrawn to Delhi, the Subedar had still strong confidence in his people. The battle was fought on the outskirts of the territory of Din Salaha Singh. Angada Singh however won the battle. The emperor’s army was crushed to its last soldier. The Subedar was beheaded. At last the crown of the Subedar rolled on the ground. Angada Singh,
found to his surprise that the Subedar’s crown was an expensive royal insignia. It was studded with rare gems with a very nice piece of diamond at the centre of the crown. Angada Singh was attracted to the diamond of the crown. He took it out from the crown with the help of a sharp weapon and wished to present it to Lord
Jagannath.

Next he appeared before Din SalahaSingh and formally conveyed the news about his victory in the battle. Thereafter, he presented the crown of the Subedar to Din Salaha Singh as a token of his rare achievement in the battle. He also informed the king that from thence onwards,he would retire from the royal assignment and live
in Puri as a servitor of the Lord. Hearing the news about Angada Singh’s decision to retire from the royal army, Din Salaha Singh was very much disturbed in his mind. By then, he had got information from the royal spies that Angada Singh had taken out from the crown of the Subedar the costly piece of the diamond. He incidentally asked his general, “Angada! I hear, you have taken out the expensive diamond from Subedar’s crown.You have no right over it. Please return the diamond to the Royal Exchequer.”

Angada couldn’t believe his ears. He was surprised at the unkind words of Din Salaha Singh.
Immensely hurt, he said to the king “Revered Sir, yes, I have taken out the diamond but it is not to my personal benefit. I wish to offer it to Lord Jagannath who, you know very well, is the presiding deity of my heart. The Lord has actually brought victory to our side.”

Din Salaha Singh had no wisdom to understand the heart of Angada Singh. He had no devotion to the Lord. He was not happy to mark the note of obstinacy in the behaviour of his
general. He knew very well that by showing his red eyes, he was not in a position to control his general. Angada Singh was extraordinarily powerful. So he decided to gently to cut his throat through dubious ways in a well-hatched conspiracy.

After some days, Din Salaha Singh called Angada’s sister to his palace and said to her,
“Look, oh you! I make it clear at the outset that your brother has at last come out a traitor. I want you to take his life away by giving him poison in his food which you are serving him every day. In lieu thereof, I shall give you plenty of wealth. If you refuse to carry out my order, I shall behead you right now and here.”

Hearing the impious words of the king, Angada’s sister was flabbergasted for a while. Out of fear, she had to agree to what the king had said at that moment as she had no other way to save her life. However, she was terribly upset inher mind.

Angada Singh always liked the food prepared by her sister. That night too, he sat down as usual to take his dinner. As per the daily practice, he first offered his food to Lord Jagannath. Next when he was about to raise his hand to his mouth, his sister shrieked at the pitch
of her voice and blurted out how she had mixed poison in his food at the instance of the king.
Angada visualized the entire scenario. He did not say anything to his sister. He knew very well that she was innocent in her behaviour. He simply said to her sister, “My dear,everything that has happened is the cosmic game of my Lord. He watches me right here whether I am taking the food myself which is already offered to Him.Hey Prabhu, since you have received the Prasad in my oblation, I shall take the same whatever be the after-consequence in this regard.” And sosaying, he started taking the food offered by her sister. His wife and his sister were observing his actions. Angada told his wife, “My dear, are you really worried? You should not, because I am taking the Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath. This is not like any other ordinary food. This is the ambrosia of heaven.”

Angada Singh did not have in him the effect of the poison. Rather after consuming thefood, he had a mark of spiritual resplendence on his face. The cosmic game of the Lord is beyond
everybody’s comprehension. One has to have indomitable faith in him to understand the
implications of his divine sports. At last, Angada Singh made up his mind to renounce the material world and settle down at Puri. Next morning, he set out in his journey. He carried the diamond in his possession to offer it to Lord. Din Salaha Singh came to know of this from his spy. Without the knowledge of anybody, he ordered his trusted soldiers to kill Angada Singh on the way and snatch the diamond from his possession.

