Planet ISKCON

 “Rāgānugā Sādhana deals with Krishna’s intimate Vraja-līlā and therefore is not appropriate for the general public. Thus Rāgānugā should not be the focus of a preaching mission.”

If Krishna’s intimate Vraja-līlā is not appropriate for the general public, why did the ācārya who took Krishna consciousness to the general global public immediately present “The Krishna Book” – the intimate līlā from the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam?  Why did he also immediately publish Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and a presentation of Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī’s Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (as Nectar of Devotion)?

It seems clear that this ācārya did not exactly share the notion that Krishna’s Vraja-līlā is not appropriate for the general public. Nor did Vyāsa himself subscribe to it, for Vyāsa highlighted Krishna’s intimate Vraja-līlā in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam – the Veda he wrote especially for the general public in the most morally debased epoch, kali-yuga. Quite the opposite in fact, Vyāsa realized that Krishna’s intimate Vraja-līlā is the only viable medicine to attract the jīva out from its useless infatuation with bhukti and mukti. 

Knowing this, we might now better appreciate the point that Krishna’s intimate vraja-līlā is the only real subject that should be “preached” to the public. Far from being something to hide, it is the essence of what we must distribute! But the trick is that it cannot be explained or learned effectively by an audience or speaker who does not deeply realize the spiritual form of it. Therefore our presentation of the prayojana (Krishna’s intimate līlā) must be accompanied by solid presentation of the abhidheya (the practices necessary to truly comprehend that līlā) and the sambandha (the philosophical nature of the participants in this līlā, the aspects of reality itself).

So, the big challenge here is that Krishna-līlā has to be accessed from a real guru – a person who has deeply realized the true spiritual form of it – not from a fool who only understands it as some legendary erotica or academic novelty.  To meet this challenge, the first priority of a real “preaching mission” is to produce such gurus by properly guiding the personal practice of its members on the path of Rāgānugā and Vaidhi.

“Rāgānugā Sādhana involves meditating on Krishna’s romantic activities. So, if we still have material lusts in our heart, it will excite these lusts.”

We must remember the idea of “milk touched by the lips of serpents.”

Yes, if one hears Krishna’s mādhurya līlā from a person who doesn’t have true spiritual realization of it – considering it merely another type of erotica, or just some academic curiousity – then one might find one’s material lusts excited by such discussions and meditations. This does not mean that we should not hear Krishna’s romantic pastimes, it means we should not hear them from fools!

If we don’t know Krishna’s romantic pastimes, we don’t know Krishna, because romantic love is the essence of his divine personality. So, avoiding Krishna’s romantic pastimes is not an option for anyone with the aspiration to become a Krishna-bhakta. The key is not to avoid hearing or meditating on these things, but to avoid learning about them from fools who do not realize what these pastimes truly express and reveal about the Divine.

If hearing about Krishna’s intimate qualities and activities will increase our lust, what is the meaning of this extremely important verse [Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.33.39]?

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ |
śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ |
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ |
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ ||

“Anyone who carefully and deeply hears
this tale of Viṣṇu playing with the wives of Vraja
attains the supreme pure devotion, and conquers lust
which is a disease of the heart impossible to cure
by any other method.”

The key is to hear these līlā’s carefully and deeply. To “actually hear” them.  Explaining this verse in chapter 33 of Krishna Book, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “If one actually hears rasa-lila, he will become completely freed from the lusty desire of sex life and elevated to the highest level of spiritual understanding.”

“Since Rāgānugā Sādhana involves meditating on romantic forms, it is best suited for those with no attachment for material sexuality. Thus it is best performed by celibate Sannyāsīs and Brahmacārīs, not by housholding Gṛhasthas.

This seems strange. If Krishna-līlā is sexually dangerous, then it makes at least as much sense to say it is least appropriate for people for whom it is important to maintain absolutely strict celibacy. But this is just an argument for argument’s sake. The real truth is that Krishna-līlā is not sexually dangerous unless heard from someone who doesn’t truly have any deep grasp of what that līlā truly expresses.

If rāgānugā sādhana is mostly for absolute celibates, what is the meaning of this extremely important verse which indicates that there is no significant difference between self-realized munis and the reprobate general public when it comes to being attracted to Hari  [Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.10]?

ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame |
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ ||

“Hari’s wondrous qualities inspire
both the self-realized realized sages and the ordinary reprobates
to pure devotion.”

If rāgānugā sādhana is mostly for absolute celibates why was Narottama das Ṭhākur the only significant person in his entire generation who was a lifelong celibate with a shaved head? And how would you explain this: the exalted practitioner of rāgānugā sādhana who began the effort to bring Krishna consciousness to the general masses around the world – our ācārya Śrī Bhaktivinode Ṭhākur – was the father of fourteen children and never took sannyāsa or left his wife?

If rāgānugā sādhana is mostly for absolute celibates why didn’t Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī say so when he was defining it for us? He said that rāgānugā sādhana is for anyone who can become significantly attracted to the hope of attaining a specific type of love for Krishna. This is the only stipulation specified by him and by the Gauḍīya ācāryas following him. The idea that absolute celibacy is a requirement or a significant advantage is someone else’s optinion, not theirs. Therefore followers of ācāryas need not consider this opinion very significant.

“Rāgānugā Sādhana may encourage people to be slack and lazy in their vows and adherence to rules.”

