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Custom (CC and Other Books)

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 1.35, Purport:

The service of the spiritual master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual master's instructions and the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of the disciple. If one thinks that he is above consulting anyone else, including a spiritual master, he is at once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such an offender can never go back to Godhead. It is imperative that a serious person accept a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the śāstric injunctions. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual advancement in spiritual understanding.

CC Adi 4.167-169, Purport:

Social customs, scriptural injunctions, bodily demands, fruitive action, shyness, patience, bodily pleasures, self-gratification and the path of varṇāśrama-dharma, which is difficult to give up—the gopīs have forsaken all these, along with their families, and suffered their relatives' punishment and scolding, all for the sake of serving Lord Kṛṣṇa. They render loving service to Him for the sake of His enjoyment.

CC Adi 4.176, Translation:

"O My beloved gopīs, you have renounced social customs, scriptural injunctions and your relatives for My sake. I disappeared behind you only to increase your concentration upon Me. Since I disappeared for your benefit, you should not be displeased with Me."

CC Adi 7.31-32, Purport:

Sometimes jealous persons criticize the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because it engages equally both boys and girls in distributing love of Godhead. Not knowing that boys and girls in countries like Europe and America mix very freely, these fools and rascals criticize the boys and girls in Kṛṣṇa consciousness for intermingling. But these rascals should consider that one cannot suddenly change a community's social customs. However, since both the boys and the girls are being trained to become preachers, those girls are not ordinary girls but are as good as their brothers who are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, to engage both boys and girls in fully transcendental activities is a policy intended to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

CC Adi 7.37, Purport:

An ācārya should devise a means by which people may somehow or other come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First they should become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and all the prescribed rules and regulations may later gradually be introduced. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we follow this policy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in the Western countries freely intermingle, special concessions regarding their customs and habits are necessary to bring them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The ācārya must devise a means to bring them to devotional service. Therefore, although I am a sannyāsī I sometimes take part in getting boys and girls married, although in the history of sannyāsa no sannyāsī has personally taken part in marrying his disciples.

CC Adi 7.59, Purport:

A sannyāsī should always walk barefoot, and therefore when he enters a temple or a society of devotees he should first wash his feet and then sit down in a proper place. In India it is still the prevalent custom that one put his shoes in a specified place and then enter the temple barefoot after washing his feet. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is an ideal ācārya, and those who follow in His footsteps should practice the methods of devotional life that He teaches us.

CC Adi 9.11, Purport:

To teach others by example how to be a faithful disciple of one's spiritual master, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, visited the birthplace of Īśvara Purī at Kumāra-haṭṭa and collected some earth from his birth site. This He kept very carefully, and He used to eat a small portion of it daily. This is stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa, Chapter Seventeen. It has now become customary for devotees, following the example of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to go there and collect some earth from that place.

CC Adi 13.86, Purport:

Unfortunately, with the progress of Kali-yuga, the so-called brāhmaṇas, although very proud of taking birth in brāhmaṇa families, no longer worship the śālagrāma-śilā. But actually it has been a custom since time immemorial that a person born in a brāhmaṇa family must worship the śālagrāma-śilā in all circumstances. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, some of the members are very anxious to introduce worship of the śālagrāma-śilā, but we have purposely refrained from introducing it because most of the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement do not originally come from families of the brāhmaṇa caste. After some time, when we find that they are actually situated strictly in the line of brahminical behavior, śālagrāma-śilā worship will be introduced.

CC Adi 13.92, Purport:

According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the Rāhu planet comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India that all the followers of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a lunar or solar eclipse. All strict followers of the Vedic religion stand up in the water throughout the whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, such a lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water were chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

CC Adi 13.100, Purport:

It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita Ācārya, therefore, taking advantage of this eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the brāhmaṇas. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.11) there is a statement that when Kṛṣṇa took His birth, Vasudeva immediately took advantage of this moment and distributed ten thousand cows to the brāhmaṇas. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita Ācārya was actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya's birth at the time of the lunar eclipse.

