Puri Retreat (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Visiting Baligram, the sweet rural village of Dasya Bauri, a famous out caste devotee of Jagannatha! Then we visited Haridas Thakura’s Samadhi and many important places on Satasana Marg nearby! The Seven Rishis have their asans there. Finally ending the retreat with katha and kirtan.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RgiWhi
When Mahaprabhu left home, His servant Isana Thakura took care of Sacimata and Vishnupriya. Vamsivadana Thakura who was very dear to Mahaprabhu also always stayed with Vishnupriya and Sacimata. He received so much krpa, mercy, from Sacimata and Vishnupriya, especially from Vishnupriya Thakurani. Vamsivadana Thakura has written one song, which is Viraha Sangita, a song of separation. The beginning line is ara na heriba sonara kamale nayana khanjana naca. When Srinivasa Acarya came to Mayapura, Isana Thakura was an old man at that time. He took Srinivasa Acarya to Vishnupriya and introduced him to Her. Vamsivadana Thakura had also showered his mercy on Srinivasa Acarya. Continue reading "Sri Vishnupriya → Dandavats"
ISKCON Purchases 50 Acres Near Downtown Columbus.
ISKCON of Columbus, Ohio, USA, has purchased fifty acres of prime real estate fifteen minutes’ drive from downtown Columbus. On the land, which they have offered to Srila Prabhupada for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, devotees plan to develop a Krishna conscious community that offers the best of both urban and rural worlds. The local congregation raised $500,000 and bought the new property outright. Located in a fast-developing suburb called Hilliard, it’s flanked by upcoming million-dollar homes and neighboring land owned by banks. While all amenities are close by, ISKCON Columbus is planning a haven of simple living and high thinking. Within six months to a year, devotees expect to break ground and begin construction on a gorgeous temple with a 500-person capacity temple room, a gift shop, accommodation for celibate students, and a children’s school.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/Iai8qY
February 13. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Talk to Srila Prabhupada.
I have been going too long without trying to talk to Prabhupada. We shouldn’t refrain from talking to Prabhupada out of lack of faith. If a Christian can talk to Christ, and a yogi can talk to his Supersoul, why can’t a Prabhupadanuga speak his mind to Prabhupada? It just takes faith and hope that he will hear us – hope that Krishna will hear us. We may say, “Well, I definitely have faith in Krishna as the Supersoul,” but that faith may be more an acceptance of the scripture, than direct realization of the Lord in the heart. But the same scriptures tell us that the pure devotee, by Krishna’s grace, can be just as present as the Supersoul in the heart of His disciple. We do not have to doubt that, even if we don’t have direct realization of it. If we do doubt it, then we have to pin our hopes on a prayer to both Krishna and Prabhupada, “Please, Krishna, deliver my message to Prabhupada. Please, Prabhupada, deliver my message to Krishna. Please, Srimati Radharani, forgive me for my offenses, and let me become a devotee of my spiritual master, Lord Krishna, and You.”
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=5
Bhagavad-Gita 12.1 arjuna uvaca evam satata-yukta ye bhaktas tvam paryupasate ye capy aksaram avyaktam tesam ke yoga-vittamah
Translation
Arjuna inquired: Which is considered to be more perfect: those who are properly engaged in Your devotional service, or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested?
The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His Energy to give protection to the conditioned soul.japa, when performed with focus and attention, can subdue the agitating effects of one’s mind and senses. The senses, of which the mind is also one, are constantly being stimulated by the external world - by gross and subtle matter. If you have not chanted before, and would like to participate in this program, we will be very happy to show how you can do this. All welcome. We’ll loan you a set of Beads! Town Hall Meeting On Feb 13,10am-11am in Main Temple Hall
We are very pleased and excited to announce that ISKCON Brampton will be hosting our first Town Hall meeting on Saturday, February 13, 2016 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. This will present an opportunity for our dynamic congregation to come forward and express their suggestions. The topic of discussion would be buying or leasing of new location. This is very important decision and we encourage and appreciate suggestions from each and every member of our congregation. Please accept this as a warm invitation for you to come and attend our meeting. We will host such meetings every three months to increase communication between the temple management and our dear congregation. (ISKCON Brampton Temple Council)
Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)
“One who has life can preach, and one who preaches gets life.”(Previous Acaryas)
Every member of ISKCON should have the opportunity to make advancement in Krishna consciousness by preaching.We encourage everyone to come out and participate and make Srila Prabhupada happy.
Fasting.....................on Thu Feb 18,2016 Breakfast................. on Fri Feb 19,2016 b/w 7.11am-10.44am
Every fortnight, we observe Ekadasi, a day of prayer and meditation. On this day we fast (or simplify our meals and abstain from grains and beans), and spend extra time reading the scriptures and chanting the auspicious Hare Krishna mantra.By constantly ‘exercising’ our minds through regular japa we can train our senses to push the threshold of contentment.
English audio glorification of all Ekadasis is availablehere
Nutritional Consultation
Rashmi is back again to offer her services as a nutrition expert to help devotees with their health and dietary needs.She is offering free one to one consultations and development of Individualized Nutrition Plans on Sundays between 1:30 - 3pm. Please contact (416)569-6373 or (905)488-7272 to book an appointment.
Nityananda Trayodasi(Fasting till Noon) Celebration on Sat, Feb 20,11am-2pm Lord Nityananda, whose name literally means, “eternally blissful” is the eternal companion of Lord Chaitanya and both are worshipped together as are Krishna and Balaram. In the same way that Lord Balaram is considered the original spiritual master, so is Lord Nityananda.
No service is too small to go unnoticed by Lord Nityananda, and no sinner too great not to qualify for his benedictions.
**Details of the program will posted when we get closer to the event**
The Sunday School provides fun filled strategies through the medium of music, drama, debates, quizzes and games that present Vedic Culture to children. However the syllabus is also designed to simultaneously teach them to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. School The Sunday School follows the curriculum provided by the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC).
Gift Shop
Our boutique is stocked with an excellent range of products, perfect for gifts or as souvenirs of your visit. It offers textiles, jewellery, incense, devotional articles, musical instruments, books, and CDs inspired by Indian culture.We're open on all Sundays and celebrations marked in our annual calendar.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Chant and Be happy
Visiting the temple in Tijuana, meeting and talking with the devotees, having the opportunity to speak, and participating in the kirtan, was a huge inspiration for me, and a super powerful way to begin my speaking tour on the West Coast. Facing death head on and joyfully embracing the possibility of having only a short time left in my body has been greatly beneficial to my life, like a lightning bolt of devotional and practical energy and guidance. Concerned friends ask me how I am doing, and my answer is “fine,” which means normal. Other than my cancer protocols, it is difficult to know that my body must be quite out of balance to have attracted cancer.
As it is said in the alternative treatment universe, I am not sick because I have cancer, but I have cancer because I am sick—which means a compromised immune system. However long I may live, I am taking the worst case scenario seriously and doing everything I can to strengthening the immune system and send the cancer cells elsewhere. At the same time, I am putting aside self-doubt, and embarking on speaking tours to share my realizations on the benefit of facing death so we can fulfill our personal mission, and practice what I think of as “essential spirituality.” I have also increased my writing schedule for producing a number of books. All in all it has been an incredible journey and is very exciting and enlivening—and this is only the beginning!
