The anger of Srila Prabhupada Srutakirti dasa, April 11, 1975,…
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The anger of Srila Prabhupada
Srutakirti dasa, April 11, 1975, ISKCON Hyderabad, India. I can remember only a few times when it was difficult being in the same room with Srila Prabhupada. Obviously, one could easily imagine yearning to be in His Divine Grace’s presence 24-hours a day. However, the presence of others sometimes changed the atmosphere in S'ri-la Prabhupa-da’s room. One day, Devananda Maharaja came to visit Srila Prabhupada. He had been initiated by S'ri-la Prabhupa-da and was now a sannyasi. He had also been his personal servant for a short while in 1970. He asked to see Srila Prabhupada and was allowed darsana even though he was no longer a member of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada was seated behind his desk and upon entering Srila Prabhupada’s room, Devananda did not offer his obeisances. Brahmananda Maharaja and I were also in the room.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/X0eyOq

TOVP Update: Construction of the GRC Concrete Workshop GRC is an…
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TOVP Update: Construction of the GRC Concrete Workshop
GRC is an abbreviation for glass fiber-reinforced concrete, the strongest and most environmentally retardant concrete in the world. The TOVP is being constructed of this material, as well as all the architectural elements and decorative items being used on the temple.
Now underway on the ISKCON property is the construction of a dedicated GRC workshop to create all the architectural and decorative items in-house. It will be situated behind the current temple beside the Prabhupada Garden. Its size is 131 ft. (40 meters) wide, 39 ft. (12 meters) deep, and 26 ft. (8 meters) tall for a total of 5,166 sq. ft. (480 sq. meters). Part of the in-house work will require an overhead crane which is arriving in about two weeks for this purpose.
One of the ingredients in the GRC, which arrived a few days ago, will be white sand from Rajasthan made of snow quartz grains. This will be used for the Jersey Panels, panels using this and other ingredients for the decorative/architectural items. Its pure white color will allow us to create these Jersey Panels in the clearest shade of white.
Read more: http://goo.gl/1wyw4Q

Hare Krishna! My dear Godbrother Brahmananda Prabhu Jayapataka…
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Hare Krishna! My dear Godbrother Brahmananda Prabhu
Jayapataka Swami: I noticed that in the foreword of the book, professor Thomas J Hopkins who started visiting different ISKCON events since its early days makes a very important observation: “There were many young people at these events and it took me a while to get to know them as individuals. It didn’t take long, however to recognize Brahmananda as the most knowledgable among them. Bhaktivedanta must have felt the same way because he increasingly relied on him. Bhaktivedanta soon chose him to be secretary and he was also appointed president of the temple and thus Bhaktivedanta’s chief assistant. When Bhaktivedanta held a public event Brahmanada stood literally and figuratively at his side ready to do whatever he was asked to do.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17835

Hare Krishna! Farewell Brahmananda Prabhu Kadamba Kanana Swami:…
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Hare Krishna! Farewell Brahmananda Prabhu
Kadamba Kanana Swami: The dreaded day has come, you have left the planet! In 2002, I was together with you in Sridhama Mayapur outside the main gate on the Bhaktisiddhanta road, we stood there for hours waiting for Tamal Krsna Maharaja, who had left his body in a car accident. You told me then that this is not just the end of Tamal Krsna Maharaja, this is the end of an era. It is like that today, there was only one Brahamanda, a giant among the followers of Srila Prabhupapada, who has no equal, because of the greatness of his love for Srila Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17832

The ISKCON sandwich! This sandwich is what we have had the…
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The ISKCON sandwich!
This sandwich is what we have had the pleasure to honor for the past twelve months: the ISKCON sandwich. During Srila Prabhupada’s time he established a program of spiritual purification by which one can make steady progress in Krishna Consciousness. It was nicknamed the ISKCON sandwich, a Krishna conscious program of bhajan, kirtan, artik, and class every morning and every evening. Many devotees eager to rapidly expand Krishna Consciousness asked Srila Prabhupada if it was ok to miss the evening program in the event of late evening book distribution and other such outreach functions. However, when such late activities were decreased, the habit of returning back to regular programs in the evening also waned. Instead of live chanting during the Gaura Artik, more often it would be found that there was simply a tape playing. This one slice sandwich was not enough to fill up the spiritually starved soul. Therefore, the devotees decided to return to the healthy diet of the double slice, Mangal mustard, Gaura Artik greens, and a class every few days for proper nutrition.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/dBlDaX

Krishna can bring good out of everything – even our mistakes
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Sometimes when we commit mistakes, we may become embarrassed, irritated or enraged with ourselves. If we become excessively disturbed, that often becomes a second mistake. By fretting or seething, we waste the time and energy that could have been used for rectification. Certainly we need to learn from our mistakes, but learning requires calmness, which is lost when we let ourselves over-react.

