Monthly Archives: May 2016

Manjuwali gives an additional commentary.
The post Balaram asks if Narada Muni really visited me once in the old Budapest temple appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The accomplishments of Srila Prabhupada (Founder Acharya of Iskcon)
His Divine Grace Srila Abhay Caran Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Evangelic Angel.
Between 1968- 1977 He dictated total of 22,000 pages of text
He translated and wrote purports to 18,000 verses of Srimad Bhagavatam.
Reading one verse with purport daily would take the reader 49.31 years to complete
He translated and wrote the purports to the 700 verses of Bhagavad Gita Coaching
Reading one verse with purport daily would take two years to complete
He translated and wrote the purports to the 17 volumes of Chaitanya Caritamrita – in total 2,170 pages or 11,555 verses!!
Reading one verse with purport daily would take the reader 31.6 years to complete. Reading one page daily would take 5.9 years to complete
He also wrote Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Nectar of devotion, Teachings of Lord Kapiladeva, Sri Isopanisad.
He created Back to Godhead magazine which was monthly distributed in 1 million copies
He wrote 7000 letters to His disciples which was published in 5 volumes of books
Only Srimad Bhagavatam lectures He gave are compiled in 11 volumes of books
Bhagavad Gita lectures are compiled in 7 volumes of books
His conversations have been compiled in 42 volumes of books
He produced innumerable recordings
He established 108 temples
He published 147 books. Reading one book monthly would take 13 years
If one started to read one book monthly now, in 2014, he would not finish till 2031
He traveled around the world 14 times
Beside this He changed lives of at least 10000 people who become His initiating disciples
And all of this Srila Prabhupada did in ONLY 11 years!! In the age between 70-80!!!

By Sri Chaitanya Chandra Das My life took an apical turn when I stumbled across the Hare Krishnas. Being born in India I had some knowledge of “Krishna” but I was like most Indians are – conscious of Krishna but not Krishna Conscious. Being just “consc…

(This article was published on Sunday 15-5-16 as a guest column in a special supplement in Financial Chronicle)

Business has the potential to work for a purpose higher than profit. This higher imperative is latent in the Vedic term for wealth: “artha.” Artha refers to not just wealth but also meaning. To pursue artha means to pursue both wealth and meaning, that is, to pursue wealth in a meaningful way that creates value. Let’s explore this with a dietary metaphor.

Diminished consciousness, destructive work

We need food to live, but we don’t live to eat. Those who live to eat, eat excessively. Damaging their digestive system, they end up limiting their capacity to both eat and live.

Just as food is natural and necessary for our body, profit is natural and necessary for business. But when profit becomes business’ only motive, then ethical, relational and ecological concerns get sidelined, even suppressed. When employees feel exploited, performance drops. When consumers feel cheated, sales drop. When natural resources are depleted, operational costs skyrocket. Such fallouts make business impossible to sustain without further exploiting human and natural resources, thereby triggering a vicious cycle.

But the profit motive doesn’t have to become destructive — it can be counterbalanced if we simultaneously pursue the other dimension of artha: meaning. To find enduring meaning, we need to raise our consciousness. When our consciousness is low, we live for short-term pleasures and crave for money as a tool to those pleasures.

Some businesses try to counter the negativity associated with the mercenary motive by taking up corporate social responsibility (CSR). This is an important step forward, but by itself it doesn’t necessarily reflect a raised consciousness. As critics have pointed out, such initiatives can well be forms of green-washing — a window dressing to cover up or compensate for the harmful consequences of profiteering.

Conscious entrepreneurship is far different from any kind of window dressing. It is a fundamentally different way of looking at business – of learning to live for a higher purpose and to harmonize accordingly all our activities including our business. This higher consciousness comes best from an expanded and elevated self-conception.

Beyond riches to richness

The Bhagavad-gita (02.13) offers such a conception by explaining that our identity extends beyond our biology: we are at our core spiritual beings. Material assets and achievements alone can’t satisfy us — we need spiritual fulfillment, as parts of a cause bigger than ourselves.

The Gita (10.08) offers an inclusive vision of the Whole, the transcendent source of all consciousness and indeed all existence. This Whole is known in various ways and by different names in the world’s diverse traditions. The Gita refers to him as Krishna, the trans-cosmic Whole of whom all living beings, without any discrimination, are eternal parts (15.07).

