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January 20. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 20. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Do It For Him. It is reassuring to take stock of the fact that we follow Prabhupada in almost everything we do. Often we feel bereft of love for Prabhupada, and we think that we are distant from him. However, if you take inventory, you will see that you are always doing what he wanted you to do. I do not wear sannyasi clothes because it is my destiny to be a Vaisnava monk; I do it because he introduced it. When I think like this, it gives me assurance that I am completely immersed in Prabhupada consciousness. Even me, a laggard who does not fulfill front-line duties, who fails in many ways to cooperate with devotees – even I am following Prabhupada in general, and in the particulars, with devotion. Chant your rounds, read his books, do your preaching service, whatever it may be; do things the way he wanted them done. With the instinct of a well-trained person, you act the way Prabhupada taught you. To give a crude example, consider the way a jet pilot moves in the cockpit. He does not expressly think, “Now I am going to pull this switch and that lever to make the plane take off and veer to the left.” He does not have to think so specifically about what he is doing because he has experience. We also have experience and should be guided by Prabhupada’s vani. Whatever comes up in our lives, we simply act according to Prabhupada’s instructions. If someone asks us, we may verbalize the source of the instruction. Usually, we do not have to verbalize it – you see something and you do it the way Prabhupada did it, because you see the wisdom of his ways.
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KK Bindu #367, “The Final Words of Bhakta Kavi Gopal…
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KK Bindu #367, “The Final Words of Bhakta Kavi Gopal Krishna”, plus more …
The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes:
* IRRESPONSIBILITY IN BHAKTI – In this excerpt from a letter to a disciple,
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada strongly speaks about the principle of guru.
* THE FINAL WORDS OF BHAKTA KAVI GOPAL KRISHNA – The story of the last day and final prayers of this great Odishan Gaudiya Vaishnava poet.
* NAMA-TATTVA: NAMA IS ALL POWERFUL – a verse from Skanda Purana.
* “MATAJI” – From the life of Srila Lochan Das Thakur
It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu367

What makes us act selfishly? Answer by Radhanath…
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What makes us act selfishly?
Answer by Radhanath Swami.
Question: The caring attitude is pleasing to everyone, but generally the default attitude in this world is one always thinks selfishly. So is it an inbuilt script of the mind that makes one think selfishly?
Radhanath Swami: The false ego misconceives: “I am this body, I am this mind, I am the controller, I am the proprietor, and I am the selfish enjoyer.” This is foundational to all material complications. It impels us to put ourselves above others and act selfishly. And when we continue to act in that way it becomes a habit. According to how we habituate ourselves, by making those wrong choices, we become more and more engrained in that way of thinking.
That is the way any habit works. For example, if you smoke a lot of cigarettes you become addicted, and the more you smoke the more you become addicted. The habit becomes a craving, and then it is very difficult to do anything without feeding your habit. When you are in the middle of it, you cannot really understand the effect of what you are doing because you are so much a slave of the habit. So that is exactly the way the ego works. Our selfishness, our arrogance, our greed, our selfish passions, our anger, and our envy – as we make choices to feed these habits, they become stronger and stronger and stronger.
But when we associate with saintly people we began to understand what we really want in life and what our condition is. And then we will take the medicine and the way of life by which we can become liberated from these habits of egotism. Chanting of the Holy Names is the simple medicine that will cure one from all the symptoms of ego, ignorance and selfishness.

January 19. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 19. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Honoring Prasadam. The way he taught in his Prospectus written in the 1950s for the League of Devotees, Swamiji gave prominent mention to prasadam. He invited members to live with him in the asrama, and he advertised the daily schedule. There were many times during the day when prasadam was served. The menu was described exactly. By studying that daily schedule, one can understand that prasadam is like attending arotikas, bhajanas, or Bhagavatam readings. Prasadam was not a material break in a spiritual day. It was another full-fledged, spiritual activity – a devotee was either chanting, or working, or honoring prasadam. Prasadam works. It makes you feel satisfied and free of sex agitation. Everything seems nice. You don’t want to argue with people. Prasadam helps to heal the ailing self. The atma is not only the soul; it is the mind, body and self. All of these will be satisfied by eating prasadam. When you honor prasadam, the body says, “I like Krishna consciousness.” The mind says, “I like it too, I am not agitated any more.” The self exclaims, “This prasadam was offered to Krishna. Swamiji says it is not ordinary food.” Prasadam is an item of faith, a sacrament.
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36th day Prachar Yatra Report. If we closely observe the…
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36th day Prachar Yatra Report.
If we closely observe the situation in the world it is full of exploitation: the ‘haves’ exploiting ‘have-nots’, strong exploiting the weak, masculine gender exploiting the female gender, human species exploiting the lower species, powerful country exploiting the weaker countries, irreligion exploiting religion, cities exploiting villages, man exploiting environment, etc. The list of exploitation is vast and gets longer as the influence of kali-yuga progresses further. The history is also full with such exploitative stories.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/fncyYA

