ASHTAKSHARA MANTRA

The Ashtakshara Mantra or the 8 letter mantra,which is first given to the devotee who comes under Lord Shri Krishna, is no ordinary mantra. It has divine capabalities. The mantra says " Shri Krishnah Sharnam Mamah:" literally meaning "Shri Krishna is my shelter."

On superficial view, these words may sound like ordinary ones, but they are definitely not so. They contain the meaning of the Vedas in them.The one who is bestowed with this mantra by the Grace of God and the Guru should be considered extremly fortunate.The vedas are treated as the highest authority among the ancient Indian scriptures.The four vedas along with the Bhagwad-Gita, Bhramasutras, and Shrimad Bhagwatam, collectively indicate that "Shri Krishna alone is the ultimate reality or the innermost soul of the whole universe" , he is "Purna-Purshottam","Paramatma","Para-Brahma".

Through this mantra, one comes under the protection of Lord Krishna, the ultimate reality. Once Shri Krishna, accepts one as his dasa, one doesn't have to fear anything or anybody. Shri "Vitthalnathji", who is popularly known as "Gosainji" has this to say about the "Ashtakshara mantra". The one who remembers Shri Krishna is assured a place in "Vaikuntha" (adobe of Shri Krishna). (Vaikhuntam Tasya Mischitam) He further assures that Yama (deity of death) cannot even touch you if you always remember Him. All this because He loves His devotees very much.

This mantra is not a man made mantra, nor is it derived from any of the scriptures. Instead, it is a mantra which was taught to Shrimad Vallabhacharya by Shri "Govardhannathji". It is taught to those wanting an entry in Pushtimarg, in order to deviate them from worshiping any other deity apart from Shri Krishna , as no other deity has the qualities of Shri Krishna.The name Shri Krishna itself is capable of removing all sorts of worldly miseries.

The letter

"Shri" :

suggests fortunes . "Shree" means Lakshmi which also means luck or fortune.Therefore, one who recites this name also becomes fortunate just like Lakshmi.

The letter

"Kru":

destroys all the sins that are performed by us in our previous lives and the current one.

The letter

"Shna":

keeps at bay all the miseries that one experiences in the world.

The letter

"Sha":

saves one from having to take birth again and again in thousands of forms and suffer miseries.

The letter

"Ra":

enables one to experience and understand the heavenly form and heavenly deeds of the Lord.

The letter

"Nam":

makes one's devotion towards Shri Krishna strong.

The letter

"Ma":

initiates eternal love for Shri Krishna

The second letter

"Ma":

enables one to enjoy accompaniment of Shri Krishna till eternity and keeps one from undergoing the the circle of life forever.

According to Shri Gosainji, a person who chants this mantra loses his worldly attachments and develops heavenly bonds with Shri Krishna. He gains fortune and salvation. He also experiences eternal bliss. God alone becomes dear to him and he becomes dear to God. He has no fear of any kind of evil. The rough becomes smooth for him and the difficult becomes easy. The enemy becomes friend and no evil eye can affect him. He experiences no kind of pain or misery as in his heart resides Shri Krishna , who is "Eternel Bliss" Himself.

             Therfore, one should chant this "Ashtakshara Mantra" with complete Faith and Devotion. God will fulfill wishes of all without fail.

WHAT IS PUSHTIMARG?