CC Adi 13.114, Purport:

The Sanskrit word asūrya-paśyā indicates that a respectable lady could not be seen even by the sun. In the oriental culture this system was very prevalent and was strictly observed by respectable ladies, both Hindu and Muslim. We have actual experience in our childhood that our mother would not walk even next door to observe an invitation; rather, she would go in either a carriage or a palanquin carried by four men. This custom was also strictly followed five hundred years ago, and the wife of Advaita Ācārya, being a very respectable lady, observed the customary rules current in that social environment.

CC Adi 13.117, Purport:

Ḍākinī and Śāṅkhinī are two companions of Lord Śiva and his wife who are supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one's house. On very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Āyurvedic science uses it to cure leprosy.

CC Adi 14.73, Purport:

Formerly it was the custom of brāhmaṇas to worship Lord Viṣṇu daily at home and cook food in new pots. This system is still going on in Jagannātha Purī. The food would be cooked in earthen pots, all fresh and new, and after cooking, the pots would be thrown away. By the side of the house there was generally a big pit where such pots were thrown. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down on the pots very pleasingly, just to give His mother a lesson.

CC Adi 17.91, Purport:

The Caitanya-maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, describes this incident as follows: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was performing the śrāddha ceremony for his father, and as is customary, he was hearing the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu. At that time Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear the thousand names of Viṣṇu with full satisfaction. When He thus heard the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁha, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in thought, and He became angry like Nṛsiṁha Prabhu in His angry mood.

CC Adi 17.126, Purport:

Although the members of the so-called Hindu society had followed the social customs and formulas, they had practically forgotten to execute their religious principles strictly. But with the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu they actually began following the regulative principles according to His order. That order is still existing, and anywhere and everywhere, in all parts of the world, one can execute it. That order is to become a spiritual master under the direction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by following the regulative principles, chanting daily at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and preaching the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.

CC Adi 17.128, Purport:

Hindu society was so rigid at the time of Lord Caitanya that if a Hindu were converted into a Muslim, there was no chance of his being reformed. In this way the Muslim population in India increased. None of the Muslims came from outside; social customs somehow or other forced Hindus to become Muslims, with no chance of returning to Hindu society. Emperor Aurangzeb also inaugurated a tax that Hindus had to pay because of their being Hindus.

CC Adi 17.205, Translation:

“‘When we keep a night-long vigil to observe religious performances for the worship of Maṅgalacaṇḍī and Viṣahari, playing on musical instruments, dancing and chanting are certainly fitting customs.'"

CC Adi 17.265, Purport:

Unfortunately, however, caste brāhmaṇas do not offer obeisances to a Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī. They are so proud that they do not offer obeisances even to Indian sannyāsīs, what to speak of European and American sannyāsīs. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, expected that even the caste brāhmaṇas would offer respectful obeisances to a sannyāsī because five hundred years ago the social custom was to offer obeisances immediately to any sannyāsī, known or unknown.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 1.184, Translation and Purport:

Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura told Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu that two personalities—Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana—had come to see Him.

Sākara Mallika was the name of Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Dabira Khāsa was the name of Rūpa Gosvāmī. They were recognized by these names in the service of the Muslim King; therefore these are Muslim names. As officials, the brothers adopted all kinds of Muslim customs.

CC Madhya 1.189, Purport:

Although the two brothers, Rūpa and Sanātana (at that time Dabira Khāsa and Sākara Mallika), presented themselves as being born in a low family, they nonetheless belonged to a most respectable brāhmaṇa family that was originally from Karṇāṭa. Thus they actually belonged to the brāhmaṇa caste. Unfortunately, because of being associated with the Muslim governmental service, their customs and behavior resembled those of the Muslims. Therefore they presented themselves as nīca-jāti. The word jāti means birth.

