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Our Wonderful Gujarat (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: The day before Ram Naumi, as part of the Ram Naumi Festival in ISKCON Ahmedabad, a local group presented Amari Gunavanti Gujarat, Our Wonderful Gujarat displaying the folk arts of Gujarat. Started with a London NRI Jack Bhai coming to visit the land of his parents for the first time and two villagers take him on a cultural tour! Enjoy Vittalrukmini’s colorful pics!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/sy5vFx

April 23. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Mukti Brahmacari.
One day a curious, unsolicited correspondent wrote to Prabhupada from India. His name was Mukti Brahmacari. Introducing himself as a disciple of one of Prabhupada’s godbrothers, and reminding Prabhupada of their past slight acquaintance, Mukti wrote of his eagerness to join Prabhupada in America. Prabhupada still had hopes for getting assistance from his godbrothers in India – “This mission is not simply one man’s work.” Therefore, he invited Mukti to come to America and asked him to request his guru to cooperate by working personally to secure government sanction for the release of foreign exchange.
Mukti submitted the entire proposal before his spiritual master, who, as Mukti predicted, cancelled the trip. Although Mukti’s guru was Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother, he did not want to be involved and he doubted that Prabhupada would actually get a donation from Padampat Singhania.
And now Mukti Brahmacari also doubted: “If your program is not bona fide, the approach to a big personality will be a ludicrous one no doubt.”
On the same day that Prabhupada received the “ludicrous” letter, he also received the final blow of noncooperation from the Indian government. Second Secretary Prakash Shah of the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C. wrote:
Due to existing conditions of foreign exchange stringency, it is not possible for the government of India to accede to your request for release of foreign exchange. You may perhaps like to raise funds from residents in America.
It was confirmed: Prabhupada would have to work without outside help. He would continue alone in New York City. His last letter to Mukti Brahmacari reveals his deep faith and determination.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=7

On Thursday, April 14th, in conjunction with the auspicious appearance day of Lord Ramachandra, the new U.S. TOVP office celebrated its Grand Opening in Alachua, Florida. The new office is located in a house donated exclusively for TOVP use by Ambarisa prabhu and will serve as the communications and fundraising headquarters. The celebration also coincides with the formation of the new U.S. non-profit, TOVP Foundation Inc., whose Chairman is Sesa das, also the newly appointed Chairman of the GBC.

The function was attended by several local senior devotees including Sesa das, Alachua Temple President, Mukhya devi dasi, Kirtiraja das, Ramanya das, and several others, along with Ambarisa and Svaha prabhus and TOVP Director of Development and Fundraising, Vraja Vilas das, who came all the way from Mayapur to help organize the opening of the new office.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The Grand Opening schedule included kirtan and greeting of devotees, Sankalpa and Rakshabandhan, a full fire yajna, Purnahuti, coconut breaking, official ribbon cutting and prasadam. These auspicious yajnas were performed for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada, the previous acharyas and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to invoke their blessings and mercy for the successful execution of the TOVP seva not only in the U.S. but all over the world.

It is imperative that within the next several years all ISKCON devotees focus on this project and make it their personal sankalpa to see that the TOVP Grand Opening scheduled for Gaur Purnima 2022 is achieved. For such an important and historic endeavor as this we will individually and collectively be benefited, and will also witness the remarkable effects the TOVP will have on the peoples of the entire world.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

“If you build this temple Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur will personally come and take you back to Godhead”

Srila Prabhupada

“This temple is already built. If you don’t do the work someone else will come and take the credit. So you do it and get the credit”

Srila Prabhupada

Please view the video and photos of the event included with this article. For further information about donating in the U.S. or to re-start your previously made pledge go to: https://tovp.org/donate/

The post Grand Opening Ceremony of the New U.S. TOVP Office appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Mukti Brahmacari

By Abhay Charan dasa

(New Vrindaban, West Virginia, March 28^th, 2016)- Govinda’s Restaurant, the only vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the Ohio Valley area, officially opened for the season on Friday, March 25^th, to the delight of visitors and locals alike, having been closed for the winter. This hidden gem, tucked away in the serene Appalachian foothills, is definitely a must go.

