I can't think when I am with too many people. And I find public harinam kirtan distracting. But when I try to be alone, devotees say that I will go into Maya. But I feel more disoriented when I am with many people and more focused on Krishna when I am alone. How can I practice bhakti?

Answer Podcast

From Keshava Kashmiri P

why there exist the two different class of impersonalist at all . since brahmavadis don’t condemn the personal form as krishna as material ,that means they accept the spiriual form of krishna as sac-cid ananda .so if they are in knowledge ,why they still hanker for merging into brahma- jyoti . the very fact that they still desire to merge into brahman indicates that they don’t accept krishna in its form as bhagavan .for brahmavadis ,often krishna’s form is transformation of brahman to make some lila in this world .for them brahman is eternal , and form of krishna is just a transformation of that eternal brahman( nirguna brahman) into human form (saguna brahman ) ,which they think to be temporary , which after the pastimes of lord is completed ,again becomes one with nirguna brahman ,becasue they don’t conceive brahman and bhagavan to exist simultaneously . i agree that they (brahmavadis) don’t consider krishna’s form to be material ,but they don’t consider krishna to be eternal either .they don’t conceive as if lord resides eternally in his spiritual world .this being the case.

Answer Podcast

From Nimai Dasa:

If remembering out past lives can create the mental problem in this life like you said ,we may had came under truck ,or chopped off in our previous lives ,why then bhagavatam ( 5.9.3) describes that remembering our past lives to be the mercy of supreme lord .it says

" bhagavad-anugrahenanusmrta-sva-purva-janmavalir "

which says " Due to his being especially gifted with the Lord's mercy, Bharata Maharaja could remember the incidents of his past life " .

how maharaja bharata benefited from it ,why bhagavatam considers that to be mercy of supreme lord ? if it is mercy ,then why can't that apply to us too ?

Answer Podcast

Devotees from all over the world were in attendance for the GBC midterm meeting at ISKCON Tirupati.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 October 2010, Govardhana Parikrama)

Early in the morning, we left for Govardhana through dark, bumpy back roads and started our parikrama of Giriraja at Radha-Kund. Govardhana parikrama is certainly a yajna, but an ecstatic one though!

We slotted into a steady pace and all along, we were chanting the Holy Name whilst walking sometimes through soft Vrndavana sands and at other times, the sharp rocks and thorns were blessing our feet!

Govardhana is Hari-dasa-varya, the greatest servant of the Lord and at the same time, He is Krsna Himself. In the Gopala-Champu, it says that Govardhana is made of jewels and that there are big jewelled slabs that function as transcendental seating places. Our vision was not so deep that we could perceive all of that but the brown, purple effulgent rocks were totally attractive.

We pray to Govardhana that we may become a servant who can please Krsna. I was also praying that my endeavours here, in going around Govardhana, that my disciples may be blessed with determination in their devotional service.

After the long, never ending trek, we finally reached Radha-Kund. Being in Vrndavana is such a blessing because it makes it so easy to remember Krsna. I had started chanting early in the morning and by the time we had finished our walk and reached Radha-Kund at 11.30 in the morning, I had completed sixty-six rounds; all by the mercy of the Dham.

Krsna makes it so easy to remember Him and chant His Holy Name here, in His transcendental abode. Now we are back in our room – happy, crippled and exhausted! We wish you could be here!

 

This next several days at Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre are incredibly busy with the festival season upon us! Festivities start off this Friday, October 24th with s HUGE Govardhana Puja and Diwali Celebration, starting at 6:00pm. 

Diwali is a grand festival celebrated across the world and stems back to ancient times when
inhabitants of Ayodhya celebrated the joyous return of Lord Ramachandra. Lord Rama was in exile, away from His kingdom, for many years. The joyful day on which He finally returned is observed as Diwali, or Dipavali (“dipa” means candles, and “vali” means numerous.)





Govardhana Puja is celebrated the day after and Diwali and on this day the inhabitants of Vrindavan (Lord Krishna’s abode on Earth) would hold a harvest festival in honour of King Indra, the demigod who provided the rains essential for the harvest. One day, however, Lord Krishna wanted to teach Indra a lesson. He convinced the inhabitants of Vrindavan to honor Govardhana Hill instead, whose fertile soil provided the grass upon which the cows and bulls grazed, and to honour the cows and bulls who provided milk and ploughed the lands.
Outraged, Indra retaliated with terrifying thunderstorms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, calmly lifted Govardhana Hill with the little finger of his left hand. For seven days and seven nights the Lord held up Govardhana Hill, providing a giant umbrella to shelter the inhabitants of Vrindavan from the torrential rain.

