Websites from the ISKCON Universe
Science Exhibition at Sri Mayapur International School (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The spiritual science becomes revealed to the devotee from within the heart according to the degree of his surrender to Krsna. Letter to Ekayani, July 25, 1970.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9bC0e2
Hare Krishna dear family.
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga.
Due to Kadamba Kanana Swami’s current health situation the Vyasa-puja festival in Radhadesh has been cancelled with immediate effect. This is unfortunate news, but the health of maharaja is vital at this moment. Thus we request everyone to respect this by not contacting him until he sends out his next health update by the weekend.
Maharaja’s health will become more clear after his second operation on Wednesday. Thereafter we will decide when and where we will organise a replacement disciples gathering which maharaja will attend – from June onwards.
Vyasa-puja should still proceed in principle and on the advice of Srila Jayadvaita Swami we encourage you all to promptly submit your vyasa puja offerings to vyasapujabook@kksblog.com, and begin to coordinate amongst your yatra for local vyasa puja celebrations on the actual tithi which is 1 day before the appearance day of Sri Gadhadhara Pandit – 5th May, or what is most convenient for your group. Please take photos and video clips which we will then show maharaja at the subsequent disciples gathering.
For those people who already planned to come and booked tickets for Vyasa puja; there will be one bus available (75 places) to bring you to the Kingsday festival in Amsterdam. Vraja Krsna prabhu will lead the Kingsday trip so it will still be a party.
We request people who already booked tickets and are definitively coming to Radhadesh to please contact Visakha at vyasapuja@kksblog.com to confirm and to request a place on the bus. Bus places will be given in order of registration and when there are empty places left to Radhadesh residents. Visakha will transfer all final registrations to Manu from the Radhadesh Guesthouse. The festival pricing has also changed so normal guesthouse rates apply. For more questions please contact guesthouse@radhadesh.com.
If you have donated for the festival, or already payed for accommodation then we will contact you personally about what to do with the donations. Because the kingsday will happen we still need to cover the expenses and the bus. But rest assured we have kept clear accounts and the money will go towards either the future disciples gathering or Maharaja’s health needs. We will request your consent either way.
Please be patient for any health updates.
Official health updates will be published on the profile of Kadamba Kanana Swami and by newsletters (sign up here: kkscontacts.com/register-contact)
Your servants
VP Team.
Hare Krišna drahá rodina.
Prosíme, príjmite naše úctivé poklony. Všetka sláva Šrí Guruovi a Šrí Gaurangovi.
Kvôli súčasnému stavu zdravia Kadamba Kanana Swamiho sa festival Vjása-púdža ruší s okamžitým účinkom. Sú to nepriaznivé správy, ale mahárádžovo zdravie je v súčastnosti prvoradé. Preto Vás všetkých prosíme, aby ste to rešpektovali a nekontaktovali ho, kým nepošle ďalší zdravotný update koncom tohoto týždňa, ešte pred víkendom.
Mahárádžov zdravotný stav bude jasnejší po druhej operácii, ktorú absolvuje v stredu (dnes). potom sa rozhodneme kde a kedy zorganizujeme náhradné stretnutie žiakov, ktorého sa zúčastní aj mahárádža – najskôr v júni.
Vjása-púdža by v princípe mala pokračovať a na radu Jayadvaita Swamiho Vás prosíme, aby ste urýchlene zaslali svoje Vjása-púdža offeringy na vyasapujabook@kksblog.com, a začali v rámci Vašej játry koordinovať miestne Vjása-púdža oslavy, v deň tithi, čo je 1 deň pred zjavením Šrí Gádadhára Panditu – dňa 5. mája, alebo vtedy, keď to Vašej skupine vyhovuje najviac. Prosím, nafoťte a natočte video klipy, ktoré potom ukážeme mahárádžovi počas stretnutia žiakov.
Pre tých, ktorí plánovali na festival prísť a kúpili si letenky na Vjása-púdžu, ponecháme jeden autobus (75 miest), aby ste mohli ísť na festival Kingsday v Amsterdame. Vraja Krsna prabhu bude viesť Kingsday, takže párty bude tak či tak.
Žiadame, aby tí, ktorí si už kúpili letenky a definitívne na Rádhádéš pôjdu, aby skontaktovali Višaku na vyasapuja@kksblog.com, aby potvrdili svoju účasť a vyžiadali si miesto v autobuse. Miesta v autobuse budú pridelované podľa poradia, ako sa zaregistrijete, a ak zostanú nejaké voľné, budú k dispozícii pre obyvateľov Rádhádéšu. Višaka posunie všetky konečné registrácie Manuovi z Radhadesh Guesthoust. Ceny ubytovania sa tiež zmenili, čiže sa budú účtovať bežné ceny Guesthousu. Ak chcete získať viac informácii, kontaktujte prosím guesthouse@radhadesh.com.
