Planet ISKCON

Deena Bandhu Das: Rare pic of Sriman Mahaprabhu from Radhakunda as no pujari was there to stop us!

All glories to Narottama dasa Thakura, the beloved disciple of Lokanatha Goswami. How the illustrious Narottama took his birth in the house of Krishnananda Datta, the elder brother of Sri Purusottama, I dare not discuss elaborately here. However, for your pleasure, I shall give a brief description.

How do great saints live? What makes their lives different from those of ordinary people? Vaishnava historian Chaturatma dasa gives us a glimpse into the life of Narottama Dasa Thakura.

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October 30th (English/Russian)

The post Skype conference with Russian speaking devotees appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Reading from Chapter Two of the draft of Sri Damodara-janani (Part 4) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Wait Until I Am Dead…
Kavicandra swami: Whenever a devotee leaves his or her body, we hear so much praise of them. Everyone becomes happy to be absorbed glorifying a devotee. It seems that we do not do enough of praising devotees while they are with us. Of course a devotee should not be hankering to be praised. St. Francis of Assisi would tell those who started to praise him, “Wait until I am dead, I could fall down at any time”. Of course that just makes him more worthy of praise. “Offering all respect to others, but not expecting anything in return” Siksastakam 3. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu took great pleasure in praising devotees. He gave both a personal example and guidelines. “‘One should see that because of the meeting of material nature and the living entity, the universe is acting uniformly. Thus one should neither praise nor criticize the characteristics or activities of others.’
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4197

Hare Krishna! Karttika: Lord Krishna’s Favorite Month
A Month of Love: Devotional service can be performed at any time, in any place, yet devotees know well that devotional service performed during Karttika is especially pleasing to the Lord. Therefore, they perform additional austerities and devotional practices during this month. Although the Vedic scriptures describe in detail material benefits one may derive by performing devotional service during Karttika, pure devotees of Lord Krishna have no interest in these. rather, they are interested only in pleasing the Lord. every year, ISKCON devotees eagerly await the arrival of Karttika, when they daily sing the Damodarastakam prayers and offer heartfelt love and devotion as they circle ghee lamps before the Lord. Throughout the month, they are so immersed in the childhood pastimes of Krishna as Damodara that you can hear them constantly sing about them.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20910

October 31. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada’s mission was really not yet underway. He was confined to a windowless chamber in a hatha yoga studio and was not allowed to preach to Dr. Mishra’s students. He knew he needed a place of his own, but he had no money. So far his only plan was to write to wealthy patrons in India. He had located a building on 72nd Street which he thought was suitable and was relatively inexpensive considering Manhattan real estate – even in 1965 the price was one hundred thousand dollars with a twenty thousand dollar cash down payment. Prabhupada thought that if he could get the twenty thousand dollars from India, he could move in, open the doors, start regular programs of kirtan, lecturing and prasadam distribution and the Americans would come forward and donate enough to pay the monthly mortgage payments. It was a little far-fetched to think he would immediately have enough funds to provide immediate ample prasadam distribution and quickly develop a supporting congregation to pay the mortgage. So far he had not found any supporters in America, but then he had not yet been able to preach to them and show the worth of his mission. The proceeds from the sales of the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the bookstores he had placed them in were negligible. Although he had not yet received any favorable responses from the correspondence he had sent to patrons in India – it was hard enough to get any response from them – he cancelled his plan to return immediately to India and went ahead and extended his visa to stay in America.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490/#31

The post Daily Darshan – October 31st, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

via YouTube Capture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wAcYtw2O4

Hare Krishna! 50th Anniversary Festival for Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in Butler, PA
Almost 200 devotees from USA and Canada, headed by HH Bhakti Marg Swami, HG Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu, HG Mother Krishnananadini, HG Mother Jayasri, HG Mother Visvadika, HG Mother Archanalata, HG Subhavilash Prabhu, HG Akhilananda Prabhu, HG Jaya Krishna Prabhu, HG Nityodita Prabhu etc, participated in that very festival The festival was initiated with a sumptuous lunch prasada and followed by a majestic Harinama Sankirtan to YMCA and house of Mr/Mrs Gopal &Shally Aggarwal. Srila Prabhapada spent first 30days of His stay in USA in their house. The sincere chanting of 200 devotees in the Harinama procession was adored by Mother nature with an auspicious sign of light drizzling, what is called “puspa-vristii” in Samskrit language.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20861

Bhakti Vidyapurna Swami at ISKCON Mayapur on 2015-10-25, Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 06.16.29

Prabhupada’s mission was really not yet underway.  He was confined to a windowless chamber in a hatha yoga studio and was not allowed to preach to Dr. Mishra’s students.

