ISKCON of Washington, DC area
Looking forward to hosting Congressman Van Hollen, delegates Aruna Miller and Kumar Barve at the Janmastami celebrations tomorrow night.
This Divine Couple, Radha and Krishna, eternally engage in loving pastimes. These loving pastimes are enacted on the spiritual platform, which is free from the contamination of material inebrieties. The ocean of bliss, emanating from these loving pastimes, expands continuously. Every moment is a festival or a party that never ends.
Hare Krishna! Sharing Faith
Saunaka Rsi Das: The word conversion can bring images of determined zealots haranguing a fallen soul to turn to God or images of profound change, deep truth, joy, and connection. In the Vaishnava tradition it includes a personal spiritual journey, a sharing of experience and realization, and, in modern times, institutional allegiance. As attitudes in the world change towards ‘organized religion’ and wanting to be ‘spiritual, but not religious’, we explore the Bhakti practice and ways of thinking about conversion, change, and transformation, and how they may apply in a modern context.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19570
Yamuna Devi recalls Prabhupada
Yamuna: The first time that I assisted Srila Prabhupada in the kitchen was in New York on the occasion of my sister’s wedding. Srila Prabhupada cooked in his apartment in a small galley kitchen with counters on both sides. He gave me the singular task of making a very difficult preparation called aloo kachori. It’s one of the most complex pastries to cook properly because it has to cook for a long time without becoming greasy, which is almost impossible. For nearly eight hours I made aloo kachoris while Srila Prabhupada single-handedly cooked a fourteen-course wedding feast in his small kitchen. In the course of cooking for that feast, I made many mistakes. It was my very first day, and the first mistake I made was to wear a short skirt and a little T-shirt. Sitting crossed-legged I said, “Swamiji, may I have a cigarette?” He popped his head out of the corner and said, “Go wash your hands.” I washed my hands. Then he explained the four prohibitions in Krishna consciousness: no meat eating, no gambling, no illicit sex life, and no intoxicants. A short time later I said, “Swamiji, may I have a glass of water?” He said, “Go wash your hands.” Then he explained that the first and foremost principle in cooking was to engage our senses in the service of the Lord. He said that we should cook for Krishna with love and devotion and not think about our senses, our tongue, our sense of smell or our belly, because we were cooking for Krishna’s pleasure. A short time later I said, “Swamiji, it’s very hot in here.” I was fighting perspiration. “Go wash your hands.” In this way he introduced me to the simplest, most rudimentary principle of external cleanliness. He also explained a simple touch of internal cleanliness and said, “We can serve Krishna through the art of cooking when we are externally and internally clean.”
ISKCON Communications Director Anuttama Das and Bhumi Project Director Gopal-Lila Das presented a proposal for a new ISKCON Environmental Initiative at the North American GBC meetings in Chicago this August. The proposal was unanimously accepted, and if successful will see ISKCON temples reducing waste, and increasing renewable energy use.
Hare Krishna! Prasadam via Amazon!
Svavasa Dasa (Temple President): A wonderful thing just happened. Tadit and I had a meeting with a rep from Amazon.com. They are launching a new program for their Prime Amazon customers in So. Cal. for take out food. We were picked as one of their vendors for take out within a three mile radius of the temple. This is really a big step up for us since they are a premier company for delivery goods as I’m sure you know. They will take our menu put it on the Amazon site and give their customers an app and then the customer sends us their order through the special app, we put it together and Amazon sends their delivery man to pick it up and deliver it to the customer. Amazon will supply us a Kindle reader hooked up next to our register were the order will come in from a customer.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19567
We hope that you are all geared up to celebrate the most auspicious Sri Krishna Janmastami tomorrow. This also means that you still have 1 more day to sponsor Sri Krishna Janmashtami services at Mayapur. Apart from gaining immense spiritual benefit, all our donors will receive Sri Radha Madhava Mahaprasada of dry fruits, Tulasi leaves and […]
Cows on the “Mooove” - videos from the recent translocation of some happy cows.
In the first group of cows to travel from ISCOWP West Virginia to ISCOWP Florida were Abhay, Akshobhya, Padmaganda and Meenakshi. Their trip is described in the first video. Indraneela and Lila were the second group to go and their story is told in the second video. We are trying to move each cow with their best friend or friends.
Watch them here: http://goo.gl/m7qTx8
Harinama by the Krishna devotees cheers up Muslim refugee children in Hungary (3 min video)
We are not Muslims, Hindus, Jews or Christians. We are not Afghans, Syrians, Germans or Hungarians. We are all migrants on our journeys, seeking love, peace and happiness. – A short film about the power of an act of humanity recorded at the Budapest Railway Station, in the flashpoint of the refugee crisis in Hungary.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/0NDhHs
Krishna Balarama Rath Yatra in Queens, New York (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Hare Krishna mantra is specifically mentioned in many Upanisads, such as the Kali-santarana Upanishad, where it is said: “After searching through al the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 3.40 Purport)
See them here: https://goo.gl/3ZWsLm
Hare Krishna! The nature of a Mahatma
Gaura Govinda Swami: “The Western world means countries where the people are gross materialists, who have no Krsna consciousness, no God-consciousness at all. Therefore, who is able to spread Krsna consciousness among them? It is completely impossible, unless, krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana, one is empowered by Krsna’s sakti and becomes krsna-sakti-pusta-parikara. That is guru-tattva. One who is sad-guru, sri-guru, a pure Vaisnava, sadhu mahajana is krsna-sakti-pusta-parikara. He is Krsna’s eternal associate. He is nourished by krsna-sakti. Without krsna-sakti no one can spread Krsna consciousness alone, by his own strength. It is impossible. Therefore, there is definitely no doubt that Srila Prabhupada was empowered by Krsna, empowered by Mahaprabhu. He had received the full mercy of Krsna, Mahaprabhu and the previous acaryas — Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and all other sadhu-mahajanas, who gave him full power.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19563
Hare Krishna! Bus party experience
Recently we commenced monthly book distribution venture by our temple bus in the interiors of Maharashtra, India. It is really an exhilarating experience to realize Srila Prabhupada’s statement in Srimad Bhagavatam: It is the duty of a mendicant to experience all varieties of God’s creation by traveling through all forests, hills, towns, villages, etc., 1) to gain faith in God and 2) strength of mind as well as 3) to enlighten the inhabitants with the message of God. SB1.6.13
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19557
Hare Krishna! Please accept our humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
Schedule for Sunday 10.00 am - Grand abhishek on the deities of Sri Radha Krsna 10.30 am - Tulasi Arti 10.45 am - Guru Puja 11 am - Special class 12 noon - Arti 12.30 pm - 1 round of group chanting of Maha Mantra
Grand feast will be served after the program Please note that Janmastami actually falls on Saturday – 5th Sep 2015. Devotees fast until midnight on Saturday On 6th Sep 2015 - Srila Prabhupada’s appearance day, Devotees fast until noon
Sri Krsna Janmastami The auspicious day of the appearance of Lord Krishna is celebrated all over the world as Sri Krishna Janmastami. It is celebrated on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha (waning moon) of the month of Shraavan. Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared in Mathura as son of Vasudeva and Devaki.
