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The Forest Of Talavan
Sharing Prabhupada Stories with Devotees
No ISKCON devotees or congregation members were hurt during the terrorist attacks on Paris on Friday November 13th, in which 129 people were killed at six locations throughout the French capital. Yet some congregation members living close to the Bataclan concert hall, where 80 people died, were shaken when they overheard the violence.
“My uncle poured his heart out to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada was just listening with great sympathy. I think in the whole conversation, which lasted about twenty minutes, Srila Prabhupada only spoke a few sentences—he was just listening. And even that had such a tremendous effect on my uncle that as he was leaving the room he said. ‘I have never met anyone like him. I must get a picture of him.'”
Kirtan amongst the sages in Vrindavan
Like the forest of Naimisaranya adorned with sages, Vrindavan, in the soft radiance of Kartik, blossoms with an impressive bouquet of saints of international hue. They stoke the yajna of glorifying Krsna and the steady throng of pilgrims flow into its flames like rivers of ghee. Everything is all-auspicious.
At the center of the sacrifice is Sri Sri Krsna Balarama Mandir and on 5th November, Kadamba Kanana Swami sat amongst the sages and spoke from the sacred Bhagavatam (6.2.27). The theme was the life of Ajamila and in the purport, Srila Prabhupada elaborated on the benefits of atonement. Maharaj put things in perspective with the befitting analogy of “walking the tight rope”. The devotee who attempts pure devotional service begins to walk the thin, high rope of bhakti – the path of transcendence. However, the intelligent practitioner will ensure that there is a safety net below. The safety net is the weave of the mode of goodness that will prevent one from crashing to the ground, should he slip on the path. Maharaj mentioned that atonement is one of the principles that form that safety net. To regret our mistakes is healthy, yet it is not our goal nor focus. We try to remain on the tight rope of bhakti, with our eyes focused on the goal, never flinching, for that is the only way one can walk the tight rope! Watch a video of the lecture by clicking here.
The next day, we were all aboard for a parikrama, with Maharaj stationed behind the bus driver. The first stop was Yavat, where Srimati Radharani resided after her marriage. Maharaj shared the pastime of Krsna disguising himself as a celestial maiden who sang with incomparable sweetness. Then we were off to Kokilavana where Krsna imitated the sound of the cuckoos singing in the forests with such beauty and precision that the gopis were immediately attracted. Maharaj described these as the stolen moments of Radha and Krsna. But how could we, with eyes made of flesh and brains of dull matter, imbibe these high pastimes? Instead, Maharaj took the hint from Krsna’s singing that the only way was through the shelter of kirtan. And our parikrama became a wave of kirtan of different moods and mellows in different places, including the bus. As Maharaj led the worship through sound, our voices rose in service to the holy name. We eventually gathered at Prema-sarovara, a place where Radha and Krsna’s tears of separation, although in each others presence, combined to form a lake. And we sat and chanted in sweet kirtan. Like the sastra says, the best way to see Vrindavan is to hear. Suddenly our intimate kirtan was hijacked by a group of pilgrims who were touched by the sonorous flow of mercy and joined in – each with their own unique dance moves. After a spontaneous harinam, circumambulating the lake of pure love, we left its shores – but the kirtan came with us.
And it continued on Sunday, 8th November, at the grand sankirtan festival on the land where a new gurukula facility is in the making. In truth, we were in the middle of nowhere with barren land as far as I could see. Yet such is India; all you need is a pandal, eager ears and saintly souls, and it is a party. We arrived to welcoming kirtan by little yellow gurukuli boys who led us to the breakfast spot and served us with heart warming sincerity. And then the eight hour kirtan mela took over with Sacinandan Swami and Madhava Prabhu. Maharaj arrived to up-the-tempo just before lunch. The evening played host do kirtan giants such as Lokanatha Swami amongst others.
And the holy name remains the lens through which one may get a glimpse of Vrindavan!
