Planet ISKCON

https://flic.kr/s/aHsktUp4Pf

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The nice thing about being ill, if their is such a thing is that it forces you to stop.
Shivering and coughing its hard to chant and even basic care of the deities takes an eternity the material body demonstrates its limitations and reminds me that in many ways in this form time is limited; Srila Prabhupada words “Don’t waste time Chant Hare Krishna rings true”
However illness also gives the opportunity to catch up on things and although the ability to concentrate on reading is impaired one can enjoy the wonderful collection of Srila Prabhupada video’s; now that will inspire you.
I’ve been watching the very early movie collection, you can see the early disciplines struggle answering some basic questions by the reporter’s; but despite this two things stand out:
1) Their love for Srila Prabhupada
2) Their love for chanting Hare Krishna
Despite not having a great philosophical insight they understood the importance of guru and the power of the holy names in solving the world’s problems by firstly solving theirs.
In some ways their is a child like approach, simple surrender, unquestioning but practically experiencing the power of the shelter of Guru and the healing power of reconnecting with Krishna in the form of the holy names.
It makes me wonder if somewhere along the way as a society of Krishna Consciousness we’ve become too proud of our newfound academic prowess?
Greater emphasis is on slokas and completion of courses, without really gaining understanding.
Sat watching between coughs and shivering what comes across in these early videos is great love, in many ways Srila Prabhupada looks his happiest in these early video’s, despite the crazy dancing, odd instruments being played and what would bring outcrys from current leaders of this Krishna Consciousness movement of bad etiquette.
I know the party line, those were exceptional times, we can’t live in the past, we have standards bla bla bla
What attracted me and made me take up devotional life?
It was Love
The love the devotees had for their Guru Maharaja and the chanting of the holy name’s, slowly philosophy came, and indeed I’ve got a long way to go, Krishna Consciousness has so many levels I think even after many lifetimes I won’t get it.
My own initiation remains a defining moment, but again I pray maybe one day my understanding will be as deep as that of my god family; I’m for sure a slow learner.
But personally I think we’ve lost the lesson Srila Prabhupada gave in those early day’s, hung up on standards and enforcement of standards; but Prabhupada knew over time this would come; but first he met them at their own level.
If we’re so high up it becomes or feels unattainable.
Srila Prabhupada cheeted the westerner’s in a very expert way
He understood they were rebelling against authority, establishment, religiosity.
That they wanted to self express, explore but mostly to experience love
So he simply gave them prasadam and kirtan
Bring your instrument’s your dancing shoes enjoy
This is the essence of harinama and rathayatra come join in sing and dance
You could see how much pleasure Srila Prabhupada was getting from seeing those early disciples getting attached to the holy name’s, bringing others come join in.
We’re now apparently boiling the milk, its time to educate; but no one is watching the milk only the cash flow; the real boiling of the milk is not education but loving attachment to Guru and the chanting of Hare Krishna
Seeing so many go through our prized education system I wonder why we still in London only have two temple’s, the population has grown in London but in real terms the devotee community hasn’t. These temple’s were inauguration was by Srila Prabhupada by the enbevours of his early disciples who hadn’t done this or that course; inspired by the love they felt for Srila Prabhupada because they felt loved by Srila Prabhupada.
This love cannot be manufactured, or learnt in any academic setting.
Have we become so hucked on ritualistic standardisation and persut of academic excellence that the origins of and aims have been lost, that absorption in chanting Hare Krishna?
Although I know many who feel that academia is the future as it gets rid of sentiment
But is the reality that we actually are getting rid of this unconditional love?
The spontaneous love of Guru and Krishna that opened up centres and temple’s that remain open to today and which we appear unable to replicate.

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A poem in honor of ISKCON’s Golden Jubilee.
Samapriya Devi Dasi (ACBSP): There is a section written from the point of view of one who resides in New Ramanreti.

ISKCON’S GOLDEN JUBILEE

Srila Prabhupada built a house
the whole world could live in,
welcoming melechas and yavanas
whose lives were degraded and covered in sin.

The vision of the pure devotee
is boundless and broad,
he sees within the hearts of men
the undivided Lord.

Unleashing the value of each human birth
foretold in a divine prediction,
the Sankirtan Movement has come to the earth
bestowing the prime benediction.

Joyfully embracing the Holy Name
to establish religiosity
Prabhupada’s movement takes it’s place
attaching itself to the Caitanya tree.

The ultimate good for all the world
and essence of its divine teaching,
has now spread around to every country and town
all glories to Srila Prabhupada’s preaching!

And the Vedas deliver the Absolute Truth
awakened throughout the ages,
of a spiritual realm within each heart
broadcast by self-realized sages.

To deliver the suffering souls of this world
Srila Prabhupada translated these books,
his purports composed, in crystal-like prose
get sweeter the deeper one looks.

We are living in Krsna’s abode
Srila Prabhupada invited us here,
as we abide by his sacred words
our path Back to Godhead will remain clear.

ISKCON’S tenets are suited
for men of all time
with no closed doors
on this house of the sublime.

Never limited to a selected few
no matter what you’re inclined to do
variety includes both me and you
the desire of the Lord is ever fresh and new.

Everyone is equal in the eyes of God,
from His transcendental qualities we’re created,
though in this world where surrendering is odd
happiness is found when our pride is abated.
—
In one remote corner of great Mayadesh,
a faraway hamlet is surviving,
where generations of devotees are serving the Lord
and bhakti is growing and thriving.

To this sacred place devotees have flocked
attracted to each other’s alliance,
seeking spiritual strength beyond worldly cares
in a fellowship of godly compliance.
Sri Sri Gaura Nitai are the Lords of our hearts
and we become ecstatic when the kirtan starts.
We chant the holy name, dance to transcendental sound
easily renouncing what keeps us earthly bound.

Exquisite Radhe Shyama are the Lords of the land
They except loving service from each devotee’s hand,
who completely gives his heart to what the Lord commands
we are the loyal servants of New Ramanreti sands.

When we walk in the temple it’s a sight to behold
two divine brothers beautiful and bold.
They’ve stolen our hearts and won’t give them back
after all They are thieves who provide what we lack.

For 50 years ISKCON has steadily grown,
as we place Lord Caitanya in our hearts on a throne.
Praying to remain on the Lord’s sacred tree
and bloom in pure love for eternity.

In the service of Srila Prabhupada
by Samapriya devi dasi

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Scenes from 2016 parikrama with Sivarama Swami (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra says, “My dear Lord Krishna, my dear Lord Rama, O energy of the Lord, Hare, kindly engage me in your service.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.24.69 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/cL9UEt

New York City Daily Harinam Ashram Wants You! Going on 4 years, the NYC Harinam ashram has performed the Yuga Dharma in NYC, and some of its regular 365 days a year 6 hours per day Sankirtan members are taking much needed pilgrimage to the holy dham to recharge. From March 5th to April 15th there is a critical need for kirtan leaders and or book distributors so the Harinam can continue on with full strength! If you or a devotee you know would like to perform the Yuga Dharma in the city where Prabhupada started ISKCON as well as help the devotees who serve there regularly, Please contact Bhakta John hnsa.inc@gmail.com.

ISKCON Mumbai’s 50th Anniversary Celebration The Joy of Devotion (Album with photos)
ISKCON Mumbai’s 50th Anniversary Celebration The Joy of Devotion Day 1 on 5th Feb 2016 Celebration in Presence of HH Gopal Krishna Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Lokanath Swami, HH Nava Yogendra Swami, HH Indradyumna Swami, HH Atmanivedana Swami, HH Prabodhanand Saraswati Swami, HG Basu Ghosh Das, HG Devakinandan Prabhu, HG Pancharatna Dasa, HG Radha Jivan Prabhu, HG Sura Das Prabhu, HG Yasomotinandan Prabhu, HG DadiVaksha Prabhu, HG Mahaman Prabhu, TP’s of all Mumbai Temples, and many senior Leaders of ISKCON.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/NNcRU0

By Jaya Sada Gosai Dasa

On the 26th of January this year, ISCKON Adelaide celebrated its 3rd annual Rath Yatra. Lord Jagannath took to the streets as a part of the Australia Day Parade, His rath being designated as one of the floats. But, true to form, He stole the show yet again. With His huge, delighted eyes and inimitable smile, the Lord of the Universe appeared to be in rollicking good cheer. He was primed for an afternoon of wanton mercy distribution and thousands of unsuspecting onlookers reaped the full benefit.

Amongst the vibrant parade participants, Lord Jagannath in His opulent and fetching regalia called for undivided attention. Veda Vyasa Prabhu and Yashoda Sakhi Mataji brought their decades of altar experience to bear. With consummate skill and artistry, they dressed the Lord of all lords in the manner of a true king. Regardless, the merciful Jagannath ensured that He was not the only reason His “float” turned the most heads. Around 50 devotees in their Vaishnava best took part in pulling the chariot through Adelaide’s streets. They were led by a troupe of matajis who captivated onlookers with their graceful, coordinated dance steps. The ladies moved to an electric Kirtan led by HG Adi Purusa Krsna Prabhu with the accompaniment of expert mrdanga, kartal and harmonium players. Adi Purusa Prabhu is ISKCON Adelaide’s President. It must also be mentioned that he is very nearly a septuagenarian and that his kirtan lasted five hours; in the summer heat no less.

With the transcendental calls of Jai Jagannath! Jai Prabhupada! and the Hare Krishna mahamantra reverberating through Adelaide’s streets, the 40,000 strong crowd was enthralled like never before. Everyone clapped and jived in sync with the kirtan and a good many rushed forward to shoot “groupies” with their eternal Lord. While simply enjoying a good day out, thousands unknowingly began their spiritual lives too.

By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, the anxiety filled weeks of ground-work paid off. Ratha Yatra 2016 was a success. But, this is surely not all Jagannath has in store for His beloved Adelaideans. Plans are in place to triple the mercy next year! Adi Purusa Prabhu is working hard to build a chariot that will accommodate not only Jagannath and Srila Prabhupada but Lord Baladev and Subhadra Devi as well. Adelaide’s devotees now impatiently wait for the day when their streets will be graced by the transcendental siblings!

Click below to see the complete gallery
https://picasaweb.google.com/117179696334914649014/RathaYatraAdelaide2016

Chicago, 1972 ­– a group of students milled around an orange robed, shaven head monk who had travelled to America to share spiritual wisdom. He had made the journey from his home in India when he was sixty-nine, suffering two heart attacks along the way. Many thought he wouldn’t make the full journey. But His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was determined to share the knowledge of Krishna consciousness with the West. Within a year he had established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) whose aim was to do just that.

A university student named Roger was part of the group meeting with the extraordinary spiritual teacher that day in Chicago. Everyone was asking questions, and Roger was waiting for his chance to ask his. When there was a lull in the conversation, he raised his hand and asked: “Swami, could you tell me about Vedic technology?”

Vedic knowledge comes from the Vedas, ancient spiritual texts packed with advanced knowledge. This knowledge is the basis of the spiritual system known as Krishna Consciousness.

Roger had read many books describing sophisticated ancient technologies, and he expected Prabhupada to give more information on the topic. But instead, Prabhupada simply responded, “Vedic technology is the system of passing spiritual knowledge from teacher to student.”

Huh?

This was not at all what Roger was expecting. Here was Prabhupada, a man with vast knowledge of all the Vedic writings. Prabhupada would teach spiritual knowledge all over the world, write over sixty books, found over a hundred temples and create the vision to build the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the largest temple in the world, currently under construction in Mayapur, India.

He could have talked about Amazing Ancient Technologies such as:

Vastu, the ancient science of architecture and city planning. The Vedic writings explain how to arrange a building for maximum positive energy and comfort; how certain geometric symbols influence the energy-dynamics in a house; how to insulate a house with baked bricks; how to construct a multi-level house with an inner courtyard that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter; how to construct an underground sewage system, and much more. This remarkable science was available in 5000-year old literature. So, why didn’t Prabhupada mention it?

Or, how about sonic levitation? The Vedic writings explain that specific sounds spoken in exactly the right way can produce wondrous effects. One use of the sonic technology was to levitate objects. This technology from India may have spread all over the world and enabled the building of great pyramids by the ancient Mayan civilisation in Mexico, where stories mention “needing only to whistle to bring together stones in their correct position in buildings.” Or, in ancient Greece, where Amphion built the city of Thebes, “using sounds from a harp to move large stones” has been described. Furthermore, the Swedish engineer Henry Kjellson observed monks using sonic technology in Tibet in the 1920s: “The monks played trumpets and drums, chanted rhythmically, and four minutes later, a stone block wobbled on the ground then rose into the air, and, in an arc-like pattern, travelled to a ledge 750 feet above. There the stone crashed to a halt, sending dust and gravel flying in all directions.”

And why didn’t Prabhupada discuss the ancient Brahmastra nuclear weapon? The Mahabharata, a 5000-year old historic chronicle, describes the elite warrior Arjuna, who had the ability to use specific spiritual sound vibration to unleash a nuclear explosion upon his opponents. The text describes the effect of such a weapon:

“An incandescent column of smoke and flame, as bright as ten thousand suns, rose with all its splendour. The corpses were so burned as to be unrecognisable. Hair and nails fell out, pottery broke without apparent cause, and the birds turned white . . . After a few hours all foodstuffs were infected . . . To escape from this fire the soldiers threw themselves in streams to wash themselves and their equipment.”

Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who headed the Manhattan Project to create the first nuclear weapon during World War II, was a student of the Vedic literature. When he saw the mushroom cloud rise after the test firing of the first nuke in the New Mexico desert, he quoted a verse from the Bhagavad-gita (part of the Mahabharata) saying:

“Now I am become Death, [Time] the destroyer of worlds.” (11.32)

Later, when asked if that was the first bomb of such power ever created, he responded: “Well, yes, in modern times.” Oppenheimer had read the stories of the Brahmastra weapon and recognised that he had merely recreated a technology previously known in ancient India.

Given these mind-blowing examples of Vedic technology, why did Prabhupada deem it only worthy of mentioning the system of knowledge transmission? Let’s try and understand.

Knowledge Transfer System

There are three ways of learning something new:

1. By direct observation
2. By logical deduction
3. By receiving knowledge from a teacher

All these are valid means of discovering knowledge, but learning from someone who already knows is the easiest and most reliable way of learning. Our eyes can deceive us when observing something, and our logic can be flawed, but a qualified teacher, provided they genuinely know what they are teaching, has none of these shortcomings.

In this way, the Vedic knowledge has been passed down since time immemorial from teacher to student. Originally, the knowledge was passed down as an oral tradition. Then, as writing was invented and memories faded, the text was written down.

A sophisticated feature of the poetic Sanskrit language used in the Vedic knowledge is its built-in error-correction system utilising rhyme and rhythm. If a student makes a mistake while reciting the text, the rhythm is off and it is immediately obvious. This helps ensure that text is kept accurate, and the knowledge isn’t distorted.

Technology to Stop Death

The definition of technology states that for knowledge to be technology it must have a practical purpose. So, for something to be the best technology, it must have the most practical of purposes. Vastu, levitation, and nuclear energy, as amazing as they may be, do not address how to get to the root of the problems we are faced with today nor do they promote life’s real aim. Therefore Prabhupada did not consider them important.

In a conversation in 1976 Prabhupada said:

“Artificial necessities of life do increase your so-called comfort, but if you forget your real business, that is suicidal. We don't want to stop the modern advancement of technology, although the so-called advancement of technology is suicidal.”

The “real business” Prabhupada was concerned about was the knowledge of the eternal self as different from the temporary material body and the self’s transmigration to a new body at death. The technology he taught was the ability to control that transmigration, to transform the self into a being of pure consciousness and thereby stop death. The death of the material body is inevitable, but the consciousness powering that body can transform into its pure original state with proper application of this spiritual knowledge. As a result, the consciousness of that body doesn’t reincarnate into another body, and the cycle of repeated birth and death is broken.

That technology to stop death was originally taught by Krishna, the Supreme Person, who is himself beyond death. He is therefore uniquely qualified to be the original teacher, and knowledge passed down from him is the perfect technology for understanding our eternal nature. That purpose understanding our true self is, indeed, the aim of life, and this knowledge was taught to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita for the benefit of all humanity. Those who could theoretically stop their body from dying would still be killed at the end of time when the universe collapses in on itself. But Vedic technology is designed to provide a truly unlimited lifespan, beyond the lifetime of the universe, by restoring the self to its true form of pure consciousness, unimpeded by the material body.

“Inconceivable!” you might say. “How can anyone possibly do that?” Srila Prabhupada gives some answers:

“Arjuna was a fighter, and he remained a fighter, but he changed his consciousness. We want that. … We are not against [material] technology. No, but we try to teach this Krishna consciousness to people.”

To restore ourselves to pure consciousness we need to change our consciousness. That doesn’t mean we need to reject lesser technology or necessarily change our occupation. Instead, we simply need to apply Krishna consciousness, the greater technology that will transform our consciousness.

Sound to Transform Consciousness

Krishna consciousness involves chanting the ancient sound vibrations known as mantras. Sound vibrations have the power to levitate giant boulders and create nuclear blasts, but they also have the power to transform consciousness. A mantra’s sound vibrations can help transform a person, eliminating behaviours that are unattractive to the self. For example, by adopting the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, cravings for spiritually unhealthy activities abate automatically. A spiritually unhealthy activity is any activity that binds us to this material world and forces us to reincarnate into a body made of flesh and blood. By stopping such activities we loosen the ropes holding us to our material bodies. However, it is exceedingly difficult to stop all spiritually unhealthy activity only by using one’s personal will power.

Krishna consciousness mantra meditation can help strengthen a person’s will power. In this way a person no longer desires spiritually unhealthy activities. It’s not that we are forced to give them up artificially, but that we simply do not desire them anymore. By adopting the higher taste of the Hare Krishna mantra, the lower taste of activities that cause harm to oneself and harm to one’s environment naturally cease.

Once our consciousness is sufficiently purified by the mantra’s sound vibration, we no longer need to accept another material body at death. Instead, one’s self is ready to enter a world of pure consciousness. You become a person of such high character that you are welcomed into the company of other such highly elevated saintly souls in the spiritual dimension that is Krishna’s home world.

The ideal Vedic teachers instruct their students in this science of consciousness transformation using the system of spiritual knowledge transmission. This applied spiritual technology is Srila Prabhupada’s greatest contribution to the modern world, a timeless gift that helps address the root cause of the world’s problems.

