Saturday, August 15th, 2015
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Saturday, August 15th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Article on Sustained Happiness

An article was forwarded to me from the Toronto Star entitled: "'Want to be Happy for Life? Get Religion, Study Suggests.' Joining a church helps keep depression at bay, especially late in life, European researchers discover."

"Sarah Pullian Bailey from The Washington Post: A new study suggests that joining a religious group could do more for someone's "sustained happiness" than other forms of social participation, such as volunteering, playing sports, or taking a class."

A study in the American journal of Epidemiology by researchers at the London School of Economics and Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlandsfound that the secret to sustained happiness lies in participation in religion.

"The church appears to play a very important social role in keeping depression at bay and also as a coping mechanism during periods of illness in later life." Mauricio Avendano, an epidemiologist at LSE and an author of the study, said in a statement, "It is not clear to us how much this is about religion per se, or whether it may be about religion per se, or whether it may be about the sense of belonging and not being socially isolated."

Researchers looked at four areas; volunteering or working with a charity; taking educational courses; participating in religious organizations, and participating in a political or community organization.

Of the four, participating in a religious organization was the only social activity associated with sustained happiness researchers found. The study analyzed 9000 Europeans who were over the age of 50.

The report also found that joining political or community organizations loses its benefits over time. In fact, the short-term benefits from those social connections often lead to depressive symptoms later on, researchers say...

 
May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Friday, August 14th, 2015
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Friday, August 14th, 2015
Hastings, Ontario

Going Up the Country

Fil and Sukayanti are an admirable couple. They are sticking their necks out, in a certain way, for the benefit of others. Recently they acquired a piece of property, fifty-six acres in the rolling hills and farmland of the above-mentioned area of the province. The reason why I say "benefit" is because they are leading the way to a benevolent lifestyle of wholesomeness. They are following the directions of guru.

It was our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who encouraged country living; the simple life, the closer-to-nature-and-God existence. Since their acquisition of this nice property with its sizeable four bedroom country home at the road's edge, Fil and Sukayanti have been working extremely hard at establishing themselves. They are not country bumpkins. They both came from the city and they are trying their hand at the usual farmer's tools.

Fil has successfully seeded, raised, and harvested zucchini and squash. Carrots are coming up, so is kale, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and other goodies in the veg category. There is no alternative to the organic approach they are taking.

When I, along with a group of comrades, stepped into their red-brick home past two massive blue spruces gorgeously towering in the front yard, I felt like I was back home. Even the interior walls were of that wood panelling that was so common in the 60's. Our brunch comprised of Sukayanti's home-made bread and hummus and Fil's kale and cucumbers. Dessert was a walk to the back fields through the barn and sheds. We were enthused by the good air and the Trent River across the road.

"Simple living, high thinking," is the unspoken motto of the place. Yes, they have got it right. It's time to go back to nature, back to simplicity. At least we can consider this a favourable situation for a young couple planning a family. Oh, and I believe its no secret that twins are on the way.

Congratulations! This is Vedic Culture put into action. An agrarian, God-centric life is what is wanted.

I wish Fil and Sukayanti the very best.

 
May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

Thursday, August 13th, 2015
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Thursday, August 13th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

Where's the Gratitude?

Of all places you go to for renewing your health insurance card the venue is in the basement of the Canadian Tire store. Convenient for me as its a fifteen minute walk from the ashram. With some luck I was the first in the line up. I arrived early at 8:30 AM. The office didn't open until 9 AM.

One woman came after me, then two gentlemen. Need I call them gentlemen? They were whining about the opening hour not being publicized well enough. They too came early but under the assumption that their services would be accommodated at 8 AM. Well, they were bitching. They were cranky.

Good God (Krishna)" I thought, "when will they start counting their blessings? Where's the gratitude?" In so many countries of the world you don't have free medical assistance. There was no fee for renewing the health card which in Ontario is referred to as an OHIP card (Ontario Health Insurance Plan). "Spoiled brats!" I felt like saying. I know that I must have compassion.

