Planet ISKCON

Bhurijana prabhu's interesting and indepth Japa Retreat exploring various aspects of sadhu ninda or offenses against devotees. Email subscribers please click the big blue link above to hear the audio.

Written by Nandan

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Morning Class at Bhaktivedanta Manor (14 June 2015)

CC Madhya 13: Ecstatic dancing of Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the Jagannatha Puri Ratha Yatra

So today was the day that many devotees were waiting for, including Maharaj. It was also great to see Maharaj giving the morning Ratha Yatra class in the country where Srila Prabhupada had so enjoyed Ratha Yatra back in the day. Maharaj decided to give class on this special day from the Caitanya Caritamrta, specifically Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in the Jagannatha Puri Ratha Yatra. Maharaj started off by describing the dayitas; a community descended from royalty and a tribe called the sabaras. They were strongly built and had the privilege of carrying Lord Jagannatha. Of course, one can argue, “Who can carry the Lord without his will?”

Five hundred years ago, Ratha Yatra was of a different nature due to Caitanya Mahaprabhu coming along. As described by Kavi Karnapurna, in the Ratha Yatra, everyone was ecstatic except for one person – King Prataparudra because it was the first Ratha Yatra after Caitanya Mahaprabhu had left. This perfectly highlights the separation devotees feel for their beloved Lord. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in the Ratha Yatra, no one could move the chariot!

Maharaj then stated that Lord Jagannatha is the most merciful deity but so is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But as a deity form of the Lord, Lord Jagannatha makes himself even more accessible. This led onto describing the numerous glories of the Jagannatha Puri temple, including the endless preparations offered to the Lord at the temple. Maharaj then fast forwarded to Ratha Yatra in the early days of Iskcon… How Jayananda Prabhu had no money but he knew the Banana King and the builders, and he single-handedly constructed the Ratha cart!

Maharaj then spoke of the uniqueness of Ratha Yatra compared to other festivals. It’s so interactive; it makes you perform devotional seva. In India, they have chariot festivals but without kirtan so when the devotees are pulling the chariots, they need to take rest every five minutes. After all where is the inspiration to keep pulling without the racing beats of a kirtan to keep one going?

He then proclaimed that our kirtan of today is just an echo of that kirtan which was there five hundred years ago. Caitanya Mahaprabhu would jump so high, leaping so high into the air and Lord Nityananda would try catching Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

The sight of Mahaprabhu’s kirtan was astonishing; it made you forget everyone else like when Krishna was dancing on Kaliya’s head. No one would forget that, everything else meant nothing. It was the same with Mahaprabhu’s dancing.

Naturally Maharaj would not pass up the opportunity in glorifying Srila Prabhupada’s relationship with Ratha Yatra and how Prabhupada’s Ratha Yatra was a real victory march. Prabhupada was literally flooding the streets with mercy and that is the essence – to give the mercy. Maharaj then ended the class with the following message to the august assembly of devotees at the Manor,

So we don’t want to hear about old age, bones, back, etc.  Ratha Yatra is where you push yourself to the limit, then to a level to which you’ve never been. Srila Prabhupada said preaching is easy, just show everyone how happy you are. Miracles will happen in Ratha Yatra. It’s not a case of (saying in a strict Victorian tone) preach, preach, preach. Krishna consciousness IS the topmost process for happiness, it’s hypnotizing! (Laughter)

A few hours later and London Ratha Yatra 2015 was under way…

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London Ratha Yatra

London may have ruled the world once, but when one looks at the beauty of the city now, it certainly lags behind some of its European counterparts, like Rome or Vienna. However if there is one part of the city that still has world class architecture, majestic beauty and the look of a world class city, it would have to be the Ratha Yatra route. Their Lordships pass through most of the hallmarks of Britain’s past imperial glory (or infamy depending on how you look at it). Starting at 12 noon, in the legendary Hyde Park, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladev and Lady Subhadra will go into the posh Green Park area, then through to the famous Piccadilly Circus,  the culturally refined Shaftesbury Avenue and then finally to one of the most famous spots in the world – Trafalgar Square!

This year, there were four kirtan groups with an absolutely huge turnout of thousands of devotees in the procession!  Maharaj was in the second group with the big kirtaneering stalwarts of the UK, the fabulous Kripamoya Prabhu and the brilliant Govind Prabhu.

