Planet ISKCON

There are many people in this world who can tell you about Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami as a Guru or as a Godbrother. Many who can tell you how he served Srila Prabhupada and developed projects throughout the world. But there is only one person who can tell you about him as their older brother. How he pushed their stroller in the parks of New York City, taught them how to catch a ball, how to ice-skate, and held them tight as they were going down the slide.
We had the great honor and pleasure to have His Grace Kalachandji Prabhu visit with our students, sharing what it was like growing up as the younger brother of Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami, Srila Gurudeva. It was very relatable, accompanied by rare family photos from the 1950s. He shared the valuable lessons he has taught him earlier on, and the personal example he sat for him at every step of the way. How personal and loving he has always been and how much care and attention he has given him – and later on to his family as “Uncle Tamal”.
Despite long periods of physical separation, Kalachandji Prabhu has never felt separated from his brother within his heart. They always cared for each other and remained connected in that way. Still today, almost 14 years after his physical disappearance, Srila Gurudeva’s presence was strongly felt in our small temple room at TKG Academy. “Vaisnavas never die”, he reminded us; they live forever through their divine instructions and through our service to them.

"The word ‘envy’ is applied in many places and is used in connection to various things – envy of another’s good fortune, being disturbed at seeing the wealth of others, displeasure and jealousy etc. are some of the various examples. Wherever the word ‘matsarya’ (envy) has been explained in the Vaisnava scriptures, it is fully understood that its influence is the competitor of divine love (prema). dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam "The path described in the Bhagavatam is entirely devoid of any dishonest purpose. It is held in adoration by those who are free of the flaw of envy." (Bhag.1.1.2) In these words of the Srimad Bhagavatam, it has been revealed who is eligible to receive the highest conception of dharma. Continue reading "Becoming Free From The Flaw Of Envy
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Indra once became captivated by the superior facilities for sense gratification available on his heavenly planet, and therefore when his spiritual master, Brhaspati, the guru of the demigods, scolded him, Indra acted offensively toward him. Brhaspati then decided to teach his student a lesson. He cursed him to take birth on a lower planet as a pig. Sloshing around in mud and stool, Lord Indra as a pig felt that he was enjoying life very much. He thought to himself, "I am very fortunate. Here I have my nice sow for sex life, so many nice piglets, and the farmer serves me daily with a nice big bucket of stools to eat. How lucky I am!" Meanwhile the upper planets fell into confusion in Lord Indra's absence, and Lord Brahma flew down to Indra's farmyard on his swan to bring the King of heaven back to his post. But Indra would not leave: "I am very happy here, thank you." So, with controlled intelligence, Lord Brahma took his sword end killed the sow and piglets. "No! No! What are you doing?" cried Indra. "My beautiful wife and children! You have mercilessly killed them!" Brahma then reminded Lord Indra that his death was going to come next anyway; at that very moment the farmer was sharpening his knife for the kill. The king of heaven was shocked into awareness, and he gladly returned to his duty as administrative head of the demigods. Continue reading "The Time of Death
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Devotee Prasadam Business (Album with photos)
Ramai Swami: Nimainanda, his wife Sucitra and his son Kunaal live in Auckland and attend New Varshana regularly. For a time Nimainanda lived on the farm and was the head cook.
Some years ago the family started “Gopal,” a business that supplies yoghurt, ghee, paneer and other products to grocery stores and now to supermarkets all over New Zealand.
By Krishna’s mercy, it has become very successful.
Find them here: http://goo.gl/ti9OP8

ISKCON Kirtan Artists in Top 20 Conscious Albums of the Year.
Four kirtan albums by ISKCON chanters, most of them second-generation devotees, made the Top 20 Conscious Music Albums of 2015 list on Australia’s Soul Traveller Radio this January. The list, voted for by listeners worldwide, included new age, electronica, and reggae artists, as well as renowned artists from the broader kirtan community such as Dave Stringer, Krishna Das, MC Yogi, and Deva Premal.
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/ZDH8Y9

The post “You will squander the money!” appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

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By Hari Narayana Das

Banyuwangi is located in East Java and also known as ‘The Gate of Java’ and the ‘Festive City’. There is always some sort of event taking place, whether it be cultural parades, fashion shows or water sports. The oldest and most popular festival in Banyuwangi is known as ‘Kuwung,’ a public parade conducted by the Government. Visitors across Indonesia gather to participate in this festival. The annual parade took place on the 5^th of December 2015.

“To implement this transcendental bliss to the people of your country there is immense work to be done ahead and this Ratha-yatra festival is only a bit of sample. If we get opportunity we shall be able to overflood your country with the waves of transcendental bliss, by the grace of Krsna.”– SPL to Aniruddha, 7th July, 1968.

In Banyuwangi there is a small temple presided over by Their Lordships Sri Sri Krsna Balarama. When Subhag Swami Maharaj visited Banyuwangi earlier in 2015, he instructed the devotees to try and organize a Ratha Yatra festival. Unfortunately, there are not many devotees who stay in Banyuwangi and those who do are in a mature stage of their lives, thus to prepare for the Lord’s chariot festival would be hard work. Nevertheless, they endeavored to find a way to somehow or other hold this festival. After a long struggle, ‘a silver lining in the sky’ appeared in the form of the annual ‘Kuwung’ festival. This public parade allows all communities in Banyuwangi to perform and display ‘their acts’, with permission from the Government. Local devotees Vasudeva Krsna das and Sandhya Avatar das sent forth a proposal to the ‘Kuwung’ festival committee for permission to hold a Ratha Yatra festival. Permission was granted for the devotees to participate and they immediately started to make arrangements. It was most definitely the Lord’s mercy upon the residents of Banyuwangi that He would shower His merciful glance upon them all.

“Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our conceivable limits” SP SB 1.8.16 Purport

Once devotees in Bali heard the news they also started to make provisions to head over toBanyuwangi. Many reached the day before the festival along with their families. From Bali, Banyuwangi is only a 3 or 4 hours drive. Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra devi made Their way from ISKCON Jember to Banyuwangi around 5pm. Devotees from Java also came to help out in the festival. They passed the whole night joyfully cooking, making garlands and decorating the chariot.

