Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Los Angeles temple wins 3 awards!
Los Angeles temple (New Dwarka) recently received 3 major awards in India during the 2016 Mayapur Gaur Purnima Festival.
#1 book distribution award for best temple in North America 2015. #1 book distributor Award to Bhakta Jay Khush.
#1 Senior Disciple book distribution award to Bhrigupati Prabhu. A total combined effort of over 249,000 book points!
All for the pleasure of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!
By Radha Mohan das
As part of ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, Bhaktivedanta Manor’s main drama group The Bhaktivedanta Players were invited to perform in ISKCON Mayapur for its huge international Gaura Purnima festival.
As part of the evening stage program, they performed different dramas over five consecutive nights. This included the premier of Jaya Prabhupada: Every Town and Village which covered Srila Prabhupada’s journey to America and his time in New York with Dr Misra, in the Bowery and rounding off in 26 Second Avenue when ISKCON officially began.
Other plays included Jaya Prabhupada: The Gaudiya Foundation, The Golden Avatar, Tales of Narada Muni and the highly popular Musical Ramayan.
“The international stage program pulled together wonderful mixed audiences from across the ISKCON world and it was an honour to be part of it, ” said Players Director Jaya Krishna das. “…and the feedback was excellent!”
“We considered it a great privilege to perform this drama seva in the Holy Dham, especially in observance of ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary” added actor Radha Mohan das
2016 Festival Of Chariots Durban (several brief videos)
Srila Prabhupada: Simply by taking prasada and taking part in chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, ordinary persons are being considerably elevated. Saubhari Muni regrets that he had bad association even in the deepest part of the water. Because of the bad association of the sexually engaged fish, he fell down. A secluded place is also not secure unless there is good association. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 9.6.51 Purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ih135d
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Should new people be told strongly to give up meat-eating? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How can we apply the mood of “Krishna, I am yours”? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post If the devotees who introduced us to bhakti don’t inspire us later, what should we do? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post When Vibhishana went over to the side of virtue, why didn’t Vidura do the same? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post When Lakshmana left Sita unguarded because of her harsh words, whose mistake was it? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How do I know which type of surrender is suitable for us? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How do avoid depression caused by the mistakes we make and by thinking about past bad karma? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Is black magic real – what should devotees targetted by it do? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
By Mukundamala Dasa Discussions about the relationship between science and religion usually end in a stalemate: Scientists accuse religionists of relying too much on faith, which they say is experimentally unverifiable, while religionists accuse scientists of relying too much on physical and chemical laws, which they say fail to measure the emotions and sentiments of a conscious living entity. The scientists fail to address or even acknowledge consciousness and its attendant needs; religionists fail to provide a satisfactory scientific and logical explanation for the practices they follow. The refusal of scientists to experiment beyond mechanistic science and the inability of religionists to present religion as a bona fide science have only widened the gap between the two parties. Continue reading "The Laws of Bhakti
→ Dandavats"
Srimad Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Adelaide
Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Vritrasura lila analysis 2 – The heroic leader and the hidden devotee appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Vritrasura lila analysis 2 – The heroic leader and the hidden devotee appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Sri Mayapur International School - Open Day 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna chant is called the maha-mantra, the great, exalted mantra above all other Vedic mantras, because simply chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra brings so many beneficial effects. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 9.1.17 Purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/JIUpRU
Evening program at ISKCON, Adelaide
Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post The mind is a monkey that makes us a donkey appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
March 29. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Exploring His Western Audience.
Sometimes his mood is light, and he commiserates with his fellow New Yorkers, chuckling about the difficulties they share: “Suppose there is a heavy snowfall, the whole New York City is flooded with snow, and you are all put into inconvenience. That is a sort of suffering, but you have no control over it.” Sometimes he praises Dr. Mishra’s students for having learned so nicely from their teacher: “Now, what Dr. Mishra is teaching is very nice. He is teaching that first of all you must know, ‘Who am I?’ That is very good, but that ‘Who am I?’ can be known from Bhagavad-gita also – ‘I am not this body.’” And sometimes a guest suddenly speaks out with an irrelevant question, and the Swami patiently tries to consider it.
Yet behind his tolerance, Prabhupada’s mood is always one of urgency. Sometimes he talks quickly, and one senses his desire to establish Krishna consciousness in the West as soon as possible. He has no followers, only a few books, no temples, and he openly states that he is racing against time: “I am an old man. I could leave at any time.” So, behind the full delivery of Krishna conscious philosophy is an anxiety, an almost desperate desire to convince at least one soul to take up Krishna consciousness immediately.
