Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Canadian Premiere of “Hare Krishna!” the movie (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna chant is called the maha-mantra, the great, exalted mantra above all other Vedic mantras, because simply chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra brings so many beneficial effects. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 9.1.17 Purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/XY6vvF
Power of Habits (video)
A March 2017 inspiring lecture at the Bhaktivedanta Manor by His Holiness Radhanath Swami.
Watch i…Read More…
Update from the Iskcon Miami temple in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
From Dharma prabhu, the head pujari at the Miami temple: T…Read More…
ISKCON Auckland NZ: Holy name week 2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all b…Read More…
Bhaktivedanta Manor: Brahmins in yellow.
Srila Prabhupada: All glories to the all-blissful holy name of Sri Krishna, which caus…Read More…
Sriman Havi Das, a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, will receive Grammy Award for Excellence 2017.
Havi das (Ilan Chester) at the age of 19, in 1971 he first met Hare Krishna devotees and two years later he was initiated and given the spiritual name Havi Das by his spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Chester has stated on record that ‘Krishna consciousness is and has always been my true source of inspiration. It is the love found in the hearts of the devotees for Krishna that has motivated me to write songs.’ He and his family continue to be active practitioners of the Vaishnava Bhakti tradition.
“I must admit that the phone call I received from The Latin Recording Academy to inform me about the decision to give me a special recognition for my musical trajectory was a complete surprise,” said the Venezuelan musician after hearing the news.
Havi das (Ilan Chester) transformed a deep mystical devotion and his fascination for many different sounds in a long and long career of impressive variety and depth. Chester, a talented singer-songwriter and musician, grew up listening to Venezuelan folklore, Afro-Caribbean dance rhythms, British progressive rock and American R & B, and incorporated them all into his own music. Received a Latin Grammy for Best Folk Music Album for his Treasures of Venezuelan Music of 2010.
The Music Excellence Award is awarded by a vote of the Academy’s Board of Directors to artists who have made creative contributions of great artistic importance in the field of recording during their careers. The Directing Council Award, also granted by a vote of the council, recognizes individuals who have made important contributions in the field of recording, excluding interpretations.
Each year the Latin Recording Academy honors esteemed Latin music makers with their Special Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Trustees Award.
Beautiful new Iskcon temple near Krasnodar (a city and the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai, Russia)
New Ekachakra Dham …Read More…
“Discover India” devotees visit New Vrindavan (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Our base for the next few days is beautiful New Vrindavan in West Virginia as we prepare for our next few university programs in the area. We have been told that all seats for tomorrow’s program at West Liberty University are sold out. To keep up our high standard devotees are practicing day in and day out.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/hxcxbZ
Beautiful ceremony in Iskcon Moscow, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Chanting the holy name is the chief means of …Read More…
Krsna’s love for His bhaktas (video)
HH Keshava Bharati Dasa Goswami’s exceptional lecture about how Gopa Kumar visits Narayan in Vaikuntha.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/RNo4bZ
British actor Russel Brand credits the Hare Krishna mantra for overcoming addiction.
Russell Brand is said to have turned to chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra to overcome his drug addiction, and even now at the end of a show he says, “Hare Krishna”. He’s a regular visitor to Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Watford estate given to Prabhupada in 1973 by George Harrison.
He has met with the Hare Krishna Guru Radhanath Swami and called him “a beautiful fellow. He’s got the answer. I’m a spiritual gent and increasingly that’s the level I want to vibrate on.” While not claiming he is part of the religion, he has said he is a “well wisher” that has used the chanting as a substitute for narcotic use. He has been sober for 16 years.
Meet Jonas.
Veera: During the Pandava Sena trip to America last month, SSP managed to spend a few hours with the New York Harinam team who go out to distribute the Holy Name and Srila Prabhupada’s books every day!
Whilst there, I met Jonas – a university student currently doing a course in Music Technology. He was drawn by the kirtan party and wanted to know more so I explained that this is a form of mantra meditation and they do this here in Union Square everyday. To my surprise he commented ‘I can’t think of anything better to do with my day!’
He explained that he has always been interested in non-conventional instruments and was intrigued by the harmonium, mridanga and karatals. I invited him to join the kirtan group for a little while and he happily did so. He got so absorbed in the Holy Name that time flew and before we knew it, more than an hour had passed!
Once he got up from the kirtan party, Jonas looked at the various books spread out on the table. In the end he took a copy of Bhagavad Gita, Science of Self-Realisation and Chant & Be Happy and exchanged contact details with one of the devotees in New York.