“Yes. You can stop your death. That technology we are teaching.” - Srila Prabhupada

Chicago, 1972 ­– a group of students milled around an orange robed, shaven head monk who had travelled to America to share spiritual wisdom. He had made the journey from his home in India when he was sixty-nine, suffering two heart attacks along the way. Many thought he wouldn’t make the full journey. But His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was determined to share the knowledge of Krishna consciousness with the West. Within a year he had established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) whose aim was to do just that.

A university student named Roger was part of the group meeting with the extraordinary spiritual teacher that day in Chicago. Everyone was asking questions, and Roger was waiting for his chance to ask his. When there was a lull in the conversation, he raised his hand and asked: “Swami, could you tell me about Vedic technology?”

Vedic knowledge comes from the Vedas, ancient spiritual texts packed with advanced knowledge. This knowledge is the basis of the spiritual system known as Krishna Consciousness.

Roger had read many books describing sophisticated ancient technologies, and he expected Prabhupada to give more information on the topic. But instead, Prabhupada simply responded, “Vedic technology is the system of passing spiritual knowledge from teacher to student.”

Huh?

This was not at all what Roger was expecting. Here was Prabhupada, a man with vast knowledge of all the Vedic writings. Prabhupada would teach spiritual knowledge all over the world, write over sixty books, found over a hundred temples and create the vision to build the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the largest temple in the world, currently under construction in Mayapur, India.

He could have talked about Amazing Ancient Technologies such as:

Vastu, the ancient science of architecture and city planning. The Vedic writings explain how to arrange a building for maximum positive energy and comfort; how certain geometric symbols influence the energy-dynamics in a house; how to insulate a house with baked bricks; how to construct a multi-level house with an inner courtyard that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter; how to construct an underground sewage system, and much more. This remarkable science was available in 5000-year old literature. So, why didn’t Prabhupada mention it?

Or, how about sonic levitation? The Vedic writings explain that specific sounds spoken in exactly the right way can produce wondrous effects. One use of the sonic technology was to levitate objects. This technology from India may have spread all over the world and enabled the building of great pyramids by the ancient Mayan civilisation in Mexico, where stories mention “needing only to whistle to bring together stones in their correct position in buildings.” Or, in ancient Greece, where Amphion built the city of Thebes, “using sounds from a harp to move large stones” has been described. Furthermore, the Swedish engineer Henry Kjellson observed monks using sonic technology in Tibet in the 1920s: “The monks played trumpets and drums, chanted rhythmically, and four minutes later, a stone block wobbled on the ground then rose into the air, and, in an arc-like pattern, travelled to a ledge 750 feet above. There the stone crashed to a halt, sending dust and gravel flying in all directions.”

And why didn’t Prabhupada discuss the ancient Brahmastra nuclear weapon? The Mahabharata, a 5000-year old historic chronicle, describes the elite warrior Arjuna, who had the ability to use specific spiritual sound vibration to unleash a nuclear explosion upon his opponents. The text describes the effect of such a weapon:

“An incandescent column of smoke and flame, as bright as ten thousand suns, rose with all its splendour. The corpses were so burned as to be unrecognisable. Hair and nails fell out, pottery broke without apparent cause, and the birds turned white . . . After a few hours all foodstuffs were infected . . . To escape from this fire the soldiers threw themselves in streams to wash themselves and their equipment.”

Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who headed the Manhattan Project to create the first nuclear weapon during World War II, was a student of the Vedic literature. When he saw the mushroom cloud rise after the test firing of the first nuke in the New Mexico desert, he quoted a verse from the Bhagavad-gita (part of the Mahabharata) saying:

“Now I am become Death, [Time] the destroyer of worlds.” (11.32)

Later, when asked if that was the first bomb of such power ever created, he responded: “Well, yes, in modern times.” Oppenheimer had read the stories of the Brahmastra weapon and recognised that he had merely recreated a technology previously known in ancient India.

Given these mind-blowing examples of Vedic technology, why did Prabhupada deem it only worthy of mentioning the system of knowledge transmission? Let’s try and understand.

Knowledge Transfer System

There are three ways of learning something new:

1. By direct observation
2. By logical deduction
3. By receiving knowledge from a teacher

All these are valid means of discovering knowledge, but learning from someone who already knows is the easiest and most reliable way of learning. Our eyes can deceive us when observing something, and our logic can be flawed, but a qualified teacher, provided they genuinely know what they are teaching, has none of these shortcomings.

In this way, the Vedic knowledge has been passed down since time immemorial from teacher to student. Originally, the knowledge was passed down as an oral tradition. Then, as writing was invented and memories faded, the text was written down.

A sophisticated feature of the poetic Sanskrit language used in the Vedic knowledge is its built-in error-correction system utilising rhyme and rhythm. If a student makes a mistake while reciting the text, the rhythm is off and it is immediately obvious. This helps ensure that text is kept accurate, and the knowledge isn’t distorted.

Technology to Stop Death

The definition of technology states that for knowledge to be technology it must have a practical purpose. So, for something to be the best technology, it must have the most practical of purposes. Vastu, levitation, and nuclear energy, as amazing as they may be, do not address how to get to the root of the problems we are faced with today nor do they promote life’s real aim. Therefore Prabhupada did not consider them important.

In a conversation in 1976 Prabhupada said:

“Artificial necessities of life do increase your so-called comfort, but if you forget your real business, that is suicidal. We don't want to stop the modern advancement of technology, although the so-called advancement of technology is suicidal.”

The “real business” Prabhupada was concerned about was the knowledge of the eternal self as different from the temporary material body and the self’s transmigration to a new body at death. The technology he taught was the ability to control that transmigration, to transform the self into a being of pure consciousness and thereby stop death. The death of the material body is inevitable, but the consciousness powering that body can transform into its pure original state with proper application of this spiritual knowledge. As a result, the consciousness of that body doesn’t reincarnate into another body, and the cycle of repeated birth and death is broken.

That technology to stop death was originally taught by Krishna, the Supreme Person, who is himself beyond death. He is therefore uniquely qualified to be the original teacher, and knowledge passed down from him is the perfect technology for understanding our eternal nature. That purpose understanding our true self is, indeed, the aim of life, and this knowledge was taught to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita for the benefit of all humanity. Those who could theoretically stop their body from dying would still be killed at the end of time when the universe collapses in on itself. But Vedic technology is designed to provide a truly unlimited lifespan, beyond the lifetime of the universe, by restoring the self to its true form of pure consciousness, unimpeded by the material body.

“Inconceivable!” you might say. “How can anyone possibly do that?” Srila Prabhupada gives some answers:

“Arjuna was a fighter, and he remained a fighter, but he changed his consciousness. We want that. … We are not against [material] technology. No, but we try to teach this Krishna consciousness to people.”

To restore ourselves to pure consciousness we need to change our consciousness. That doesn’t mean we need to reject lesser technology or necessarily change our occupation. Instead, we simply need to apply Krishna consciousness, the greater technology that will transform our consciousness.

Sound to Transform Consciousness

Krishna consciousness involves chanting the ancient sound vibrations known as mantras. Sound vibrations have the power to levitate giant boulders and create nuclear blasts, but they also have the power to transform consciousness. A mantra’s sound vibrations can help transform a person, eliminating behaviours that are unattractive to the self. For example, by adopting the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, cravings for spiritually unhealthy activities abate automatically. A spiritually unhealthy activity is any activity that binds us to this material world and forces us to reincarnate into a body made of flesh and blood. By stopping such activities we loosen the ropes holding us to our material bodies. However, it is exceedingly difficult to stop all spiritually unhealthy activity only by using one’s personal will power.

Krishna consciousness mantra meditation can help strengthen a person’s will power. In this way a person no longer desires spiritually unhealthy activities. It’s not that we are forced to give them up artificially, but that we simply do not desire them anymore. By adopting the higher taste of the Hare Krishna mantra, the lower taste of activities that cause harm to oneself and harm to one’s environment naturally cease.

Once our consciousness is sufficiently purified by the mantra’s sound vibration, we no longer need to accept another material body at death. Instead, one’s self is ready to enter a world of pure consciousness. You become a person of such high character that you are welcomed into the company of other such highly elevated saintly souls in the spiritual dimension that is Krishna’s home world.

The ideal Vedic teachers instruct their students in this science of consciousness transformation using the system of spiritual knowledge transmission. This applied spiritual technology is Srila Prabhupada’s greatest contribution to the modern world, a timeless gift that helps address the root cause of the world’s problems.

“Yes. You can stop your death. That technology we are teaching.” - Srila Prabhupada

https://flic.kr/s/aHsktTvPvN

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I thought I had it all figured out.

My wife and I were living in South Auckland, but I was working in the CBD, twenty kilometres away from home. I was horrified at the prospect of buying an expensive car, paying for insurance, registration, and maintenance, then, every week, paying for fuel and parking. Parking in Auckland city costs seventy dollars per week. Fuel is another seventy dollars, more or less, depending on the car. And have you seen the traffic on the southern motorway in the morning and evening? It is a continuous traffic jam, taking as long as one and a half hours to get into town. No way!

Then there is the train. It takes you straight into the city, without needing to worry about parking. So far so good. However, you need to first get to the train station, a twenty-minute walk, then you need to wait for a perpetually late train to arrive, another ten minutes on a good day. After that, you need to endure thirty-five minutes sitting on a crowded train with a bunch of depressed looking people.

The train eventually arrives at Britomart station, then you must walk another ten minutes to the workplace. Altogether it takes an hour and fifteen minutes to get to work. Oh, and you need to pay fifty-six dollars per week for the privilege. Catching the train would certainly be better than driving a car, but still, a huge chunk of my day would be spent commuting.

So, what to do? I thought I was smart—I knew just the thing: a scooter. Not a piddly little sewing machine on wheels, but a big 300cc scooter weighing two hundred kilograms. This scooter is basically a motorcycle with an automatic transmission (CVT) and a more comfortable feet-forward riding position. It’s a bike powerful enough to travel on the motorway; a bike that is more fuel efficient than even the most efficient car (fuel costs me twelve dollars per week); a bike that gets free parking in various locations all over the city; a bike that can ride between the lanes to bypass the continuous Auckland traffic jam; a bike that can get me to work in thirty-five minutes flat, no matter how bad the traffic. It was the perfect transport solution.

Before long, I had completed a motorcycle driving test and bought myself a used Sym Citycom 300i for $3,500. It is such a nice scooter, cheap to purchase, has lots of storage space, and it’s fast, reliable, and stable at high speeds. What could possibly go wrong? And did I mention motorbikes get free parking in town? Great! 

So, there I was, riding into town each day, rain or shine. When the traffic slowed I would pull right in between the lanes and bypass the queue, a practice known as “lane splitting.” Splitting is perfectly legal in New Zealand, as long as do it safely and responsibly—you don’t go too much faster than the surrounding traffic and you pull back into the lane once the traffic is going forty kilometres per hour or faster. Splitting also helps you avoid one of the most common types of motorcycle accidents, being rear-ended by a car.

I was happy and content, having conquered the Auckland traffic, until one day on my way to work, something unfortunate happened.

The lanes of traffic on the motorway were moving at different speeds and I was lane splitting between the fast and middle lane. As I was riding, a gap between a truck and car closed up quickly because of the speed differential. I saw the gap close up just five metres in front of me. I grabbed for the brake, but it was too late. I came up between an impossibly tight gap. While braking I tried to swerve left slightly to avoid smashing into the car, but I overcorrected and got my handlebars entangled in the side of the truck. By that time my speed had slowed sufficiently that the truck was now travelling faster than I was, and he drove off, raking the side of my bike and throwing me off balance. Before I knew what was going on, I fell left, into the middle lane, right into the path of another truck. My shoulder slammed into the asphalt, my bike entangling itself with my leg as it skidded to a halt. The driver slammed on his brakes and stopped with a few metres between his truck and me.

A few seconds later, shocked and dazed, while I was trying to take in what had happened, the driver of the truck came running to my aid. I opened my helmet visor, disentangled my foot from my bike, and stood up, with his help. Miraculously, I seemed to be unharmed—or so I thought.

Meanwhile, the driver of the car I had narrowly missed crashing into got out and inspected his vehicle, seemingly unconcerned with my well-being. He was driving a flawlessly gleaming Audi sports car. As I fell to the side my tires must have clipped the Audi, making a black scuff mark on the side door. The owner, an older man, kept angrily pointing at the scuff mark. I was thinking: “I nearly died here, and you are worried about some minor damage to your car? It’s crazy how some people are so entangled in a materialistic illusion. An illusion that convinces them they are non-different from their car; the car is them, the car is supreme, the car is holy. But my head was in too much of a jumble to express my thoughts. I just shrugged my shoulders and ignored the man.

Meanwhile, the friendly truck driver had lifted my bike up and was offering it to me. I looked it over and saw no obvious damage. I hit the starter button and the engine came to life. “Hmm,” I thought, “that could have been bad, but perhaps I can just continue on to work. No need to call the police. The scuff mark hardly qualifies as damage. Great!”

So I thanked the truck driver, continuing to ignore the irrationally angry man, and drove off. However, within a minute, my left foot started to hurt. I ignored it for a while, but it was getting worse and worse by the second. In increasing distress, I took the next exit, turned around and headed back home.

As I pulled into my street, I was chanting to myself, “Hare Krishna, just keep it together; Hare Krishna, almost there, Hare Krishna, just a few more metres.” In acute pain, I parked the scooter, pulled off my helmet, and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing, as my concerned wife came running, holding my one-year-old son.

Some minutes later, I collected myself enough to explain what had happened, and my wife took me to the hospital in her car.

Many X-rays later, the diagnosis was a severely bruised foot, but with no obvious bone damage. A nurse encased my foot in a cast, and I was discharged later that day.

A week later, I went into the clinic to get some more X-rays. The doctor, examining my foot and seeing severe bruises, told me that I probably had Lisfranc tendon injury and that I would need an operation to reattach a severed tendon. I might never gain full use of my foot again. He ordered a CT-scan to confirm exactly how bad the tendon damage might be.

I was shocked. “Oh no! What will I do? I’ll never be able to walk properly. Let alone run. But I love running. How can the world be so cruel? I’m ruined!”

My wife calmed me down and gently reminded me of the basics of Krishna conscious teachings. “Remember, you are not the body,” she said. “You are not your foot. The foot may be damaged, but the eternal soul that is your consciousness is not harmed and indeed cannot be harmed.”

“That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.17)

“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain.” (B.G 2.20)

“It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.” [B.G. 2.25]

Hearing this, I said to my wife, “Oh, right, of course! I remember reading these Bhagavad-gita verses many times. Yes, I actually have nothing to worry about. I’m so lucky to be married to a wise lady who can remind me of such things.” I was actually just as much in illusion as the angry Audi driver. He thought he was his car, and I thought I was my foot. Both of our conceptions were silly.

 So, I accompanied my wife home, at peace with my plight.

Another week passed. I had the CT-scan and was waiting in the doctor’s office for the diagnosis. I felt quite content with my situation, happy to accept whatever my condition might be.

The doctor called me in and showed me a 3D model of my foot, courtesy of the scan. The image showed a previously undiagnosed chipped ankle bone and fractured sesamoid bone, but no tendon damage. The two fractures would heal by themselves within the next six weeks. No operation was necessary.

I was wearing full motorcycle armour when I crashed: a helmet, armoured jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. The German Sas-Tec armour pads in my jacket protected my shoulder completely. It was not even sore. The boots (Sidi brand—aptly similar to the Sanskrit word siddhi, which refers to a mystic power acquired by long practice of yoga) saved my foot from more serious damage. My foot would have been ripped open, if I had not been wearing an armoured shoe. Within a month I could walk again and within two months I was fully recovered.

I’m still riding my scooter to work. It’s just too convenient to give up. I am, however, much more careful when lane splitting, always watching the lanes for possible gaps that might suddenly close up.

Today, gazing down at my foot, I still remember the crash. I am most happy to recall how the accident helped me practically realise that my body is not the be-all and end-all of my life. With such a conviction, any hardship can be endured, and any misery is diminished. Studying the Bhagavad-gita has taught me that my body is a wonderful machine, but nothing more. It is a vehicle that I can use to get my soul, my consciousness, into its rightful home beyond this material world, into Krishna consciousness.

“By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries.” (B.G 2.51)

“For one thus satisfied [in Krishna consciousness], the threefold miseries of material existence [miseries caused by other living beings, natural forces, and one’s own mind] exist no longer; in such satisfied consciousness, one's intelligence is soon well established. (B.G 2.65)

I consider myself fortunate to have had an opportunity to realise the significance of these verses. If practical freedom from misery can be obtained, even in this life, with knowledge of the Krishna conscious teachings, then certainly, with a lifetime to learn and practice, such a state of being is readily available in the next life. Now and forever.

I thought I had it all figured out.

My wife and I were living in South Auckland, but I was working in the CBD, twenty kilometres away from home. I was horrified at the prospect of buying an expensive car, paying for insurance, registration, and maintenance, then, every week, paying for fuel and parking. Parking in Auckland city costs seventy dollars per week. Fuel is another seventy dollars, more or less, depending on the car. And have you seen the traffic on the southern motorway in the morning and evening? It is a continuous traffic jam, taking as long as one and a half hours to get into town. No way!

Then there is the train. It takes you straight into the city, without needing to worry about parking. So far so good. However, you need to first get to the train station, a twenty-minute walk, then you need to wait for a perpetually late train to arrive, another ten minutes on a good day. After that, you need to endure thirty-five minutes sitting on a crowded train with a bunch of depressed looking people.

The train eventually arrives at Britomart station, then you must walk another ten minutes to the workplace. Altogether it takes an hour and fifteen minutes to get to work. Oh, and you need to pay fifty-six dollars per week for the privilege. Catching the train would certainly be better than driving a car, but still, a huge chunk of my day would be spent commuting.

So, what to do? I thought I was smart—I knew just the thing: a scooter. Not a piddly little sewing machine on wheels, but a big 300cc scooter weighing two hundred kilograms. This scooter is basically a motorcycle with an automatic transmission (CVT) and a more comfortable feet-forward riding position. It’s a bike powerful enough to travel on the motorway; a bike that is more fuel efficient than even the most efficient car (fuel costs me twelve dollars per week); a bike that gets free parking in various locations all over the city; a bike that can ride between the lanes to bypass the continuous Auckland traffic jam; a bike that can get me to work in thirty-five minutes flat, no matter how bad the traffic. It was the perfect transport solution.