Now the constrained situations of Butler and the Ananda Ashram and Dr. Mishra are behind him, he is free to speak about the Absolute Truth in full. Throughout his life he has prepared for this, yet he is still discovering the best ways to present Krishna, exploring his Western audience, testing their reactions.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=6
Exploring His Western Audience
QUESTION: Why did Lord Rama abandon Maa Sita?
This is not my specialty, I am a devotee of Krishna, who, I’ve heard, was Rāma in a previous life. :) Nonetheless, I will try to share with you whatever I know about this heartbreaking topic.
Why did Rāma abandon Sītā?
The answer is simply this: Rāma’s reason-for-being is not prema, it is dharma. Specifically, Rāma’s reason-for-being was to illustrate rāja-dharma, the moral duty of kings.
If you are a king, duty to your citizens supersedes your duty to anyone else, even including family. This is why, for the sake of the citizens, some of whom did not approve of our beloved Sītā, Rāma had to abandon her.
Personally, I would rather have seen such citizens decapitated, but then that is probably why I would not make the best king. As Rāma showed, a king must be willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of his subjects. Sītā Jī came with him in this avatāra of her own accord, knowing what would happen. She sacrificed herself to assist him. This is prema. She is always the emblem of Prema, for she is Sri Radha.
In Rāma līlā, the better character for us is Sītā, not Rāma, I think.
Sincerely,
Vraja Kishor
www.vrajakishor.com
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2014, Mayapur, India, Siksastakam Seminar: Verses 1&2, Part 1)
The process of glorification of Krsna through his name is actually our means of purification. So we are preparing to chant and the first reason why we chant, is for purification, whether it is in kirtan or japa. In japa, we are exposed because in japa we are alone. When you are in kirtan, you can become so swept up in the kirtan that you think you are almost approaching bhava! Then, when you are chanting japa, you realise you are a total neophyte, you have no taste for the name at all because during japa, you are alone with the name and there is no help from the music, there is no help from all the voices chanting to carry us…
[Originally published, 3-28-16 at the beginning of my cancer healing journey]
HOW CAN WE USE OUR SORROW, PAIN OR GREAT LIFE REVERSES TO INVOKE GOD'S GRACE THAT IS HIDDEN BEHIND IT: To be human is to experience pain, betrayal, disappointment, and various kinds of suffering. We may ask, "Why me?" To which I would reply, "Why not you?" We all have our litany lists of wrongs done to us or to those we love. What do we do with this list?
One natural tendency is that we would rather avoid pain than to experience happiness, so in the face of pain, violence, or loss, we tend to either repress it or be angry or resentful about it. I have experienced both of these reactions to life situations. Unfortunately, such reactions are only helpful in the short term, but do little to help us grow as a person, and self-improvement, and ultimately spiritual awakening are, to me, the purpose of life. Otherwise, we have a pointless dog eat dog world, with death being the end of everything.
Could there be some benefit, even great benefit in these experiences? Some will be angry just at my asking this question, and yet, if we don't ask it, we can remain ever in reaction to the past, and keep playing it out in relationship to others.
We also find that even what everyone else thinks is good fortune or an ideal situation can be interpreted by the person in the middle of it as a terrible or awful experience. So while we have all heard this before, the simple yet powerful truth is that our attitude is really what gives meaning to the events of our lives or a statement we hear. This means that we can change our feelings about an experience by changing the meaning we give it, or by using it as a way to improve our lives.
“Devotees are infected with bhakti-sakti and that Krishna consciousness comes out through every pore in their body. Just like you can get someone’s disease by eating the remnants of their food so if devotees are infected by Krishna consciousness then by coming in touch with them—even through the dust of their feet, or the water that has washed their feet, or the remnants of their food, one can get that infection. And we want that infection. It is by the association of devotees that one can develop love for Krishna. And even after having love for Krishna, the association of devotees is still most essential.”
