Planet ISKCON

In honor of Jayananda Prabhu’s disappearance day on May 1, we submit the following account, derived from a letter by Kalindi Dasi to her spiritual master, Candramauli Swami.                                             — Giriraj Swami

A Hospice Miracle—Serving Jayananda’s Mother

In mid-July I started wearing tilak to my work at the hospice. I thought that since many other spiritual practitioners were expressing their faith by wearing crosses, doves, silk threads, pentacles, and other items, I would wear my tilak, which tells the world that I am a devotee of the Lord. And I have found that wearing tilak at work has opened the door for spiritual questions and conversations.

On the morning of Monday, August 6, 2007, after our daily report and medical-staff checks, we began doing our usual tasks of caring for the patients. As ours is only a ten-bed facility, we are able to give loving care to each patient individually. Often, while I care for or bathe patients who are unable to do such tasks for themselves, I chant or sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always friendly and appreciative for her care. When I was finished, I spoke with some of the family members in the hall. Jane’s grandson approached me to thank me and then pointed to his forehead and to my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that yes, I was a devotee of Krishna. “Well,” he said, “then maybe you know of my uncle Jayananda.”

“The Jayananda?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. And he told me how his uncle had built the Ratha-yatra carts. He then went in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krishna.

Gaynelle, Jayananda Prabhu’s sister, came out of the room and said that she was so happy that a Krishna devotee had cared for her mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn’t believe that I was a Hare Krishna. She said that she told her mother but wasn’t sure that her mom could hear her. I said that I had a feeling she already knew, and I laughed.

Jane, a granddaughter, mentioned that she remembered her uncle making really great Indian food and offering it to God and then the family sitting on the floor and eating it. She remembered his robes and how happy he was. Jane said that he had been pretty depressed before meeting devotees.

I let Jayananda Prabhu’s family know that during the Ratha-yatra festival we hang a nice photo of him next to Srila Prabhupada’s photo. They told me that an old friend of Jayananda’s (who is not a devotee) happened to be in Durban, South Africa, several years ago and saw his first Ratha-yatra festival there, and to his astonishment there was a huge photo of Jayananda Prabhu on the front of the cart. He had called Gaynelle to share the news.

They told me that Jayananda was always very kind, even as a child, and never spoke badly of others. From the many stories they told me, his saintly qualities shone through even in his childhood. Gaynelle told me that her brother once spent hours on a family vacation at the beach picking ticks and fleas off a homeless dog. He couldn’t stand to watch it suffering. Jayananda’s nephew told me about running around the kitchen table as a small child with his uncle, who was laughing and chanting Hare Krishna.

When I went back into Jane’s room, the family was gathered around her bed holding her hand. Her breaths were faint, and she was about to leave her body. I stepped out to give the family some space, and about five minutes later they came to the front desk and asked for me to look at her. When I opened the door, I saw that her body had turned yellow and waxy. It was apparent that the soul had left and that the physical body was all that remained. The nurse reported that she had passed, and the family, though sad, also felt relief.

Gaynelle told me that she had asked her brother for support. Since he couldn’t physically be at their mother’s passing, she had been looking for a sign that he was supporting her. She felt that a devotee’s being present and caring for her mother was not a mere coincidence. It was, I believe, Krishna’s endless mercy!

I thanked the relatives for allowing me to serve their family, offered my pranamas, and said, “Hare Krishna.”

śrī-rādhā-muralī-manohara-padāmbhojaṁ sadābhāvayan

Always enrapt in thoughts of Śrī Rādhā Muralī-manohara’s lotus-feet…

śrī-caitanya-mahāprabhoḥ pada-rajaḥ svātmānaṁ evārpayan

Completely giving my very self to the dust of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s feet…

śrīmad-bhāgavatottamān guṇa-nidhīṇ aty-ādarād ānaman

With utmost adoration for the topmost Veda, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
and the topmost devotees
Both of which are oceans of goodness…

śrī-vṛṇdāvana-divya-vaibhavam ahaṁ stotuṁ mudā prārabhe

I delightfully prepare to praise the transcendent opulences of Śrī Vṛndāvana.