Govinda’s Vegetarian Restaurant offers a wide range of menu options for its visitors. While authentic Indian cuisines is the specialty, delicious Italian dishes, including lasagna, pasta and pizza are on the menu. For the not so adventurous palate, American dishes such as veggie burgers and a Philly cheesesteak are also included. Healthier menu options like a new salad bar, green juices and smoothie bar will be added this year, as well as a variety of tasty vegan dishes, such as vegan wraps and Daiya cheese pizza.

Weekend Buffet at Govinda’s

Most of the vegetables used in these delicious preparations are literally garden fresh and some produce comes directly from New Vrindaban’s organic garden, while almost all of the milk comes from New Vrindaban’s cruelty-free, protected cow program established in 1967. “We use organic, non-GMO foods as much as we can and try to use only the most natural ingredients possible”, says Vasudeva dasa, the General Manager of the restaurant. Soon, he hopes to produce enough vegetables from the local garden to supply the restaurant year round.

Kitchen Manager, Dina Mani dasa

Govinda’s recently welcomed new kitchen manager, Dina Mani dasa, who owned two successful restaurants, and brings over 15 years of expertize to the team. He is excited about adding healthier menu options and plans to add to the already robust International menu. Guests will be pleasantly surprised with the affordable menu pricing and selection available. Don’t miss the special buffet offered on weekends priced at just $11.99.

In preparation for the busy year, the restaurant was repainted and renovated with an expanded storage room and kitchen areas, as well as a new dining section that will accommodate more guests. Beautiful new décor was added throughout the restaurant, including paintings, fabrics and elegant lotus lights, that brighten the area.

Renovated Dinning Hall

“I was happy to be greeted by such a cheerful host. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the food was astounding. I hope to get back there soon as this is the only vegetarian restaurant in the area,” says Robert Steltenpool.

From the friendly staff and stunning atmosphere to the amazing gourmet cooking, it is not hard to see why over 20,000 delighted customers visit Govinda’s annually. Govinda’s has been serving delicious international cuisine for over 20 years and is sure to have something for everyone.

Currently, Govinda’s is opened on weekends, Friday – Sunday from 3 pm – 9 pm and beginning May 1^st, will be opening from 12 pm – 9 pm every day. The restaurant is conveniently located at 3759 McCrearys Ridge Rd., Moundsville, WV 26041. You can contact us at 304 843-1600 ext.101. https://www.facebook.com/Govindasnv or http://www.palacelodge.com/services.html

Northampton Festival, UK - April 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: People should be given the chance to hear the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, but in the beginning they should not be instructed about the glories or the spiritual significance of the holy name. By constant hearing of the holy name, their hearts will be purified, and then they will be able to understand the transcendental position of the holy name. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.21 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/UJw45W

When Lord Krishna played on this Earth as a child, He lived in a community of cowherds in the region known as Vraja, in northern India. He was in charge of the young calves and took them out each morning to the pasturing grounds.

Accompanied by dozens of His friends, and with hundreds of calves each, Krishna would walk through the Vrindavan forest in search of lush vegetation. The cowherd boys’ herding and adventurous play went on all day, stopping only for a picnic, when they’d happily share the contents of each other’s lunch packs. The boys never went hungry because their mothers had prepared all kinds of savouries and sweets for them, using different recipes each day. A plentiful milk supply meant that many of the sweet preparations were made from yogurt, cream and cheese. Placed in pots, wrapped in banana leaves then tied up firmly with grass twine, the packages were a delight to open at lunchtime in the shade of a large tree.

The Bhagavata Purana, the ancient book that gives details about the Lord’s life, even describes the menu of these picnics, and for thousands of years the recipes have been preserved, shared and used. In the Vaishnava tradition, the way of devotion to Krishna, meals are still prepared for child Krishna and offered to Him at a home shrine or a large public temple. There, installed upon a throne and decorated with flowers, the sacred image of the blackish-bluish cowherd boy interacts with His devotees. Just as He did while on Earth, the Lord can accept a lunch pack from His devotees and eat it as his midday picnic.

That is why, for fifty centuries, wherever there are temples dedicated to Krishna, the worshippers have cooked milk sweets and brought them as offerings. They remember Krishna in Vrindavan, and recreate that atmosphere every time they take milk, yogurt, cream and cheese, cook them together with other natural ingredients, and place them on the altar along with their prayers. Each temple has its own speciality milk sweet, and pilgrims can receive a sample from the priest as holy prasad, immediately after the offering has been removed from Krishna’s altar.