Pushtimarg (The Path Of Grace) is one of the many sects in the Hindu religion. Pushtimarg was founded by Shrimad Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu. Shri Vallabhacharya is one of the five main Acharyas of the Hindu Religion . The other four being Shankaracharya, Shri Ramanujacharya, Shri Madhavacharya and Shri Nimbarkacharya. These acharyas have a very significant contribution towards the revival of the Bhakti movement and upbringing of the Hindu Religion.
Shri Vallabhacharya was born into a very noble and learned Brahmin family in South India in what is today called Andhra Pradesh. His ancestors had a very staunch religious background and included learned Brahmins like Shri Yagnanarayan Bhatt and Shri Ganapati Bhatt. They wrote several books on religion and devotion. Shri Vallabhacharya was the second son of Lakshman Bhatt and Yallammagaru. Their ancestors had performed several Soma-yagnas and Shri Lakshman Bhatt completed 100 Somyagnas. Shri Yagnanarayan was blessed by Lord Vishnu, that on completion of 100 Soma-yagnas, God himself would incarnate in his family.
Thus when 100 Soma-yagnas were complete, Lakshman Bhatt went to Kashi to accomplish his vow of feeding 1.25 lakhs Brahmins. He could not complete this task as there were political disturbances in Kashi. He took his pregnant wife Yallammagaru and on his way southwards he halted at a place called Champaranya. Where his wife gave birth to a still baby which they kept under a tree and proceeded ahead. On the same night Lakshman Bhatt heard a celestial voice ordering him to go back to the baby and pick it up as it was misunderstood to be a still born. That baby was no ordinary one, but by the grace of God, Shri Vallabh had taken birth through Yallammagaru’s womb. On reaching the spot where they had kept the baby, they found the baby encircled by a divine fire as a protecting spirit.
Shri Vallabh was a brilliant and extra-ordinary child. He finished studying all the Vedas and all the prominent scriptures at a very early age. At the age of 11 he started his all India pilgrimage. During this tour he came to Vijaynagar where he came to know about a sensational debate that was being conducted in the court of King Krishnadevraya. The debate was between the different Acharyas over the question whether God is dualistic or non-dualistic. Shri Vallabh entered the court and with his unopposed arguments proved that God is non-dualistic. The details of which can be known in a book named “Vallabh Digvijay”
During the second pilgrimage, Lord Krishna appeared in the form of Lord Shrinathji in front of him and ordered him to reestablish Pushti Marg and propagate the pushti kind of devotion among the chosen ones and bring them back to their original state in God’s own domain. i.e. Vaikuntha or Golok-dham . But the question in Shri Vallabh’s mind was that the divine souls in this world too are highly influenced by the materialistic world and their souls and body have lost the kind of purity that is needed for their reunion with the Supreme entity i.e.. Lord Krishna.
Lord Shrinathji assured him that with “BRAHAMASAMBANDHA“, whichever soul is admitted into the Pushti marg, all its worldly impurities will refrain from obstructing the soul’s relation with Himself and will be eligible to pursue His bhakti. That was the night of Prabodhini Ekadashi ( Four days before the new moon day) of the auspicious month of Shravana. Lord Shrinathji taught him the Brahamasambandha mantra and asked him to bring back the divine souls into his seva.

“Brahmsambandh” - The Formal Initiation into The Path Of Grace

The absolute and exclusive rights to grant “Brahmsambandh” in the path of grace, in order to transform an Ordinary “jeev”(soul) into a Pushti “Jeev” lie only with “Vallabhkul Goswami Balaks”(The word “Goswami” literally means-The protector of cows), who Vallabh Vaishnavas respectfully and lovingly refer to as: “Goswami”,”Bawa” or “Jeje”. They are the actual and direct descendants of Shreemad Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu. Goswamies are responsible for the “pushti”(literally means spiritual nourishment) of all the disciples initiated by them. Brahmsabandh is a process, where after fasting for one full day(consuming fruits and milk only) one is given the Krishna “Gadh Mantra” in front of a Deity “Swaroop” by a Vallabhkul Goswami after which “tulsi” leaves(Indian Basil) are offered to the lotus feet of the Lord. The “Adhikaar”(right) to perform daily “seva” comes only after one is initiated into Pushtimarg by means of formally granting Brahmsambandh by a Goswami Balak. Without brahmsambandh one does not hold the right to perform seva of a “Pusht” (alive) Deity “Swaroop”.

The Three Pillars of Pushtimarg

The three pillars of Pushtimarg are

1)Raag(Traditional Haveli Music),
2)Bhog(Pure Vegetarian Food Offerings excluding Onion,Garlic,Cabbage and Root Vegetables), and,
3)Vastra&Shringar(Dressing up the deity with beautiful clothes,headwear and jewellery adornments).
 
All the above three are included in the daily “seva”(ritual service) which all Pushtimarg following Vaishnavs offer their “Thakurji”(Personal Krishna Deity) and all have been traditionally prscribed by Goswami Shri Vitthalnathji also called Gusainji(Vallabhacharya’s younger son) almost five hundred years ago. The Music,Food and Adornment offerings vary daily according to the season, day and time of day; and this is the main reason why this path so colourful and alive compared to any other Vaishnav cult. Seva is the most important way to attain “Pushti” in Pushtimarg and has been prescribed by Mahaprabhuji Shri Vallabhacharyaji as the basic tenet; and all principles and tenets of Shuddhadvaita Vaishnavism stem out from there
Shri Vallabahcharya on the next day taught the same Mantra to his first disciple Shri Damodardas Harsani along with the principles of Pushtimarga. This was how Pushtimarga was established.

