Balarama and Krsna are the same but there are differences also. The principle difference is that Balarama is the Supreme Lord in the mood of serving Krsna, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya yāre yaiche nācāya, se taiche karenṛtya (Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 5.142), there is one Supreme Lord Krsna and all others are serving him, including expansions of the Lord, including Lord Balarama. So Krsna is known as sevya bhagavan and Balarama is known as sevak Bhagavan, or Krsna is the Lord who is being served and Balarama is the Lord who is serving. Balarama serves Krsna in many possible ways.
He expands himself as Ananta who has many, many mouths and with all these mouths, he glorifies Krsna. It is said that if you want glorify Krsna, you have to pray to Ananta because it is said that the mouth of Ananta is the jewel-case of the jewel of glorification of Krsna so in this way, Balarama is always serving Krsna by glorifying him. Adi-guru, Balarama is the original spiritual master. One must always glorify Krsna continuously.
Balarama also becomes the bed of the Lord, like Ananta Sesa, he becomes the seat of the Lord and all the utensils of the Lord – his shoes, his plate, his cup, musical instruments are all Balarama. Balarama even becomes Vrindavan for the pleasure of Krsna. Balarama provides all the pleasure for Krsna’s eternal pastimes.
When it comes to the material world, it is Balarama who expands himself into Maha Vishnu, KṣīrodakaśāyīVishnu and Garbhodakasayi Vishnu. In all respects, Balarama is serving Krsna – he is behind everything, behind the spiritual world and behind the material world.
I had a week or two before Ray would show up in San Diego, so I mostly holed-up in my room upstairs and put together the fourth issue of Enquirer. The main features were interviews with Zack and Porcell. I see these as the first noticeable examples of what would become a rather nasty habit for me as the zine’s editor: bending words to obscure points I didn’t like and favor points I did like.
For example, I report Zack as saying: “I think leading a spiritual life means casting away and putting aside the physical nature in life, and the intellectual nature in life. But actually it’s using all three of them… And spirituality… like…”
What kind of editing is that?
Knowing Zack, and having the benefit of hearing his voice directly, it was pretty obvious to me what he wanted to say: that spiritual life isn’t something you have to throw away your material life for; that the two can and should be integrated, complimentary, and mutually nourishing. If I was actually editing to make the point Zack wanted to make, I would have written it like this: “I don’t think ‘leading a spiritual life’ means you have to cast aside the physical and intellectual aspects life. I think it means combiningall three aspects of life: physical, intellectual, and spiritual.”
But I didn’t like that point, so I intentionally made it very vague and confusing. I didn’t like it because it seemed to go against my agenda for “dedicating myself completely” to Krishna consciousness.
The really strange part, though, is that Zack’s message of integrating the spiritual and material aspects of life is exactly the same message Krishna himself delivers in the third and fifth chapters of Bhagavad Gītā. I didn’t know that at the time, though. At the time, my knowledge of Krishna consciousness did not mainly come from direct statements in Sanskrit scripture, it mainly came from the way that the (mostly) western young men of ISKCON comprehended and practiced those statements. They definitely did think we should throw away everything – physical, intellectual, and otherwise – to join the temple and “devote ourselves completely to Krishna,” and they certainly weren’t shy about letting me know that I should do the same, asap. Why would I suspect that the devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement might not perfectly understand Krishna’s advice? Why would I suspect that they might see me almost as much as a resource as a “spirit-soul,” and that their very practical personal and institutional ambitions might seriously color their comprehension of Krishna’s actual advice?
In any case, coming back to the zine, I didn’t always rely on unethical editing. More often I took a softer tact and simply steered the interviews clear of controversy and straight into subjects I knew we had no disagreements about. For Zack this involved the role of spirituality as a vehicle for non-violent social change, and the shitiness of the modern television-culture society that pressures the youth to conform to their hollow norms. It was basically the same topic for Porcell. Yes, we spoke briefly about how happy he was that Ray found something he can really get into (Krishna), but mostly we focused on how useless modern materialistic society is.
Editorially, this is a lot like being a Martian and interviewing an Earthling who agrees that white is lighter than black, to promote an underlying message that Earthlings believe the same things Martians do, and love Martians. “See,” was my unspoken message, “Super cool dudes like Zack de la Rocha and John Porcelly believe so many of the same things we Hare Krishna’s do. So, basically, they pretty much love us. So you should love us, too.”
ISKCON Scarborough will be celebrating the Appearance day of Lord Balaram in a grand manner on Saturday 29th Aug 2015.
Program starts at 7 pm with a special class on Lord Balaram by H.H.Nava Yogendra Swami
There will be a grand feast served at the end of our special program
We welcome you, your family and friends to this auspicious event coming Sunday at ISKCON Scarborough
Who is Lord Balarama?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Lord Balarama is His second body. They are both one and the same identity. They differ only in form. Balarama is the first bodily expansion of Krishna, and He assists in Lord Krishna's transcendental pastimes. He is the source of the entire spiritual world and is the Adi-guru, the original spiritual master.
Descent of Lord Balarama
Whenever Krishna appears in the material world, He is accompanied by His associates and paraphernalia. Five thousand years ago when Krishna descended into the material world, He was first preceded by Baladeva.
When Baladeva appeared as the seventh child in the womb of Devaki, she could understand that this was a divine child and this made her all the more concerned about His safety. Even Kamsa could sense His potency and he became fearful, thinking he may have been tricked by the prophecy that he will be slain only by the eight child of Devaki. At this time Krishna instructed Yogamaya, His internal potency, to transfer the unborn child from the womb of Devaki to that of Rohini, one of the other wives of Vasudeva, who was hiding from Kamsa in the house of Nanda Maharaja in Gokul.
In this way Balarama was born in Gokul under the protection of Nanda Maharaja.
Garga Muni the venerable kulaguru (family priest) of the Yadu dynasty revealed “ This child, the son of Rohiṇī, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rāma. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families — Vasudeva's family and the family of Nanda Mahārāja — He will be known as Saṅkarṣaṇa”.
Brief Biodata of H.H.Nava Yogendra Swami His Holiness Nava Yogendra Swami is a disciple of ISKCON Founder-Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and is known for his fearless preaching of Krishna consciousness and powerful bhajans. He received 1st and 2nd initiation in 1974 in Vrindavana,India and got the name Nava Yogendra Das from Srila Prabhupada. In 1975 at the age of 29 he received Sanyas in Mayapura, West-Bengal, India and got the name Nava Yogendra Swami from Srila Prabhupada.
Chanting with quality - part of a series of lectures by Sacinandana Swami on how to improve our Japa. Email subscribers please click the big blue link above to hear the audio.
Question: What does Prabhupāda mean by the phrase “impersonal brahman”?
Brahman is consciousness. There are two conditions of consciousness (and all energies): latent or kinetic – otherwise known as “inactive” and “active.”
