Planet ISKCON

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

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, December 2011, Pretoria, South Africa, Caitanya Caritamrta Lecture)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained to Sanatana Goswami that we must follow in the footsteps of the eternal residents of Vrindavan. We must always act for the pleasure of Krsna. In our sadhana, Krsna must always be in the centre.

My first big festival in the temple was Gaura Purnima. I was celebrating it at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and I had just returned from India. We were in a very big room and we, the brand new devotees, our service was to roll sweet balls the whole day. We were fasting and it was just too much for my mind to be sitting with an ocean of sweet balls. I was thinking, ‘What kind of movement is this? They are fasting and then the whole day they are in the kitchen cooking and busy with and all kinds of prasadam preparations. What is this process?’

I thought it was strange because I was self-centered. I was thinking that it was all austerity which we were performing for our own purification. I did not understand that for one day, for one day, it was a day for Krsna and on that day, instead of worrying of our own senses, as we usually do, on a special festival, we put all our own sense enjoyment aside. There will be no arrangements made for our sense enjoyment. All the arrangements are made only for Krsna’s pleasure, everything! The residents of Vrindavan do that every day!

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He’s channa. Channa means “covered.” Lord Caitanya is a covered avatara, or incarnation, of the Supreme Lord because He appeared as a devotee. In the Kali-yuga He does not appear directly like other incarnations, such as Narsimhadeva, Vamanadeva, or Lord Ramachandra. He appears as a devotee. Why? Because He is the most magnanimous avatara. People are so foolish that they could not understand Krishna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to give mercy to the fallen souls, who are so foolish that they cannot take to Krishna consciousness. He is personally teaching how to take to Krishna consciousness. And that process is this kirtana, chanting Krishna’s holy names. – Lecture in Mayapur on the appearance day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: March 16, 1976 Continue reading "The Hidden Incarnation
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More from the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur.
Sadbhuja Das: This is a sample of our first ‘gold-leafing’ experiment, just to see how the effects and color will be matching for the inside- & outside of the altars, and chamber pillars.

Latest TOVP updates. (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: We’re pleased to inform you of the latest happenings at the TOVP : 3 of the 8 chatris have been completed with blue tiles and kalashes. More segments have been put onto the 3 domes, in preparation for the kalashes. The 4th stage (out of 6) of the decorative sandstone features has been completed. Also 2 more Demigods; Lord Brahma and Laksmi Devi are nearly completed, while the life-size clay model of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur is going on.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/GAQ2mu

Vaishnava Etiquette. Why it is important? by HH Bhakti Charu Swami. Playlist of short interviews taken by ISKCON Desire Tree of HH Bhakti Charu Swami yesterday at ISKCON Mira Road.
Watch them here: https://goo.gl/DEeJIA

The Garland of Prema-Nama.
“Prema-bhakti is the essence of bhakti. If we prepare a garland of flowers, one thread is required and it is woven together. Similarly, when the question of nama-prema-mala comes, what is the thread of that garland? That thread is prema. The mala is woven together with the thread of prema. It is nama-prema-mala. The example is the japa-mala. With our japa-mala we are chanting. That means you should chant the Holy Name feeling acute pangs of separation from Krsna. Then your chanting will be offenceless and the pure name will come out.
This is the most hidden topic in Goloka. It was not given at any time before, but when Mahaprabhu came He gave it, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana. It does not belong to this material world. It belongs to Goloka Vrndavana.”
A lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 17.34-36, delivered by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja on 7 April 1995, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/8cYLKf

March 22. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Singhania Not Interested.
Prabhupada’s series of correspondence with Mr. Singhania, which began hopefully, ended negatively. Mr. Singhania did not reply personally to Prabhupada’s last letter. He had his secretary, Mr. Iyer, write to Prabhupada, thoroughly discouraging his last hopes for purchasing a building in New York.
I regret to write that Sir Padampatji is not interested in the scheme of building a Radha-Krishna temple in New York at present. In regard to the inquiry in the last paragraph of your last letter, Sri Padampatji duly received your books of Srimad-Bhagwatam from your Delhi office. Yours faithfully.
Seeing him from a distance – a tiny figure walking Manhattan streets and avenues among many other tiny figures, a foreigner whose visa had almost run out – we come upon only the external appearance of Srila Prabhupada. These days of struggle were real enough, and very difficult, but his transcendental consciousness was always predominant. He was not living in Manhattan consciousness, but was absorbed in dependence upon Krishna; just as while on the Jaladuta he had suffered his heart attacks, his reading of Caitanya-caritamrta had supplied him “the nectarine of life.”
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=6

Singhania Not Interested

Before Lord Chaitanya appeared He sent His eternal associates like Shri Advaita Acharya, Shri Jagannatha Mishra, Saci Mata, Madhavendra Puri and Isvara Puri to earth.