—Giriraj Swami
———————————–
Kirtan by Giriraj Swami
Talk and kirtan by Vaisesika Dasa
Realizations by various devotees
Talk by Giriraj Swami
Gaura Purnima @ ISKCON Ludhiana (Album with photos)
The Appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaura Purnima festival was celebrated by Iskcon, Ludhiana. A large number of people enthusiastically participated in the festival. Deities Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baldeva and Subhadra and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai was looking very beautiful in their colorful dress. There was Aarti of their Lordship and Panchamrit abhishek of Sri Gaur Nitai. Harinam sankirtan was recited by HG Rammurti dasa, HG Kanahiya Dasa and other temple devotees.HG Narottamanand Das, Temple President gave lecture on past time of Sri Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. People were seen dancing on mahamantra and there was also Pushp Holi (Flower Holi) More than twenty five thousand people participated in this mega festival. Chhapan Bhoga was offered to Their Lordship. People were seen in queues for Darshan of Their Lordship. Then fasting prashadam was distributed to the people. For more picture please visit www.iskconludhiana.com or follow link: https://goo.gl/cH6b88
I feel empty and void, and no matter how much love I'm given, it never fills the hole in my heart. It's like a cancer, eating away at me.
I understand that philosophically, that hole in my heart is Krishna, and I'm looking for Krishna's love. Still, it seems that even His love is temporary, as I so often return to this space of pain and devastation in the heart.
Where are You now, Krishna?
Where are You?
You don't seem to be here.
You just keep letting me suffer and be in pain.
I'm angry with You.
Very angry.
You promise that when we take shelter of You, You will never leave us. But you do leave us, You have left me. For so many years I have endeavored taking shelter of You, and I have experienced your shelter and grace. Then it's taken away, it dissolves away.
Where is Your shelter and grace now, where my relationships with my guru, parents, and friends have become empty husks? And now my blessed relationship with Ghanashyam is threatened also by the overflooding waves of pain in my heart of being unlovable.
Where are You?
I am shrieking and sobbing and banging on Your chest. I am so angry with You. So angry. I am hurt. I am hurt. I am hurt that You see my conditioning, You see my flaws, You see the way I make the same mistakes over and over again, You see my sincerity, You see I want to grow, and still,
YOU DO NOT COME.
YOU DO NOT HELP.
I can't do this on my own. I need You. I need help. But You don't come. The pain in my heart is as great as it ever has been. I struggle with the same pain and emptiness I've always struggled with, such a lack of love.
Loveless life.
Loveless heart.
Loveless.
LOVELESS.
You see my pain. You see that I'm crippled, I'm handicapped. I don't know how to give love, receive love. I want to learn, but still, I'm empty.
So
So empty.
So empty.
Gaura Purnima festival 2016 was celebrated with great grandeur in ISKCON Ujjain. Almost 350 devotees came from the different places in India to attend this festival. Fortunately, all the devotees got the rare association of HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. The entire temple was beautifully decorated with flowers & coloured lights. Their Lordships Sri Sri […]
The post Gaura Purnima festival at ISKCON Ujjain appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.
By Khonika Gope-Kumar How should a devotee treat his wife? How should he address her? How should he pacify her when she is angry? How should he guide her if she makes some mistakes? Can we get some clues about these topics from Srimad Bhagvatam? One might wonder whether these are mundane topics and even worth being discussed among the devotees. Srila Prabhupada, nevertheless, stressed a lot on having a harmonious relationship between husband and wife. "A wife should always remain satisfied with her husband, and a husband should always remain satisfied with his wife. In the Canakya-Sloka, the moral instructions of Canakya Pandita, it is said that if a husband and wife are always satisfied with one another, then the goddess of fortune automatically comes. In other words, where there is no disagreement between husband and wife, all material opulence is present, and good children are born" Continue reading "Harmonious Relationship Between Husband And Wife
→ Dandavats"
By Subhag Swami
Empowered among all the disciples of Srila Prabhupada is Jaya Pataka Maharaj. I was seeing in Mayapur around 45 years how he is preaching, village after village, country after country and expand. Bhakti Vinod Thakur says people from all part of the world will get together and do a maha milan. He preaches through Bhakti Vriksha. Very wonderful. Of course Prabhupada said I’m doing and you are all my assistant. You have seen now outside 1000s, lakhs and millions of people coming.
Actually according to the government today is Holy. But today’s only not just holy but today is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance day. Like full moon coming from the ocean, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also coming from the ocean of the womb of mother Sachi like Krishna appeared and is different from Krishna, little bit different, Krishna is Madhurya, embodiment of all sweetness. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is more on other side, Madhurya is there, but he is Audharaya, mahavadanya most broad minded and the people are most fallen. (2:11)
And Nityananda prabhu is bringing everybody to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and one person asked, if you approach the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, his treasure, he can understand the mystery of what is Bhakti. Bhakti is called sometimes mystery the great, by the law of nature. I would request you so today’s appearance day, Nityananda sakthi, He is the most powerful expansion of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Today Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance day, Nityananda one song is very important you can even by heart it if you chant Gouaranga’s name. So I request you, may I request you to , can you chant with me?
