Planet ISKCON

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By Mathura Lilesvari Devi Dasi

Yes! 50 years of ISKCON is a big deal. We have come a long way since Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON in 1966 but we still have miles to go. Srila Prabhupada envisioned Malaysia as a fertile ground to cultivate Krishna Consciousness as early as 1971. In May 1971, Malaysia was fortunate to have its soil blessed by the dearest devotee of Srimati Radharani, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

In Malaysia, the devotees are enthusiastically and creatively coming up with various ideas on how to commemorate ISKCON’s 50 years. One such idea focuses on book distribution.

Srila Prabhupada has always emphasised on book distribution. Our movement was largely expanded in the early days due to book distribution. Keeping this in mind, the devotees in Malaysia came up with an idea that combined book distribution and ISKCON50 celebrations.

Every devotee in Malaysia is encouraged to distribute 50 Srila Prabhupada books as an offering to ISKCON50. 50 books a year translates to an average of only 4 books a month. This is something practically and doable by even a child.

To make it easier for devotees, the books have been bundled up as sets of 50 books and devotees who are eager to participate in this ISKCON50 book rally can take the 50 books up front and distribute it at their own convenience.

The regular book scores by ISKCON Malaysia averages around 40,000 books a year. This effort would increase the number by 25,000 making the yearly score for 2016 to around 65,000 books.

HG Kripa Sindhu Krishna Das, Temple President, Sri Jagannatha Mandir Kuala Lumpur said, “We launched this effort on Nityananda Trayodasi. We saw no better day to launch this initiative as Lord Nityananda is the primary preacher in Lord Caitanya’s movement. We hope to receive Lord Nityananda’s mercy and pray that he empowers the devotees in Malaysia to make this project a success”.

Meanwhile, HG Simheswara Das, Regional Secretary, ISKCON Malaysia said, “With the support of the various congregations in Malaysia we are targeting to at least get 500 devotees to participate in this book rally all over Malaysia. 500 devotees distributing 50 books each would mean by the end of 2016, we would have distributed 25,000 Srila Prabhupada books just on this initiative alone”.

The devotees who are participating in this book distribution rally are also encouraged to distribute the books to people who are completely new to Krishna Consciousness and if possible to take to the streets and create a larger visibility of the Hare Krishna’s in this way.

The devotees in Malaysia are seeking blessings from vaisnavas all over the world in making this effort a success and to bring the message of Lord Caitanya and Nitai to every town and village.

“The main thing is the distribute books more and more.” Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Balavanta, October 4, 1976

Photos : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.838322276295730.1073742386.532840756843885&type=3

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Diary of a Traveling Monk
Volume 14, Chapter 7
February 21, 2016
By Indradyumna Swami

