Can we invest in mutual funds? Does that involve breaking the regulative principle of no gambling?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Podcast:

Transcription:

Question: Can be invest in Mutual funds? Does that involve breaking the regulative principle of no gambling?

Answer: In today’s world, Where things are often newanswered complex. How do we translate these regulator principles into daily life is something which is not written in black and white. Rather than focusing on the What we should not do? We can focus more on What is the underlying purpose or the underlying principle? And the underline principle here is greed. Gambling is problematic primarily because It involves seeking some benefit without putting in any endeavor.

From that any significant proportionate endeavor we can say again I learnt gambling. I’m expert in gambling. But that’s not exactly proportional to the hard work by which one gets returns.

So, If we are not driven by the motive of greed if we have genuine financial concerns and we are trying to responsibly address those concerns and if we have the financial expertise in the maturity to invest thoughtfully wisely then the fear of the regulative principle itself need not be what stops us from going ahead.
Some of us may be innately risk-averse and if that started position then we don’t have to deliberately take risk going against our disposition but we also have to deal with our responsibility, so maybe you have to find out some other way to deal with our responsibility. So the key principle is that focus on ensuring that greed is not being nurtured and the boundary of what comprises the regular principle may be a little porous or blurred now is it that We will get some further bad karma by doing this and better to tolerate and live in financial difficulty. That’s one way to go.

At the same time we may have to look at ourselves, honestly and look at our family situation honestly and evaluate what is going to cause us greater agitation us and of course those whom we are responsible for. We may decide that I’ll just tolerate this as past karma and leave through it but while tolerating if you are constantly lamenting resenting venting. As sometimes exploring at others or sometimes just dreading privately then all that is itself a significant distraction from Krishna for us. So, for it’s not that tolerating past karma tolerating our present challenge difficulties, as we have exhausting our past karma is a primary priority. Our primary priorities to serve Krishna to focus on Krishna and do our various responsibilities in the mood of service to Krishna. So if We find that this service is being impeded the remembrance is being impeded so by what is being impeded more.

By moving forward and taking over responsibility or by not taking up the responsibility. And tolerating but resenting so thereby that we can decide
Anukulasya sankalpa pratikulasya varjanam – what is favorable accepted, what is unfavorable avoided.

It is not that because this world is the dukhalaya, the place of distress and because we are ultimately meant ot attain Krishna that means we just simply passively tolerate any and every distress. The focus is not on just tolerating distress the focus on sticking to our duty. Krishna tells Arjuna the world is dukhalaya but Krishna doesn’t say that tolerate Kaurava’s injustice as dukhalaya. No you are a Ksatriya you have to establish dharma in the world and for that purpose whatever is required you need to do that.

So similarly we have to consider what is our dharma? If we are in family responsible situation and taking care of our family is our dharma. We can do it in the Christian conscious way, but it has to be done. And when we do it responsibly if we will grow by that. And we shouldn’t reduce Krishna consciousness only to devotional activities. Krishna consciousness is attitude of service and responsibility for doing what is required for our service to Krishna.

So maybe we can pray write down our thoughts and then we can pray to Krishna, offering our thoughts to him and then seek guidance for a mature decision about how to deal with the situation but this is situation should not be dealt with simply by like a one track approach based on one teaching from scripture, that is the best to tolerate past karma.

No the purpose of scripture is ultimately to increase our remembrance of Krishna and that means increase also the remembrance of Krishna of those who are around as those who are those for whom we are responsible. Srila Prabhupada worked himself very hard to take care of his family financially and though eventually he took sannyas but later when his family was in severe trouble. He even as a sannyasi he arranged for some funds to be available for his family when they were in great difficulty. What then to speak of and we are grhastas and we have family we have small children.

So, Krishna consciousness means to be conscious that our relationship with Krishna manifests in multiple ways. So we may endure but in enduring the difficulties if our family starts becoming resentful and they start thinking that we are passive and irresponsible and they start thinking that we are all these because of our Krishna consciousness then we may be ending up in the name of furthering our Krishna consciousness being violence to their Krishna consciousness.