The devotees in Banyuwangi received help from the local ‘Hindu Parisad’. The Hindu Parisad leaders were overjoyed when they heard about this upcoming festival as it was a chance for them to publically display some aspects of Hindu culture. The Hindu Parisad committee also lent a hall for the devotees to use as a token of gratitude.

“So this Ratha-yatra festival is one of the items of our preaching work.” SPL to Tamala Krsna, 19th July, 1970.

The next morning, Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra devi were beautifully dressed by the pujaris and adorned with a variety ornaments and fragrant flowers. At 11 am devotees gathered in front of Their Lordships and arati was performed. Around 300 local Hindus participated in the procession and sang along with the devotees. Chief Guest Atmanivedana Swami gave short class about the origin of Ratha Yatra, followed by a recorded class by Subhag Swami Maharaja, translated by Gadadhara das. All devotees were very much enthused and inspired after the classes and ready to give it their all in the parade for Jagannath’s pleasure. Their Lordships’ made Their way to the chariot and arati was performed by Atmanivedana Swami. Ecstatic kirtan was sung until 5pm where the chariots were pulled to the local fields, the starting point of the parade.

The official starting time of the parade was 8pm. The Government performed formal ceremonies and the Lord’s chariot was on its way. Devotees performed a short drama based on the war at Kuruksetra, which was thoroughly enjoyed by Guests of Honor including the Mayor of Banyuwangi. Around 600 devotees pulled Lord Jagannath’s chariot. On behalf of the committee, Atmanivedana Swami presented the Mayor a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a flower garland offered to the Lord.

“For the present you endeavor to make Ratha-yatra festival grand and successful. You should arrange the procession and procedure so nicely that all the neighborhood people may be attracted to join the procession.” (SPL to Upendra, 1st June, 1968)

From the starting point of the parade until Blambangan field, there were large crowds that chanted and danced enthusiastically with the devotees. The kirtan party led by Premadhana das sang the mahamantra melodiously for 2 hours enchanting all. One ton of oranges, which was kindly sponsored by Dinadarini devi dasi was distributed to all throughput the course of the parade. Although the stock of oranges had run out, many came back requesting more of Jagannath’s prasad. A beautiful rasa dance was performed by devotees led by Mahapavitra devi dasi which added a special flavor to the event. After the parade had finished, the Lord made His way to the Hindu Parisad hall.

“I am so pleased to learn how the crowds gave their attention to your street play. This is transcendental entertainment. And to distribute prasada sumptuously to the crowd is strictly in our Vedic tradition.” SPL to Madhudvisa, 14th April, 1970)

This Ratha Yatra was tribute to Sadhu Jivana Prabhu, a tireless devotee, a good friend, whose paintings adorn Radha Krsnacandra temple in Manipur and every Jagannatha ratha is complete because of his paintings…..above all his hard work made so many of us smile blissfully…He made Srila Sripad happy, Srimat Subhag Swami is always pleased with him, definitely Srila Prabhupada is happy with him and surely Jagannatha is happy with him. He made all of us smile to see Jagannatha Ratha yatra in so many places of Indonesia….Maharaj Kavichandra, Maharaj Bhakti Raghava and Ramai Maharaj. All of us owe so much of our bliss to Sadhu Jivana Prabhu who was left his body a week before this ratha yatra in a hospital in Bali, Indonesia. Srimat Subhag Maharaj uttered a prayer for him, “My dear Lord, please be merciful to Sadhu Jivana prabhu so that he can continue to serve you.” In Maharaja’s words…’he is a wonderful devotee, you can chant extra rounds for him.’

Please pray for Sadhu Jivana prabhu who has been working day and night to complete to complete so many Jagannatha’s chariots on time and who has been the unseen reason behind our happiness in Chanting and Dancing in front of Lord Jagannath Baladeva and Subhadra seated on Their magnificent chariot

We would like to take this opportunity to thank HH Bhakti Raghava Swami for his blessings and encouragement. Our respects to HH Kavicandra Swami and HH Ramai Swami, the GBCs of Indonesia, for their support and guidance to always look for new avenues for sankirtan. Our humble obeisances to HH Subhag Swami for always reminding us of the importance of the Sankirtan movement of Mahaprabhu and inspiring us with the dedication of Sriman Jayananda Prabhu, for bringing us closer to Srila Prabhupada and keeping us united in family of ISKCON. We thank the leaders of Indonesia Hindu Parisad for cooperating with the local Banyuwangi devotees. Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all devotees who worked hard for the festival and ensuring that it was a success.

Jagannath Swami ki Jay

Srila Prabhupada ki Jay

ISKCON Auckland New Zealand: Harinam and the flying monk! (Album with photos)
It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss,
And it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ONn1JA

January 8. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
By Satsvarupa dasa Goswami.
From Prabhupada’s Point of View: Alone in New York City. Suppose you want to tell of your experience in facing a tiger. You were traveling unarmed through the jungle, when suddenly you came upon a tiger. As a narrator, you build up the suspense, “There I was, face-to-face with a ferocious tiger!” We can empathize with the terror you must have felt, simply by stretching our imaginations a little, we feel your danger. Similarly, we may try to put ourselves in Prabhupada’s position: what was it like for him to come alone to America and to live in New York City? Let us think of those circumstances and appreciate it from Prabhupada’s point of view. In New York, Prabhupada is wrapped up in the preaching mood. He thinks, “My dear Lord Krishna, why have You brought me here? This place of demons is far away from Vrindavana. But You must have some purpose.” Prabhupada’s disciples find themselves in similar situations when they go to preach in countries where there is no ISKCON temple to support them. Fortunately, by Prabhupada’s work, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is never very far away from us. Yet occasionally, we are on our own. At times like that, we can remember what it was like for Prabhupada alone in New York City.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4

The main purpose of my recent posts about Gurus and Surrender was confront an outlook epitomized by what I see as a too militant a use of the word “surrender”; an outlook that winds up dumbing-down Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism by encouraging blind followers, empowering micro-managers, and thus destroying the real essence of guru-disciple relationship: transmission of sacred knowledge (śāstra) and the means to directly realize it (sādhana).

