The following transcriptions have been uploaded.
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Do the Anthropic Principle and the multiverse theory make the design argument redundant?

Is it right for devotees to use kirtan singing for earning their living?

If we shouldn’t be disturbed by the mind’s impurities, then how can we beat the mind?

Why do dharma-shastras say that aggressors should be forgiven?

What are dharma-shastra and artha-shastra? How are they different?

How do we respond when prominent scientists like Stephen Hawking write books propounding atheism?

Do the dharma-shastras say aggressors shouldn’t be killed and artha-shastras that they should be killed?

Do cultural practices change as per age as does the yuga-dharma?

Why was Arjuna so dear to Krishna?

When the Pandavas were so virtuous why did Krisha let them suffer so much?

When hearing about Krishna from nondevotees can create interest in people and act as a stepping stone to devotional service, why is such hearing considered like milk touched by a snake?

Why do we have to give up material pleasures to experience spiritual pleasures?

 

Saved From Death Sentence By Prayers from HH Jayapataka Swami
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY MAHAVARAHA DASA
Diary 18th August 2014
Being  Janmasthami today, HH Jayapataka Swami (JPS), started off his day by giving Bhagavatam class in the temple hall here in Mayapur Dham. Since he is on Ayurvedic treatment for the last three weeks, the doctor advised him not to physically strain himself much. So he was scheduled to give only one class today. After the class he had wonderful darshana of Their Lordship Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Panca Tattva and Lord Nrshimadeva. 
Then he came up to his room and had little fruits before ready to take a nap. Though it is a fasting day, he was advised by the doctors to take fruits along with the Ayurvedic medicines they prescribed. He slept for 30 mins then called Shyam Rasika Das to connect the Vonage phone. This is a special internet phone which has facility to call most of the countries in the world for almost free of cost. For some countries even calling their mobile phone line was free of cost. 
Malaysia and India were among those. JPS called the temple presidents and leading disciples around his zones in India and Malaysia and wished them Happy Janmasthami and Happy Srila Prabhupada Appearance Day. 
Among them was one of the temple president from a town call Taiping, Malaysia. Yaduraja Krishna Prabhu, the Temple President, became overwhelmed with joy and tears when he received the call from JPS. Towards the end of their conversation, Yaduraj prabhu briefed JPS about one of JPS's disciple Kripa Murti Krsna dasa (KMKD) who is in the local prison. 
A brief history about Kripa Murti Prabhu. Due to bad association he was prisoned about 15 years ago. He was sentenced to death for the type of crime he has committed according to the local act. While he was serving his death sentence in the prison he came in contact with devotees and started reading Srila Prabhupada's book. In few years he started chanting 21 rounds everyday. He has finished reading most of Srila Prabhupada's books in the prison.  He also made couple of  his inmates to take up KC by his regular preaching, classes and his personal behavior. He gives SB class to inmates. He observes ekadasi and other fasting without fail. 
Many of his Muslim wardens were very impressed seeing the transformation in him, how KC has changed him completely. He then developed a very strong desire to get initiated by JPS. About four years ago JPS initiated him by sending him spiritual name and beads. Before initiation JPS advised him that he should make a written plea to the King to be pardon. Each time JPS receives some report about him from the local president he also inquires if he has tried for pardon? 
Once when Yaduraj Krsna Prabhu visited KMKD in the prison, he asked him how is he doing? For that, KMKD replied,"Everyday I am eating at the door of death. Everyday I am sleeping at the door of death and everyday I am living at door of death. But, I am not fear of death because Krishna Consciousness keeping me happy all the time."  
Now back to their telephone conversation. After giving a wonderful report about KMKD, Yaduraj Prabhu then requested JPS to give him his blessings. JPS said, "I pray to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada to give KMKD Their unlimited blessings."
Interested to know how the blessing worked? Continue reading......
Diary 19th August 2014
Srila Prabhupada Appearance day. I received a call from Sarva Radhika Mataji, the wife of Yaduraj Krishna Prabhu. She said, "The Prison Director called KMKD to meet him in his office this morning and told him that he will be hanged tomorrow." The officer was expecting a hysterical response but KMKD remained composed and calm. 

KMKD told the officer that he has been waiting for this for a long time. His family has been very stressful all this years and he is ready for the death sentence. The dumbfounded officer was paused for a while. He then told KMKD with smiling face, "Actually it is the other way around, you been pardoned from your death sentence. You are an extremely exceptional case who got this special pardon." 
Sarva Radhika Mataji continued with more excitement,"Prabhu, can you believe it? Yesterday GM blessed KMKD that he may receive unlimited blessings of Krishna and SP. Today being the  Appearance day of Srila Prabhupada, KMKD got His Divine Grace's unlimited blessings. We are waiting for further news and we will update you later. Please inform JPS about this wonderful news." 