The first to lead in Maharaj’s kirtan group was Govind Prabhu. It was an amazing rendition of kirtan which really set the tone for the day. Then the carts came onto Green Park and about the time when they were in front of the glitzy Ritz hotel, Maharaj took over. All I can say is I am not an accomplished writer and I certainly cannot adequately describe what Maharaj did in that kirtan but it was truly something else! It felt like the Kingsday parade had never ended and was just carrying on in London. All the way from the Ritz Hotel, up to the mouth of Piccadilly Junction, Maharaj rocked it like it was the final party on earth. The holy names were decorated with a devastating fusion of earthy African tribal beats, juxtaposed with the Gothic tones and Classic Indian folksy tunes. The devotees were rocketing to the sky like they were in Jagannatha Puri Ratha Yatra with Mahaprabhu himself. From the look of the people that were in the streets witnessing this spectacle, it was obvious they could not quite comprehend what was going on, but they were transfixed nonetheless.

The Rathayatra carried on, with Kripamoya Prabhu eventually taking over the kirtan until they reached Trafalgar Square. The whole of Trafalgar Square was taken over by devotees and various Krishna conscious stalls, tents and gazebos. And the fun just carried on and on. In Trafalgar Square, they have the famous Nelsons column. At the base of the column is a gigantic, square granite platform and on each corner of this platform are positioned four humongous statues of lions. So what do the Hare Krishnas do? They convert the entire platform into a stage for some mega, fired up kirtans. Audacious and brilliant!!! Surprise, surprise Maharaj is right there in the thick of it. Not long after the chariots have come into Trafalgar Square, Maharaj is right up there in front of Nelson’s column, slap bang in the centre of two majestic lions, giving the kirtan of a lifetime. With a vocal baseline, deep enough to shatter a ribcage and some seriously loud but rhythmic vocals, Maharaj is in his element singing one of his trademark tunes with a strong, commanding and somewhat dark flavor. Like his majestic surroundings, Maharaj looks and sounds like a King!

While Maharaj was absorbed in taking Central London into the stratosphere, in another corner of Trafalgar Square in a small tent, Jayadvaita Maharaj was absorbed in bringing the materially illusioned Londoners back to reality with his engaging philosophical discussions mainly based around his new book Vanity Karma, an insightful and incisive commentary on The Ecclesiastes section from the Bible; from the philosophical vantage point of the Bhagavad-gita. Needless to say there were plenty of questions from the audience about karma, suffering, the notion of morality, fairness and cosmic justice, and how these concepts play out in our everyday lives.

Maharaj’s Ratha Yatra kirtans are still ringing in one’s ears… London Ratha Yatra 2015 Ki Jai! Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai! HH Jayadvaita Maharaj Ki Jai! HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaj Ki Jaiiiii!

Hare Krishna! Pure love
In a temple of jewels in Vrindavana, underneath a desire tree, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them. The Gaudiya Vaisnava, generally, following the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they aspire to become one of the assistants of the gopis. There are others also who like to be the assistants of the cowherd boys. So our Gosvamis, Rupa Gosvami, sri rupa sanatana bhatta raghunatha, they were all the assistants of the gopis.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18152

Just this morning Srila Prabhupada’s disciple, Kurma Rupa prabhu, passed away in Sri Vrindavan dhama due to cancer. He took care of Krsna’s cows in Vraja for many, many years. Below BB Govinda Maharaja recounts his visit to Kurma Rupa prabhu a few days back. Thank you Kurma Rupa prabhu for showing us how to [...]

Some people ask, “Scripture requires us to restrict worldly enjoyment. Why should we restrict our enjoyment like this? Why can’t we enjoy without any restriction?”

The fact is that it is not scripture alone that restricts our worldly enjoyment – many other factors restrict it too, the most inescapable of which is the body itself. Even if we somehow did away with all restrictions such as scriptural (by rejecting scripture), cultural (by adopting a licentious culture) or financial (by having as much money as we want for enjoying), still we can’t do away with the body’s restriction – its limited capacity to enjoy. Consider the enjoyment through eating. Even if we owned the world’s best hotel that had the best cuisines and the best chefs, still we wouldn’t be able to enjoy food unrestrictedly – our stomach’s limited capacity would put an unavoidable cap on our enjoyment.