Angada Singh was on his way to Puri. Two days’ after the soldiers rode on their horses and caught Angada Singh in the deep forest while he was sitting in meditation. The soldiers shook
him from meditation and demanded the diamond at the points of their swords. Angada was at first baffled. He had no sword to fight with the soldiers. He prayed to God saying,”Hey Prabhu ! You are the Lord of the helpless. I am in a helpless situation now. I have mentally offered the diamond to you. How can I now hand over it to Din Salaha Singh ? You are the omnipresent Lord. You are present here at the moment. Take this diamond which I am throwing into the nearby pond.” So saying, he threw the diamond into the pond near which
he was sitting.

The soldiers were surprised at the behaviour of Angada Singh. They never thought that Angada Singh would throw the diamond in the pond. Helpless they returned to the kingdom
and narrated to the king the details of the entire happening. Din Salaha Singh at last keptquiet.

That day, in dream, Lord Jagannath appeared and said to Angada Singh,”Angada, you had thrown the diamond into the pond; is not it ? However I have received the same and the
diamond is now set in the middle of the locket of the necklace I am wearing. You come to the
temple and see it for yourself.” The dream broke the slumber of Angada Singh. He got up
overwhelmed in divine ecstasy. In the next morning, he resumed his journey to Puri.

After some days, Angada Singh reached Puri. He went inside the temple and standing behind Garuda pillar, he had the Darshan of the deities seated on the divine throne. He saw the
diamond nicely fixed in the middle of the locket of the necklace which the Lord was wearing. He felt as if Prabhu was smiling at him extending hispowerful hands to receive him on his lap.

From that day onwards, Angada Singh lived in Puri. He spent his time singing the Bhajans
of the Lord and repeating His Name. The glory of Angada Singh began to spread far and wide in the country. Din Salaha Singh got information about the spiritual achievements of Angada Singh. One day he came to Puri and took him to Sainyagarh where he lived for the rest of his life. The king became his disciple.

The cosmic sports of the Lord are beyond our comprehension. The Lord is indescribable in
words. His Lilas are miraculous and one cannot ascribe any reasoning to them. One should be
His blind follower to attain Moksha in life.

Durga Madhab Dash, House No.138, Ananta Vihar,
Phase-II, Pokhariput, Bhubaneswar.
Source Orissa Revies : Junr 2012

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SWAMI SIVANANDA' MEETING WITH GREAT SAINTS, RISHIKESH, INDIA

WHY LORD KRISHNA BUILT CITY OF DWARAKA ?

Why Lord Krishna built City of Dwarka ?

After Kamsa sent so many asuras to Vrindavan in an attempt to kill Sri Krishna and Sri Balaram they decided to invite them to Mathura  for a wrestling match with great demons Chanura and Mustika . At that time )(you translate as I am speaking) so Krishna came to Mathura. He and Balaram killed Cahnura and Mustika and then they killed Kamsa.

After they killed Kamsa , Kamsa had 2 wives Asti and Prapti and they were the daughters of king Jarasandha who was a great demon of the Magad provience . They went back to their father Jarasandh  and they were grief stricken and their heart were broken and  weeping and weeping and they began to proclaim to their father that Kamsa was such a a nobel pious righteous man, this Krishna such a rouge, he came and when our husband Kamsa was minding his own business  he was not aware Krishna jumped on him and killed him by all unfare means and we will not be satisfied until the death of our husband is avenged. So Jarasandha made a vow to destroy Krishna and destroy  the entire yadu dynasty. He was a very very powerful asura so he mobilsed 23 Askhoni division of soldiers all of demons from all over the world to help him to conquer Krishna. As you now in the battle on Kurushetra so many solider were killed there were only 18  Aukshoni divisions of soldiers on both sides together and Jarasandha mob 23 Aukshoni divisions and they attacked Mathura Krishna, and Krishna he killed all of his army deeply uprooted it destroyed everyone except Jarasandha. HE allowed Jarasandha to escape. Jarasandha again went and mobilized all the demons from all over the world to come up with a huge army and again attacked Mathura and Krishna destroyed all his armies he did this 17 consequtive times. Now one may ask why Krishna killed his whole army but never would killed Jarasandha. The great acharyas explain that Krishna’s mission in this world is "paritriyanam sadhu nam vinasyahca duskritiam dharma sanstamp syt samebavne yuge yuge.……"He comes for the purpose of protecting his devotees and annihilating the miscreants the demons. HE knew that Jarsasndha was such a poplar and a influential demon that he was getting demons form all over the world and bringing them right to Mathura so instead of Krishna having to travel all over the world to kill alle demons he knew all he had to do was to kill them and let Jarasandha  bring them back all whoever was left and kill them all and in this way the demons were coming right to his door.