The Singing Janitor

Whenever I come to Mumbai I stay at the home of my disciple Narottam Dasa Thakur Das and his wife Manjari Devi Dasi. Today, Narottam had come with me to the hospital for my PET scan, a checkup for any recurrence of the cancerous skin cells I had had surgically removed last year.
“I’m doubly nervous,” I said to Narottam as we sat in the waiting room. “What if the cancer comes back? I’ll have to go through another operation and all the rest.”
“We’re all praying for you,” said Narottam.
“And I’m nervous about the scan,” I said.
“Why?” asked Narottam. “Scans don’t hurt.”
“I know,” I said. “But it gives me the creeps when they lay me out on the table and roll me into that machine. It’s as if they were feeding me into the mouth of some big monster.”
I looked across the room and saw a janitor pushing a broom across the floor. “And just look at that guy over there,” I said. “He’s talking loudly to himself and laughing at his own jokes. It’s annoying, and it makes everything worse.”
“Maybe he’s a little crazy,” said Narottam.
“He’s not crazy,” said the man next to us. “I come here often and always see him. He’s just eccentric.”
The janitor strode past us, his thinnish frame dressed in a khaki-colored uniform, his brown eyes darting here and there. He was pushing his broom in wild motions, seemingly unaware of the patients in the room. I could see that others were disturbed by him too.
“Now he’s singing to himself,” I said to Narottam. “And off key at that.”
The man next to us laughed. “He keeps the place pretty clean, though,” he said. “And he means well.”
The receptionist behind the desk called out to the sweeper. “Mahesh! Deliver this package to Doctor Agarwal. He’s in room sixteen on the fourth floor.”
Mahesh’s broom made a loud clattering sound as he dropped it on the floor and hurried over to the desk. “Yes, Ma’am,” he said. “Right away, Ma’am.” His voice was high-pitched and reedy. As he walked toward the elevator he read out the address on the parcel in a loud voice. “Doctor Agarwal, room sixteen, fourth floor. Wow! A big package of stuff for the doctor!”
As the elevator doors closed, obscuring his grinning face, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Eccentric is an understatement,” I said to Narottam. “Anyway, it’s quiet at last.”
But just ten minutes later the elevator door opened and he was back. “Done!” he shouted. He hurried to pick up his broom and began sweeping again in the same big strokes, all the while singing in his shrill voice. The noise was oppressive, but I managed to doze off for a few minutes till I heard my name being called over the loudspeaker. I walked into the examination room, where I saw several nurses and, to my surprise, Mahesh busily organizing items in a medical cabinet. “Oh no,” I thought. “What’s he doing here?”
“Mahesh,” said one of the nurses over her shoulder, “could you kindly take this bag to Doctor Reynolds in room 404.” Mahesh didn’t say a word as he danced across the room to collect the bag. He opened the door with a theatrical flourish and disappeared down the hallway.
“While we are preparing the solution for your scan,” the nurse said to me, “please put on this hospital gown and then come and sit in this chair.” I went into another room to put on the gown, then came back.
“Ouch!” The nurse was sticking a needle into a vein on my wrist. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Mahesh had come back into the room. Suddenly, my chair began to slip under the pressure of my weight and knocked against the table where the nurse had all her equipment. A glass bottle teetered on the edge, and as she reached out to grab it, she accidentally yanked the needle out of my wrist.
“Mahesh!” she called, “Quick! Help!”
Mahesh dashed across the room, caught the bottle and put it back on the table. The nurse picked up the syringe, which was now in my lap. “Mahesh,” she said, “could you please hold this gentleman’s chair while I inject him.”
“Yes,” he said. He gripped the chair with both hands, a serious look on his face.
“Ouch!” The nurse found another vein. Mahesh leaned over and, to my surprise, began to speak in fluent English. “Sir,” he said, “this is a most auspicious day for me. Somehow by dint of my past pious activities, I have the good fortune to serve a sadhu. Such opportunities are rare.”
Then he quoted a verse from the Padma Purana:
aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam
“My dear goddess, of all types of worship, the worship of Lord Vishnu is the best, and even better than the worship of Lord Vishnu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaisnava."
“What?” I said. “How do you know that verse?”
“I study sastra,” he replied softly, still gripping the chair.
“You’re a devotee of Krsna?” I asked.
“One day,” he said. “One day I hope to become a devotee of the Lord.”
“Are you from a family of Vaisnavas?”
“No,” he said. “I am an orphan. The devotees of the Lord are my family.”
Then he quoted a verse from the Bhagavad Gita:
mac-citta mad-gata-prana
bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityam
tusyanti ca ramanti ca
“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.”
I suddenly realized that I had been so busy criticizing him that I hadn’t noticed his peaceful face and his moist, sparkling eyes.
“Sir,” Mahesh said, smiling slightly, “when I saw you in the reception room earlier, I knew in my heart that the Lord had sent you to give hope to all the unlucky people suffering in this place. Your presence alone brings joy.”
The nurse’s voice brought me back to the present. “The injection is done,” she said. “Please go to the next room to wait for your scan.”
“Sure,” I said. “But first let me ask Mahesh if –––” I turned back to him, but he had gone.
“Where did he go?” I asked the nurse.
“To sweep, probably,” she replied without looking up.
As I waited in the adjoining room, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. “I misjudged that man,” I thought. “I was ridiculing him in my mind, but he is more of a devotee than I am. I’ve committed a serious offense. I’ll have to beg him to forgive me.”
Suddenly a sign flashed my name. It was my turn for the PET scan. A nurse welcomed me and helped me lie down on the scanning machine. “Stretch your arms over your head,” she said. “You need to lie completely still for a full ten minutes.” Although I had been nervous about the monster, I relaxed and slowly drifted off to sleep. I woke up when I felt someone touch my feet. I heard a voice singing softly: “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”
I opened my eyes. It was Mahesh. “Mahesh,” I whispered, “I need to talk to you.”
But again he vanished as quickly as he had appeared. The scan ended and the sense of shame came over me again. “I’m just an offender,” I thought as I changed into my clothes. I followed the exit signs until I came to the reception room, now twice as crowded as before. I was signing some papers at the reception desk when I heard the high-pitched voice of Mahesh singing. I looked up and saw him dancing across the back of the room pushing his broom.
I rushed across the room. “Mahesh! Mahesh!” I called out. “I need to speak to you!” But before I could reach him, he had disappeared through a glass door. As he danced down the hallway to another part of the hospital, I fell on my knees and prayed for forgiveness:
vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca  krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo  vaisnavebhyo namo namah
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls” [Sri Vaisnava-pranati].
As I stood up, I suddenly remembered that I was in a crowded waiting room. Everyone was staring at me.
“Let them stare,” I thought. “At the worst they’ll think I’m crazy; at the least they’ll think I’m eccentric. But I’ll know I am paying my respects to the wonderful Vaishnava I unexpectedly met today.”
Srila Prabhupada has written:
“Your complaint is that you have met two of my young disciples in California and they appeared to you as having ‘a very negative outlook towards the people they meet.’ Of course, I do not know the case, what are the circumstances, but kindly forgive my beloved disciples for any un-kindness or indiscretions on their part. After all, to give up one’s life completely for serving the Lord is not so easy thing. And maya, or the illusory material energy, she tries especially hard to try to get back and entrap those who have left her service to become devotees. So sometimes in the neophyte stage of devotional service, in order to withstand the attack of maya and remain strong under all conditions of temptation, young or inexperienced devotees will adopt an attitude against those things or persons possibly harmful, threatening to their tender devotional creeper. To come to that platform of understanding things as they are, that is not a very common thing, and therefore such persons who attain to it, they are described as ‘great souls.’”
[Srila Prabhupada letter to Lynne Ludwig, April 30, 1973]

