Planet ISKCON

Hare Krishna! Everything attractive comes from Krishna, but everything attractive doesn’t take us to Krishna
The Bhagavad-gita repeatedly urges us to not become attracted by sense objects. Yet the same Gita (10.41) asserts that the attractiveness of everything attractive comes from a spark of Krishna’s splendor. When the attractiveness of sense objects also comes from Krishna, why shouldn’t we be attracted to them? Because becoming attracted to them doesn’t take us to Krishna.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16085

Hare Krishna! TOVP Tour Daily Diary: Mayapur Departure/U.S. Arrival – Maya Tests Us
In the early morning hours on Wednesday, March 12th in Mayapur, Jananivas prabhu and myself (Vraja Vilas), to the nectarine sound of Krishna Kirtan, departed for the U.S. in a grand procession carrying with us the divine Padukas of Lord Nityananda and Sitari of Lord Nrsinghadeva. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the U.S. in 2015 (also officially pronounced the Year of the TOVP by GBC Chairman Praghosa prabhu), we are scheduled to travel for 108 days to over 35 temples and devotee sangas throughout the U.S. and Canada. This will also be Jananivas prabhu’s first step outside of India in over 45 years, and at the advanced age of 72.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16081

The post March 15th, 2015 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 December 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Evening Lecture)

Question: In terms of rendering service, in everything you do, do you do it with the understanding that I am doing it for my spiritual master or am I doing it for Krsna. Who do you think of when you do service?

Well, I am doing it for both. I am doing it for Krsna and I am doing it for my spiritual master. By the grace of my spiritual master, I can do some service for Krsna. Without him, I could not do anything for Krsna. Without him, how could I maintain doing anything for Krsna. My spiritual master has given me this service which is certainly very pleasing to Krsna, therefore through my spiritual master, I am serving Krsna. So the two come together!

When we are on the altar, we are serving the deity and making nice arrangements for Krsna but still, we know that we are there by the grace of our spiritual master and not by our own qualifications, “I am not qualified actually but my spiritual master is so merciful that he lets me do it anyway and now, I am dressing the deity. Even though I am not qualified, I know it works because my spiritual master’s prayer is there!”

But, it is not that only personal service to the spiritual master is the highest. Any service rendered to spread the glories of Krsna in the world and immediately, the eyes of the spiritual master lights up. From the time that we really surrender unto the spiritual master, we become his property so therefore our whole existence is now dedicated to him… and for him, we do something for Krsna!

 

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.4.18.

“Though a person be even the most sinful man, he can at once be purified by systematic contact with a pure Vaisnava. A Vaisnava, therefore, can accept a bona fide disciple from any part of the world without any consideration of caste and creed and promote him by regulative principles to the status of a pure Vaisnava, who is transcendental to brahminical culture. The system of caste, or varnasrama-dharma, is no longer regular even amongst the so-called followers of the system. Nor is it now possible to reestablish the institutional function in the present context of social, political and economic revolution. Without any reference to the particular custom of a country, one can be accepted to the Vaisnava cult spiritually, and there is no hindrance in the transcendental process. So by the order of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the cult of Srimad-Bhagavatam or the Bhagavad-gita can be preached all over the world, reclaiming all persons willing to accept the transcendental cult. Such cultural propaganda by the devotees will certainly be accepted by all persons who are reasonable and inquisitive, without any particular bias for the custom of the country. The Vaisnava never accepts another Vaisnava on the basis of birthright, just as he never thinks of the Deity of the Lord in a temple as an idol.”

— SB 2.4.18 purport

SB 2.4.18, Soho, London

TOVP Interview by Giriraj Swami from Derek Carter on Vimeo.