The same bodily restriction applies to the endlessly glamorized pleasure of sex too. Though the media often depicts unending erotic bliss, such depictions are counter-factual – the fact is that the body’s capacity for sexual indulgence is limited, like a water-filled sponge’s capacity to give out water.

Someone may argue, “Ok, even if we can’t enjoy unrestrictedly, we can still enjoy as much as our bodily capacity. Why does scripture impose further restriction on that enjoyment?”

The purpose of scriptural regulation is not to deprive us of happiness, but to direct us towards lasting happiness. The primary message of scripture is not that we restrict bodily enjoyment, but that we seek spiritual fulfillment. The Bhagavad-gita explains that we are at our core eternal souls and are parts of the Supreme Soul, Krishna, who is the all-attractive reservoir of infinite pleasure. By following the Gita’s guidelines to practice yoga, especially bhakti-yoga, we can realize our spiritual nature, connect with Krishna and thereby relish eternal spiritual happiness. While we pursue yogic connection with Krishna, the Gita asks us to regulate worldly enjoyment so that our mind can peacefully focus on higher, spiritual realities. Otherwise, if there were no such regulation, the mind would be obsessed with, indeed consumed by, cravings for enjoyment. If our mind is filled with the search for the next worldly object to enjoy, we will have no mental space left to search for the Absolute Truth.

Therefore, though it may seem that scripture restricts our enjoyment to even lesser than our bodily capacity for enjoyment, the reality is that it redirects our consciousness from matter to spirit so that we can relish unending spiritual happiness. The Bhagavad-gita (02.64) assures us that by following scriptural rules, we attain mercy and purity – which in turn paves our way to lasting happiness (02.65).

To better understand this, consider the example of a horse tethered to a pole by a ten-feet rope. If it keeps tugging at the rope, it may stretch the rope to twelve feet, but it still remains bound. If on the other hand, instead of wasting its energy in tugging at the rope, the horse focuses on learning what its master is teaching, then once it is trained, it will be freed of its tether and it can gallop joyfully with its master.

Similarly, if we keep tugging at the rope of restriction, we may extend our enjoyment from the ten-feet length of scripturally sanctioned enjoyment to the twelve-feet length of the body’s maximum capacity for enjoyment. But still our enjoyment will remain limited and our longing for lasting happiness will remain unfulfilled. If instead we focus our attention on learning the art of finding spiritual happiness that scripture teaches, then we can raise our consciousness from the material to the spiritual level and thereby attain lasting happiness and fulfill forever our longing for happiness.

Every analogy has its limitation. So while the horse may be able to break free from the rope without obeying its master, we can’t break free from the restriction on our enjoyment without raising our consciousness to the spiritual level. Additionally, while tugging at the tether may cause the horse minor sores on its leg or neck – the bodily part by which it is tethered – stretching our enjoyment beyond the scripturally sanctioned regulation can have major consequences. Overeating can cause various obesity- and food-related diseases and indiscriminate sexual indulgence can cause various sexually transmitted diseases or even martial ruptures. And we have not yet considered the mental enslavement caused by addiction. The urge for sensual gratification, when fed by repeated indulgence, grows into a sickening addiction that goads us perpetually to seek sense objects and strips us of our peace of mind and our concentration-capacity for doing anything constructive.

Much better that we regulate our bodily enjoyment and redirect our search for happiness to the spiritual level. There and there alone will our longing for happiness be perfectly and perennially fulfilled.

Ratha Yatra in Paris, France (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This chanting of Hare Krishna is welfare work for all sentient beings, even the worms, the microbes, the cockroaches. So many living entities are in this room and by hearing this vibration of Hare Krishna mantra they will be also derive benefit. (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita, 5.17-24, Los Angeles, 1969)
See them here: https://goo.gl/VRtTlv

Ekadasi Sunday Feast – 28 June 2015 at ISKCON New Govardhana – Sri Sri Radha Govardhanadhari (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/i3KVHf

Kurma Rupa Prabhu - Back Home Back to Godhead (Album with photos)
Cremation ceremony.
See them here: https://goo.gl/P27R9S

