Monthly Archives: April 2014

Long life is meaningful only if it is God-centered
→ The Spiritual Scientist

A tree lives for hundreds and hundreds of years, but there is no point in living a long time like trees, or breathing like bellows, or begetting children like hogs and dogs, or eating like camels. A humble God-centered life is more valuable than a colossal hoax of a life dedicated to godless altruism or […]

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Local Preaching Update
→ Mayapur.com

Hare Krishna, dear devotees, for your kind information, On the 21st of April, 2014 in the evening we had a huge and enthusiastic Nagar Sankirtan program at Krishnanagar BARODOL  MELA, at Rajbari mela prangan. Altogether there were 20 devotees from Sri Mayapur, including 14 foreign devotees. The Nagar Sankirtan started from Sree Radha Krishna Chandra […]

The post Local Preaching Update appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Programs in Durban, 2014
→ KKSBlog

In the days preceding the Ratha Yatra festival, Kadamba Kanana Swami did programs around Durban. Audio recordings and photos are presented below. These include Maharaj’s address at the disciple program which took place on 12 April as well as lectures on the glories of Hanuman in commemoration of Hanuman Jayanti.   Audio KKS_SA_12 April 2014_DBN_Disciple […]

Earth Day Celebration 2014 in Quezon City Memorial Circle, Philippines (Album 73 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Every April 22, the world celebrates Earth Day. It is the single biggest environmental celebration in the world participated in by more than 150 countries and over a billion people worldwide.
This year it was held @ Quezon Memorial Circle. Various Group hand in hand to thank Mother Nature as well as Private and Business Sector and Government Agencies such as DENR. Different Prayers from Various Group has been contributed for Mother Earth.

ISKCON Devotees introduced Krishna Consciousness and had performed bhajans on the stage and ecstatic harinam. Food For Life team distributed 500 plates of prasadam (pancit, lilot, bread and cookies).

Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad gita(18.69) that there is no one in this world dearer to Him than one who preaches His message.Preaching is an integral part of our temple’s activities. Srila Prabhupada writes “Preaching is the easiest way to realise the Supreme Personality of Godhead” (Srimad-Bhagavatam,7.6.24 purport). Read more ›

Echo question; Did Krishna become many? – HH Giriraj Swami
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Hare Krishna Giriraj Swami

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda

Yesterday I mentioned my doubt about the eko bahu syam verse.  My understanding is that this verse is in relation to the material world. In the following purport to CC Adi 6.14-15 it seems to hint at that, although the verse is not directly quoted. 

“He desired to expand Himself into many living entities, and with such a desire He first created a vast expanse of water within the universal space and then impregnated that water with living entities.”

In addition to that there are the extensive commentaries on the first verse of the catur ślokī, aham evasam evagre. ‘It was I in the past, and only I in the future, and I in the present.’

In the commentaries the acharyas present that I in the past means with associates and abode. Then sastra is quoted that the abode and associates exist prior to this creation and are transcendental to it. 

However the way that this verse is sometimes quoted seems to indicate some sort of creation or existential aspect of Krishna existing alone at some point. Which doesn’t seem correct to me. Perhaps it is an acintya subject and therefore cannot be understood by plain philosophy.  I do not know if there is any commentary on that verse to give a clear indication as to what it is regards to.

The way that I see it is that the Lord and his abode is a confidential subject and those subjects are not always directly spoken about in the Vedas and are rather more intimately revealed in books like Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.  So in this verse it is speaking just in regards to the material realm, Maha Visnu impregnating the pradhana.  Please let me know how you understand it. Thank you. 

Your humble servant,
Nityānanda Chandra Dās

My dear Nityananda Chandra Prabhu,
Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

When you first approached me with your question, I thought to share with you the following passage, and having read your letter now, I still think the passage is relevant. It is an excerpt from a talk that Srila Prabhupada gave in NYC in 1967, which was later edited and rendered as the Introduction to CC.

“Radha and Krsna are one, and when Krsna desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as Radharani. The spiritual exchange of love between Radha and Krsna is the actual display of Krsna’s internal pleasure potency. Although we speak of ‘when’ Krsna desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditioned life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in spiritual life everything is absolute, and so there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that Radha and Krsna are one and that They also become divided, the question ‘When?’ automatically comes to mind. When Krsna desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of Radharani, and when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency of Radha, He united with Radharani, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya. This is all explained by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja in the fifth verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta.”

What I have understood is that Lord Krishna and His energies exist eternally, simultaneoulsy, but because Krishna is primary and His energies are subordinate, we say that they come from Him. For example, we say that the sunshine comes from the sun, because the sunshine is secondary to the sun, but as long as the sun has existed, the sunshine has also existed.

In his introduction to the Bhagavad-gita, Srila Prabhupada states, “Isvara (the Supreme Lord), jiva (the living entity), prakrti (nature), kala (eternal time), and karma (activity) are all explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, material nature, and time are eternal. . . . This material nature is the separated energy of the Supreme Lord, and similarly the living entities are also the energy of the Supreme Lord, although they are not separated but eternally related. So the Lord, the living entity, material nature, and time are all interrelated and are all eternal. However, the other item, karma, is not eternal.”

The same thing seen from different angles will appear different and be described differently, thus to properly understand the Vedic knowledge one must see it from different angles, and then apparent contradictions are reconciled. And, as you mentioned, the subject is acintya – acintya-bhedabheda-tattva.

Anyway, I hope these few thoughts help.