Kartik Navadwip Mandal Parikram 2015 (Album with photos)
“He who lives in Navadvipa-dhama is very fortunate, for he achieves attraction for Krishna. He who happens to go there becomes freed from all offenses. What one attains by travelling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering Navadvipa. In this way the scriptures sing. He who sees Navadvipa-dhama gets ecstatic love of Krishna birth after birth. Even one who goes to Navadvipa desiring to gain material comforts through pious activities will not take another birth. The sastras say that one who walks around Navadvipa attains the fruit of millions of asvamedha-yajnas at every step. And one who lives in Navadvipa and chants mantras obtains the sound of Caitanya as his mantra and easily gets free from maya. What yogis obtain after ten years at other tirthas is obtained in three nights at Navadvipa.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur at Sri Navadvipa Mahatmya page 3
Find them here: https://goo.gl/AjEL83
Nandagopal Jivan das: Sarvabhavana Prabhu’s book called “Salted Bread”, which is about the persecution of the Russian and Armenian devotees in the early days of the former USSR, is now again available for circulation for Srila Prabhupadas and the devotees pleasure after almost three (3) years. The Book contains allot of information about the publication and distribution of Srila Prabhupadas first books in the Communist country. It is more or less an autobiography of the author (Sarvabhavana das, who was jailed for two years) and the glorious departure of his good friend, Sachisuta das, in the Soviet camp. It is full of painful experiences of the first attempt to spread Krishna consciousness in that atheistic country, which was Srila Prabhupadas desire, full of humor and devotional service in such unique conditions like in jails and psychiatric hospitals, interesting KGB stories and more as he calls his painful but blissful past.
I am happy to announce that the third edition of the book has been published in India by Nandagopal Jivan Prabhu with a reduced price and is ready for distribution. Salted Bread is about the beginning of the Hare Krishna Movement and the persecution of the Hare Krishna devotees in the former USSR.
You can read excerpts from the book at http://www.hkussr.com/saltedbread.htm
Order your copy at any time. For any questions, comments, queries, suggestions or signed copies, please feel free to contact the author directly.
Temples and temple stores are welcome to order the books in a wholesale price.
For more details, Contact:
Nandagopal Jivan das
Golden Age Media
Mobile: +91-9310045060, 8506805060
E-mail: info@goldenagemedia.org; ngjd.gkg@gmail.com
Order Online@ www.goldenagemedia.org
Saturday, November 14th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario
Woe to the World
I am back at home base. I’m downscaling as far as walking is concerned but I am walking. I’m revisiting the neighbourhoods I know by making a puny promenade (5 km).
I’m seeing a full circle dynamic from one year ago. I see Christmas paraphernalia being propped up for the big commercial hype. I see the liquor store bustling with activity - vain attempts at weekend pleasure.
I do see optimism in the hearts of the people though. At least I’m receiving nods and smiles. I always see that as a good sign.
There is an undercurrent, however, of uncertainty, as always in the atmosphere of this world. The city of Paris is under a siege of terrorism. The loss of 129 lives and many injured, the result of ISIS activities, is very significant. In simple terms, we might make a remark that ignorance is behind it all. But a question continues to linger in my mind regarding such terrorist acts.
At a home program this evening during a casual discussion, the question arose. “Since it is such a cowardly act that just took place on the part of some antagonist, why does the US continue to supply arms to such zealot outfits?” This is a great puzzle for me. I stand to be corrected on such an assumption - sounds to me like it all boils down to economics.
Woe to the world.
May the Source be with you!
5 km
This year the World Holy Name Week 2015 coincided with the 50th anniversary of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the United States. To give this year’s celebration a higher dimension, the ISKCON Perth congregation laid more emphasis on the chanting of the Holy Name by targeting one Harinama Sankirtana everyday during the span of the event.
The Harinama Party made a kick-start of the event on Friday 25th September with a Maha Harinama in the City. Prior to the event, the Holy Name week spirit was imbibed upon the
congregation members via motivation and inspiration to partake in the blissful chanting of the Maha-Mantra for the pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nita. This ensued with other Harinama Sankirtanas in the City itself on the following Saturday and during most of the rest of the week.
In addition to the street chanting around the city malls, two sitting Harinama Sankirtanas were also programmed. The first one was organised in Esplanade Park in Fremantle on Monday 28th. Being on a public holiday (Queen’s Birthday), this did attract quite a few participants and usually during the week-end and on public holidays, Fremantle does get quite busy as from early morning. Many were the onlookers who were captivated by the rhythmic tunes of the Maha-Mantra whether be those who came for a stroll with the family or a jog or still to walk their dog in the park.
The second sitting Harinama Sankirtana was held in Hyde Park in the City under Srila Prabhupada’s Tree on Sunday 4th October. That was on the last day of the event – the 50th anniversary date when His Divine Grace set foot in the United States. To go back in
time, the said tree was planted by dedicated followers of Srila Prabhupada in honour of His usual morning walks while He was in Perth. With quite a few participants turning up, a wonderful Kirtana was entertained to commemorate that glorious day. There were instances where kids accompanied by their parents stopped and made little dance moves in synchronisation with the melody of the Kirtan. A father with two little daughters was quite curious at what was going on and after enquiring later came back to join in; they even stayed for prasadam which they relished.