The idea that rāgānugā sādhana is something without rules and regulations is a complete misconception, held only by people who have not learned about it from the source texts, and who have no hands-on experience practicing it in its original form. Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, the original text that defines rāgānugā sādhana, makes this absolutely clear in 1.2.296. Therefore it is not that Rāgānugā Sādhana would make anyone slack and lazy in their vows and practices. Quite the contrary, it is a lack of understanding about what rāgānugā really is which causes people to slacken.

“There is a more advanced way to practice Bhakti-yoga, and in it you don’t follow so many rules and regulations.” As long as people have this foolish misconception about rāgānugā in their heads, they will be encouraged to think, “I don’t have to follow so many rules and regulations. It’s not necessarily bad.”

Therefore the best strategy is not to try and hide the facts about Rāgānugā sādhana from the neophyte practitioners, but to understand the true facts and teach them clearly to all practitioners, even from the earliest stages.

The fact is that Rāgānugā Sādhana follows as many rules as Vaidhi Sādhana, and, externally, the practice of both are largely identical. It is simply that Rāgānugā Sādhana follows the rules with a passion to achieve a specific kind of intimate love for Krishna (“Rāga”), and Vaishi sādhana doesn’t have this passionate and specific motivation behind (and focus within) its actions.

Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Prabhupāda discouraged Rāgānugā Sādhana.

Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Prabhupāda discouraged the sahajīya-apasiddhānta which is based on misunderstandings of what rāgānugā-sādhana is and what it is for. He presented the true form of rāgānugā-sādhana, as taught and exemplified by the original Goswāmīs of Vṛndāvana, solidly based on śravaṇa and kīrtana as the foundation of smaraṇa and the foundation for developing and cultivating lobha into rāga and, finally rati.

Vraja Kishor das
www.vrajakishor.com

Tagged: madhurya rasa, Raganuga, Raganuga Bhakti, Rasa-Lila

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Krishna Priya grew up as a Hare Krsna devotee in the ISKCON New Vrindaban farm community in West Virginia. Her parents were initiated by Srila Prabhupada and are both very talented and artistic.

I first met Krishna Priya in 2003, while she was studying for her B.A. in English and later her M.Ed. in Secondary English Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville. We were roommates, sharing the old trailer at the Vaisnava Academy for Girls, from which she has graduated a few years prior. Krishna Priya was immersed in her studies and eventually became a very competent and successful teacher.

She went on to marry Navin Shyam Prabhu and together they moved to California, where she was a Fellow of the Institute on the Teaching of Composition and Literature at the University of California, Irvine. She has instructional experience in various contexts, including teaching Language Arts to middle school students at St. Norbert Parish School (a Catholic school in Anaheim, California) and teaching multiple subjects to upper elementary students at Bhaktivedanta Academy (a Hare Krishna Montessori school in Alachua, Florida).

We felt very fortunate when in the summer of 2014 Krishna Priya and her family, which then included her three and a half year old daughter Varada Lila, decided to move to Dallas. Krishna Priya, although pregnant at that time with her second daughter, Kairava Chandrika, immediately began sharing her great talent with us at TKG Academy. She frequented our Preschool class, teaching the young students about Deity Worship and the pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Most recently, she volunteered to teach Public Speaking to the Upper Elementary class. Leaving her young baby at home with her husband, every Tuesday she comes to teach the students the various aspects involving the skill of delivering a speech and making presentations. Krishna Priya brings her vast knowledge and experience, along with natural talent for teaching at an energetic, engaging pace. We are happy and grateful to have her volunteer at our school and look forward for a time when she can take up a more prominent role in our teaching staff.

In 5th grade Social Studies, students are learning a step by step method of mapping the countries of the world by heart.   Take a look at their adventures!

By Radhanath Swami

In this age of Kali, there are two deadly enemies that are always about to devour all the sanctity of our spiritual lives: egoism and lethargy. Krsna tells us in Bhagavad Gita that we must give up egoism and lethargy. Wherever the false ego becomes prominent, we start thinking in terms of I and mine. Then there is no service attitude. We want to be master. We want to be enjoyer. We even see other Vaishnavas, even our old godbrothers and godsisters as competitors rather than worshipable Lords. We should see every Vaishnava with veneration. They should be objects of our worship. But where there is egoism, we start to see Vaishnavas as ordinary people. When the desire for our own prestige and enjoyment comes too much into our mind, then even great Vaishnavas appear to be insignificant. However, where there is a humble attitude of service, even the most ordinary, new beginning devotee, we see as someone very glorious and worthy of our respect. This is one of the barometers by which we can understand how we are progressing. Continue reading "Egoism and Lethargy
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New Govardhana Sunday School (Australia). Kisori devi dasi Recently I interviewed Indranila devi dasi about the Sunday School she runs at New Govardhana.
Kisori (K): What’s your inspiration for running the Sunday School?
Indranila (IN): I thought the children were a bit unsupervised and not positively engaged on Sundays. I also feel very inspired by Aruddha devi dasi’s book, which advises how to teach our children Krishna consciousness.
K: Please explain how it all works.
IN: We have three different age groups – under four years old; four to six year olds; and six to 10 year olds. The first two groups run for an hour each, while under four year olds have activities that include kirtana, Krishna conscious nursery rhymes, cognitive development such as matching, sorting, numeracy and literacy with Krishna conscious props, stories, drawing, playdough and coloring-in. The four to six year olds have kirtana, story time with questions, role play pastimes and craft to enhance the learning and comprehension. Finally, the six to 10 year olds learn songs, and read then discuss for 90 minutes. The teacher plays ‘devil’s advocate’ during these discussions. After that there is either games or craft to further solidify understanding in a practical way. K: What is attendance like?
IN: Attendance ranges from eight to 15 children. I ask for $1 fee per child per session to cover costs.
K: What is the feedback that you have received so far?
IN: Parents appreciate the Sunday School, but are often too busy or exhausted to bring children every Sunday.
K: What have you got planned for the future?
IN: The general plan is to inspire children to participate with the Vaisnava community and feel connected. The core focus is to plant the bhakti seed and help them flourish by giving quality guidance and education so we can have children who are strong and confident in themselves as devotees and compassionate enough to want to share Krishna consciousness with the rest of the world. I would appreciate more parents coming forward to help. Then we could include programs for older children and teenagers.

