Author Archives: Dandavats.com

Harinama in Barnaul, Russia 4/17/16 (Album with photos)Srila…
→ Dandavats

Harinama in Barnaul, Russia 4/17/16 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna movement is present in every millennium of Lord Brahma’s life, and the holy name is chanted in all the higher planetary systems, including Brahmaloka and Candraloka, not to speak of Gandharvaloka and Apsaroloka. The sankirtana movement that was started in this world five hundred years ago by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is therefore not a new movement. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.15 Purport)

April 19. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. Satsvarupa…
→ Dandavats

April 19. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Cutting the Knot of Ignorance and Illusion.
Speaking vigorously in the Bowery loft, even until he becomes physically exhausted – sometimes shouting, sometimes pleading, sometimes laughing – he gives his audience as much as he feels they can take. As the emissary of Krishna in the disciplic succession, he can boldly shout that everyone should dovetail with the Supreme. He can speak as strongly as he likes for as long as they are willing to listen. He is a sadhu (the Sanskrit word means “saint” and “one who cuts”) and he repeats the same message that for thousands of years sadhus of the original Vedic culture have spoken. He is reviving the eternal spirit of Vedic wisdom – to cut the knots of ignorance and illusion.
Everything is illusion. From the beginning of our birth. And that illusion is so strong it is very difficult to get out of. The whole thing is illusion. Birth is illusion. The body is illusion. The bodily relationship and the country are illusion. The father is illusion. The mother is illusion. The wife is illusion. The children are illusion. Everything is illusion. And we are contacting that illusion, thinking we are very learned and advanced. We are imagining so many things. But as soon as death comes – the actual fact – then we forget everything. We forget our country. We forget our relatives. We forget our wife, children, father, mother. Everything is gone.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

The 2nd Vaisnava Film Awards Festival (THIRD of four parts) (13…
→ Dandavats

The 2nd Vaisnava Film Awards Festival (THIRD of four parts) (13 min video)
The 2nd Vaisnava Film Awards Festival in Mayapur took place on 18, 19, and 20th March 2016.
Seventeen golden Nityananda Awards were granted to recipients of special achievements and lifetime achievements, in an exciting 90 minutes ceremony, on the stage of Mayapur Festival’s main entertainments pandal.
Ground-breaking new videos were shown, each before it’s respective producer/director was honored by this rare event’s formal recognition.
No doubt this 2nd Award’s Festival is setting a trend that is likely to perdure and grow in popularity in ISKCON. So is the wish of organiser Nrsimhananda Das of Iskcon Television, who was assisted this year by Vasudeva Das, of BhakTV and VANDE (Vaisnava Arts For A New Devotional Era).
The Awards Night was filmed by Subuddhi Ray Das, and edited with the original HD clips by Vasudeva Das.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/0Rhh7K

April 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. Satsvarupa…
→ Dandavats

April 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Dovetailing With the Supreme Consciousness.
The Swami’s main stress is on what he calls “dovetailing your consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness”… Krishna is the Supreme Consciousness. Arjuna, as the representative individual consciousness, is asked to act intelligently in collaboration with the Supreme Consciousness, then he will be free from the bondage of birth, death, old age and disease.
Consciousness is a popular word in America. There’s consciousness expansion, cosmic consciousness, altered states of consciousness, and now – dovetailing the individual consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness. This is the perfection of consciousness, Prabhupada explains. This is the love and peace that everyone is really after. And yet, Prabhupada talks of it in terms of war.
So we shall not suffer a pinch if we dovetail our desires with the Supreme Lord. We simply have to learn the art – how to dovetail. Nothing has to be changed. The fighting man did not change into an artist or a musician. If you are a fighting man, you remain a fighting man. If you are a musician, you remain a musician. If you are a medical man, you remain a medical man. Whatever you are, you remain. But dovetail it. If by my eating the Lord is satisfied, then that is my perfection. If by my fighting the Lord is satisfied, then that is my perfection. So in every sphere of life, we have to know whether the Lord is satisfied. That technique we have to learn. Then it is as easy as anything. We have to stop creating our own plans and thoughts and take the perfect plans from the Supreme Lord and execute them. That will become the perfection of our life.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

