Planet ISKCON

Mesmerized by the old houses of the brahmans we visited outside of Udupi the other day, we returned to learn more. In one home we were fascinated to find Vedic mantras, in the form of colorful yantras, painted on walls throughout the house. The beautiful designs, with their ancient inscriptions, brought prosperity, protection and blessings [...]

Yesterday we visited several ancient temples near Udupi. We also took the opportunity to visit centuries old houses of Brahmans who serve in such temples. We were amazed by many of the artifacts and paintings we saw in those homes.

I always had an attraction towards individuals who live a principled life - principles of growth and well-being. This attraction I think is because I wanted to be like them with principles. I have had this tendency of attraction since I was very young. Growing up, during my adolescent years, I did not have anybody personal I knew to whom I can look up to. I believe every young adult requires a mentor. Typically it is one's own father or uncle or some senior family member. Unfortunately, we live in a world of economic necessities that families by and large live apart from one another. As a result, there is little to no knowledge transference from generation to the next and this negatively impacts young children since they lack mentors rooted from their culture.

In my own life, this was true as I constantly was moving from one location to the next rarely could I find a mentor who was willing to spend quality time with me. Regardless, I sought inspiration from individuals in the public domain such as gurus, teachers, politicians, sport stars, movie celebrities etc Unfortunately, that did not last long as it was not a personal relationship.

When I got introduced to the idea of Krishna Consciousness, the first thing that struck me was of course the clarity of the message of the Gita but more was the persona called Prabhupada. His character, compassion, and principles he imbued was such a powerful example I simply could not stay away from him. I felt like I found the "best" human being in the world. What more could an aspiring young individual ask for - getting guidance from the "best" person on the planet...at least this was my impression. While the philosophy was appealing at many levels, it was Srila Prabhupada's personal character that motivated me to commit to practicing. Prabhupada has said several times that he lives in his books. For me, this cannot be any truer because I always felt his connection in a personal way through his instructions and books. This feeling of being connected to him had such profound impact that I decided to change my ways even though it was difficult.

Young children need such quality interactions with adult mentors whom they can rely and trust. They need to be taught on dealing with challenges of this world but with the principle of connecting back to their spiritual identities - as servants of God and not servants of their minds.

Bhagavad Gita is not a belief system but a quality of life based on values beyond the here and now. If we want our children to be successful materially and spiritually, we need to be there when they need our help. We need to teach by example that challenges in life are actually opportunities to become closer to Krishna - learning to convert challenges into blessings. Such optimism in the face of adversity can only raise the desire to live life to the fullest - that is - to be connected to Krishna at all times, in life and in death!

Hare Krishna

The essential principle of progressive, civilised human life is to restrain negative emotions within oneself and to limit their discharge towards others; and to cultivate positive emotions such as tolerance, compassion and non-violence. Lust, greed and anger are the three gates leading to Hell, reads the ancient Bhagavad-gita.

Perpetuating negative emotions leads to a permanent negative state within a person, and negativity throughout a society when it is made up predominantly of such persons. “So the single rice grain, so the pot of rice.”

We radiate an emotional state when we don’t make efforts to control it; we can’t help it. All others who contact us are affected by our unchecked emotions. And we do a great disservice to our children if we force them to imbibe our negativity.

So imagine the consequences when an entire society cultivates these very negative qualities within its children – through the educational system itself. Peace in the Middle East? Not when the emotions of the children are being systematically slaughtered.