Before long, I had completed a motorcycle driving test and bought myself a used Sym Citycom 300i for $3,500. It is such a nice scooter, cheap to purchase, has lots of storage space, and it’s fast, reliable, and stable at high speeds. What could possibly go wrong? And did I mention motorbikes get free parking in town? Great! 

So, there I was, riding into town each day, rain or shine. When the traffic slowed I would pull right in between the lanes and bypass the queue, a practice known as “lane splitting.” Splitting is perfectly legal in New Zealand, as long as do it safely and responsibly—you don’t go too much faster than the surrounding traffic and you pull back into the lane once the traffic is going forty kilometres per hour or faster. Splitting also helps you avoid one of the most common types of motorcycle accidents, being rear-ended by a car.

I was happy and content, having conquered the Auckland traffic, until one day on my way to work, something unfortunate happened.

The lanes of traffic on the motorway were moving at different speeds and I was lane splitting between the fast and middle lane. As I was riding, a gap between a truck and car closed up quickly because of the speed differential. I saw the gap close up just five metres in front of me. I grabbed for the brake, but it was too late. I came up between an impossibly tight gap. While braking I tried to swerve left slightly to avoid smashing into the car, but I overcorrected and got my handlebars entangled in the side of the truck. By that time my speed had slowed sufficiently that the truck was now travelling faster than I was, and he drove off, raking the side of my bike and throwing me off balance. Before I knew what was going on, I fell left, into the middle lane, right into the path of another truck. My shoulder slammed into the asphalt, my bike entangling itself with my leg as it skidded to a halt. The driver slammed on his brakes and stopped with a few metres between his truck and me.

A few seconds later, shocked and dazed, while I was trying to take in what had happened, the driver of the truck came running to my aid. I opened my helmet visor, disentangled my foot from my bike, and stood up, with his help. Miraculously, I seemed to be unharmed—or so I thought.

Meanwhile, the driver of the car I had narrowly missed crashing into got out and inspected his vehicle, seemingly unconcerned with my well-being. He was driving a flawlessly gleaming Audi sports car. As I fell to the side my tires must have clipped the Audi, making a black scuff mark on the side door. The owner, an older man, kept angrily pointing at the scuff mark. I was thinking: “I nearly died here, and you are worried about some minor damage to your car? It’s crazy how some people are so entangled in a materialistic illusion. An illusion that convinces them they are non-different from their car; the car is them, the car is supreme, the car is holy. But my head was in too much of a jumble to express my thoughts. I just shrugged my shoulders and ignored the man.

Meanwhile, the friendly truck driver had lifted my bike up and was offering it to me. I looked it over and saw no obvious damage. I hit the starter button and the engine came to life. “Hmm,” I thought, “that could have been bad, but perhaps I can just continue on to work. No need to call the police. The scuff mark hardly qualifies as damage. Great!”

So I thanked the truck driver, continuing to ignore the irrationally angry man, and drove off. However, within a minute, my left foot started to hurt. I ignored it for a while, but it was getting worse and worse by the second. In increasing distress, I took the next exit, turned around and headed back home.

As I pulled into my street, I was chanting to myself, “Hare Krishna, just keep it together; Hare Krishna, almost there, Hare Krishna, just a few more metres.” In acute pain, I parked the scooter, pulled off my helmet, and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing, as my concerned wife came running, holding my one-year-old son.

Some minutes later, I collected myself enough to explain what had happened, and my wife took me to the hospital in her car.

Many X-rays later, the diagnosis was a severely bruised foot, but with no obvious bone damage. A nurse encased my foot in a cast, and I was discharged later that day.

A week later, I went into the clinic to get some more X-rays. The doctor, examining my foot and seeing severe bruises, told me that I probably had Lisfranc tendon injury and that I would need an operation to reattach a severed tendon. I might never gain full use of my foot again. He ordered a CT-scan to confirm exactly how bad the tendon damage might be.

I was shocked. “Oh no! What will I do? I’ll never be able to walk properly. Let alone run. But I love running. How can the world be so cruel? I’m ruined!”

My wife calmed me down and gently reminded me of the basics of Krishna conscious teachings. “Remember, you are not the body,” she said. “You are not your foot. The foot may be damaged, but the eternal soul that is your consciousness is not harmed and indeed cannot be harmed.”

“That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.” (Bhagavad-gita 2.17)

“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain.” (B.G 2.20)

“It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.” [B.G. 2.25]

Hearing this, I said to my wife, “Oh, right, of course! I remember reading these Bhagavad-gita verses many times. Yes, I actually have nothing to worry about. I’m so lucky to be married to a wise lady who can remind me of such things.” I was actually just as much in illusion as the angry Audi driver. He thought he was his car, and I thought I was my foot. Both of our conceptions were silly.

 So, I accompanied my wife home, at peace with my plight.

Another week passed. I had the CT-scan and was waiting in the doctor’s office for the diagnosis. I felt quite content with my situation, happy to accept whatever my condition might be.

The doctor called me in and showed me a 3D model of my foot, courtesy of the scan. The image showed a previously undiagnosed chipped ankle bone and fractured sesamoid bone, but no tendon damage. The two fractures would heal by themselves within the next six weeks. No operation was necessary.

I was wearing full motorcycle armour when I crashed: a helmet, armoured jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. The German Sas-Tec armour pads in my jacket protected my shoulder completely. It was not even sore. The boots (Sidi brand—aptly similar to the Sanskrit word siddhi, which refers to a mystic power acquired by long practice of yoga) saved my foot from more serious damage. My foot would have been ripped open, if I had not been wearing an armoured shoe. Within a month I could walk again and within two months I was fully recovered.

I’m still riding my scooter to work. It’s just too convenient to give up. I am, however, much more careful when lane splitting, always watching the lanes for possible gaps that might suddenly close up.

Today, gazing down at my foot, I still remember the crash. I am most happy to recall how the accident helped me practically realise that my body is not the be-all and end-all of my life. With such a conviction, any hardship can be endured, and any misery is diminished. Studying the Bhagavad-gita has taught me that my body is a wonderful machine, but nothing more. It is a vehicle that I can use to get my soul, my consciousness, into its rightful home beyond this material world, into Krishna consciousness.

“By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries.” (B.G 2.51)

“For one thus satisfied [in Krishna consciousness], the threefold miseries of material existence [miseries caused by other living beings, natural forces, and one’s own mind] exist no longer; in such satisfied consciousness, one's intelligence is soon well established. (B.G 2.65)

I consider myself fortunate to have had an opportunity to realise the significance of these verses. If practical freedom from misery can be obtained, even in this life, with knowledge of the Krishna conscious teachings, then certainly, with a lifetime to learn and practice, such a state of being is readily available in the next life. Now and forever.

February 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Prabhupada’s Legacy is One of Disturbing the Sleeping Dogs. Although the old adage tells us to “let sleeping dogs lie,” Prabhupada explains the necessity for waking them up. In his purports to the verse where Krishna tells us not to disturb the minds of the materialists or the ignorant, Krishna advised the devotees to prosecute their duties peacefully, and said they should not feel troubled by persons who have no desire to practice spiritual life. Prabhupada reminds us, “If you give a good thief instructions, he will just become angry.”
Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-gita that only persons who are austere can receive the message of Bhagavad-gita. In an apparently different mood, Krishna says that whoever distributes the message of Godhead and makes devotees is the dearest servant of the Lord. Prabhupada clears up this apparent contradiction by telling us that the devotees know Krishna’s inner purpose. Although Krishna doesn’t want to trouble His devotees by exposing them to harassment, His deepest desire is that the conditioned souls be given a full chance to take to Krishna consciousness. Actually, they have already had many chances. Krishna Himself has appeared in His many forms, but still the generations of conditioned souls continue to revolve in the cycle of birth and death, refusing to hear the message of Godhead. Krishna wants to give them another chance. Now it is Kali Yuga and the conditions are even more unfavorable for coming to spiritual life. Krishna and the devotees have to be more accessible, the process has to be easier and shorter. Despite Krishna’s merciful holy name, which is the only way in this age to attain God consciousness, the devotees are still harassed. And because of Kali Yuga, people are even more violent in their rebellion against God consciousness.
Prabhupada knew Krishna’s inner desire. He woke up the sleeping dogs. And he wants us to do the same.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=5

Pushyabhishek Festival Ego Juncture Between Material And Spiritual Consciousness 2016 01 30, SB 1.11.27

A View from Science

With the advancement of science, some people think the cure for death is just around the corner—people like billionaire investor Doug Casey. He shares his view in an interview with fellow investor James Turk:

Technology has been advancing very quickly today. […] We’re at the stage that you can basically grow new ligaments, new veins. This is advancing and compounding […] in a very finite length of time […] if you can survive only another twenty years, perhaps, you might be able to grow a brand new body. And not just any old body! Maybe one that resembles Bruce Jenner’s who won the Decathlon a few years ago. This is the best reason I can think of for becoming wealthy. Because you want to be able to afford wonderful things like that. And it’s as it should be. Why? Because, the way you get wealthy is by producing goods and services for other people. You get wealthy by creating wealth. So, of course, people that have money should be rewarded with being able to buy these things. 11th November 2011

What do you think? Do you agree with Casey’s point of view? Wouldn’t it be great if we could cure death? Shouldn’t the rich be entitled to get first dibs with any anti-death treatment?

A View from Ancient Teachings

Let’s compare and contrast Casey’s enthusiastic account of the possibilities of curing death with a section from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada’s commentary on the Sri Isopanisad, a book of ancient Indian philosophical wisdom:

By its so-called advancement of knowledge, human civilization has created many material things, including spaceships and atomic energy. Yet it has failed to create a situation in which people need not die, take birth again, become old, or suffer from disease. Whenever an intelligent man raises the question of these miseries before a so-called scientist, the scientist very cleverly replies that material science is progressing and that ultimately it will be possible to render man deathless, ageless, and diseaseless. Such answers prove the scientists’ gross ignorance of material nature. In material nature, everyone is under the stringent laws of matter and must pass through six stages of existence: birth, growth, maintenance, production of by-products, deterioration, and finally death. No one in contact with material nature can be beyond these six laws of transformation; therefore no one—whether demigod, man, animal or plant—can survive forever in the material world.

Material scientists and politicians are trying to make this place deathless because they have no information of the deathless spiritual nature. This is due to their ignorance of the Vedic literature, which contains full knowledge confirmed by mature transcendental experience. (Sri Isopanisad 14)

So, who is right? These are clearly two opposite views of the world. Let’s keep exploring.

What If We Could Cure Death?

How about a thought experiment conceiving of what would happen if Casey’s view of the world were to come true? Let’s suppose we could cure death. The exact mechanism of such a cure is unimportant. It could be a new body grown in a vat, a drug that stops the ageing process, nano-tech machines that repair cell damage, or any number of other techniques. Let’s just suppose there were some way to prevent death.

The rich will almost certainly be the first to get the cure. They have the power, resources, and influence to become deathless before anyone else. However, as soon as the news breaks that scientists have cured death, everyone will want the cure. Very quickly, a black market of salesmen will promise the cure in exchange for people’s life savings. Some genuine, most fraudulent.

People will riot in the streets, demanding the anti-death treatment from their governments. You can almost hear them shouting: “Why should only those upper 1 percent get cured? We want it too!”

In a couple of years the cure will become reasonably available to everyone in the western world. It will guarantee that you will never die a natural, peaceful death. Only violent destruction of your body can truly kill you. Socially, the cure will cause massive changes. Almost immediately the institution of marriage will go out the window. People can cope with being married to the same person for ten, twenty, or thirty years. But three hundred years of marriage, or three thousand years? Can you imagine spending the rest of eternity with the same person? The divorce rate is already at 50 percent, but with the cure for death it will increase to 100 percent. Marriage vows will be changed from “until death do us part” to “until we get bored of each other.”

The traditional religions will protest against the cure, probably while secretly partaking themselves. They have everything to loose. What use is the promise of an after life, if the current life lasts forever? New religions will be established, religions not based on fear of death, but based on celebration of life. People will welcome humanism as their saviour, not God. A new saviour, a well-intentioned saviour, a saviour whose solutions, unfortunately, come with some unexpected and unfortunate side-effects, such as those described in the following paragraphs.

There will be no more retirement. What reason is there to ever retire? However, since no one is retiring and children are still being born, unemployment will skyrocket. How do you get a job as a young person if all the other applicants have five thousand years of experience?

Soon, everyone will have done everything there is to do, a million times over. You’ve taken every drug there is, you’ve gotten drunk in every bar on the planet, you’ve slept with every conceivable type of partner, you’ve played every sport ever invented, you’ve visited every tourist destination in every country in the world. You’ve done everything, and so you seriously ask yourself: what’s the point of it all? What goal could you possibly strive for? Intense boredom sets in: boredom leads to despair, despair leads to suicide. A wave of suicides sweeps across the population.

Still, even with people committing suicide in unheard-of numbers, overpopulation will become the number one problem in the world. Currently, without a cure for death, scientists like Hans Rosling estimate that world population will increase from the current seven billion until it stabilises at about eleven billion people by the year 2100. With a cure for death, however, there will be as many as eighteen billion people by 2100, and the number will keep going up and up, until famine or war alleviates the pressure of excess population.

You might think: “Hey, not my problem, I’ll be dead by…oh.”

The increase in population will lead to intense shortages in natural resources. Oil will, of course, run out. Or rather, not run out per se, but become so expensive and energy intensive to extract, that it is no longer viable to mine. Access to clean drinking water will become a closely-guarded privilege for the rich. Food production, reliant on clean water for irrigation, will become more difficult, and food shortages will ravage the world. Countries with strong militaries will try to invade less powerful nations to steal their resources, at first with some pretense of “fighting terrorism” or “peace keeping,” but soon everyone will realise the wars are entirely for natural resources. Most people won’t care.

Governments might even encourage these resource wars, because lots of people dying in wars effectively helps reduce the world population. Suicide might also be encouraged for the same reason. People who kill themselves might be seen as “helping their fellow man.” Perhaps there will be governmentsponsored suicide centres where people can safely and humanely end their own lives.

Ultimately, some nation, pushed to the brink of collapse by all the above pressures, will take to using nuclear weapons in a desperate attempt to kill off the ever-growing population. Other countries will follow suit, and humanity will self-destruct.

Perhaps curing death is not such a good idea, after all?

What Would It Take?

What would it take to cure death, but not destroy everyone’s life in the process? What would a hypothetical scenario be that could let people live forever, without any negative side effects?

We would need unlimited resources, or 100 percent recycling to ensure that resources never run out. Also, people would have to have deeply meaningful, satisfying and rewarding things to do all day, every day, for eternity. We would have to have a total population of saints without any kind of selfish desire, no desire to enjoy at other people’s expense. People would also have to be free of desire to harm themselves in any way. Laws and police wouldn’t be able to achieve this; that would only create a police state. Instead, people would need to freely and willingly choose a saintly lifestyle, ultimately causing laws to become completely unnecessary. With such a society, and a cure for death, we might be able to realistically live forever.

Fantasy? Fiction? Fallacy? Let us turn to the Vedas, the spiritual literature of ancient India, a literature that suggests a realistic method to actually achieve the above scenario.

Spiritual Solution

The Bhagavad-gita, foremost spiritual literature, gives us an initial hint:

“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (2.20)

There are two aspects to this statement. First, the soul is eternal: it is never born and it never dies. There is no overpopulation, because the total number of souls remains constant. Birth and death only happen to the material body, a body controlled and owned by the soul, but ultimately apart from it. There are no resource shortages, because the soul is not a physical thing and does not require any limited material resources to survive.

Second, there is reincarnation: the soul can move from one material body to another. A new body gives a new chance in life, a chance to learn from past mistakes; learn, with the previous life being remembered subconsciously.

How do we know there is a soul, a thing that makes eternal life and reincarnation possible? Well, how do we know there is a sun in the sky? We perceive both the soul and the sun by their symptoms. The symptom of the sun is light; we see the light and conclude that there must be a sun. The symptom of the soul is consciousness; we observe our own consciousness and conclude that there must be a soul.

It seems therefore, that, if we accept the Bhagavad-gita, we have nothing to worry about. Our consciousness, our soul, never dies.

“Wait just one minute!” I can hear you saying, “Living forever isn’t enough. People’s qualities also need to be transformed. Otherwise you end up with the distopian future mentioned earlier. How are you going to do that?”

How to Do It?

How do you do it? How do you develop spiritual qualities? How do you practice real yoga, going beyond mere physical exercises? How do you develop into a being of pure consciousness?

The secret is to practice the original and greatest form of yoga: bhakti-yoga, the yoga of loving devotion to Krishna. It’s yoga practice that will gradually transform the heart, mind, and soul, ultimately leading to an eternal life of bliss and knowledge.

This transformation very much makes your life better in the here and now. You develop good qualities, qualities that lead to health, happiness, and fulfillment. Obtaining an everlasting, ever-cognizant, ever-blissful spiritual body in the future, is just a welcome side effect.

The first step in this practice is to start a regular programme of mantra meditation, chanting the great mantra, the maha-mantra, a mantra that transforms consciousness:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In the comic to follow, Dadhici teaches us that if we falsely think the material body is our true self, then we will act selfishly to preserve the body at all costs. However, the body is only a temporary covering of the eternal spirit soul. If we neglect the needs of the soul and focus solely on pleasing the body, we will inevitably be frustrated, as the body will certainly perish. With this understanding we take care of the body for a higher purpose—the purpose of spiritual enlightenment.

A View from Science

With the advancement of science, some people think the cure for death is just around the corner—people like billionaire investor Doug Casey. He shares his view in an interview with fellow investor James Turk:

Technology has been advancing very quickly today. […] We’re at the stage that you can basically grow new ligaments, new veins. This is advancing and compounding […] in a very finite length of time […] if you can survive only another twenty years, perhaps, you might be able to grow a brand new body. And not just any old body! Maybe one that resembles Bruce Jenner’s who won the Decathlon a few years ago. This is the best reason I can think of for becoming wealthy. Because you want to be able to afford wonderful things like that. And it’s as it should be. Why? Because, the way you get wealthy is by producing goods and services for other people. You get wealthy by creating wealth. So, of course, people that have money should be rewarded with being able to buy these things. 11th November 2011

What do you think? Do you agree with Casey’s point of view? Wouldn’t it be great if we could cure death? Shouldn’t the rich be entitled to get first dibs with any anti-death treatment?