On a happier note, when the barrier rope was finally released for those of us to get serviced, I was directed to go to counter 4. There a young woman accepted my ID. She noted that I was born in Chatham, Ontarioand expressed how she and her family are from that area.

"What a remarkable historically-rich district that is!" I said. I told of Chief Tecumseh, a foremost warrior-hero who was in the area. His fault was fighting for his indigenous people. I also told her how Chatham was a major hub for the Underground Railway and of the nearby location of a black reverend Josiah Henson who looked after slaves coming up from the States in the 1800's. This account is given in the book 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', the hottest selling novel of the 19th century. This book, according to Lincoln, sparked the Civil War in America. The young woman at the counter expressed slight embarrassment for not knowing about 'her area.'

The exchange was great and it put me in a more positive frame of mind just as much as I found it a blessing to be ahead of the game by being first in line. I feel blessed to not be a slave in line to be whipped by some terrible selfish master.

Thank you Krishna. You are great!

May the Source be with you! Bless me to always express gratitude.

4 km

 

Wednesday, August 12th, 2015
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Wednesday, August 12th, 2015
Toronto, Ontario

My Arms Did the Walking


My arms did the walking today

To do some sorting and throwing away.

There were polyesters and cottons

There were tuques and mittens

Coats, pants, and shirts

Dresses, blouses, and skirts

There were shoes and hats

Masks of dogs and cats

A plastic rat called "Phoofy"

Faces quite creepy and even goofy

I combed through with less ease

Through fake flowers and trees

And many metres of cloth

I began to move like a sloth

There were dhotis and sarees

And cloth of sequins and jarees

Attire for warriors of glory

And dress that tells a Vedic story

I rummaged through make-up

To trash and do a shake-up

I came upon earrings and beads

And things for gorgeous needs

There were lights to check

For the stage, not for the deck

I had bags and bags to fill

Of rags and rags resembling a hill

Behind this all I found rat pooh

Not as much as found in a zoo

Oh, well, the mode is to clean

Let's be good and hygiene

I had helpers to move props up

Before lunch and after sup

We're moving our theatre stuff

To the belfry, that's cool enough

It's my passion, besides walking

When actors on a stage are talking

Conveying a message of the spirit

Just watch and then hear it.

 

May the Source be with you!

0 km

New Highway to New Vrindaban
→ New Vrindaban

Is it true, do we really have a newly paved road leading to New Vrindaban? Bump and levitation free, with less risk, less brakes, and more safety, more peace? The answer is, Yes! Early this May, the state funded a newly paved road to improve highway 250's fork roads, including the road leading to New Vrindaban. Starting with the deconstruction phase in May, the state laid down a cement foundation on top of gravel and dirt followed by tar and asphalt layers. The whole road was finished by the end of June and by the looks of the surface, the road will endure for many years to come.

As all residents and guests experienced in the past, coming to New Vrindaban was a preliminary obstacle course before arriving on temple and palace grounds. The roads were filled with potholes and hazards such as loose pieces of asphalt in the road. Devotees and guests were concerned with these conditions, and always looking forward to new improvements. Now after the project has been completed, anyone traveling into New Vrindaban can enter the Dham peacefully and become inspired by its beauty. 

Entering the Dham is like entering the spiritual world. Although there may be some bumps in the beginning, in due course of time, bumps, potholes, and trenches will disappear and become smooth terrain, in this case, smooth asphalt - a great improvement, to say the least.  

Наши счастливые летние дни
→ Traveling Monk

Глава 5

После месяца харинам, фестивалей и масштабного трехдневного Вудстока преданные тура выдохлись. Когда на собрании я напомнил, что впереди у нас еще семнадцать фестивалей, то заметил, что многие, глубоко вздохнув, закатили глаза.

– Это наш долг, – сказал я. – Мы не можем все бросить и сдаться. Мы наследники традиции, которой пять сотен лет. Многие великие преданные самоотверженно служили ей – ради этого самого времени, в котором мы живем, когда святые имена Господа Кришны разносятся по всему миру. Надо поднапрячься в последний месяц. Можно будет многого достичь.

