Planet ISKCON

On Thursday, May 7th, we paid a visit to the home of Doyal Nitai das and Priya Kumari devi dasi for lunch prasadam. Then in the evening we made our way to the Krishna Lounge with the Padukas and Sitari to give darshan to the devotee community. Around 40 devotees and guests attended the program for kirtan, a simple TOVP presentation and prasadam.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Day 57 – Las Vegas Darshan and Program appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

On Wednesday, May 6th, we departed from Los Angeles for Las Vegas, Nevada, also known as Sin City, stopping briefly for prasadam at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Agarwal.

Las Vegas is a community of devotees that is growing and in the process of renovating a building into a new temple. We arrived late in the afternoon, had evening prasadam and then went out on Harinama Samkirtana on the famous Las Vegas strip, known for its gambling casinos and wild entertainment.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Day 56 – Departure from Los Angeles and Arrival in Las Vegas with Harinama appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

[Bhagavatam 11.11.11 was missed during the series, so it is being posted now and the series is being re-numbered]
Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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Hare Krishna! TOVP Tour Daily Diary: Day 49-55, Programs in Silicon Valley and New Dwarka, LA
New Dwaraka is the North American ISKCON Headquarters and home to Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadisha. It is also one of the original temples opened during Srila Prabhupada’s presence and the place of many of his pastimes, including the famous morning walks along Venice Beach. Under the able leadership of Svavas prabhu, who is also the BBT Manager, it continues to be a thriving community of hundreds of devotees.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17493

Bhakti is About Seeking Shelter
Radhanath Swami: One of the diseases that we come to spiritual practice with is that we expect things to go our way – “I am serving God and this is the way God should deal with me”. I have done this many pujas , this many sacrifices. He should make my children scholars, He should make them obedient to me. He should give me good health and, in fact, he should give all my family members good health. And my business, of course because it is for him it should flourish, it should prosper without any impediments. And as far as my relationships are concerned, people should give me the honor and respect I am due for being such a sincere and saintly person. More or less we all expect like this. But the problem is if God gave you what you wanted, you probably wouldn’t grow much at all. Because Bhakti is not about getting, Bhakti is about seeking shelter. You only get God when you seek shelter. You only get God when you give up hope of anything else. If you want other things, that is the fruitive mentality – a karmic mentality as opposed to a mentality of Bhakti. You can get other things but it will not bring you to the goal. So reversals will come, and they will come in way which we do not like. It is our tendency to think that “I know reversals will come and I know if I take shelter of God I will make advancement, but as far as the reversals are concerned, I will give my list of which reversals are acceptable”. The problem is that God has His own list. You made your list, but what you have on your list won’t work. But what appears to be a curse can be a blessing if we simply appreciate the inner essence of the possibility of how to connect to God in that situation.

Gita Verse-by-verse Study Podcast:

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Hare Krishna! The Five levels of Consciousness
Lecture by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami. “After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.9.29)
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17491

Hare Krishna! Making Krishna’s Joy Our Joy
Many people ask why would an enemy of God get such a reward? And this leads to the main point of this essay- hatred and deep love are rewarded by God because they are emotions that cause the brain to constantly think of Him. In the same way that we would rather have God show us either love or anger rather than have Him ignore us, He would like to see one or the other as well. Krishna does not want a stail, emotionless, lukewarm lover. This is why many of the demons that were attacked by Krishna were feeling so blessed and wondered what they did to deserve even His angry attention.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17486

One of the most heart-wrenching events in the entire Ramayana is the conspiracy that led to the exile of Rama. From the devotional perspective, this pastime brings forth the exalted spiritual emotion of love in separation. From the cosmic administration’s perspective, it triggers the chain of evens that culminate in Rama’s fulfilling the purpose of his descend: ending Ravana’s reign of terror. Simultaneously, from the ethical perspective, the pastime illustrates our human vulnerability to disinformation – it shows how even good people can get misled into doing terrible things.

In our culture, many vested interests promote their self-serving ends through systematic disinformation campaigns. So, a close look at this Ramayana pastime can help us combat disinformation.

A mission of manipulation

This story unfolded in the city of Ayodhya, the capital of the kings of the solar dynasty. The reigning monarch Dasharatha had ruled virtuously for many years. On seeing his old age approaching, he felt inspired to transfer power to a worthy successor, his oldest son Rama. To formalize this decision, he called an extended assembly of courtiers and leading citizens from various classes. The assembly unanimously approved his decision. They resolved that the process for succession begin from the next morning itself.