A View from Ancient Teachings

Let’s compare and contrast Casey’s enthusiastic account of the possibilities of curing death with a section from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada’s commentary on the Sri Isopanisad, a book of ancient Indian philosophical wisdom:

By its so-called advancement of knowledge, human civilization has created many material things, including spaceships and atomic energy. Yet it has failed to create a situation in which people need not die, take birth again, become old, or suffer from disease. Whenever an intelligent man raises the question of these miseries before a so-called scientist, the scientist very cleverly replies that material science is progressing and that ultimately it will be possible to render man deathless, ageless, and diseaseless. Such answers prove the scientists’ gross ignorance of material nature. In material nature, everyone is under the stringent laws of matter and must pass through six stages of existence: birth, growth, maintenance, production of by-products, deterioration, and finally death. No one in contact with material nature can be beyond these six laws of transformation; therefore no one—whether demigod, man, animal or plant—can survive forever in the material world.

Material scientists and politicians are trying to make this place deathless because they have no information of the deathless spiritual nature. This is due to their ignorance of the Vedic literature, which contains full knowledge confirmed by mature transcendental experience. (Sri Isopanisad 14)

So, who is right? These are clearly two opposite views of the world. Let’s keep exploring.

What If We Could Cure Death?

How about a thought experiment conceiving of what would happen if Casey’s view of the world were to come true? Let’s suppose we could cure death. The exact mechanism of such a cure is unimportant. It could be a new body grown in a vat, a drug that stops the ageing process, nano-tech machines that repair cell damage, or any number of other techniques. Let’s just suppose there were some way to prevent death.

The rich will almost certainly be the first to get the cure. They have the power, resources, and influence to become deathless before anyone else. However, as soon as the news breaks that scientists have cured death, everyone will want the cure. Very quickly, a black market of salesmen will promise the cure in exchange for people’s life savings. Some genuine, most fraudulent.

People will riot in the streets, demanding the anti-death treatment from their governments. You can almost hear them shouting: “Why should only those upper 1 percent get cured? We want it too!”

In a couple of years the cure will become reasonably available to everyone in the western world. It will guarantee that you will never die a natural, peaceful death. Only violent destruction of your body can truly kill you. Socially, the cure will cause massive changes. Almost immediately the institution of marriage will go out the window. People can cope with being married to the same person for ten, twenty, or thirty years. But three hundred years of marriage, or three thousand years? Can you imagine spending the rest of eternity with the same person? The divorce rate is already at 50 percent, but with the cure for death it will increase to 100 percent. Marriage vows will be changed from “until death do us part” to “until we get bored of each other.”

The traditional religions will protest against the cure, probably while secretly partaking themselves. They have everything to loose. What use is the promise of an after life, if the current life lasts forever? New religions will be established, religions not based on fear of death, but based on celebration of life. People will welcome humanism as their saviour, not God. A new saviour, a well-intentioned saviour, a saviour whose solutions, unfortunately, come with some unexpected and unfortunate side-effects, such as those described in the following paragraphs.

There will be no more retirement. What reason is there to ever retire? However, since no one is retiring and children are still being born, unemployment will skyrocket. How do you get a job as a young person if all the other applicants have five thousand years of experience?

Soon, everyone will have done everything there is to do, a million times over. You’ve taken every drug there is, you’ve gotten drunk in every bar on the planet, you’ve slept with every conceivable type of partner, you’ve played every sport ever invented, you’ve visited every tourist destination in every country in the world. You’ve done everything, and so you seriously ask yourself: what’s the point of it all? What goal could you possibly strive for? Intense boredom sets in: boredom leads to despair, despair leads to suicide. A wave of suicides sweeps across the population.

Still, even with people committing suicide in unheard-of numbers, overpopulation will become the number one problem in the world. Currently, without a cure for death, scientists like Hans Rosling estimate that world population will increase from the current seven billion until it stabilises at about eleven billion people by the year 2100. With a cure for death, however, there will be as many as eighteen billion people by 2100, and the number will keep going up and up, until famine or war alleviates the pressure of excess population.

You might think: “Hey, not my problem, I’ll be dead by…oh.”

The increase in population will lead to intense shortages in natural resources. Oil will, of course, run out. Or rather, not run out per se, but become so expensive and energy intensive to extract, that it is no longer viable to mine. Access to clean drinking water will become a closely-guarded privilege for the rich. Food production, reliant on clean water for irrigation, will become more difficult, and food shortages will ravage the world. Countries with strong militaries will try to invade less powerful nations to steal their resources, at first with some pretense of “fighting terrorism” or “peace keeping,” but soon everyone will realise the wars are entirely for natural resources. Most people won’t care.

Governments might even encourage these resource wars, because lots of people dying in wars effectively helps reduce the world population. Suicide might also be encouraged for the same reason. People who kill themselves might be seen as “helping their fellow man.” Perhaps there will be governmentsponsored suicide centres where people can safely and humanely end their own lives.

Ultimately, some nation, pushed to the brink of collapse by all the above pressures, will take to using nuclear weapons in a desperate attempt to kill off the ever-growing population. Other countries will follow suit, and humanity will self-destruct.

Perhaps curing death is not such a good idea, after all?

What Would It Take?

What would it take to cure death, but not destroy everyone’s life in the process? What would a hypothetical scenario be that could let people live forever, without any negative side effects?

We would need unlimited resources, or 100 percent recycling to ensure that resources never run out. Also, people would have to have deeply meaningful, satisfying and rewarding things to do all day, every day, for eternity. We would have to have a total population of saints without any kind of selfish desire, no desire to enjoy at other people’s expense. People would also have to be free of desire to harm themselves in any way. Laws and police wouldn’t be able to achieve this; that would only create a police state. Instead, people would need to freely and willingly choose a saintly lifestyle, ultimately causing laws to become completely unnecessary. With such a society, and a cure for death, we might be able to realistically live forever.

Fantasy? Fiction? Fallacy? Let us turn to the Vedas, the spiritual literature of ancient India, a literature that suggests a realistic method to actually achieve the above scenario.

Spiritual Solution

The Bhagavad-gita, foremost spiritual literature, gives us an initial hint:

“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (2.20)

There are two aspects to this statement. First, the soul is eternal: it is never born and it never dies. There is no overpopulation, because the total number of souls remains constant. Birth and death only happen to the material body, a body controlled and owned by the soul, but ultimately apart from it. There are no resource shortages, because the soul is not a physical thing and does not require any limited material resources to survive.

Second, there is reincarnation: the soul can move from one material body to another. A new body gives a new chance in life, a chance to learn from past mistakes; learn, with the previous life being remembered subconsciously.

How do we know there is a soul, a thing that makes eternal life and reincarnation possible? Well, how do we know there is a sun in the sky? We perceive both the soul and the sun by their symptoms. The symptom of the sun is light; we see the light and conclude that there must be a sun. The symptom of the soul is consciousness; we observe our own consciousness and conclude that there must be a soul.

It seems therefore, that, if we accept the Bhagavad-gita, we have nothing to worry about. Our consciousness, our soul, never dies.

“Wait just one minute!” I can hear you saying, “Living forever isn’t enough. People’s qualities also need to be transformed. Otherwise you end up with the distopian future mentioned earlier. How are you going to do that?”

How to Do It?

How do you do it? How do you develop spiritual qualities? How do you practice real yoga, going beyond mere physical exercises? How do you develop into a being of pure consciousness?

The secret is to practice the original and greatest form of yoga: bhakti-yoga, the yoga of loving devotion to Krishna. It’s yoga practice that will gradually transform the heart, mind, and soul, ultimately leading to an eternal life of bliss and knowledge.

This transformation very much makes your life better in the here and now. You develop good qualities, qualities that lead to health, happiness, and fulfillment. Obtaining an everlasting, ever-cognizant, ever-blissful spiritual body in the future, is just a welcome side effect.

The first step in this practice is to start a regular programme of mantra meditation, chanting the great mantra, the maha-mantra, a mantra that transforms consciousness:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In the comic to follow, Dadhici teaches us that if we falsely think the material body is our true self, then we will act selfishly to preserve the body at all costs. However, the body is only a temporary covering of the eternal spirit soul. If we neglect the needs of the soul and focus solely on pleasing the body, we will inevitably be frustrated, as the body will certainly perish. With this understanding we take care of the body for a higher purpose—the purpose of spiritual enlightenment.

Prabhupada’s Legacy is One of Disturbing the Sleeping Dogs

“My friend Gary was saying that everything is void, and Satsvarupa was saying that there is no void in the creation of God. I had been reading books on Zen and other philosophies and felt that it was silly for them to be arguing. So I turned around and pronounced the final conclusion. ‘It is not void,’ I said, ‘and it is not not-void, but to give it a name, we call it the “void”.’ Well, that gem of wisdom did nothing to stop their argument.”

Kirtan, Alachua
How I Came to Krishna Consciousness, January 31, Alachua

SB 03.17.20 Continuous Training In The Spiritual World 2016-01-13

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Gita 09.15 – Jnana yajna is not the same as jnana-yoga appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Written by Nimai

From Czech, Maharaj flew to Amsterdam (18 January) to get a new passport. Upon arrival, we went straight to apply for it. Fortunately there were no complications and we just had to wait for two days before we could collect it. During the two days of waiting, Maharaj decided to take some quiet time. The previous weeks of travelling had been very exhausting. On the second day however, we felt like going to the beach, so we rented a car and drove there. It was exciting to see Maharaj behind the wheel for the first time. It was a windy day at -10 degrees Celcius, so we dressed up as warm as possible. After walking on Zandvoort beach for about 45 minutes, we realized that we had gone a bit too far so we started going back through the dunes. It turned out that we had walked 10 km so when we finally reached the car, we both were finished. On the way back, Maharaj drove some extra distance to show me a few different areas of Amsterdam.

After collecting the double-pages sized passport, we took a train to Leipzig (Germany) where we stayed for the weekend. We lived close to the temple and there was a park nearby where we could perform our daily walk. Maharaj gave classes in German, speaking amongst many other things about the need to add Krsna to our life as much as we can. On Saturday, Maharaj did a program at Pradyumna’s flat. When we arrived there, the neighbours had already set up a puppet theatre where they later narrated the story of Putana coming to Vrindavan. They used special sound effects to make the performance more dramatic and everyone really enjoyed it. The next day, lots of devotees from all over Germany came to see Maharaj in Leipzig, so the Sunday program was a great success.

On Monday, (25 January), we left for Sweden where we stayed for another three days. Maharaj gave daily morning classes at the BBT house and evening programs in the Stockholm temple. He spoke about the importance of having strong faith in Krsna, giving the example of Prahlad Maharaj who was thrown into a pit of snakes by his own father and did not feel disturbed by it. In another lecture, Maharaj argued that since there is personality in us therefore if there is a creator, wouldn’t he have personality as well!? Maharaj further explained that if Krsna is a person it is logical that he would possess the most wonderful features. Like this, he established from a logical approach, why Krsna consciousness makes a lot of sense. From Sweden, we then flew to Brussels to attend the Radhadesh Mellows Kirtan Festival.

And then it happened. As I looked on, I saw two trucks, one behind the other, speeding at about 60 to 80 kilometers per hour along the highway. Unseen to me – and probably to the truck driver too – was an autorickshaw, just ahead of the trucks, loaded with people and going at its own snail’s pace. The three-wheeler had no tail lights and its black colour accorded it near zero visibility. The first truck rammed into the three wheeler from behind, with full momentum and with full force. There was a tremendous screech as steel met steel with high impact. The truck’s momentum catapulted the three wheeler into the air, with all its occupants. The three wheeler did a cartwheel and landed on its wheels. Aided by the suspension, the three wheeler spun into the air higher than it did previously – to about 6 feet in the air. It did another cartwheel & again landed – miraculously enough – on its wheels, right below a street light pole which had a fused bulb. Continue reading "Accident
→ Dandavats"

2nd Annual ISKCON health care professionals retreat in Gita Nagari.
Premvilas das: 2nd Annual North American ISKCON health care professionals retreat will be held in Gita Nagari from September 22-25th, 2016.
It is open to any professional in the health care field and retreat is meant to promote collaboration and networking among health care professionals in North America. Students/residents/fellows currently in the health care field or simply aspiring to choose health care as a professional are welcome as well.
Mission statement: To connect and inspire all devotees within the medical profession; to improve our practice of Krishna consciousness; to assist one another to improve our service to Srila Prabhupada: and to expand Krishna consciousness amongst medical professionals
Vision Statement: 1. To create a forum for all physician devotees and those within the medical field to meet annually and have fellowship.
2. Through association, to become better devotees and better medical professionals.
3. To equip physicians, medical professionals and students to blend their devotional life with their professional pursuits.
4. To understand how to meet the challenges within their profession as well as maximize their opportunities.
5. To develop Plans and Strategies how together medical practitioners can best serve ISKCON’s mission, Srila Prabhupada and the body of ISKCON devotees within North America.
6. To unite together in effective ways to increase the number of medical professionals who take up sadhana bhakti.
7. Establish a forum to get to know one another and network with one another on many levels throughout the yea
To register or to be added to the group for future notices and events, simply send an email to medicalretreat@gmail.com

By Nandarani Devi Dasi

In ISKCON Sri Lanka, the Gita program was initiated last year. The program started with a short advert on newspaper and 25 people enrolled for the program. This program consists of 12 classes and was conducted on basis of 2 classes per week. The participants of the program were interested in the content and on the matters discussed in the class. At completion of the program all the participants were tested on their knowledge on Gita. Further certificate of completion of the program was issued to 15 participants who attended all the classes of the program and showed their full commitment towards the program.

The certificates for these 15 participants were issued by the Hon. Minister Mr. Mano Ganesan (Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages) on the event of the 25th Anniversary celebrations of Hare Krishna Music & Dance School at Ramakrishna Mission Hall on the 24th of January 2016.

This is good start for this program as the temple receives new inquiries from new people to enroll for the program.
Message from:
Nandarani Mataji
Secretary – ISKCON Sri Lanka

For Youth – By Youth - Europe Summer Youth Events #ISKCON50
Kumari Kunti: Summer-time fun all over Europe. Mark your calendars and get your sunglasses out - #ISKCON50 youth events are inviting you to come party with Krishna!
In honour of the 50th birthday celebrations of Founder-Acarya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada’s International Society for Krishna Consciousness, we will be offering two events this summer in Europe for youth.
July 18 - Aug 19
Euro Bus Tour - Remembering Srila Prabhupada
Krsna consciousness travelling kirtaniya youth trip around Europe! This year we are going to Greece (and back). This is the 3rd annual Euro Bus Tour and is for youth aged 16-30 (space for only 30 people so sign-up quick)! We already have youth from Australia, US, UK and EU registered.
For more information
www.youthbustour.com
Fb: www.facebook.com/EuroBusTour
September 1-4, 2016
Youth Mela - Connecting to Srila Prabhupada
Europe-wide youth in Leicester Temple, UK. This is a youth convention for workshops, inspiration, sanga, kirtan and empowerment in ISKCON’s movement for the next 50 years. This is an ISKCON youth Europe & Pandava Sena initiative that should not be missed! Youth aged 15-35 are invited.
For more information:
www.youthmela.org
Fb: www.facebook.com/YouthMela
Ys Kumari Kunti
ISKCON Youth Ministry Europe Volunteer

kanyā varayate rūpaṁ

mātā vittaṁ pitā śrutam

bāndhavāḥ kulam icchanti

miṣṭānnam itare janāḥ

kanyā — bride; varayate — desires; rūpaṁ — beauty; mātā — the mother; vittaṁ — finance; pitā — the father; śrutam —education; bāndhavāḥ — the immediate relatives; kulam — a prestigious family; icchanti — desire; miṣṭānnam — sweets; itare — other; janāḥ — people;

“[In a wedding], the bride desires a smart and handsome man; her mother desires a financially stable man; her father desires a highly educated man; the immediate relatives desire a man from a prestigious family; and all others — they simply desire to have good sweets in the wedding feast!”

— (Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Saṁkīrṇaka-prakaraṇa, page 387, Verse 401)

[Subhashita and translation provided by Hari Parshad Prabhu]

This verse illustrates graphically that our desires shape our vision. Even while seeing the same thing, people see different aspects of that thing.

A more well-known example is that of the outline of a female form – two men may argue whether the woman is young or old. And they won’t resolve their argument till they realize that the difference in their perceptions is not logical – it is psychological.

That our desires shape our vision is acknowledged in the Bhagavad-gita. The Gita contextualizes our perceptions in its analytical framework of the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Different people see things differently based on the specific combination of modes that colors their mental world.

In the Mahabharata, when Arjuna disguised as a brahmana won Draupadi’s hand in the svayamvara, Drupada sensed that his to-be son-in-law was actually a kshatriya. So, when he invited the bridegroom and his family for a banquet at his palace, he arranged to have on display in the dining hall sacrificial paraphernalia, weapons and plows – items associated respectively with brahmanas, kshatriyas and vaishyas. Arjuna and his brothers went straight to the weapons, examined them carefully and started talking about them animatedly. From their spontaneous attraction to weapons, Drupada concluded that they all were kshatriyas, as was soon confirmed when they revealed that they were the Pandavas.

Empathic people often say about others: “I understand where they are coming from.” By taking into account the social, cultural and intellectual backgrounds of others, we can appreciate why they think the way they do. Suppose we find ourselves arguing with someone. If we can resist the temptation to make snap judgments and instead try to see things from their perspective, their stand will often become at least intelligible, if not acceptable.

That different people see things differently doesn’t justify metaphysical relativism, the notion that there is no objective truth. The variety in vision just means that we may not be seeing the objective truth, at least not at first glance. Gita wisdom firmly asserts that objective truths do indeed exist – and that all such truths are founded in the ultimate reality, the Absolute Truth, Krishna.

Significantly, although Krishna is the Absolute Truth, to approach him, we don’t have to reject all subjectivity. Gita wisdom explains that our subjectivity springs from our individuality. And our individuality is ultimately a characteristic of our spiritual essence, our soul. So, subjectivity exists in the spiritual realm too and can be used in approaching Krishna.