By Murari Gupta Dasa

“Can you please speak to my relatives,” a doctor friend requested me after a Sunday feast program in our temple. “Their youngest son died in an accident recently, and they are much traumatized.” I agreed and went to meet the family in a corridor outside the temple hall. The father told me how the son had gone to a picnic with his friends and had drowned in a river. He was just eighteen. I listened sympathetically, and when they asked questions I offered answers I thought would give them hope in their painful situation. After half an hour, some of the family members seemed consoled, though the mother had been silently shedding incessant tears. As we parted, my thoughts veered to another story I had heard. It, too, took place near a lake and was a sudden catastrophe that struck a family, but the attitude of the victim turned a life-threatening crisis upside-down. Continue reading "Finding Shelter in Times of Suffering
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By His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Krishna is so kind: We wanted to enjoy the material world; therefore He has given us full opportunity: "Yes, enjoy." But Krishna does not want us to enjoy the material world. Sometimes foolish people say, "Krishna has given us this facility for sense enjoyment. Why shall we not take it?" Sometimes the so-called rishis and yogis also say, "Yes, we have senses, and they are meant for enjoyment. Why should it be stopped?" But if you want the real life of eternal enjoyment, then you have to stop sensual enjoyment. If you don't stop, then you remain here. You have to be born according to your desire, either as Brahma or an ant, a cat, a dog, a demigod. And according to your capacity, Krishna will provide for you. If you want sense enjoyment from Krishna, He will give you all facilities. But Krishna does not want to do this. His opinion is "You will never be happy in this process of pravritti-marga." Continue reading "Harmful Inclinations
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By Chaitanya Charana Dasa

A search for intellectual satisfaction takes a young man from academics to devotion.

I was born with a congenital heart deformity that doctors said would probably not allow me to see my fifth birthday. My parents gave me the name Chandrahas, “one whose laugh is like the moon,” but sadly they found few reasons to smile in my childhood. When I was around one, learning to walk in our middle-class house, I suddenly collapsed to the floor, never to walk naturally again. My parents, Ramachandra and Sunanda Pujari, had already had me vaccinated against the dreaded polio infection rampant in India in the 1970s, but the doctor had unknowingly given me a defective vaccine.

With my left leg diseased, I had to walk with either a limp or a brace. When I was around two, I was enjoying the spectacle of the popular Diwali firecrackers with the neighborhood children when a rocket-firecracker went off course and headed toward me. I couldn’t run away like the other children, and the rocket hit my right arm, fusing my shirt with my skin and, racing upwards, burning my face, missing my right eye by millimeters. The rocket then fell to the ground, leaving lifelong scars on my right arm and the right side of my face.

When I was three, I fell from a wall near my house and cracked my skull. An astrologer told my despairing parents that I was plagued by Saturn, which would cause repeated trouble for the first seven and a half years of my life.

Shelter in the Intellect

My parents did everything in their power to help me have a normal childhood. They decided not to have another child for a decade so that they could give their full attention to caring for me. They admitted me into an expensive Christian convent school so that I could have the best education. My good grades mitigated their sorrows somewhat. They would tell visiting relatives that God had compensated for my physical inabilities by giving me intellectual abilities. I would wonder about this mysterious being, God, who had the enormous power over my life to decide what to give and what to take.

For my parents, who were brahmanas by caste, religious rituals were an important part of the family culture. My father told me the significance of our surname, Pujari, which means a priest who performs the worship (puja) of the deity. About a century ago, his grandfather, while bathing in a river one early morning in our native village, had found floating a five-headed Hanuman deity, which he had subsequently installed and served as pujari.

My daily life with its pursuit of academic excellence had little in common with my religious ancestry. At school, as my grades kept getting better, it seemed Saturn had left me. One year I was among the top scorers on the statewide exams. The district collector (the top government officer of the district) visited our house to congratulate my parents, and the local newspaper carried an article and a photo of the visit. For my parents, life seemed to have turned a full circle. They had shed so many sad tears over their son. Now at last they had occasion to shed tears of pride and joy.

Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived. The very day our family photo appeared in the newspaper, my mother, while getting a medical checkup, was diagnosed with advanced leukemia. She fought gallantly against the cancer with chemotherapy, but within one painfully long month, it was all over.

As the world around me collapsed, I sought shelter in my studies and academic performance.

From Summit Into Quicksand and Out

While studying for an engineering degree at a leading college in Pune, in 1996, I took the GRE exam for pursuing post-graduate studies in the USA. I came in first in the state, securing the highest score in the history of my college. As I exulted in my greatest achievement, I experienced something perturbing. Till then, society had led me to believe that for a student, academic accomplishment was the ultimate standard of success and happiness. I had feverishly sought that standard and had finally achieved it. Yet as I stood on the summit of success, I found that the grades brought no joy. Only when others congratulated me did I feel satisfaction. I felt dependent for my happiness on others’ appreciation-more dependent than ever before. As I pondered this disturbing experience, it struck me that I had been chasing a mirage: academic achievement-or any other achievement for that matter-would never satisfy me, but would only increase my hunger for appreciation and thus perpetuate my dissatisfaction. The summit had turned into quicksand.