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HH Kadamba Kanana Swami Lunch Talk 04.02. 2016

February 22. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Prabhupada’s Versatility.
Prabhupada was sometimes as strong as a thunderbolt, other times soft as a rose. When, sometimes, persons would ask Prabhupada esoteric details about Vrindavana or the rasa dance, he would cut them short. Rather than answer their questions directly, he would address their mentalities. Yet, at the same time, he would fully answer the questions of a sincere inquirer.
We should be proud to have such a guru, who adopted the chopping technique of his own spiritual master in trying to save the world from maya, but was fully capable of understanding Vrindavana bhajana-rasa. After all, he lived in Vrindavana for years, wrote his books there, and lived alone at the Radha Damodara Temple. He was very, very sensitive to the atmosphere in Vrindavana. Even his silence on the subject of rasa-lila made us feel his potency, his power. Krishna’s pastimes took place in Vraja, although, at present, They are aprakata, not manifest now, Prabhupada knew about Krishna’s pastimes.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=5

Prabhupada’s Versatility

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Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, November 2015, Vrindavan, India, Video Interview)

When Krsna left Vrindavan for Mathura, the gopis of Vrindavan and Nanda Maharaj felt great separation from Krsna – they all wanted to see Krsna. Therefore Krsna sent Uddhava to Vrindavan with a philosophical message, to say that Krsna is everywhere. Nanda Maharaj replied, ‘This Uddhava, he does not know what he is talking about! He is still wet behind his ears! He is just a boy! What is the point of Krsna being everywhere!? We want to see him with our own eyes, we want to drink in the sound of his flute! We want all this nectar!’

Therefore we go to the temple to see the deity form of Krsna. In Jaipur, you see old men every morning at three o’clock, walking in the street for five to ten kilometers to go the temple. They go there before Govinda and they chant, ‘Govinda, Govinda, Govinda!!!’ The perfection of old age! Because they want to see Krsna and such eagerness to see Krsna will bring us to the spiritual world. Therefore to say that Krsna is everywhere is not satisfying.

Speaker: Bhakti Vigna Vinasa Narasimha Swami Venue: Sri Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir Date 20-FEB-2016 Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda! Jaya Advaitacandra Jaya Gaurabhakta vrnda! So today the auspicious day of the appearance day of Lord Nityananda.  We will attempt to speak some of the glories of Lord Nityananda for the pleasure of the devotees. […]

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Please view the following galleries Abhishek Darshan Many years ago, Lord Nityananda opened the first Namahatta, selling the Holy Name to everyone who was willing to pay with Faith, and yesterday, Mayapur devotees had the amazing good fortune to be able to personally participate in this wonderful Pastime of Lord Nityananda prabhu. Signs in the […]

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Please view the following galleries Abhishek Darshan Ekachakra is a small village located 20 km away from the town of Rampurhat in Birbhum district of West Bengal (165 km from Sridham Mayapur).This small village is usually very quiet but During the Kurukshetra battle when Krishna broke His pledge of not taking sides in the battle […]