From Car Parks and Temple rooms… to the streets…! (Album with photos)
Sutapa das, London book distribution report: This weekend the “Car Park and temple room team sanga” went out on door-to-door for the first time. With the help of HH Dayananda Swami they split up into about 10 teams and blitzed the local area with transcendental wisdom! In an hour they distributed 115 books!
Thanks to all - it was a great evening, great stories, great vibe… Sitting here I’m thinking of how over 100 people are now more closely connected to the mercy of Mahaprabhu!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/j9ph8c

By Ambarisa Das

Hare Krsna,
PAMHO, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Devotees,

As previously mentioned, we have been concentrating on the interior and exterior finishing work for the TOVP.
We talked about the Pink Sandstone from Rajastan and the Grc Workshop.

While the pink stone was arriving to Mayapur, Sadbhuja Prabhu was returning from Bolivia.
He had to travel to pick the best quality blue marble from our Bolivian vendors.
Bolivian blue marble is a very prestigious marble, only an expert can select a good batch.
This splendid blue marble will be used for the altars of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panchatattva and Guru Parampara.
This is our last purchase of the Blue Marble from Bolivia.

The art team has also been very busy.
Led by Bhaskara Prabhu, they created a 7 feet (2.1 M) tall murti of King Indra in Ganga mud and straw.
This murti will appear in the left wing of the temple, over-looking the Nrshimha Dev altar.

Indra, the king of Suwarga Loka and the Demigods, bows down to the fierce form of Lord Nrshimha Dev.
In this pastime of the appearance of Lord Nrshimha Dev, as described in the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th canto, other demigods will be present offering their respects to the Lord.
Once a model is created, the casting progress will commence to make the murtis. Next they will be colourfully painted.

Your servant

Initiation of new disciples by Kadamba Kanana Swami (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Illicit sex is strictly prohibited. One should be satisfied with his married wife, for even a slight deviation will create havoc. A Krishna conscious grhastha should always remember this. He should always be satisfied with one wife and be peaceful simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Otherwise at any moment he may fall down from his good position. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.64 Purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/sFO4Bp

Shyamasundara Dasa: This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and a reporter took place in Philadelphia during July of 1975.

Reporter: The Krsna consciousness movement has been what some would consider sexist, because certain propensities for women have been defined, by the devotees or the Vedic scriptures — I’m not sure which — and I wondered if you would comment on that. The allegation is not necessarily that the movement is against women, but that it defines inferior roles for them by their natural traits.

Srila Prabhupada: We give equal roles spiritually. Materially, one person is an assistant, another person is a manager. How can you avoid this? Everyone will be a manager, nobody will be an assistant’ Can you achieve equality materially’ Materially one person is a parent, another is a child; one is an assistant, another is a manager; one is a woman, another is a man. How can you stop this? But spiritually they are all equal.

Reporter: So then what is happening materially is unimportant?

Srila Prabhupada: The thing is that when you come to the spiritual platform, when you see the spirit soul within everyone — then that is equality. For instance, you are differently dressed, in a red blouse, and I am differently dressed. This difference must be there. There are so many men and women — and they are differently dressed. You cannot say they are equal with respect to their dress.

But within the dress — as spiritual beings — they are all the same. In Bhagavad gita Lord Krsna says that through spiritual vision, we can see a learned scholar, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater as equals. And yet materially, how can they be equal?

If I invite a learned scholar and ask him, “Please sit down with this dog,” will he be pleased? He will feel insulted. I may see that within the dog there is a spirit soul and within the learned scholar there is a spirit soul. But if I say, “Oh, you may be a learned scholar and you may think the dog is just a dog, but I see you as equals,” that will be an insult. So the fact is that we cannot disturb the divergent material situation, but at the same time we have to understand what the situation is spiritually.

Artificially, on the platform of the material body, you may make man and woman equal, but actually it is not a fact.

In one place in the Bhagavad-gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that one who has spiritual vision sees everyone as equal. And yet in another place the Supreme Lord says, strisu dustasu varsneya jayate varna-sankarah: unless you protect women, low-class men will seduce them, and society will be burdened with unwanted children. Just take this “women’s liberation” — it is simply a trick by the men. Now the men can have free prostitutes, that’s all. And once a man makes a woman pregnant, he can go away and let her choose between begging support from the government or killing her child . . . abortion. You may not like to hear it, but “women’s liberation” means that the men have tricked you. So to make progress toward the end of spiritual realization, we must make some slight material distinction: women must be protected.