A friend extended a helping hand to rescue me from the quicksand-by giving me Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. The Gita answered many of my questions about life and its purpose that had been left unanswered by the numerous books I’d read, spiritual and secular. Radhesyama Dasa, the temple president of ISKCON Pune, and Gaurasundara Dasa, a dynamic youth mentor there, answered whatever questions remained. Understanding the profound philosophy of Krishna consciousness illuminated my life’s journey with hope and joy. I understood that my lame leg, which had always interfered with my playing cricket, was a result of my own past bad karma. But it couldn’t interfere with my spiritual life, because I am not my body and my spiritual advancement is independent of my body.

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra was my next discovery. Since my teens I had been fighting a losing battle against the passions of youth, which would often sabotage my intellectual pursuits. In the chanting of the holy names, I discovered the technology to sabotage those passions.

The Highest Education

But the best was yet to come. As I studied the books of Srila Prabhupada and his followers, especially their writings based on the Bhagavad-gita, I found myself relishing the study itself. This was in marked contrast to my earlier academic career, where my joy came primarily from the grades. Then I read in the Srimad-Bhagavatam about the super-intellectual sage Vyasadeva. His phenomenal literary achievement in writing scores of Vedic books failed to fully satisfy him until he wrote exclusive glorification of the Lord. As I read the story, I felt my life story was being replayed in front of me, with the future included. I recognized the principle that intelligence can bring real happiness and good to oneself and others only when used to glorify Krishna. By understanding that principle, my future became clear.

I started using my intelligence to share the philosophy and practices of Krishna consciousness with my college friends. To my amazement, several of became remarkably transformed, shedding off bad habits and leading balanced, healthy, happy lives. After my graduation in 1998, I found myself at a crossroad that I had already crossed internally. Though I had both a lucrative job as a software engineer in a multinational company and an opportunity for education in a prestigious American university, an overpowering inner conviction told me that I could serve society best by sharing the spiritual wisdom that had enriched my life. There was no shortage of software engineers in India or of Indian students in America, but there was an acute shortage of educated spiritualists everywhere.

But another crossroad still remained. Far more difficult than sacrificing a promising career was enduring the disappointment in the eyes of my father. In traditional Indian culture, aging parents are often taken care of by their grown-up children, but I knew that the loss of such care was not my father’s concern. By his expertise at managing his finances, he had attained reasonable financial security, and he also had my brilliant eleven-year-old younger brother, Harshal, to count on. His heartbreak was to see his older son, for whose materially illustrious future he had dreamt and toiled, become the antithesis of his dreams: a shaven-headed, robe-wearing monk with no bank account. His distress agonized me, but my heart’s calling left me with no alternative. I prayed fervently to Krishna to heal my father’s heart and to somehow, sometime, help him understand my decision.

So in 1999 I decided to make sharing Gita wisdom my fulltime engagement by joining ISKCON Pune as a brahmachari, a single and celibate member of the ashram. In 2000 I received initiation from my spiritual master, His Holiness Radhanatha Maharaja, who told me that because I had given up the chance for higher education in the USA for Krishna’s sake, Krishna was giving me the chance to receive and share the highest education: Krishna consciousness, celebrated in the Bhagavad-gita as raja-vidya, the king of all education. In accordance with his instruction, I started giving talks to young people first in Pune and then all over India. Somehow, by Krishna’s mercy, my lame leg has not been a hindrance.

Intellectual Samadhi

In 2002 I discovered writing. Since childhood I had wanted to write but had not been able to: I was never short of words (my favorite hobby was memorizing words from dictionaries), but I always seemed short of ideas. The rich philosophy of Krishna consciousness more than made up for that. Over the last seven years, some 150 articles and 6 books have emerged from my computer. Many of these articles have appeared in leading Indian newspapers and some in Back to Godhead. When my first article appeared in the reputed Times of India newspaper, my overjoyed father sent a hundred photocopies of that article to his relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances. When I see the joy in my father’s eyes on seeing every new book I write, I thank Krishna for answering my prayers.

