Sunday afternoons at North Sydney temple are always packed out with enthusiastic devotees and guests coming from 5pm right through to 9pm.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 May 2015, Sydney, Australia, Sunday Feast Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 7.20)

We should read the Bhagavad-gita with a certain amount of introspection and a certain amount of reflection. We have to think about it and not just read…

“Are you reading Gita?”
(Indian accent) “Ah, yes, yes, yes. I am reading Gita too much. Every day, fifteen minutes. Jaya. Pakka. Every day. Never fail. Ah, yes. Very good.”
“But are you thinking about it? How many minutes are you thinking about it?”
“Thinking about it? What kind of question is that? I am reading.”
“Now you must think. Fifteen minutes reading then fifteen hours of thinking and the rest you can sleep.”

That means when we are awake, we need to think according to the Gita otherwise, what is the point of reading? It is not a ritual. “I am reading the Gita, fifteen minutes everyday. Mind switched off just reading, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ… I am reading. Too much. Very quickly also. You also reading… and thinking? We never think. Oh my God, thinking. We do not do that! Eating, sleeping, mating, no thinking. Not part of the, not in the list. Sorry! It is not there.” (laughter)

So this is the issue, we do not think! But the Bhagavad-gita is exactly the book for thinking, for contemplation. The whole purpose of the Gita is contemplation, to think about it! Therefore there is something called lectio divina, contemplated reading or reading sastra in a way where we are deeply trying to understand what this verse is trying to tell me? What is the message for me here, “Those, whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires.”

I did not know that intelligence could be stolen. Did you? Never thought of that. Intelligence stolen? And by who?

Intelligence gets stolen by material desires, by working for the material desires day and night, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ (Bhagavad-gita 7.20). Yes, there is a verse from Srila Rupa Goswami which describes the senses and we have to see that the senses are pushing and let us imagine it for a moment.

Say I have desk with many telephones on it and then, “Ring, ring, ring, ring.”

“Yes?”

“This is your tongue speaking. Are we going to eat something? I mean this Swami is talking forever but how about the sabji and puris? Are they coming already or what? I mean it is time for the sabji and puri.”

“Yes, yes, Mr. Tongue. Of course, just now coming. Please have a little patience but we are making the arrangements urgently and as soon as it is there, we will definitely go for the sabjis and puris.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Ring, ring, ring, ring.”

“Yes?”

“The ears. Can we switch to the other channel please? Something else. This has been going on too long. Something different, if possible, yes. Please switch, as soon as possible, to the other channel.”

“Yes, yes. Of course, of course. Yes. Yes.”

Oops. The red phone.

“Yes?”

“Hello, hello.”

“Yes?”

“This is your genitals speaking. It is weekend now and what more do I need to say. It is our time. Have you understood?”

“Yes, of course. Definitely. Absolutely. Whatever you say, I will bring.”

And then we bring. We bring the senses whatever the senses want. We work so hard to fulfil it. We will never say no to their demands and in the end, what will the senses say to us? The senses are totally, totally not grateful at all. They will say, “Is that all? Is that all you brought? Bring more, right now! You brought ice-cream but it is the wrong flavour! Go back! Bring more. There is no chocolate crunchies.”

Like this, the senses are never satisfied, kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas tesam jata mayi na karuna na trapa nopasantih (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 2.16). They have no mercy, na karuna na trapa nopasantih. They are merciless, the senses! They drive us. We bring them what they want and they are still not satisfied.

So back to the verse, “Those whose intelligence be stolen by material desires.” That means the intelligence works for the senses. We bring more and more to the senses and the senses are still not satisfied.