Always remember that our first business is preaching and distributing literatures, never mind we have to live under a tree. Letter to Narottamananda, October 23, 1972. Read more ›

Wonderful addition to the Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mayapur Read more ›

Nineteen ISKCON devotees were injured when a Vrindavan bound bus rammed against a tree after one of its tyres punctured near Maghera village falling under Vrindavan police station today  "While eleven devotees were rushed to district hospital, eight were taken to Paras Mani Hospital. Nobody is in critical position," Dy SP Anil Yadav said. 

SRS: The following is the GBC Executive’s Report on Vaisnavi diksa gurus. Official_Release_Oct_21_2014.pdf

The post GBC Special Session Report appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post Do you know what incipient myelopathy is? appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday we visited Premavan, the forest of love. Within Premavan is Prema-sarovara, a lake of love made from the combined tears of Radha and Krsna when they experienced intense separation from each other. The scenery there is reminiscent of what Vrindavan must have been like when Krsna was present thousands of years ago. We spent longer at Prema-sarovara than other places we have visited this month, trying to fathom the deep emotions of pure devotional service to the Lord. Read more ›

Bhagavatam-daily is a daily talk of approximately 10 min on a verse of Srimad Bhagavatam. This feature is especially meant to serve those devotees who want to hear the Bhagavatam regularly and systematically in short segments that they can conveniently fit into their schedules. The talk will involve a quick explanation of the Sanskrit verse followed by a devotional analysis of how we can take shelter of Krishna based on the import of that verse. In fact, my attempt to start this feature is essentially my way of taking shelter of the Bhagavatam by meditating and speaking on and thus serving each of its verses. I hope and pray that these talks will help hearers to similarly find greater shelter in the Bhagavatam.

In Krishna lila stava, Sri Sanatana Goswami glorifies the Srimad Bhagavatam: “ O holy Bhagavata, you are my only company, my only friend, and my guru. You are my greatest treasure and my personal saviour. You are the emblem of my highest fortune and the very form of ecstasy. I offer my obeisances unto you.” Several of our worshipable previous acharyas have commented insightfully on the Bhagavatam and our beloved Srila Prabhupada has given us through his illuminating Bhaktivedanta purports given us access to the vast universe of devotion that is the Bhagavatam. I offer my prostrated obeisances to our acharyas and pray that they bless this endeavor. I have sought and got the blessings of my spiritual guides - and I also seek the prayers, good wishes and blessings of the hearers so that I can render this service properly.
Krishna willing, I will be taking various sections of the Bhagavatam verse-by-verse. To begin with, I have taken up the Uddhava Gita as it is one of the most important sections of the Bhagavatam, being its longest philosophical section, and is often quoted by our acharyas. It comprises the last words spoken by Krishna just before he departed from this mortal world and it was spoken to guide Uddhava to live with face the dark age of Kali.
The first four podcasts are available here:

Each day's podcast will be published early in the morning and will come in your daily feed.

HG Chaturatma Prabhu’s extra class about Srila Narottam Das Thakur

1967 October 22: "Forget this chapter, all Maya's play. We shall be sorry for his plight under Maya and may not waste our valuable time talking about him. The best thing you have done is that he no longer speaks in our temples."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 October 22: "If he really believes in his new doctrine, he should honestly return his Sannyas certificate which he very tactfully secured from me. He should not utilize this certificate without any allegiance."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 October 22: "Our responsiblity is to open branches outside India. As the Europeans were very enterprising for colonization, similarly we should be enthusiastic to open branches in different parts of the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1971 October 22: "Devotional service can be advanced by six processes: enthusiasm, patience, conviction, following the regulative principles, being honest in one's profession, and being in the association of devotees. Devotee means who are following the regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 October 22: "Just like the tracks of a railroad line, both must be there, Bhagavata marga and pancaratriki marga - one side Bhagavata book, the other side Deity worship. Unless you follow both lines simultaneously you cannot make any progress in devotional service."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 October 22: "Our Krsna consciousness movement preaching depends on our personal behavior.We cannot preach without being solid in our standing as devotee. One should preach by behaving himself exactly what he preaches."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 October 22: "First you have to decide yourself whether you are prepared to surrender to our principles, because if you keep your independence your position is the same. To associate with me you are always welcome but not with your independence. That will not help me or you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

Yesterday we visited Pavana-sarovara, a sacred lake near Nandagram. Our program was the same as everyday; hearing and chanting the glories of Lord. Such sravanam and kirtanam seems to be especially potent in the holy dhama. Local tradition says that the results of any spiritual practice done in Vrindavan dhama is magnified a thousand times. [...]