My confrontation of this dynamic in no way lessons my understanding of the need to take full shelter of a bona-fide guru, and accept that person as the representative and elucidator of śāstric authority.

My second purpose in these posts was to make a loud statement that dīkṣā without śikṣā is incomplete. Dīkṣā is the *beginning* of our spiritual education and practice, and śikṣā is the education and practice itself. Either one without the other is ineffective. Thus we must take shelter of guru (singular or plural) not only for an official dīkṣā, but also (and especially) for personal education and guidance regarding how to understand śāstra and apply it to our sādhana. I wanted to make the point that we must surrender to guru not only as a dīkṣā-guru but also as a śikṣā guru.

Dīkṣā and śikṣā may come from the same person, and/or may come from many cooperating persons.

Four kirtan albums by ISKCON chanters, most of them second-generation devotees, made the Top 20 Conscious Music Albums of 2015 list on Australia’s Soul Traveller Radio this January. The list, voted for by listeners worldwide, included new age, electronica, and reggae artists, as well as renowned artists from the broader kirtan community such as Dave Stringer, Krishna Das, MC Yogi, and Deva Premal.

04.01.2015 H.G.Vaisakhi Prabhu_SB- 06.04.12

Draupadi. Her admirable character is revealed in the most humiliating incident of her life – her disrobing by the wicked Dushasana. Though victimized in body, she refuses utterly to be victimized in her heart.

By her exceptional character, the lowest point in her life turns out to be the highest point. The incident in which she is the most dishonored, she emerges as the most honorable.

On that dark day, her period has just ended and she has emerged after bathing, wearing a single cloth before she puts on her royal dress as the chief queen of the reigning monarch. Unknown to her, the monarch Yudhisthira has, in a rigged gambling match, lost everything, including all his property, his brothers, himself and finally his wife Draupadi.

The jeering Karna suggests that Draupadi be brought into the assembly and be disrobed publicly for she was now the Kauravas’ slave, meant to do their bidding. If the Kauravas had succeeded in disrobing her, whether they would have physically violated her in the public assembly is doubtful. The atrocious idea was not just driven by lust but by power play – the Kauravas saw Draupadi not as a person, but as a tool to demean the Pandavas. Objectification of women runs through and through in the mentality of the Kauravas. They order a court messenger to summon Draupadi to the palace.

When the messenger informs her that she has been summoned to the assembly and tells her all that has transpired there, she is aghast. But pulling herself together with amazing speed, she comes up with a strategy to buy time. She tells the messenger to ask the assembly whether she had been rightly gambled and lost when Yudhishtira had already gambled and lost himself – when he was not his own master, was he her master to have gambled her?

While the fact that Yudhisthira gambled Draupadi might suggest that women were treated as property and were thus objectified, the sequence of the events reveals a much more nuanced reality. Yudhisthira gambles her after he has gambled himself, whereas he gambles all his property before. So Draupadi, even if she is considered to be his property, is of a drastically different level than all the objects that were his property – she is more precious than not just all those things, but more precious than he himself. Rather than using the word ‘property’, the right word is ‘belonging.’ In love, the two lovers often say two each other: “You are mine; you belong to me.” Such statements by a lover makes the beloved feel valued, treasured, cherished.

When the messenger conveys Draupadi’s message to the assembly, the Kauravas demand that Draupadi come and ask that question herself. When she asks again through the messenger whether the righteous assembly had actually summoned her, a chaste woman to come in her condition to the assembly, Dushasana goes to her palace and drags her by her hair.

Draupadi, though distraught, offers her respect to the assembly and requests that it answer whether she still belonged to Yudhisthira if Yudhisthira was not his own master. Bhishma confesses his confusion over two principles saying that a wife always belongs to her husband, whereas nothing belongs to a slave. No one in the assembly offers any other opinion except Vidura who is paid no heed. It seems that the whole assembly, getting caught in a technicality, ends up condoning a travesty.

Duryodhana, enjoying the Pandavas’ fury, tries to pit wife against husband by announcing that if Draupadi admits that dharma-raja Yudhisthira had violated dharma by gambling her, he would release them all. She doesn’t take Duryodhana’s bait. She refuses to cast any blame on her husband, not because he is blameless – which he certainly isn’t – and not because she is so foolish or so madly in love with him as to not see his mistake, but because her sense of honor inspires her to stand by her loved ones in public. Just because we are let down by others doesn’t mean that we have to let them down. She answers that if it had been Yudhisthira’s choice he wouldn’t have gambled at all – he had gambled only because his elders had instructed him to. The onus was no those elders to decide what was right.

Draupadi is holding on to straw and she probably knew it. But when straw is all that there is to hold on to, then it needs to be held on to firmly.

The whole incident is way too long to be described and analyzed here, and I want to focus on Draupadi here, so I will skip some of the details.

Vidura has been forcefully opposing the outrage, but his words have fallen on deaf ears. The disrobing is so heinous an act that it triggers dissension among the Kauravas. One of Duryodhana’s brothers, Vikarna, rises and asks the assembly to respond to Draupdi’s question. When no one offers a response, he points out three flaws: the match was improper because Yudhisthira had been pitted against a trained gamester; he had been first compelled to gamble by his elders’ instruction and later incited to keep gambling till the gambling went far beyond civilized limits; and he had lost himself first, so he was in no position to stake Draupadi. The assembly applauds Vikarna, but Karna crushes the dissenting Kauarva, mocking him as a child who doesn’t know morality. Rather than rationally refute Vikarna, Karna inexplicably chooses to fight dirty by assassinating Draupadi’s character, calling her a prostitute for having married five men.

A prostitute sells her body to gain money. While Draupadi’s polyandry is a different subject, suffice it to say that she never went out to sell her body to anyone. Her getting five husbands, instead of one, as was the standard at that time, was not due to any of her doing; it was due to the actions of her elders and ultimately of forces greater than human.