Active brahman is also called “ātmā” – which means that it has an individuality to it. When consciousness is “activated,” it perceives things, and doing so differentiates it from things and gives it a specific subjective locus. So, active consciousness is brahman as “ātmā.” The root of active consciousness is “param-ātmā.” The branches of active consciousness are “jīva-ātmā.”
So, active consciousness has intrinsic individuality – a sense of personhood: “I am.” Thus personhood is intrinsic in and inseparable from active consciousness.
But there is another type of consciousness, a “latent” or “inactive” consciousness that can only be denoted as brahman, not as ātmā. Since it is latent or inactive it is not conscious of anything (besides itself perhaps) and thus has no sense of differentiation or distinct existence as an individual. So it is called “impersonal brahman” because it is consciousness with no sense of personality or individual existence.
Even after she had expressed herself so feelingly, Pṛthu’s anger did not really subside. Although he did not release his arrows, his lips still trembled with rage. The Earth Goddess knew she must address king Pṛthu again, so she controlled her fear and settled her emotions within herself.
“Powerful One,” she said, “Subdue your anger long enough to understand what I have to say.”
“Why should I listen to you?” The king might demand.
So, she said, “Honey-making bees take nectar from all sorts of flowers. Wise people are like that too, taking the essential truths of all things and all people. You might not want to hear what I have to say because you consider me a criminal, but if you do, you will learn an important truth.”
The king agreed to hear her out.
She explained, “People can attain what they want and need in this world and the next by following the methods realized by wise and experienced experts. Even the inexperienced can quickly and easily attain their desired goals if they apply themselves thoroughly and faithfully to the methods suggested by the realized experts who have already attained the desired goals; but if the unrealized ignore these methods and set out towards their goals in their own ways, they can never quite achieve what they want, despite trying again and again with so many different strategies.”
“What bearing does this have on the starvation of my people?” the king would surely ask.
So the Earth Goddess explained, “Your father, Vena, banned religion and persecuted the wise who spoke against him. Then, he was assassinated and the world was left without a king, until you eventually came to protect them. During that time, the whole world became debased and turned into a collection of thieves and rouges. Almost none of them followed the paths of the wise, so why would you expect them to get what they wanted and needed? Why would you expect the vegetation designed originally by Brahmā to flourish amongst them? I had to withhold the growth of vegetation, to obey Brahmā’s rule that only proper endeavors yield desired results.
The king, now sympathetic, would ask, “How can we restore your opulence and bring back the vegetation?”
So, the Earth Goddess explained, “I have withheld the power of vegetation for a long time, and have thus become thin and weak, but there is a way for you to revive this power in me!”
“How!?” he would ask, heroically.
The Earth Goddess, standing before him in the form of a divine cow, answered: “Bring me a calf!”
“Why a calf?” the king might ask.
“This will evoke my motherly love,” she explained, “and fill me with milk. Then, you can then milk me to call forth my powers and opulences. The mystical milk I produce will grant wishes according to the type of calf, the person who milks me, and the type of milking pot they use.
“O mighty, all-attractive nourisher of all beings,” she concluded, “if you want grains to grow again, this is what you must do. And you must also make me, the Earth, more level. Then, the divine rains will form lakes and water will remain abundant in all seasons.
“If you do these things, great king, you and your people will be blessed!”
– Excerpt from an early draft of Part 4 of
Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive
A translation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam’s fourth canto [18.1 – 11]
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 11, No. 14 By Krishna-kripa das (July 2015, part two)
Prague, Munich, Warsaw, Stuyvesant Falls, Polish Woodstock (Sent from Newcastle upon Tyne on August 25, 2015)
Where I Went and What I Did
On Thursday, July 16, I flew to Prague to go to the Ratha-yatra the following Sunday. Friday I did harinama in Prague with both the Harinama Ruci party and the Prague devotees.AfterI had purchased the ticket to Prague, I found that on Saturday there was Ratha-yatra in Munich, so I took the train to and from Munich that day to attend the Munich Ratha-yatra, although I had no time to stay for the stage show. That day I learned that my guru, Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, wanted me to come to Stuyvesant Falls, New York, and proofread his yearly book, and so on Monday after the Prague Ratha-yatra and after taking an overnight bus to Warsaw, I flew to New York, instead of taking a bus to Lithuania for the Baltic Summer Festival as I was planning to do. In Stuyvesant Falls, all I did for six days was eat, sleep, chant japa, and proofread the book, Looking Back, Volume 1. I did not finish, and I had to continue on the train to New York, on the plane to Warsaw, and on the train to Kostrzyn, Poland, home of the Polish Woodstock festival since 2004. I took a 75-minute break from my proofreading marathon to chant with about ten devotees during their Food for Life program in downtown Warsaw and found it inspiring. Then for the next five days I participated in Ratha-yatras and kirtanas at the Polish Woodstock festival.
I share notes on a Srila Prabhupada lecture, and an excerpt from a book of and from the online journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, and I share notes on a lecture by Bhaktivaibhava Swami in Prague and a lecture of Trivikrama Swami in Warsaw. I share a comment by Indradyumna Swami to the young people of Poland and a comment of a Russian disciple on Krishna consciousness in his region of Russia.
Thanks to Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu and GN Press for their kind donation for my proofreading Looking Back, Volume 1. Thanks to Martin of Leipzig for his kind donation. Thanks to Krishna Kirtan Prabhu and another Warsaw devotee for change to take the bus to the airport and to the train station.I would like to thank the person who dropped 200 Czech koruns(about $8) on the street in Prague and which I donated to the Czech farm devotees, in exchange for Czech chips and cookies for my travels, and to the Prague Ratha-yatra.
Thanks to Food for Life Warszawa – ISKCON for their photos.
Itinerary
August 25–26: Newcastle
August 27: Blackpool and Preston
August 28: Southport and Liverpool
August 29: Manchester
August 30: Leeds
August 31–September 1: Newcastle
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 19: Jacksonville
November 20–December 16: Krishna House (except 5 days in Tallahassee)
December 17: Jacksonville?
December 18–January 3: New York City Harinama
Chanting Hare Krishna in Prague
As I was taking Lokanath Swami on a tour of the grounds at the Polish Woodstock in 2004, I asked him where was the best place in the world to do harinama, and he replied, “Prague.” Although I had no prior plan, I ended up doing harinama in Prague that very summer, after the Polish Festival tour. Now I go there almost every year.
I discovered that I could take the train from Prague to Munich and back the same day for under 40 euros, and thus attend the Munich Ratha-yatra. Because I love Ratha-yatra, dancing before Lord Jagannatha, and attempting to inspire others to take an interest in Krishna consciousness and because I have many friends in the German yatra,it was worth it to me. Some of my friends who were also in Prague made the same journey by car, but they had no space, and another friend took the bus.
As I climbed the stairs at Karlsplatz U-bahn station, after seven hours of travel, and I heard the Hare Krishna kirtana, I felt joy within my heart. They had just broken the coconuts, and it was time for the procession to begin.