Although such delicious dishes are prepared all over India, nowhere is more famous for milk sweets than Bengal, where sweet making has been raised to a fine art. Bengal was once known as Gor-Desh or ‘the sweet country,’ and it is customary in that region, even today, to celebrate all of life’s major events with the sharing of a plate of delicious milk sweets.

From the strained, caramelised yogurt known as Misti-dahi, through the thickened, condensed milks of Khir and Rabri, to the soft, kneaded cheese of Sandesh, the sweetened and spiced fudges of Burfi andPera, and the delicate, sponge-like textured Rasagulla and Cham-cham, the range of sweets and the varieties of flavours is vast.

The British in Victorian India were not immune to the allure of Bengali sweets, and the famous confectioners of the day, household names such as K.C.Das were all patronised by the well-to-do members of the Raj. When the wife of the Viceroy, Lady Canning, celebrated her birthday, one sweet maker came up with a novel design for her. By cooking a traditional rasagulla in ghee, the sweet turned golden in colour and the flavour took on a delicate nuance. Still popular today, the celebratory confection is now known by the Bengali version of the aristocrat’s name: the Ledikenni.

The founder of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was born in Calcutta in 1896 and grew up with both a Krishna temple across the street and a sweet shop nearby. So he was perfectly placed to experience the best of Bengal’s milk sweets quite regularly through his childhood. When he introduced the traditions of Krishna temple worship to the West he also brought the art of sweet-making with him. His disciples learned how to make traditional sweets and offered them twice a day on the altar – beginning at four in the morning.

1. First step - to always be reminded (with faith) that Krishna controls everything and henceforth, we should seek His shelter always. In that mood, surrender our intelligence to Him. 
2. Second step - in this mood of shelter we use our intelligence to solve problems. Now the problem may go away or become worse, regardless if we approach the problem in that mood of shelter, it is always a success because the problem enforces us to get closer to Govinda. 

Historic Steps Forward (5 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: This video covers the historic opening of ISKCON’s first cultural center in Beijing and the very first harinama at the famous Great Wall of China. May our previous acaryas be pleased that their dedicated service over many centuries is now bearing fruit. All glories to our beloved Srila Prabhupada!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/a6CghE

Oldest 24-Hour Kirtan Festival in West Celebrates 17 Years.
Over 2,000 people from the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe are expected to attend the 17th annual 24-Hour Kirtan in Birmingham, England from Saturday April 30th to Sunday May 1st. Today, it’s a huge bank holiday weekend draw. But back when the event – the oldest 24-Hour-Kirtan Festival in the Western world – began in 1999, attendance was much smaller. It all started with a group of Pandava Sena teenage youth, fans of the year-around 24-Hour Kirtan program in Vrindavan, India, which had been run by Aindra Das since 1986.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/9qYrIN

Harinama - ISKCON Auckland New Zealand: (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One is understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he considers himself a servant of the holy name and in this spirit distributes the holy name to the world. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.16 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/NMS8LQ

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

Have we ever considered how many outstanding ‘harmless’ little doubts remain with us as we endeavour for perfection in Krishna consciousness? Some spiritual practitioners feel quite comfortable harbouring certain philosophical question marks that challenge our rationality, thinking them to be docile reasoning tools. Is there room for quaint musings that can be put aside until perhaps we get a boost of faith?

“For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.” (BG 4.40)

Most of us are, or were conditioned by universally accepted ‘rational’ observations presented as fact. They cement into such a strong belief that one has to reject or suspend them when pondering matters other worldly or spiritual. Such divisive objective and subjective issues as – creationism versus big bang and evolution theories – can tear apart communities, which in the absence of decent law and order, will erupt into enmity and loss of life.

The ‘rational’ mind cannot accept that for Christians, the world was created within seven days some 5 to 6,000 years ago, because it defies geological evidence, among other things. I am sure the vaisnavas would agree. The Vedic description of creation and the cosmos also confounds the empiricists due to the fantastic ‘mythological tales’ that describe things beyond our purview. Yet sometimes, we find that after some years of practicing Krishna consciousness, some ‘rational’ leftovers still cause some devotees to half ‘doubt’ certain facts or fiction.

“Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge.” (BG 4.42)

The fantasy that earth men travelled to a heavenly planet called the moon still elicits thoughts of, “They could have gone you know…Srila Prabhupada was such a staunch believer, he could never yield to something opposing his way of thinking…but, but just maybe, they did go, or not.” Will such ambiguous uncertainties help us in devotional service?

Recently it was reported that the furthest ever object in space was detected, and that its distance away from earth is a staggering ’14 billion’ light years away from us. This would make the Vedic measurement of our universe appear as a sesame seed in comparison. Would such thoughts as, “Well, this is interesting…so vastly different from what I read in the Srimad Bhagavatam…but I’ll keep an open mind on it…I can’t be too fanatical about these things.”

Could we be accused of myopic inflexibility if we reject these findings as hell bound demoniac influences? Or perhaps, we simply brush them off as sincere but ignorant attempts to search for answers with faulty senses and instruments? In either case, would these delusions impinge on our happiness in spiritual life if we retain them as, “Yet to be sorted out?”

Can a devotee ever be in a state of delusion? According to (Bhagavad-Gita 10.4) the word – asammohah – means delusion, but Srila Prabhupada has translated it as “doubt and delusion.” They are both obviously synonymous in terms of understanding things from a wider perspective. It indicates then that anyone harbouring comfortable doubts is in fact keeping “Yet to be sorted out” delusions. So clearly they are not good for our Krishna consciousness, however reasonable we are.

These limitless attempts to cause doubt and delusion will continue unabated. They need not be confined to scientific knowledge. We will be tested even more on the devotional level as waves of gross and subtle interactions with other devotees, and the way they live and react in different circumstances can test our resolve. Above all, any doubt however big or small will put a dampener on our happiness. In the Chaitanya Bhagavata Lord Chaitanya told His dear devotee Sri Murari Gupta, that even a sesame seed of doubt will stop ones progress in Krishna consciousness.

Our faith in our respective spiritual masters and in every word and deed of Srila Prabhupada has to be complete. Anything less, even by a measurement of a comfortable sesame seed results in partial happiness without which we cannot be truly peaceful at heart. And who is the original guru preceptor we must take full shelter of? It is the great Avadhuta, Sri Nityananda Prabhu.
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Prtha, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you will know Me in full, free from doubt.” (BG 7.1)

In order for us to seek His mercy we literally have to reject and suspend all rationality, all notions of normal human behaviour, all social norms and high brahminical principles, and even ‘normal’ vaisnava cultural expectations, to not doubt in the least, the Avadhuta nature of Lord Nityananda. Only the privileged who have relinquished all forms of niggling doubts can get His mercy, and, as the often heard expression goes; “Dive in” to the ocean of Bhakti.

Realizing this, we will find that this realm of delusion and doubt inhabited by animated blobs of doubt – the material bodies – are somehow hovering about waiting for this opportune moment to become free from all doubts. We have to again suspend all empirical lucidity in order to read and understand the Srimad Bhagavatam, which was compiled from above normal time and space. If we retain them, the facts and figures found in this scripture will cause more doubt. Our full faith in the spiritual master helps to enlighten us.

Yet, whilst rejecting conventional thought while practicing devotional service, we have to retain it to make this knowledge suitable for doubt riddled persons to accept. A preacher who has doubts will not be very convincing.

Through Lord Nityananda and His extensions – the spiritual masters – a doubt-free mood will present no limits to our progress or acquirement of knowledge. “Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead without doubting, is the knower of everything. He therefore engages himself in full devotional service to Me, O son of Bharata.” (BG 15.19)

Your servant Kesava Krsna Dasa – GRS.

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Hare Krishna Mantra Fest In Benesov Gymnasium (Town in the Czech Republic) (Album with photos)
13.4. 2016 Assembly Hall Secondary School in Benesov.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna … echoed Wednesday 13. 4. in the evening the auditorium Benesov gymnasium, where devotees of Hare Krishna held for eighty spectators cultural program “Mantra Fest”.
From the stage sounded several traditional Indian mantras and bhajans, screened the footage of pilgrimage sites in India, lacked inických tasting traditional specialties, offering books, gifts …
Big applause harvested dance performances temple dance Bharata Nátjam performed Rásabihárí Devi Dasi. Selected women and girls in the audience could try out how to wear saris and ornaments inické and played even a small theater.
The winner of the raffle ticket won a prize weekend at the chateau with ayurvedic massages.
The program prepared Krishna farm yard in cooperation with the recently-opened veget. Govinda restaurants in Benesov. Hare Krishna Movement in this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/enRkvQ