Outside of Varnashram Dharma
Yadava Das: O saintly ba-ba-ji-, householder devotees live under the shelter of the varn.a-s'rama system. May a householder devotee leave the varn.a-s'rama system? Ananta Das: Ah! The vais.n.ava religion is very broad and generous. Another name for the vais.n.ava religion is ‘jaiva-dharma’, the religion for all human beings. This means that every human being is qualified to join the vais.n.ava religion. Even outcastes may embrace the vais.n.ava religion and live as householders. For them there is no varn.a-s'rama. Those who break the varn.a-s'rama rules of sannya-sa may, by associating with devotees, attain pure devotional service and be householder devotees. For them there are no rules of varn.a-s'rama. Those who because of their misdeeds have left the varn.a-s'rama system may still, along with their children, take shelter of pure devotional service in the association of the devotees. Then they are householder devotees, but they are not part of the varn.a-s'rama system. Householder devotees are of two kinds: varn.a-s'rama-dharma-yukta, those who follow the varn.a-s'rama system, and varn.a-s'rama-dharma-rahita, those who do not follow the varn.a-s'rama system.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/qQdOHf

Evgeniy Smitskiy: How it is that ahankara coming in contact with the mode of passion created reason (buddhi) and in contact with goodness created the mind (manas) but not opposite? Does it mean that intelligence is not as subtle or sattvika as the mind?

The post A quickie appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Hare Krishna! Homage to Kurma Rupa Prabhu
I knew Kurma Rupa Prabhu since 30 plus years. First as a Gurukula teacher of my children then as a protector of sick and old and rejected cows. The most important quality I found in him was freedom from envy. Like the six Goswamis he loved all without malice. He was simple, straightforward and honest to the core. He not only treated sick cows but he treated sick and old rejects men like me. After Srila Prabhupada’s departure, he was one of the few persons I could go for advise and feel assured it is what Krsna desires. He grew up in New york to Mexican parents. He was married when he joined ISKCON on the 55th street building in Manhattan.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18146

Chicago Ratha Yatra 2015 (Album with 29 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “The essence of all Vedic knowledge—comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity, the Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods—is included in the eight syllables Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience.” (Narada-pancharatra)
See them here: https://goo.gl/8flxjH

The “Pizza Effect” - Devamrita Swami (6 min video)
The strategy Srila Prabhupada used to re-introduce India to its own culture!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/LTsJZZ

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From Hari Hara Iyer Prabhu: And what about thoughts about Krishna? Aren’t they spiritual?
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The post Daily Darshan – June 27th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Why check whether something has a natural cause or a divine cause? Doesn’t everything have a divine cause?

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The post Daily Darshan – June 29th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Iskcon London Mangala Arati – 22.06.2015

“Plants have souls, too – but you eat them”

OK, that’s true.

Life = “soul”. Anything that’s alive therefore has “soul.” Plants have souls and animals have souls and humans have souls, yes. And so do germs. But the BODIES of different life-forms are different, and expose different degrees of the life-force/consciousness. The human body exposes a lot of consciousness, and plants , insects and germs expose very little. Killing a human is therefore more violent than killing and animal, which is more violent than killing a plant, which is more violent than killing a germ. The idea of Vegetarianism is not to “eliminate” violence but to “reduce” it as much as we reasonably can.

Humans have canine teeth, so they are omnivores

Carnivores have no molars, all fangs. Herbivores have molars and may also have a few sharp teeth to help with splitting the foods.

Carnivores have short intestines. Yes, any body type can somewhat digest anything, but the main diet of a creature with grinding teeth/jaws and long intestines is herbivore, and the main diet of a creature with sharp fangs and short intestines is carnivore.

God said we can eat meat

The bible in founded on 10 principles, the first of which is, “Thou shalt not kill” – not “thou shalt not murder.” The herbrew is lo tritzach which means “no killing” not “no murder” – murder is included in killing, but not visa-versa.

The bible is full of slaughtered lambs and calls for human sacrifice and dominion over all things

A sacrifice is not a “killing.” If not, the fact that the hebrew god called Abraham to sacrifice his son would contradict the commandment “thou shalt not kill” even if that commandment only refers to murder.

Humans do have dominion over the earth. But dominion does not mean the right to exploit and kill. A father has some “dominion” over his family, but this means it is his duty to protect and maintain them, not that it is his right to slaughter and eat them.

Additionally, much of the bible describes things that disappointed and pissed Yahweh off.

Things eating other things everywhere you look. If that’s not what God intended then why is it everywhere?”

