Planet ISKCON

In ISKCON, we have many varieties of devotees from entry level to advanced. While all of them look similar externally, they are not internally. The mood and prayer of a devotee is very difficult to judge by one's external outfit or behavior. To a certain extent, one can judge based on one's words and actions, however, even that can be deceptive. Therefore, we have to be careful as to who is elevated and who is not. To really understand who is elevated requires understanding of lives of great vaishnava devotees, understanding of scriptures and also one should try to aspire for one's self. When we do all of the above, the Lord who is within our heart will help us identify who is pure and not pure. Till then, it is best we engage ourselves as best as we can in a mood humble prayer and service.

There are many great devotees who have shared their inner thoughts through poems and prayers. Below is one such prayer I found by King Kulaśekhara in his Mukunda Mala stotra (5) to be very inspiring. When we constantly meditate on such prayers, our consciousness will distill the dirt in our heart and we will start to see the shining light of Godhead emerge in the horizons of our consciousness.

nāsthā dharme na vasu-nicaye naiva kāmopabhoge
 yad bhāvyaṁ tad bhavatu bhagavan pūrva-karmānurūpam
etat prārthyaṁ mama bahu-mataṁ janma-janmāntare ’pi
 tvat-pādāmbho-ruha-yuga-gatā niścalā bhaktir astu

I have no attraction for performing religious rituals or holding any earthly kingdom. I do not care for sense enjoyments; let them appear and disappear in accordance with my previous deeds. My only desire is to be fixed in devotional service to the lotus feet of the Lord, even though I may continue to take birth here life after life.

Hare Krishna

Love is in the Details.
Radhanath Swami: Bhakti is about detail, little things. Big things are wonderful, but even more wonderful are the little things within the big things. And if you don’t have a big thing, equally wonderful is the little things.

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Aerial footage of Kusum Sarovara with the music of Jahnavi Harrison.

Monday 16 November the Hindu Forum Europe (HFE) celebrated Diwali for the first time in the EU Parliament, Brussels. Host MEP, Neena Gill congratulated Hindus with this big success. ISKCON devotees from Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland were among the more than 100 attendees of this historical event.

By Mahaprabhu das ISKCON communications

Monday 16 November the Hindu Forum Europe (HFE) celebrated Diwali for the first time in the EU Parliament, Brussels. Host MEP, Neena Gill congratulated Hindus with this big success. The Ambassador of India, Mr. Manjeev Singh Puri, and the Ambassador of Mauritius, Mr. J. Koonjul, lit symbolically a dipa in the presence of other MEPs and staff of the Parliament. ISKCON devotees from Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland were among the more than 100 attendees of this historical event. According to key organizer, Mahaprabhu Das, HFE is planning to celebrate Diwali every year in the European Parliament.
In the speeches of the various speakers, the recent acts of violence in Paris and other parts of the world were mentioned. They underlined the relevance of the Diwali festival in Europe’s dark times. There is a growing need to illuminate the world with the wonderful qualities of Lord Sri Ramacandra, glorified by millions as the greatest King

Our parikrama party spent a wonderful day in Talavan – one of Vrindavan’s 12 major forests. The scenic beauty of the forest stole our hearts, as did the kirtans led by Bada Haidas prabhu and the katha we spoke about Krsna and Balarama’s pastimes.Talavan is a ‘must-see’ for all devotees who visit Vrindavan!

What’s better than celebrating Govardhana Puja? Celebrating it twice!

TKG Academy students, along with the Sunday-school students, got to participate in the Temple’s Govardhana Puja grand celebration last Sunday. They’ve been working in small groups, studying and creating displays of the various pastime places, which were exhibited near the hill. The program began with the Preschool and Lower Elementary students singing about Lord Krsna’s pastimes on Govardhana Hill. The Sunday-school children then narrated the main story of this special event. Next, they, along with the TKG Academy students guided the devotees and guests on a Parikrama around the hill, narrating and enacting the special pastimes of each place. Their enlivening presentations were appreciated by all. In conclusions, TKG Academy students recited verses from the Nectar of Instruction in glorification of Govardhana Hill and Radha Kunda.

And, if that is not enough, yesterday, on the actual day of Govardhana Puja, the students brought a variety of preparations to be offered to Krsna in the form of Govardhana. They created a halvah hill, identified the locations of the different temples, Kundas and other special places, and decorated them all with loads of sweets. Krsna surely must have a very sweet tooth to devour all of their wonderful, devotional offerings!

Govadhana puja photos from ISKCON SALEM (Album with 118 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Krishna consciousness movement supplies materially stricken people with the medicine of the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and the diet of prasadam. The centres of the Krishna consciousness movement are the only established hospitals that can cure man of birth, death, old age and disease. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 10.51 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/it1PU4

Wednesday, November 11^th, 2015

Brooklyn, New York

Now That The Walk’s Done

Well, our walk through a portion of the US northeast is now complete but the activity of trekking will not cease. Like so many tourists who come to New York, walking over one of the multiple bridges is a must do. I imagine the Brooklyn Bridge is a popular one and so our core group left Manhattan for Brooklyn via that causeway over the water.

We made our way to Schermerhorn Street where the temple of Radha Govinda is located. There, darshan, or the viewing of the gorgeous deities, blesses the eyes and in the basement, you can secure a marvelous meal with a veggie nut loaf as one of the main features.

I had asked the boys who travelled with me for some or more of the 950 mile walk to make some comment about it.

Jake was with us for the last day.

Jake: “While I was walking and focusing on the mantra, I was caring less about some of the physical pain I was going through. The mantra has power.”