For his grievous insult to an honorable woman, Karna deserves the censure of anyone who has the slightest respect for women. That the insult had no basis in fact makes it so much worse.

With Vikarna silenced, Duryodhana asks his brother Dushasana to strip Draupadi. She resists desperately, but she is no match to that huge brute. Raising her hands in supplication to her Lord, Krishna, she begs him to rescue her from sinking in the Kaurava ocean. By Krishna’s mystic power, her saree becomes endless and Dushasana keeps pulling her saree and gets exhausted, but Drauapdi remains covered.

The whole assembly applauds Draupadi’s chastity that has attracted such supernatural protection and they censure the Kauravas for dishonoring such a glorious lady. This incident of Draupadi calling out to Krishna and being rescued by her Lord who incarnated as the endless saree has been immortalized by the bhakti tradition through architecture and literature, poetry and imagery, prayer and song.

This supernatural intervention is definitely significant, but it shouldn’t detract from the strength of character that Draupadi exhibits throughout the incident.

It is her devotion, her spirituality, that has given her that strength of character and that foundational devotion also gets its culminational expression in her helpless prayer to Krishna and his miraculous rescue.

Significantly, the Mahabharata itself doesn’t focus on the supernatural intervention – it goes on describing the natural interaction among the characters. This is not surprising because the Mahabharata’s focus is on the question of what is dharma, and the answer centers on how we act, not how God responds.

Curiously but perhaps unsurprisingly, their inability to disrobe Draupadi doesn’t make the Kauravas give up their evil disposition – it just makes them suspend their intention to disrobe Draupadi. Rather than seeing that they are doing something wrong or that they might be angering higher powers by their misdeeds, they simply change their plan.

They keep insulting the Pandavas and Draupadi. And then they decide she should go to the maids’ quarters and start sweeping the Kauravas’ palace.

As the Kauravas keep trading insults at the Pandavas and their wife, other inauspicious omens occur. Vidura warns Dhritarashtra that such omens portend the destruction of the Kuru dynasty and implores him to stop the adharma that is provoking such reactions.

The king is jolted out his stupor on hearing that his sacrificial fire, which he had kept lit throughout his life has gone off. Coming to his senses, he attempts a last moment damage minimization. He lauds Draupadi for her chastity and courage, and tries to minimize the Pandavas’ anger with sweet words.

The baldness of his lies would have attracted laughter had the situation not evoked such horror. He says that he had called the gambling match just to test the skills of the two cousins. How were the Kauravas’ skills tested by having Shakuni gamble for them? It’s like two cousins who claim to be playing a friendly boxing match and then one of the friends has Mike Tyson play in his stead and Mike Tyson fights with a win-at-all-costs approach.

Still, when Dhritarashtra asks Draupadi for some boon, she asks for the release of her husband – not Arjuna who had won her, but Yudhisthira who had lost her.

Even in the closest of relationships, we all commit mistakes, and most of us do have conscience that makes us feel bad when we act badly. That pinch of conscience alone is enough for sensitive people to correct themselves. But when those who are hurt by our mistakes put salt on our wounds by their harsh words, that additional threat often puts us in an ultra-defensive mode instead of a self-corrective mode. Draupadi resists the temptation to put any salt on Yudhisthira’s wounds and helps the mortified king regain his dignity.

Dhritarashtra tells her to ask for some other benediction. Draupadi asks that all her husbands be released along with their weapons, saying that with those weapons they would regain everything else. The king says that he is not satisfied and tells her to ask for more benedictions. When Draupadi declines, quoting an ancient standard forbidding kshatriya woman from asking more than two benedictions. The king in a rare display of magnanimity returns the Pandavas everything they had lost. (Later they are recalled for another gambling match after which they are exiled to the forest.)

Karna can’t tolerate this foiling of the scheme to dishonor the Pandavas.

Fanciful retellings of the Mahabharata depict Draupadi and Karna having a secret, unfulfilled love for each other. They couldn’t have got the Karna-Draupadi relationship more wrong. What kind of lover would suggest that his beloved be stripped in public?

The moment when the Pandavas regain what they have lost is Draupadi’s one moment of dignity, even glory, in a nightmare of indignity. And yet Karna cannot let her have even that much. He can’t resist taking a potshot at the Pandavas: here are the warriors who were saved by a woman. His words reveal an utterly demeaning attitude towards women as if they are good for nothing and if they are good for something, then that makes the men good for nothing.

In this incident, Draupadi is undoubtedly the heroine – she emerges the brightest. The character who emerges the darkest is not Dushasana, although he gets immortalized infamously as the stripper of Draupadi. The darkest character is not Duryodhana, whose exhibiting his naked thigh to Draupadi eventually leads to his death through the breaking of that very thigh. The darkest character is Karna. He emerges the darkest not just because he behaves so badly, but because such depraved behavior is so shockingly out-of-character for him. To his credit, he regrets his actions, as he admits in later parts of the Mahabharata while speaking to Kunti and then to Bhishma. In contrast, there’s no indication in the Mahabharata of Duryodhana or Dushasana regretting their vile deeds – their only regret was that they couldn’t dishonor the Pandavas and Draupadi as much as they would have liked to. Just as in the Ramayana Kaikeyi acts reprehensibly due to Manthara’s association, so too does Karna act reprehensibly by Duryodhana’s association, being driven by the desire to please that debauched prince.

Draupadi’s mystical rescue by Krishna is often seen as the highlight of this incident. An equally, if not more, important feature is Draupadi’s consistent strength of character. That mystical rescue is not usually available for those threatened or dishonored. But what redeems Draupadi is not just the mystical rescue, but her steely resolve throughout the incident. Within her frail female form runs a spine of steel that stands erect throughout. That steely resolve is something that all women, and indeed all of us, can aspire for, no matter what indignity the world subjects us to.