This pretends that God is all-powerful and the individual has no will and no power at all. Messed up things (violence, etc) happen because indivduals have quite a lot of power and will, and usually use it selfishly. Not because God gets a rush and a kick from violence.

Things eat things everywhere, but most things eat what is natural for them to eat, and also, the human being is distinguished by its intellect and ability to promote itself above the rest of the world – so to say “well tigers do it, so we can do it too” is really not taking advantage of what it means to be a human. If we are better than beasts, then we really should be better than beasts.

Vraja Kishor

VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: Vegetarianism

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The scholars concealed their anger and approached Vena, placating him with gentle words. “Great and beloved king,” they said, “we would like to reveal something to you. If you accept and understand it, your health, wealth, power, and fame will greatly enhance.”

“Speak,” said the king.

“Religion is a most important thing,” the scholars explained. “A citizen who is religious does not cause problems with their intellect, body, desires, or words. And religion also bestows immortality to those who are detached from externalities. O hero, you should not outlaw religion, for it calms and governs the people. A king who abolishes religion easily falls from majesty.

“A king deserves to accept taxes in tribute and thus enjoy great wealth because he protects the from the likes of thieves and manipulative ‘guidence.’ A king also deserves to enjoy in his next life, because he helps the citizens of his kingdom to worship the All-Attractive Personification of Sacrifice by carrying out their four social and religious roles.”

The king’s smile faded and his eye began to twitch.

“Most blessed Lord,” the scholars continued, “all people, all kings, even all the gods up to and including the masters of the masters of the universe, pay tribute to him with great affection. For he is the All Attractive Maintainer of Existence and the Soul of All, and is completely satisfied by anyone who follows his orders. When he is satisfied with someone, nothing is impossible for them to achieve. He is the one who grants entry to the god’s paradise. He is the essence of knowledge. He is the essence of wealth. He is the essence of discipline. Therefore it would be best for everyone if you would enjoin your people to worship him according to their various desires and conceptions.

“If the priests in your kingdom worship the demigods, who are expansions of Hari, the gods will feel properly respected and will be very pleased to give you everything you desire. It would be best for you not to disrespect them.”

Vena’s face had grown sour, despite his efforts to appear calm. When the scholars finished their sermon, the King scoffed. “Ha!” he spat disdainfully. “You are so childish! You think immorality is morality. You want people to ignore their true husband, and have an affair by worshipping some other protector!

“Any jackass who does not acknowledge the Supreme Master in the form of their king will not receive anything auspicious in this life, or after death! Who is this ‘All-Attractive Personification of Sacrifice’ you love so much? You are like sluts who adore some lover more than their own husband!

“Viṣnu, Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Vāyu, Yama, Ravi the sun, Parjanya the rain-giver, Dhanada the lord of wealth, Soma the moon, Kṣiti the earth, Agni the fire, and Varuṇa the lord of waters – all of them, and all the other wise gods, entrust the King with their powers to bless or curse. Thus the King is known as the essence of all the gods!

“Therefore, scholars, the priests should dedicate their ceremonies to me, without envy. They should bring their offerings to me. Who but me should be the first to enjoy all things?”

– Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.14.13 ~ 28
Translated by Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: gods, kings, leaders

The Lord is always ready to reciprocate with us, He wants us to depend on Him.
If we make an effort with our Japa - try hard to pronounce the words clearly and to listen carefully, then the Lord has something to reciprocate with.
The reciprocation of Krsna is that we feel spiritual energy and by this experience our faith in the Holy names is increased.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17.

“This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values. Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold.”

—SB 2.3.17 purport

Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17

Written by Bhakta Nandan

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Arrival in England (10 June)

The time is 6.38 pm at Luton Airport. A handful of Maharaj’s disciples are waiting in anticipation at the arrivals lounge, namely Sutapa, Ter Kadamba, Saurab, Godruma, Ganesh and Nandan. Maharaj was coming to the UK from Zurich where the temperature was reportedly a lot better. What to expect, Great Britain has never been known for her great weather!

After about half an hour, Maharaj came out and when he saw the devotees, he immediately started grinning. Needless to say, so were the devotees. He looks up at Godruma Prabhu – a tall, robust German disciple who had just arrived the day before and remarked to him, ‘You’re floating! Ratha Yatra is coming up!!’ So it seems Maharaj was already tingling in anticipation of the festivities.