Nagaraja Dasa, the editor of BTG, invited me to serve as an associate editor. The service of reviewing articles with the other editors, who are all learned and seasoned devotee-scholars, has broadened the horizons of my spiritual understanding more than anything else I have done before. In editing the writings of veteran devotees, including my beloved spiritual master, I have found a way to integrate my intellection passion with the devotional principle of selfless service, thus experiencing a higher spiritual joy.

The process of writing has brought me meaning, purpose, passion, and fulfillment. Although I am still a neophyte in my spiritual life and struggle against selfish desires, writing gives me glimpses of samadhi, blissful absorption in thoughts of Krishna and His message.

Having experienced both the emptiness of material intellectual pursuits and the richness of spiritual intellectual engagements, I feel saddened that most modern intellectuals are deprived of this supreme fruit of their intellects. Especially many Indian intellectuals, despite earning laurels at a global level, are still missing the intellectual feast that their scripturally learned ancestors relished for millennia. My writings are humble attempts to help them rediscover their lost legacy. I look forward to using the remainder of my life to relish and share the intellectual-devotional nectar with which I have been blessed.

Sri Arjuna Das, New Biharvan Dham

Patience
Kindness
Determination
Courage

     The Goal of Life is to remember our Relationship with Krishna. 

     A preacher must be kind, gentle, and patient in his dealings.
 
     Kindness means we look deep in everyone’s heart and see, “Here is a living entity desperately longing for love, and I am going to find a way to give him this love.”

     Gentle means we treat everyone in such a way that we genuinely gain appreciation for, and admire, every small service this jiva offers to Krishna. “Oh, you pronounce Krishna’s names so nicely,” “I love hearing you say Hare Krishna,” “The way you clean Krishna’s floor touches my heart.” Remember, genuiness is essential in all relationships. Genuiness comes when we sincerely chant Hare Krishna. We will see the beauty of everyone. Just like Krishna. Krishna sees the hidden beauty within all of us, and He wants us to come home. 

    If we are sincere devotees we will become like Bumblebees, finding the love, gold, and honey in everyone, and bringing it into vision. We all want honey and love, let’s be Bumblebees. 

    Krishna Consciousness is simple, we all naturally love Krishna, and He loves us. Sooo much. Krishna Consciousness is simply awakening our natural love for Him, and serving Him, by chanting His Holy Names. We chant “Hare Krishna” once and He comes running towards us. So Krishna Consciousness is sweet and simple, and the preacher must be gentle kind and loving. Gentleness and Kindness are the two hands we use to nourish other’s spiritual creepers. 

     Determination and Courage. These are the two qualities the preacher must apply to himself. The preacher is effective because he makes himself a channel for others to shower them with a minute fraction of Krishna’s love and kindness for us. For himself, the preacher quietly holds himself to the highest standard, to gain his shakti. Determination means chanting our rounds when we are tired, preaching in the cold, and walking on sankirtana when our feet hurt. We must be determined to give love. And we find love, in the pages of the Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, and Krishna book. 

    Courage, comes when we are scared, and goes hand in hand with determination. If we are scared to oppose someone, but are determined to spread love, we have the opportunity to be courageous. If we see someone fishing, and Supersoul tells us to tell them to stop, courage means we act, in spite of the knot in our stomach. And we preach to them, about kindness to the weaker entities. Even if they do not listen, we will have planted the seed of love. 

     Hare Krishna. 
8:53 AM, December 11th, 2015. 

As of late last month, the farms of Sikkim in northwest India have been certified 100 percent free of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides, making it the country's first fully organic state.

A short video by "Fortunate People" about people appreciating London harinama.

600 selected, beautiful photos of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada all in one album.
Srila Prabhupada: Because human society is poverty-stricken and men are devoid of Vedic knowledge and the power to chant the Vedic mantras, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the only shelter. People should be intelligent enough to chant it. Those whose brains are dull cannot understand this chanting, nor can they take to it. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 9.1.17 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/7DdKWj

The epic journey to find the source of the Ganges. Reaching the temple of Gangotri - the place where Hindus believe that Ganges first appeared on Earth. Further on we will also trail Kedarnath, Valley of Flowers, Yamunotri and Badrinath.