From this jubilant public setting, the Ramayana’s spotlight shifts to a private setting: the inner chambers of the palace of Kaikeyi, Dasharatha’s youngest wife. Due to her beauty, Kaikeyi had become the king’s favorite queen, displacing his senior-most queen Kaushalya. Despite the inevitable tensions created by such a power shift, the overall family atmosphere remained cordial. Neither Kaushalya nor Kaikeyi bore any malice towards each other. Their respective sons, Rama and Bharata, as well as their two other siblings, Lakshmana and Shatrughna (sons of an intermediate queen Sumitra), lived in cheerful fraternal amity.

Dreading a return to a position of insignificance and scorn, Manthara decided to use her wiles on Kaikeyi and somehow stop the transfer of power.

This familial harmony was destroyed in one night during which a self-interested person launched a mission of manipulation. That dark instigator was an elderly hunch-backed maidservant of Kaikeyi, Manthara. This spinster-schemester wanted to maintain at all costs her privileged position in the royal palace as the favorite maidservant of the king’s favorite queen. If Rama became the king, she feared that his mother would become the foremost dowager and Kaikeyi would be relegated to the position of just another member in the royal family. This would downgrade Manthara to the level of just another maidservant. Due to her hunchback, Manthara had sometimes been the butt of friendly jokes. Though such teasing hadn’t been malicious, she had resented it bitterly. Such banter had stopped with her ascension to a prominent position in the royal staff. Dreading a return to a position of insignificance and scorn, she decided to use her wiles on Kaikeyi and somehow stop the transfer of power.

When Manthara informed Kaikeyi about Rama’s upcoming succession, Kaikeyi was delighted and gifted her maidservant a jewel necklace for bringing such good news. But Manthara hurled the necklace on the ground and called her mistress a naïve fool for not seeing what was happening. She said that the haste with which the succession ceremony was being executed, especially during the absence of Bharata, pointed to a conspiracy for depriving the absent prince of power. Actually, Bharata’s absence was simply a happenstance – he was out-of-station when the king felt an inner call to retire and promptly acted on it. Moreover, Bharata being the youngest son had no claim to the throne, which was meant to go by primogeniture to the oldest son Rama.

Such facts notwithstanding, Manthara exploited the happenstance of Bharata’s absence to sow a seed of suspicion in Kaikeyi’s heart. And then she watered that seed well into the night with a dystopian tale spun from her imagination: A vindictive Kaushalya would have Kaikeyi reduced to a veritable serving maid; and a despotic Rama would have Bharata incarcerated, if not executed.

Manthara exploited the happenstance of Bharata’s absence to sow a seed of suspicion in Kaikeyi’s heart. And then she watered that seed well into the night with a dystopian tale spun from her imagination

By the end of Manthara’s diatribe, Kaikeyi became ready to do anything for stopping the “conspiracy.” Seeing her readiness, her maid suggested that she use an old promise by the king that he would grant her two wishes. Kaikeyi soon agreed to ask that firstly Bharata be designated as the royal heir and secondly Rama be exiled to the forest for fourteen years. Manthara anticipated that the king would vehemently oppose his beloved son’s banishment. So she warned Kaikeyi to not go soft on that demand – only when Rama was outside the kingdom and indeed outside any position of political power would Bharata be able to consolidate his hold on the throne.

Hard heart breaks hearts

What followed was a collision between Kaikeyi’s heart and Dasharatha’s heart. While the king’s heart was soft at the prospect of the coronation, his queen’s heart had become harder than stone due to believing the conspiracy theory. When their hearts collided, the impact left the king heartbroken.

Late in the night, Dasharatha finished overseeing the arrangements for the ceremony next day. Wanting to share his joy with his favorite queen, he came to her palace. When she reminded him of his past promise, he unsuspectingly reiterated his commitment to honor that promise. But when he heard her two wishes, he was petrified and collapsed in a swoon. On returning to consciousness, he realized that the nightmare was real. He strove feverishly to deter his wife from her ruthless resolve. Finally, he broke down into piteous tears and fell begging at her feet – both actions utterly uncharacteristic of a monarch. Yet Kaikeyi remained unmoved by her husband’s desperate pleas.

Being bound by his word of honor, the king was forced to grant her wishes. But being horrified to see that his loving wife had become an unfeeling ogress, he disowned her. In a voice choked with agony and fury, he declared that with the granting of her wishes, his obligation to her was over, as was his relationship with her.

But being horrified to see that his loving wife had become an unfeeling ogress, Dasharatha disowned her. 

Despite hearing such a dreadful declaration, Kaikeyi still remained unrelenting. Her heart had become so cold and hard that it had no room left for anything except her scheme: No room for any conjugal affection for her husband. No room for any maternal affection for her stepson Rama who had accepted the grievous diktat against him with disarming grace. No room for feminine concern for her daughter-in-law Sita who had to don rough tree-bark for joining her husband in his exile. No room for respect for the venerable royal priest Vashishtha who implored her to desist from such a nefarious plan. And no room for fear of public censure as the shocked courtiers and citizens condemned her.

