Planet ISKCON

By Madhava Smullen

Nearly 40 New Vrindaban residents and board members gathered for a community dialogue on March 14^th, 2015 to discuss starting a Village Council, which could provide residents with a voice and facilitate a more comprehensive community governance.

After a sweet kirtan and introductions all around that created a mood of warmth and humor, Joint Board Member Chaitanya Mangala Das introduced the topic, saying that the non-profit religious corporate structure New Vrindaban has used until now was like “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

“Corporations, with their legal frameworks, rules and restrictions,” he said, “Don’t work for a more democratic body involving people in this kind of community setting.” He added that the Village Council concept was a new attempt by the Joint Boards at an ongoing effort to involve the broader community.

The inspiration behind the idea, he explained, came from a 1973 quote by Srila Prabhupada, instructing the leaders of New Vrindaban to “Go on acquiring the surrounding lands and in this way we will establish a local self-governing village, and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krishna Himself exhibited in Vrindaban.”

Chaitanya Mangala further summarized the Village Council proposition with three buzz words – small, local, and simple.

“Small: the proposed council could consist of five to eight key representatives from the ECO-V and ISKCON New Vrindaban Boards, the Advocacy Sanga, and other community interests such as local non-profits or businesses,” he said.

“Local: since the new council will represent the New Vrindaban village, members will have to live in it and be able to meet face to face on a regular basis,” he went on. “And simple: there should be few preconditions made before the Council is formed, with the focus on simply getting the group in a room talking on a regular basis.”

Chaitanya Mangala also pointed out that while a subcommittee consisting of Joint Board Members Dayavira Das, Ananga Manjari Dasi, Madhava Gosh Das, and president Jaya Krishna Das, had worked on the Village Council concept, they intentionally hadn’t filled in more specific details, leaving that for the Village Council “steering committee” to do.

As the discussion opened up to the floor, Nityodita Das of the community’s Advocacy Sanga expressed his group’s appreciation that two of its top priorities – devotee care and governance – were also being made a priority by New Vrindaban leadership.

He said that apathy in the community was to some degree caused by frustration at having no avenue to influence its direction. The Village Council, if successful, would be a helpful solution.

He concluded that a more inclusive system was needed so that people could express themselves, and pointed out that in the end all parties wanted the same thing – for New Vrindaban to be a more loving, Krishna conscious, united community.

Next Jesse, also from the Advocacy Sanga, expressed appreciation for the developments but also disillusionment. After spending a year-and-a half in the Advocacy Sanga, what he saw as a similar effort to the proposed Village Council, he felt they had failed to create a bridge between the temple management and community members, and was skeptical that a new organization would have any impact. However he did hope that it would.

Advaita Das responded with an impassioned, inspirational speech in which he opined that the Advocacy Sanga was a success – and that the current plan for a Village Council wouldn’t be happening without it. He also echoed Nityodita’s thoughts on apathy being a problem in New Vrindaban, which he felt was a result of people not being appreciated and recognized.

Commenting that this was an opportunity for residents to take responsibility for creating what they want, ECO-V’s new project manager Mukunda Das suggested that they didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. “We can learn about the specifics of creating a Village Council,” he said, “From many successful intentional communities that already have Village Councils.”

Professor Burke Rochford, who has studied ISKCON since the 1970s and written many scholarly books and articles about it, was then invited to offer his reflections on the idea.

Calling it “an important conversation,” he said, “New Vrindaban, in contrast to other ISKCON temples, was specifically envisioned by Prabhupada as a community, and while that makes it a different and special place, it also makes for certain inherent challenges that other temples don’t have.”

Rochford mentioned that when he surveyed the New Vrindaban community some years ago, one thing that stood out to him was how the residents felt alienated because of the emphasis on the place (as being a holy pilgrimage) rather than on the people.

“Ten years later, the conversation is very similar,” he said. “But now’s the time for it to lead to something. This is your community, and the Village Council is an opportunity for the voices of the people to be heard.”

Rochford’s observations were echoed in the discussion that followed, with many saying they felt community members were not being put first and expressing the wish for an overall increase in focus on devotee care.