Ak ste prispeli príspevkom na festival, alebo už zaplatili ubytovanie, potom Vás oslovíme osobne a dohodneme sa, čo spraviť s príspevkami. Pretože Kingsday sa bude diať, stále musíme pokryť náklady a autobus. Buďte si ale istí, že financie zostanú transparentné a peniaze sa použijú buď na stretnutie žiakov s mahárádžom alebo na pokrytie mahárádžovích zdravotných nákladov. V každom prípade, najskôr Vás požiadame o súhlas.
Prosím s trpezlivosťou počkajte na ďalšie informácie ohľadne mahárádžovho zdravia.
Officiálne updaty ohľadne zdravia budú zverejnené na profile Kadamba Kanana Swamiho alebo prostredníctvom newslettru (zaregistrovať sa môžete tu: kkscontacts.com/register-contact)
Vaši služobníci,
Tím VP
Science Exhibition at Sri Mayapur International School (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The spiritual science becomes revealed to the devotee from within the heart according to the degree of his surrender to Krsna. Letter to Ekayani, July 25, 1970.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/9bC0e2
Speaker: Krishna Ksetra Swami Venue: Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir Date: 24 Feb 2016 Granthraj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jaya! Has it ever happened to you that you are requested to give a Bhagavatam class in Sridhama Mayapur before all the exalted devotees and you are suggested to choose the verse that you want to speak from. […]
The post Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam: HH Krishna Ksetra Swami appeared first on Mayapur.com.
By Ravindra Svarupa Dasa
If we don’t want to be cheated, we must accept one undeniable law of spiritual life.
One Saturday afternoon at the Krishna-Balarama Mandir in Queens, NY, toward the end of conducting a workshop in chanting (japa-yoga), I felt thankful as indeed I had on similar occasions to be able to present the participants with the kind and reassuring statement that Krishna Himself offered His Devotee Uddhava in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. And my auditors, whose sincerity and seriousness had become evident to me. were similarly grateful.
It is not possible to give honest and effective guidance in spiritual advancement unless one states clearly and emphatically, without hedging and weasel-wording, certain fundamental laws of spiritual life. Industrial engineers design effective power plants by complying with the laws of thermodynamics. In the same way, the “science of self-realization,” as Prabhupada called it, imposes equally stringent demands on its practitioners.
Most of us have on some occasion felt oppressed by the constraints of the law. If we are honest, we still accept them. Otherwise, we cheat.
The temptation is to get something for nothing. If we give in to this temptation, we become cheaters, and often cheated ourselves.
The confidence man Joseph “Yellow Kid” Weil famously claimed that he never cheated an honest person.
“Each of my victims had larceny in his heart,” he observed.
Rolex or Bolex?
In the Philadelphia airport, I had occasion at one time to observe a pair of free-lance peripatetic sellers of watches working the crowds. They drew you aside and offered you a rare deal: a gleaming Rolex watch for a few hundred dollars, a tenth of the retail price. It was imperative to sell them quickly. Naturally you wondered how they were able to sell such expensive timepieces so cheaply, but by their haste, furtiveness, and weighty silences you were led to surmise that the chronographs were stolen goods. Of course, when you got home all delighted with your watch, closer inspection revealed not a Rolex but a “Bolex,” and it soon fell apart.
Spiritual life has its Bolex dealers:
Reporter: What frankly worries me is that since the arrival in Britain some time ago of an Indian yogi, who was the first guru that most people had ever heard of, a lot of gurus have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Sometimes I get the feeling that not all of them are as genuine as they ought to be. Would it be right to warn people who are thinking of taking up spiritual life that they should make sure that they have a genuine guru to teach them?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Of course, to search out a guru is very nice, but if you want a cheap guru, or if you want to be cheated, then you will find many cheating gurus. But if you are sincere, you will find a sincere guru. Because people want everything very cheaply, they are cheated. We ask our students to refrain from illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication. People think that this is all very difficult a botheration. But if someone else says, “You may do whatever nonsense you like, simply take my mantra,” then people will like him. The point is that people want to be cheated, and therefore cheaters come. No one wants to undergo any austerity. Human life is meant for austerity, but no one is prepared to undergo austerity. Consequently, cheaters come. . . .
Reporter: I wondered how many people you think might have been taken in by fake gurus.
Srila Prabhupada: Practically everyone. [Laughter.] There is no question of counting. Everyone.
Reporter: This would mean thousands of people, wouldn’t it?
Srila Prabhupada: Millions. Millions have been cheated, because they want to be cheated. God is omniscient. He can understand your desires. He is within your heart, and if you want to be cheated, God sends you a cheater.
Reporter: When you say that lots of people want to be cheated, do you mean that lots of people want to carry on with their worldly pleasures and at the same time, by chanting a mantra or by holding a flower, achieve spiritual life as well? Is this what you mean by wanting to be cheated?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, this is like a patient thinking, “I shall continue with my disease, and at the same time I shall become healthy.” It is contradictory. The first requirement is that one become educated in spiritual life. . . .” From “Saints and Swindlers”: An interview with The London Times, in The Science of Self-Realization.