In Bhagavad Gita 4.8, Lord Krsna teaches the reason for his descend:
paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge
"To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium".
In Bhagavad Gita 4.9, Lord krsna teaches us how to get out of this wheel of misery
janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so 'rjuna
"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna".
The Appearance day of Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja means "worship of Vyasa," Vyasa being the compiler of the Vedic scriptures and thus the original spiritual master.
Devotees honour Srila Prabhupada - our Param Guru on the spiritual master's appearance day (a respectful term for "birthday") because he authentically transmits the teachings of Vyasa. Although ISKCON has many spiritual masters, or acaryas, Srila Prabhupada, the founder-Acharya, holds a permanent position of special esteem. So just as when he was physically present (1965 through 1977), each year devotees gather on his appearance day to praise him and recall his glories.
We invite you, your family and your friends to join us for the grand celebrations coming Sunday at 10 am at ISKCON Scarborough.
ISKCON Scarborough 3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3, Scarborough,Ontario, Canada,M1V4C7
blessed and renowned Pṛthu became very angry at Indra, and took up his bow and arrows.
The priests say him rise in a terrible rage to swiftly destroy the Thunder-Wielder, “Oh king of broad intellect!” they protested, “it is declared that if you injure any creature now, your sacrifice will be ruined!”
Pṛthu glanced ferociously at the sky, towards Indra.
“We will stop him” the priests said, “and we will do it in a sacrificial manner. We will invoke that lord of storms who wants to destroy your success.”
“How will you do that?” Pṛthu would want to know.
“With mantas of summoning!”
“They are powerful enough to summon the king of paradise?” Pṛthu would ask.
“Their powers are insurmountable! They will invoke him instantly and irresistibly. He is already powerless, because he opposes you, and we are all-powerful because we serve you.”
“What will you do with him once you invoke him?” Pṛthu would wonder.
“We will make him the final horse, and give him to the sacrificial fire.”
Before Pṛthu could even reply, the furious priests prepared to incant the mantras, taking butter-oil ladles into their hands. But self-born Brahmā interrupted, ordering them to stop.
“You must not try to kill Indra!” Brahmā declared. “You will fail – for he is an essential part of the sacrifices manifest by the All-Attractive. Should sacrifice be employed to destroy sacrifice? If you did kill him, what would happen to all the gods for whom he is the essential king?”
There was silence.
Brahmā continued, “O Priests! By disrupting the King’s religious ceremony in the disguise of a religious person, Indra has opened the door to terrible religious hypocrisy and exploitation. Now just see the first result: you want to kill him by a religious ceremony!”
The Priests put down the ladles in shock.
Brahmā turned to Pṛthu and said, “Broad minded king! Your fame is already spread everywhere. So what if you have performed one less that one hundred rituals? What is the difference? You know that religion is actually meant for spiritual liberation, so why should you be so intent on finishing your hundredth mundane religious sacrifice? What will you really gain if you succeed?”
Pṛthu’s anger disappeared.
“Indra is a king just like you,” Brahmā continued, “and both of you are parts of He Who Is Glorified in Topmost Poetry. So why should you be angry at him? What should anyone be angry at either of you? I wish good fortune to both of you!”
Pṛthu looked at the final sacrifice half-completed. Brahmā encouraged him, “Your soul is very soft and kind, O Emperor. Don’t worry yourself by dwelling on this last sacrifice. What is done is done. The mind of one who dwells on what destiny seems to steal is lost in the blinding darkness of anger.
“Give up this ceremony! Of all the gods, Indra is the most tenacious and impossible to thwart. He has already created such a mess by using religious symbols to accomplish irreligious aims. Seeing how Indra ruined your ceremony by stealing the horse, everyone is now tempted to exploit religious symbols for their own interests.
“You have come into this world to help bring the people into moral harmony. After Vena practically destroyed morality, you arose from a part of his body, as a manifestation of Viṣṇu’s expansion. Fulfill your mission, which is the mission shared by all of us who help create the world. Don’t think about destroying Indra, think about destroying the religious hypocrisy he has invited by so wantonly exploiting religious symbolism.”
The king accepted the guidance of the world’s guru, Brahmā. He compassionately forgave Indra and made peace with him.
– Excerpt from an early draft of Part 4 of
Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive
A translation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam’s fourth canto
[4.19.27 – 39]
Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:
We are not Muslims, Hindus, Jews or Christians. We are not Afghans, Syrians, Germans or Hungarians. We are all migrants on our journeys, seeking love, peace and happiness. -- A short film about the power of an act of humanity.
Created by: Janos Kapcsos, Laszlo Tas Balogh, Gandharvika Prema, Krisztina Danka.
EmediaServices. KratuPrabhu: Janmashtami Utsav @ C.B.D Ground - Shahdara,Delhi - INDIA on August 30, 2015" whith Honorable Chief Guest : Dr. Harsh Vardhan (Cabinet Minister of Science & Technology)
See them here: https://goo.gl/h5aPTy
Hare Krishna! Travel Adventures from Czech Padayatra, Wroclaw Food for Life, Polish Festival Tour and more…
Krishna-kripa Das: When I travel I love meeting people who had positive experiences encountering Krishna music, Krishna food, and Krishna philosophy. I like to find out where they are from and suggest how they can have more Krishna experiences. The day I left the Festival of India in Poland I met three such people. On the first train enroute to Wroclaw, after leaving the Polish Festival tour, I met a girl who went to our festival the night before in Niechorze. On the second train, the girl across from me named Alicja loved our Krishna food at Woodstock and ate it every single day. She was happy to learn of our Friday Food for Life and Sunday feast in her home town of Wroclaw, and she enjoyed a spiced potato patty I had packed for my lunch.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19552
The Grihastha Vision is hosting its 3rd annual Couple’s Retreat October 2nd to 4th 2015 at the Gita Nagari farm. Married and engaged couples are encouraged to attend who would like to deepen their connection to one another and to their spiritual practices. This is a special opportunity to nurture your relationship in a lovely country setting and spiritual environment with other couples similarly focused.
GVT Couple’s Retreat Intro
The Grihastha Vision Team is hosting its 3rd annual Couple’s Retreat October 2nd to 4th 2015 at the Gita Nagari farm. Married and engaged couples are encouraged to attend who would like to deepen their connection to one another and to their spiritual practices. This is a special opportunity to nurture your relationship in a lovely country setting and spiritual environment with other couples similarly focused.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19549
Kaulini Devi Dasi, passed away from this world
Sangita Devi Dasi: Hare Krsna. At 2:20 a.m. on September 3, 2015 our dear godsister, Kaulini Devi Dasi, passed away from this world in Gita nagari surrounded by loving devotees and the Holy Names of the Lord. Kaulini served for decades in Gita nagari as the pujari of Lord Jagannatha and Radha Damodara and milked the cows twice daily. Kaulini was a beloved mentor to so many devotees around the world, and a loving mother and grandmother. She was a dear friend who will be personally missed by me and greatly missed by many of our godsisters and godbrothers.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19546
Nitai Fest in Tel-aviv, Friday 28/8/2015 (Album with photos)
The Nitai Fest is a preaching program which takes place in Tel-aviv, Israel once every two months. It is being arranged by the local devotees and a large group participates.
