Kaliyuga ‘Warriors’
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das



You know how things get watered down over time. They get mixed up, polluted and only lead to confusion. The idea that warriors who die on the battlefield go to heaven, and that beautiful, heavenly damsels are eagerly waiting to receive them, actually has its origins thousands of years ago in the Mahabharata. But today, the concept of a ‘warrior’ has been bent way out of shape. So much so that they equate the death of a warrior on a battlefield to going into a school or café and murdering children and women. In the Kaliyiuga no one is exempt. On one is spared.

The Mahabharata, however, has very strict codes for warriors. First of all, the fighting is done away from the civilian population. That means it’s only among willing participants. And usually you have to fight with an equal. And if someone’s wounded and they want to leave the battlefield, they are not to be attacked. These and a bunch of other stuff. It was clear on what it meant to be a warrior. There were responsibilities and rules of civility for warriors, leaders and for all branches of society. In many ways, the world we live in is in a deep hole. It’s very sad. And many people suspect this, even if they don’t know about the Kaliyuga.

www.Mahabharata-Project.com

ISKCON Communications Prepares for 50th Anniversary, Seeks Funds…
→ Dandavats.com



ISKCON Communications Prepares for 50th Anniversary, Seeks Funds for Next Phase
As it prepares to play a major role in creating awareness for ISKCON’s upcoming 50th anniversary in 2016, the ISKCON Communications Ministry (IC) is looking back on decades of relationship-building and gaining support for Srila Prabhupada’s society. Meanwhile, it’s also seeking funds to ensure an even more effective next fifty years. It was really ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada himself who started ISKCON Communications. Always looking for opportunities to meet with government officials, media representatives, religious leaders, scholars, and opinion-makers like the Beatles, Prabhupada sought ways to help them understand Krishna consciousness, support the movement, and thus improve its worldwide reputation.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/jRz4Oo

Krishna Consciousness Grows in South Korea Krishna consciousness…
→ Dandavats.com



Krishna Consciousness Grows in South Korea
Krishna consciousness continues to spread in one of the last frontiers, South Korea, with Patanjali Muni Das and Prayojana Das recently returning from their third tour of the East Asian country. Former Korean army officer Patanjali Muni spent three years living and teaching Krishna consciousness in his native country in the mid 2000s, and has translated both the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and the Sri Isopanisad for the Korean audience. Today, he works as the kitchen manager in the U.K.’s Bhaktivedanta Manor, but has toured South Korea with his spiritual message for two weeks each in 2011, 2012, and 2014. Retired aircraft engineer and temple commander Prayojana Das assisted him each time.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/fEUY2v

US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard visits India and talks about…
→ Dandavats.com



US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard visits India and talks about Bhagavad gita and Bhakti (18 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Devotional service begins with the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra and side by side trying to understand Krishna in truth. Unfortunately those who are simply official students of the Vedas become more interested in offering sacrifices to the different demigods, like Indra and Candra. (Bhagavad-gita, 9.20 Purport)
Watch it here: http://goo.gl/U2ipaj

Gita 02.63 – Irritation, delusion, oblivion, stupefaction, destruction – Last 5 of 8 stages to falldown
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Gita verse-by-verse study Podcast:


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A visit to Iskcon Auckland, New Zealand (Album 27 photos) Srila…
→ Dandavats.com



A visit to Iskcon Auckland, New Zealand (Album 27 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: By the grace of the Lord, if a devotee, at the time of death, can simply chant Hare Krishna, he immediately surpasses the great ocean of the material sky and enters into the spiritual sky. He never has to come back for repetition of birth and death. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.10.30 Purport)
See them here: http://goo.gl/ZHd3SE

Devotees Chant for Peace in the Aftermath of the Sydney Siege
→ ISKCON News

An armed man took 17 hostages in a cafe in Sydney's central business district on Monday. Three people, two hostages as well as the gunman died in the incident. Sydnyers are coming to terms with the tragic loss of life during the Lindt Cafe siege on Tuesday, by adding to a rapidly expanding floral tribute in Martin Place. To help the healing process ISKCON devotees led by Indradyumna Swami have been chanting and doing Harinama nearby. 

United In Prayer (Album 142 photos) Indradyumna Swami: In…
→ Dandavats.com



United In Prayer (Album 142 photos)
Indradyumna Swami: In solidarity with the people of Sydney, who were slowly coming to terms with the recent hostage siege downtown at Martin Place, we took our harinam party to the streets to give them solace and relief from the grief they were feeling. Our sign, “United in Prayer For Those We’ve Lost,” was greatly appreciated by the people, but so was our joyful singing and dancing, which brought a sense of relief and closure to the ordeal they’d experienced. People slowly began smiling again. We sold a number books that day as many sought answers to questions that often come up during tragedies.
See them here: http://goo.gl/RkgLcn

Brahmājī on Nāma-Kīrtan
→ The Enquirer

“The best way to turn our affection towards you is by hearing your heartfelt kīrtan issuing from hearts completely saturated with pure devotion. Then we will be able to see your All-Attractive form existing within the lotus of our own hearts, revealing yourself in exactly the shape we lovingly contemplate.

“This kīrtan is much more effective than even the most opulent religious ceremonies offered by host of gods, because the pomp of such ceremonies is still tied to self-importance. Those absorbed in fantasies of self-importance never truly turn their affection towards you, but anyone who abandons the fallacy of self-importance and embraces compassion for all beings can truly engage in your kīrtan and realize you as the Sweetheart of the Most Inner Self.

“I take shelter of you, Birthless One. The qualities and deeds of your avatāra are amazing, but especially amazing are your names! Those who embrace your name with their final breath, out of spontaneous affection or even just by mistake, immediately cast off all the impurities accumulated through countless lifetimes and perfectly attain limitless, immortal nectar!

– From Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Nine


The Most Important Time
→ Japa Group

"The brahma-muhurta hour is the most important time in the day, and you want to be awake for good chanting. If you’re heavy-lidded, there’s not much you can do but wash your face, grit your teeth, and do the best you can do. Don't give in to sleepiness. The regulated life of a full night's sleep is important."

From Japa Transformations
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

True brotherhood
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 September 2014, Scottburgh, South Africa, Youth Programme)
visnujana (4)
So how can we, the youth of the world, take on this great ideal where we say: we are concerned with the happiness of all and not just our own happiness?

It can be done! It is possible, but only on one condition – when we have a common goal. That is not hard to find, but it cannot be found on earth, because when we look at earthly things, we all have different goals. One wants a BMW, another a Mercedes and another a plane!

Therefore, the only common goal is a spiritual one. That is what can bring us together. We all come from different backgrounds but behind these backgrounds, is a concept of God. With a concept of God, it is possible to unite. With a concept of God, it is possible to find solutions for the world. When I see that a person, who is very different from me, is sincerely dedicated to God, and if I am also trying to be, then we can appreciate each other even though we are so different.

True brotherhood can be found when I see that my brother, who is different, is really trying to do something wonderful, and it is found when everyone tries to do something wonderful, something selfless. This is only possible through a spiritual solution.

 

Marathonian book distribution in Kiev, Ukraine (Album 25…
→ Dandavats.com



Marathonian book distribution in Kiev, Ukraine (Album 25 photos)
Srila Prabhupada: It is the duty of the mahatmas to chant the Hare Krishna mantra and try to spread it all over the world to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, society is in such an uncivilized state that there are so-called mahatmas who are prepared to kill cows and children and stop the Hare Krishna movement. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.2.37 Purport).
See them here: http://goo.gl/Amnuqo