To calm ourselves, we can contemplate how Krishna is always in control and how he is always our benefactor. So he can bring good out of even our mistakes –provided we let him, that is, we keep our calm so that he can give us intelligence to make the best of the situation. Just as an expert musician can produce quality music even with a poor instrument, so too can Krishna produce auspiciousness out of a messy situation.

Krishna restores Arjuna’s vision – and grants the world vision

On the Kurukshetra battlefield, with the war about to start, Arjuna suddenly got an impulsive desire to see his opponents. So, he asked Krishna, who was acting as his charioteer, to take the chariot between the two armies (Bhagavad-gita 01.21). When he looked at the opposing forces, he saw his venerable elders, especially his grandsire and his teacher (01.25). He became overwhelmed, lost his will to fight and broke down.

Arjuna’s decision to see his opponents was imprudent, being an error of judgment. Firstly, he already knew who were arraigned on the opposite side – the alliances formed by both sides had been done openly, not covertly. Secondly, even if the Kauravas were planning to unveil any hidden ace, the Pandavas’ competent spies would have sounded them off. Thirdly, Arjuna was well aware of his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses – that had been discussed just the previous night in the Pandavas’ strategy planning meeting. So there really was nothing for Arjuna to see. Yet he saw and had to reap the consequences when his vision sabotaged his determination. His eyes changed his perception of the opposing forces from dispassionate to sentimental: from “the well-wishers of the wicked-minded son of Dhritarashtra” (01.23) to “my relatives” (01.31).

Of course, both perceptions were true, but every activity requires us to cultivate the appropriate vision for doing it properly. Our letting ourselves see with an alternate vision can be a mistake, especially when it triggers emotions that compromise our performance. For example, if a judge has to adjudicate a case in which his son is the defendant, he needs to adopt the appropriate vision, or in today’s parlance, wear the right cap. He has to see the person standing in the box as a defendant, not as his son.

Such vision adjustment is undoubtedly difficult. Most judges would probably recuse themselves – or would be told by the government to do so. But recusing was not an option for Arjuna; he was the foremost fighter in his army, and he couldn’t let down his comrades who were counting on him to counter the Kauravas’ formidable forces. So knowing the huge stakes and emotional tensions, Arjuna would have been wiser in resisting the urge to see his opponents. Unfortunately, he not only saw his opponents; he also let his eyes and thoughts dwell on his venerable elders, specifically his grandsire and his mentor. And that proved to be emotionally devastating.

Significantly, though Arjuna did commit this mistake, he didn’t compound it. He didn’t let himself get further carried away by his feelings, which were impelling him to give up the fight entirely, even if such pacifism cost him his life (01.45). Instead, he pulled himself together to turn to Krishna for guidance (02.07). He wouldn’t have found it easy to shift from an emotionally wrought state to an intellectually alert state, as was required for hearing the Gita. That he managed such a shift shows that he had already started determinedly on a corrective course.

And Krishna with his trademark expertise brought an immense good out of Arjuna’s mistake. He spoke the timeless wisdom of the Gita – wisdom that not only restored Arjuna’s vision and determination (18.73), but also provided all of humanity for all time to come with a vision of the path to enlightenment.

Saved through a mistake

The Mahabharata contains another story that conveys Krishna’s expertise in bringing good out of a devotee’s mistake. When the Pandavas were living in forest exile, they would feed their guests – sages and mendicants – using a mystical vessel (akshaya-patra). This vessel would provide inexhaustible food till everyone was fed and finally the hostess Draupadi took her meal. After she finished her meal, the vessel would not supply any more food on that day.

