Planet ISKCON

Harinama in Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Our relationship with Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternal. Nitya-siddha Krishna-prema. The pure souls are eternally in love with Krishna. Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra one revives his original relationship with God and thus becomes so happy that he does not want anything material. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.7.39 Purport)

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Written by Nandan

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.8.19-24

The temple deities were stunning as always. It never fails to astonish me how the pujaris can dress the deities so beautifully every day! It is like there is never an off-day, the deities are on form, every day, day after day. And this is not just in Radhadesh, every Iskcon temple one sees the same phenomena. The most attractive deities one can imagine, in the most striking clothes, every day, all year around. No wonder, even followers of other spiritual groups come to visit our temples and seek advice on deity worship.

On this morning (26 April), the temple room was full but not overflowing like yesterday. No doubt, many devotees were still resting from the previous night’s kirtan. Following on from yesterday’s morning class, Maharaj continued with his outstanding exposition on Hiranyakashipu’s consciousness.

Hiranyakashipu may be the prototype demon but the Lord outdid Hiranyakashipu not just in terms of strength but also in intelligence. And he appeared before Hiranyakashipu neither as a human or an animal, not during the day or night or inside or outside….that’s supreme intelligence. And Krsna gifts us our intelligence as he declares in the Bhagavad-gita.

But then Maharaj had enough of talking about Hiranykashipu and wanted to focus on Prahlad Maharaj. We have to really embrace Prahlad’s mood, he said. It is not just trying to conquer lust and anger but about positive engagement. Prahlad was always fully absorbed in ecstasy despite all the trials and tribulations. This state is not found through determination but through building up of taste by sato vritteh (following in the footsteps of the acharyas) and regularity of spiritual practice. Of course, sato vritteh does not mean we imitate the Goswamis but we embrace their spirit. Maharaj said in this regard, “… like when I had shingles, I was only sleeping one hour a night and I realized I ain’t no Goswami!!!” But regularity must be there. So we need to get absorbed like Prahlad and if we feel a vacuum; then we know we have to put in more. But Maharaj made it clear that to get ecstasy from Krsna, we have to make the first step.

Vyasa Puja Ceremony

Finally, we got to the event of the day. We were in the community room and it was packed to the brim and beyond, as expected. Tulsi Prabhu started of singing the Guruvastakam prayers in a melody that no one but he and Maharaj seemed to know of.  Right till the end of the prayers, a lot of the devotees were still trying to get a handle on how the melody was going! And during the melody, Sesa Prabhu went to present the Vyasa Puja book to Maharaj which he had so painstakingly put together. Everyone had that mood of reverence and sobriety. Maharaj himself was actually looking pretty chilled out with his limbs casually stretched out.

Gurudas soon came to the front and started off with a few jokes just to relax the atmosphere. He went onto recollecting various life experiences and crisscrossing paths with Maharaj. After the introduction, Krsna Kirtan Prabhu came on and narrated a sober, deeply touching Vyasa Puja offering made by HH Sacinandana Swami. Sacinandana Swami spoke of how he loves and cares for Kadamba Kanana Swami and also told him not to neglect the needs of the body. Really moving and tender and so inspiring to see the loving feelings exalted vaishnavas have towards each other. It was like being privy to something precious that you are not really qualified to witness.

Gurudas then recited a beautiful Celtic prayer in honour of Maharaj. It was gifted to him by a Scottish church. Soon the offerings by the disciples were being shared one after another. Too many to count but all full of sincerity and heart. Srila Prabhupada disciple, Jaya Badhra Mataji mentioned how she pictured Maharaj as this principled, exuberant but kind personality who was boldly leading a battalion of fearless, exhilarated kirtaneers. It was a nice image to conjure.

Then young Nimai (Maharaj’s plucky, German servant) came up and recalled how he was making a right ‘balls up’ of putting up a mosquito net and then he quoted Maharaj’s priceless response… every German isn’t an engineer after all! This brought out some hearty chuckles, particularly from the European devotees. Nimai went onto reminisce how Maharaj was in poor health once and promised that he would lead a kirtan for only 45 minutes in Soweto. Of course, he believed Maharaj and Maharaj ended up leading the kirtan for 2 hours and everyone started dancing on stage, so the stage effectively became a trampoline!! He then finished off by saying, “Traveling with you has been the best experience of my life!”

To hear a lot of the offerings was quite humbling and not always easy for a reprobate like myself to relate to. There was talk of seeing his holy feet, thanking him for giving them life, taking the sacred dust of his feet and living to please him! Scripturally one understands this is the mood but to hear it from a modern day devotee is something else. If anything, it made me realise I have nowhere near that level of devotion!

One offering that particularly stood out for me was Sutapa Prabhu’s. He started off by stating that the Guru disciple relationship is like a tennis match. He hits the ball in your court and you have to work with it. Otherwise if you don’t hit it back, the match will become a little stale.

After the offerings Gurudas announced the commencement of Maharaj’s kirtans and speech.

Vyasa Puja Address to Disciples

Maharaj then started explaining that when Rama and Sita crossed the river, the bees were also crossing the river but after being intoxicated with honey. Hence they couldn’t fly straight. But there was one bee who wasn’t intoxicated, he didn’t drink the honey but simply took them across, like a Guru. That was what he was, the Guru…..