Mandala was with us for the last 2 ½ weeks.

Mandala: “The walking really helped me to cultivate determination.”

Vivasvan was with me the whole time as my driving support person. He did a lot of walking as well.

Vivasvan: “It was a life changing experience. It makes you re-evaluate how you see things and brings you closer to people and nature. I found out things about myself that didn’t reveal themselves to me before. Overall, the walk was better than skydiving.”

The final cap that we put on the day was to honour Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at the Iskcon Towaco Center. There, I spoke about Rama and the epic nature of His story. Rama spent many steps trudging through the forests of India.

May the Source be with you!

4 miles / 7 km

Vrindavan’s Lovely Talavan Forest (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Our parikrama party spent a wonderful day in Talavan - one of Vrindavan’s 12 major forests. The scenic beauty of the forest stole our hearts, as did the kirtans led by Bada Haidas Prabhu and the Katha we spoke about Krsna and Balarama’s pastimes.Talavan is a ‘must-see’ for all devotees who visit Vrindavan!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/L2MbQk

On behalf of his Godbrothers and Sisters in Memory of Chaitanya Simha

14 November 2015. 76 years ago today, a boy named John was born in an insignificant bump in the road called Moose Hill, Ontario, in Canada. He grew up on a farm where his parents raised cows for slaughter. Later, he left home and travelled to Port Hardy, at the north end of Vancouver Island. He was into all kinds of intoxication,

But one day, a friend sent him Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. After reading it, John decided to go to Vancouver and spend his Christmas holidays at the Hare Krishna Temple on 16th and Burrard. He went out every day with another new bhakta, named Roger. John soon became known as Krishna John and was a popular sight on the corner of Georgia and Granville, happily distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books and Spiritual Sky incense.

The tale unfolds that Srila Prabhupada heard about Krishna John in Vancouver and his architectural and engineering knowhow. He sent for him to come to Los Angeles and design an incense-making machine for Spiritual Sky incense factory. Pleased with the results, Srila Prabhupada asked him to stay and complete the L.A. temple construction for Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish. He also designed and built the first Chakra in North America to grace the top of the temple, and Prabhupada was so pleased. During this time, he because first, and then brahmana initiated, and Srila Prabhupada gave our Krishna John the name of Caitanya Simha das.

One day, Srila Prabhupada called him to his room and told Caitanya Simha of a new building that had been purchased in New York City; a 13-story tall building, ISKCON’s first big building in New York. Prabhupada was excited, just like a small child. It was an old nursing home, in bad repair, and needed to be completely rewired and new plumbing throughout, and so many major renovations had to be made. Caitanya was about to say that it would take a year to complete the transformation, when Srila Prabhupada said, “I am scheduled to be in New York in 6 weeks…” Caitanya Simha packed up his small family and moved to New York in the morning. 6 weeks later, Srila Prabhupada arrived on schedule, and the temple was finished.

From there Prabhupada sent him to Bhaktivedanta Manor for some reconstruction work, then to Bombay, to complete the construction of the Juhu Beach temple and the guest house and Prabhupada’s living quarters. Then on to land which had been donated in Gujarat, where Caitanya started an ISKCON farm and built a temple, and a goshalla with 8 cows.

Once that project was up and running, Srila Prabhupada requested him to go to Hyderabad farm, a 600-acre project in South India which was in trouble. Caitanya rescued the farm, planted the land, developed cow protection, established the temple and Deity worship, all for Srila Prabhupada, his beloved guide and spiritual master. During that time, he heard that Srila Prabhupada was in Vrndavan, very ill and soon to be leaving his body. With no money and great difficulty, he travelled to Vrndavan in the hopes of seeing his master one more time. By the time he arrived, early in the evening, just days before Srila Prabhupada’s departure, he was told that Prabhupada was no longer seeing any devotees. The doors were closed and he could not get in.

While he and his family were standing outside Srila Prabhupada’s windows which overlooked a small garden, suddenly the heavy drapes were pulled aside and the French doors were opened, and they could take a last personal darshan of their beloved Srila Prabhupada. No one else was there. Later Bhavananda Prabhu told them that the doors and windows had been closed for many weeks, but suddenly Srila Prabhupada ordered them to be opened. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

Just days after Caitanya returned to Hyderabad Farm, Srila Prabhupada left for his nitya lila and returned to Krishna’s lotus feet. Although many left, Caitanya understood that Srila Prabhupada remains always with us in his books, his vani, tapes, lectures, and the worldwide association of devotees. Srila Prabhupada is ever-present in his mission to follow in Lord Caitanya’s footsteps and to distribute Krishna in the form of His Holy Name to every town and village around the globe. He kindly allows and encourages us to assist in this mission, and so Caitanya Simha Prabhu did just that, carrying on to assist in establishing temples and communities in Bangalore, Bhadrak, Bhubaneswar, and then to Sri Mayapur dham. He designed and built the beautiful fountain, which graced the front lawn of Mayapur for so many years. He helped with Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi and most recently with the TOVP, Srila Prabhupada’s most ambitious project to date.

Today, Caitanya Simha Prabhu has left his body in Sri Mayapur dham, in the month of Kartik, after calling out to Srila Prabhupada. One of his last visitors was Bhakta Roger (for many years now His Grace Riddha Prabhu, his sankirtan buddy from Georgia and Granville days. What a full circle!

Caitanya Simha has always given his all to his beloved spiritual master. Prabhupada called him again and again and he did not ever hesitate to do whatever was asked of him. Now is the final great test, and he is ready and surrendered to go wherever Srila Prabhupada is calling him next…on to the next big project Prabhupada has waiting for him or right back Home to Godhead, whatever Prabhupada wants.