After 7 nights and 5 days of treatment at the clinic, I moved on to the next part of my journey. I scheduled speaking engagements at a devotee’s home program in San Diego, and temples in Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, November 2015, Vrindavan, India, Video Interview)
The real meaning of love means to act fully for the pleasure of Krsna and all living beings – to totally dedicate ourselves to Krsna’s well-being and to the well-being of all living beings in Krsna’s creation. This is the real meaning of love.
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 24 By Krishna-kripa das (December 2015, part two)
New York City Harinam, Albany (Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on February 12, 2016)
I rejoined the New York City Harinam party for the second half of December, except for a one-day excursion to see my family in Albany for Christmas Eve. Because of the cold, our NYC Harinam party sang in the subway stations except for a couple days in Union Square and one night in Times Square. New Years Eve was special in that I did harinama with the NYC Harinam party at the subway stations at Times Square and Grand Central, and outside at Bryant Park, and with the Bhakti Center devotees all the way from the Bhakti Center, in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, over the Manhattan Bridge, to Radha-Govinda Mandir in Brooklyn.
I share notes on Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and books. I share a quote of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I share excerpts from the online journal of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami. I share notes on a Prabhupada remembrance video wherein devotees talk about Prabhupada coming to the London Ratha-yatra. I also share notes from devotees speaking at the Harinam Ashram, including full-time residents like Abhiram Prabhu and Rama Raya Prabhu, and visitors such Bhagavat Purana from the 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavan, Yashoda-dulal Prabhu, a brahmacari doing outreach in Montreal, Deva Madhava Prabhu, who does harinama in Michigan, Isvari Jahnava Devi who does harinama in Vancover, and Bhima-Karma Prabhu, who teaches mrdanga. I also have notes on a recorded lecture by Kadamba Kanana Swami.
As it is the end of the year I provide my accounting report so people who give me money know how I spend it.
Income and Expenses for 2015
CategoryAmount Book Sales67.31 Donations3,796.15 Loans8.16 Total Income$3,871.62
CategoryAmount Book Purchases13.60 Festival Fees54.21 Gifts377.09 Health74.22 Electronics3.64 Maintenance49.07 Prasadam (Food)53.67 Travel3,347.22 Total Expenses$3,972.72 Balance-$101.10
I would like to thank all the people who kindly contributed in 2015 to make my extensive travel possible. These include, in descending order by amount: Sivam of Maryland, Kaliya Krishna Prabhu of New York City, Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu of Gitanagari Press, Vishnu-priya Devi Dasi of Jacksonville, Nanda Kumar Prabhu (IDS), Sivananda Sena Prabhu of Rotterdam, Janananda Goswami, who covered my trip to Paris for Ratha-yatra and harinama, the Newcastle-upon-Tyne temple, Atmanivedana Prabhu, who runs the Saturday evening program at 26 Second Ave., Sankarsan Lila Prabhu of Gainesville, Sankarsana Prabhu of Potomac, Mother Sukhada of Alachua, Prahladananda Swami, for my doing proofreading for him, Alan Miles and the Liverpool Nama-hatta, Janardana Prabhu and the Leeds Nama-hatta, Anthony Bate and the Preston Nama-hatta, my sister Karen, the Bhakti Yoga Club of UNF, Nama Kirtan Prabhu of Tallahassee, Todd of Tampa, Dhruva Prabhu of Kansas City, my sister’s partner Victor, Gaura Karuna Prabhu of the Harinama Ruci traveling party, Janardana Prabhu & Amy, Lukas of Edinburgh, Kishor of Orlando and Tampa, my mother, Kalki Prabhu of Newcastle, Lovelesh of Jacksonville, Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu (SDG), Jagannath Kirtan Prabhu (Havi’s son), Ali Krishna Devi Dasi, Malini Devi Dasi of Edinburgh, Bhakta Larry of Brooklyn, Martin from Leipzig, Clive of Chester, Eleanora of Ireland, Punya Palaka Prabhu from Czech Republic, Ananta Nitai Prabhu of Dublin, Govinda Prabhu from Scotland, Doug Rowling of Preston, ISKCON South London, Haladhara Baladeva Prabhu of Leeds, Joe of Sheffield, John of Leeds, Locan Das Thakura Prabhu of Brighton, Rima of Edinburgh, other devotees from the Leeds congregation, my niece Fern and her friend Oliver, Kanwar of Sheffield, Vishnujana Prabhu also of Harinama Ruci, Mariana of Sheffield, Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu from Ukraine, a lady on Dublin harinama, Govardhan Dasi, the Munich public, a Warsaw devotee, Srinivas Prabhu of France, a man in Ybor City, an Oriental man at Lake Ella, a student at FSU, and Krishna Kirtana Prabhu of Warsaw.
Thanks also to my many drivers and those who gave me a place stay for the night. Thanks again to Jagannath Kirtan Prabhu for the Macbook he gave me so I can work on this blog.
Thanks to the many people who were willing to chant Hare Krishna with me in public and those who allowed me to chant with them. Striking among them was Rama Raya Prabhu and his amazing New York City Harinam party with dedicated souls doing harinama in New York City six hours a day.
Itinerary
February 10–February 24: Gainesville area (and UNF and USF campuses)
February 25: New York City
February 26–28: Dublin, Ireland
March 1–3: Mumbai
March 5–10: Mayapur Kirtan Mela
March 12–21: Rishikesh Harinama
March 22–April 11: Vrindavan?
April 13: Mumbai
April 14–: Dublin, Ireland
April 27: King’s Day, Amsterdam
April 30–May 1: Birmingham 24-hour kirtana
May 2–: The North of England and Scotland
July 12–16: Polish Woodstock
September 13–: New York City Harinam
New York City Harinam
We chanted Hare Krishna in the Times Square subway station the first Saturday I was there, and people interacted with us in different ways (https://www.youtu.be/v5J-ENYbmVw):
Once as we were chanting Hare Krishna in the Times Square subway station, a friendly Afro-American guy eagerly asked me, “What do you guys believe?” I explained we come in the Hindu tradition, but we worship “the one God,” as many religions do. According to the ancient Vedas of India, the most powerfully transformational spiritual practice is to sing the names and glories of God with others.” He replied, “That is the best thing I have ever heard!” I think he found it refreshing that we were not just another group claiming we were better than the others, but that we gave him universal knowledge.
I offered one young man who glanced favorably at our Times Square subway station chanting party a Bhagavad-gita. He said he already had it and that it was the best book ever written! I encouraged him to take a Science of Self-Realization, but he declined saying he already had the Gita. I offered to give him an invitation to our weekly Bhagavad-gita classes, but he said he would not come, because he was “a free thinker.” Such a mixture of fortune and misfortune!
One Sunday we had an especially lively harinama in the Union Square subway station. Nikunja Bihari, Rama Raya, and Kishor Prabhus all led some lively chanting of Hare Krishna inspiring people to dance and take photographs and videos. Devotees distributed books and sweets. Here are some highlights (https://youtu.be/CqyNYoLx71k):
One smiling Muslim lady watched our chanting party briefly in the subway station at Union Square, and I offered her an “On Chanting Hare Krishna.” She asked what this was about, and I explained it was a practice of worship of the Supreme Being, Allah, Jehovah, etc. She asked what we were singing, and I said, “As you have one hundred names of Allah in your tradition, in India they have a thousand names of Krishna, and we are singing some of these names.” She danced to the music, and swung around, smiling the whole while. The devotee ladies offered her shakers, and she happily played them with the music.