Munich Ratha-yatra is one of the longest in Europe, and I am sure it was a good four hours. I just had time to hear half of Kadamba Kanana Swami's kirtana at the beginning of stage show as I waited in line for prasadam, before my return journey to Prague.
Krishna Ksetra Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami were special guests. Sometimes the procession passed through crowded areas and sometimes more vacant ones.
Nice features I recall about the Munich Ratha-yatra were many people took photos of it.
We would pass outdoor cafes, and almost everyone would be attracted by the procession.
Devotees offered fruit to Lord Jagannatha and distributed it to people in the crowd, and onlookers and devotees both appreciated that.
Some people danced with us.
One couple took great pleasure dancing to our Hare Krishna music
Then the husband took a picture of his wife dancing with a devotee lady.
The first class compartment on the train home had WiFi, but the signal extended to the area between the first and second class carriages, and I would sit on on the floor and connect. In my email, I got an urgent letter from my guru telling me to come to his place in New York and proofread his lastest book. I checked prices on roundtrip tickets from Prague, Warsaw, and Berlin, to New York City, and found it was $200 cheaper to travel from Warsaw, where I was traveling to by bus the next evening after the Prague Ratha-yatra. I sent his servant the details, and I learned the next day I had a midday flight on Monday to NYC.
Prague Ratha-yatra
By contrast to Munich, the Prague Ratha-yatra is very short, about an hour and a half. It is in a busy tourist section, but the stage show was a bit off to the side.
Bhaktivaibhava Swami, Danavira Goswami, and Kadamba Kanana Swami were special guests. Titiksu Prabhu and the London cart came to Prague, as well as to Paris and Budapest for their Ratha-yatras.
Harinama Ruci posted a wonderful movie of the Prague Ratha-yatra on Facebook, and it got over 135,000 views:
I was amazed by the fascination of some Oriental girls, who smilingly took all kinds of pictures of the event.
We also distributed fruit offered to Lord Jagannatha in that Ratha-yatra.
One photographer even continued taking photos while holding the fruit in this hand!
Harinama Ruci likesthe chanting in the streets so much that during the stage show, usually during the Indian dance, we go chanting around the tourist section of the city. This time, probably because Janananda Goswami came with us, we had thirty devotees instead of just ten. A lot of onlookersparticipated in dancing with us.
Devotee ladies would dance, swinging ladies from the crowd.
Also both the devotees and newcomers would enjoy dancing in a circle together.
I forgot to book a fruit plate as my meal on my Air France flight from Warsaw to New York City via Paris. So in flight, I asked the steward if he had any fruit.
Later he brought me some cut fruit consisting of blueberries, kiwi fruit, mango, and more. I offered it to Krishna by chanting the mantras, and it tasted so good. When the stewards saw I liked it they brought me another bowl of it. As I deplaned I thanked the man who got me the fruit telling it was the best food I ever had on a plane, and he replied, “That is because it is our food.”
Stuyvesant Falls
It was a real marathon for me proofreading my guru's, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami's, latest book, Looking Back, Volume 1, in which he revisits some of the books he wrote and tells what was going on in his life when he wrote them, what inspired him to write them and to include certain things in them, and what parts were especially important to him. The excerpts were dictated and the typists generally did not check their typing with the books the excerpts were taken from so there were many discrepancies. I initially began, for the sake of strictness, to compare the text of the newbook with original sources in every case, but I could see by doing that I would not finish in the six days I had allotted, even if I worked twelve hours a day at it, which I tried to do. Then I just decided that I would check the originals only when I encountered something that did not make sense. That difficulty with that came with some parts that were really stream of consciousness stuff, and it was hard to understand whether it was supposed to sound like that or if it indicated a mistake, so you had to check it anyway. For some of the typists, English was a second language, and sometimes they would miss idioms, or type something that sounds right but had no meaning. I wanted to finish up so I could go to the Polish Woodstock festival, and share kirtana with thousands of people, and so it was a big challenge for me, a challenge I rarely have.
Food for Life in Warsaw
For the last six months or so, devotees in Warsaw, headed by Sasabindu Prabhu, have been distributing prasadam every Monday afternoon for an hour and a half in a busy region between the metro and the central train station. They invited me to chant with them the day I flew to New York City, but it was not possible, so I decided to go out with them the day I returned. Behind our chanting party, you can see people lined up for prasadam.
The devotee playing the drum, Sasabindu Prabhu, is the organizer of the party.
After just proofreading and no harinama for a week, you can see I was happy to be dancing in the kirtana again.
Altogether, there were about ten devotees chanting, serving food, distributing books, and giving out invitations to the temple. It was nice to see a cooperative team working on an outreach program.
While in the Warsaw temple, I met a Polish lady who became a Muslim while working in the Middle East, not being satisfied with the Christianity she was presented with as she grew up in Poland. Somehow or other, her twelve-year-old daughter developed an interest in Hare Krishna, so lady herself has been studying our philosophy and appreciating the universal truths. She wants to encourage her daughter's spiritual exploration. The young girl, who is named Myriem (in the green dress in the first picture above), very enthusiastically played the kalatalas and helped out in different ways on the food distribution outing, and it was very inspiring. What a remarkable story!
Food for Life Warsaw posted a video on their YouTube channel on the Food for Life event (https://youtu.be/8Gh_v2FkopY):
The Polish Woodstock
For the fifteenth year in a row, I attended the Polish Woodstock festival. It is really an amazing opportunity to share kirtana and prasadam with tens of thousands of people.
One guy, who talked to me twoor threeyears ago, commenting our kirtanayoga tent one night, said, “Most of these people are not Hare Krishnas, but they are singing, dancing, and smiling, and are completely happy. In the ordinary world, that would never happen!” I smiled, and said, “Yes I know. That is why I have been coming here for fifteen years. Anyone can be happy by chanting Hare Krishna, but at the Polish Woodstock, they are willing to try it, and so they get that experience.”
Originally this event was attended only by Polish people, and gradually more and more Germans would come. In recent years it has become more international. This year I talked to people from France, Norway, Estonia, Bulgaria, Mozambique, Mexico, Brazil, and Bolivia as well!
Gabriel from Brazil came up to me in the kirtana tent and reminded me that I talked to him last month at the Stonehenge Solstice Festival. At Woodstock he danced with with us every day, sometimes more than one, and he brought his friends as well. In one of the videosI took, you can see he really got into it.
I met people from all over Poland, from Gdansk, from near the border with Belarus, from near Wroclaw and near Katowice near Krakow, and of course, Warsaw. I gave out at least a couple invitation to our Wroclaw temple and several to our Warsaw temple.
Martin, the organizer of the Trutnoff Open Air Music Festival, also called the Czech Woodstock, came there to promote his event. I know him from a kirtana program we did in Trutnov's Balaram restaurant one year.
