Kurma Rupa Das: “My Part Of The Bargain”
→ ISKCON News

Kurma Rupa Das has lived in Vrindavan, India for many decades. He established Care for Cows, an international network that helps abandoned, sick or injured cows in Vrindavan for more than 25 years. He has been actively working to create awareness, educate, give guidance and support to likeminded charitable organisations worldwide. He passed away on June 28th in Vrindavan, India. A video by Syam Gopal Das and Vijay Radhika Dasi (www.vrindavanexperience.com)

A Lot of Musicians Are Into This Book
→ The Enquirer

By the time I left New York, Beyond had become pretty huge, at least relative to the size of Hardcore Punk. What started off as the offshoot of a battle-of-the-bands project now played real shows with real bands to real people paying real money. What started off as a high-school hobby now had national attention in the hardcore punk scene.

We even had a record offer! Of course we are talking hardcore punk, not motown. Our “record offer” was from John Porcel – guitarist of Youth of Today, singer and mastermind of the band who practically invented militant straightedge, Project X, and the Chief Executive Officer and Primary Shareholder of a record label called Schism Records. (Schism’s stock traded only slightly higher than Shred Zine Records but was destined for greatness with such an influential figure at the helm).

So, at the end of the Summer of 88, I flew back from San Diego to New York to record a full-length LP record with Beyond. The flight had one stop, in Texas, where I had to change planes. As I walked through the airport with a guitar, skate-punk clothes, and dreadlocks, a short man walked up to me, middle-aged and with round glasses over his kind eyes.

“You must be a musician,” he said. “Are you on your way to play a concert?”

“No,” I said, secretly thrilled to have the chance to say, “I am going to record an album.”

“Wow, that’s great!” he exclaimed, and reached into a large bag at his waist, hanging from his shoulder by a strap that went across his chest. “You would really like this book. A lot of musicians really like this book.”

I recognized the book the instant he began pulling it from his bag. “That’s Bhagavad-Gītā!!!” I exclaimed.

He froze with the book in his hand instead of handing it to me immediately like a properly trained salesman should. “You know about the Bhagavad-Gītā?” He asked in amazement.

“Yeah!” I said, “Can I have it?”

He was delighted to hand it to me. “How do you know about Bhagavad-Gītā?”

“Some of the bands I am into are into Krishna consciousness,” I said. “I’ve read one book… eesshoo…”

I struggled with the pronunciation, so he helped me, “Īśopaniṣad?”

“Yeah! And a few other zines and magazines.”

“That’s great!” he said, eyes as wide as his smile. “Can you give a donation to cover the cost of printing?”

“Well… I sent away for a free copy of Bhagavad Gītā,” I explained, “but it never came. Sooo… can’t you just give me it?”

He thought about it for a moment and then said, “Yeah, I suppose so… Sure, why not!”

Finally, I had a copy of Bhagavad-Gītā! Between this book and Śrī Īśopaniṣad I felt prepared to learn more about Krishna than any punker had ever dared to learn before.

— An excerpt from the first draft of
Train Wrecks and Transcendence:
A Collision of Hardcore and Hare Krishna

by Vraja Kishor

VrajaKishor.com


Tagged: airports, Bhagavad Gita, book distribution

Purusottama Month
→ Ramai Swami

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Once upon a time, by the arrangement of providence, an extra month came to this world. Every one took this month to be most inauspicious.

The personality of this month was very sad and went to see Lord Visnu in Vaikuntha. Lord Visnu said that only Lord Krsna could remedy the situation.

Lord Krsna said, “I shall make this poor extra month just like Me in quality, fame, opulence, realisation, success, and in giving benediction to the devotees.”

“This month will become equally potent to Me. I am bestowing all of My divine qualities in this abused month. Named after Me, this month will be famous as Purushottama month in this world.”

All human beings should perform some devotional service in this Purushottama month by:

  1. Worshipping Sri Krishna, chanting His holy name 
2. Studying Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, particularly Chapter Fifteen, Purushottama Yoga 
3. Giving in charity 
4. Offering a ghee lamp daily.

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London Ratha Yatra 2015
→ KKSBlog

Written by Nandan

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!

london RY (3) london RY (5)

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…

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.

london RY (8) london RY (7)

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.

london RY (6) london RY (11)

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,…
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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

Kurma Rupa Prabhu
→ travelingmonk.com

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 [...]

Accepted restriction facilitates elevation – resented restriction doesn’t
→ The Spiritual Scientist

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…
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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

Outside of Varnashram Dharma Yadava Das: O saintly ba-ba-ji-,…
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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

Hare Krishna! Homage to Kurma Rupa Prabhu I knew Kurma Rupa…
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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…
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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

Bhagavatam-daily 252 – 11.12.09 – Religious activities should increase our Krishna consciousness, not our self-consciousness
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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Aren’t those who doubt whether Deities can perform miracles faithless skeptics?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

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

Answer Podcast:

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