From the airport, Maharaj along with his merry band of disciples, set off for Krishna Kirtan Prabhu’s house and after about an hour, everyone arrived at the house. After a bit of conversing, it was inevitable Maharaj would soon steer the subject towards Brahmananda Prabhu who had just recently passed away and was one of the pivotal members in setting up Iskcon.

It was obvious that Maharaj had a deep reverence, love and friendship with Brahmananda Prabhu and he recalled that no one had such absorption in always remembering Srila Prabhupada, twenty-four hours a day as did Brahmananda Prabhu.

For the next few hours, Maharaj just started glorifying Brahmananda Prabhu nonstop – his life, his achievements, his qualities and everything in between. It was truly wonderful to behold. Details will be shared later.

Whilst Maharaj is revealing all this nectar, I was actually seated opposite Maharaj, trying to subtly scribble away in my notebook; primarily for the blog but also for my personal benefit for posterity. Anyhow, as I am writing away, Maharaj gradually looks at me straight in the eye and in a loud but humorous manner; Maharaj says to me “What are you? The paparazzi for ISKCON? Is this your swarupa bhava?!!!!?”

All the devotees became hysterical at Maharaj’s jolly outburst. And Maharaj then went onto say how in the spiritual world there are various personalities passing notes and exchanging information from Radha and Krishna or from one group to another etc. On that note, Maharaj called it a day and the devotees left thoroughly satisfied and looking forward to what would be a great week ahead

 

Morning Class at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.39

The next morning Maharaj arrived at the Manor temple to give class. He started with a wonderfully, jazzy Jaya Radha Madhava prayer and then went onto speak on how King Yayati regained his youth, all for the purpose of sex enjoyment. It was a brilliant class and true to form, Maharaj told it like it is – straight and direct. He continuously emphasized throughout the class that no amount of sense enjoyment can extinguish lusty desires. Rather one’s thirst will increase even when the body is gradually breaking down.

After the class, Maharaj received a whole bunch of Mother Kalangana’s legendary mangal arati sweets along with the morning maha-prasadam. Needless to say, Maharaj couldn’t physically honor all of the sweets but at least he did in spirit. After spending time speaking to some of the Manor devotees, who had a lot of great affection for him, Maharaj made his way to Krishna Kirtan Prabhu’s dental surgery for that much needed appointment for a niggling toothache. In the evening, an interesting Chinese sanga program awaited Maharaj at Reading University, thanks to the intrepid preaching efforts of Bhaktin Suan.

 

Reading University, Chinese Sanga group

A spacious room at the university was provided for Maharaj at the evening program. A handful of Maharaj’s disciples were present but the main audience consisted of about thirty Chinese women in their late 30’s and early 40’s, who were predominantly teachers. They seemed to be quite a sober, reserved but a very respectful bunch.

The disciples had arranged so that all the chairs were at the back of the room and most of the space was cleared so that people could sit on the floor; thus creating a more informal atmosphere. At the front, a makeshift vyasasana with cushions and covering shawl was created for Maharaj. The overall effect was appealing. It signified something exotic but not too bohemian. So Maharaj started off with a quote from social anthropology about the human personality being composed of nature and culture,

“Nature is deep within us, whilst culture is something we grew up with. Culture has many functions, it is meant for cultivating certain qualities and avoiding certain qualities. In this way, the world has culture in which humans find shelter and protection. The ancient cultures, including Indian and China, were of a deeper nature with more emphasis on values; whereas the modern cultures are based on, ‘When’s the money coming?’”

A few of the Chinese women were nodding their heads, seemingly in agreement, although one could have also considered it as some form of cultural etiquette. Saying that, they were diligently taking notes… more so than probably a lot of devotees do! Further details of the class will be shared later.

At the end of the class, the final question to Maharaj was rather funny. One of the ladies asked why did Maharaj have a Chinese surname.

It goes without saying that this question did bring forth a few chuckles from those assembled. For those of you who don’t know, Maharaj’s birth surname is Kok. Maharaj said how he was in Canada at the time of the SARS virus so his name came up on the computer. The airport official looked at the name and was a little perplexed. Here was Maharaj, by all accounts having very North European features but with a dhoti and chadar and a name like Kok. Somehow, the official concluded this gentleman must be in Chinese and so they kept him in custody! (Further laughter)

Maharaj then finally clarified that Kok is also a Dutch surname meaning ‘to cook’. The Chinese lady then responded by saying that Kok in Chinese is related to castles. Maharaj then thought for a while and with a grin stated that he preferred the Chinese definition for his name! The Chinese ladies then all laughed in appreciation.