Sometimes Rama Raya Prabhu sings Hare Krishna to seasonal melodies, such as the tune of “Auld Lang Syne” (https://www.youtu.be/souv1-FQEsc):
Some kids delighted in playing with the shakers on NYC Harinam at Union Square subway station later in the week (https://www.youtu.be/IE-IgR_S6vI):
Once Rama Raya Prabhu sang at Union Square, inspiring Murali Gopal Prabhu to dance, who in turn inspired others to dance (https://www.youtu.be/d2dJNq-pMbc):
Another place we chanted each week was Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station. On December 22, several devotees chanted very nicely and people were attracted to participate in different ways (https://www.youtu.be/oHRl4d3e7_g):
Even though the month of Karttika had ended, we still gave people a chance to offer lamps to a picture of Krishna for an hour in the evening, and some people participate, sometimes along with their kids.
Christmas Eve
I brought one of the Doughnut Plant’s seasonal doughnuts, the Christmas Tree doughnut, to show to and share with my family. Unfortunately, it lost some of its decoration in transit.
A week earlier, I had met by sister Karen and niece Fern at Penn Station, and shared with them a cocout crème doughnut and a Christmas Tree doughnut, but I wanted the others to see the Christmas Tree doughnut so I brought one home at Christmastime.
I went to the Quaker Christmas Eve program with my family. As usual there was a nice spiritual feeling when singing the songs about the appearance of Jesus in this world.
There was a little nativity drama depicting the story of the appearance of Jesus Christ. I volunteered to be a “wise man from the East” as there were too few volunteers.
While at the Quaker meeting, I read an interesting quote by E. B. White expressing difficulty in trying to improve the world without being seduced by the world. Ideally by working to enlighten people about their spiritual potential and how to achieve it, we can be so much engaged we will not have a chance to be seduced by the material world, and we will purify ourselves and others so much so that the world will benefit both spiritually and materially from our actions.
I made carrot coconut rice and coconut burfifor the Quaker potluck, but I did not stay as my family likes to eat at Indian restaurants on Christmas Eve. My Quaker friends encouraged me to stay, and I promised next year I would come in another vehicle so I could spend half an hour with them before going off with my family.
Christmas Eve was special as my family went to new Indian restaurant this year, and it turned out that the proprietor had visited Gitanagari, the Hare Krishna farm in Pennsylanvia that my mother had also visited at the time of my initiation. He had attended the Chicago Ratha-yatra as well. Because I was a devotee, he gave us all free galubjamuns, and he gave my friend Victor, a free mango lassi, as I let him try mine and he liked it.
Christmas
Christmas was warm enough for us to chant outside in the fresh air at Union Square during the day, a pleasant change from the subway station.
We were also able to sing at Times Square, which was Abhiram Prabhu’s inspiration, in the evening (https://www.youtu.be/VMQqg8KSy8Q):
A Hispanic mother and daughter delighted in watching and listening to the chanting at Times Square, taking pictures, and trying to sing along, reading the mantra from a card.
Some people took great pleasure dancing with the devotees, as did these girls. One of them told me she was from Wisconsin and seeing the Hare Krishnas chanting was a new experience for her.
After Christmas and Before New Years Eve
A young lady who learned of the 26 2nd Avenue program from our harinama came to visit it the day after Christmas. She joined us again on NYC Harinam, this time in the Times Square subway station soon after that.
December 27 was warm enough to chant outside at Union Square.
Some passersby played our instruments.
They also took pictures of each other with us.
Some kids also participated with us.
The next day at Grand Central subway station Rama Raya Prabhu ended Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s disappearance day with a fired-up kirtana getting the devotees dancing. Stella, visiting from Montreal, was delighted to record and share it (https://youtu.be/YkiulL-U9EU):
We began chanting at the Times Square Subway Station on New Years Eve at our usual spot just above the 7 train on the long corridor to Port Authority.
It was great chanting with Bhagavat Purana Prabhu as he is so enthusiastic and interactive, and he helped me sing the lead. Deva Madhava Prabhu was also a great asset, playing the drum and loudly singing the response. It was sufficiently fired up passersby took photos and movies. Stella, visiting from Montreal, took a video of me chanting, which you can see if you are my friend on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/krishnakripa.das/posts/10153896073293665).
Then a large group of Christians came. One would pace back and forth and evangelize into an amplifier directly in front of our party. He was so rude. The police solved the problem by telling both of us that the corridor was not wide enough for either of us and we would have to move. Although the police said we could go the subway station at Eighth Avenue, Rama Raya Prabhu thought it would be too chaotic there, and relocated us to Grand Center Subway Station. Around 5 p.m. Abhirama Prabhu took half of our party on a walking harinama from Grand Central up to Bryant Park. People from different parts of the world appreciated the devotees singing on the sidewalks there. Because I like walking harinamas, I went with Abhirama Prabhu and distribute Krishna: Reservoir of Pleasure. After what seemed to be a couple of hours I was so cold that when we passed the Bryant Park subway station I left the party to return to Grand Central only to find that rather than staying out extra late for New Years, our harinama party had finished at 7:30 p.m. as usual. At first we were told that Abhiram Prabhu’s party would be continuing, and so I grabbed another stack of Krishna: Reservoir of Pleasures and planned to rejoin them. Then we learned that party had also finished for the evening. Hladini, of the Bhakti Center, who I knew from doing harinamas in Florida, invited me to their Thursday evening kirtana which was to be followed by a harinama across the Manhattan bridge to Brooklyn, and then kirtana at Radha-Govinda Mandir till midnight. I was not enthusiastic enough to chant till midnight for Radha-Govinda, as I would still be woken up between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. for our morning service, but I was up for the Bhakti Center kirtana and the harinama. I told my friend Deva Madhava Prabhu about the opportunity, and I was happy that he was eager to come along. He was a great asset on the harinama across the Manhattan Bridge as he has a loud melodious voice and a lot of enthusiasm.
Little Italy was the liveliest spot we passed through.
I found that in each group of people that liked our chanting party at least one was willing to take the Krishna: Reservoir of Pleasure.
My camera does not do videos in dim light, so I waited till we reached a well lit area of Brooklyn to take a little video (https://www.youtu.be/T9aHGfl3sE8):
To see photos I took but did not include above, please click on this link:
From a class on Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 1.5, in Mayapur, on March 29, 1975:
Bhagavan means full of six kinds of opulence. Not as nowadays there are so many Bhagavans, they have no aisvarya[opulence].
“We should know this, that in the spiritual world, to remain as girlfriend and boyfriend, that is the topmost pleasure, and in the material world, the same thing is the most abominable thing.”
“So when Krishna wants to enjoy—the enjoyment means these loving affairs between man and woman—that is a fact. That is not an artificial thing. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has explained Vedanta-sutra, janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. He has said, adi rasasya janma yatra. Adi-rasa. There are twelve kinds of rasas, mellow. Of all of them, the adi-rasa... Adi-rasameans the loving affair between man and woman. This is called adi-rasa. So, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains, janmady asya means the adi-rasa, loving affairs between man and woman, that is from the Supreme Person. That's a fact. Unless the loving propensity is there in the Supreme, how it can be reflected? Because this is perverted reflection only, so there must be the origin.”
“Our Kaviraja Gosvami says that this Radha-Krishna prema, loving affairs between Radha Krishna, it is a fact. It is not imagination. It is a fact. But this fact is different from the fact we have got experience in this world. That is to be understood. Don’t take... Just like sahajiyas. They take the Radha-Krishna premajust like ordinary lusty affairs in this material world. But that is not the fact. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a verse that the loving affairs of gopis and Krishna, Vishnu, it is not ordinary thing. If one can hear from the proper source, and if he understands the real fact of rasa-lila, then the result will be that his heart, which is full with lusty desire, that will vanish. There will be no more lusty desires.”