To understand Pushtibhakti better, let us now have an overview of its features :-

It is spontaneous, selfless & motiveless love for God. It is based on pure love for God. It is expressed only through service of God - “Seva”. It is love after realising God’s true nature. The knowledge gained is not a means of liberation. Liberation, is considered secondary to the enjoyment of God’s bliss. Its aim is God’s happiness. No caste, creed, color, sex or age becomes the criteria, the only criteria is God’s Grace. It does not know any boundaries, be it time, place or anything else. It does not require a devotee to give up a householder’s life. In fact, one can serve Him better, by being a householder. All the worldly desires are diverted towards God, they are then not required to be suppressed. World is not looked down upon but is treated as God’s creation and thus as real as God himself. Shri Krishna is the supreme God, all the other deities reside in his form. Therefore total faith is placed in Shri Krishna alone. In the state of liberation the entity of the devotee merges into God’s blissful form, but in Bhakti (especially Pushti bhakti) the devotee does not seek liberation but he enjoys God’s bliss by participating in it as a separate divine entity.

SHREE GUSAINJI

Gusainji was the younger son of Vallabhacharya. His real name was Vitthalnath. He was born in 1516 at Charnat near Varanasi. Gusainji as Vithalnathji is mentioned in Hindu scriptures as follows: In Agni Purana, in a chapter titled "Bhavishiyotar" (Future Avatar (birth)), God himself professed that: "In future I will come as son of Shree Vallabh and I will be known as Shree Vithal." 

Gusainji led the sect Pushtimarg, the sect founded by his father after the latter's death. Based on the order of Shrinathji (Krishna's image currently residing in Nathadwara near Udaipur - Rajashtan - India), Gusainji included variation of Bhog (feasts & meals), Raag (music) and Shringaar (adorations) into the seva (day to day services) of Shrinathji .
 

SHREE GOKULCHANDRAMAJI

Swaroop Description:

Shree Gokulchandramaji is known as Lalit Tribhangi Lala. This swaroop is from Charan (feet) Kati (waist) and Greeva (neck) is Vraak (bent) and is only one foot tall in height. He is dark (Shyamvarna) in complex. His looks down and His eyes are full of grace. The Mukharvind (the face) is with that expression when one plays flute. The flute is held in both the hands, left leg rests on earth (Bhutal) and the right foot is above the earth. This swaroop is well known as humble and soft hearted

Swaroop Bhavna:

The dark complexion is depicted as king of shringar ras, (king of makeup and beauty). With His Tribhangi swaroop, Shree Gokulchandramaji entices Satvik (Pure, spiritual and honest), Rajas, (passionate type) and Tamus (Angry type) type of Vaishnavs.  He makes lovely renders with his flute and with that imbibes his follower with adhar ras (adhar=lips, ras=entertainment).  His left foot is on the earth, which depicts the firm foundation of Pushtimarg and by raising the right foot slightly, He is beckoning everyone to stay within social structure known as Mariyada. This right foot, although raised, the toe and fingers are rested on the earth, and this is sign to punster and is punitive in Mariyada bhava which is purview to Pushti Bhava.

Swaroop Lila:

During full moon (Sarad Purnima) in Vrandavan Shree Krishna did Maharaas (An epic dance that lasted for six months). During Maharaas Shree Krishna transformed Himself to a special form which was needed to activate and to vocal the need of this epic dance routine which was to enhance the vermilion the vertex of expectation of all the Gopis. This form was of Shree Gokulchandramaji. The form of Gokulchandramaji was so beautiful that even Cupid (Kamdev) had to bow to Him. In Maharaas all the Gopis desires and expectation were gracefully fulfilled by Shree Gokulchandramaji. So the swaroop leela is Raas Leela Swaroop.

The form (swaroop) of Shree Gokulchandramaji is described in Dasma (tenth) Skandh (Epic), Fal (Fruitful) Prakran (episode) and 32^nd Adhiyay (32^nd chapter)  in Shreemad Bhagwatji

Nikunj Sthan:

Nikunj Sthan (Sthan=place) is Mansi Ganga. (Mansi=Epistle of, creation from mental power and agility , Ganga= River Ganges).

Pragat Sthan:

Shree Gokulchandramaji was formed from River Yamna; Her banks known as Braham Ghat in Gokul.

Patotsava:

(Vraj-Shravan) Gujjar Ashadh Vad  4 was the date of First Paatosav. Paatosav is a ceremony where in Pushtimarg, vaishnavs and Vallabhkul celebrate inauguration or rather house warming in other words Temple warming celebration which depicts a deity is brought into the Temple. 