The whole concept of rasa, as applied to bhakti by the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, reveals how transcendental subjectivity can enhance devotion. When Krishna returns from the forest in the evening and has dust-marks on his body, the cowherd boys who had stayed back see those marks as signifying that he had played joyfully, and they long to play with him. The elderly cowherd women see those marks as signifying that Krishna needs a bath, and they long to bathe him. Though they both see the same thing, they interpret it differently based on the flavor of their relationship with Krishna. Yet despite their different interpretations, they both become intensely absorbed in him.

Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.43.17) describes how various observers saw Krishna when he entered Kamsa’s wresting arena in Mathura: “The wrestlers saw him as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathura as the best of males, the women as Cupid in person, the cowherd men as their relative, the impious rulers as a chastiser, his parents as their child, Kamsa as death, the unintelligent as the Supreme Lord’s universal form, the yogis as the Absolute Truth and the Vrishnis as their supreme worshipable Deity.” Here some of the observers were not devotees – they didn’t become devotionally absorbed in Krishna.

Such non-transcendental subjectivity often characterizes our practice of bhakti as seekers. For example, when we go to the temple for a program and find ourselves looking forward more to the prasadam than to the class, that focus is usually not transcendental and needs to be rectified.

Still, by consciously noting what we automatically notice in a situation, we can understand what our level of consciousness is, what our attachments are, who we are.

The post As we desire, so we see (Subhashita commentary 2) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Well, prabhus, it looks like a new pace has been set by Mayapur. Mayapur was again the No. 1 temple in the world in 2015. But not by much! Mayapur did 1,576,532 book points, and New Delhi did 1,533,199. Mayapur won by only 43,333 book points. What is amazing is that New Delhi more than doubled what Mayapur did during the marathon! Every year there is an intense transcendental competition between the two temples, and what a competition it is: They both increased their book distribution by 12%. Let’s see what happens in 2016.

Another surprise this year took place in the annual transcendental competition between Russia and the USA. As you may know, every year for close to a decade Russia is behind the USA during the year, but in December leaves the USA in the dust, way behind. But not this year. Finally the USA did more book points than Russia! Like the competition between New Delhi and Mayapur, it was close. The USA did 802,191 book points and Russia did 798,115, so the USA won by only 4,076 book points. That was close!

That was for second and third place in the world among countries. Are you ready to hear what the No. 1 country in the world did? With a record-breaking score of 6,615,265 book points, India is again, as always, in its own category: No. 1.

“I am very glad to hear how the book distribution is increasing more and more. This is our greatest weapon. The more the books are distributed, the more the ignorance of the age of Kali will be smashed. The world is feeling the weight of this Hare Krsna movement. We have to increase this book distribution work more and more to firmly establish this movement, which is the only hope for the suffering living entities.” Srila Prabhupada

Your servant,

Vijaya Dasa

                           For complete results
          go to www.SankirtanNewsletter.com (password: wsnhome)
            Deadline for scores is the 15th of the next month


         WORLD           WORLD     SANKIR       NEWS      LETTER
          WWW             WWW    SSS     TAN     NEWS       NEW
           WWW           WWW    SSS       SSS    NEWSLE     NEW
            WWW   WWW   WWW       SSSSS          NEW NEWS   NEW
             WWW WORLD WWW           SANKIR      NEW   NEWS NEW
              WORLD WORLD      SSS        TAN    NEW     LETTER
               WWW   WWW        SAN      SSS     NEW      NEWSL
                WW   WW            KIRTAN       NEWSL      ETTER

         *********************************************************
           W O R L D    S A N K I R T A N    N E W S L E T T E R
         *********************************************************
                               December 2015            2/05/2016


              For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this page
       contains the following results for the month of December 2015.

            World Totals                                 Page 2
            Monthly Congregation and Weekend Warriors    Page 2
            Monthly Continents                           Page 3
            Monthly Top Ten Temples by Size              Page 3
            Monthly Top Ten Temples by Continent         Page 4
            Monthly Top Teams and Individuals            Page 5
            Monthly All Countries                        Page 6
            Monthly All Temples                          Page 7
            Monthly All Prabhupada Disciples             Page 8
            Cumulative Top Ten Countries                 Page 9
            Cumulative Top Ten Temples                   Page 9
            Cumulative Top 50 Individuals Worldwide      Page 9



**** Page 2 ****


     * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     *              -- OFFERING TO SRILA PRABHUPADA --               *
     *                                                               *
     *    During the month of December 2015, 230 temples reported    *
     *    distributing the following number of books:                *
     *                                                               *
     *                 2,308,553 Maha-big books                      *
     *                   194,658 Big books                           *
     *                   273,019 Medium books                        *
     *                   812,055 Small books                         *
     *                    66,631 Magazines                           *
     *                    11,532 BTG subscriptions                   *
     *                     5,883 Full sets                           *
     *                                                               *
     *                 3,724,108 literatures for the month           *
     *                 9,327,465 literatures year-to-date            *
     *               521,931,577 literatures worldwide since 1965    *
     *                                                               *
     *                All glories to Srila Prabhupada!               *
     * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



                         WORLDWIDE BOOK DISTRIBUTION
                        Total Literatures Distributed
 Books (Millions)
16.........................................................................

14X........................................................................
  X     x
12X.....X..................................................................
  X     X
10X.....X.x.x.................x............................................
  X   x X X X             x X X _ x                                     _ x
8XX...X.X.X.X...........X.X.X.X.X.X..................................._.X.X
 XXX  x X X X X         x X X X X X X                             x X X X X
6XXX..X.X.X.X.X.X.......X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.......................x.X.X.X.X.X.X
 XXXX X X X X X X     X X X X X X X X X                   x x X X X X X X X
4XXXX.X.X.X.X.X.X.....X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X...........x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X
 XXXX X X X X X X     X X X X X X X X X X _       x X X X X X X X X X X X X
2XXXX.X.X.X.X.X.X.x.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X
 XXXX X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
0XXXX_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X

77 80  82  84  86  88  90  92  94  96  98  00  02  04  06  08  10  12 14 15




                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                          CONGREGATIONAL PREACHING
                               December 2015

    Congregation and                   %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
    Weekend Warriors etc     Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 Nama Hatta Dept  May Ind60641.00*+527% 28518*  1300   1560   6100*    0
  2 WW Team ISV Week Sil USA38079.00*+592% 18685*     2      0   2828     0
  3 Nairobi Namahatt Nai Ken 4258.00   na    169   3665     80    860     0
  4 WW Toronto WW    Tor Can 3904.60*+670%  1626*   126    558*   966    61
  5 WW Seattle       Sea USA 3519.00*+999%  1351*   316*   334*   376* 1168*
  6 Bhakti Lounge Ph Phi USA 2874.25*+575%  1202*     5    331*  1199*    0
  7 WW Nairobi WW    Nai Ken  705.75   na      5    420    275    553     0
  8 WW Dallas        Dal USA  346.75   -8%   112     85     31     89     0
  9 Sastra Dana Sing Sin Sin  132.05  -53%    23      0      1    339     8
 10 Ljubljana Sastra Lju Slo  105.00   na     36     30      4      4     0
 11 WW Arkadelphia W Ark USA   27.00  +76%     9*     6      3      6     0
                                    (%)Change compared        (*)New record
                                    to monthly average        for this year



**** Page 3 ****

                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                             MONTHLY CONTINENTS
                               December 2015

                                % of  M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs Full
  Continent (temples)   Points  World Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags Sets
  _________________________________________________________________________

1 Asia (55)          4085386.40  79%1942821  44473  60988 371560111365 5217
2 CIS (61)            432762.30   8% 150094  47273  87496 165550  1658    0
3 Europe (43)         284121.05   5%  95877  25144  95075  76755  4930  110
4 North America (28)  193782.00   4%  80774  10542  13222  43888 10554  447
5 Africa (23)          77075.05   1%  13836  19693   7843 101601  3883   85
6 Latin America (13)   70854.40   1%   5801  44667   6048  46242     9   11
7 Australasia (6)      44696.65   1%  19350   2866   2347   6459  3424   13



                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                          TOP TEN TEMPLES BY SIZE
                               December 2015

                                       %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
                             Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

      TOP TEN LARGE TEMPLES (41+ devotees)

  1 New Delhi          I 1306203.10*+999% 643859*   501   1547  62313*16324
  2 Mayapur            Ind607145.25*+589% 274789* 25685* 24860* 77809*    0
  3 Mumbai-Juhu        Ind419788.75*+999% 197123*  6083*  9041* 59757*    0
  4 Pune               Ind312279.75*+999% 153775*   877*  1046* 11175* 2738
  5 Mumbai-Chowpatty   Ind276694.70*+999% 128665*  3424*  3229* 56912*  678
  6 Bhaktivedanta Mano Eng118386.50*+999%  40181*  2540* 54702* 32534*    0
  7 Vrindavan          Ind 91420.50*+369%  41509*     0   7560  18490     0
  8 Moscow             Rus 89206.25*+478%  31753* 14818* 13485* 16559*    0
  9 Los Angeles        USA 76562.00*+387%  30966*  4388   3828  22712* 3180
 10 Tirupati           Ind 61372.60*+330%  18934*   981*   858  19846*48534*

      TOP TEN MEDIUM TEMPLES (21-40 devotees)

  1 New Delhi(Punj.Bag Ind355856.20*+999% 176500*     0      0   6500  7676*
  2 Ahmedabad          Ind243044.00*+999% 120690*     0    517   5578*  110
  3 Salem              Ind 73037.15*+999%  33438*  1604*   110  16915*  834
  4 Moscow-Jagannath   Rus 67338.25*+809%  28960*  3580*  2561* 18231*    0
  5 VV Nagar           Ind 29676.00*+999%  10599*     0    100   1712 19200*
  6 Chennai            Ind 27980.50*+999%  12750*  1355*   856*  1370  2890*
  7 London-Soho        Eng 27954.25*+513%  11307*   410   9193*  1335*    0
  8 Baroda             Ind 21816.00*+999%  10908*     0      0      0     0
  9 Ujjain             Ind 18399.00*+175%   8079*  1134   1230   1968     0
 10 Pandharpur         Ind 18154.75   na    7185      0   7020    145   580

      TOP TEN SMALL TEMPLES (6-20 devotees)

  1 Chandigarh         Ind 60940.75*+999%  30350*    37    159    497     0
  2 Surat              Ind 57773.25*+923%  27755*   323    354*  5393*  996
  3 Silicon Valley(ISV USA 38079.00*+592%  18685*     2      0   2828     0
  4 Nairobi            Ken 26298.45*+999%   3465*  7690*  3886* 38859*  207*
  5 Nagpur             Ind 23054.00*+999%  11509*     0     28*    88*    0
  6 Cueramaro          Mex 22002.50*+599%   1417* 17117*  2460*  3286     0
  7 Omsk               Rus 16125.75* +82%   5748*  1553   2653   7001*    0
  8 Sankirtan Dham TST Ita 14926.50*+175%   5659*     0   7213*     0    20
  9 Auckland Loft      NZ  14862.50*+601%   6529*  1176*   129*  1344* 2280*
 10 Irkutsk            Rus 13402.25* +85%   3432*  2789*  3215*  8567*    0

      TOP TEN MAHA-SMALL TEMPLES (1-5 devotees)

  1 Nitai Gauranga TSK Bra 11762.00* +90%      4  11754*     0      0     0
  2 Naperville         USA 10227.15   na    3813    919   1783   2897   664
  3 Rovno              Ukr  7909.00*+999%   2656*   263   3645*  2046*    0
  4 Prabhupada Bhavan- Cze  5655.00*+305%    694*  4258*     0     36     0
  5 Baltimore          USA  5223.95  +49%   2337     34    768*   527     2
  6 Bhaktiloka         SVK  4659.00*+565%    543*  3144*     0   1716*    0
  7 Brahmapur          Ind  4324.00*+317%   2160*     0      2     12     0
  8 Batticaloa         Sri  3548.50  +21%   1506    406*   186*   110   100
  9 TBB TSKP           USA  3118.50  +36%    256   1181   1851*  2000     0
 10 Copenhagen         Den  2662.75*+364%    930*   466*     1   1345*    0


**** Page 4 ****

                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                        TOP TEN TEMPLES BY CONTINENT
                               December 2015

                                      %    M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
                             Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
                            _______________________________________________


      TOP TEN TEMPLES - ASIA

  1 New Delhi          I 1306203.10 +999% 643859    501   1547  62313 16324
  2 Mayapur            Ind607145.25 +652% 274789  25685  24860  77809     0
  3 Mumbai-Juhu        Ind419788.75 +999% 197123   6083   9041  59757     0
  4 New Delhi(Punj.Bag Ind355856.20 +999% 176500      0      0   6500  7676
  5 Pune               Ind312279.75 +999% 153775    877   1046  11175  2738
  6 Mumbai-Chowpatty   Ind276694.70 +999% 128665   3424   3229  56912   678
  7 Ahmedabad          Ind243044.00 +999% 120690      0    517   5578   110
  8 Vrindavan          Ind 91420.50 +416%  41509      0   7560  18490     0
  9 Salem              Ind 73037.15 +999%  33438   1604    110  16915   834
 10 Tirupati           Ind 61372.60 +369%  18934    981    858  19846 48534

      TOP TEN TEMPLES - CIS

  1 Moscow             Rus 89206.25 +542%  31753  14818  13485  16559     0
  2 Moscow-Jagannath   Rus 67338.25 +991%  28960   3580   2561  18231     0
  3 St. Petersburg     Rus 32854.25 +413%  13918   1754   1643   9771     0
  4 Kiev               Ukr 19605.75 +760%   6904    806   6180   7607     0
  5 Omsk               Rus 16125.75 +173%   5748   1553   2653   7001     0
  6 Irkutsk            Rus 13402.25 +177%   3432   2789   3215   8567     0
  7 Almaty             Kaz 13270.00 +721%   5508    453    863   5478     0
  8 Dnepropetrovsk     Ukr 12782.25 +999%   4710    239   4008   4477     0
  9 Kazan              Rus 10946.25 +234%   1789   1328   7698   8765     0
 10 Barnaul            Rus 10892.25 +117%   3378   1278   3987   3459     0

      TOP TEN TEMPLES - EUROPE

  1 Bhaktivedanta Mano Eng118386.50 +999%  40181   2540  54702  32534     0
  2 London-Soho        Eng 27954.25 +569%  11307    410   9193   1335     0
  3 Budapest           Hun 15344.45 +977%   4466   2424    165  15241   957
  4 Sankirtan Dham TST Ita 14926.50 +200%   5659      0   7213      0    20
  5 Simhachalam (NJNK) Ger 13920.50 +307%   6129    922   1481      0     0
  6 Swansea            Wal 13292.50 +999%   6508     66    421      0     0
  7 New Vrajadham-Hung Hun 12438.80 +853%   3750   2354    668   8206  1993
  8 Govindadvipa       Ire  9976.00 +362%   3658      0   4625   1390     0
  9 Berlin             Ger  7885.00 +749%   3411    151   1824      0     0
 10 Prabhupada Bhavan- Cze  5655.00 +345%    694   4258      0     36     0

      TOP TEN TEMPLES - NORTH AMERICA

  1 Los Angeles        USA 76562.00 +432%  30966   4388   3828  22712  3180
  2 Silicon Valley(ISV USA 38079.00 +655%  18685      2      0   2828     0
  3 Naperville         USA 10227.15   na    3813    919   1783   2897   664
  4 RupanugaVedicColle USA  9182.65  -23%   3263   1863    682    955  2139
  5 Dallas             USA  8028.25 +351%   3876    107    173    321    25
  6 Laguna Beach       USA  7059.80 +528%   3459     33     23    270   298
  7 New Jersey-Edison  USA  6994.50   na    3486      0     45      0     0
  8 Toronto            Can  5520.40 +301%   2089    183    719   1174   664
  9 Baltimore          USA  5223.95  +63%   2337     34    768    527     2
 10 Denver             USA  4916.00  +61%   1810    473    682   1458  1175

      TOP TEN TEMPLES - AFRICA

  1 Nairobi            Ken 26298.45 +999%   3465   7690   3886  38859   207
  2 Durban             Sou 22715.05 +999%   4039   5080   1239  35737    33
  3 Phoenix(MA)        Mau  6235.85 +638%   1823     91    175   9637    21
  4 Port Elizabeth     Sou  5077.00   na       0   5050      0    108     0
  5 Kisumu             Ken  4805.25 +999%   1673    727    306   2317     0
  6 Phoenix(SA)        Sou  3105.25   na     982    283    967   1329   425
  7 Pietermaritzburg   Sou  1732.00 +999%    712     34     24   1048     0
  8 Cape Town          Sou  1192.00 +999%     33      8     18   4424    30
  9 Dar es Salaam      Tan  1129.00   na     551     18      4     28     0
 10 Kinshasa           Con   742.75  +51%    175      0     80    411  2500

      TOP TEN TEMPLES - LATIN AMERICA

  1 Cueramaro          Mex 22002.50 +669%   1417  17117   2460   3286     0
  2 Mexico City        Mex 16319.25 +707%   1708   8391   1206  15637     0
  3 Nitai Gauranga TSK Bra 11762.00 +111%      4  11754      0      0     0
  4 Curitiba           Bra  9729.75 +283%   1500   5650    901   2517     0
  5 Buenos Aires       Arg  5133.25 +265%    753    407      0  12881     0
  6 Monterrey          Mex  1741.25 +101%     35    254    674   4321     0
  7 Brazil TSKP        Bra  1368.25   na      53    365      2   3585     0
  8 Itajai             Bra  1156.00 +334%    233    332      0   1432     0
  9 Queretaro          Mex   451.00  +79%     30     15    508    488     0
 10 New Vrajadham-Braz Bra   428.75  +28%     36    246     98    247     0

      TOP TEN TEMPLES - AUSTRALASIA

  1 Auckland Loft      New 14862.50 +664%   6529   1176    129   1344  2280
  2 Sydney-North       Aus 14769.75 +303%   7009     17    402   2135     0
  3 Melbourne          Aus  8404.65 +999%   3863    217    360   1123     9
  4 Wellington         New  4320.15 +827%   1333   1418     23    607   729
  5 Brisbane           Aus  1256.75 +999%    315     29    810    615   390
  6 New Govardhana     Aus  1082.85 +117%    301      9    623    635    16


**** Page 5 ****




                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                  SPECIAL TEAMS UNLIMITED BOOK DISTRIBUTION
                               December 2015

