Planet ISKCON

Harinama in Bologna, Italy (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: As far as possible, therefore, the devotees in the Krishna con...

“The Walking Monk”: Swami Embarks on Transnational Walk Across the USA to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of the Hare Krishna Tradition.
Urvashi Verma: Chicago, Il: Bhaktimarga Swami, a 63 year old Canadian born monk has embarked on a transnational walk of 3,000 miles across the United States from New York City to San Francisco to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the coming of the Hare Krishna Tradition to the West and to promote a more green style of living in America.
Swami who has arrived in Chicago, Il on June 11 has traversed open plains, highways, and landmarks. For the general public, Bhaktimarga Swami is best known as “the walking monk”. To share his message of peace and gratitude he has already crossed Canada four times covering over 17,000 miles on foot.
The Swami is walking to draw attention to the contributions of his own spiritual teacher, or guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada arrived in the USA 50 years ago, on September 17, 1965. He came practically penniless from India at the age of 70 on the order of his teacher to promote God consciousness, or devotional bhakti-yoga, to the English-speaking world.
“In the broader sense I’m walking to honor all our teachers,” Swami says. “Our teachers open the doors to the world for us, and to other worlds as well. I hope to remind us all how grateful we should be to those who give us knowledge, especially knowledge about our inner potential, ” he says.
Each day Swami, donned in monastic orange garb and his favorite crocs he walks 20 miles each day along path chartered by his companion assistant Gopala and returns to the same spot where he left the next day to complete another 20 miles.
Source: http://goo.gl/0f4xMy

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50 HOURS OF KIRTAN IN HONOR OF 50-YEARS ISKCON
Simhachalam, Germany, Aug.11 - Aug.14, 2016.
We are very happy to invite you again to this kirtan event in Germany. In the mood of Srila Prabhupada, we are trying to organize a kirtan to change the vibration on this planet, and in that way strengthen our own devotion. The whole festival will be centered on singing the Maha-mantra. Throughout the day we will have different kirtan parties performing and bringing you to a deep personal experience in the chanting. There will be a nice, spacious temple room, and areas where devotees can discuss their experiences, meet the gurus and enjoy the atmosphere of the festival. We did our all to invite the best kirtan leaders to celebrate this festival with us. All of them are well known for their unique kirtan style. The whole 50 hours, they will lift us up to the transcendental platform.
Those who have already confirmed their participation:
HH Sacinandana Swami, HH Bhakti Vaibhava Swami, HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, HG Prithu Prabhu, HG Vayasaki Prabhu, HG Aditi Dukha Prabhu, HG Dina Sharana Mataji, HG Sarvatma Prabhu
Please check our website regularly for additional information. Thank you for considering attending this 6th Kirtan Mela festival in Germany. We hope you will join us in a happy mood this summer in Simhachalam. Please register as soon as possible on our website http://www.kirtan-mela-germany.de/index.php/en/ (see “Registration” option), the number of participants is limited.

Iskcon Salem Rathayatra 2016 (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)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/x88Jqc

