Websites from the ISKCON Universe
HG Surabhi Prabhu at Srila Prabhupada Festival at ISKCON Los Angeles on 24th May 2015 (45 min video)
One of the last recorded videos of Surabhi Prabhu.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/wPQyGE
Shouldn’t devotees avoid drinking cow milk from cruel factory farms?
We can understand that these poor animals have a life of great suffering as a result of karma, past sinful activities. Their greatest—and perhaps only—solace is to make an offering to Krishna. If they’re not able to do that, how will they become released from the pangs of birth and death before going through many more hellish lifetimes? The cows whose milk is offered to the Lord are blessed. They will benefit from that offering. We certainly don’t sanction the way these cows are treated, but we don’t consider refusing to accept their milk a more humane or spiritually enlightened proposal. Imagine if inmates of a concentration camp were making some craft for selling in order to advance themselves. Would you refuse to buy those products because they were in a concentration camp? Wouldn’t it be better to help those people by making their lives worthwhile and allowing them to offer some small, valuable gift? That gift, for the cows, is their milk—offered to Krishna.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/UexIWs
Polish Woodstock Festival preaching preparations (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: With Woodstock starting tomorrow the festival grounds were alive with activity today. Ananta Vrindavan das took a walk around the field to shoot photographs of the people and the mood of Woodstock 2015.
See them here: https://goo.gl/fHpXoh
HH Gaur Gopal Giving Amazing Lecture at Mantra Lounge in April 2015
The Gita uses the metaphor of the wind for the first time in its second chapter (02.67): Just as a wind can sweep away a boat on water, so too can even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses sweep away the intelligence. Gita 02.55-72 is a response to Arjuna’s question in 2.54 about the characteristics of the enlightened. In his answer Krishna states that one of their essential characteristics is their sense-control. While describing this characteristic of the seers, he as a bonus also gives some guidelines about how we seekers can control our senses – which is the point that this metaphor makes by illustrating the converse: how the senses can take control of us and lead us astray.
The specific points of comparison, though, require some thought to figure out. Just as the boat is swept away, so, it might be inferred, are we swept away. However, the verse compares the boat not to us, but to our intelligence. This is a subtle but significant difference, a difference that underscores the critical role of our intelligence. In our confrontation with sensual temptation, our intelligence is our last line of defense, as has been hinted at four verses earlier (02.63): while describing the sequence of how we fall for sense objects, the Gita mentions that the second-last thing to fall is the intelligence – once our intelligence falls, we too fall. So, given that our and our intelligence’s fate are usually tied together, at least with respect to the challenge of controlling the senses, the Gita (02.67) comparison of the boat with our intelligence can be extended to included our intelligence and us. That is, just as a boat is swept away, our intelligence and we are swept away.
What the Gita compares the wind to is not explicit in the verse. But it can be inferred from the context. The wind is compared to the material desire that is generated when the mind focuses on any of the roaming senses. The implicitness of the object of comparison points to the process for protecting ourselves. We may not be able to control the wind that starts flowing in a water body, but we can control desire from blowing forcefully, like a wind, in our consciousness. How? By carefully refusing to focus on the roaming senses. We can best prevent our senses from roaming by keeping ourselves absorbed in constructive activity, or we can at least be alert enough to avoid focusing when any of the senses perceives an alluring sense object. Just as the wind can come from any direction on a water body, so too can the wind of desire, which we could call alliteratively the gust of lust, come from any of the senses into our consciousness.
Extending the analogy, just as a boat in a water body is always vulnerable to storms so too are we always vulnerable while in material existence, which is also often compared to a water body, an ocean. In fact, that comparison is so common that it has spawned a metaphorical compound word bhavasagar, usually translated as “the ocean of material existence.” As long as we are in the ocean of material existence, we are always vulnerable to being swept away by the gust of lust.