The post The self-evident nature of sastra appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Daily Darshan : January 20th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

New devotional CD by Stoka Krishna das from Italy “Calling of the soul”
Dear devotees, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am very happy to present this CD for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and all the Vaisnavas.
“Really beautiful, innovative in the Vaisnava soundscape and done very well, very devotional and professional. They are all new melodies, sweet, virtuous and relaxing, with soothing voices perfectly tuned and synchronized, the instruments are played expertly and the introductions are extremely attractive”
(Review from the Italian magazine “Movimento Iskcon” by Sri Lalita devi dasi)
The CD “Calling of the soul” is available here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stokakrishnadas and on www.amazon.it, also obtainable for download on Itunes and Spotify.
Your humble servant,
Stoka Krishna das (GRS)

Iskcon Lithuania: Vaishnava Winter Festival 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Narada Muni, citing a practical example from his own life, established that by associating with devotees and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, any man in any condition of life can achieve the highest perfection without a doubt. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.74 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/0QFLH3

Harinama in Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If we simply place ourselves at the lotus feet of Krishna by taking to Krishna consciousness and keeping always in touch with Him by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, we need not take much trouble in arranging to return to the spiritual world. By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this is very easy. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.53 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Wen8xj

NBS#29: The appearance of Lord Kapila.
This issue covers the appearance of the divine son of Kardama Muni and Devahuti, Lord Kapila, who is an incarnation of Lord Himself. Also included for this issue, is translations of various acharyas on the famous verse from Bhagavad Gita.
“Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ’rjuna”
We pray this issue brings some pleasure to the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
NBS # 29 Features:-
1) Kardama Pacifies Devahuti
Sri Maitreya Rishi
2) The Appearance of Lord Kapila
Sri Vishvanatha Chakravati Thakura
3) Why Did Kardama Muni Leave Home?
His Divine Grace A .C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
4) Birth and Activities of The Supreme Lord
Sri Sridhar Swami, Sri Madhusudana Saraswati,
Sri Vishvanatha Chakravati Thakura, and Sri Baladeva Vidyabhushana
5) How Should One Approach The Supreme Lord?
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur,
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/EpTTO3

Inspirational Videos by Ghanashyam Priya ( 3 brief videos)
“The Bhagavad-gita says that when we focus on a deeper motive, or a higher purpose, or deeper meaning in life, then we can affect and impact the outer space,” he proclaims. The vibrantly colorful images and dramatic music create a euphoric tension that make you want to jump up, pump your fist, and shout, “I can do it!”
Watch them here: https://goo.gl/acimhz

January 20. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami: Do It For Him. It is reassuring to take stock of the fact that we follow Prabhupada in almost everything we do. Often we feel bereft of love for Prabhupada, and we think that we are distant from him. However, if you take inventory, you will see that you are always doing what he wanted you to do. I do not wear sannyasi clothes because it is my destiny to be a Vaisnava monk; I do it because he introduced it. When I think like this, it gives me assurance that I am completely immersed in Prabhupada consciousness. Even me, a laggard who does not fulfill front-line duties, who fails in many ways to cooperate with devotees – even I am following Prabhupada in general, and in the particulars, with devotion. Chant your rounds, read his books, do your preaching service, whatever it may be; do things the way he wanted them done. With the instinct of a well-trained person, you act the way Prabhupada taught you. To give a crude example, consider the way a jet pilot moves in the cockpit. He does not expressly think, “Now I am going to pull this switch and that lever to make the plane take off and veer to the left.” He does not have to think so specifically about what he is doing because he has experience. We also have experience and should be guided by Prabhupada’s vani. Whatever comes up in our lives, we simply act according to Prabhupada’s instructions. If someone asks us, we may verbalize the source of the instruction. Usually, we do not have to verbalize it – you see something and you do it the way Prabhupada did it, because you see the wisdom of his ways.
To read the entire article click here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=4

There is no statement to that effect in the Mahabharata. To gain a sense of Draupadi’s feelings towards Karna, let’s look at the relevant incidents.