Stoked Govindas Surfers Paradise has won best buffet on the Gold Coast. Unheard of for Vegan restaurants to win…
Here are some reviews:
Junglechick: This place is just incredible. I got the all-you-can-eat just so I could try everything and go back for my favourites! The kofta balls are sooooo good. The staff were wonderful and it’s got a great atmosphere. I’d 100% recommend it!!
Rico: I used to visit the previous Govindas in the Paradise Centre when they were vegetarian. They had excellent vegan food then, but for a long time it wasn’t always plentiful, until the owner started to see the light.
Since they went vegan last year, Hallelujah! - things are much brighter.
Take your pick from their buffet, which includes a separate salad bar. Hot dishes change, but go from vegetable curries and creamy potato bake to the staple kofta balls.
Eating in - that’s what i always do when i’m here - you can get a plate of food for $10 or an unlimited plate - that is, with all the refills you want - for $15. Incredible value!
Sadly, this is the only vegan place in glittering Surfers Paradise. But it’s definitely not a case of “Well, go there because there’s no other choice.”
The food is fresh, the staff are usually friendly, and the cost is low. Really, it’s a fantastic deal in Paradise!
EmmaBarr: The food in this restaurant is absolutely amazing and so delicious. Even my meat eating boyfriend loved it and was happy to go back numerous times. There is such good variety in the buffet and it is all delicious and unbelievably good value for money. I couldn’t recommend this place enough for vegans.
Kiwi Wannabe: Being both a vegan and a food lover, this place was a culinary paradise. At $12.90 for an all you can eat buffet, you can’t go wrong. I thought places like this only existed in my dreams ;-) Half of our group were meat eaters and they loved it too.
Terrific array of hot and cold options as well as desserts in case you have room left. The staff were friendly and you could tell they really enjoy what they do. It’s just too bad we were visiting otherwise we’d come here all the time!
ChelseaHollins: I’m a pretty slim female and I think I continue to amaze staff/friends at how many times I can go back and refill my plate. It is just so good, it’s really hard to leave. Very cheap, the tofu salad is just amazing and I usually find salads boring.
Potato bake/Kofas/Pasta bake= yum! There’s not one thing there I wouldn’t happily fill my plate with. Their ginger juices are really amazing and have made my sore throats disappear in the matter of an hour.
Only bad thing about this place is they offer non-vegan lasso drinks (based on yogurt). Would be really great if they did this vegan, not just because I would buy it, but because I restrain from supporting non-veganism is anyway possible. But other than that it is just.. wow.
Read more reviews here: https://goo.gl/lzATOx
and here: https://goo.gl/p3mFUY
Their Facabook page: https://www.facebook.com/GovindasSurfersParadise/

The post Ratha Yatra 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The post Daily Darshan : July 7th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Rathayatra in Novi Sad, Serbia (Album with photos)
A wonderful surprise. A large-ish city with *lots* of people on a Wednesday night…. evidently there is a huge music festival there which starts tomorrow. So much fun!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7jD8i5

On 6th July, on 3 beautiful chariots Sri Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi were ready to leave Rajapur, and come to Mayapur. At 2pm the Lords were ready on the chariots and accepted Maha-arati and offerings form the devotees and special guests. In Baladeva’s Chariot Srila Prabhupada was also seated and in Subhadra Devi’s chariot […]

The post Lord Jagannath Has Arrived! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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The post ​Bhagavatam study 54 1.11.1-7 Krishna’s arrival brings ecstasy appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Ratha Yatra in Copenhagen 2016 (Album with photos)
Thank you so much to everybody who participated, helped out and volunteered...

July 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Preserving Uniqueness: NYC’s Prabhupada Museum.
Prabhupada’s appearance is important for all people in the world. Therefore, his museum is important. New York City is the right place for it.
When I was in Assisi, I saw many tour groups. We overheard one of the monks describing the paintings of Giotto depicting the life of Saint Francis: “This picture showed that in the 13th century, the Church was somewhat corrupt, but Francis came to give it new life … “Similarly, ISKCON devotees can guide visitors throughout Prabhupada’s museum. Although we do not have art masterpieces like those by Giotto, the humble Prabhupada artefacts evoke the appearance of the pure devotee. It is one of the functions of a Prabhupadanuga to explain the history of Prabhupada and his movement.
Everything is there, right down to the handprints on the page, preserved under museum glass. Although you cannot see the pure devotee unless you have a spiritual eye, you get the general idea when you visit the museum. No one can walk out of there and say, “I don’t think Prabhupada existed,” or, “Prabhupada probably came here as a rich man with patronage.” No one can make up such speculations, because the history of his poverty and aloneness is here.
There is a museum for Elvis Presley which has his motorcycle in a glass case, but preserving the artefacts of an ordinary man does not make him glorious. People cry when they remember Elvis, but how does that help them achieve the purpose of a human life? In the Prabhupada museum, the same techniques are used, but with a different effect.
Take for example, this picture of Krishna and Yasoda, painted in 1966 under Prabhupada’s direction. It is crude, and yet I can worship Krishna by looking at the picture. Here is a picture of Lord Caitanya dancing in sankirtana. It is the painting that Prabhupada put in the window of his first temple. He mentioned it in his lectures. It produces a kind of trance.
You look at the documents – memos signed by Prabhupada, photos from that time. His spoon, eyeglasses and dictaphone are placed in a case with an official label under it. Prabhupada wore these clothes. That canvas sign with the Hare Krishna mantra written on it was done under Prabhupada’s direction. We brought it onto the streets when we performed harinama. Here in Prabhupada’s handwriting is the list of rules and regulations for initiated devotees.
Here is Prabhupada using his dictaphone. Here is Prabhupada patting a devotee on the head. The museum tells us the story of Prabhupada’s kindness in coming here. (Vaisnavas say the only reason that one should ever leave Vrindavana is to preach. Prabhupada preached. All his activities were a sacrifice for preaching, and that is what is pictured in the museum.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=10

