Bhajans
Lasanma Lalji? (Krshna in Garlic?)
How to Choose Bhajans
Recently (in late 1996) I heard a bhajan in which a devotee tells
that he sees God and demigods in many vegetables. I was repeating
bhajan lines happily after the singer until he sang, “kandama karshan,
lasanma lalji.” The “devotee” says he/she sees Krshna in onion and
sees Balkrishna in garlic, implying that he/she eats onion and garlic happily
or even serves it to Krshna! Obviously, the “devotee” is not a Vaishnav.
This reminded me what Sri Prabhupada has
said about choosing bhajans for satsang. He
said, “Sing only bhajans sung by great devotees of Krshna, like Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, Narottamdas Thakur, and such pure devotees and aacharyas.”
He advised us not to sing bhajan-like movie songs and songs made
by non-devotees, because such songs move us away from Krshna. Note
that "raghupati raghava raja ram" song is not composed by a devotee like
Mira or Surdas. It manipulates religious sentiment of Hindus to achieve
a personal political aim. It should be avoided.
This not to deny the fact that when a devotee advances sufficiently
he/she sees Krshna everywhere in everything at every time (..vasudeva
sarvamiti sa mahatma sudurlabha -Gita). However, he/she would not
serve and eat garlic, onion, mushroom and such foods to Krshna because
it is prohibited by our Shastras. These foods are tamasic in nature,
and a devotee wants to raise himself/ herself from tamasic (mode of ignorance)
to rajasic (mode of passion) to satvik (mode of goodness) guna (mode.)
Ultimately he/she wants to surpass all three modes and become a gunatita
(beyond the control of the modes of nature) as recommended by Krshna in
Bhagavad Gita.
Jai. -SV
Other Web Sites
Krishna Bhajans
Here is an assortment of Krishna Bhajan Realaudio links to listen to.
1. http://bhajans.org/ram/ankhiyaa_hari_darashan.ram
2.
http://bhajans.org/ram/bhaj_man_govind.ram
3.
http://bhajans.org/ram/darashan_diijo_aaye.ram
4.
http://bhajans.org/ram/shrii_raadhaa_krishNaaya_namaH.ram
5. http://bhajans.org/ram/tum_taji_aur.ram
6. http://bhajans.org/ram/hari_hari_2.ram
7.
http://bhajans.org/ram/hari_patit_paavan.ram
8. http://bhajans.org/ram/hari_tum_haro.ram
9.
http://bhajans.org/ram/he_govind_raakho.ram
10.
http://bhajans.org/ram/jaya_raadhe_raadhe.ram
11. http://bhajans.org/ram/re_mana_hari.ram
12.
13.
14.
http://bhajans.org/ram/nandabaabaajii_ko.ram
15.
http://bhajans.org/ram/raadheshyaama_he_ghanashyaamaa.ram
16.
http://bhajans.org/ram/hari_OM_namo_naaraayaNaaya.ram
17.
http://bhajans.org/ram/krishnaM_vishhNuM.ram
18.
http://bhajans.org/aaratii/kunjabihaarii.ram
Gita-govinda (Dashaavataara) by Sri Jayadeva