The Whole pervades everything, and so can be accessed and served through diligent performance of our work in a mood of devotion. Work can thus be made into worship when infused with a higher consciousness. Every business needs to determine, from the perspective of a raised […]

The post The dual dimensions of artha (Guest Column in Financial Chronicle) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/While%20choosing%20a%20spouse,%20is%20matching%20astrological%20charts%20essential.mp3
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/Does%20the%20precision%20of%20astrological%20predictions%20imply%20that%20we%20don’t%20have%20free%20will.mp3
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The post ​Does the precision of astrological predictions imply that we don’t have free will? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/Can%20developing%20our%20talents%20obstruct%20us%20in%20bhakti.mp3
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The post Can developing our talents obstruct us in bhakti? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/Are%20we%20forced%20to%20act%20according%20to%20our%20nature.mp3
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Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/When%20the%20modes%20control%20us,%20how%20do%20we%20have%20free%20will.mp3
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The post ​When the modes control us, how do we have free will? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

By Acarya Dasa

Every day we travel to new places, hosting various programs here and there. Our advance party of devotees’ head of to our next destination arranging accommodation and whatever else they can before the rest of us arrive. It is not always that whatever we plan happens, after all ‘man proposes, God disposes[1]’. We are never sure of so many things: like where we will have prasadam, how will we get water or where we will have arati –but as my Gurudev, Lokanatha Swami always says, “Nothing happens by chance, it is all the Lord’s arrangement. Whatever happens to a devotee is always auspicious –shoba.” Every day as we travel from town to town we carry Guru and Gauranga in our hearts. We march into the streets eager to discover what the Lord has planned for us. We are all very fortunate to make these new discoveries of the Lord’s causeless mercy. Each day the Lord brings us closer to Him, filling our hearts with realizations.

Answer Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2016%20QA/05-16%20QA/What%20is%20the%20spiritual%20perspective%20on%20organ%20donation.mp3
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Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty

Podcast

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PPT

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​Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2016%20classes/05-16%20classes/Make%20your%20own%20destiny%202.mp3
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PPT

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Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty

Podcast

http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2016%20classes/05-16%20classes/Make%20your%20own%20destiny%201.mp3
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PPT

The post Make your own destiny 1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post Daily Darshan: May 17th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Harinama in Kiev, Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If one chants once only, it is to be understood that he has alr…

Human Tie-Dyes: Color Reigns at Oceanside, San Diego, California, Spring Holi Festival.
The Indian cultural event was the Holi…

Traditional Indian street festival set to return to Bath later this month.
A traditional Indian street festival, which has been celebrated in India for almost 5,000 years, is returning to the City of Bath on Saturday 28th May.
Rathayatra, the festival of the chariots, takes place all over the world and will be observed by millions.
It’s been traditionally celebrated annually in Jagannath Puri in Orissa, India, where Lord Jagannath along with His sister Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra are paraded through the streets of the city.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/YEMGUJ

By Madhava Smullen

For thirty years, a very special Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity has protected the devotees of New Vrindaban and all of North America, and received their love and service. Now, residents of the West Virginia village want to invite people from all over North America to come celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of His installation, and to behold the only full-size Nrsimha Deity on the continent, on His sacred appearance day. Sculpted by artist Soma Das in New Vrindaban and installed in 1986, the ferocious half-man, half-lion Lord with his deep black skin and golden mane stands at a towering seven feet tall next to his boy devotee Prahlad – so the celebration is sure to be an awe-inspiring spectacle.

Iskcon Los Angeles – New Dvaraka – Rukmini Festival (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: No one in this life can chant the ho…

City Of Culture (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: In Russia, St. Petersburg is known as a city of great culture. During o…