There was a personality of the name Garga . One time it so happened that some of the members of the Yadu Dynasty ridiculed him and laughed at him. So he did tapasaya to Lord Shiva for a long time, many long  years and he begged for a benediction that he would have child that would create great fear and anxity in the Yadus. So with the benediction of Lord Shankar he begot of a woman from a yavana class a sect most unciviised section of society a son whose name was Kalayavan, who was a very very powerful demon. And because he was form a Yavana untouchable class nobody liked to go close to him, very unclivilised. He mobilised a huge army of barbarians and Jarasandh arranged that one would attack from east and one would attack fm west simultaneously. So kalayavan  comes with his armies  from one side of Mathura an challenging Krishna to fight, and Krishna realized that while I am fighting with his armies, Jarasandh would come form other side, then the citizens of Mathura will be in a very very difficult  postion.  It would be very uncomfortable for them so He spoke with Balaram about this and He made a plan. While all the citizens of Mathura were sleeping Krishna called for Visvakarma the arthetic of the demigods and He told him to build a beautiful city within the sea. The city had a bounday wall around it which was 96 miles and Visvakarma may built such a wonderful, beautiful, uncredible palace that nobody would have seen, beautiful  wide high way lanes they imported many beautiful flowers like Parijata from the heavenly places, beautiful beautiful palaces all bedecked with marble and all precious  jewels and gold and silver and they even brought the Sudharma the administrative parliament building of the heavenly planets of Indralok, they brought it down to be the capital of Dwarka. And after every thing was beautifully consturcted and all the 33crores demigods all made contributions or gifts  to make Dwarka  beautiful. While all the inhabitant citizens of Mathura were sleeping, by the yogamaya potecnty Krishna transported every one to Dwarka, so when they woke up in the morning they were living in this beautiful beautiful city in the middle of the ocean.

So Krishna was confidant that this was a very fortified fort protected by the ocean itself and He could attempt to dealing with these demons. So when kalyavana approached Krishna he just walked right by him and Krishna just walked very fast and kalyavan was threatening you coward why don’t you stand and you fight and Krishna kept walking and he walked into a cave and kalyavan was thinking what type of nonsense cowhard he is now hiding in a cave and when he entered the cave he saw a body sleeping on the ground he thought he was Krishna, what and insult, I challenged him to fight and he went to sleep and so so very hard he kicked his body and but he was not Krishna but a great king of the name Muchukunda who immediately arose and looked at kaalyavana with great anger and form his eyes he burnt Kaalyavana  ashes. Then Muchukunda told Krishna that he was a not Krishna but a great king of the name Muchukunda who immediately arose and looked at kalyavana with great anger and form his eyes he burnt Kalyavana  into ashes.
Then Muchukunda told Krishna that he was a king who defended the demigods for many long years against the demons until Kartikeya the son of shiva was born. At that time they told me that they do not require you any more we will give you any bendiction for your Seva he said the the only benediction  I want is I want to sleep. I haven’t slept for years and he was fearing they if any other problem would take place Indra and the demigods will wake him up so he said that I want a benediction that if any one who will wake me I will brun to ashes with my eyes. Krishna was so clever but Muchukunda was  His devotee and Krishna wanted to wake him to  send him back to Godhead  but if He woke him then Muchukunda would look at him and if He did not burn to ashes then it would have made the demigod liars and if He would have burnt to ashes then ..it  is not possible He is Krishna. So He had to have somebody else to wake him up, somebody who was to meant to be burnt to ashes plus Kaalayavana  was a yavana and therefore it was below the dignity of Krishna to have to touch him with His own body or any of His weapons. So He arranged it so that Muchukunda could burn him with his glance and ten He gave Muchukunda any benediction and Muchukunda asked simply let me always be remembering you with love and devotion and let me always be the servant of your devotees.


Then Krishna went back to Mathura and at that time Jarasandha attacked and when Jarasandha attacked again  Krishna just walked away and Jarasandha started chasing after Him and this time Balaram was with along with Him and Krishna Balaram were walking and Jarasandha was running as fast as he can with all of his armies, aukshoni divisions of soldiers but no matter how much they ran even with their chariots and elephants and with full speed Krishna and Balarama were walking they could not reach Him and Krishna walked into a big mountain and that mountain was 80 miles tall and at that time Jarasandha and his armies searched the entire mountain but they could not find Krishna but they knew that He had not escaped so they put fire all around the mountain and lit the entire mountain on fire knowing that nobody could escape, but Krishna and Balaram from the top of the mountain they leaped over the fire  80 miles down to the gorund.