See them here: https://goo.gl/H1i77i
Srila Prabhupada: “If you can get on TV or radio the whole world will become Krsna conscious in 18 days!”
Ramesvara Dasa: in ’73 we started a thing called the Krsna Show and Prabhupada loved it. He loved it. Karandhar and myself and Krsna Kanti started it, we presented the idea to Prabhupada and he made some comments. There’s a letter that Prabhupada wrote to Karandhar to the effect that if you can get on TV or radio the whole world will become Krsna conscious in 18 days. Something like that. I’m not sure if that’s the18 day letter.We could check the Karandhar file and you’ll find these letters talking about the importance of broadcasting the transcendental sound over the airways.
The whole world will become purified and the whole world can be made Krsna conscious. And Prabhupada definitely said,
“If you can get me on TV I’ll just sit in one place. I won’t travel any more.”
That’s how important it was to Prabhupada, this mass media. It fascinated him. He wanted us to get into it. But it took us a long time to understand how to. We tried the Krsna Show and it was a success for about a year or two, and Prabhupada liked it very much. So by the end of the Krsna Show it was becoming too difficult to continue to produce original material,so we were using Prabhupada lectures. And again, if you interview Krsna Kanti, I think he might have written to Prabhupada about that. But I know that I told Prabhupada that that was the format and Prabhupada approved again.He liked the idea that his lectures were going out on the radio. So he encouraged. He wanted us to use the mass media. I think that there are about three or five major letters that Prabhupada wrote to people like Karandhar, Yadubara, maybe to Krsna Kanti. Definitely I have one or two where Prabhupada is talking about the mass media, radio, television, video, film, and pushing it, pushing it and wanting it.
Jaya Prabhupada!
In the wake of celebrations for one of our biggest festivals of the year, Krsna Janmastami, we will be
celebrating one of the most important festivals for us as Hare Krishnas - Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja starting at 11am on Sunday, September 6, 2015.
The Vyasa Puja festival is always held the day after Janmastami and the festival honours the appearance of our spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
The program will begin at 11:00am with an abhisheka of Srila Prabhupada (bathing ceremony of a small Deity of Srila Prabhupada) and will continue with the arati, flower offerings (pushpanjali) and the reading of pre-written offerings from devotees in our community. It is encouraged for everyone to write their own offering by submitting it online (click here) or writing your offering on pre-printed pages available at the temple.
The schedule is as follows (subject to change):
11:00am - 11:45am: Abhisheka
11:45am - 12:00am: Offering
12:00pm - 12:30pm: Arati
12:30pm - 1:30pm: Reading of Offerings
We hope to see everyone at this very important and sweet festival!
Hare Krishna! The King who had four wives…
Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times The King’s 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2390
Hare Krishna! Chariot Festival on the streets of New Delhi (Album with photos)
On 23rd Aug’ 15, ISKCON Punjabi Bagh organized its Annual Rathyatra(The Chariot Parade) which started at 3:00 PM continuing to grace the citizens of West Delhi up to 10:00 PM in the Night. Their Lordships bestowed their merciful glance and gave their Darshans to thousands of people who pulled the chariot that day. The festival organized at this time also serves as an awareness program and invitation to general public about the upcoming festivals of Balaram Jayanti, Janamastami, Srila Prabhupada Vyasapuja and Radhastami.
See them here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19540
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 15 By Krishna-kripa das (August 2015, part one)
Czech Padayatra, Wroclaw Food for Life, and Festival of India in Poland (Sent from Sheffield on September 3, 2015)
Where I Went and What I Did
After leaving the Polish Woodstock, I joined the Czech Padayatra for four days. I then spent an afternoon chanting during Wroclaw Food for Life with some friends. Finally, being invited by Indradyumna Swami, I went to the Baltic coast to join his Festival of India in Poland. Then I took the train to Wroclaw, en route to Czech Republic for a rock concert where the devotees share spiritual food and music, meeting on the way three people who were attracted to Hare Krishna, and who wanted more Krishna opportunities.
I share insights from several lectures by Srila Prabhupada and some quotes from his books. I have some nectar from Bhaktivinoda Thakura. I include an excerpt each from both a book of and the journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I have lots of notes on classes by Indradyumna Swami and Bada Haridas Prabhu, the two main speakers on the Polish festival tour. I also have a realization from Bhagavat Asraya Prabhu, and some wisdom from Muni Priya Prabhu, the leader of the Czech Padayatra and from one Czech brahmacari.I also include a few points I made in a lecture on the Polish tour about how we can attain complete absorption in Krishna.
I would like to thank Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu, for giving me his extra Polish and Czech money, and the people who gave me donations on harinama in Wroclaw.
I would like to thank Indradyumna Swami for his pictures of me on harinama at Miedzyzdroje. I would like to thank Vishnu Patni Devi Dasi for her many pictures of Food for Life in Wroclaw. Thanks to the unknown person in Wroclaw, who took pictures of Bartek and myself chanting before the train station.
Itinerary
September 2–3: Sheffield
September 4–7: Ireland
September 8–18: New York City Harinama
September 19–21?: Boston
September 22–25: New York City Harinama
September 26–27: Albany
September 28–November 15: New York City Harinama
November 16–18: Washington, D.C., Harinama
November 18–19: Jacksonville
November 20–December 16: Krishna House (except 5 days in Tallahassee)
December 16–January 3: New York City Harinama
Czech Padayatra
After chanting at the Kostrzyn train station to the Woodstock goers waiting for their trains, I took 11 hours of trains costing just $22, split evenly over two days with the night at our Wroclaw temple, to reach Tynec nad Labem, at that time the location of the Czech padayatra.
Padayatra really captures the spirit of Lord Caitanya's desire that His name be heard in every town and village. Lord Caitanya did not care just to deliver the masses in the cities, but he wants His followers to go out, and make Krishna consciousness available to everyone. That we have a full-size murti [form] of Srila Prabhupada and large Gaura-Nitai deities on the Czech padayatra reminds us even more that we are executing the mission of Lord Caitanya according to the direction of His surrendered devotee, Srila Prabhupada.
I arrived for the last half of the day's walking and singing. I was amazed we passed through two towns with about twenty houses in each, but at our evening program in Tetov I counted at least 80 people and some devotees said there were 120. That is even more amazing when we consider that Tetov, according to the 2015 census has only 158 people. Also striking was that at least 75% of the people stayed for the entire two-hour show of chanting bharat-natyam dance, drama, spiritual food, and devotional prizes.