But this metaphor while making us aware of our danger also conveys the power we have: we can prevent the gust of lust from being generated if we avoid contemplating on the sense objects. And the most effective preventive method is focusing on the most positive object for contemplation: Krishna, the all-attractive, all-loving Supreme Person, the source of all pleasure. Fixing our consciousness on Krishna is a theme that the Gita has pointed to earlier (02.61) and will repeat frequently throughout.
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Hare Krishna! Surabhi Prabhu left this world
Surabhi Prabhu, beloved disciple of Srila Prabhupada and the devotee architect of Vrindavan and Juhu Temples, Samadhi Mandir, and Pushpa Samadhi Mandir. left this world at 2:50 this morning in Sri Vrindavan Dhama as he lost the battle with cancer.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18708
this continues from a previous post
As the earth began to reply, she placed herself at his mercy by bowing to him, but she trembled with fear, for he was as angry as death personified. “I surrender to you, the supreme person,” she said, “whose energy expands into all the various forms and bodies within this world of qualities.
“I surrender to you, whose true form manifests from its own power, is unconnected with the transient and confused substances, actions, and egos of this world.
“It is your energy which created me by the evolution and combination of the elements that emanate from you. It is your energy which enables me to serve as as the home of all beings. Although you have created me, now you display your independence, your lack of attachment to or dependence on me – by standing before me with your arrows poised to kill me. I have tried to run for protection, but where or to whom can I run?
“In the beginning, you created immobile and mobile creatures, and you sustain them all by your own inscrutable, self-controlled powers. You protect and sustain everyone and you uphold morality, but now you want to destroy me. How can this be?
“Oh yes, it’s certainly true! No one can comprehend your intentions, and no one can counteract or overcome what you set in motion. You are incomprehensible! You are the cause, but you have no cause. You are many, yet you are one. You are beyond everything, yet you control everything.
“Your potency is the cause of all causes, the origin of everything: all substance, all action, all will, all sentience, all individuality. I surrender to you, the supreme person, whose powers are insurmountable and incomprehensible. O Great One, you yourself certainly created everything that exists – all the elements, all the tools for interacting with them, and all the internal mechanisms for hosting consciousness.”
Having expressed her exasperation at being unable to understand why her protector and creator would want to destroy her, she now tries to evoke his compassion by reminding him how he previously rescued her. “Oh birthless one, you once went out of your way to protect and reestablish me when you became the first wild boar and uplifted me from the bottom of the universal ocean. To protect all the creatures dwelling in me, you made me like a boat floating on the ocean of space! For that heroic deed you became known as Dharādhara – the support of she who supports everyone.
“But now, over milk, you want to kill me with your terrible arrows?
“Ordinary people like me certainly cannot comprehend the intentions of great masters. Our minds are bewildered by their deeds because we possess merely a fragment of their qualities. We simply offer our respects them, the most renowned among those who have earned heroism.”
– A translation of Śrī Bhāgavata 4.17.28 ~ 36 [end]
From the first draft of Part 4 of Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive
by Vraja Kishor
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Hare Krishna! Yoga, Srila Prabhupada’s books, Kirtan and Mahaprasad: International Yoga Day in Bali, Indonesia
This year June 21 was celebrated as the first International Yoga day. People from all walks of life came out to participate in the celebration: India, the US, Beijing, Paris, Manila, Seoul, Bangkok, Taipei and of course, Indonesia. Indonesia, as one of the supporter of the Yoga Day, also organized a mass Yoga relaxation program in its four biggest city, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, and Denpasar. Through Indian Embassy in Indonesia, as part of the “Friend of India: festival of India in Indonesia 2015”, promoted Yoga Day event. The committee invited the school of Yoga, practitioners, people interested in yoga, and the Hare Krsna Devotees to participate in the celebration of the International Yoga day.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18703
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: THESTAR
A TOTAL of 3,000 copies of the Hindu holy scripture — Bhagavad Gita were handed over to all 28 Tamil vernacular schools in Penang.
Copies of the holy book were given to the primary schools in an effort to educate the young about the values in life to achieve unity and peace in the world.