As Prabhupada’s representative, I found myself in Queens trying to be perfectly clear about the incontrovertible law of spiritual life: Like health and disease, self-realization and sense gratification are mutually exclusive. They are inversely proportional: When direct spiritual experience increases, sense gratification decreases, and vice versa. To add visual reinforcement, I stretched both arms out sideways, flat palms up, miming what I asked them to imagine an old-fashioned scale or pan balance, like the iconic “scale of justice.”
My right hand, I tell them, represents self-realization; my left, sense gratification. Then: “This in an inverse proportion,” and I begin raising my right hand. “Look at my right hand self-realization is going up, and when you look at my left hand on the other side, you see sense gratification goes down.” Indeed, they see my left hand going lower and lower. “And when sense gratification begins to rise” the left hand begins going up “see on the right how self-realization declines.”
Having, I hope, driven the point home, I conclude: “But this does not happen,” and I raise both hands simultaneously.
If we respectfully follow this law, then authentic spiritual life entails at the beginning, for almost everyone, a struggle with the mind and the senses. Prabhupada gave us ample notice. For example:
To pursue the transcendental path is more or less to declare war on the illusory energy. When we accept any process of self-realization, we are actually declaring war against maya, illusion, and maya is certain to place many difficulties before us. Therefore, there is a chance of failure, but one has to become very steady. Whenever a person tries to escape the clutches of the illusory energy, she tries to defeat the practitioner by various allurements. A conditioned soul is already allured by the modes of material energy, and there is every chance of being allured again, even while performing transcendental disciplines. This is called yogac-calita-manasah: deviation from the transcendental path. (Bhagavad-gita 6.37, Purport)
And: “Devotional service is more or less a declaration of war against the illusory energy. As long as one is not strong enough to fight the illusory energy, there may be accidental falldowns. But when one is strong enough, he is no longer subjected to such falldowns. . . .” (Gita 9.30, Purport)
Until a practitioner becomes, in Prabhupada’s phrase, “fixed up,” the war on maya, the struggle with the mind and senses, may lead him or her to discouragement, depression, and even despair. One may give up, or become conned onto some cheating path, kaitava-dharma.
Honesty, freedom from duplicity, is the first requirement. When we teach and follow the path of honesty, however, we need to know what to do when we struggle and sometimes fail.
Hope for the Spiritual Struggle
This is why I was happy, on that Saturday in Queens, to be able to recall Krishna’s words to Uddhava. Here (Bhagavatam 11.20.27–28) Krishna describes His devotee who is still struggling with the senses. The practitioner is committed to the path: His faith in the process of devotional service has been awakened (jata-sraddho mat-kathasu), and he is disgusted with all materialistic activities (nirvinnah sarvakarmasu). In fact, he knows very well that sense gratification of every kind has only suffering to offer him (veda duhkhatmakan kaman). Nevertheless, when it comes to giving up sense enjoyment, he finds himself unable (parityage ’py anisvarah).
Here we find Krishna’s clear portrayal of a divided, conflicted soul, one whose firm convictions and actual behavior are in conflict. Although a devotee assumes that Krishna knows everything, it may still offer some succor to hear Krishna Himself describe what he’s going through.
What, then, should one in such a difficult position do? In this case, Krishna goes on to say, the devotee should continue in his worship and remain happy and undiscouraged (tato bhajeta mam pritah). Pritah may be a startling word here: The dictionary offers “pleased, delighted, satisfied, joyful, glad” as translations. According to the commentary, “The Lord here encourages such a devotee not to be overly depressed or morose but to remain enthusiastic and to go on with his loving service.”
Krishna continues: The devotee should go on worshiping Him with faith and strong determination (sraddhalur drdha-niscayah). Though he may sometimes indulge in sense enjoyment (jusamanas ca tan kaman), he knows that it leads to misery and he repents (duskhodarkams ca garhayan).
Interestingly, this statement of Krishna’s to Uddhava appears in paraphrase in Prabhupada’s purport to Bhagavad-gita 3.31. Prabhupada does not identify the source of his statement, but its provenance is obvious: “In the beginning of Krishna consciousness, one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the Lord, but because one is not resentful of this principle and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Krishna consciousness.”
Here we find no duplicity about one’s own shortcoming, nor any hostility toward the divine injunctions; there is honesty, and at the same time there is pritah, no consideration of defeat and hopelessness. There can be honest happiness yet even in Queens.
TOVP: Plans For 2016 (Album with photos)
Recently, Ambarisa prabhu, together with the other TOVP managers, went all around the TOVP, discussing plans to be executed in the year 2016. They talked about all the different procedures and areas where work will begin, and viewed all the great achievements from 2015.
