Planet ISKCON

May 2. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Moving Into His New Apartment.
Overlooking the courtyard from the rear building of 26 Second Avenue was Prabhupada’s second floor apartment, where he would now live, work, and worship. With help from his Bowery friends, he had cleaned and settled into his new home. In the back room – his office – he had placed against one wall a thin cushion with an elephant-print cover and, in front of the cushion, his unpainted metal suitcase served as a desk. He had set his typewriter on the desk with his papers and books on either side. This became his work area. His manuscripts bundled in saffron cloth, his stock of Srimad-Bhagavatams, and his few personal effects he kept in the closet opposite his desk. On the wall above his sitting place he hung an Indian calendar print of Lord Krishna. (Krishna, as a youth, was playing on His flute with a cow close behind Him. Lord Krishna was standing on the planet Earth, which curved like the top of a small hill beneath His feet.) There were two windows on the east wall and the dappled morning sunlight filtering in through the fire escape fell across the floor.
The next room was bare except for a fancy coffee table, which became Prabhupada’s altar. Here he placed a framed picture of Lord Caitanya and His associates. On the wall he hung an Indian calendar print of four-armed Lord Visnu and Ananta Sesa, the celestial snake. And, as in the Bowery loft, he put up a clothesline.
Both rooms were freshly painted and the floors were clean hardwood parquet. The bathroom was clean and serviceable, as was the narrow furnished kitchen. Prabhupada would sometimes stand by the kitchen window gazing beyond the courtyard wall. He had moved here without any prospects of paying the next month’s rent.
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Moving Into His New Apartment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 May 2015, Cronulla, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.35)

We need some happiness in Krsna consciousness. A little happiness helps; it makes life easier so we need some friends. As the Hare Krsna movement became bigger, it lost some of its original spirit of being like a family, of being like a group of friends and instead, became a society and the members of the society sort of became like colleagues.

The mood between colleagues is very different to that between family or friends. With colleagues it is like, “You know, get it together. I mean, pull up your socks. I mean, you are holding us back. You are disturbing the functioning of this whole thing and if you don´t get it together, we will replace you!” To a colleague, this kind of mood exists.

Whereas with family, what can we do!? Even if your brother is half-cracked, what can you do… still he is your brother. This is the nature of family relationships. So we need family relationships, not colleague relationships. And it is very important that we have these friendships and personal relationships.

The quickest way to become a devotee is by trying to help others to become devotees. That is the quickest way because it attracts the most mercy of Krsna. So one who preaches is very smart as he gets extra mercy of Krsna. One who takes difficulty for Krsna, to bring Krsna consciousness to people who are not so easily accessible gets extra mercy. It is easy when you preach only to the Indian community. It is somewhat easy because they have some culture. But jail preaching, for example, is a little more tough.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23.

“In other words, Lord Krishna is the property of His pure, unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver Krishna to another devotee; Krishna is never obtainable directly. Lord Caitanya therefore designated Himself as gopi-bharatuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah, or “the most obedient servant of the servants of the Lord, who maintains the gopi damsels at Vrindavan.” A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord’s servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasi leaves stuck to His lotus feet. In the Brahma-samhita it is said that the Lord is never to be found by becoming a great scholar of the Vedic literatures, but He is very easily approachable through His pure devotee. In Vrindavan all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Srimati Radharani, the pleasure potency of Lord Krishna. Srimati Radharani is a tenderhearted feminine counterpart of the supreme whole, resembling the perfectional stage of the worldly feminine nature. Therefore, the mercy of Radharani is available very readily to the sincere devotees, and once She recommends such a devotee to Lord Krishna, the Lord at once accepts the devotee’s admittance into His association. The conclusion is, therefore, that one should be more serious about seeking the mercy of the devotee than that of the Lord directly, and by one’s doing so (by the good will of the devotee) the natural attraction for the service of the Lord will be revived.” (SB 2.3 23 purport.)

Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23, Scottsdale, AZ

By Gauranga Dasa

Why only Krishna? Typically in Indian homes of Hindu families you see a whole bunch of gods on the altar. All are same, they say. But it is not like that. If you take group photo of Microsoft employees with Bill Gates and show it to a villager in India, and ask who is who, what will he say? “Everyone is the same, everyone is okay.” He cannot detect the difference, because he doesn’t have any information. Similarly if you take pictures of so many gods and put Krishna in the middle and say they are all same, is that correct? No, there is a difference. And who knows the difference? Only one who has some idea about that field. To get spiritual knowledge you have to get into this field, and take the time and effort to understand deeply. We cannot afford to have a layman’s attitude in spirituality and still hope to understand all the answers clearly. Continue reading "Whom to Worship?
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April 9, 2016.

With the aim of keeping devotees informed about the progress of the TOVP literally right at their fingertips, the new free TOVP App gives everyone access to features such as news updates, links to the website, photos, YouTube Channel and Facebook Page, TOVP social wall, and even a donation link. Future links will include the up-and-coming TOVP online store.

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ISKCON-Delhi - Govinda Restaurant Inauguration : 30-04-2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna says that his devotee is never vanquished. Therefore all the disciples practicing Krishna consciousness should obediently follow the regulative principles and remain fixed in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Then there need be no fear. Otherwise, one’s position is very dangerous, especially in this Kali-yuga. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.58 Purport)
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ISKCON Auckland NZ: 40th-anniversary Ratha-yatra (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The process of chanting the holy name of the Lord is always superbly effective, but it is especially effective in this age of Kali. All the great authorities of bhakti-yoga recommend the devotional process beginning with the chanting of the holy name of Krishna (tan-nama-grahanadibhih). (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.21 Purport)
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By the blessings of all of you My ‘little boy’ now is a full-fledged Vaisnava Brahmin, a servant of the servants of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. I can’t ask for more.
Prahlad Nrsmha Das Adhikari: In my way to Sridham Mayapur for the graduation of Sri Paramahansa Goura from Gurukul, he has been since 6 years old under the guidance and care of Srila Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami and his dear disciples. Sri Goura presently is the Head Boy in the Gurukula, he is graduating as a student and becoming a teacher. He loves his service, so will remain as a full-time Brahmin and part of the Team. I am eternally in debt with Maharaj and his disciples for shaping the Spiritual life of Sri Goura his strength in sadhana and determination to serve the mission of Guru and Gouranga is an example for me and for many.
Please extend your blessings to this wonderful devotee!

The 2nd Vaisnava Film Awards Festival (4 of 4) (17 min video)
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/wEcfY8

Initiation Ceremony and Cultural Program at Radhadesh, Belgium (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One should be a devotee and surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna. This surrendering process is also very easy. Even a child can perform it. One must always simply think of Krishna by chanting Hare Krishna. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.226.37 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VBV8iq

ISKCON Auckland NZ: 40th-anniversary boat festival (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This Krishna consciousness movement insists that everyone take to this path by adopting the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The preachers of Krishna consciousness go from door to door to inform people how they can be relieved from the miserable conditions of material life. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.14.39 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/nW6yWY

ISKCON-Delhi - 7th Boat Festival : 30-04-2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A devotee always thinks of the Lord continuously. While chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the words Krishna and Hare immediately remind him of all the Lord’s activities. Since his entire life is engaged n the service of the Lord, a devotee cannot forget the Lord at any time. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.6 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/uvtPXb