Раздались громкие возгласы одобрения, и я проникся гордостью за преданных. Они сознавали свою ответственность и ту милость, которой мы можем поделиться. Вымотанные, они все же были готовы продолжать.

В июле у Деревни Мира Кришны на фестивале Вудсток был грандиозный успех, и хотя обычно после запоминающегося события следует нечто противоположное, на нашем фестивальном туре не так. Следующие меньшие фестивали на побережье Балтийского моря также оказались замечательными.

Когда я рекламировал на красочной мелодичной харинаме наш первый после Вудстока фестиваль, у самого выхода на пляж меня остановила пара средних лет.

– Не будем отнимать ваше драгоценное время, – сказал мужчина. – Просто хотели поблагодарить, что вы снова привезли свой фестиваль в этом году в наш город.

– Для нас это главное событие лета, – добавила его жена.

– Вид у вас всех уставший, – сказал муж. – Наверное, из-за трудов на Вудстоке.

– Откуда вы знаете, что мы были на Вудстоке? – спросил я. Судя по виду, они принадлежали среднему классу, а вовсе не тому типу людей, кто ездят на Вудсток или хотя бы интересуются им.

– Ваша огромная колесница была в вечерних новостях, – сказал мужчина. – Выглядело так, будто вокруг нее поют и танцуют сотни ваших людей.

– Да вы что, – сказал я, – не знал.

Я был так счастлив, что чуть не рассмеялся.

Мы вышли на песок и остановились сбросить обувь. В нескольких метрах от нас отец и его маленькая дочь разглядывали одну из наших афиш.

– Паап, – сказала девчушка, – а что такое реинкарнация?

Я увидел, что тот снова взглянул на постер. Я знал, что реинкарнация там не упоминалась.

– Пап, ну скажи, – опять попросила она, – что такое реинкарнация?

– Ну, – пробурчал он, – хммм… знаешь что… ох, пошли-ка покупать мороженое, дорогая.

Он взял ее за руку, и они пошли. Она обернулась на нас.

– Паап, – сказала она, – а что такое карма?

Они растворились в толчее отдыхающих, а к нам подбежала женщина.

– Вы будете петь? – спросила она.

– Будем, – ответствовал я.

– О, замечательно! – сказала она. – А вы продаете компакт-диски с вашим пением на берегу?

– Ну не совсем с пением на берегу, а вот CD с пением в наших центрах есть.

– Нет, – сказала она. – Я ищу CD именно с вашим пением на берегу.

– Зачем? – спросил я.

– Я слушала ваши песни на этом пляже с тех пор, как была ещё маленькой девочкой, – сказала она. – Всегда вспоминаю их как часть летнего отдыха. Сейчас у меня самой уже дети, и им тоже очень нравится. Вот мы и хотим диск с вашим пением здесь, чтобы весь год вспоминать наши счастливые летние дни.

Вскоре мы уже пели и танцевали на пляже, многие преданные раздавали приглашения. Спустя 20 минут киртана к нам подошли три пожилых пары.

– Можно и нам помогать раздавать пригласительные? – спросил мужчина.

– Да, конечно, – сказал я. – Почему бы и нет?

Преданная вынула из сумки толстенную пачку, и они, вовсю улыбаясь, стали раздавать. Одна из этих женщин несколько минут шла рядом со мной и, протягивая пригласительный молодой мамаше с ребенком, обернулась ко мне. «Жаль, если люди не получат возможности увидеть ваше замечательное представление, – сказала она. – Мы последние три года смотрели его каждое лето».

Чуть дальше по берегу парень, продающий попкорн, начал передразнивать наше пение. Смеша людей, он пел Харе Кришна мантру то высоко фальцетом, то низко. Я попробовал, было, его прогнать, но он явно наслаждался тем вниманием, которое смог привлечь, подражая нам. За те полтора часа, что он сопровождал нас, он повторил имена Кришны, пусть и в насмешку, тысячи раз. Он даже начал танцевать. От того, что он был перед группой киртана, люди думали, что он один из нас, и спрашивали его, где и когда будет фестиваль. Я решил оставить свои попытки вмешаться: он стал отвечать почтительно. «Фестиваль в конце пляжа, вон там, – говорил он. – Начнется в 5:30. Приходите вовремя. И вам не захочется уходить».