Our purpose is to become residents of the spiritual world, to bee with the gopas, gopis, the cows and the dust. We hear these things again and again. We serve and we hear and little by little we start to get familiar with the pastimes. Then the weight starts shifting from our material leg to the spiritual leg… As the weight shifts to the spiritual leg, the entire world becomes spiritual and then we realize we were already there.

Maharaj pressed upon the need to give to the community of the devotees. Initially we come to the movement and we start hoarding the prasadam but eventually, we must turn around and give to others. Then that recurring theme came out in Maharaj’s message about caring for each other. He confessed to burning out a few devotees in the past and the problem is that there are only a few devotees in the world as it is. We may call ourselves the “international society” but really, after a year you start to recognize everyone! Like in a village, so it’s imperative that we make a contribution to the vaishnavas….

Maharaj elucidated on the topic of real freedom, stating that he was born a Dutchman with a rebellious spirit and he seems to attract a bunch of rebellious people. So naturally rebellious people need space, so he is here to create that space for us in Lord Caitanya’s movement.

But this was balanced with the principle that one who wants freedom must take responsibility for themselves. So ultimately the ball is back in our court. Particular stress was given to not getting attracted with pretty things like sex desire. Let’s be real; it won’t fulfil us. So let’s not make too much of it. The world is oversexed now and makes far too much of it… Maybe some people need a bit of romance but then keep it within the boundaries Krsna lays for us. Don’t go beyond that; as it’s the same script again and again…

In reference to the recent health scare, Maharaj expressed how he would like to be with us for many more years. Even though he could not attend the Kingsday parade the next day, he heartfully requested all of us to go for it in the harinam and to pass on the message to Lokanath Maharaj to really ‘cook it up’ in the tunnel….

The talk was followed by the ceremonial flower offerings and the Guruvandana prayers keenly led by Gour Mohan Prabhu (a young, witty sankirtan devotee from Germany) and then we were off to the tent for the famous Vyasa Puja feast…

The Feast

Due to the difficult weather, the tent was quite chilly and it took some getting used to. But when the feast came, such discomforts were easily overlooked. The feast was magnificent. Even after being vegetarian for six years now, I am still sometimes amazed at how delicious vegetarian food can be. Notwithstanding the spiritual effect of it being prasadam; this feast really bought out that feeling. There weren’t so many dishes as other Iskcon feasts, but this was a good thing. It meant one could focus on and relish what was there instead of getting bewildered by too many items. There were these fried, squidgy, lentil cubes with tamarind chutney; fried rice with herbs and creamy vegetable sabji. But the dish that really smashed it was the spinach and paneer curry. The paneer chunks were huge – the size of babies’ fists and so soft and succulent. For dessert there was an assortment of sweets such as the Vyasa Puja sponge cake with cream and srikand with sweet fritters. The one thing that could’ve been better was the drink. Frankly, it was too sweet a but it was an incredible feast regardless… and thanks to Pradyumna and Mahibarta Prabhus for their effort.

Evening time

Later there was more revelry as devotees from the British yatra put on a drama based on the famous ‘Narada Muni and the cobbler’ pastime. It was a hoot! Soon after, Maharaj decided to retire to his room and practically those same devotees who were in the drama decided to follow him back! Everyone was feeling quite relaxed in Maharaj’s room. There was that feeling of just being with Maharaj that was nice. Not asking loads of questions or having deep, intense conversations but just being in Maharaj’s company. That was nice. There wasn’t even that much talking, the conversations were quite sporadic, a few words here and there, then gaps of comfortable stillness where Maharaj would just lean back on his chair and the devotees would quietly meditate on what Maharaj had said or simply bask in his association.

Tulsi Prabhu’s Guruvastakam prayers came up. Maharaj joked how no one got the melody… at all! But he really appreciated it, being familiar with that melody. In fact, he clarified that it was the correct Guruvastakam melody to be sung at that time of day. While on the subject, Maharaj clarified another thing; during the foot wash there is no need to sing the Guruvandana prayers. Instead that is the time to be singing the Guruvastakam prayers!

Another topic that was raised was how Maharaj would boldly stop a kirtan if the devotees were not singing the melody properly or missing some beats etc. Whilst devotees had a little giggle at this, Maharaj did assert that the deeper issue is of not listening properly. As a movement, we are trying to transfer knowledge and communicate with others. At the same time, good listening is also required. This applies to following instructions and listening to classes as well. A lot of the time Maharaj noticed that people just associate what they are hearing with their own pre conceived notions. For example, if there is a class on varnasrama; they wouldn’t actually hear what was being said. They would go away, just knowing that the topic was varnasrama and their own stereotypical version of it. A very relevant point which a lot of us have to be mindful of….

Before winding down for the night, Maharaj encouraged all the disciples assembled to have fun tomorrow. He admitted that for such an event, some spiritual leadership is certainly required. But even though he won’t be there, there will be other stalwart devotees such as Lokanath Maharaj to build up the energy and strength.

Visit Flickr to see all the photos!

HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaj ki Jai!

Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education newsletter.
The VIHE in Vrindavan was established to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s desire for an educational institute in Vrindavana. The VIHE in the holy Dhama provides an ideal facility and atmosphere for you to improve your sadhana, develop your devotional qualities, engage in serious study, associate with senior devotees, and receive training in practical skills relevant to management and preaching.
The VIHE also aims to preserve and disseminate standards Srila Prabhupada set for acting in Krishna consciousness and to deepen devotee’s understanding, realization and appreciation of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and movement. Thus, the Krishna conscious culture and values that Srila Prabhupada gave us can be passed on to successive generations. All courses are well researched and taught by senior devotees who have a deep understanding of the subject.
Please find the VIHE newsletter, fresh and new: Three secrets by HH Sacinandana Swami, HG Bhurijana Prabhu on the new Govardhan Retreat Center, testimonials from the alumni and well-wishers, announcements and more:
https://goo.gl/bwiyu7

Deities installation ceremony in Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We have to work sincerely, and because Krishna is in everyone’s heart, there will be no difficulty to have the necessary facilities. Letter to Satsvarupa, September 14, 1969.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/lOyx7j

By Visakha devi dasi

On Saturday morning, April 9, 2016, the quaint Florida costal town of St. Augustine hosted the Lord of the Universe, Jagannatha, along with His sister Subhadra and brother Balarama, for Their traditional, annual Rathayatra parade and festival. The weather was perfect, the townspeople curious and friendly, and the devotees jubilant to be participating in the first Rathayatra of the year.

The mayor of St. Augustine, Nancy Shaver, was delighted to attend. She said, “The Festival of Chariots is a moment of joyful peace for me, I am invited to attend many programs but this festival gives me inner peace.” She was given Kurma’s cook book & she said “I will definitely try using the recipes.” She inaugurated the event by breaking a fresh coconut before the Rathayatra cart, and the procession began. Seven mridungas accompanied the lead kirtan singer, as Adikarta das played a harmonium and a newcomer played a base drum. The hari- nam party, flanked on both sides by the thick ropes of the Rathayatra cart that was being pulled by many hands, walked through St. Augustine’s main streets as Lord Jagannatha and His divine family members watched with wide-open eyes.

The Rathayatra procession was followed by a feast, free to all comers, and then the devotees sent off on a roaring hari-nam through St. Augustine’s elite shopping district. The Vaishnavis from Gainesville’s Krishna House were in the front of the hari-nam party, dancing together in a spontaneously choreographed step. Sri Vrindavan devi and her team of book distributors offered Srila Prabhupada’s books to all takers. Happily, there were many takers. The color, the gaiety, and the uplifting mood induced many, many people to stop and listen, watch, photograph, and wonder, and make this festival a sweet success.

May 11. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Keeping a One-Two-Three Kirtana Beat.
People came to the storefront seeking consciousness expansion, which they had been getting on LSD, and Srila Prabhupada promised that they would find it without drugs, by chanting. Prabhupada taught the rhythm, one-two-three, one-two-three. When he gave some of the hippies the karatalas, they wanted to play their own beats. But Prabhupada stopped them and said, “No! Keep this beat: one-two-three.” Although we did not accept him in the beginning as our spiritual master, he insisted that we keep this beat, and so we agreed. He asserted his authority on the beat of the mantras; if you wanted to stay in the storefront and participate, you had to do it his way or confront him. But aside from the one-two-three beat, Prabhupada was very lenient and allowed all kinds of musical instruments to be played. Even piano innards were brought inside and strummed.
The people in the storefront would leave after the kirtana. Maybe only half would stay for the lecture. On a good night there might be many people, and after the kirtana half would leave.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

Keeping a One-Two-Three Kirtana Beat

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 12. 187 – 198

“The philosophy of monism is an adjustment of the Buddhist philosophy of voidism. In a mock fight with Sri Advaita Acarya, Sri Nityananda Prabhu was refuting this type of monistic philosophy. Vaisnavas certainly accept Lord Sri Krsna as the ultimate “one,” and that which is without Krsna is called maya, or that which has no existence. External maya is exhibited in two phases — jiva-maya, the living entities, and guna-maya, the material world. In the material world there is prakrti (material nature) and pradhana (the ingredients of material nature). However, for one who becomes Krsna conscious, the distinction between material and spiritual varieties does not exist. An advanced devotee like Prahlada Maharaja sees everything as one — Krsna. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.4.37), krsna-graha-grhitatma na veda jagad idrsam. One who is in full Krsna consciousness does not distinguish between things material and spiritual; he takes everything to be related to Krsna and therefore spiritual. By advaya-jnana-darsana, Srila Advaita Acarya has glorified pure devotional service. Srila Nityananda Prabhu herein sarcastically condemns the philosophy of the impersonal monists and praises the correct nondual philosophy of Sri Advaita Prabhu. (CC Madhya 12.194 purport)

Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 12.187, Dallas

Gita verse-by-verse podcast

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20 August 2016

H.H. Mukunda Goswami is visiting Sydney to attend a world-class show celebrating ISKCON’s 50th anniversary entitled “Transcendental Journey: Krishna 50 Years On” is set to play at the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia.

