Valentine’s Day – Commercial exploitation of urban isolation sets up the heart for disappointment
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Mayapur ToVP
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The Mayapur ToVP design team have produced a temporary mock-up showing how the Deities and Altars will appear in the new temple.  

The Guru-Paramapara up to the six Gosvamis are placed on the left Altar, the Panca-tattva are on the middle Altar, and Sri Sri Radha Madhava and the Asta-sakhis are on the right Altar.  

All of these Deities are located within the main dome.  Lord Nrsimhadeva will be located in the eastern dome of the temple.

Gp close upgp3

Determined And Don’t Give Up
→ Japa Group

"My rounds have been whispered, pleading to Krishna to please accept them. I can’t be an ideal japa reform instructor for my readers. I mostly tell them of my struggles and speak of my determination despite the impairment. I hope that will be of some help in its own way. At least I’m determined and don’t give up."

From Bhajan Kutir #241
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Juicy Anecdotes about Srila Prabhupada From Two Recent Talks, 7 and 9 February, Mayapur
Giriraj Swami

prabhupada_4From: Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir / Date: 7 February 2015
Speaker: Giriraja Swami

A small group of devotees went to Madras. We were the first devotees from ISKCON to go. Thinking back on that period and being here in Mayapur, I cannot help but think of Bhavananda Prabhu, who was part of that small party. One day, while we were staying in someone’s home, it was Ekadasi, and it was raining. Acyutananda Swami said that because it’s Ekadasi, it’s not good to go out. He was going to spend the day back at the house.

Bhavananda Prabhu and I were very staunch, enthusiastic, determined preachers, so we said, “You can stay. We are going out to preach. We are going to serve Srila Prabhupada.”

So we went out, and in Madras, at least in that area, there was a pretty deep sewage canal almost three feet deep running along the side of the road. But the rain was coming down so profusely that it completely filled up the sewage canal, and the rainwater flooded over the road and adjoining fields and one could see only water. We were walking on the road, but everything looked the same. It looked like everything was one. Then Bhavananda Prabhu fell into the sewage canal, and he was this deep in water and whatever else was there.

When I met Srila Prabhupada shortly thereafter, I related the incident to him, how we had experienced the Brahman platform of complete oneness. And I told him how Bhavananda Prabhu had fallen in. And Srila Prabhupada replied, “He is more advanced than you, because your knowledge was only theoretical [laughter] and his was realized.” [laughter]

In Bombay Srila Prabhupada had a friend named Dr. Patel. When we first came to Juhu we were living on the roofs of the existing tenement buildings, and then we eventually built a sort of crude hut. And Dr. Patel was very impressed by these American and European young men and women who had left their countries and comforts and had come to India to serve in such austere conditions. He was a proud man—he was a medical doctor who had studied in England and even then had maintained his strict Vaishnava practices, so he was a little proud of himself. But he was so inspired by the devotees that he personally went to the big cloth market in Bombay, MJ Market, and begged cotton and cloth and had mattresses sewn, and pillows made, and got blankets and mosquito nets donated, and he contributed twelve complete sets to that early group of devotees.

Now, those of you who have lived in ashrams may appreciate what Dr Patel experienced. Originally there were twelve mattresses, twelve pillows, twelve blankets, and twelve mosquito nets. But after a while one pillow disappeared, two mosquito nets disappeared, three blankets disappeared, and as time went on, there were hardly any remnants of Dr Patel’s hard-won donation. And eventually there was not a single trace of his donation—not a single thread! [laughter]

So, every morning when Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay Dr. Patel would accompany him on his walk on Juhu Beach. And he brought up the matter of his donation, and he was very upset.

Srila Prabhupada said, “You know why there is nothing of your donation left? Because all of my disciples are mukta, liberated. [laughter] They don’t care for these material things. [laughter] As long as they can chant Hare Krishna and serve their spiritual master, they are happy.”

 ——————————————————-

From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir / Date: 9 February 2015
Speaker: Hari Vilas Prabhu

Srila Prabhupada says, “I never felt that I am alone. When I came to United States like a pauper, like a poor man, no friends, no money, I was full of faith that my Guru Maharaja is with me. I never lost this faith.”

I have an experience of this. In France we were very poor also.  So Prabhupada wanted us to open a temple. So somehow or other by a miracle we opened a temple. And we invited him to come. So first he went to Moscow and then he came to Paris. The day before he came I was in deep, deep anxiety. We didn’t have any money, we couldn’t buy flowers, we couldn’t buy bhoga, we didn’t have a car, we couldn’t even rent a taxi. That night I could hardly sleep. I woke up very early in the morning, went down to the temple room, I started chanting. I was thinking what are we going to do? We are going to hitchhike to the airport, but we can’t hitchhike back with Prabhupada!