Я улыбнулся и вспомнил стих Сарвабхаумы Бхаттачарьи:

санкиртанарамбха крите пи гауре
дхаванти джива шраване гунани
ашуддха читтах ким у шуддха читтах
шрутва праматтах кхалу те нанартух

«Лишь только начиналась санкиртана Гауранги, божественные
качества святых имен вмиг очищали слух живущих.
Внезапно нечистые умом становились чисты и,
продолжая слушать, пьянея, начинали танцевать».

(Сушлока-Шатакам, текст 32)

За два часа харинамы, обойдя все побережье, мы раздали более семи тысяч приглашений. Под самый конец харинамы навстречу группе киртана бросился какой-то дикий парень.

– Заткнитесь! – орал он. – Заткнитесь и валите с пляжа!

Он кричал и кричал на нас, приправляя речь грубой бранью. Когда он замахнулся на одного из парней с мридангой, наш охранник подскочил к нему и после короткой стычки придавил к земле, лицом в песок. Я пригляделся: под глазом у него наливался огромный синяк.

– Отпусти! – прокричал он.

Посмотреть на харинаму собралась толпа народу, и некоторые качали головами, как бы говоря не отпускать его. Охранник продолжал его удерживать минуту-другую, пока тот не утихомирился.

– О`кей, – сказал он. – Харе Кришна. Теперь дай встать.

Охранник ослабил хватку.

– Погоди! – крикнул я ему. – Не сейчас!

– Харе Кришна! – выкрикнул парень. – Харе Кришна! Кришна Кришна Харе Харе! Пусти, что ли.

Охранник посмотрел на меня.

– Погоди пока, – сказал я с улыбкой.

– Харе Кришна! – закричал он. – Харе Кришна! Харе Кришна! Харе Кришна! Харе Кришна! Харе Кришна! И Харе Рама тоже!

Потом посмотрел на меня и тихо сказал:

– Пожалуйста.

– Хорошо, – сказал я, – отпусти его.

Он поднялся, стряхнул песок и ушел.

– Почему вы так долго не отпускали его? – спросил один из наших парней.

Я улыбнулся.

– В шастре говорится:

эка хари наме йата папа харе
коно папер садхйа най тато папа каре

«Даже однократное повторение Харе Кришна маха-мантры так могущественно, что немедленно стирает в сердце бессчетные греховные реакции». Это был важнейший момент в жизни этого юноши: он воспевал. Я подумал, что надо бы позволить ему воспевать столько, сколько он сможет.

На фестивальную площадку мы вернулись почти ко времени начала программы. Народ все прибывал, и я заметил женщину, которая много лет тому назад была мэром этого города. Она была нам хорошим другом.

– Приятно снова вас видеть, – сказал я.

– Я бы не пропустила фестиваль ни за что на свете, – сказала она.

– И вы все еще помните нас, спустя столько лет?

– Как я могу вас забыть? – сказала она. – И моя дочь, и я часто носим те великолепные сари, что вы нам подарили. А в этом году мы впервые принесли на фестиваль моего маленького внука. Подумать только! Три поколения последователей. Полагаю, теперь это уже традиция в нашей семье.

Поговорив с ней немного, я отправился к одному из моих самых любимых фестивальных мест, шатру с книгами. К моему удивлению, там шел яростный спор между матерью и ее дочерью-подростком.

– Просто купи мне эту книгу, мам, – кричала девушка. – Купи мне Бхагавад-гиту!

– Но это не Библия! – кричала в ответ мать.

– Мама, я тебя не понимаю, – сказала девушка, тряхнув головой. – Я чуть не всю свою жизнь была атеисткой. Теперь, поговорив с Харе Кришна, наконец-то стала думать, что и правда, Бог есть. Я думала, тебя это осчастливит. Как ты можешь лишить меня шанса прочесть их книгу, в которой, как мне сказали, Бог описывает Сам Себя? Ты хочешь, чтобы я атеисткой оставалась?