“Sannyasa means giving up everything for the Supreme. So for simply to relish a little bit of brahma-sukha [spiritual pleasure], these saintly persons, great, great saintly persons, they are giving up everything. . . . This is very important point. If for understanding little bit of brahma-sukhawe are giving up all material enjoyment, how Krishna can enjoy materially? He is Param Brahman. Therefore those sahajiyas, those who are taking that Krishna is enjoying with ordinary girls, they are very, very, much misled. That is not the fact. Therefore it is said, hladini shakti. This is different. This is in the spiritual world the topmost mellow, hladini shakti.”
Comments by Abhirama Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada is always reminding us that the loving affairs of Radha and Krishna are completely different from the loving affairs of the material world.
It is like there are two parties going on. One, with Krishna in the spiritual world, where everyone is loving Him and He is perfectly reciprocating everyone’s love, and everyone is feeling spiritual ecstasy. Another one in the material world, where Krishna is not present and everyone is trying to take His position. There everyone is pretending to have a good time, but no one really is.
Prabhupada once explained that the devotee is always looking at Krishna’s feet, and then after some time, when Krishna is satisfied, He bends down to the level of His feet, and smiles at the devotee, and says, “Here I am!”
Our materialistic society, through the media, creates all kinds of illusory stereotypes that people become frustrated trying to live up to because they have no basis in reality.
In America, we are living on land that we obtained by murdering the previous residents, and which we stole. We cannot expect positive cultural stereotypes to come from such a background.
If one has a bias to the truth, he will be the best scientist, because he will lean in the right direction.
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.171, purport:
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana movement of love of Krishna throughout the entire world, and therefore during His presence He inspired the sankirtana movement. Specifically, He sent Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to Vrindavan and Nityananda to Bengal and personally went to South India. In this way He kindly left the task of preaching His cult in the rest of the world to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The members of this Society must always remember that if they stick to the regulative principles and preach sincerely according to the instructions of the acaryas, surely they will have the profound blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and their preaching work will be successful everywhere throughout the world.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita,Madhya-lila 19.159, purport:
“Kutinati, or diplomatic behavior, cannot satisfy the atma,the soul. It cannot even satisfy the body or the mind. The culprit mind is always suspicious; therefore our dealings should always be straightforward and approved by Vedic authorities. If we treat people diplomatically or duplicitously, our spiritual advancement is obstructed.”
From a room conversation with Allen Ginsberg, May 12, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio:
“If one loves Krishna, he must love Lord Jesus also. And if one perfectly loves Jesus he must love Krishna too. If he says, ‘Why shall I love Krishna? I shall love Jesus,’ then he has no knowledge. And if one says, ‘Why shall I love Jesus? I shall love Krishna,’ then he has no knowledge either. If one understands Krishna, then he will understand Jesus. If one understands Jesus, you’ll understand Krishna too.”
From Path of Perfection, Chapter 3: Learning How to See God:
“As Lord Jesus Christ said, we should hate the sin, not the sinner. That is a very nice statement, because the sinner is under illusion. He is mad. If we hate him, how can we deliver him? Therefore, those who are advanced devotees, who are really servants of God, do not hate anyone. When Lord Jesus Christ was being crucified, he said, ‘My God, forgive them. They know not what they do.’ This is the proper attitude of an advanced devotee. He understands that the conditioned souls cannot be hated, because they have become mad due to their materialistic way of thinking. In this Krishna consciousness movement, there is no question of hating anyone. Everyone is welcomed to come and chant Hare Krishna, take krishna-prasada, listen to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, and try to rectify material, conditioned life. This is the essential program of Krishna consciousness.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam5.18.11, purport:
“Simply by hearing of the powerful activities of the Lord, the devotee’s heart becomes almost completely cleansed of material contamination, and thus his original position as an eternal servant who is part and parcel of the Lord becomes manifest. While the devotee engages in devotional service, the passionate and ignorant modes of material nature are gradually vanquished, and then he acts only in the mode of goodness. At that time he becomes happy and gradually advances in Krishna consciousness. All the great acaryas strongly recommend that people be given a chance to hear about the Supreme Lord. Then success is assured. The more we cleanse the dirt of material attachment from our hearts, the more we will be attracted by Krishna’s name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and activities. This is the sum and substance of the Krishna consciousness movement.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 30:
“It is stated in the Tenth Canto, Thirty-third Chapter, verse 11, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, ‘Upon seeing that Krishna’s arm was placed on her shoulder, one of the gopis engaged in the rasadance became so ecstatically happy that she kissed Krishna on His cheek.’ This is an instance of feeling happiness because of achieving a desired goal.”
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From his commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam11.17.53:
“Unless a householder worships child Krishna, his attachment for his children will remain strong. As long as the Lord’s pastimes in madhuryarasa do not become the subject of one’s meditation, one will continue to think of his wife as the reservoir of all pleasure. Unless one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, accepting Lord Krishna as one’s only friend, just like Sridama, one will not be able to give up the hankering for temporary and superficial material relationships. Until one’s propensity for rendering devotional service to Lord Krishna is awakened, one will continue to foolishly demand service from others. One who is actually intelligent should understand that there can be no satisfaction for the self on any planet within the material world. Therefore, like a traveler who has become very tired while traveling, one should go back home, back to Godhead. Eternal peace is the condition of the faithful servant of Sri Krishna.”
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
From My Search Through Books:
One time, some of us told Srila Prabhupada that Camus and Sartre saw life as absurd. Srila Prabhupada replied, “It is absurd for him.”
“Today’s drawing shows three bhaktasdancing and chanting with upraised arms. They are dressed very colorfully and are dancing with abandon. The harinamamovement brings out the spontaneous spirit of a person. It is the original nature and is evoked by chanting. It breaks up the material modes of nature and brings one to the transcendental platform. While these men are chanting Hare Krishna they forget their material problems and come directly in touch with Krishna consciousness. They even forget their material bodies and live as spirit souls.”
From a Prabhupada Remembrance Video about Prabhupada at London Ratha-yatra:
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Shyamasundara Prabhu:
I picked up Srila Prabhupada up in a helicopter when he came for the London Ratha-yatra.
Prabhupada did not sit on his vyasasana[seat of honor] on the Ratha-yatra cart, but danced and walked the whole parade. We were all surprised because Prabhupada was sick.
Devotee lady:
After the helicopter ride, I heard Srila Prabhupada say, “I never want to travel this way again.”
Mahavishnu Swami:
I inherited £10,000 from my aunt. I was made in charge of London Ratha-yatra, and I spent the money for the festival.
Devotee lady:
The hairs of my body stood on end. Then I turned around and saw Prabhupada dancing. I felt Prabhupada before I saw him.
Srutakirti Prabhu:
The police wanted Prabhupada to stop dancing because it made the devotees go wild. I ignored their request the first time. The next time I tapped Srila Prabhupada’s shoulder, and said, “They want you to stop.” He turned and looked at me, and then swung around and went back to dancing. I told the police, “If you want him to stop, you will have to tell him yourself because he will not listen to me.” They didn’t, and Prabhupada kept dancing.
Devotee lady:
The way Prabhupada looked at Jagannath was the face of a man in love.
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Abhiram Prabhu:
From a lecture on the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
Srila Prabhupada is an emissary from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, empowered to expand his mission.