Maharaj then finished off with a sweet melodic, low-key kirtan – just right for the mood and audience. And while it would’ve been too much to expect the ladies to join in the kirtan full on, it was nice to see most of them cheerfully clapping and tapping their feet to Maharaj’s lilting harmony. Overall it was a good preaching engagement, but Maharaj did confess afterwards that he would’ve preferred seeing more men in the audience. I guess that is something extra the dynamic Bhaktin Suan can put on her ‘to do’ list.

 

Morning Class at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.40

The life of a sannyasi in Iskcon is extremely busy. Maharaj’s schedule bears this out explicitly. Straight after yesterday’s late program at Reading University, Maharaj was again ready for another action packed day. First stop, the Manor, to give another Bhagavatam class. Carrying on with the adventures of King Yayati, Maharaj spoke on why King Yadu refused the request of his father – not a particularly Vedic thing to do.

Whilst the previous class was quite punchy, designed to jolt and excite, this class was more reflective with moments of tenderness and poignancy. The class finished with a video of Brahmananda Prabhu recollecting his experiences with Srila Prabhupada. Maharaj meanwhile went to the back of the temple room and just stood there upright watching the video with what seemed like a look of pleasure and reminiscence on his face.

 

Matchless Gifts Program

Later on in the day at Krishna Kirtan Prabhu’s house, Maharaj’s disciples talked with him about the horrors of ageing and growing old whilst desperately clinging to one’s fading youth. In a wonderful show of humour, Maharaj started impersonating himself doing kirtan in classic rocker style.

Later that evening, Maharaj and the devotees got ready to go to the Matchless Gifts program at King’s Cross. Whilst there was a lot of traffic, the journey was very pleasant, mainly because of all the wonderful conversations Maharaj was having with the devotees in the car. The topics covered almost everything under the sun from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada, one’s personal spiritual life and fellow devotees, all the way to the state of modern society and contemporary history. After about an hour of driving, the unmistakable Matchless Gifts storefront in King’s Cross came into view. As Jayadvaita Maharaj once remarked, “It’s straight from 1968.” Outside the storefront on the street, there was already a huge group of devotees doing an exuberant harinam. Unsurprisingly, this was led by the Harinam Ruci guys and they were going for it full throttle.

Once inside, I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever saw Matchless gifts that packed!! There was a time, a few years back, when Lokanatha Maharaj was at Matchless Gifts that could’ve possibly rivalled today in terms of crowd, either way, it was absolutely heaving inside. Maharaj knew very well that the Matchless Gifts crowd have got a strong ‘social fringe’ element to it and they really dig kirtan – the funkier and fired up, the better. So Maharaj didn’t even go for any small talk, just went straight into kirtan. He immediately noticed Gopinath Prabhu at the back of the room and says in his deep voice, ‘Gopinatha Prabu, where’s your base?’ Gopinatha Prabhu was on it like a shot. Vishnujana Prabhu from Harinam Ruci was already going crazy on his trademark golden, band-style drum nicknamed the ‘Golden Avatar’ and Arjuna Prabhu was pulling out all the stops on the mrdanga.

The crowd was an eclectic mix of Reiki masters, herbalists, Hare Krishnas, ayurvedic doctors and lawyers amongst others. The kirtan was something out of this world, one still wonders how a gentleman in his 60’s can bring out so much gusto, limitless energy, potency and whip the crowd into a complete state of frenzy and obsession on the holy name. It could only be Krishna’s empowerment. Maharaj was giving two hundred percent on the harmonium and the tamboura drums were working in tenth gear. Initially, Maharaj started with one of his famous kirtan mela tunes but as he built the tune to a crescendo, it sort of morphed into this deep tribal way of chanting. It was all over for any prudes in the room. Everyone just got up and Gaura Karuna Prabhu stood on one of the seats, blowing his bugle with every single bit of air left in his lungs. Everyone was jumping up and shouting, boiling and sweating. At one point, Maharaj himself just stopped singing, and the devotees just kept going on, firing it away.