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How The Deity Reciprocates With His Devotee.
Raghunandan’s work is to serve Krishna. He has no interest in anything other than serving Krishna. (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.15.131)
From his early childhood, Raghunandan Thakur would feed the family’s Gopinath Deity laddus.
Uddhava Das has written a song in which this lila is described: Mukunda Das lived in the village of Shrikhanda, where his household Deity was named Gopinath. One day he had to go somewhere for work and he called Raghunandan to do the service. He said, “In this house we worship Krishna, so I want you to be sure to give Him something to eat.” and then he left.
Raghunandan did as his father had ordered and made the offering to the Deity. Raghunandan was just a child and in his simplicity, he said to Gopinath, “Eat! Eat!” Krishna is controlled by love, and so He did as the child told Him and ate everything on the plate without leaving a grain of rice.
When Mukunda Das returned, he asked the boy to bring him the Prasad from the offering he had made. The child answered, “Father, He ate everything and left no remnants.” Mukunda was astonished at his child’s wonderful words that he asked him again on another occasion to make an offering.
This time after he left the house, he returned and hid to watch what his son would do.
Raghunandan joyfully placed a laddu in Krishna’s hand and said in a commanding voice, “Eat! Eat!”. When Krishna had eaten half of the laddu, Raghunandan saw Mukunda Das in the doorway. Mukunda saw that Krishna did not take another bite and that the half-eaten laddu remained in His hand.
This caused him to be filled with love. He embraced his child and, as tears of joy rained from his eyes, spoke to him in a broken voice.
To this day, fortunate people come to Shrikhanda to see the half-eaten laddu in Gopinath’s hand. Raghunandan is not different from Cupid himself, says Uddhava Das with great feeling.
[All the mahantas] felt fascinated to see the Gopinath Deity whom Raghunandan had fed laddus. (Bhakti-ratnakara 9.525)

The post Daily Darshan: April 22nd, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

By Ravindra Svarupa dasa

During my initial encounter with Krishna consciousness, I was puzzled, and then troubled, by the absence of any consideration of “rights”—human rights, civil rights—in the social teachings of Shrila Prabhupada, who took great pains to elucidate an ideal “Vedic society.” It seemed to me that rights ought to be a central concern of this or any other social ideal.

Moreover, the social order he extolled as exemplary—indeed as divinely ordained—was unapologetically hierarchical. All the more need for rights, I thought. Isn’t respect for rights the greatest safeguard against the abuse of power?

My typical American education had glorified the eighteenth century discovery of “the rights of man” as a supreme achievement of Enlightenment thinking. To that revolutionary historical breakthrough we owed that bold assertion in our “Declaration of Independence” every school child was made to memorize: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The polity promoted in Bhagavatam could hardly be more different from that advocated by the so-called Enlightenment. One of its foremost ideologues, the philosopher Denis Diderot, said: “Mankind will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” Bhagavatam, in contrast, teaches that a society lead by priests and kings best facilitates human freedom.

Bhagavatam at once challenged my received ideas. It would require me to unlearn a great deal—the consensual reality I had unquestionably accepted with uncritical faith. Reposing my faith in Bhagavatam, on the other hand, could hardly be uncritical. And so came my misgiving concerning rights.

As it happened, my first readings of Bhagavatam were confined to the second canto, which, in 1969 and 70, ISKCON Press published serially, chapter by chapter, in thin paperbacks. The volumes of the first canto, published in India and trunked to America by Prabhupada himself, were long sold out. Only after I moved into the Philadelphia ashram, in January of 71, was I able to read the temple’s copy of the first canto. I discovered a crudely bound work, printed on cheap paper, each page bristling with typos. It was written in Prabhupada’s idiomatic, “babu English,” yet his distinctive voice—not yet editorially planed and sanded like the second canto—spoke out all the more powerfully.