1972 October 22: "The pleasure of spending some days in Vrindaban is only exceeded by the pleasure of hearing the good news of our activities in Mayapur. Do not be anxious, I am coming there soon to live with you. And I shall speak thrice times what I am speaking here."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Special Giriraj Diwali Grand Feast

When? Friday,Oct 25th,2014 Program starts at 7pm Where? 6 George Street South Brampton, Ontario L6Y 1P3, Canada Park underground(free) @ City Hall Phone:416-648-3312 New! Listen Click here to listen to previous class recordings on our blog Make a Donation

Program Schedule 7.00PM   GURU PUJA 7.20PM   GAURA AARTI 7.45PM   NRSINGADEV PRAYERS 7:50PM   WELCOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 8.00PM   GLORIES OF GIRIRAJ GOVARDHAN 8.30PM   DAMODAR AARTI AND KIRTAN 8.50PM   SUNDAY SCHOOL DRESS UP 9.05PM   GOVARDHAN MAHA AARTI AND PARIKARMA Followed by GIRIRAJ DIWALI MAHA FEAST OF THE NIGHT Offerings for Giriraj Govardhan "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it."(BG-9.26) Let’s aim to offer at least 56 items You are invited to bring vegetarian offerings (no onion, garlic, eggs, vinegar) of food for Krishna.[In brand new aluminium one or two serving sized container] *Nothing store-bought. Must be fresh and home-made. *No tasting or sampling. Krishna must be the first to taste your offering. Please do contact mother Alka(alka74salwan@gmail.com) VOLUNTEERING: If you're looking for service opportunity for this event please do contact Radha Gopinatha Dasa(radhagopinathdas@hotmail.com) SPONSORSHIPS: If you are looking for an opportunity to finance the event please do contact Krishna Smaran Devi Dasi( kavitabalram@yahoo.com). Details: Giriraj Grand Feast-                      $251 Giriraj Maha Aarati-                      $151 Giriraj Govardhan-                        $101+101+101 Florals and Garlands-                   $151 Exquisite shringar for deities-   $301 About Govardhan Puja & Annakut The day after Diwali is referred to as Annakuta, or Govardhana Puja.On this day the inhabitants of Vrindavan (Lord Krishna’s abode on Earth) traditionally held a harvest festival in honor of the demigod King Indra who provided the rains essential for the harvest. Lord Krishna by defeating Indra's pride demonstrated that he is Deva Deva, Lord of the demigods, and that the purposes for which demigods might be worshiped could easily be served simply by worshiping Him, the cause of all causes. This day is also significant as the day on which, several thousand years later, Srila Madhavendra Puri established a temple for the self-manifest Gopala Deity on top of Govardhana Hill. To celebrate this festival, devotees build a replica of Govardhana Hill made of various opulent foods, worship Lord Krishna as the lifter of Govardhana Hill, worship the hill as His incarnation, and worship the cows and bulls which are dear to the Lord. Srila Prabhupada's Disapperance Day Fasting till Noon on Oct 27th 2014 **The festivities will be observed during our Sunday Love Feast Oct 26th 2014...Details will posted shortly**   Please note that ISKCON Brampton is a nut free environment in order to support those with allergies. Your cooperation is appreciated.   Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Chant and Be happy!

There is a general criticism on Srila Prabhupada that he only talks about Krishna and hence sectarian. This criticism is very common among mainstream "hindus" and Indians. This criticism also reveals the lack of proper philosophical understanding of the concept of Godhead and His concomitant material creation.

There are two ways to arrange things. One way is horizontal and the other vertical. When we arrange things linearly in horizontal fashion, then it seems all of things arranged have equal weights thus demanding equal attention from the viewer. If however, we adjust the heights in the vertical direction, then the top aligned items are given more importance. The same can also be applied with size. Two identical objects can be sorted if one is bigger in size than the other.

The misunderstanding about Krishna is that the general "hindu" population assumes Krishna to be on equal footing with other Gods like the horizontal arrangement of things as mentioned above. But actually Krishna should be seen vertical in that He is on the top and the others below Him. If we see Krishna with this arrangement, then by simply worshipping Krishna, all other subservient entities are included. One need not worship other celestial entities separately.

So when Srila Prabhupada focuses purely on Krishna as the object of worship, he does so because all other 330 million gods including Lord Siva and Lord Brahma are included in Krishna worship. One need not separately go to a Siva temple and worship Him. Of course to understand the super-inclusive  nature of Krishna requires purification from mundane desires and certain amount of faith.

Srila Prabhupada therefore is not preaching sectarian dharma but a super-dharma which includes all other subservient forms of dharma.

