Planet ISKCON

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Part I
Many devotees struggle with chanting on their beads (japa). Some young devotees make a big endeavor to come to the standard of chanting 16 rounds with the goal of initiation, and then after initiation, find it too much work, and give it up. While I have been steady at my chanting since I took it up—which I consider has kept me a devotee—I can't say it has often been of a very good quality. At times it has been very challenging to continue the practice—yet I did.

I think we forget, or don't know, what chanting is, that it's a prayer to make spiritual progress by taking full shelter of the Lord, like a child crying for its mother—an absolute feeling of dependence and seeking shelter. We are offering our heart and soul to Krishna. We are his and praying to remember. To facilitate this, I have made an experiment, by taking my beads out of my beadbag, so I can see one bead, and focus on hearing one mantra, one holy name, one syllable, at a time as I chant and pray on each bead: Let me be hear, let me go deeper, let me glorify you, dear Lord, etc. Try it! This is our special, private time with Krishna. We are in great need of the Lord's mercy, and in order to do this type of intense chanting, we have to remember this fact. Otherwise we will just try to get the rounds done so we can do other things.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 August 2014, Czech, Balarama Jayanti, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.8)

Balarama carries the plough and Krsna, a flute. It is said that Balarama is ploughing the field of the heart and in that way, preparing the heart so that the seeds of bhakti can be planted. It is through service attitude that the heart is prepared. By following in the footsteps of Balarama, in the mood of service, ones becomes eligible to receive the mercy of Krsna.

In the seventh canto of Bhagavatam, it is explained that Balarama prepares the heart and then Acutya, Krsna, gives the mercy. Acutya means “the infallible” or “he who never fails to notice the smallest service”. Balarama engages the living beings in the service of Krsna and Krsna sees the smallest service and appreciates it. Today is an important day for us because it is the day when we pray for spiritual strength to serve Krsna, that is why it is one of the best days of the year!

Back in 1995, a young Manorama Das launched a two-week bus tour with his gurukuli friends, covering 1,500 miles and visiting Rathayatras and temples along the way. This year’s 20^th anniversary bus tour ran for six weeks from July 8^th to August 24^th, with fifty youth including a large group from the UK, and gurukulis from Australia, Canada, Ireland, and India.

Hare Krishna! Temple welcomes red-letter day
HARE Krishna devotees from all over the world are expected to converge at Seberang Jaya’s ‘Streets of Harmony’ for the opening of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding tomorrow. Ceremonies will begin at 6am with 15 teachers and students from the International School of Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) headquarters from Mayapur, West Bengal, India, performing rituals at the three-storey octagonal-shaped temple. ISKCON national general-secretary Simheswara Dasa said fire sacrifices and prayers would go on for three hours, to be followed by the bathing ceremony of Lord Krishna and the sanctifying of the three chakras. “The opening of the building, touted as the grandest Krishna temple in the country, is an auspicious event and we have ISKCON members from all over the world coming to witness the ceremony and take part in the festivities,” said Simheswara to newsmen during a tour of the temple at Seberang Jaya yesterday.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19385

Hare Krishna! New Krishna Temple Adds Another Landmark For Penang
SEBERANG JAYA (PENANG) (Bernama) — There maybe many Hindu temples in Malaysia yet the newest one the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding is in its own class when comes to temple design and function. The RM10 million three-storey octagonal-shaped temple with 16 chatris (ornate dome-shaped pavilions) is the first of its kind in the country and is set to enter the list of landmarks in Penang. It is now undergoing the final touches before the consecration (kumbabeseigam) ceremony on this Saturday, Aug 29. The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) national general secretary Simheswara Dasa said the temple was designed after two famous temples in India, namely Jagannath in Puri and Krishna Balaram in Vrindavan.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19382

Hare Krishna! Challenges in Leadership
Class by Nityananda dasa (video)
The pure devotees of the Lord, like Brahma and persons in the chain of disciplic succession, do not do anything to instruct their subordinates without acting accordingly themselves. (SB 2.9.40) The dress or style of royal order does not count. It is one’s actions which are counted. (SB 1.17.4) Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization—these are all nonsense proposals….Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. (Letter to: Karandhara – Bombay 22 December, 1972)
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19379