Duryodhana knew this limitation in the plate’s supply and saw an opportunity to exploit it when the irascible sage Durvasa visited the Kauravas’ palace. The conniving prince personally and attentively served the sage, thereby pleasing him. When offered a benediction, the wily Kaurava beseeched the sage to provide a similar chance for service to his cousins, adding the request that the sage go to them late in the day. Accordingly, Durvasa along with a large contingent of disciples arrived at the Pandavas’ forest hermitage in the afternoon. As Draupadi had already taken her meal, the Pandavas had no way to feed so many guests. They felt alarmed because firstly they would be failing in their duty as householders if they didn’t offer proper hospitality to a guest, especially a sage; secondly Durvasa was no ordinary sage – he was a powerful mystic known to give deadly curses if displeased.

Draupadi’s devotional reflexes sprang into action and she started praying fervently for help to Krishna. He appeared promptly and told her that he was very hungry. Krishna’s request mortified the already distraught princess; she felt that she was failing doubly, being able to serve neither the venerable sage nor her beloved Lord. For Draupadi, praying to Krishna seemed to have made things worse – but only temporarily.

Krishna calmed the distressed princess and told her to check if their mystical vessel had any food remaining. To her surprise, she noticed that a morsel was indeed there. When she brought it to Krishna, he immediately took it and after eating it said that he felt completely satisfied. By his supreme mystic power, Krishna arranged that this morsel also satisfied fully all the guests, who had gone for bathing before their meal. The sage and his disciples found themselves belching and felt no need for any food. Thus, the Pandavas were saved from danger.

While the thrust of this story is that Krishna protects his devotees and that satisfying him satisfies everyone else, it conveys another tertiary message relevant to our discussion: Krishna’s ability to bring good out of a mistake. The fact that the mystical vessel had some food morsel left on it was surprising. Draupadi was a careful housewife who would not have tolerated such neglect in the cleaning of utensils. Moreover, that vessel was no ordinary utensil – it was a celestial gift and was vital for the Pandavas in fulfilling their householder duty of hospitality. So a morsel of food lying on it was odd. And yet Krishna expertly used that anomaly to both advance his pastime and demonstrate immortal lessons for the world’s edification.

Realizing the unfailing nature of Krishna’s shelter is never a mistake

At a transcendental level, the actions of exalted devotees such as Arjuna and Draupadi can be said to be orchestrated by Krishna himself for his pleasure. Still, we can simultaneously study these actions at a practical level to learn how we should or should not act. From that perspective, we can see in these pastimes Krishna’s expertise in bringing out good from apparent mistakes as long as the devotees turned to him for shelter.

So, when we commit mistakes, we can see them as an opportunity, indeed an impetus, for taking shelter of Krishna. Of course, it’s better to be careful and avoid committing mistakes – and it’s better still to take shelter of Krishna proactively without being impelled by fear of consequences.

Nonetheless, if we do commit mistakes, we can take shelter of Krishna instead of ranting or moping – activities that characterize the mode of ignorance (18.28). Even if our mistakes have consequences that can’t be mitigated by taking shelter of Krishna, still we will at least get the realization that Krishna’s inner shelter – the security we feel on remembering him – is always available to us, no matter what goes wrong or even what we do wrong. And that realization is a priceless gain, for it deepens our conviction that Krishna’s love for us is indeed unfailing – he is truly achyuta (unfailing). The Puranas conveys this point through the apt metaphor of the earth.

tvayi vipratipathasya   tvam eva sharanam prabho

bhumau skhalita padanam   bhumir evavalambanam

“O Lord, as the earth is the only shelter for those who slip and fall, You are the only shelter for misguided people.” (Skanda Purana, Kumarika-khanda of the Maheshvara-Khanda, 7.101)

Further, with the calmness coming from finding shelter in Krishna, we can intelligently find ways for damage minimization and course correction. Indeed, one definition of intelligence is said to be to know what to do when we don’t know what to do – take shelter of Krishna and seek his guidance. So even if we have unintelligently made a mistake, we can immediately turn to Krishna and thus start reclaiming our intelligence.

So whenever we get worked up over a mistake, we can remind ourselves that Krishna’s assurance (18.58) – taking shelter of him will enable us to cross over all obstacles – applies also to the obstacle of our human susceptibility to mistakes.