Krishna Lila Productions on Bandcamp
Parividha dasa: For your pleasure I have uploaded all my Krishna Lila musicals, dramas and comedies, as well as all the songs of my Soul Time CDs on bandcamp, where you can listen to them for free.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17971

Latest photo of HH Jayapataka Swami blissfully offering lamp to their Lordships during the presently ongoing Purushotham month.
Delhi ILBS Hospital 18th June, 2015
More photos here: https://goo.gl/uqhwvR

Towaco With Surprise Visit To Phoenix (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Prabhu: Last of our tour! We missed our connection in Phoenix and they rebooked us on a 1:30 AM flight on to Newark. So the Phoenix devotees came to the airport and picked us up and we paid a surprise visit to Iskcon Phoenix! Then on to our stately Mandir in Towaco, NJ, where they have the most beautiful Gaura Nitai!
See them here: https://goo.gl/rsHNgV

2015 Borehamwood, UK Rathayatra (Album with photos)
This place is famous for the movies made here. Starwars, Indiana Jones, Moby Dick, 2001-A Space Odyssey, Frozen, The Kings Speech, Superman and many more. So that was the theme of the small town parade of which the devotees headed by Parasuram prabhu have been part of for 28 years. A little cold and rainey but as Para says, “Just get on with it.” And we did, and it was blissful as usual…
See them here: https://goo.gl/MJXgJJ

Hare Krishna! Blessings for another ISKCON sannyasi
In 1987, Bhakti Carudesna Swami was a college student when he met a Sankirtan devotee who sold him Srila Prabhupada’s *Science of Self-realization*. That same year, a few months later, he joined the temple and became highly inspired to support Srila Prabhupada’s mission and preach in his country, Ivory Coast. In 1989, Carudesna, in 1989, received first initiation from His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja, and second initiation in 1995. That same year he took up the service as Temple President for Ivory Coast.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17968

Jnana, karma, yoga, they independently will not achieve love of Godhead. They will achieve knowledge, mystic power, wealth, so many think but can not achieve love of godhead. To be effective Bhakti should be there, Jnana misra bhakti or karma misra bhakti, it's mixed bhakti. Bhakti is independent, automatically include knowledge and renunciation. Jnana and vairagya They came automatically.

tasmān mad-bhakti-yuktasya  yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ  prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha

Therefore, for a devotee engaged in My loving service, with mind fixed on Me, the cultivation of knowledge and renunciation is generally not the means of achieving the highest perfection within this world.

http://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/11/20/31

Hare Krishna! Getting Serious About Liberation
Srila Prabhupada: : “My dear Lord Krishna, I have simply wasted my time.” Without Krishna consciousness, we are simply wasting time. We have great opportunity in the human form of life, but our attention is diverted simply for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. And our real business is spoiled. That is summarized by Narottama Dasa Thakura. Hari hari biphale janama gonainu: “I have simply spoiled my life.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17965

Guy rope has been positioned, pulled and secured.

Now the new segments are being installed to increase the height of the crane; the 2 segments – 19.5 feet (6 meters) each are to be placed by the end of this week!

The post Tower Crane – New Segments! appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Bhagavatam-class at the Manor: “One should be very much ashamed of remaining a householder and not promoting oneself to the two higher stages, namely vanaprastha and sannyasa.”

The post Varnasrama series appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Festival of India in Moldova (6 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Moldova is a landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine. This weekend we will hold our Festival of India at an exposition site near the center of the capital, Chisinau. Sixty devotees from 11 different countries will perform dance, drama, kirtan and more. Yesterday morning we took a few local devotees out on harinama to advertise the event. In the evening we were on Moldova’s most popular talk show for 90 minutes. One million people watched as we shared the blissful life of Krsna consciousness with them and invited everyone to the festival. Needless to say, we are the talk of the town.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/9estO8

http://bit.ly/1G8EEDa

The post Picnic in London appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Disciples meeting.