It was here I encountered a text that resolved all my worry about rights. In the fourth verse of chapter twelve, I read about the exemplary King Yudhisthira, who cared for all of thoses born in his kingdom. Prabhupada comments:

Herein the word ‘Prajah‘ is significant. The etymological import of the word is that which is born. On the earth there are many species of life from the aquatics up to the perfect human beings and all are known as ‘Prajas. . . . . As such the Praja is used in a broader sense than it is now used. The King is meant for all living beings namely the aquatics, plants, trees, the reptiles, the birds, the animals and the man. Every one of them is a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord (B. G. 14/4), and the King being the representative of the Supreme Lord, he is duty-bound to give proper protection to every one of them. It is not like the presidents and dictators of the demoralised system of administration where the lower animals are given no protection while the higher animals are given so called protection. But this is a great science which can be learnt only by one who has learnt the science of Krishna as already refered to above by us.

The king, as God’s representative, is “duty-bound to give proper protection to every one of them.” I gave some thought to this idea: The king is the head of state, the government. And all living beings, even the animals, are citizens. This means that they have (as we would put it today) civil rights. And the government must guarantee those rights.

In 1971, the idea of animal rights was “way out there,” a notion of the lunatic fringe. Yet this highly radical extension of civil rights to animals was contained within Prabhupada’s exposition of monarchism—a most conservative political philosophy, to say the least. Bhagavatam was destroying the standard conservative-liberal typology.

From that moment I understood that modern, enlightened “rights” were no innovation; they had somehow been implicit in the entirely old fashioned, conservative, pre-enlightenment idea of duty.

A few years later, browsing a used book store,  I happened to pick up a volume by the French theologian Simone Weil. I’d learned about this extraordinary person—”a modern saint”—in a graduate religion course, and I was curious to know more.

The book, translated from the French as The Need for Roots, opens on the first page with a brilliant and penetrating discussion about rights and obligations (or duties); it grealy helped me to understand Prabhupada’s Bhagavatam.

Simone Weil begins:

The notion of obligations comes before that of rights, which is subordinate and relative to the former. A right is not effectual by itself, but only in relation to the obligation to which is corresponds, the effective exercise of a right springing not from the individual who possesses it, but from other men who consider themselves as being under a certain obligation toward him. Recognition of an obligation makes it effectual. An obligation which goes unrecognized by anybody loses none of the full force of its existence. A right which goes unrecognized by anybody is not worth very much.

To say that a king like Yudhisthira has duties or obligations toward the living being in his realm is another way of asserting that those subjects have rights. But Weil asserts here that it is better to think in terms of obligations than of rights. Why? Because the idea of rights is subordinate to and depends upon the idea of an obligation. I may assert that I have some right, but that recognition becomes effective only if some others recognize that they have obligations toward me. So it is better to be concerned with obligations.

Moreover, an obligation remains in force even if it is unacknowledged. An unrecognized right by itself has no force. It gains force only when the corresponding obligation is recognized.

Weil continues her analysis, showing that the difference between rights and duties is simply a difference of point of view:

It makes nonsense to say that men have, on the one hand, rights, and on the other hand, obligations. Such words only express differences in point of view. The actual relationship between the two is as between object and subject. A man, considered in isolation, only has duties, among which are certain duties toward himself. Other men, seen from his point of view, only have rights. He, in his turn, has rights, when seen from the point of view of other men, who recognize that they have obligations toward him. A man left alone in the universe would have no rights whatever, but he would have obligations.

Imagine, for instance, the relationship between a good master and a good servant in Vedic culture, or, for that matter, in medieval Europe. There will be no talk of rights; there are no labor unions, no social security system. Still, just as the servant has duties toward his master, the master has obligations toward the servant. The master, having received years of faithful service, knows he is obliged to care for his servant in sickness, in the infirmity of old age, in death. The servant has, in effect,  all the rights promised by modern “cradle to grave socialism.” But in this case, both master and servant know their obligations, and neither has to ask for his rights.

Weil goes on to point out an important difference between obligations and rights. The former are absolute, or unconditioned, and the latter relative and conditioned:

The notion of rights, being of an objective order, is inseparable from the notions of existence and reality. This becomes apparent when the obligation descends to the realm of fact; consequently, it always involves to a certain extent the taking into account of actual given states and particular situations. Rights are always found to be related to certain conditions. Obligations alone remain independent of conditions. They belong to a realm situated above all conditions, because it is situated above this world.

The sense of obligation is expressed in English by the verbal formula “ought to.” In Sanskrit, there is a special verbal form, called vidhi-lin, that conveys injunctions, that is to say, what was enjoined or directed by Vedic authority. Weil understands that obligations are unconditional. They derive from a transcendent realm.