Maharaj then exclaimed, ‘It’s too hot in here! Let’s cool down.’ Everyone just sat down and then Maharaj broke into slow, traditional Vrindavana style kirtan. Maharaj then told everyone to close their eyes and go deep! He then started lilting the melody and gradually increased the speed. The first line would be high; the second line would be low – like a meandering river. Then Maharaj started putting in some tonal breaks which rose like jagged mountain peaks, in the otherwise smooth melodic landscape. Soon the speed, the energy and tonality started getting more intense and before you knew it, people started getting up and the kirtan just got faster and faster, more intense, more fiery.

Maharaj started waving his arms and everyone started doing the same. Then one of the guys in the room bought out an Islamic war drum (complete with Arabic inscriptions on it) and started playing it with incredible dexterity and skill. Then the beat just got faster, faster, faster, faster, louder, louder, louder and the guy on the drum started banging it unbelievably HARD!! As abruptly as it started, it then slowed down suddenly as well! The kirtan then seamlessly changed into a nice chilling beat.

At this point, the harmonium keys started playing up, Maharaj said that it ‘needs a dentist to straighten out the teeth’. Once the kirtan started to calm down, Maharaj decided to speak a little. The audience looked like they just came out of a blast furnace. So Maharaj spoke about how the holy names are the most merciful form of Krishna. In this yuga, chanting is the quickest way. In Caitanya Bhagavata, Caitanya Mahaprabhu would dance like he was cracking the floor. In Mauritius kirtan mela, he had mentioned this to the devotees and the next day, they cracked the floor!

Maharaj concluded the talk by saying he hoped to meet everyone at Ratha Yatra which took place on Sunday (14 June). In Srila Prabhupada’s time, newspapers wrote how the Chariots rivalled Nelson’s column; this was Srila Prabhupada’s victory. So these London Chariots are special. The London Ratha Yatra is so special that Srila Prabhupada just went for it here; he just danced and danced. In other words, this festival made it into his ecstasies.

Maharaj then ended the night with a Western style, folksy kirtan. It was steady and powerful. Maharaj’s voice went deep for this one and he was really holding the notes. One of Maharaj’s senior disciples, Sadbhuja Prabhu from Germany, was especially noted for his wild dancing to this kirtan. This was quite extraordinary, since Sadbhuja is actually one of the most serious, ‘prim and proper’ devotees one could meet. Whilst Sadbhuja was getting his groove on at the front, the rest of the people linked together and did a kind of ‘soul train’ around the room. All in all, a transcendentally exhilarating evening and then on the way back in the car, Maharaj spent most of the journey glorifying Parashuram Prabhu, the dynamic devotee who runs Matchless Gifts, Food for life and a whole host of other projects in the UK.

The London Ratha Yatra festival took place the next day; a report will follow soon. On Wednesday, 17 June, Maharaj left for the USA.

Hare Krishna! “As It Is”
We might take the “As It Is” in our Bhagavad-gita title for granted. All authors want to be different and original. With many versions of Bhagavad-gita already available, Srila Prabhupada’s “As It Is” addition was a very bold and provocative one. He is saying, “this is it, how it should be, the definitive and genuine Bhagavad-gita”. Who else can claim this with confidence? Considering that there are many ways of looking at Krishna’s song of wisdom, and studying it from different angles of vision, it is all the more brazen to say, “As It Is”. What confidence Srila Prabhupada had. It was not blind confidence that sought to be different and original for the sake of it. Though “As It Is” appeared to be different and original, his conviction was such that he could say how God spoke Bhagavad-gita. This chimes with his ability to say, “this is a fact, and that is a fact”.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18140

Rathayatra festival in Florence, Italy (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Padyavali there is a statement by some devotees: “We shall not care for any outsiders. If they should deride us, we shall still not care for them. We shall simply enjoy the transcendental mellow of chanting Hare Krishna, and thus we shall roll on the ground and dance ecstatically. In this way we shall eternally enjoy transcendental bliss.” (Nectar of Devotion, 27)
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Answer Podcast:

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Harinama by ISKCON São Paulo devotees (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: It is essential that one constantly associate with pure devotees who are engaged morning and evening in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. In this way one will get the chance to purify his heart and develop ecstatic pure love for Krishna. (Nectar of Devotion, 17)
See them here: https://goo.gl/Svg7K9