Shri Madhavendra Puri took initiation from Shri Lakshmipati Tirtha in the Madhvacharya sampradaya. Shri Advaita Acharya and Shri Isvara Puri were the chief disciples of Madhavendra Puri.

In a dream, Lord Gopala ordered Madhavendra Puri to uncover a buried Gopala Deity and install Him atop Govardhana Hill. Madhavendra Puri celebrated Gopala’s installation with an anna-kuta festival. The original Gopala Deity, known as Shri Nathaji, is now worshiped in Nathadvara, Rajasthan.

Here are photos and recordings of Kadamba Kanana Swami from the Sunday Program on 20 March, in Durban.

KKS_DBN_20March2016_SundayProgram_Kirtan

KKS_DBN_20March2016_SundayProgram_Lecture

1. Uniformity of the rules of the universe. These rules that govern the universe do not change across space and time.
2. Human beings have the ability to collect data of the natural world in full through sensory and cognitive abilities. 
3. The laws of logic are consistent everywhere.
4. The adequacy of words and sentences (language) to describe the completeness of nature and behavior of nature.
5. Inductive conclusions based on uniform natural laws are sufficient to describe the natural world around us.
6. The natural world cannot exist outside the realms of the ability of man to make theories - theory-independent external world.
7. The natural world can be explained fully empirically through numbers.

Three Steps.
Sutapa das: The three steps of anything: 1) Initial enthusiasm, 2) doubts, disinterest and struggle 3) eventual reward for the committed. This seems to be the standard pattern for most things in life: studies, career, relationships, hobbies, and yes, even spirituality. The beginning of our spiritual journey is often characterised by idealism. Everything is fresh and fascinating, a whole new world to explore and unlimited opportunities to pursue. We can’t imagine any problems, since it all seems so simple and straightforward. We have finally found what we’ve always been looking for. Unfortunately that honeymoon period doesn’t last forever. Now familiar with the externals, one is forced to dig a little deeper to maintain their commitment and dedication. What in the beginning seemed so natural, now requires a good dose of discipline and determination to maintain.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/jq3n3u

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ISKCON 50th Anniversary offering by Jayadeva das (5 min video)
Early 70’s pop star John Richardson aka Jayadeva Prabhu is set to release his ISKCON 50th Anniversary offering–the virtual mantra choir. Having gathered the voices of devotees from more than 25 countries, Jayadeva conducts the Mantra Choir in singing the name of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The track will be released on Gaura Purnima day (23 March) and can be live streamed from www.mantrachoir.com.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/dSVCsM

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the supreme enjoyer, whose form is transcendental, who is beyond the touch of the three modes of material nature, and who is the all-pervading Supersoul residing in the hearts of all living entities, will appear again in the Kali age. Appearing as the greatest devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will assume a two-armed form of golden complexion in His abode of Goloka Vrndavana manifested on the bank of the Ganges at Navadvipa. He will disseminate pure devotional service in the world Caitanya Upanisad 5 Continue reading "Vedic Evidence that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Lord
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We know a great deal about the life and teachings of Lord Caitanya because His immediate followers wrote many books, all authoritatively based on the Vedic scriptures. His chief literary followers were known as the six Gosvamis. Among them, Jiva, Sanatana and Rupa especially wrote dozens of scholarly spiritual books proving bhakti, or love of Krsna, to be the ultimate goal of the Vedas. Krsnadasa Kaviraja and Vrndavana dasa Thakura also wrote authoritative biographies of Sri Krsna Caitanya, and many of their learned followers have contributed elaborations and expositions upon the philosophy of Lord Caitanya, thus establishing the basis for a complete and consistent spiritual movement. Continue reading "The Appearance of Lord Caitanya
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Navadvipa-Mandal Parikrama 2016 (6 min video)
Parikrama at New Varshana, New Zealand.
Srila Prabhupada: “Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.51 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/Nz00Ft

The “Urge To Speak”
Vaco-vegam means the urge to speak. This was the topic of discussion in our morning Sadhana Class at TKG Academy last week, as older classes study the first verse of the Nectar of Instruction.
“Why would we want to control the urge to speak? When should one DEFINITELY TALK? How to speak pleasantly and for the benefit of others?” Eye-opening discussions ranged from “I won’t interrupt my mom on the phone.” to “What if I hurt someone with my words?!” to how to discuss issues that arise naturally in relationships.
Was it not such a lovely coincidence that His Holiness Giriraj Swami had given an eye-opening lecture on this very same topic during the recent Kirtan50 festival in Dallas? The few students who had attended quoted his words. Surprisingly, however, Sri Krishna had a special surprise in store for us. That very same Swami, His Holiness Giriraj Maharaj, had agreed to a private darshan with all of us in his quarters!
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/7yTd5R

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