It was inspiring to see the enthusiasm of a handful of the attendees who really seemed to have some spontaneous appreciation for the chanting.
Kids liked to dance, which is a fairly common phenomenon.
After the program, we chanted with the ox cart and our Deities back to the school that was our base.
Three villagers followed us the whole way and talked with the devotees afterwards.
One lady who followed us was a photographer, and she came the next morning to take photos of our procession as we left the town.
Wednesday, in the larger town of Premouc, only 70 people came to the evening program. Perhaps that was because it started at 5:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m., perhaps because in larger places they people are more sophisticated, or perhaps because there was a musical event in town that night.
Thursday was another small village, namely Lany na Dulku, population 330, and not surprisingly a small attendance at the evening program. Still each program is special, and the amazing thing there was that twelve villagers, or about half the people who had come, danced in the kirtana near the end, when the devotees give out prizes, such as books and pictures related to Krishna and incense, for the best performance in several categories.
In past years, I recall 50 to 60 people was a very good evening, but this year they often had twice that. Devotees say one reason more people may be coming to the evening programs this year is the invitations. They listed the time and place of all twelve of the evening programs throughout the two and a half week long padayatra. They also advertise a contest which involves the chance of winning a prize. They ask the people getting the invitations if our program is for kids, youth, adults, senior citizens, or everybody. The correct answer, of course, is that it is for everybody. They ask the people send a text message with their answer to the phone numbers of the organizers, and say they must attend the program to win the prize. There are two winners, picked randomly from the contestants, by the youngest of the bharat-natyam dancers. The two prizes are Bhagavad-gita and Krishna book. Another selling point advertised on the flyer is the “flying bananas.”
At the end of the show, they throw bananas offered to the Deities from the Their cart to an eager audience.
The play is a more dramatic and humorous version of “Liquid Beauty.” Muni Priya Prabhu, the devotee who organizes the padayatra,plays the prince, and his son, decked out with make up and wearing a sari, is the lady he is attracted to. There is no formal lecture, but rather a commentary on the drama.
There are a couple of bharat-natyam dancers.
One small.
One larger.
In the middle of the program, a snack of pakoras,raita, and cherry tomatoes is served to the attendees in their seats.
One devotee lady, Ananga Sevika Devi Dasi, does face painting for a donation.
She has pictures of many styles to choose from.
She also has a variety of Czech chips, referred to as chipsy.that the devotees make themselves and market, and which are very tasty.
And of course, there are Srila Prabhupada's books.
Before the kirtanas, the smaller bharat-natyam girl passes out instruments, which are rattles in the shape of various fruits, from the basket sitting on the harmonium.
Gaura Karuna Prabhu, while riding his small portable bicycle, has distributed books on five continents. When I asked him the best place, he replied, “Czech padayatra.” The oxen, the cart, the Deities, and the happy devotees chanting awaken curiosity in the people, and they are happy to buy books explaining what it is all about.
Friday the program was in the city of Pardubice, a place where I had once done harinama before a home program with Janananda Goswami. I did not go, but left the padayatra, as I was invited by the Food for Life coordinator in Wroclaw to chant at their weekly Food for Life event there, something I had done once before.
Chanting at the Wroclaw Food for Life
I tend to travel through Wroclaw to other places and not contribute much there, so I thought I should help out this time.
The Food for Life person, Vishnu Patni Devi Dasi, is an initiated disciple of Indradyumna Swami, who grew up on the Baltic Coast and fell in love with the Festival of India, coming when the devotees performed in the towns nearby her home. Gradually she took Krishna consciousness more and more seriously. Now she is one of the main pujaris in Wroclaw, but once a year she takes a break for five days to sell books at the Polish Woodstock festival. Once a week she does Food for Life in Wroclaw as well. I thought I should encourage her by chanting at her program as I have known her for many years from the festivals.
After spending a few weeks on the Polish Tour and Woodstock, Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu, who I chanted harinama with in Bavaria and in Newcastle this year, visited the Prague temple, and then stopped by Wroclaw on his way to Ukraine to see his parents, so he joined our harinama party, along with a local devotee lady. Usually Vishnu Patni has to do Food for Life alone, but she had three helpers that day.
Caitanya Candrodaya Prabhu and I chanted for an hour or so where Vishnu Patni and the other devotee lady were serving papadam and halava.
Vishnu Patni did not want the local restaurants to complain about our chanting, so she sent us to the popular Rynek Square, where the devotees do Ratha-yatra in September or June.
In Rynek Square we met Peter, who wore neck beads, and had come to our yoga tent at Woodstock every day. He had heard we had a temple in Wroclaw and was intending to visit it, but he never had. I gave him an invitation, and he promised to visit in this coming Sunday. I also told him about our free food on Fridays in Wroclaw and pointed out to him where it was, and he went and got some, also promising Vishnu Patni he would come to the temple on Sunday.
It was a great day.
There were people who liked the food.
Some liked the the music.
Some took books.
One guy even got chanting beads.
Some also gave donations.
I was happy to go and make some contribution.
Chanting in Wroclaw Before My Train
The next day I was planning to chant in another city in Poland, between Wroclaw and the Polish coast, but that plan fell through. Thus I decided to chant alone in Wroclaw at the train station before my train to the coast. I hoped to chant for at least two hours, but breakfast was delayed, and I got a late start. As it was, I had to grab a bowl of prasadam and eat it on the bus, so as not to lose another half hour. I chanted right in front of the train station and did not even make it through the preliminary mantras before the police told me to move. I moved 100 feet away and all was good for forty minutes until a policeman came by again. This time I learned through an interpreter that his complaint was I was collecting money near the train station. I asked if singing alone was OK, and he said it was, so I put my donation plate away and continued singing for twenty more minutes.
One guy wanted me to give him some money. I declined but offered him a cookie which he was happy about. One older lady give me a zlote (about a quarter) and when I gave her a cookie and a mantra card she gave me another.
A young guy named Bartek, with long hair and a guitar came by, and said he knew the Hare Krishnas from the Woodstock, even some individual devotees. He mentioned Gatida Prabhu, who is in charge of questions and answers. He expressed an interest in playing his guitar with me, and he did his best to tune it to my funky harmonium.
We sang the popular melody that Srila Prabhupada used on harinama in the beginning, which almost everyone can sing, and which is one of the few tunes I know the chords to.
He looked very blissful playing the guitar and singing Hare Krishna.
We also chanted a lively Village of Peace tune, and helped me transpose it to a key which does not use the defective note on my harmonium. Someone wanted us to take pictures of him and his friends, and in exchange, we got him to take pictures of us playing the harmonium and guitar. I told Bartek how he could find out the schedule for our festivals on the coast on the web, gave him the invitation for our Wroclaw Sunday feast, and gave him details about our Friday Food for Life in Wroclaw, as he really loved our food at Woodstock.