Srila Prabhupada spoke on this day in the last year he was present (1977) and made some important points:
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s appearance and disappearance was like that of Krishna in that he came to this world from the spiritual world to execute a certain mission.
This human form of life is a rare chance to attain spiritual perfection.
We are called vimudhan (foolish) because although Krishna has come to invite us back to the spiritual world, in this rarely attained life, we are not interested.
To convert us from vimudhan to intelligent, Krishna sends His representative into this world. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is such a representative.
The Vaishnava is unconcerned with mundane profit, adoration, and distinction. He is busy doing good to others by enlightening the people with spiritual knowledge.
Mundane people do not know how to do good for humanity because they do not how to elevate them out of this cycle of birth and death.
The human being can take instruction from the scripture that he is a spiritual being and should endeavor for spiritual perfection.
If we do not think of Krishna, we remain in this cycle of birth and death.
The Vaishnava has the great responsibility to share this great knowledge.
The real business of the Vaishnava is not for himself. But to help others.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s spiritual gift is that he wanted every one of his disciples to go out and spread this knowledge.
Lord Caitanya advised everyone to become guru. How to become guru? Just repeat what Krishna has said.
This Mayapur is meant for this purpose to preach Krishna consciousness all over this world.
Take Western money and Indian culture and make the whole world happy.
Notes from a summary of the life of Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura’s life:
Acyutananda, brother of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, became deathly sick, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati took karatalas and chanted Hare Krishna for six days without eating. After that time his brother said that in a previous life he was a Sri Vaishnava and he committed an offense against a Gaudiya Vaishnava. By the pure chanting of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura the offense was destroyed, and Acyutananda left this world.
At age seven, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati saw Bipin Bihari, the guru of his father, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, placed his foot on Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s head. When his father left the room, he questioned that action. He said, “Do you know that my father is a nitya-siddha [eternally perfect] devotee of the Lord. Are you really qualified to place your foot on his head?”
Because of the degraded Vaishnava sampradayas, the shaktas and the followers of Vivekananda and Ramakrishna became prominent.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would take on and defeat anyone and everyone to establish unalloyed Krishna consciousness.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura knew the philosophies of all the Vaishnavas.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura considered that to awaken the dormant attitude of service to the Supreme Lord is more important than any other activity.
Whatever Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura asked others to do, he followed himself.
He cited Mundaka Upanisad verse 1.2.12: “Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistam – To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth”] as describing the qualities of a guru.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s presence was so impressive that people were humbled by it.
Of Hari-katha, he especially liked to glorify Govardhan Hill.
Kadamba Kanana Swami:
From a recorded lecture:
Keshava Bharati Maharaja, the guru who initiated Lord Caitanya into the renounced order of life, sannyasa, told him at that time: “I am calling you Krishna because You will make the whole world chant Hare Krishna. I am calling you Caitanya because You will bring life to the hearts of all people.”
Yasoda Dulal Prabhu [brahmacari preaching in Montreal, Canada]:
Even an insignificant living entity can speak nicely by the mercy of the Vaishnavas.
Unfortunately we have been raised in such away as to develop our attachment to our bodies.
You can say Krishna arranged the shop be named Matchless Gifts to remind the devotees of the value of what Krishna is giving. His first gift is the association of his confidential devotee Srila Prabhupada. Then Srila Prabhupada gave us the holy names of Radha and Krishna.
Pure chanting is for the pleasure of the Lord.
The material world is controlled by the Lord, but everyone in the spiritual world is controlled by love [prema], including Krishna Himself.
Even as devotees, our experience of the unlimited is limited.
If we make the holy name the center of our life we can come to experience the matchless gift.
Sincerity has no limit. If we think we are sincere, we are not sincere.
The inner experience of great souls like Srila Prabhupada and the Six Goswamis is only love.
Rupa Goswami’s definition of raganuga-bhakti is to follow an associate of Radha Krishna.
Comment by Bhakta Avatar Prabhu: The Radharani and Lalita deities at the Tota-Gopinath temple are black instead of their usual golden color, and their pujari says the reason for this is that they are absorbed in thinking of Krishna.
Like the fans of Brad Pitt, while watching his different movies, see only Brad Pitt acting, although he is playing different roles, the Gaudiya Vaishnavas see the incarnations of God as Krishna appearing as Nrsimha or Krishna appearing as Lord Rama, etc.
We are already in Gaura-lila. If we are going on harinama every day or distributing books every day, or if we are worshiping the deity every day under Srila Prabhupada’s direction, we are already in Gaura-lila. It is just a question of realizing it.
Gopala Bhatta, as a nine-year-old boy, for four months massaged the feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, cooked for Him, and ate His remnants. As a result Gopala Bhatta’s eyes were always filled with tears of love of God, and he was victorious in all scholarly debates because Lord Caitanya was present in his heart.
The Gaudiya Vaishnavas prefer to see Lord Caitanya standing by the side of the Garuda stambha rather than to see Lord Vishnu riding on Garuda, His carrier.
Prabodhananda Sarasvati Goswami says that worshiping the feet of Lord Caitanya leads to the supreme realization.
In Krishna book Srila Prabhupada describes in one chapter about the gopis feelings of separation. There Srila Prabhupada indicates that we are advanced to the extent that we feel separation for Krishna.
As the gopis felt separation from Krishna, Krishna felt separation from the gopis. However the gopis, because they were many, could console each other, while Krishna had to suffer separation alone in Dvaraka.
Sivaram Swami says that the holy name of Krishna is more reliable than Krishna Himself, because you can count on Krishna being present in His holy name, while otherwise Krishna is sometimes here and sometimes not.
Prabhupada disciple Mandakini said when Prabhupada was present they would feel that love of God was even emanating from the walls.
Verses that came to my mind during the class:
“O Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness. (Srimad-Bhagavatam2.9.34)
“Whatever you desire to describe that is separate in vision from the Lord simply reacts, with different forms, names and results, to agitate the mind, as the wind agitates a boat, which has no resting place.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.1)
“One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” (Bhagavad-gita 14.26)
Rama Raya Prabhu:
Srila Prabhupada wanted 24-hour kirtana in all our temples.
When Lord Caitanya went on harinama everyone went—the scholar Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the king Prataparudra. Also during Srila Prabhupada’s time, everyone wanted to go on the Saturday night harinama in Times Square. Some two or three people had to stay back to take care of the deities. They would take turns so they all could go on harinama sometimes.
Offering all respects to others in the ultimate issue means to respect them as spiritual souls by engaging them in Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement.
Either we are going to give our life to maya or we are going to give our life to Krishna.
Comment by Nihal: I met one person while distributing books who remembered the Saturday night harinamas. There were 60 to 80 persons chanting with such enthusiasm that the traffic would stop. The man telling me the story still felt the wonder of it after so many years.
There are people out there who are suffering and praying for God to help them. Srila Prabhupada said that we have many customers out there.
Seeing prema-bhaktas chanting the holy name is the ultimate coolness.
Lord Caitanya is the supreme revolutionary.
Srila Prabhupada’s prayer in “Markine Bhagavata Dharma” to Krishna “I wish that you may deliver them” was backed up by forty years of service.
“I just tried to blindly follow the order of my spiritual master” – look at how far it got Srila Prabhupada.
Jhansi was a failure, but he got the whole world.
Abhiram Prabhu tells that Stanley Kubrick said in an interview, just before his death from terminal cancer, that he was approached by NASA to make a moon-landing film.