Мать тяжко вздохнула.

– Хорошо, дайте нам одну Бхагавад-гиту, пожалуйста, – сказала она преданному за столиком с книгами.

К столику подошла другая женщина.

– Я хотела бы приобрести «Шримад-Бхагаватам», – сказала она.

Я повернулся к ней.

– Может быть, вам лучше начать с Бхагавад-гиты? – сказал я. – «Бхагаватам» посложнее.

– Нет, – ответила она, – это не для меня. Это для сына. Бхагавад-гиту я ему купила на вашем фестивале двадцать пять лет тому назад. Он ее прочитал, раз пятьдесят, не меньше, и теперь хочет перейти на что-то более глубокое. У него даже есть веб-сайт, на котором он учит «Бхагавад-гите как она есть».

– Неужели? – сказал я.

– О да, – отвечала она, – и весьма посещаемый. Он говорит, это от того, что он никогда не говорит ничего отличного от автора, Свами Прабхупады.

– Мои благодарности и вам, и ему, – сказал я.

Проходя мимо магазинчика подарков, я заметил на выходе женщину, прижимающую к груди CD.

– Я так ему благодарна, – сказала она мне.

– Кому? – спросил я.

– Мистеру Дасу, – ответила она. – Не могу выговорить его имя полностью.

Он держала компакт-диск Бада Харидаса Даса.

– В прошлом году на вашем фестивале купила его CD. Позже в тот же год умер мой отец, и этот диск давал мне утешение. Это было самое трудное время моей жизни. Я дни напролет ставила эту небесную музыку, и его мягкий голос утешал меня, а я так в этом нуждалась. Сегодня, к счастью, нашла и его второй диск.

Немного погодя я уже обращался к собравшимся со сцены. Для меня это важнейшая часть каждого фестиваля, во время которой я могу делиться мудростью сознания Кришны. Огромная толпа, даже сидя на летней жаре, внимательно слушала. Окончив лекцию, я спустился со сцены. Внизу меня дожидался мужчина.

– Отличная речь, – сказал он.

– Спасибо, – сказал я. – Всему, что знаю, я научился у своего духовного учителя.

– Мы с семьей побывали на многих ваших фестивалях за эти годы. Они необычны. За всеми этими развлечениями чувствуется послание. Почти все какие-то такие события в наше время бессмысленны. А сегодня несколько раз у меня волосы вставали дыбом, когда пели в начале программы.

В нашем ресторанчике через дорогу я вдруг увидел человека, подравшегося на побережье с охранником. Сидя за столиком, он поглощал большую тарелку самос и разговаривал с преданным. Под глазом его был синяк.

Преданный помахал мне, чтобы я подошел.

– Махараджа, – сказал он, – позвольте вам представить: Кшиштов. У него была тяжелая жизнь, но, как он сказал, теперь, когда он встретил нас, все изменилось. Ему на самом деле понравилось воспевание.

Я улыбнулся и показал на его синяк.

– Ну и фингал у вас, Кшиштов.

– Да уж, – сказал он, чуть улыбнувшись. – Попал сегодня в одну переделку.

Когда я отходил, он подмигнул мне подбитым глазом.

Так фестиваль и шел, сюрприз за сюрпризом. Думаю, что в действительности всё это не так уж удивительно: наши фестивали – часть санкиртаны Господа Чайтанйи, часть его дела по превращению грешников в святых. Я снова вспомнил пророческие слова Сарвабхаумы Бхаттачарйи, предвидевшего, что милость Господа Чайтанйи распространится по всему миру:

“Из сострадания спонтанно Господь Чайтанйа вернул людей
обратно к жизни и милостью Своих святых имен дал пересечь
бездонный океан века раздоров. Так новости об именах Кришны
из уст в уста передавались”.