Saturday 26th September, was the appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. In order to pay honour to the pioneer of the Hare Krishna Movement and after the Harinama Sankirtana in the City during the day, a seminar was organised at the Temple later in the afternoon. The theme was twofold – the glories of the Holy Name and the importance of chanting the Maha-Mantra.
A quite convenient way to celebrate the fourth day of the WHNW 2015 which was on Sunday 27th – the disappearance day of Srila Haridas Thakura, was to hold a 6 Hour Kirtan at the Temple. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself declared Srila Haridas Thakura as the Namacaharya or the person who most exemplifies how to best chant the Holy Names of Krishna.
Programmed between 1pm and 7pm, the 6 hour Kirtana aimed at producing a flow of limitless nectar of the Holy Names of the Lord. The participants were the Temple Kirtana Specialists and the Bhakti Vriksha groups of the Perth congregation as well as the Sunday School kids.
The 6 hour Kirtana reached its pinnacle with a resounding Gaura Arati to glorify Their Lordships Sri Sri Nitai Sacinandana.
To conclude the World Holy Name Week 2015 celebration on Sunday 4th October, the Sunday Feast programme featured a few special components:
The lecture was mainly based on evidences from the Vedic scriptures on the chanting of the Holy Name. This was then complemented by the playing of an audio track of the beautiful song “Yadi Prabhupad na hoito” composed by HH Jayapataka Swami – a perfect way to give it a thought … hadn’t His Divine Grace been to the West.
The video clip “Acharya” – a preview of the film by HG Yadubara das was projected on screen mainly to revive our feeling of indebtedness to Srila Prabhupada and also to reveal such an exalted personality to those in the audience who did not happen to know Him.
No special programme can be complete without the participation of the Sunday School Kids. They very nicely sung the Bengali poem “Markine Bhagavat-dharma” composed by Srila Prabhupada on board the Jaladuta at the Commonwealth Pier, Boston.
The constant struggle between the mind and self is a daily struggle for each and every one. The drama depicted how to resolve this conflicting situation by the chanting of the Holy Name.
We would like to express our gratitude to both Sita Ram Lakshmana Prabhu and Yadu Srestha Prabhu, co-Presidents of ISKCON Perth, for their constant support in organising the World Holy Name Week 2015. We would also like to show our appreciation to all the devotees of the Perth congregation who participated in the celebration and contributed their help either directly or indirectly.
Member of Parliament and Bollywood actress Srimati Hema Malini visited Iskcon Vrindavan. (Album with photos)
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director, producer, dancer and politician but foremost is a devotee of Lord Krishna.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/LRnf39
By Krishna Dharma Das The Vedas therefore enjoin that this is the first and most important lesson. “Now you have a human life you must inquire into the absolute.” Ask the big questions. Who am I? Why am I here? Where do I go when I die? At least we should dedicate some of our time to seriously investigating these areas of major importance. But what school does that? Rather we are encouraged to work very hard to improve our material living conditions. Get a better job. Earn more money. Live in a nice house with all the trappings. The Vedas suggest that this endeavour rests on an erroneous assumption, namely that we are the body. Continue reading "How to really be happy this Christmas
→ Dandavats"
This year the World Holy Name Week 2015 coincided with the 50th anniversary of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the United States. To give this year’s celebration a higher dimension, the ISKCON Perth congregation laid more emphasis on the chanting of the Holy Name by targeting one Harinama Sankirtana everyday during the span of the event.
The Harinama Party made a kick-start of the event on Friday 25th September with a Maha Harinama in the City. Prior to the event, the Holy Name week spirit was imbibed upon the
Maha Harinama Sankirtana in the City
congregation members via motivation and inspiration to partake in the blissful chanting of the Maha-Mantra for the pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nita. This ensued with other Harinama Sankirtanas in the City itself on the following Saturday and during most of the rest of the week.
In addition to the street chanting around the city malls, two sitting Harinama Sankirtanas were also programmed. The first one was organised in Esplanade Park in Fremantle on Monday 28th. Being on a public holiday (Queen’s Birthday), this did attract quite a few participants and usually during the week-end and on public holidays, Fremantle does get quite busy as from early morning. Many were the onlookers who were captivated by the rhythmic tunes of the Maha-Mantra whether be those who came for a stroll with the family or a jog or still to walk their dog in the park.
The second sitting Harinama Sankirtana was held in Hyde Park in the City under Srila Prabhupada’s Tree on Sunday 4th October. That was on the last day of the event – the 50th anniversary date when His Divine Grace set foot in the United States. To go back in
Sitting Harinama in Hyde Park
time, the said tree was planted by dedicated followers of Srila Prabhupada in honour of His usual morning walks while He was in Perth. With quite a few participants turning up, a wonderful Kirtana was entertained to commemorate that glorious day. There were instances where kids accompanied by their parents stopped and made little dance moves in synchronisation with the melody of the Kirtan. A father with two little daughters was quite curious at what was going on and after enquiring later came back to join in; they even stayed for prasadam which they relished.