Preserving Uniqueness: NYC’s Prabhupada Museum

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 22 April 2016, Radhadesh, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.8.14-16)

It is said sometimes that anger is the younger brother of lust. First, there is our desire to control. We want a world according to our desires and if people interfere with that then we become angry!

But it is not that people just interfere because you have to see Krsna behind it. So devotees accept, “Alright, so Krsna did not want this for me. Krsna has another plan for me. This is not destined to be.” One has to accept being an instrument of Krsna!

This is difficult. I know it is difficult. Tell me all about it. I find it very difficult also. But, when everything goes wrong, and you are sort of standing on shaky legs then we say, “Okay Krsna, I’m yours!” This is sort of how it is.

In Full Swing (7 min video)
Our summer festival tour on the Baltic Sea coast in Poland is in full swing. Three hundred devotees...

The process took 3-4 months including script writing and reviewing, soundtrack making, casting, promoting, rehearsing, organising, and many of the team members had sleepless nights just so that they could deliver an offering of real value as a tribute. Something Spiritual began at the end of 2015 with a goal of bringing together people who have amazing talents and engaging them in the service of something bigger than themselves - in the service of Krishna. So far, they have put on 4 small plays, launched a music album, and have reached a milestone with this production. There were many senior members and devotees of ISKCON and Bhaktivedanta Manor who were present to give their blessings at the show. HG Jananivas Prabhu said that "the play just got better and better." HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami said "I have seen many dramas before, and I have also seen many dramas about Srila Prabhupada. But this was probably the best drama I have seen on Prabhupada so far." Continue reading "“Something Spiritual” – Srila Prabhupada Production
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Iskcon Los Angeles - New Dvaraka - Initiation ceremony 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The chanting of the holy nam...

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata on the occasion of Gundica Marjana and the disappearance of Sri Gadadhara Pandita and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

“After taking darshan of Lord Jagannatha with great bliss, Lord Nityananda went to see Gadadhara Pandit at Tota Gopintha temple. Gadadhara and Nityananda loved each other very much. There, seeing the three-fold bending form of Gopinath, Lord Nityananda cried incessant tears of joy. Hearing of Nitai’s arrival Gadadhara Pandit stopped reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam and immediately ran to greet the Lord.” (Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Antya 6)

“This is another feature of Gadadhara Pandit—he is very learned and he loved to recite Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lord Caitanya would hear him recite Srimad-Bhagavatam and heard the pastimes of Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja hundreds of times.” — Giriraj Swami

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Kirtan lead by Sarvatma dasa
Je Anilo Prema Dvana lead by Sarvama dasa
Talk by Giriraj Swami
Nrsimha Prayers lead by Giriraj Swami

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45th Sri Jagannath Rathyatra,ISKCON Kolkata (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Kr...

Rath Yatra festival begins in Puri.
Bhubaneswar: The annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings began on Wednesday amidst a congregation of lakhs of devotees in Puri.
Lakhs of people have converged to have a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on the Bada Danda (Grand Road). They will travel to Gundicha temple on three giant wooden chariots to be pulled by the devotees.
A multi-layered security system has been put in place to keep a strict vigil on the movement of people and traffic management as the district administration expects around 10 lakh devotees during the nine-day annual chariot festival, said Director General of Police K. B. Singh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday wished the nation on the occasion of the Rath Yatra.
“On the occasion of Rath Yatra, my warmest greetings to you all. May Lord Jagannath continue to shower his blessings on everyone,” Modi tweeted.
“May the blessings of Lord Jagannath lead to development of villages, well-being of poor and farmers and take India to new heights of progress,” he added.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of the Rath Yatra.
“Heartfelt greetings on this joyous and most auspicious occasion of #RathaJatra. Jai Jagannath!,” Patnaik tweeted.
The Rath Yatra is an annual celebration, marking the journey of the deities from the 12th century Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the temple of Devi Gundicha, their aunt.
The celebration ends nine days later with Bahuda Yatra or return journey to their temple, which will take place on July 14.
The rituals relating to the festival started early on Wednesday morning. The Pahandi of the deities began around 10 a.m. and was completed by 2 p.m.
After the deities are placed on their respective chariots, Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb will perform Chhera Panhara on the chariots.
After the departure of Gajapati, the chariot pulling would begin, said Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief Suresh Mohapatra.
Live coverage: http://odishatv.in/otv-live-tv/