[ Шрила Сарвабхаума Бхаттачарйа, Сушлока-Шатакам, стих 46 ]

 

Hare Krishna! DIARY OF A TRAVELING MONK – Volume 14, Chapter 5 –…
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Hare Krishna! DIARY OF A TRAVELING MONK – Volume 14, Chapter 5 – August 17, 2015 – “Our Happy Summer Days”
Indradyumna Swami: After a month of harinams and festivals and a mammoth three-day Woodstock festival, our tour devotees were exhausted. When I mentioned during a meeting that we had seventeen more festivals to go, I saw many devotees catch their breath and roll their eyes upward. “It’s our duty,” I said. “We can’t give up, we can’t give in. We’ve inherited a tradition that goes back five hundred years. Many great devotees have served selflessly for this very moment that we are living: when the holy names of Lord Krishna are being broadcast all over the world. We have to push on for this next month. So much can be achieved.” There was a loud roar of approval. I felt proud of the devotees. They understood the responsibility we had and the mercy we could deliver. They were ready to push on despite their fatigue.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19120

Hare Krishna! 14 different melodical renditions of Jayapataka…
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Hare Krishna! 14 different melodical renditions of Jayapataka Swami’s song: “Yadi Prabhupada Na Hoito” (14 short musical videos by different artists)
Some of the lyrics: Who else would have tolerated all difficulties, and distributed Harinama with a pleasant heart? Who would have given us the dhamas such as Mayapur, Vrindavan and Jagannatha Puri? The teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu constitute the greatest and most auspicious treasure. Who else would have engaged us in constantly practicing and preaching it? Sri Sri Nitai Gaura are desire trees of love of Godhead. Desiring a drop of Their mercy, Jayapataka’s heart incessantly takes shelter of Your Divine grace.
Watch them here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19114

Rathayatra Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia (Album with…
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Rathayatra Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: It is the spiritual master who delivers the disciple from the clutches of maya by initiating him into the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In this way a sleeping human being can revive his consciousness by chanting Hare Krishna. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 9.61 Purport).
See them here: https://goo.gl/lMp5iI

Hare Krishna! Musical Symphony at 50th Anniversary on the song…
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Hare Krishna! Musical Symphony at 50th Anniversary on the song “Yadi Prabhupada Na Hoito” (12 min video)
Lyirics: If Srila Prabhupada had not come, what would have happened? How could we have passed our lives? Who else would have distributed the unlimited mercy of Lord Nityananda and Lord Gauranga all over the world? Which other compassionate person would have endeavoured to deliver the miscreants , sinful, impersonalistic and voidistic people in the West? Who else would have come to distribute Harinama to them? Who else would have come forward to transform them into civilized beings? Who else would have taught them how to worship the Deity form of Lord Hari day and night with arati-kirtana, and how to conduct the Ratha-yatra and
other grand festivals?
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19110

Hare Krishna! Vote of Thanks by Radhanath Swami at 50th…
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Hare Krishna! Vote of Thanks by Radhanath Swami at 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta Yatra (10 min video)
Vote of Thanks by HH Radhanath Swami at 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta Yatra at Netaji Indoor Stadium on 13th August 2015. On Thursday August 13th, ISKCON temples worldwide celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the westward journey of founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who, at the age of 69, left India this day in 1965 to introduce Krishna-consciousness to the West.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19106

Jayapataka Swami Glorifying Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to…
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Jayapataka Swami Glorifying Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to USA Over the past 50 years, approximately 75,000 ISKCON devotees have received initiation. There are 2,000 home study (Bhakti Vriksa) groups meet regularly (consisting some 30,000 devotees). There are 7 million worshippers attend ISKCON centers annually. Since its establishment ISKCON has published and distributed 516 million books, and gave out 3 billion plates of sanctified vegetarian meals (prasadam) worldwide. Today, there are 1,000 public harinama chanting parties going out on the streets worldwide every week, and 6,000 Vaishnava festivals held every year globally in ISKCON Centers annually. Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19100

Slovakia, July 2015
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Written by Gopali dd

From the kirtan festival in Villa Vrindavana, Italy, Kadamba Kanana Swami travelled to Vienna on 14 July. Paramesvar picked him up from the airport and brought him to the new temple near Bratislava where the temple room was packed with disciples and eager guests – some of them were from the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. Devotees were anticipating beautiful bhajan which quickly turned into wild kirtan, followed by a deep thoughtful lecture.