 

Tagged: Vrindavan

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Rasa Rasika dasa

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.7.34:

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The sages said, “O All-Attractive, you alone know how to truly perform sacrifice, for you perform your endeavors without the least bit of interest in the happiness or distress they may cause you.” Gesturing towards Lakṣmī as an example, they continued, “We all worship this Goddess to get her powerful blessings, but you have no interest in such blessings, you simply love her selflessly.”

---

This is the truth about Krishna’s love for Rādhā, reflected as Hari’s love for Lakṣmī.

Everyone wants selfish results from whatever they do. “Why should I?” and “What’s in it for me?” These are fundamental attitudes rooted in everyone’s ego. On the basis of these attitudes, we decide what we will and will not do. Hari is absolutely void of this egoism. On the contrary he is the abode of prema, which is selfless love. So, none of his actions are done with the least bit of motivation for his own happiness. If you don’t believe me, that’s your problem (or perhaps your bhāva).

The sages point to his love of Lakṣmī as the prime example of this selfless attitude. Everyone loves Lakṣmī in some form or another. But all of us love her because of what we can get from her. Hari has no interest at all in what he can get from Lakṣmī or anyone else. He does not manifest himself in multitudes of expansions (such as Lakṣmī) just so he can get something from them. What sense would there be in that? Why would he take his energy from within, place it outside, just so he could suck it back in? It would be a waste of energy. Useless work. The actual reason for Hari manifesting in multitudes of personalities is so he has someone to love! He needs people, not for what they give him, but for what he can give them. The actual bliss of existence is in love, and he needs someone to love. So he manifests as infinite people, Lakṣmī / Rādhā being the primary (pūrṇa/ādi-śakti).

Everyone loves their own conception of Lakṣmī for selfish reasons, but Hari is her selfless devotee.

May this explanation bring joy to the reader.

The next verse:

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Hearing the glorification of Hari’s love for Lakṣmī, the Siddhas became joyful and exclaimed, “This discussion about you is like a river of purified nectar! Our parched elephant-minds, charred by forest fires of misery, dive into this river and forget all pains. As if they have merged into Brahman, our minds cannot remove themselves again from this nectar river!”

— Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com

Tagged: Krishna, lakshmee, Lakshmi, laksmi, laxmi, Radha, Radharani

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1)

In the thirteenth chapter of Bhagavad-gita, there is an amazing list of pure qualities: amānitvam adambhitvam… (Bhagavad-gita 13.8). One must be free of pride, adambhitvam. One must be very tolerant, amānitvam. Like that, there are many qualities, verses eight to twelve, you can paste them on the wall and look at them every day as a meditation.

Then in the fifteenth chapter, in the final verse, we get a description of hṛdaya-daurbalyaḿ, of the weakness of heart. That weakness of heart, that is our obstacle. Pride, the desire to be somebody, the desire to be glorified, the desire to be worshipped. Therefore, there is the tendency to pretend, to present oneself greater and better than one is. This is due to weakness of heart. So, one has to let pride go as petty and small.

Anyway, but meanwhile we have all this knowledge. We know, we should be transcendental, we know we should just serve Krsna, but we cannot. Then what can we do? We can meditate more on what it means to be a devotee. Sixteenth chapter is really interesting because the sixteenth chapter, in the first six verses, it describes the divine qualities – our qualities – and in the rest of the chapter it describes the demoniac qualities – the qualities of the neighbours. So that is a great chapter, you know. So if you need some entertainment, that is a chapter to read. You know, especially that part about the neighbours, you know, “Yeah, right. Spot on! Perfect fit. Well done. Yes, fully, I am in full agreement!”

Of course, there is another way to read the sixteenth chapter which is to consider… Satsvarupa Maharaj summed it up in a book that he wrote. He wrote so many books but there is one book, it is called, “Am I a demon or a vaisnava?” That is a very interesting question. What am I? Because, yes, that is how it is in this time. There are some demoniac tendencies in everyone. One can see in the sixteenth chapter, that some of these qualities are in us. This chapter is like a mirror actually. It makes you more aware of who you are and what you should be. Anyway, after that you just feel like, “Oh gosh.” What if you come to the conclusion after reading the chapter that, “Actually, I am a demon. I have always known it. Deep down, I have tried to ignore it. And for all this time, I have been chanting Hare Krsna. I have been trying to be a devotee, but after studying the Gita, I have finally realized it. I am a demon! What do I do now?”