Every year the GBC has a “mid-term” meeting at a different temple in India. This year the body was hosted at Govardhan Eco Village.

We have a series of catch-up posts coming up on Kadamba Kanana Swami’s travels during July and August…

Written by Nadia Karuna dd

From the Radhadesh Summer Festival in Belgium, Kadamba Kanana Swami travelled to Zurich (Monday, 27 July). Krishna Prema Rupa Prabhu, Bhakta Matthias, Bhaktin Ramona and I picked him up from the airport and drove to the beautiful Swiss mountains near Berne.

This year’s location for the retreat was very well-chosen. The organizers did a perfect job again! The fresh air, nature and sattvic environment helped the assembly to easily immerse deep into the Holy Name. Most of the devotees brought along with their Deities and transformed the altar into a huge blissful spiritual home.

Upon arriving, Maharaj took a short break and then began the evening with a beautiful bhajan and nobody wanted for it to end. The bright and spacious room was filled with devotees from near and far – some of them came from England, Netherland, Austria, Germany and Italy. The lecture that followed, given in German, started with the story of Jagai and Madhai and concluded that with the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, both of them were released from their sins. Maharaj went on further to say that Krsna wants more and more therefore one should not plateau in spiritual life, rather one should steadily go forward. Also, Krsna does not look at what you give up but instead, he looks at what you are holding back!

On Tuesday, Maharaj gave Srimad Bhagavatam (11.14.16) class. The main topic was our internal residence in Vrindavan – that manifestation of the Dhama, which Srila Jiva Goswami describes, is a state of consciousness. Our spiritual wealth has to be planted. We have to care for whatever treasures we find, maintain these treasures, nurse them with hearing and chanting, then these treasures will sprout in deep Vedic realizations. Our mind should be Vrindavan. This lecture was given in English.

It was a great pleasure that Maharaj took lunch prasadam in the dining room and gave personal exchanges to the fortunate devotees there. Then he used the afternoon to take rest and recharge his batteries for the following kirtan day.

The whole of Wednesday (29 July) was a great opportunity to participate at the 12h kirtan and please Sri Krsna with singing his Holy Names. Everyone could feel the atmosphere was getting more spiritual and cleansed from distractions as long as the kirtans went on. At the end, Maharaj began with a mellow bhajan which grew quickly into an awesome rocking wild kirtan, which lasted into the night. Everybody jumped up from their seats and danced until the whole house was shaking and trembling – holy cow!

Somewhat hoarse from the previous evening, Maharaj gave an incredible class on Thursday afternoon. He pointed out so many practical and helpful things for spiritual life. After the class, Maharaj went out for a japa walk and discovered some parts of the Swiss Alps. He also used Thursday to give darshan to some fortunate devotees, including Bhakta Andreas, Bhakta Suri, Bhakta Kajen, Bhaktin Carolina and Bhaktin Esma.

In the evening, Kadamba Kanana Swami and Sacinandana Swami opened up a Q-and-A session. The devotees were eager to use these great opportunity and ask their questions. One important point mentioned was, “I try my best and let Krsna do the rest!” On this Friday was Guru Purnima and Srila Sanatana Goswamis disappearance day. In Maharaj’s Srimad Bhagavatam (10.20.6) class, he pointed out the Vedic injunctions in glorification of the spiritual master.

During the day, I prepared myself to receive initiation. In the afternoon, Maharaj gave an amazing and touching initiating lecture. I felt, and still feel, deep gratitude that Maharaj gave me shelter at his lotus feet as well to those who I know from my first days in this movement who supported me all the time so kindly. From that day, on my name is Nadia Karuna devi dasi (previously Vanessa Sigrist). In the evening, the retreat was almost finished. Finally the children presented a cute power-point show for everybody’s pleasure, about their plays during the week.

Early on Saturday (1 August), Krishna Prema Rupa Prabhu, my husband Bhakta Silvan and I drove Maharaj back to Zurich to the main station, where he left for Sri Dhama Mayapur. Again, we all had an awesome time with Maharaj and of course, we want him back here next year!

Visit Flickr to see the full album.