Advaita then turned the conversation back to the practicalities of a working Village Council, commenting that it was critical that the Joint Boards were represented on the Council and were attentive to the residents, to ensure that decisions are supported at the board level.

Meanwhile Nityodita offered the Advocacy Sanga’s open Wednesday meetings as a venue to continue developing the Village Council.

As the dialogue wound down, New Vrindaban co-GBC Anuttama Das observed that its general mood had been a positive one of “there may be disagreements, but let’s try to improve things together.” He quoted Bhaktivinode Thakur as saying, “progress is a gradual series of adjustments moving in the right direction.”

He acknowledged that trust needed to be rebuilt, which was a two-way street. He added that he saw the afternoon’s dialogue as real tangible progress and said, “If we work together, Krishna will continue to move us forward.”

In closing, Chaitanya Mangala said that the input and participation of every single person present mattered. He expressed that while there was no specific vision yet, the process of getting a Village Council up and running had been started.

Moving on, the Joint Boards, the Advocacy Sanga, and other groups and individuals will come together to formulate a practical plan.

“This could create a wonderful example of what Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do when he made his famous statement, ‘Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate to keep this institution together after I am gone,” concluded ISKCON New Vrindaban president Jaya Krishna Das.

Srimati Tulsi Gabbard’s lovely wedding (3 min video)
Here are some highlights from Tulsi’s beautiful Hindu Vedic wedding on April 9, including walking down the aisle and a fire ceremony which ended with a lively kirtan.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/9ZQu2R

Gita Verse-by-verse Podcast:

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Song Ppt

From Shekar kyatam

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SP explains in Raja Vidya book about the example of Iron Rod and Fire.

"As we begin to make spiritual advancement while in the material body, we begin to take on the qualities of a spiritual body. If we put iron into a fire, it becomes hot, and then it becomes red-hot, and finally it is no longer iron, but fire—whatever it touches bursts into flames. As we become advanced in Kåñëa consciousness, our material body will become spiritualized and will no longer be affected by material contamination."

What it means  " Our material body will  become spiritualized" ?

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Bhagavatam-daily Podcast:

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The 12th of April is the Appearance Day of Kadamba Kanana Swami according to the Western calendar. Even though the official Vyasa Puja celebration will take place on the 26th in Radhadesh, today is still a special day for all those who are close to him. Here is a trip down memory lane with a slide-show of pictures of Kadamba Kanana Swami.

Try to concentrate so much that you forget everything around you and you forget about what is going on in your life - no thoughts enter your mind and you are totally absorbed in the sound of Krsna's names.
This is the zone and it's a wonderful place to be - with Krsna, getting His association through sound and remembering the Lord.

Try to concentrate so much that you forget everything around you and you forget about what is going on in your life - no thoughts enter your mind and you are totally absorbed in the sound of Krsna's names.
This is the zone and it's a wonderful place to be - with Krsna, getting His association through sound and remembering the Lord.

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Mahatma prabhu talks about the importance of Mayapur and the TOVP, answering questions about its effect on the world, its place in ISKCON (7 min video)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/mK5CzU

Hare Krishna! Maya’s Friend Norm
Lord Krishna’s deluding potency, works with certain energies that have the capacity to make material life seem like normal life. As we go about our everyday activities in the material world, we are continuously confronted with the normality, or normalness, of material existence. In other words, we are constantly bombarded with the notion that material life, with all its mundane rationality, constitutes normal life and that this world is where we belong. As Srila Prabhupada affirms, however, material life, which is devoid of love of Lord Krishna and service to Him, is very abnormal.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16755

Harinama in Prague (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “In Dvapara-yuga one could satisfy Krishna or Visnu only by worshiping Him gorgeously according to the pancaratriki system, but in the Age of Kali one can satisfy and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari simply by chanting the holy name.” (Narayana-samhita)
See them here: http://goo.gl/a1gxu8