The event was organised by Global Integrated Transcendental Association (GITA) of Penang.
Its president Madhusudan Das said through this event, the pupils would have the opportunity to learn anddiscover more about the Bhagavad Gita.
“Besides these Tamil schools, we will also hand out copies of the Bhagavad Gita to other educational institutions, libraries and participants of ongoing programmes by GITA.
“We aim to distribute 5,000 copies by the end of the year,” he said at the opening of the Penang Tamil schools’ GITA Programme at Komtar in George Town on Saturday.
He added that the copies, which were given out were in English and Tamil.
Madhusudan said GITA would hold a Gita Champion League, which would be a statewide competition on the reciting of the Bhagavad Gita.
“This competition, which will be held both in English and Tamil, is to encourage students to read the holy book and to understand it,” he added.
Details of the competition will be announced at a later date.
State Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Chong Eng, who was present at the ceremony, said good values were important for a community.
“Everyone can own the holy book, but it is more important to put in the effort to learn what is in the book and to follow it,” she said.
Hare Krishna! Peace prayer by Dr. A.P.J. Kalam in his address “The Joy of Human Life”
Oh Almighty, create thoughts and actions in the minds of the people of the nation so that they live united. Oh Almighty, bless the people to take a path of life with righteousness as righteousness gives the strength of character. Help all religious leaders of the country to give strength to the people to combat the divisive forces. Guide the people to develop an attitude to appreciate different ideologies and transform enmity among individuals, organizations and nations into friendliness and harmony Embed the thought ‘Nation is bigger than the Individual’ in the minds of the leaders and people. Oh God, bless the people to work with perseverance to transform the country into a peaceful and prosperous nation and promote world peace.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18700
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 December 2011, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.14.1)
Question: In the purport, Prabhupada first explained the brahmachari, vanaprastha and sannyasa ashrams and then at last he said, “Grhastha ashram for those who are so attached to sex life.” So it sounds like the only reason to go to grhastha ashram is lust. Is that what it is?
Well, generally speaking it is but sometimes, even self-realized souls take to the grhastha ashram to fulfil a purpose of the Lord; that also happens. Srinivas Acharya, for example, had two wives but he was fully self-realized; he was seeing the spiritual world. That was an arrangement of the Supreme Lord but for most of us, well you know…
It is like this, you are perfectly happy all by yourself and then suddenly, some sex desire begins to arise and then one comes to desire to have a relationship with someone. Some people may say that is not all there is to it; there is also companionship. Alright, I agree that companionship is important. We cannot just be alone in this world, we need to have other people but I think marriage, and I say that after twenty-four years of having tried it, that marriage is an unnatural arrangement! I will explain why.
I think that to give someone else so much right to just infringe on your privacy is too much. See, if you are not married to someone, you can nicely and politely say, “Thank you very much. I need a little time for myself!” But you cannot say that to your wife! I mean, you can say it but my God, see what comes next, “You never spend any time with me… you have no interest in me whatsoever… you completely cold and uninterested… you are always preoccupied with other things…”
And you are thinking, “I just want to finish chanting my rounds!”
So it does not allow you the privacy that you naturally need. Marriage is very intense. The infringement on privacy that it brings is an unnatural arrangement. As far as companionship is concerned, I think there is a need for that but I would not recommend marriage as the solution for that.