The post Preparing for the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s incorporation appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

New outreach for Syamarts
I would like to announce the opening of a Krsna Art e commerce site on Etsy.com This features the art work of Syam Priya dd disciple of HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj. Srila Prabhupada wanted his artists to paint profusely and put pictures of Krishna everywhere. By seeing Krishna the soul remembers Krishna and that is Krsna consciousness. Please take a look. There are art prints in various sizes and art note cards and handmade devotional items.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17961

While yoga is devalued by political posturing in India, in the West it is devalued by physical posturing–it is reduced to an exercise for treating and shaping the body. 

Hare Krishna! The Basic Secret Of Success
Jayapataka Swami: So a person may just stick to one particular set of rules and just very expertly do those rules. At the same time, they’re not at all becoming purified. They are actually not getting any closer to God; they are just fanatically doing the rules. Even it’s sometimes, even offensive to God. Because of other consideration if they are willingly… willfully just neglecting there are higher principles of mercy, of respecting great devotees of so many different principles. :
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17958

The nature of friendship
Kadamba Kanana Swami: When I had a Vedic marriage, it was done by Bhavananda and he made us promise, he said to me, “You must always bring your wife to devotional service, to Krsna.” And he said to her, “But when he deviates then you become like a lion, like a tiger and you just somehow or other pull him back.” So that was something I remembered.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/e5fI60

PM Modi meets Bhagwat Gita Champion League winner Maryam Asif Siddiqui (1 min video)
New Delhi, June 18 (ANI): Winner of Bhagavad Gita Champion League Maryam Asif Siddiqui called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The 12 year old Mumbai-based student had recently won the Bhagavad Gita Champion League, which was organized by ISKCON - the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. During her meeting with the Prime Minister, Maryam donated Rs. 11,000/- each to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, and the Swachhta Abhiyan. The Prime Minister gifted her five books on different religions. He congratulated her for her achievement, and said her interest in various religions is an inspiration for all Indians. Maryam was accompanied by her parents, Asif Naseem Siddiqui and Farhan Asif Siddiqui.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/PQVABY

The post Daily Darshan – June 19th, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

15.06.2015 H.G. Banabhatta Prabhu_SB-5.24.23-24

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The United Nations General Assembly in accordance with the call of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is celebrating World Yoga Day on June 21. This is the day of the Summer Solstice, the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere and a day considered significant in many traditions. The fact that scores of countries all over the world, including many Islamic countries, are observing the day is testimony to yoga’s universality.

Unfortunately, in India, this occasion has got caught in an unnecessary controversy. Some groups have alleged that the promotion of yoga is an attempt to covertly impose a Hindu practice on India, thereby threatening the country’s secular fabric. This allegation originates from an inability to separate the specific origin of a thing from its universal purpose. Consider a scientific thought-system such as classical physics. It began in Britain with an English scientist Isaac Newton, but has now become a part of the common human intellectual heritage whereby its insights and applications are accessible for everyone everywhere. Acknowledging that classical physics originated in Britain doesn’t amount to promoting Anglican colonialist nationalism.

Similarly, yoga originated in India, but it has now become a part of the common human wisdom-heritage. Acknowledging that yoga originated in India in the traditions from which Hinduism originated doesn’t amount to promoting right-wing Indian nationalism. To misrepresent yoga for scoring political brownie points is to distressingly devalue yoga.

While yoga is devalued by political posturing in India, in the West it is devalued by physical posturing–it is reduced to an exercise for treating and shaping the body. However, at its core, yoga is a time-tested process for experiencing our universal spiritual essence and harmonizing with it–a harmonization that can bring physical improvement as a side-benefit. Within the spiritual process of yoga, as outlined in Patanjali’s classic treatise, the Yoga-Sutra, physical postures, called asanas, are the third among the eight limbs of yoga. For a cricketer, standing in a posture is not an end in itself; it is a means for hitting the ball well. Similarly, the asanas in yoga are not ends in themselves; they are launching pads for catapulting human consciousness on a spiritual journey.

