Monthly Archives: April 2014

New Vrindaban Hosts Staged Reading of New Ramayana Musical
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Ramayana: Past in Present By Krpamaya das A staged reading of a new musical is a very interesting way to be part of this production. The production team wants your feedback about the musical. <<>> When: Saturday, April 26th, 5:30-6:45PM After the reading, please stay to give feedback and enjoy refreshments. Where: The Palace of […]

Harinam at Mentakab, Malaysia (Album 29 photos)
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H G Harigaura Prabhu president of ISKCON Mentakab organised Harinam at Mentakab on 19 April 2014. Mentakab is a town which is around 120km away from Kuala Lumpur. This was the first ever harinam organised at mentakab. Deities of Sita Ram Lakshman Hanuman were taken on a palanquin procession in and around the housing areas of Mentakab. 40 residents did offering for Their Lordships and 50 devotees attended the harinam. The Harinam which continued for 3 hours started and ended at Sriman Arumugam’s house who is an active member of Mentakab centre. H G Siva Caitanya prabhu gave a class on chanting and Bhagavad Gita at the end of the harinam and enlightened each and every one who were present.

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Being Open to Learn Through Humility: Part 2 “The Glory of Humility, and Pride Precedes a Fall”
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Author: 

Karnamrita Das

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player is needed; works best with Firefox or Explorer; if you are using Google Chrome it will automatically play, so if you don’t want to listen, mute your speakers.)
Pride and humility photo Pride4_zpsda4b6360.jpg
We continue exploring what could be called the “glory of humility” in this blog with an emphasis that pride precedes a fall. I find much to celebrate about someone who is modest in their attitude, yet competent, and—or—hardworking and sincere. Such a person shines in whatever they do, whether as a great leader, or street sweeper. Even though you won’t find humility or modesty listed on the qualities desired for a job applicant, this quality has always been appreciated, and even more so today since modesty seems extremely rare—even quaint, or archaic to some.

Part of humility is also being authentic and honest in our life—or in our conditioned identity, work, and family, etc., neither vainly proud, nor full of self-loathing. Being authentic means being a balanced human being with a good understanding of one’s nature and a feeling of dependence on God. Unfortunately with the decline of good families and spiritual values many children are raised with glaring deficiencies and poor attitudes that as adults they try to over compensate for. I speak from experience.

With television, magazines, and frenzied social media all hungry for sensational stories, coupled with a busy population awash in (mis)information and infinite entertainment distractions, a “sound bite culture” has been created without much depth, but with much money invested in promoting it. Fame, though still rare, may be easily conferred on someone for insignificant reasons, and is often pursued for its own sake, rather than given, unsought, as an acknowledgement for special skills or good qualities.

On the other hand, persons who do have the advantages of beauty, wealth, social position, or acting or athletic ability, can be full of pride, conceit, boasting, or unwarranted audaciousness. Those in the limelight have special responsibilities because, as the Gita teaches us

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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014
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Dubai, UAE

Clothes Vs. None

I’m not the only one in free flowing loose attire.  At the international airport at Dubai, you see plenty of Orthodox wear that isn’t necessarily square.  There’s the Islamic clothes, for men it’s head gear in white, with long gown to match.  Some men sport the lungi, a draped from the waist down comfortable cloth, and then a white chaddar wrapped around the upper torso, folded over on the left shoulder.  Some women wear the traditional black, some with the burqa over the entire head.

As a Hare Krishna monk, I don’t stand out as unique any more, unless I’m walking in the prairie country or the mountains which I’m quite excited about for the coming May.   Common place in these areas are coveralls and denims, and where you hardly see a lady’s dress, that seems to be something of the past. 

Back in the airport you see the signs for the passengers’ washrooms where you see the symbols of the human figurines, one with a dress and one with pants.  The male’s room shows the form with the pants, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to an airport like Dubai’s where the genders seem to cross borders when it comes to dress style. 

Look!  There’s another guy in robes, a solid dark brown material worn by a Southeast Asian who happens to be a Buddhist monk. 

Whatever the duds, it’s mostly needed to cover up embarrassing figures and conceal bad body odour from being stuck on a plane for hours.  Thank God for clothes, whether it be a dress or pants.  Thank God that Adam and Eve came up with something practical after realizing the naked truth.  Thank Providence that the naga babas (naked sages) of the Himalayas have their caves to wear as their clothes.  We might, however, learn something from their being beyond the bodily concept.  I am not this body, I have a body, and I will shed it like I do my clothes. 

I am spirit. 

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Don’t be proud of being a strict Vegetarian
→ The Spiritual Scientist

It is wrong, however, to think that simply by becoming a vegetarian one can avoid transgressing the laws of nature. Vegetables also have life, and while it is nature’s law that one living being is meant to feed on another, for human beings the point is to recognize the Supreme Lord. Thus one should not […]

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How to build good relationships
→ Matsya Avatar das adhikari

