Planet ISKCON

Carana Mitra, a Calcutta High Court Judge, wrote:

“I knew Thakur Bhaktivinoda intimately as a friend and a relation. Even under the pressure of official work as a magistrate in charge of a heavy subdivision he could always find time for devotional contemplation and work, and whenever I met him, our talk would turn in a few moments to the subject of bhakti and dvaitadvaita-vada and the saintly work that lay before him. Service of God was the only thing he longed for and service under the government, however honourable, was to him a clog.”

The appearance of Bhaktivinoda Thakur was observed by the devotees at Jagannatha Gauranga Mandir, Bali.

The amazing altar of Krisna-völgy/ New Vraja-dhama, Iskcon Hungary

Harinama in New York city in the company of elevated bhaktas! (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/S6aCmq

“How to conquer our attachments” (6 min video)
Do you find yourself stuck due to attachments, though earnestly you want to make spiritual progress? Srila Prabhupada sets us free by urging us to “lift our anchors”. Please watch this video where we discuss practical ways to conquer our attachments to be free to meet our Lord in the spiritual sky.
Flow of the video:
1. Only pure love qualifies us to go back to Krsna.
2. Discussion/Examples of how our attachments are blocking our progress.
3. How to let go of the anchor.
4. Example of two boats going in opposite directions.
5. Choice is ours!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ZjaKZY

How to distribute prasadam to 5.000 in Paris, France, and be happy! (Album with photos)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/uhe9Sy

Hare Krishna! Before I Die…
Ananda Vrindavanesvari Devi: The Gita teaches that wherever our mind is at the time of death, that will determine our next destination. Better not leave that to chance as our mind is undependable. In a split second it goes off on any emotion, both good and bad. Before we die, therefore, we need to practice what state of mind we want to be in at the time of death. That’s the practice of Bhakti. If our heart is filled with affection for Krishna, then at that critical moment we will call out to Krishna, and place our heart, and therefore our mind there. Love conquers all, especially the mind. If we love Krishna, that is where we will go for shelter. And that is where we will go at the time of, and after, death.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20127

The post Last night’s bhajan at the house with Amala and others appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Vaisnavis’ initiated names end with “devi dasi” not “dasi” appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Traveling and preaching in Mongolia (6 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: We’re on the road again, taking the holy names of Krsna to as many towns and villages as we can during our 3,500-kilometer journey through the remote areas of Mongolia. There’s a special satisfaction pioneering Krsna consciousness in a place where people have never seen devotees before, or heard of Lord Caitanya. Yesterday in Darhan people immediately crowded around us as we began Hari Nama, eager to hear our message and buy books. Some of them followed us back to a hall where we had a two-hour program. Step by step we are conquering the hearts of the people of this beautiful country.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/3IJGDu

Hare Krishna! Interview with Bhakti Rasamrita Swami – Pandava Sena Alumni
A special interactive interview with HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami. This session was a discussion on the modern application of Krishna Consciousness and took the format of an interview by Nanda Parkinson (Chat Show Host). We also had 30 minutes for QnA from the audience
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20123

The post Daily Darshan – September 29th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Hare Krishna! Former Premier among 15,000 other guests at Australia’s Albert Park Iskcon Temple
The devotees thanked the former premier for helping in getting 500 K grant for Albert Park Temple’s “Kitchen Project” In his speech, Mr Baillieu thanked the Victorian Indian and Hindu community for their overall contribution to Victoria and Australia. During the informal chit-chat about the upcoming kitchen project, Mr Baillieu’s cooking skills came under discussion. ISKCON devotes said they would love to see Mr Baillieu’s cooking skills at the upcoming kitchen, and the former premier said he would be more than happy to oblige.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20119

Answer Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Can’t judging be a means of self-defense? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post If we correct with good intention, isn’t that good enough? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Sunday Feast Lecture at New Ramana Rati, Alachua.

Lecture Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Judgmental attitude ruins relationships appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The following devotees spoke in appreciation of Giriraj Swami: Gaudachandra dasa, Aditi dasi, Purusottama Ksetra dasa, Revati dasi, Sri Vallabha dasa, Madhava, Balarama dasa, Tulsi Manjari devi dasi, Sukumari dasi, Bhaktin Andrea, Bhakta Jared, Swarup Damodar dasa, Bhakta Rob, Rajani Priya devi dasi, Abhay, Radha Radhanatha devi dasi, Kandarpa Manjari devi dasi, Kunti devi dasi, Radha Priya dasi.

“We were in Houston and you were speaking on the Bhagavad-gita at a house program. You were talking about impersonalists and how they think that Krishna is ultimately formless and that everything is Maya. You were saying how different people give impersonal commentaries of the Bhagavad-gita. I was impressed by how you were speaking in such a gentle, calm way yet the message was so heavy. I was amazed how you could be so sweet and so heavy at the same time. And, sometimes I get that from you as well.”