CC Madhya 4.87, Purport:

We are in the disciplic succession of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who was initiated by Śrī Īśvara Purī, a disciple of Mādhavendra Purī’s. Our sampradāya is therefore called the Mādhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. As such, we must carefully follow in the footsteps of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī and observe how he installed the Gopāla Deity on top of Govardhana Hill, how he arranged and performed the Annakūṭa ceremony in only one day, and so forth. Our installation of Deities in America and in the wealthy countries of Europe should be carried out in terms of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s activities. All the servitors of the Deity must be strictly qualified as brāhmaṇas and, specifically, must engage in the Vaiṣṇava custom of offering as much prasādam as possible and distributing it to the devotees who visit the temple to see the Lord.

CC Madhya 5.32, Purport:

In India it is still the custom for a daughter to be offered to someone simply by word. This is called vāg-datta. This means that the father, brother or guardian of a girl has given his word that she will be married to a certain man. Consequently, that daughter cannot be married to anyone else. She is reserved by virtue of the honest words of the father or guardian. There are many instances in which the parents of a female child have given someone a verbal promise that their daughter will be married to his son. Both parties agree to wait until the boy and girl are grown up, and then the marriage takes place. Following this custom, which is very old in India, the elderly brāhmaṇa promised to give his daughter to the younger brāhmaṇa in charity, and he promised this before the Gopāla Deity. In India the custom is to honor any promise made before the Deity. Such a promise cannot be canceled. In Indian villages, whenever there is a quarrel between two parties, they go to a temple to settle the quarrel. Whatever is spoken in front of the Deity is taken to be true, for no one would dare lie before the Deity.

CC Madhya 6.58, Purport:

Because the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs teach Vedānta philosophy to their students or disciples, they are customarily called jagad-guru. This indicates that they are the benefactors of all people. Although Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was not a sannyāsī but a householder, he used to invite all the sannyāsīs to his home and offer them prasādam. Thus he was accepted as the best well-wisher and friend of all the sannyāsīs.

CC Madhya 7.29, Purport:

There are many instances of devotional service rendered by previous ācāryas who did not care about social behavior when intensely absorbed in love for Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately, as long as we are within this material world, we must observe social customs to avoid criticism by the general populace. This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's desire.

CC Madhya 10.102, Purport:

"Svarūpa" is one of the names of a brahmacārī in Śaṅkarācārya's disciplic succession. In the Vedic discipline there are ten names for sannyāsīs, and it is customary for a brahmacārī assisting a sannyāsī of the designation Tīrtha or Āśrama to receive the title Svarūpa. Dāmodara Svarūpa was formerly a resident of Navadvīpa, and his name was Puruṣottama Ācārya. When he went to Vārāṇasī, he took sannyāsa from a sannyāsī designated Tīrtha. Although he received the title Svarūpa in his brahmacārī stage, he did not change his name when he took sannyāsa. Actually as a sannyāsī he should have been called Tīrtha, but he chose to retain his original brahmacārī title of Svarūpa.

CC Madhya 10.154, Purport:

Brahmānanda Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkara-sampradāya. (The title Bhāratī indicates a member of one of that sampradāya's ten classes of sannyāsīs.) It is customary for a person who has renounced the world to cover his body with a deerskin or the bark of a tree. This is enjoined by the Manu-saṁhitā. But if a sannyāsī who has renounced the world simply wears a deerskin and does not spiritually advance, he is bewildered by false prestige. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not like to see Brahmānanda Bhāratī wearing a deerskin.

CC Madhya 10.175, Purport:

Brahmānanda Bhāratī admitted that when there is an argument between the spiritual master and the disciple, the spiritual master is naturally victorious, although the disciple may put forward a strong argument. In other words, it is customary that the words of the spiritual master are more worshipable than the words of a disciple. Under the circumstances, since Brahmānanda Bhāratī was in the position of a spiritual master, he emerged victorious over Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who considered Himself Brahmānanda Bhāratī’s disciple. However, Brahmānanda Bhāratī reversed the argument and took the position of a devotee, stating that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

CC Madhya 11.117, Translation:

“The man to whom the Lord shows His mercy by inspiring him within the heart takes shelter only of Lord Kṛṣṇa and abandons all Vedic and social customs."