Hare Krishna! Expanding both Book Distribution and Harinam!
Class by Vaisesika dasa (video)
Practically, books are the basis of our movement. Without our books, our preaching will have no effect…” (SPL to Mandali Bhadra, January 20th, 1972) Print books, distribute profusely, and that will be the best preaching work. What will your three minutes preaching work—But if they buy one book, it may turn their life. (SPL to Bhagavan, 5th November, 1972) This sankirtana and Back to Godhead distribution is our main business and you should give as much energy in this direction as possible. (SPL to Nityananda and Kanya, August 26th, 1971)
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19376

Delink life from ups and downs of sensitive index (Sensex)
Gita advises us to shun greed because it is gateway to hell (Bhagavad Gita 16.21) and asks us to embrace simplicity, a godly quality. It is also verily said that Lord has provided sufficient for our need but not for our greed. We have heard the story of a person who got a goose who gave a golden egg daily. The person was initially happy to have one golden egg a day but soon greed overpowered him and to get all the golden eggs in one shot he cut open the stomach of the bird. He did not find any gold mine there, even the innocent bird died ruining his chance of having a golden egg daily.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19373

Hare Krishna! ISKCON Patna, organizes event in free school for visually impaired girls
Antarjyoti Girls School, is a free school for visually impaired girls, run by a local NGO, Bihar Netraheen Parishad. The school is located in Kumrahar region of the state capital. ISKCON Patna devotees organised an outreach program here on 20th August. They performed harinam sankirtan, in which all the students, teachers and staff members participated enthusiastically. This was followed by a short talk about holy name, by Jagdish Shyam Das, from ISKCON Patna. The event concluded with distribution of prasad or sanctified meal, by temple’s ‘Food for Life’ department. It was relished by all, and they appreciated the special taste of it. The teachers of school thanked ISKCON for the event, and said that it benefited not just the students, but them, and the staff as well.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19370

Srimad Bhagavatam Class 07 01 37 by HG Ram Rupa Prabhu at ISKCON Juhu on 15 May 2015

https://flic.kr/s/aHskfEm7Mq

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Harinama during the Street Festival in Prague, Czech Republic (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In this age, hearing is more important than thinking, because one’s thinking may be disturbed by mental agitation, but if one concentrates on hearing, he will be forced to associate with the sound vibration of Krishna. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.24.35)
See them here: https://goo.gl/bbIynO

It dawns on me now just how often I spoke and wrote about the concept that “I am not this body” [during the early 1990s] – following the lead of the vast, vast majority of Hare Krishna devotees I looked up to. Oddly, Vedic texts don’t exactly present this idea in so many words. They say ahaṁ brahmāsmi, but that means “I am brahman” / “I am consciousness” / “I am spirit.” This is a positive assertion, notably different from the negation, “I am not this body.” The Vedas certainly explain that consciousness is distinct from the body as its origin and foundation, as an eternal constant from which various bodies emerge as temporary projections. But I didn’t seem to get the part about how my body and soul were intrinsically related. All I seemed to grasp was that the body was not the essence of my true self, and I stretched that thin as taffy to mean “I’m not this body and that’s all there is to it.” It seems I wanted to believe that I had nothing to do with my body at all, as if it something I picked up by chance one day at a flea market.

But why? Why was I so eager to create a chasm between me and my body? There was nothing wrong with it. It wasn’t sick, or ugly, or handicapped.  I guess there was a psychological motive: If I had nothing to do with my body, it felt so much more reasonable to completely divorce myself from things related to it: like parents and family. It felt so much less scary to destroy everything that could protect its long term welfare: like my education, career, and so on.