Even after acquiring the books Jonas remained with us, taking photos and videos and inquiring more about different aspects of Krishna Consciousness. He mentioned that he will definitely try to visit the Bhakti Centre soon and also wishes to do kirtan with his course mates in university. Soon we had to leave the harinam party in order to get back to the PS program but Jonas remained, even after we left!
It was so incredible to watch the Holy Name work its magic – just a moment’s interaction had such a deep impact on Jonas that he felt inspired to set aside his plans for the day and spend a few hours with the devotees doing kirtan!
Yuga dharma harinam sankirtan yajna ki jaya!!
ISKCON Czech Hare Krishna farm – The Harvest festival 2017 (4 min video)
ISKCON Czech Hare Krishna farm – Krishna’s yard.
We would like to evaluate today’s harvest festival on the farm Krishna’s yard. It was a beautiful event we organized 2nd year with an idea not only to entertain the visitors with the different attractions and the workshops, but also we wanted to evaluate the entire agricultural season. During whole day were prepared a different workshops – the hand milling of flour on a stone mill, a ceramics production on the pottery circle, a blacksmith workshop, a threading beads for children, a women could decorate themselves by a henna painting or they could try out to dress an indian sari, a face painting and many other activities. A few times during a day was organized a guided tour around the farm. The visitors could see our barn, to get acquainted with grinding flour on a stone mill and look around on our filelds. A big attraction was our newly born calf Uttara, which visitors, and especially the children, cuddled. Our small bull “Jay” on a leash walked through the farm, so anybody could approach him, caress him or feed him. It was possible to ride a horse or on a bullock cart. In a yoga and massage stall, Induprabha devi dasi massaged and advised about the healthy lifestyle. In the educational stall a visitors could get acquainted with various branches of Vedic knowledge in the form of educational banners and there was also an offer of books for sale. A delicious meal with lots of Indian specialties was available all day. There were stalls with farm flour, honey, biscuits and other farm products… The whole event was very nice in a very joyful mood. We consider it to be a very successfull. We would like to thank to all our visitors, as well as the organizers and all others, who helped us with this event. We hope, it was a nice experience for everybody and we hope, that it helps to make the general public more aware of these farms and about this lifestyle. It was a great desire of Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-acharya od the Hare Krishna movement to start these farm projects around the world so that people can become more and more acquainted with an idea of “Simple living, high thinking”. So, we hope that today we fullfiled his desire at least a bit. We look forward to further events on the Krishna’s yard. Hare Krishna. Follow us on:
facebook.com/krisnuvdvur
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/pAZRJY
Book distribution “miracles”
I was distributing in Bethlehem, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. In the Countdown Supermarket parking lot I saw a young delivery guy heading toward his van. I approached him and put a Hiding in Unnatural Happiness in his hand. Eru is a nineteen-year-old New Zealander half Maori native.
Enthused about the book and our exchange, he wanted to donate but had no cash, so I pulled out the mobile eftpos PayClip machine. Eru trusted me but had doubts about this device. He expressed that he didn’t want to take the risk.
Just at that moment, a young lady came from behind us and asked what books I had. She saw the Hiding book in Eru’s hand, and glorified it with much enthusiasm and sincerity.
Sheata revealed that this book dramatically changed her life and that she had bought three copies from different devotees and given them to her friends in the last couple of months. Sheata first saw a HIUH in her local hair salon and started reading it each time she had an appointment. She would take photos of the pages so that she could continue reading it when not at the salon – until she met devotees in Auckland and in the Bay Area and bought a copy.
Eru was hearing this testimony and started looking through the copy he was holding.
Sheata asked about the Srimad Bhagavatam that I was holding. I handed it to her, and she took it in her hands as though it was the most precious gift ever given to her. I gave her a brief outline of the Bhagavatam, and she relished every word.
She shared how much impact this knowledge had on her and her friends’ lives. Sheata pulled out her card and wanted to give $10 using the portable eftpos machine. So after the transaction was complete and Sheata left I turned to Eru.
He was moved by what he just witnessed, and he said, “OK, here’s my eftpos card. Can I please purchase a copy? I saw what this book did for her. And your machine is legit, I hope.”
Joking that Sheata should step in on all of my exchanges and help clinch the deal, Eru and I pondered the greater powers at work that day.
Sankirtan yajna, ki jaya!
“Prabhupada’s a genuine holy man.”
[From the time she was 4, Urmila (Dr. Edith Best) was looking for God. If somebody said, “What do you want to do?” she’d say, “I want to be spiritually perfect. I want to find God.” They’d say, “Don’t you want to get married, have kids, have a career?” She’d say, “I just want to find God.”]
Urmila: My first contact with Prabhupada was in ’67 when I was 12 years old.