CC daily 122 – M 6.174 – Lord Chaitanya turns the impersonalist strategy of maha-vakya on impersonalists
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Hare Krishna! Prabhupada’s Family Bonds At 15th Festival of…
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Hare Krishna! Prabhupada’s Family Bonds At 15th Festival of Inspiration in New Vrindaban
Six hundred devotees from all over North America may have attended the 15th anniversary of the Festival of Inspiration at New Vrindaban, West Virginia over the May Mother’s Day Weekend. But every single one this reporter spoke to described it as having an intimate, comfortable family mood. “We were just like good friends spending quality time with each other in a holy place,” says participant Purnamasi Dasi, who hails from Toronto. “And with so many Prabhupada disciples there, there was this powerful sense that Prabhupada is the spiritual father of all of us, and we were just there to be part of his family.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17825

Abandon your Family for God?
→ The Enquirer

I’m writing a memoir now about the days when I first became a Hare Krishna, so a context is how [poorly] I treated my mother and father. Today, I translated the last śloka of the 12th chapter of Canto 4, and it’s related:

“O Great Kuru,” Maitreya said to Vidura, “I am now finished telling you the extremely famous, extremely pure tale of the deeds of Dhruva, who as a child gave up all his toys, and left his home and his mother to take shelter of Viṣṇu.”

I would not be surprised at all to hear someone (or even myself twenty years ago) spend an hour elaborating on how this verse supposedly supports the idea that we should give up all our stuff, including our home and family, and try to find God. So, let me, as a more mature guy now, bring up a few points about Dhruva’s deeds…

His mother told him to take shelter of Viṣṇu. He was following his mother’s order, not disobeying or abandoning her.

He focused completely upon seeking Viṣṇu and therefore got it done quickly (6 months). Then he returned to live affectionate with his father, two mothers, and brother. And he spent his life thereafter taking care of his citizens, as a married king and father.


Tagged: abandoning family, dhruva, family vs god, father, Mother

Simply By Chanting
→ Japa Group

"Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna once, a person is relieved from all the reactions of a sinful life. One can complete the nine processes of devotional service simply by chanting the holy name."

Chaitanya Caritamrta Madhya 15.107

The Twelve Month Sandwich – Going on 8 years
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas





In an effort to compete with Sabjimata Mata's and Kurma Prabhu's delicious prasadam blogs, I hereby submit our twelve month sandwich.


There are five main cooks who are always involved. The first one is Gaurachandra; on His right side stands Nitaichand, and on His left side stands Gadadhara. Cooking nearby is Advaita, and Srinivas is holding the spatula. Sweet Mrdanga sauce is mixed in with spicy kartals - all accompanied with side orders of conch and bells. All the demigods headed by Lord Brahma line up to get an opportunity to relish this sandwich. In fact the flavor of this sandwich conquers the flavor of millions upon millions of curd sabjis. Lord Shiva, Sukadeva Goswami, and Narada Muni are all there and are choked in ecstasy to get but just a taste.


This sandwich is what we have had the pleasure to honor for the past twelve months: the ISKCON sandwich. During Srila Prabhupada's time he established a program of spiritual purification by which one can make steady progress in Krishna Consciousness. It was nicknamed the ISKCON sandwich, a Krishna conscious program of bhajan, kirtan, artik, and class every morning and every evening. Many devotees eager to rapidly expand Krishna Consciousness asked Srila Prabhupada if it was ok to miss the evening program in the event of late evening book distribution and other such outreach functions. However, when such late activities were decreased, the habit of returning back to regular programs in the evening also waned. Instead of live chanting during the Gaura Artik, more often it would be found that there was simply a tape playing. This one slice sandwich was not enough to fill up the spiritually starved soul. Therefore, the devotees decided to return to the healthy diet of the double slice, Mangal mustard, Gaura Artik greens, and a class every few days for proper nutrition.


We have seen many health benefits to this diet given by Srila Prabhupada. Even our restaurant customers are finding new energy in their spiritual attraction. Before, if they ventured into the temple in the evening, they were greeted only by an electronic kirtan - hardly enough to encourage one to start singing with full lungs. But now we are serving the real organic kirtan, fresh from the hearts of the devotees. And as they say local is more healthy, these local lungs are inspiring to hear for all who enter. So whether you are at home, at the gym, watching TV, or out on book distribution make sure to get some daily doses of the ISKCON sandwich. Thank you.


-posted July 23rd 2008, Now we are going on 8 years!