—Balarama dasa

——————————————
Devotees Appreciations
Address by Giriraj Swami

How to Live like Hanuman
He is always ready to serve: Hanuman sits next to Lord Rama with one knee on the ground ready to spring into action. Love is not just an emotion nor a noun…it’s a verb. Love means service. When Hanuman found Rama he dedicated his life to helping Him find Sita. Connect with God, find a person who inspires you in bhakti and offer service. Lots of it. Like Hanuman.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/Qr1bSk

Hare Krishna! How to Navigate the Challenge of Kali-yuga (audio)
Vraja Vihari Das: The Vedas say we live in “Kali-yuga”, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Written thousands of years ago, these writings describe in much detail the ills of society today. They also describe the panacea for living a virtuous and spiritual life despite the challenges of this age.
Listen to it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20116

Hare Krishna! What is the matter with the world
Srila Prabhupada: The animal part of a human being necessarily require food to eat, shelter to live in, protection from fear and gratification of senses. These four principles of life are common both to the man and the animals. A time is nearing when there will be no wheat-paddy in the field and no politician will be able to make a quick supply of bread. The food problem is already acute. The atheistic civilization is to be troubled more and more with the progress of materialism. We have such foretellings in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The more the people are turning to the atheistic, the more things of disturbing elements do appear before us. And that is the thing which matters at present. This is a wrong type of civilization.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=6057

A Second Channel (7 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Following the success of our recent interview on national television here in Mongolia, another prominent channel, Soyongegeeeruulegch.tv, contacted us and proposed to record 5 separate, 45 minute shows with me. The next day I was in their studios for a marathon recording, changing my chaddar each session for some diversity. I spoke on a variety of Krsna conscious subjects, a few of which appear in this short video. When all was done, I asked the director of the station how many people would see the recordings. She replied, “We will broadcast one each day next week both in the morning and evening. So I suppose around 2 million people will hear from you.” Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/3gxY0F

Sivarama Swami on the European Migrant Crisis
Over the past few weeks, in the midst of Europe largest political and humanitarian crisis since World War 2, the Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness have been actively involved in helping migrants and refugees stuck at the railways stations or crossing through the country. Devotees have distributed about 5,000 plates of hot meal, and 1.5 tons of fruits and other food items, while maintaining their usual program of feeding 2,000 marginalized Hungarians every day.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/tJsE4e

Question: What is the best thing to do to cure our scars and in particular how to cure bad relationships with devotees?
Kadamba Kanana Swami: One of my favorite stories that my mother used to tell me is about two princesses and one, when she would open her mouth, roses would come out and when the other one would open hers – frogs! Now, in our case, since we are vaisnavas we are trying for roses but every once in a while there is an inadvertent frog that just jumps out of your mouth and then what do you do!? Then you think, ‘I should not have said that!’ But you cannot swallow the frog – it is against the regulative principles! So once it is out there, it bounces around in all its ugliness and people may even put it on the internet or quote it in a vyasa-puja offering as some sort of funny pastime! Yes, it happens and we try to avoid these things, but it may still happen even when we try to avoid it. Then what do you do? Keep on trying to avoid and just get engaged in positive, glorifying Krsna, serving Krsna and doing all these things connected with devotional service. Then all the anarthas will just automatically be purified in the process of bhakti yoga – all the scars gone!
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/QC9fvX

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 April 2015, Radhadesh, Belgium, Vyasa Puja Morning Lecture, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 24.124)

Question: What is the best thing to do to cure our scars and in particular how to cure bad relationships with devotees?

By having good relationships with devotees! Focus on the positive, do not focus on scars. Sometimes we read about the anarthas and so on, but we should not spend our whole spiritual life just meditating on overcoming anarthas. Certainly, anarthas are an element in our philosophy and one should understand the nature of these anarthas, reading about it for example in Madhurya Kadambini where Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur gives really nice explanation about the anarthas. The point is that we do take note of anarthas and on how to overcome them, but the essence is – let us just focus on the positive! Avoid the negative activities as much as you can and meanwhile where it is still difficult, then we try to just get absorbed in devotional service and that will purify us.

One of my favorite stories that my mother used to tell me is about two princesses and one, when she would open her mouth, roses would come out and when the other one would open hers – frogs! Now, in our case, since we are vaisnavas we are trying for roses but every once in a while there is an inadvertent frog that just jumps out of your mouth and then what do you do!? Then you think, ‘I should not have said that!’ But you cannot swallow the frog – it is against the regulative principles! So once it is out there, it bounces around in all its ugliness and people may even put it on the internet or quote it in a vyasa-puja offering as some sort of funny pastime! Yes, it happens and we try to avoid these things, but it may still happen even when we try to avoid it. Then what do you do? Keep on trying to avoid and just get engaged in positive, glorifying Krsna, serving Krsna and doing all these things connected with devotional service. Then all the anarthas will just automatically be purified in the process of bhakti yoga – all the scars gone!

The post How and why Sita Rama Prabhu’s family spent the night in Budapest airport detention centre appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Radha is Vibhavari devi appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

With the European public completely divided over how to treat refugees poring in from war-torn countries, whether Europeans should welcome them or be afraid of them, likewise, being at the epicenter of the crisis, Hungarian devotees have also expressed their concerns about the issue. Sivarama Swami addresses some of these concerns.

India’s Ancient and Great Maritime History
This shows how ancient Vedic culture was able to reach many areas of the globe. We should first take into account that ancient India, which was centered around the Indus Valley years ago, and was already well developed before 3200 BCE, stretched from Afghanistan to the Indian Ocean and points farther east and north, the largest empire in the world at the time. But its influence spread much farther than that. During its peak developments, it had organized cities, multistory brick buildings, vast irrigation networks, sewer systems, the most advanced metalwork in the world, and a maritime trade network that incorporated the use of compasses, planked ships, and trained navigators that reached parts of western Asia, Mesopotamia, Africa, and other ports far beyond their borders. 1 So they were certainly capable of ocean-going trips that could have reached even to the Americas.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20110