I would regularly listen to him chanting on the Happening album playing in Alan Kallman’s shop on the Lower East Side.
I’d ask, “What is this record? Who is this?”
My next contact was through the Radha Krishna Temple Album, which I heard on the radio.
Prabhupada’s picture was on the album and my initial response to it was skeptical.
I thought someone who takes the role of guru might think he’s better than others.
When I was 17, I got Prabhupada’s translation of Bhagavad-gita.
After reading it, I decided to move into the temple, but at first I didn’t want to get initiated.
Soon after I moved in I got married; my husband was already second initiated, and in his association I started thinking,
“How am I going to be able to find God and become spiritually perfect without a spiritual master?”
Gradually my relationship with Prabhupada developed and I became his initiated disciple, after he accepted me through the mail.
When I first met Prabhupada in Chicago in the summer of ’74, a little more than a year after I’d moved in.
I was expecting a mystical experience.
Prabhupada was sitting on the vyasasana giving class and I was fanning him.
I was standing very close, to his left, moving the peacock fan, absorbed in every word and gesture.
My experience was, indeed, mystical, but not in the way I expected.
I felt, “Prabhupada has always been here, because playing a recording of Prabhupada lecturing and listening to him lecture in person is exactly the same.”
I was hearing him directly but I felt the same as when I was listening to a recording.
It was satisfying and amazing–I realized that I could associate with Prabhupada even in his physical absence with potency equal to his presence.
Still, I felt incomplete in the experience.
Later that morning, my father, husband, and I met Srila Prabhupada in his room and I got to know him as a person–he was funny, laughing, casual, jovial, and exchanging affectionately with my father.
I understood he cared about me, as an individual, and I felt a loving relationship with him.
At that point there was full satisfaction.
My father asked why we give people prasada, and Prabhupada said,
“Just like if you eat the food of a sick person, you will get their disease. If you eat Krishna’s food, you will get Krishna’s disease.”
My father thought he was only supposed to come to the temple if he was a devotee, so he asked,
“Can I come to the temple just to see my daughter and son-in-law?”
Smiling, Prabhupada said,
“They are loving Krishna. Chanting and dancing are symptoms of loving Krishna. You are loving them and they are loving Krishna, so two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other.”
Prabhupada’s mood was light, but I thought,
“Prabhupada said I love Krishna, so it’s just a matter of time. Someday I’ll love Krishna.”
That meeting changed my life. And it moved my father.
He said, “Prabhupada’s a genuine holy man.”
He enjoyed Prabhupada’s company and became somewhat of a devotee.
—Urmila
In The Heart Of New York (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Our 2nd performance in New York took place in the prestigious Kaufman Music Center in downtown Manhattan. The show sold out with all 486 seats taken. The resounding applause after each a…
Four Kinds of Pious and Impious People from the Bhagavad-gita (video)
Class by HG Vaisesika Dasa, 2017-Sept.-06, Iskcon Silicon Valley.
Watch it…Read More…
New USC ‘Music Meditation Club” A Huge Draw for Western Students.
The method involves three steps: to chant, focus and repeat. According to a mantra meditation guide Das passed out, the first step is to chant the three names of “Hare,” “Krishna” and “Rama” to create a spiritual sound vibration. Next, the key is to focus on the words of the chant to create a transcendental feeling and to revive one’s consciousness. Finally, students are encouraged to repeat the chant and to make it a regular daily practice to promote relaxation.
https://goo.gl/tCHXYE
Bhakti-sastri report from Alachua.
Sukhada devi dasi: His Holiness Guru Prasad Swami launched Krishna Institute’s Bhakti-sastri Course on Labor Day weekend by offering the first 3 Lessons of Nectar of Instruction with separate classes in Spanish and English. Eager devotees filled the Alachua Learning Academy’s cafeteria and heightened their appreciation of Srila Rupa Goswami’s and Srila Prabhupāda teachings. Maharaja made PowerPoint presentations during the first half of each lesson with ample time for lively discussions. He organized interactive exercises during the second half, enabling us to delve deeper into the devotional principles being unpacked and to get to know each other better.
In Lesson 3 devotees paired up to share a time when they felt nourished in spiritual life and a time they felt starved. Some devotees then presented to the whole class what they shared with their partners. (these devotees gave permission to use their names.) For example Jishnu prabhu related his experience of arriving in India 20 years ago as a new devotee with almost no money! In fact, with less than $10! Bhadra Prabhu, who’s also in the course, however, compassionately made arrangements for him in Vrindavana and cared for him when he got sick. This loving support greatly encouraged Jishnu Prabhu in his spiritual life. With these kinds of exchanges we grasped much more than ever the significance of Srila Rupa Goswami‘s 6 loving exchanges.