May 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Hanging Out at 26 Second Avenue.
We’re in the storefront and there are noises on the street, but we’re sitting and listening to the Swami. We like to chant; we like the ringing of the karatalas. Everybody chants together: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. (Whoever heard of such a thing? – That you chant with a one, two, three beat and with brass cymbals? You never read about chanting in any book about Vedanta or Bhagavad-gita or yoga. It was far out.) The cymbals ring loudly, and the door is open and he’s singing.
When the chanting was going on and the karatalas were ringing, that would be more likely to attract passers-by to look in. But it was a time when they really couldn’t disturb because the chanting was so dominant. Their shouts and their remarks couldn’t overcome the chanting.
The Swami was more vulnerable when the whole audience was quiet and he was lecturing. But when there was kirtana, it was as if he had the upper hand. And yet more people did gather to look in at that time, and that was part of the adventure of going there. When you chant you are more on the Swamiji’s side, you are not just observing, but you are part of the kirtana – you were what people were looking in at. Yet you did it because you wanted to experience the kirtana, never mind noises from the street.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 12.200-222. “There are two ideas. One is that if you serve Krishna, the guru will be pleased. The other is that if you serve the guru, Krishna will be pleased. But, if you serve the vaisnavas, both Krishna and the guru will be pleased. When I joined, […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 September 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Initiation Lecture) When we get initiated and we get a new name, at first it is a shock. In my case, it was like that also. My first name was with a ‘P’ and my last name with a ‘K’ but somehow or other, they mixed the […]

It’s been a long road to the rebuilding of Christchurch temple. When the earthquake struck five years ago, tens of thousands of properties were damaged, many to the point of no repair – including our temple. After a long battle … Continue reading →

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12. “As stated in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is the friend of everyone (suhrdam sarva-bhutunam jnatva mam santim rcchati). The Lord is never an enemy to any of the millions of living entities, but is always a friend to everyone. This is true understanding. If one thinks that the Lord […]

By Bruce Walton

Sitting underneath a tree by the main library near the corner of Wick and Rayen avenues, a man known simply as “The Walking Monk” enjoyed a quiet Friday afternoon arriving for the first time in the city in his pilgrimage we across the U.S. His only supplies: a cell phone he rarely uses, prayer beads, a watch, some business cards and the bright orange robes and sandals he wears while he traverses the land. Bhaktimarga Swami, 63 is a Hare Krishna monk who started his pilgrimage just three days ago when he began in Butler, PA. HE plans to walk entirely on foot to San Francisco, walking 20 miles a day. He left no timetable for his arrival on the West Coast.

Swamis are most notable for their speech.  They share their wisdom through their speech.  They sit on a raised platform, amongst hundreds of followers, and impart transcendental knowledge through the spiritual sound vibration an into […]

The Unthinkable – “What If?…”

Images of His Divine Grace

Swamiji Gave Us Confidence

Prabhupada’s Gift of Intimacy

Evoking Memories of 1966

By Madhava Smullen For thirty years, a very special Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity has protected the devotees of New Vrindaban and all of North America, and received their love and service. Now, residents of the West Virginia village want to invite people from all over North America to come celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of His installation, […]

Hanging Out at 26 Second Avenue

Amazing Harinam in the ancient city of Prague, Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the material world, ever…

Setting the Scene for Bhagavad-gita (6 min video)
This is a video based on the “setting the scene” intro to Bhagavad-gita as it is. It was created by Jai Nitai dasa & Bhava Bhakti devi dasi for the ISKCON-London Bhakti Sastri Course.
Shaktyavesha Avatara Dasa: The Radha-Krishna Temple in London looks so gorgeous after refurbishment. Thank you for your beautiful service and steadiness Jai Nitai Prabhu and Bhava Bhakti Mataji and all those who put your heart into making Sri-Sri Radha-Londonisvara’s home so welcoming!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/Xrocx0

By Braja Vilas das

Next Friday (May 20th) is the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Narasimhadeva, the half-man half-lion avatara who appeared to save Prahlad Maharaja. Lord Narasimhadeva has a very special mood of affectionate protection towards His devotees, and thus He is very dear to them. In fact, we constantly rely on His shelter. As Srila Prabhupada said, “We should always consider that this material world is a dangerous place and therefore we shall chant Lord Narasimha’s Holy Name in order to be protected by Him in all dangers.” (Letter to Himavati – 4 July, 1970) Thirty years ago, after an attack on the temple by dacoits, the Mayapur community decided to install a unique Deity of Lord Narasimhadeva for protection. Both Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had previously advised other endangered temples to do the same. There are many forms of Lord Narasimhadeva according to His different pastimes and moods, some angry and some peaceful. He is worshiped in Mayapur in His Ugra-Narasimha mood, full of divine wrath.