Holi celebration in Iskcon New Zealand (Album with photos) Srila…
→ Dandavats

Holi celebration in Iskcon New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.51 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/y6C8XM

Ramanavami celebration in Kiev, Ukraine (Album with 48…
→ Dandavats

Ramanavami celebration in Kiev, Ukraine (Album with 48 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Padma Purana, Krishna says, mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tisthami narada: “O Narada, I am present wherever My devotees are chanting.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 17.132 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7mkwsW

Practicing Love. Ananda Dasi: When we ask ourselves the…
→ Dandavats

Practicing Love.
Ananda Dasi: When we ask ourselves the question ‘Why do we exist?’ we begin the search for meaning in our lives. If we accept that we exist not just in this life span, but beyond, that question brings us to face the very core of ourselves.
The answer that the teachings of Bhakti give us is that we exist to be in relationship with the source of our existence. That is, we are part of Krishna eternally, exist eternally and the deepest and most satisfying part of our being is to exchange pure love with Him. This is called prema bhakti – the sweetest and most complete type of love.
To love anyone you have to know them, and so the practice of bhakti is the path of reawakening our knowledge of, and love for, Krishna. It’s a combination of the science of the soul, the universe and divinity, as well as the practical application of love in action – literally doing things to express and nurture spiritual love.
In other words, we practice love. Everyday.
But why? Why do we need to practice love if it is part of our inherent nature? Because we have forgotten. Maya, the energy of Krishna’s that creates the material world, covers our true self and we get so involved in this life and this world that we only have a faint sense that we are missing something.
To practice loving Krishna we use head, heart, and hand. We can read and study about His nature and personality, we can express our heartfelt feelings to Him in prayer and contemplation, and we can make beautiful things to offer Him or assist others in their service to Him.
Krishna, who is attractive to all, is drawn to love as bees are drawn to flowers. If we give time everyday to the practice of bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, the yoga of love – we will feel our love for Krishna blossom. It will happen, because love, by nature, is expansive. And Krishna’s love is more expansive and more unlimited than any other love. It is known as ‘anandambuddhi vardhanam’ – an ever increasing ocean of joy.
Love can never be forced but it’s always there if we want it – both to give and to receive. The choice is always ours.

April 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. Satsvarupa…
→ Dandavats

April 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Michael Grant.
One serious newcomer was Michael Grant. Mike was twenty-four. His father, who was Jewish, owned a record shop in Portland, Oregon where Mike grew up. After studying music at Portland’s Reed College and at San Francisco State, Mike, who played the piano and many other instruments, moved to New York City, along with his girlfriend, hoping to get into music professionally. But he quickly became disenchanted with the commercial music scene. Playing in nightclubs and pandering to commercial demands seemed particularly unappealing. In New York he joined a musicians’ union and worked as a musical arranger and as an agent for several local groups.
Mike lived on the Bowery in an A.I.R. loft on Grand Street. It was a large loft where musicians often congregated for jam sessions. But as he turned more and more to serious composing, he found himself retiring from the social side of the music scene. His interest ran more to the spiritual, quasi-spiritual and mystical books he had been reading. He had encountered several swamis, yogis, and Southside spiritualists in the City, and had taken up hatha yoga. From his first meeting with the Swami, Mike was interested and quite open – as he was with all religious persons. He thought that all genuinely religious people were good, although he did not care to identify with any particular group.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

Mechanics of Spirituality. Sutapa das: When we neglect to…
→ Dandavats

Mechanics of Spirituality.
Sutapa das: When we neglect to invest quality time and attention into performing these simple acts of devotion, we start tending towards the religious more than the spiritual. Here are some classic symptoms of mechanical spirituality:
I ‘fit in’ my practices as opposed to prioritizing a suitable time of day
I ‘multi-task’ my practices as opposed to giving them exclusive focus and attention
I have no serious plans (or desires) to increase and enhance my practices
I look for excuses and justification to neglect my spiritual practices
I have no quality remembrance of the goal while performing my spiritual practices
The mind frequently wanders during my practices, and I happily let it travel.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/Mrjd7K