At the Polish Woodstock, we do Ratha-yatra every day for about three hours.
We had a saxophonist on Ratha-yatra, which does not happen every year.
I, along with others, distribute flyers.
Sometimes people have their hands full.
Many of the young people there joyfully participate by pulling the cart.
Others participate by dancing.
Some continue dancing after our procession ends.
Some read the mantra from our cards.
As at the Munich and Prague Ratha-yatra, at Woodstock we distribute prasadam from the cart.
Here Indradyumna Swami tastes the nectar of distribution.
Here a segment with Mahatma Prabhu, who came for the first time this year, leading the singing (https://youtu.be/mq3sl9BVXbI):
One time he kept the kirtana going for quite a while after the Ratha-yatra, and many people danced (https://youtu.be/OTobXxUkRv8):
Mahatma Prabhu, who loves kirtana and sharing it with others, was very happy he came this year for the first time.
Bhagavat Asraya Prabhu, a Prabhupada disciple from the UK, also came for the first time. He also loved the event and wants to come on the whole tour next year. He spent a lot of time in questions and answers, and his interpreter was impressed with the expert way he answered the questions.
It is always a pleasure for me when devotees I know from other places come to the Polish Woodstock and have a wonderful time.
After one Ratha-yatra, I talked briefly to one college student from Mexico. I mentioned we had a couple of Mexican girls on our staff, and I went to get one of the them for her to talk to. Apparently this student had been attending our temple in Mexico City and was studying now in Leipzig. She had come to the Polish Woodstock by chance, not knowing of the great Hare Krishna presence there. I took her card, and promised to tell her the details of the Leipzig Ratha-yatra on August 29. She wrote me after I did so saying she would definitely go.
At the end of the Ratha-yatra kirtanathe last two days, I grabbed the microphone and toldthe people of other Krishna musicopportunities. The first day I told them we also had this Ratha-yatra the next day from 11:00 to 14:00 and that we had more Krishna music in the Kirtan Yoga tent from 17:00 to 2:00. The final day I told them that this was the final Ratha-yatra but we did have music in our Kirtan Yoga tent from 17:00 to 4:00. I translated each phrase in Polish as I made the announcements, since I had learned the words for everything I wanted to say by coming for so many years. Dominik (now initiated as Dvija Vara Prabhu), who has done lots of organization and practical work for the Krishna village at Woodstock for years, heard my announcement. He came up to me afterward, thanking me very much, and complimenting me on my Polish translation. I was happy to please such an important leader in Indradyumna Swami's organization. I told him how it is important that when we have a favorable crowd gathered, that we take advantage of it and tell them of our events. One of the things that inspires me about Indradyumna Swami is his realization of the importance of promotion. He will will have devotees do three hours of harinama and distribute7,000 flyers for three days to advertise his festivals.
Standing at the opening of the mantra yoga tent, I offer mantra cards to those who show some attraction to the kirtana. In Polish, the short “i” is spelled with “y”, the sound “sh” is spelled “sz”, and the “y” sounds is spelled with “j”.
One lady took two mantra cards and gave one to her husband. At first he did not understand what it was, and she explained, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare . . .” He smiled, and kissed the card, and said, “I love you.”
I gave one young lady a mantra card, and she was going to embrace me. I showed her the pranammudra and she did that back to me. I explained as a monk, I am not supposed to embrace the girls, but that I appreciated her affection. She replied with a smile, saying of her experience in kirtanayoga, “I love it!”
One guy embraced me, happy to get the mantra card, and several girls tried to embrace me. I was a bit put off by it at first. Then I reflected that I enjoyed the first Woodstock festival I went to in 2001 so much that afterward I embraced Sri Prahlada, one of our main singers. I am not one who ever embraces anyone, but I was so happy with the joyous kirtanas that touched people's hearts, that I spontaneously embraced him. Similarly a lot of people who came to our Krishna kirtana tent felt a lot of joy, and they wanted to express their gratitude to someone who was part of team making it happen by embracing him.
I met a lady from the UK who lives near York, and I gave her my card and promised to tell her of the programs there.
I saw one guy who originally met me in Zary at the Woodstock in 2003 and comes by to say “hello” every year.
Trisama Prabhu introduced me to a German man who was seriously curious about the philosophy, which I described in brief to him. I gave him a booklet listing all the German temples as he spends half the time in Berlin and Munich, and I gave him my card, in case he had questions.
I recall giving out contact information for our Berlin and Munich temples. I had talked to the lady from Berlin a previous year, and she seemed more serious now.
One lady from Gdynia, 400 km away, said she comes to the Woodstock festival to see us Hare Krishnas only.
One man had come to Woodstock ten years before and recalled that Hare Krishna was the most memorable part.
So many people felt positive energy in the kirtana tent.
One young lady said she could not relate to anything that was going on at the Woodstock, and she was so grateful she could come to our Krishna village and escape the craziness of it.
[Acyuta Gopi and Madhava also led wonderful kirtanas but so late at night my poor camera could not record it because of the darkness.]
Harinama at the Train Station
I was a little disappointed that I could not get a harinama party together to the train station the day after Woodstock, but it is such a great opportunity to share the holy name that I chanted by myself there for an hour. I had to buy a ticket anyway, so I brought my harmonium, my amplifier, mantra cards, and invitations to our centers in Warsaw and Wroclaw to the train station and chanted while waiting in line for a ticket and 45 minutes afterward.
One young lady enthusiastically chanted Hare Krishna as soon as I came near her. She was from near Warsaw and happy to get an invitation to our center there where she could continue her interest in Hare Krishna.
I continued walking through the crowd of hundreds of people at the train station, giving mantra cards to anyone who smiled or said “Hare Krishna.”
Another girl from near Warsaw was happy to hear my brief description of Krishna consciousness, finding it to be interesting, and she also took an invitation to the temple.
One guy who was familiar with a tradition where they vibrate sounds of certain pitches for their beneficial effects, suggested that we chant a Hare Krishna melody incorporating these sounds. I suggested he making a recording of himself chanting Hare Krishna in that way and send it to me, and that I would share it with my friends.
To see the photos I did not include in the blog, click on this link below:
from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam5.5.1 in Bombay on December 25, 1976:
This is the difficulty: we take leadership of human society although we remain in the bodily conception of life. Because they also have that conception, the leaders are no better than us, and in that conception we are no better than animals.
God is always God. He neither becomes God nor does He fall down.
There is no question of overpopulation. Because the people are godless, God is restricting the supply.
“By the time I wrote Japa Transformations, things were improving. When I moved to Stuyvesant Falls my japa gradually came under control. Starting at midnight in the sanctity of my bhajana kutiraI began to report: 'I was not troubled by outside thoughts.' The remaining distraction is that I think of what to write in my Japa Report while I’m chanting.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 2, Part 3, Number 7:
“Srila Prabhupada removed the awkwardness by convincing us that we did not belong to a different religion than he. He referred to the transcendental level at which all things come together. He used to say, 'No one should object and say that they can't chant Hare Krishna because it is a foreign name and it is not one's own religion. This is transcendental sound vibration. We are all spirit souls, parts and parcels of Krishna.' In this way, he established spiritual intimacy.”