Thus I felt very victorious that in Wroclaw both days I was able to give an interested person information by which he could increase his Krishna-related activities there.
Festival of India in Poland
After a nine-hour train ride I very happy to be greeted at Trzebiatow by Jananivasa and Mandakini, both who translated for me when I did questions and answers years ago, along with their child. It was so nice to see them again.
The Festival of India in Poland, organized by Indradyumna Swami and his followers, gives many opportunities to hear Krishna sound. The festivals are advertised by three hours of harinama six days a week. Then each evening festival begins and ends with half an hour of chanting, includes a lecture on Bhagavad-gita, a main drama depicting a transcendental pastime and also puppet shows bringing to life other Krishna pastimes. Thus thousands of people every day benefit spiritually from the transcendental sound vibration, making it a very important program. Beyond this, hundreds of people daily take Krishna prasadam.
This year they had a new drama about Usha and Aniruddha with lots of colorful costumes and beautiful dances. There was also a new version of Ramayana, and the martial artists performed one show together, instead of all individually as before.
On the Festival of India on Poland's Baltic coast, my service was to attend the morning program, give a couple morning classes, and distribute invitations on our daily three-hour harinamas.
Doing harinama on the beach, where we do it the most, was a severe challenge this time as I had a popped blister and had to keep the wound dry so it would heal. Thus I could not walk on the moist sand but had to walk in the dry sand which is much more difficult. It was hard to keep up with the party, and because I was distributing flyers, I would sometimes get behind, and it was very difficult to catch up. I like to be where I can hear the kirtanaand sing the response, so I was really suffering.
Fortunately my wound healed after four days, and the situation improved.
There is a saying “the body is a temple.” That's why we mark it with tilaka. Of course, some people do not act like their body is a temple. Some of them admit it.
These girls delighted in dancing with the devotee ladies .
Another time, after our harinama, a family danced with the devotee ladies.
Srila Prabhupada said, “A young man cannot eat too much, and an old man cannot eat to little.”
Seeing fifteen-year-old Vikram's plate of prasadam brings to mind this quote.
Speaking of prasadam, once we had an incredible potato salad with curd in it.
Although the evening festival has many attractive features, because I love the chanting and dancing, that is what I always take videos of. It is wonderful for me to see the onlookers getting caught up in the ecstasy of the kirtana.
I gave mantra cards to the most enthusiastic dancers, and when the kirtana was over, I told them that Tuesday through Thursday we would be in Pobierowo, if they wanted to join us.
The three evenings we were in Pobierowo many people chanted at the final kirtana led by Indradyumna Swami.
You can see from their faces how happy some of the people were to dance with the devotees.
This last girl came every day, and each day she was more enthusiastic. She told me she loves to dance. She was from Stargard Szczecinek, and I encouraged her to leave her email with the devotees at the book tent, so she can learn of our programs in her area.
I lived in Alachua the same time Bada Haridas Prabhu was living there, but we would only hear him lead kirtana once or twice a week and maybe give class once a month. On the tour he was singing mangala-arati and Jaya Radha Madhava every dayand also singing on the stage in the evening. He would also give class almost every day. Thus ironically I was getting more of his association away from our home in Alachua.
His sweet kirtanasbring joy to my soul. I remember when he chanted at his 50th birthday party in Alachua, I thought, “I wish I could travel all over the world with Bada Hari and dance to his kirtanas.” Krishna fulfilled that desire in part those ten days I was on the Festival of India tour in Poland. The last Monday I was there he led a wonderful kirtanathat got all the tour devotees dancing beginning with me (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJohWGAeMNoE2B6x_LS5NDn):
Encounters on the Way to Back to Wroclaw
When I travel I love meeting people who had positive experiences encountering Krishna music, Krishna food, and Krishna philosophy. I like to find out where they are from and suggest how they can have more Krishna experiences. The day I left the Festival of India in Poland I met three such people.
On the first train enroute to Wroclaw, after leaving the Polish Festival tour, I met a girl who went to our festival the night before in Niechorze.
She was delighted to show me the henna she received there.
She was from Trzebiatow and was happy to learn from me that when she returns home in two days, we will be having our festival in nearby Mrzezyno.
On the second train, the girl across from me named Alicja loved our Krishna food at Woodstock and ate it every single day. She was happy to learn of our Friday Food for Life and Sunday feast in her home town of Wroclaw, and she enjoyed a spiced potato patty I had packed for my lunch. The friends she sings with in Miedzyzdroje told her they had enjoyed our festival there last week.
When I got to Wroclaw's main station, a lady named Margarita (on the right), greeted me with “Hare Krishna.” She attends our farm in Czarow and nama-hatta in Lodz. She is going to the coast, and wanted to know the schedule of the festivals. I told her the next two are in Mrzezyno, and I gave her the flyer with the web page with the whole schedule.
Krishna is amazing! Although I left the festival, I was still engaged in promoting it and our other programs in Poland.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17 on October 28, 1972, in Vrndavana:
The Krishna consciousness movement means we are giving people a chance to hear about Krishna.
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16 on August 19, 1972, in Los Angeles:
One may know or not know but if he just appreciates, that is a touch of spiritual life. It is so nice.
This movement is spreading simply by hearing. I gave a chance for people to hear.
By hearing one acquires a taste, but one who is too materialistic will not have such a taste.
Taste means you like to do it, not that you have to be forced. If you have such a taste you can very easily go on chanting Hare Krishna.
We have no taste because there is lacking in the previous processes, sraddha [initial faith],sadhu-sanga [association with devotees of the Lord], bhajana-kriya [spiritual practice under the guidance of a guru],and anartha-nivritti [freedom from unwanted desires].
In the beginning no one was interested in Krishna consciousness. We have created the taste.
Hearing about Krishna is natural because Krishna bhakti is in everyone's heart.
If you associate with a people addicted to sex life, you fall down.
It is easy if we are determined that, “in this life I will go back to Godhead.”
From a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam1.2.17 on August 20, 1972, in Los Angeles:
If we become purified by hearing about Krishna, how much we can become purified by dancing with Krishna?
Brahma is unhappy, Indra is unhappy, what to speak of an insignificant creature, because they have accepted what can never make one happy, sense gratification.
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.11.24 verse and purport:
“O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?
“PURPORT
“This verse gives the sum and substance of devotional life. One must first become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (dasanudasa). Śri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised, and He also showed by His own example, that a living entity should always desire to be a servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis (gopi-bhartuḥpada-kamalayordasa-dasanudasah). This means that one must accept a spiritual master who comes in the disciplic succession and is a servant of the servant of the Lord. Under his direction, one must then engage one's three properties, namely his body, mind and words. The body should be engaged in physical activity under the order of the master, the mind should think of Krishna incessantly, and one's words should be engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord. If one is thus engaged in the loving service of the Lord, one's life is successful.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.38–39:
“Krishna says, 'If one engages in My transcendental loving service but at the same time wants the opulence of material enjoyment, he is very, very foolish. Indeed, he is just like a person who gives up ambrosia to drink poison. Since I am very intelligent, why should I give this fool material prosperity? Instead I shall induce him to take the nectar of the shelter of My lotus feet and make him forget illusory material enjoyment.'”
