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(I am grateful to HH Bhakti Rasamrita Maharaj for providing valuable guidance in answering this question)

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and The Nectar of Instruction.

“Why is Radha-kunda so exalted? The lake is so exalted because it belongs to Srimati Radharani, who is the most beloved object of Sri Krishna. Among all the gopis, She is the most beloved. Similarly, Her lake, Sri Radha-kunda, is also described by great sages as the lake that is as dear to Krishna as Radha Herself. Indeed, Krishna’s love for Radha-kunda and Srimati Radharani is the same in all respects. Radha-kunda is very rarely attained, even by great personalities fully engaged in devotional service, not to speak of ordinary devotees who are only engaged in the practice of vaidhi bhakti.”

—Nectar of Instruction 11

Appearance of Radha-kunda

A little later the kitchen roof flew away, along with some bowls and plates. When I saw the sheets on our temple hall flying away tears went rolling down my cheeks. We all prayed very sincerely: “oh, Kishna, please protect yourself.”

Gita verse-by-verse podcast

A documentary follows a Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai, through a perilous six months as she loses her education, is forced into exile and faces an uncertain return back home in Swat, Pakistan. Later on, in October, 2014, for her achicievents in fighting for the girls' right to eductaion, Malala becomes the youngest Nobel-prize laureate.

Seven hundred people including animal lovers, environmentalists, alternative medicine enthusiasts and ISKCON devotees are expected to turn out for this year’s Save The Cow Kirtan Mela at New Talavana, Mississippi from October 24^th to 26^th. The event will raise awareness for New Talavan’s cow protection program – one of the largest in the US – which has cared for a steady 100 cows or more since 1976.

Harinamananda Das and the World Harinama Party inspires passengers on a New York City subway to chant Hare Krishna. September 20, 2014.

The local ISKCON temple, Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, a picturesque project shaped in the form a temple on top of a lotus is the host for this year’s meetings. More than seventy ISKCON devotees from different parts of the world were greeted upon arrival with flower garlands and rapturous kirtan by the resident devotees. The GBC Strategic Planning Network (SPN) meetings continue upto October 18^th.

The post October 17th, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

My thoughts on the topic to date.

The post Vaisnavi diksa gurus appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Sharad Purnima Darshan

Dear Brijabasis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

As we do twice a year, the board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban will meet face to face November 1st & 2nd, 2014.

In our ongoing efforts to improve communications, we are organizing a weekend of open presentations and discussions.

We humbly invite all New Vrindaban residents and well-wishers to participate.

Weekend schedule

Saturday, November 1st. 

10:00 am to 1:30 pm: Department Head Presentations for 2014 (under the Lodge)

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Lunch Prasadam (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

2:30 pm to 4:30 pm: Community Dialog (under the Lodge)

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: Srila Prabhupada Sangam (at his Palace)

Sunday, November 2nd.

10:00 am to 1:00 pm: New Vrindaban Tour (various locations around the Community)
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Sunday Program & Feast (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

We would be honored if you join us throughout the weekend and look forward to seeing you then.

Hare Krishna!

Your servant,

Jaya Krsna das
ISKCON New Vrindaban Community President

From Aartee Mataji

Did Srila Prabhupada authorize his worship through his Deity?

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From Jaya Krsna Prabhu

It increases bodily identity; it is not a part of our tradition; it is simply a wastage of money

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From Keshava Kashmiri P

you made one point which says that brahman is the transitional realization (like a coast or negative y-axis) ,whereas bhakti towards bhagavan as ultimate realization ( + ve y-axis )
does this transition indicates that one can only get bhakti ,when one first goes through brahman realization .cant bhakti be obtained directly without going into brahman level . brahman level , i guess requires dominance of jnana ,in contrast to bhakti ,where jnana is subservient to bhakti . does this transitional realization ,indicates that bhakti can be obtained only when we have jnana .can't bhakti be obtained directly .is it not independent

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All New Vrindavan Residents are invited to an Open Meeting of The New Vrindavan Advocacy Sanga.

Tuesday, Oct 21st  in the Lodge Hall

6 pm sharp.

Prasadam will be served at 8pm. 