PART II
The loss of awareness of our original essence results in a deep dissatisfaction and inner deterioration. People do not behave in a bad manner because they just wish so, rather because they are dissatisfied within.
How can we help people to feel satisfied?
Sensitiveness is not enough to empathize with the others so knowledge and discipline are required.
What about those people who do not even show sensitiveness?
We may learn to acquire, develop, find sensitiveness, which in Latin is called pietas. Sensitiveness can be found in atman, our spiritual matrix. We cannot trust the mind because when external circumstances change, our mental frame modifies consequently. For this reason we have to help people to start an inner search, to rediscover their real self. In this way, by developing such awareness, we can face the situations that otherwise could have become our limits, according to the changeable circumstances of life.
Our relations should not depend on external circumstances, we ought to learn to overcome them.
A great daily effort within needs to be done if we want to achieve this target. By conquering the inner enemies one after another, we lead ourselves to steadiness, tolerance, peacefulness. By practicing such attitude we learn not to react automatically to events, provocations, offences, abuses.
A person needs to modify one’s point of view. One may wear a heavy shield to protect oneself, but it will not be strong enough because it is only by switching and elevating our point of view that we reach a steady and broad inner confidence.
We miss a great deal of life which cannot be reproduced in the present span of time, if we carry on to identify as real what real is not. By modifying our point of view, our efforts, our dedication towards such an elevated mission will unveil to us the meaning of living.
It is not easy to succeed because we were born with a superficial mental attitude, with prejudices and tendencies acquired through behaviors we have brought back from previous lives. Performance of actions are pressing from our subconscious and lead us to repeat the same old mistakes. Therefore we need great care and attention to avoid circumstances that may put us at risk.
A person does not learn by punishment, rather by improving through education on an ethical and spiritual level, so that one may distinguish and filter between experience and its interpretation and between experience and reaction to events.

Easter holiday Harinam in London (4 min video)
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“Sankirtan will always be appreciated because it is the special blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the people of this fallen age of Kali”

Letter to Achyutananda 1975

The general public of London are appreciating more and more the devotee’s Kirtan on the streets. There was a time when we would get arrested for chanting and book distribution, now the police just walk by and nod to us with a smile. We started the Maha Harinam at 1pm and continued till 6pm took prasad and went out again till about 10pm. 350 books were distributed, 280 medium and 70 maha big. This was organised by Sutapa Prabhu of the Manor brahmacaris and the Soho temple devotees. The first part of the video show the “Hari Haris” Kirtan band chanting on Soho street, then Guru Das brahmacari leads Kirtan and then HG Parividha Prabhu.

Enjoy the movie (put together by Achinta Rupa Prabhu) Read more ›

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 04/24/14
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New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 04/24/14. Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban. This week’s challenge: In this photo, there are twenty five devotees and pretty much all of their faces are recognizable. How many can you identify? Extra Credit: What year was this photo taken and where? Post your guesses on […]

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014
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Durban, South Africa

Something About Family
 
After four days of intense devotional output at this 26th annual Festival of Chariots in Durban, there was happy fatigue.  The attendance at the temple’s morning program was skimpy for that reason, and more.  Some of the visiting monks from Europe, the US and India, had already departed for other destinations.  You can say things are back to normal.  The party’s over.  Members of the spiritual family have gone to their respective areas of what they call home. 

The few of us lingering folks sat down for listening to a recording of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, speaking about the concept of family from the Vedic perspective.  Imagine stretching out to beyond extended family.  “It is not just a man with wife and children, it is generations,” Srila Prabhupada explained from a pravachan (talk) he delivered on October 5th, 1976, Vrindavan, India.  He went on to say that the family consideration was so important in Vedic culture.  If there was some misbehaviour on the part of a member of the family, it would leave a great scar on the dynasty. 

This is a major issue raised at the inception of the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna in the “Bhagavad Gita”.  Arjuna was concerned about improper action impacting the family.  From his standpoint, the proper action was no action, in the case of the Kurukshetra war.  From Krishna’s point of view, failure to perform meant cowardliness and irresponsibility.  Krishna’s constant reminder to Arjuna, being of a dignified clan, was saying that there was an obligation to act in their defense, making it honourable. 

While some Krishna followers I know have little or sometimes no tie with biological family, there is, however, a strong allegiance to their spiritual family.  Another case, family in the broad sense, needs protection from ill repute.  You want to try to avoid doing that which is embarrassing to yourself, and above all, your allegiances. 

May the Source be with you!

 3 KM

Monday, April 21st, 2014
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Durban, South Africa

Trail Break

I had been pining for an African trail to come my way, and so it came to pass that Tamohara dispelled the dream, and had in most practical terms, arranged for a drive by his dad, Thayalan, to take Kala, Jambavan and I to a gorgeous gorge at Krantz Kloof.  We arrived there at the hour of dawn when trees drop dew and the aromas of plants perk the nostrils.  The rubber tree was there to greet us, perfectly circular mushrooms of a rustic tone were also there.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, no big game crossed our paths.  In fact, the largest form of wildlife that we sighted came in the form of a microphone length (you can tell I’ve been on the stage lately) centipede of sorts.  It was perfectly coiled as it clung on to the side of a tree.  A creek appeared and disappeared, snaking its way to its own natural whim, and making its own descension to manifest as waterfalls. 

Being in this green zone was a great break from the asphalt at the festival site.  And, as always, when you trek the softened and uneven path under nature’s canopies, it is such a far cry from moving over the hardened, flat surfaces of city constructs.  I felt certain leg muscles stretch – muscles that become lazy from plying over the terrain of manmade evenness. 

‘Twas a treat. 

Back to a baking sun at the old Durban Drive-In Theatre grounds, and this day, at the Bhakti Cloud tent, we danced out the eight stanza “Chaitanya’s Verses”.  Verse three especially resonated with volunteers as I rapped out,

It is best to chant with humility
To be as humble as you can possibly be
It’s like a blade of grass you see
And be more tolerant than a tree…

From executing the dance I could appreciate the dynamics of flatness. 

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ April 23, 2014
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May Lord Syama’s beloved Radha, who from each of Her limbs floods Vrindavana forest with charming, effulgent, wonderful golden nectar oceans glistening with drops of intense sweetness flowing from the original source of the nectar of all love and filled with the happiness of wild amorous pastimes, play within my heart.[Source : Nectarean Glories of […]

Real relationships
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 April 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Evening Lecture) We may think, “What about my security? I need some security; like a little money in the bank, a credit card maybe. You know, just in case, something happens. Need to be prepared. What about my security?” But a vaisnava’s security is his goodwill; his goodwill with the […]