Saturday 26th September, was the appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. In order to pay honour to the pioneer of the Hare Krishna Movement and after the Harinama Sankirtana in the City during the day, a seminar was organised at the Temple later in the afternoon. The theme was twofold – the glories of the Holy Name and the importance of chanting the Maha-Mantra.
6 Hour Kirtana in Temple
A quite convenient way to celebrate the fourth day of the WHNW 2015 which was on Sunday 27th – the disappearance day of Srila Haridas Thakura, was to hold a 6 Hour Kirtan at the Temple. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself declared Srila Haridas Thakura as the Namacaharya or the person who most exemplifies how to best chant the Holy Names of Krishna.
Programmed between 1pm and 7pm, the 6 hour Kirtana aimed at producing a flow of limitless nectar of the Holy Names of the Lord. The participants were the Temple Kirtana Specialists and the Bhakti Vriksha groups of the Perth congregation as well as the Sunday School kids.
The 6 hour Kirtana reached its pinnacle with a resounding Gaura Arati to glorify Their Lordships Sri Sri Nitai Sacinandana.
To conclude the World Holy Name Week 2015 celebration on Sunday 4th October, the Sunday Feast programme featured a few special components:
The lecture was mainly based on evidences from the Vedic scriptures on the chanting of the Holy Name. This was then complemented by the playing of an audio track of the beautiful song “Yadi Prabhupad na hoito” composed by HH Jayapataka Swami – a perfect way to give it a thought … hadn’t His Divine Grace been to the West.
The video clip “Acharya” – a preview of the film by HG Yadubara das was projected on screen mainly to revive our feeling of indebtedness to Srila Prabhupada and also to reveal such an exalted personality to those in the audience who did not happen to know Him.
No special programme can be complete without the participation of the Sunday School Kids. They very nicely sung the Bengali poem “Markine Bhagavat-dharma” composed by Srila Prabhupada on board the Jaladuta at the Commonwealth Pier, Boston.
The constant struggle between the mind and self is a daily struggle for each and every one. The drama depicted how to resolve this conflicting situation by the chanting of the Holy Name.
We would like to express our gratitude to both Sita Ram Lakshmana Prabhu and Yadu Srestha Prabhu, co-Presidents of ISKCON Perth, for their constant support in organising the World Holy Name Week 2015. We would also like to show our appreciation to all the devotees of the Perth congregation who participated in the celebration and contributed their help either directly or indirectly.
By Purushottam Nitai Das
While the terrorists were ruthlessly killing the people in Paris they were simultaneously shouting “God is great”. It makes one wonder does the great God justify the killing of innocent people and eulogize the killers. If yes then how could God be great? Or is it that the killers are the agents of devil who are on a mission to discredit the great God?
Killing in the name of religion has spread all over the world today. The brutal massacre of innocent men, women and children, and the beheading videos are not just frightening and distasteful but it is also shaking people’s faith in the idea of God. If people unleash violence in the name of God then the world will be a much better place without God. Why not have Godless world where there will be no discrimination and murder in the name of God? Now before rejecting God and admonishing the books of God let us also try to glean through these books to figure out if violence against innocents has ever been justified? Has God promised that those who shout my name and inflict pain on others achieve me?
All the bonafide religions of the world believe in the Supreme Lord and unequivocally declare God to be our Supreme Father. For e.g. in Bhagavad Gita 14.4, Krishna says, aham bija-pradah pita, I am the seed giving father. If it is so then how could a father sanction the killing of one of his children at the hands of the other children because both the terrorist and the victims are his own children? More so it is said that a devotee of the Lord sees all the living beings of this world as parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord and sees them with equal vision without any discrimination (Bhagavad Gita 5.18). And if we read the lives of the great messengers of the Lord then we find that they have never used violence but have instead used love of God as a weapon to transform the lives of people.
There are innumerable stories of people’s heart getting transformed by associating with holy men and holy books. Lord Nityananda and Haridas Thakura reformed ruffians like Jagai and Madhai by filling their hearts with love of God. It was the power of devotion to God that transformed the life of Valmiki, the composer of Ramayan.