This is the amazing legacy that Srila Prabhupada has given us. When one small boy from Moose Hill, Ontario, with such a seemingly inauspicious beginning, can leave material life forever, and return finally to the spiritual world. This is the amazing gift that Srila Prabhupada has given each and every one of us. We have only to follow the example of Caitanya Simha Prabhu and surrender to Prabhupada’s lotus feet.

Hare Krishna!

Written by

Racitambara devi dasi

Goshala Cow Barn for the cows of New Ramana Reti, Alachua.
We are proud to present the new Goshala Cow Barn, one part of the eco-teaching farm project. Srila Prabhupada desired self-sufficient communities created by devotees, so that dependency on outside economic forces is minimized and a “simple living, high thinking” culture is promoted. Thanks to the generosity of many donors near and far, the new cow barn brings us a step closer to realizing this vision at New Raman Reti.
The barn is designed to milk two cows as well as be a space for various self-sufficiency classes, such as cow care and protection, growing food, natural building techniques, permaculture, textiles, and more. “It is basically a school for how to maintain cows and live a life based on agriculture,” Akuti devi dasi says. She provided the original design of the structure, with input by members of the “Cow Board” – Kesihanta das, Citralekha Morrill, Ram Gardner, Tapasvini devi dasi, Mukhya devi dasi, Kardama Muni das, Akincana Krsna das and Varuni devi dasi. Akuti prabhu provided much of the finishing and carpentry work, and Akincana Krsna prabhu worked closely with the contractor and sub-contractors overseeing the daily functions of the building process. The barn will eventually be solar-powered, and an outside pavilion with benches is also in the works. Akuti prabhu foresees summer educational camps, retreat cabins and gardens as part of the Eco Teaching Farm. Groups of volunteers, including many college student eco-groups, have already come and helped with farm projects and learning opportunities. Bhakta Nathan is also an important member of the Eco Teaching Farm.
New Raman Reti was purchased in1977, and cow protection was always an integral part of its mission. Cows played a role here from the early years, providing milk for our Deities and oxen were employed to till the land. Save the Cow, a program to maintain and protect older cows, has been active since 2003. Now New Raman Reti is entering another exciting phase of cow protection by developing a sustainable, long-term plan for a manageable herd of cows and oxen. This will again provide fresh milk for the Deities and create a facility where many can learn how to care for these animals. Cows are gentle creatures with a full range of emotions and, of course, a favorite of Lord Krishna. Their protection is the basis of brahminical culture. We look forward to our ongoing expansion of Go-Raksha (cow protection) here at Alachua Temple.
Sridevi dasi reporting

Govardhana Puja 2015 Festival in San Diego, USA (Album with 88 HR photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “If one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda, then very quickly he is cleansed of all offences. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.31)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/PiakpT

Celebrating Govardhan Puja in Hare Krishna temple of Ariel, Israel, 2015 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “As a result of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Krishna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.28)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VLVKlC

ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor

POSTED: 5^th November 2015

ROLE: Bakery Manager

RESPONSIBILITY: Produce and sell quality food and drink (Prasad) items to a growing community of happy customers from the surrounding area, temple visitors and the temple community.

KEY SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Follower of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON.

• Positive and self-motivated.

• Passion for hospitality, tasty and presentable food preparations.

• Excellent communication and customer service skills and have experience of building positive relationships with different internal/external stakeholders.

• Clear ability and experience in devotional food preparation, management and sales..

• Have knowledge of Health & Safety and possession of a Level 3 Food Hygiene qualification or equivalent an advantage.

• Basic business experience an advantage

LOCATION: Bhaktivedanta Manor, Dharam Marg, Hilfield Lane, Aldenham WD25 9AH

SALARY: Competitive

CONTRACT: Permanent

HOURS: Full time

START DATE: As soon as possible

How to Apply

Applications are by CV only, highlighting relevant experience. For further information please contact: brijlata@krishnatemple.com.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 31^st November 2015

SUBMISSIONS TO: brijlata@krishnatemple.com

INTERVIEW DATES: TBC

Vaishnavanghri Sevaka das: For Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON) this year 2015 is very important as it marks the beginning of golden jubilee celebrations, which started from Jaladuta yatra in August 2015. Now the disappearance centennial of Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja on November 22, 2015 (Utthana Ekadasi) will make the celebration more auspicious and successful. Srila Babaji Maharaja disappeared from this material world on November 17, 1915, which makes the disappearance day in 2015 as the disappearance centennial festival.
There are unlimited pastimes of Srila Babaji Maharaja, which are all carefully recorded for the benefit of present and future generations as guidance in non-duplicious devotional service. He occupies the 30th position in our disciplic succession as the initiating spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaja. The disappearance pastimes of Srila Babaji Maharaja are so astonishing that even common men will be taken by surprise. At his disappearance time heads of many mathas wanted to own the dead body for constructing a Samadhi as the means of constant fund collection. But, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja, who was not a Sannyasi at that time, but a celibate brahmachari, vehemently opposed their attempts. He boldly declared saying, “ I am the only disciple of Srila Babaji Maharaja. Though I am not a Sannyasi like you all, but a strict Celibate brahmachari. Only the one who is pure in character with complete renunciation can give Samadhi to Srila Babaji Maharaja. One who within last one year, or the last six months, three months, one month or at least within the last three days had not any illicit sex with a woman only can touch the spiritual body of Srila Babaji Maharaja. If anyone touches it without meeting this criterion, he will be ruined”. A skeptical police officer expressed his doubt upon hearing these words by saying, “what evidence can be sought for this?” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati confidently said “I will have faith in their words”. At that moment for the police officer’s surprise everyone turned away one by one, not able to touch the divine body of Srila Babaji Maharaja. Such are the powerful pastimes of Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja.
Srila Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji Maharaja strongly propagated non-duplicitous haribhajana with complete renunciation. He had only one disciple, who had one moon like disciple among many stars that is Srila Prabhupada. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate the festivals of our eternally liberated acharyas for a rapid progress in spiritual journey, which enables us to contribute something to Srila Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON). So let’s individually and collectively pray for the mercy of Srila Babaji Maharaja for triumph of ISKCON in all fronts all over the world in coming years.