Sri Krishna Balaram Ki Jai. This mountain called mount pravarshan is even today in Gujarat state called as Raivata mountain. Meanwhile Jarasandha thought that they were dead and they had nice and wonderful celebrations that Krishna Balaram were finally dead. Because Krishna ran from front of Jarasandha he gave the name Ranchor. Ranchor literaly means the one who ran form the battle like a cowhard, but when Krishna ran from battle as Ranchor He is actually a demonstration of His opulence  aiswarya of renounciation. Krishna does not care of what people think of him in this regard.He is a renounciate. He allowed everyone to think that he is cowhard running way form battle  because he had a very special purpose. What was His purpose? He wanted to get to Dwarka very soon because He knew that Rukmini would soon meet Him to kidnap Her and if He fought this war with Jarasandha he might be late so he walked away, jumped over the fire and entered into Dwarka

source :  http://holydham.com/why-lord-krishna-built-city-of-dwarka

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AMALAKI VRATA EKADASI

                     Amalaki Vrata Ekadasi

King Mandhata once said to Vasishtha Muni, "O great sage, kindly be merciful to me and tell me of a holy fast that will benefit me eternally."

Vasishtha Muni replied. "O king, kindly listen as I describe the best of all fast days, Amalakii Ekadasi. He who faithfully observes a fast on this Ekadasii obtains enormous wealth, gets free of the effects of all kinds of sins, and attains liberation. Fasting on this Ekadasii is more purifying than donating one thousand cows in charity to a pure brahmana. So please hear me attentively as I tell you the story of a hunter who, though daily engaged in killing innocent animals for his living, achieved liberation by observing a fast on Amalakii Ekadasii and following the prescribed rules and regulations of worship.

"There was once a kingdom named Vaidisha, where all the brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and shudras were equally endowed with Vedic knowledge, great bodily strength, and fine intelligence. Oh lion among kings, the whole kingdom was full of Vedic sounds, not a single person was atheistic, and no one sinned. The ruler of this kingdom was King Pashabinduka, a member of the dynasty of Soma, the moon. He was also known as Chitraratha and was very religious and truthful. It is said that King Chitraratha had the strength of ten thousand elephants and that he was very wealthy and knew the six branches of Vedic wisdom perfectly.

"During the reign of Maharaja Chitraratha, not a single person in his kingdom attempted to practice another's dharma (duty) so perfectly engaged in their own dharmas were all the brAhmanas, kshatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras. Neither miser nor pauper was to be seen throughout the land, not was there every drought or flood. Indeed, the kingdom was free of disease, and everyone enjoyed good health. The people rendered loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, as did the king, who also rendered special service to Lord Shiva. Moreover, twice a month everyone fasted on Ekadasii.

"In this way, O best of kings, the citizens of Vaidisha lived many long years in great happiness and prosperity. Giving up all varieties of materialistic religion, they completely dedicated themselves to the loving service of the Supreme Lord, Hari.

"Once, in the month of Phalguna (February - March), the holy fast of Amalakii Ekadasii arrived, conjoined with Dvadasi. King Chitraratha realised that this particular fast would bestow especially great benefit, and thus he and all the citizens of Vaidisha observed this sacred Ekadasii very strictly, carefully following all the rules and regulations.

"After bathing in the river, the king and all his subjects went to the temple of Lord Vishnu, where an Amalakii tree grew. First the king and his leading sages offered the tree a pot filled with water, as well as a fine canopy, shoes, gold, diamonds, rubies, pearls, sapphires, and aromatic incense. Then they worshiped Lord Parashurama with these prayers: 'Oh Lord Parashurama, Oh son of Renuka, Oh all-pleasing one, Oh liberator of the worlds, kindly come beneath this holy Amalakii tree and accept our humble obeisances.'

Then they prayed to the Amalakii tree: 'Oh Amalakii, Oh offspring of Lord Brahma, you can destroy all kinds of sinful reactions. Please accept our respectful obeisances and these bumble gifts. O Amalakii, you are actually the form of Brahman, and you were once worshiped by Lord Ramachandra Himself. Whoever circumambulates you is therefore immediately freed of all his sins.'