So just like company takes a decision with all the stakeholders involved so we need to take a decision with our family involved and thereby move forward in a mature way.

Thank you.

End of transcription

Notes on Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies Program On the Occasion of Sadaputa Prabhu’s 76th Birthday
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Brahmatirtha Prabhu: Sadaputa Prabhu was a genius. He had a photographic memory. He had idiosyncrasies like any genius. He understood things in a deeper way, and he wanted to share. He never stopped learning. Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science was my favorite book. God & Science has brilliant essays. About Jayadvaita Swami: I got a mantra
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Meet Jaya Krsna Das
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Jaya Krsna Das from a large family of ISKCON devotees originally from Kenya became an important producer and artist in the famous Bhaktivedanta Players at the Bhaktivedanta Manor outside of London. A family man, a lifetime of devotion to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, Jaya Krsna has lectured on Krishna Consciousness all over the world. Radio
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Shantipur Festival Seva Opportunity 2023
→ Mayapur.com

Dear Godbrothers and Godsisters please accept my humble obeisance all glories to Gurumaharaj, all glories to Shantipur festival. This is to inform all of you of the coming Shantipur festival on 4th March 2023. We humbly request you to donate any amount for the organization of the biggest prasadam distribution program ever at Shantipur, the […]

The post Shantipur Festival Seva Opportunity 2023 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Disappearance
→ Ramai Swami

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj appeared in this world (was born) probably around 1750 in a village in a part of India which is now Bangladesh. He was born in a wealthy family. 

Later in his life he was initiated by Jagadananda Goswami. His guru was in the line of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. One of our very great Acharyas. 

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji was a perfect devotee. In the holy place, Vrindavan, he had a little hut, a bhajan kutir. He would sometimes chant there for three days and nights, without stopping. He wouldn’t even eat or sleep.

He was very famous, everyone knew what a perfect devotee he was.

In 1880, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur came to Vrindavan and met him for the first time. Srila Jagannath Das Babaji taught Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur many things. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur arranged to work close by where Srila Jagannath Das Babaji lived, so he could visit him often. Srila Jagannath Das Babaji was very pleased to see Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s enthusiasm for preaching the Holy Name of Krishna.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur had been looking for the exact birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for quite some time. He was chanting one day on the roof when he all of a sudden saw an unusual light across the River Ganges. It was so bright, he couldn’t ignore it.

This was the sign he had been waiting for, for so long. After a long investigation he found the spot. Only Tulasi plants would grow there and the Muslim people who lived there were scared because they saw light and heard sounds coming from that spot. They decided to stay away from that place.

Then Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur asked his spiritual master, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj to come to that spot. 

He was already very old at that time and his personal servant, Bihari Das, would carry him in a basket on his back, because he couldn’t walk anymore. But when he arrived at the spot, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji jumped up in the air and began to dance ecstatically while calling the Names of the Lord loudly. 

The holy birthplace, the Yogapitha, of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was finally found!

On the banks of the holy River Ganges, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji used to do bhajan (singing and chanting the Holy Name of the Lord). You can still find his bhajan-kutir (little hut/house) there and his Samadhi, his tomb.

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji also ordered Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur to build a hut close to his bhajan-kutir, so the devotees could stay close by.

Srila Jagannath Das Babaji stayed in this world for about 125 years. He was always talking, singing and chanting the Holy Name and telling everyone about his Lord, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Even Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, personally descends to taste the nectar of love of Godhead
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“What to speak of others, even Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, personally descends to taste the nectar of love of Godhead in the form of the chanting of Hare Krishna.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.265 Purport) In the Adi Purana Krishna tells Arjuna: “Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered
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Indian Minister Shri V. Muraleedharan visits The Sacred India Gallery in Perth, Western Australia
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The Sacred India Gallery in Perth, Western Australia recently hosted Shri V. Muraleedharan, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, for a VIP gallery tour. Shri Muraleedharan expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the efforts made by the Sacred India team to share the gifts of spiritual India with the Western Australian community,
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Mayapur Kirtan Mela
→ Ramai Swami

Right after the Iskcon Leadership Sanga finished, devotees from all over the world assembled in the Panca Tattva temple room for the annual kirtan mela. When I say annual, there was a break of a few years because of CoVid restrictions but now with renewed enthusiasm everyone chanted and danced in ecstasy.