If we were actually discriminating against women, then how could it be that in our temple we are enjoying together? We are enjoying because actually we are equal — on the spiritual platform. We do not say, “You are a woman. Oh, you cannot become a devotee.” No. We welcome everyone. We request everyone, “Come to the spiritual platform. Then everything will be nice.” When one is spiritually realized, he knows that spiritually there is no distinction between himself and anyone else — and so he becomes happy. In the material conception, one person is always trying to take another person’s position. But in the spiritual conception there is no more hankering and no more lamentation, because everyone understands that spiritually we are one.

Here at our temple you can see it practically: the boy is dancing, the father is dancing, the black is dancing, the white is dancing, the young are dancing, the old are dancing. You can see it practically. The woman is dancing, the man is dancing — everyone is dancing. They are not dancing artificially, like dogs. They are dancing out of spiritual ecstasy. This is the spiritual platform, the “dancing platform.” They are dancing naturally, spontaneously, because they are realizing God, because they are in relationship with God. They are feeling the ecstasy that “we are all servants of Krsna “

And this is despite any material distinctions. A man’s bodily structure and a woman’s bodily structure are different. How can you say they are equal? If a man and a woman are equal materially, then why doesn’t the man also become pregnant? The distinction is there by nature. Sometimes people think that I am making the distinction, but the distinction is already there. But despite this distinction, when the man and the woman think in connection with Krsna — “I am a spirit soul; my function into serve God” — then they are equal.

Our proposition is that artificially we should not try to make equality. That will be a failure. It is already a failure. For instance, in London I saw a woman police officer. So I was joking with her: “If I capture your hand and snatch you, what will you do? You will simply cry. So what is the use of your being a police officer?” A police officer requires bodily strength. If there is some hooligan, he can give him a slap or catch him; but what will a woman do? So we say, “Be practical.” Artificial equality will not endure.

We are all equal, undoubtedly, because we are all spirit souls. Asmin dehe: within everyone’s material body there is a spirit soul. That we have to understand first of all, and then if we cultivate knowledge and understanding on that platform of spirit soul, then we shall feel equal and there will be no disturbance. Everyone will be peaceful. That is wanted. We are stressing this point — that if you say artificially that we are equal, it will not have any effect. But when you understand that we are equal spiritually, that will be beneficial. That will bring peace and happiness all over the world.

Iskcon starts prasadam distribution in Chennai (Album with photos)
Today ISKCON Chennai with the help of ISKCON Rajamundry distributed 4000 food plates of HOT prasadam , breads and Biscuits at MKB nagar, sathyamutthy nagar and Kumararan chavadi ( Poonamalle ).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/gcr7Wz

Vedic Planetarium construction update (Album with photos)
Beautiful photos indicating the great progress achieved so far.
Its beauty and grandeur begin to emerge!
Find them here: http://goo.gl/67yRM1

Hare Krishna program in Tel Aviv 04/12/2015 (Album with photos)
Transcendental mellows :) Chanting, dancing, and awarding with diplomas the devotees who graduated “ISKCON disciple” course.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/wVDzLx

Sita Rama das: Sati and satim are Sanskrit words translated as, chaste. The most significant meaning of the word chaste, is that one’s body, mind, and words are dedicated exclusively to Krishna.

SB 11.18.17 Purport:

Kunti is described herein as sati, or chaste, due to her unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krishna.

SB 2.4.1 Purport:

The word satim is very significant. This means “existing” and “chaste.” And both imports are perfectly applicable in the case of Maharaja Pariksit. The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one’s attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna without any diversion, as instructed in the Bhagavad-Gita (15.15)… the King continuously concentrated his mind upon Lord Krishna, which made him perfectly chaste in devotional service… And by hearing from a bona fide spiritual master, he was perfectly able to concentrate his chaste mind further upon Lord Krishna as a matter of course. END CITATION.

Thus we see the real meaning of chastity!

In BG, 15.15, Krishna says the purpose of all Vedic instructions is to know Him. The most important two instructions are to always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna. The only purpose for all the other rules is to facilitate this chastity. Anything disconnected to this chastity is useless!

SB 1.2.8 Translation:

The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. END CITATION.

I want to address the fact that, according to the Vedic literature, the prescribed duty for a woman is to become a chaste wife. Based on the fact that the purpose of all the Vedas is to know Krishna (BG 15; 15) the logical conclusion is, that becoming a chaste wife is the best means for a woman’s attention to be drawn to Krishna without diversion.

Thus we see the purpose of being a chaste wife!

How can a women be dedicated to her husband and, at the same time, be dedicated to Krishna without diversion? The answer is; because Krishna is so wonderful that he sets up a system where all human beings can, while acting according to their conditioned material nature, dovetail their work, transcend material nature, and do the same work exclusively for the satisfaction of Krishna. In the Srimada Bhagavatam we find many glorious examples of individuals, who, by practicing devotional service, came to the level of preforming their prescribed duties for Krishna’s pleasure, only; in other word out of pure love for Krishna.