Now this is a true story. I am not making anything up or embellishing it.

While chanting I noticed there was a brown bag in the temple room.  So I picked it up, and I looked inside. It was full of money—more money than I had ever seen in my life! So immediately I put it under my arm and covered it with a chadar. I started to sweat, thinking what will I do if someone comes looking for the bag? So I just started chanting. We had mangala arati. It wasn’t really a temple room, it was just a room with a very small little altar, with a small picture of Panca-tattva and a few pictures of the parampara.

By 11 o’clock in the morning no one had asked me for the bag. We had to pick up Prabhupada at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. So I accepted this as Krishna’s mercy. I gave people money to buy flowers, to buy bhoga, we got a taxi, and we went to the airport. Vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg 2.41): One must have resolute, unflinching faith in the spiritual master and in Krishna: Somehow or other by the good will of Krishna everything will work out.

In 1996 for Prabhupada’s centennial I organized a program in San Jose, California. The guest speaker was Govinda Maharaja, the disciple of Sridhar Maharaja, Prabhupada’s godbrother.

He said, “Today, my dear friends, I have come to make a confession. I think in your Christian religion you make confession. My Guru Maharaja and I were sitting in Navadvipa. And we were getting news that your Gurudeva, your Swami Maharaja, was succeeding in the United States in spreading Krishna consciousness. We could not believe it!”

Now the question is, Why didn’t they believe it?

Because in 1933 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura sent his best man, the most eloquent, most refined, most intelligent member of the Gaudiya Math to preach in England, and the Gaudiya Math sent him every month Rs 700, which might be like, I don’t know, $7000 dollars or something today. After four years Srila Bhaktisiddhanta called him back to Calcutta. He was hardly able to make one devotee, and when he met him, the ultimate insult was, he said to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, “Your process doesn’t work!”

Prabhupada came to the West and proved that his Guru Maharaja’s process works, because he had absolute faith in the words of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

When I was young devotee, I think it was 1973, I came for the first time to India, and it was the time of Janmastami and then Vyasa Puja. The guest speaker, the honored guest, was the same person who had gone to England and failed. At that time the temple was not yet built. It was a construction site. I was sitting on a sand pile. There was no running water. You had to draw water from a well. But we were happy because we were with Prabhupada. On that day Prabhupada was sitting on his vyasasana, and we were trying to glorify him.

Gargamuni got up to speak, and he said, “Prabhupada is the only disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura who had so much faith in his guru that he was willing to risk everything—his life, his health, everything—to please his guru. Not one of his godbrothers was able to do this.”

I was a little embarrassed when he said it. I was looking at the honored guest. I was thinking, “Why is Gargamuni speaking so strongly like this?” But the honored guest did not bat an eyelash. But when I looked at Prabhupada, I saw that he was smiling, he was very happy.

Gargamuni said, “Prabhupada did what his Guru and all the parampara wanted: prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama/ sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama.

Again I looked at the guest, and again he was stoic. I looked at Prabhupada, and he was beaming. Then I thought in my heart, “One day I want to speak like that to glorify Prabhupada.”

And then the guest was given a chance to speak, and he said, “We cannot but accept the fact that your Swami Maharaja has done great service.”

Temple of the Vedic Planetarium – Update 2015
→ ISKCON News

The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is Rising! Srila Prabhupada's gift to Lord Chaitanya is nearing completion of the first stage. Be a part of all the intricate work that's gone into the construction last year by a dedicated team of devotees at Sridham Mayapur in West Bengal, India. A film by Sridama dasa and the team at the TOVP.

Hare Krishna! Beyond Conditioning Sukadeva Goswami says: “These…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! Beyond Conditioning
Sukadeva Goswami says: “These sins are like the dried leaves of creepers beneath a bamboo tree, which may be burned by fire although their roots remain to grow again at the first opportunity” (SB 6.1.13). The problem of sinful desires, or what may be more neutrally called addictive behaviours, has been of great interest in modern psychology. Different schools of thought have approached the problem differently, but perhaps the most prominent in recent modern history has been the behaviourist school of psychology.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15546

Sanga of ISKCON Gurus and Sannyasis – Day Three
→ ISKCON News

On this third and last day, participants took on the task of looking seventy years into the future, when all of Srila Prabhupadas disciples – and even most of the devotees who took initiation not long after Srila Prabhupadas departure – will certainly have left the planet. The participants were asked to envision what kind of ISKCON they would like to see – what a highly successful ISKCON would look like.