AFFCAP November – December Newsletter.
AFFCAP is an independent, third party, non-profit organization which certifies goshallas to a basic standard of care and protection. It does so by registering and inspecting goshallas, while keeping records of every animal for life. This undertaking ensures that: “No animal is being made available, knowingly or unknowingly, for Slaughter”.
Download it here: http://goo.gl/5xpLo0

In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna states that whatever you think of at the time of death will determine your destination. Is there a difference in destination for an initiated and an uninitiated devotee if they both think of Krsna at the time of death?

The post Susmita Devi Dasi asks appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

By Rsiraja Das

In two previous posts published on my blog [1] I explored the flaws in the materialist reduction of free will to rationality and discussed the use of free will in science. The second post concluded by arguing that every conscious experience involves choices, and these may be good or bad―depending on whether they are successful. This post extends the above arguments to incorporate our everyday notions about morality―i.e. good and bad―in the context of science. The key claim is that what we call a “working theory” is not just one that is compatible with all the observable facts, but also one that frees us from the consequences of the choices. A “non-working theory” is one that which creates consequences. The difference between a working and a non-working theory is called karma in Vedic philosophy, by which our false notions about reality bind us to the world.

From Philosophy to Science

The previous two posts argued for the inclusion of choices in our thinking about the world from a philosopher’s standpoint. They showed why the denial of free will is false because science depends upon free will in its method of fact and theory selection, since facts underdetermine theories and theories underdetermine facts.

This argument may be adequate for the philosopher of science, but not for the scientist who is looking to formulate a new theory of nature which can be empirically tested. If free will is real, then its presence must be empirically testable. What kinds of theories are needed to formulate such predictions? This post will try to fill that gap.

As argued in the earlier post, choices result in the selection and interpretation of facts. The standard scientific approach to this selection and interpretation is that it might produce a false theory if our selection and interpretation is flawed, but the fact that I possess a flawed theory of nature has no consequences other than my personal illusion. This position in science arises from the rejection of meanings in the natural world. That is, whether the glass is half-full or half-empty is not an objective fact about the world, and merely our interpretation. The theory I formulate about the world, therefore, also has no natural consequences other than my mind being under illusion.

The rejection of meanings in the world is itself an outcome of the mind-body duality in which all interpretations of the world are in the mind, but not in matter, and since science only measures material objects, this truth has no material consequences. I have separately shown why this separation is a problem in science―it results in incompleteness. For instance, if you are asked to describe the meaning in a book, and you respond by measuring the height, weight, and speed of the book, you will incompletely describe the book. Many books may have the same height, weight, and speed, and measurement of such properties will not decide the meaning. If, therefore, science relies on the measurement of physical properties and rejects meanings as being natural properties of the book, then it will also remain predictively incomplete. Common examples of such incompleteness are seen in the proliferation of randomness in probabilities in modern scientific theories―e.g. quantum theory and the theory of evolution.

Science and Meanings

The remedy for this flaw requires a revision to our notions about matter from being meaningless things to meaningful symbols. Whether the glass is half-full or half-empty is now an objective fact about the glass, not just our interpretation.

Clearly, now, since the meanings about the world are present in the world, the consequence of a false theory cannot merely be my mental illusion. Rather, a false theory must also have some material consequences―i.e. those that act on my body.

The key point is that the inclusion of choices in science depends on a revision to our materialist ideology by incorporating yet another category of matter―meaning.

In Vedic philosophy, these two categories of matter are called sthula (gross) and sukshma (subtle) matter. If science remains limited to sthula or gross matter, then choices can never be part of science, although they can be part of philosophy of science. Choices become part of science only when meanings themselves are viewed materially―although not the same kind of matter that science presently studies―because now the effects of choice (selection and interpretation) are also objective facts in matter (and not just in the mind).

Cause, Effect, and Consequence

When meanings are objectively in matter, then numerous questions about meanings―such as the aesthetic in some art, the form in some music, the meaning in a book, the economic value of an object, the goodness of action―will all be scientific questions rather than a matter of our social-cultural-national sensibilities.

It now becomes possible to distinguish between two kinds of causalities.

First, the interaction between material objects―which is traditionally modeled as a cause-effect relation―is now modeled differently as the interaction between meanings rather than as the interaction between things. This results in new kinds of laws that deal in addition and removal of meanings. For example, if you have a statement “I love you”, and you add the word “too” into it, the resulting meaning differs depending on whether the resulting statement is “I too love you” or “I love you too” (as one of many). If you were measuring the physical properties―e.g. mass―then the two additions would appear identical, and the physical theory will therefore incompletely explain the effect. The cause-effect relation with meanings can however be used to explain the difference between “I too love you” and “I love you too”, even though both statements have the same mass.