January 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Touched by His Greatness. Do not forget that Srila Prabhupada is your master. Never be condescending in your praise or estimation of him. As disciples, we worship our guru with affection as well as with objective evidence of his greatness. We also have to be regularly touched by his greatness. In describing Prahlada Maharaja’s prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva, Prabhupada asserts that Prahlada was able to please Lord Nrsimhadeva even though others, great demigods and even Laksmidevi herself, could not. What was Prahlada’s quality that so attracted the Lord? Prabhupada goes right to the heart of it sweetly and simply, entering the mentality of Prahlada Maharaja and explaining it to us. A great teacher is one who can convey tremendous thoughts and experiences to the students. It is one thing to feel something, and it is an added empowerment to convey it to others. That teaching ability arises from compassion and empathy. Prabhupada was able to grasp the whole relationship of Prahlada Maharaja and Nrsimhadeva and give it to an audience—not of great scholars or long-time practicing sadhus—but to ordinary persons. He stressed the simplicity of Prahlada Maharaja’s approach: in a childlike way, he prostrated himself before Nrsimhadeva.
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Preparation of Cow Dung Patties in Vrindavan (8 min video) In…
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Preparation of Cow Dung Patties in Vrindavan (8 min video)
In the rural areas of India it is customary to make patties from cow dung. Each family has a few cows, the cows eat fresh grass or hay, they give milk, and their dung is made into patties and used as fuel, for cooking, for heating and many other purposes. The video shows a few rural women making the dung patties, drying them and storing them in a hut, which is also made of cow dung. This is a maximal and very practical utilization of the cow’s products – therefore in India the cow is considered a mother. If the cows are raised with love, fed with the proper food, and cared for, in a very natural way according the cow nature, they give back.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/xkzkP5

Harinama in Lagos, Nigeria (Album with photos) Mahat Tattva…
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Harinama in Lagos, Nigeria (Album with photos)
Mahat Tattva Dasa: Lively Harinama in the company of a dozen or so devotees in a large market area. I was pulled over by police for taking a photograph of a police officer. After much yelling and shouting, the police let me go and returned my camera. Before I left, their mood drastically changed to where they were all smiling and chanting Hare Krishna.
During the Harinama devotees were distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books, On Chanting pamphlet and prasadam fried-banana chips.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/zsbxlz

January 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Staying in Love. Turn to Prabhupada. What do I mean by that? You are facing in one direction and you hear a sound, or your mind tells you that you want to look in another direction. Physically, you move your neck and head in order to see the desired object, or you may turn your whole body. At least you turn your attention. When we turn to Prabhupada, what do we see? Like dawn, at first we do not see much. We strain our eyes and wait as outlines start to become clear. We see the peaks of hills and can clearly distinguish the horizon. The sun is not up yet, but we desire to be with Prabhupada—so we talk of him. Way off in the mind’s eye, we see him going out on another walk, and we run to catch up. Abstractly, but in truth, we think of how our lives have been made fortunate by meeting a great devotee of the Lord. He gives us salvation and turns us to the next life without so much fear. As Christ says, “To those who are given, more is expected.” Because we have been given his association, there is an obligation. This is guru-daksina. People who have a relationship bound in love are obliged to continue it. One reason relationships diminish is that people do not communicate. The same thing can happen in the guru-disciple relationship. One can continue to perform the rituals but lose the sense of being in love. When the guru-disciple relationship begins, it is romantic. One is swept off one’s feet in adoration. You promise to give everything. However, we have to learn how to stay in love with Srila Prabhupada.
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Mothers and Kids. Your children are not your children. They are…
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Mothers and Kids.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Ananda: It is an odd development of the modern world that being excessively anxious about our children is considered a virtue. We consider ourselves good parents if we make life easy for them, reward them for the smallest achievement, and are anxious for their safety and well-being at all times.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/kAi2Oh

Vedic winsdom to Concerned Doctors at GFESH Summit. On January…
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Vedic winsdom to Concerned Doctors at GFESH Summit.
On January 3rd, 2016 Radhanath Swami gave the keynote address at the medical conference Medical Profession – Welfare Not Warfare held at Mumbai. The event was organized by the Global Foundation for Ethical and Spiritual Health (GFESH), a global initiative patronized by Radhanath Swami that aims to blend traditional spiritual science of healing with modern medical science. The event was supported by Indian Medical Association, Association of Medical Consultants, Association of Hospitals, and Mumbai Medical Society. Over 500 doctors attended.
The title of the event refers to a recent trend in India where, due to feelings of having been neglected or cheated, patients have attacked doctors and medical institutions both legally as well as through acts of violence. Radhanath Swami mentioned that the group of doctors gathered for the event, if they join together, can make an impact in reversing the trend and that although these doctors are exemplary, still they could see this as a wake-up call to improve the level of care that they provide. Radhanath Swami said, “A true doctor treats each and every patient as he would like himself to be treated when he is a patient. We must see the presence of God in our patients.”
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/EtwLoS