Bhaktivaibhava Swami:
Without the mercy of a pure devotee, one cannot attain the Absolute Truth, Sri Krishna.
The many useless commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita are the proof that without the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna one cannot understand the Absolute Truth.
One should take shelter of a pure devotee and ask for his mercy.
Someone asked Vamsidasa dasa Babaji how one could attain perfection in devotion to Krishna, and he indicated the answer with a single word, “Begging.”
Prahlad Maharaja said, “Unless human society accepts the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee of the Lord, mankind cannot turn his attention to the lotus feet of Krishna which alone vanquish the miseries of material life.”
There is no greater embarrassment to a materialist than for his child to become a Vaishnava.
Brahma wanted to take birth as a blade of grass in the Vrindavan area to get such dust of the lotus feet of those so dear to Krishna.
Q: How can you recognize a pure devotee?
A: By his teachings. But, of course, a pure devotee never says “That's me.”
Srila Prabhupada says in a letter, “One who claims he is a advanced Vaishnava is not advanced.”
Getting the mercy of the pure devotee means pleasing the devotee.
Srila Prabhupada is giving his mercy through his teachings, his books, his disciples, etc., but one has to take the mercy.
Trivikrama Swami:
When it is said women are less intelligent, it means they are more given to being carried away by their emotions.
With our intelligence, we are supposed to do everything for the satisifaction Krishna, but we are conditioned by years of acting for ourselves.
If we make a vow, “With this one life I will simply endeavor to make Krishna happy,” we will have wonderful success.
Although Srila Prabhupada is just one person, he was able to convince thousands of people of Krishna consciousness.
There is urgency because we have this advantage of this human form of life.
The problem is we are attached to material things, so we have to get a higher taste. That is why we advocate the kirtana, because it is the easiest way to get a higher taste.
As long as you have material desires, you will have to remain in the material world. The best thing is to pray to Lord Nrsimha to rip out your material desires with His nails.
Indradyumna Swami:
From an address during a Ratha-yatra kirtana:
By chanting Hare Krishna you are becoming happy as you have experienced. Narottama Dasa Thakura has explained why. This chanting of Hare Krishna is imported from the spiritual world.
Arjuna Krishna Prabhu:
From a conversation at the Polish Woodstock festival:
For seven years after Harikesa Swami left, only about ten devotees maintained book distribution, harinama, and prasadam distribution in the Ural region of Russia. Otherwise the whole yatrathere was spaced out. But because those enthusiastic devotees maintained those programs, beginning in about 2008, so many new people have begun to join. Now every month there are new devotees joining.
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ye lila-amrita vine, khaya yadi anna-pane,
tabe bhaktera durbala jivana
yara eka-bindu-pane, utphullita tanu-mane,
hase, gaya, karaye nartana
“Men become strong and stout by eating sufficient grains, but the devotee who simply eats ordinary grains but does not taste the transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krishna gradually becomes weak and falls down from the transcendental position. However, if one drinks but a drop of the nectar of Krishna’s pastimes, his body and mind begin to bloom, and he begins to laugh, sing and dance.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita 25.278)
ISKCON Toronto’s 2015 Congregational Vyasa Puja Book
Hare Krishna,
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The appearance day of Srila Prabhupada is a very special occasion for all ISKCON devotees. Srila Prabhupada appeared on Nandotsava – the day that Nanda Maharaja had a big festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Krsna (Sri Krsna Janmastami). This year, Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja falls on Sunday, September 6th, 2015 and celebrations will be from 11am-3pm at ISKCON Toronto and will continue through to the Sunday Feast (6pm to 9pm).
This day is known as Vyasa Puja because the spiritual master is a representative of Srila Vyasadeva who is the author of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Vyasa Puja offerings are made by devotees who write and present personal messages to the spiritual master. The Governing Body Commission (GBC) for ISKCON has stated that every devotee in ISKCON should write an offering to Srila Prabhupada on Vyasa Puja.
We would like to encourage all devotees in our community to write a personal letter, in the form of an offering to Srila Prabhupada for this year’s festival and, to further facilitate this process, we will be making a special ISKCON Toronto Vyasa Puja Book for 2015. This book will be presented to Srila Prabhupada on the day of Vyasa Puja. Following the program, the book will be on display for devotees to read all the offerings by devotees of our community. Please note – doe to time constraints during the festival, we will not be able to have everyone read out their offerings during the main festivities. However, devotees are welcome to privately do so before or after the festival.
In order to facilitate this whole process, pre-printed pages have been prepared and we are asking devotees to hand write offerings onto these specially-designed pages. The maximum length of the offering is one page per person. If you wish to type your offering, you can use our Vyasa Puja online form at: http://tinyurl.com/SPOfferings2015 (form is also embedded below) - typed offerings must be emailed by 8:00am on September 6th. We will print out these offerings for you.
The hand-written offerings can be submitted in person at the temple, in the designated drop box, up until 11:00am on September 6th. Hand written offerings are encouraged.
We humbly encourage you to please take this opportunity to honour Srila Prabhupada with a personal offering! Hare Krsna!
Your Servants, The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple
Guidelines for Your Written Offering:
Write your offering in the mood of a personal letter to Srila Prabhupada. Write in a style as if you are addressing Srila Prabhupada directly (e.g. “Srila Prabhupada, it is by your mercy that I have come to Krsna consciousness.”)
The Vyasa Puja offering is meant for glorifying the spiritual master. So offerings need to be made in that mood and not be used as a platform for airing one's grievances.
You may wish to read the previous year’s Vyasa Puja offerings made to Srila Prabhupada by various senior devotees around ISKCON. It may give you some ideas of how to express yourself. These can be found here: http://prabhupada.krishna.com/homages
It is a courtesy to start your offering with Srila Prabhupada’s pranama mantras; we have already printed these onto the official pages. A suggested opening is as follows: “Dear Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you on this auspicious occasion of your Vyasa Puja.”
The main content of the offering should glorify the role that Srila Prabhupada is playing in your life as well as express your indebtedness to him. You may also include reports about your spiritual growth, how you are meeting challenges and how you are carrying out his orders.
To end the offering it would be nice to show one’s appreciation and desire to please, by some nice phrase such as “Your Humble Servant” or something similar.
Please note, the temple reserves the right to not publish an offering if it is deemed inappropriate.