May 1. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Swamiji Moves.
Now it was time to move the Swami into his new place. A few friends who were on hand accompanied the Swami over to the Bowery loft. Maybe they weren’t prepared to become his surrendered disciples, but contributing toward the first month’s rent and volunteering a few hours of work to help set up his place were exactly the kinds of things they could do very willingly.
At the loft, they all gathered up portions of the Swami’s belongings, and then they started out on foot up Bowery. It was like a safari, a caravan of half a dozen men loaded with Prabhupada’s things. Michael carried the heavy Roberts reel-to-reel, and even the swami carried two suitcases. They did everything so quickly that it wasn’t until they were well on their way and Mike’s arm began to ache that he realized, “Why didn’t we bring a car?”
It was the end of June, and a hazy summer sun poured its heat down into the Bowery jungle. Starting and stopping, the strange safari, stretching for over a block, slowly trekked along. Prabhupada struggled with his suitcases, past the seemingly unending row of restaurant supply shops and lamp stores between Grand, Broome, and Spring streets. Sometimes he paused and rested, setting his suitcases down. He was finally moving from the Bowery. His electrician friend on Seventy-second Street would have been relieved, although perhaps he would have disapproved of the Second Avenue address also. At least he was finished residing on Skid Row. He walked on, past the homeless men outside the Salvation Army shelter, past the open-door taverns, stopping at streetlights, standing alongside total strangers, keeping an eye on the progress of his procession of friends who struggled along behind him.
The Bowery artists and musicians saw him as “highly evolved.” They felt that the spirit was moving him and were eager to help him set up his own place so that he could do his valuable spiritual thing and spread it to others. He was depending on them for help, yet they knew he was “on a higher level”; he was his own protector, or as he said, God protected him.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

Swamiji Moves

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23.

“We are not the saviors, but we can give people the process by which they can save themselves. The process is to surrender to Krishna and engage in devotional service. That will relieve us from the suffering from our falsely trying to be God. It is subtle, but trying to help others can be another manifestation of that misconception. We are not the best friend—but we can be the best friend if we tell others that Krishna is their best friend. And then we can be peaceful.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.23, Phoenix AZ

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By Lakshman das

Srila Prabhupada often said, "Vrindavan is my residence, Bombay is my office, and Mayapur is where I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Bombay (Mumbai) is where he incorporated the main branch of ISKCON and other branches in India are believed to be legally bound to it. Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi is located in Vrindavan besides the beautiful Krishna-Balaram temple he built. As the predecessor Acaryas envisioned, Srila Prabhupada built a wonderful temple at the flushing meadows of Navadvipa, Mayapur to worship Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the glorious presence of Radhakrishna at the birthplace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and later made it as the international headquarters of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupad spread the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya and with his blessings established 108 majestic Temples world-wide and circum-ambulated the world fourteen times praising the glories of Lord. Continue reading "The incorporation of ISKCON in New York
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By Sri Nandanandana dasa

In this way, we can begin to understand that devotional service ultimately brings us to the level of being able to see Lord Krishna directly. It is by this method that numerous other saintly sages and yogis have come to be able to directly see the Lord. The point to remember is that the more spiritual we become, the more we can perceive that which is spiritual. The more purified our consciousness is, or the higher the vibrational level upon which our consciousness functions, the more we can see and enter into that higher level of existence or reality. It awakens our transcendental senses that exist within us. So the process of continued service to Krishna and His devotees will bring about the purification which will allow us to enter into Krishna’s domain, even within this very lifetime, if we are fortunate enough. Continue reading "The Secret of Bhakti-yoga
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By Vraja Bihari Dasa

“We say God’s on our side but the more important question to ask is are we on God’s side…” (George Washington) Democracy is supposed to be ‘by the people, of the people, and for the people,’ but I fear it may soon be redefined as ‘buy’ the people, ‘off’ the people, and ‘far’ (from) the people,” exclaimed Suresh, a 25-year-old man I met while returning to the temple from an outstation program. He was disappointed that India, the world’s largest democracy, recorded just 35-50% polling in the recent elections. Suresh also noted that over 150 of the members elected to parliament have criminal cases against them. “The meaning of elections is lost, democracy is in peril, and we have no inspiration to look up to.” Mahatma Vidura, a spiritual leader Continue reading "A Saint Among Politicians
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Translated Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Lalita Prasad Thakur (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s son)
National Hotel, Red park, Moscow, Russia
21st June, 1971.
My dear uncle Prabhupada Lalita Prasad Thakur,
Kindly accept my humble obeisance to your lotus feet. At present I am staying at the above mentioned hotel in Moscow, Room No. 356. With me there are two American disciples.
Here the preaching subject will be 1. Vedic Conception of Communism, 2. Knowledge derived from authoritative tradition, 3. Scientific classless society. Now with your blessing in this severely atheistic country the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu will be preached.
Here many local and foreigner girls and boys have visited. I advise them to do the Bhajana of the Lord. A few boys of this place have become very much impressed after listening to our Harinama. They want to join us. But the laws of this country are so tough that they cannot go against them. Here discussions are going on to meet many reputable professors and there will be the arrangement of lecture in the Indian Embassy. You bless me.
From here I will go to Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London etc. This is the first time I came to Moscow. If you want to write to me, send it to this address—3764 Watseka Avenue.
Yours affectionately, Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami
(from Bhaktivedanta Research Centre’s Birnagar Collection)