Audio

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Kartika Mass @ ISKCON, Ludhiana
Sri Sri Jagannath Temple (ISKCON) celebrated the arrival of auspicious Kartik month with ecstatic kirtan, lamp offering to Lord Damodar, recitation of Damodarastakam prayer and discourses. Devotees offered lights to Their Lordship after Gaura Aarti. Lamp offering will continue for the whole month of Kartika. It is said that since this month is very dear to Krishna by performing austerities, or restraining one’s sense gratification and performing activities to please the senses of the Lord, one becomes very dear to the Krishna. As Satya-yuga is the best of yugas, as the Vedas are the best of scriptures, as Ganga is the best of rivers, so Kartika is the best of months, the most dear to Krishna.

(Excerpt from Mysteries of the Ancient Vedic Empire by Stephen Knapp)

First of all, why should we consider that Ancient India was so important? What did it have to offer anyone? And what did others have to say about Vedic India? And what difference does it make if it did spread over such a wide area and into so many different countries? And even if it did, why would this make a difference today?

If we have not studied the ancient Vedic culture, then there may be more about it that we should understand. After all, it is still the oldest living indigenous culture on the planet. It is not dead yet, and never will be. That alone says something of its universal nature. And if we have studied it, then we should review some of the impressions that India made in the minds of other people to better understand its importance.

THE WIDE INFLUENCE OF VEDIC INDIA

First of all, as explained in The Ancient World by John Haywood, “India is the birthplace of two of the world’s great religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. Today, nearly half the world’s population live in countries whose cultural development has been influenced by one or both of these religions. Apart from India itself, these countries include China, Tibet, Nepal, Japan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia. The influence of ancient India was not just limited to its religions. Indian mathematicians were the first in the Old World to discover the mathematical value of zero, and gave the world quadratic equations and the now universally used system of ‘Arabic’ numerals. The alphabets of Tibet, Mongolia and all of the Southeast Asian languages are of Indian origin. Yet despite their wide-ranging influence, the early civilizations of the Indian subcontinent are the least well known of any of the ancient civilizations.” ¹

Let me add that how the influence of the Vedic culture of ancient India, Bharatvarsha, spread throughout the world is also hardly understood. This is why I have put together the present volume. And, as mentioned above, the advancements that were developed within and spread outside of India is also rarely recognized, which is why I have explained these ancient advancements, many of which the world now takes for granted, in my book Advancements of Ancient India’s Vedic Culture.

Many others also had complimentary things to say about the importance of India and its Vedic traditions, such as Mark Twain: “Let us remember,… That India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit, the mother of Europe’s languages; that she was the mother of our philosophy, mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics, mother, through Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity, mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all.” ²

Mark Twain went on to say: “This is India! Cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition, whose yesterdays bear date with the moldering antiquities of the rest of the nations,… one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined. India had the start of the whole world in the beginning of things. She had the first civilization; she had the first accumulation of material wealth; she was populous with deep thinkers and subtle intellects. India is the prime source of human development.” ³

William H Gilbert said in his Peoples of India: “In the history of human culture, the contribution of the Indian people in all fields has been of the greatest importance. From India we are said to have derived domestic poultry, shellac, lemons, cotton, jute, rice, sugar, indigo, the buffalo, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, sugar-cane, the games of chess, pachisi, and polo, the zero concept, the decimal system, the basis of certain philological concepts, a wealth of fables with moral import, an astonishing variety of artistic products, and innumerable ideas of philosophy and religion such as asceticism and monasticism.”

In this same regard, Rabindranatha Tagore also related, “I cannot but bring to your mind those days when the whole of Eastern Asia, from Burma to Japan was united with India in the closest ties of friendship.”

A. L. Basham also felt that India was extremely important, as he says in his Cultural History of India: “There are four main cradles of civilization, from which elements of culture have spread to other parts of the world. These are, moving from east to west, China, the Indian subcontinent, the ‘Fertile Crescent’, and the Mediterranean, especially Greece and Italy. Of these four areas, India deserves a larger share of the credit than she is usually given, because, on a minimum assessment, she has deeply affected the religious life of most of Asia, as well as extending her influence, directly or indirectly, to other parts of the world.”