Hare Krishna

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 September 2014, Mayapur, India, Radhastami Lecture)

Krsna roams through the forest of Vrindavan and then, Krsna sees on a leaf his name written with red kumkum. Then Krsna plays his flute and when Krsna plays his flute, the entire universe becomes agitated…

When Krsna plays his flute, the cows in Vrindavan go mad! The cows cannot control themselves. Their ears are like cups on their heads and they are drawn to that sound; and when they hear that sound, they go mad! Therefore, they stand on their hind legs and cover their ears so as to not hear the sound but Krsna keeps on playing. Then the cows put blades of grass in their mouth as a treatise of humility and beg Krsna to stop but Krsna continues playing. Then the cows cannot contain themselves anymore and freeze on the spot and stand like statues…

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Bhagavatam-daily podcast

“On this date forty years ago, I went up to Srila Prabhupada’s quarters in Juhu, Bombay, as usual, at 6 a.m. But very unusually, his door was locked. I had never come and found his door locked before. I knocked and waited, and eventually his secretary opened the door a little and spoke very quietly. He said that during the night Srila Prabhupada had finished translating Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and that he had written the most beautiful glorification of his spiritual master after completing the work. He said that Srila Prabhupada was in a very ecstatic mood and instructed that the devotees should celebrate by having a feast.”

Kirtan
Srila Prabhupada’s “Concluding Words” for Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

Hearing good news about others affects people in different ways. Personally, the feelings it evokes within me serves as a barometer of how emotionally healthy I am and my relationship with the individual. Feelings of joy and "they totally deserve it" are what I aim for. However, in instances where it dredges up not so pleasant emotions, I realize I have internal work to do.

Just as pain serves as an indication that something is wrong with the body, similarly, negative emotions can serve as an indicator that we need to pay closer attention to an unfulfilled need or issue. That something can vary from person to person, but it's important to identify it and work to see what is needed to heal it. The importance of this topic was highlighted again by something that recently happened.

I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by practitioners of bhakti yoga my entire life. In order to invoke the blessings and share in the good news that I am to be married soon, my dear parents have been personally inviting well-wishers and friends for the occasion. Today I'd like to share with one reaction that melted my heart.

Although I wasn't physically present to witness the reaction, my parents later narrated that upon hearing the news and receiving an invitation, one well-wisher, who is an extremely deep and advanced bhakti yoga practitioner, immediately started to inquire as to my parents' assessment of my future husband's character. Satisfied with their responses, he expressed his heart-felt congratulations. That in itself totally melted my heart. An uncle-like figure in my life, I don't often get to see this well-wisher, but his genuine concern and care for my well being was palpable even through my parents voices.

Not soon after, he came back and immediately pressed a small gift in my father's hand. This was totally above and beyond the realm of anything any of us expected as his sincere well-wishes were all that we were seeking.

Although this may seem quite simple and ordinary, I assure you, it was anything but. The sense of reciprocation and gratitude to have such an exemplary well-wisher in my life was and is still overwhelming. In fact, while meditating on the incident a few days later, it was all I could do to restrain the tears filling my eyes.

As an aspiring practitioner of bhakti this is what I too long to be: the happy well-wisher to others, especially in their time of success and joy.

Bhagavatam-daily is a daily talk of approximately 10 min on a verse of Srimad Bhagavatam. This feature is especially meant to serve those devotees who want to hear the Bhagavatam regularly and systematically in short segments that they can conveniently fit into their schedules. The talk will involve a quick explanation of the Sanskrit verse followed by a devotional analysis of how we can take shelter of Krishna based on the import of that verse. In fact, my attempt to start this feature is essentially my way of taking shelter of the Bhagavatam by meditating and speaking on and thus serving each of its verses. I hope and pray that these talks will help hearers to similarly find greater shelter in the Bhagavatam.

In Krishna lila stava, Sri Sanatana Goswami glorifies the Srimad Bhagavatam: “ O holy Bhagavata, you are my only company, my only friend, and my guru. You are my greatest treasure and my personal saviour. You are the emblem of my highest fortune and the very form of ecstasy. I offer my obeisances unto you.” Several of our worshipable previous acharyas have commented insightfully on the Bhagavatam and our exalted Srila Prabhupada has given us through his illuminating Bhaktivedanta purports given us access to the vast universe of devotion that is the Bhagavatam. I offer my prostrated obeisances to our acharyas and pray that they bless this endeavor. I have sought and got the blessings of my spiritual guides - and I also seek the prayers, good wishes and blessings of the hearers so that I can render this service properly. Krishna willing, I will be taking various sections of the Bhagavatam verse-by-verse. To begin with, I have taken up the Uddhava Gita as it is one of the most important sections of the Bhagavatam, being its longest philosophical section, and is often quoted by our acharyas. It comprises the last words spoken by Krishna just before he departed from this mortal world and it was spoken to guide Uddhava to live with face the dark age of Kali.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us a nice weapon for this age. The narayanastra, or weapon to drive away maya, is the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya, such as Advaita Prabhu, Nityanada, Gadadhara and Srivasa. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.11.1 Purport) Read more ›