Even during the day there were so many devotees attending that it was difficult to fit into the temple hall, and at night it was almost impossible. Nevertheless, whether sitting, standing or dancing, the devotees continued the kirtan for five days going up to 10.00pm in the evening.

Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji’s Disappearance Day
Giriraj Swami

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja comes in the Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession after Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. He was a renounced ascetic, fully engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and meditating on the pastimes of Krishna. For some time, he made his residence at Surya-kunda in Vraja-dhama, near the temple of Suryadeva, where Srimati Radharani used to come and worship the sun-god—or, I should say, where She used to come to meet Krishna on the pretext of coming to worship the sun-god.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who comes in the disciplic succession after Jagannatha dasa Babaji, accepted Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja as his main guru, his siksa-guru. Once, some of Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples in Vraja approached the Thakura and complained that although they had come to Vraja to live like Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names and meditating on Sri Sri Radha-Krishna’s astakaliya-lila, Babaji Maharaja had refused to instruct them in such topics and had instead engaged them in cultivating tulasi plants, flowers, and vegetables to offer to the Lord. And they requested Bhaktivinoda Thakura to appeal to their guru maharaja to instruct them in the esoteric practices of Krishna consciousness.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told the disciples, “Actually, your Gurudeva’s instructions are right for you. Because you still have anarthas, for you to sit and try to do nirjana-bhajana [solitary worship] and practice asta-kaliya-lila-smarana [meditation on the Lord’s eightfold daily pastimes] would be artificial, and you would just become degraded. So you should follow his instructions with full faith and work hard in Krishna’s service. Then, in time, you may be able to chant the holy names purely.”

Eventually, Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja moved to Mayapur, where he lived by the banks of the Ganges, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names. He had the greatest reverence for the holy land of Navadvipa. Although he was so renounced and so absorbed in Krishna consciousness, as his reputation spread, gentlemen would come to him and give him donations. Once, Babaji Maharaja asked one of his servants to take the donations he had received, which he kept in an old burlap bag, and purchase a large pot of rasagullas. All the devotees were surprised, because Jagannatha dasa Babaji was so renounced and lived so simply; he would eat only the simplest rice and dal. Anyway, the servant brought the sweets, and Jagannatha dasa Babaji offered them to his Deities and then distributed them to the cows and dogs in the dhama. He said that the creatures of the dhama were elevated souls and worthy of service.

Later, Babaji Maharaja would not honor prasada until he had shared it with ten newborn puppies. He would wait until they came, and because in his old age his eyelids drooped over his eyes and prevented him from seeing, he would count them with his hands. And only after they had begun to eat would he also partake. He would say, “They are puppies of the dhama. They are not ordinary living entities.” He had so much faith in and affection for the dhama.

He had less affection for Mayavadi impersonalists. He used to say, “Let the dogs come in for darshan, but the impersonalists—kick them out!”

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji lived to a very old age. Some Vaishnavas say he was just waiting for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to come—someone to whom he could impart his special knowledge and realization, for the benefit of humanity. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura requested to be transferred from his post in Orissa to Bengal so he could be near Navadvipa-dhama. And eventually he was posted at Krishnanagar, near Navadvipa.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura did extensive research to determine the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He studied old maps, consulted the local people, and visited the different places. Eventually he found a mound where many tulasi trees were growing. He got the intuition that this was the actual birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, but he wanted his intuition to be confirmed. At the time, Jagannatha dasa Babaji was the most renowned Vaishnava, and he was Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s siksa-guru. So, Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples brought him to the place with the mound and tulasi plants. He was so old—over a hundred and forty years old, some say—that his disciples had to carry him in a basket. The disciples brought him, but when they came to the site, they didn’t tell him that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had determined it was the birthplace. Still, when Babaji Maharaja arrived there, he spontaneously jumped out of his basket and began to dance in ecstasy, singing the holy names. Thus he confirmed the location of Mahaprabhu’s birthplace.