Certainly, the world needs better systems for the protection of women. Today when such systems are often found distressingly inadequate, this ancient incident when the system of protection utterly fell apart speaks to all of us. Draupadi reveals the strength that comes from one’s innate dignity, by sheltering one’s identity not in one’s feminity, but in one’s spirituality.

Who can not admire such character and admire the character with such character?

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From Prabhupada’s Point of View:  Alone in New York City

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

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Nimainanda, his wife Sucitra and his son Kunaal live in Auckland and attend New Varshana regularly. For a time Nimainanda lived on the farm and was the head cook.

Some years ago the family started “Gopal,” a business that supplies yoghurt, ghee, paneer and other products to grocery stores and now to supermarkets all over New Zealand.

By Krishna’s mercy, it has become very successful.

https://youtu.be/tobenN9uyY4

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

The essence is to consider the goal of life. When we think that sex is the goal of life, then sex is bad because then sex will be engaged in only on the basis of lust and day-by-day, we will become more and more bound up in material existence and in the suffering that the material world brings.

But when we understand that Krsna is the goal of life and we engage in sexual activities according to his direction, then we are engaging according to the injunctions of the Bhagavad-gita, in accordance with religious principles, as it is authorized by Krsna. Such sexual activity is very nice and purifying. So to say that sex is bad would not be true.

Written by Madhava Smullen. Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala.

There’s no doubt that protecting cows was very close to Srila Prabhupada’s heart.

In a series of Back to Godhead magazine articles in the mid 1950s, he was already envisioning a community where residents lived a simple life and protected cows.

Soon after registering ISKCON in New York in 1966, he began requesting his disciples to start a rural community, asking them to call it “ISKCON-Nagari or New Vrindaban.”

And when Hayagriva Das, Kirtananda Swami and a handful of other devotees began New Vrindaban, ISKCON’s first farm, in 1968 in the hills of West Virginia, he urged them to keep cows and bulls there, and to maintain them comfortably throughout their natural lives as their proverbial mothers and fathers.

The cow’s milk could be used to create all kinds of staple foods, and their dung dried and used as fuel, he explained. Bulls could pull plows to till the ground for food grains. Together, they offered the chance of a peaceful, self-sufficient life free from the modern world’s stressful rat race and favorable for advancing in Krishna consciousness.

What’s more, he explained to Hayagriva in one of his first letters about New Vrindaban’s development, caring for cows was what Lord Krishna did every morning in Goloka Vrindavana. “Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows, and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban,” he said.

Prabhupada continued to write the New Vrindaban devotees nearly every month, espousing the benefits of cow protection along with outright entrities for action.

“I am anxiously awaiting receipt of your first cow,” he wrote to Shyama Dasi in March 1969. And in April: “I hope you will soon be getting a cow for New Vrindaban. Vrindaban without cows does not look well, so we must have many cows as soon as possible.”

Devotees were glad to have finally purchased their first cow by the time Srila Prabhupada first visited New Vrindaban in May 1969. A black Jersey with a white mark on her forehead where Vaishnavas wear their tilak, she was named Kaliya, or “black,” by Prabhupada himself.

One of the first things the “Brijabasis” did when Prabhupada arrived was offer him a seat beneath a willow tree, and bring him fresh milk from Kaliya. They then sat around him in a semi-circle on the grass, looking up at him expectantly as he raised the cup to his lips.

Prabhupada was delighted. “I haven’t tasted milk like this in fifty years,” he said.

Excited at pleasing their spiritual master, the devotees brought Kaliya to meet him. Ranadhir Das paraded her before him, and Prabhupada admired her. “We don’t have such fatty cows in India,” he said. “In days past, yes, but now no one can feed them nicely. That is the way the Vedas calculate a man’s wealth—in cows and grains.” He even walked out to the barn to watch Ranadhir put Kaliya back in her stall.

During his visit, which lasted a whole month, Prabhupada continued encouraging the devotees, meeting with community leaders to discuss growing their herd from one to fifty. One cow’s milk could be shared by at least ten people, he said; or if each resident had their own cow, they could sell excess milk products and “get other necessities of life in that way.”

New Vrindaban and Kaliya stayed on Prabhupada’s mind after his visit. “I am always thinking of your New Vrindaban,” he wrote from Los Angeles just two days after leaving. “The first thing I find is the taste of the milk. The milk which we are taking here is not at all comparable with New Vrindaban milk.” He even offered to help finance more cows for the community.

Over the next few months and years, Prabhupada greatly enjoyed receiving in the mail curd cheese and milk sweets made from dairy provided by New Vrindaban’s protected cows; and he guided devotees in how to prepare them. “The whole idea of New Vrindaban is that men who are living there should produce their own food, of which milk is the principal thing,” he wrote.

After visiting New Vrindaban again in September 1972 to deliver a series of Bhagavat Dharma discourses, he was clearly enlivened by the progress he had seen. “I can see that Krishna is giving you more and more facility for developing this New Vrindaban scheme,” he said. “So this is very nice. I am very pleased that you have acquired some more cows.”

But he also cautioned the devotees not to forget about the bulls. “The cow is so wonderful and valuable in society,” he wrote. “But you should also use the bulls by engaging them in tilling the ground. People may call this the primitive way but it is very practical for engaging the bulls.”

By the time Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban again in July 1974, its cow protection program was thriving. There were 100 cows spread across three farms – Bahulaban, Vrindaban and Madhuban – including sixteen milking cows who produced over 600 gallons of milk per week. A fourth farm, Nandagram, housed young oxen, and three ox teams were being trained.

