Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Krishna Ksetra Swami (Kenneth Valpey): Prof. (retired) Tom…
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Krishna Ksetra Swami (Kenneth Valpey): Prof. (retired) Tom Buford, who founded the Personalist Seminar 25+ years ago, graced us with his presence at yesterday morning’s session of the “Eleventh Biennial Personalist Seminar: Hindu Personalism and Schopenhauer,” here at Western Carolina University. My two presentations at this event went well: the first was a 45-minute introductory talk in preparation for my 1.5-hour talk the next morning, which I titled “The Bhakti Logos: Exploring Personalism in Hindu Theistic Devotionalism” (sorry, no written paper for this). This is a fine, small group of scholars (15 of us altogether, both professors and doctoral candidates in philosophy), discussing topics related to the two themes ‘from all angles of vision’ all day for four days.

The Conch – Newsletter of the New Govardhana Community, August…
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The Conch – Newsletter of the New Govardhana Community, August 2016.
Janmastami. By Carsani devi dasi. With Janmastami just around the corner, now is the perfect time for each of us to reflect upon the meaning of this holy day, celebrating the transcendental appearance of Lord Krishna 5000 years ago in Sri Vrindavan Dham/Mathura. Of course, Krishna does not take birth, as we do, in this material world. In the same way that His body is purely spiritual, so too is His appearance. It is out of the Lord’s deep compassion for the living entities entangled in material existence that He chooses to appear in His beautiful threefold bending form – the enchanting son of Mother Yasoda and beloved friend of the cowherd boys and girls of Vraja.
View it here: https://indd.adobe.com/view/publications/6cca6980-2f1d-42a6-986f-e8dc6d375583/1/publication-web-resources/pdf/August_2016_Page_by_Page.pdf

Scandinavian Bhakti Sangam Festival (2016) (Album with photos)…
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Scandinavian Bhakti Sangam Festival (2016) (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A devotee always thinks of the Lord continuously. While chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the words Krishna and Hare immediately remind him of all the Lord’s activities. Since his entire life is engaged in the service of the Lord, a devotee cannot forget the Lord at any time. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.6 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/uAYpqt

Berlin’s Historic Ratha Yatra (4 min video) Indradyumna Swami:…
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Berlin’s Historic Ratha Yatra (4 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Devotees in Berlin held their annual Ratha Yatra on July 30th near to Brandenburg Gate, Germany’s most famous landmark. It was an historic occasion which brought tears to the eyes of many devotees, including Sacinandana Swami who has served in the German yatra for over 40 years. Maharaja’s kirtan during the parade said it all.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/qCH39I

The Story Behind The Picture. Patita Pavana dasa: It was 1971…
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The Story Behind The Picture.
Patita Pavana dasa: It was 1971 or 1972, I had been out on the streets of New York City all day preaching, selling books, collecting and generally spreading the blessing of serving the Supreme Lord through the mercy of His representative Shrila Prabhupada. That day the Guru of the Universe was leaving New York to spread Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s divine message of Krishna consciousness all over the world.
On the street of Manhattan I had spotted a sidewalk vendor selling novelty newspapers. You tell him the headline and he would print it up for a small amount. I asked him if he would make one as service, a donation, for the pure devotee. He smiled and readily agreed. So I told him, “KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS TAKES OVER THE WORLD.” H gave it to m with a broad grin.
Later at the airport, I presented the newspaper to Shrila Prabhupada. His Divine Grace glowed golden, beaming from ear to ear. “Who has printed?” he kept asking me. “Who has printed?” I went dumb, and was too shy—or something—to explain though I should have simply confessed, “I printed it.”
Aravinda, who was his servant at the time, blurted out, “It’s a joke, it’s a joke, Prabhupada.” Shrila Prabhupada folded the paper and put it away smiling slightly in his always endearing and philosophical way. Actually as I look back, I realize that His Divine Grace would have been just as pleased had I told him that this headline represented his future vision, and all of us members of his New York sankirtan party agreed because of our faith in whatever he said.
And indeed it is true that Krishna consciousness is destined to take over the world. It is just a matter of time …
– Patita Pavana dasa
Picture: Sachisuta (in blue) smiles broadly as Romapada dasa Brahmachary (with glasses) looking on. Aravinda is in the saffron kurta on Sachisuta’s right.