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Sri Svapna-vilasamrtastaka.
Eight Prayers Describing Nectar Pastimes in a Dream
(by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
—-
Srimati Radharani said: Beloved, in a dream I saw a river shore like the Yamuna here. There were many expert dancers as in Vrndavana. There were mrdangas and other instruments. There was a brahmana jewel as splendid as lightning who was tossing the universe into an ocean of pure love.
—-
Sometimes He calls out: “O Krsna!” and sometimes He sighs: “O Radha, where are You?” Sometimes He falls to the ground, sometimes He acts wildly, losing all composure, and sometimes He dances ecstatically with His loving associates. He has made all the residents of this world, from the blades of grass up to Lord Brahma, loudly call out the name of Krsna.
—-
As I gazed at Him, My intelligence became bewildered. If He is my lover, where am I? If He is I, where is My lover? If He is My lover, where am I? As I slept, I became more and more bewildered.
—-
Sri Krsna said: O inquisitive girl, when I showed You Narayana and My other forms You were not surprised. Why does this brahmana surprise You? Why does He bewilder You so You say “Who is He?”
—-
After speaking these words to His beloved, the smiling lover, Krsna, touched His Kaustubha jewel. The jewel, understanding the Lord’s intent, glowed and then showed all the same pastimes and all the moving and non moving entities She saw in her dream.
—-
Srimati Radharani reflected for a moment and said: Beloved, I know what is in Your heart now that makes You smile. You are He. What You have said and thought is now clear to Me, and therefore I think I am also He.
—-
Making this Kaustubha jewel, which is so delightful to Us, shine in this way, You have revealed Yourself to all living entities. By Your own transcendental potency You will appear, display Your pastimes, teach everyone, and again plunge the world into the ocean of pure love.
—-
In the king of Vraja’s presence, the learned Vedic scholar Gargacarya said that You will appear with a yellow complexion. He did not lie. This dream of Mine is true. It is not an illusion. In this dream I have directly seen You.
—-
If the bumble-bee of the reader’s mind drinks the nectar of this Svapna-vilasamrta, then that intelligent reader will quickly awaken from the dream of materialistic doubt. Such a reader will attain Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He will sport in the ocean of pure love. He will attain the peerless mercy of the king of Vrndavana.

Parikrama in Vrindavana (Album with HR photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the material world, everything is full of anxiety (kuntha), whereas in the spiritual world (Vaikuntha) everything is free from anxiety. Therefore those who are afflicted by a combination of anxieties cannot understand the Hare Krishna mantra, which is free from all anxiety. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 7.74 Purport)
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By Sutapa Das

Srila Prabhupada emphasized distribution of his books and proclaimed that even if 1 percent of the whole world’s population become devotees of Krishna, His mission is accomplished.  As Srila Prabhupada rightly mentioned, these books are like time bombs, they show their effect when the right time comes.

My ambition is to spread these books far and wide all over the world so that everyone shall read at least one of our books and that will change his life. If only 1% become devotees, that will change the whole world.
— Correspondence, Tokyo, 2/5/1972

Puttur is a place 50 km away from Mangalore, Karnataka. 20 years ago, one person (now Bhakta Prashanth at ISKCON Mangalore) from Puttur received  one book written by Srila Prabhupada from His Grace Madhava Prabhu of ISKCON Mangalore. He was so inspired by the book and the spiritual guidance given by Madhav prabhu that he started preaching in his small town. Over the years that followed, more than 1000 copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is were distributed there.

Recently, ISKCON Mangalore Sri Jagannath Mandir organized a Bhagavad Gita contest across more than 15 schools in Puttur, as an effort to attract the school children and their parents towards devotional service. Around 800 students took part in the contest, and the winners were given awards on Feburary 14th 2016. The program was attended by more than 600 students accompanied by their parents and friends. The chief guest, Sri Radha Krishna Bhakta, one of the many local leaders who appreciate the event, blessed all the children with a bright future. His Grace Srirama Prabhu (President, ISKCON Mangalore) reinforced the message of Krishna Consciousness to the audience in a brief talk. Several parents expressed their desire to attend spiritual programs on a weekly basis.

HG Smitha Krishna Prabhu gave the Vote of Thanks and encouraged all the students to read Bhagavad Gita As It Is everyday and try to apply the knowledge in their lives. A special thanks to His Grace Suvarana Gaura Prabhu and Bhakta Vishal Prabhu for playing key role in Puttur preaching and doing all the ground work for making this mission of Prabhupada a great success in Puttur.
Following the “1 percent” instruction of Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON Mangalore is making efforts to spread the Holy Name and transcendental knowledge in his books around Mangalore. ISKCON Mangalore book distribution scores doubled compared to last year, reaching 2500 big books in December Marathon 2015.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Sutapa Das
Communication Incharge
ISKCON Mangalore

Srila Prabhupada Tirthas in Kolkata. An Aerial Tour. (4 min video)
The place where Srila Prabhupada was born, the school he attended, the murtis he worshiped and the Gaudiya Math temple where he first met Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, his spiritual master. Also the port in Kolkata where he boarded Jaladuta for his historic trip to The West.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/uJH141