After Rama departed for the forest, the aggrieved Dasharatha found separation from him unbearable. Even more agonizing was the thought that he himself had sentenced his son to exile. This sentence was reserved for the worst of criminals, being just one level below execution. And he had meted out that brutal sentence to one who had done no wrong, to one whom he should have protected, to one who had been born from his own blood. Crushed by anguish, Dasharatha’s broken heart broke down totally – he breathed his last. The whole kingdom sank into gloom at this double loss of both their cherished prince and their revered monarch.

The imaginary Bharata versus the real Bharata

Manthara had exploited the fissures between co-wives to set off a catastrophic earthquake. That quake had now given rise to a tsunami that inundated the whole of Ayodhya with agony. Yet not one drop of that ocean touched Kaikeyi’s heart. Her transmogrification from wise, kind and gentle to foolish, cruel and harsh is unbelievable.

Given that she was not innately evil, how did she justify to herself her horrendous actions? By masking them in the garb of vigilant maternal concern. She imagined that she was doing all this for her son Bharata, who being absent couldn’t protect his interests. She believed her maternal rationalization so completely that nothing else mattered to her – no one’s words, emotions or actions could dent her resolve. Yet her justification couldn’t but crumble to powder when debunked by the very person it claimed to defend: Bharata.

Kaikeyi’s son had anxiously hastened to Ayodhya, being summoned by Vashishtha, who was officiating as the provisional head of state. On arriving in Ayodhya, he saw the once cheery city looking dreary, like a ghost town. Feeling deep misgivings, he rushed to his mother’s chambers, expecting to meet both his parents there. On seeing his mother, he offered her his respects and enquired about his father’s wellbeing. Kaikeyi recounted her own version of events, stressing how she had done so much to protect Bharata’s right to the kingdom.

Hearing about his father’s demise and his brother’s exile left him shaken. Hearing that his own mother had caused these calamities left him shattered. Hearing her claiming that she had done all this for his sake left him sickened. 

Bharata was too sharp to fall for such spin doctoring. Hearing about his father’s demise and his brother’s exile left him shaken. Hearing that his own mother had caused these calamities left him shattered. Hearing her claiming that she had done all this for his sake left him sickened. He found his mother’s words so revolting that he felt sorely tempted to violate the kshatriya code that one should not raise one’s hand against a woman. Somehow checking himself, he poured his fury out in words. Castigating his unrepentant mother, he deemed her an evil witch born for the destruction of their dynasty.

Kaikeyi heard her son’s denunciation with disbelief and dismay. With her imagination, she had fashioned a Bharata who lauded her actions. When the real Bharata condemned those very actions, she realized to her horror that the Bharata who lauded her was nothing more than her imagination. As that imaginary Bharata died a quick death, so did her rationalization. And the monstrosity of what she had done hit her with a force of a thousand thunderbolts. She repented fervently, begging for Bharata’s forgiveness. She even went with him to the forest to second his request that Rama return and reclaim the throne. But it was too late – the juggernaut had already gained a fearsome momentum and nothing, not even its first pusher, could stop it.

How did Kaikeyi become so misled? By a double blunder: she believed uncritically whatever Manthara told her, and she didn’t seek any second opinion. She let herself be so persuaded by just one person’s view that she rejected everyone else’s advice.

Modern Mantharas

Today many Mantharas in the form of agenda-driven agencies run their own disinformation campaigns. Perhaps the most ghastly modern example of devastation through disinformation is the Holocaust. By whipping up frenzy against various supposed enemies of Germany, Hitler poisoned an entire nation against its minority communities and slaughtered over ten million people.

Similarly, many multinational companies use disinformation to boost their profits. In Sugar Salt Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, Pulitzer prize-winning author Michael Moss explains how a massive disinformation campaign has caused the modern addiction to unhealthy eating.

Those thus disinformed feel no hesitation in perpetrating any atrocity because their indoctrination makes them rationalize any assault on “the evil other.”

Such disinformation afflicts even the realms of religion. In Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War published by the Oxford University Press, Professor C. Christine Fair, a security studies expert at Georgetown University, America, studies the Pakistani army’s mentality. She documents its use of a pervasive anti-India disinformation campaign that often employs explicit anti-Hindu imagery. In some Pakistani schools, childhood innocence is slaughtered when arithmetic lessons are misappropriated to indoctrinate students with hate messages: “If out of seven Hindu kafirs (infidels), four are shot dead, how many remain?” Such disinformation is especially sinister because herein hatred is worse than propagated – it is presumed as a given fact of life. Those thus disinformed feel no hesitation in perpetrating any atrocity because their indoctrination makes them rationalize any assault on “the evil other.” The point of this example is not to stigmatize any particular religion or country – hardly any religion or country can claim a spotless record. The point is that disinformation threatens every aspect of society, and nominal religious affiliation is no insurance against it.