This deeper purpose of yoga is conveyed by ancient yoga texts through the various definitions they give of yoga: for example, “sense control” (Katha Upanishad), “mental control” (Yoga-sutra), “skill in action” (Bhagavad Gita), “union between the individual self and the Supreme Self ” (Yoga Yajñavalkya). Significantly, none of them equate yoga with postures alone–to the contrary, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (4.79) categorically declares that practicing asanas without striving for mind control is not yoga practice at all. The semantic and conceptual alienation of yoga from its original meaning is similar to the straying of the meaning of the English word ‘lady.’ It stems from the Middle English lavedi, which comes from the Old English hlaefdige “kneader of dough.” In contemporary Western usage, kneading dough is the work of servants, not ladies.

Perhaps the meaning of “yoga” that best reflects its universality is its standard dictionary meaning: connection. Yoga enables us to connect with our spiritual side, to experience our spiritual connectedness as parts of the same spiritual tree, to rejoice in our shared spiritual purpose: to love and to be loved. The Bhagavad-gita (06.46) declares intrepid yogis as the best among all human beings, and further deems (06.47) as consummate those yogis who link in love the finite human consciousness and the infinite divine consciousness. Among the many ways for establishing this connection, the most efficacious is through mantra. Mantras are specialized sound vibrations that when meditated upon serve as elevators for rapidly raising our consciousness to the spiritual level.

If we strive to savor and share this yogic spirit of connectedness, we can go beyond political and physical posturing to find universal fulfillment.

Recently I became disgusted with the frequency and extent to which I encountered violent abuse of women even among those who we suppose also try to practice bhakti-yoga. Since I live in relative isolation from the English-speaking world, Facebook (for better or worse) is something of an outlet for me. So I made a Facebook post expressing my opinion that “A man who hits a woman is far, far worse than a man who slaughters a cow. I can think of no man more unmanly and disgusting than he who, under any but the most dire circumstances, hits a woman.”

Someone asked: “Is this something from sastra [sacred wisdom], or more your personal perspective?” The same person expressed an opinion that, “I appreciate your passionate stance against abusing women, but I’m concerned it’s at the expense of minimizing the horror of cow slaughter.”

This deserves a thorough reply.

My statement is my personal conviction, but I do not cherish personal convictions which I deem to contradict śāstra. Therefore although it is not a direct quote or paraphrase from śāstra I believe that it is “śāstric” – in that it expresses śāstric principles. I will try to explain why I feel this way.

Those who Must not be Punished

Bhāgavatam 1.14.41 is an example of śāstra stating that harmless, defenseless, non-agressive creatures must be nourished and protected, not harmed or punished. Here Emperor Yuddhiṣṭhira – son of the god of morality, Dharma – identifies those beings who fall into the category of “harmless, defenseless, and non-agressive”:

1. brāhmaṇa — Those who pursue education and are self-governing
2. bālaṁ — Children
3. gāṁ — The BBT translation says this refers to “Cows” – let’s examine that later.
4. vṛddhaṁ — The elderly
5. rogiṇaṁ — The diseased (physical or mental)
6. striyam — Women
7. śaraṇopasṛtaṁ sattvaṁ — Any creature who needs protection

Cows Epitomize (Not Superceede) All Animals

Gām, the word translated as “cows” in the BBT edition, literally means “things that move.” The BBT Bhāgavatam translates it in various ways in the various contexts in which it appears as a noun. These translations range from “planets” to “the earth” to “the ocean.” All these are appropriate in context because gāṁ literally just means, “things that move.”

“Things that move” contrasts “things that don’t move” as a way to divide the animal kingdom from the plant kingdom. We see this concept used constantly throughout śāstra in statements like carācara (“Moving and non-moving entities”). In the current context, since Yuddhiṣṭhira is talking about entities who deserve protection, gām especially denotes the non-agressive, herbivorous animals like horses, goats, sheep, deer and cows. Of these herbivores, cows are particularly defenseless and also particularly important to agrarian society. Therefore Śrīla Prabhupāda cast the word gām as “cows” in this instance. We should understand that the cow stands for all non-agressive animals, as their epitome – not that the importance of protecting the cow excludes the importance of protecting all other herbivores or animals in general.