CC Madhya 11.117, Purport:

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." Such firm faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead is possible only by the mercy of the Lord. The Lord is sitting within everyone's heart, and when He personally inspires His devotee, the devotee does not stick to the Vedic principles or social customs but rather devotes himself to the transcendental loving service of the Lord. This is confirmed in the following verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.29.46).

CC Madhya 11.118, Translation:

“"When one is inspired by the Lord, who is sitting in everyone"s heart, he does not care for social custom or Vedic regulative principles.’”

CC Madhya 11.195, Purport:

Since he was born in a Muslim family, Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura could not enter the temple of Jagannātha due to temple restrictions. Nonetheless, he was recognized by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Nāmācārya Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, however, considered himself unfit to enter the Jagannātha temple. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could have personally taken Haridāsa Ṭhākura into the Jagannātha temple if He wished, but the Lord did not like to disturb a popular custom. Consequently the Lord asked His servant simply to look at the Viṣṇu wheel on top of the temple and offer obeisances (namaskāra).

CC Madhya 13.196, Translation:

It was customary that food be offered to the Lord at vipra-śāsana. Indeed, innumerable dishes of food were offered, and Lord Jagannātha tasted each one of them.

CC Madhya 17.185, Purport:

Those who follow social customs and behavior forget to follow the path chalked out by the mahājanas; thus they are offenders at the feet of the mahājanas. Sometimes they consider such mahājanas very conservative, or they create their own mahājanas. In this way they ignore the principles of the paramparā system. This is a great misfortune for everyone. If one does not follow in the footsteps of the real mahājanas, one's plans for happiness will be frustrated.

CC Madhya 25.193, Purport:

The Hindus were forcibly made to eat cow's flesh, and consequently they began crying, thinking that they had become Muslims. Actually the Muslims in India did not come from the country of the Muslims, but Hindus instituted the custom that somehow or other if one contacted a Muslim, he became a Muslim. Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī were born in a high brāhmaṇa family, but because they accepted employment under a Muslim government, they were considered Muslims. Subuddhi Rāya was sprinkled with water from the pitcher of a Muslim, and consequently he was condemned to have become a Muslim.

CC Madhya 25.196, Purport:

This is another instance of Hindu custom. One brāhmaṇa would give advice condoning a particular fault, and another would give advice to the contrary. Typically, lawyers and physicians differ, giving one kind of instruction and then another. Due to the brāhmaṇas' different opinions, Subuddhi Rāya became further perplexed. He did not know what to do or what not to do.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 1.37, Purport:

Formerly when a person died it was commonly said that he had attained the shelter of mother Ganges, even if he did not die on the bank of the Ganges. It is customary among Hindus to carry a dying person to a nearby bank of the Ganges, for if one dies on the bank of the Ganges, his soul is considered to reach the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, wherefrom the Ganges flows.

CC Antya 3.221, Purport:

Śrīla Advaita Ācārya was not afraid of the strict brahminical culture and customs of society. As stated in the śāstric injunctions, which are the true medium of evidence or proof, anyone can go back to Godhead, even if born of a low family. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.32):

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te ‘pi yānti parāṁ gatim

"O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas (merchants) and śūdras (workers)—can attain the supreme destination."

CC Antya 3.221, Purport:

Advaita Ācārya had confidence in the śāstric evidence and did not care about social customs. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, is a cultural movement that does not care about local social conventions. Following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Advaita Ācārya, we can accept a devotee from any part of the world and recognize him as a brāhmaṇa as soon as he is qualified due to following the principles of Vaiṣṇava behavior.

