Planet ISKCON

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States of Consciousness and Dreams.
Modern materialistic science is not sure about the origin and nature of most psychic phenomena including dreams. This information can be found in Vedic scriptures.
Srimad Bhagavatam 6.16.53-54, 7.7.25 or 7.15.61 describes three material states of consciousness:
1. jagrata, awakened state (beta, 14 - 20 Hz)
2. svapna, dreaming state (alfa, 7 - 14 Hz)
3. susupti, deep sleep (theta, 4 - 7 Hz)

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1. One should hear the pastimes, names, and glories of the Lord from the Srimad Bhagavatam, in which all material forms of region have been are rejected, from a bona fide spiritual master, become fixed in devotional service, and not allow his mind to be deflected to anything else. Patiently and submissively hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam immediately re-establishes a soul in his eternal relationship with Krsna. All other goals are rejected in the Bhagavatam. (1-3) 2. One must hear the Bhagavatam from a bonafide representative of Vyasadeva. (4-8) 3. If both the speaker and the hearer are qualified, the hearer will easily understand the Absolute Truth, Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (9-13) 4. Hearing of the everfresh pastimes, names, and glories of Krsna will attract one from the horrible Kali yuga trap of the material world to the eternal blissful spiritual realm. (14-20) 5. Because of the shortness of life that Kali Yuga brings, one should fear the dangers of Kali, accept the shelter of a bonafide spiritual master, and adopt the process recommended by Lord Caitanya for self realization in Kali Yuga: hearing and chanting Krsna's glories as told in the BG and the SB. (21-23) Continue reading "Summary of Srimad Bhagavatam
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Hare Krsna Mantra – meaning of the mantra
Meaning as explained by Gopala Guru Gosvami, disciple of Svarupa Damodara of Puri:
The word “hare”:
hari harati papani dusta cittair api smrtah
anicchayapi samsprsto dahaty eva hi pavakah
vijnapya bhagavat tattvam cid ghanananda vigraham
haraty avidyam tat karyam ato harir iti smrtah
“Just as the fire, on contacting an object, automatically burns it, so the name of Hari takes away (harati) or burns up all ht esins of the people with materialistic hearts. It removes (harati) all ignorance and reveals the transcendental, blissful form of the Lord. Also, ‘hari’ means that personality who attracts (harati) the minds of all the people in the universe when they hear stories of His transcendental qualities; or, He who attracts the minds of people by His beautiful youthful form. 'Hari’ in the grammatical form of address, the vocative, or calling out to a person, becomes 'hare’.”
The word 'hare’ has another meaning:
svarupa prema vatsalyair harer harati ya manah
hara sa kathyate sadbhih sri radha vrsabhanuja
Hara is Srimati Radhika, daughter of Vrsabhanu, who steals (harati) the mind of Hari, Krsna, by her unalloyed love. Hara, in the form of address, also becomes 'hare’.
The word 'Krsna’:
krsir bhu vacakah sabdo nas cananda svarupakah
tayor aikyam param brahma krsna ity abhidhiyate
“The word 'krsna’ is composed of the root 'krsi’ meaning 'bhu,’ the shelter of all existence and the word 'na’ meaning 'nivriti’ or the form of supreme bliss. Combined they form the word 'krsna’ which signifies the param brahma, the supreme personality of Godhead with blissful form.”
Krsna in the form of address remains as 'krsna.’
The word 'Rama’:
ramante yogino 'nante nityanande cidatmani
iti rama padenaiva param brahmadbhidhiyate
“The param brahma is known as Rama because the yogis take pleasure (ramante) in meditating on His eternal, blissful form.”
vaidagdhi sara sarvasva murti liladbhidevatam
sri radham ramayan nityam rama ity abhidhiyate
“The Supreme Lord is called Rama because He carries out pastimes of pleasure with the most beautiful Sri Radha.”
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Oh Radha, please attract my mind, and free me from this material world.
Oh Krsna, please attract my mind.
Oh Radha, attract my heart by showing your sweetness.
Oh Krsna, purify my mind by giving knowledge of how to perform worship of You through Your pure devotee.
Oh Krsna, give me steadiness to appreciate Your name, qualities and pastimes.
Oh Krsna, may I develop a taste for serving You.
Oh Radha, please make me qualified for your service.
Oh Radha, please instruct me on how I can serve you.
Oh Radha, let me hear of your intimate pastimes with your beloved.
Oh Rama (Krsna), let me hear of Your intimate pastimes with your beloved.
Oh Radha, reveal to me your pastimes with your beloved.
Oh Rama, reveal to me Your pastimes with Your beloved.
Oh Rama, engage me in remembering Your name, form, qualities and pastimes.
Oh Rama, please make me qualified for your service.
Oh Radha, be pleased with me.
Oh Radha, be pleased with me.