Bhagavat Purana Prabhu:
From an after dinner conversation:
Q (from new devotee): What are salagram-silas?
A: You could describe them as anti-material pet rocks.
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam8.5.32:
Scientists, by doing things like cloning, try to imitate the original creator while at the same time they deny the existence of that original creator. They are not humble enough to understand the existence of the original creator.
Although the scientists have advanced intelligence from their past pious activities, they still are subjected to the four material defects of imperfect senses, the tendency toward illusion, the tendency to make mistakes, and the propensity to cheat.
Although people try to insure their friends will be happy by giving them gift cards so they can purchase their own gifts, their friends still purchase items which are temporary sources of satisfaction and incapable of giving them the ultimate happiness they desire, and so they are ultimately frustrated.
As I recall, Srila Prabhupada advised to make harinama banners having gold letters on a light blue background.
Comment by Isvari Jahnava Devi: When I was young in Russia, America seemed to us like a heavenly planet. We somehow got a Sears catalog, advertising things we never had in Russia, and it was like a Bible to us. Krishna arranged that now I came to Times Square, when I had no more material desires. Times Square was hell for me, and I vowed to never come there again, unless I am on a harinama party.
Isvari Jahnava Devi:
One reason Krishna consciousness has become popular in Russia is that the Russian people in Soviet times were brought up with ideals and people who lived for ideals, and they understood value of community.
The communist goal was that people would work and would receive whatever they needed. That is not possible in materialistic consciousness, but it is possible in Krishna consciousness.
Deva Madhava Prabhu:
The demigods teach by their example to first glorify the Lord before asking Him for a benediction, even when they are experiencing supreme distress and want relief.
Arjuna also, before asking Krishna to counteract the weapon fired by Asvatthama, offered prayers to the Lord.
If we understand that Krishna is present everywhere, then we should not feel anything is lacking anywhere at anytime. If we feel such a lack, our realization of Krishna is not complete.
We should not think that seeing Krishna and hearing from Krishna is different.
If we are not thoughtful, we will miss out on the fruit of the experience.
Saying the prasadam prayers helps us to take the prasadam in a devotional consciousness and to get the full benefit of it.
After Christmas and New Years people are down because their expectations are never met by their material enjoyments.
In the beginning of our devotional service, we are more running away from maya, and at the stage of ruci, we are more running toward Krishna.
Bhima-Karma Prabhu:
From a class on kirtana:
The mrdanga is a primary instrument in the sankirtana.
Whenever the question of instruments in kirtana came up, Srila Prabhupada was firm in insisting that mrdanga and karatalas were essential for kirtana. For some temporary preaching purposes, other instruments can be used, but whenever we present kirtana,mrdanga and karatalas should be the main instruments.
In India, among classical musicians, the mrdanga is considered a simple folk instrument.
The natya-sastra covers the art of performance and is a commentary by Bharata Muni on the section of the Sama Veda dealing with that topic.
Kirtana has musical aspects, but primarily it is a spiritual activity.
Srila Prabhupada defines rasa in two ways. One is relationship, such as the mother-child relationship Yasoda has with Krishna.
The ratio of the distance between the big head and the widest part of the drum and the distance between the small end and the widest part of the drum is the golden ratio (0.618).
The difference between a classical musician and a kirtaniya is the classical musician tries to please the audience and the kirtaniya tries to please the Krishna.
Rasa is expressed in terms of kriya or activities.
Before we even touch the mrdanga, we offer respect:
mrdanga- brahma – rupaya lavanya – rasa-madhuri
sahasra-guna samyuktam mrdangaya namo namah
[Unto the mrdanga, that supreme Brahman formed as a clay drum which is infused with the sweet mellows of graceful enchantment, and endowed with thousands of transcendental qualities, I bow down again and again.]
Just as Krishna is the ocean among bodies of water and Krishna is the sun among the luminaries, Krishna is mrdangaamong the drums.
The mrdanga mantra te, re, ke, ta is used to help develop rhythm.
Visakha [the intimate associate of Radha and Krishna] plays the mrdanga.
The example that we can learn from Srila Prabhupada’s mrdanga practice is that he went to a mrdanga guru in the tradition and he remained chaste to his guru, not inventing beats of his own.
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This verse reminds us of the fact that if the holy name of the Lord is chanted, despite many different discrepancies, the function is a complete success:
mantratas tantratas chidram
desha-kalarha-vastutah
sarvam karoti nishchidram
anusankirtanam tava
[Sukracarya, the spiritual master of the demons, said to Lord Vamana, the incarnation of Krishna, regarding sacrifice:] “There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam8.23.16)
O Lord Krishna, the people of this world, both men and women, are bewildered by Your illusory energy. Unaware of their real benefit, they do not worship You but instead seek happiness by entangling themselves in family affairs, which are actually sources of misery. That person has an impure mind who, despite having somehow or other obtained the rare and highly evolved human form of life, does not worship Your lotus feet.
Misidentifying the mortal body as the self, becoming attached to children, wives, treasury and land, I suffered endless anxiety. With deep arrogance I took myself to be the body disregarding You in my deluding pride. A man obsessed with thoughts of what he thinks needs to be done, intensely greedy, and delighting in sense enjoyment is suddenly confronted by You like a hungry snake licking its fangs before a mouse. You appear before him as death. The body that at first rides high on fierce elephants or chariots adorned with gold and is known by the name “king” is later, by Your invincible power of time, called “feces,” “worms,” or “ashes.” He whose urges are so rampant, thinking “I am independent” cannot attain happiness.
When the material life of a wandering soul has ceased, O Krishna, he may attain the association of Your devotees. And when he associates with them, there awakens in him devotion unto You, who are the goal of the devotees and the Lord of all causes and their effects. O all-powerful one, I desire no boon other than service to Your lotus feet, the boon most eagerly sought by those free of material desire. O Hari, what enlightened person who worships You, the giver of liberation, would choose a boon that causes his own bondage? Therefore, O Lord, having put aside all objects of material desire, which are bound to the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness, I am approaching You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for shelter.
You are not covered by mundane designations; rather, You are the Supreme Absolute Truth, full in pure knowledge and transcendental to the material modes. For so long I have been pained by troubles in this world and have been burning with lamentation. My six enemies are never satiated, and I can find no peace. Therefore, O giver of shelter, O Supreme Soul, please protect me. O Lord, in the midst of danger I have by good fortune approached Your lotus feet, which are the truth and which thus make one fearless and free of sorrow.
The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: The intelligence of My unalloyed devotees is never diverted by material blessings. Wander this earth at will, with your mind fixed on Me. May you always possess such unfailing devotion for Me. O King, in your very next life you will become an excellent brāhmaṇa, the greatest well-wisher of all creatures, and certainly come to Me alone.
-Conversation between King Mucukunda and Lord Sri Krishna (SB 10.51.45-63)
Ramacandara Puri points out ants crawling on the floor of Lord Caitanya’s Room.
ei ta’ svabhava tanra agraha kariya piche ninda kare, age bahuta khaoyaña
“The characteristic of Ramacandra Puri was that first he would induce someone to eat more than necessary and then he would criticize him.”
purve yabe madhavendra karena antardhana ramacandra-puri tabe aila tanra sthana
“Formerly, when Madhavendra Puri was at the last stage of his life, Ramacandra Puri came to where he was staying.”
puri-gosañi kare krsna-nama-sankirtana ‘mathura na painu’ bali’ karena krandana
“Madhavendra Puri was chanting the holy name of Krsna, and sometimes he would cry, “O my Lord, I did not get shelter at Mathura.”
ramacandra-puri tabe upadese tanre sisya haña guruke kahe, bhaya nahi kare
“Then Ramacandra Puri was so foolish that he fearlessly dared to instruct his spiritual master.” (Cc Antya 8.17 -20)
Giriraj Swami: “This also demonstrates the principle—yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ‘pi, that by the mercy of the spiritual master one gets the mercy of Krishna but by displeasing the spiritual master or somehow being bereft of the mercy of the spiritual master one has no standing in devotional service.”