Today’s hi-tech world gives access to multiple channels of information. Does such access decrease the human vulnerability to misinformation? Not necessarily. Disinformed people can use such channels not to disabuse themselves, but to perpetuate and propagate their mistaken beliefs. This is evident in the aggressive use of social media by extremist organizations such as ISIS.

Spiritual empowerment

To protect ourselves from disinformation, we need to strengthen our intellectual and ethical muscles. With stronger intellects, we can penetrate to the actual beyond the apparent, thereby discerning the disingenuity in disinformation. With better ethical muscles, we can resist the promises of quick pleasure that disinformationists dangle to make us lower our guard.

The process of bhakti-yoga helps us strengthen both these muscles. Devotional study of scripture sharpens our discerning power and hones our intellectual muscles. Devotional remembrance of Krishna provides a higher inner fulfillment that empowers us to say no to lower temptations.

Unfortunately, disinformation is so pervasive that it can distort our perception of bhakti-yoga too. With a barrage of half-truths and untruths about spirituality and spiritual organizations, disinformation can assault our sacred faith. We can best protect our faith by entirely avoiding such anti-devotional propagandists. But if we somehow hear from them, we shouldn’t let their opinions alone determine our spiritual decisions. By seeking clarification from trustworthy spiritual mentors, we can get a balanced understanding that protects our faith in bhakti’s potency.

If we compare Ayodhya to our heart, then Manthara is like the mind. The mind comes up with the deadly duo of doubt and desire

Disinformation threatens us not just externally but also internally. If we compare Ayodhya to our heart, then Manthara is like the mind. The mind comes up with the deadly duo of doubt and desire: doubt paralyzes our devotion and desire aggravates our worldly infatuation. Being misled by the mind, we become like Kaikeyi and exile the Lord from our heart.

To counter the mind’s insinuations, we need to meticulously avoid the two mistakes Kaikeyi made. Firstly, we need to avoid hearing the mind uncritically. Unfortunately, the mind is always with us and it always has the opportunity to spin its self-serving yarn – so, we need to be constantly vigilant. Secondly, if the mind’s persuasion starts swaying us from our moral and spiritual principles, we need to counter it with the enlightening voices of guru-sadhu-shastra. We can take both these precautions by conscientiously engaging ourselves in devotional service. By such absorbing spiritual engagement, we will pre-empt the mind’s misleading stratagems and will instead be led by timeless wisdom towards our all-round wellbeing.

 

Hare Krishna! Spiritual Revolution in Turkey
In Turkey, we do not have chance to preach in public. We have a yoga center here and we do hatha yoga classes as well as bhakti yoga programs. Yoga is getting popular in Turkey and what we see with our programs is that Turkish people like chanting Holy Names of the Lord. We have established a kirtan yoga group three years ago and since then we go for chanting any yoga studio that invites us. We have reached many people through kirtan yoga and some of them are very regular with our bhakti programs. They want to know more about Absolute Truth.Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17483

The post Daily Darshan – May 22nd, 2015 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

HH Bhakti Vidyapurna Swami at ISKCON Mayapur on 2015-05-17, Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 06.08.13-17

On Monday and Tuesday, May 4th and 5th, the TOVP along with the Padukas and Sitari visited the homes of a few families for darshan and prasadam. These included the home of Suresh Krishna das and Sundari Gopika devi dasi and were accompanied by Amani Gaura Hari das and Shastra Krt das.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Days 54 and 55 – The Padukas and TOVP Team Visit Local Los Angeles Devotees appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

On Saturday, May 2nd, we celebrated Nrsimha Caturdasi at the Los Angeles New Dwaraka Temple. The TOVP presentation began in the evening and gradually the temple began to fill up with devotees. A water abhisheka and puspa abhisheka of the Padukas and Sitari took place during the arati.

Svavas prabhu then introduced the TOVP Team which included Giriraja Swami and Ambarisa prabhu who came especially for the weekend presentations. Radha Jivan gave some opening notes and then turned the mike over to each speaker. Then, in his usual heart-warming and endearing way, he inspired the devotees to make their pledges. By the end of the program over $600,000 was pledged. devotees happily took prasadam.