Experiencing happiness within devotional service: Is that considered selfish?
Question: Experiencing happiness within devotional service: Is that considered selfish? I get so much happiness with devotional service. However, I fear that if it is a selfish desire rather sincere motivation to please Krsna. How can I differentiate and improve where I am not focusing on my happiness, but rather making Krsna happy?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Feeling happiness in relation to Krishna is good! As you mature in Krishna consciousness, however, gradually and deliberately shift your attention away from viewing yourself at the center; instead become ever-increasingly aware of the reality that Krishna is at the center of our exchange with Him, that’s all.
In fact, Krishna is the only Enjoyer or Master; others are to be enjoyed by Him. He is Purusa, we are prakrti. We are His servants, per our constitutional position. When we are situated in our loving relationship with Krishna, we experience a sublime quality of happiness — we experience being connected with Krishna’s happiness! He is enjoying, and we experience His happiness through the medium of His devotional service.
Devotional service means trying to please the Lord. It is meant to give Krishna happiness, not to give happiness to ourselves. Devotional service means activities performed for the pleasure of Lord Krishna, with devotion, and ultimately not mixed with any desire for personal pleasure.
[NOD Chapter 1] “In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya it is stated that Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee of the Lord, prayed to Narsimhadeva (the half-lion, half-man incarnation), as follows: ‘My dear Lord, I repeatedly pray unto Your lotus feet that I may simply be stronger in devotional service. I simply pray that my Krsna consciousness may be more strong and steady, because happiness derived out of Krsna consciousness and devotional service is so powerful that with it one can have all the other perfections of religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and even the attainment of liberation from material existence.’ Actually, a pure devotee does not aspire after any of these perfections because the happiness derived from devotional service in Krsna consciousness is so transcendental and so unlimited that no other happiness can be compared with it. It is said that even one drop of happiness in Krsna consciousness stands beyond comparison with an ocean of happiness derived from any other activity. Thus, any person who has developed even a little quantity of pure devotional service can very easily kick out all the other kinds of happiness derived from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.“
Below are some of the following few ways to practically apply and understand whether the happiness experienced is for own satisfaction or for the satisfaction of the Lord:
1. We can check our internal consciousness when we experience happiness (i.e. introspect). Ask yourself “Is this experience based on a selfish motivation, e.g. derived from an activity that we love to do, or perhaps an activity which will put us in the forefront, making us more noticeable thus helping us to gain appreciation from others?”
2. Do we do the activity only when we are noticed by others, and when there is nobody to see us we are little easy going and not do it with the same care and sincerity? [Supersoul is the witness of our motives and our consistency, so best to be self-honest in this regard!]
3. Inconsistency in service as well as service mood in general is a sign of being materially dependent or with mixed motives; real devotion, and in turn real happiness, is not created or interrupted by circumstance. See SB 1.2.6
4. It is always good to check with the Spiritual Master.

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Hare Krishna Culture Growing In Cuba! (Album with photos)
For the last several months, one of our dear Canadian brahmacaris (renunciate monks) has been in Cuba helping to share our wonderful Hare Krishna culture! Below is a (slightly edited) report given by Hayagriva das along with some amazing pictures:
Our Cuban journey is now finished. We were very privileged to be able to share Krishna Consciousness in Cuba. A few things we really appreciated about the Cubans is that they are very warm people, they are kindhearted and have quite a natural service attitude.
We were able to do harinama (outdoor chanting and dancing) regularly, we organized around 40 programs, six retreats and distributed over 100 of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
One story: we were chanting in the “Plaza Central” in La Habana when one young girl (who had autism) came to us and started to dance ecstatically, smiling, with our Harinama Party. Her mother (in tears) came to us afterwards and shared that she never saw her daughter so happy in a very long time. Usually, her daughter is very introverted and neutral. Definitely, her soul was awakened by the irresistibly sweet sound of the kirtan!
We really hope that you can one day visit the Cuban devotees. After all, we are the International Society for Krishna Consciousness!
Your servant
Hayagriva dasa
Find them here: http://goo.gl/vwuJ6N