KK Bindu #373 Released. KK Bindu #373 includes: Translations of…
→ Dandavats

KK Bindu #373 Released. KK Bindu #373 includes: Translations of various acaryas on a verse of Vedanta-sutra.
The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes:
* Remain Foolish – From a letter by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
* No Returning Back – A fresh translation done especially for this issue of Bindu of five different acarya’s commentaries on Vedanta-sutra (4.4.22). It can be downloaded here:
https://archive.org/details/bindu373

Initiation Ceremony April 2016 held at Pakistan (Album with…
→ Dandavats

Initiation Ceremony April 2016 held at Pakistan (Album with photos)
A devotee, because he is working as a śūdra, he is not a śūdra; neither he is a brāhmaṇa. He is already in the spiritual platform. But for management we have to do that. One can do the śūdra’s work nicely—let him be engaged in that way.
10 Devotees in which 3 of them got Second Initiation and 7 of them got Frist Initiation from HH Gopal Krishna Goswami.
Devotees got further amazed by the Lecture given by Sarvabhauma Prabhu (DR.Shishupal).
A devotee is neither brāhmaṇa nor śūdra. He may act like a śūdra, but he is not śūdra. He may act like a brāhmaṇa; he is not brāhmaṇa. He is Vaiṣṇava. Just like gopīs. The gopīs, they are village cowherds women. They are, according to social construction, they are not very high class. They did not belong to the brāhmaṇa class. But their worship, method of worship, has been taken the highest. Ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargeṇa. They were village girls, and practically their character was also not good. Because at dead of night they are going to Kṛṣṇa. But why they have been taken as the most topmost devotee of Kṛṣṇa? Because the love was so high class. It is the test, how much one has learned to love Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Apparently he may appear as a brāhmaṇa, a śūdra or vaiśya. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.
Second initiation is real initiation. First initiation is the preliminary, just to make him prepared, just like primary and secondary education. The first initiation gives him chance to become purified, and when he is actually purified then he is recognized as a brahmana and that means real initiation. The eternal bond between disciple and spiritual master begins from the first day he hears. Just like my spiritual master.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/qtfguP

Harinama in Kumeu, New Zealand (Album with photos) Srila…
→ Dandavats

Harinama in Kumeu, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: As soon as you offer yourself to be enjoyed by Krishna as servant, according to His order you serve, then immediately you are in the spiritual world. If you want to remain in the spiritual world, this temple is the spiritual world. We are not living in Melbourne. This temple is not Melbourne. It is Vaikuntha. It is Vrindavan. So if you stick to this temple service, Krishna’s service, then you are not in this material world. Melbourne, June 25, 1974.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/0KlVe0

April 16. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. Satsvarupa…
→ Dandavats

April 16. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: The Attraction of Sound
Carol: It was a very interracial, music-oriented scene. There were a few professional musicians, and a lot of people who enjoyed playing or just listening. Some people were painting in some of the lofts. And that’s basically what was going on. We had memorable kirtanas. One time there was a beautiful ceremony. Some of us went over early to prepare for it. There must have been a hundred people who came that day.
For the Bowery crowd, sound was spirit and spirit was sound, in a merging of music and meditation. But for Prabhupada, music without the name of God wasn’t meditation; it was sense gratification, or at most, a kind of stylized, impersonal meditation. But he was glad to see the musicians coming to play along in his kirtanas, to hear him and to chant responsively. Some, having stayed up all night playing somewhere on their instruments, would come by in the morning and sing with the Swami. He did not dissuade them from their focus on sound; rather, he gave them sound. In the Vedas, sound is said to be the first element in the material creation; the source of sound is God and God is eternally a person. Prabhupada’s emphasis was on getting people to chant God’s personal, transcendental name. Whether they took it as jazz, folk music, rock, or Indian meditation made no difference, as long as they began to chant Hare Krishna.
Carol: Whenever he had the chanting, the people were fairly in awe of the Swami. On the Bowery a kind of transcendence came out in a ringing of the cymbals. He used the harmonium and many people played hand cymbals. Sometimes he played the drum. In the very beginning he stressed the importance of sound, and the realization of Godhead through sound. That was, I suppose, the attraction that these musicians found in him – the emphasis on sound as a means to attaining transcendence in the Godhead. But he wanted a serious thing. He was interested in discipleship.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