Secrets of Success and Failure for Individuals and Communities, May 29, Gita Nagari, Port Royal, Pennsylvania
Giriraj Swami

05.30.15_GitaNagariGiriraj Swami spoke on the second day of this year’s annual Gita Nagari retreat with Radhanath Swami. He read and spoke from Sri Bhaktya-loka by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

“Because a householder is engaged in earning, saving and protecting the family, he cannot completely give up talking about others. It is best for the householder to live in a Krishna conscious family. When all ones material activities are related with Krishna then even his unavoidable talk about others becomes sinless and a part of devotional practice to Krishna. He should not talk about others in a way that is detrimental to them. He should talk about others only what little is necessary in his Krishna conscious family. He should not talk about others without reason.”

— Sri Bhaktya-loka

Secrets of Success and Failure for Individuals and Communities

Hare Krishna! Tribute to Brahmananda Prabhu from Govinda…
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Hare Krishna! Tribute to Brahmananda Prabhu from Govinda dasi
Brahmananda had a protective mood of Srila Prabhupada, and this is what I most appreciated. I had a similar mood, almost a nurturing motherly mood–yet he was a huge mountain of a man–entirely capable of downing any aggressor. One story goes that an aggressor moved toward Srila Prabhupada, and Prabhupada calmly pointed to Brahmananda, and said, “This man will kill you if I ask him to…” And Brahmananda would have, most assuredly! He would have given his life to protect Srila Prabhupada. And in fact, he did give his life in continued service to Srila Prabhupada, from the very moment he met him, to the very last day of his life.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17822

The Power of Prasad
→ Seed of Devotion

I believe in the power of prasad.

My dad has been telling me for the past several years, "Prasadam, prasadam!! You must serve prasadam always; if someone eats prasadam their lives will change forever."

He's not exaggerating.

My father and mother would frequent the Hare Krishna temple while they were finishing up their degrees at University of California, Berkeley. The food was cheap and tasty, and - little did they know - it was spiked. With love, of course. Little did they know that food that has been made and offered with love to the Lord is transformed into prasadam, which literally translates from the Sanskrit as "mercy." Little did they know they were getting hit with mercy, but sure enough they became devotees of Krishna and the rest is history.

Even though you could say that I myself am a product of prasadam, I sometimes have doubted this part of Vaishnava philosophy that prasadam is all-powerful. When I adventured on the traveling youth bus tours in Mexico with Manorama Dasa and Jaya Sri Radhe Dasi, the emphasis on serving prasadam at our events was utmost. In fact, I was doubtful, sometimes even annoyed. What's the point in making all this food? Maybe we'll never even see these people again.

Then I have begun to discover over the past several years that when I myself have felt distant and cold and uninspired about being a devotee of Krishna, I eat prasadam and the world seems to right itself. I am at home, there is nowhere else I'd rather be. God loves me, Krishna loves me, everything is going to be okay.

This past Kirtan Connection I incorporated into the course learning how to serve prasadam in the traditional Vaishnava way. The tradition is that everyone sits down and the servers come to you with every possible option, from water to the main course to a dash of salt. Don't move. Our every movement is to serve you until you are satisfied.

When students hosted their graduation this past Sunday, prasadam was served out in this traditional way. While I surveyed the many people seated in rows and at tables, I began to realize that maybe all the guests would forget the kirtan that was sung earlier, they would forget the little commencement ceremony, they may even forget the eloquent words spoken by our spiritual leader.

But they would never forget how good the food was, and they would never forget the smile and kindness of those who were serving this food.

Towards the end of serving out of prasadam, one guest came up to the table where many of us servers were waiting for our next move. The guest remarked to us, "I was sitting down with my friends and we were saying how we couldn't taste any of the flavors of the food because we could only taste the love overpowering everything!"

We all went "OOOOOOooooooOOO!!" and laughed and laughed.

This is love, this is unforgettable, this is the power of prasad.