Visit of Budapest Accredited Diplomats to Krishna Valley, Hungary.
On the 50th anniversary of ISKCON, the Hungarian devotees make increased efforts to attract more and more people to special events. This year New Vraja Dhama (NVD) is introducing several such popular festivals, like the Henna Festival, Festival of Flowers, Karela and Pumpkin festival etc. One of these popular events is the first grazing of the cows.
Cow protection is central to Vaishnavism, and this is very much in the focus at New Vraja Dhama, which is known as Krishna Valley to the general public in Hungary.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/YDjbxS

Jaya Gaurasundara dasa: The Temple of the Holy Name is situated in Prabhupada Village, a rural community in the foothills of central North Carolina. From its inception in 1992, when Madhuha prabhu purchased the 350 acre tract of land and subdivided it, Prabhupada Village very quickly became the home of many sincere, senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada. There were enthusiastic morning programs, Sunday feasts and festivals, a day school, a nice cow and oxen program, some agriculture, and a good amount of preaching activity. The Festival of India is based here and the Bhaktivedanta Archives relocated from Los Angeles early on. Plans were drawn for a temple and in 1999 construction started. There were many discussions and differences of opinion about which deities to install, etc. but also concerns about the identity or affiliation and subsequent management policies of the temple began to emerge.

In recent years, the temple acquired the status of being an associate member of ISKCON. Although associate membership required adherence to the same precepts and principles of any ISKCON center, the main difference was in regard to proprietorship and other legalities which made the temple status “changeable” by the board of directors. The board’s ability to “change” the loyalty or affiliation of the temple, understandably, did not sit well with certain devotees.

With a goal of creating temple policy and an atmosphere that would encourage as many devotees as possible to participate, the board worked for almost a year trying to accommodate the various needs, desires, and understandings of the village residents. Frustrated by the reality that no matter how hard we tried, we simply could not satisfy everyone. Enforcing your own created policy with proper discrimination can also be very tricky business.

For that reason, simply adopting ISKCON policy and having the support of higher authority does make local management a lot easier. Admittedly, however, there was some reluctance in the community about being subjected to the ultimate authority of ISKCON’s leaders, given the mistakes that devotees had witnessed in the past. We began to ask ourselves some key questions:

1. Is ISKCON still a viable entity?

2. Would the majority of devotees participate if we elected to remain officially ISKCON?

3. If we disagree with certain policies or practices within ISKCON, are we likely to invoke positive change or make any difference at all by separating ourselves or by joining another mission or group?

4. What would Srila Prabhupada want us to do?

With a little research, the answers to these questions become obvious. ISKCON is a thriving, growing institution and many progressive changes have been made over the years reflecting maturity and sincerity of purpose. We all know that one of Srila Prabhupada’s final requests was that we demonstrate our love for him by cooperating with one another, but he never advocated blind following. The term “checks and balances” as used by Srila Prabhupada indicates the need for internal communication. By maintaining proper forums for respectful discussion, with the aim of preserving the integrity of Srila Prabhupada’s movement as well as enriching our spiritual understanding, ISKCON will remain the most widespread and authoritative presentation of Gaudiya Vaisnavism on the planet.

We are therefore pleased to announce that by unanimous decision of the temple board, along with the encouragement of other members of the community, the TOTHN has officially joined ISKCON by signing the ISKCON bylaws, thus establishing a permanent, non-changeable identity for our temple.

We are hoping to attract like-minded devotees who are willing to cooperate within ISKCON to help establish our community as an example of “simple living and high thinking.” Please visit us at iskconpv.org.

Jaya Gaurasundara dasa

Temple President

ISKCON of Sandy Ridge

Temple of the Holy Name in Prabhupada Village