November 30

H.H. Mukunda Goswami has been released from the rehabilitation facility and is now back at his residence on the Murwillumbah farm. 

For current status check the twitter feed:  https://twitter.com/Mukunda_Goswami

Dear Devotees,
Dandavats. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
It is with great pleasure that we can offer another oral history for the pleasure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and his followers to help celebrate the 50th year of ISKCON.
This 2 hour video was recorded on Gaura-Purnima in Mayapur on March 23, 2016 and features Ajamila das, Rama Shraddha das, Jaya Gaursundara das and Sikhi Mahiti das. There are many lessons to be learned and inspiring stories you can share with friends and family.
Enjoy the trailer below:

This festival was dedicated to ISKCON’s 50th anniversary. There were special presentations covering various topics i.e. ISKCON 50 year ago, ISKCON’s future in North America and a special presentation on Srila Prahbupada’s new biography by Yogesvara Prabhu. An inaugural kirtan was held on Thursday evening. Three consecutive days of: sadhu-sanga, tumultuous world-class kirtans, ecstatic chanting & dancing, sumptuous prasadam, transcendental entertainment,engaging presentations & so much more! (150 photos by Arjun Bhattacharyya)
Please note there are several pages of photos. To navigate them use their links in the bottom of the page

Please note there are several pages of photos. To navigate them use their links in the bottom of the page

Gaura-Nitai Installation in Prabhupada Village, North Carolina, USA!!! (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Krishna is living everywhere, that is the vision of the higher devotees. Actually He’s living, but still because we are in the lower condition, we should know that here is Krishna in the temple. Krishna is everywhere, but for us, because we have no such vision to see Krishna anywhere and everywhere, therefore we should come here in the temple and see Krishna. “Here is Krishna. Krishna has kindly appeared here in a manner in which I can see Him. That is Krishna’s mercy.” That is temple. Los Angeles, April 29, 1973.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Iwj0sv

News from Iskcon Russia.
Vijaya Dasa: As I travel around Russia giving sankirtan classes, I inevitably ask how many have joined by receiving a book.
In other countries when I ask this, about three-fourths of the devotees in the room raise their hands, but in Russia usually only one-fourth.
Then I ask, “How many of you have joined because of the preaching of Audarya Dham Prabhu?” usually about three-fourths raise their hands, and this takes place wherever I go in Russia.
This devotee is such an amazing preacher. He’s a doctor, so he attracts people by his knowledge on healthy living. Then he focuses on what real health is: spiritual life. He has over 500,000 people on his mailing list, and he sends out information about Krsna consciousness. He may well be the best devotee at making devotees in ISKCON.
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While I was in Omsk, Aditya Varna Prabhu, a devotee who is also a science professor at a medical college, told me how he joined. He received a book from a devotee and visited the temple, and after a few visits he decided that Krsna consciousness was for him.
What’s interesting is what took place after he joined.
His aunt was visiting Spain, and there she met devotees, got books, and also gradually became a devotee. When she went back to Omsk she found out where the temple was and visited. She was surprised to find her nephew at the temple. He was also surprised to see his aunt at the temple. And it gets more interesting.
Krsna Dasa took initiation from Caitanya Caran Prabhu, a widely accepted guru in Russia who is a disciple of Jayapataka Swami. Krsna Dasa’s aunt is a disciple of Jayapataka Swami. So again in his spiritual life Krsna Dasa is her nephew.
Now I’m in Almaty Kazakstan. An hour ago I attended an initiation ceremony in which Caitanya Caran Prabhu initiated 24 devotees into the Vaisnava tradition. By Krsna’s mercy things are going on quite well in these former Communist countries.
Your servant,
Vijaya Dasa

The BBC-channel, Russian edition, shows the Harinama of the local devotees, dedicated to the victory of second world war (1 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The Lord’s holy name is called sravana-mangala. This means that one receives everything auspicious simply by hearing the holy name. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.7.15 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/KvppQf

Kumbha Mela’s Akshaya Tritiya Shahi Snan with HH Lokanatha Swami (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: KUMBHA MELA IS HARINAM HEAVEN! History was made 12 years ago in Ujjain when we managed to get HH Lokanatha Swami to be a Sri Mahant and we got our authorized place in the Royal Procession! Let Vittalrukmini take you on the Harinam procession through pics in this Kumbha Mela’s Akshaya Tritiya Shahi Snan with HH Lokanatha Swami and all the devotees!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/fcl5P3

We were on an airplane from Mexico City to Caracas and Prabhupada started taking his puffed rice, puffed rice and peanuts. He ate for about 10 minutes or so, and then he just looked and said, "OK." So I moved the puffed rice over and I gave half to Paramahamsa, the other half I had in front of me. After a few minutes, there was this stewardess, she was walking down the aisle and she stops right in front of us and she reached over, put her hand in my plate and grabbed a handful of puffed rice and threw it in her mouth. She says, "Oh, this is wonderful. What is it?" I said, "Puffed rice." She said, "Why are you eating this?" I said, "We have our own diet and we're vegetarian." She said, "Oh, is there anything else I can get you?" I looked at Prabhupada and he looked at me, he said, "Hot milk." She said, "Fine." So after about 10 minutes she comes back with three plates. She left and I turned to Prabhupada, I said, "Prabhupada, that's amazing, isn't it?" Prabhupada said, "No, women, they have a natural propensity to serve." Of course, I was thinking it was amazing that she took Prabhupada's mahaprasadam right off of my plate. Somehow or other, she got what all of us were mad after was Prabhupada's remnants. So when I travel, it's always one of my favorite stories.