While Guru Maharaj was being fetched from the airport, Jahnavi and Kristina were trying to string together the most beautiful garland, but the roses were so big that even the biggest needle in the house would not go through. However, with the expert help of Mukunda Prabhu, the garland was successfully completed.

The lecture started with the theme of corruption and the strong influence of the age of kali, and continued with explaining the secret gift of the maha mantra – the rest you can hear by yourself (recordings to follow shortly). After the program at Bhaktiloka, Guru Maharaj went to Modra to rest and prepare for another active preaching day.

In the morning, after abhisek, puja and breath-taking decoration of Giriraja’s altar, Guru Maharaj took his simple breakfast consisting of avocado, dates and bananas. Yogesvar and I cooked lunch for him, which included his favourites: chapattis and endive. Jahnavi and Mukunda offered the most delicious sandesh ever, made from the milk from one of the twelve cows they so exemplary take care of. The next point on the agenda that afternoon was harinama and a lecture in Vienna. The Harinama Ruci kirtan party could not miss the Vienna harinama and along with other devotees, they expertly enlivened the city and gave support to Guru Maharaj.

Then we proceeded towards the Ananya Yoga Studio and its name inspired Guru Maharaj to speak about ananya bhakti, pure bhakti. Thursday was a darshan and resting day, and many fortunate disciples including Jada Bharata, Kristina, Pato, Paramesvar, Mukunda, Jahnavi, Marcel, Ada and Yamunacarya had the chance to personally speak to Guru Maharaj.

On Friday before noon, Maharaj sang bhajans in our temple room and afterwards, we packed and set-off for a ride to Prague for a stopover. On Saturday (18 July), Maharaj travelled to Munich for Ratha Yatra and then returned to Prague for Ratha Yatra which took place on Sunday. During our drive, Maharaj entertained us by reading his horoscope which was indeed full of beautiful qualities, yogas, constellations and descriptions. Again, it was an amazing time with Guru Maharaj and we all are looking forward to have him back next year. All of you are welcome to come as well!

Visit flickr to see more photos.

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Hare Krishna! Powerful Feminine Qualities Harivilas Das: The…
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Hare Krishna! Powerful Feminine Qualities
Harivilas Das: The seven opulences listed — fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience — are considered feminine. If a person possesses all of them or some of them he becomes glorious. So this doesn’t just mean women can have these qualities; men can have these qualities too. If a man is famous as a righteous man, that makes him glorious. So that’s interesting! The first quality is called kirtiḥ. That means fame. So what makes a person really famous? The fact that they are a devotee and very righteous. It is not because they are rich or powerful. They become genuinely famous if they are a righteous person; because they followed the principles of dharma.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19097

Hare Krishna! Protection for a Single Woman: Following…
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Hare Krishna! Protection for a Single Woman: Following Sita
Often times, women practicing Bhakti who are without the protection of a male family member owing to various reasons beyond their control, do find themselves wondering about how they can adapt to this recommendation from the Vedas. Just like there are numerous examples in our scriptures about women being nicely protected by male family members there are also examples of women who had to live without that. Now what did those women do? How did they live their lives? Where did they find their shelter? Reading about their example can be very pacifying for a heart seeking proper direction.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=19094

Come Dance With Us! (Album with photos) Indradyumna Swami: Lord…
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Come Dance With Us! (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Lord Caitanya’s samkirtan movement is so attractive that if presented nicely people cannot help but chant and dance with us. We are experiencing this daily along the Baltic Sea coast in Poland, where just like the spiritual world, every word is a song, every step is a dance and there is a festival every day.
See them here: https://goo.gl/MNvuNP

How Old Is Krishna?
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Question: I read all the stories about Krishna but can’t tie the images in my heart with most of the images people seem to paint. I thought that Krishna doesn’t age beyond 14, and Rādhā too. So why does everyone paint them like adults with so many curves and sexy looks?