Door to door book distribution in New Papatoetoe, New Zealand, brought me to the home of an elderly Indian fellow who was all too enthusiastic to see me. After presenting the books he quickly ran into another room and came back with 51 dollars cash and explained that this money was in the pocket of his brother’s pants when he passed away some time ago. He was waiting for an opportunity to give it Krishna, so he eagerly gave it to me in exchange for some books. His friend, who was present during the conversation, was so moved by the exchange that she donated another 20 dollars, allowing them to take two Srimad Bhagavatams, two Bhagavad Gitas, two Isopanisads, one Searching for Vedic India, etc… even after I had left their home, she came back down the street with more money to buy some small books for her friends.

Ratha-yatra Cart Construction (Album with photos)
Here are over a hundred photos of Jagannatha-Baladeva-Subhadra’s cart construction in Puri which takes over a month every year. Everything is handmade, an amazing tradition.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ah0H1o

ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Committee has released an important resource for the year long celebrations of temples around the world: colourful and informative exhibition panels that showcase ISKCON’s achievements in the last 50 years and can be printed and displayed by temples locally. The ISKCON 50 Expo consists of 16 panels which measure 2.5 feet by 4 feet, and can be downloaded in print quality from the ISKCON 50 website. The panels describe the legacy of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila Prabhupada’s journey to America, the expansion and explosion of the Hare Krishna movement worldwide, and the multifarious achievements of ISKCON in areas such as book distribution, temples, prasadam distribution, festivals, farm communities, academia and community work. Continue reading "ISKCON 50 Expo: exhibition panels released for your local 50th anniversary celebrations
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Prabhupada – Departing for the West Production Stills (Album with photos)
A true story that began 50 years ago, when a great scholar set out across the ocean on a mission, carrying nothing but a timeless message, which was to be the greatest change for humanity. He inspired an entire generation and against all odds, formed an unstoppable revolution.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VTML3y

Music and video by Janaki Mohan Das.

Highlights from Something Spiritual's first show, Prabhupada – Departing for the West at Harrow Arts Centre, London.

The post Daily Darshan: July 6th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The lotus feet of Lord Nityananda are a shelter where one will get the soothing moonlight not only of one,but of millions of moons. If the world wants to have real peace, it should take shelter of Lord Nityananda.Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, Lord Nityananda,is none other than Lord Balaram, who advents in this age of Kali, as the most merciful incarnation (Dayara avadhi) to assist His elder brother Sri Krishna in His pastimes. Sri Krishna, however sacrifices His original blackish hue, and accepts the devotional mood and golden complexion of Sri Radha, to perform and relish the most amazing and beautiful pastimes as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Gouranga). Continue reading "Doyal (Merciful) Nitai
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July 1st marked the 149th anniversary of the founding of the world's second largest country; Canada. Towns and villages across the nation celebrated its birthday with fireworks, parades and a host of other joyful events. The city of Vancouver's celebration was extra special as our ISKCON Hare Krishna temple was invited to participate in this year's Canada Day parade. An estimated 300,000 people lining the route, and millions more on main stream news coverage were benefited with the vibration of the holy names, seeing ecstatic devotees dancing and being made aware that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of ISKCON and the Hare Krishna movement. Our participation was an offering to Srila Prabhupada on this special occasion. Wearing red & white saris, dhotis and kurtas, colours of the Canadian flag, the crowds smiled and waved at the enthusiastic dancing devotees who followed our main float. Continue reading "ISKCON Vancouver Participates in July 1st Canada Day Parade
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The Legend of Jagannath documentary on National Geographic channel (43 min video)
About an hour-long documentary titled “The Legend Of Jagannath” aired on National Geographic channel on July 4. It took a behind-the-scenes look at the Indian religious festival of Rath Yatra.
Actor Rajeev Khandelwal is host of the documentary, which showcased the colour and ceremonies associated with Rath Yatra, a festival in Odisha which involves moving deities Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana on wooden chariots.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/oYjkC9