Initiations at Iskcon of San Diego, CA, United States (Album…
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Initiations at Iskcon of San Diego, CA, United States (Album with photos)
Photos taken at this evening’s Initiation ceremony. His Holiness Bhakti Sundar Goswami awarded diksha initiation to the devotees formerly known as Bhaktin Renee and Bhaktin Carolina,. These expert photos were shot by Sri Sri Radha Giridhari’s personal photographer, His Grace Purusa prabhu.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/aY1s3Z

Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel 30.07.2016 (Album with photos)…
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Harinama in Tel Aviv, Israel 30.07.2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Fate can be changed by Krishna consciousness. Krishna says, “I shall give you protection from all the resultant action of your sinful life.” That is fate changed. When you surrender to Krishna, He takes charge of squaring up all your sinful activities and their reaction. Surrender to Krishna; then your fate is changed. Delhi, November 28, 1975.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/J8u1fi

Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Pushpabhishekam (Album with…
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Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra Pushpabhishekam (Album with photos) New Vrindavan ISKCON temple – Palace of Gold
Srila Prabhupada: When we keep our association with Krishna every activity is proper and liberating, but if we should dissociate ourselves from the Lord’s Mercy then like a hand which is severed from the body we become ugly and useless. Letter to Hrisikesa, November 26, 1968.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/5uXSw6

Preaching program in Osaka, Japan (Album with photos) Srila…
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Preaching program in Osaka, Japan (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: To the sincere devotee, this ocean of maya is easily crossed by the cool breeze of Krishna’s Grace. This is our business, to submit to Krishna’s desire to have us back with Him in the eternal sky of Krishna Loka. Letter to Syamasundara, November 24, 1968.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/tdPvJN

Kurmakshetra. Radhanath Swami: According the the Mahatmya of…
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Kurmakshetra.
Radhanath Swami: According the the Mahatmya of this place, it is described that Vedavyas was telling one great muni that this place of Kurmakshetra is very, very sacred and he told the story of this temple. There is a mountain called Shwetacala Parvat. And near that mountain lived a king. His name was Shweta Chakravarti, and his wife’s name was Vishnupriya. Vishnupriya was very chaste, very pure in heart, and had great devotion to Lord Krishna. On an Ekadasi day she was performing pooja in her temple room. At that time her husband had very great lusty desires. He went to her room to enjoy his lusty desires with his wife. So being a chaste woman she greeted him with great hospitality, had him sit on a golden throne. Then, she went back into her pooja room to continue her devotional service. She started to pray very helplessly to Vishnu, that today is Ekadashi, I have made vow that I will not engage in any type of sinful activity. I will completely immerse my mind only in devotional service. But my husband is approaching me with lusty desires. Please save me, please protect my vows to you on this holy Ekadashi day. This is a great lesson for any of you ladies whoever get put in this situation. The Lord always protects His devotees. As she prayed to Lord Vishnu, Kurmadeva who protects the stability and the foundation of devotee’s vows, He ordered Gangadevi that this king wants to violate the chastity of the vows of my devotee, go stop him. So Gangadevi appeared in the temple and then with a terrible, terrible violent current, she came flowing out of the temple room, and right after King Shweta Chakravarti. When he saw the river Ganges just flooding forward, rushing towards him, he became very frightened and ran away. He was running and running and running but everywhere he went, the Ganges was chasing after. He was running, running, but it was chasing after and finally he climbed to the top of the Shweta mountain. And there he asked his minister what’s happening? Why? His chief minister told him, that your wife is a very great devotee of Lord Vishnu, and you had lusty desires for her on Ekadashi. She prayed to Vishnu to save her, and Kurmadev, just to protect His devotee send the river Ganges, just to stop you. When the king heard this he felt so guilty, terrible, he was thinking that I am such a sinful person. He began to repent, but worse then that, he was thinking that I made an offense to my wife, and what kind of great devotee is she, that Lord Kurmadeva personally arranged to protect her? He decided, he had to perform great, great tapasya to purify himself from this offense. So he was repenting so much. He was just getting down on himself so bad, and finally he fell unconscious. Then Narada Muni appeared. Narada Muni said, “How can I serve you?” He said, “Please grant me a benediction, grant me the benediction that I can have darshan of the great deity of Kurmadeva.” So Narada Muni taught him a Kurma Mantra and sat on the shores of the ocean of the sea, and explained him the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness very nicely.
Read more: http://goo.gl/avxcaV