The topic of discussion is for New Vrindavan resident devotees to 

1) voice our concerns in a supportive atmosphere

2) help clarify Community residents’ heartfelt issues. 

3) help shape the agenda for the upcoming public joint NV Boards/GBC meeting at the end of the month

We’d like to make it very clear that the New Vrindavan Advocacy Sanga is Not part of New Vrindavan management.  Rather, it is a group of devotees who have regularly gathered to discuss 

1)  how to improve the lives of all New V devotees and 

2) how to improve the relationship between the New V management and New V residents.

Respectful analysis, constructive criticism and forming practical positive proposals has been the format of our meetings.

The following is a list of the participating members of the Sanga during the last year:

Lilasuka, Jesse

Chaitanya Bhagavat

Nityodita

Vyasasana, Lokadrsti

Madhavananda 

Gaura Shakti

Sankirtan

Priti 

Srimati

Hoping to see you there!

NVCAS Members

Escaping the Association of False Saints

Kapila explained: “Intimate association binds the soul, but experts know that the same intimacy applied towards saintly people opens the doorway to liberation.

One what criteria can a person be evaluated as “saintly”? Kapila explained, “You can recognize a ‘saintly person’ by the ‘ornaments’ they wear: tolerance, compassion, friendship with all creatures, enmity towards none, serenity, and honesty. Deeper than these ornaments, you can recognize a ‘saintly person’ by their essential nature: their entire being is firmly fixed in devotion to me. For my sake they are willing to sacrifice their own deeds, their own friendships, and even their own families.”

Canto Three (25.20–22)

The hallmark of such determination is that they are willing to sacrifice anything and everything for it.

But not at the expense of others. We have seen so many people run away from their families by putting on saffron halloween costumes and claiming to be sannyāsīs or brahmacārīs seeking the Absolute Truth, when in fact they were simply seeking to get free from the burden and stress of the responsibilities entrusted to them by the Creator. We ourselves have been guilty of this. But real saints do not behave in this manner. We did not see Kardama, for example, leave to the forest until his son was grown and promised to take care of Devahūti. We do not see Śrī Rūpa, for example, leave his family without first arranging for their welfare by giving a huge amount of wealth into their accounts.

Selfishness which dons the garb of “saintliness” is the most pernicious and disgusting of all. Better to be an honest drug addict than a deceptive “saint.”

To associate with false saints is worse than associating with materialists, for the association of a false saint directly destroyed ones interest and trust in the path of saints, bhakti, whereas the association of materialists merely inclines one towards materialistic pursuit if one is particularly weak. We should avoid false saints as we would avoid persons carrying a terrible, contagious disease.

In avoiding the false saints, we should not ourselves become a false saint by enjoying the garbage of criticizing them. Silently, patiently, calmly, honestly, and without enmity, we should arrange to avoid the intimate association of false saints, simply by not taking their example, advice, or instruction very seriously at all.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 November 2013, Vrindavan, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.09.12)

Mother Yashoda showed a mood of unalloyed dedication to Krsna. Even when Krsna became upset that Mother Yashoda was not attentive to him, still Mother Yashoda was only interested in Krsna.

It is said that mother Yashoda was stirring the yogurt and trying to make butter. At that time, Krsna wanted to drink milk from her breast. So Krsna came up and grabbed the stirring stick and held it so that she could not stir. Then she could see, “Oh! He wants attention!” Attention naturally meant Yashoda’s love. She took him upon her lap and then he began to drink her milk. Just as this was going on, the milk on the stove boiled over. It has been asked, “Why did mother Yashoda not just ignore that, since Supreme Personality of Godhead was seated on her lap? Why she give attention to that milk on the stove?”

Because, all along Mother Yashoda had personally taken up the mission to boil that milk because it was milk from the special cows that were eating special grass. From that milk, she wanted to make special sweets so that her son will stop the activity of stealing from others. Actually, she was only putting him down in the mood of trying to act for his wellbeing.

So never ever was there a moment when Yashoda was not fully dedicated to Krsna’s interest. She had no other interest than the interest of Krsna. This is indeed the level of surrender that the devotee is meant to attain.