• I happily and enthusiastically welcome the Holy names every Japa session
• I get to chant, I want to chant and I love to chant
• I easily chant my prescribed number of rounds with focus and attention
• My beads are my connection with Krsna and my ticket back to Godhead
• I treat the maha mantra as Radha and Krsna, fully present in sound
• I fully honor my sacred relationship with the Holy names during Japa
• I turn off my world and turn on Krsna's world when I chant my rounds
• I receive and feel Krsna's presence, mercy and love in His name
• I chant in full awareness that the Holy name is the greatest treasure
• I chant from my heart, feelingly praying to come closer to Krsna
• I chant to be accepted by Krsna and to repair my broken relationship with Him
• I chant to please Radha and Krsna not to gain anything material
• I meditate on the meaning of the names as I chant
• I organise my life to make Japa the most important activity of my day
• I am totally dependent on Guru and Krsna to chant quality Japa

Gita Verse-by-verse Study Podcast

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Holy Name Meditation Podcast

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Celebrations on Srivasa Pandit’s appearance day (Album 94 photos)
Devotees in Mayapur celebrated appearance of Srivasa Pandita on 14th March. As per Vedic authorities, he is considered to be an incarnation of Narada Muni. Every night, Mahaprabhu and His associates would chant the names of Krishna and dance in Srivasa Pandita’s house. Srivasa Pandita never made any effort to support himself or his dependents. Because of his full dedication to Lord Chaitanya and His mission, Lord Chaitanya provided for all his needs. Around 12 noon, there was abhishek of Deity of Srivasa pandit in Panca tattva hall. This was accompanied with kirtana and almost the entire Temple hall was full of enthusiastic devotees. Next, there was distribution of carnamrita. Devotees had prepared many types of bhoga which were offered to Srivasa Pandit. Finally, there was puspanjali, arati of Srivasa Pandit and distribution of mahaprasad to assembled devotees.
See them here: http://goo.gl/TzpcBv

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Vaishnava Song Meaning Podcast:

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Hare Krishna! Croome Hare Krishna Festival 2015
Dear devotees who ever had a relationship with Chaitanya College at Croome Court, UK. This is an appeal especially to those who visited, lived or worked at CC when it was the HQ for ISKCON UK in the 1970’s/early 1980’s. We are now in the fifth year of an annual Croome Hare Krishna Festival, hosted by the National Trust of England and Wales who now care for the Croome estate. They are very much behind our efforts to regain links with those familiar with life at the court in our time there .
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16078

Indradyumna Swami’s health update.
BB Govinda Swami: Dear Friends, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. His Holiness Indradyumna Swami requested me to share some information with you. A few weeks ago Maharaja visited his skin doctor to check a lesion on his face. A biopsy was taken and the results showed that it was melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Srila Prabhupada taught us that “debt, disease, and fire should be extinguished immediately.” So, Maharaja traveled to Durban, South Africa to be cared for by our very old friend and surgeon Sunil Mohan Prabhu and a great team of expert doctors. Maharaja arrived in Durban on March 11th. On March 12th he had a PET Scan to determine if cancer had spread to any organs in the body. By Lord Krishna’s grace the results of the PET Scan were perfect and the cancer had not spread to any internal organs. Yesterday, March 13th, Maharaja was admitted to the hospital and underwent a surgical procedure called, “wide excision” to remove all the flesh surrounding the area where the lesion had been. At the same time the lymph nodes in his face, near the lesion, were removed to see any cancer cells had spread….
Read the entire note here: http://goo.gl/reZwZF

shri krishna chaitanya, prabhu nityananda shri advaita, gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda:   “I offer my obeisances to Sri Krishna Chaitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa, and all others in the line of devotion.” Devotees in Mayapur celebrated appearance of Srivasa Pandita on 14th March. As per Vedic authorities, he is considered to be an incarnation of […]

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(The background noise is the rain.)

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The post Reporting in from Lanka on some of the results and escapades of our Gurukula Parkirama appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama (Album 100 photos)
“Such reasonable people seeking to be released from captivity of an old age and death find a shelter in Me and serve Me with love. They already, in fact, the Brahman because in perfection learned laws of spiritual activity.”
(Bhagavad-Geeta 7.29)
See them here: http://goo.gl/iZxkKQ

Devotee dancer dances with the Harinama and surprises the commuters of the New York Subway Harinama (Album 28 photos)
Harinama in Jackson Heights and Namahatta program.
See them here: http://goo.gl/41idTX