One day I was giving class and I told this story, and after class a devotee boy came up to me and he said, "That's an amazing story. Can I tell you a sankirtan story?" I said, "Yes." He said, "We would go out to the villages far from all the cities in Brazil in different places. You have to go by four-wheel drive. One day we were in the rain forest really far away from everywhere, and we found this village and we did our Harinam. Then we began going door to door to distribute books. Then I went to this one house and I knocked on the door and a woman answered and tried to distribute books. As soon as she saw me, I was in dhoti and kurta, and she invited me in. I went in, and I started seeing that there were pictures of Krishna on the wall and she had an altar, she had Deities," and he was so surprised. Then he said, "You're a devotee," and she said, "Yes, yes. It's so wonderful to see a devotee here." And he said, "How did you become a devotee?" She said, "Well, the first time I met devotees was I met Prabhupada on an airplane. I was a stewardess." So this was the woman, it was 10 years later from that time after she took the mahaprasadam. Then she met devotees again and got a book and that was it. That was the beginning of her spiritual life. Just seeing what Prabhupada has done, it's mind-boggling to understand how Prabhupada has made devotees, and it just goes on and on.

 -Srutakirti das (Srila Prabhupada secretary)
-From "Following Srila Prabhupada - Rememberances" ISKCON Cinema

By Giriraj Swami

On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always friendly and appreciative for her care. When I was finished, I spoke with some of the family members in the hall. Jane’s grandson approached me to thank me and then pointed to his forehead and to my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that yes, I was a devotee of Krishna. “Well,” he said, “then maybe you know of my uncle Jayananda.” Continue reading "A Hospice Miracle—Serving Jayananda’s Mother
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This film is about the first saint of ISKCON Sriman Jayananda Thakur who was a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.

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Atlas Obscura: New York, Hare Krishna Tree.
One of the few remaining American elm trees in New York’s Tompkins Square Park was the birthplace of a new religion.
For a hundred years this elegant American elm at the center of Tompkins Square Park was just a tree. Then, in 1966, the Hare Krishna mantra was chanted under its sprawling canopy for the first time, and it became the birthplace of a religion.
To Hare Krishnas this tree is a sacred site. For everyone else it would be easy to stroll by the old elm in Manhattan’s East Village and have no idea it’s a religious landmark. It’s a handsome tree — American elms are quite rare now, known for their wide-stretching canopies — but otherwise inconspicuous. But if you happened to wander by on October 9, 1966, you would have heard the “Hare Krishna" mantra chanted publicly for the first time outside of India, marking the birth of the spiritual movement in the West.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/XHDefw

May 10. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Swamiji Defeats Mayavadi Annihilation.
We were in Swamiji’s room discussing an article that appeared in the New York Times. Brahmananda brought it into Swamiji, and I was also present. The Times writer was discussing Hinduism, and he used the phrase, “The frightening goal of annihilation.” When Prabhupada heard this, he said this was misinformation. Then he began to dictate a letter, which Brahmananda wrote down, to be sent to the New York Times.
The Times writer thought that the goal of Hinduism was an impersonal experience of merging into the void of Brahman. It was frightening for him to think that one would lose one’s individuality. Swamiji quoted from the Bhagavad-gita 2.11, “Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you nor all these kings, nor in the future shall we ever cease to exist.” He asserted that the goal of “Hinduism” was not impersonalism but Krishna consciousness.
I was hearing it for the first time and I was impressed. I did not exactly know what the New York Times reporter meant, or what Prabhupada was saying, but it began to dawn on me. I agreed with the Times writer that merging was a frightening idea. You would practice some meditation and it would be very dangerous, because all of a sudden you would lose yourself. The Hindu philosophy was therefore very dangerous, because if it was followed, it could lead to everyone’s annihilation!
But Swamiji said that the impersonal merging was a misrepresentation of Hindu philosophy. I was surprised to learn that a respectable writer for the New York Times had given misinformation about Hinduism. The true information was right there in the Bhagavad-gita: we do not get annihilated; we are eternal.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=8

Swamiji Defeats Mayavadi Annihilation

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.49.

“Vasudeva sarvam iti can be read that Vasudeva is everything and everywhere. But, the more precise understanding is that Krishna is the origin of everything and therefore He is manifested there. He as the origin is worshipable. Therefore there is a distinction between worshipping the energy (sakti) and the energetic (saktiman). We worship the energy with the source of the energy. We don’t worship the energy independently and we don’t neglect or ignore the source of the energy. These are basic but in a way intricate philosophical points. And a devotee, when he sees the energy of Krishna, will see Krishna because it is Krishna’s energy. Just like if you see a painting you will say. ‘Oh, that is a Picasso.’ What do you mean it is a Picasso? it is a painting done by Picasso. But, seeing the painting you immediately think of the artist.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.49, Dallas

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Bhagavad-gita 14.26 and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-Lila 16.