On Sunday, May 3rd, after a nice lunch at the home of Lochan prabhu and his family Jananivas, Radha Jivan, and Vraja Vilas prabhus took an excursion to Venice Beach, famous for Srila Prabhupada’s morning walk conversations, especially those which later were transcribed into the popular book, Life Comes From Life. There we found a small Harinama party and joined for some time. We returned to the temple for the Sunday program. The temple again filled up with eager devotees, and after the arati the TOVP presentation once again began in earnest. By the end of the evening the pledges had reached another $200,000 making the grand total for Los Angeles about $800,000.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Days 52 and 53 – Nrsimha Caturdasi and the Sunday Feast TOVP Presentations at New Dwaraka Dhama appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

New Dwaraka is the North American ISKCON Headquarters and home to Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadisha. It is also one of the original temples opened during Srila Prabhupada’s presence and the place of many of his pastimes, including the famous morning walks along Venice Beach.

Under the able leadership of Svavas prabhu, who is also the BBT Manager, it continues to be a thriving community of hundreds of devotees. We arrived on the afternoon of Thursday, April 30 after a short flight from San Jose and spent the remainder of the day as well as Friday catching up on office work and preparing for a big weekend during the Nrsimha Caturdasi Festival.

The post TOVP Daily Tour Days 50 and 51 – Arrival in Los Angeles, New Dwaraka Dhama appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

The making of the acharya murtis is a procedure that requires several steps:

Step 1
First, a clay model of the acharya is made based on shastric descriptions and certain known poses that distinguish him from the other acharyas.

Step 2
Second, a plaster mold is created using a custom, in-house mixture of sand, cement and water which is applied to the clay murti with a special home-made spray gun replicating an industrial version. Both the plaster and the spray gun
were designed by Savyasachi prabhu, a member of the Art Team. His innovations have saved us a considerable amount of money. The plaster is then allowed to dry and the murti is ready for the next step.

Stay tuned for Step 3!!

The post The Making of the Acharyas appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

On Sunday, May 17th, the TOVP North American Tour arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana to visit the ISKCON temple, fondly named mini-Mayapur by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami because of its congregation of Bengali devotees, many from Sridhama Mayapur. We were greeted by a rousing kirtan and brought to the temple room where the Lord’s Padukas and Sitari received an elaborate abhisheka.

Later in the evening the TOVP presentation was made to a packed temple room full of devotees who drive taxis for a living to maintain their families and support the temple. This was evidenced by the fact that at least 15-20 taxis were parked right outside the temple. Radha Jivana prabhu gave a heartwarming and emotional presentation, and Jananivas prabhu, endeared by all the local devotees as their siksha guru, spoke about Mayapur and the importance of serving this great project.

After the presentation devotees were requested by Radha Jivana to offer their pledges and, one by one, devotees began to sponsor Silver Gratitude Coins for $11,000. There was no end to the pledges. They simply kept coming in until the number of pledged Silver Coins reached 40, more than at any temple previously visited! Along with some Radha Madhava, Pancha Tattva, and Nrsimha Bricks, and Square Foot pledges, the total pledges reached an astounding $460,000 that evening. The ecstatic group of devotees then broke into a half-hour long kirtan, after which prasadam was served.

The next 2 days we visited a number of devotee homes for kirtan and prasadam, always noticing multiple taxis parked outside each home. Devotees continued to make pledges and in the end the number of Silver Coins pledged reached 46. We expect more to follow even after our departure. The total pledges has already surpassed half-a-million dollars.

We are grateful to the Temple President, Shraddhadeva Manu prabhu, and all the devotees there for making this great sacrifice from their humble earnings to the TOVP. They are not wealthy devotees by any means, yet they were willing to make this commitment and pledge for the cause of the TOVP project. Their actions are an example to the world of devotional surrender and service.

The post Vaisnava Taxi Drivers in New Orleans Pledge Half-a-Million Dollars to TOVP appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Gita Verse-by-verse Study Podcast:

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CC daily Podcast:

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Wonderfully praised by the brilliant and resolutely determined boy, the All-Attractive, who is the devotee of his devotees, reciprocated the child’s affections and spoke.

“Royal little boy,” he said, “I know what you are striving for with all your wonderful vows, and I will grant it to you with all my blessings, though it is very rare.

“You wanted to attain the most wondrous place in all the three worlds, beyond what even Brahmā possesses.” Pointing up into the night sky, Viṣṇu continued, “See that very bright star? It doesn’t move, so we call it Dhruva-kṣiti. It is like the hub around which the wheel of the brilliant constellations stars and planets revolve; it is like the central pillar around which bulls walk to turn the tills. No one has ever claimed that star but Dharma, Agni, Kaśyapa, Śukra, and the great forest dwelling sages worship that place by clockwise circumambulation, just like the stars, because it is timeless and persists beyond the end of ages.

“But first, return home. Your father will soon retire to the forest and give you the earth. Rule it under the protection of morality for thirty-six thousand years. Your body will not become old.”

Dhruva would wonder why his father would give him the kingdom, instead of giving it to his elder and favorite son, Uttama. And what about Dhruva’s wicked co-mother?