At the moment this swaroop is being served by Shree 108 Shree Goswami Shree Girdharlalji Maharaj.

SHREE NAVNITPRIYAJI

 

Swaroop Description:

 

The Navnit Priyaji swaroop is gaur (fair) complexion. He has makhan (cream) in His right hand (Dakshin Hasta) and the left (Vaam Hasta) hand is rested on the floor. The Swaroop sits with the folded left leg. With eyes bow down, anjaan (mascara) in the eyes, "Nupur"  in the legs and "Kada" in His hands. A baby swaroop who walks or rather drags Himself on His knees. This swaroop depicts the age of six month. "Navnit" means fresh Makhan (cream) and "Priya" means one who loves. This swaroop loves makhan hence He was named Navnitpriyaji. For His bhakta he is known as "Niravaran". Niravaran means the one who does not have any clothes (vastra).

Swaroop Lila:

 

As Shree Svaminiji was of fair complexion, it was to fulfill her desire (Manorath) Navnit Priyaji  also created a fair complexion. To protect Himself from "Ashoor", the Evil eyes of wrong doers, He decorated His eyes with "Anjan, a black soot inserted as eye-liner. In Lila (daily heavenly games) is known as Bal-swaroop, that is a baby deity. This swaroop is famous for "Rangan-lila". Rangan means a baby that crawal on its knees or stomach. This swaroop is also seen to run after cows on His knees. This swaroop is also famous for Bal-lila (child hood games and pranks).

Nikunj Sthan: 

Nikunj Sthan (sthan=place) is Parasoli - Chandra Sarovar. (Chandra=moon, Sarovar= Lake).

Pragat Sthan:

Shree Navnitpriyaji appeared from Yamna River near Brahmand Ghaat in Gokul. 

Paatotsava:

 

(Vraj-Fagun) Gujjar Maha Vad 7 was the date of First Paatosav. Paatosav is a ceremony where in Pushtimarg, vaishnavs and Vallabhkul celebrates an  inauguration of  a deity in the temple, a celebration which denotes a deity is brought into the Temple for despotism for worship. 

YAMUNAJI NI AARTI

MADHURASTAKAM

adharam madhuram vadanam madhuram
nayanam madhuram hasitam madhuram
hridayam madhuram gamanam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His lips are sweet, His face is sweet,
His eyes are sweet, His smile is sweet,
His loving heart is sweet, His gait (walk) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

vachanam madhuram charitam madhuram
vasanam madhuram valitam madhuram
chalitam madhuram bhramitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His words are sweet, His character is sweet,
His dress (garment) is sweet, His posture is sweet,
His movements are sweet, His wandering (roaming) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

venur madhuro renur madhurah
panir madhurah padau madhurau
nrityam madhuram shakhyam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His flute-playing is sweet, His foot-dust is sweet,
His hands are sweet, His feet are sweet,
His dancing is sweet, His friendship is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

gitam madhuram pitam madhuram
bhuktam madhuram suptam madhuram
rupam madhuram tilakam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His song is sweet, His drinking is sweet,
His eating is sweet, His sleeping is sweet,
His beautiful form is sweet, His Tilaka (mark on the forehead) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

karanam madhuram taranam madhuram
haranam madhuram ramanam madhuram
vamitam madhuram shamitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His deeds (activities) are sweet, His conquest (liberating) is sweet,
His thieving (stealing) is sweet, His love-sports are sweet,
His oblations (offerings) are sweet, His countenance is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

gunja madhura mala madhura
yamuna madhura vici madhura
salilam madhuram kamalam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gunja-berry necklace is sweet, His flower garland is sweet,
sweet is the Yamuna river, and sweet are her rippling waves,
her water is sweet, and sweet are the lotus flowers also,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

gopi madhura lila madhura
yuktam madhuram muktam madhuram
dhristam madhuram shistam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gopis (cowherd girlfriends) are sweet, His pastimes (plays) are sweet,
His union (meeting him) is sweet, His deliverance (rescue) is sweet,
His sidelong glances are sweet, His courtesy (etiquette) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

gopa madhura gavo madhura
yastir madhura shristhir madhura
dalitam madhuram phalitam madhuram
madhur-adipater akhilam madhuram

His gopas (cowherd boyfriends) are sweet, His cows are sweet,
His cane (herding-stick) is sweet, His creation is sweet,
His victory (trampling) is sweet, His accomplishment (fruition) is sweet,
Everything is completely sweet about the Lord of Sweetness.

                              || iti srimad vallabha-acarya viracitam madhurastakam sampurnam||