“This verse is a reply to Arjuna’s third question: What is the means of attaining to the transcendental position? As explained before, the material world is acting under the spell of the modes of material nature. One should not be disturbed by the activities of the modes of nature; instead of putting his consciousness into such activities, he may transfer his consciousness to Krishna activities. Krishna activities are known as bhakti-yoga – always acting for Krishna….
So if one engages himself in the service of Krishna or His plenary expansions with unfailing determination, although these modes of material nature are very difficult to overcome, one can overcome them easily. This has already been explained in the Seventh Chapter. One who surrenders unto Krishna at once surmounts the influence of the modes of material nature. To be in Krishna consciousness or in devotional service means to acquire equality with Krishna. The Lord says that His nature is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, and the living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme, as gold particles are part of a gold mine. Thus the living entity, in his spiritual position, is as good as gold, as good as Krishna in quality….
If one is not situated in the same transcendental position with the Lord, one cannot serve the Supreme Lord. To be a personal assistant to a king, one must acquire the qualifications. Thus the qualification is to become Brahman, or freed from all material contamination. It is said in the Vedic literature, brahmaiva san brahmapy eti. One can attain the Supreme Brahman by becoming Brahman. This means that one must qualitatively become one with Brahman. By attainment of Brahman, one does not lose his eternal Brahman identity as an individual soul.” (Bg 14.26 purport)

2nd Initiation, Dallas

Visvambhara Das (UK): Jackie Chan received a Bhagavad-gita today on a motorway car park.
Srila Prabhupada: This life of material existence is just like hard wood, and if we can carve Krishna out of it, that is the success of our life. Letter to Krishna Devi, January 26, 1968

By Kalakantha dasa

After the disappearance of Jayananda Das on May 1, 1977, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada instructed devotees all over the world to commemorate the event every year as they would any great Vaishnava's disappearance day. Therefore we respectfully submit these pages to all devotees and friends of ISKCON as a means to remember and understand more about Jayananda's devotional service. Of course, we will see how he joined ISKCON and how he left this mortal world. More importantly, we shall see the astounding qualities possessed by a true devotee, a sincere disciple and genuine servant of Srila Prabhupada. Continue reading "The Life of Jayananda Prabhu
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By Urmila Devi Dasi

IT IS FASHIONABLE in modern secular societies to regard sacred literature as the mythological musings of undeveloped people. Schools teach that with our current understanding of physics, medicine, psychology, democracy, and so on, we have little use for such writings except as literary art. Those who take scripture literally are pegged with pejorative terms such as "fundamentalists." It may be stylish to borrow ideas from the Vedic scriptures-yoga, meditation, mantra chanting. But living by the laws of scripture is seen as outmoded and simplistic. To get the spiritual benefit of chanting Krsna's names, however, requires a reverence for Krsna in all His forms, including His scriptures. Krsna appeared on earth in His original form about five thousand years ago. After He departed to His eternal abode, His "literary incarnation ," Vyasadeva, compiled the cream of Vedic scripture, Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada wrote that reading this scripture is identical to seeing Krsna in person. Because the words of the Bhagavatam describe Krsna, they are spiritually identical to Him. If we blaspheme the Bhagavatam, other Vedic books, or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version, we offend the holy name, greatly impeding our progress in chanting. Continue reading "Esteem For Sacred Writings
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By Ravindra Svarupa dasa

My first connection with the Hare Krishna maha-mantra happened during the “Summer of Love” in August, 1967 in the course of a wedding within a three-room apartment in Powelton Village, the budding hippie district in Philadelphia. The wedding epitomized the time and place.

The groom and I had become close friends during our travails as fellow philosophy majors at the nearby University of Pennsylvania. Thin, angular, his pale beak-nosed face densely hedged with a curly black beard, Steve presented “the Jew” with a delicious hint of self-parody. His bride Catherine was black and beautiful and very pregnant. Behind the altar—a massive wooden table, knobby legged and claw-footed—a goateed United Church of Christ minister of progressive views officiated. As recitations from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Tao Te Ching sounded out, a mottled cat manifested itself on the altar and began weaving balletically through a maze of objets, sacred and profane.

Then the reception: with our mirth and good wishes amplified by the herb of choice, our hearts soon swelled to the mighty anthems of the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and Buffalo Springfield. We lit our fires. We fed our heads.

Some of us—the philosophy B.A.’s there—formed ourselves into opposing cheer leading squads for the football teams of two rival high schools: Husserl High and Heidegger High. We cheered our teams on: “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Husserl!” “Hi! Hi! Hi! Heidegger!”

At some point Steve lead a group of us down a step into the bedroom. He had something special to reveal. As we made ourselves comfortable on the big bed and floor cushions, Steve leaned over a reel-to-reel tape recorder perched on a dresser.

“This is far out. You got to dig it. It’s really far out.” He diddled with the machine. “A friend from Buffalo sent me this.” Steve had been a student at SUNY-Buffalo before he’d transferred to Penn.