Ambarisa was very pleased with the progress of the construction and the finishing work elements like the sandstone cladding, marble work and GRC pillars. He has blessed the TOVP team for a great year ahead in the service of Srila Prabhupada.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/NI0YYP
Harinama at Broadbeach - 21 February 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: When the chanting is performed offenselessly the Lord will automatically reveal Himself to the view of the chanter. The chanter, therefore, has to concentrate on hearing the vibration, and without extra endeavor on his part, the Lord will automatically appear. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.53 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/iBCLRS
An Ambiance of Antiquity (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Radha Kunda is one of the places that has retained an ambiance of antiquity despite all the development and construction around Vrindavan.To convey that special mood I used different filters on my camera lens to capture the mood of “old Vrindavan” at Radha Kunda.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/dxLqok
February 24. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: A Pure Devotee Preacher.
The pure devotee is not restricted to the limitations of sadhana-bhakti, but follows those practices which nourish pure devotion. Pure devotion means Krishna consciousness, which specifically means service to Radha-Krishna.
Prabhupada conducted his life in that way. His only concern was for things that fostered the preaching and spreading of Krishna consciousness and the cultivation of essential spiritual life. The more we study texts about the most advanced Krishna consciousness as it exists between the Lord and His eternal associates, the more we see that Prabhupada was in that league.
He introduced Westerners to Radha-Krishna from the very beginning, but he also demonstrated gravity and privacy in his emotions. He taught that even if one is above the rules and regulations, he should still follow most of them to set an example. Prabhupada was sober. He didn’t give vent to many ecstatic expressions. Lord Caitanya was also careful about revealing His internal emotions when He was near superficial, ritualistic brahmanas while he was speaking with Ramananda Raya. Similarly, Prabhupada was always in the presence of doubters and atheists while preaching in the West, and thus his demeanor was sober and reserved.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=5
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The post How do impersonalists interpret the Gita’s clearly personalist verses? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Relationship Goals – Love, life and quotes
A Pure Devotee Preacher
Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast
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The post 9.31 – For devotees connected with Krishna, the happily ever after is guaranteed appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 5. 208-209 during the morning program..
“Lord Nityananda is krpa avatara—He an incarnation of mercy. No one is more merciful than Nityananda prabhu. For those of us who want mercy and need mercy—which is all of us—He is the proper and best person to approach. How do we get that mercy? We have to fall down before Him—ye age padaye. So, it is very simple. And, uttama, adhama, kichu na kare vicara—He doesn’t distinguish between good or bad. All of us are generally a mixture of good and bad. But, if we are more good than bad it is not a problem and even if we are more bad than good it is also not a problem. Nothing is a problem. We just have to fall down before Nityananda prabhu. Which means we have to be humble, which is really the only qualification.”
23 February 2016
Sometimes you are on top of the elephant
And sometimes the elephant is on top of you
I am fortunate that I have Krsna and the Vaisnavas, that makes it all okay.
I can go down memory lane
and remember when I was at Govardhana Hill, so many times.
I can remember the darsana of so many Deities, in so many temples in Vrindavan;
Radha Ramana, Radha Gokulananda and Vijay Govinda and Mahaprabhu’s Giriraja.
I can remember how I sat in the Yamuna
water up to the neck, chanting on my beads,
that were floating in the water.
I can remember all my time in the Holy Dhama
Now these memories are my wealth.
I started again reading the Bhagavatam,
First Canto, ah the sages of Naimisaranya
are asking their six questions
What is the ultimate good for all people of the world?
What is the essence of all scripture?
Such nice and profound questions
I am uplifted by their sincerity,
by their broad vision
and heartfelt compassion
A book about Krsna and His devotees
What could be nicer than that?
Vaisnavas have been nice to me
So many stalwart servants of Srila Prabhupada
When I look back at the past, I got so much mercy from the Vaisnavas
And at present they are all kind to me, although I am not deserving
I am looking forward to a bright future
I don’t think the Vaisnavas will ever abandon me
They will take me to Krsna
Oh and the body? Yes I have one!
It doesn’t matter though,
It becomes spiritualized in devotional service
How is it now?
Dead!
It always has been
Yes let us talk of Krsna
And use the little time we have
to increase our treasure of blessings
Sometimes you are on top of the elephant
And sometimes the elephant is on top of you
I am fortunate that I have Krsna and the Vaisnavas, that makes it all okay.
Dear Families, Hare Krsna.
Please accept our humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We are pleased to announce that TKG Academy is now enrolling new students for the school year 2016-2017.
We encourage you to please register as soon as possible to secure your child’s/children’s place. A child will be considered for official enrollment only after the completed forms have been submitted and the enrollment fees have been paid.
The non-refundable registration fee is $150 per student.
The application form and more information can be found on our website:
http://www.tkgacademy.com/admissions-process/
We look forward to having you as part of our growing family.
Thank you very much.