Festival for Lord Nityananda in Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Sri Sankaracarya says: na hi na hi raksati dukrn karane. “Simply by juggling grammatical suffixes and prefixes one cannot save himself from the clutches of death.” The grammatical word jugglers cannot bewilder a devotee who engages in chanting the Hare Krishna naha-mantra. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 7.73 Purport)
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By Sri Nandanandana Das

Narottama Dasa serves Srimati Radhika as Camaka-manjari. His samadhi is in Radha Gokulananda's temple courtyard.The following excerpt comes from Prema-bhakti-candrika: "Radha and Krishna are my goal in life and death, and They are the masters of my breath. Performing my bhajana only for Them, I rise and fall in the ocean of prema. I pray that I can always maintain this conception within my heart as my highest ideal. "Let me serve the lotus feet of Radha-Govinda. Let my mind be filled with dedication to Their divine forms that defeat the beauty of Cupid and Rati. With a straw between my teeth I fall at Their divine feet and present my humble appeal: '0 Kishora-Kishori! 0 son of Nanda Maharaja—Syamasundara! And 0 daughter of King Vrsabhanu, Sri Radha. You enchant even Hari, and Your bodily complexion is the color of a golden lotus. 0 Krishna, with a bodily color like an indranila gem (blue jewel), Your beauty mocks Cupid. Continue reading "Narottama Dasa Thakura
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Several nights ago there was an incident in Mayapura outside the Conch Building where tempers flared and a scuffle ensued among several dozen devotees. Angry words were exchanged and some began pushing and shoving. One devotee was hit in the head with a stick. There were no serious injuries. However, that such tension has manifest in the Dhama raised concern for many devotees. 

By Bhakti Vigna Vinasa Narasimha Swami

So today the auspicious day of the appearance day of Lord Nityananda. We will attempt to speak some of the glories of Lord Nityananda for the pleasure of the devotees. Lord Nityananda appeared in Ekacakra dhama. Lord Nityananda was the son of Hadai Ojha and Padmavati. Hadai Ojha was brahmana. Padmavati was the daughter of a king, Mukuta Roy. I had the opportunity last week of going to some of the places around Ekacakra with HH Bhakti Nityananda Swami. Of course he is Bengali, so he able to research many of the places and he showed me the place actually where Nityananda’s father in law lived. His name was Mukuta Roy. Actually that place today, there is a saw mill there in that place. But for us its the birthplace of one of the family members in the line of Lord Nityananda. Continue reading "The appearance day of Lord Nityananda
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By the GBC Executive Committee

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We are writing to give you a brief official update from Mayapura regarding the upcoming ILS and GBC meetings.

Several nights ago there was an incident in Mayapura outside the Conch Building where tempers flared and a scuffle ensued among several dozen devotees. Angry words were exchanged and some began pushing and shoving. One devotee was hit in the head with a stick.

There were no serious injuries. However, that such tension has manifest in the Dhama raised concern for many devotees.

This incident is related to a few underlying management and community issues that have surfaced over the past few months. The GBC members, most of whom are now in Mayapura, have been meeting with local leaders and other devotees to assess the source of the problems, cool tempers, and consider how to resolve the issues.

As might be expected, rumors have circulated, including some rather wild exaggerations and untrue speculations.

Some have questioned whether the upcoming meetings will be postponed.

The GBC wishes to confirm that the GBC meetings, the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS), and the Mayapura Festival will go on as scheduled.

We request devotees who were planning to come to Mayapura to please do so. We look forward to productive meetings, an enlivening Leadership Sanga, and of course an inspiring Gaura Purnima Festival in your association.

Your servants,

GBC Executive Committee

---

Updates on the status of Kadamba Kanana Swami’s health will come from him. For now, we will share some photos and audio recordings. Maharaj has often said that preaching gives life and despite all the current challenges, on the auspicious occasion of the appearance day anniversary of Lord Nityananda (20 February), he gave a lecture to the large crowd of devotees who attended the festival at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple in Durban, South Africa.

KKS_SA_DBN_20Feb2016_Nityananda’s Appearance Day_Intro_Kirtan

KKS_SA_DBN_20Feb2016_Nityananda’s Appearance Day_Lecture

 

The above media is courtesy of Vibhu Caitanya Das, Nimai and Merumala dd. 

Giriraj Swami addressed devotees and students from California State University.

“Somehow or other come to Krishna, come to God. He is known by different names, in different cultures and it is the same supreme. But, the beauty of Krishna consciousness id there is more detail. There is more information. Any bona-fide religion will say you should love God, that is the goal of life. But, if you ask them who is God they don’t have a clear conception and you cant really love someone unless you know the person. The literature begins with the Bhagavad-gita and there are other books with more details. Then you can really learn about how kind. merciful and loving God is and you can develop your relationship with Him. It is also a service to God to help others come to Him.”