Hare Krishna! TOVP Video Presentation February Update 2015 The…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! TOVP Video Presentation February Update 2015
The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium is Rising! Srila Prabhupada’s gift to Lord Chaitanya is nearing completion of the first stage. Be a part of all the intricate work that’s gone into the construction last year by a dedicated team of devotees at Sridham Mayapur in West Bengal, India. A film by Sridama dasa and the team at the TOVP.
Watch it here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15537

Hare Krishna! Krishna is fond When we do bond In sharing views…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! Krishna is fond When we do bond In sharing views We destroy our blues
It is well-known that your tongue can lead you to hell. When directed to a spiritual channel our words can liberate us.
Material nature means dissension and disagreement, especially in this kali yuga. But, for this Krishna consciousness movement its success will depend on agreement, even though there are varieties of engagements. In the material world there are varieties, but there is no agreement. In the spiritual world there are varieties, but there is agreement.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15534

SGGS Day 1 report
→ Mayapur.com

Mayapur 2015: SGGS Day 1 On 9th February, saw the start of the much-anticipated Sanga of Sannyasis, Gurus and GBCs (SGGS). Over eighty of ISKCON’s most senior leaders and preachers from across the globe gathered in Sri Dhama Mayapur for three days of association, contemplation, and in-depth discussion in response to Srila Prabhupada’s directive to find unity in diversity. Leaders […]

The post SGGS Day 1 report appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Sunday, February 8th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

Dogs and Others


At dawn the dogs are still asleep.  You'll see a solitary guy just lying rolled up on the sand.  If it’s a puppy it will lie coiled around its mum or dad.

Our passing by them makes no difference to their slumber.  They are beautifully resolute and will not move until the sun or some other urge beckons them.

I'm noticing a decrease in these homeless fellows, at least on the campus at Mayapur and also an increase in jackals.  The jackals love Mayapur and for one major reason.  One kitchen man at the Gada Building told me that jackals look forward to kitchen scraps and prasadam remnants left on banana leaves.  They really party it up at night.

When you think about it, whenever you trek you'll view living entities and whether they fly, crawl, or prowl, most of them are on the big search for food.  It appears to be the number one objective.  I'm not sure if movement geared toward a sleeping venture is a close second in terms of rank.  Mating is a cause for motion as are opportunities for a good fight.

We have cornered or identified four major functions of souls in this world.  Rather our guru identified them for us.  Humans are also included in these dynamics yet we play a major role as having a proclivity towards the spiritual.  This does not mean we wield condescending attitudes towards other beings.  It means we have an obligation more so to protect these other creatures in carrying on with their business of an eco-natural culture.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Saturday, February 7th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

I Was Coming


I was coming from lunch in what's called the Lotus Building and when I was descending the stairs a young male Russian doing the same made an observation.  We both noticed the pilgrims from Kolkata.  They were sitting, resting, and playing on the grassy grounds.

The Russian devotee remarked, "They really know how to enjoy." I concurred.

In the developed world people get bored if you don't pay a big fee for a water park.  And I said, "If there's no engine next to you making a roaring noise, how do you get stimulated?" 

Naturally these people are coming from Kolkata, "The City of Joy."  They consider this outing a great time.  They came here in a crammed bus, went through hellish traffic, then stood in the sun in a long queue for lunch - on arrival.  All this and no complaints.  They are an unspoiled group.  They enjoy each others' company.  "I hope that this country won't become developed," I thought.  Incredible India!

I have always felt that about this amazing land.  People smile.  They enjoy the simple things and very much value relationships.  It is a resilient race that survived subjugation for hundreds of years.  Mind you, challenges are there but for the most part, India's spiritual foundation can be identified as the reason for its upbeatedness. 

There is a need to clean house.  It is crowded in places and the lavatories are minimal in number but this great land of Bharat can truly be noted for its glowing dharma.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Friday, February 6th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

The Mist is Thick


The mist is thick and but for the moon all is beautifully dark as our usual group hits a trail.  When the second ball of light, the sun, pulls the fog - you hear the sounds of the morning.  There's the twitter of birds, bells from the temples, and the morning cry from the local Mosque.  And, oh yes, you can't see but you can hear someone in the midst of a bucket-tossed shower - gathering up all the phlegm of the world and spitting it out.  It's a common sound, really.