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Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj’s disappearance (Album with photos) On 9th…
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Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj’s disappearance (Album with photos)
On 9th June morning, devotees at ISKCON Mayapur celebrated the disappearance day of HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj.
The celebration took place at Maharaj’s samadhi. The event started off with glorification of Maharaj by his disciples and other senior devotees. Around 12 noon, Maharaj was offered many varieties of bhoga such and puspanjali. Next, Maharaj was offered an arati accompanied by melodious kirtan and dancing. Finally, feast prasadam was served to all assembled devotees.
See them here: http://goo.gl/YZQJNL

TOVP update: Anchoring the Tower Crane The main dome is almost…
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TOVP update: Anchoring the Tower Crane
The main dome is almost completed and we are now getting ready to start the Kalash! To carry out the Kalash work, the height of the tower crane must be increased; from the now existing level of 278 feet (85 meters) to 380 feet ( 116 meters). In order to secure the stability of the crane at such height, guy rope anchoring work has to be done. Anchoring work consist of installing a tensioned guy rope from a RCC foundation spot to the crane. 4 RCC foundation spots have been completed and the installation of guy rope has started. This work will be successfully complete in another 15 days and we will then begin the Kalash work!
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/G0w8Jh

Farewell Brahmananda Prabhu
→ KKSBlog

My dear Brahmananda Prabhu,

I bow down to your lotus feet again and again. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The dreaded day has come, you have left the planet!

019In 2002, I was together with you in Sridhama Mayapur outside the main gate on the Bhaktisiddhanta road, we stood there for hours waiting for Tamal Krsna Maharaja, who had left his body in a car accident. You told me then that this is not just the end of Tamal Krsna Maharaja, this is the end of an era. It is like that today, there was only one Brahamanda, a giant among the followers of Srila Prabhupapada, who has no equal, because of the greatness of his love for Srila Prabhupada. No one like you will there be again in this movement. You have been in Vrndavana for a long time now, semi-retired, and all you have done for every single moment of that time, is to remember Prabhupada with deep love. Prabhupada was your all and everything, you had nothing else.

You reminded us how your mother met Srila Prabhupada, who seated her on a chair and then asked her for a donation. “A donation,” she said, “I have given you my two sons.” Then you explained that with that statement, she gave you to Prabhupada.

Every word that came from your mouth was about Srila Prabhupada, always filled with love, filled with loyalty and service attitude, whatever Prabhupada said, did, or wanted that was on your mind. You must be with him now and again you will serve as his secretary. You were the first leader in ISKCON in its earliest pioneering days, and you remained a leader throughout, in your unalloyed love for Srila Prabhupada, and with that you lead us all to his lotus feet.

With your departure from this world you have gained everything. It is us who have lost the greatest treasure of your association.

Your servant with a broken heart,

Kadamba Kanana Swami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program)

Maha-large

brahmananda_prabhu (4)Srila Prabhupada came to the Western world. In the Western world, he began his movement and after a short time, he was successful in the Lower East Side. He began to attract some devotees. One of these devotees is Brahmananda Prabhu. I have been reading a new book which is not yet on the market but somehow or other I got an advance copy. Since I was reading it, it is on my mind.

Somehow or other, Brahmananda is a very big and powerful man. Spiritually, first of all and also physically. He has a big body. Brahmananda was a wrestler before Krsna consciousness and even a little bit in Krsna consciousness. Brahmananda, over the years, certainly became very big in size. Even big people look small next to Brahmananda.

One time Srila Prabhupada gave a big sweet ball – a simply wonderful, quite a big size one, maha-large – to one devotee. Prabhupada put it in front of the devotee, on the plate and then just looked at it. Brahmananda also looked at it and just popped it into his mouth and ate the whole thing! Prabhupada said, “Yes, that is the nature of mercy. If you do not take advantage of it immediately, it might just disappear!”

The leader

There are many stories to tell of Brahmananda. In the early days, Brahmananda became Prabhupada’s trusted representative. His nature was that he was completely surrendered to Prabhupada’s desire. Whatever Prabhupada would say, he would do it. I think if any quality is outstanding in his character, it is loyalty. He is the most loyal servant you can imagine, completely loyal to Prabhupada. Whatever Prabhupada said, “Okay, that is what we are going to do, whatever it is.” That is not so easy and that is not so often found in anyone. That is why Brahmananda got this unique position of being so close to Prabhupada.

Brram1_slideshowIn fact, of all the devotees in the early days, Brahmananda was the leader. Prabhupada chose him as the leader. When they were saying that we should select a treasurer, we should select a secretary and a president, then Brahmananda said, “Satsvarupa would make a good secretary.” Gargamuni, his nickname was Garga-money, so he was the obvious person for the treasurer. Prabhupada said, “You should be the president.” That was it and from that day on, Brahmananda was in charge of everything and it was quite amazing.