Indeed, to insure that we do not interpret any of the beings on this list in an exclusive manner, Yuddhiṣṭhira concludes the list by including śaraṇopasṛtaṁ sattvaṁ —  any and all creatures who need or request protection.

Similarly, the concept that cows are divine shouldn’t have an exclusive tense: “Only cows are divine,” implying that other animals are not. The tense should be inclusive: “Especially cows are divine,” implying that all things are divine, especially living things, and especially cows.

Dear to Krishna

Krishna surrounds himself with cows and dwells in “go-loka” (a world of cows). Why is the cow dear to Krishna? Because she epitomizes non-agression, affection, and motherly love. We can say that the cow is the most feminine of all animals. Even more thoroughly than he is surrounded by cows, however, Krishna is surrounded by something even more feminine – beautiful young women, the gopī-lakṣṁīs. Indeed Krishna primarily dwells in this “go-loka” (a world of gopīs)!

One can examine the sequence in Śrī Brahma-saḿhitā 5.29 to verify the above.

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu – First he is surrounded by a land of conscious substance “cintāmaṇi.”

kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu – Within that, he is surrounded by a forest of conscious trees.

surabhir abhipālayantam – Within that forest, he is surrounded by a heard of fully-conscious divine cows.

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaḿ – But at the center of it all he is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmī-gopīs (women) who fulfill all his desires with utmost affectionate super-consciousness.

On this basis it is safe to conclude that divine cows are near and dear to Krishna, but divine women are even nearer and dearer. It is reasonable to apply this to the phenomenal analogue of these divine cows and women, coming to the conclusion that cows and animals are certainly near and dear to the divine, but women are even nearer and dearer.

Comparisons

The hermeneutic of comparison should also be borne in mind, please. When we say, for example, “John is taller than Joe” have we said that Joe is short? No. We haven’t actually said anything about Joe’s height. Whatever Joe’s height might be, we are saying that John is taller.

Actually, since the statement is about height, it tends to imply that Joe is fairly tall, but John is even taller.

I said that hitting a woman is worse than killing a cow. Does this mean that killing a cow is not so bad? No. In fact, since the statement is about bad things, it implies that killing a cow is very bad and beating a woman is even worse.

Gradations of Violence

Yeah, but how much worse? Is just hitting a woman worse than slaughtering a cow?

I am not sure how to weigh such things down to the milligram, but even if the recipe given in my choice of words gives too little weight to the cows, hyperbole (exaggeration) is a valid hermeneutic. To make a dramatic point, one can use hyperbole – expecting the thoughtful audience to understand, and the simple audience to be adequately impressed of the point.

Maybe I went overboard in my original wording, so I subsequently edited my statement to read like this, “A man who beats a woman is as foul as a man who slaughters a cow. I can think of no man more unmanly and disgusting than he who, under any but the most dire circumstances, beats a woman.”

This still puts more weight on violence to women, and I think it certainly deserves to be that way. All proponents of ahiṁsa admit to gradations of violence in, for example, their fundamental statements on dietary rules. All the lawmakers from Manu to modern day admit the same paradigm. For example: Worse than picking a fruit, leaf, seed or nut is killing the whole plant. Worse than killing the plant is killing an animal. Worse than killing an aggressive animal is killing a helpless, harmless animal. Worse than killing animals is killing humans. Worst of all is killing a helpless, harmless human. Worse of all is killing a beneficial human (like a brahmaṇa or guru).

Even if Yamarāja has to explain to us exactly how his scales of justice measure things, and which items weigh how much, still we can be reasonably requested by speakers such as myself not to nitpick.

And the Point is…

The point, dear friends, is that anyone who violates a woman is a most reprehensible, foul, disgusting and unmanly excuse for a creature. Even subtle abuse and exploitation is an abomination. If we commit these horrible sins, we must immediately stop, and figure out how to make amends for the incredible mountains of pain that now hover karmicly above our heads with razor sharp edges.

Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 March 2015, Stockholm, Sweden, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.4)

Transcribed by Nama-rupa dd

Question: Guru Maharaj, you mentioned that in the material world, there is no love. I am thinking about the friendship, is there friendship in this material world and what is the nature of friendship?

Love, friendship, society, togetherness, one-for-all and all-for-one, does not exist. Kavi Karnapura describes friendship in the Caitanya Candrodaya Nataka and he points out that for friendship to exist, there is a need for certain conditions to be met.

First, one has to receive the mercy of the Lord so that he gets in touch with transcendental knowledge, Krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 19.151). You have to get in contact with devotees otherwise where is there real friendship!?

Materialistic friendship is always mixed with some material motive, some personal motive so real friendship must be based on receiving the mercy of the Lord.  When you receive the mercy of the Lord then you come into the association of devotees and attachment to devotees must develop, and from being in that association, gradually you evolve.

Then Kavi Karnapura explains the next level that you get – it is the level of thoughtfulness and discrimination. You begin to kind of reflect on the meaning of life and in that way, you mature as a person and you don’t just respond with outbursts and this and that. NO! You respond more thoughtfully and in a deeper way. Then you get to the non-envious platform.

After this thoughtfulness and discrimination becomes strong, in the association of devotees, then you get equanimity – a state of mind which becomes balanced. You become balanced in the mind. At that state, you can realize non-envy and it says that then you can actually be a friend.  Then friendship is possible!

Kavi Karnapura explains it like that. So it is interesting; he gives conditions before real friendship can develop and to the degree that these conditions are not met, to that degree we are lacking in friendship.

Sometimes even when you are married, you wonder, “Is this person actually my friend?” You are married but you are wondering, “Are we friends? Are we at least friends? What to speak of love! I mean friends! Is this person actually my friend, through-and-through, you know, through thick and thin… Is this person really my well-wisher??”

There are different Sanskrit definitions. Maitri is a word used which is more general. Another word that is used is suhrit, close to the heart. That gives the higher aspect, very intimate. So among vaishnavas, it must become like that.

But before we can have friendships, we have to go through these stages: we need the mercy of the Lord, we need to develop attachment to serving the devotees, and we need to be with devotees in proper etiquette. Then we become thoughtful and then we get discrimination from these devotees.

In this verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.4), it says sadhu-vada, things approved by the learned circles, approved by saints and sages, so that we understand what is approved by saints and sages and then it becomes our second nature. It is happening. Like certain foodstuffs are obviously not approved by saints and sages, and we don’t even think of touching them. We don’t have to tell ourselves, it becomes a part of our second nature.

So this discrimination and thoughtfulness becomes a part of our nature, and when we have absorbed it to that extent then you have non-envy and equanimity, a balanced state of mind. Then, you can be a friend all the time!

Like that, friendship takes some time. When you are dealing with someone under the modes of nature, today he is your friend and tomorrow not so much because tomorrow he is the friend of his mind. Tomorrow he is controlled by his senses, tomorrow he is riding on the back of that inner boar and then he is maybe not your friend.

When I had a Vedic marriage, it was done by Bhavananda and he made us promise, he said to me, “You must always bring your wife to devotional service, to Krsna.”  And he said to her, “But when he deviates then you become like a lion, like a tiger and you just somehow or other pull him back.” So that was something I remembered.

So friendship also means that with our weaknesses, we are still trying to help each other and that is nice but Kavi Karnapura takes it to a higher level for friendship to really flourish.

ISKCON and the spiritual leaders and members of the four bona fide Vaishnava Sampradayas are set to unite to chant the Holy Names during the international kirtan festival. The aim of the event is to bring together people from various races, faiths and nationalities to chant the Names of God, a process that is common to all faiths of the world.