CC Antya 4.127, Purport:

Herein it is very clearly indicated that priests performing Deity worship should be careful to keep themselves completely pure and not be touched by outsiders. Sanātana Gosvāmī and Haridāsa Ṭhākura, thinking themselves mlecchas and yavanas because of their past association with Muslims, did not enter the temple or even travel on the path in front of the temple gate. It is customary for the priests of temples in India not even to touch outsiders or enter the Deity room after having been touched. This is a very important item in temple worship.

CC Antya 5.95, Translation:

Customarily, anyone who composed a song, verse, literary composition or poem about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first had to bring it to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī to be heard.

CC Antya 6.217, Translation:

Thus it is a custom for all time that a devotee who has no other means of support stands at the Siṁha-dvāra gate to receive alms from the servants.

CC Antya 6.219, Translation:

It is a custom for some Vaiṣṇavas to beg from the charity booths and eat whatever they obtain, whereas others stand at night at the Siṁha-dvāra gate, begging alms from the servants.

CC Antya 8.38, Translation:

Thus Rāmacandra Purī stayed at Jagannātha Purī. As is customary for those in the renounced order, he would sometimes stay someplace and then go away.

CC Antya 14.22, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His customary daily duties, and at the usual time He went to see Lord Jagannātha in the temple.

CC Antya 16.29, Purport:

A brāhmaṇa must be a Vaiṣṇava and a learned scholar. Therefore in India it is customary to address a brāhmaṇa as paṇḍita. Without knowledge of Brahman, one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is already a brāhmaṇa, whereas a brāhmaṇa may become a Vaiṣṇava.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 16:

Nārada returned to his place, and the hunter, after returning home, began to execute the instructions Nārada had given him. In the meantime, news spread amongst all the villages that the hunter had become a devotee. Consequently the residents of the villages came to see the new Vaiṣṇava. It is the Vedic custom to bring grains and fruits whenever one goes to see a saintly person, and since all the villagers saw that the hunter had turned into a great devotee, they brought eatables with them. Thus every day he was offered grains and fruit, so much so that no less than ten to twenty people could have eaten there. According to Nārada's instructions, he did not accept anything more than what he and his wife required for sustenance.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 17:

Since Lord Caitanya therefore belonged to the Māyāvādī sect of sannyāsīs, the Māyāvādīs were surprised to see Him engaged in chanting and dancing instead of hearing or reading Vedānta, as is the custom. The Māyāvādī philosophers are very fond of Vedānta, and they misinterpret it in their own way. Instead of understanding their own position, they criticized Lord Caitanya as an unauthorized sannyāsī, arguing that because He was a sentimentalist, He was not actually a bona fide sannyāsī.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 18:

When Lord Caitanya received news of this criticism from His students and disciples, He simply smiled and started for Mathurā and Vṛndāvana. When He returned again to Benares on His way from Mathurā to Jagannātha Purī, He stayed at the house of Candraśekhara, who was considered a śūdra because he was a clerk. In spite of this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu made His residence at his home. Lord Caitanya made no distinctions between brāhmaṇas and śūdras; He accepted anyone who was devoted. Customarily, a sannyāsī is supposed to take shelter and eat in the home of a brāhmaṇa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, used His own discretion and decided to stay at Candraśekhara's house.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 18:

The next day Lord Caitanya went to the house of the brāhmaṇa and saw that all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs were sitting there. He offered His respects to all the sannyāsīs as was customary, and then went to wash His feet. After washing, He sat down beside the foot basin, a little distance from the other sannyāsīs. While He was sitting there, the sannyāsīs saw a glaring effulgence emanating from His body. Being attracted by this glaring effulgence, all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs stood up and showed Him their respects. Amongst them was one sannyāsī named Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. He was the chief amongst the impersonalist sannyāsīs, and he addressed Lord Caitanya with great humility, asking Him to come and sit amongst them.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 6:

In some temples it is the custom to hold a big procession in the evening with a band playing and a nice big umbrella over the Deities, who sit on decorated thrones on the cart or palanquin, which is carried by devotees. The Deities come out onto the street and travel in the neighborhood while the people of the neighborhood come out to offer prasāda. The residents of the neighborhood all follow the procession, so it is a very nice scene. When the Deity is coming out, the servitors in the temple put forward the daily accounts before Them: so much was the collection, so much was the expenditure. The whole idea is that the Deity is considered to be the proprietor of the whole establishment, and all the priests and other people taking care of the temple are considered to be the servants of the Deity.

Nectar of Devotion 9:

As described in the Padma Purāṇa, even a person who has never been able to give in charity, who has never been able to perform a great sacrifice, who has never been able to study the Vedas, who has never been able to worship the Lord—or, in other words, even one who has never done any pious activities—will become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God if he simply drinks the caraṇāmṛta which is kept in the temple. In the temple it is the custom that the caraṇāmṛta be kept in a big pot. The devotees who come to visit and offer respects to the Deity take three drops of caraṇāmṛta very submissively and feel themselves happy in transcendental bliss.

Nectar of Devotion 41:

It is the Vedic custom that a superior smells the heads of his subordinates when the subordinates offer respect to the superior by touching his feet. Similarly, Arjuna and Bhīma embraced Kṛṣṇa with great jubilation, and the two younger brothers, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, touched the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa with tears in their eyes and offered their respects. In this way all the five Pāṇḍava brothers enjoyed the fraternal friendship of Kṛṣṇa in transcendental mellow.

Nectar of Devotion 43:

In the Lalita-mādhava, compiled by Rūpa Gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇa is addressed as follows: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, when You are engaged in herding the animals, the dust caused by the hooves of the calves and cows covers Your nice face and artistic tilaka, and You appear very dusty. But when You return home, the milk flowing out of the breasts of Your mother washes Your face of its dust covering, and You appear to be purified by this milk, just as when the Deity is washed during the performance of the abhiṣeka ceremony." It is the custom in the temples of Deities that if there have been some impure activities, the Deity has to be washed with milk. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He was washed by the milk from the breast of mother Yaśodā, which purified Him from the dust covering.

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Easy Journey to Other Planets 2:

If the yogī is inquisitive to see the moon, he can say, "Ah, let me see what the moon is like. Then I shall transfer myself to higher planets," just like travelers who go to Europe, California, Canada, or other countries on earth. One can transfer oneself to many planets by this yoga system, but anywhere he goes he will find visa systems and customs systems. To go to other planets, one must be qualified.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 1:

According to the custom of the Vedic civilization, when a girl is married, the brother takes the sister and brother-in-law to their home. Because the newly married girl may feel too much separation from her father's family, the brother goes with her until she reaches her father-in-law's house. The full dowry contributed by Devaka was as follows: 400 elephants fully decorated with golden garlands, 15,000 decorated horses, and 1,800 chariots. He also arranged for 200 beautiful girls to follow his daughter.

Krsna Book 5:

According to Vedic custom, Nanda Mahārāja called for learned astrologers and brāhmaṇas to perform the birth ceremony. After the birth of a child, the astrologers calculate the moment of the birth and make a horoscope of the child's future life. Another ceremony takes place after the birth of the child: the family members take baths, cleanse themselves and decorate themselves with ornaments and nice garments; then they come before the child and the astrologer to hear of the future life of the child.

Krsna Book 6:

The transcendental body of Kṛṣṇa did not require any protection, but to instruct us on the importance of the cow, the Lord was smeared over with cow dung, washed with the urine of a cow, and sprinkled with the dust upraised by the walking of the cows. After this purificatory process, the gopīs, headed by mother Yaśodā and Rohiṇī, chanted the names of Viṣṇu to give Kṛṣṇa's body full protection from all evil influences. They washed their hands and feet and sipped water three times, as is the custom before chanting mantra.