By the end of the seminar we felt indebted to those who arranged this amazing devotional experience. We walked away feeling more determined than ever to follow the principles Srila Rupa Goswami established and Srila Prabhupada lovingly bestowed upon us.
The life of a traveling sannyasi. Resting before the show tonight in our limited facilitiesRead More…
ISKCON Lagos devotees celebrating holy name week (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: It is essential that one constantly associate with pure d…Read More…
More Arabic and Farsi books going out on the streets and in the subways of New York City! (Album with photos)
And it’s remarkably easy to do, because these people really want the books (and there’s a special reason for that)! To find out how you can taste this unprecedented bliss yourselves, in your own city, please contact us today: https://goo.gl/940n3O
Distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books in Lyon, France (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Adi Purana Krishna tells Arjuna: “Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I become easily purchased.” (Nectar of Devotion, 12)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/tqC7w1
A dancing rendition of HH Jayapataka Swami’s song “Yadi Prabhupada Na Hoito” (9 min video)
If Srila Prabhupada had not come, what would have happened? How could we have passed our lives?
Who else would have distributed the unlimited mercy of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga all over the world?
Which other compassionate person would have endeavored to deliver the miscreants, sinful, impersonalistic and voidistic people in the West?
Who else would have come to distribute Harinama to them? Who else would have come forward to transform them into civilized beings?
For the rest of the lyrics: https://goo.gl/m5wxeq
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/uSQGbk
Florida Devotees Escape Hurricane Irma With Minimal Damage.
Just two weeks after Hurricane Harvey struck Texas, Irma made landfall at the Florida Keys on September 10th as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing 130 mph winds and a storm surge of 10 feet.
Predicted to tear its way through the entire state, the hurricane cast a cloak of fear over many residents in advance of its arrival.
In Alachua, North Central Florida, devotees of New Raman Reti – the largest ISKCON community in the Western World – braced themselves for a Category 1 or 2 hurricane, rarely seen so far inland.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/2n4McZ
Radhanath Swami Speaks at Climate Change Workshop, Govardhan Eco-Village.
A Nexus International Workshop entitled “Climate Change Adaptations for Sustainable Development- A Vedic Perspective” was held on August 27 and 28th, 2017. The workshop was jointly organized by Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV) & Shree Halari Visa Oswal College of Commerce (SHVOCC), and sponsored by The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
The conference was inaugurated by Radhanath Swami, the Visionary behind Govardhan Ecovillage, who highlighted the Vedic perspective that the restoration of the ecology has to be done in conjunction with the restoration of the ecology of the heart. He explained, “The Vedic perspective teaches us that the solutions of climate change lie in the understanding that we are entrusted the sacred care Mother Earth, and that through this care we can become the followers of true dharma.”
Guest of Honor Shri Rajendra Singh ji spoke of how the Vedic approach toward environmental crises were involved traditional localized adaptation techniques which were not only decentralized but also cost-effective, unlike the modern techniques which are complicated and cost prohibitive. He also emphasized the urgent need for climate change literacy and water literacy to the present generation.
The impact of climate change is continuing to grow as are the challenges we are facing in adapting. The workshop provided a platform to share experience and knowledge, of opportunities, tools, resources, local initiatives, and expertise.
Among the themes featured in the technical sessions were: Ground water resources, Governance: a role to be played for sustainability, Inca Civilization and its sustainability, Jal Vayu parivarthan at Rajasthan, Water Conservation and River rejuvenation with special reference to Karnataka, Bioremediation :A tool to combat Aquatic Pollution, Exploration in search of Incessant Ganga River Rejuvenation at Harmu River, Steps to save Mahanadi the lifeline of Orissa, Eco-tourism a Vedic perspective, Agro ecological systems for future economic growth. Most sessions were followed by lively interactions.
The conference was conceptualized by Jalapurush Dr Rajendra Singh, Gauranga Das and Sanat Kumar Das from Govardhan Ecovillage, and Dr Sneha Dhonde from SHVOCC, and was attended by more than 120 global participants.
Consolidating the input of all the speakers and participants, which included academicians, researchers, NGOs, community developers, government official’s and students, a four-page declaration was released at the workshop which was signed by key panelists.
You can read the declaration here: https://goo.gl/KG1GWD
Sadhu Sanga Festival (Album with photos)
Bhakti Caitanya Swami: We are now at the Sadhu Sanga Festival by the Black Sea in Russia. There are sev…Read More…
FLOW OF MERCY IN LAWRENCE!