Submission Requirements and Deadlines
Hand-written offerings must be submitted no later than 11:00am at ISKCON Toronto on Sunday, September 6, 2015
Typed offerings must be submitted via http://tinyurl.com/SPOfferings2015 (form is also embedded below) no later than 8:00am on Sunday, September 6, 2015
Devotees serve the Lord during the summer by placing Him on a boat, taking Him out on procession, applying sandalwood on His body, fanning Him with a camara, decorating Him with jeweled necklaces, offering Him palatable foodstuffs, and bringing Him out to swing in the pleasant moonlight.
Jhulan Yatra is one of the most popular celebrations in ISKCON temples around the world. Thousands of years ago the divine couple, Radha and Krsna, along with Their cowherd friends, took part in joyful swinging in the pleasure groves of Vrndavan.
"If one has no connection with Balarama,even though one is very learned scholar or has taken birth in a very respectable family,these assets will no help him." [Srila Prabhupada]
Of the three names repeated in the Maha[Great] mantra 'Hare,Krsna and Rama, Rama refers to lord Balarama.So the maha mantra repeated and chanted over two thousand times daily by ISKCON devotees illustrates how important He is in Guadiya tradition.
He is the Original Guru.So the guidance of lord Balarama is not only helpful but essential to reach Krsna.
Following a spiritual life style requires strength to hold off the advances of a world intent on selling you products and life choices you don't need.Strength to aspire the goals of spirit,outside this body of blood n flesh,that we inhabit.Strength to aim for a spiritual destination despite the seeming pleasures of this world.
Lord Balarama is central to Srila Prabhupada's advice on making spiritual advancement,as he outlines in Srimad Bhagavatam:" Jnanasim' the sword of knowledge,is given by Krsna,and one who serves the Guru and Krsna in order to hold the sword of Krsna's instructions ,Balarama gives one strength.Thus one should accept the sword of knowledge from Krsna and be strong with the mercy of Balarama.We are therefore worshipping Krsna Balarama in Vrndavana."
But don't worry you need not to travel as far as India.If the pressures of this material world are feeling heavy on your shoulders these days,come to ISKCON Brampton to worship and glorify the most glorious Lord Sri Balarama and experience eternal joy and bliss.
Program Schedule
11:00am - Tulasi Aarti 11:15am - Guru Vandana 11:30am - Aarti 11:55am - Sri Nrsingadev Pranama 12:00pm - Lord Balaram Abhishekam(Everyone is welcome provided he/she is in vedic attire) 12:30pm - Glories of Lord Balaram 1:00pm - Aarti 1.30pm - Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast
Sponsorships: "If anything is donated to a devotee of lord Visnu in the name of lord Visnu,the charity is said to be pure and the only solution for liberation." [Hari Bhakti Vilasa,11.64,Skanda Purana]
Sri Balaram Grand Feast....$251 Sri Balaram Maha Arati......$108 Mahabhiseka Ceremony....$201 Exquisite sringara...............$351 Please contact front desk/Amogha Lila Das alokearora@hotmail.com
Volunteering For Festivals: For service opportunity,please contact Radha Gopinath Dasa.
Maha Clean-up in preparation for Janamastami On Aug 30th,2015,after the program
We humbly request everyone to stay behind for the pre-Janamastami festivities and help with the cleaning of the temple.
COMING UP AHEAD
Sri Krsna Janamashtami(Fasting till midnight)
Celebration on Sat Sep 5th,2015 all day!! (Mangala arati program @ 5.00am)
Sponsor a Kalash If you and your family would like to participate in the bathing ceremony(Mahabhiseka Ceremony) of lord Krishna,please don't forget to sign-up for a kalash-$108/family. **We've limited no of Kalash**
Offerings for Sri Krsna You are invited to bring vegetarian offerings (no onion, garlic, eggs, vinegar) of food for Krishna.[In brand new aluminium one or two serving sized container] *Nothing store-bought. Must be fresh and homemade. *No tasting or sampling. Krishna must be the first to taste your offering.
**Details of the program will be posted shortly**
Appearance of Srila Prabhupada(Fasting till noon) celebration on Sep 6th,2015(During Sun Love Feast)
There's a man who takes walks in the morning with a giant red ball of silk sashes. He whistles and smiles at the neighbors who jog by. They don't smile back. When he sits to watch the sunrise, he sits on his anger and pushes it down into the sand. The ball cushions his body, and the vibrating pulse of it keeps him awake and alive, humming and whistling.
A boy is walking by with his dog, playing a game of fetch with a blue rubber ball. The man waves at the boy with a smile. The boy frowns back and throws the ball for his dog in the opposite direction. A sash of red slips out of the man's mouth like silk smoke, and he catches it from the air like a scarf and stashes it in the pulsating ball he's reclining on.
The ball begins to rise from the sand, threatening to push the man off of his seat.
Push it down. Push it down.
He wrestles with the ball, but that last sash of red seems to have disturbed the balance. The man grits his teeth, sweat drips from his brow. Almost there, the ball seems to be going deeper into the sand. The rising sun over the ocean shines on the man's face and the scene. Some passersby stroll by, staring at the struggle. He gives a strained smile. "Everything is fine," he calls out. People scurry on.
Control, must control. This ball is almost... almost... under control.
A voice whispers in his mind: Who is controlling who?
Suddenly, the pulsating ball of red sashes goes still. The man tentatively gets to his feet. Strange to step away. Before his eyes the sashes unravel and unwind, unravel and unwind, falling out into the sand like a giant lotus flower.
In the center of the sashes, the opened flower, is a most peculiar object. A glass object. The sun flashes off of the surface and momentarily blinds the man. He shades his eyes and steps forward for a closer look. By now, passersby have gathered in a growing circle, albeit at a distance, their faces betraying their fear, awe, and curiosity.
The man picks up the glass object, which is surprisingly warm. It's pulsing. He realizes that the pulsing of the entire ball of red sashes came from this object. He holds the object up to the light and sees that it is an exquisitely sculptured glass heart. It has four ventricles, the veins are delicately raised. The glass is translucent and glimmering in the sun.
The man peers more closely at the heart and sees a fissure running through its very center. He touches the fissure and the heart in his own chest twinges with the pain of a thousand needles. He drops to his knees, surrounded by the red sashes of anger that all come from this fissure in his heart. So much pain. He weeps. The tears fall from his face onto the glass heart and enter into the fissure. The pieces of the heart become one, the fissure vanishes.
The man holds the heart up to his chest and pushes in until with a jolt, the glass heart enters his body and becomes one with him.
An ocean breeze suddenly sweeps in and the red sashes pick up and whirl into the sky like a flock of swans. The spectators watch the scene unfold and cheer and cheer. They descend upon the man and embrace him one by one and in groups.
The man feels a warm rasp of a tongue on his face, and he is greeted by a quivering dog. "Hi there," says a boy. The man is astonished. "I'd like to give you this," the boy places the blue rubber ball in the man's hand.
"Really? For me?"
"Oh geez, not only for you. It's so that you can play with my dog."