Bhaktivinoda Thakura:
From Sri-Sri Kalyana-kalpataru(The Desire-Tree of Auspiciousness), translated by Dasaratha-suta dasa:
“Statements like 'tat tvam asi' (you belong to Krishna) are fully permeated with tangible love for Krishna, and meditating on such Vedic statements helps the aspiring devotee to ultimately attain the shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet. Then one will gain residence in Krishna’s transcendental abode of Vrndavana, which is completely pervaded with supreme, undivided bliss. Thus one will come to know the original personal form of Parabrahman, Who is situated far beyond the impersonal Brahman effulgence.”
From Sri-Sri Kalyana-kalpataru (The Desire-Tree of Auspiciousness), FIRST BRANCH: UPADESA (Advice),SONG 19 – LUST IS NOT DEVOTION
Verse 3
Only in the following sequence does pure love for Krishna awaken: First one develops sraddha(faith) in the process of Krishna Consciousness; then, due to that faith one becomes enthusiastic for sadhu-sanga (the association of devotees); then, by performance of bhajana-kriya(devotional worship) in the company of the devotees there awakens nishta(steadiness in service), then ruci(taste), then asakti(attachment to the Lord); this attachment then gives rise to bhava(genuine ecstatic emotions), from which prema(pure love for Krishna) manifests its re-awakening. Only in this sequence does premacome into being.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
From Shack Notes:
“What makes the work accept able to Krishna is the bhakti.It is not our arrogantself-confidence that forces Krishna to accept the offering. The devotee puts all he can into the offering, tears well up in his eyes, and he humbly places himself before the Lord, begging to be accepted, 'Don't kick me away.'”
“In Boston, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, we would go to chant harinamaon Sunday in Cambridge Square Park. Hundreds of people gathered there listening to various speakers like Timothy Leary. Our planned program was to sing for half an hour and then give a five minute sermon. We had strong chanters like Baradraja and Nanda-kisora, and I sometimes led the chanting. We attracted a crowd. When we stopped chanting to lecture, the crowd got out of control. They would yell verbal abuse at us and sometimes throw things. I thought the little sermons were important, so I wrote to Prabhupada to ask what to do. He wrote me back: If the people are too disturbing, don’t give lectures, but just go on chanting. So we held kirtana for an hour and then took a little break to change singers and change mridangaplayers. The people started to harass us, but we didn’t give them a chance. We stopped them by launching into another kirtana. We felt secure in the protection of vigorous chanting which kept the young lions quiet, interested, and even mesmerized. If we had attempted to lecture them, we would be committing the offense of revealing the confidential nature of the holy name to the faithless. We chanted through the long afternoon without disturbance from the crowd, which gave us great pleasure.”
Indradyumna Swami:
Human beings distinguishing quality is intelligence.
In the last three hundred years, we have advanced greatly using our intelligence materially but we know practically nothing about our spiritual self, without which the body is just dead matter.
The first item in self-realization is to understand the soul is not the body.
Your body, the doctors say, is 72% water, but are you 72% water?
If you do not know who you are, you do not know how to live in such a way as to find the happiness you are looking for.
Bhagavad-gita is meant to fill our present void of spiritual knowledge.
This knowledge should not be rejected because it is not Polish. You accept pizza and have pizza parlors in even the smallest towns, but pizza was not invented in Szczecin, Wroclaw, or Warsaw. It is from Italy.
These are not sectarian truths but universal truths. These truths are not only valuable; they are essential.
We learn from Bhagavad-gita, that the soul is 1/10000 the tip of a hair in size and situated in the region of the heart. We intuitively understand the soul is in the heart, and if we are asked to point to ourself we point to our chest or if we point to someone else, we point to their chest not their foot.
We are in fear of death because we are in ignorance. Bhagavad-gita can free us from fear of death. Krishna explains that as the soul passes from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul enters into another body at death.
Reincarnation is a subtle law of nature.
Something is changing, and something is staying the same. The body is changing, and the soul is staying the same.
We should not make the mistake of overidentifying with our present body and its surroundings, as we have had many bodies.
We should be very inquisitive about our eternal souls.
We are not meant to live in the material world. We are strangers in a strange land.
We search for happiness because it is the intrinsic nature of the soul to be happy.
You may not expect to hear a philosophical lecture at a cultural festival, but knowledge is very important in Indian culture, and thus a presentation on Indian culture would not be complete without.
If I invite you on the stage, you could talk for hours about your body, but how long could you talk about your spiritual self. This is because in our Western culture, we are lacking this knowledge. Bhagavad-gitacan fill this void.
It is human nature to prepare for the important moments in life. Death is such a moment. Bhagavad-gitagives insight into what happens at death: “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (2.13)
The spiritual world is not an hallucination. Real people coming from the spiritual world have described it.
Love of God is our visa to attain the spiritual world.
Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura sent a disciple to Oxford to get a Ph.D. in Theology. He was so smart the college gave him a full scholarship. When it came time to write the thesis, he asked Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura what should be the topic of the thesis. Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura replied, “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His philosophy and His teachings. And I will help you write it.” It was lost in a Gaudiya Math for years, but just a few weeks ago it was found, and Hari Sauri Prabhu scanned it and send it to me. It is over 600 pages. He also sent me Sarasvati Jaya Sri, a compilation of remembrances of those who had personal association with Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura, compiled after he left this world.
We are fortunate to be able to share this tradition of 500 years of wisdom.
I am sometimes amazed by the amount of energy you have to do this work. This is Gaura-sakti [the energy of Lord Caitanya], not muscle power.
Just as karmis [the people in general] like parties, demigods like yajnas [sacrifices].
Prabhupada would say that anything can happen at every moment. Recent a lady went to Yosemite for a picnic with her family. After three days her hands and feet started turning black, and began to fall off. Turns out she was bitten by a tick and got the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and they had to cut off her hands and feet to save her body.
They had a festival in Kolkota for Srila Prabhupada's 50thyears anniversary of leaving Calcutta on a voyage for America. Radhanath Swami spoken to a crowd of perhaps 10,000 people including the president of India and the governor of Bengal.
When I was young I read All's Well on the Western Front, about the victory of the Allied Forces in World War II. I lamented I missed out on being part of it, but I see I am involved now in a more important movement for the emancipation of humanity.
In Miedzyzdroje, one young man with a box of 15 cups of beer for his friends strapped to his body, stopped by our program. He began dancing in the kirtana, and the strap broke and they all spilled on the ground. He looked at the sky crediting providence for the occurrence, and he continued dancing.
One man who has come to the festival for 15 years admitted he was listening to the lecture and something clicked, and he bought a book for the first time.