Puri Rath Yatra rare old video clips of 1932, 1937, 1961 recorded by the British. (3 brief videos)
Watch them here: http://goo.gl/7p8iGF

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The post ​Bhagavatam study 53 1.10.28-36 Krishna’s departure and travel are celebrations of love appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Central to the concept of avatar is the idea of crossing over from one realm to another. In its original Sanskrit philosophical context, avatar refers to the Absolute Truth descending from the spiritual world to the material world. The divine’s existence beyond this world is called transcendence, whereas his existence in this world is called immanence. The question of how the transcendent can become immanent has intrigued many thinkers throughout history. To get a sense of the question’s profundity, let’s look at the digital, Christian, monistic and bhakti conceptions of avatar.

Digital avatar

The Sanskrit word avatar has become mainstream in English due to both a Hollywood blockbuster and computer role-playing games. In contemporary usage, avatar refers to an icon representing a person in digital arenas such as video games and Internet forums. In such usage, the crossing over implicit in avatar is from the physical world to the digital world. Our digital avatar is a step-down from the reality of who we are. Even if our video game avatar is expert at doing many things, still it has no consciousness. Its apparent consciousness results from the projection of our consciousness into it through the game’s interfacing mechanism. So, when we refer to something unconscious as our avatar, we conceive ourselves in reduced terms. Such a reduction is revealing, for it points to two distinct thought-trains:

1. A mechanistic conception of the self which makes us think that we can be represented by a digital profile that is as unconscious as the electrons that comprise the digital world.
2. A longing for crossing over to some reality other than our present mundane reality with all its inanity.

Though the word avatar traditionally refers to the Absolute Truth’s descent to this world, the word’s contemporary usage refers to the self, not the Absolute. Still, the problems of crossing over associated with the notion of avatar surface when applied to the self too.

Christian incarnation

Avatar is frequently translated in English as incarnation. This English word is intricately associated with Abrahamic conceptions about how the divine manifests in this world. In Christianity, the word “incarnation” refers usually to Jesus, who is conceived of as God descended in flesh as a human being. Jesus was born in a Jewish tradition that was heavily messianic, driven by the longing for a future messiah who would deliver people from their various problems. Based on Jesus’s teachings and miracles, his followers thought of him as the messiah. This notion was falsified for some by his crucifixion, but it was reinforced for others by his claimed resurrection. For nearly four centuries thereafter, the identity of Jesus was a matter of vigorous, even acrimonious, debate in the Christian community. Eventually, the Nicene Creed elevated Jesus from messiah to Incarnation. The Creed resolved that the divinity of Christ had manifested in the humanity of Jesus, who was therefore both fully human and fully divine. But the ascription of full divinity to him was problematic, given the relatively recent and undeniable historical memory of Jesus’ life as a human. The Bible itself compounded the problem through statements such as “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:2) While some quotes support the oneness of the Father and the Son, the Bible also indicates implies that his “oneness” with God is not exclusive to him – it can be achieved by others too: “As You and I are one, let them also be one in Us.” (John 17:21)

This blurring of the human-divine boundaries in conceiving the identity of Jesus reflects a larger blurring of the material-spiritual boundaries in Christian philosophy. The Bible refers to the soul, but doesn’t clearly describe it or categorically differentiate it from the body – it is frequently used as a metaphorical reference to our non-material essence. With such ontological ambiguity about the soul, the notion emerged that all faithful believers would receive bodily resurrection, as had Jesus. Here again we see how conceptions of the divine are intertwined with conceptions of the self.