First of all, Prabhupada had this Bhagavad-gita manuscript which he wanted published. It was very difficult to do so but he told Brahmananda, “Just get it published.” Easier said than done, you know. Get it published? How? Well anyway, there was one man who worked for the Macmillan publishing company who had put in an order through the mail. So, Brahmananda decided to do some follow up and go there hoping to get some connection but it turned out the man was just working in the accounts department and had nothing to do with publishing. So, it did not look good at all.

Just then, the chief editor came into the office of the accountant and Brahmananda saw this opportunity. He said to the man, “Here, I have a Bhagavad-gita by A.C. Bhakivedanta Swami Prabhupada and I would like to offer the manuscript to you for publication.”
The man said, “A Bhagavad-gita? A Bhagavad-gita!? We just finished a series of spiritual topics and we need a Bhagavad-gita to complete it! I will take it.”
That was it! Macmillan, a big company, was publishing Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita. That was Brahmananda. Prabhupada was very eager to carry on with book publication.

Prabhupada-BhagavatamEventually they got to Japan and got some cheap prices. The Krsna book was meant to be printed there. Brahmananda was negotiating with the printers and telling them how to do and so on… But it was not ready when Brahmananda had to leave, he had go back, catch his flight. Although they promised it would be ready, it was not ready. So he was very disappointed and he knew that Prabhupada would be really disappointed. As he was going up the steps of the plane, suddenly this limousine, this large limousine just pulled up onto the tarmac and drove right up to the plane and all the executives of Dai Nippon printing company came out. Brahmananda saw all these people he had been working with and he went down the staircase. They just brought out this box and they gave it to him.

Brahmananda went on the plane and he just ripped open the box and took out a silver copy of the Krsna book and the man next to him asked, “What is that?”
He said, “That is a book, it is about Krsna. It is published by my spiritual master, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and it is been sponsored by George Harrison.”
The man said, “How much is it?”
“$20.”
The man said, “Okay, I will take it.” (laughter). He bought the book!

So when Brahamanda came to America, he felt a little bit embarrassed to give Prabhupada this box that was ripped open and Prabhupada said, “How many books are there?” 

He said, “Twenty-four, Srila Prabhupada. There were twenty-five but now there are twenty-four.”
Prabhupada said, “Oh.”
He said, “Yes, I sold one book on the plane.”
Prabhupada said, “That is very nice.” Then Prabhupada had a copy in his hands and said, “All these other ones can be sold also.” He looked at his copy and he said, “This one can be sold also.”

They were all sold and Prabhupada was very, very pleased. So Brahmananda was a very close and intimate representative of Srila Prabhupada and practically like his son in so many ways, so close.

Transcendental cures

srila-prabhupada-speaks-to-brahmananda-on-juhu-beach-bombay-290x166Brahmananda was telling stories in Vrindavan and I was listening to those. He was ill and Prabhupada did not like it.

Prabhupada was saying like, “How can you be ill? How can you be ill?”
“I am just ill.”
“You are always ill.”

He just was not compassionate at all and Brahmananda was suffering, really suffering and Prabhupada was just harsh, going on like it was some horrible disease – disgusting! Brahmananda began to feel worse and worse. Then Prabhupada came up to him, rubbed his head and then he was cured. In this way, transcendental mercy is there.

Brahmananda said, “Yes, he cured me like that.”

Can’t stop smiling

brahmananda_prabhu (2)Another story that I have about Brahmananda – once in Vrindavan, Madhudvisa, another sannyasi, arranged that a picture would be taken. This picture was a group photo of devotees in ISKCON and Madhudvisa organized it all, with everybody nicely in the right position.

Brahmananda stood right in the middle next to Prabhupada… naturally. Madhudvisa was behind the camera but what Madhudvisa had done is that he had put a timer on the camera. So he put the timer, he clicked and then he ran over and stood right in front of Brahmananda, right next to Prabhupada.

So Brahmananda said, “Get out of here,” in a deep voice, sort of like in a way that Prabhupada could not hear but that Madhudvisa could. Right in his ear, “Get out of here.” Madhudvisa did not move an inch. So then Brahmananda, being a big and powerful wrestler, pinched Madhudvisa as hard as he could in the back. Pretty hard! Madhudvisa, you can see on the photo, Madhudvisa was just standing there with the biggest smile on his face and Brahmananda was pinching as hard as he could (laughter), but Madhudvisa, for nothing in the world, you know, would stop smiling.