One seventy-eight year old engineer came back to the restaurant five times to get a samosa,and those samosasare like a meal in themselves. His company was based in India, and he spent many years there. He said, “I like your samosasbecause they are better than the Indian samosas.”
One man after the final kirtana said, “When you people sing the combined effect is like touching the feet of the gods.”
If you give to some engaged in the Lord's service, you get back many, many times what you gave, and if you take from a devotee, you will suffer many, many times the suffering you cause the devotee.
I thought I recognized one man from a previous festival, and I asked him about it. He said that he was on the Baltic coast on vacation and his family went to the festival. He explained, “Afterward for a whole week, my daughter was always singing 'Gopal Nandalal, Gopal Nandalal, Gopal Nandalal, Gopal Nandalal,' and talking about the festival, and she wanted to go back. I said I would drive her back to the coast on the weekend if she stopped singing, “Gopal Nandalal,” and she agreed, and so I drove her 10 hours up here again. I had spent my vacation money and had to take from my pension fund.”
The more knowledge we have about God and our relationship, the stronger our faith will be.
We are so attached to everything, but at death we have to leave it all in a moment.
From a conversation with me:
It is a sign of maturity that some of Satsvarupa dasa Goswami's disciples have been able to stick with him, despite his difficulties, as all he has done for Srila Prabhupada has certainly outweighed whatever his problems were.
It is too bad that Sadaputa Prabhu, who was a real genius, was not supported to do his scientific work. It is one of ISKCON's serious mistakes. He could really present our message in the language of the scientists.
Keep doing harinama. In the beginning we did more harinama and there were few problems. As a brahmacari you have the facility, and it will also keep you pure.
Come for a week of the tour after the Woodstock each year.
Bada Haridas Prabhu:
Vrtrasura is telling Indra that he will get his heavenly enjoyment because that is what he wants, but Vrtrasura himself is more interested in going back to Godhead.
We can get anything from Krishna, but the important thing is what we want.
If we want to be satisfied in the heart, we have to develop pure devotion.
Going to the heavenly planets and returning to this earthly planet of death (martya-loka) is like working all year to go on a two-week vacation. At the end of the vacation, it is all over, and you have to go back to work again.
Bhagavatam is trying to give a vision of eternality. There is more than our experience of a little enjoyment in a spot life.
Vrtrasura recalled being Citraketu and being cursed and having to attain this horrible demoniac body. Indra was destined to kill that body and thus release him from the curse. Thus Vrtrasura was very eager to be killed by Indra and return back to Godhead.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, “When our hearts become free from all material desires, we will see all the impediments in our life as Krishna's mercy.” Thus if we were are not seeing all impediments as Krishna's mercy, then we still have material desire in our hearts.
Do you ever wonder what Krishna is trying to teach us by the difficulties in our life?
Does a day go by without anxiety? That is the material world, a place of anxiety.
The difficulties are Krishna's mercy on us to get us to go back to Godhead.
The Christians used to challenge, “If you die today, would you go to heaven?” So based on Bhagavad-gita we would respond, “We do not want to go to heaven. Heaven is for losers. We just want to love Krishna.”
That is the beauty of devotional service. As long as we can serve Krishna, it does not matter where we go.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, “One of the realizations a developing devotee gains is the faith that Krishna will take care of him.” That comes from sadhana and hearing.
I have to work and do some things, but ultimately I am maintained by Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna like a wealthy man who wants to give you everything. But if you disagree to surrender, you remain poor. That is our situation, but if we chant Hare Krishna we will come to the point of agreeing.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, “When you begin to chant the holy name without offense, you will be convinced that all perfection comes from chanting the holy name.”
Spiritual knowledge is not sectarian. It does not matter your nationality or religion. Just like with technical knowledge, if there is a technological breakthrough, everyone is interested in utilizing it, no matter the source.
Why are we not finding the happiness we desire within despite so many endeavors?
Bhagavad-gita explains how we can experience spiritual happiness from within.
This vibration of Hare Krishna is spiritual and thus we never get tired of it.
God has many different names, but there are not many different Gods. Just like the sun is called by different names in different countries, but there is only one sun.
People who get more and more become less and less satisfied. By material means, satisfaction cannot come because we are not the body. We must satisfy the need of the soul.
Some of the people who put on this festival come from nations who are at war with each other but we are satisfied working together because we are spiritual beings. This is a practical demonstration of spiritual truth.
Those who are advanced in devotional service always think of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. Because they always think of Krishna, Krishna always thinks of them.
Krishna already loves us, but we will never experience that unless we love Him.
The Christians say, "God loves you" or "Jesus loves you." That is good information, but that is not the issue. The issue is why we do not love God.
If we love Krishna, He will accept as His own. But we have to accept Him as our own.
Srila Prabhupada explained he had a plan to become successful in business, but at one point, he could see that was not Krishna's plan. Krishna has a better plan. We are all thankful for Krishna's plan.
When we want a material thing, it may seem like just a simple thing, but it comes with a price.
Indra is the king of the demigods, but he has to deal with the same issues we do (envy, quarrel, excessive endeavor, pride) because of having material desires.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura advises us to live in a house, not thinking ourselves the proprietor, but rather the servant.
In the pastime of Vrtrasura and Indra we see the contrast between the pure devotee and the devotee with material desires. In particular we see the problems created by maintaining material desires.
The defect is not the material things but the conception that they belong to us.
As it is foolish if a man enters a bank and proclaims that he renounces all the money in the bank because it does not belong to him, it is foolish for a person to renounce anything in this world, because it all belongs to Krishna.
To understand everything is Krishna's and should be used for Krishna, according to Rupa Goswami, is real renunciation.
Srila Prabhupada saw a man carrying a half-burned piece of firewood with him on a train in India. What is the value of a half-burned piece of firewood? Yet the man was taking care of it very carefully, thinking of it as valuable property.
Encountering Srila Prabhupada's devotees, we get the chance to experience the nectar of Krishna's lotus feet, which makes us forget material desires, although we originally had no desire for it.
Jayapataka Swami used to say Lord Caitanya is so kind he gives us the dessert first.
Q: Although Rupa Goswami preaches to engage opulence in devotional service, the Goswamis example was to give it up. Why is that?
A: There were different Goswamis, and they had different lessons to teach. Raghunatha dasa Goswami, in particular, taught extreme personal renunciation. He showed it was practically possible to live with almost nothing, and yet, he was in transcendental ecstasy. Srila Prabhupada advised us not to imitate Raghunatha dasa Goswami or we would fall down. Some of the other Goswamis did accept material opulence for the service of the Lord, building great temples like Govindaji. Because they were Goswamis and not householders, it was their duty to live simply, but when given opulence, they would use it for Krishna.
This knowledge of Bhagavad-gitawas originally spoken, not to a monk or priest, but to a military man, an administrator. This indicates that is meant for the people in general.