Hare Krishna! Vaisnava Etiquette: The Refined Ornament of a Leader and of a Follower
Video of a class given by Romapada Swami recently in Chicago during the North American GBC-EC meetings. Sanatana Gosvami then requested the Lord, “Please personally tell me how I can write this difficult book about Vaishnava behavior. Please manifest Yourself in my heart. If You would please manifest Yourself within my heart and personally direct me in writing this book, then, although I am lowborn, I may hope to be able to write it. You can do this because You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Yourself and whatever You direct is perfect.”
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19363

Chaitanya Charitamrita daily Podcast:

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On Thursday 13th August, ISKCON-London officially launched their year-and-a-half long celebrations across 2015 and 2016 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON by holding a festival to mark 50 years since Srila Prabhupada departed from India to the US aboard the Jaladuta.

This continues from the previous section, where the Earth Goddess told King Pṛthu to end the famine and drought by mystically “milking” her.

The king, protector of the earth, was delighted by her helpful wisdom. For the calf, he brought forth the original lord of humanity– evoking the Goddess’ compassion for humans. For the pot, he used his own hands – hands which care for and protect humanity. When he milked her, all the vegetation began to grow again.

Out of love for Pṛthu, the Earth Goddess offered to grant blessings to everyone, not just to humanity. Thus many species wisely came forward with a unique milk-pot, and had their wishes fulfilled by inspiring the goddess to produce milk for their leader, who took the form of a “calf.” Each species had their hunger satiated when the earth’s milk produced the type of “food” they subsist on.

The milk of the goddess restored purity to the sacred Vedic hymns when the sages milked her using their leader, Bṛhaspati, as the calf and their own senses as the pot. The milk became soma – an elixir of heroism, virility, and strength – when the gods made Indra the calf and drew the milk into a golden pot. It became liquors for the anti-gods who made the leader of the underworld, Prahlāda, the calf, and drew the milk into an iron pot. The milk became sweetness and beauty when the celestial musicians and dancers made their leader, Viśvāvasu, the calf, and drew the milk into a pot made from a lotus flower. It became sacred ritual offerings when the Ancestors who protect the deceased made their leader, Aryamā, the calf, and drew the milk into a pot of raw dirt.

Two types of mystic technologists made their leader, Kapila, the calf and made the sky into a pot. For one type, the masterful siddhas, the milk became mystical masteries such as the ability to accomplish things by will alone. For the other type, the learned vidyādharas, the milk became scientific knowledge. Other magicians made their leader, Maya, the calf and made their inner selves the pot. For them, the milk became the amazing ability to disappear at will, and assume many shapes.

The milk became fermented blood when milked into a skull-pot by flesh-eating fiends, spirits, ghouls and witches who made the lord of monsters, Rudra, the calf. It became poison when poisonous creatures like serpents, scorpions, snakes, and dragons made their leader, Takṣaka, the calf, and drew the milk into their open mouths.

It became pasture-grass when the herbivorous animals used their leader, the cow, as a calf, and drew the milk into the fields. It became meat when the fanged carnivorous animals made their king, the lion, into a calf, and drew the milk into the forests. It became insects and fruits when the birds made their leader, Garuḍa, the calf, and drew the milk into their own bodies.

The milk became many saps and syrups when the trees made their leader, the Banyan, into a calf, and drew the milk in many different ways. It became many minerals when the hills made their leader, the Himalayan mountains, the calf, and drew the milk onto their own peaks.

Hare Krishna! GBC as the Ultimate Managing Authority
Letter to: Upendra — Los Angeles 6 August, 1970 70-08-06 …Now I have set up the Governing Body Commission to handle management, questions of philosophy, and personal problems. …So far your question, how far should the orders of my duly appointed officers like GBC, etc., be obeyed and followed, the answer is that they must always be followed exactly as he says. Have you not heard me on this point? Why these questions are repeated again and again?
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19359

Is There a Magic Formula for Happiness?
People often wish, naively though, for a life free of problems. Our desire for eternal happiness is not unnatural; the soul is by constitution, sat cit Ananda - eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. However our attempts to seek this happiness are often beset with unrealistic expectations. We foolishly think our body or mind will provide us the much needed bliss. This hope is thwarted time and again, for the body, by definition is temporary. We can experience eternal happiness when we connect our eternal souls to the eternal spiritual principles through bonafide spiritual practises.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19355