02.19.16, Channel Islands, Camarillo

Nityananda trayodasi celebration at ISKCON Salem (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s transcendental mission is to distribute love of Godhead to everyone. Anyone who accepts God as the Supreme can take to the process of chanting Hare Krishna and become a lover of God. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 4.41 Purport)
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Shilanayaas Puja @ ISKCON Jalandhar.
The Devotees of ISKCON Jalandhar celebrated Sri Nityananda Trayodashi in a very special way. On The special morning the devotees had organized the Shilanyaas puja and Yajna for Lord Jagannath’s upcoming Installation Ceremony.
The Yajna was performed by HG Balbhadra Das, and was overseen by Temple President Ramanuja Acharya Das and approx 150 of the Temple devotees.
Special Guests included Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Sh. Vijay Sampla (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet Minister) and Ashwani Gupta (Former Independent Director of State Bank Of Patiala).
Devotees chanted mantras during the Yajna and afterwards placed the sacred pot in the ground where Lord Jagannath will be Sitting)

February 21. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Please Bless Us for Advancement.
One should pray to Prabhupada, “Please bless us for advancement,” with confidence that everything we desire in spiritual life can be achieved by his mercy. His mercy comes in many forms. It comes in his books. He gave us his books, but we have to enter them. If we pray for understanding when we read, Krishna will give us the intelligence.
Prabhupada can also help us through the heart. The pure devotees are just as good as Krishna. They can expand in different places at the same time. They are inconceivable in their power. They are not limited by material circumstances. Prabhupada’s mercy can act in many ways. The sastras tell us of gurus who come back to help their disciples.
We want to reciprocate with Prabhupada by fulfilling his intentions for us. He intends that we become pure devotees of Krishna. Therefore, we can take siksa from someone who is also in line with Prabhupada, someone who can help us to better understand Prabhupada’s teachings.
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Vanity Karma – Jayadvaita Swami

Please Bless Us for Advancement

https://flic.kr/s/aHskroY1ZE

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Глава 7

 

Всякий раз, приезжая в Мумбай, я останавливаюсь в доме своего ученика Нароттам Даса Тхакур Даса и его жены Манджари Деви Даси. Сегодня Нароттам отправился со мной в больницу на ПЭТ-сканирование для контроля рецидива рака кожи, хирургически удаленного у меня в прошлом году.

– Что-то я в два раза больше нервничаю, – сказал я Нароттаму, когда мы уселись в зале ожидания. – Что, если рак вернулся? Придется пройти еще через одну операцию и все такое.

– Мы все молимся о вас, – сказал Нароттам.

– Из-за сканирования тоже нервничаю, – сказал я.

– Зачем это? – спросил Нароттам. – Сканирование безболезненно.

– Знаю, –  ответил я. – Но у меня мурашки по коже, когда меня укладывают на эту тележку и вкатывают в аппарат. Будто отдают на съедение какому-то монстру.

Я оглядел помещение и увидел санитара, толкающего по полу швабру.

– Только посмотри на этого парня, – проговорил я, – разговаривает сам с собой и сам себе смеется. И так все плохо, а тут еще и он.

– Может быть, он немного ненормальный, –  сказал Нароттам.

– Он нормальный, – сказал мужчина рядом с нами, – я здесь часто бываю и всегда его вижу. Он просто эксцентричен.

Санитар прошелся мимо нас, его худосочное тело было в форме цвета хаки, карие глаза бегали из сторону в сторону. Он резко толкал свою швабру, по всей видимости, нисколько не заботясь о пациентах в зале. Было заметно, что и другие им обеспокоены.

– Ну вот, теперь он что-то поет себе под нос, – сказал я Нароттаму, – да еще и фальшивит.

Мужчина, сидящий рядом с нами, рассмеялся.

– По крайней мере, он хорошо здесь убирает, – сказал он, – и у него добрые намерения.

Регистратор за стойкой окликнула санитара:

– Махеш! Отнеси пакет д-ру Агарвалу. Четвертый этаж, кабинет шестнадцать.

Швабра Махеша грохнулась об пол – бросив ее, он поспешил к стойке.

– Да, мэм, – произнес он, – сию минуту, мэм.

Голос у него был высокий, гнусавый. Шагая к лифту, он громко оглашал адрес на свертке.

– Доктор Агарвал, четвертый этаж, кабинет шестнадцать. КрутоОго! Сколько всего для доктора!

Двери лифта закрылись, скрывая его лыбящееся лицо, и я вздохнул с облегчением.

– Эксцентричен – это мягко сказано, – проговорил я Нароттаму. – Ну, по крайней мере, наконец-то тихо.