"After offering these excellent prayers, King Chitraratha and his subjects remained awake throughout the night, praying and worshiping according to the regulations governing a sacred Ekadasii fast. It was during this auspicious time of fasting and prayer that a very irreligious man approached the assembly, a man who maintained himself and his family by killing animals. Burdened with both fatigue and sin, the hunter saw the king and the citizens of Vaidisha observing Amalakii Ekadasii by performing an all-night vigil, fasting, and worshiping Lord Vishnu in the beautiful forest setting, which was brilliantly illuminated by many lamps. The hunter hid nearby, wondering what this extraordinary sight before him was.

'What is going on here?' he thought. What he saw in that lovely forest beneath the holy Amalakii tree was the Deity of Lord Damodara being worshiped upon the Asana of a waterpot, and what he heard were devotees singing sacred songs describing Lord Shri Krishna's transcendental forms and pastimes. Despite himself, that staunchly irreligious killer of innocent birds and animals spent the entire night in great amazement as he watched the Ekadasii celebration and listened to the glorification of the Lord.

"Soon after sunrise, the king and his royal retinue - including the court sages and all the citizens - completed their observance of Ekadasii and returned to the city of Vaidisha. The hunter then returned to his hut and happily ate his meal. In due time the hunter died, but the merit he had gained by fasting on Amalakii Ekadasii and hearing the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as well as by being forced to stay awake all night, made him eligible to be reborn as a great king endowed with may chariots, elephants, horses, and soldiers. His name was Vasuratha, the son of King Viduratha, and he ruled over the kingdom of Jayanti.

"King Vasuratha was strong and fearless, as effulgent as the Sun, and as handsome as the Moon. In strength he was like Shri Vishnu, and in forgiveness like the Earth itself. Very charitable and every truthful, King Vasuratha always rendered loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Shri Vishnu. He therefore became very well versed in Vedic knowledge. Always active in the affairs of state, he enjoyed taking excellent care of his subjects, as though they were his own children. He disliked pride in anyone and would smash it when he saw it. He performed many kinds of sacrifices, and he always made certain that the needy in his kingdom received enough charity.

"One day, while hunting in the jungle, King Vasuratha strayed from the footpath and lost his way. Wandering for some time and eventually growing weary, he paused beneath a tree and, using his arms as a pillow, fell asleep. As he slept, some barbarian tribesmen came upon him and, remembering their longstanding enmity toward the king, began discussing among themselves various ways to kill him. 'It is because he killed our fathers, mothers, brothers-in-law, grandsons, nephews, and uncles that we are forced to aimlessly wander like so many madmen in the forest.' So saying, they prepared to kill King Vasuratha with various weapons, including spears, swords, arrows, and mystic ropes.

"But none of these deadly weapons could even touch the sleeping king, and soon the uncivilised, dog-eating tribesmen grew frightened. Their fear sapped their strength, and before long they lost what little intelligence they had and became almost unconscious with bewilderment and weakness. Suddenly a beautiful woman appeared from the king's body, startling the aborigines. Decorated with many ornaments, emitting a wonderful fragrance, wearing an excellent garland around her neck, her eyebrows drawn in a mood of fierce anger, and her fiery red eyes ablaze, she looked like death personified. With her blazing chakra discus she quickly killed all the tribal hunters, who had tried to slay the sleeping king.

"Just then the king awoke, and seeing all the dead tribesmen lying around him, he was astonished. He wondered, 'These are all great enemies of mine! Who has slain them so violently? Who is my great benefactor?'

"At that very moment he heard a voice from the sky: 'You ask who helped you. Well, who is that person who alone can help anyone is distress? He is none other than Sri Keshava, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He who saves all who take shelter of Him without any selfish motive.'

"Upon hearing these words, King Vasuratha became over-whelmed with love for the Personality of Godhead Shri Keshava (Krishna). He returned to his capital city and ruled there like a second lord Indra (king of the heavenly regions), without any obstacles at all.

"Therefore, Oh King Mandhata," the venerable Vasishtha Muni concluded, "...anyone who observes this holy Amalakii Ekadasii will undoubtedly attain the supreme abode of Lord Vishnu, so great is the religious merit earned from the observance of this most sacred fast day."

