Planet ISKCON

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

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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

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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

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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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)
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Sunday Feast Lecture at Radha Gopinath Temple

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Hare Krishna! Deciphering the Codes of Kali
Many have tried to pinpoint the origin of the world’s evils. In the game of finger-pointing, one group always blames another. Frequently named culprits include the Vatican, Washington DC, London bankers, and Hollywood. Others point to secret societies, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Then there are the world corporations and the financial institutions that run them. Many simply accuse unqualified world leaders who opportunely act like bumbling idiots whenever it becomes convenient. Shrila Prabhupada sums it up, “When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18136

Hare Krishna! Until the Cows Come Home
I was being pushed constantly in the press of human and animal traffic, feeling somewhat battered, longing for a solitary place. Suddenly a large bull knocked into me, pushing me into the oncoming traffic. I was hit by a car, breaking both my legs and various other bones on the left side of my body. I lay there in shock, trying to recover my senses. As the reality of what happened sunk in, so did the pain—I couldn’t move, and was bleeding profusely. But the worst was yet to come. The driver of the car got out and asked some bystanders to help him drag me to the side of the road. Imagine the pain! Then he took a can of motor oil from his trunk and poured it on my wounds. What madness was this? He told horrified bystanders that this would keep infection away from my wounds and that I would be okay in a few days.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18133

Grand New Temple to be a Center of Education and Learning in Baltimore
Construction has begun on a grand new ISKCON temple in Baltimore, Maryland, which devotees hope will reach more local people and provide the facilities to better care for the existing congregation. ISKCON devotees first established a temple in Baltimore in the early 1970s, to which ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada responded, “I am so glad… Baltimore is a very important city of your country and we must maintain our center there at all costs.” In 1974, the current temple at 200 Bloomsbury Avenue in the suburb of Catonsville was acquired, and in 1976, Srila Prabhupada visited it, making it a dhama, or holy place in the eyes of ISKCON followers. For at least the past two decades, ISKCON Baltimore has been a small center, and the congregation remains at only around 150 people today. But it has been growing, with more young Indians and Westerners becoming regular visitors due to several innovative outreach programs.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/rt2fKB

Children’s Rathayatra in Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria) 2015 (5 min video)
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Harinama at Burleigh Heads - 28 June 2015 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Adi Purana Krishna tells Arjuna: “Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I become easily purchased.” (Nectar of Devotion, 12)
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And so the US supreme court has recognised same sex marriage in the USA.

The post As Srila Prabhupada said, democracy means demoncrazy appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Harinama in Florence with exceptional participation from the public! (22 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Pure devotees chant the Hare Krishna mantra, and simply by hearing this chanting from a purified transcendental person, one is purified of all sinful activities, no matter how lowborn or fallen one may be. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.126 Purport)
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Children’s Rathayatra at Gauranga festival – Ukraine, 13-Jun-2015 (4 min video)
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On June 28th, 2015, at 8.45 AM on the auspicious Padmini ekadasi in the greatly auspicious month of Purushottoma, amongst the sacred cows in the holy land of Vrindavan, Mathura, Kurma-rupa Das left his body surrounded by devotees, Vrajavasis, and uplifting Hare Krishna kirtan, with sacred tulasi on his tongue and head and his salagram-sila on his chest. 

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Harinama in Paris, France (Album with photos)
Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune and initiating the flow of waves of love for Krishna.
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Harinam at New Garden Park, Rawang 28/06/15 (Album with photos)
Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia HQ
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The latest issue of Sri Krishna-kathamrita Bindu e-magazine was just released. This issue includes: * FOOD RELIEF OPERATIONS – instructions from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. * EXTERNALLY ATTACHED, INTERNALLY DETACHED – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja speaks about grhastha-ashram. * DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE OTHERS – A fresh translation done especially for this issue of Bindu from the Udyoga-parva of the Mahabharata.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18127

How can we stay open to new ideas without weakening our convictions?

When our senses are designed by God and they are defective, doesn’t that make God’s design defective?

How can the spiritual soul taste or enjoy a material sweet?

How should we respond to classes that seem confusing and contradictory to the standard philosophical understanding

What is the difference between object and concept – and how does it apply to our philosophy?

What should a devotee do on being overcome by temptation?

When Krishna says that the knowledge in disciplic succession was lost, weren’t the four sampradayas available at that time?

What is the difference between nitya and shashvata in Gita 2.20?

When the guru is mostly inaccessible to disciples, isn’t initiation just a rubber-stamp?

What is the difference between phenomenal and numinous in Gita 7.2

Is the prayer to get a good spouse a material prayer?

Is a devotee’s grihastha-ashrama a failure if the children don’t become devotees?

How do we decide which of our emotions are material and which are spiritual?

As yogis become bhaktas at their topmost stage does that mean we should practice yoga before bhakti?

Is it selfish to want taste in chanting?

Why does Krishna refer to someone else as the object of surrender in the Gita 18.62?

Dharma is that which is coming from God – do the Abrahamic religions also come from Krishna

If Arjuna was superior to Karna, why does Bhagavatam say he was a small fish in an ocean of giant fishes?

How can we keep our mind steady amidst outer agitation and inner temptation?

How can we stay open to new ideas without weakening our convictions?

Evening Kirtan ( Ujjain01.03.2015 )

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Kurma Rupa prabhu left this world in Vrindavana.
At 8.45am on the auspicious Padmini ekadasi (June 27th, 2015) in the greatly auspicious month of Purushottoma, amongst the sacred cows in the glorious Care for Cows Go-sadan in the holy land of Vrindavan, Mathura, the most-dear-to-the-cows Kurma-rupa prabhu left his body surrounded by devotees, Vrajavasis, and uplifting Hare Krishna kirtan, with sacred tulasi on his tongue and head and his salagram-sila Giriraja Maharaja on his chest. Tears of joy and sadness flowed freely as Prabhu peacefully continued to his next service.

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Link to Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 21 Verse 136

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