ISKCON UK National Convention (Album with photos)
Taking place in ISKCON Leicester’s magnificent Grade II listed building in the city centre, hundreds of devotees took part in a day of collaboration and learning, and celebrated the successes and new developments taking place in the UK today. This was the first time in the history of ISKCON UK that a maha sanga was organised on this scale. Inspiring presentations were delivered by many senior devotees, including HH Bhakti Charu Swami, who spoke about unity in diversity in ISKCON. In addition, devotees heard from GBC HG Praghosa Das, who spoke about HDG Srila Prabhupada and celebrating the successes of ISKCON UK, and from GBC Minister for Communications HG Anuttama Das, who delivered a talk on ISKCON being 50 years young and roaring on. There were also a number of exciting workshops delivered by devotees from across the UK; HG Jahnavi Harrison discussed kirtan yoga, HG Visnu Murti Das ran a deity worship workshop, HG Visvambhara Das spoke about the art and science of book distribution and HG Sutapa Das discussed sankirtan and outreach. It was an inspiring day that really fostered a sense of unity and positive communication, and celebrated the wonderful achievements made by ISKCON temples from across the UK.
See them here: https://goo.gl/XeBEZW

From Ranjith A U Nair P

In our current state, can we understanding Lord’s transcendental (beyond material senses) body? What exactly does it mean: that his body is sat-cit-ananda vigraha (eternal, knowledge and bliss)?
When Krishna manifests himself in material world (eg. Krishna leela), was his body the original transcendental body? If yes, how to understand his growing up from a child and also getting bleeding in the Kurukshetra war?
When he does not have veins, he would also not have organs like us. So in spiritual world, we need not require food/prasadam for sustenance? Ref: 10 Mantra 8: How the Ishvara integrates inconceivable attributes

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It is difficult to see the correlation between the title of a canto and its content.

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From Promila Mataji

BG 9.22 But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
SB 10.88.8: The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.
How do we reconcile the two?

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From Sundar Murari Prabhu

You were explaining bringing the altar from temple to home to Heart. We have set up altar at home and worship. What are the steps involved in bringing the altar to the heart?

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From Sundar Murari Prabhu

Comparing the analogy of animals defend and Humans defend:

Human worries about human in terrorist form – worry and defend human. The comparison of animal won’t get afraid within same community – I don’t understand, since Tiger eats its own cub / calf. Dog also tries to defend from other dog. isn’t it??  Please clarify.

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From Vrindavaneshvari Mataji

While explaining types of Bhakti by different Vaishnav Acharayas; Vallabha acharaya explains that Bhakti is love, Maryada and PUSHTI. Please elaborate what is Pushti Bhakti or Pushti in Bhakti?

Also kindly throw light on the difference between Pushti and Tushti Bhakti.

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When we think about plants, we don't often associate a term like "behavior" with them, but experimental plant ecologist JC Cahill wants to change that. The University of Alberta professor maintains that plants do behave and lead anything but solitary and sedentary lives. What Plants Talk About teaches us all that plants are smarter and much more interactive than we thought!

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New Hollywood film features Hare Krishna temple, ceremonies and devotees.
It’s called 10,000 Saints and stars some of the biggest names in Hollywood right now – Ethan Hawke, Emile Hirsch, Hailee Steinfeld, Asa Butterfield. It also happens to star a bunch of the devotees from the Bhakti Center in New York - Doyal Gauranga, Chaitanya Kapadia, Vinay Vanodia, and a bunch of other handsome and beautiful devotees of Krishna. I play the illustrious role of, “Hare Krishna priest” smile emoticon and I get to live out one of my long-time dreams of chanting mantras about Krishna in a Hollywood film. I chose to sing the prayers of Lord Brahma (also called the Brahma Samhita) where he describes the supreme beauty and attractiveness of Govinda and his spiritual world.
Read more: https://goo.gl/7zJSRE