She continues:

The men of 1789 did not recognize the existence of such a realm. All they recognized was one on the human plane. That is why they started off with the idea of rights. But at the same time they wanted to postulate absolute principles. This contradiction caused them to tumble into a confusion of language and ideas which is largely responsible for the present political and social confusion. The realm of what is eternal, universal, unconditioned is other than the one conditioned by facts, and different ideas hold sway there, ones which are related to the most secret recesses of the human soul.

“The men of 1789” are the architects of the French Revolution. Since they rejected divine injunctions, they had to forgo talk of duties or obligations. They could adduce only the cognate “rights.” Those they could simply assert, without grounding or foundation. Yet, as Weil has pointed out, “rights” by themselves are impotent. To be effective, they require someone else to accept the corresponding obligations.

It is a commonplace in philosophy that it is not possible to derive an “ought” from an “is.” They are two different realms. “Ought” requires an authority. Ultimately, I will argue, an absolute one.  For a person becomes an authority only by being authorized by another. Hence there emerges a sequence of authorizing agents that can only end—where? If the chain has an anchor, a foundation, it ends with the unique self-authorizing authorizer of all others. In other words, God.

Or, of course, with a god-surrogate, an imitator. Your idol du jour.

In the Bhagavatam, the kshatriya kings are guided by the brahmanas, those who are able to know transcendence and who have the skill to apply that knowledge correctly to concete affairs.  In such a society, people are trained from childhood in a culture of obligation.

The results may surprise us.

If we search though Bhagavatam for statements of the obligations of a king, for instance, we discover a citizenry with far more rights that most of us have today.

For example, Prabhupada writes in the purport to Bhagavatam 4.17.12

It is the duty of the king to see that everyone in the social orders—brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra—is fully employed in the state. Just as it is the duty of the brahmanas to elect a proper king, it is the duty of the king to see that all the varnas—brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra—are fully engaged in their respective occupational duties. It is here indicated that although the people were allowed to perform their duties, they were still unemployed. . . . . When the people are perplexed in this way, they should approach the head of government, and the president or king should take immediate action to mitigate the distress of the people.

In other words, everyone has a right to full employment. If people cannot find work, then the state is obliged to arrange for their employment.

Bhagavatam (1.14.41, purport) speaks of the rights of those who are weak, diseased, or old or otherwise helpless:

The brahmanas, who are always engaged in researching knowledge for the society’s welfare work, both materially and spiritually, deserve the protection of the king in all respects. Similarly, the children of the state, the cow, the diseased person, the woman and the old man specifically require the protection of the state or a kshatriya king. If such living beings do not get protection by the kshatriya, or the royal order, or by the state, it is certainly shameful for the kshatriya or the state.

Bhagavatam recognizes (5.15.7, purport) even a universal right to happiness:

As a representative of the Supreme Lord, the king had the duty to protect the citizens in a perfect way so that they would not be anxious for food and protection and so that they would be jubilant.

Of course, governments today do not represent the Lord, nor are the citizens jubilant.

In the eighteenth century, Europe was completing the turn from a God-centered to a human-centered world view. With the triumph of humanism, obligations lost their force, and talk of rights began.

After so many years of humanism, we still hear that the most basic of human rights—food, clothing, shelter, physical security, health—go scandalously unfulfilled in most places in the world.

And the rights of the mute, nonhuman populace are only beginning to be acknowledged.

Yet, for all the handwringing over rights, there is precious little action.  Simone Weil put her finger on the problem: “A right is not effectual by itself, but only in relation to the obligation to which is corresponds.”

Thus, to be effective in bringing about full social justice to human and animals alike we must return to the culture of obligations. Shrila Prabhupada’s presentation of Bhagavatam is intended to effect that return.

We should now recognize that the only way to go forward is by going back. We progress by returning.

You are 10 years old.