Prabhupada visited the Bahulaban barn, walking down its length and closely observing the cows on either side. He stopped at Shukla, whose milk he had also drank, and patted her on the head. He then observed the cow Satyabhama being milked, and when told that she was giving nine gallons daily said to cowherd Devakinandana Das, “You are doing wonderfully here.”
After his visit, Prabhupada wrote that he was “very happy” while in New Vrindaban and enjoyed the atmosphere, “especially the cow protection scheme.”
He continued to encourage the devotees to build a farm community that would set an example for how to treat cows: “Let other farms see… how we derive benefit from them and that will be the living example to persons who are using cow flesh rather than cow milk.”
In 1976, when he visited New Vrindaban for the last time, the community was caring for four working teams of oxen and over 150 cows. A new barn had been erected in Bahulaban, and Prabhupada visited it to see the cows and four new-born calves. He let one of them lick his hand as a devotee told him how the cows were yielding about 120 gallons of milk every day, which they were turning into ghee, cheese and buttermilk. Prabhupada was pleased.
But there was one cow he still hadn’t seen. Kaliya, now fourteen years old, was the retired matriarch of New Vrindaban’s herd. She had given birth to eight calves herself, and up until the previous year, had still been producing about six gallons of milk a day for the Lord and the devotees – despite having maladies common to aging cows of her breed, such as blindness in one eye and respiratory problems.
Writing in Brijbasi Spirit magazine, cowherd Amburish Das described how Kaliya – the smallest cow in New Vrindaban at 800 pounds – never pushed and shoved to eat grain as the other cows did, but stood patiently waiting her turn. “There may be some mild cows, but Mother Kaliya is even more than mild – she is a devotee,” he said. “Her humility is unmatched.”
This rare soul was finally reunited with Srila Prabhupada after seven years in a meeting that left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of those who witnessed it.

Towards the end of his visit, Prabhupada walked with a large group of devotees to go see Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath in the farmhouse temple at the old Vrindaban farm, where Kaliya resided. It was a beautiful morning, the rays of the rising sun shining hazily through a light mist.

As Prabhupada rounded a curve and spotted the Vrindaban farmhouse in the distance, one of the devotees, Advaitacarya Das, pointed to a small herd of cows far up at the top of “Govardhana Hill,” which rose to their left. “Srila Prabhupada, look!” he said. “There’s Kaliya. She’s our first cow. You used to drink her milk.”

Suddenly, as Prabhupada looked up at her, Kaliya broke away from her herd and made her way alone down the steep bank. Matching the devotees’ pace, she stepped out right in front of Srila Prabhupada, and began walking with him as if she were his pet calf.

“Ah,” Srila Prabhupada said simply. “My dear old friend Kaliya.”

She continued to walk with him for some time, a quiet connection hanging between them that the devotees all felt. Then, finally Kaliya picked up her pace and disappeared over the horizon.

“For me, it was a mystical experience,” says Advaita. “Srila Prabhupada was always preaching that we’re all trying to get to Vrindavana, where Krishna and his cowherd boy friends are eternally playing and taking care of the cows. And to see Kaliya come down the hill and walk with him like that just made it all very real.”

After this last visit to New Vrindaban, Prabhupada continued to encourage his followers to establish cow protection programs all over the world. And to all of them, he gave New Vrindaban as the model farm community to emulate – the home of Kaliya, the “Queen of New Vrindaban,” and ISKCON’s very first cow.

Taking Govardhana-Sila for a parikrama (Album with photos)
New Vraja-dhama under the snow, Hungary.
Srila Prabhupada: The letters of the holy name have so much spiritual potency that they act even when uttered improperly. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.59)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/quI7tH

Prabhupada in New Vrindaban with Kaliya Cow 1976.

 Written by Madhava Smullen. Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala.

There’s no doubt that protecting cows was very close to Srila Prabhupada’s heart.

In a series of Back to Godhead magazine articles in the mid 1950s, he was already envisioning a community where residents lived a simple life and protected cows.

Soon after registering ISKCON in New York in 1966, he began requesting his disciples to start a rural community, asking them to call it “ISKCON-Nagari or New Vrindaban.”

And when Hayagriva Das, Kirtananda Swami and a handful of other devotees began New Vrindaban, ISKCON’s first farm, in 1968 in the hills of West Virginia, he urged them to keep cows and bulls there, and to maintain them comfortably throughout their natural lives as their proverbial mothers and fathers.

The cow’s milk could be used to create all kinds of staple foods, and their dung dried and used as fuel, he explained. Bulls could pull plows to till the ground for food grains. Together, they offered the chance of a peaceful, self-sufficient life free from the modern world’s stressful rat race and favorable for advancing in Krishna consciousness.

What’s more, he explained to Hayagriva in one of his first letters about New Vrindaban’s development, caring for cows was what Lord Krishna did every morning in Goloka Vrindavana. “Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows, and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban,” he said.

Prabhupada continued to write the New Vrindaban devotees nearly every month, espousing the benefits of cow protection along with outright entreaties for action.

“I am anxiously awaiting receipt of your first cow,” he wrote to Shyama Dasi in March 1969. And in April: “I hope you will soon be getting a cow for New Vrindaban. Vrindaban without cows does not look well, so we must have many cows as soon as possible.”

Kaliya the Cow New Vrindaban 1971

Devotees were glad to have finally purchased their first cow by the time Srila Prabhupada first visited New Vrindaban in May 1969. A black Jersey with a white mark on her forehead where Vaishnavas wear their tilak, she was named Kaliya, or “black,” by Prabhupada himself.

One of the first things the “Brijabasis” did when Prabhupada arrived was offer him a seat beneath a willow tree, and bring him fresh milk from Kaliya. They then sat around him in a semi-circle on the grass, looking up at him expectantly as he raised the cup to his lips.

Prabhupada was delighted. “I haven’t tasted milk like this in fifty years,” he said.

Excited at pleasing their spiritual master, the devotees brought Kaliya to meet him. Ranadhir Das paraded her before him, and Prabhupada admired her. “We don’t have such fatty cows in India,” he said. “In days past, yes, but now no one can feed them nicely. That is the way the Vedas calculate a man’s wealth—in cows and grains.” He even walked out to the barn to watch Ranadhir put Kaliya back in her stall.

 During his visit, which lasted a whole month, Prabhupada continued encouraging the devotees, meeting with community leaders to discuss growing their herd from one to fifty. One cow’s milk could be shared by at least ten people, he said; or if each resident had their own cow, they could sell excess milk products and “get other necessities of life in that way.”