Satisfied, he turned and faced us with his signature look: serious, searching eyes peering over a small, tentative smile. “Ahhh—here . . . .” A click.

A drum tapped with fingers, some kind of cymbal, wooden sticks knocking together, a single twanging string—a simple beat . . . and then a deep voice, the voice of an older man, singing something, not English.

“The Swami,” Steve announced. “Sanskrit.”

I try to follow the complicated words, sung by the Swami with both ease and precision. I am fascinated. And then the music seems to shift gear, and the words suddenly become simpler, just a few words in some kind of repeating pattern:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

I had already been exposed to the media icon “Hippies Chant Hare Krishna” but now for the first time I hear the mantra chanted, and it is astonishingly different from what I had imagined. But before I can think about that, I am startled by the entrance of young voices repeating the mantra in unison, their vowels clearly American, their chanting a little tentative, a little—well—lightweight. Then the Swami takes it up again. After a few repetitions, I notice that the Swami sings the melody with some subtle inflections and modulations, but the chorus seems unable to reproduce them.

Then Steve begins to chant along with the chorus, and gradually we join in with him. As I chant and listen, my mind boggles. The chant is as simple and naive as a nursery rhyme, yet it plumbs profound depths, evokes uttermost seriousness. How? And what is it expressing? I have no idea, so I quit worrying about it and absorb myself in the chanting. There is no change other than a gradually increasing tempo. I do not know how much time passes.

Then a strange feeling takes hold of me, and an image forms in my mind: There is a ship, a ship lost at sea, lost utterly in the dense dark of night and in waters whipped wild. And from far away come the sound of a foghorn—not warning, but calling me back, drawing me back to safe haven. A lighthouse stands fast on the edge of the foaming ocean, casting its beacon and its horn out across the tempest. And the voice of the Swami seems to be calling, calling to me, calling me from far far away.

And I call back . . . .

And it is over. Quiet. “Well,” says Steve, “Far out, huh? Wasn’t that something?”

I nod. It was indeed. Whatever it was.

That was my first connection, yet the experience quickly became covered over. In those days we had many ‘far out’ experiences. Soon after the wedding, I began studies for a PhD at the new Department of Religion at Temple University in Philadelphia. Several more years were to pass before my next encounter with the maha-mantra. All the same, the image of being lost at sea and of being called or summoned through the dangerous darkness stayed with me. Though I was lost and covered, gradually, without my knowing it, I was answering the call and turning toward home.

A group of us gathered in the bedroom after the wedding, and as the large reels of the tape recorder slowly revolved, the room filled with the sound of “the Swami” leading the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. I sang in response, answering his call. Looking back, the chanting on that August afternoon in 1967 appears to me now as a rare moment in time, a kind of karmic singularity, like the pinched waist of an hourglass, into which my whole past poured and from which my entire future would expand.

The wedding took place in the same neighborhood my wife Connie and I had lived as students at the University of Pennsylvania. Now, after only a year’s absence, we’d returned. In 1966, after Penn had awarded us each a bachelor’s degree—mine in Philosophy and hers in English—we had gone off to Amherst, where I had enrolled in a Master’s program in English literature at the University of Massachusetts. We timed our return to Philly to make our friend’s wedding, which took place two weeks before I was to begin doctoral studies in the new religion department at Philadelphia’s Temple University.

• • •

Religion had been the last thing in my mind when I entered college in 1962 with the parentally inculcated goal of medical studies. However, in the course of my first undergraduate year I became, to my surprise, increasingly preoccupied with the peculiar groundlessness of modern life. It seemed as if we were all slowly falling in a mysterious void. It seemed there were no certain truths or values to grasp, no sure foundations on which to build a life—my life.

Were there no absolutes? And if there were, how could we recognize them with certainty? Of course, such thoughts were allowed voice during late-night dormitory bull sessions. But then, you grew up; you forgot all of that stuff and got on with the pursuit of tangible goals—status, power, wealth, fame, and all the glittering trophies in their train.
I was abnormal. I seemed constitutionally incapable of the requisite forgetfulness.

So—a philosophy major. When I announced my decision at a family dinner, my father lunged across the table and displayed a quiverful of bread slices clasped tightly in his fist. He shook the trophy in my face: “What are you going to do about this?” he demanded. “What are you going to do about this?”

The philosophy department at Penn in the early sixties adhered closely to the Anglo-American analytic tradition. It was practically the last bastion in America of logical positivism, a hard-nosed school aiming at the final elimination of all metaphysical (and religious) questions. At its heart lay a criterion of meaningfulness. A statement is meaningful, logical positivism held, only if some possible sense experience could verify (or better, falsify) it. Thus, the assertion “There is a God,” being empirically unverifiable, is without meaning. For the same reason, “There is no God” is also nonsensical. Any discourse about God is outlawed, proscribed. In this way, logical positivism managed to be even more inimical to divinity than mere atheism.

Or consider this standard analysis of value-judgments: If I say something is morally (or aesthetically) good, I indicate really nothing more than my approval of it. (In the jargon: “x is good means I approve of x.”) And perhaps I am urging you to approve of it also.