Однако спустя десять минут двери лифта открылись, и он вернулся.

– Сделано! – прокричал он и, поспешив к своей швабре, снова начал водить ею в своей манере, да еще при этом запел своим пронзительным голосом. Звук был тягостный, но у меня получилось отключиться и подремать насколько минут, пока я не услышал, как в репродуктор объявляют мое имя. Зайдя в смотровой кабинет, я увидел нескольких медсестер и, к своему удивлению, Махеша, деловито расставляющего предметы в медицинском шкафчике. «О нет! – подумал я. – Здесь-то он что делает?»

– Махеш, – сказала одна из медсестер через плечо, – будь добр, отнеси пакет (сверток) доктору Рейнолдсу в 404 кабинет.

Махеш, не говоря ни слова, протанцевал через кабинет забрать пакет. Потом распахнул дверь, театрально отсалютовал и исчез в коридоре.

– Пока мы готовим раствор для вашего сканирования, – сказала мне медсестра, – пожалуйста, наденьте больничную накидку, и когда вернетесь, садитесь в это кресло.

Я вышел в другую комнату, переоделся и вернулся.

– Ай! – сестра ввела мне иглу в вену на запястье. Краем глаза я заметил, что в кабинет возвратился Махеш.  Внезапно кресло под моим весом накренилось и стукнулось о столик сестры с медицинским оборудованием. Стеклянная бутылка скользнула к краю, и медсестра, потянувшись ее подхватить, случайно выдернула иглу из моего запястья.

– Махеш! – крикнула она. – Сюда!

Махеш бросился через кабинет, подхватил бутылочку и вернул ее на стол. Медсестра подобрала шприц, оказавшийся на моих коленях.

– Махеш, – сказала она, – подержи, пожалуйста, кресло джентльмена, пока я делаю укол.

– Да, – сказал он с серьезным выражением лица и ухватил кресло обеими руками.

– Ай! – медсестра нашла другую вену. Махеш же наклонился ко мне и, к моему изумлению, начал говорить на беглом английском.

– Сэр, – сказал он, – сегодня у меня очень благоприятный день. Верно, это из-за моих прошлых добрых дел мне посчастливилось послужить садху. Такая редкая возможность.

И он процитировал стих из Падма Пураны:

арадхананам сарвешам

вишнор арадханам парам

тасмат паратарам деви

тадийанам самарчанам

«Моя дорогая богиня, среди всех видов поклонения лучшее – это поклонение Господу Вишну, а лучше этого – поклонение Его преданному, Вайшнаву».

– Что? – оторопел я. – Откуда ты знаешь этот стих?

– Я изучал шастры, – тихо ответил он, все еще удерживая кресло.

– Ты преданный Кришны? – спросил я.

– Когда-нибудь, – сказал он, – надеюсь, что когда-нибудь я стану преданным Господа.

– Ты из семьи Вайшнавов?

– Нет, – ответил он. – Я сирота. Моя семья – это преданные Господа.

И он процитировал стих из Бхагавад-гиты:

мач-читта мад-гата-прана

бодхайантах параспарам

катхайанташ ча мам нитйам

тушйанти ча раманти ча

«Мысли моих чистых преданных сосредоточены на Мне, их жизнь полностью посвящена Мне, и они испытывают большое удовлетворение и блаженство, просвещая друг друга и беседуя обо Мне».

Неожиданно я понял, насколько же я был увлечен его критикой – до того, что не заметил его умиротворенного лица и увлажненных сияющих глаз.

– Сэр, – сказал Махеш, чуть улыбаясь, – когда я увидал вас в приемной, то сердцем почувствовал, что это Господь послал вас, чтобы дать надежду всем тем несчастным, что страдают здесь. Одно ваше присутствие доставляет радость.

Голос медсестры вернул меня к реальности.

– Инъекция сделана, – сказала она. – Пройдите, пожалуйста, в соседнюю комнату и ждите сканирования.

– Да-да, – ответил я. – Но позвольте мне сначала спросить Махеша, если.., – я обернулся к нему, но он исчез.

– Куда он ушел? – спросил я сестру.

– Прибираться, наверное, – откликнулась она, не глядя.

Ожидая в соседней комнате, я ощущал, как на меня накатывает волна стыда. «Я недооценил этого человека, – думал я. – Насмехался над ним про себя, а он больше преданный, чем я. Я совершил серьезное оскорбление. Надо будет попросить у него прощения».

Вскоре на табло высветилось мое имя – подошла моя очередь на ПЭТ. Медсестра пригласила меня и помогла улечься на аппарат сканирования.

– Вытяните руки за голову, – сказал она. – Десять минут вам надо будет лежать совершенно неподвижно.