Devotees: Yes
Yes please chant with me, Srila Prabhupada also sang this sometimes not always.
bhaja gauranga kaha gauranga
laha gaurangera name
ye jana gauranga bhaje
sei amara prana re
This Nityananda prabhu used to sing which means, bhaja gauranga means if I become a devotee of Gauranga, you try to become the devotee of Krishna, chanting Krishna’s name staying in Vridanavan Dham is alright but Radharani is very strict. If you commit offense, then it is difficult to make progress so it is dangerous. Offense and sins are not same things, subtle difference is there. Unless the person whom you offend forgives, it’s very difficult. Whereas Panchattava, Nityananda and Lord Gaurnaga’s name there is no such thing. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is very very broad minded, Rupa Goswami said “Om namo mahavadanyaya”, he is giving the highest thing, love of God, “Krishna Prem,” He is Audarya, very broad minded he is very compassionate. These things you don’t see in any other incarnations much as it is prominent especially as in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s case. At that time when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appeared 530 years ago from now and in Navadvip people are watching so many things, not Krishna. So Advaita Acharya was very sad and at one point he said by any means I will bring Krishna here. Krishna is very pleased with tulasi and, he worshipped tulasi with Ganga jal. When we come, we just come but he is asking Lord to come, Gaura Nitai. By worshiping and speaking he agitated him saying wake up and the Lord has to come to preach Krishna Consciousness. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to this Nadia district so the whole world comes here. You see Bhakti Vinod Thakur says I’m seeing foreign people, English men, American, all will be coming here, everyone. To start devotional service here at least you can become fastly become liberated, detached from material life of sense gratification
“Vairagya-vidya and bhakti-yoga”
And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s father and mother they are not rich but very simple in the true sense they are rich with love of Godhead. They are lover of great devotee, they were not brahmins, but caste Brahmin keep himself in material world, everybody is hankering after these things, high birth, coming from high education, beauty, power, wealth all these things . But brhamin great sages keep themselves in a very lower position, in improvised state so that he does not become puffed up at the same time we can be humble. This is the most important point Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, to understand God is to be humble. So in kaliyuga lord, Garga Muni is saying that Krishna varnam tvisha Krishnam….
SB: 7.9.38
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
Previously it is said in Canto 7 of Srimad Bhagavatam 9th chapter 38 he said in this lord has appeared as human incarnation, animal, great saintly person, demigod, fish, tortoise and he maintained creation in the planetary system, killed the demons, and protector of principles of religion. But In Kaliyuga he did not clearly state, chana avatar, he came covered, in kaliyuga he came as a devotee. Because when Krishna came he is saying he is Supreme Personality of Godhead, and religion means to completely surrender unto Me only. He wants complete surrender. Many scholar say its too much, it is demanding, who is He to demand such thing, and why only surrender we have got so many reasons, this and that why? So, the Lord came as Chana avatar, covered in kaliyuga. He also comes in three yuga avatar, incarnation. How do we know, this, it is said sadhu sastra & guru and accept the authenticity.
shruti-smriti-puranadi
pancaratra-vidhim vina
You have to substantiate not that whatever I say it is avatar. In India in many district and many places sometimes many avatars are still there. So, we see this feature is there Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has been mentioned in many places. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is mentioned in Mahabharata, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is mentioned by Rupa Goswami, accepted by Vrindavan das Thakur and accepted by Sarvabhuma Bhattacharya like that in many places.
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
These people, those are intelligent they can understand, he will come to preach sankritan dharma in Kaliyuga. Only Krishna kirtan, not any other kirtans. Others introduced so many kirtans. No only Krishna Kirtan. So this was told by Karbhajana Muni to kill Nimi how we will know or recognise the Lord?