The air, with its winter-end chill is practically nothing to respond to for someone in a Canadian body but it is for others.  Winter coats, sweaters, and scarves is the way of addressing it.  It did send me for a moment to the past when I would don my barn coveralls on a really chilly day in Canada.  I was off to milk the family cow at 5:30 AM.  My dad would give me a call, "John!" he'd say in an optimistic tone.  I would rise from bed and then meet the outdoor February chill.

"It's fresh, it's good for you!"  he said.  I never doubted him.  It seemed that he relished the bite on his face, a bite of robustness.  I had come to appreciate his remark many years later.  That was a warm flashback.

As we trekked onward and stopped to greet cows at the goshala, I came to pet the bull that a few days' before almost gored me.  Once again a flashback to the farm when I was in my teens.

Mayapur, I love thee! 

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Thursday, February 5th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

Reveal One's Impressions


At the final session of our monk sanga (gathering) our facilitator asked us to write down a statement revealing our impressions.  This was my off-the-cuff rendition:

"Krishna is fond
When we do bond
In sharing views
We destroy our blues."

Another verse from the Bhagavad-gita confirms the notion of chatting on spiritual topics.  Such activity brings about the greatest joy.  That verse is 10.9.

If we talk of practical matters we may get bored.  If we talk of purely mundane matters that are demeaning to others one may find stimulation but such subject matter serves to backfire.  Then there are philosophical talks, as pandits do - talks which perk the intellectual side of the brain.  Finally when one takes shelter of spiritual talks, it compels one to transcend.

It is well-known that your tongue can lead you to hell.  When directed to a spiritual channel our words can liberate us.  One of our great bhakti teachers, Bhaktivinoda Thakur spoke about the tongue being voracious and the most uncontrollable among the senses.  When you engage this tongue in not only chanting but in eating food which is offered to Krishna, it becomes purged and all other sense organs follow in line.

With the sadhus (monks) expressing themselves with words in appreciation of each other, you could feel a light energy, free from stress.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
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Mayapur, India

Unity in Diversity


I was asked to read the following letter to the body of monks that have come from all over the world:

Following in the footprints of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

trnad api su-nicena taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniya sada harih

"One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.''

We must always remember this verse and be as tolerant as the tree, as we execute the Krishna Consciousness Movement.  Without this mentality we cannot be successful.

Material nature means dissension and disagreement, especially in this kali yuga. But, for this Krishna consciousness movement its success will depend on agreement, even though there are varieties of engagements. In the material world there are varieties, but there is no agreement. In the spiritual world there are varieties, but there is agreement. That is the difference. The materialist without being able to adjust the varieties and the disagreements makes everything zero. They cannot come into agreement with varieties, but if we keep Krishna in the center, then there will be agreement in varieties. This is called unity in diversity. I am therefore suggesting that all our men meet in Mayapura every year during the birth anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. With all GBC and senior men present we should discuss how to make unity in diversity.  But, if we fight on account of diversity, then it is simply the material platform.  Please try to maintain the philosophy of unity in diversity. That will make our movement successful. One section of men have already gone out, therefore we must be very careful to maintain unity in diversity, and remember the story in Aesop's Fables of the father of many children with the bundle of sticks. When the father asked his children to break the bundle of sticks wrapped in a bag, none of them could do it. But, when they removed the sticks from the bag, and tried one by one, the sticks were easily broken. So this is the strength in unity. If we are bunched up, we can never be broken, but when divided, then we can become broken very easily.

May the Source be with you!

6 KM

Krsna gives us beyond our dreams
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 27 January 2013, Radhadesh, Belgium, Radhadesh Mellows Class)

peacocksIf we simply chant in the mood of being Krsna’s servant: Krsna is my whole life… all my energy is for His glorification and everything I do, I do for that. If one spends a life like that then Krsna will just shower us and shower us with mercy. The example that Prabhupada gave was that Krsna has ten arms! If you hold onto your material attachments, how can you stop Him!? You have it on one arm and then you try to block Him with the other one but He has ten arms. He gets around you… on top of you… everywhere… and He has got it out of your hand in no time!

So, whatever Krsna wants to take from us, there is nothing that we can do. Therefore, let go! Then when we let go of all our false possessions, our false pride, our false hopes, our small petty little things that are so important to us, if we let go, then, yes – Krsna has ten arms. Then Krsna will give and when He starts giving with ten arms, He gives more than we can hold! Krsna gives us beyond our dreams!