Hari assured him they would not interfere. “Uttama will be lost while hunting,” he said. “His distraught mother will search for him in the forests, and wander into a forest-fire.”

“I don’t really want a kingdom anymore…” Dhruva might wonder.

So Hari reassured him that his brother and co-mother would perish anyway – the inevitable doom of insulting a good person, and Dhruva would enjoy the kingdom in a transcendental way. “You will use your royal wealth to worship me – the true heart of all ceremonies – and will distribute the fabulous results of such ceremonies in generous charity. This will make you very happy and truly blessed. You will not forget me for a moment, not even at the very end.”

“What will happen at the end?” Dhruva would wonder.

So Hari pointed again to the polestar and said, “At the end, you will enter that respected center of all the worlds, superior even to the stars of the sages. When you enter that gateway, you will attain my own abode, from which you will never depart.”

---

Comments: Some astronomical and philosophical details can be ironed out from studying this section and considering things carefully.

The first point is that the Earth’s axial precession causes the central hub of apparent stellar rotation to drift in a circular pattern over a c. 26,000 year period. We do not know exactly how many years ago Hari and Dhruva spoke, but we do know that it was an exceedingly, exceedingly long time ago since Dhruva is only three generations descended from Brahmā, the original living entity. What we do know from the text above is that the star Viṣṇu pointed out was particularly bright (bhrājiṣṇu). The current polaris (north star) is not particularly bright (it is the 50th brightest star). The brightest among the stars that take the role of polaris (“north star” – the pole around which other stars seem to revolve) is Vega. The very fascinating and compelling thing about this is that Vega is known as abhijit nakṣatra in Vedic astronomy. Abhijit is the most special nakṣatra and the names itself suggests the term found here in Bhāgavatam describing Dhruva’s star, dhruva-kṣiti —  a  star that cannot be conquered (abhijit).

[Even knowing this, we cannot fix the date of Dhruva’s birth – for abhijit becomes the polestar on a cyclic basis. It’s not a one-time event.]

The second point is that Dhruva does not seem to inhabit the polestar. He inhabits the ancient earth for 36,000 years. Then, when he dies, he enters vaikuṇṭha (“mat-sthānam”) through the abhijit / polestar. If we read the early chapters of Canto Two, we find that it is consistently described that the soul travels through various stellar points (moon > sun > milky way > etc) into the nabha (central point) of the universe (seems now to be the polestar / abhijit), through which it dissolves its material associations by passing through the extra-universal elemental layers and finally reaches Brahman, or, if destined further, reaches “mat-sthāna” Vaikuṇṭha. So, really, what Viṣṇu granted druva was his father’s earthly kingdom for 36,000 years – uninterrupted by any sickness or old age, and full of true happiness which comes from seeing divinity everywhere and always remembering Hari. And, at the end of this, he grants Dhruva entry into Vaikuṇṭha mukti. Additionally he grants that the polestar will be associated with Dhruva as his adhisthāna – just as the deva have the various stars (tāra) and constellations (nakṣatra) associated with them as their adhisthāna.

Essentially, by associating Dhruva with the polstar, Viṣṇu delcares that his realized devotee is greater than the devas (gods), for the polestar symbolizes the supreme stellar object around which all other stellar objects seem to revolve. This declares that bhakti (Dhruva, the bhakta) is superior to all other accomplishments.

Śrī Bhāgavata 4.9.18 ~ 25

Vraja Kishor dās

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Tagged: abhijit, Bhakti, dhruva, nakshatra, north star, polaris, polestar, Vishnu

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 April 2015, Mauritius, Kirtan Mela, Day 3, Introduction to Kirtan)

In the introduction to the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada quotes a very famous verse (SB 1.5.11):

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo

yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api

nāmāny anantasya yaśo ‘ńkitāni yat

śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

It means wherever there are devotees who are chanting the names of God, that can bring about revolution in a misdirected and misguided civilization. In other words, this chanting can change everything! When we look around the world, we can see that in the past, people were very God-centered. So many temples, churches and famous mosques were built around the world – so many religious buildings. It is only in a very short time span, in modern times, that people have become so atheistic. Nowadays, God consciousness goes out the window and as a result there is so much unrest in the world, so much anxiety, madness, aggression and unhappiness. But simply worshiping the Supreme Lord will change all that. However, it is not required to build big temples and large religious monuments. All that is required is that we worship the Supreme Lord and the very best way to do it is by chanting His holy name.  Therefore, when we gather and chant, it has great significance for the whole world, blessing it all over. So regular kirtan events should continue, in order for revolution to take place in our hearts and in our consciousness, and that gradually we become pure at heart.

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

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Rasa Rasika dasa

Food For Life Nepal & Shaheed Bhagat Singh Brigade works together to help Nepalese people after the earthquake. 