Sometimes it is said in Nadia he will come in the bank of Bhagirathi, mother Sachi all these things like that the proof is there. You have to know, who is God. In Kaliyuga it is the yuga dharma, dharma of the yuga. There are different avatars, six types mentioned by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Lila avatar so many avatar. Yuga avatar, lila avatar, shaktiavaesh avatar that ways and in this case he is chana avatar. Also triyuga avatar. Chana means covered. He came as a devotee. And then as he is telling the same thing as Krishna says as in the mood of his greatest devotee, Radharani. This is Radharani’s place. In another scripture it is said Radharani manifested a very beautiful dham it is Navadvip dham. In other scriptures it is mentioned, so that Krishna came and He is teaching us how to serve in the mood of Radharani, He is teaching us how to serve, He is teaching us by kirtan, Krishna kirtan. Surrender to Krishna, submissiveness and it requires qualification. He didn’t come as Vamana, Nrshimha or Ramachandra but as a devotee, most magnanimous incarnation. Krishna says you have to surrender, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is not saying like that. He said, you chant this name, you become devotee of the Lord, you surrender to Him, He himself, who can teach? A devotee can teach. So He is teaching us Himself by acting as an Acharya. Devotee can become an Acharya provided he comes from parampara.
BG:4.2
evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh
So what God said exactly He said, they are saying guru, disciple being qualified then he becomes guru he teaches them. The same system is going on till now by four sampradayas. The lord gave this knowledge to Lakshmi Devi, He gave this knowledge to Rudra, Lord Shiva. He gave this knowledge to Brahma, Brahma’s four sons Sanat Kumaras like that. Like that four sampradayas still exist. Anybody outside this sambrpadaya cannot give this knowledge. Because they are simply repeating what Lord says. So we find many in Bhagavad Gita , 760 of them. At That time when Srila Prabhupada started he discarded them, why? One lady asked, he said because I don’t accept these things, why? They are giving their own Bhagavad Gita about what they think like that, many I don’t want to mention. Thinking body as Kurushetra, Panchapandava as five senses. It is not that we have to surrender within ISKCON. It is not Krishna we should surrender to but something within Krishna, this is against scripture. So Prabhupada gave the name Bhagavad Gita As It Is, as Krishna said “Man mana Bhava”. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said think of Krishna. Who said? Krishna said.
BG:18.65
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ‘si me
Mad bhakto – become my devotee, Krishna Bhakta. Same Krishna came as Gauranga and it is so simple to chant Gauranga…Gauranga!!!!! Very easy and in that no offense.
He can do anywhere else, of course in Kaliyuga everyone is in animal platform. According to the law one is absorbing in only eating, mating sleeping and defending. How to eat nicely how to sleep nicely how to have sensual pleasure, man woman. That is what animals are doing, they know nothing but this. And 98% of people in the name of material advancement only absorbed in this, how to enhance this. This is called materialistic civilization, leading to they don’t know where they are leading to but we know where it is leading to. So Chaitanya mahaprabhu he is very compassionate, Nitayananda prabhu actually is,
parama koruna, pahu dui jana
nitai gauracandra saba avatar
Essence of all avatar, incarnation Kevala Ananda. Very simple chant and dance, that’s all. He cannot dance you ask him any people he cannot, but Bhakta can dance for hours and hours unless he is realised how can he dance? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave this, neither you have to push your nose, neither leave your husband, neither leave wife, neither leave your family, house and children and go to Himalayas neither beard, have matted hair, measuring how big that Sadhu is. No, no not like that. It is also external, Bhakti Vinod Thakur says in the heart if we place Krishna we make our heart clean. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says Kundicha…marjanam. Cleaning your heart by cleaning the temple very simple. Chant and dance. Nityananda will say like this chant like this:
“bhaja gouranga..”
To make a quick advancement when you chant,
sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu-nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara
srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
For that we have to qualify ourselves, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s statement. Eight verses and very simple. Everything is there, whole Vaishnava philosophy. Please chant all the time, nobody is chanting all the time. But Haridas Thakur is chanting why? Because he is qualified to chant
“tranad api sunichena….”
I’m simply repeating, like Jayapataka Swami Maharaj I also have association with Prabhupada long time. Who will try to be shouted by others, anybody like being shouted by others and humiliated? Nobody. Then how you will become saint? Saint doesn’t become a factory made saint. Any saint made in the factory? No? We have to qualify. Once a saintly person was asked by his disciple I see we are reading these demoniac quality and divine quality, BG 16th chapter I think. Please correct me, if I’m wrong. I may be fallen, but I repeat what Srila Prabhupada said whether one likes it in this class that is one’s duty. No one should be after Kanaka, kamini and prastistha very difficult. Wealth, attraction of oppostie sex, name, fame position. You know, what this all leads to. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said one should think I am more fallen, sinful. Bhakti Vinod Thakur said
“āmāra jīvana, sadā pāpe rata..”