Holi Festival of Colors 360 Degree Video (3 min…
→ Dandavats

Holi Festival of Colors 360 Degree Video (3 min video)
Experience the biggest Holi Festival of Colors in the Western Hemisphere in 360° video. In such a combative and divided world, attending the Holi Festival and immersing yourself in its philosophy of love and acceptance is a relief. Caru Das, the temple’s priest, explains.
To watch 360-degree videos, you’ll need the latest version of Chrome, Opera, Firefox, or Internet Explorer on your computer. On mobile, use the latest version of the YouTube app for Android or iOS.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/lOQ784

999th Birthday! Kripamoya das: April 10 is the birthday of…
→ Dandavats

999th Birthday!
Kripamoya das: April 10 is the birthday of Ramanujacarya, the great teacher and organiser of the Sri Sampradaya. The great saint wrote books of amazing clarity and logical argumentation, poetry and devotion. He reorganised and upgraded temple worship in hundreds of towns, and created an India-wide human network of teachers and spiritual preceptors. Above all, he was an affectionate guardian to those who took shelter of him; who served him with dedication and love for many years until his passing in 1137 at the grand age of 120.

April 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations. Satsvarupa…
→ Dandavats

April 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Evening Kirtanas.
Prabhupada held his evening meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, just as he had uptown. The loft was out of the way for most of his acquaintances and it was on the Bowery. A cluster of sleeping derelicts regularly blocked the street-level entrance, and the visitors would find as many as half a dozen bums to step over before climbing the four flights of stairs. But it was something new; you could go and sit with a group of hip people and watch the Swami lead kirtana. The room was dimly lit, and Prabhupada would burn incense. Many casual visitors came and went. One of them – Gunther – had vivid impressions.
Gunther: You walked right off the Bowery into a room filled with incense. It was quiet. Everyone was talking in hushed tones, not really talking at all. Swamiji was sitting in the front of the room in meditation. There was a tremendous feeling of peace, which I had never had before. I happened to have studied for two years to become a minister and was into meditation, study and prayer, but this was my first time to do anything Eastern or Hindu. There were lots of pillows around and mats on the floor for people to sit on. I don’t think there were any pictures of statues. It was just Swamiji, incense and mats, and obviously the respect of the people in the room for him.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

Modern government? Their only business is how to collect tax and…
→ Dandavats

Modern government? Their only business is how to collect tax and divide it amongst the government servants!
Srila Prabhupada: So there are some remarkable points in this verse. Dasyu-prayesu rajasu. Rajasu means government. Raja, king, or government. So monarchy is now abolished practically all over the world. Now it is democratic government. So this so-called democratic government or Communist government, as they are going on, they will become rogues and thieves, dasyu-prayesu. All the rogues, thieves, plunderers, they will capture. Because it is by vote. So dasyu… Just like plunderers, rogues, they on the point of revolver, they take away your money, so they will take vote on the point of revolver. Actually, it is happening. In Korea it so happened, that sometimes the Communists are coming in power, and sometimes the capitalists coming in power, America and Russia. So poor people, as soon as there is Communist government, they are under the influence: “If you don’t do this, then you’ll be shot.” By force. The people do not know what is government generally. They want to live peacefully. They want a secure place. So that is not their business, modern government. Their only business is how to collect tax and divide it amongst the government servants. That’s all. SB 1.3.25 class