Hare Krishna! Dressing Like a Vaishnava
Bhakti Charu Swami: There should be no compromise in our Vaisnava appearance. We are representatives of Srila Prabhupada. We should aim to be first class representatives. We need to be aware of the bonafide standard of appearance, maintain it and preach it. In the age of Kali deviations easily become the standard. We should be alert to this. Proper Vaisnava dress helps us maintain proper consciousness regarding our identity and responsibility in service to Srila Prabhupada and the Vaisnavas.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18697
Animal Sacrifice Banned at Nepal’s Gadhimai Festival, Half a Million Animals Saved
New Delhi—In a move that will spare the lives of millions of animals over coming years, animal sacrifice has been cancelled indefinitely at Nepal’s Gadhimai festival, the world’s biggest animal sacrifice event held every five years for around 265 years. The decision announced by the Gadhimai Temple Trust follows rigorous negotiations and campaigning by Animal Welfare Network Nepal and Humane Society International/India.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/3NDE76
The post One who observes injustice and does nothing is also implicated in sin appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Please Join us in prayers for Surabhi prabhu, beloved disciple of Srila Prabhupada and the devotee architect of Vrindavan and Juhu Temples. At this time, he has come to Vrindavan to leave this world, as he lost the battle with cancer. Went to see him this morning, he was unconscious and the devotees were doing kirtan. Just for the service of building two of Srila Prabhupada’s favorite temples, he is assured the highest destination!
Hare Krishna! “God”?
Ravindra Svarupa dasa: What the punctuation in the title indicates: Quotation marks: Draping the word God in quotation marks indicates that we are first concerned with the signifier, not the signified. (Compare these two sentences: I am interested in God. I am interested in “God.”) Question mark: The mark of interrogation backstopping “God” points us next to questions concerning the concept or idea of God. What does it mean? Aren’t there many different meanings? Isn’t the meaning often vague or ambiguous?
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18692
Hare Krishna Athlete!
Professional soccer player Devala Dasa reveals his t-shirt glorifying Lord Krishna after his team Bayamon wins the Puerto Rico Soccer League championship vs Athletico San Juan!
Warming up for the maha Sankirtana Yajna! (7 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Two hundred thousand young people have already arrived for the Woodstock Festival, which begins in two days. Taking advantage of the big crowd we went on harinama with 250 devotees. A number of them distributed invitations to our Krsna’s Village of Peace. Many people danced with us in ecstasy, relishing the sweet nectar of Krsna’s holy names. A number of them followed us back to our village where we had more kirtan. After prasadam we had even more kirtan well into the night! Kirtan is our life and soul and an intricate part of the great Woodstock Festival.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/yop0cT
Bread Baking Class-basic techniques and healty options (Album with photos)
Pizza Effect, Poland - Summer’s Course.
Our groups’ approach to learning to cook is all about being relaxed and having fun together: some conversation, some laughs, some photos , some more fun, and a lot of cooking in between!
See them here: https://goo.gl/VV0K2u
24 Hour Kirtan in New Vrindavan by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
Hare Krishna! WSN June 2015 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
June was a very good month for book distribution worldwide. Summer months are generally good for us book distributors. The sunny weather puts people in a relatively nicer and happier mood. The highest increase in June was by the temple in Monterrey, Mexico. Something inspired them to do a lot of book distribution. They had a 610% increase, distributed over 1,800 books, and did 2,024 book points, which makes Monterrey the No. 1 temple in all of Central and South America. Congratulations, Monterrey book distributors! Nairobi also had a good month with a 366% increase, over 1,300 books distributed, and 1,832 book points.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18688
Preaching program with Radhanath Swami @ Golden Bridge Yoga (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If one chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra without offences, all of one’s sinful actions are surely atoned for immediately, but one should not commit such deeds again, for that is an offence. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.16.14 Purport)
See them here: https://goo.gl/czJslP
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रात्रान्तेत्रस्तवृन्दे रितबहुबिरवैर् बोधितौकीरसारी
पद्यैर्हृद्यैरहृद्यैर् अपिसुखशयनाद् उत्तितौतौसखीभिः
दृष्टौहृष्टौतदात्वो दितरतिललितौ कक्खतीगीःसशऩ्कौ
राधाकृष्णौ सतृष्णाव् अपिनजनजधाम्न्याप्ततल्पौ स्मरामि
rātrānte trasta vṛnde / rita bahubi ravair / bodhitau kīra sārī
padyair hṛdyair ahṛdyair / api sukha śayanāt / utthitau tau sakhībhiḥ
dṛṣṭau hṛṣṭau tadātvo/dita rati lalitau / kakkhatī gīḥ saśaṅkau
rādhā-kṛṣṇau satṛṣṇav / api nija nija dhām / nyāpta talpau smarāmi
| rā | trān | te | tra | sta | vṛn | de | ri | ta | ba | hu | bi | ra | vair | bo | dhi | tau | kī | ra | sā | rī |
| pad | yair | hṛd | yair | a | hṛd | yair | a | pi | su | kha | śa | ya | nāt | ut | thi | tau | tau | sa | khī | bhīḥ |
| dṛṣ | ṭau | hṛṣ | ṭau | ta | āt | vo | di | ta | ra | to | la | li | tau | kak | kha | tī | gīḥ | sa | śaṇ | kau |
| rā | dhā | kṛṣ | ṇau | sa | tṛṣ | nāv | a | pi | ni | ja | ni | ja | dhām | nyā | pta | tal | pau | sma | rā | mī |
As the night comes to an end and dawn approaches, Vṛnda hurridly awakens them with the songs of many love-bird parrots.