On 16th May, 21 days after the Nepal earthquake, FFL Nepal Team went to Chamkharka village at Panauti to serve cooked food & distribute some relief materials. About 25 Volunters of Food for Life Nepal went to that village early in the morning with utensils, fresh vegetables, rice, dal etc for the khichadi preparation.

One problem with hot summers is how to prevent the body from getting dehydrated, which can happen quickly and lead to serious consequences, particularly for children or the elderly.

We may deny our attraction to our spiritual side, or opt for a spiritual path that is more fashionable or acceptable, but there is a point at which it becomes unhealthy to do that any longer.

ISKCON worldwide is gearing up for 2016, when the society will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of its registration in New York City. But first off this year will be several celebrations of ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada’s journey from Kolkata to the U.S. One of these will be in the island country of Sri Lanka where Prabhupada’s steamship the Jaladuta stopped on August 17^th.

King Ambarish had a very sinful brother who could not be changed. The pious Ambarisha tried repeatedly without success. His brother, Paparaja, would not stop sinning and simply laughed at Ambarish. One day the saint Narada Muni came to see Ambarish and the king asked him to preach to his brother. “Perhaps, O great one, you can turn his mind.”

But when Narada went to see Paparaja he simply hurled insults at him, so Narada decided to leave. As he was going he said, “Please just take this one piece of advice. If you are ever brought before Yamaraja, the Lord of Death, ask him this question: What is the value of a moment’s association with a pure devotee of Krishna?”

Narada then left and in time Paparaja met his death. Sure enough the awful servants of Yamaraja came to take him before their master. Dragging him from his body they chastised him and beat him severely, forcing him to stumble in terror along the long dusty road that led to Yamaraja’s court, where he would be judged.

Seeing him fallen before him Yamaraja said in a thunderous voice, “Your sins are limitless. Long will you languish in the worst of hells, suffering fearful punishments. Do you have any questions?”

Paparaja trembled before the terrible Lord of Death, bowing his head low. Suddenly he remembered Narada’s question and he said, “My Lord, what is the value of a moment’s association with a pure devotee of Krishna?”

Yamaraja, surprised to hear the sinful wretch uttering Krishna’s name, began to think deeply. After some time he said, “I cannot properly determine the answer to this question. Let us go to Lord Brahma and ask him.”

Taking Paparaja, he went before Brahma and asked him the same question he had been asked. Brahma also fell into deep thought and finally said. “I cannot say. This is very difficult to understand. Let us go to Lord Shiva and ask him.”

Then Yamaraja, Brahma and Paparaja went to Shiva and asked him the question. He too could not reply. “Such a question can only be answered by Lord Vishnu himself,” he said, and he, Brahma, Yamaraja and Paparaja all went to Vaikuntha in the spiritual sky where Vishnu dwelt.

Shiva said, “My Lord, please tell us what is the value of a moment’s association with your pure devotee?”

Vishnu smiled and said, “It is this. You are brought to my eternal abode.”

With that Paparaja was liberated and the gods returned in amazement to their respective posts.

Hare Krishna! NASN April 2015 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of April. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17480

Beautiful Mayapur (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/jJTlIO

Hare Krishna! The Out of Africa Theory Verses the Vedic View
Many geneticists view that modern man developed and came out of Africa where they migrated across lands to settle in ancient India. From there they spread out in all directions, even into Europe. This is called the “Out of Africa” theory. This certainly helps contradict the Aryan Invasion Theory, which proposes that the Vedic Aryans were not indigenous to the region of India, but came from the Caucasus Mountains, bringing their culture into India. However, over the past several years, an increasing number of finds have been made that suggest modern humans also lived in other regions besides Africa, and at older dates.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17476

In 1486, Krishna appeared as Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. While a renaissance of philosophical and theological thought was going on in the world, Shri Chaitanya ushered in a spiritual revolution through His personal interactions, philosophical discourses and most importantly His joyous public chanting and dancing.

Hare Krishna! Health Report of H.H. Jayapataka Swami
Currently he is receiving medical attention for his ongoing liver condition and the pneumonia, which caused trouble with his breathing in the first place. As per this morning, Jayapataka Maharaja’s health condition is of concern. Last night Maharaja had some trouble with his breathing and today his liver function has deteriorated. However the specialists are looking scrutinizingly into what can help Maharaja to improve. We request everyone to please intensify your prayers for Maharaja at this point.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17473

The post Hearing the beauty and sweetness of Krsna appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Devotees surely know the best way to celebrate an anniversary :-) (Album with photos)
See them here: https://goo.gl/bZGr9M

Their is a significant difference between philosophical understanding and practical practice in devotional life and developing true bhakti. One of these for myself is being equipoised in both happiness and distress and seeing both as krishna’s mercy.