Never Alone! ISKCON of DC: There is a beautiful story of Srila…
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Never Alone!
ISKCON of DC: There is a beautiful story of Srila Prabhupada in 1966 sitting by himself on a bench in New York on a snowy, cold January morning. Another gentleman came and sat beside him and they began to talk. Perhaps feeling a bit sorry for Prabhupada, he asked him if he knew anyone in New York. Prabhupada held up his chanting beads and said, “I am never alone.”
Most of us will experience being alone at some point in our life. For some it’s an extended sense of loneliness. For others it’s now and then. Sometimes, ironically, it’s in times of success, or joyful gatherings, that we may feel most alone. At other times, loneliness strikes when we are ill, grieving, or failing in some way.
In truth we are always alone in the small space of our body and mind. No one can feel what we feel, or think what we think; efforts to be heard or understood often end in frustration. At times our greatest sense of loneliness and disconnect is when we wake up in the middle of the night and our mind is churning it’s endless river of thoughts. The world is asleep and we are wide awake and worried about something.
When we come to these moments of lucid and acute feelings of loneliness our beads can save us from spiraling into despair. Many things happen when we chant the Hare Krishna mantra, and this is one of them. We are reminded that Krishna is our friend and is always there. Not only are we not alone, but we can feel a sense of connection, a sense of comfort. Suddenly life seems bearable, manageable, and eventually, understandable.
This has been my experience many times. Chanting sets me on solid ground – even, and especially, in the middle of the night when my mind is busy convincing me otherwise. The nice thing about the mantra is you don’t have to think about what to say to God, what to ask for, what to pray – just chant. The mantra says it all. It is an eloquent request for shelter, for service, and for a chance to love and be loved.
In the dark hours of our life, find the mantra and allow it to find you. Hold it and be held. It is then we will experience what Prabhupada spoke of on that park bench – never feeling alone. That’s the big gift of this small exchange on a cold winters day in New York in 1966.

Dublin Rathayatra 2016 (Album with photos) Kurma das:…
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Dublin Rathayatra 2016 (Album with photos)
Kurma das: Here’re some happy snaps from yesterday’s ecstatic 50th Anniversary Rathayatra parade around ‘Dublin Fair City’
Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Rebecca Moynihan speaks at the onset of the parade — at Merrion Square.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Odmcj7

Jagannath Ratha Yatra Kathmandu Nepal 28th July 2016 (Album with…
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Jagannath Ratha Yatra Kathmandu Nepal 28th July 2016 (Album with 856 photos)
33rd Annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra was celebrated in Kathmandu Nepal on 28th July 2016 on the auspicious day of “The Incorporation of ISKCON in New York”
It had been 50 years of Foundation of ISKCON.
The Festival was celebrated with the divine presence of His Holiness Mahavishnu Swami Maharaj, HG Patri Prabhu and all the devotees.
Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal came as a chief Guest.
About 10,000 devotees and other local people took part in this Festivla of Chariots from all over the Nepal.
Dear Lordship Jagannath along with Brother Baladeva and Sister Subhadra were pulled in three Chariots for the 1st in Nepal.
Jaya Jagannath Swami.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/UKeLBS

Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk. Krishna-kripa Das: There…
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Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk.
Krishna-kripa Das: There were some so happy with the experience of chanting and dancing they would give a “thumbs up” gesture, say “I love you guys,” or would even embrace the devotees. People have always appreciated and expressed their appreciation, but this year it seemed like two or three times more usual.
Sometimes whole families would dance together in our tent.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/ech33H

50th Anniversary Celebration at ISKCON Colombia. Colombia is…
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50th Anniversary Celebration at ISKCON Colombia.
Colombia is joining the ISKCON 50 celebrations, which are taking place all around the world. Srila Prabhupada came to the United States in 1966 with the mission of delivering the most valuable possession to the Western culture. Srila Prabhupada eventually came to inspire a whole generation. A generation full of youth, full of vigor, full of hope, full of new ideas; these persons became the ISKCON that Srila Prabhupada envisioned.
50 years later, sitting under the same tree, Srila Prabhupada’s followers from around the world gathered in New York to celebrate with chanting, dancing and eating prasadam.
In the same spirit, the Colombian devotees want to join in on this spiritual vibration and association of those who share the spiritual inspiration from his divine grace.
This celebration will be from the 6th to 12th of September in the city of Cali, Colombia.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/iGIOq6

