1975 August 26: "In the foreign countries they are accepting us as bona fide religion but in our own country they are giving so many hindrances. If prominent people are giving us respect, why are others making false propaganda?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Brampton, Ontario

2^nd Annual

In between the two installments of trekking today, I had the pleasure to partake in Brampton’s 2^nd Annual Ratha Yatra at downtown Gage Park.  “When a teenager,” I told the crowd, “way before I heard the word ‘Krishna’, I relaxed at this very park at the gazebo in the shady trees.”  Ron Casir, a friend, and I, hitchhiked one summer throughout southern Ontario looking to find ourselves.  I never would have believed that I’d be in this spot again, bald and wearing robes, 43 years after my moderate hippie phase. 

Since then, the park has been spruced up (I still see the same spruce trees, though).  The area around has been built up.  After all, the world in which we live is always changing.  The mayor of the city, which is now at the half a million mark, showed up.  Susan Fennell seemed to be all smiles.  My god-brothers, Kaliyapani and Gaura, also came to lead in the kirtans.  A special feature, undisputedly, was the drama of “Little Big Ramayan”. 

The organizers were happy, expressing a double increase of attendance from last year’s modest 500, it grew to twice that size.  Our route for the standard procession was ‘in the round’.  Four revolutions on this circular sidewalk constituted the journey of joy as participants pulled the chariot by rope.

One local guy, James, who came for the bulk of the program, came to see me, offered the greatest handshake, saying, “Thank you, and please pray for me.”  I thought he was going to cry.  I believe he did, at least internally.  Tears were dripping on his heart, he had such a good time.  Then James asked a group of us, “Do you guys know the Beatles?” and one of our members, Vaishnava, sang, “We love you, yeah yeah yeah…”  James corrected him saying, “No it’s, ‘she loves you’.”  And my response to that was, “No it’s ‘we’, in relation to you and us.  We prefer, ‘we love you’”.  At that point, James got it.

May the Source be with you!

11 KM

Toronto, Ontario

The Good About Kali


Sad for me to hear from a family lawyer, who’s a member of our community, that few people remain content in their relationships.  In her own words, “People don’t seem to learn from their past mistakes.”  She indicated that whatever personal weakness that an individual may admit to, he/she will not make the endeavour towards correction, hence, the same short coming spoils the chance for a relationship to work the next time around.

Separation/divorce is rampant, and it’s a challenge that faces every community across the board, across the globe. 

When I saw a park bench in the course of today’s trek, a grafiti’d message sprayed on to the bench read, “Sick Earth”.  I wasn’t sure how to interpret that line because sick in today’s language means, ‘it’s cool’.  If we take it to mean that the world is malfunctioning or is dysfunctional, I think this would be a more accurate assessment.  Patience and tolerance of character we lack, and it is a sure sign of the times.  We say, in devotional circles, “We are in the Kali Yuga (age of darkness).”  People are slow to inner development. 

At the same time that we languish in the conditions of today, we can also recognize the true optimism of the current day.  In our discussion this morning, after I took my personal short but sweet head clearing walk, the few monks and I reflected on the Kali Yuga’s strongest feature.  The sages of Vedic tradition say that through song of the right sound one can encounter ultimate hope and peace. 

May the Source be with you!

4 KM

"Chanting of Hare Krishna is meant to bring us attachment to Krishna Himself, to please Krishna and eventually to invoke our pure love for Krishna. We should chant with that in mind."

From Viraha Bhavan #94
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

“The devotee should make it a regular practice to spend a little time alone in a quiet place and concentrate deeply on the holy name. He should utter and hear the name distinctly. It is impossible for the jiva to singlehandedly avoid and overcome the illusion of distraction. By the mercy of the Lord, however, [...]

"The essence of all Vedic knowledge-comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity, the Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods-is included in the eight syllables Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. This is the reality of all Vedanta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience." (Narada-pancharatra) Read more ›

When a sincere soul enquired from Srila Prabhupada that how does Krishna look like? Then this great Vaisnava saint said that go and see Krishna at Sri Sri Radha Govinda temple at 3C Albert Road, Iskcon Kolkata. Krishna looks like that. Now who would know Krishna better than his pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada? This beautiful deity of Radha and Govinda at Iskcon Kolkata has been personally installed by this great sage. Here the ever smiling Radha and Govinda attract every individual’s heart. At times while seeing the beauty of the Lord tears flow effortlessly from the eyes of the devotees but they try their best to hide it from others. Read more ›

Dear Devotees & Friends,

We would like to invite you all for the Radhaastmi on 3 September 2014.