Scripture tells a story of a cruel hunter named Mrugrari who used to rejoice seeing suffering of helpless animals and birds. He used to half kill them and then enjoy seeing them suffer and die. When sage Narada saw the suffering beasts and birds, he was aghast. Why don’t you just kill them completely, he asked? Mrugrari replied smilingly, “Because I enjoy seeing them suffer and die”. Narada understood that his cruelty is going to cost him dear, the hunter is going to get a terrible reaction for his sins. And so he decided to transform Mrugrari’s heart. He explained the hunter how his act is not in accordance with the laws of God and so it is going to bring great misfortune to him. He told him to have love, compassion and mercy towards the other children of God and most importantly asked him to chant and take shelter of the supreme Lord. Mrugrari had never heard any sagely advice before because he belonged to the family of hunters. He had witnessed such cruelty since childhood. But Narada had now told him to see the world through the eyes of the scriptures. The hunter understood that he was swiftly moving to the path of self-annihilation. And so he decided to give up violence and lead a God conscious peaceful life. Soon his heart had got so transformed that while walking he used to be cautious so that he may not step on any small living beings such as ants.
A genuine devotee of the Lord will never try to cause any harm to others even in his dreams. He is para-dukha-dukhi i.e. seeing others in pain he himself feels pain; he does not go and voluntarily inflict pain on others as some misguided men and women are currently doing in the name of God. Instead he is ready to suffer for the sins of others. Vasudeva Datta was a great saintly person; he was ready to suffer on behalf of all people of the world so that they could be absolved of all the miseries. “I will take their sins and suffer in hell on their behalf, but please deliver them from their material disease, he prayed to Lord Caitanya” (Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.15.160-163). This is the true character of a devotee.
The terrorists who were mercilessly shooting people were the messengers of evil. A genuine lover of God does not wear the vest of bombs with a mission to inflict immeasurable sufferings on others. Instead they give their life to save the lives of the suffering masses. They do not carry weapons of destruction in their hands but instead they carry the chanting beads on which they chant the names of God and inspire others to get connected to God. They do not speak words which fill people’s heart with fear but instead they speak words of love which brings joy to people’s heart. The process of devotion to God is so enlightening that it makes a ruffian a sage and a crooked man a kind hearted man.
“God is great” and the great God does not sanction violence. He is a loving and caring father and has asked all of us to live together happily like brothers and sisters. He has asked us to shun violence and embrace peace and has advised us to fill our hearts with love, mercy and compassion (Bhagavad Gita 16.1-3). And those who are massacring people are not even humans; in fact they are worse than the beasts so why to pay attention to what they say. And the best and the only way to eliminate these demons is by spreading the love of God and by disseminating the heart transforming message of the sacred scriptures.
The post Commenting on the Paris atrocities appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Varsana! (7 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Varsana, where Srimati Radharani displayed Her childhood pastimes, is a favorite place for all Vrajavasis. We began our parikrama at Vilas-ghar, one of the 4 hills where the Divine Couple have Their lilas. We then proceeded to beautiful Krsna-kund, for kirtan and katha, and then walked the sacred path to the famous Sriji temple. At every step we prayed to Srimati Radharani for Her mercy.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ltuhLy
Ho ho ho.
When we send our children to school obviously we hope that they will be taught the truth. Well, at least some of the time. It seems that painful truths may have to wait, such as the non-existence of Santa Claus. A teacher who recently made the grave error of informing children in her class that Father Christmas was not real found herself out of a job. Parents were furious. “My Joshua came home in tears,” said one anguished mother. “I didn’t know what to say.”
We want our children to be happy and with this in mind we send them to school. Without knowledge we will suffer, being unable to get through life very well. Ignorance is the root of misery as it leads us to foolish action or even inaction, and hence to the painful consequences. But what is the best knowledge? What is that understanding which will eradicate all misery, permanently?
Believing in Santa is obviously an illusion, and we have all had to face that terrible fact at some point in our lives. But how many other illusions have we been sold? Have we been given the whole and highest truth? Are we actually becoming free from all our suffering?
Probably not. In fact much of what we learn at school is subject to constant change, especially in the field of science, where new discoveries are always being made and old theories rejected. Which makes all of it highly suspect. The Vedas declare that an important criterion of truth is that it never changes. Two plus two equals four – it always has and always will. This is the test of real knowledge. It is perfect and unchanging.
These days though we are fed theories, such as the “theory” of evolution, as if they were accepted facts. But there are so many different opinions about such so-called facts, ideas are always changing, and there is every chance that in a hundred years from now a whole different theory will have replaced the one we are now obliged to learn.
