Acyuta Gaura dasa - Singapore
last update 3rd August 2005

The Altar August 2005

Here's my bigger Gaur Nitai, today in a renounced mood, with my Kurma sila on His asana,
with chandana massage on the back and face decorated with sweet dots - gazing mercifuly.

Here is a peak into the snana vedi. Here the formation of kurma from 6 separate silas is clearly visible.

..........happy and satisfied Kurmaji.... 1 Tulasi manjari thats all it takes.

What inspired me to keep the silas in Kurma formation...?

There is quite an interesting series of events... I am happy to narrate.

Months back, I was feeling very much disturbed with lusty thoughts... and I was feeling it most improper to worship the silas when the mind was so full of lust. So, I was praying to the silas to help me come out of this bout....

Even before this was going on, whenever I did abhishekam to the Lords I would arrange them in this kurma form while performing abhishekam...

(Aside: Before I had 7 silas and I had decided to donate one sila to a god-brother (Bhadra Govinda Prabhu) here in Singapore.  But was confused which one to. Somehow it was the Matsya dev who left me and joined Bhadra prabhu's family. Since then, I noticed that these remaining 6 had wonderful formation which reminded me of Kurma dev.)

Once while during abhishekam, it occured to me in the mind, the Lord has said in the Gita that a yogi has to be like a tortoise who is able to withdraw his senses from the sense objects. At this time I was still worshipping the Lords individualy. But, there was a small interesting thought planted there...

Then as things were going, one fine evening a devotee friend (the same who brought the silas) appeared at my residence and said I have a gift for their Lordships. This was a bigger asana on which 4 silas could fit (torso, head and 2 front legs). Till then I had only smaller asanas, where only one of them cd fit. This gradualy made me arrange the silas in kurma form. And this devotee also gave me a small crown... This crown looked good only when the Lord was in Kurma mood.

Thus finaly, I started worshipping the kurma roopam. And gradualy, the lust also decreased... this is a fact. The Lord looks so sweet, too, in this form. I also practice a yogic posture, which is somewhat the form of kurma. (Sitiing cross legged and bowing down the head, bringing down the body from the waist upward, in a form of paying half obeisances to the Lord). As per yoga (variations of) this posture also helps to pull up the ojas thru the spine towards the brain. I practice this posture and while holding it, chant "om kurmadevaya namah", meditating on the causeless mercy of the Lord. I call it kurmaasanam.

Last month (June 2005), the Lord attracted my Guru Maharaj (HH Jaya Pataka Swami) to also come and stay at my home for a nite. I got all the blessings I wanted when Guru Maharaj requested to perform abhishekam to his Salagrama ring...

Haaaa prabhu, there is no stop to the flow of mercy... This Kurma dev is the best thing to have happened to me.. :)

Sorry for the too long mail..

I hope you enjoyed reading the Lord's tricks as much as I did writing.

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prishthe bhramyad
amanda-mandara-giri-gravarga-kanduryanan
nidraloh kamathaakrter bhagavatah shvasanilah paantu vah
yat-samskara-kalanuvartana-vashad vela-nibhenaabhasam
yatayatam atandritam jala-nidher nadyapi vishramyati

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord Kürma, a tortoise, His back was scratched by the sharp-edged stones lying on massive, whirling Mount Mandara, and this scratching made the Lord sleepy. May you all be protected by the winds caused by the Lord's breathing in this sleepy condition. Ever since that time, even up to the present day, the ocean tides have imitated the Lord's inhalation and exhalation by piously coming in and going out. (Srimad Bhagavatam 12:13:2.)

PURPORT
At times we alleviate an itching sensation by blowing upon it. Similarly, Shrila Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvati Thäkura explains, the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can alleviate the itching sensation within the minds of mental speculators, as well as the itching of the material senses of conditioned souls engaged in sense gratification. Thus by meditating on the windy breath of Lord Kürma—the tortoise incarnation—all categories of conditioned souls can be relieved of the deficiencies of material existence and come to the liberated, spiritual platform. One must simply allow the pastimes of Lord Kürma to blow within one's heart like a favorable breeze; then one will surely find spiritual peace.

(purport by servants of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

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I enjoy giving a scratch to the back of my Kurma dev... haha.. And I hope He enjoys it, too.

Now, my decision is to continue worshipping the Lord in this form as Kurma, as long as I am not 100% ripped of my lust. Before I pass away, at any point, if I am cured, then I will venture to enter into the most confidential pastime of Vastrahariji (Who is the main body of Kurmaji formation, see the pictures below).....

After my brahmin diksha in 2003 Dec (disciple of Jayapataka Swami.), I was looking for ways to increase my brahminical tendencies and life-style. Worshipping salagrama sila was foremost. A desire which I had been cherishing for a few years, now. Who can resist worshipping them, after hearing their divine glories.
. Although not everybody was very encouraging (citing the negative impacts if salagrama was not worshipped well), my desire was strong. When I shifted 2 months(Oct 2004) ago to my current residence, there was a black stone lying there. I thought to myself, "if this was salagram, I could have worshipped". Then I thought that the time was not ripe yet, and consoled myself thinking, "When you are ready the Lord will appear". But actually, the Lord appears only when He feels so. No one can force anything on Him. :)

After 1 month(Nov 2004), one family here in Singapore, whom I had cultivated for the past 1 year, called me up and told me of their plan to go to Nepal on a vacation. Wow, this was great news! Immediately I found out the contact details of ISKCON Katmandu and requested them to enquire about getting silas. The temple president of ISKCON Katmandu, HG Raganuga Bhakti prabhu, kindly obliged and send 7 silas with them. He told me on the phone, "pls take care of them nicely. Daily do abhishek and oil massage. I am trusting you."

I asked how the sials reached him. Below is HG Raganuga Bhakti prabhu's mail, stating how the silas reached him.

"regarding those silas they were just brought to me by some western devotees. They wanted to take them to west and give as gift to devotees. I told them Saligrams are Sakshad rupa of Narayana or Vishnu and it is not a gift item. The sila's are to be worshiped just like Deity in the temple and they said "please take care of them" and gave them to me. It was you who was going to take care of them."

Thats the story how the darling silas came to me. Of the 7, I gave one to my dear god-brother and instructing master HG Bhadra Govinda prabhu, in Singapore.

Here we have marked some of the items of identification that are mentioned in Salagram kosha. The kosha says that a salagram that has a girdle of small chakras in small holes around Him is Vastrapahari-krishna (salagram kosha page 69 xvi) where He's described as round at the bottom then minute chakras as if hidden marks of clothing that have been hidden by Krishna. Here in the bottom picture we can see how Krishna stands just on the bank of the Yamuna river, the gopis are in the river, and He has stolen and hidden their clothes where the girdle of chakras are on the perimetre. He gives accomplishment of all desires.

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