RADHAASTMI PROGRAM
5:00pm Kirtan and Bhajans
5:30pm Tulasi Arati
5:45pm Abhishek
6.15pm Radha Rani’s Favourite dishes Offering
6.30pm A Special Class on “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” and its application in daily life
7.30pm Dance
7:45pm Arati
8:00pm Prasadam

A humble request:
“Drivers, please be aware of children and drive safely on temple grounds.
Parents, please ensure children are supervised at all times. ”

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR A FEAST OR HELP IN ANY SERVICE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Syama Sarana das(0439 969 002) or
Sitaram Lakshmana das(0422 045 525)
Attend such a wonderful feast and receive the Lord’s mercy of full spiritual benefits with Kirtan, Aarti and Spiritual Discourse.

Hare Krishna

Ambarisha prabhu: The wonderful Deity of Sri Nrisimhadeva will have His own separate wing in the main temple. This part of the temple will be specially made of white and black marble with beautiful golden decorations. Construction of the altar has just started. Read more ›

Chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the easiest process of meditation in this age. As soon as one chants the Hare Krishna mantra, he sees the forms of Krishna, Rama and Their energies, and that is the perfect stage of trance. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.53 Purport) Read more ›

The wonderful Deity of Sri Narasimhadeva will have His own separate wing in the main temple. This part of the temple will be made of special white and black marble with beautiful golden decorations. Construction of the altar has just started.

The post Jai Narasimhadeva! appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

The post Sunday morning’s kirtan in Krsna Valley appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The post In response to some devotees who wanted to hear more about who is the Radha-kunda d.d. in Krsna Valley who is preparing to leave this world appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

One should invite people, chant Hare Krishna, and then distribute prasadam. This yajna will satisfy all the demigods, and thus there will be peace and prosperity in the world. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.6.53 Purport) Read more ›

19 August 2014, Nandotsava : The auspicious ceremony of the appearance day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada Vyasa Puja), the Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was celebrated at Sri Jagannatha Mandir Kuala Lumpur Headquarters Malaysia grandly with the participation of 400 devotees and guests. The celebration commenced with daily morning puja followed by Abhisheka ceremony for Srila Prabhupada, followed by dedication of homages by devotees and guests present that morning. The devotees of Sri Jagannatha Mandir Kuala Lumpur were very fortunate to listen to the glories of Srila Prabhupada directly from HH Bhakti Vrajendra Nandana Swami Maharaj, the President of ISKCON Malaysia. Some of the homages that were read to Srila Prabhupada were by HH Jayapataka Swami Srila Guru Maharaj and HG Amoga Prabhu ACBSP. Read more ›

In this age, no one is expected to be highly educated in the Vedic ways of understanding because people are very slow, lazy and unfortunate. Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the sound vibration Hare Krishna. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.4.6 Purport) Read more ›

"Aryan" refers to those who are civilized, whose manners are regulated according to the Vedic rituals. Any devotee who is chanting the holy name of the Lord is the best kind of Aryan. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.33.7 Purport) Read more ›

WAVES OF KIRTAN // Madhava Prabhu – Vaishnava summer festival BALTIC 2014

The Nitai lead Krishna Camp at Burning Man 2006. A video by Rasa Acharya.

The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr. Bhupendra Singh Hooda and ISKCON GBC Gopal Krishna Goswami laid down the foundation stone for the upcoming ISKCON temple at Kurukshetra on 18^th August, 2014, which was also celebrated as Krishna Janmastami, appearance day of Lord Krishna.

1967 August 25: "For the unbeliever Krishna and His Name are fictitious, but those who are advanced realize that Krishna consciousness is pure and eternal. Sincere souls are benedicted by the Lord by revelation. Go on chanting with service mood attitude and the Name, Qualities, etc., become revealed as Reality."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 August 25: "I am so much pleased that everything is going on so nicely there. It is all due to your sincerity of heart; when we are sincere, Krishna will always help us, either in external direction by the Spiritual Master, or internally by His Paramatma expansion."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1970 August 25: "Material life means we remain captive under the bewilderment of Maya. This is the most dangerous condition of life. Intelligent persons therefore try to avoid it under the protection of Krsna and the Spiritual Master."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 August 25: "If there is one tree in whose cavity there is a little fire, that one tree can burn into ashes the whole forest. Similarly in this institution if there is one bad disciple he can burn the whole institution into ashes. The GBC must therefore keep the Society as pure as possible and see that every member is following."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 August 25: "Spiritual Master is the representative of Vyasadeva. Any person distributing the Vedic knowledge is called a Vyasadeva and anyone who does this work in disciplic succession from Srila Vyasadeva is considered as representative of Vyasadeva and as such the bona fide Spiritual Master's Appearance Day is worshiped as Vyasa Puja."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 August 25: "One should have unflinching faith in Krsna and similarly in the Spiritual Master. That is the way of understanding the secret of Krsna Consciousness. Unfortunately, attempt has been made lately in our Society to shake this formula. This mischievous attempt has done a great harm, but if you can rectify this mischievous attempt, then still there is hope. I hope Krsna will help us."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 August 25: "Worshipping Ganesa is not necessary nor should it be done on a regular basis. If you like you can pray to Ganapati for removing all impediments on the path of Krishna Consciousness. That you can do if you like."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 August 25: "Our main business is Sankirtana and whatever little income we get from that we should be satisfied. It is not our business to take jobs and live luxuriously. If there is no other way then temporarily you may take some job but that is not a permanent business."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