Cape Town, September 2014
→ KKSBlog

Report by Brhat Mrdanga Das

KKS_CPT_dec2011Maharaj arrived in Cape Town during the afternoon of the 15th and one would not be able to tell that he had done a Ratha Yatra in Soweto the day before. All programs were at the temple in addition to a university and a loft program. Maharaj relished longer than one hour kirtans at the start of his evening programs which were followed by very intimate lectures. In between programs, giving darshans and chanting rounds, he would work on projects that he is assisting on in Mayapur. Contacting people all over the globe and preparing his propositions and presentations, his advice is very much sought after by the Mayapur project managers…

 

Audio

Courtesy of Tejah Prakash Das

Lectures

KKS_CPT_15 September2014_Evening_Lecture

KKS_CPT_16 September_Lecture_SB_9.13.5

KKS_CPT_17 September2014_BYS_Leadership_and_Compassion

KKS_CPT_18 September_Lecture_SB_9.13.6

KKS_CPT_18 September2014_Evening_Lecture

KKS_CPT_19 September2014_Evening_Lecture

KKS_CPT_20 September_Lecture_SB_9.13.9

KKS_CPT_20 September2014_Spirit_Matters_Lecture

KKS_CPT_21 September2014_Lecture_CC

KKS_CPT_21 September2014_Sunday_Feast_Lecture

 

Kirtans

KKS_CPT_15 September2014_Evening_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_18 September2014_Evening_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_19 September2014_Evening_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_20 September2014_Spirit_Matters_Kirtan

KKS_CPT_21 September2014_Sunday_Feast_Kirtan

 

New online beautifully designed magazine – aggregator of ever fresh news from Temples and Congregation of UK and Ireland
→ Dandavats.com

A beautiful, with a magazine like styled lay out, online news aggregator, easy to navigate horizontally with flipping pages effect, responsive for all devices, light and quick, updated constantly, pulling posts, photos and audio-video media from the most important UK and IE Iskcon websites, facebook pages and other social sites is the place to go to connect with the glorious British and Irish Yatras! Read more ›

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ October 4, 2014
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

IMG_4945

In the groves of Vrndavana under a great pastime awning of flowers, under newly blossoming tree, in cooling shade, with splendid cloth and beautiful flowers, and equipped with cups of nectar and other paraphernalia, is the place of the nap pastime of the divine couple. O! Look at the wonderful, splendid divine couple in Vrndavana!

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-3, Text-10 Translation.]

Please click here for more photos ….

Hold On To Your Beads
→ Japa Group

"In the beginning, the rock stubborn, lazy mind will rebel with a thousand excuses and obstacles to foil one's attempt to implement the three M's. Persevere; hold on to your beads! By the mercy of Sri Guru and Gauranga one will patiently progress through the three stages of method, mood and mellow."

From Art Of Chanting Hare Krsna
by Mahanidhi Swami

Giriraj Swami’s Vyasa-puja, Evening Session, September 27, Houston
Giriraj Swami

09.27.14.VP“Serving you and learning how to serve you is all in the details of that service. Making sure that everything is done very properly. Making sure that everything is done very carefully. And being very conscious. Learning to serve you properly helps us become very conscious. And the whole Krishna consciousness process is meant to help us become conscious of Krishna and our eternal relationship with Krishna.”

—Nila Madhava dasa

Giriraj Swami’s Evening Talk

Misguided Society
→ simple thoughts

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Vicaru Das
ISKCON Harinam Ruci

SB CANTO 1 CHAPTER 1 TEXT 10: O learned one in this iron age of Kali men almost always have but short lives, they are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and above all always disturbed.

The devotees of the Lord are always anxious for the spiritual improvement of the general public, when the sages of Naimisaranya analysed the state of affairs of the people in this age of Kali; they foresaw that men would live short lives. In Kali Yuga, the duration of life is shortened not so much because of insufficient food but because of irregular habits.

By keeping regular habits and eating simple food any man can maintain his health. Overeating, over sense gratification, over dependence on another’s mercy and artificial standards of living sap the very vitality of human energy. Therefore the duration of life is shortened.

The people of this age are also very lazy not only materially but in the matter of self realisation, that is to say man should come to know what he is, what the world is and what the supreme truth is. Human life is a means by which the living entity can end all the miseries of the hard struggle for life in material existence and by which he can return to Godhead his eternal home. But due to a bad system of education men have no desire for self realization even they come to know about it they unfortunately become victims of misguided teachers.

In this age men are victims not only of different political creeds and parties but of many different types of sense-gratificatory diversions such as cinemas, sports, gambling, clubs, mundane libraries, bad association, smoking, drinking, cheating, pilfering, bickerings and so on. The minds are always disturbed and full of anxieties due to so many different engagements. In this age many, unscrupulous men manufacture their own religious faiths which are not based on any revealed scriptures and very often people who are addicted to sense gratification are attracted by such institutions. Consequently in the name of religions so many sinful acts are being carried on that the people in general have neither peace of mind nor health of body.
Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Krsna, which is feared by fear personified .

Vaisesika Dasa: My dear false ego…
→ Dandavats.com

Vaisesika Dasa: My dear false ego, It has taken me quite some time to find the courage to write you this letter; and I realize that it may come to you as a surprise since we have been together for so long and we’ve been through so much. I know also that I’m the one who started this relationship in the first place, but I’ve changed. I now know that what we had was unhealthy: especially my depending on you to watch and appreciate every move that I made, and your telling me that I was great, wise, clever and so on, even when I wasn’t Read more ›

Rare, original photo of Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji recently discovered
→ Dandavats.com

Indradyumna Swami: An original photo of Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji, the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, recently discovered by the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in Kolkata. The photo was found inserted between the pages of an old book previously owned by a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. Under the direction of Hari Sauri prabhu the research center is collecting and preserving ancient manuscripts and rare works, making them available to scholars and students all over the world. Read more ›