Danakeli Dasi: Another wonderful day distributing copies of Bhagavad-gītā, this time at Kansas University in Lawrence. So many nice students! A few highlights…
When I told one student that this book is about Arjuna’s existential crisis, he said, “Wow! I went dry [stopped drinking alcohol] two years ago & have found clarity enough to start asking existential questions myself. You mean you’re giving me this book?”
A girl who I told that the book addresses existential questions became wide-eyed & said, “That’s what I’m all about!”
A smiling student walked up to us carrying BG in his hand, saying, “I saw you both busy talking to others, so I took this from your box. I’ve been wanting to read this book! May I take it?” He disclosed he already knew the Hare Krishna mantra, having heard it sung on a comedian’s show. Since then he’s been “singing that song” & “feeling high.”
A girl from Bangalore had never seen Śrīla Prabhupāda’s BG before & was so happy to see us propagating it at KU that she gave a $50 donation to help us print more.
Several students took a serious interest in our invitation to attend a BG discussion on campus this Wed. evening organized by Hannah & Kishori Gopi through their Bhakti Club.
Guru Gauranga Dasa: Dear Niranjana Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
What the modest delegation of devotees returning home to Switzerland from the 2017 Ukraine Bhakti Saṅgam Festival lacked in numbers, they surely made up for by their unbridled enthusiasm and immense happiness.
In this connection, I’d like to share with you a spontaneous testimonial (see below) which I received from Ramadas (Ramabiriya Krishnadas) (waving in photo) and which made my day as I was in the process of “riding out” Hurricane Irma back in Florida.
I’d like to take this opportunity to express my profound thanks to you and and the leaders of the Ukrainian Yatra, especially to Acyuta-priya, Gaura Pūrṇimā, Viṣṇudāsa, Devatātma and Mathurānātha Prabhus, and of course to the amazing Ukrainian devotees themselves for the many kindnesses and warm hospitality extended to the devotees visiting from Switzerland. Once again, I am in awe of the Ukrainian yātrā’s great zest for the seva of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda and the Vaiṣṇavas.
Your servant always,
Guru Gaurāṅga dāsa
____
Begin forwarded message:
Hare Krishna, dear Guru Gauranga Prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
We arrived [back home] in Zurich today, and I want to express my infinite thanks to you. The [2017 Ukraine Bhakti Sangam] Festival was an incredible experience. Before going to Ukraine, I had some idea how the Festival would be, but the Festival actually left a much bigger impression on me.
When we arrived at the Festival place in the night, the driver shocked me by saying that my accommodations would be in a room separate from the other Swiss devotees and that the distance between the two locations would be a 15-minute walk.
I soon realized, however, how merciful Krsna was with His plan. My room was just in front of the main pandal and since I wished to remain every day until the very end of the kirtans, this was the best situation which could happen to me!
The organization of the Festival was amazing and perfect. The seminars were all inspiring and nourishing, the aratis were so beautiful (especially the Deities were so sweet and beautiful, that it appeared that they are dancing with us), the prasadam was delicious (we could, in fact, take prasadam with the Maharajas!), the kirtans were so ecstatic. Most of all, the enthusiasm of the Ukrainian devotees was incredible. I have never seen such a huge willingness for service.
The only negative point is that the festival only lasted just five days. It could have lasted one week more. Nevertheless, I am bringing with me such unforgettable memories, that I am very glad and thankful to you, that you contacted me to attend. My parents are also very happy that they let me go for this trip and are already inspired to attend the [2018 Ukraine Bhakti Sangam] Festival! They would also like to express their thanks to you.
With Hrvoje Kušanić Prabhu, we have taken many pictures and videos. In the upcoming days, we will compile them together and present them to the devotees of the Swiss Yatra.
I wish you a good time, my prayers will also be with your mother and you and may the Lord give your family the best protection against the hurricane.
Looking forward to see You soon.
Your servant,
Ramadas
Matchless Gifts and Harinam in the East Village (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday our festival crew visited “Matchless Gifts,” the very first of Srila Prabhupada’s temples in ISKCON. It was a deeply emotional moment for many of the devotees. Later we went on harinama samkirtan throughout the streets of New York’s famous East Village. People Ioved it – and so did we! [ All black and white photos are of Matchless Gifts. ]
Find them here: https://goo.gl/M2wDTd
TOVP update (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: Hare Krsna,
PAMHO, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada,
Dear Devotees,
Preparation works to install the next two Kalashes have begun.
Works are under way for the Main and Nrshimha Dev’s dome to install the power frame which will hold the Kalash and Chakra.
Nrshimha Dev’s dome is ready for the Russian engineers to begin works.