Monistic avatar

Monists hold that reality comprises ultimately only one substance. Technically, materialists who hold that matter is all that exists are also monists – they are materialist monists. But conventionally, monist refers to spiritualists who hold that one spiritual substance is all that exists. For such monists, the material world with all its variety is ultimately an illusion. They also hold that our self-conception as individual beings is also an illusion. They believe that liberation means merging into the non-differentiated oneness of the Absolute.

For monists, matter is just an illusion; spirit is all that exists, and it is a non-differentiated oneness. So, in the monistic worldview, there exists no material world to cross over to and no supreme spiritual being to cross over.

Monists try to resolve such problems in their philosophy by granting provisional reality to matter – matter is seen as real as long as people are in material consciousness or, in other words, in illusion. They hold that avatar too is such a provisional reality – the impersonal absolute temporarily becomes personal during the period of descent. Avatar is thus treated as a helpful illusion that can aid us in resisting the harmful illusions of material existence: the many sense objects that allure us towards worldly pleasures. When we focus our consciousness on the avatar, we can become detached from sense objects and situated in the relatively elevated mode of goodness. Still, no matter how helpful, avatar is deemed ultimately an illusion – an illusion that needs to be transcended for attaining liberation. Thus, monism treats avatar not as a spiritual truth, but as a convenient fiction useful for spiritual growth.

Bhakti avatar

Whereas Christianity holds that the incarnation is somehow both material and spiritual, and monism holds that the avatar is material, bhakti explains that the avatar remains spiritual even while being in the material world.

To grasp how this is possible, we need to first understand how bhakti envisions the relationship between matter and spirit. The Bhagavad-gita in its second chapter outlines a radical matter-spirit duality. Spirit is said to have none of the attributes of matter – the soul is neither born nor dies (02.20) and is immutable, being beyond fragmentation, incineration, dissolution and desiccation (02.24-25). Yet the Gita balances this radical duality with an organic unity in its seventh chapter, where it declares that both matter and spirit are energies of the same one Absolute Truth (07.04-05). That spirit is the energy of the Absolute implies that the Absolute is situated not just on the spiritual side of the material-spiritual divide, but is situated at the summit of spiritual reality. The Gita (10.12) reveals this Absolute Truth to be Krishna, declaring that he is not just brahma (spirit) but param brahma (supreme spirit). Srimad-Bhagavatam (8.3.4), another prominent bhakti text, reiterates this position of the Absolute by declaring him as parat parah, which the pre-eminent modern bhakti teacher, Srila Prabhupada glosses as “he is transcendental to transcendental, or above all transcendence.” With this metaphysical background, we are better prepared to understand how the avatar remains spiritual even in the material world.

To illustrate, Srila Prabhupada would sometimes give the example of electricity: it is one energy that can manifest through a room heater as heat and through an air conditioner as cold. Consider a device that can, by the flip of a switch, heat and, by another flip, cool. The controller of that device can, at will, get the same electrical energy to heat or cool. If all of existence is like a device, Krishna is like its controller. By operating the switch of his omnipotence, he can prevent the material energy from acting materially on him even when he manifests in the material world.

Though the Bhagavad-gita doesn’t use the specific word avatar, it talks about the descent of the divine in its fourth chapter (04.06-10). The Gita begins this discussion (04.06) by asserting that Krishna remains the imperishable Lord of all living beings even when he enters into his material nature. This declaration implies that he doesn’t come under the control of material nature, which sentences all embodied beings through time’s inexorable flow to bodily deterioration and destruction.

The eternal transcendence of avatar underscores a subtle difference between avatar and its common English translation incarnation. Etymologically, “incarnation” means “to come in flesh”; the root “carna” is seen in words such as carnivorous animals (flesh-eating animals) and carnal desires (desires to enjoy the flesh). Krishna, however, doesn’t descend in a form of flesh; he remains transcendental.

Nonetheless, bhakti teachers frequently introduce contemporary audiences to the concept of avatara with the English rendition “incarnation”. In so doing, they avoid burdening us with a double unfamiliarity: both an unfamiliar term and an unfamiliar concept. Terms are verbal handles for mental concepts. By first giving us a familiar handle to grasp an unfamiliar concept and then explaining the concept’s unfamiliar dimensions, they help us move towards comprehension, one step at a time.