Alright, so you know, you kind of feel hopeless after that. Fortunately then, there is the seventeenth chapter which saves us. Right there and then. Because the seventeenth chapter is describing the three modes of material nature. It describes is the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. “Yeah, I have heard enough about that before and I heard that you are supposed to be in the mode of goodness. Well, my goodness, have I tried to be in the mode of goodness until steam came out of my ears!” No, that was the mode of passion. Not easy. So how to be in the mode of goodness?

Srila Prabhupada has an interesting reference in a purport which I thought was really revealing. Prabhupada did not say you have to be in the mode of goodness, he said you have to associate with the mode of goodness. Well, that we can do. We cannot be in goodness but we can associate with goodness – cleanliness, purity, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, religiousness, equipoised, you know, not so quickly disturbed by things that are going on. We can try and create that atmosphere and then stay in such an atmosphere. That will help. That will help! When you realize at the end of the sixteenth chapter that actually, we are demons and we have tried all this time to be a devotee but we do not really make it. What to do now? Then associate with the mode of goodness.

Performed by Vaiyasaki Das.

Where is your God? Ask him to come before me now or else I won’t believe that he exists? Many agnostics frequently put forth such logic to deny God’s existence. This phenomenon isn’t new, God’s authority has been challenged since the dawn of creation.

Bhagavatam-daily Podcast

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Govinda Dev temple unharmed by tremors; claimed ASI
Vrindavan, April 28th 2015: Following two major aftershocks on Sunday afternoon after a series of tremors in the wake of the quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale that struck Nepal on Saturday, the devotees and the priests of Vrindavan got concerned about the safety of the architectural heritage temples and buildings of Vraja.
A rumor was spread on Monday that a crack had appeared on the wall of the 16th century Govinda Dev Temple of Vrindavan. On Monday morning the temple priests Shri Sukumar Goswami and Shri Sanjay Goswami expeditiously informed the ASI officials at the regional office in Mathura about the crack in the red sand stone building after the tremors jolted many parts of Vraja on Saturday and Sunday.
Subsequently conservation assistant SK Kulshreshtha, visited the temple and denied that any crack had appeared due to the aftershocks. He said that it was nothing but the joint of two stones, which are intact. Shri S. K. Kulshreshtha said, “We are maintaining the temple in the condition in which we got it. We can’t alter anything, as per the guidelines set by the Archeological Survey of India. We can’t remove those stones which have scratches on them from before. We simply can’t replace them with the new stones.” Later, M.C. Sharma, the Deputy Superintending Archaeological Engineer also visited the protected monument to ensure if the temple remained unscathed by the earth quake.
Govinda Dev Temple is the first temple of Vrindavan, was built in 1590 by Raja Man Singh of Jaipur under the guidance of Shri Rupa Goswami during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar. There are four protected monuments in Vrindavan, namely Govinda, Madan Mohan, Yugal Kishore and Radha Ballabh. The Archeological Survey of India takes care of the maintenance of these temples.

Hare Krishna for salvation in Estonia (3 min video)
In Estonia’s capital Tallinn, where nine out of 10 people are agnostics and atheists, Krishna believers are taking to the streets with a quest for the divine.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/UeCAf1