1. Svayamvara: The first interaction between Draupadi and Karna is during her svayamvara. When Karna tried to compete, she certainly didn’t favor him in any way. Irrespective of whether Karna was refused permission to participate in the svayamvara by her or by Dhrishtadyumna, or whether he competed and missed the target by the thinnest margin among all the kshatriyas (as stated in the Mahabharata-tatparya-nirnaya by Srila Madhvacharya), the key point is that Draupadi didn’t exhibit any sign of love for Karna, whether at first sight or later.
2. Marriage amidst poverty: When Arjuna in the garb of a brahmana won Draupadi’s hand in that svayamvara, she willingly, even happily, accepted a life of poverty while serving him. She may have accepted such a life either out of deference to her father’s will and the svayamvara tradition or out of attraction to Arjuna, who had so spectacularly won her hand during the svayamvara and the fight thereafter with Karna and the other peeved kings. If she accepted that life because of deference, then it’s extremely unlikely that such a submissive woman would entertain love for anyone like Karna who was an avowed rival of her husband. If she accepted that life because of her attraction to Arjuna, then it’s even more unlikely that she would feel love for her beloved’s enemy.
3. Marriage amidst prosperity: Draupadi’s poor-seeming husbands turned out to be princes, who went on to become emperors. During this period of rising fortunes, there’s no reason for her heart to have turned to someone other than her husbands. The Mahabharata reports neither any friction between her and her husbands, nor any noteworthy interaction between her and Karna.
4. Dishonor in the gambling match: Some people hold that, after the failure of her husbands to protect her during the gambling match, she felt that Karna would have protected her better. But such an analysis overlooks the reality that Karna was the very person who had instigated her dishonor by suggesting that she be dragged into the assembly and be disrobed in public. And it was Karna who called her a prostitute for having married five men. Even if she had had any affection for Karna as a hero, that attraction would have been destroyed by his villainous behavior. And the short duration of the incident as well as her strong-willed nature wouldn’t have allowed the occurrence of anything remotely resembling the Stockholm syndrome.
5. Need for a protector: Even if Draupadi had felt that she would have been better off with some protector other than her Pandava husbands, that feeling didn’t make her turn to Karna. Even though he was present right there in the assembly, she didn’t ask him for protection; instead, she prayed to Krishna, even though he was not present visibly. During their forest exile, when Jayadratha kidnapped her in the Pandavas’ absence, she castigated him not just for the irreligiosity of his action, but also for its sheer folly in provoking such formidable warriors as her five husbands. When the Pandavas came charging after Jayadratha, she proudly pointed them out to him, describing the heroic attributes of each of them. Her words don’t give even the slightest indication that she felt that their protection was inadequate. To the contrary, her words convey that she had full confidence in her husbands’ ability to rescue her and to punish her abductor. During their yearlong incognito exile in Virata, when she refused Kichaka’s advances, he abused her in Yudhishthira’s presence. Yudhishthira refused to intervene, not wanting to blow up their cover by retaliatory action – few warriors could overpower the formidable Kichaka and if any unknown person had overpowered him, suspicions would have immediately flared up that Kichaka’s conqueror might be a disguised Pandava. And that’s what happened – Bhima’s killing Kichaka made the Kauravas suspect that Bhima might be responsible, thereby prompting their attack on Virata. Anyway, the relevant point for us is that even if Draupadi had felt disappointed and angered by Yudhishthira’s failure to protect her, that didn’t make her turn to any protector other than her husbands – she turned to Bhima, who more than adequately punished her abuser. Moreover, the martial track record showed that Karna was inferior to Arjuna, as was evident from the fight of the Kauravas and the Pandavas with the Panchalas on the occasion of giving guru-dakshina to Drona. At that time, the Panchalas had defeated the Kauravas, who had Karna on their side; and then Arjuna had defeated the Panchalas. For a detailed comparative analysis, see my answer on “Who was the better archer: Karna or Arjuna?”

6. Consistent faithfulness: Most importantly, nowhere in the Mahabharata did Draupadi waver in her faithfulness to her husbands. In the public assembly when she was being dishonored, Duryodhana tried to pit her against her husband by saying that he would release all of them (the Pandavas and Draupadi) if she stated that Dharma-raja Yudhishthira committed adharma by gambling her after he had gambled himself. Even at such a time, when Yudhishthira was clearly at fault, Draupadi refused to cast blame on him. Later in the forest she complained about what she felt was his unassertiveness; still she remained faithful to him, even accepting the position of a lowly maidservant during their incognito exile.