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Phalguna-sukla Ekadasi, or Amalaki Ekadasi, from the Brahmanda Purana.

These stories have been summarised and slightly changed, abbreviated or added to from how they are found in the celebrated book, "Ekadasi: The Day of Lord Hari" 1986. HH Krishna Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta Institute Press.

source : http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/03-06/features230.htm

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STORY ON MUCHUKUNDA

             STORY ON MUCHUKUNDA

Lord Indra and Muchukunda

Muchukunda and Lord Krishna

Kalayavana burnt to ashes by Muchukunda

Everybody knows that Shri Rama was born in the Ikshavaku dynasty, the descendant of Suryavansha. The most famous king Mandhata came from the same lineage. King Muchukunda was his son. His kingdom included the entire length and breadth of the earth. He was so powerful that even Indra used to be desirous of his help.

Once, in a battle, the deities were defeated by the demons. Tormented by arrows, they went to king Muchukunda and sought his help. King Muchukunda agreed to help them and fought against the demons for a long time. Since the deities did not have an able commander, hence king Muchukunda had to protect them against the demon onslaught, until the deities got an able commander like Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva. Then Indra said to the king Muchukunda: "O king, we, the deities are indebted to you for the help and protection which you have been giving us, by sacrificing your own family life. Here in the heaven, one year equals three hundred and sixty years of the earth. Since, it has been a long time, so there is not any sign of your kingdom and your family because it has been destroyed. We are happy and pleased with you, so ask for any boon except salvation because salvation is beyond our capacities".

Muchkunda asks Indra for a boon to sleep While fighting on the side of the deities, king Muchukunda did not get an opportunity to sleep even for a moment. Now, since his responsibilities were over, overcome by tiredness, he was feeling very sleepy. So, he said: "O King of the deities, I want to sleep. No one should disturb my sleep and one who dares to disturb my sleep should get burnt to ashes".

Indra said: "So be it, go to the earth and enjoy your sleep, one who awakens you would be reduced to ashes".

After this, king Muchukunda descended on the earth and selected a cave, where he could sleep without being disturbed. He slept for a long time. Many Yugas passed and then came Dwapara Yuga. Lord Krishna took incarnation in Vasudev's house who belonged to the Yadava dynasty.

During that time, a demon by the name of Kalayavana attacked Mathura. Lord Krishna wanted this demon to get killed by Muchukunda, so He ran towards the cave where Muchukunda was sleeping. Kalayavana too followed Him in hot pursuit. Kalayavana was very proud of his strength and power. He ran after Lord Krishna challenging Him to fight with him. But instead of accepting the challenge, Lord Krishna hid in the cave where Muchkunda was sleeping. But before hiding, He put His yellow silken apparel (Pitamber) on the sleeping Muchukunda.

The proud and arrogant Kalayavana entered the cave and mistaking the sleeping Muchukunda for Shri Krishna, he awakened him by pulling the yellow silken apparel from his body. As soon as Muchukunda woke up and cast his sight on the demon, Kalayavana was reduced to ashes. Muchukunda started to look here and there because the whole cave was illuminated by the radiance of Lord Krishna. He found out that it was due to the presence of Lord Krishna. Though initially he did not recognize Lord Krishna but after giving a thought he remembered that the person who was standing in front of him was none other than Parabrahma Himself. Muchukunda fell at His feet.

Lord Krishna lifted him up and took him in embrace and asked him to seek any boon. But Muchukunda had realized the futility and non-permanence of the worldly matters. So, he did not ask for anything regarding that. He asked for his total devotion towards the Almighty God, because he knew that God is the liberator and one who is fortunate enough to have His divine sight gets liberated from the cycle of birth and death. In his life, Muchukunda had not got an opportunity to prove his devotion towards God. So, when he got an opportunity, he asked for it giving it more value than his own salvation. Being pleased by his request, Lord Krishna said to him: "O Muchukunda, in your next birth, you would be born in a family of a Brahmin and by my blessings, you would have the sense of impartiality towards each living being".

So, blessing Muchukunda, Lord Krishna vanished out of his sight. Muchukunda was born in a Brahmin family in his next birth and by the virtue of his devotion dissolved his own self in the divine self of Shri Hari.

source : http://www.urday.in/muchukunda.htm

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