Hare Krishna! A Hospice Miracle—Serving Jayananda’s Mother
Often, while I care for or bathe patients who are unable to do such tasks for themselves, I chant or sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. On this particular morning I was caring for a woman named Jane Kohr, who had been with us for almost a week. She was a kind and polite person, and I enjoyed the time I spent with her. Around 8 a.m. on August 6, I entered her room and found that she was getting closer to leaving her body. She was unresponsive to verbal cues, and her body was limp. I sang the maha-mantra one last time, while she received her final bath. Hospice staff called her family, who were always friendly and appreciative for her care. When I was finished, I spoke with some of the family members in the hall. Jane’s grandson approached me to thank me and then pointed to his forehead and to my tilak and asked if I was a Hare Krishna. I smiled and said that yes, I was a devotee of Krishna. “Well,” he said, “then maybe you know of my uncle Jayananda.” “The Jayananda?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. And he told me how his uncle had built the Ratha-yatra carts. He then went in to inform his mother that I was a Hare Krishna. Gaynelle, Jayananda Prabhu’s sister, came out of the room and said that she was so happy that a Krishna devotee had cared for her mother. The whole family expressed that it meant so much to them. Gaynelle kept saying that she couldn’t believe that I was a Hare Krishna. She said that she told her mother but wasn’t sure that her mom could hear her. I said that I had a feeling she already knew, and I laughed. Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17092

From Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s own handwritten song book!

Sochi is located on the Black Sea in southern Russia. It is Russia’s largest resort city. It hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. ISKCON has an attractive temple in a forested area 15 minutes from the city center. Devotees regularly do harinama and book distribution throughout the beautiful city.

A Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur (Album with photos)
This year Soulphotography witnessed a Hare Krishna wedding in the heart of Mayapur. Over the Easter break I had the pleasure of heading out to east India, to a very holy area known as Mayapur which lies north of Kolkata. It was all for the wedding of two very good friends of mine, Madhura & Sunandani, whom I’ve grown to know and love over the last 8 years since I settled in Birmingham.
See them here: http://goo.gl/Ae3h9L

Everyone is invited to the special festival held in New Vrindaban on Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Appearance Day Sat. May 2, 2015.  Don’t miss the evening 7:00 PM Aroti, which will be followed by some exciting Nrsimhadeva nectar!

New Vrindaban’s Lord Nrsimhadeva Deity is unique.  He was made in New Vrindaban and installed in July 1986, the first full-size Nrsimhadeva deity installed in the U.S.A.

Soma dasa, whose many sculptures adorn the New Vrindaban community, carved the Nrsimha Deity.  Soma dasa, consulting regularly with Sampat Kumar Bhattacarya, head of the famous Vyenkatesvara temple in Tirupati, India completed the Deity in only three months. The Deity is modeled according to descriptions of Nrsimhadeva given in the Vedic literature.

SCHEDULE SAT. MAY 2, 2015

5:00 a.m.                                     Mangal Aroti

5:45-7:30 a.m.                            Japa

7:30 a.m.                                     Gurupuja

7:45 a.m.                                      Greeting the Deities

8-9:00 a.m.                                 Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H.G. Sankirtan das

9:00 a.m.                                     Light Breakfast for those not fasting

10:00 a.m.                                   Govardhana Parikrama

12:30 p.m.                                                Aroti

1:00 p.m.                                     Bhagavad Gita Class by H.G. Gauranatraj das

1:30 p.m.                                      Light Lunch for those not fasting

3-5:00 p.m.                                 Fire yajna

5-5:30 p.m.                                 Gopuja at the Goshalla

5:30 – 7:00 p.m.                         Abhishek

7-7:30 p.m.                                 Aroti

7:30-7:45 p.m.                            Short Drama

7:45-8:00 p.m.                            Nrsimha Aroti

8:00 p.m.                                     Feast

(fasting till dusk)

Please bring your offerings of bhoga by 6:30 pm.

Please bring flowers for the abhishek by 3 pm

 

So far the Food For Life in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur has served over 40,000 plates of hot prasadam in shelters and hospitals. On Tuesday 28 April, 15 doctors arrived from Bhaktivendanta Hospital, Mumbai, who are conducting health camps around the affected areas. FFL Nepal has also received supply of two tons of grains from Kolkata. 

2015 VIHE Bhakti Shastri Course
We are heartily inviting all serious students to this year’s VIHE Bhakti-sastri course. The Bhakti-sastri course is a systematic study of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Srila Prabhupada wanted all of us to deeply study his books, so that we could become better preachers and teachers, and, very importantly, achieve a clear understanding and application of the beautiful science of devotional service. Shri Vrindavan Dham mercifully provides a unique environment to enhance one’s taste and appreciation for the treasures of the direct path of bhakti.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17086

The three steps of anything: 1) Initial enthusiasm, 2) doubts, disinterest and struggle 3) eventual reward for the committed. This seems to be the standard pattern for most things in life: studies, career, relationships, hobbies, and yes, even spirituality.