In a similar fashion, the statement “I believe in God,” while strictly nonsensical, may be accepted as a round-about way of expressing one’s emotive condition, such as “I feel good about the universe.”

This is my initiation into the study of philosophy:

I am sitting in a tall classroom in College Hall with other underclassmen on the first meeting of “Introduction to Philosophy.” Our instructor is a graduate student, a native of the English midlands.

“What is philosophy?” he asks. This is not a rhetorical question. He wants our answers. Some of us raise hands, not knowing what we are in for. As we volunteer our responses one after another, he writes them on the board.

Our instructor calls on me. I propose, “Philosophy means asking questions like, Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going?” He gives a little start. Smirking, he writes my answer on the board.

When there are no more offerings, our instructor works his way down the list, demolishing each answer with great acumen, cleverness, and scathing wit. When he comes to my offering, his eyes light up.

“Oh, yes,” he say in a voice freighted with sarcasm, “‘Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going?’” Just the way he says them makes them sound stupid. “These questions.” He pauses a moment. “We have one person in this department who goes around asking them. And I reply, ‘My name is Ken Young. I am coming from College Hall, and I am going to Bennett Hall.’” Presenting a mundane stroll between two campus landmarks as the proper response to metaphysical questions, he smirks again, and with a flourish, strikes through my pitiful offering with a thick line.

I was much impressed by this philosophy of demolition. It required a capacity for painstaking study coupled with a quick wit—a mental fast-ball—for it prized above all the utterly devastating comebacks, as epitomized for us in a legendary tale of Sidney Morgenbesser, who had received his PhD from our own philosophy department.

Philosophy was supposed to cure me of the disease of asking nonsensical questions like that. Inexplicably, the cure failed. For a while, my disease went into remission. By my junior year, the questions had returned, never to go away.

At the same time, philosophy in the analytical mode seemed to be getting less doctrinaire, with no sacrifice of rigor.

In my sophomore year the American edition of New Essays in Philosophical Theology (1964), edited by Antony Flew and Alasdair MacIntyre, came into my hands. In this collection of essays, English analytical philosophers took theological issues seriously. I was fascinated.

A year later I read Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. This work presents a rigorous empirical investigation of the history of science as a social enterprise. In his study, Kuhn shows how science undergoes periodic “revolutions” centered on “paradigm shifts”—fundamental reconstructions in the way science thinks and works—before “normal science” resumes. Kuhn’s analysis brings out the unavoidable role “received belief” and “faith” plays in science, in both its normal and crisis mode. This work was much disliked in the department.

As I worked my way through my philosophy requirements, I took as many literature courses as philosophy. “I love English literature too much to major in it,” I would explain; people knew exactly what I meant.

Literature was my real love. I had become an addictive reader by the end of the first grade, and by high school I was giving myself an eager if uneven education in the world’s literary classics.

And then, at Penn, this happened: During a tedious lecture in a freshman English class in an overheated room, I sat leafing idly through the pages of our reading anthology. My eyes lit upon an unfamiliar poem, and, while trying at the same time to track the professor’s lecture, I began reading Yeats’ “Among School Children.” I only hazily followed the narration, which seemed to jump around from stanza to stanza. I didn’t grasp the imagery nor understand the religious and philosophical allusions. Even so, when I completed the last stanza, my heart was pounding, my nerves vibrating, and my hair standing on end. I was transfixed.

The poem had conveyed something vital to me—had done something momentous to me—and I did not even know what it was. I sat in awe, oblivious to the droning professorial voice, and wondered what had happened, how it happened, and why it happened. I resolved then that I would strive to understand the poem and try to understand the uncanny power it wielded to work so powerfully upon even me, an ignorant, distracted reader.

I had not a clue, sitting in that winter classroom, that Yeats’ poem spoke to me about my own life—it told me about my past and about my future as well: http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/Yeats/Among.htm

—to be continued—

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Wonderful Sunday program with Madhava prabhu in Nava Nandagram in Nové Sady, a village and municipality in Vyškov District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: There is no limit to perfection—we may go on improving more and more, and still there is no limit to how much we may please Krishna, just like for the materialist there is no limit to how much Maya can kick us! Letter to Balavanta, December 22, 1971.
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Iskcon of Silicon Valley: Harinaam at Palo Alto (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This Krishna consciousness movement is for approaching Radha-Krishna, to be associated with the Supreme Lord in His sublime pleasure dance. That is the aim of Krishna consciousness. Los Angeles, December 21, 1968.
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Sri Harinama Sankirtan in Campbelltown City, Sydney (Album with photos)
Saturday Harinama Sankirtan Nectar 07-05-16
Devotees attended 12
Distribution:
10 Books
250 Flyers
250 Simply wonderful Prasadam packs.
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Kirtan London presented kirtan at the ‘Amazing Grace’ multi-faith concert at Union Chapel in Islington, London, England today. It was a beautiful evening and hundreds of voices joined in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra with us.
Srila Prabhupada: The secret of surrendering to Krishna is that such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna’s plan. Whatever is meant to be I am doing. Let me do it with my full attention to every detail. Let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is. Let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna’s alone pleasure is my motive. Letter to Jayapataka, December 19, 1972.