The stainless steel pipe frame (each pipe has a diameter of 80-140 mm) has been installed, along with all 16 GRC brackets that will hold the Kalash and the scaffolding that has been raised to working level.
For the Main dome of the TOVP, the work for the installation of the same steel frame is being actively carried out. All the preparatory work is planned to be completed by mid-October, which will follow with the installation of the Kalash by the Russian engineers.
Hare Krsna!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/58dFfx
Krishna Taba Punya Habe Bhai (15 min video)
Beautiful rendition of “Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krishna”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada
on board the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/dEPLBd
(refrain)
krishna taba punya habe bhai
e-punya koribe jabe radharani khusi habe
dhruva ati boli toma tai
I emphatically say to you, O brothers, you will obtain your good fortune from the Supreme Lord Krishna only when Shrimati Radharani becomes pleased with you.
shri-siddhanta saraswati shaci-suta priya ati
krishna-sebaya jara tula nai
sei se mohanta-guru jagater madhe uru
krishna-bhakti dey thai thai
Shri Shrimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who is very dear to Lord Gauranga, the son of mother Shaci, is unparalleled in his service to the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna. He is that great saintly spiritual master who bestows intense devotion to Krishna at different places throughout the world.
tara iccha balavan pashcatyete than than
hoy jate gauranger nam
prithivite nagaradi asamudra nada nadi
sakalei loy krishna nam
By his strong desire, the holy name of Lord Gauranga will spread throughout all the countries of the Western world. In all the cities, towns, and villages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams, everyone will chant the holy name of Krishna.
tahale ananda hoy tabe hoy digvijay
caitanyer kripa atishay
maya dushta jata duhkhi jagate sabai sukhi
vaishnaver iccha purna hoy
As the vast mercy of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu conquers all directions, a flood of transcendental ecstasy will certainly cover the land. When all the sinful, miserable living entities become happy, the Vaishnavas’ desire is then fulfilled.
se karja je koribare ajna jadi dilo more
jogya nahi an dina hina
tai se tomara kripa magitechi anurupa
aji numi sabar pravina
Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am not worthy or fit to do it. I am very fallen and insignificant. Therefore, O Lord, now I am begging for Your mercy so that I may become worthy, for You are the wisest and most experienced of all.
tomara se shakti pele guru-sebaya bastu mile
jibana sarthak jadi hoy
sei se seva paile tahale sukhi hale
taba sanga bhagyate miloy
If You bestow Your power, by serving the spiritual master one attains the Absolute Truth—one’s life becomes successful. If that service is obtained, then one becomes happy and gets Your association due to good fortune.
evam janam nipatitam prabhavahikupe
kamabhikamam anu yah prapatan prasangat
kritvatmasat surarshina bhagavan grihitah
so ’ham katham nu vishrije tava bhritya-sevam
My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service? (Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrisimhadeva, Bhag. 7.9.28)
tumi mor cira sathi bhuliya mayar lathi
khaiyachi janma-janmantare
aji punah e sujoga jadi hoy jogayoga
tabe pari tuhe milibare
O Lord Krishna, You are my eternal companion. Forgetting You, I have suffered the kicks of maya birth after birth. If today the chance to meet You occurs again, then I will surely be able to rejoin You.
tomara milane bhai abar se sukha pai
gocarane ghuri din bhor
kata bane chutachuti bane khai lutaputi
sei din kabe habe mor
O dear friend, in Your company I will experience great joy once again. In the early morning I will wander about the cowherd pastures and fields. Running and frolicking in the many forests of Vraja, I will roll on the ground in spiritual ecstasy. Oh when will that day be mine?
aji se subidhane tomara smarana bhela
baro asha dakilam tai
ami tomara nitya-dasa tai kori eta asha
tumi bina anya gati nai
Today that remembrance of You came to me in a very nice way. Because I have a great longing I called to You. I am Your eternal servant and therefore I desire Your association so much. O Lord Krishna, except for You there is no other means of success.
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“Do have a look at a big animal from the Zoo-gardens!”