It is to be highly appreciated when you go to a place, either inside or out, that improvements are made. It’s been weeks since I ventured off on foot to the Brickworks, an old brick factory. Adjoined to this facility are wetlands and vegetation growth with trails running in a meandering fashion. Trails are now widened to accommodate bikes. Another thing that’s new is that we have a statue of a fox that’s been erected on a pole reminding us of one of the common inhabitants in the area.
I came at evening time and hit those trails and then moved over to the cavernous old factory itself. I had been here once before when ukuleles had been played to the song, “Can the Circle Be Unbroken”, a popular spiritualist song by the Carter family. The crowd at the time was immersed in the song. It was like kirtan.
Tonight however, at dusk in the outdoors, a jazz band had made centre stage right near one of the factory’s facilities. Wining and dining went on and people were clad in their finest. I must say that the group of men playing the music were stellar performers. I was almost in tears to hear their beautiful music. It got to my heart and then it reminded me of something else that was beautiful. It was today that a very good spirit, Jatayu by name, passed on under peaceful circumstances. He was exceptional. He was not a soul from Clevelandbut a soul from God. Here’s my poem in his honour:
Another soul fought hard the fight
Before he made the glorious flight
A gentle soul, Jatayu had been
Scarce are such of his calibre seen
Sensitive, warm, and for all others
Seeing all as sisters and brothers
There, for service at the feet of Prabhupada
For family, friends, community, and God
An inspiration that is now in our mind
A Vaishnava of a very special kind
(Jatayu passed away at around noon-time today and he was a walking partner whenever I went to Cleveland.)
Our small group took a dip in LakeCouchiching in Orillia. We did some trekking back in Bracebridge where we were led to several waterfalls along the Trans Canada Trail. There really are treasures tucked away in these woodlands. A surprise awaits you around every corner.
The profound statements which I ended up sharing to our group at the Inn are worth repeating:
“The Supersoul knows everything in everyone’s heart. He knows everyone’s determination and everyone’s want.”
“What the devotee actually offers the Lord is not needed by the Lord for He is self-sufficient.”
“Not only must a brahmin be well qualified according to the requirements stated in scriptures such as Srimad Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavad Gita, but at the same time, he must be a devotee of Krishna.”
“Sudhama Vipra (a renowned devotee) realized that although Sri Krishna is unconquerable, He nevertheless agrees to be conquered by His devotees.”
“If by the grace of the Lord we get such opulence as material wealth, fame, power, education, and beauty, it is our duty to consider that they are all gifts of the Lord and must be used for His service, not for our sense enjoyment.”
The source is from Chapter 80 entitled, “The Brahmin Sudhama Blessed by Lord Krishna.”
As ISKCON’s 50th anniversary quickly approaches in 2016, and New Vrindaban’s 50th in 2018, long time members and residents are working to make sure that accurate histories of the past half century are available for future generations.
Since the 1980s, some devotees in New Vrindaban have mistakenly claimed that Prabhupada’s Palace is a Pushpa Samadhi. According to the Vaishnava tradition, a pushpa samadhi houses flowers worn by a departed Vaishnava, like Srila Prabhupada’s in Mayapur.
However although various stories have persisted over time that a flower or flower garland worn by Srila Prabhupada was installed at his Palace in New Vrindaban, they have since been confirmed as untrue through direct testimony by the devotees cited in the narratives.
In July 2015, after extensive research by board member Chaitanya Mangala including the testimonies, the ISKCON New Vrindaban board formally acknowledged that there are no flowers worn by Srila Prabhupada – nor one of his teeth, another claim — installed at his Palace.
Earlier inquiries by New Vrindaban GBCs Tamohara Das and Malati Devi also came to the same conclusions.
This does not, however, diminish the importance and glory of Prabhupada’s Palace. It has been appropriately identified as a smriti samadhi – a memorial shrine that preserves a Vaishnava’s memory by keeping worshipable personal items.
Three very special personal items of Srila Prabhupada’s are displayed in a glass case in his temple room at the Palace: the bongo drum that he played during the first Tompkins Square Park Harinama Sankirtan parties in 1966; a bronzed pair of his shoes; and original clay imprints of his feet.
In 1976 devotees traveled from New Vrindaban to the West 55th Street temple in Manhattan specifically to get these imprints from Srila Prabhupada in person. They are one of only two such imprints, which were copied and are now on display in ISKCON temples all over the world. But the original remains on display at Prabhupada’s Palace.
As a result of the efforts by the New Vrindaban GBCs, the Palace has been officially recognized by ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission as a Shrine and Memorial and included in the ISKCON Law Book as such.
In a 2006 resolution, the GBC also listed several other reasons as to why the Palace is to be held in high regard as a Smriti Samadhi by ISKCON members all over the world.
Firstly, Srila Prabhupada personally named New Vrindaban, spent quality time there, left behind a legacy of instructions for the project, and emphasized it by stating that it was non-different from Vrindavana, India.
Secondly, Prabhupada’s Palace at New Vrindaban is the only monument in the Western hemisphere built specifically and only to glorify Prabhupada. What’s more it’s built by volunteers who put years of their life into it as devotional service – a labor of love. And Srila Prabhupada reciprocated with that love, calling the devotees working on the Palace “my jewels.”
Finally, Prabhupada repeatedly inquired when his Palace would be finished and expressed his eagerness to live there. “When my palace will be ready I shall go there and stay,” he wrote in 1974. “I like very much that place.” And during a 1974 onsite visit, he said, “If you want, I am already living here.”
While Srila Prabhupada left this world before the Palace was completed, he is living there in spirit — his murti was installed at its grand opening ceremony in 1979, and he has been steadily worshiped there ever since.
And while his physical presence (vapu) may have been limited to four visits, he lives through his teachings (vani), which he lovingly imprints on the hearts of his faithful devotees.
Thus Srila Prabhupada is eternally present at his Palace in New Vrindaban. And to this day, it remains a place where he is the sole focus: from the monthly Sangams, to the mangala-aratis just for him, to the 30,000 tourists and pilgrims who visit every year and learn about his legacy, to the sweet memories that are shared about him by his disciples on his appearance and disappearance days.
And with a major restoration plan now underway, Prabhupada’s Palace is set to become even more renowned amongst future generations as his Smriti Samadhi – the greatest memorial to our Founder-Acarya in the Western World.
Like a River is the title track from the debut album of Jahnavi Harrison, 'Like a River to the Sea', released on July 24th 2015. The track features a refrain from the Govinda Damodara Stotram by medieval saint-poet, Srila Bilvamangala Thakur and is a meditation on protecting sacred environments internally and externally.
Written, composed and arranged by Jahnavi Harrison and Gauravani Buchwald.