And incidentally, I thought your presentation of the question and your discussion of it were very thoughtful and thought-provoking. Thank you very much.

Hare Krishna.

May this meet you in good health and enthusiastic spirits.

Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada,
Giriraj Swami

TEXAS FAITH 127: In faith and gender politics, what does submission mean — as in, submissive spouse?
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

When Sarah Palin ran for vice president, as Hillary Clinton considers a race for president and with Wendy Davis actively engaged in a bid for governor, one aspect of that culture war is what it means in religious terms to be submissive – most notably, a submissive wife. A recent USA Today article notes the subject is popping up these days, preached from the pulpit, pontificated about in a spate of new book releases and prominent on the agenda of next month’s Southern Baptist leadership summit. “All seek to answer the question of whether wives are 100 percent equal partners or whether ‘biblical womanhood’ means a God-given role of supporting their husbands — and, in turn, knowing their husbands are honor-bound to die for them, if necessary.”

Biblical references to husbands leading their households have long invited interpretations that sound to many people a lot like inferiority. Where’s the equality in submission?  And yet Cynthia Rigby of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a member of the Texas Faith panel noted in the USA Today story, the Scriptures came out a world where women couldn’t own property and could be divorced by their husbands saying the word three times. In that world, holding wives up as “holy and without blemish” was a radical idea, she said. In her upcoming book, “Shaping Our Faith: A Christian Feminist Theology,” Rigby explores the idea biblical submission and its implications in the wider public debate.

With gender politics is so much part of our public debate, how do we interpret the idea of submission? What does submission in a religious, political and modern cultural sense really mean?

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas 

In order to have a stable culture stable family life is necessary.  If there is irreligion in the form of divorce it breeds lack of faith and stability in the children along other degrading qualities.  Submission by the wife is a psychological tactic for a peaceful and strong marriage.  Men in general like to feel that they are in charge.  If a woman can give him that illusion, that he is the leader, the relationship can be more strongly supported from the danger of break up.  In a traditional Vedic marriage the wife is the queen at home and the husband in the king in public.  Because of this ancient social science there is hardly any divorce in India and outside of the modernized urban areas it is practically non existent.

Ultimately one is to become submissive to God.  The material world is a place where souls go who have ego problems.  Those of us in the material world have a tendency to lord it over others.  Because a good and peaceful family life is conducive towards dharma and spiritual life, a spiritual aspirant will try to cooperate with their spouse towards that goal.  The idea is that pleasure and happiness comes by serving the whole just as watering the root of the tree supplies water to its leaves.  Similarly a spiritual relationship is free from mentality of getting something out of another but rather to work together to serve the whole.  When a couple truly serves the root with love, they, the leaves, become nourished and satisfied.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ April 22, 2014
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Is this the personified form of transcendental pastimes? Is this the personified art of transcendental amorous love? Is this the personified form of transcendental pleasure? Is this the personified science of cupid’s archery? Is this the personified life-potency of Lord Syamasundara? I do not know who this is? This is Sri Radha? eternally enjoying transcendental […]

Speaking With Iranian Devotees, Via Skype, April 13, Dallas
Giriraj Swami

——————————————————— “Low self-esteem means that you consider yourself insignificant—that you have no value. Humility means that you consider yourself an insignificant servant of Krishna and that you have no value independent of Him. Generally, people with low self-esteem think about themselves a lot—how bad they are. In the eleventh canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a […]

earth day musings
→ everyday gita

Verse 4.34: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

Today’s verse is one of the most important verses in the Bhagavad-gita.

This morning, I learned that today is Earth Day which I later on realized I had confused with Earth Hour! Deciding I needed to learn more, I found out that Earth Day is an annual event that is dedicated to holding worldwide events to promote support for environmental protection.

It got me thinking. Why do we, as inhabitants of this earth, need to be reminded to care about and encouraged to honour it? Shouldn’t every day be Earth Day? My musings led me to recognizing that there is a great tendency to take things for granted. Despite the fact that the earth gives us everything we need to survive, how conscious are we of that in our day to day lives?

It’s a theme I’ve started to recognize in my own life:

Although difficult at times, it’s important to recognize the actions we perform now, no matter how small, ultimately serve to form the foundation for our future reality

In this instance, the “celebration” of Earth Day should actually serve as an impetus to find ways to effect environmental changes on a daily basis since we are being subjected to the effects of our past actions. Those in North America will be able to commiserate since we just finished experiencing the winter that never wanted to end!

This theme is also a cornerstone for living a life of gratitude, or a life of bhakti. In order to help us foresee how our daily actions will paint our future reality, the Gita recommends that one approach and learn from a qualified teacher – specifically one who not only knows the path but lives the path. One of the reasons why is to help us become consciously grateful.

To act for the long term can be challenging since ultimately it doesn’t require just a change of habits but a change in consciousness. In order to change one’s consciousness or attitude, it requires that one becomes conscious or aware of what’s going on. That’s where guidance from one who lives a life of being conscious of their own actions is key. It’s said that to develop any good qualities, one needs to associate with persons who themselves have it. Becoming conscious of one’s actions is definitely a positive quality!

The natural result of appreciating the guidance of such teachers is gratitude. And when that gratitude starts to grow, one can’t help but become conscious of it all the time. The end result is one becomes consciously grateful. It is that conscious gratitude that propels one to not just feel gratitude but act upon it.

In many ways, the earth itself acts as our teacher. So take a minute to think about her, appreciate all that she offers and think of how you can do something for her not just today, but everyday.