“Assuming Responsibility of Being Guru”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Maharaja: We have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of welcoming this grave charge. All the audience have accepted ordinary seats, I alone have been provided with a lofty seat. All are being told in effect – “Do have a look at a big animal from the Zoo-gardens. What arrogance! So foolish! So wicked! Have you ever seen such a big brute? Garlands of flowers have been put round his neck! What laudations! What bombastic long-drawn, and hyperbolic adjectives! And how complacently too he is listening to the praise of his own achievements, how intently, and with his own ears! He also evidently feels delighted in mind! Is he not acting in plain violation of the teaching of Mahaprabhu? Can such a big brute, so selfish and insolent, be ever reclaimed from brutishness? ”
I happen to be one of the greatest of fools. No one offers me good advice on account of my arrogance. Inasmuch as nobody condescends to instruct me I placed my case before Mahaprabhu Himself. The thought occurred to me that I would make over the charge of myself to Him and see what He would advise me to do. Then Shri Chaitanyadeva said to me:
“Whom-so-ever thou meet’st, instruct him regarding Krishna, By My command being Guru deliver this land; In this thou wilt not be obstructed by the current of the world; Thou wilt have My company once again at this place.”
In these verses is to be found the proper explanation of the apparent inconsistency noticed above.
He whose only teaching is humility greater than that of a blade of grass, said- “By My command being Guru save this land!” – In this instance Mahaprabhu Himself has given the command. His command being “Perform the duty of the Guru, even as I do it Myself. Also convey this command to whom-so-ever you chance to meet.” Chaitanyadeva says, “Tell them these very words, viz. By My command being Guru save this land Deliver the people from their foolishness.” Now who-so-ever happens to hear these words would naturally protest with palms joined – “But I am really a great sinner, how can I be Guru? You are Godhead Himself, the Teacher of the world. You can be Guru.” To this Mahaprabhu replies:
“Do not practice the craft of a Guru for the purpose of injuring others through malice. Do not adopt the trade of a Guru in order to get immersed in the slough of this world. But if you can, indeed, be My guileless servant you will be endowed with My power–then you need not fear.
I have no fear. My Gurudeva has heard this from his Gurudeva. And it is for this reason that my Gurudeva has accepted even such a great sinner as myself and has told me. “By My command being Guru save this land.” It is only those who have never heard these words of Gaursundar who say “How odd! to listen to one’s own praise!” While the Guru is instructing his disciple in the eleventh Skandha of the Bhagavatam what a great sin, in their opinion, is he not perpetuating! What is the Acharya to do when he has to explain the Shloka Acharya Mam Vijaniyat: “Never disregard the Acharya; never entertain the idea that the Acharya is your equal in any sense.” These are the words of Shri Krishna Himself by which the jiva is to be benefited. Is the Guru to take himself off, to desert his seat–the seat of the Acharya–from which these words are to be explained? That office his Gurudeva has conferred on him. If he does not act up to its requirements he is doomed to perdition by reason of his offense against the holy Name in the shape of disrespect towards the Guru. He has to do it in spite of the fact that such procedure is apparently open to the charge of egoism. When the Guru imparts the mantram to the disciple should he not tell him by this mantram to worship the Guru? Should he say instead, “Give the Guru a few strokes of the shoe or the horse-whip?” The Guru is never to be decried. The Guru is the abode of all the gods. Should the Gurudeva abstain from communicating these words to his disciple while reading the Bhagavatam to him? “To him alone who possesses guileless spiritual devotion, similar to the transcendental devotion that is due to Krishna Himself, to the Gurudeva, the holy mysteries are manifested.” Is the Gurudeva not to tell these things to his disciples? “Athau Gurupuja: the worship of the Guru has precedence over all others.” The Guru is to be served just as Krishna is served. The Guru is to be worshiped in a particular way. Is the Guru to desert his seat without telling all these things to the disciple? In the angle there is always the defect in the shape of absence of the fullness, the evenness of level, of 180 degrees or of 360 degrees. But in the plain surface, in 360 degrees, there is no such defect. That in the emancipated state no defect is possible, this simple truth ordinary foolish people entirely fail to grasp.
As the saying goes, “having started on the dance it is no use to draw close the veil.” I am doing the duty of the Guru, but if I preach that no one should shout “Jai” to me, that is to say, if I say in a round about way, “sing Jai to me,” it would be nothing short of duplicity. Our Gurudeva has not taught us such insincerity. Mahaprabhu has not taught such insincerity. I have to serve God in the straightforward way. The word of God has come down to the Gurudeva; I have to obey it in all sincerity. I will not disrespect the Guru at the instance of any foolish or malicious sectarians. Especially as Shri Gurudeva has directed me saying, “By My command being Guru save this land.” This command has my Gurudeva preached. My Gurudeva in his turn has conveyed the command to me. I will not be guilty of any insincerity in carrying out that command. In this matter I will not accept the ideal of ignorant, insincere, pseudo-ascetic sectarianism. I will not learn insincerity. The worldly-minded, the malicious, the pseudo- renunciationists, the selfish cannot understand how the devotees of God, spurning at everything of this world by command of God, never, not even for a second, deviate from the service of God through all the twenty-four hours.