For the past twenty years, at least, people have been asking me my understanding of the various philosophical aspects and issues related to the subject of the guru and disciple relationship. Although many liked the traditional idea of practising spiritual life with a guide and teacher, they found some of the aspects inaccessible and some quite controversial. I always tried my best to convey to them both the tradition and the contemporary application as I understood it. When it became clear that successive waves of people were asking similar questions, and that some of them found my answers interesting and helpful, I started writing it down for them instead of speaking. Some of that writing has already been published as posts in my blog. Eventually I thought to compile it all to have everything in one place. I didn’t think of writing a book. But, as these things go, a book was the result. So here is a plainly-named book, The Guru & Disciple Book, and it will be coming out on September 3rd.
It will be available on Amazon and from other outlets.
Hare Krishna! Jhulan Yatra
Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa states, To please Sri Hari, devotees hold numerous festivals on every occasion and continuously perform sankirtana. According to their ability, the devotees serve the Lord during the summer by placing Him on the boat, taking Him out on a procession, applying sandalwood on His body, fanning Him with chamara, decorating Him with jeweled necklaces, offering Him palatable foodstuffs, and bringing Him out to swing Him in the pleasant moonlight.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19317
Hare Krishna! Grand Ratha Yatra celebrations at Gurdaspur, Punjab
Gurudaspur is a city situated in the state of Punjab. According to a latest census, the population is just less than 2,300,000. Two rivers flow here: Beas and Raavi and is just 10km from the international border between India and Pakistan. A grand Ratha Yatra festival for the Lord’s pleasure was arranged on the 22nd August by local devotees. Devotees performed Harinam Sankirtan and book distribution twice daily. Pamphlets for the festival were also distributed simultaneously. A yajna was performed in the early hours of the morning on the festival day to create auspiciousness. A stage program was held between 11 am till 3pm. Kirtan, drama, lectures by international devotees and performances by the children inspired all present to take part sincerely in this festival for the Lord’s pleasure.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19314
Hare Krishna! Symptoms of affection expressed in Srimad Bhagavatam
(From a Srimad Bhagavatam class given Aug 23, 2015 at the Iskcon Chicago temple. )
Malati Devi Dasi: Due to the different types of attraction for Krsna, there are different varieties of devotees. Their symptoms are manifested transparently, just like jewels. It is said that a great devotee brahmana would sometimes address the Supreme Personality of Godhead as master and sometimes joke with the Lord, using different kinds of familiar words. Sometimes he would protect the Lord with a filial affection, sometimes he would cry out to the Lord, addressing the Lord as his beloved, and sometimes he would meditate on the Lord as the Supersoul. This means that the brahmana expressed his ecstatic loving symptoms in different ways at different times. But in each instance, because of ecstatic love, the brahmana merged himself in the ocean of happiness and became situated in pure love. Thus he was a transparent medium, like a jewel that shows reality in varying colors according to its own nature.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19311
1st Radha Krishna Temple in Malaysia - Grand opening on 29th August 2015. (Album with photos)
Temple Opening in Sebarang Jaya (Shivaram Jaya) in Malaysia! Truly a wonder for this country!
See them here: https://goo.gl/LgWhqZ
“Spring cleaning” is a much more common concept, but with the school year’s schedule the summer suits us best. Despite the heat and other more tempting adventures for the summer, we took upon ourselves the mission of improving the facilities at TKG Academy.
The first task to tackle was the shed and other storage areas. We felt lighter as we cleared space and more efficient as we organized the materials stored there.
In the course of the years that pass, the amount of mulch in the playground area was gradually dwindling. Finally, by the end of last school year, the children have all gathered the remains and built a “Govardhana Hill”. We took it as a sign that it was time to invest in new mulch and so we began clearing the space. Soon new mulch was delivered and spread. The grounds are looking great!
Some repairs were needed as well and inside the building some fresh paint was due; new shelving, new hooks, and many other “touch-ups”. Furniture replaced, new curtains hung, computers updated, and the temple room got a make-over. The classrooms all got rearranged and refreshed. The building finally looks ready to welcome back our families.
We deeply thank all those who came forward to offer a helping hand: Rupa Madhurya Prabhu (who also donated a new sound bar!), Vraja Kishor, Nitai Pran, Bhismadeva Prabhu, Gopal Prabhu, Mathuranatha Prabhu & Francisco, Prema Sindhu Prabhu (for his donation), Krishna Mangala Mataji, Brittany, and all the staff members.
The final days of the huge Hare Krishna summer festival in Poland. (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The final days of our summer festival tour on the Baltic Sea coast in Poland were bittersweet. While tasting the nectar of sharing our good fortune with others, we knew it would only last a few days more. Now the drums, accordians and kartalas have gone silent. The loud chanting of Krsna’s sweet holy names are no longer resounding along the beaches. Nowhere do we see the large crowds that assembled each evening in front of our stage. And gone are the many people eager to purchase our books on the absolute truth. O Lord Caitanya! Savior of the fallen! We are all weeping in separation from the glorious service You entrusted to us. Please engage us again!
See them here: https://goo.gl/XeJUBa
Harinama in Trutnov open air festival, Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Sadhu-sanga, or association with a devotee, means always engaging in Krishna consciousness by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and by acting for Krishna. Specifically, chanting the Hare Krishna mantra purifies one, and this chanting is therefore recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.24.59 Purport)
See them here: https://goo.gl/75dHtb
In this verse, Maharaj Parikshit is inquiring about Balarama. How was it possible that Balarama was simultaneously in the womb of Devaki and the womb of Rohini? Whose son is he anyway, Devaki’s son or is he Rohini’s son? Generally, you cannot have two mothers but somehow, Balarama has!
Balarama first appeared in the womb of Devaki, who at one point in her dream realized that she had lost the child. At that time, it was Yogamaya who took the child and transferred the child to the womb of Rohini and therefore Balarama is known as Sankarsan – one who was attracted by two mothers and he is both the son of Devaki and Rohini. Only the Supreme Personality of Godhead can do such things.
We know well very that Balarama is non-different from Krsna. It is just that he appears in a whitish form instead of blackish but otherwise, there is no difference between Krsna and Balarama. In the famous verse panca-tattvamakam krsnam, bhakta-rupa swarupakam (Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 7.6), it is explained that Balarama is the swarupa, the original form. Balarama means “he who is very strong” or “the one who gives strength”.
Hare Krishna! Festival of Vedic India at Melbourne High School
What an Incredible evening at Melbourne High School’s International night! Scrumptious Prasadam, ecstatic kirtan and amazing dancing with parents, staff and students from over 70 nationalities! We were fortunate enough to be part of this great evening at one of the top ranking schools in the state, in Australia. As part of the program we presented a stall Henna/facial art as well as Indian cultural costumes, kirtan on stage and prasadam distribution. Among other things in our stall we also had Higher Taste cook books and the ever attractive and fragrant Maha garlands, which were greatly appreciated.
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Maha Clean-up in preparation for Janamastami
Sri Krsna Janamashtami
Sponsor a Kalash
Offerings for Sri Krsna
Appearance of Srila Prabhupada(Fasting till 