Dravida Prabhu: HOW TO MEMORIZE VERSES:
Study Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide and learn how all the letters are pronounced and what consonants and the long and short vowels are.

Пусть защитят нас дарящие благо вскинутые когти
Всевышнего со львиным ликом – Нрисимхадева,
Кого сопровождает Его супруга Лакшми.

Те когти точно молнии, искусны в разбиваньи на куски
надменных, размером с горы, предводителей
опьяненных толп мощных, что слоны, асуров (недругов Индры).

На те же когти медитируют собранья девов.
Их ясные умы сосредоточены на Нем, и оттого тьма тамаса рассеяна,
насколько только видно, и недруги внутри* разодраны на части.

[ «Шри Накха Стути» Шрилы Мадхавачарйи, текст 1 ]

* похоть, гнев и т.п.

Newbury Rathayatra - 13th August 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In this Age of Kali, the process of worshiping Kri...

After celebrating the anniversary of Iskcon's 50th year, what are the next steps needed to expand the movement further and refine its functions in order to be able to take proper care of those taking shelter in Srila Prabhupada's teachings. Improving the taking care of the devotees and the educational system for the younger generations are some of the priorities which need to be focused upon and this will happen only with the involvement of the congregation. The gigantic expansion of the movement requires the service of qualified devotees who will be able to do full time service only if the movement will take care of all their needs, including their families. An economic system has to be in place to provide for all of that so that there is investment not only for temple buildings but also for the devotees who run it. Continue reading "Iskcon’s growth for the next 50 years
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An updated report of the amazing achievements of Srila Prabhupada's Iskcon up today. His movement has expanded into a multitude of projects worldwide all with the unique purpose of spreading the chanting of the Holy Name of Lord Krishna and giving to all a chance for delivery from the material world and Kali Yuga. You will be pleasantly surprised to hear this summary of all the activities the disciples and grand disciples of His Divine Grace are performing daily for the service of his mission and the pleasure of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Continue reading "ISKCON World Review 2016
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Chant One Round

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The best time of the day for connecting with transcendence.
“What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.” BG 2.6
It could be said that any time of the day is the best time of the day for connecting with transcendence – remembering you are not this body, and meditating on the sweet love of the soul that is the essence of Krishna consciousness. However, when Prabhupada was asked what is the best time for chanting japa, meditating on Krishna’s name, he replied, “The hours before Mangal Arati.”
When I heard Prabhupada’s ‘best time’ response, I decided to try it. Mangal Arati is the first worship ceremony and kirtan that happens at the temple at 4.30am everyday. So the best japa time would be the hours before then, say between 2.30am to 4.30am.

Vaishnava Gadget (2 min video)
Vaishnava Gadget is presenting you conceptually new magnetic counters for japa. Now we put them ...

“How to become a good Vaishnavi wife” course in Kiev (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We must rise early in the morning, bathe, attend mangala-arati, worship the Deities, chant the Hare Krishna mantra, study the Vedic literatures and follow all the rules prescribed by the acaryas and the spiritual master. If we deviate from this process, we may fall down, even though we may be very highly advanced. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.8.8 Purport)
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Oprah & Hare Krishna!
August 12, 2016. Dear Friends, Hare Krsna. I thought you might be interested to see this page from the August 2016 issue of Oprah Magazine. The article references the studies on the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra that I conducted in the 1990s. Hare Krsna.
Sincerely, Dhira Govinda das
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/62JUs5

adyāpi durnivāraṁ stuti-kanyā bhajati kaumāram

sadbhyo na rocate sā ‘santo ‘py asyai na rocante

adyāpi — even to this day; durnivāram — unavoidable; stuti-kanyā — the girl named stuti (praise); bhajati — remains;  kaumāram— unmarried; sadbhyaḥ — by the saintly souls; na — not; rocate — liked; sā — she is; asantaḥ — the non-saintly; api — and;  asyai — by her; na — are not; rocante — liked;
“Even to this day, the girl named stuti (praise) remains unavoidably unmarried because the saintly don’t find her attractive and she doesn’t find the non-saintly attractive.”

— Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Sajjana-praśaṁsā, Verse 123

This verse features a beautiful personification for conveying an important truth. By personifying praise as a nubile damsel who becomes a spinster, it graphically illustrates how the saintly and the non-saintly have opposite attitudes towards it.

In a prospective marriage, if either of the partners doesn’t consent, the marriage can’t take place. Similarly, the marriage of the human heart with praise never materializes – that is, the human heart never finds enduring fulfillment in praise. Why? Because one of the two partners doesn’t consent, as this verse conveys.

Why does praise not like the non-saintly? Because they are ignorant – they don’t know who is actually worthy of praise.

Why do the saintly not like praise? Because they are wise – they know who is truly worthy of praise, Krishna, and also know how praise can divert them from him.

Let’s expand this.

Those who truly love something love it irrespective of the praise they may or may not get for it. In contrast are those who see that thing as a tool to something else such as wealth and prestige. This instrumental view of things can even extend to God wherein religious materialists see him as a tool to worldly good things. And such religious materialists, though better than nonreligious materialists, pale in comparison to the saintly who seek God for God’s sake, for the sake of loving and serving him.

The saintly do not like to be praised because they are aware that whatever praiseworthy ability they have comes from Krishna – it is he who deserves to be praised. When they themselves are praised, they pass on the credit to him and to their spiritual guides by whose mercy they have been able to render some service. They know that praise can infatuate them, thereby distracting them from their life’s ultimate purpose: Krishna. So, though they are eminently praiseworthy, they cultivate humility and stay away from praise as much as possible.

The non-saintly love to be praised because they consider praise life’s greatest success. Being maddened by the craving for praise, they frequently demand or at least expect credit for far more than what is due to them. Often, they consider themselves the sole cause of their success, overlooking the many factors beyond their control that contributed to that success. Even if they sometimes give credit to others, they frequently do so to get further praise for their team spirit.

A question may rise: “This verse says that praise doesn’t like the non-saintly. But such people often receive lavish praise – some movie stars or sports stars have millions of fans.” Yes, but that praise is not actually directed towards them – it is directed towards what they have: their beauty, physique, athleticism or other such external attributes. When they lose those externals with the inexorable passage of time, that praise deserts them. This verse focuses on character development. The praise that the non-saintly receive rarely reflects their core character and it hardly ever improves that character either.

The Bhagavad-gita (13.08) echoes the theme of non-covetousness towards pride by listing amanitvam (the absence of the craving for honor) as the first among the twenty characteristics of knowledge. Srila Prabhupada in his commentary aptly renders this as the freedom from the anxiety to be honored by others. Since Krishna specifies pridelessness as the first in the list of qualities that comprise knowledge, it may well be considered the doorway to the other qualities. If we seekers are consumed by the craving for honor, we can’t learn much – and we certainly can’t absorb ourselves in Krishna.

Of course, we don’t have to become campaigners against praise. We aspire to go beyond infatuation with praise and aversion to praise to absorption in Krishna. If while serving him praise comes of its own accord, we can accept it humbly and gratefully, seeing it as an encouragement for persevering in that area of contribution.

To conclude, people who are praiseworthy don’t like to be praised, whereas people who are not praiseworthy like to be praised.

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Namaste, I am delighted to send my best wishes to everyone at Bhaktivedanta Manor in what is a very special year for all those associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). For fifty years since its foundation by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the men and women behind ISKCON have dedicated their lives to the words of Lord Krishna to achieve peace and unity. ISKCON can be proud that in that time it has grown the world over, setting up over 500 centres and 50 schools. In celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, it is wonderful to see so many in the Hindu community flock once again to Bhaktivedanta Manor to be part of the Janmashtami celebrations. I am delighted to see festivities on such a scale take place, reminding us all of the great number of people from diverse backgrounds throughout this country. As you gather to celebrate in the beauty of the Manor's surroundings, let me wish you all a spectacular Janmashtami festival , and of course, pay tribute to the thousand and more volunteers who have given their precious time to make this year's festival a memorable one. Continue reading "Message of UK Prime Minister for Janmashtami and ISKCON50
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The unity of the individual souls.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear sons of the King, I am very much pleased by the friendly relationships among you. All of you are engaged in one occupation—devotional service. I am so pleased with your mutual friendship that I wish you all good fortune. Now you may ask a benediction of Me.