Scholar by day, Yogi by night: The Yoga of Harry Potter &…
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Scholar by day, Yogi by night: The Yoga of Harry Potter & Your Last Day as a Muggle.
As Harry had to defeat Voldemort, every yoga practitioner must overcome the tyranny of maya—the root of the dark arts and the veil of selfish desire that corrupts and contorts a clear vision of reality. And like it was for Harry, only an all-embracing, selfless love can free a yogi from the darkness of maya and uplift them into an enlightened vision of reality.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/x6IkFQ

New issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine. KK Bindu…
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New issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine.
KK Bindu #380 includes: A new translation from Sanatan Goswami on how initiated men and women are not sudras.
This edition includes: * CULTURAL BIRTH – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada speaks about two types of birth. * THE ELIGIBILITY OF VAISHNAVAS – A fresh translation of Srila Sanatan Goswami?s Commentary on Hari-bhakti-vilasa. He speaks about how initiated Vaishnava men and women are not to be considered sudras. * HOW SHAMELESS I AM – Another fresh translation from Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vrindavan-mahimamrtam (5.70). It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu380

“His Divine Grace” by Danavir Goswami. Patita Pavana…
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“His Divine Grace” by Danavir Goswami.
Patita Pavana Das: We love to read the biographies of the Founder-Acharya scribed by the devotees of the Krishna Consciousness Movement. Such writings are proof that there is an ever-present divine energy we know as the disciplic succession, an eternal current that has flowed down to us like the waterfalls along the rivulets of nectar on Chandra-loka. Shrila Prabhupada said, “Whenever someone comes into one of our temples, it means that Lord Krishna has brought that person by the hand.” And this truth is all the more visible when the pure devotee’s servants—having been brought by the hand of the Supreme Lord to become fixed at the lotus feet of the pure devotee—glorify the incredible deeds of their spiritual master. And the incoming tides of the ocean of written glorifications about His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada by his servants and by the servants of his servants—ISKCON’s surdurlabha mahatmas—are ever increasing.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/Y0YQUW

The land of believers: In India, just 33,000 people are…
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The land of believers: In India, just 33,000 people are atheists.
India is a land of believers.
Only 33,000 people declared themselves atheists in the 2011 census that puts India’s population at 1.2 billion.
Nearly half of the atheists are women. And seven out of every 10 atheists live in rural India, the data released earlier this week shows.
This is the first time in recent years that census data in public domain puts a number on atheists, people who do not believe in the existence of God. The 2001 report – the census is done every 10 years – said “only a handful few claim to be atheist”.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/r4BwpK

Question Humanity. Reflecting on the senseless killings going…
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Question Humanity.
Reflecting on the senseless killings going on around the world, one wonders at the state of humanity.
Animals kill other animals for hunger. Humans kill other humans, but not to eat. Their hunger is for revenge, or power and control. They will also kill out of pure anger or envy – energies that have taken over their lives, heads and hearts. They will kill to prove a point – my way of life is better than your way of life, my religion is better than your religion, my color is better than your color.
That puts us less than animals.
As living creatures we humans and animals are very similar. We both eat, sleep, mate, and defend – these are the main four activities of living and surviving life. But the human body has something more – an intelligence to step back and question why. Why are we here? What is the point of all this eating, sleeping, mating, and defending? Who started this? Who made us and what are we made for?
Animals also have intelligence but not of this kind. This is the special gift of the human body. If we don’t use it, if we don’t ask, explore, question life, question death, question suffering, we live just as the animals do. More sophisticated ways of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, perhaps – but just the same as animals.
Each one of us has a choice to make in life – the choice to live consciously or unconsciously, the challenge to live as a human and not as an animal. Each one of us has the responsibility to be the best we can be as humans and make our time in this body count.
When the body is alive, either human or animal, that is a symptom of the presence of the soul. We are the life in the body. We don’t have a soul – we are the soul. Our body changes – from youth to mid-life and on to old age. We travel with that changing body and death simply means we leave one body and go to another. Like moving from one house to another, the soul lives in many bodies – both human and animal.
Who is that soul? Who am I? Where have I come from and where am I going? Can I influence the journey and destination?
These are questions only humans can ask. Don’t forget to do so. For your own sake and the sake of humanity.