Great MANTRA for LOVE and PEACE! (3 min video)
A compilation of friendly people on the streets of London chanting the maha-mantra and contributing to the peace of the world. Very happy and nicely edited video.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/AMtgoE
Srila Prabhupada tamed our ‘ritual conditioned’ Indian minds. Here we learn how our activities are not aimed at gaining piety or good merit but only bhakthi, Krishna bhakthi or devotional service towards the Lord. Coming from a traditional family in India, the land of myriad ceremonies, rituals and customs, my mind was conditioned to all of it. Quite naturally. As a child I rarely questioned about anything we were ‘asked’ to do such as offering obeisance to parents first thing in the morning, then the deities at home, refraining from tea, coffee, watching TV only in rationed quantities and so on. In fact I got so conditioned to all of it that I would feel guilty when I would sway away even a bit. But very soon the innocent mind started questioning and finding most of the rituals as superfluous, drudgery. They would just not fit in to my ‘civilized’ life style any longer and at the very first instance I chose to give it all up with practically little or no guilt at all. Those that lingered on like visiting Ganesha temples on Tuesdays or visiting the Hanuman temple on Saturdays were rituals which did not interfere much with my ‘other’ life! Continue reading "Beating the ‘ritualistic’ mind → Dandavats"
We are seeing that now more Iskcon centers are celebrating Holi with burning of Holika and throwing the colored dye festival. So there are some points to be mentioned about these celebrations. I was requested by a senior mataji to share this information. So if there is anything incorrect please excuse me and add your comments. I will share something about Holi from Vedic point as much as I have learnt. The coloured dyes are supposed to be thrown with love signifying blessing to the person "may auspicious, wealth, prosperity accompany you" It is not a wild jombory done in an indiscrimanetory way. It is a sign of jubilation that Holika is killed and Prahalad is saved. So it is signifying victory of good over evil. So in that sense it is spiritual. Another significance is that it is also the beginning of spring. So as there is so much colour in nature inspiring the pro-creative spirit of in all beings including the plants, trees, animals and humans. After the Holi season all the other appearances of other incarnations of the Supreme Lord Krsna comes forth in the new Year besides the Varaha Avatar who places the earth back into its axis before holi. Holi in that way signifies the end of the winter, dark, gloomy season. Continue reading "Throwing Coloured Dyes on Holi → Dandavats"
I made all my own decisions, I was my own man, but I was also unhappy. I wanted to break away completely from the material world. I wanted God in my life. I want to try it, I thought. But what if I failed? What will I have to give up? I was really scared now. I will have to give up rock and roll and I will have to follow rules and regulations. But deep down inside, my hearts said try it. Scared I was but I took a few steps. And wow, it worked, kind of. I didn't become a saint and I didn't see the white light but I did begin to feel an inner peace. I took another step and fell down. And it hurt. I took another step and fell down. What now? I tried again and started to walk. I began to realize that Krsna was everywhere, even in my own life. I began to understand that Krsna was a person and that I had a relationship with Him, a loving relationship that was eternal. I was actually becoming happy. Sometimes even tears of joy came to my eyes. I even gave up rock and roll, and I survived. Today, I'm still scared but I keep taking those next steps. I still fall down and I still get back up. I'm succeeding in spiritual life. But I did not do it alone. I always found the greatest source of strength from my devotee friends. Of course, I had to reach out to them; they could not read my mind. I had to ask for help. Continue reading "Scared to become a devotee → Dandavats"
Flame Of Eternal Love (video)
“The Flame of Eternal Love” a documentary about Srila Prabhupada and the development of the Society for Krishna Consciousness in the USSR.
Anchor: Sofia Ignatova. Actors: Alexey Sviridov, Acyuta Priya, Nimai, Vrinda. English Anchor voice: Jaya Madhava Prabhu. English voice: Alisa Tchebotareva. Music: Yury Dimentyev. Sound: Vibhavari das. Written and directed by: Arjuna das.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/dBBjcy
On the land, which they have offered to Srila Prabhupada for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, devotees plan to develop a Krishna conscious community that offers the best of both urban and rural worlds. Located in a fast-developing suburb called Hilliard, it’s flanked by upcoming million-dollar homes and neighboring land owned by banks.
“Bhagavad-Gita As It Is” audio is now available for free to listen on iPhone and Android using the Mixcloud App. It is narrated by Titiksava Karunika Das (San Diego, CA). It has powerful and live voice with dramatic background music. The complete project was produced by Kamlesh Patel (Irvine, CA).
The ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry (CDM) has been actively helping devotee communities around the world for the past twenty years by providing necessary resources for the furthering of Srila Prabhupada's vision. Due to this service many congregations have grown in numbers and in quality. Thousands of devotees and newcomers have benefited.
Astronomy of the Bhagavat Purana - The Vedic / Hindu world view ( 3 videos)
Radha Mohan das: My explanations are based on the works of Sadaputa das (Dr Richard Thomson), and also, references from the research of Danavir Goswami.
The purpose of my presentation is to glorify the Srimad Bhagavatam: presenting the 5th Canto, chapters 16-26, in an accessible way that can be appreciated by those devoted to the Puranas as well as those familiar with modern astronomy.
It is also in tribute to the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the huge ISKCON project under construction in Mayapur, West Bengal.
Watch them here: https://goo.gl/u9NMzU
A new e-book by Chaitanya Charan das Belong addresses our heart’s longing to belong to something bigger than ourselves – a longing that is nourished and fulfilled by the Bhagavad-gita’s transformational message of spiritual love. While presenting that message in accessible 300-word nuggets, Belong shines the light of the Gita on many themes important for our inner growth.
Is life on earth pointless? It seems we spend it working hard for “vanity” — for nothing better than vapour —KC SOC (UK) presents a special interview with Jayadavaita Swami based on the meaning of life and his new book, 'Vanity Karma'.
The Govardhana Retreat has been going on since 2000 – the first with only thirty students under the trees surrounding Giriraja (we still remember having to crawl under a barbed wire fence to get to our spot!), the most recent with almost a thousand students, now at a rented ashram.
Court in Session (video)
Questions and Answers on Krishna Consciousness with Shaunaka Rishi prabhu about he importance of actually doing the work of unpacking our core principles and committing to them with daily consistency. Kudos to Pandava Sena Alumni for a top-notch venture and production.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2zQxaZ
Wise-Love, a Book Trailer Video (2 min video)
“In this short book trailer about Wise-Love, a new book written by Pranada dasi, we’re invited to feel the hope of Wise-Love (Bhakti) and its transformational power. Wise-Love is an introductory handbook presenting Bhakti in new lights, attractive language, and a manner relatable to a Western audience. It comprehensively covers the core tenets of our philosophy true to siddhanta, yet its short, thematic chapters are easy to assimilate for an outside reader.”
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/UXwzpf
Yatra to SVARNA VILLAGE.