Pierre Sonnerat also explained, “We find among the Indians the vestiges of the most remote antiquity… We know that all peoples came there to draw the elements of their knowledge… India, in her splendour, gave religions and laws to all the other peoples; Egypt and Greece owed to her both their fables and their wisdom.” ⁴

The German historian and novelist Friedrich Schlegel saw in Sanskrit the “original language,” or what is now called the Proto-Indo-European language, and declared in 1803 that, “Everything without exception is of Indian origin… ” ⁵ Also, “Whether directly or indirectly, all nations are originally nothing but Indian colonies… The oriental antiquity could, if we consented to deepen it, bring us back more safely towards the divine.” ⁶

Regardless of how much various religions in the past or even today have tried to wipe out or minimize the advanced nature of Vedic culture, they still could not do that, as explained as follows by Higgins: “The peninsula of India would be one of the first peopled countries, and its inhabitants would have all the habits of the progenitors of man before the flood in as much perfection or more than any other nation… In short, whatever learning man possessed before his dispersion may be expected to be found here, and of this, Hindustan affords innumerable traces… notwithstanding … the fruitless efforts of our priests to disguise it.” ⁷

Even Vedic culture’s deep spirituality is found to be the underlying basis of other religions, as explained by Maurice Maeterlinck: “Thanks to the labors of a science which is comparatively recent, and more especially to the researches of the students of Hindu and Egyptian antiquities, it is very much easier today than it was not so long ago to discover the source, to ascend the course and unravel the underground network of that great mysterious river which since the beginning of history has been flowing beneath all the religions, all the faiths, and all the philosophies: in a word, beneath all the visible and everyday manifestations of human thought. It is now hardly to be contested that this source is to be found in ancient India. Thence in all probability the sacred teaching spread into Egypt, found its way to ancient Persia and Chaldea, permeated the Hebrew race, and crept into Greece and the north of Europe, finally reaching China and even America.” ⁸

Professor James Traub, in India–The Challenge of Change, goes on to say: “Five thousand years ago, civilization of India was age-old. This civilization should be much older with many millennia of human endeavor behind it. Five thousand years ago, when the peoples of Europe were hauling stones across the face of the continent and grubbing out a meager existence, Indians throughout what is now western and southern Pakistan and Punjab, and even farther to the East, were living in elaborately designed cities, with sturdy houses, broad, straight roads, public baths, and drainage systems that were hardly equaled until the Roman era three thousand years later…. But five thousand years ago, according to archeologist John Marshal, the Indus Valley civilization was already age-old and stereotyped on Indian soil, with many millennia of human endeavor behind it. Usually we think of Mesopotamia as the cradle of civilization, but evidence suggests that the society of northwestern India, which has preserved its essential spirit over countless generations, deserve equal billing.”

Not only was the Vedic Indian influence recognized to the west of India, but also far to the east, as explained by Rene Grousset in Farther India and the Malay Archipelago (Volume II): “In the high plateau of eastern Iran, in the oases of Serindia, in the arid wastes of Tibet, Mongolia, and Manchuria, in the ancient civilized lands of China and Japan, in the lands of the primitive Mons and Khmers and other tribes of India-China, in the countries of the Malaya-Polynesians, in Indonesia and Malay, India left the indelible impress of her high culture, not only upon religion, but also upon art, and literature, in a word, all the higher things of spirit… There is an obstinate prejudice thanks to which India is constantly represented as having lived, as it were, hermetically sealed up in its age-old civilization, apart from the rest of Asia. Nothing could be more exaggerated. During the first eight centuries of our era, so far as religion and art are concerned, central Asia was a sort of Indian colony. It is often forgotten that in the early Middle Ages there existed a ‘Greater India,’ a vast Indian empire. A man coming from the Ganges or the Deccan to Southeast Asia felt as much at home there as in his own native land. In those days the Indian Ocean really deserved its name.”

Will Durant in his Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage, goes on to say, “It is true that even across the Himalayan barrier India has sent to us such questionable gifts as grammar and logic, philosophy and fables, hypnotism and chess, and above all, our numerals and our decimal system. But these are not the essence of her spirit; they are trifles compared to what we may learn from her in the future. As invention, industry and trade bind the continents together, or as they fling us into conflict with Asia, we shall study its civilization more closely, and shall absorb, even in enmity, some of its ways and thoughts. Perhaps, in return for conquest, arrogance and spoliation, India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of the mature mind, the quiet content of the unacquisitive soul, the calm of the understanding spirit and a unifying, pacifying love for all living things.”