Usually we are not interested in spiritual knowledge, but at some time in our lives, when we encounter difficulties, we wonder, “Is there more to life than this?”
Although we have made elaborate plans for happiness for our bodies and minds, we are perhaps more dissatisfied than at any other time in history.
We may have a connection with different people, such a business relationship or a family relationship, but the strong connection is through a relationship of love. Similarly bhakti-yoga is the most powerful because it is based on love.
As we may not see the sun in the sky because of clouds, but we can tell it is there from its light, we can tell the soul is present because of consciousness.
Here we have Vrtrasura, who appears to be a demon, without material desire and prepared to go back to Godhead, and Indra, who is going to use the Lord's blessings to kill Vrtrasura, so he can enjoy his heavenly kingdom.
I would think, as a new devotee, since Krishna fulfills our desires as a result of engaging in devotional service, suppose we do not desire to go back to Godhead but rather just to enjoy in heaven. That is a real problem. This verse gives the solution, to pray as Vrtrasura did: “O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be; able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?”
In the material world, we desire to be the lord of the lords, to move up the ranks, but Srila Prabhupada explains that in spiritual life we aspire to be the servant of the servant of the Lord.
In the Adi Purana, Krishna says those who claim to be His devotees are actually not His devotees, but rather that those who are servants of His devotees are His devotees.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura met many Rama bhaktas in South India, and he would ask them if they were directly the servant of Lord Rama. Most of them would say yes, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would say they were bogus.
Regarding Krishna's request to always think of Him, Srila Prabhupada would explain “You have have been thinking of so many nonsense things, now just think of Krishna.”
Srila Prabhupada explained that the duty of the guru is to serve his spiritual master and the duty of the disciple is to assist him.
Srila Prabhupada says over and over again that to think of Krishna means to chant Hare Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada said, “If you chant your sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra and hear every syllable, you will remember Krishna perfectly all day.”
Lord Caitanya gave us so much, but he only gave us eight verses, so we can understand these are very important, the essence.
Lord Caitanya said, “In all my births I do not desire woman, wealth, or followers.”
Even if we do not have many material desires, we still desire not to suffer. Thus the desire for liberation is difficult to give up.
Here the Lord is addressed as samañjasa— O source of all opportunities.
Through the Bhagavatam we do not only learn the philosophy, but we imbibe the feelings of the pure devotees.
We may feel bad we did not get the personal association of Srila Prabhupada, but he says his Bhaktivedanta purports are his devotional ecstasies. That is why it is important to read Srila Prabhupada's books – in addition to acquiring knowledge, we come to appreciate his devotional ecstasies.
The Bhagavatam is compared to a ripened fruit. Have you ever have had a ripened fruit? Now they pick them green and ship them 5,000 miles.
Bhagavata Asraya Prabhu:
from a conversation with Trisama Prabhu, a nama-hatta leader in Poland:
To be good leaders, it important that we regularly hear from Srila Prabhupada's recorded lectures, and that we inspire the devotees we are taking care of to do the same. No other religious leader has had so many hours of recorded lectures as Srila Prabhupada, and we should take advantage of it.
Muni Priya Prabhu:
From the Vishnudutas Ajamila got a second chance, the association of devotees, and spiritual instruction.
To surrender we must accept everything favorable and reject everything unfavorable. This we can determine from verses 2 and 3 of the Nectar of Instruction.
Surrender is not so simple, so Lord Caitanya came to demonstrate.
Our surrender is assist Lord Caitanya in expanding His mission.
One book telling how to become a successful businessman says the first item is to overcome stress.
People are worried about giving to Krishna, but they are in illusion because everything is already belonging to Krishna.
Krishna's plan is the best plan. Our business is to seek out Krishna's plan.
The padayatrais like chutney, sometimes hot and sometimes sweet.
Czech brahmacari:
Everyone is attracted by the devotees, even the demons. The Six Goswami were glorified dhira-adhira . . .
The devotee because he is in the most fortunate position is not envious of anyone.
Srila Prabhupada's books are slowly destroying this materialistic civilization. Vegetarianism, meditation, and yoga are all increasing. People are seeing that this materialistic civilization is defective and does not have answers.
Krishna-kripa das:
There are different things we can do to rise up to the complete absorption in Krishna that Vrtrasura had:
Just by engaging in the devotional service given by our spiritual master, we can attain it, if we are careful to avoid offenses. Devotional service is so purifying, we will be purified if we simply avoid the offenses to it.
Vrtrasura was feeling that Krishna is everything. We can get to this stage by first thinking how Krishna is everything. Thinking, feeling, and willing are the functions of consciousness. If we practice thinking how Krishna is everything, we will come to the stage of feeling that Krishna is everything. Krishna is the source of our very being. Krishna is the source of everything dear to us. Krishna is the fulfiller of all our desires. By thinking like this, we will gradually come to feel that Krishna is everything.
We can offer prayers for pure devotion following in the footsteps of great souls. We can pray as Queen Kunti prayed, “O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.42) Or we can offer this prayer from the Padma Purana mentioned in The Nectar of Devotion: “My Lord, I know that young girls have natural affection for young boys, and that young boys have natural affection for young girls. I am praying at Your lotus feet that my mind may become attracted unto You in the same spontaneous way.” Imagine offering that prayer every day for a year. It would definitely boost your affection for Krishna.
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Just a reminder of the good fortune to be sharing Krishna's instructions:
ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati bhaktim mayi param krtva mam evaisyaty asamsayah
na ca tasman manusyesu
kascin me priya-krttamah
bhavita na ca me tasmad
anyah priya-taro bhuvi
[Lord Sri Krishna said:] “For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Bg. 18.68–69)
Hare Krishna! Cross Wires and Razor Edges
As a 6 or 7-year-old kid, I remember the same kind of thing happening to me. The day after my birthday (where my lasting memory was a three-tier sponge cake filled with cream and jam) I was in school and the teacher was discussing sponges under the sea. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to put a sponge under the sea (my mind still locked onto the vision of a creamy sponge cake), it would just get all soggy and horrible. Anyway, I didn’t bother to question this at the time and just put it to the back of my mind. While I wasn’t thinking about this night and day, still it was maybe a year or more, later before my doubts were answered. One day I was watching a nature program on TV, and the subject matter being discussed was natural sea sponges, it was then that the penny dropped as to what my teacher was talking about all that time before.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2448
Hare Krishna! My Outer Limits Upma Story
Upma seems to be one of those dishes we either love or loathe, except of course when it is prasad. Then again it is an acquired taste for many, and for a debutant like me it was, please bear with me, a revolting experience. Yes, it was prasadam Prabhu. I think an acronym is in order here: Upstart Preliminary Masticating Assessment. When this unknown quantity was served for breakfast, I saw how different it looked from the other tasty dishes. It could have been a mushy overcooked conglomerate of greenish beige whatever it was. I noticed some moist and dry patches which looked like sand, and some bits of cabbage protruding.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=2549
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