New Vrindaban and Kaliya stayed on Prabhupada’s mind after his visit. “I am always thinking of your New Vrindaban,” he wrote from Los Angeles just two days after leaving. “The first thing I find is the taste of the milk. The milk which we are taking here is not at all comparable with New Vrindaban milk.” He even offered to help finance more cows for the community.

Over the next few months and years, Prabhupada greatly enjoyed receiving in the mail curd cheese and milk sweets made from dairy provided by New Vrindaban’s protected cows; and he guided devotees in how to prepare them. “The whole idea of New Vrindaban is that men who are living there should produce their own food, of which milk is the principal thing,” he wrote.

After visiting New Vrindaban again in September 1972 to deliver a series of Bhagavat Dharma discourses, he was clearly enlivened by the progress he had seen. “I can see that Krishna is giving you more and more facility for developing this New Vrindaban scheme,” he said. “So this is very nice. I am very pleased that you have acquired some more cows.”

But he also cautioned the devotees not to forget about the bulls. “The cow is so wonderful and valuable in society,” he wrote. “But you should also use the bulls by engaging them in tilling the ground. People may call this the primitive way but it is very practical for engaging the bulls.”

Bulls 1976

By the time Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban again in July 1974, its cow protection program was thriving. There were 100 cows spread across three farms – Bahulaban, Vrindaban and Madhuban – including sixteen milking cows who produced over 600 gallons of milk per week. A fourth farm, Nandagram, housed young oxen, and three ox teams were being trained.

Prabhupada visited the Bahulaban barn, walking down its length and closely observing the cows on either side. He stopped at Shukla, whose milk he had also drank, and patted her on the head. He then observed the cow Satyabhama being milked, and when told that she was giving nine gallons daily said to cowherd Devakinandana Das, “You are doing wonderfully here.”

After his visit, Prabhupada wrote that he was “very happy” while in New Vrindaban and enjoyed the atmosphere, “especially the cow protection scheme.”

He continued to encourage the devotees to build a farm community that would set an example for how to treat cows: “Let other farms see… how we derive benefit from them and that will be the living example to persons who are using cow flesh rather than cow milk.”

In 1976, when he visited New Vrindaban for the last time, the community was caring for four working teams of oxen and over 150 cows. A new barn had been erected in Bahulaban, and Prabhupada visited it to see the cows and four new-born calves. He let one of them lick his hand as a devotee told him how the cows were yielding about 120 gallons of milk every day, which they were turning into ghee, cheese and buttermilk. Prabhupada was pleased.

But there was one cow he still hadn’t seen. Kaliya, now fourteen years old, was the retired matriarch of New Vrindaban’s herd. She had given birth to eight calves herself, and up until the previous year, had still been producing about six gallons of milk a day for the Lord and the devotees – despite having maladies common to aging cows of her breed, such as blindness in one eye and respiratory problems.

Writing in Brijbasi Spirit magazine, cowherd Amburish Das described how Kaliya – the smallest cow in New Vrindaban at 800 pounds – never pushed and shoved to eat grain as the other cows did, but stood patiently waiting her turn. “There may be some mild cows, but Mother Kaliya is even more than mild – she is a devotee,” he said. “Her humility is unmatched.”

Prabhupada Views Calves in New Vrindaban 1976

This rare soul was finally reunited with Srila Prabhupada after seven years in a meeting that left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of those who witnessed it.

Towards the end of his visit, Prabhupada walked with a large group of devotees to go see Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath in the farmhouse temple at the old Vrindaban farm, where Kaliya resided. It was a beautiful morning, the rays of the rising sun shining hazily through a light mist.

As Prabhupada rounded a curve and spotted the Vrindaban farmhouse in the distance, one of the devotees, Advaitacarya Das, pointed to a small herd of cows far up at the top of “Govardhana Hill,” which rose to their left. “Srila Prabhupada, look!” he said. “There’s Kaliya. She’s our first cow. You used to drink her milk.”

Suddenly, as Prabhupada looked up at her, Kaliya broke away from her herd and made her way alone down the steep bank. Matching the devotees’ pace, she stepped out right in front of Srila Prabhupada, and began walking with him as if she were his pet calf.

“Ah,” Srila Prabhupada said simply. “My dear old friend Kaliya.”

She continued to walk with him for some time, a quiet connection hanging between them that the devotees all felt. Then, finally Kaliya picked up her pace and disappeared over the horizon.

“For me, it was a mystical experience,” says Advaita. “Srila Prabhupada was always preaching that we’re all trying to get to Vrindavana, where Krishna and his cowherd boy friends are eternally playing and taking care of the cows. And to see Kaliya come down the hill and walk with him like that just made it all very real.”

After this last visit to New Vrindaban, Prabhupada continued to encourage his followers to establish cow protection programs all over the world. And to all of them, he gave New Vrindaban as the model farm community to emulate – the home of Kaliya, the “Queen of New Vrindaban,” and ISKCON’s very first cow.