                                       %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
    Individuals              Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 Shiv Shankar Dub New I 235636.00   na 117818      0      0      0     0
  2 Gopisvar d       New I 232201.00 +999%115575     76    644   2420   480
  3 Bk Rakesh Uberoi Del I 117162.00   na  58581      0      0      0     0
  4 Vichitra Krishna New I 100864.00 +999% 50432      0      0      0     0
  5 Udar Gour Sundar May I 100244.00   na  49102    271   1062   4952     0
  6 Mahapuran d      May Ind95926.00   na  45338   2425   3350   4600     0
  7 Narahari Karuna  Ahm Ind73608.50   na  36500      0      8   2414    10
  8 Madhusundar d    Del Ind70256.00 +235% 35128      0      0      0     0
  9 Hara d           Mum Ind59888.50   na  29705     51    500    710     0
 10 Sarvapriya d     New Ind55748.00   na  27874      0      0      0     0
 11 Sahasra Netra d  New Ind53538.00   na  26769      0      0      0     0
 12 Braj Bhakti Vila New Ind52000.00   na  26000      0      0      0     0
 13 Rukmini Krishna  New Ind50000.00   na  25000      0      0      0     0
 14 Krishna Bhava d  New Ind50000.00   na  25000      0      0      0     0
 15 Ajanma Krishna d New Ind46788.00   na  23394      0      0      0     0
 16 Kalanath Caitany Ahm Ind43032.50   na  21500      0      0    130     0
 17 Amogha Lila d    New Ind40984.00   na  20492      0      0      0     0
 18 Nityadham d      New Ind40632.50   na  20000      0      0      0  2145
 19 Vidurapriya d    New Ind32496.00   na  16248      0      0      0     0
 20 Sunder Gopal d   New Ind30000.00   na  15000      0      0      0     0
 21 Gaur Sundar d    LA  USA28621.75   na  14154    216    141    109     0
 22 Sundar Caitanya  Mum Ind27834.00   na  10238     47      7  29230     0
 23 Sar Shiromani d  Pun Ind25842.00   na  12921      0      0      0     0
 24 Kesava Balaram d New Ind22598.70  +23% 11000      0      0      0  5531
 25 Kesava Murari d  New Ind22595.00   na  10560      0      0   5900     0
 26 Devakinandan d   Mum Ind20725.25   na  10340      5     20    121     0
 27 Surangi dd       Mum Ind20725.25   na  10340      5     20    121     0
 28 Atmatripta d     New Ind20058.00   na  10029      0      0      0     0
 29 Radha Pramod d   Pun Ind19000.00   na   9500      0      0      0     0
 30 Ramrupa d        Mum Ind18995.50   na   9246    326    126    458     0
 31 Sankar d         Mum Ind18995.50   na   9246    326    126    458     0
 32 Deena Nayak d    New Ind18582.50 +999%  9250      0      0    250   200
 33 Visvanath Krpa d Pun Ind16350.75   na   8155     21     20     39     0
 34 Suddha Nitai Can Pun Ind15482.00   na   7741      0      0      0     0
 35 Advaita Krishna  New Ind14662.00   na   7331      0      0      0     0
 36 Vaishnavi Sanga  Nai Ken14283.25 +999%  2006   1962   2115  29003    10
 37 Ajit Govind d    New Ind12500.00   na      0      0      0  50000     0
 38 Madhav Seva d    Pun Ind11129.25   na   5404     75     65    855     0
 39 Dauji Nitai d    Pun Ind11000.00 +999%  5500      0      0      0     0
 40 Anand Patil d    Pun Ind10346.50   na   5162      0      0     90     0
 41 Kanai Thakur d   Pun Ind 9776.00 +999%  4888      0      0      0     0
 42 Ugra Nrsimha d   Pun Ind 9124.00   na   4562      0      0      0     0
 43 Rajeev Lochan d  New Ind 8832.00   na   4416      0      0      0     0
 44 Sacinandan Bhagw Pun Ind 8274.00   na   4137      0      0      0     0
 45 Gaur Lila d      Pun Ind 7496.00   na   3748      0      0      0     0
 46 Sarvalaksan d    Pun Ind 7358.25   na   3635      0     15    323     0
 47 NityanandaDallas Dal USA 7200.00   na   3600      0      0      0     0
 48 Kadamba Krishna  Pun Ind 6746.00   na   3373      0      0      0     0
 49 Sri Caitanya Can Pun Ind 6142.25 +416%  3007      0      0    513     0
 50 Urmila dd        New Ind 6004.00   na   3002      0      0      0     0
                                    (%)Change compared        (*)New record
                                    to monthly average        for this year




                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                         TOP 50 REGULAR INDIVIDUALS
                               December 2015

                                       %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
    Individuals              Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 Tusta Ram d      May Ind34364.75*+999% 14970*  4268*   146*   335*    0
  2 HH Jayapataka Sw May Ind27980.75*+421% 13366*   935    113   1029     0
  3 Bipin Bihari d   May Ind26693.50*+999%  9425*  2102*  7033*  8900*    0
  4 Uddhava Madhava  Mum Ind25654.00*+999% 12827*     0      0      0     0
  5 Puspa Gopal d    May Ind25003.75*+999% 10035*   340*  2065* 14245*    0
  6 Vaikuntha Mukund Ahm Ind22265.75*+999% 11111*     0      0    175     0
  7 Sitaram d        Mum Ind21522.75*+999%  9387    945*  2776*  1663*    0
  8 Bhagavat Ashraya Mum Ind18656.50*+643%  7693*   443*   900   9510*    0
  9 Nitya Mukta d    Tir Ind18450.75*+999%  1869*    38     53*   757*34732*
 10 Asim Krishna d   Mum Ind17611.25*+999%  8801*     6      0     13     0
 11 Purush Bhushan d Mum Ind17611.25 +999%  8801      6      0     13     0
 12 Pandav Prema d   New Ind17164.00   na   8582      0      0      0     0
 13 Jasomatinandan d Ahm Ind16708.50   na   8224      0     91    848    30
 14 Kamal Nayan d    May Ind16021.75*+999%  6947*  1450*   525*  1661*    0
 15 Saciputra d      Mum Ind14467.25*+325%  6921*   314*   236*   773*    0
 16 Bk Tapas         May Ind12740.00*+999%  5945*   200   1000*   600     0
 17 Caitanya Candra  Cen Bra11762.00* +85%     4  11754*     0      0     0
 18 Revati Raman d   Mum Ind11597.25*+999%  5503*   405*   128    489*    0
 19 Bk Gopal         May Ind10526.00*+329%  5263*     0      0      0     0
 20 Nitya Kishori dd May Ind10401.75   na   4009    650   1862   3211     0
 21 Murli Mohan d    Ahm Ind10163.75*+999%  5000*     0      4    647*    0
 22 Surottam d       Ahm Ind10050.00*  +1%  5000*     0      0    200     0
 23 HH Bhakti Ananta Mos Rus10048.00* +61%  5024*     0      0      0     0
 24 Vicaru d         Ahm Ind10025.00*+999%  5000*     0      0    100     0
 25 Raivat d         Ahm Ind10010.00*+999%  5005*     0      0      0     0
 26 Varadesha d      Mos Rus 9932.00*+707%  4966*     0      0      0     0
 27 Jalatala dd      Mum Ind 9818.25 +938%  4767     77    127    575     0
 28 Patit Uddhar Gov May Ind 9306.25*+878%  4614*    48     36     49     0
 29 Parmananda Kesha New Ind 8954.00   na   4477      0      0      0     0
 30 Vrinda Kunda d   Del Ind 8820.00   na   4410      0      0      0     0
 31 Neel Kantha d    New Ind 8780.00*+811%  3910      0      0      0  9600
 32 Harisunder d     Del Ind 8702.00   na   4351      0      0      0     0
 33 Radha Krsna d    Mum Ind 8645.75  +35%  3925    372     82   1531     0
 34 Bhusan Krishna d Mum Ind 8645.75   na   3925    372     82   1531     0
 35 Bk Pradeep       Tor Eng 8560.75*+999%   686*    16   9502*  9687*    0
 36 Mahaprabhu Krpa  New Ind 8500.00   na   4250      0      0      0     0
 37 Visvambar Gauran New Ind 8442.00   na   4221      0      0      0     0
 38 Vaikuntha Nama d New Ind 8238.00   na   4119      0      0      0     0
 39 Bk Tapas 2       May Ind 8014.00   na   4007      0      0      0     0
 40 Nitai Pada Kamal Mum Ind 7920.00*+999%  3960*     0      0      0     0
 41 Narahari d       Mum Ind 7870.00 +474%  3935      0      0      0     0
 42 Hemagiri d       Mum Ind 7407.00*+153%  2330*   469   2385*  4342     0
 43 Bk Jay Khush     LA  USA 7336.75*+145%  2884*   609    558   2723*    0
 44 Bk Atul Thakur   Cha Ind 6932.00   na   3466      0      0      0     0
 45 Revati dd        Mos Rus 6851.25*+999%  3397*     0     42    145     0
 46 Sadhu Sevak d    May Ind 6828.75*+872%  3398*    21     10     27     0
 47 Radha Caran d    Del Ind 6824.00   na   3412      0      0      0     0
 48 Samba d          New Ind 6618.00   na   3309      0      0      0     0
 49 Govind Murari d  Mum Ind 6404.00*+150%  3073*   258*     0      0     0
 50 Mayapur Candra d May Ind 6109.00*+656%  2118*  1373*     0   2000*    0
                                    (%)Change compared        (*)New record
                                    to monthly average        for this year


**** Page 6 ****



                           World Sankirtan Newsletter
                                 ALL COUNTRIES
                                 December 2015

                                     %    M-Big   Big  Medium  Small   BTGs
   Country (Temples)        Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books   Mags
   ________________________________________________________________________

 1 India (32)           4069924.90  +18%1936567  43384  60442 365256 111210
 2 Russia, CIS (37)      332952.55  -25% 115095  41900  62358 118071   1658
 3 United States (24)    186122.40  +11%  77957  10309  12256  41958   9499
 4 United Kingdom (3)    159633.25  +47%  57996   3016  64316  33869      0
 5 Ukraine, CIS (20)      71448.50  +35%  23440   3922  22001  38584      0
 6 Mexico (4)             40514.00  +32%   3190  25777   4848  23732      0
 7 South Africa (13)      36949.50  +84%   6139  10827   3177  48578   1115
 8 Kenya (2)              31103.70  -18%   5138   8417   4192  41176    207
 9 Hungary (2)            27783.25  +84%   8216   4778    833  23447   2950
10 GermanyAustria (9)     26487.50   +2%  11190   1284   5647      0      0
11 Australia (4)          25514.00 +108%  11488    272   2195   4508    415
12 Brazil (6)             24817.25  -23%   1826  18347   1018   9237      0
13 Italy (7)              21183.60  -34%   6768      0  15288      0     36
14 New Zealand (2)        19182.65 +103%   7862   2594    152   1951   3009
15 Kazakhstan, CIS (3)    17683.75  +32%   7402    562   1491   6289      0
16 Belarus, CIS           10677.50  -37%   4157    889   1646   2606      0
17 Ireland                 9976.00   -2%   3658      0   4625   1390      0
18 Slovakia (2)            9313.75   +6%   1117   6602      0   1911      0
19 Lithuania (2)           8755.00  +40%   3023   1214    706   4568      0
20 Czech Republic (2)      7938.25  +33%   1202   5351      2    729      0
21 Canada (4)              7659.60  -63%   2817    233    966   1930   1055
22 Mauritius (2)           6932.35   -8%   1823    380    228  11161     21
23 Argentina               5133.25 +999%    753    407      0  12881      0
24 Sri Lanka               3548.50   na    1506    406    186    110    100
25 Indonesia               2813.45   +9%   1316     41     56    439     27
26 Denmark                 2662.75   +8%    930    466      1   1345      0
27 Slovenia                2291.25  +70%    263    607   1147   2339      0
28 Switzerland             2280.50 +538%    468    839    777    468      0
29 China (11)              1700.50   na     667    234      0    530      0
30 Croatia                 1692.50  +17%    227    163    193   3916      0
31 Bulgaria                1389.00  +17%    327      4   1145    634      0
32 Tanzania                1129.00  -53%    551     18      4     28      0
33 Congo(D.R.)              742.75   na     175      0     80    411   2500
34 Norway                   571.75   na     180     18      0      3   1930
35 Sweden (4)               468.45   na      33     88     63   1111     14
36 Puerto Rico              335.00   na      18    119    173    374      0
37 Bosnia                   228.50  -46%     55     40     56    202      0
38 Serbia                   206.75   na       0    188      0     75      0
39 Spain                    160.50  -91%     77      0      0     26      0
40 Zambia                   141.00  +10%      6     40     49    242     40
41 Singapore                132.05   na      23      0      1    339      8
42 Romania                   88.75   na      27      3      0    127      0
43 Togo                      63.50   na       0     11    105      0      0
44 Dominican Republic        54.90   na      14     17      9     18      9
45 Ivory Coast                7.75  -74%      2      0      5      5      0
46 Burkina Faso               5.50  +22%      2      0      3      0      0
                                   (%)Change compared
                                     to Dec last year


**** Page 7 ****



                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                                ALL TEMPLES
                               December 2015