Hypocritical sectarians, pseudo-Vaishnava sects, those sects that cherish internally the longing for earthly fame, naturally enough think “what a shame it is for one to listen to the eulogies of disciples occupying the seat of the Guru.” But every Vaishnava regards everyone of the Vaishnavas as the object of his veneration. When Thakur Haridas exhibits the attitude of humility Mahaprabhu says – “You are the greatest of the world, the crestjewel of the world. Be agreeable, let us have our meal together.” He carried in His arms the body of Thakur Haridas which is eternally existent, self-conscious and full of spiritual bliss. In the community that follows Srila Rupa, the qualities of desiring no honor for oneself and of readiness to duly honor others are fully present. Those who detect any disparity are, like the owl, blind while the sun shines. They commit an offense by such conduct.
If I disobey the law which has come down to me through the chain of preceptorial succession, the offense due to omission to carry out the command of the Guru will sever me from the lotus-feet of Shri Gurudeva. If in order to carry out the command of the Vaishnava Guru I have to be arrogant, to be brutish, to suffer eternal perdition, I am prepared to welcome such eternal damnation and even sign a pact to that effect. I will not listen to the words of other malicious persons in lieu of the command of the Gurudeva. I will dissipate with indomitable courage and conviction the currents of thought of all the rest of the world, relying on the strength derived from the lotus feet of Shri Gurudeva. I confess to this arrogance. By sprinkling a particle of the pollen of the lotus-feet of my Preceptor crores of people like you will be saved. There is no such learning in this world, no such sound reasoning in all the fourteen worlds, in no man-gods, that can weigh more than a solitary particle of the dust of the lotus-feet of my Gurudeva. Gurudeva in whom I have implicit trust can never spite me. I am by no means prepared to listen to the words of any one who wants to hurt me or to accept such a malicious person as my preceptor.
Bringing the Temple to the Street.
Kripamoya Dasa: In a small temple near Jagannatha Puri is this small piece of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s blanket. The lid of the box holds a garlanded painting of the Lord.
I gave class this morning at the temple. The subject was the ninth chapter of the Antya-lila portion of the Caitanya Caritamrita, the life and teachings of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We study it every weekend. The ninth chapter is all about an incident that took place while the Lord was living in Jagannatha Puri, the seaside pilgrimage place in the present state of Orissa, east India. In those days the region was known as the kingdom of Utkal.
A man had five sons and two of them had become great devotees of Krishna. The other, a tax collector named Gopinath, was squandering his life – and the taxes – on parties and going to see dancing girls. He’d run up a huge debt and now the king wanted his money back. Unable to pay immediately, he offered twelve horses in lieu of payment. The king’s eldest son came to value the horses. The prince had a nervous tic, which caused him to twitch his head up to the sky every so often. When the prince underestimated the value of the horses the tax collector angrily said: “You should have given me a much better price, at least the horses don’t twitch their heads all the time.”
This was too much for the prince and he arrested Gopinath and prepared to have him executed the following morning. A huge, noisy crowd gathered outside Chaitanya’s rooms. They explained what had happened and he was reluctant to intervene.
Eventually, by a process of diplomacy involving several messengers, a more than peaceful solution was reached. Gopinath was forgiven, restored to his position, and the king was able to render some indirect service to Chaitanya. Everyone concerned fully understood that even though he’d taken no direct action, by the compassion of Chaitanya all things had become possible.
After class, and hoping for my own personal blessings from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, I went to Ilford in east London to try to sell a few books. The support team could not have been better.
At the side of the pedestrian walkway was a full altar set up, with colourful displays of leaflets, books and sweets for the public to look at and taste. Next to that, a group of Vaishnavas, sitting down on blankets singing the Hare Krishna mantra to the accompaniment of hand cymbals, clay drum and harmonium. There must have been around ten devotees – some of whom had only done this sort of thing a few times. The atmosphere was just like a temple – outdoors.
Although it was bitterly cold we managed a few hours and passers-by took a fair number of books on the subject of Krishna consciousness. At least enough to make our efforts worthwhile!
Feeling that warm glow that always happens when you distribute books for Krishna, we were all taken a few levels higher when we looked up the street and heard the unmistakable sound of a sankirtan party coming towards us through the crowded street. Dressed in bright yellow scarves with the maha-mantra written in red Sanskrit writing they looked as if they’d just stepped out of mediaeval Jagannatha Puri themselves. They sang, danced, smiled and played the accordion and drums. People gathered round, clapped their hands, took the sweets from the table, bought more books, and generally warmed to the Hare Krishnas for bringing something bright and happy to cold streets of Ilford.