Preaching in Surfers Paradise, Gold coast, Queensland, Australia.
Sundar Nitai Dasa: This year I have decided to continue a program, pioneered by previous Iskcon devotees, called “Ask a monk any question ”. One sits in a public place with a sign reading [Ask a monk any question ] and awaits any approaches from the public. One can also keep some of Srila Prabhupada’s books in case one wants to inquire further into the Krsna consciousness philosophy. I thought it would be inspiring to some if I posted the events daily as they unfold.
While taking prasadam in Govinda’s restaurant, i decided to put my sign on the table just in case anyone had any questions. After I finished two young ladies, who had been sitting behind me, came to the table and said,“Hello, do you mind if we take advantage of your offer to ask a question?” this was Karen ,a religion and science student from Norway. “Please do”, I said “take a seat”, “we were wondering if you ever feel negative emotions? and if so how do you deal with that ?” [The answer was very long and the conversation was very intricate and we spoke for a long time back and forth so to convey the whole conversation would be difficult .] But what I said basically,was “yes! I do feel negative emotions sometimes!, and I pray to God and it goes away! ”. “ But how do you know it is God ?”,said Karen and not just your imagination or some belief system ? have you seen God ?how can you be sure ?“. she asked frankly. I could see where this was going so I asked her ’‘Do you know how much one mango costs to buy in India right now on the market ?” She looked confused, Mango?,“I can guess!”.she offered. “Why guess?”, I said “when you can know for sure !” “Actually, that information is bouncing off your eardrums right now and right before your eyes right now, isn’t it? , via internet technology. Do you believe in WI-FI ?”,I asked with a smile. “Yes”, she said, interested to see where this was going. “If you want to see and experience the benefits of being connected to the WI-FI there is a process. Let us look at that. 1[ you have to hear about the wi-fi from those who are connected and experiencing the benefits of being connected. 2] then have a desire to be connected also. 3]find an authorized apple/android dealer and say,” I have heard that there is an invisible entity called WI-FI can you help to experience it, please?“. he will say ’'YES, SURE, NO PROBLEM COME WITH ME .’'no doubts. he will not say, maybe! perhaps! in the future, I will be able to help. if he does then you know you need to go else where. He may also say things like, you cannot eat meat in here, nor can you get high or have sex, just sit patiently until I am ready to see you..and you must obey and wait with FAITH to be seen by the” apple/android Guru. 4]then he may give you a handset, a manual and a sim card deal with free WI-FI included [or so he promises ] some basic instructions and say , make sure you follow the guidelines in the manual,if you have any questions don’t hesitate to come back we are always here to serve you ! . you should be able to experience the benefits of WI-FI soon ! Isn’t that usually how it goes?“ i asked . ’'Yeah! and ???” she prompted. “So the same steps /process is there if you want to see God ! 1]You admit you cannot see Him, but others can and are experiencing the benefits of being connected to Him ie; more peaceful, compassionate, understanding ,kind, happy and so on and so forth. 2] your inquisitive and want to know if He is real ?can I see Him? 3]Approach an authorized Guru and inquire. 4]He may give you a practical experiment to take with you, like a prayer or mantra and a book of guidelines to live by and in no time, you will be experiencing the benefits of being connected to God. So there is always a process of disproving /verifying a theory, but we must make the experiment. So I am doing the experiment and experiencing some of the benefits, and this helps me deal with negative emotions. you can also do the same! what is stopping you ?” Karen and Stephanie were impressed, they took Srila Prabhupada’s books and gave a donation. Karen said “This is the most amazing conversation I have had in a long time, thank you for spending time with us”. I was touched deeply by the exchange. All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

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Sudharma Devi: You are warmly invited to view this 10 minute video featuring quotes from Srila Prabhupada and comments by Ravindra Swarup dasa, Dr. Abhishek Ghosh, Dr. Larry Shim, Kalakanta dasa (acbsp) Visakha devi dasi (acbsp) and other disciples of Srila Prabhupada related to the topic of ISKCON Vaishnavi’s serving as diksa gurus. The topic will be discussed by the the NAEC in Houston next week and the GBC body during the Mayapur meetings in February.

“CHASING RHINOS WITH THE SWAMI” - Excerpt.
Shyamasundar Dasa: For the past one month I have been cloistered in Mumbai, editing the huge manuscript of “Chasing Rhinos With The Swami.” The work is going well, and within a couple more weeks, I should have all 20 chapters edited as much as I can do them. By mid-February I am hoping to have everything readied for lay-out and printing. The following is an excerpt from Chapter Two.
(Chapter Two, in SAN FRANCISCO:)
‘The Swami comes in. While everybody’s chanting he starts building the fire, and smoke begins to fill the room. The four of us sit on the floor opposite the fire from Swamiji, and it’s getting hotter by the second; I discard my coat and loosen the tie. Devotees are chanting on every side, edging closer to the flames to catch the Swami’s words. He motions for us to take a few grains of rice and throw them whenever he says, Sva-ha! “Sva-haaa!” and we toss the rice at HIM, four handfuls of rice all over his gleaming head and robes. Unfazed, the Swami shakes his head and points to the fire. Oh, rice goes in the fire. Slow, but we’re catching on.’
His accent was still quite thick in those days-or we just hadn’t
learned to hear him yet-and he’s asking for bananas? Someone hands us bananas and we start to peel them-no, no, the Swami gestures, put them in the fire. Man, then the smoke really starts pouring out: four bananas smoldering, everyone coughing, eyes watering-along with rice, lentils, flowers, grapes, flour and, yes, more butter, which Swami ladles profusely over the flames between rounds of cryptic Sanskrit slokas ending with
Sva-ha! None of this bothers the Swami at all. He chants on our beads, hands them back with our new names, which we don’t understand-(wait, I got that one, Harry-das, that’s Harvey)-and devotees come forward to tie our neck-beads on with a knot.
'Then the Swami says “Bo dun”, and we’re trying to figure out what he’s saying-Harry-das thinks he has it figured out and he rolls onto his knees, leans forward-so we do the same thing–and he blows on the fire. We all start blowing on the fire, hard as we can–a cloud of smoke flies in the Swami’s face, and his eyes get big as saucers.’

Many people in the world think they live only once. With only one life, how does this affect lives and society? How is a one-life concept going to affects ambitions, goals and outlook? There is one-life spirituality and multi-birth spirituality – which of these enable a full understanding of the soul, and why good or bad things happen? Is God to blame, or us? If there is no God, why do people lament the loss of loved ones if they are simply bags of chemicals? With only one life, there must be a rush to cram the maximum in enjoyment. Life is meant for enjoyment, but what kind? Is the ideal of life enjoyment in spiritual happiness or just to be a decent human being without the need for religion? With one life ahead, can any spiritual path or non-belief in God satisfy the self? Let us examine some outcomes of one-life limitations. Continue reading "If You Only Live Once
→ Dandavats"

TOVP: The fist column installed! (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: A few days ago we were able to see the GRC column put to place on the TOVP windows. Today an additional piece was added, the capital.
In these images we have the TOVP team giving thumbs up for the beautiful column.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/5fro26