Svarna is a big village away from cities and towns blessed with abundance of water due to big ponds and canals. Agriculture is main occupation in the village. There are hundreds of acres of arable lands around the village. It is a very ancient village dating back to 12th century. There is a huge Vishnu (Vallabhacharya) temple and a Shiva (Bhoga Lingeshwar) temple. The village has the highest literacy in the Prakasham district. But the younger generation is mostly settled in towns and cities due to which we find mostly old couple or single individuals in big houses leading a life of lonesliness. The main food crops cultivated here are paddy, peanuts, corn and vegetables and cash crops like cotton, chilli and tobacco. This village is considered one of the richest in the district. In spite of all favorable conditions for agriculture farmers are frustrated because of the modernized agriculture which demands investments in high usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and mechanization.
On January 11, 2016, the Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra team arrived to the serene village in the afternoon. This was their 53rd village. A small team went to announce about the evening program while others were at the book table interacting with the villagers. The Yatra bus abuzz with activities as soon it was parked. In the evening devotees set out for the harinaam through almost all main streets of the village. The nagarsankirtan met with mixed response–some people received us with reverence while others were totally indifferent and some people followed us for some distance and a few made offerings in different forms to the Lordships. The program was planned in a well-furnished village function hall in the center of the village. Somehow until 7.30 pm no one arrived to the hall putting us in anxiety. A little later two young men enthusiastically arrived having heard the announcements. They told that the farmers usually return to their homes around 6.30 pm from their farms. Then they take their bath followed by dinner. It is after this that they come for such programs by around 8 pm and stay until midnight if required. As predicted, the village folks started arriving by 8 pm and in no time the hall was full. Everyone heard attentively and later appreciated the program, especially the solutions offered to the modern agricultural problems. Many took the copies of power point presentations and video presentations. We were told that there were some Ayyapa festivities on the same day and many farmers were involved in that program; otherwise there would have been better turnout. The young men requested us to visit their village more often. The proceedings gave immense satisfaction as we got opportunity to deal with young men genuinely interested in spirituality.
Yatra to SVARNA VILLAGE.
Svarna is a big village away from cities and towns blessed with abundance of water due to big ponds and canals. Agriculture is main occupation in the village. There are hundreds of acres of arable lands around the village. It is a very ancient village dating back to 12th century. There is a huge Vishnu (Vallabhacharya) temple and a Shiva (Bhoga Lingeshwar) temple. The village has the highest literacy in the Prakasham district. But the younger generation is mostly settled in towns and cities due to which we find mostly old couple or single individuals in big houses leading a life of lonesliness. The main food crops cultivated here are paddy, peanuts, corn and vegetables and cash crops like cotton, chilli and tobacco. This village is considered one of the richest in the district. In spite of all favorable conditions for agriculture farmers are frustrated because of the modernized agriculture which demands investments in high usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and mechanization.
On January 11, 2016, the Sri Govind Gau Gram Prachar Yatra team arrived to the serene village in the afternoon. This was their 53rd village. A small team went to announce about the evening program while others were at the book table interacting with the villagers. The Yatra bus abuzz with activities as soon it was parked. In the evening devotees set out for the harinaam through almost all main streets of the village. The nagarsankirtan met with mixed response–some people received us with reverence while others were totally indifferent and some people followed us for some distance and a few made offerings in different forms to the Lordships. The program was planned in a well-furnished village function hall in the center of the village. Somehow until 7.30 pm no one arrived to the hall putting us in anxiety. A little later two young men enthusiastically arrived having heard the announcements. They told that the farmers usually return to their homes around 6.30 pm from their farms. Then they take their bath followed by dinner. It is after this that they come for such programs by around 8 pm and stay until midnight if required. As predicted, the village folks started arriving by 8 pm and in no time the hall was full. Everyone heard attentively and later appreciated the program, especially the solutions offered to the modern agricultural problems. Many took the copies of power point presentations and video presentations. We were told that there were some Ayyapa festivities on the same day and many farmers were involved in that program; otherwise there would have been better turnout. The young men requested us to visit their village more often. The proceedings gave immense satisfaction as we got opportunity to deal with young men genuinely interested in spirituality.
February 12. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Prabhupada’s Manifestation of Steady Bhava.
The Vaisnava acharyas have minutely delineated all the various manifestations of ecstasy. In this regard, there are eight kinds of bodily symptoms which occur when a devotee feels love of Krishna, and Prabhupada mentioned them in one of his early essays:
In the beginning, there may not be the presence of all transcendental ecstasies, which are eight in number. These are: 1. being stopped as though dumb; 2. perspiration; 3. standing up of hairs on the body; 4. dislocation of voice; 5. trembling; 6. fading of the body; 7. crying in ecstasy; and 8. trance.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati comments that even if a pure devotee does not manifest these eight symptoms of ecstasy, he may still be fully qualified to chant the holy names. Sometimes pure devotees restrain their ecstatic symptoms because people who do not understand them may become afraid or blasphemous. Also, sometimes people who recognize these symptoms, but who have not attained bhava themselves, will imitate them in order to get a reputation as an ecstatic devotee. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati concludes that it is more important to demonstrate detachment. Furthermore, the steady symptoms of bhava as described in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (Nectar of Devotion), are important criteria for knowing if one is advancing in spiritual life.
Srila Prabhupada fully displayed these steady symptoms of bhava at all times, although he occasionally manifested the different bodily manifestations of the eight symptoms.
One symptom of steady bhava is proper utilization of time. Srila Prabhupada followed a daily schedule of his own making. He was always on time, although he was not fanatical about it. He was always using his time to serve Krishna no matter what he was doing. To this end, Prabhupada felt that his schedule enhanced his own meditation and practice.
Pure devotees of Krishna meditate on Krishna’s schedule. Krishna performs various pastimes with His eternal associates according to the time of day. Krishna’s day is divided into eight main periods, and within these eight periods there are more minute divisions. Pure devotees fill their minds with remembrance of Radha-Krishna by meditating in this way.
Similarly, Srila Prabhupada’s daily schedule is well known to his devotees. We can meditate on Prabhupada at different
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Question: How can we take prasādam without being totally hedonistic? Is it possible to deeply experience the prasādam without reinforcing the experience of sense gratification?
My Answer:
I think this subject is too advanced for most of us. Most of us are not tyāgīs (renunciates), and even those of us who are supposed to be renunciates live in air-conditioned buildings, sleep on beds, etc. etc, so let’s be real. It’s good enough to eat relatively simply without making every little body-function into a gigantic drama.
Better if we stop trying to mimic external things associated with spiritual advancement and start trying to really grasp the essence of spiritual advancement by ever-more frequently and deeply concentrating on Sri Hari Nama and Sri Hari Līlā.
“Affection for sense objects, however deep it may be, is gradually destroyed by developing taste for Hari-bhajan.“
He says this immediately after stating that pursuit of renunciation is unnecessary. It happens automatically and naturally for a bhakta.
So, in short, the right way to eat prasādam is to chant Hare Krishna and hear Srimad Bhagavatam often and deeply. Then you will naturally and sincerely be able to appreciate prasadam properly. Otherwise you will just be trying to mimic someone other people respect.
By Gour Govinda Swami
Japathon-Congregational Mantra Meditation
Monthly sankirtan Festival(MSF)
Nutritional Consultation
Nityananda Trayodasi(Fasting till Noon)
Sunday School
By Madhumati Pushkarini
By Gandhari Devi Dasi
By Jatayu dasa