Your servants at TKG Academy (Dallas, TX)
By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi So far scientists have mastered a few crops, but will they revolutionize the food industry with an engineered fish? In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intention to sanction the first transgenic living organism. GE opponents quickly dubbed it “the Frankenfish.” It was invented by Aqua Bounty at their farm in Prince Edward Island, Canada. With headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts, Aqua Bounty has been conducting fishy experiments since the early 90s. To produce the Frankenfish, the genetic material of cold water Atlantic Ocean pout (looks like an eel) is inserted into an artificially compressed salmon egg. The pout puts on fat faster than a salmon, hence the combination makes a fattier fish. However, the material from the pout doesn’t exactly combine with the salmon’s DNA. It is rejected, causing inflammation. A growth factor (GF-1) is then added to accelerate reproduction of the inflammation. The fish grows twice as big and three times as fast as it would have without the engineering. Continue reading "Frankenfish & Why Some Edibles just Aren’t Good Food
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On 17th January, Artha forum organized its 5th event in Singapore held at Tanglin Club on the back of very successful events in 2013 and 2014. The conference titled “Conscious Leader” was attended by over 120 entrepreneurs, industrialists, corporate leaders and professional in yet another successful event by Artha Forum (a Not for Profit initiative […]
The post Artha Event at Singapore appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.
Simply Bluffing in the Name of Science!
The following conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his disciples took place in October 1975 during an early-morning walk in Durban, South Africa.
Srila Prabhupada: Man came from the ape. So why is man not coming from the ape now?
Disciple: It only happened once, and that was enough to start the whole thing.
Srila Prabhupada: Only once? Another rascaldom! We see the flowers and fruits are coming every season. Why once? This is dogmatic. Do we have to accept it? Our experience is that, by nature’s way, the same flower is coming again in the same field.
Disciple: Well, actually Darwin said that there is a missing link.
Srila Prabhupada: What is that missing link? Simply bluffing, and it is going on in the name of science. Just see the fun. Simply misleading, and people are such rascals civilized man, so-called they are accepting it as a great theory: “Darwin’s theory is a very big discovery.”
Simply childish rascaldom. There is no reasoning. There is no sense. Man came from the monkey, they say. So why is he not coming now?
Disciple: Well, sometimes there’s a freak of nature.
Srila Prabhupada: “Sometimes” it is simply for Darwin. To support his rascaldom, nature has to serve him: “sometimes.” Just see. Why should we believe all this? “Sometimes” is not nature’s law. Nature’s law is the same, symmetrical. Nature is not obliged to serve Mr. Darwin. “Sometimes,” he said, and only he knew. The rest of us are simply supposed to believe him. “Sometimes” it was done, and it was revealed to Darwin. How did he come to know? How is it that no one but Darwin could understand?
Disciple: They use the same argument against us: that so few people can understand God.
Srila Prabhupada: No. We don’t say that. We say that God first spoke to the sun-god, and the sun-god spoke to his son, Manu, and Manu spoke to Iksvaku, who spoke to his son, and in this way, the knowledge came down. Evam parampara-praptam. That is quite reasonable. We don’t say, “God spoke to me.”
God spoke to Brahma, and Brahma spoke to Narada. Narada spoke to Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva spoke to others. If my forefather said to my grandfather, and my grandfather said to my father, and the same information is passed down through my family, then what is wrong? Evam parampara-praptam. Krishna spoke to Arjuna, and what Arjuna understood, we are understanding in the same way. How Arjuna understood it, is written in the Bhagavad-gita.
We don’t accept knowledge like that: “Darwin simply knew it.” No. They are number-one rascals, all these so-called scientists. “There is a missing link. Only once from a monkey, man came.” What is this nonsense? Do we have to believe this? Does it make any sense? But because Mr. Darwin is speaking we are expected to accept it.
Disciple: Certain changes take place. Just like if you’re in a hot climate all the time, your blood thins. If you take that further, all of these changes can mount up to some big physical change.
Srila Prabhupada: No change is taking place. Nature is working symmetrically, always. The sun is rising in the morning. That has been going on for millions, millions, millions, millions of years.
Disciple: Gradually the change is taking place.
Srila Prabhupada: No. What change is taking place? In the morning the sun rises on the eastern side. That is going on. The seasonal flower changes according to the season winter, spring, summer. Everything is going on symmetrically. Because it is going on symmetrically, we can say that next February it will be a nice season here. Why? Because you have your own experience of last February. We are certain that the same thing will happen next February. Therefore we can say, “There is no such change.” This is nature’s way: prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah. It is very symmetrical. Everything is going on nicely. Nature’s way.
Disciple: One of the strong points of Darwin’s theory …
Srila Prabhupada: I don’t find any. Simply foolishness. [Laughter.] A foolish rascal like you will believe it.
Disciple: They argue that five thousand years ago they had no history. So they think that before that time, there was no civilization. Therefore man was like the monkey.
Srila Prabhupada: We don’t speculate. We have got millions of years of history. A child may think something, but an elderly man will not think like that. Because the rascals are thinking in some way, do we have to believe it? Why should I take their word?