Fortunate People is privileged to present! First ever!! (2 min video)
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Srila Prabhupada: “My heart is always burning in the fire of material existence, and I have made no provisions for getting out of it. The only remedy is hari-nama-sankirtana, the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, which is imported from the spiritual world, Goloka-Vrndavana. How unfortunate I am that I have no attraction for this. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.22 Purport)
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50 years ago, our founder and acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada planted a seed. He brought into existence a society whose specific name he chose and whose specific shape he carefully formed. The original group of early followers might have been bemused to learn the name of the organisation typed up on the deeds of incorporation: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness – ISKCON. There were no assets to speak of and with only one room in a back street of New York there was no way it could be described as even the New York State Society for Krishna Consciousness, what to speak of the American Society for Krishna Consciousness. And international? What a preposterous and utopian idea! Continue reading "Learning from a Tree
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First South American Farm Conference at Goura Vrindavana (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Anything fresh, that is full of...

In the 11th century AD, emperor Majapahit, ruling from Java, spread his kingdom upto Madagascar Island. During his rule, Kediri, in East Java, was famed as the centre of vedic culture, from where all the great sages appeared who are revered till the present day all over Indonesia. Archaeological findings in 2007 revealed a rich vedic cultural heritage of the region. Detailed stone images of Lord Narasimha deva, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu; Lord Visnu Himself seated on His bird-carrier Garuda; Ganesha, Harihara and many other similar specimens takes one on a time travel into the past….giving a vivid picture of what Indonesia was like back then. All these images and statues are now kept in the local Majapahit Museum. Continue reading "First Jagannath Ratha yatra Kediri, East Java, Indonesia
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So this Ratha-yatra Festival is a mass movement for enlightening people to this Krsna consciousness movement. We have got many other festivities in Krsna consciousness movement. We have got Janmastami, Sri Rama-navami, Dola-yatra, Jhulana-yatra. So there are twelve months, but we have got twenty-four festivals as big as this Ratha-yatra Festival. So if you kindly take to them, then as advised by Lord Caitanya, kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31], you will always be in Krsna consciousness, and there will be no scope of your frustration and confusion. For this purpose especially, I came in this meeting, that you kindly accept this humble instruction that wherever you may be, in whatever position, in whatever condition, you kindly chant these sixteen names Continue reading "Festival Of India Tour
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The Red Beads

After a rather depressing day yesterday for reasons that we needn’t get into, I woke up this morning feeling much better, with the resolve that I would pray to Krishna from now on to either heal me, or kill me, physically speaking of course, since there is no death for the soul. In a way the status of my cancer, namely not getting worse or better, is a metaphor for how I see my life—mediocre, and that just isn’t acceptable any more. I am called to physically, mentally, and emotionally leave my comfort zone, and do what I must.

We are admonished in the Bible to be either hot or cold, but not half-baked. I have been half-baked, with some notable exceptions, about most things my whole life. If I am going to continue to write, speak, travel, minister and help others, than I have to really do it, and by the grace of my gurus and Gaura Nitai, excel at it, or make my best effort and prayers to that effect.

As a number of motivational speakers have discovered and shared, “Reasons come first, answers some second.” Thus I have to have the proper motivation to write, speak, and help others, and then Krishna and his agents will help me find the ways to practically manifest it. I don’t have to know how, just that I must.

Therefore I am going to spend every day chanting, praying, and doing self-healing. I have studied for years in the past and spent thousands of dollars studying healing methods, and even practicing them, but never feeling strong enough about them to really pursue them. So now I have to use them or lose my current physical self.

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The Jhulan Festival is celebrated in July – August commemorating the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna enjoying His childhood pastimes with His friends – the young cowherd boys and girls, swinging underneath the trees.

It is a festival to celebrate Radha Krishna’s pastime of swinging on a golden swing every day until Balarama-purnima.

All over the world the devotees enjoy coming to the temple or swinging Their Lordships in their own homes.

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