Prabhupada actually said, in this Bhativinod Thakur says, all I did was sinful activity, I was very proud when somebody is in distress I enjoy. For my fame I sometimes cheat others. Actually Prabhupada said he is actually steady but what a conditioned soul should be introspecting and search within him to see how much I become qualify to become the devotee of the Lord
So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is saying that
“trnad api sunichena”
He doesn’t protest. He said example of tree, severe cold you know who come from Siberia, Alaska. Somebody may be cutting the tree, mentality scorching heat Dubai even bus going air conditioned everything air conditioned anything I go inside I find there is air conditioner. Again cold countries, Toronto sometimes in TV they advise don’t stay outside even three minutes if you go out you will be frozen ice and you will die, so at once go inside. But tree cannot do like that, he did something in his past life and it is standing like a tree, may be no clothes nothing enjoy. So many clubs there may be In the name of beauty sometimes like that. Son is puffed up so much when his father has got wealth naturally , so when disciple asked the guru and he is reading that Verse
Dharmo datvo ahakarasya…
Symptoms of men who easily get angry, ignorant, puffed up, very arrogant, this is the quality of Asura. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said so how do you chant the name of God all the time? Surrender, become “tranad api sunicena”. Become very tolerant like tree. Tree is giving you when there is scorching sun giving soothing shadow like that. In India in north India if you go there is amla tree especially neem tree if you go under that it is very cooling. He is giving all these things, leaves, barks, flowers, but nice fragrant flower sometimes king of all fruits, variety of all fruits he is giving all these things. But in spite of we taking all that we are cutting down, put fire but he is not saying why you are doing this to me I gave you these, why you are giving me such hard time, you are treating me cruelly he doesn’t say, I’m in this position, “DANDAVATS” ( devotees laughing) he doesn’t expect respect from anyone. Never expect any respect from others, within everybody the Lord is there
BG 18:61
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ‘rjuna tisthat
Theoretical knowledge and also practical knowledge, he realise in service surrender. He respects everyone, even an ant. It is vigyana, he is Brahmin he is perfect Brahmin, he becomes Vaishnava he doesn’t have to have social in a ashram any varna simply by qualification he becomes a vaishanva. He may be Grahasta, may be a woman, or he may be vanaprasta.
Bhaktivinod Thakur was going in a train, he was a magistrate. As usually in India a bad habit I think. Before entering the train a man, someone threw a handkerchief on the seat and said, Hi this is my place you cannot sit here, What? Yes before the train system started by British, Bhaktivinod Thakur, a magistrate in that area was thinking he will go by train. Before him everyone sat down, so he put some mat on the floor and sat down on the floor of the train. Suddenly one of them who was sitting, he got the seat or not, but it wasn’t mentioned like his son younger than Prabhupada’s gurumaharaj Bhakti Siddanta Saraswathi Thakur, he told in his book, in his biography Bhakti Vinod Thakur’s biography he has written. There he is saying one person got up and said, “you are all sitting here but do you know who the top person in this area is”? Yes, there might be some top men like dean, district magistrate like that. Would you sit when he is here? Why are you asking such question, naturally we will not. He asked so what you are doing, what do you mean, he is really our magistrate really? But he is so humble he is not taking anything, demanding. Never demanding simply sitting there. Just like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. When they were putting down Chaitanya Mahaprabhu this in Banaras, Prakasananda Saraswathi he has got so many followers. They were sitting & one of them said, one from Bengal one sentimental sanyasi came and instead of speaking Vedanta he is simply chanting and dancing and millions of people were going. Bhakti is in the heart not in knowledge. If you give your heart, then Krishna will give you knowledge, automatically:
BG:10.11
teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho
jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
If you really have bhakti, if you really open your heart to the Lord by surrendering first then the Lord gives automatically knowledge, this is the result of Bhakti yoga. “janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ” automatically get detachment from material enjoyment because you get higher pleasure, sukam that pleasure is not available in material world that pleasure is only available by chanting the holy name
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
One should always be hankering, we are always hankering for sense gratification. When one is hankering, praying, and crying from core of his heart more service, more service, more service to the Lord and His pure devotee that is what ISKCON is all about. That is why ISKCON is expanding throughout the world unlike other organisation. This is supposed to go according to Bhaktivinod Thankura, upto 10,000 years it will go, nobody can stop 10000 years it will go. So we have got a great responsibility as Prabhupada taught us, I made this movement to build character. If you want to become Vaishnava you want to go back to Godhead, we have to develop Godly character. Doesn’t matter if you are distributing book, if you are a sanyasi, house wife or you are a grahasta. Opportunity is knocking to everybody and is open to everybody this world to become a first class, but everybody may not be qualified. You are a first class person, so you become a pure devotee, how? First you qualify yourself then you go back to Godhead and then take many people to God head. What is the difficulty? It is open. The ISKCON, Prabhupada made, in his book all the ideal questions and ideal answers are there. You simply have to accept it and act and you become pure devotee and go back to Godhead
Prabhupada got a disciple his name is Jayananda prabhu. When Prabhupada was there everyone knew he is there in night working from menial service to responsible service like opening a centre. In those days opening a centre, is like just get some money regularly somehow or the other by doing job and then take house or apartment, preach to others and call some boy or girl, come here chant Hare Krishna, try to take Prasad, don’t eat anything else. At once may not give up everybody. I’m talking about 1970 or little before. I joined in 70s. Staying in the temple and he was doing everything.