                                      %    M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
    Temples (size)           Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 New Delhi (L)      I 1306203.10*+999% 643859*   501   1547  62313*16324
  2 Mayapur (L)        Ind607145.25*+589% 274789* 25685* 24860* 77809*    0
  3 Mumbai-Juhu (L)    Ind419788.75*+999% 197123*  6083*  9041* 59757*    0
  4 New Delhi(Punj.Bag Ind355856.20*+999% 176500*     0      0   6500  7676*
  5 Pune (L)           Ind312279.75*+999% 153775*   877*  1046* 11175* 2738
  6 Mumbai-Chowpatty ( Ind276694.70*+999% 128665*  3424*  3229* 56912*  678
  7 Ahmedabad (M)      Ind243044.00*+999% 120690*     0    517   5578*  110
  8 Bhaktivedanta Mano Eng118386.50*+999%  40181*  2540* 54702* 32534*    0
  9 Vrindavan (L)      Ind 91420.50*+369%  41509*     0   7560  18490     0
 10 Moscow (L)         Rus 89206.25*+478%  31753* 14818* 13485* 16559*    0
 11 Los Angeles (L)    USA 76562.00*+387%  30966*  4388   3828  22712* 3180
 12 Salem (M)          Ind 73037.15*+999%  33438*  1604*   110  16915*  834
 13 Moscow-Jagannath ( Rus 67338.25*+809%  28960*  3580*  2561* 18231*    0
 14 Tirupati (L)       Ind 61372.60*+330%  18934*   981*   858  19846*48534*
 15 Chandigarh (S)     Ind 60940.75*+999%  30350*    37    159    497     0
 16 Surat (S)          Ind 57773.25*+923%  27755*   323    354*  5393*  996
 17 Silicon Valley(ISV USA 38079.00*+592%  18685*     2      0   2828     0
 18 St. Petersburg (L) Rus 32854.25*+340%  13918*  1754   1643*  9771*    0
 19 VV Nagar (M)       Ind 29676.00*+999%  10599*     0    100   1712 19200*
 20 Chennai (M)        Ind 27980.50*+999%  12750*  1355*   856*  1370  2890*
 21 London-Soho (M)    Eng 27954.25*+513%  11307*   410   9193*  1335*    0
 22 Nairobi (S)        Ken 26298.45*+999%   3465*  7690*  3886* 38859*  207*
 23 Nagpur (S)         Ind 23054.00*+999%  11509*     0     28*    88*    0
 24 Durban (L)         Sou 22715.05*+999%   4039*  5080*  1239* 35737*   33
 25 Cueramaro (S)      Mex 22002.50*+599%   1417* 17117*  2460*  3286     0
 26 Baroda (M)         Ind 21816.00*+999%  10908*     0      0      0     0
 27 Kiev (L)           Ukr 19605.75*+674%   6904*   806*  6180*  7607*    0
 28 Ujjain (M)         Ind 18399.00*+175%   8079*  1134   1230   1968     0
 29 Pandharpur (M)     Ind 18154.75   na    7185      0   7020    145   580
 30 Mexico City (M)    Mex 16319.25*+626%   1708*  8391*  1206  15637*    0
 31 Omsk (S)           Rus 16125.75* +82%   5748*  1553   2653   7001*    0
 32 Budapest (L)       Hun 15344.45*+879%   4466*  2424*   165  15241*  957
 33 Sankirtan Dham TST Ita 14926.50*+175%   5659*     0   7213*     0    20
 34 Auckland Loft (S)  New 14862.50*+601%   6529*  1176*   129*  1344* 2280*
 35 Sydney-North (M)   Aus 14769.75*+270%   7009*    17    402   2135*    0
 36 Simhachalam (NJNK) Ger 13920.50*+270%   6129*   922   1481*     0     0
 37 Irkutsk (S)        Rus 13402.25* +85%   3432*  2789*  3215*  8567*    0
 38 Swansea (S)        Wal 13292.50*+940%   6508*    66    421      0     0
 39 Almaty (L)         Kaz 13270.00*+447%   5508*   453    863*  5478*    0
 40 Dnepropetrovsk (S) Ukr 12782.25*+999%   4710*   239*  4008*  4477*    0
 41 New Vrajadham-Hung Hun 12438.80*+774%   3750*  2354*   668*  8206* 1993
 42 Nitai Gauranga TSK Bra 11762.00* +90%      4  11754*     0      0     0
 43 Kazan (S)          Rus 10946.25*+151%   1789*  1328*  7698*  8765     0
 44 Barnaul (S)        Rus 10892.25* +45%   3378*  1278*  3987*  3459     0
 45 Sochi (S)          Rus 10803.75*  +5%   2176*  3489*  3765   4321     0
 46 Minsk (M)          Bel 10677.50*+444%   4157*   889*  1646*  2606*    0
 47 Moscow-Bhaktivedan Rus 10538.00   na    4054   1294   1735   1074     0
 48 Naperville (MS)    USA 10227.15   na    3813    919   1783   2897   664
 49 Madurai (S)        Ind 10134.10*+488%   3947*    30*     5   7092* 4346*
 50 Govindadvipa (S)   Ire  9976.00*+247%   3658*     0   4625*  1390*    0
 51 Curitiba (S)       Bra  9729.75*+248%   1500*  5650*   901*  2517*    0
 52 RupanugaVedicColle USA  9182.65  -30%   3263   1863    682    955  2139
 53 Trivandrum (S)     Ind  8716.00 +521%   4120      8     79   1714     0
 54 Melbourne (L)      Aus  8404.65*+999%   3863*   217*   360*  1123*    9*
 55 Dallas (M)         USA  8028.25*+314%   3876*   107    173    321    25
 56 Novosibirsk (M)    Rus  7935.75*  +9%   1123*  2432*  3897*  5237*    0
 57 Kharkov (S)        Ukr  7934.50*+999%   2932*   187*  1195*  5144*    0
 58 Perm (M)           Rus  7923.25*+311%   2534*   230*  2578*  5345*    0
 59 Rovno (MS)         Ukr  7909.00*+999%   2656*   263   3645*  2046*    0
 60 Berlin (S)         Ger  7885.00*+671%   3411*   151   1824*     0     0
 61 Coimbatore (S)     Ind  7521.25 +156%   2806    343     72   1821  2280
 62 Bhopal (S)         Ind  7284.00*+375%   3422*   310*    93    334*    0
 63 Laguna Beach (S)   USA  7059.80*+475%   3459*    33     23    270   298
 64 New Jersey-Edison  USA  6994.50   na    3486      0     45      0     0
 65 Odessa (S)         Ukr  6244.75*+999%   1960*   490*  1563*  4213*    0
 66 Phoenix(MA) (S)    Mau  6235.85*+576%   1823*    91*   175   9637    21
 67 Nizhny Novgorod (S Rus  5897.25*+171%   2481*   626*   500*   237*    0
 68 Tirunelveli (S)    Ind  5817.30*+292%   2171*    15      8   4548* 3193*
 69 Prabhupada Bhavan- Cze  5655.00*+305%    694*  4258*     0     36     0
 70 Toronto (S)        Can  5520.40 +268%   2089*   183    719   1174   664*
 71 Ekaterinburg (M)   Rus  5330.00*+490%   2198*   406*   401*  1310     0
 72 Baltimore (MS)     USA  5223.95  +49%   2337     34    768*   527     2
 73 Buenos Aires (M)   Arg  5133.25*+219%    753*   407      0  12881*    0
 74 Port Elizabeth (S) Sou  5077.00   na       0   5050      0    108     0
 75 Denver (M)         USA  4916.00  +47%   1810*   473    682   1458  1175*
 76 Kisumu (S)         Ken  4805.25*+999%   1673*   727*   306*  2317*    0
 77 Rostov-na-Donu (M) Rus  4768.25* +26%    789*  1127*  2178*  3897*    0
 78 Kaunas (S)         Lit  4686.25*+730%   1919*   281*   359*  1551     0
 79 Bhaktiloka (MS)    Slo  4659.00*+565%    543*  3144*     0   1716*    0
 80 New Ekacakra(Preso Slo  4654.75*+408%    574*  3458*     0    195     0
 81 Mumbai-Kharghar (L Ind  4475.00   +3%   2040    222    113*   466     0
 82 Yaroslavl (S)      Rus  4387.00*+206%   1540*   511*   544*  2096     0
 83 Mangalore (S)      Ind  4362.00*+999%   2146      0      0    280*    0
 84 Brahmapur (MS)     Ind  4324.00*+317%   2160*     0      2     12     0
 85 Wellington (S)     New  4320.15*+750%   1333*  1418*    23    607*  729*
 86 Krasnodar (S)      Rus  4144.25  +52%    764    987   1876   2765     0
 87 Vilnius (S)        Lit  4068.75*+779%   1104*   933*   347*  3017*    0
 88 Izevsk (S)         Rus  4034.30*+195%    955*   220*  1307*  4548* 1138*
 89 Panihati (S)       Ind  4000.00   na    2000      0      0      0     0
 90 Vladivostok (M)    Rus  3855.25   -8%   1173    389*  1356*  1769     0
 91 Batticaloa (MS)    Sri  3548.50  +21%   1506    406*   186*   110   100
 92 Chicago (S)        USA  3486.60* +91%   1409*   233    114   1446   171
 93 Simferopol (S)     Ukr  3476.25*+998%   1202*   590*   376*  1177*    0
 94 Volgograd (S)      Rus  3338.50   -5%    543    589   2138*  2378     0
 95 Tyumen (S)         Rus  3166.25*+432%   1225*    80*  1076*   393     0
 96 TBB TSKP (MS)      USA  3118.50  +36%    256   1181   1851*  2000     0
 97 Phoenix(SA) (S)    Sou  3105.25   na     982    283    967   1329   425
 98 Gainesville (M)    USA  2914.50  +40%    781    597    778   1466*    0
 99 Philadelphia (M)   USA  2874.25*+999%   1202*     5    331*  1199*    0
100 Bali (S)           Ind  2813.45 +102%   1316     41     56    439    27
101 Ufa (S)            Rus  2780.25*+113%    680*   487*   904   1925     0
102 Copenhagen (MS)    Den  2662.75*+364%    930*   466*     1   1345*    0
103 Lutsk (S)          Ukr  2641.50*+914%    231      2   2085*  4540*    0
104 Astana (S)         Kaz  2412.00   na     933    109    527    694     0
105 Chelyabinsk (S)    Rus  2401.15*+409%    639*   213*   417*  2599*  519*
106 Hillsborough, NC ( USA  2358.80*+237%    721*   140    286*  2218*  793
107 Nellore (M)        Ind  2340.00*+134%    653*   250*   893*  1350     0
108 Seattle (S)        USA  2308.00*+999%    950*   234*   148*     0  1000*
109 Ljubljana (S)      Slo  2291.25*+875%    263*   607*  1147*  2339*    0
110 Prague (M)         Cze  2283.25*+272%    508*  1093*     2    693     0
111 Zurich (S)         Swi  2280.50*+900%    468*   839*   777*   468*    0
112 Heidelberg (MS)    Ger  2268.50*+549%    973*    57    531*     0     0
113 Kishinev (MS)      Ukr  2227.75*+550%    552*   461*   584*  1483*    0
114 Ivanovo (S)        Rus  2164.75*+299%    730*   351*   306    803*    0
115 Kherson (S)        Ukr  2153.25*+263%    745*    51    419   1611     0
116 Milan (M)          Ita  2129.50*+161%    342*     0   2891*     0     0
117 Karaganda (S)      Kaz  2001.75   na     961      0    101    117     0
118 Kirov (S)          Rus  1959.50*+425%    701*   246*   490*   266     0
119 Vancouver (S)      Can  1909.70*+900%    673*    33    166*   508   391*
120 Daiva Varnasrama ( Ind  1850.00   na     700      0    600    600     0
121 Donetsk (M)        Ukr  1839.00*+999%    375*   366*   464*  1964*    0
122 Monterrey (MS)     Mex  1741.25  +67%     35    254*   674   4321     0
123 Pietermaritzburg ( Sou  1732.00*+999%    712*    34*    24*  1048*    0
124 Zagreb (MS)        Cro  1692.50*+429%    227*   163*   193   3916*    0
125 Amravati (S)       Ind  1645.80*+234%    777*     0     38    118   110*
126 Rome (S)           Ita  1569.00*+237%    162*     0   2490*     0     0
127 Kanyakumari (MS)   Ind  1566.65  +10%    698    117*    24*   143*   21
128 Sofia (MS)         Bul  1389.00   +5%    327      4   1145*   634     0
129 Brazil TSKP (S)    Bra  1368.25   na      53    365      2   3585     0
130 New Talavan (S)    USA  1318.00  -15%    536     14    399    130     0
131 Brisbane (S)       Aus  1256.75*+854%    315*    29*   810*   615*  390*
132 Vellore (S)        Ind  1252.50  +37%    510     85      0    310*  700
133 Yujhno Sahalinsk ( Rus  1198.00   na     543    112      0      0     0
134 Cape Town (S)      Sou  1192.00*+999%     33*     8*    18*  4424*   30*
135 Itajai (S)         Bra  1156.00*+279%    233*   332*     0   1432*    0
136 Dar es Salaam (S)  Tan  1129.00   na     551     18      4     28     0
137 Vorkuta (S)        Rus  1102.75* +32%    231*   276*   458*   543     0
138 New Govardhana (L) Aus  1082.85*  +8%    301      9    623*   635*   16
139 Zaporozhye (S)     Ukr  1068.25*+166%    229*   135    577*   747*    0
140 Leipzig (S)        Ger  1010.50*+335%    111     25   1527*     0     0
141 Kovrov (S)         Rus   971.35 +999%    195    202    183   1151     1
142 Genova (MS)        Ita   897.00* +36%    350*     0    394      0     0
143 Mariupol (S)       Ukr   818.00   na     201    174    353    262     0
144 Shanghai (S)       Chi   814.75*+125%    359*    76*     0     83     0
145 Cologne(Gauradesh) Ger   749.50*+313%    321*    58     99      0     0
146 Kinshasa (S)       Con   742.75  +26%    175      0     80    411  2500*
147 Villa Vrndavana (L Ita   734.10  +82%    197      0    677      0    16
148 Sandton (S)        Sou   730.00*+292%    117     80*    76   1480*   80*
149 Bon Accueil (M)    Mau   696.50  +10%      0    289*    53   1524     0
150 Tiraspol (S)       Ukr   663.00*+999%    232*    37*   180*   288*    0
151 Cherepovets (S)    Rus   607.50*+408%    213*    31    124*   354*    0
152 Yakutsk (S)        Rus   603.50   na      73    172     92    958     0
153 Vinniza (MS)       Ukr   594.75 +229%    216      2     65    513*    0
154 Sarov (MS)         Rus   591.25 +999%    226     26    174    105     0
155 Ivano-Frankovsk (S Ukr   574.25   na      24      8      8   2057     0
156 Oslo (S)           Nor   571.75*+261%    180*    18      0      3  1930*
157 Rybinsk (S)        Rus   536.50*+999%    195*    81*    34*   194*    0
158 Prabhupada Desh (M Ita   514.00   +4%     11      0    984*     0     0
159 Lvov (MS)          Ukr   508.25   na     168     29    166    241     0
160 Midrand (S)        Sou   482.75   na     103      3     80    935     0
161 Lenasia (S)        Sou   469.60*+161%     69*    53*   317*   266   536
162 Queretaro (S)      Mex   451.00* +19%     30*    15    508*   488     0
163 Vologda (MS)       Rus   450.25*+522%     85*   108*   284*   121     0
164 East London(SA) (S Sou   447.75   na      44    207    158    295     0
165 Mpumalanga (S)     Sou   442.00*+246%      0     21     96*  1492*    0
166 New Vrajadham-Braz Bra   428.75  +12%     36*   246     98    247     0
167 Torino (S)         Ita   413.50   na      47      0    639      0     0
168 Munich (S)         Ger   383.00*+169%    166*    51      0      0     0
169 Hartford (MS)      USA   381.60  +68%    151     33     42     98    11
170 Recife (MS)        Bra   372.50  -51%      0      0     17   1456     0
171 New Orleans (S)    USA   362.75  -32%     25      0    182    887     0
172 Shenzhen (S)       Chi   350.25  -55%    118     87      0    109     0
173 Gurabo (PR) (MS)   Pue   335.00* +86%     18*   119*   173    374     0
174 Novopolsk (S)      Rus   333.00   na       0      0    240    852     0
175 Almvik (L)         Swe   284.25*+266%     28*     0      0    913*    0
176 Miami (S)          USA   238.25  -43%     60     26      1    367     0
177 Krishna Culture (S USA   234.70*+457%     84*     3    102*    50*    2*
178 Sarajevo (S)       Bos   228.50  +69%     55     40     56*   202*    0
179 Pretoria (MS)      Sou   225.60*+210%     11      7     11    760*   11
180 Newcastle(SA) (S)  Sou   219.00   na      29      1     86    468     0
181 Serbia BBT (MS)    Ser   206.75 +537%      0    188      0     75     0
182 Uzgorod (S)        Ukr   189.50*+999%     45*    64*    37*    68*    0
183 Spain BBT (MS)     Spa   160.50  -68%     77      0      0     26     0
184 Wiesbaden (S)      Ger   145.50 +123%     41*    17     93      0     0
185 Berkeley (S)       USA   142.95  -16%     42     11     35    107    37
186 Lusaka (MS)        Zam   141.00*+579%      6     40*    49*   242*   40*
187 Magnitogorsk (S)   Rus   138.50  +22%     25     30      1    232*    0
188 Montreal TSKP (S)  Can   137.00   na      12     13     76    248     0
189 Singapore Temple ( Sin   132.05  -69%     23      0      1    339     8
190 Goloka Dhama (S)   Ger   121.50 +104%     37      3     89*     0     0
191 Vladimir (S)       Rus   117.75*+597%     14     56*    21     93*    0
192 Mafikeng (S)       Sou   111.50*+394%      0      0    105*   236*    0
193 Nanjing (S)        Chi   105.00* +61%     50*     0      0     20     0
194 Stockholm (M)      Swe    97.25* +93%      5     15     63    163*    0
195 Saranagati Farm (M Can    92.50  -77%     43      4      5      0     0
196 Timisoara (S)      Rom    88.75    0%     27      3      0    127     0
197 Chengdu (S)        Chi    87.75  -42%     35      8      0     39*    0
198 Lugansk (MS)       Ukr    86.75   na      31     14     21      1     0
199 Shenyang (S)       Chi    86.50   na      40      6      0      2     0
200 Xian (S)           Chi    84.75   na      23     30      0     35     0
201 Chernigov (MS)     Ukr    76.25*+633%     17*     3*    20*   117*    0
202 Malmo (S)          Swe    70.50   na       0     63      0     30     0
203 Lome (S)           Tog    63.50  -14%      0     11    105*     0     0
204 Sacramento/TYM (S) USA    61.25  -79%     30      1      0      1     0
205 Kostroma (S)       Rus    61.00*+334%      0     24*    19*   110*    0
206 Ternopol (S)       Ukr    55.50*+743%     10      1     55*    28*    0
207 Santo Domingo (S)  Dom    54.90 +155%     14*    17*     9     18     9
208 Guangzhou (S)      Chi    50.00  -95%      0      0      0    200*    0
209 Komsomolsk-on-Amur Rus    48.50*+697%     12*     5*    18*    42*    0
210 Mudanjiang (S)     Chi    47.00   na      12     23      0      0     0
211 Harbin (S)         Chi    33.00   na      14      0      0     20     0
212 Shantou (S)        Chi    30.50   na      15      0      0      2     0
213 Arkadelphia (S)    USA    27.00  +91%      9*     6      3      6     0
214 Boise (MS)         USA    21.95   na       6      6      0     15     2
215 Gothenburg (S)     Swe    16.45* +50%      0     10      0      5*   14
216 Gansu (S)          Chi    11.00   -8%      1      4*     0     20     0
217 Abidjan (S)        Ivo     7.75  -11%      2      0      5      5     0
218 Ouagadougou (MS)   Bur     5.50*+175%      2      0      3      0     0
219 German Congregatio Ger     3.50  -94%      1      0      3      0     0
                                    (%)Change compared          (*)New high
                                    to monthly average            this year


**** Page 8 ****



                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                            PRABHUPADA DISCIPLES
                               December 2015

                                       %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small  BTGs
    Prabhupada Disciples     Points Change Books  Books  Books  Books  Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 Gaur Sundar d    LA  USA28621.75   na  14154    216    141    109     0
  2 HH Jayapataka Sw May Ind27980.75*+421% 13366*   935    113   1029     0
  3 Jasomatinandan d Ahm Ind16708.50   na   8224      0     91    848    30
  4 Bhrgupati d      LA  USA 3280.75*+149%  1407*   266    197    409     0
  5 Nidra dd         Den USA 1577.25* +55%   668*    75    129    407     0
  6 Mohanasini dd    New USA 1318.00  -12%   536     14    399    130     0
  7 Cakri d Dallas   Dal USA  263.75  +53%   110      0      0    165    25
  8 Shankar Pandit d Chi USA  262.75*+860%    94*     0     52*   195*    0
  9 Dayanidhi d      Gen Ita  258.00   na    118      0     44      0     0
 10 Svavasa d        LA  USA  240.00   na    120      0      0      0     0
 11 Drumila d        New USA  237.00  -39%     4*     0    160    596     0
 12 Yadavendra d     Bri Aus  236.50* +95%    26*    28*   190     90*  390*
 13 Arcita d         LA  USA  192.00   na     96      0      0      0     0
 14 Sura d           LA  USA  162.00  -13%    26*     0      0    440     0
 15 Naikatma d       LA  USA  154.00   na     77      0      0      0     0
 16 Visala d         Mia USA  115.50  -17%    19      8      0    278     0
 17 Krpanidhi d      Sar Can   92.50*+452%    43*     4*     5      0     0
 18 Manidhara d      Mal Swe   70.50   na      0     63      0     30     0
 19 Mayapur Sasi d   LA  USA   48.00   na     24      0      0      0     0
 20 Lalita dd        Ber USA   26.95  -52%     6      2     10     27    12
 21 Prajapati d      Mia USA   13.00  +30%     1*     2      0     36     0
 22 Kamalini dd      Hil USA    2.75  -95%     0      0      1      3    15
 23 Nartaka Gopal dd Mia USA    1.50  -79%     0      1      1*     0     0
                                    (%)Change compared        (*)New record
                                    to monthly average        for this year


**** Page 9 ****


                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                       TOP TEN COUNTRIES (CUMULATIVE)
                        January thru December, 2015

                                   %   M-Big    Big   Medium   Small   BTGs
   Country (Temples)    Points  Change Books   Books   Books   Books   Mags
   ________________________________________________________________________

 1 India (38)         6615265.00  +9%2858856  255530  269249 1535828 654017
 2 United States (38)  802191.70  +7% 277123  103567  123466  278426 105048
 3 Russia, CIS (47)    798115.10 -12% 255796  109655  176810  352650   3006
 4 United Kingdom (3)  254213.75 +45%  85311   10142  122516   48767      0
 5 Brazil (20)         134794.10 +14%   5637   98094   16867   67474   1241
 6 Ukraine, CIS (20)   120559.25 +35%  39128    6410   36281   71011      0
 7 Italy (8)           107010.60 -28%  33961       0   78048       0    627
 8 Mexico (7)          102248.25 +31%   9611   36059   37247  113375      0
 9 GermanyAustria (9)   82038.40  -9%  31244    7990   23117       4      9
10 Australia (5)        78209.15 +32%  33775    1750   10042   14497   2639
                                (%)Change compared to Jan-Dec 2014



                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                        TOP TEN TEMPLES (CUMULATIVE)
                        January thru December, 2015