However, that may depend on how much the people of India retain their culture. Otherwise, the more Westernized they become in their thinking and values, the more the above statement may be called into question. Nonetheless, to remain aware of its possibilities, we should not forget the well-known and glowing words that Max Muller had for India and its culture: “If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that nature can bestow–in some parts a very paradise on earth–I should point to India. If I were asked under what sky the human mind most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant, I should point to India. If I were to ask myself from what literature we, here in Europe, may draw the corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more universal, in fact more truly human, again I should point to India.” ⁹

Lord Curzon, while Viceroy of India, in his address at the Great Delhi Durbar in 1901, expressed, “Powerful empires existed and flourished here (in India) while Englishmen were still wandering, painted, in the woods, and while the British Colonies were still a wilderness and a jungle. India has left a deeper mark upon the history, the philosophy, and the religion of mankind, than any other terrestrial unit in the universe.”

From a more political perspective, Lord Curzon, before he went to India as a Viceroy, two or three times emphasized the importance of India to the British Empire when he said: “India was the pivot of our Empire. If this Empire lost any other part of its dominion we could survive, but if we lost India, the sun of our Empire would be set.” (Times, 3/12/1898)

Lord Roberts, after retiring for good from India, also said a similar statement to the London Chamber of Commerce: “I rejoice to learn that you recognize how indissolubly the prosperity of the United Kingdom is bound with the retention of that vast Eastern Empire.” (Times, 25/5/1893)

“That retention of our Eastern Empire is essential to the greatness and prosperity of the United Kingdom.” (Times, 29/7/1893)

“However efficient and well-equipped the army of India may be, were it indeed absolute perfection, and were its numbers considerably more than they are at present, our greatest strength must ever rest on the firm base of a united and contented India.” ¹⁰

In this way, the Vedic empire was a different kind of empire and showed its influence by its qualities and beneficial nature to one and all, rather than by power and military dominance. In A History of India by Kulke and Rothermund (1986, p.152), they explain how the influence of ancient India traveled over many lands: “The transmission of Indian culture to distant parts of Central Asia, China, Japan, and especially Southeast Asia is certainly one of the greatest achievements of Indian history or even the history of mankind. None of the other great civilizations–not even Hellenic–had been able to achieve a similar success without military conquest.”

The attractive nature of the Vedic Aryan Culture is explained more completely by David Frawley: “In the beginning there was one culture–that of the Spirit–and one language–that of Truth. This culture was outwardly one of worship and inwardly one of meditation. The language was one of mantra and communication was from the heart. The outer life was simple. There were small cities and villages, mainly along the rivers. Agriculture was practiced with the use of domesticated animals. Boats and wagons were used for travel. The emphasis was on the inner life and the outer life was not considered important, nor was there any great effort or need to improve it. Nature was abundant. This culture did not come from the outside but came from within and was guided by the sages, who generally lived in retreat in the mountains, who visited the peoples periodically and gave them instruction. From it later cultures diversified, along with divisions of language and religion, as we gradually fell from truth and our connection to the Divine to pursue outward and sensate values.” ¹¹

Some additional information of the peaceful and developed ways of the Harappan culture is described by Michel Danino in his book, The Invasion that Never Was. “Dancing, painting, sculpture and music (there is evidence of drums and stringed instruments) were part of Harappan culture. Probably drama and puppet shows too, as a number of masks were found. The Harappans may also have been the inventors of the game of chess, of which one terracotta set was found at Lothal. Other kinds of gaming board and pieces have come up at many sites, as well as cubical dice identical to those used today. Children do not seem to have been neglected, judging from the exquisite care with which craftsmen fashioned toy oxcarts and figurines, spinning tops, marbles, rattles and whistles. And they could also amuse themselves with pet dogs and monkeys, pet squirrels and birds, too.

“Naturally, with hundreds of rural settlements, agriculture was practiced on a wide scale, the result of a long tradition going back four millennia. There is evidence of networks of canals for irrigation, of carefully shaped ploughs and ingenious tilling methods: at Kalibangan, for instance, excavations revealed a field ploughed with two perpendicular networks of furrows, in which higher crops (such as mustard) were grown in spaced-out north-south furrows, thus casting shorter shadows, while shorter crops (such as gram) filled contiguous east-west furrows. In the Indus valley, wheat, barley, pulses, a number of vegetables, and cotton were some of the common crops, and were planted following the two-season pattern still in use today (rabi or winter, kharif or summer); in Gujarat, rice and various millets were grown, too.” ¹²

THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT–STILL ATTRACTIVE TODAY

One of the major factors of the Vedic society was their spiritual orientation, which many people seek out even today. Max Muller mentioned this in one of his books: “I wish to point out that there was another sphere of intellectual activity in which the Hindus excelled–the meditative and transcendent–and that here we might learn from them some lessons of life which we ourselves are but too apt to ignore or to despise.”¹³

It was the Vedic philosophy that charmed and attracted people. As the Britisher Sir Charles Elliot explains, more than military or economic power, Vedic India spread into the hearts of people because of her way of thinking, and through that process spread over the globe. “Scant justice is done to India’s position in the world by those European histories which recount the exploits of her invader and leave the impression that her own people were a feeble dreamy fold, sundered from the rest of mankind by their seas and mountain frontiers. Such a picture takes no account of the intellectual conquests of the Hindus. Even their political conquests were not contemptible, and are remarkable for the distance, if not the extent, of the territories occupied… But such military or commercial invasions are insignificant compared with the spread of Indian thought.”

Sir William Jones (1746-94) once said about his admiration for India: “I am in love with Gopia, charmed by Crishen (Krishna), an enthusiastic admirer of Ram and a devout adorer of Brihma (Brahma), Bishen (Vishnu), Mahisher (Maheshwara); not to mention that Judishteir, Arjen, Corno (Yudhishtira, Arjun and Karna) and the other warriors of the Mahabharata appear greater in my eyes than Agamemnon, Ajax and Achilles appeared when I first read the Iliad.” ¹⁴

Arthur Schopenhauer, the German scholar (1788-1860), as quoted by Nehru, ¹⁵ once said that he expected Vedic Dharma to become accepted by the majority of people: “From every sentence (of the Upanishads) deep, original and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole world is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit… In the whole world there is no study … so beneficial and as elevating as that of the Upanishads… (They) are products of the highest wisdom … It is destined sooner or later to become the faith of the people.”

It was also Schopenhauer who said, “The truth was recognized by the sages of India.” ¹⁶

GREATNESS OF VEDAS

Much of the reason for the qualities of ancient India and its great sages are held and can be seen by the greatness of the Vedic texts. This has been recognized by numerous scholars over the years. Here are a few, such as Professor Paul William Roberts in Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India: “The Vedas still represent eternal truth in the purest form ever written.”

Of course, we know that Henry David Thoreau greatly admired the Vedic literature, as mentioned in Quotes of Henry David Thoreau: “What extracts from the Vedas I have read fall on me like the light of a higher and purer luminary, which describes a loftier course through a purer stratum. It rises on me like the full moon after the stars have come out, wading through some far stratum in the sky.”

He also said in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, “In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial; and I doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is its sublimity from our conceptions.”

Another famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson is, “I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.”

Even Aldous Huxley once related, “The Bhagavad Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value of mankind. The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the spiritual thoughts ever to have been made.” ¹⁷

Annie Besant brings up another idea, that even westerners who are now drawn to the rare teachings of the Vedic philosophy are experiencing an attraction that was attained in a previous life. In India: Essays and Lectures she says: “Among the priceless teachings that may be found in the great Indian epic Mahabharata, there is none so rare and priceless as the Gita… This is the India of which I speak–the India which, as I said, is to me the Holy Land. For those who, though born for this life in a Western land, and clad in a Western body, can yet look back to earlier incarnations in which they drank the milk of spiritual wisdom from the breast of their true mother–they must feel ever the magic of her immemorial past; must dwell ever under the spell of her deathless fascination; for they are bound to India by all the sacred memories of their past and with her, too, are bound up all the radiant hopes of their future, a future which they know they will share with her who is their true mother in the soul-life.” ¹⁸

CHAPTER NOTES

1. Haywood, John, The Ancient World, New York, Metro Books, 2013, p.54.

2. Twain, Mark, Following the Equator, 1897, p. 347.

3. Ibid.

4. Sonnerat, P., Voyage aux Indes orientales et a la Chine, Paris, 1782.

5. Schlegel, Friedrich von, Letter to Ludwig Tieck of 15 December, 1803, quoted by Leon Poliakov in The Aryan Myth.

6. Schlegel, Friedrich von, Essay on the Language and Wisdom of the Indians, quoted by Roger-Pol Droit in L’Oubli de I’Inde, Paris Presses Universitaires de France, 1989, p. 129.

7. Higgins, The Celtic Druids) (Niranjan Shah, India: The Birthplace of Human Speech, International Vedic Vision, Sands Point, N.Y., 2013, p. 66.