Again story how he is humble. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when Tapan Mishra told we cannot tolerate they are insulting you please one day come, here. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted to come one day after insisting so much. He went and he didn’t say anything but calm and quiet. Where everybody is washing their feet He washed His feet there, and sat down there. But at once all the other sanyasis came, why you are sitting here? You can see? Same thing about Bhaktivinod Thakur same about this Jayananda prabhu. Prabhupada said after his disappearance, Prabhupada said when one of the authority talked about Jayananda. Prabhupada said, exactly don’t remember, “this life he will go back to godhead”. So any of us sitting here, not be known by others may go back to God head in this one life. It is to be qualified as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said. Prabhupada said he is free from all these things. He gets all the wonderful qualities of the Lord simply by surrendering, how:
BG: 4.11
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
According to one’s surrender to Krishna. He develops all these wonderful qualities of Krishna, may be little drop of Krishan what Krishna has in devotion just a purity just in quality and then there may be many others, just like in the forest, there are many flowers that may not be appreciated by others, nice fragrance there very beautiful like that.
So Jayananda prabhu will be like that and then one day started ratha yatra. He was driving, took humble service to get money came to know about this movement and then joined and since then what he did was day and night hard work, ask others please help me to do these like this and engage others in service. He is wonderful devotee, devotee could see what he was but till Prabhupada recognised when he is going morning walk he will go and see what he is doing inside the temple.
He used to tell one incident. One day he used to go to many places like police station to get help to start ratha yatra, preach to them. Then people later on came and asked where is this boy where is this boy (Jayananda). Srila Prabhupada said everywhere throughout the world put his picture in front of Jagannath so that everyone could see him. Even today we can see.
So what happened is one man came to see him for some reason and he said that is he there? Yes he is available, you see. Then long time past he said, please wait you will see him. Small building hardly he started the temple of course I wasn’t there and the time is going and this man become impatient and asked is this man in the house? Yes. He went and go through all the room, small building and he came back and said I can’t find him anywhere. May I ask you sir, yes! Are you the man? Immediately he said, yes sir. He was shocked to see he is in charge, he was carrying garbage. Srila Prabhupada said litter means to most menial to top service. When he had leukaemia, blood cancer then he had money from his family members $5000 at that time it is lot of money. He insisted Prabhupada take this money. No its’ for your treatment. Prabhupada no this body I know it won’t be cured so it is better you take. Both of them having war, he say take and Prabhupada won’t take and then Prabhupada thought he accepted teachings of Teachings of Lord Chaitanya and used up the money. Again he heard again the same thing he did, another time he gave. Prabhupada appreciated and then he had to accept it.
Like that there are many wonderful devotees might be there. They are not recognised but Lord recognises them. There are pure devotees here not recognised so Lord Chaitanya’s movement is there and you have come from different countries of the world how much sacrifices in different places they did in Africa, Russia in the beginning of this movement so many devotees went to jail torture may be new generation don’t know. Time will come when then they will find out that is Bhaktivinod Thakur said real Sadhu sanga, you want to do real Sadhu sanga? How Prabhupada worked hard before he went to America and how he went? How he faced hard days struggling before making this worldwide movement. When they asked Prabhupada, his answer different from time to time. Every time he may not say but sometimes he will say. He is like the newspaper boy himself printing himself cannot pay the fare for printing cost, book, and magazine. Vrindavan to Delhi at that time in 1970 before that whole day you cannot come back Srila Prabhupada was staying in Delhi, scorching days much different from Bengal. It is still cold and still hot he will be still distributing books. I can’t go after half past 7 in Vrindavan , morning and noontime and whole day distributing his magazine Back To Godhead, it’s so just to just to save a little small amount of money 1/16th of a rupee its nothing now, we cannot get 1/80 th time. Now 80 time more than that. He was just like a little boy buy some peanut and eat and save some money he will be walking I know many devotees scarified like that. Many girls distribute books they give money, they get so much money but they give every penny and never took any money they are no less than sanyasis. So there are many wonderful devotees like that.