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s bhajana-kutira and samadhi are there in Navadvipa-dhama, in Koladvipa. Devotees who perform Navadvipa-parikrama visit there and get his mercy. We also pray to him for his mercy, that we may be instrumental in fulfilling the desires of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and the other acharyas in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu coming to us through Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.

Today especially, we think of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, who left this world on Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disappearance day, also in Gauda-mandala-bhumi. Two years ago, I was in Dallas for the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, just a few months after Goswami Maharaja passed away. As we were observing the ceremony in the temple, I was thinking how Goswami Maharaja was the perfect servant and therefore the fit representative of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Then I thought of him in relation to all of the acharyas in the last two centuries—Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada (who are the most prominent of them)—and how he really took their mission to heart. He was absorbed in fulfilling all aspects of their mission: developing Mayapur, distributing books, spreading the chanting of the holy names throughout the world in various ways—all the programs that were so important to our predecessor acharyas.

Although I could speak of Goswami Maharaja’s surrender and service for days, today we have the rare opportunity to hear from His Grace Amoghalila dasa Adhikari. Amoghalila, could you please tell us something about your experiences with him and your realizations about him?

Amoghalila Prabhu:

I am thinking of one or two incidents I can mention, and some realizations I had from them. One was actually the last morning Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, in Juhu. I was fortunate, actually by Giriraj Maharaja’s mercy, to be able to be in Srila Prabhupada’s room then. After about a month in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was leaving that morning for Vrindavan. Madhava Prabhu and Upendra Prabhu were also there, though Upendra was in and out of the room.

Srila Prabhupada was just lying on his bed. He could hardly move. He couldn’t even sit up by himself. He was so weak he could barely speak. But then he said something. It was hard to hear what he said, so I leaned closer and asked, “What, Srila Prabhupada?” He said, “Call Tamal.” So, Upendra Prabhu went out to get Tamal Krishna Maharaja. When Goswami Maharaja came into the room, he offered dandavat-pranama (prostrated obeisances) and then got up. Srila Prabhupada asked him about the arrangements for going to Vrindavan. Goswami Maharaja said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada,” offered dandavat-pranama, and went out. A minute or two later, he came back in. He offered dandavat-pranama, got up, and then told Srila Prabhupada the answer to Prabhupada’s question. He said something, he got something ready, and then he offered dandavat-pranama and went out. This happened at least three times: He came in and went out, he came in and went out, and he came in and went out, all within just a few minutes—it couldn’t have been more than five minutes. Practically every minute he was coming in, offering dandavat-pranama, getting up, talking to Prabhupada for a few seconds or half a minute, offering dandavat-pranama again, and going out.

Later, after Srila Prabhupada left us, when I was Goswami Maharaja’s personal secretary, I mentioned this to him, and he said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada instructed me to do this. Srila Prabhupada said that because familiarity breeds contempt, it is very important when somebody is intimately serving the spiritual master that they keep a reverential mood.” Goswami Maharaja, of course, was such an intimate servant of Srila Prabhupada’s, yet he always maintained that deep reverence—of course love, also, but at the same time he always had such deep reverence for Srila Prabhupada. Tamal Krishna Maharaja is such an ideal example of a personal servant and disciple.

I am thinking of one other incident then, when I was Goswami Maharaja’s personal secretary in 1978 in Bombay. As I mentioned to Giriraj Maharaja, I think the real reason Goswami Maharaja wanted me to be his personal secretary was so he could train me, because he had seen how disturbing my mismanagement was. I had been the vice president and the so-called manager of Hare Krishna Land, and at one point during that time, Giriraj Maharaja had mentioned to Tamal Krishna Maharaja, “Amoghalila is mismanaging the affairs here.” Goswami Maharaja had said, “There is no mismanagement . . . There is no management!” So, he felt that I needed some training in management. Therefore, he made me his personal secretary, to train me. I think that was the main reason, and he tried to train me and he did.