8. Maeterlink, Maurice, in The Great Secret) (Niranjan Shah, Indian Origins of Ancient Civilizations, International Vedic Vision Foundation, New York, 2011, p.4.

9. Muller, F. Max, India, What can it teach us? Published by Rupa & Co., New Delhi, reprint in 2002.

10. Quoted in “Dadabhai Naoroji: Poverty and un-British Rule in India,” 1901, http://www.archive.org/details/povertyunbritish00naoruoft .

11. Frawley, David, Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization, Passage Press, Salt Lake City, 1991, p.239.

12. Danino, Michel, & Sujata Nahar, The Invasion That Never Was, The Mother’s Institute of Research, Delhi, 2000, p.91.

13. Muller, Max, India: What Can it Teach Us?, Longmans, Funk & Wagnalls Company, London, 1999, p.138.

14. Mukharji, S.N., Sir William Jones: A Study in Eighteenth Century British Attitudes to India, Orient Longman, 1987.

15. The Discovery of India, Calcutta, Signet Press, 1946, pp. 92-93.

16. Schopenhauer, Arthur, The World as Will and Representation, Vol. 1, trans. E. Payne, New York: Dover Publishing Inc., 1969, p.3.

17. Galav, T. C. Philosophy of Hinduism–An Introduction, p.65.

18. Besant, Annie, India: Essays and Lectures, Vol. IV, The Theosophical Publishing Company, London, 1895, p.11.

Benefits of following Karttika (2 min video)
Chaturatma Dasa tells us some of the benefits he’s experienced from his yearly practice of taking vows during the month of Karttika (October-November).

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Stratford Festival, UK - 29th Oct 2015 (Album with photos)
The Nagrecha Hall, Stratford, was packed out last night for an evening of kirtan, philosophy, dance, yoga and delicious prasadam. Lots of people came along to find out about the Hare Krishnas, and are keen to get more involved with future events in the town. The Stratford Festival is part of the Festival Team’s target of organising and hosting 50 fifty festivals over the next year :-)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/Yoy4sw

Hare Krishna! Karttika-The “Sale of the Year”
Ekendra dasa: The Vedas do not recommend horse sacrifices nowadays, anyway. They don’t work. Better to chant Hare Krishna. And, considering that Yamaraja is the universal superintendent in charge of meting out punishment to those who transgress karmic law, it’s easy to appreciate the significance of the following benediction: “For a devotee who worships Lord Vishnu with offerings of malati flowers in the month of Karttika, Yamaraja orders the removal of all his sinful reactions from the account book.” (Hari-bhakti-vilasa, 7.90-92) Not bad. And the list goes on. Whatever you offer–tulasi, malati, ghee lamps, time, energy, attention–takes on greater significance this month. Karttika could be thought of as the ultimate “buy one, get a-whole-lot-more free” sale, (or the equivalent of a “super, multi-triple word score” for those familiar with the game of Scrabble. For a limited time only, whoever is lucky (or greedy, or intelligent) enough to do some service for Krishna during this special month gets a uniquely huge return on their investment. The ultimate return: one becomes more Krishna conscious.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20833

Karttika Parikrama in Vrindavana (7 min video)
Karttika is a name for a month that corresponds to October/November of the Western calendar. This month is considered a most auspicious time for performing spiritual activities. The name Karttika refers to Srimati Radharani, the feminine form of the Absolute Truth and the dear most companion of Krishna. Karttika is also known as the month of Damodara, a name of Krishna that refers to His babyhood pastime of being tied up by His loving mother after He was caught stealing butter.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/AWkkmw

Avanti – A Growing Family of Schools!
Matthew Whitlock: The work of Avanti Schools Trust began in 2005 with the objective of establishing the first state-funded Hindu faith school in the UK. This pioneering project came to fruition in 2008 with the opening of Krishna Avanti Primary School in Harrow. Since then, this landmark school has deservedly benefited from national and international recognition as it journeys from strength to strength. The trust now operates five schools in Greater London, one in Leicester, and is currently awaiting the approval to open two more.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/NRn4sR

Change the Topic Change the Fortune, HG. Vaisesika Prabhu’s recent inspirational class given at the Mira Road Iskcon temple (38 min video)
English translated to Hindi
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/szIMRZ