The Mahabharata doesn’t report any reaction of Draupadi at the death of Karna or even when his identity as the oldest of Kunti’s sons is revealed. This silence is telling because the epic doesn’t try to idealize its heroes – it unhesitatingly describes their morally ambiguous actions. And despite this striking candor, it doesn’t give even a whiff of any secret love of Draupadi for Karna.

Therefore, those who claim that Draupadi loved Karna are talking about a Draupadi of their imagination, not the Draupadi of the Mahabharata.

The post Did Draupadi love Karna? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhakti Vidyapurna Swami at ISKCON Mayapur on 2016-01-17, Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 06.19.14-18

Do It For Him

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast

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Sunday feast at Radha Gopinatha temple on 17-1-16

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By the end of this year, the Christchurch temple will be rebuilt on the same land as before the earthquake.

In the meantime, the devotee community has been renting a hall to hold Sunday programs and festivals. Even though not the temple, the atmosphere is spiritually surcharged by the enthusiasm of the devotees.

Friday, January 15^th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Thursday, January 14^th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Wednesday, January 13^th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Tuesday, January 12^th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Monday, January 11^th, 2016
Houston, Texas

Giriraj Swami continued reading and speaking from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11.

“Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that by attentive chanting one can become free from all the other offenses—and that by inattentive chanting we allow all the other offenses to flourish. So it is critical that we chant with attention. When we are calling Krishna’s name and Krishna asks, ‘What do you want?’ we can pray,  ‘I want to hear Your holy names.’ We don’t have to ask for something very distant. We can ask for the thing that is most important at that moment—that we can hear the holy names. So that can be our prayer while we are chanting—’Please allow me to hear You. Please allow me to fix my mind upon You.’ And when we actually do that, everything changes. Then we get the real effect of becoming free from false ego and becoming situated in our actual positions as eternal servants of Radha and Krishna and Their dear devotees.”

Kirtan in Dallas
Talk on SB 2.1.11 in Dallas

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

I pray to one day love Krsna! The words ‘love Krsna’ cannot be used so cheaply. It takes great effort in devotional service, it takes effort to sacrifice and to go step-by-step from the initial stages of having some faith to learning to associate with devotees. Over how many years have I made so many mistakes in associating with the devotees? How then could I properly chant Hare Krsna and properly engage in devotional service?

What to speak of anartha nivriti, of the heart becoming purified… What to speak of getting some determination in devotional service… What to speak of getting some taste… What to speak of getting some attachment to Krsna… What to speak of getting ecstasy… What to speak of love… What can I speak on love for Krsna!!

By Mahatma das

As it is said, “Pray as if everything depends on God and act as if everything depends on you.” This is what Prabhupada did and Krsna definitely answered Prabhupada’s prayers. Personal responsibility towards preaching is empowering. Prabhupada’s god-brothers went to preach in England in the 1920’s and came back saying that the westerners are too fallen to take up Krsna consciousness. Fortunately, Prabhupada didn’t think this way. He took personal responsibility to spread Lord Caitanya’s mission. Remember, ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses. If the world is not Krsna conscious, we need to look at ourselves. Whenever devotees made excuses and told Prabhupada that people were not receptive or that they were difficult to preach to, Prabhupada always said that the problem was not with the people they were preaching to; the problem was with us. Continue reading "Who’s To Blame?
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By Kesava Krsna dasa

The waking process may take some time. If it is very rare to attain bhava where our true eternally awakened self is developed, shedding the gross and subtle dream body, then only a greedy, hungry effort, anxious to adopt all positive awakening procedures may expedite matters. Lord Krsna states: “After many births and deaths, he who actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knows Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” BG. 7.19. While we are awakening, any acquirement of mercy can be passed on to other sleeping souls, to sound gentle informed alarm bell talks. When awakened souls gather to converse about the awoken reality personified [Krsna] and His nearest and dearest, such enlivening chatter will keep us awake and entice us towards Krsna Prema. “O Narada, I am not in Vaikuntha nor am I in the hearts of the yogis. I remain where My devotees glorify My name, form, qualities and transcendental pastimes.” Padma Purana. In the meantime while we are here staying awake, perhaps we can also, like Maha-Visnu, observe the incredible workings of this dream world, if even as a reminder to keep alert, or to be interestingly occupied. Continue reading "City of nine gates
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