When Krishna descends and performs his pastimes in this world, he transforms this world from a stage for the display of illusion to a stage for the display of the highest spiritual reality: the loving pastimes between him and his devotees. The Gita (04.09) states that those who become attracted to Krishna’s appearance and activities, understanding his transcendental position, don’t take rebirth – they attain his eternal abode.

Trailer and trail

The pastimes that the avatar performs serve an extraordinary double role: as a trailer and a trail.

Trailer: Love is our deepest aspiration; we all desire to love and be loved. However, due to the temporary nature of things in this world, our longing for love is frustrated – inevitably and repeatedly.

Krishna’s pastimes are enactments of the love that is never frustrated – pure spiritual love between the all-attractive Supreme and his devotees that goes on eternally in the spiritual world. When Krishna descends to this world, he performs some of those pastimes here, giving us tantalizing glimpses of an arena where our longing for love can be eternally and perfectly fulfilled. Thus, his pastimes serve as trailers meant to attract us to his abode.

Trail: Those with superficial understanding of Krishna’s pastimes think of them as stories meant for entertainment. But those who understand these pastimes in truth know that they are not meant to entertain; they are meant to be entered into – they occur in that eternal spiritual reality to which we as souls, parts of Krishna, belong.

To enter that reality, we need to redirect our heart from the world to Krishna. For this redirection, his pastimes provide charming and purifying subject matter that we can contemplate, churn, recollect and relish. The more we thus think about Krishna, the more our heart becomes attracted to him and the more we progress on the path towards him. By providing us substance for turning our heart to him, Krishna’s pastimes comprise the trail that leads to him.

Overall, avatar demonstrates the centrality of love in spiritual growth. It is Krishna’s love for us that inspires the transcendent to become immanent, and it is our love for him that enables us to cross over from matter to spirit, to realize our trans-material identity and become situated in spiritual reality.

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July 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Empowered by His Glance.
According to the Vedic sastras, a pure devotee can impart Krishna consciousness to others through his words, his good wishes, and by his glance. “Simply by seeing such empowered individuals, people from different villages would become like them by the mercy of their glance.” (Cc. Madhya 7.104)
In the confidential exchanges between Radha and Krishna, much is accomplished by the lover’s glances. The gopis are thrilled to receive the direct or side-long glance of Sri Krishna, and Lord Krishna is especially anxious to receive the glance of Srimati Radharani. One time while Krishna was searching for Radharani in the groves of Vrindavana, He spoke in this way to a female deer: “O doe, the walking young vine that is the beautiful girl Radha must have passed through this forest because, O friend, I see you have accepted Me as your guru and taken initiation from Her in the art of playful, sweet restless glances.” (Lalita-Madhava, Act 9.62)
In the loving exchanges between the spiritual master and disciple, Srila Prabhupada’s glances were certainly treasured by his devotees.
I doubt that we fully understand how much those glances went into us and how they stayed with us. The Krishna conscious siddhanta asserts that words are able to convey the Absolute Truth, yet we also think that there are certain things which cannot be conveyed fully in words: for example, what it feels like to receive Prabhupada’s glance.
Sometimes the glances were loving, and sometimes they reprimanded. If King Mucukunda could reduce a person to fiery ashes just by his gaze, Krishna’s pure devotee could “knock over” a misbehaving disciple.
Srila Prabhupada’s looks clued us in on his emotions. His eyes sparkled with humor. Tears came to his eyes while talking about the cruelty of cow slaughter. Sometimes, though, his glance excluded us. In a memoir by a Zen student about her guru, she said that when you looked into his eyes you saw “total zero for 10,000 miles.” Prabhupada never conveyed blank to us, but his gaze did convince us that he was experiencing something we could not. Prabhupada would glance at a painting or Indian print in his room and say, “Here is Krishna.” Yet when we looked at that picture of Lord Krishna, so many relative thoughts and impressions registered in our hearts and minds. We knew that Prabhupada saw Him differently. We saw the difference when we looked into his eyes.
In Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s Sri Stavavali, one of the poems ends with the refrain, “When will Saci’s son again walk on the pathway of my eyes?” We pray to know when we may be able to see Prabhupada – and when he will again bestow his glance upon us.
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Empowered by His Glance