Hare Krishna! Krishna’s Presence Ensures Protection
Srila Prabhupada: So the conclusion is if Krishna saves, nobody can kill; and if Krishna wants to kill, nobody can save. Therefore our conclusion should be that we should always be under the protection of Krishna. Avasya raknibe Krishna this is saranagati, or surrender. Surrender means, “I am surrendering to Krishna with full faith that He is quite competent to give me protection.” This is called surrender. Not that hesitation: “Oh, I will surrender to Krishna, and in case of danger, He may not be able to give me protection.” That is not surrender. With full faith: “Yes, Krishna is so powerful, Krishna is so great, that I am surrendering to Krishna from this day. O Krishna, I have been wandering throughout the universe life after life without knowing my relationship with you. Now, today, I surrender unto you. Kindly accept me and engage me in your service.”
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16072

Hare Krishna! Feel The Purport On A Petal’s Edge
We can get a wrong idea of what perfection is in Bhakti. We might think that a guru has to be word perfect, action perfect – everything perfect. What type of perfection though? If we expect a mechanised, robotic perfection where every strand of hair remains untangled and every tilt of the head is an encyclopaedic event, and base our faith on these alone, we’ll miss the point. Perfection can be found in imperfection. If a pure devotee offers Krishna a banana skin instead of a banana because his love for the Lord made him unaware of what he was offering, Krishna will accept that. If another poverty stricken devotee possesses some ‘unofferable’ chipped rice, but has love for Krishna, Krishna will more than happily accept it. Devotional love makes imperfect things perfect.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=16069

Jagat Palana prabhu C C Madhya 19 179 180

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Vrindavan, India

Again In Vrindavan

The drive is not long to Vrindavan, just about 2 hours from Noida. Before conducting a theatre arts workshop, I thought that we, as planned, could slip in 2 days for some purification in Vrindavan, land of Krishna.

We made it, just in time for darshan (viewing of the deities) and class by monk Badri Narayan Swami. He was warming up the crowd with his message on Sri Chaitanya for tomorrow would be the birth anniversary. Even more significant, this year marks the 500th anniversary of His walking to this most holy place. In His years of activity as a renunciate He did extensive foot travel throughout the sub-continent of India. He was a real live pilgrim and with a message to share. In the shastras, ancient texts, His coming to the world was prophesied. "He would come as an avatar armed with peaceful weapons, introducing the system of sankirtan, interactive chanting." (From the Bhagavatam)

Standard pilgrims from Delhi and other surrounding areas are well aware of the celebratory Krishna. Not all know of Sri Chaitanya's contribution to the world and how He made Vrindavan a major place of executing bhakti, devotion.

In a quiet moment when I was sitting at a bench at what is called the MVT grounds, a young man from Delhi who works in organizing a call centre asked a question, "What's this all about?"

"Sit down", was my invitation to Vaibhav who came to Vrindavan for the first time to learn about what is the buzz that everyone's talking about when they come to the land of Krishna. Between myself and those traveling with him we spent quite some time bringing him into the power of Krishna, the mantra and Sri Chaitanya.

May the source be with you!

3 KM

Noida, India

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Mayapur, India 
 
The Seed Giving Doctor
 

I got to know Uddhava from a former visit to Tirupati in South India. He comes daily to my room offering me a method of seed therapy. In addressing slow weakening knees (I'm 62), the kind soul, a doctor, applies methi seeds, or what we know as fenugreek, to my middle toes. By simply lining in row a group of those organically golden seeds and then pressing a strip of tape to them he then winds them around that delicate toe on each foot. 

For a second application he has been using on the middle finger, taped seeds of rice kernels to each hand. The reason for this approach is to take the challenge on varicose veins developing on both legs. My mother was taxed by varicose veins and from what I recall she felt pain and did numerous things to deal with it. The one that I recall was to see her wrapping gauze around her legs. She had large and long purple/blue veins looking the shape of lightning rods. Although what I have are nowhere as acute as in her case, still, like Uddhava says "it's good to be preventative" and hence, he's helping me out. 

The physical challenges that tax us all have to do simply because we are in a physical body which has no permanent vitality. 

"Walking is good for everything, but maybe not too much", said Uddhava.

"Is he talking about me, about my marathon?"  Then I'm sure to be so surrendered to the hinting of Uddhava, who's also 62. I'm grateful that he's helping me out with what he calls an ancient technique. Thank you and goodbye, Uddhava, we're off to leave for Kolkata and a flight to Delhi. 

May the source be with you! 

6 KM

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