These examples are instructive, but one must get personal directions from a bonafide Spiritual Master to follow this path. Lord Caitanya compares devotional service to tending a garden. The seed of devotion has been planted in us and we need to tend to it so it will grow into a tree which reaches the spiritual world. However when a seed sprouts, weeds also sprout, and these weeds look just like the sprout.

In the beginning of devotional service, we are essentially filled with nothing but material desires, which are compared to weeds. These material desires are the cause of material actions. We are to continue our actions according to our material conditioning, but do so for the satisfaction of Krishna. We will inevitable be confused, at times (we will think a weed is the sprout and vice versa).

We might think that an action is material and want to renounce something which should not be renounced. Conversely, we might be performing our duty for sense gratification and think our endeavor is to please Krishna. When this is extended, a devotee puts a spin on what the duties of another should be. In other words he fools another into thinking their duty is to serve his sense gratification. So we need a Guru to overcome the confusions that arise within ourselves and the confusion which results from hearing instructions/ perspectives from devotees who are also confused.

The general instructions for devotee couples is a fertile field for confusion. Both husband and wife take up household life because they have material desires; along with the desire to perform their prescribed duties for the satisfaction of Krishna. It is very easy for a wife to get caught up in focusing on, and demanding, a particular duty of the husband which satisfies her sense gratification and it is equally easy for the husband to emphasize the duties of the wife that satisfy his sense gratification. This is a relatively minor problem between two people but it becomes compounded when such devotees feel compelled to insist that everyone in the movement accept their confused ideal; and then they condemn those who do not except their flawed perspective. So the key is to have a Guru who one can rely on for accurate and unbiased instruction.

Of course before accepting a Guru we read the Bhagavada Gita in order to see the example of the perfect Spiritual Master, Lord Sri Krishna, and then we can see if the Guru is teaching in the same spirit. We also see Arjuna’s example of performing one’s prescribed duty for the pleasure of Krishna. It sounds cliché but the key is to understand that we are not the body. All flawed perspectives are based on neglect of this fundamental truth.

Queen Kunti, like her son, Arjuna, is an eternally liberated soul who plays the part of one with material attachments in order to teach us by her example. As the most chaste wife and mother, she prays to Krishna to sever her tie of family affection which perpetuates the bodily conception of life.

Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 24

Queen Kunti said:

O Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, O personality of the form of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kinsmen, the Pandavas and the Vrsnis (SB 1.8.41).

Purport:

Generally a woman has affection for both her father’s family and husband’s family, and therefore Kunti prays to Krishna, “I am a woman, and women are generally attached to their families, so kindly cut off my attachment so that I may be thoroughly attached to You. Without You, both families are zero. I am falsely attached to these families, but my real purpose in life is to be attached to You.” This is bhakti

As long as I think, “I belong to this family,” “I belong to this nation,” “I belong to this religion,” “I belong to this color,” and so on, there is no possibility of becoming Krishna conscious. As long as one thinks that one is American, Indian, or African, that one belongs to this family or that family, or that one is the father, mother, husband, or wife of this or that person, one is attached to material designations. I am spirit soul, and all these attachments belong to the body, but I am not this body. This is the essence of understanding. END CITATION

But Queen Kunti is not giving up her association, duty, or love for her family, which is comprised of pure devotees. Her example is a lesson to us on how to perform our family duties for the pleasure of Krishna and thus become spiritually attached instead of materially attached. Srila Prabhupada describes this in the next chapter.

TQK Chapter 25:

Her affection for the Pandavas and the Vrsnis is not out of the range of devotional service, because the service of the Lord and the service of the devotees are identical. Sometimes service to the devotee is more valuable than service to the Lord. But here the affection of Kuntidevi for the Pandavas and the Vrsnis was due to family relation. This tie of affection in terms of material relation is the relation of maya, because the relations of the body or the mind are due to the influence of the external energy. Relations of the soul, established in relation with the Supreme Soul, are factual relations. When Kuntidevi wanted to cut off the family relation, she meant to cut off the relation of the skin. The skin relation is the cause of material bondage, but the relation of the soul is the cause of freedom. This relation of the soul to the soul can be established by the via medium of the relation with the Supersoul. END CITATION.

Devotee marriages are conducted under the direction of Krishna and the Spiritual Master, therefore the relation of one soul to another soul is possible. The only way to transform the material relationship into a relationship of, soul to soul, is to engage in the Yuga dharma- Chanting Hare Krishna. There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way!

Thus we have the only way for all of us to become chaste devotees of Krishna!

So we have given the Scriptural definition of chastity, the purpose for it, and the only way to achieve it.

Mukunda Goswami, now recuperating from his recent health problems, receives a surprise visit of Niranjana and Devamrita Swamis (Album with photos)
Mukunda Goswami was invited to visit a nearby restaurant of the devotees without knowing that it was all an organized, completely unexpected meeting with his dear godbrothers who had travelled from abroad just to meet him.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ws7g11