Krishna and his Gopīs manifest themselves as fully blossomed youths. They are “nava-yauvana,” “nitya-kiśor.” This means they are exactly on the border between adolescence and youth. In Sanskrit, youth (yuvana) begins and adolescence (kiśor) ends at 16. So they manifest themselves as “16-year-olds,” eternally.

This is a little misleading because our modern culture in many ways postpones emotional development due to the extensive schooling we put ourselves through, thus “16” describes something that feels a bit younger to us than is actually the case with Rādhā and Krishna. It’s also misleading because Sanskrit literature acknowledges the phenomenon that not every human being matures at the same rate, and generally, more exceptional individuals mature faster. They say the maximum maturity rate for the most exceptional individuals is about 150% of the norm, and they say that Krishna and his associates mature at this maximum rate. This means that when Krishna had only been 8 years into his manifestation on Earth, he had already mentally and physically matured to the equivalent of a contemporary 12 year old (which, again, is still older than it sounds to us in our modern concept of age).

So, when they describe Krishna as eternally manifesting the age of 16, we should know that this is equivalent to what we would probably experience as being someone in his “early-mid-twenties.”

Why?

Because 16-24 is the ideal age for romance!

What’s so important about romance?

Romance is the most intense form of love, because it includes all other forms of love, but surpasses them all in intimacy.

Love is the essence of joy, and joy is the meaning of life – the essence of why consciousness even exists. ānanda-maya. 

So, Krishna and Rādhā naturally manifest at the ideal age for relishing their divine romance to the fullest. And that is why artists throughout the centuries have rightly depicted them in romantic, curvy, voluptuous shapes, with wanton, love-laden, flirtatious glances and poses.

Some modern cartoons depict Krishna as very, very young. Take “Little Krishna, Darling of Vṛndāvana” for example. This is because these cartoons are mostly aimed at children. They are inaccurate, and are very shy about Krishna’s romantic nature – preferring to depict him more as an intelligent hero whose most eyebrow raising moments are simply childhood mischief. This is a very child-proof version of the Supreme Absolute Enjoyer of Existence – Śrī Krishna! The traditional, racy paintings are more in line with how ancient and classical Sanskrit and Bengali literature actually describes Rādhā and Krishna.


Tagged: age, Krishna, teenage

Come Dance With Us
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Lord Caitanya’s samkirtan movement is so attractive that if presented nicely people cannot help but chant and dance with us. We are experiencing this daily along the Baltic Sea coast in Poland, where just like the spiritual world, every word is a song, every step is a dance and there is a festival every day.

Seeking Blessings
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The devotees in these photos have happily logged in over 120 hours of harinam this summer. Our legs are getting a little wobbly now, so please everyone pray we can continue for another two weeks delivering the sweet sound of Krsna’s holy names to all those who cross our path. “As the rising sun immediately [...]

Facts and Figures
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Today is our 40th harinam of the summer. With two weeks still to go, we have distributed 280,000 invitations to our 35 festivals. Not including the great Woodstock Festival, more than 150,000 people have attended our events. Throughout the summer several thousand books have been sold and prasadam has been distributed like a river flowing [...]

CC daily 199 – 7.21-22 – Insistence is a sign of intimacy
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The mind
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, September 2008, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture)

KKS lecturing to BYS studentsWe have to always be strict with our lazy mind because our mind will say, “Well, you know, you can’t be fanatic,” which translates to, “Oh well, let’s just be lazy!”

So the tendency to be a little lazy about standards and rules is very strong in all of us and we should never think that that will not happen. It will happen in spiritual life that laziness comes out.

CC daily 198 – 7.18-20 – The Lord reproaches the disruption of his plans but appreciates the underlying devotion
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CC daily 197 – 7.15-17 – Love seeks proximity and safety of beloved
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Bhagavatam-daily 300 – 11.13.34 – Don’t equate continuity of form with continuity of substance
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