January 16. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 16. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Immortal Prabhupada! We should not think that we are better than Prabhupada because he has passed on and we are still living in this “wonderful” world. It is not that Prabhupada is now among the unfortunate dead and we are living. The whole basis of connection with Prabhupada is that we are all eternal. Socrates said that the soul is immortal, and he chided his disciples for thinking otherwise about him. If we want to be with Prabhupada, we must have faith that he is not dead. He is eternal. He is preaching somewhere, and we will also always be preaching somewhere. Otherwise, what is the meaning of being his follower? Prabhupada has gone ahead of us, and we are following. In the old days, people would go ahead of their families and leave Europe for America. Their families would join them later after everything had been prepared. So Srila Prabhupada has gone ahead, leaving us memories and solid teachings for our lives. If we cannot complete our progress in one lifetime, we will continue in the next. Wherever we go, we want to make further progress with Srila Prabhupada.
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Preparing Ourselves Spiritually. Question: How can an aspiring…
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Preparing Ourselves Spiritually.
Question: How can an aspiring spiritual practitioner prepare for something disastrous that can happen at any moment, and how can he or she tackle the situation of uncertainty?
Radhanath Swami: Our whole life should be prepared for each moment. If we have a strong foundation, when a storm comes you will have strength. If we have the wisdom and intelligence that is coming from hearing the great scriptures like Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and Chaitanya Charitamrita, if we are properly nourished with philosophy and if we are chanting the holy names properly and not committing offense to others, we get spiritual strength and intelligence, and then when these moments come we will be prepared.
If we are not prepared when the moment comes it is just like….when I was in Vrindavan, India, in 1971, there was a war between Pakistan and India. At night everyone was told to stay inside; they would cut out all electricity for the whole of Vrindavan, and if you had a candle or something you had to put a black covering over your window. The idea is that when the enemy planes come over and when they see light they will bomb. There was preparation. If you know that you are going to be attacked then you have to prepare yourself to be safe. It is not that just do anything you want and it does not matter.
So we know that maya (illusion) is going to attack. Definitely, she will attack you every day in so many ways from within and without. So we should prepare ourselves. We prepare ourselves by chanting attentively, hearing Srimad Bhagavatam, avoiding offenses to others, sincerity of our prayers of feeling helpless and crying out for Krishna’s mercy. Then when the storms come and the attacks come, we have some preparation.

New Raman Reti: Vegetable Gardens in the Winter. Dvarkadisa das:…
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New Raman Reti: Vegetable Gardens in the Winter.
Dvarkadisa das: For those of us from up north growing vegetables in the winter takes some mental adjustment. For Janamejaya das and Sanka das it’s part of the program. The produce they produce on the farm throughout the year is all for the Deities’ pleasure. It is used for Deity offerings, the devotee lunch at the temple, Sunday Feasts, and occasionally for the Santa Fe College Krishna Lunch program. It is never for sale.
Of course, the winter rotation calls for different crops. Right now various kinds of lettuce lead the way—Iceberg, Romaine, Bib and a Spring Mix. Kale, collards and cabbage are also being harvested. Broccoli and more cabbage are being put into trays for the spring planting, and tomatoes and flowers will follow around the first of February. According to Janamejaya das, the deer have been more curious and less of a nuisance during the fall than they were in the summer. Still, part of the plans for the gardens is to raise the fences from a height of six feet to eight.
The gardens at the temple are an easy place to see devotional service in action. The service is done directly for the pleasure of our Deities and the devotees. It takes patience, perseverance, detachment, humility and dependence on Krishna. Devotees who have some interest in gardening and might want some advice, can feel free to ask Janamejaya das (if he doesn’t have some chores to do). If anyone wants to help directly a large bag of Cottonseed Meal would be appreciated, (available at Alachua Farm & Lumber), which will be mixed with various crushed rocks to amend the soil and support healthier plants.