Krsna Book 22:

The unmarried gopīs used to prepare the deity of goddess Durgā and worship it with candana pulp, garlands, incense, lamps and all kinds of presentations—fruits, grain and twigs of plants. After worshiping, it is the custom to pray for some benediction. The unmarried girls used to pray with great devotion to goddess Kātyāyanī, addressing her as follows: "O supreme external energy of the Personality of Godhead, O supreme mystic power, O supreme controller of this material world, O goddess, please be kind to us and arrange for our marriage with the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa." The Vaiṣṇavas generally do not worship any demigods. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has strictly forbidden all worship of the demigods for anyone who wants to advance in pure devotional service.

Krsna Book 45:

It is customary, after being initiated in the Gāyatrī mantra, for one to live away from home for some time under the care of the ācārya, to be trained in spiritual life. During this period, one has to work under the spiritual master as an ordinary menial servant. There are many rules and regulations for a brahmacārī living under the care of an ācārya, and Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma strictly followed those regulative principles while living under the instruction of their spiritual master, Sāndīpani Muni, who was a resident of Avantīpura, in the northern Indian district of Ujjain.

Krsna Book 50:

In accordance with the Vedic custom, they took yogurt mixed with fresh green grass and strewed it here and there to make the victory jubilation even more auspicious. As Kṛṣṇa passed through the street, all the ladies and women regarded Him with eyes bright with great affection. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma carried various kinds of ornaments, jewels and other booty carefully collected from the battlefield and presented it all to King Ugrasena. Kṛṣṇa thus offered His respect to His grandfather because Ugrasena was at that time the crowned king of the Yadu dynasty.

Krsna Book 52:

As the king of a country thinks of diplomatic ways to achieve his object, Rukmiṇī, being the daughter of a king, was diplomatic in suggesting how this unnecessary and undesirable killing could be avoided. She explained that it was the custom of her family to visit the temple of goddess Durgā, their family deity, before a marriage. (The kṣatriya kings were mostly staunch Vaiṣṇavas, worshiping Lord Viṣṇu in either the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa form; still, for their material welfare they used to worship goddess Durgā. They never made the mistake, however, of accepting the demigods as the Supreme Lord on the level of viṣṇu-tattva, as do some less intelligent men.)

Krsna Book 53:

As was the Vedic custom, the King offered Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma honey and fresh, washed garments. He was hospitable not only to Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and kings such as Jarāsandha but also to many other kings and princes according to their personal strength, age and material possessions. Out of curiosity and eagerness, the people of Kuṇḍina assembled before Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to drink the nectar of Their beauty. With tearful eyes, they offered Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma their silent respects.

Krsna Book 53:

As Rukmiṇī proceeded toward the temple, she was silent and grave. Her mother and her girlfriends were by her side, and the wife of a brāhmaṇa was in the center; surrounding her were royal bodyguards. (This custom of a would-be bride's going to the temple of a demigod is still practiced in India.) As the procession continued, various musical sounds were heard. Conchshells, drums such as paṇavas, and bugles of different sizes, such as tūryas and bherīs, combined to make a sound which was not only auspicious but very sweet to hear.

Krsna Book 60:

According to Vedic culture, although polygamy is allowed, none of one's wives should be ill-treated. In other words, one may take many wives only if he is able to satisfy all of them equally as an ideal householder; otherwise it is not allowed. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the world teacher; therefore, even though He had no need for a wife, He expanded Himself into as many forms as He had wives, and He lived with them as an ideal householder, observing the regulative principles, rules and commitments in accordance with the Vedic injunctions and the social laws and customs of society. For each of His 16,108 wives, He simultaneously maintained different palaces, different establishments and different atmospheres. Thus the Lord, although one, exhibited Himself as 16,108 ideal householders.