We are taking the word of Lord Krishna. We accept Him as Supreme. All the great sages accept Him. Why should I accept this rascal Darwin? We are not so foolish. We cannot accept.
Disciple: The scientists always say, “Last year we made a mistake, and now it’s all right.”
Srila Prabhupada: Hmm. “Now we are advanced.” And what is the guarantee that your present theories are correct? You will advance again. That means you are always incorrect.
You say that by chance man came from nature. But you don’t find nature working by chance. Therefore your theory is disproved. If your calculations have even one error, then your whole statement must be accepted as nonsense.
Disciple: People think that life is always getting better.
ISKCON Pakistan: Printing Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is in Sindhi Language!
Srila Prabhupada: I don’t say, “Follow me.” I say “Follow Krishna.” Krishna says, “Surrender unto Me.” I say “Surrender unto Krishna.” Is there any difference? My position is simply repeating because Krishna says, “Anyone who preaches this confidential subject matter, he is dear to Me.” Allahabad, January 18, 1971
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Bonds of Love “Loving Krishna will help you love your son”
From the time she was 4, Urmila (Dr. Edith Best) was looking for God. If somebody said, “What do you want to do?” she’d say, “I want to be spiritually perfect. I want to find God.” They’d say, “Don’t you want to get married, have kids, have a career?” She’d say, “I just want to find God.”
Urmila Devi Dasi: My first contact with Prabhupada was in ’67 when I was 12 years old. I would regularly listen to him chanting on the Happening album playing in Alan Kallman’s shop on the Lower East Side. I’d ask, “What is this record? Who is this?” My next contact was through the Radha Krishna Temple Album, which I heard on the radio. Prabhupada’s picture was on the album and my initial response to it was skeptical. I thought someone who takes the role of guru might think he’s better than others.
When I was 17, I got Prabhupada’s translation of Bhagavad-gita. After reading it, I decided to move into the temple, but at first I didn’t want to get initiated. Soon after I moved in I got married; my husband was already second initiated, and in his association I started thinking, “How am I going to be able to find God and become spiritually perfect without a spiritual master?” Gradually my relationship with Prabhupada developed and I became his initiated disciple, after he accepted me through the mail.
When I first met Prabhupada in Chicago in the summer of ’74, a little more than a year after I’d moved in. I was expecting a mystical experience. Prabhupada was sitting on the vyasasana giving class and I was fanning him. I was standing very close, to his left, moving the peacock fan, absorbed in every word and gesture. My experience was, indeed, mystical, but not in the way I expected. I felt, “Prabhupada has always been here, because playing a recording of Prabhupada lecturing and listening to him lecture in person is exactly the same.” I was hearing him directly but I felt the same as when I was listening to a recording. It was satisfying and amazing – I realized that I could associate with Prabhupada even in his physical absence with potency equal to his presence. Still, I felt incomplete in the experience.
Later that morning, my father, husband, and I met Srila Prabhupada in his room and I got to know him as a person – he was funny, laughing, casual, jovial, and exchanging affectionately with my father. I understood he cared about me, as an individual, and I felt a loving relationship with him. At that point there was full satisfaction.
My father asked why we give people prasada, and Prabhupada said, “Just like if you eat the food of a sick person, you will get their disease. If you eat Krishna’s food, you will get Krishna’s disease.”
My father thought he was only supposed to come to the temple if he was a devotee, so he asked, “Can I come to the temple just to see my daughter and son-in-law?”
Smiling, Prabhupada said, “They are loving Krishna. Chanting and dancing are symptoms of loving Krishna. You are loving them and they are loving Krishna, so two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other.”
Prabhupada’s mood was light, but I thought, “Prabhupada said I love Krishna, so it’s just a matter of time. Someday I’ll love Krishna.” That meeting changed my life. And it moved my father. He said, “Prabhupada’s a genuine holy man.” He enjoyed Prabhupada’s company and became somewhat of a devotee.
Less than a year later, my baby son Madhava and I were with a group of devotees seeing Srila Prabhupada off at a New York airport. Prabhupada was sitting on a couch in the VIP lounge talking with Satyabhama, Kirtanananda, Jayadvaita, and a few others. I was a couple of feet away, holding Madhava. I felt left out of those devotees’ intimate connection with Prabhupada. I thought, “They really know Prabhupada well,” but it was also a relaxed time for me, getting to be with Prabhupada in a personal way again. During the kirtana, Prabhupada transported everyone to the spiritual world; I forgot that I had a body and that I was in New York. Prabhupada was meditating on chanting and I thought, “Prabhupada is chanting for his guru just as we are chanting for him.” It was incredible. Then at some point in the kirtana my external awareness flooded back: I was again in New York holding a baby.