And all the while we are not taught about a very real fact that we all have to face. The poet Porteus said, “Teach him how to live. And oh! Still harder lesson. How to die.” This is the best knowledge, and the elephant in everyone’s room that we mostly try to ignore. One great Vedic teacher said that we are all “sojourners on the path of death.” Whatever great things we may achieve in life will soon be annulled by the fact of our death. We will not take any of it with us. And where then shall we go? We have no idea. We can guess, hope, or boldly state that we will go nowhere at all, that we will cease to be, but in reality we are in complete darkness.
The Vedas therefore enjoin that this is the first and most important lesson. “Now you have a human life you must inquire into the absolute.” Ask the big questions. Who am I? Why am I here? Where do I go when I die? At least we should dedicate some of our time to seriously investigating these areas of major importance. But what school does that?
Rather we are encouraged to work very hard to improve our material living conditions. Get a better job. Earn more money. Live in a nice house with all the trappings. The Vedas suggest that this endeavour rests on an erroneous assumption, namely that we are the body. We are identifying with the bag of blood and bones that we inhabit, assuming it to be ourselves. But Vedic wisdom tells us we are different from the body, that we are eternal, indestructible parts of the supreme whole or God.
If this is true, and the evidence suggests that it is, then our entire education devoid of spiritual content is selling us an illusion to match that of Father Christmas. What evidence? Just observe how the body changes, from a baby through childhood to adulthood. A complete transformation, but are we a different person? Of course not. We remember our childhood and know that we are the same personality now, despite all the changes. We are something different from the body. And that unchanging person is the eternal soul. When the body makes its final change at death the soul continues. Why not?
This is surely an observable truth, but who is observing it? What lessons do we get in school about understanding our true self? As time goes on we go further away from such teachings, more and more toward material acquisitions, toward any kind of immoral behaviour as long as it satisfies our bodies, which is what we believe we are, and therefore what we think will make us happy. But how can we be happy if we have started with the wrong conception of self? As the ancient Greeks said, echoing the Vedic instruction, “Know thyself.” Only then can we be happy.
Therefore the Vedas say that from the very beginning of life we should be taught spiritual lessons. We do not have to suffer. We are meant instead for eternal life, for unending happiness with the Supreme Lord Krishna in his immortal abode, and the training for this must begin from childhood. Death may come at any time and we must be prepared. Our ostrich–like educational approach has to change. Face up to the elephant. Otherwise we can carry on with Father Christmas. But he may bring us some rather unexpected presents.
Another big topic in Enquirer #5 was sexism, featured in an article blatantly titled, “Krishna and Sexism.” The article started out by defining sexism as the evaluation of a person’s worth primarily on the basis of their type of body, male or female. Thus, the ultimate root of sexism is a bodily concept of ourselves and others. Unfortunately, most modern equality movements inadvertently accept the bodily concept of self, and thus nourish the root of sexism, by identifying strongly with gender, “I am woman.”
Then I tackled the complaint, “But wait, you’re a Hare Krishna… you guys are totally sexist.” I claimed not to know where the sexist things associated with Hare Krishna came from, but said confidently that they are not a part of it’s true, core philosophy. As an example I quoted Krishna directly, who says in Bhagavad Gītā (5.18), “A wise person sees everyone equally.” Not only is Krishna consciousness not sexist, I argued, it is the ultimate cure for sexism because it provides a way to realize oneself and others as conscious beings, not just as bodies.
Who I was trying to convince more, the readers or myself? I’m not sure.
Or maybe I was trying to convince the Hare Krishna’s? Trying to remind them what Krishna consciousness really should be?
God knows I saw plenty of sexism around me every day in the temples, ingrained into the fabric of how the whole International Society operated. God knows I wished devotees would pay a lot more attention to the stuff I brought up in this article, stuff like Bhagavat Gītā 5.18 and the ramifications of “I am not this body.”
– Excerpt from an early draft of
Train Wrecks and Transcendence:
A Collision of Hardcore and Hare Krishna
By Vraja Kishor [VrajaKishor.com]
The beautiful temple of Iskcon Delhi as seen from above (3 min video)
Aerial footage of the temple compound and darshan of the deities. The temple is open all days throughout the week!
If you are a working journalist, we applaud your efforts, and want to help you get the information you need. You can reach our team at info [at] iskcondelhi dot com.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/NToxOl
Harinama in Mayapur (8 min video)
Beautiful recording from above while devotees from Russia perform the public chanting of the Holy Names right on Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/31YnlS
Aerial footage of Vrindavana’s Kusum Sarovara with the background music of Jahnavi Harrison. (2 min video)
Kusuma Sarovara, a beautiful sandstone monument, is a 25-minute walk from Radha Kunda. Kusuma means “flower,” and here the gopis would pick flowers for Krishna.