Second, since the addition of the word “too” creates two different meanings due to two kinds of choices, it is now possible to speak about the consequence of that choice, depending on whether the statement is true or false. Note that the question of truth arises only after the question of meaning has been settled. If the meaning itself is unknown, then the truth of that meaning cannot be judged. The cause-consequence relation therefore follows a semantic formulation of the cause-effect relation.

The cause-effect relation now deals in meanings, while the cause-consequence relation deals in truth. If the world is devoid of meanings, then the cause-effect relation is incompletely understood, and the cause-consequence relation simply cannot be comprehended. The shift from physical properties to meanings, therefore not only modifies the currently known laws of nature, but also inducts a new class of laws that were previously unforeseen. The latter represents the consequences of making a choice, and they apply to the person or individual who makes the choice.

The Law of Karma

The law of karma in Vedic philosophy (and indeed in numerous Eastern religious philosophies) is a moral law that judges a person’s actions. All judgments are based on whether an act is right or wrong, and these judgments are in turn based on comprehending the meanings of actions. For instance, before you can judge whether an act of shooting is right or wrong, you must first comprehend a physical sequence of events as “shooting”, which itself requires associating meanings with facts. If meanings are in our minds, then judgments too must be only in our minds, and not factual. However, when meanings become objective, then their judgments also become objective.

The law of karma is the objective and natural judgment of an action because nature is understood as meanings rather than physical things. Such a law has no place in current science because meanings are not objective. In a semantic science, however, meanings become objective, and hence their judgments are also objective. Now, it is possible to speak about cause-consequence relationship as natural laws.

While karma is often viewed as moral consequence, it is also a natural consequence although based not on the physical facts, not even based on the meanings of those facts, but on the judgment of whether those facts are true or false. It is noteworthy here to distinguish between facts and truths―both facts and truths exist, but not all existing things are true. E.g., falsities can also exist, and their existence doesn’t make them true.

Karma is simply the difference between the truth and the fact. This difference is objective and natural, and in Vedic philosophy, for every false action, a subtle material object is created which represents this difference between truth and fact. The living being (the individual who makes the original choices) is carried into new experiences due to this new kind of objective reality, which we can’t measure until it actually manifests into a result. In a sense, it exists, but it cannot be observed until it produces a result. If we deny its existence, then we cannot predict. But we cannot postulate its existence like the existence of a classical material object. Therefore, until this reality is converted into a phenomena, it exists as a possibility that would be fructified in the future.

The order in which this possibility is converted into a reality is a more complicated topic that I will not discuss here. For the interested reader, I have discussed this topic at length in Moral Materialism. This book also discusses the applications of this idea in the context of modern physics: specifically, the quantum probabilities can be understood as the potential for future results (measurement) created as a consequence of past actions (state preparation). The uniqueness of this view is that the quantum wavefunction is not probabilities although there are potentials. That is, if you have performed good actions, the result is definitely good, but it exists not as real objects, but as potentials to be fructified later. By rejecting probabilities we can complete the scientific description, without actually reducing it to a classical material world (it is noteworhty that many physicists today think that the quantum world becomes classical).

New Realities and Natural Laws

Skeptics often question the existence of the soul. The short answer to this challenge is that the existence of the soul can be scientifically proven through a new kind of scientific law that deals not in cause-effect but in cause-consequence relationships. As noted above, the former deals in meanings, while the latter in truths. Therefore, saying that “I love you too” may have one consequence if it is true, and another one if it is false.

The difference between these two utterances, therefore, cannot be modeled purely based upon the meaning of the statement (let alone the physical properties of the statement) but only based upon their truth. However, before this truth-based law can be formulated, the meaning-based laws must be understood.

The consequences of actions remain with the soul and carry that soul forward from one experience to another. Why some people have a good life, while others have a bad one, can be scientifically explained by the idea that these experiences are caused by a reality that cannot be observed until it manifests. Since it can be observed when it manifests, it must be supposed to exist. The only mystery is how it is created, and how it is destroyed. Karma is created only when our actions are false, and it is destroyed when its results have been reaped. The consequence, in effect, realizes the previous difference between truth and fact, thereby forcing you into a false state to counteract the falsity that you created previously. The law appears to be moral, but it is actually natural.

The scientific evidence for the existence of the soul is the law of karma. This law is two steps removed from current scientific laws which are laws of physical properties. Science must evolve to first incorporate meanings, and then truths. It is when science has taken these two steps, that choices would be seen as not only creating effects but also consequences for the actors. We will then see that these choices are free when they are true, but they bind us into consequences when they are false.

All that we consider mystical today can be scientific, although the concepts, laws, and theories underlying this mystique depends on a new way of thinking.

Empirical Success and Truth

The Vedic view about free will is that there is a soul which makes choices. The soul is transcendent and cannot be measured by material measurements; however, its presence can be detected by the consequences it creates on its own experiences. To validate these consequences, we need a law that makes accurate predictions, and this law is called the law of karma. It is as much a natural law as other laws in science, although it deals in truth conditions, and not meanings (or physical states).

The current denial of free will based on physical laws is flawed because these laws themselves were created by choices of fact selection and ordering. By recognizing these choices, we can update our philosophy of science to explicitly see the role of choices in the creation of scientific theories. However, only when science itself is modified to view meanings in matter can the real (consistent and complete) laws of cause-effect can be formulated. These laws will in turn indicate the cause-consequence laws, which will then present the scientific avenues to confirm a role for free will and the soul.