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Pujari-Portrait: Dhira Krsna dasa, disciple of H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami.
In which place are you serving? Since when?
Radhadesh, Belgium. I joined the temple full time in April 1992.
Since when are you serving the Deities and how did you get attracted to that seva?
I received second initiation in October 1994 and since then started doing Deity Worship in Radhadesh. I started dressing the Gaura Nitai Deities which are now in Amsterdam and at that time They were hosted in Radhadesh because there were no devotees in Amsterdam who could take care of Them. That was in the years 1995-1996. Soon I also learned to cook for the Deities and found this to be a very sattvic service, which matches perfectly with my personality.
What inspires you the most in your seva to the Deities?
What inspires me is that through this service we are able to directly serve the Lord, as if we were serving Him in the spiritual world. Deity Worship is the Lord’s Mercy upon his devotee. The contact with the Deity is like seeing Krsna in front of you and attending to His desires. Krsna likes to eat opulent, so we cook delicious dishes for Him, He likes to be dressed in beautiful clothes and wear ornaments, and we can dress Him personally, like His servants in Gokula Vrndavan. As pujaris we often get those dreams where we are in anxiety, we may be late in dressing and the curtains have to open right now! Or everything is a mess on the altar and we have to clean up quickly before the darshan time. Those dreams generally happen in reality as well, only the dreams exaggerate the situation. Pujaris relish every minute they are on the altar serving Krsna.
Did you have personal experiences with the Deities which you would like to share? I have had some very nice dreams where I saw Lord Jagannatha. One dream Lord Jagannatha had His altar very high up in a skyscraper, with a huge kitchen next to it and the altar looked like a big stage as in a theater, with the curtains and all. Another dream I saw Lord Jagannatha sitting in a row of sannyasis (yes, he is Jagannatha Swami!) and He had a knife and fork in His hands and He was looking at me with a mood like: “When is My Prasadam coming?”. I also have been so lucky to take Lord Jagannatha on His Ratha Yatra almost every time we had a Ratha Yatra in the Benelux since 1999 when His pujari at that time went to do other things. I think of all the Deities, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama and Lady Subhadra are my favorite Ones.
What kind of advice would you give to a young devotee to get attracted to Deity Worship?
It’s a natural process. I would say, come and do some service for the Deities, even if you are not second intitiated yet, or still a Bhakta or Bhaktin, you can do some service as a pujari helper washing paraphernalia or doing some maha-prasadam transfers. If it is a service that matches to you, you can’t avoid becoming attracted. In fact, one of my first services during the bhakta program was doing the last transfer in the evening. Obviously hard to avoid the temptation of taking some maha prasadam afterwards, but it is hard to wake up the next morning then for mangala arati! Nevertheless new bhaktas should eat a lot of maha prasadam, it’s a good way to survive the attacks of Maya.

100,000 Wishes from China Offered to Vrindavan Wish Tree.
Over 100,000 wishes gathered on Mandali Mendrilla’s sculpture dress “Mandala of Desires”, were offered to a genuine Wish Tree in Vrindavan, UP, India.
An intimate gathering of enthusiasts met under the tree at Kaliya Ghat in Vrindavan, and offered over 100 000 desires gathered on the interactive sculpture dress called “Mandala of Desires” (Blue Lotus Wish Tree) that was on display at the China Art Museum in Shanghai, from December 2015 to February 21. 2016, as part of the exhibition called “Forms of Devotion”, organized by the Belgian MOSA museum and Teamwork from India, and curated by Sushma K. Bahl and Archana Sapra.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/E9wLXO

Hare Krishna. PAMHO. AGTSP.

As the office continues to expand, Waikiki Daily Harinam (WDH) is pleased to announce an exciting service opportunity at our Hawaii headquarters.

There is a newly-formed position of Harinam Director, to be jointly held by two responsible persons. In the spirit of bringing more devotees to the island, applications are now being accepted.

Distinctions will not be made on the basis of race, gender or country of origin.

The ideal candidates include:
1. A pair of traveling male devotees,
2. A properly married couple, or
3. A pair of traveling female devotees

Please submit your applications to our human resources director at:
Dailyharinam@gmail.com

Include the following attachments:
1. Letter of recommendation from a senior devotee,
2. Summary of immigration status
(visa, green card or citizen)
3. Short bio and recent photo

DISCLAIMER: The WDH office requires a commitment of no less than 6 months. Serious inquiries only. The Harinam Directors will be afforded a shared master bedroom (with 2 beds), 3 sumptuous Prasadam meals daily and free public transit. More to follow. Please visit our Facebook page for additional information.

Thank you. AGTSP

-Waikiki Daily Harinam Office

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