During Lord Caitanya’s time this place was known as Sumanah Sarovara. It is stated in the Caitanya Caritamrita that Lord Caitanya took bath here.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/S22hAu
The President of India in Vrindavan today.
President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the 500th year celebrations of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s advent in Vrindavan today. He will also visit the Shri Radha Raman Temple. Security has been beefed up in the area with the deployment of NSG and PAC along with police force.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/HmOkep
Dear Devoteees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin on February 22, 2016. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by TWO GBC members, to be submitted by December 31, 2015. This will allow adequate time for the GBC Deputies to prepare the proposals for presentation at the meeting.
Please follow the new format for GBC Proposals, attached as a fillable PDF. Plain text submissions are also acceptable (details at the end of this email).
Once ready, kindly email your proposals to proposals@pamho.net.
You can also submit any queries to this address.
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
Ananda Tirtha Das
(GBC Corresponding Secretary)
__________
GBC Proposal Application (below and attached as fillable PDF)
GBC Proposals are serious submissions. Please give appropriate time and consideration to your proposal.
Every proposal will be reviewed by the GBC Deputies for suitability, content and compliance to ISKCON Law before presentation to the International GBC Body.
GBC Proposals should be international in scope, realistic, relevant and achievable. GBC Proposals must be written clearly and concisely. The three required steps listed below must be completed.
Proposals that do not meet these criteria or that are incomplete will be returned to the proposer with an explanation.
Proposals must be submitted before December 31st to be considered.
Submit proposals by email to: proposals@pamho.net
_________________________
GBC Proposal Application:
Proposer Contact Information:
Name:
Country of residence:
Local ISKCON temple or centre:
E mail:
Phone:
Date Proposal Submitted:
The below three required steps must be completed before submitting a GBC Proposal:
Step 1: Does this proposal fall under the mandate of any GBC Ministries or Committees? See website for list and contacts: http://gbc.iskcon.org. (For example if your proposal has anything to do with Deity Worship you must contact the Deity Worship Minister. )
If yes, you must discuss your proposal with the appropriate Minister or Chairperson or their designated representative.
The Minister or Chairperson or designate must confirm that they have had this discussion with you.
Name of Minister or Chairperson:
Ministry or Committee:
Date of discussion:
Step 2: Two GBC Members must sponsor your GBC Proposal Application:
Name: Date:
Name: Date:
Step 3: Please complete all 4 sections of the Proposal Application.
1) PROPOSAL TITLE:
2) BRIEF SUMMARY OF YOUR PROPOSAL: (300 words or less)
3) FORMAL PRESENTATION: Distinct, clear statements beginning with “Whereas”. Give a detailed explanation of your proposal, how it will benefit ISKCON, long and short term consequences, challenges of implementation, international relevance etc.
4) FURTHER INFORMATION: If this proposal becomes a GBC Resolution will it require funding, manpower, and infrastructure, or technical support like website or graphic work? Please explain.
Thank you for your valuable service to Srila Prabhupada.
http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads/GBC_Proposal_Application_Updated_2015.pdf
Hrdaya Caitanya das S.B.6.16.51 – Nov 14th 2015
November 18. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Telling any story is a delicate operation. We have to have faith in the story we are telling and enter into it. And it must be accurate. Sometimes we hear a devotee retell a story like this: “One time, Prabhupada said to Gurudasa, ‘You say you want to be at my lotus feet, but my lotus feet are always moving.’ When Prabhupada said that, he pushed Gurudasa away with his lotus feet.” The difficulty with that last story is that no one who was actually present for this episode said that Prabhupada actually pushed Gurudasa with his feet. In this way, stories sometimes get blown into tall tales. They may become very different from what actually happened. Therefore, it is good to be enthusiastic when telling Prabhupada stories, but we should never exaggerate or make up details. Our enthusiasm may capture the ears of some, and may even impress some people, but if the story has some untrue elements then people will have a false impression. The story has to be authentic and the storyteller has to be honest.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490&page=2
Prabhupada-katha
The board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban humbly invite all New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers to participate in the upcoming weekend activities.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Friday, December 4th.
7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Dinner Prasadam with Board Members & GBCs (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)
Saturday, December 5th.
9:45 am to 1:30 pm: Department Head Presentations for 2015 (under the Lodge)
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Lunch Prasadam (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)
2:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Community Dialog (under the Lodge)
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: Srila Prabhupada Sangam & Dinner Prasadam (at his Palace)
Sunday, December 6th.