As good as God

brahmananda_prabhu (3)Two years ago in Vrindavan, there was a devotee from a South American background who asked Brahmananda, “Brahmananda, in the early days with Prabhupada, it was very intimate, very close with only few devotees, but later it became a bigger movement. Do you feel that anything had changed in the relationship?”

Brahmananda said, “Look. When you are a child, your father is your father and when you are grown up, your father is still your father. What is the difference? Prabhupada was my spiritual master!”

The South American devotee said (Spanish/Portuguese accent), “I think, I think that for you Prabhupada is God.”

And then Brahmananda said, “Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no. I made that mistake once in 1970. Oh no, Prabhupada is not God, Prabhupada is as good as God, he is as good as God.” He said, “But these days, these days, I think he is better than God because he came to the Lower East Side and saved me.”

Then he was overwhelmed by emotion and the whole crowd, we all felt this wave of emotion. It was dead silent…

A wonderful devotee

The stories of Brahmananda show incredible surrender. Are we ready to just take an order, no matter what? That is why I am saying that when we read this, hear this, and when we meet Brahmananda then we see so much love for Prabhupada and so much faith in Prabhupada and such conviction and dedication to Prabhupada. It is like inconceivable… extraordinary!

This is the most wonderful thing because we cannot approach Krsna directly. Nobody can. We have to approach him through his devotee and there is a chain of devotees. We approach devotees and they approach devotees. Prabhupada gave Krsna consciousness to us in a way that we can fit it in our modern life. If we would have to go back to traditional India, could we do it? Could we live that simple? Could we live that austere like the sadhus who were living before in India or even right now? I mean, could we? It would be very tough, very austere. Simply chant all day? Could we do it? Sixteen rounds and even during the sixteen rounds we think of so many other things to do. Send some SMSs (text messages) in-between and do anything but chanting. The mind wants to do anything but chanting. Then you think, “Oh! This is important. This, I have to do right away.” Any opportunity to interrupt our chanting, that is natural to us. So these points are there.

brahmanandaFor us, everything has been simplified. So we understand that Brahmananda is an intimate associate of Srila Prabhupada. There is no doubt about it, not an ordinary person at all. Therefore, I tell everyone, I will tell you also, that he lives in Vrindavan and he likes it when devotees come to visit him. He likes it very much. It is not that you cannot see him, that he is too big a devotee to see. Not at all. That is not Brahmananda at all. He is happy to see any devotee. He is very personal and interested in devotees.

So after Pakistan, Srila Prabhupada sent Brahmananda to Africa. He gave him some time in Bombay to take a deep breath and then he said, “Hmmm… yes, now that you have done this, I think you should go to Africa.” That was the next assignment. At that time, he was in charge of all of Africa, of all the preaching in Africa; even South Africa was also under Brahmananda.

Although he could not come here, visa issues and that, he made arrangements for South Africa. And he made arrangements to start preaching in Kenya. Later he also went to Nigeria. Nigeria, he said, was totally different – people were so interested. In Kenya, it was tough but Nigeria, it really took off even then, foreboding what was to come.

So therefore, we should all go see Brahmananda. I have sent many devotees there. Sometimes, like last time, he was giving a lecture and I did not know about it and then I heard so I came late. So, I kind of ran in and I was just in time. He had already started. He just stopped the lecture and said, “Some of your boys came!”

He likes that. He remembers everybody… big man, big heart! He likes to embrace many people and therefore can take interest in the life of many. Such wonderful devotees. Yeah, so we need the blessing of these devotees, the blessing of the vaisnavas. We should not be shy.

Hare Krishna! The Real Peace Formula Srila Prabhupada: Every…
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Hare Krishna! The Real Peace Formula
Srila Prabhupada: Every living entity is searching after peace. That is the struggle for existence. Everyone, from the aquatics to the highest form of human being—from the ant up to Brahma, the first creature of this universe—is searching for peace. That is the main objective. Lord Caitanya said that a person who is in full Krsna consciousness is the only peaceful man because he has no demands. That is the special qualification of a person who is in Krsna consciousness. He is akamah. Akamah refers to those who have no desire, who are self-sufficient, who have nothing to ask and who are fully peaceful. Who are they? They are the devotees who are situated in Krsna consciousness.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17819

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