Jahnu Saptami – The Lord’s blessings are more than worth whatever austerity is required to get them

Transcript

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Hare Krishna Hare Krishna On the occasion of Janu Saptami let’s meditate on the extraordinary way in which Janu she obstructed and then arranged for the grace of Ganga Devi to benedict the earth now most of us know the story of how Bhagirath the great Raj Rishi did enormous austerity to get the Ganga to come down to the earth so that when his ancestors ashes would be washed by Ganga then they would be delivered so he first did austerity to get Ganga and then he did austerity to Lord Shiva to get Ganga to sustain Ganga’s fall on his own head and then after doing all those enormous austerities when he came forward with Ganga and Ganga was flowing swiftly along with Bhagirath so it suddenly passed by the place where Janu Rishi was an extremely powerful Rishi had his ashram now imagine we are sitting on land and suddenly water comes flowing by so first the water just disturbed his meditation and then after that the water took away his ashram, it was flowing so forcefully and after that it started disrupting his own field the whole area where he was Janamuni got upset and he just actually swallowed the whole river now sages have phenomenal powers, Agasthya Rishi it is described that he swallowed the whole ocean at one time, there is a discussion between Ram and the disciples of Agasthya in the Ramayan where Agasthya’s glories are talked about, similarly Janu had this power and he just swallowed the river and Bhagirath was just going along, the sound of the river disappeared, he turned around and saw the river had disappeared and what has happened, he turned around and then he saw Janu Rishi looking angry and then he understood and then he went and offered prayers to Janu Rishi and he offered him offered prayers did supplications, did austerities and he pleased him and it was on this day that Janu Rishi released Ganga and then Ganga flowed forward to bless the earth now the whole pastime demonstrates of Ganga’s descent and of Bhagirath’s determination to ensure Ganga’s descent actually demonstrates how blessings when they come in our life, no matter how many obstacles are there, those blessings are actually worth the trouble because these blessings can deliver us from far greater miseries, miseries which we can’t even think about, so Bhagirath had to perform so many austerities and just when he seemed successful around the corner just the corner itself disappeared, you know the whole, the river itself disappeared at that time so what did he do? Rather than getting discouraged he continued on he again did austerities and Janu Rishi at one level he obstructed Ganga advising him why is he so irritable, that he just got angry and he frustrated Bhagirath no, actually he was also part of the plan of the lord to demonstrate to the world the tirelessness of the sacrificing spirit of Maharaj Bhagirath that he was ready to do whatever it took, whatever austerities were required so Janu Rishi is also a great Rishi that he was had, not only that he come in contact with Ganga when it came on the earth, he was among the first who contacted Ganga but along with that he had the potency to swallow Ganga which is a phenomenal potency and then he is also on the part of plan of the lord to glorify Bhagirath and it is this mercy of the lord and his great devotees that we can remember and pray to on this holy occasion of Janu Saptami, thank you