There can be numerous scientific theories that will appear to “work” upon a chosen set of facts and a chosen type of ordering scheme. But all these theories are not necessarily true, because there will be other theories that explain other facts in different ways, and the combination of these various theories will be logically inconsistent. An example of such theories is quantum theory, general relativity, and thermodynamics, which all “work” with limited set of facts, but they cannot be combined because combinations create logical contradictions. Such “working” theories are actually false, and would be replaced by a theory in future that is true―i.e, that is both consistent and complete.

In living by false theories, our choices are not just creating effects, but also consequences. We commonly see the effects of science―e.g., machines and technologies―but we don’t often understand their consequences―e.g. environmental, social, and cultural degradation. A new kind of science is needed that not only predicts the effects better than current science, but also frees us of the consequences of these choices.

[1] The previous posts on free will are called Do We Have Free Will? and What is Free Will, Really? You can read them on www.ashishdalela.com/blog

The post Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Struggling to feed innocent children in Nepal (Album with photos)
It is almost about two months that basic necessities such as food items, medical items and petroleum items have been blocked in Nepal.
Most of the peoples have been badly affected by this blockage. But the case of students is worst among all. These students are deprived of their daily meal, clothes, education, health etc. Thousands of children are not been able to go to their schools since schools are being closed down.
Food For Life Nepal requested few schools (where FFLN is conducting mid-day meal program) to not shut down school. Teachers are running schools with difficulty. And, Food For Life Nepal is feeding mid-day meal to 650+ innocent children in those schools.
FFLN staffs cook hygienic food in firewood, transport to those schools by walking and carrying pots personally.
On 11th November while we were distributing meal to those student one student named ALOK came forward and told something. He said “Thank you uncle. I had not eaten anything for last two days.” Tears were profusely falling from his eyes. Our volunteers also cried. He is just a sample and almost every child is facing similar problems. Their parents are not been able to fulfill basic necessities due to overall condition of nation.
He thanked to our volunteers and donors who are feeding mid-day meal even in this hours of severe difficulties.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/zrPyIo

Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day 2015 (Album with photos)
Iskcon devotees from all over the world gathered at the headquarters of Iskcon in Mayapur to celebrate the disappearance of the society’s Founder-Acarya, His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A glorious ceremony!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/JjtZJx

Click below to see the complete gallery

The Second Jagannath Ratha yatra in Yogyakarta

The peak of the 259^th Anniversary celebrations of Yogyakarta was flooded by millions of people who wanted to see the cultural parade on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. Four thousands participant participated in the parade. They performed traditional dances, classic dances, and modern dances attractively along the main street of Yogyakarta. The participants were not only from the areas of Yogyakarta but also from other areas in Nusantara. The committee also invited groups of art and communities in Yogyakarta. They also invited the Narayana Smerti Asram to participate in the celebration because they impressed to the performance of the devotees last year on the last Ratha yatra in commemorating The World Tourism Day.

“Make the Ratha-yatra festival very great success. This will be a great introduction in your city and people will appreciate it” SPL to Syamasundara, 4th May, 1967

The devotees in Jogjakarta informed the blissful news in ratha yatra group in social media and soon became the top issues to discuss. Many devotees felt sad because the ratha yatra took place on working day but some also said that they would arrange office leave for the ratha yatra.

There are small number devotees in Jogjakarta. Most of them are students. But their enthusiasm to do devotional service to the Lord is bigger that their number. They made coordination with the devotees from all around Indonesia through social media. Even though many devotees could not come to Jogjakarta, they still sent their donation to help the financial of the festival.

A day before festival the chariot teams arrived from Jember. They prepare the chariot at Garuda prabhu house where the chariot is kept. The devotees who already arrived help them in preparing the chariot. Because the team already expert in reassembling the chariot, they could finish in short of time. It needed one hour to drag the chariot from Bantul to Jogjakarta. The chariot was decorated with colorful lamp because the parade would start in the evening.

At 03.00 pm the devotees checked the preparation of the festival. The guests who came from the Hindu students started to arrive. The special guest who came to the ratha yatra was, Mr. Ida Bagus Wika Krishna, Director of Hindu Society and counselor Jogjakarta. The hindu parisad of Jogjakarta also came to the festival. They were happy to participate in the ratha yatra. The melodious bhajans were sung by devotees before the ratha yatra ceremony started. H.H. BHaktiragava Swami arrived at 04.00 PM and opened the ratha yatra with a short speech. Maharaj said that this ratha yatra was introduced by our founder acharya HDG.A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Maharaj also said that this year is the 50^th year arrival of Srila Prabhupa in America. Then Srila Prabhupada introduced the first ratha yatra outside India two years after he arrived. Maharaj also said that by observing more ratha yatras we could gave more chances to the people to do devotional service. On his speech, Mr. Ida Bagus Wika Krishna said that this was the second time he participated in the rataha yatra in Yogyakarata. He expressed his happiness and he would come to every the ratha yatra in Yogyakarta if the devotees informed him. The last speech was given by H.H. Subhag Swami Maharaj through telephone from India. Maharaj was very happy that the devotees in Indonesia were eagerly and enthusiastically did ratha yatra to satisfiy the Lord and Srila Prabhupada. As sila prabhupada wrote in his letter that “The faith increases in Krsna consciousness by our voluntary increase of serving Krsna. Serving Krsna is unlimited and He can accept our unlimited service, and award us unlimited transcendental pleasure in the unlimited service of the Lord…..” (SPL to Brahmananda, 20th February, 1968).