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Nityam Bhagavata-sevaya#26 Govardhana Lila - Part 2.
Dear Devotees, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! By the blessings of Vaishanavas and Sadhus, NBS magazine is completing its one year. We are grateful to our readers, our well wishers and most importantly our team. In this second issue of Govardhana Lila, the pastimes that took place underneath the Govardhana Hill is covered. Additionally, a fresh translation of Sri Govardhanashraya-Dasaka - Ten appeals for Shelter at Govardhana Hill, of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami has arrived. We pray this issue brings some pleasure to the devotees of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. NBS # 26 Features: 1) Indra’s Fury Towards The Residents Of Gokula Srila Sukadeva Goswami 2) Why Did Krishna Use Govardhana To Protect Vrajvasis? Sripad Vallabhacharya 3) Krishna Lifting Govardhana Hill His Divine Grace A .C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 4) The Pastimes Underneath Govardhana Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura 5) Sri Govardhanashraya-Dasaka Ten Appeals for Shelter at Govardhana Hill Srila Raghunatha Das Goswami This issue can be viewed through these links: ISSUU: http://issuu.com/nbsmag/docs/nbs_26 Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/doc/292420557/NBS-26

By Padmapani das

Ever since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the world has been faced with unprecedented danger and uncertainty. Recent headlines suggest that the threat of terrorism has reached critical proportions. News of another possible attack in the U.S. has been circulating in the press and the rhetoric of war has dominated world politics for quite some time. Once again we are forced to contemplate our fragility and mortality in this material world. Anything can happen now — and we know it.

For those of us old enough to remember, these recent events may conjure up memories of the Great Northeast Blackout in 1965. As a resident of Canada, I remember it well. Although quite young at the time, I distinctly recall the sense of fear and vulnerability that arose in my heart. I realized for the first time that our civilization wasn’t as strong and secure as we had been led to believe.

“At 5:27 p.m., November 9, 1965, the entire Northeast area of the United States and large parts of Canada went dark. From Buffalo to the eastern border of New Hampshire and from New York City to Ontario, a massive power outage struck without warning. Trains were stuck between subway stops. People were trapped in elevators. Failed traffic signals stopped traffic dead. And, at the height of the Cold War, many thought Armageddon had arrived. One pilot flying over a darkened New York City stated, ‘I thought, another Pearl Harbor!’ By 5:40 p.m. that evening, 80,000 square miles of the Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada, were without power, leaving 30 million people in the dark. New York City was particularly hit by this blackout, due to its reliance on electricity for nearly all aspects of city life.”

(The Blackout History Project)

At the time, Srila Prabhupada was staying in New York at Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio on Riverside Drive. He had recently arrived from Butler, Pennsylvania where he had been a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Agarwal for a month after arriving in the U.S. from India. Describing the blackout in a letter to Sally Agarwal, Srila Prabhupada wrote the following words:

“Yes there was all darkness in New York on the 10th instant and it was not a happy incident. I learn that many people remained in the elevators and in the subway trains for more than seven to eight hours in darkness. I do not read newspapers but there must have been some mishaps also which we do not know. That is the way of material civilisation too much depending on machine. At any time the whole thing may collapse and therefore we may not be self complacent depending so much on artificial life. The modern life of civilisation depends wholly on electricity and petrol and both of them are artificial for man.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter to “My dear daughter Sally,” November 13, 1965)

More than forty years later, the world is even more dependent on electricity and petrol. The Internet (on which this website is being published) has become the preferred method of communication. We now (reportedly) have satellites orbiting the earth which allow us to communicate across the globe in seconds. Our methods of warfare are now laser-guided and accurate to the Nth degree. Yet are we any safer as a result?

Intelligence reports claim that the Internet is now being used by terrorists and others of ill intent who communicate freely with each other. In fact, the World Wide Web itself may be attacked and brought down at a moment’s notice. The very fabric and infrastructure of our society could unravel without warning. The situation is perilous. Therefore Srila Prabhupada continually warned us that there is danger at every step in this material world (padam padam yad vipadam), and he urged us to immediately take to Krishna consciousness for the solution to all problems:

“As long as we are in this material world, there must be calamities because this is the place of calamity. But even with calamities our business should be to develop our Krishna consciousness, so that after giving up this body we may go back home, back to Krishna.”

(Teachings of Queen Kunti, Chapter 8)

Not only has Srila Prabhupada helped us to identify the source of all our miseries in this temporary world (duhkhalayam asasvatam), but he has meticulously provided the means of relief in his voluminous books and instructions. Despite that we are now in the midst of troubled times in a perpetually troubled world, we are still very fortunate to have Srila Prabhupada as our eternal spiritual preceptor. Although he has physically departed from this world, Srila Prabhupada so mercifully continues to guide us. The only qualification is that we hear from him sincerely and with faith.

“In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.”

(Srila Prabhupada letter, November 22, 1974)

In whatever condition of life we may now find ourselves it is to our eternal benefit to arrange our lives in such a way that we can follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to the best of our ability. Although we can never fully repay him for the tremendous gift that he has given us all, at the very least we can be loyal to Srila Prabhupada and stick tightly to his lotus feet. After all, there is no safer place to be.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

December 7. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
The weather grew cold, but there was no snow in December. On Columbus Avenue shops were selling Christmas trees, and the continental restaurants were bright with holiday lighting. On Seventy-second the Retailers’ Association erected tall red poles topped with green tinsel Christmas trees. The tops of the trees on both sides of the street sprouted tinsel garlands that spanned the street and joined in red tinsel stars surrounded by colored lights. Although Srila Prabhupada did no Christmas shopping, he visited many bookstores – Orientalia, Sam Weiser’s, Doubleday, the Paragon, and others – trying to sell his Srimad-Bhagavatams. Mrs. Ferber, the wife of the Paragon Book Gallery proprietor, considered Prabhupada “a pleasant and extremely polite small gentleman.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=3

Mangal Arati Of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath;29th November 2015

New York Times Headlines: “New York City Hospitals Report Marked Rise in LSD Cases Admitted for Care.”  “Protest Against U.S. Participation in Vietnam War Mounts.”