10:00 am to 1:00 pm: New Vrindaban Community Tour (various locations, weather permitting)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Sunday Program & Feast (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Lifetime Community Service Appreciations (under the Lodge)
Visit to Rama-Ghat and Chir-Ghat
It was 8 am in the morning (Sunday, 1st November 2015) and everyone was getting ready to get on the bus outside the Chitrakuta ashram, about three hundred yards down the road from the Krsna Balaram temple. In India, one must have a high degree of surrender and realise that things seldom go according to plan. True to form, this morning was no different. It turned out there were not enough seats on the bus. Instead of waiting around, Maharaj took the initiative and got some extra cars for the excess passengers. While this was going on, a young boy had come to beg from the devotees on the bus. Vishvambhar Caitanya Prabhu decided to give him a kachori. The boy looked at the kachori in his hand, poked it a bit and then looked decidedly unimpressed! Some of the devotees smiled at this event; it did give a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. It seems they can!
Anyhow, the whole endeavour with the vehicles was for a trip to Ramghat and Chir-Ghat where Lord Balaram and Lord Krsna respectively performed some of their intimate pastimes.
It was a long dusty drive through the flat, arid countryside of Uttar Pradesh with its never ending fields of varying shades of sandy brown. Externally, Vraj can seem like a dry, hard land so all glories to Purnamasi who has done an excellent job in keeping the real glories of Vraj Mandal covered to the non-believers.
After passing by countless hamlets with buffaloes, mud huts, hay pyramids, stray dogs and kids with blackish-brown hair burnt by the Indian sun. The vehicles eventually got to a village, in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, and there in the middle was a small, unassuming temple.
Like the Radha Gokulananda temple, this temple also had an old authentic feel and potency to it despite its crumbling walls, uneven surfaces and eroding paintwork. So this was Ramghat – dedicated to Lord Balaram. Kadamba Kanana Swami then introduced HH Bhakti Ashray Vaishnava Swami who he has known for 30 years. Maharaj mentioned how Bhakti Ashray Vaishnava Swami is a very saintly person and that is why he always has a grey beard! The devotees chuckled at this. It turns out, this sannyasi has been to every nook and corner of Vrindavan and has immense dedication to the dhamas.
So both Kadamba Kanana Swami and Bhakti Ashray Vaishnava Swami gave wonderful talks on this amazing place. Lord Balaram had selected this spot to do his own rasa dance with his consorts, so it is also known as Balaram Rasasthali. However, the locals know it as Ensha (pulling) Dauji (Balaram), the place where Lord Balaram got angry and threatened to pull Yamuna Devi towards Rajasthan where she would dry up. This was because she refused to let him cool down in her waters while he was in his varuni intoxicated rasa mood.
Maharaj went onto speak further glories about Lord Balaram, how he is serious while Krsna is naughty and how if we want Krsna bhakti, we must approach Lord Balaram as he is ‘Adi Guru’. Maharaj then continued with wonderful narrations of Lord Balaram’s pastimes from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
After Ramghat, the plan was to go to Chir-Ghat. This was the place where the Gopis had their clothes stolen by Krsna. But the driver ended up a taking a wrong turn. The road was unbelievably rocky and we unintentionally ended up in Tapavan. As Maharaj remarked, “In one way, there is no wrong turning in Vrindavan!”
So Tapavan was where the Gopis performed their katyayani vrata to get Krsna as their husband. Maharaj then made the astute observation that because Chir-Ghat was the place where the Gopis had their clothes stolen by Krsna, so in a way their vrata was fulfilled because in Vedic culture, a woman could only be in a state of undress in front of her husband. So maybe it was Krsna’s arrangement to come here first before going to Chir-Ghat.
Despite the arid regions around it and the name Tapavan, it was actually a very beautiful, leafy area, with lush, green surroundings. Then was a column of Tulsi in the middle of the place and all the devotees sat near this column, in front of the beautiful Radha Krsna deities that were surrounded by the cooling shade of the green trees.
Maharaj said to just imagine in this setting, Krsna playing on his flute, with lips red like the bimba fruit and shark, shaped earrings swaying from side to side… so peaceful! It was a beautiful meditation. Then a gentle and sombre kirtan followed.
Maharaj then started extolling the glories of Vrindavan, asserting that the material energy cannot work in Vrindavan, it does not last! The Vrindavan effect will make it all doomed. These high rise apartments won’t last. Natural is the best way in Vrindavan with trees and wells, etc…
Soon we went to Chir-Ghat by which time everyone was rather exhausted and attentions were waning, so since it was right next to the Yamuna, all the devotees went in for a nice dip. Meanwhile, Maharaj was keeping a watch over the devotees as they went in. It was rather funny, reminding one of the father keeping an eye on the kids as they go into the sea. Even at the end, Maharaj said to all of us, “Okay, come on, let’s go now!” like a classic parent!
HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaj ki Jai!!
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