The post Reading from Chapter One of the draft of Sri Damodara-janani (Part 3) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Conversation with devotees in Mayapura appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Rescuing the Stolen River Premiers at Asia’s Largest Green Film Festival
“Rescuing the Stolen River,” an 82-minute documentary film written and directed by ISKCON devotee Krishna-Lila Dasi (Krisztina Danka, Ph.D.) about pollution in the sacred river Yamuna, premiered at the CMS Vatavaran Film Festival in New Delhi, India on October 10th. The festival, which ran from October 9th to 13th at Delhi’s NDMC Convention Centre, is ranked in the top two environmental film festivals in the world. It deals with a vast range of issues including climate change, natural heritage conservation, biodiversity, and renewable energy.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/WMXUbm

Kirtan 50 festival in Dallas, Texas
On this most auspicious occasion of Karttik, we’d like to officially announce the Kirtan 50 festival in Dallas, TX, celebrating ISKCON’s 50th anniversary. Dates: December 31st 2015 - January 3rd 2016. The event will be a 4 day festival with 50 hours of Kirtan with special guests H.H. B.B Govinda Swami and Madhava Prabhu as well as many other kirtaniyas from all over the world! Festivities also include a flower shower (Pushpa Abhisheka), delicious meals prepared by Kalachandji’s Restaurant & Palace and seminars with esteemed guests such as Guru Prasad Swami & others. Join us in celebrating 50 years of ISKCON and bring in the New Year the best way possible, with LOTS and LOTS of Chanting, Dancing & Feasting!
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20824

Parikrama at Vrinda Devi, Kamyavan (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The first destination on our Kartika Parikrama 2015 was the sacred village of Kamyavan, where the Deity of Vrinda-Devi is worshipped. Srila Rupa Goswami discovered the beautiful deep red-colored Vrinda Devi 500 years ago in Vrindavan and worshipped her along with his Radha Govindadev. When Radha Govinda were moved to Jaipur during the persecutions of Arungazeb, Vrinda Devi refused to leave Vrindavan. Radha and Krsna have many pastimes in Kamyavan as well and we discussed these in detail during our talks. Bada Haridas Prabhu melted everyone’s hearts with his deep devotional kirtans. It was a wonderful beginning to our month-long journey throughout the land of Krsna.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/L3FUWE

Hare Krishna! Mukunda Goswami’s health update
We are greatly relieved to report that Mukunda Maharaja’s hip surgery was done this morning from 9:15am till 12:45pm. By your prayers and Srila Prabhupada’s mercy it was very successful. All the medical stats are fine The orthopedic surgeons placed four screws into Maharaja’s hip and thigh under spinal anesthesia. Maharaja is back to his ICU room and is being closely monitored for blood pressure, oxygen level, clotting, infections and other vital parameters. If all goes well, later today they will withdraw the heart pacing wire and will start taking the drains out from his chest.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20821

Hare Krishna! Breaking New Ground in the Science-Religion Dialogue
After the publication of paper ‘Life and consciousness – The Vedāntic view’ in a hardcore Biology Journal Communicative & Integrative Biology (Volume 8, Issue 5 – Publisher: Taylor and Francis) it has stimulated a lot of interesting discussions among prominent scientists worldwide. This important service by Srila Prabhupada’s Scientific Sankirtan party must be very pleasing to Srila Prabhupada. I am receiving regularly these interesting ongoing ‘Science Religion’ dialogue and I want to share a few of them with you all for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20812

Holy Name Tour in Peru (Album with photos)
Next two weeks our super enthusiastic crew will travel across the land of the Incas (Peru) helping the spreading of the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We are very thankful to the devotees who have organized this tour.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/K480f3

October 30. ISKCON 50 – S.Prabhupada Daily Meditations.
Prabhupada assured Sumati Morarji that he had no ambition to become the proprietor of a house or temple in America; but for preaching, a building would be absolutely required: They should have association of bona fide devotees of the Lord, they should join the kirtana glorifying the Lord, they should hear the teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam, they should have intimate touch with the temple or place of the Lord, and they should be given ample chance to worship the Lord in the temple. Under the guidance of the bona fide devotee, they can be given such facilities and the way of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is open for everyone. He informed her that he had located a building “just suitable for this great missionary work.” It was ideal, “as if it was built for this purpose only.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20490/#30

The post Daily Darshan October 30th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The festival, which ran from October 9^th to 13^th at Delhi’s NDMC Convention Centre, is ranked in the top two environmental film festivals in the world. It deals with a vast range of issues including climate change, natural heritage conservation, biodiversity, and renewable energy. This year, the festival received a total of 178 entries from India and around the world.