For a year and a half after Madhava was born, I dove into Srila Prabhupada’s books and lectures. I read 4–6 hours a day, and listened 3–4 hours a day. Doing that deepened my relationship with him as much or more than when I personally saw him. During that period, in the summer of ’75, I went to Philadelphia for Ratha-yatra and to get Gayatri mantra. At class that morning, the devotee reading from the Bhagavatam manuscript said, “[Ajamila] called the name of his son very loudly three times, ‘Narayana, Narayana, Narayana!’ “
Prabhupada responded, “Who said in the manuscript? There is no three times. Not “Narayana” three times. One time, ‘O Narayana,’ that’s all. So did I say ‘three time’? Hmm? No, it is not said here. You should correct it. Once, ‘He, O Narayana,’ that’s all. There is no reason for calling three times. There is no mention here. Once is sufficient. [laughter] Hmm.”
(lecture Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.28–29, July 13, 1975, Philadelphia)
It was life-transforming for me to hear him say that calling out Krishna’s name just once in helplessness is enough.
Later that morning my father, husband, and I met with Prabhupada again. When he saw us Prabhupada’s whole face lit up as if we were his favorite people in the world. Like he was meeting a dear old friend he said to my father, “How are you now?” My father responded with similar exuberance and joy. As we were leaving Prabhupada said, “Good father, good daughter.” Prabhupada saw something good and worthwhile in me; he was pleased with me.
When I got Gayatri mantra my husband was carrying Madhava, and Prabhupada’s attention went to the baby. Prabhupada said, “He’s laughing. He’s very intelligent and fortunate.”
Prabhupada had me repeat the mantra, and I thought, “I don’t want to say it perfectly because Prabhupada will think I’m puffed up.” To try to be humble I purposely made a mistake when I repeated the last line. Prabhupada looked disgusted. I thought, “Oops, that wasn’t the right thing to do.” I said, “Prabhupada, I want to preach and please you, but I have this little baby. It’s hard to go out on book distribution.”
He said, “You must take care (of the child) so you may not go out.” The feeling I got from Prabhupada was, “This is really a stupid question.”
The next time I saw Prabhupada was in the summer of ’76 when he came to New York for the Ratha-yatra. Again my father met with him. At one point Prabhupada pointed to me, with my eighteen-month-old son on my lap. He said, “Just like this mother is loving her son without any expectation of return, in that way you should love Krishna.”
My father said, “Will loving her son help her love Krishna?”
Prabhupada said, “No, but loving Krishna will help her love her son.” I understood that if we have Krishna as the center and are attached to Him, then we can love everyone else. If we love people on a mundane level, it doesn’t help us love Krishna – it takes away from that love.
Somehow what Prabhupada said when I was with him was just what I needed to hear. His words changed me in deep and lasting ways.
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The post Daily Darshan : February 23rd, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
By Caitanya Carana Dasa There’s a particle more important than the Higgs boson, and we should be investigating it. Does ‘the God particle’ disprove the existence of God?” a young man asked me after a recent talk, referring to the discovery of the Higgs boson. “The so-called God particle,” I answered, “has zero charge, zero spin, and a near-zero lifespan; it exists for less than a trillionth of a second. Does that sound like God to you?” “No, not really,” replied the questioner, taken aback. “Exactly,” I said. “Its discovery has little bearing on the existence of God; it is just one step forward in the Standard Model, which is just one theory that deals with quantum physics, which is just one branch of physics, which is just one branch of science, which is just one area of human knowledge that deals with material nature, which is just one slice of reality.” I had anticipated questions on this topic and so was prepared. “Let me quote theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, who writes in the Wall Street Journal, in an article entitled The ‘God Particle’ and the Origins of the Universe: Continue reading "The God Particle – Is there Anything Godly About it
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Sriman Mahaprabhu Dhyana.
From Srila Dhyanacandra Gosvami’s “Sri Gaura-govindarcana-smarana-paddhati”
—
In his manasa-deha, the sadhaka will follow his guru, parama-guru, paratparaguru and paramesthi-guru to the temple of Sriman Mahaprabhu. By their order, he will awaken the Lord and offer Him scented water for washing His lotus face, etc., and do other seva as is appropriate. Then he will meditate upon the Lord as described in the Urddhvamnaya-samhita:
—
Absorbed in prema, the golden Lord Gaura stands holding one hand in the benediction pose and the other in the pose for awarding fearlessness, while He incessantly chants the holy names.
—
(20) Sri Gauracandra Pranama
I offer my humble obeisance again and again to that great soul who is known as Visvambhara (maintainer of the universe), Gaura, Caitanya, Saci-putra, the Husband of Laksmi and the Friend of All.
—
(73) Sri Gauranga’s Asta-kala-seva
The nectarous pastimes of Sri Navadvipa-candra are very wonderful. Eager to serve the Lord, the sadhaka shall always think of these pastimes.
(74) At the end of night (nisanta), he shall meditate on the Lord sleeping in His own home. In the early morning (pratah-kale), the Lord rises from His bed, bathes and takes His meal.
(75) In the forenoon, the Lord becomes deeply absorbed in krisna-lila-smarana and experiences intense feelings of separation. In the middle of the day, Mahaprabhu performs astonishing pastimes on the bank of the Ganga. The sadhaka shall meditate on Lord Gauranga in this way.