                        Points        %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small   BTGs
    Temples (size)        (Months) Change Books  Books  Books  Books   Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 Mayapur (L)   Ind1576532.50(12)* +12%673203* 92862 117443 306672*  4500
  2 New Delhi (L) Ind1533199.80(12)* +12%713391*  7659  34279 241642 212088*
  3 Mumbai-Juhu ( Ind 660045.75(11)* +10%296419* 17727* 33134*131655*     0
  4 New Delhi(Pun Ind 499089.45(11)   -8%228924   1834   3276  99665* 77536*
  5 Pune (L)      Ind 383011.30( 9)   -6%182448   2842   3543* 40326  23950
  6 Mumbai-Chowpa Ind 311707.45(10)  -10%139697   5871   5557  92925   2636
  7 Ahmedabad (M) Ind 304658.50(12)* +70%143256*     0   4079* 35234* 17600*
  8 Vrindavan (L) Ind 286238.50(11)*+106% 73763* 70362   7560 258282*     0
  9 Los Angeles ( USA 249374.50(12)* +12% 80454* 33610* 60129* 84576* 13160
 10 Moscow (L)    Rus 228165.50(10)* +36% 81661* 32009* 35223* 60892*     0
                                   (%)Change compared        (*)Better than
                                      to Jan-Dec 2014             last year



                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
            SPECIAL TEAMS UNLIMITED BOOK DISTRIBUTION (CUMULATIVE)
                         January thru December, 2015

                        Points        %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small   BTGs
    Individuals           (Months) Change Books  Books  Books  Books   Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 Gopisvar d New Ind236041.75( 2)*  +7%116507*   364*  1154   8055    730*
  2 Shiv Shank New Ind235636.00( 1)   na 117818      0      0      0      0
  3 Bk Rakesh  Del Ind117162.00( 1)  +40% 58581      0      0      0      0
  4 Madhusunda Del Ind112191.75( 3)* +12% 48352*   822   5590  35483  30000
  5 Vichitra K New Ind103914.25( 3)  -11% 51269    200   1090   2525      0
  6 Udar Gour  May Ind100244.00( 1)   na  49102    271   1062   4952      0
  7 Mahapuran  May Ind 95926.00( 1)   na  45338   2425   3350   4600      0
  8 Narahari K Ahm Ind 73608.50( 1)   na  36500      0      8   2414     10
  9 Hara d     Mum Ind 59888.50( 1)  -15% 29705     51    500    710      0
 10 Sarvapriya New Ind 55748.00( 1)* +14% 27874*     0      0      0      0
 11 Sahasra Ne New Ind 53538.00( 1)  -27% 26769      0      0      0      0
 12 Braj Bhakt New Ind 52000.00( 1)   na  26000      0      0      0      0
 13 Rukmini Kr New Ind 50000.00( 1)  +25% 25000      0      0      0      0
 14 Krishna Bh New Ind 50000.00( 1)  -19% 25000      0      0      0      0
 15 Ajanma Kri New Ind 46788.00( 1)*+999% 23394*     0      0      0      0
 16 Kalanath C Ahm Ind 43032.50( 1)   na  21500      0      0    130      0
 17 Amogha Lil New Ind 40984.00( 1)   na  20492      0      0      0      0
 18 Kesava Bal New Ind 40967.40( 2)   na  15000      0      0  40000   8762
 19 Nityadham  New Ind 40632.50( 1)   na  20000      0      0      0   2145
 20 Vidurapriy New Ind 32496.00( 1)*+168% 16248*     0      0      0      0
 21 Sunder Gop New Ind 30000.00( 1)  -27% 15000      0      0      0      0
 22 Gaur Sunda LA  USA 28621.75( 1)   na  14154    216    141    109      0
 23 Sundar Cai Mum Ind 27834.00( 1)   na  10238     47      7  29230      0
 24 Sar Shirom Pun Ind 25842.00( 1)   na  12921      0      0      0      0
 25 Kesava Mur New Ind 22595.00( 1)   na  10560      0      0   5900      0
 26 Devakinand Mum Ind 20725.25( 1)   na  10340      5     20    121      0
 27 Surangi dd Mum Ind 20725.25( 1)   na  10340      5     20    121      0
 28 Atmatripta New Ind 20058.00( 1)* +25% 10029*     0      0      0      0
 29 Deena Naya New Ind 19138.00( 2)  -12%  9274      6     97   2042*   250*
 30 Radha Pram Pun Ind 19000.00( 1)*+102%  9500*     0      0      0      0
 31 Ramrupa d  Mum Ind 18995.50( 1)  -59%  9246    326    126    458      0
 32 Sankar d   Mum Ind 18995.50( 1)   na   9246    326    126    458      0
 33 Sunder Mad New Ind 17456.25( 8)   na   3426   1500   6230  23457   1250
 34 Visvanath  Pun Ind 16350.75( 1)   na   8155     21     20     39      0
 35 Suddha Nit Pun Ind 15482.00( 1)   na   7741      0      0      0      0
 36 Advaita Kr New Ind 14662.00( 1)   na   7331      0      0      0      0
 37 Vaishnavi  Nai Ken 14581.50( 3)  -20%  2023   2002   2159* 29812*    10
 38 Dauji Nita Pun Ind 12960.00( 4)*  na   6480*     0      0      0      0
 39 Ajit Govin New Ind 12500.00( 1)    0%     0      0      0  50000      0
 40 Madhav Sev Pun Ind 11129.25( 1)   na   5404     75     65    855      0
 41 Sri Caitan Pun Ind 10900.50( 5)   na   5225      0      1   1800      0
 42 Kanai Thak Pun Ind 10576.00( 2)   na   5288      0      0      0      0
 43 Anand Pati Pun Ind 10346.50( 1)   na   5162      0      0     90      0
 44 Ugra Nrsim Pun Ind  9124.00( 1)   na   4562      0      0      0      0
 45 Rajeev Loc New Ind  8832.00( 1)   na   4416      0      0      0      0
 46 Sacinandan Pun Ind  8274.00( 1)   na   4137      0      0      0      0
 47 Gaur Lila  Pun Ind  7496.00( 1)   na   3748      0      0      0      0
 48 Sarvalaksa Pun Ind  7358.25( 1)   na   3635      0     15    323      0
 49 Nityananda Dal USA  7200.00( 1)   na   3600      0      0      0      0
 50 Kadamba Kr Pun Ind  6746.00( 1)   na   3373      0      0      0      0
                                   (%)Change compared        (*)Better than
                                      to Jan-Dec 2014             last year



                         World Sankirtan Newsletter
                   TOP 50 REGULAR INDIVIDUALS (CUMULATIVE)
                         January thru December, 2015

                        Points        %   M-Big   Big  Medium  Small   BTGs
    Individuals           (Months) Change Books  Books  Books  Books   Mags
    _______________________________________________________________________

  1 HH Jayapat May Ind 81682.75(11)* +19% 40217*   935    113   1029*     0
  2 Radha Krsn Mum Ind 72676.00(11)*+104% 30495*  4451*  7004* 14932*     0
  3 Caitanya C Cen Bra 62758.00( 9)* +43%   122  60993*  2612    860      0
  4 Madhusunda New Ind 58459.25( 9)  -39% 19567   1924  12855  43895      0
  5 Bipin Biha May Ind 48180.00(11)*+134% 17190*  6704*  7561* 13262*     0
  6 Bhagavat A Mum Ind 43761.25(11)  -13% 17794   1428*  3037* 20907*     0
  7 Tusta Ram  May Ind 40968.00( 7)*+194% 18099*  4363*   314   1000*     0
  8 Bk Jay Khu LA  USA 40227.75(12)*+257% 14301*  3647* 13594*  4517*   525
  9 Tirtha Kri Tir Ind 37135.40(12)* +10% 13731*  2065*  2088* 24612   2974
 10 Keshava Ba New Ind 37062.80( 9)  -56% 12170    426   1854  25766  45179
 11 Hemagiri d Mum Ind 36686.50(11)   -1% 11143   3254*  8487* 27612*     0
 12 Saciputra  Mum Ind 34870.75( 7)*  na  16785*   797*   457*  1101*     0
 13 Nandananda Tir Ind 34794.95(12)  -18% 13185   1725   1657  22085   2495
 14 Paramesvar RVC USA 33531.05(11)  -16%  9645  11368*  1309   1733* 17853*
 15 Ananda Kir LA  USA 32682.45(12)*+101% 12712*  3097   5550*  5541*    12
 16 Uddhava Ma Mum Ind 30656.00( 6)*  na  15286*    42     84      0      0
 17 Puspa Gopa May Ind 30341.25( 9)* +98% 12290*   821*  2465* 14831*     0
 18 Bk Gopal   May Ind 30136.25( 9)*+135% 14720*   127    131   2015      0
 19 Kamal Naya May Ind 28138.50(10)  -35% 12620   1868*   822*  2478*     0
 20 Vaikuntha  Ahm Ind 25850.75( 8)*  na  12265*     0    151   2381*  1560
 21 Sitaram d  Mum Ind 25590.75( 4)*+191% 11349*  1005*  2943*  1665*     0
 22 Keshav Mur New Ind 24622.25( 7)  -34% 11180    550    400   6049      0
 23 Nava Gaura Tir Ind 24472.00( 7)   na   9155   1260   1077  17264    114
 24 Deva Krsna RVC USA 24079.75(11)* +13% 11146*  1205      0   2331*     0
 25 Brajananda RVC USA 22612.95(11)* +26%  7910*  5964*    90*  1681   3637
 26 Krishna Bh RVC USA 22417.60(11)*  na   7580*  4974*   921*  3350*  9856*
 27 Nitya Mukt Tir Ind 22287.75(10)* +38%  2722*   113*   126*  1579  42650*
 28 Mahapuran  May Ind 21840.25( 6)  +12%  8744   1202   2085   8431      0
 29 Asim Krish Mum Ind 20987.25( 8)*  na  10489*     6      0     13      0
 30 Bk Tapas   May Ind 20372.50(10)*  na   9074*   866*  1768*  1898*     0
 31 Surottam d Ahm Ind 20050.00( 2)   na  10000      0      0    200      0
 32 Bharadwaj  May Ind 19597.75( 4)  -13%  7573     10   5007   7753      0
 33 Neel Kanth New Ind 19380.00(12)* +75%  3910      0      0      0 115600*
 34 Govind Mur Mum Ind 19190.25( 6)   -1%  9289*   596     10     45      0
 35 Ghanashyam Syd Aus 18840.50( 9)*  na   8580*   415   1652*  1754*    10
 36 Udar Gour  May Ind 18263.25( 9)   -5%  8769    510    138    585      0
 37 Banamali M May Ind 18172.75( 8)  -29%  8769    234    267   1069      0
 38 Bhrgupati  LA  USA 17762.05(12)  -74%  6683   2027   2007*  5365*   243
 39 Purush Bhu Mum Ind 17686.50( 3)*  +5%  8813*    23     24    102      0
 40 Parameswar May Ind 17386.25( 9)*+182%  4013*  4058*  7107*  6995*

ISKCON Mumbai: Juhu Ratha Yatra on 5th February 2016 (Album with photos)
For over 5000 years the Rathayatra festival has been celebrated in India by millions of pilgrims. This transcendental festival was brought from India to the rest of the world in 1967 by the founder of the Hare Krishna movement: His divine grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The Rathayatra festival is now celebrated every year in over 400 cities around the world.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/B0MXKV

The post Everyone must have desires, abhilasa appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Friday evening Vrndavana kirtana with parikrama devotees appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Bhagvad-Gita As It is Audio Now available on Iphone/Android Mixcloud App.
Bhagavad-Gita As It is audio is now available for free to listen on iphone and android using Mixcloud App. This is narrated by Titiksava Karunika Das (San Diego, CA) . It has powerful and live voice with dramatic background music. This complete project was produced by Kamlesh Patel(Irvine, CA) . He has been working hard to make teaching of Bhagavad-Gita easily available to everyone. Audio track pictures were provided by Bhismadeva dasa (Dallas, TX) who runs http://hoofprintmedia.com/. The goal is to make the Bhagavad-Gita audio easily accessible to everyone so it reaches many and benefits them. Please share it on your social media and raise awareness. Here is the link to the complete audio chapter by chapter. https://www.mixcloud.com/bhagavad-gita/

The post Daily Darshan: January 6th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

TOVP update (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: As the finishing work goes on, new different items come to life.
Lately we have been concentrating on the Chatris.
First we added the GRC ribs, then the blue tiles. And now we are preparing the Kailash.
Even though they may appear very small when admiring the entire TOVP, these chatris are very big and 8.2 feet tall (2.5 M).
The GRC factory is now producing the kailash, and before being fixed they will be coated in titanium nitride to get a gold effect.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/KCpiuY

The Process of Dying.
Process of Dying

At the moment of death the following things take place. If the person is impious and quite sinful, the messengers of Yamaraja, called the Yamadutas, fierce, horrible looking persons with twisted features, copper red flaming hairs that stand on end, black in complexion and frightening to behold, appear at the deathbed of the person in question and drag him forcibly from his body with ropes and chains. This scene so frightens the person that he literally dies of fright. They then pack up the subtle body of the person in a bag, where they take the soul, now covered only by the subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego, to the abode of Yamaraja for judgement. He is taken over long stretches of hot, dry sands, and along the way he is insulted in various ways by other horrible creatures and bitten by dogs. He is suffering terribly on this journey and he wishes it would end.

(The movie "Ghost" presented a world that included ghosts, psychic powers, Yamaduta-like evil spirits, and an effulgent heavenly realm. See also the real-life stories below.)

However, when it does end he is taken before Yamaraja, the fierce demigod in charge of death and punishing the sinful. He is forced to accept a position of suffering according to his sins in one of the hells which exist at the bottom of the universe, just above the Garbhodaka Ocean. In this hellish region called the Naraka, there are approximately 27 hellish places.

As an example of this a person who has engaged in the slaughter and eating of other innocent animals will enter into Krimibhojana, wherein he will exist as a worm who is eating the tail of another worm as that worm is eating his tail. There are many such hells just according to the crimes committed. One may find the complete description in the last chapters of the 5th canto of the SB.

After such intense and horrible forms of suffering the living being is thrown again into the lower species of life just suited according to his sinful desires in his human life.

However, most persons are not quite that sinful and therefore they may expect a more normal departure from the body. At the time of death, death is denoted as the moment when the spirit soul departs from the material gross body. At that time the soul, covered by the subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego, leaves the body. The subtle body always travels with the soul wherever he goes within this material world and therefore the living entity has a continuity of material experience throughout his different lifetimes.

Death may come from a variety of causes, but when it actually happens the first thing that a person experiences is total blackness. All is dark, but this lasts only for a moment. The Supersoul, situated right next to the soul, illuminates a hole which appears to the soul to be a light at the end of a tunnel. In fact the darkness which appears is the body but now that it is dead it is devoid of consciousness and now we are seeing it from the inside for the first time.

There are some 118 different passageways through which one might depart from the body. One may only go through one of these at the time of death. These passageways are called nadis, or channels of consciousness. According to Garuda Purana 1.67 death occurs when both main (spine) nadis, Ida and Pingala, are at work. Under normal conditions they switch. One might understand them to be the major nerve channels of channels of energy flow within the body, but the exact medical synonym is not available to us at this time. In any case one will depart from one of these nadis to his next destination. We do know that one who departs from the anus or genital goes to the lower regions, wherein one who departs from the upper portion of the body goes to the higher regions. Those who depart from the top of their skulls, from the hole known as the brahma randhra, the place where the three bones in the skull meet, will attain the regions of Brahman.

The Supersoul illuminates only one of these passageways according to the karma of the soul. He selects the passageway just according to the previous activities of the living entity and as soon as it is illuminated the soul naturally wants to move towards the light. As soon as he is out of the body, he feels relieved of the burden of the material frame and starts to move, naturally drawn towards his next form. At that time he will experience the world from the point of view of the subtle body and will see things much clearer than they are seen through the present body. Just try to imagine how much more beautiful the world must be when seen through spiritual eyes!

He then enters into the womb of a new mother as it is being impregnated by the father and awaits the time until the new body develops itself sufficiently to maintain consciousness. When the embryo is about seven months of age it is sufficiently developed to support consciousness and the baby awakens in his new body and immediately moves, sometimes kicking the mother from within in a vain attempt to get out of the horrible entanglement that he has found himself in.

If he is pious, this horrible condition of having the arms and legs jammed into the chest as one is bent over in the foetal position, causes the soul to pray to the Lord as follows, "O Lord, this condition is terrible. Please save me from this situation and get me out of this womb immediately and I promise to serve You in this lifetime for sure." However, as soon as he takes his birth he becomes too much attached to all the attention and service being rendered him by mother and family members and he forgets all about serving the Lord and falls totally into maya again.

Avoid the process of rebirth, it is not auspicious in any way.

Harinama under the snow in Moscow, Russia (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The materialist thinks that persons engaged in Krishna consciousness are crazy fellows wasting time by chanting Hare Krishna, but actually he does not know that he himself is in the darkest region of craziness because of accepting his body as permanent. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.28.10 Purport)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/7M15Y3

4 cookery seminars with Kurma das at Zurich (Album with photos)
Padma Purana: “A person who honors the prasada and regularly eats it, not exactly in front of the Deity, along with caranamrita [the water offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, which is mixed with seeds of the tulasé tree], immediately can achieve the results of pious activities which are obtained through ten thousand performances of sacrificial rites.”
Find them here: https://goo.gl/fd3nI1

February 6. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Prabhupada’s Intolerance of Maya.
Srila Prabhupada was especially uncompromising in his condemnation of materialistic activities. He used strong language to describe people who are devoid of the inclination for spiritual life, calling them dogs, hogs, camels, and asses. He also referred to them as rascals. He called the leaders of the countries cheaters. He said they were all going to hell for their impious activities. By any standard, this was harsh criticism.
Srila Prabhupada also protested against the government. He did it in a non sectarian way, favoring neither the communists nor the capitalists. According to the scriptures, he said, any political leader in this age is bound to be the lowest kind of man. And, in a sense, he protested against the material bonds that held families together. When his young disciples joined him, he created friction between ISKCON and the parents of the devotees. The anti-cult movement became prominent and made ISKCON one of its main targets. But Prabhupada was willing to put himself and his followers on the firing line for the sake of spreading Krishna consciousness.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=5