The arati was done by H.H. Bhakti Ragava Swami and many people gathered in front of the chariot just to see the ceremonial, but indirectly they were darsan to the lord. This was the Lord mercy to all people in Yogyakarta. Some of them kept the moment by taking pictures in front of the chariot. After the arati, the Lord was offered coconut by the guests and it was the sign that the ratha yatra was begun. While waiting the start, the devotees distributed the prasadam to the people and the guest. They honored the prasadam happily.

Many participants from various area and departments in Jogjakarata gather in the front of the chariot to wait their turn to perform. They were impressed by the glow of the Lord chariot. They were really curious about the chariot and what was on the chariot. They approached one devotees and asked about it. The devotees explained it in nice words that they could understand the festival. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in his letter that “….if simply by narrating the crucifixion incident of Lord Jesus Christ, the Roman Catholic religion can spread to such a wide area of the world, how much there is great potency of spreading our Krsna consciousness by depicting hundreds of thousands of such incidents like Ratha-yatra.” (SPL to Aniruddha, 7th July, 1968).

At 07.00 the devotees started pulling the Lord. Because of the small number of the devotees, the chariot was pulled by the Hindu students and the local Hindu societies. The prabhus did kirtan and the matajis danced in front of the chariot. The melodious kirtan was led by Nimai brahmacari. He sang Hare Krishna Maha Mantra along the way and many audience participated to sing and dance with the devotees. They were very happy to hear the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra event they were from other fait because Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is beyond of material barrier and could enter easily to the heart of the people. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in his letter “And if there is chanting of Hare Krsna, even the soul is there for a short time, Oh! he will hear and become advanced. This sound vibration is not material, it is spiritual and powerful beyond our conception. So it cannot be hindered in any way by something material; it surpasses all these material barriers”. SPL to Mukunda and Janaki, 28th February, 1968.

Arriving in the honor stage, the devotees performed rasa dance and the announcer recognized the devotees by seeing the chariot. They said that this rtaha yatra is always taking part in cultural parade in Jogjakarta. When they read the synopsis of the ratha yatra, they were confuse by the synopsis that said Lord Krishna and His brother Blaram And His sister Subadra Devi on the chariot, but they could not find such beautiful Krishna figure as they know on the chariot. They just saw three primitive idols on the chariot. They asked where is Krishna? The chariot passed and they were left with their mystery in their mind. On the behalves of the devotees Adi Purusa Prabhu gave flowers garlan that already offered to Lord Jagannath and Srimad Bhagavatam to the governor of Jogjakarta, Mr. Hamangku Bhuono X, and the mayor of Jogjakarta.

Along the eyes sight only crowded people could be seen. They sang and danced when the chariot passed in front of them. Many of them took pictures and videos. They also received maha prasadam from the devotees. A ton of orange was donated by Dhina Darini mataji and distributed along the route of the parade. The devotees also did book distribution.

We hope that Prabhupad is pleased and bless the devotees who organize such a wonderful Ratha-yatra. Srila Prabhupada mentioned in his letter that “ I thank you all very much for making the rathayatra festival so successful. Please convey my gratitude to all the boys and girls who participated in this great transcendental service.”(SPL to Upendra, 4th July 1968). He also blessed all devotees as he stated in his other letter that “may Krishna bless you all for your sincere service that you may all go on making more and more advancement in Krishna Consciousness.” (SPL to Jayananda das, 19th July, 1976).

We would like to take this opportunity to thank HH Bhakti Raghava Swami for his blessings and encouragement which were so essential for the devotees. Our ever grateful obeisances are due to HH Kavichandra 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 Mahaprabu 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. Our gratitude to Hindu Society and counselor of Jogjakarta and The hindu parisad of Jogjakarta who always facilitate and support the devotees in many ways. Our gratitude to all of Jogjakarta devotees who worked hard for the success of the festival.

Final Yatra of Sri Gaur Krishna Goswami (Album with photos)
Done in the Banks of the River Yamuna today in the presence of HH Radha Govinda Goswami Maharaj, HH Lokanath Swami, HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, HH Bhakti Anugraha Janardana Swami, HH Bhakti Bhakti Ashray Vaishnava Swami, HG Sarvabhauma Das, HG PancagaudaDas, HG Gauranga Das, HG Radhe Shyam Das and many more senior devotees.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/pZPcbA

By Madhavananda das

We are shocked and deeply pained today to hear about the sudden departure of one of the bright moons of our society. H.H. Gaura Krishna Das Goswami, a beloved disciple of Srila Radha Govinda Maharaja suddenly passed away in the sacred land of Vrindavan. I don’t know any other details except that he had a sudden heart-attack and that it was somewhere in Vraja.
Our phone has been ringing this morning with devotees contacting us and pouring out their hearts in grief. Gaura Krishna Maharaja was a very simple and powerful devotee, a genuine sādhu uninterested in politics or position. Always speaking about Krishna and doing kirtana, Maharaja was a very learned and famous speaker on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. His kathā brought good fortune and inspiration to thousands of persons.

I don’t know his age, but I think he was only in his 40’s. Gaura Krishna Das Goswami received sannyasa just a few months ago on the auspicious occasion of Apara Ekadasi on the 14th of May 2015 at Haridwar on the banks of the Ganga.

‘duḥkha-madhye kona duḥkha haya gurutara?’

‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta-viraha vinā duḥkha nāhi dekhi para’

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked, “Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?”

Sri Ramananda Raya replied, “Apart from separation from the devotee of Krishna, I know of no unbearable unhappiness.”