(76) In the afternoon, Gaurahari very joyfully roams about Sri Navadvipa-dhama. In the early evening, He returns to His own home, revealing His enchanting beauty.
(77) In the late evening, He meets His dear associates at the home of Srivasa Thakura, where they perform a great sankirtana festival far into the night. The sadhaka shall thus blissfully meditate on Sri Gauracandra.
New Android App “Krsna – The Sweet Lord” Launches.
An app for Android smartphones, entitled “Krsna – The Sweet Lord,” is now available on the Google Play Store for free and promises to place the best of what ISKCON has to offer in the palm of your hand.
The app, developed by ISKCON Juhu of Mumbai, received a soft launch for an internal devotee audience on December 14th, when it was unveiled by Radhanath Swami at Mumbai’s Chowpatty temple.
Bollywood actress and Mathura MP Hema Malini then launched it for the general public on February 7th, during the Mumbai ISKCON 50 celebrations, with the aid of a life-size smartphone imprinted with the app’s name.
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Krishna is the real husband.
Ruchika Srivastava: I have written this poem based on Srimad Bhagavatam slokas 5.18.19-21, where Laxmi Devi says that Krishna is the real husband of all living entities.
“Seeking a husband for protection,
Of children, wealth and life’s duration.
Seekers of such a benediction.
Dwell in the kingdom of illusion.
Says LaxmiDevi with compassion
And guides us to this illumination.
—
Dependent on karmic reactions
Based on past fruitive actions
Who himself needs supreme protection
That is material husband’s position.
—
Krishna respects your decision
If worshipped with pure devotion
But outcome of material requisition
Is broken heart and lamentation
—
Supreme shelter and protection,
Deliverance from sinful reactions,
Krishna’s promise knows no violation,
One must have that firm conviction.
Trying to claim His position
Is false prestige and self-deception.
—
Serve Him without motivations,
Guru’s guidance and regulations
With dormant love’s manifestation
He guarantees His care and protection.
—
Living entities are all females
Krishna is the only male
We are not this body at all,
Soul is our identity real.
—
Who has nothing to demand, stay always at His command
Whose majesty is grand, and Whose glories outstand
Braj Gopis always understand, Krishna is the REAL husband…”
TEACHERS…
Mayapur needs you.
Few things in life infuse the heart with as much spiritual happiness as service to the devotees in the holy dham.
That opportunity awaits you now. As the community in Mayapur expands at an unprecedented rate, so too does the needs of Sri Mayapur International School. This school, presently home to over 230 Vaisnava children and prestigiously affiliated with Cambridge International Examinations, is looking for teachers for various grades for the August 2016 intake.
To attract the cream of our devotee teachers around the world, we are offering attractive salary and housing packages as we endeavour to fulfill our mandate to provide premiere spiritual and academic education in Mayapur.
So please, leave behind your material concerns and take this chance to join the growing community of international devotees living in the spiritual capital of the world.
Vacancies this year are: Reception class (children aged 4 and 5), middle school Maths and Science (must be able to offer both) and High school Biology/Chemistry, boys’ Physical Education
For further information on the positions available please contact the SMIS principal, Gunacuda dasi at : mayapurschooloffice@gmail.com
By Chandan Yatra Das The care of the house where Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born was later taken on by the Gaudiya Matha. Now the entire house has been developed nicely, with a beautiful temple, devotee quarters, etc. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s murti is worshipped in the same spot where he took birth. When devotees were digging the soil to construct this temple, a nice smell of candana manifested from the place where he took birth. Six months after Bimala Prasada’s appearance was the event of Lord Jagannatha’s Rathayatra. As the procession moved towards Gundica temple, by the desire of the Lord the chariots stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house. At that time Srimati Bhagavati Devi took the child and placed him at the lotus feet of Lord Jagannatha. Immediately one flower garland fell from Lord’s neck, encircling the child’s body. Thus Bimala Prasada was blessed by the Lord. Continue reading "The Birthplace of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
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Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 09.14.01-03 – Lord Reciprocates Even For Our Little Endeavour by Niranjana Swami at ISKCON Chowpatty
February 23. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Prabhupada Was Not Obliged.
The Krsna Book describes the spiritual master as a waterfall, which sometimes flows in the rainy season and sometimes is still. When I asked Prabhupada what this meant, he said that the spiritual master is not obliged to speak. When he feels inspired, he will speak to his disciple in a relevant way. He will not give the disciple information he is not ready to receive. But he never handles his disciple roughly. He is interested in the disciple’s welfare, and therefore, he’s willing to teach Krishna consciousness according to the disciple’s needs.
Prabhupada was like this. He was not obliged. The fact that he did not speak so much Vrindavana krishna-katha was his mercy, his expertise. At the same time, he gave everything, including knowledge of krishna-lila, caitanya-lila, and the foundational wisdom of the Lord’s talks with Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita.
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