And Prabhupada one day was unconscious, fall down in the street and somebody later on when he see splashed water on his face and said swami, its India especially any Sanyasis they are respecting. And nobody dare to insult a sanyasi. Still this culture is there and Prabhupada tried to introduce this vedic culture to the world. If a perfect Brahmin is qualified he can become a sanyasi he can become Vaishnava or Vaishanvi. These are subject of the thinking of somebody should be introspective think how much progress have I made? How much closer did I come to Krishna? In the mode of pure goodness.
Golokera Prema Dhana Harinama Sankirtana
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave Harinam party and it is not material sound vibration it is as good as the spiritual world. So saintly persons when they chant they will feel no difference between the spiritual world and here, he will see. Ask yourself and see you how you feel? Are you purified? Yes? It will be purified and it will be everlasting. I don’t want to say anything, Prabhupada asked me to repeat what h said. So what I heard from him what I know stay with him, Jayapataka maharaj knows Mayapur or any other place Calcutta west simply repeating. Prabhupada said repeat from my book, don’t be a vedic scholar and read so many books. First digest then it will take you whole life, you still cannot finish Prabhupada books
Digest it put in practice all these things simply tell them. So:
Tranad api sunicena taror api sahishnuna
That Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach us, to become a bhakta, by the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then you will go back to godhead.
Gauranga suti patho….
Who treasure the lotus feet of Gauranga or Gaur Nityananda, sometimes Nityananda is more merciful, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sometimes can reject but Nityananda is very merciful. Nityananda’s expansion is sad guru he suffers for him but we should know our position. We can’t be Vasudeva Datta who said, my dear lord let the whole world go back to Godhead by your mercy let me take their sin and suffer. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said Vasudev!, you are great devotee of the Lord , simply by your desire the Lord will fulfil you don’t have to suffer. But still you want to stay here. What will happen again and again more people will come and fill it up and again more people will go back and again people will come here to the prison house of material existence? But this movement’s purpose is to become a good devotee and the purpose is to bring others as much as possible to the lotus feet of Krishna, or Gauranga easier. Bhaktivinod Thakur said, did and said this is a goshtianandi movement and ISKCON is the movement made and how to propagate how to make more and more people, as many devotees take so many risks at the risk of being tortured. At the risk of their life they still do that many devotees. I think according to official time I have to finish it right now. Haribol, what next I don’t know. Dharshan…so let us go for dharshan of deities?
Gauranga!!!
The post Vrndavana conversation appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
The Jewel of Australia (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The New Govardhan community is like a brilliant jewel set in the colorful green landscape of New South Wales, Australia. Everyone agreed that the kirtan retreat there this weekend was one of the best festivals to ever take place in the Australian yatra. We all vowed to come back next year and make it an annual event.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Du8cny
By Mukundamala Dasa One of my friends in college was known for his immense general knowledge. He knew the names of all recent Hollywood and Bollywood movies, the actors, directors, and producers of each movie, and the winners of Oscar and Filmfare awards from every year. In sports, he knew the winners of each Grand Slam tennis tournament from every year as well as similar information about football and cricket. He also knew the capital city and currency of each country, and a lot more. I was impressed by his memory, and I admired his voracious reading. Here I was struggling to remember basic mathematical and scientific formulae and somehow clear my examinations. I wished I had the ability to retain at least half of what I read daily. Continue reading "Transcendental Knowledge
→ Dandavats"
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How much does Krishna intervene in the lives of good people, if they are not devotees? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post What is the relationship between astrology and karma, especially for devotees? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Why does Bhaktivinoda Thakura refer to temporary duties as anitya-dharma? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How does our material varna relate with our spiritual svarupa? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Should we stabilize our material life before practicing spiritual life? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post Why is tamo-guna needed at all? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How can we know that we have done our best in our services or relationships? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post How can we find our svabhava and change our career accordingly? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
Download by “right-click and save content”
The post If people are nasty to us, should we as devotees just be detached from it? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.