God – Out And About, In The Streets Of The World But here is a breaking news! God has been spotted in the streets of the world. God is reportedly out in search of man, in the boulevards and thoroughfares of the world. He is a wide-eyed God, looking with dismay at the prevalent insanity. He is looking with dismay at what the man has done to this world and how far he has strayed away from Him. He is looking at the office workers, giving Him a cursory glance, before continuing on with their chores. He is looking at the cabbies, cursing Him for blocking their way in the late morning rush hour. He is looking at the tall offices and plush malls, wondering why do they need all this! He is wondering about the business of busyness, from early morning to well past midnight. His eyes become wide out of loving concern, out of fond apprehension. He is almost sad, His large eyes reflecting the pain of His suffering man, who is too busy to realize his own predicament. Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19352

Hare Krishna! Succumb to maya?
Romapada Swami: We know from Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 1.2.6) that there is no material force that can stop the flow of pure devotional service – it is ‘ahaituki apratihata’, causeless and uninterrupted. It is the characteristic of one who is in the steady stage of pure devotion that they are not swayed by any material influences or circumstances – this was exemplified in Srila Prabhupada’s life. Conversely, unsteadiness in our execution of Krishna consciousness is caused by lack of maturity in our faith & devotion, thus permitting impediments or “unwanted things in the heart” (anarthas) to prevail. For sadhakas, or those of us in the practicing stage of devotion, as long as unwanted residual desires (anarthas) are present in the heart, there is experience of unsteadiness and struggles.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1457

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 August 2014, Czech, Balarama Jayanti, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.8)

Brahmananda Prabhu told us how the deities in Vrindavan were installed. He said that if you look at the deities in Vrindavan, you will see that Balarama has a hand on Krsna’s shoulder. Prabhupada had asked, “Who is stronger, Krsna or Balarama?” Some devotees said, “Baladev!!” and Prabhupada said, “No, Krsna is stronger!” because Balarama leans on his shoulder. Then Prabhupada made a sketch of that and he told Bharadvaja to go to Jaipur and have the deities carved in that way. Now, we think that this is the standard form for Krsna and Balarama but it was Prabhupada who indicated that.

Prabhupada explained why he installed Krsna and Balarama in Vrindavan. Vrindavan is the home of Krsna; Vrindavan is the home of the devotees therefore all of us are thinking of Vrindavan; everyone is thinking of home and Prabhupada made Krsna and Balarama the principal deities – that means for the whole world. For all the devotees of the world, he put Krsna and Balarama on the centre altar.

Different devotees have offered different reasons for the installation of Krsna and Balarama. Some said that the temple is in the area of Raman Reti which is like a pastime place of Krsna and Balarama. There in the Raman Reti fields, every afternoon Krsna and Balarama would bring the cows and the cows would rest under the trees.

Then at the time of Prabhupada, there was also the Krsna-Balarama tree. Now, it is not there anymore but there used to be a blackish tree and then on top of it, a white tree. Two trees were growing together and everyone would circumambulate that Krsna-Balarama tree. The black tree is still there in Vrindavan but the white one, not anymore. Prabhupada would circumambulate the Krsna-Balarama tree; I also did so many times and we used to sit there in Raman Reti and the peacocks would be walking around. At six o’ clock in the evening, you would see like thirty to forty peacocks assembled and they would all go into the tree because they used to sleep there at night and in the morning, they would be our alarm clock. At 3 am, they would start really loud… (Imitates the sound of a peacock)

So there in Raman Reti, amidst the sounds of the peacocks, is the home of Krsna and Balarama. This may be one of the reasons why Krsna and Balarama were installed in Raman Reti but Srila Prabhupada said that principal reason why Krsna and Balarama were installed is because they are non-different from Gaura-Nitai and in this age of kali, we cannot enter into Vrindavan without the mercy of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi says Narotam Das Thakur – without the lotus feet of Nityananda, one cannot attain Radha and Krsna. That is a fact! In this way, Lord Nityananda is an especially merciful form of Balarama. We need that mercy of Balarama so let us serve. Let us do something for Krsna’s comfort. Let the glory of Krsna be spread everywhere; that is Balarama’s desire!