Krsna Book 79:

It is the Vedic custom that when a rich visitor goes to any place of pilgrimage he gives the local priests houses, cows, ornaments and garments as gifts of charity. This system of visiting places of pilgrimage and providing the local brāhmaṇa priests with all necessities of life has greatly deteriorated in this Age of Kali. The richer section of the population, because of its degradation in Vedic culture, is no longer attracted by these places of pilgrimage, and the brāhmaṇa priests who depended on such visitors have also deteriorated in their professional duty of helping the visitors.

Krsna Book 82:

After arriving in Kurukṣetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined in the śāstras, and they observed fasting for the whole period of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom to give in charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse, the members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas. All those cows were fully decorated with nice dress and ornaments. The special feature of these cows was that they had golden ankle bells and flower garlands on their necks.

Krsna Book 82:

After the brāhmaṇas are fed, it is the custom for the host, with their permission, to accept prasādam. Thus, with the permission of the brāhmaṇas, all the members of the Yadu dynasty took lunch. Then they selected resting places underneath big shady trees, and when they had taken sufficient rest, they prepared to receive visitors, among whom were relatives and friends, as well as many subordinate kings and rulers.

Krsna Book 85:

It is a Vedic custom that the junior members of the family should offer respects to the elders every morning. The children or disciples especially should offer their respects to their parents or spiritual master in the morning. In pursuance of this Vedic principle, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma used to offer Their obeisances to Their parents, Vasudeva and Devakī. One day, after having returned from the sacrificial performances at Kurukṣetra, when Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma went to offer Their respects to Vasudeva, Vasudeva took the opportunity to appreciate the exalted position of his two sons.

Krsna Book 86:

Although You are constantly with the conditioned soul, only when he becomes purified by devotional service do You become revealed to him. Others, who are bewildered by fruitive activities, either by Vedic injunction or by customary dealings, and who do not take to devotional service, are captivated by the external happiness of the bodily concept of life. You are not revealed to such persons. Rather, You remain far, far away from them. But for one who engages in Your devotional service and purifies his heart by constant chanting of Your holy name, You are very easily understood as his eternal, constant companion.

Message of Godhead

Message of Godhead 1:

To attain perfection in transcendental knowledge is to accept the disciplic succession, the spiritual line, by culture, practice, and education in that line. The professional heads of various spiritual societies or communities often may not have attained to this standard of spiritual perfection and so may not possess the qualifications required for being a spiritual master. It is therefore no use to approach such professional spiritual masters as a matter of formality or custom. Attainment of spiritual perfection can never be possible without undergoing spiritual discipline.

Light of the Bhagavata

Light of the Bhagavata 2, Purport:

The welfare state imposes upon its citizens scorching taxes in various forms—income tax, sales tax, land tax, terminal tax, excise tax, customs tax, and so many other taxes. But in due course, when the taxes accumulate into a large sum of money, they are utilized for the welfare of the citizens in various ways. Nonetheless, sometimes it happens that the benefits of the taxes fall like rains on stone-hearted men in the state who are unable to utilize the money properly and who squander it for sense gratification.

Sri Isopanisad

Sri Isopanisad 9, Purport:

In India, as in many other countries, some people follow the custom of leading a procession with a decorated dead body for the pleasure of the lamenting relatives. In the same way, modern civilization is a patchwork of activities meant to cover the perpetual miseries of material existence. All such activities are aimed toward sense gratification. But above the senses is the mind, and above the mind is the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the soul. Thus the aim of real education should be self-realization, realization of the spiritual values of the soul. Any education which does not lead to such realization must be considered avidyā, or nescience. And to culture such nescience means to go down to the darkest region of ignorance.

Narada-bhakti-sutra (sutras 1 to 8 only)

Narada Bhakti Sutra 8, Translation:

Such renunciation in devotional service means to give up all kinds of social customs and religious rituals governed by Vedic injunction.

Page Title:Custom (CC and Other Books)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:08 of Jun, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=45, OB=28, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:73