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Q: Your article “Varṇāśrama is Natural” makes sense but I have some lingering doubts. Is there really no need to impose guidelines on how that natural behavior should take place?

Yes, Varṇāśrama is a social system and every social system has rules that govern the behavior of its citizens. But the previous article was specifically addressing the point that comes out from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport on 4.2.31: That the basic structure of Varṇāśrama is natural and automatically inherent in every society. What we learn from this is that the basic structure of Varṇāśrama doesn’t need to be “implemented” it just needs to be recognized.

The basic structure of Varṇāśrama – that people are naturally inclined to one of four types of occupations (varṇa) and should be treated accordingly in the various phases of their life (āśrama) – is the most important part of the Varṇāśrama system, the absolute essence of it. The other details are relative and adjusted according to this basic principle.

For example, any social, including Varṇāśrama, has rules pertaining to   sexuality. The interesting thing about the Varṇāśrama system, however, is that those rules apply differently to different people. A śudra and brāhmaṇa, for example, are both enjoined to celibacy (brahmacārya)  śudras are asked to do it for very short periods of time, a few days at a stretch, while brāhmaṇas are asked to do it for life. And besides this varṇa adjustment, there is also an āśrama adjustment (creating 4×4 basic sets of individualizations for every social rule). As we can easily see, for example, “celibacy” – even for a brāhmaṇa – must be defined one way  for the brahmacārī āśrama, but another way for the gṛhastha-āśrama. If not, if only the strictest definition were applicable to everyone at every stage of their life, then Varṇāśrama would make braḥmaṇas extinct, they would have no children.

So, yes, there are specific rules in Varṇāśrama, but that is not the essential core of what Varṇāśrama is. At its core, Varṇāśrama is a system of rules along with a system for how to customize those rules by recognizing the natural needs and capacities of individuals.

– Vraja Kishor

www.VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: brahmacarya, Celibacy, Varnashrama, Varnasrama

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Harinama in Hollywood, Venice Beach and more (Album with photos)
A wonderful week in L.A. Eight Harinama’s in six days, did service with Ratna Bhusana prabhu and crew cooking the Thanksgiving Feast. Enlivening morning programs, Darshan of Srila Prabhupada in his rooms, Harinama’s at Venice Beach, Hollywood Blvd, Macarthur Park (Little Mexico) and 4th Street Mall- Santa Monica. Big thanks to Mukunda Dhatta prabhu for engaging the Harinama Ruci World SKP Party along with Mahavishnu Swami. Svavasa and Naikatma prabhus rate a 10 as Temple managers.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/pMnXVf

By Kesava Krsna dasa

Have we ever embellished a telling of a lie with an assortment of trivial details to disguise the actual truth? Have we ever pretended to be someone we never were, by exuding a persona larger than ourselves? Are there any angels among us who can boldly claim to have never fibbed; ever – even to get out of an awkward situation? The truth is out; there are no foolproof ways of telling if someone is lying or not. Shifty eyes, truth drugs and lie detectors can provide clues but not guarantee the truth, and so are not admissible in a court of law. The certainty is, according to those in the know – the human analyzers – everybody fibs. Mark Twain had this to say: “Everybody lies….every day, every hour, awake, asleep, in his dreams, in his joy, in his mourning. If he keeps his tongue still his hands, his feet, his attitude will convey deception.” The reason why people are habitual liars is because it works for them. Within the increasingly deterministic society where selfishness reigns and falsities such as the big bang, evolution and atheism condition the human mind to live accordingly, and deepen their false identity with the body, untruths become truth. BG 16.7 says that no truth is found in the demoniac. Continue reading "We Do Not Tell Lies Do We?
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My Relationship with My Salary (3 min video)
Ananga Sakhi Dasi is a Research Technician at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA. Here she shares about her relationship with her salary she and how she chooses to engage it in Lord Krishna’s service. She is a practitioner of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Tradition in Bhakti.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/trBa7R

By Urmila Devi Dasi

The individuality of the self is a central teaching in Vaisnava philosophy, but what is our practical understanding of this term? Individuality is present in all living beings on both a material and a spiritual level. This article translates how this concept needs to relate to education practices in ISKCON today. A good education system in Krsna consciousness must show respect for individuality, first by recognising differences as inherent and value-neutral. The failure either to recognise the existence of distinct personality types or to accept them as value-neutral lead to various problems to the development of an individual or a society, one of the most damaging of which is an understanding that spiritual perfection is an adjustment of material personality. Teachers must then learn to establish a rapport with students based on this understanding, and respect and adjust their teaching methods accordingly to give useful direction for vocation and spiritual service that will be in harmony with each individual's nature. We can then go beyond respecting individuality, to glorifying diversity as a means of pleasing the Lord.