Я нервничал из-за монстра, но расслабился и понемногу задремал. Очнулся я, когда кто-то коснулся моих стоп. Я услышал голос, тихо напевающий: «Харе Кришна, Харе Кришна, Кришна Кришна,  Харе Харе / Харе Рама, Харе Рама, Рама Рама, Харе Харе».

Я открыл глаза – это был Махеш.

– Махеш, – прошептал я, – мне надо с тобой поговорить.

Но он снова исчез так же внезапно, как появился. Сканирование закончилось, и чувство стыда снова накрыло меня. «Да я просто оскорбитель», – думал я, переодеваясь в свою одежду. Я дошел по указателям до приемной, теперь здесь было в два раза больше народа. Подписывая бумаги за стойкой регистрации, я услышал высокий голос поющего Махеша, поднял взгляд – и увидел его, машущего шваброй в глубине холла и пританцовывающего.

Я бросился через приемную.

– Махеш, Махеш! – окликнул я его. – Мне надо с тобой поговорить!

Но прежде чем я до него добрался, он скрылся за стеклянной дверью. Пританцовывая, он удалялся по коридору в другую часть больницы, я же опустился на колени и стал молиться о прощении:

ванчха-калпа-тарубхйаш ча  крипа-синдхубхйа эва ча

патитанам паванебхйо  вайшнавебхйо намо намах

 «Предлагаю свои почтительные поклоны всем Вайшнавам, преданным Господа.

Они в точности подобны древам желаний, которые могут выполнить желания каждого и полны сострадания к падшим обусловленным душам».

[Шри Вайшнава-пранати]

Вставая, я вдруг вспомнил, что нахожусь в переполненном залепомещении. Все смотрели на меня.

«Пусть смотрят, – думал я. – В худшем случае подумают, что я ненормальный, в лучшем – что я эксцентричен. Но я-то знаю, что предлагаю почтение удивительному Вайшнаву, которого мне довелось сегодня повстречать».

 

***********************

 

Шрила Прабхупада писал:

«Вы сетуете на то, что встретили в Калифорнии двух моих юных учеников, и Вам показалось, что у них «очень недоброжелательное отношение к людям, с которыми они встречаются».  Конечно, мне неизвестны детали этого случая и все его обстоятельства, однако простите великодушно моих возлюбленных учеников, если они проявили некоторую недоброжелательность или обошлись с Вами неучтиво.

В конце концов, полностью отказаться от своего образа жизни ради служения Господу – нелегкое дело, и майя (иллюзорная материальная энергия) особенно настойчиво старается снова поймать в свою ловушку тех, кто отказался служить ей, чтобы стать преданным.

Поэтому, чтобы противостоять натиску майи и оставаться твердыми, несмотря на любые искушения, молодые или неопытные преданные, новички в преданном служении, иногда занимают враждебную позицию по отношению к тем вещам или людям, которые, возможно, могут оказать на них пагубное влияние или повредить их еще не окрепшие ростки преданности.

В этом они могут даже перегнуть палку, только чтобы оградить себя, и потому некоторым непреданным, которые сами еще целиком находятся под властью материальной энергии, майи, они могут иногда показаться нигилистами или пессимистами. Но в сущности этот материальный мир и есть место, полное страданий и опасностей, подстерегающих нас на каждом шагу, он – духкхалайам ашашватам, юдоль смерти, рождений, болезней и старости, пристанище страданий и боли, где все преходяще.

[…] Прийти к этому уровню понимания вещей такими, как они есть, совсем не просто, и о тех, кто достиг его, говорят как о великих душах».

[письмо Шрилы Прабхупады Линни Людвиг, 30 апреля 1973]

Lord Nityananda appeared in the village of Ekachakra, in West Bengal, India, around 1474. In the Caitanya Caritamrita and other scriptures He is declared to be the avatar of Lord Balarama, the direct expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.

Nityananda Prabhu, who is identical with Lord Balarama, the first expansion of Krishna, is considered to be the original guru for all of mankind. Thus, soon after their initial meeting, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu tried to honour Nityananda Prabhu with a Vyasa-puja worship ceremony befitting a great spiritual master.

However, Nityananda Prabhu protested and grabbed all of the worship articles from Mahaprabhu and worshiped Him instead.

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

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The post Gita 09.29 – Krishna is neither impartial nor partial – he is reciprocal appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

It was nice to join the devotees from Kirtan West Wales at the Alltwalis Community Hall as they celebrated the appearance day of Lord Nityananda Prabhu.

Here is a short clip of the wonderful kirtan-

This also included a wonderful small prasadam meal

And to see such attention to it’s preparation

It was a wonderful way to celebrate and share thoughts and realizations; small simple and sweet

The post Daily Darshan : February 21st, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.