The birds recite poems to help them arise from their pleasure-bed; some poems are dear to their heart, and also some are not. The girlfriends witness it all and participate.
When they finally rise from their graceful romantic dalliances, they are shocked to see the dawn and hear the words of Rādhā’s favorite monkey, Kakkhatī.
Although they still thirst for one another, Rādhā and Krishna return to their own rightful beds in their own abodes.
I meditate on this.
The reason some songs are “not dear to the heart” is that the parrots must remind Rādhā and Krishna that they have to get out of bed and leave one another. The fearful words that Kakkhatī exclaims to Rādhā are something along the lines of “Your mother in law might be coming down the path right now, searching for you!”
It is a very magical, fantasiac, wonderful scene – with all the forest animals awakening Rādhā and Krishna.
The sakhīs watch while the animals waken Rādhā-Krishna. They they begin to participate, once the couple has arisen. Eventually they also express pleasant and unpleasant poems to help the couple separate and return home.
– Vraja Kishor
Sonu and Manisha are from the Punjab in India and have been living in Australia for the last 5 years. They have a little baby called Hargun who is also called Vrnda.
Article 1: Hare (Rādhā)
Article 2: Krishna
Articles 3 & 4: Repeat Articles 1 and 2.
Articles 5 & 6: Repeat Article 2, twice.
Articles 7 & 8: Repeat Article 1, twice.
Article 9: Hare – as in Article 1.
Article 10: Rāma – Rādhā’s lover.
Articles 11 & 12: Repeat Articles 9 and 10.
Articles 13 & 14: Repeat Article 10, twice.
Articles 15 & 16: Repeat Article 9, twice.
Article 17: We, the bhaktas, shall treat the above 16 Articles as ends in and of themselves, not as means to any other end. We shall therefore set aside or best time, energy, and concentration to cultivate these Articles. These Articles are not encumbrances or obligations to complete, nor are they tools to serve our illusion-intrinsic exhibitionism.
Article 18: In our personal practice of these Articles, nāma-japa, we shall sit firmly, and work diligently against addictions to self-centered thoughts which keep the mind loud, occluding true personal relationship with the 16 Articles.
Article 19: In our communal practice of these Articles, nāma-saṁkīrtan, we shall decorate the Articles with exquisite melodies and delicate rhythms, to fully express the inner bhāva trying to dawn within our hearts, not to occlude it with the loudness of ego that makes an exhibition of skill or “advancement.” We shall take our time, explore the articles fully and slowly, and allow the energy to peak when natural.
Article 20: There shall be no further articles. Though there may be amendments to support them.
First Amendment: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
Second Amendment: Explanations of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam by realized Gauḍīyas. Especially:
Third Amendment: Expansions of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Especially
Fourth Amendment: Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
Signed,
the only active memember of this
Individual Search for Krishna Consciousness,
Vraja Kishor dās
VrajaKishor.com