Over the last few weeks and months events happen that push this area into focus with the challenge have I understood or willing to surrender to this; given as in most modern societies especially in the west have developed the blame game, the problems and difficulties are others rather than either our own or simply meant to be.

So what were these events, on the surface appear insignificant however over the years in my fumblings in devotional practice and observing others it appears often the small less significant events that prove the undoing and stalling progress in bhakti.

This was the year that those who work in social care sectors and follow policies knew cuts were coming and so since January I’ve seen a steady reduction in my own working hour’s; despite this I’ve managed to as the saying goes keep my head above water, indeed somehow or other I’ve weathered the storm better than some of my college’s. However a crucial tool is my car having to drive 21,000 miles per year to cover client’s, so all car maintenance is planned on days off; so an overrun of several days on what should have been a 2 hour job brings hardship not only on myself but on those who rely on me and as I don’t want to let my college’s down anxiety manifests.

During this I then am involved in an unfortunate accident to which for me a natural response is anger, being stabbed by a used hypodermic needle is a hazard in health care and over the years have seen such events, now it was my turn but I have been in the profession for 20+ years.

For the past few years indeed this desire has increased significantly to the point were frustration and mental anguish is being felt after assisting the pujaris at The Manor I’ve desired one thing to get to dress and put the deities to bed on the extended weekends I’m their. Sadly this is further away than ever it was my deep desire that this year would be the year it all happens but news of my guru maharaja impending visit and a steady increase in requirements means that personally it feels like a cold knife has been pushed into my fragile heart. Added to the realisation that by the time I find out about my guru maharajas plans he would have either left the country, or too late to arrange cover for my client’s which leaves me in an awkward position; phone in sick so I can see my guru maharaja bringing hardship to my clients or cover my clients bringing hardship and misery to myself.

It’s faced with these what appear insignificant events that being equipoised appears a somewhat fool hearty notion and as we say in Wales a bit of a numpty mentality.

Is it that bad? Well depending on perspective I guess.

The overrun on car repairs was unforseen and out of the hands of both the mechanic and myself, shearing bolts and a small engine bay added time. Yes anxiety is their but knowledge also this is temporary and an end could be seen and it did give an opportunity a wonderful opportunity more japa and reading, as the saying goes in every cloud their is a silver lining more opportunity to hear and read about krishna is indeed a wonderful opportunity.

In every job their is a risk, we have become risk averse blaming others when things go wrong,moving a box in a clients home shouldn’t have resulted in looking at a finger with a needle in it, so being angry may be. But given that I was aware of the individuals lack of comprehension in both their condition and treatment regime I shouldn’t have been surprised. Also knowing their full medical history a full risk to myself can be assessed, this is significant as I’ve seen similar incidents were the risk was either unknown or high. A reminder to remain vigilant and not become complacent for in years of medical practice complacency comes, like it can come in spiritual life so a good reminder if not a little embarrassing.

As to the final blow experienced what to do, everything happens not in my time but krishna’s, the desire remains it may not happen in this lifetime but best not to give up on practice of bhakti. However following a lot of soul searching I’ve made three important discussions:

1) to come out of the mentor system, its great but sadly hasn’t resolved what to do when your 3.5 hours away from the temple unable to do weekly courses and attend regular meetings. And so for me personally brings significant hardships and unbearable financial costs.

2) to stop with the morning transfers and help in the pujari department, although I would encourage those who live close to the temple and able to do the required courses and attend regular mentor meetings this will increase understanding and attachment to krishna

3) to stop giving Srimad Bhagavatam class, this is misleading and cheating mentality as it is meant to be given by second initiated devotee’s so I’m sat giving class under false declaration; may be if I’m fortunate I can give evening Gita class.

Best I just concentrate on helping my dear friend during my extended weekend visit and be happy in this service.

As to seeing my guru maharaja, what to do? Another visit and another year I won’t get to speak directly to him, but best be happy in service this will please in a small way; and at least I’ve got some good association.

As to preaching:
The plans for this years community Diwali is going well, I’m lacking a fantastic cake maker (their going to the holy dhama’s); this will mean again I will be on my own, however a great devotee is writing a small monalog play for me should be good.

And I’ve managed to bring a small group together each fortnight, this is after doing the house to house visits and developing a home gita class, although as some will know it went from a chapter by chapter to a more personal what are your questions and here’s how the Gita can answer. Although I have put further expansion of this on hold.

I’ve this week been asked to help start an online Skype class being asked to speak and run a few, let’s see it will be a good resource especially for devotees like me who live in rural areas with limited devotee contact.

So even in distress if I look internally you can see Krishna’s loving hand, but I’m wondering what others experience are.