It’s always a sad thing when friends and relatives pass away, however when a devotee who is always speaking Krishna-katha leaves it is the greatest agony for those left behind in this prison of material existence.
When such a devotee leaves, especially in Vrindavan, the vaiṣṇavas conduct a viraha-utsava, a festival of separation. For the residents of the spiritual world who are lovingly receiving the association of such a devotee it is a great utsava or festival of joy. But for those of us here, who are suddenly bereft of such saṅga it is viraha, an intolerable burning pain of separation, which ultimately brings us closer to Krishna.
I offer my pranams again and again at the lotus feet of Gaura Krishna Goswami and pray for his blessings. I’m sorry to have lost such wonderful association and even more sorry that I was not able to get more association with him than I did. I will always remember and honor those few times I had with him.
Sri Srimad Gaura Krishna Goswami Maharaja ki jaya! Śuddha-vaiṣṇava saṅga ki jaya!
=======================
Here is a link to audio recordings of some of Maharaja’s Hindi lectures:
http://audio.iskcondesiretree.com/index.php?q=f&f=%2F02_-_ISKCON_Swamis%2FISKCON_Swamis_-_D_to_P%2FHis_Holiness_Gaur_Krishna_Das_Goswami%2FHindi_Lectures
Here is a link to some Gaura Katha by His Holiness:

November 17. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada could see the motive behind questions, but he always entered the breach to give the Vaisnava conclusion. Sometimes questions were too personal. “Are you happy?” Prabhupada replied, “If I told you ‘yes’, would you believe me?” Prabhupada was expert at not getting trapped by questions and being able to turn them around to put the question back on the person who asked it. Prabhupada was especially exposed to challenges, and both sincere and insincere questions in public lectures. Over the years he had heard practically everything there was to hear. It wasn’t possible to shock him. Prabhupada was responsive to intelligent, sincere questions. Like Sukadeva Gosvami who became more enthusiastic to speak due to the intelligent questions of Maharaj Pariksit, so Prabhupada appreciated solid inquiries.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490

Dear Maharaja/Prabhu, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. The GBC is pleased to invite you to the ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) 2016 in Sridham Mayapur, India, on February 24 – March 2. If you already attended a previous ILS you already know what an amazing event it was, with over five […]

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So there we were, master conductors orchestrating our spiritual revolution through music – “taking straightedge to the next level of purity” – when, suddenly, something unexpected happened. One day we were busy preaching vegetarianism to the straightedge kids. Then the next day we were busy defending against the straightedge kids preaching veganism to us.

It seems straightedge leapfrogged over our heads in a militant stride to an even higher level of purity.

Enter the “Hardline Vegans.”

Our reaction to it frustrated me. If we actually cared about animal rights, why would we get defensive when someone comes along even more into animal rights than us? We weren’t so much into animal rights, it turns out, as we were into being the holiest dudes this side of CBGBs. So when some holier dudes came along who were even more “cruelty free” than us… instead of applauding or supporting them, we tried to shoot them down.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely our fault. For the most part they were a bunch of asswipes even more “holier than thou” than we were.

I wanted a more reasonable reaction to Veganism so, in Enquirer #5 I wrote an article entitled “Mother Cow, Father Bull – Honor Thy Parents.” In it I explained how organic, sustainable agriculture relied on the help of the Bull and Cow. The idea was that a sustainable cruelty free solution wouldn’t exclude animals entirely, but would include them in a respected and protected role.

The article featured “Arguments from the Hard Line” with my replies.

Argument: “It’s cruel to make bulls work.”

My reply: They like it. If you don’t believe me go check out the bulls in India and on Hare Krishna farms. And, agriculture without animal- or machine-power isn’t a large-scale solution because it doesn’t yield enough produce to support a large population or a vegetarian diet.

Argument: “Milk is not for humans.”

My reply: Says who? Scientists? Bah, they change their tune every week. Vedic culture has venerated the effect of milk on human health for centuries, but they do drink a different sort of milk than we have these days, and they drink it under different dietary and living situations that what we have.

Argument: “Milk is for the calves, not you.”

My reply: Apples are for the seeds – not you. This is the wrong way to look at nature. Nature is symbiotic, species are interdependent.

Argument: “Milk from protected cows is ok, but most milk involves cruelty.”

My reply: I agree, but its nothing to get so “hardline” and intense about. Everything involves cruelty. Hardline bands buy bean burritos from Taco Bell. Or we buy broccoli from a grocery store that sells meat. It’s impossible to avoid cruelty entirely, and we should each do the best we can without becoming ridiculously self-righteous about it. We propose that “the best we can” is not just a really zealous and strict boycott, it’s a practical demonstration of a positive alternative: natural, sustainable agriculture like that based on the cow and bull.

Hardliners didn’t disappear after the article, but at least we did have a sensible logical, and not-totally-combative reply from now on. Over the next few years more devotees actually crossed over to the dark side and adopted veganism. I eventually wound up writing a booklet supporting them, without demeaning those who did not adopt veganism – “The Vegan and the Vedas.”

– Excerpt from an early draft of

Train Wrecks and Transcendence:

A Collision of Hardcore and Hare Krishna

By Vraja Kishor [VrajaKishor.com]

Tagged: Hardline, straightedge, Veganism

The post Daily Darshan : November 17th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Questions and Answers Part 2

With a heavy heart we have to let all of you know a sad news. H.H. Gour Krsna Swami, Disciple of H.H. Radha Govind Maharaj passed away due to heart attack today morning in Sridham Vrindavan. He was well versed dynamic preacher. He was well known for his Bhagavat Katha. Please pray for him. All glories to H.H. Gour Krsna Swami.