He did train me a lot, though I didn’t follow his training so well, but one incident when he trained me was very moving. Every time I think about it, I just . . . He was teaching me how to clean the floor. I mean, I had been a devotee for six or seven years, so I had been cleaning floors for a long time. Anyway, once, when I was cleaning the floor, he said, “No, that’s not how you clean the floor,” because I had the cloth bunched up or something. So, he took the cloth from me, got down on his hands and knees, spread the cloth out big, folded it over once, and started cleaning the floor. I tried to stop him; I said, “Maharaja, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll do it.” He responded, “No, I want to show you how to do it.” And he cleaned for quite a while. He cleaned a large area, and I was protesting, but he said, “No. Just watch what I am doing.” He had the cloth spread out quite big, and he cleaned for some time. I tried to stop him again, but he explained, “No, Srila Prabhupada did this to me. Srila Prabhupada showed me like this. He got down on his hands and knees and he cleaned the floor to show me how to do it. So why can’t you let me show you how to do it?”

So, Tamal Krishna Goswami was the perfect servant of Srila Prabhupada. And as you said, Maharaja, the perfect servant or ideal servant becomes the ideal representative. Goswami Maharaja was so strict in following Srila Prabhupada exactly, to the detail, even how you open up a cloth and fold it and clean the floor—every detail, everything! These are just a couple of little incidents I was thinking about.

Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: When you began, saying how Tamal Krishna Goswami would come and offer full obeisances, I thought of what some devotees told me about his routine in Dallas after Srila Prabhupada left. Every night, he would go into Srila Prabhupada’s room, where the deity of Srila Prabhupada was installed, and chant his last Gayatri and put Srila Prabhupada to rest. He wanted to do that as his personal service. And they told me that whenever Goswami Maharaja would leave the temple premises, even for an hour or two, he would first circumambulate the building. They gave me the impression that he was circumambulating Srila Prabhupada, although, of course, he was circumambulating the other deities as well. But he was very conscious of Srila Prabhupada. In general, he was always very conscious of his lords and masters.

I also think of how, after Srila Prabhupada left, Goswami Maharaja distributed different remnants of Srila Prabhupada to different devotees. He had one of Srila Prabhupada’s teeth, which he had placed in a silver capsule and hung around his neck. Indradyumna Swami, who is quite expert in getting deities and sacred relics, once was asking Tamal Krishna Goswami about the tooth—what was eventually going to happen to it. And Tamal Krishna Goswami understood that Indradyumna Maharaja was trying to see if he could one day get the tooth. Goswami Maharaja just laughed and said, “Don’t even think of it. I am taking it with me. Even after I leave, it will stay with my body.” His idea was that by the tooth being put into his samadhi, people who circumambulated his samadhi or offered obeisances there would get the benefit of circumambulating Srila Prabhupada’s tooth, of offering obeisances to his tooth. And on the absolute platform, Srila Prabhupada’s tooth is as worshipable as he is.

Devotee: The tooth was kept with him, even when he was put into samadhi?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it was always kept with him.

Hare Krishna!

[Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disappearance day, February 20, 2004, Carpinteria, California]

The ultimate goal of pious activities
→ Dandavats

“My dear Lord, by expanding Your transcendental vibrations, You reveal the actual meaning of everything. You are the all-pervading sky within and without, and You are the ultimate goal of pious activities executed both within this material world and beyond it. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances again and again unto You.”~Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.40
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Mahimamrita Dashakam – New Song Glorifies ISKCON Melbourne
→ ISKCON News

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The post Mahimamrita Dashakam – New Song Glorifies ISKCON Melbourne appeared first on ISKCON News.

6000 Plates Served to Victims of the Earthquake in Turkey
→ ISKCON News

One week has passed since the Turkish yatra and members of the Hungarian Food for Life team started their food distribution in Turkey for those most affected by the severe damage caused by the earthquake in February 2023. The Hare Krishna Food for Life rapid reaction team was busy serving the locals with hot prasadam […]

The post 6000 Plates Served to Victims of the Earthquake in Turkey appeared first on ISKCON News.