Becoming One! “Friday, 7 April 1972 – Melbourne Temple, 14…
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Becoming One!
“Friday, 7 April 1972 – Melbourne Temple, 14 Burnett Street, St. Kilda
Although Prabhupada took it as his primary business to work solidly on his writing, he was generally always available to talk to guests. But whenever someone would come to see him, he wouldn’t waste time – he talked philosophy and logic. He constantly argued against atheism and impersonalism and, to prove the existence of God and the universality of Krsna consciousness, he often spoke strongly.
Later in the morning, he was visited by a group of followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The spokesperson of the group, the manager of a well-known Melbourne vegetarian restaurant, seemed preoccupied with the concept of merging into the Absolute.
With impeccable logic, Srila Prabhupada patiently explained that the concept of merging was not only unappealing, but also particularly impractical.
“You are all individuals. Every one of us is individual. So how [can] you conceive of merging? Suppose, just like we are here – one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. How we can merge? You just study philosophy. We are here, eight persons. How we can merge into one? Have you got any idea how we can merge? These eight persons, how we can merge into one?”
“To realise ourselves.”
“Well, if suppose you have realised, now, how to merge?”
“In realisation, there is that. In realisation there is merging.”
Prabhupada shook his head. He held up his right hand, his fingers extended. “Now, there are five fingers, one, two, three, four, five. How they can merge into one?”
“By realising this.”
Prabhupada patiently repeated his example. “No. These are five fingers – one, two, three, four, five. So these … there are different, five fingers. How they can merge into one? What is the process?”
“The name of the process?”
“No. Name or not name, how these five fingers can become merged into one? Tell me.”
Prabhupada answered his own question. He reached down and touched the microphone that was sitting on his desk. “Just like here is a thing. All the five fingers capture it.” He picked up the microphone with his fingers. “It becomes one. Although they are five – one, two, three, four, five – they are one.”
“Becomes one?”
“Yes. If the interest is one – to capture this – then it is one.”
Srila Prabhupada replaced the microphone on the table. “That means you cannot lose your individuality. But if your interest is one, then you merge into. Do you understand? Just like you are all Australian. How do you merge into the Australian conception? Because as Australian, you have one interest. So individuality cannot be killed. That is not possible. You are all individual. But when you make your interest one, then you merge into that thing.
“Your personality is different from his. His personality is different from him. He is different from you. But because you have got one interest, therefore you [are] one. Just like us. We are so many individuals. But our interest is Krsna. Therefore we are one.” “
From “The Great Transcendental Adventure” by Kurma dasa

Stay high forever! (Album with photos) Harinama in Auckland, New…
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Stay high forever! (Album with photos)
Harinama in Auckland, New Zealand. For the next 10 thousand years, chant, chant, chant!
Srila Prabhupada: “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” If one practices chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, he is naturally expected to chant Hare Krishna when he meets with some accident. Even without such practice, however, if one somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord (Hare Krishna) when he meets with an accident and dies, he will be saved from hellish life after death. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.15 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/v3qd3b

January 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily…
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January 15. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Please forgive me for not speaking more directly of Prabhupada. This is all I have. It may be like reading a menu rather than giving you the feast. However, I am trying, and only by this way can I get closer. When I walk and talk with Srila Prabhupada, I feel that I am with him. It is real, this presence. It is not tangible in the sense that you can touch it or say, “There, I just saw a vision of Prabhupada. He was standing in the forest wearing a saffron coat.” Or, “I suddenly heard his voice saying, ‘Go on, you are doing very nicely.‘” Or, “He just said, ‘You rascal!” Or, “I suddenly smelled the aroma of his body—sandalwood, mustard oil and roses.” Or, “I suddenly felt something within myself and tears flowed and I cried out, ‘Prabhupada!’” I am not deriding such intense encounters, but I am saying the subtle, intangible presence is also worthwhile. When I come back from a walk I do not ask, “Was Prabhupada here? Did I meet him?” I am sure I did. We can talk to him. “Prabhupada, do you hear those birds? I do not know their names, but it is so nice to hear the birds sing in the morning. It is so nice to be in the country where practically the only sounds are those of nature. I know, Prabhupada, that you deplore the industry in the city, although we should be there for preaching. Prabhupada, is it like this in Vrndavana?”
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Iskcon Alachua: Community Unity Food Pantry Up and…
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Iskcon Alachua: Community Unity Food Pantry Up and Running!
Every Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. you can stop by and pick up foods to supplement your own family’s pantry. And if you can’t drive for any reason, they can deliver to you. The pantry is housed in a brand new shed, and an AC was just donated to keep items fresh. Go to http://communityunity.me/current-events/ to find out more.

Young Professional Serves Up Gita Wisdom. “We have this focus…
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Young Professional Serves Up Gita Wisdom.
“We have this focus on changing the externals, or trying to change things from the outside in, when actually what’s required is a change from within, a change from the invisible world, the eternal.” Ghanashyam Priya’s speed and rhythm builds as he talks, lending the poetic monologue in the latest video on his new Youtube Channel “Invisible World” a dynamic hip-hop flow.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/er4Qz9