The Gaudiya Vaisnava position on individuality. Continue reading "Respect for Individuality
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How the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK was found and bought.
Dhananjaya: By the end of 1972 nothing had happened. Prabhupada wrote to me, "Better to take the upper hand and begin very energetically attempting to get some place. Expending energy for Krishna, that is appreciated and not the actual result of our energy. But if there is lack of energy being devoted for some purpose, then everything will be delayed and possibly stopped. Better to seize the iron while the fire is hot, that my guru maharaj used to tell me." Prabhupada presumed that the iron was getting a little cold. Then in January of 1973, in a freezing cold, miserable British winter, we got information about a property called Piggot’s Manor in Letchmore Heath, 17 miles from central London. This was the one and only time I didn’t go as a devotee, with a shaved head, dhoti, tilak and kurta, but went disguised with trousers, coat and hat. The previous property George and I had looked at was an amazing health spa outside of the city of Oxford with an indoor heated swimming pool, a beautiful conservatory, saunas and mud baths and more than a hundred acres of land. The asking price was 330,000 pounds. After George saw that property he said, "This is a bit rich for you people, isn’t it? You’re supposed to be renunciants. Even I would have a hard time remaining Krishna conscious in this environment." Then we got the details on the Manor, which was being sold for 220,000 pounds—110,000 pounds cheaper than the previous property. This time George didn’t come but I phoned him from a pay phone in what is now the Manor temple room, and I described the details and the price. He said, "It’s a lot cheaper than the previous property. What do you think?" I said, "I think it’s a fabulous place." He said, "All right, I trust your judgement. I can’t come to see it because we’re having some meetings in Los Angeles with Allen Klein, our financial advisor, about selling the Apple Company." George gave me the names and phone numbers of legal people who could do the paper work to buy the property, and said, "Phone them up, tell them that you want to secure this property, and when the transaction is complete, I’ll come and see it." The paperwork took about six months. George had set up a foundation called the Material World Charitable Foundation. He said, "The profits from the Living In the Material World LP album will go towards paying for that property, but it’ll go through my foundation." And that’s what happened—the Material World Charitable Foundation paid for the property, and the agreement was that we would pay 10 pounds a year rent, which is called a peppercorn rent. It’s the absolute minimum that you can pay for a costly property. We acquired the Manor from a Scottish lady, Mrs. Ruffles, who was from Aberdeen, a city in northern Scotland. The story is that the Scots are quite mean, but even in Scotland, people from Aberdeen are called Aberdonians, and are considered extremely mean. Before we moved into the property, Mrs. Ruffles removed every single doorknob from every single door. She removed a pair of brass lion’s head doorknockers from the front doors to the house. She removed all the pelmets and siphoned off all the diesel fuel (for the central heating) from the tanks. Mrs. Ruffles took away all the coal for the fireplaces. When Prabhupada went on an inspection, there were a couple of doors we couldn’t open because there were no doorknobs or door handles or any way to open the doors, so we had to show him those rooms later on. When we showed him his quarters upstairs, with its huge living room, a huge old-fashioned bathroom and a comfortable bedroom, he was happy. He said, "Yes, this is a nice facility for the spiritual master." All this time the Deities that had been sent from India were in our temple sewing room. Generally when there’s a new temple project, first we get the land and house and then the Deities come. But in this situation, the Deities came one year before we acquired Bhaktivedanta Manor. When Prabhupada came in the summer of 1973, he asked me, "Where are the Deities that came to England in 1972?" I said, "They’re stored in Bury Place." Prabhupada said, "We will install those Deities in this property." And that’s what happened. On Janmastami Day of 1973, Srila Prabhupada installed the Deities and he named Them Sri Sri Radha-Gokulananda. He had intended to call the community New Gokula, and the bliss of Gokula is Radha-Gokulananda. One of the first things George did when he returned from Los Angeles was visit the Manor. We took him on a tour of all the rooms because by that time we’d gotten door handles and doorknobs and we showed him the gardens and the lake and all the other places. George was curious about everything. He liked the Manor and thought it was a good value for the money. Then Shyamasundar brought George to the temple room and said, "Wouldn’t some crystal chandeliers look great here?" George said, "Yeah, that would be really nice," and George bought a pair of beautiful chandeliers for 3,000 pounds—after he had just bought the Manor for us.

KK Bindu # 364, A first-time translation of a rare song, “The Real Meaning of Sevaka”, and more … The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes: * THE GOPIS’ LUST FOR KRISHNA – Reflections from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. * FIRM FAITH IN GURU – Instructions from from His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada: “A sincere disciple has the same devotion for his gurudeva that he has for the Supreme Lord. And he worships and serves him the same way. Those who do not serve their gurudeva this way fall from their position as a disciple.” * THE BRANCH AND THE MOON – An insightful analogy explained by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja, * THE REAL MEANING OF SEVAKA – A first time translation done for this issue OF Bindu from a little known book called “Manah Siksa”, by the poet Premananda Das.
It can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/bindu364

UK devotees distributed more than 20.000 Srila Prabhupada’s books, in just a few days, coming closer to the 100.000 goal set for this December marathon.
Sutapa das: As of Friday we have distributed 15,000 books! Yesterday, Saturday 5th Dec, we took it beyond the 20,000 mark. There are 100-150 devotees that went out - Sacred Street Party, Manor Harinam team, Bhakti Vriksa groups across London, Door to Door teams, Traveling sankirtan parties across the UK, and other book distributors.
Sankirtana Yajna ki Jaya!