Kirtan Shakti ~ Promo Without Borders (6 min video)
Bhakti Without Borders blends melodies from the East Indian Bhakti tradition with the folk, bluegrass and country elements of traditional American and Irish music. The result is a sound that is both fresh and familiar.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/E6HL0L

Dance Flash Mob Performance Praises Jagannatha (8 min video)
On the occasion of the World Dance Day, a flash mob performance was organized by ISKCON devotees in downtown Budapest, Hungary on April 29th, 2015. They suprised the passer-byes with a beautiful Odissi dance piece praising Lord Jagannatha.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/i6jopM

A page from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur’s personal handwritten song book. A rare gem! How fortunate we are to see it.

Letting the cows out at Bhaktivedanta Manor 2015 (5 min video)
An annual ceremony at ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, UK that takes place every Spring and is all about releasing Lord Krishna’s cows onto the fields.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/xP9t69

Nepal: Narasimha deity from 7th century intact!!

The post Lord Caitanya asked, “What shall I do now?” appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

On the occasion of the World Dance Day, a flash mob performance was organized by ISKCON devotees in downtown Budapest, Hungary on April 29th, 2015. They suprised the passer-byes with a beautiful Odissi dance piece praising Lord Jagannatha.

Hare Krishna! Mayapur Masterplan
Masterplan department (MDM) is conducting an online survey with valuable input of the Mayapur residents. The purpose of the survey is to understand the needs and vision of the community members regarding Mayapur Dham. We would request all the devotees to participate individually. (Please ask your family members also to participate in the survey). The survey will take only 5 -10 mins of your time. This survey will help us identify and address the concerns of the Mayapur residents in Masterplan Proposal.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17083

Hare Krishna! Mayapur Masterplan
Masterplan department (MDM) is conducting an online survey with valuable input of the Mayapur residents. The purpose of the survey is to understand the needs and vision of the community members regarding Mayapur Dham. We would request all the devotees to participate individually. (Please ask your family members also to participate in the survey). The survey will take only 5 -10 mins of your time. This survey will help us identify and address the concerns of the Mayapur residents in Masterplan Proposal.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17083

Krsna Consciousness in Sochi (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Sochi is located on the Black Sea in southern Russia. It is Russia’s largest resort city. It hosted the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. ISKCON has an attractive temple in a forested area 15 minutes from the city center. Devotees regularly do harinama and book distribution throughout the beautiful city.
See them here: http://goo.gl/v6qZJC

Hare Krishna! Food For Life Nepal Day 4, 29th April
We are also extending our services through Health Facilities. Team of 13 Medical crew members from Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Mumbai, with 7 Super specialist Doctors came to Kathmandu at their own cost to serve their best for the Earthquake victims in Nepal. They, together with ISKCON Nepal Doctors made a team of 28 members comprising of 7 Super Specialist Doctors from Mumbai and 5 Specialist Doctors from Nepal along with 12 Paramedical and 4 Medical Volunteers.
On their first day (29th April) they had their camps at Padma College, near Durbar Square Gate, Bhaktapur. They divided their teams in three groups, first – Psychological care group, second – Door to door Health care group and third – Stationary Health care group. Stationary team at Padma College checked 167 patients and Door to door health care group visited 63 families whereas psychological group counselled 4 psychologically traumatized patients. This team aims to provide care to nearby villages such as Changu-Narayan area where no medical facilities have arrived.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17080

HG Gaura Gopal Dasa – SB 10.83.17-19 – 17.04.2015

The post April 30th, 2015 – Chandan yatra Darshan- Day 10 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Our life should revolve around our Japa - it should be in the centre of our sadhana. Our daily schedule and time should give priority to this most important activity.
Just as you give great care and attention to make the cornerstone of a building very strong, in the same way our Japa should be given time and careful attention as it is the cornerstone of our spiritual life.