Hare Krishna! The Divine Form
Then, as if by divine providence, an art college friend, upon returning from a visit to Bangkok, gave me some rice-paper rubbings taken from bas-reliefs of divinities of the temple of the reclining Buddha. Although I didn’t know it at first, the images depicted the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra. I immediately appreciated the combination of delicate exquisiteness and divine irresistible power that Ramachandra personified while upon His chariot, bow drawn, ready to slay His evil enemy.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16752

The Art of Sankirtan (video)
Sankirtan stalwarts share their journey and experiences on the sublime art of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. Watch these amazing devotees expertly distribute Lord Chaitanya’s unalloyed mercy in the form of Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books like ‘The Bhagavad-gita As it is’, 'Srimad Bhagavatam’, 'Science of Self Realization’, etc. Listen to what makes them tick, how they deal with rejection, why they love what they do, and how they do it. Join in on the action on the streets where they meet the multitudes.
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/6CSJsR

The post What Baladeva Vidyabhusana said about… appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Auckland NZ: Harinam with HH Janananda swami. (Album with photos) Kumeu, New Zealand
Srila Prabhupada: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name.” (Kali-santarana Upanisad)
See them here: http://goo.gl/tM0YsY

Bhaktivedanta Academy Hiring Pre-Kindergarten Teacher’s Assistant
The Bhaktivedanta Academy, a spiritually-centered pre-k thru 10th grade school, located in Alachua, Florida, is seeking applicants for the position of Middle School Subject Area Teacher for our International Baccalaureate 7th through 10th grade Middle Years Programme*.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16743

Blissful Kirtan Mela Mauritius (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “The essence of all Vedic knowledge-comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity, the Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods-is included in the eight syllables Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience.” (Narada-pancharatra)
See them here: http://goo.gl/yoefmp

Hare Krishna! The Issue of the Proto-Indo-European Language
There has been an attempt to explain the origins of such languages as Sanskrit, Greek and Roman for many years. This is because there has been a recognition of many similarities between them, but the exact original language which they have derived from has never been identified. So they say that it is now extinct, but they call it the Proto-Indo-European Language (PIE). This has now given way to the groupings of many other languages that are now included in what has become the “family” of 439 languages and dialects (as of 2009) of Indo-European languages.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16739

The post April 11th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Real Heroes Retreat Part 3 – Life of Srila Yamunacharya

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on Enthusiasm
I am overjoyed to hear that your enthusiasm for chanting is increasing. As our contaminations are removed by chanting, the Lord’s form, qualities, and pastimes will be revealed to us in the holy name. There is no point in making a separate effort to artificially remember the Lord’s form, qualities, and pastimes. The Lord and His name are one and the same. This will be understood clearly when the coverings in your heart are removed. By chanting without offenses you will personally realize that all perfections come from the holy name. Through chanting, the distinction that exists between the self, and the gross and subtle bodies, is gradually effaced and one realizes one’s own spiritual form. Once aware of the spiritual body, as one continues to chant, one sees the transcendental nature of the Lord’s form.
Read more: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16709

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PPt for the song: sarvasva tomar

 

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Mahatma dasa continues to talk about the importance of chanting with feeling. Email subscribers please click on the big blue link above to see the video.

Many devotees have requested that my books be made available in e-book editions. I am pleased to announce that Watering the Seed (Revised and Expanded) and Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective are now available as e-books on Amazon. And we hope to have them available soon in other formats, from other vendors. Please click below:

WATERING THE SEED: Revised and Expanded
Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective

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The Path of Perfection: Another new ebook from the North European BBT!
The perfect life - the life that achieves the goal of yoga - is dynamic and full of activity, Srila Prabhupada says. It connects us with the Supreme Spirit in straightforward, practical ways and resonates with truth. These absorbing talks show us how the Gita’s timeless teachings can help us walk the path of perfection.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16724

Sadhu Sanga Retreat Books Up Two Months in Advance
The Sadhu Sanga Retreat, to be held from May 22nd to 25th, has been completely booked up since last weekend, although offsite accommodation spots are still available. The retreat will be held at the Art of Living Foundation’s International Meditation Center in the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone, North Carolina, where there are motel-size rooms with private bathrooms.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/7a5xwK