October 2013 – Page 5 – Planet ISKCON

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Verse 4.25: Some yogīs perfectly worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices to them, and some of them offer sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme Brahman.

It has been ages since I’ve written. Although numerous legitimate reasons can be given as to why I haven’t been able to dedicate the time, it doesn’t matter. The effects of not writing are resoundingly clear – I feel totally empty.

Yet coming back to the Gita today doesn’t feel awkward or foreign. Instead, I feel welcomed back home! Just like a soft-hearted friend who finds a sweet way to tell us what we need to hear, today’s verse is doing the same for me.

The word sacrifice has taken on a new relevance after having stepped away from writing this past month. I realize now that writing was a sacrifice I was performing on a daily basis – one of time and thought. And by taking that sacrifice for granted, I minimized its value.

As we’ve heard before:

Bhakti is all about attitude and intention.

The moment something becomes routine or automatic, it’s time to take a step back and really check in to see where we stand. Have we become complacent? Where and how have our priorities changed? Is there something that is preventing us from experiencing the resolve and determination that we had when our enthusiasm was high?

It’s often said that it’s much easier to begin something than to maintain it. This phrase takes on a new meaning for me as I can see now how directly connected it is with sacrifice.

In order to maintain and sustain anything, it is impossible to do so without some sacrifice.

Whether it is a sacrifice of energy, time, money or mental resolve, it requires us to do a little bit more, push a little bit harder and give more than we may be willing to in that moment. But for anyone who has put in that sacrifice, they know how sweet the results can be.

In this instance, I’m not speaking about external results that can be measured visibly (although those too may come), but rather I speak to the internal growth one makes. That growth which helps us in our journey of discovering who we really are and becoming spiritual warriors.

27 Oct 2013 – Appearance Day of Radha Kunda, Snana Dana
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27 Oct 2013 – Bahulastami
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Worry Surgery
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I lean in and place a bracelet around the wrist of Murlidhar, the deity of the Lord here in Manhattan. Trays filled with mirrored cloth and glittering jewelry surround me. The morning is quiet. Even the sounds from the street below are muted.I reach fo…

Radha Kunda Appearance – Bathe in the grateful remembrance of the supreme mercy of the supreme devotee
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Special Days Meditation Podcast

If Padma Purana is written by Vyasadeva then how can the Damodarashtakam in it Purana be composed by Satyavrata Muni?
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Answer Podcast

While glorifying Damodara why do we say Radha-Damodara and not Yashoda-Damodara?
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Answer Podcast Relevant Reference In the Bhavisya Purana, Uttara Khanda, it is said: sanketavasare cyute pranayatah samsaj jaya radhaya prarabhya bhrukuti hiranya rasana damna nibaddhodaram kartikyam janani krtotsava vare prastavana purvakam catani prathayantam atma pulakam dhyayema damodaram “One day on the full moon night of Kartik, Krsna arrives too late at the place where He […]

Should devotees be promoting any particular candidate during political elections?
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As Prabhupada wanted ISKCON to be non-political, how should we respond when some devotees send emails promoting a particular political party?
Answer Podcast

HG Visvambhar Prabhu / SB 10.48.31
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Syamananda Prabhu asks about tips to put on dramas from Venu-gita
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Gaura-krsna about the meaning of ‘beginingless karma’, Toth Sandor about how everyone is following Krsna’s path.

What is the meaning of the Gita 6.44 statement that the advanced yogi goes beyond the range of Vedic sound?
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Answer Podcast

When adharma continues to exist in the world, what does it mean to say that the Lord’s mission is complete?
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Towards the end of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Chaitanya Charitamrita, the devatas or the Lord’s associates inform the Lord that his mission is now complete. But when adharma continues to exist in the world, what does it mean to say that the Lord’s mission is complete? Answer Podcast

A visit to the 7 Goswami Temples of Vrindavana (Album 145 photos)
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Radha Ramana – “Radha Ramana” means “one who gives pleasure to Radha”, andRadha Ramana is one of the few original deities still left in Vrindavan. Radha Ramana is said to be self-manifested from one of the Goswami’s saligram silas in 1542 Read more ›

Is the Brahmastra Brahma’s weapon? Why is it considered so special?
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Answer Podcast

The Mercy Of The Dhama (Album 111 photos)
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Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday we went back to Radha Gokulananda for kirtan and a talk by Sitala dasi on Lokanatha Goswami, who’s samadhi is in the courtyard of the temple. Then more kirtan in the nearby samadhi of Gopal Bhatta Goswami and yet another darsan of the ever-merciful Radha Raman. A wonderful day in the auspicious month of Kartika Read more ›

Can a homosexual become a brahmachari?
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Can a homosexual comfortably adjust and become brahmachari? I have been practicing KC for the past 4 yrs and now about to join GS- but the wall is that I am homosexual. Could you please explain what can be the pros and cons of this? Could you please el…

SB 11.07.18 – Be intelligent enough to cooperate with the supremely intelligent doctor
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Holy Name Meditation Podcast

Bhaktivedanta Manor Communications: To better understand and be unterstood!
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Bhaktivedanta Manor Communications works to create and sustain favourable and honest relations and environments so that ISKCON as a whole may better understand and be understood by all parts of society as a growing and diverse religious community Read more ›

SB 11.07.17 – Singular surrender to the Lord alone enables us to taste the sweetness of his mercy
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Holy Name Meditation Podcast