On Leaving ISKCON

There are, basically, two ways of defining “ISKCON.” One is socio-political and the other is spiritual.

(1) The socio-political definition is: “One who abides by a specific set of laws established by a specific government body, is a member of ISKCON.”

(2) The spiritual definition is: “One who helps the expansion of Krishna Consciousness throughout the world, especially via the mercy of A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupāda, is a member of ISKCON.”

For the remainder of the discussion lets refer to the socio-political definition of ISKCON – because we can simply know that anyone who abandons the spiritual ISKCON makes a grave mistake.

Before proceeding, let’s remember the purpose of ISKCON, as envisioned by her founder: to facilitate the growth of Krishna Consciousness within individuals, and as a result, in society at large.

There are, basically two reasons for leaving socio-political ISKCON, as there are also two reasons for staying.

The two reasons for leaving:

(1) Due to the fact that sociology and politics are relative entities, they are inherently prone to limitation. It is not possible to legislate laws and rules that work well for everyone all the time. Therefore in some cases, devotees will experience that the socio-political atmosphere within ISKCON is unworkable for them as individuals, and they flourish more easily after establishing themselves in some setting that is less directly under the control of ISKCON’s government.

Put briefly, the first reason for moving outside socio-political ISKCON is that it does not, for that individual, accomplish its objective: fostering their Krishna consciousness — at least not as effectively as some other socio-political option.

(2) The second reason for leaving ISKCON is that the person does not have a sincere interest in fostering Krishna Consciousness, and eventually they come to realize that the socio-political climate of ISKCON fails to foster their ulterior ambitions adequately, and they leave to create some living situation more conducive to their ulterior motives.

The two reasons for “staying” in ISKCON are similar:

(1) The individual finds that ISKCON is a great inspiration and reliable guide to their personal advancement in pure devotion to Śrī Krishna.

(2) The individual finds that the socio-political climate of ISKCON is an excellent “prey” for their material ambitions towards leadership, security, or whatever.

So, we should be able to recognize that it is possible to stay in socio-political ISKCON for good and bad reasons, and it is possible to move away from socio-political ISKCON for good and bad reasons.

We should not disagree, insisting that there is never a valid reason to move outside the socio-political influence of one’s guru’s institution. After all, our own Śrīla Prabhupāda, ISKCON’s founding ācārya, moved outside the socio-political borders of his own Guru’s institution, the Gauḍiya-Math (and his Guru, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Prabhupāda, also instructed his disciples with a very similar, “If you want to express your love for me, cooperate with one another and do not tear my institution apart.”) What’s more, even Śrīla Prabhupada’s guru himself moved outside the socio-political borders of his own father and guru’s institution, the Viśva Vaiṣṇava Rāja Sabhā.

Within the scope of reason #1, there is something more important. It is not just the fault or glory of the governing body that makes or breaks ISKCON. More, much more, it is the fault or glory of the individuals making up the masses who populate ISKCON.

 

In my own life I have role models, heroes and gurus both within and outside of the socio-political borders of ISKCON. Without any lessening of love and respect for those who established themselves outside the socio-political borders of ISKCON, I think I really have to pay my most appreciative and sincere extra respects to those who manage to continue to work within ISKCON’s boundary, despite the significant challenges inherent in doing so, trying constantly to serve her by improving her efficacy as a instrument for spreading Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Krishna consciousness, and patiently tolerating her sometimes deeply stubborn unwillingness to improve. But I also deeply respect those who develop their Krishna consciousness effectively in whatever socio-political setting, since after all Śrīla Prabhupada’s first and foremost desire is that we become Krishna conscious.

This is more than enough discussion of this topic, I believe. Let us not become distracted from the essence and trapped the in maze of externals. Let all people, from this or that branch of Mahaprabhu’s tree, pick up karatala and mrdanga and dance together while singing Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare – from a heart full of budding love for Śrī Krishna, by the grace of Śrī Guru.

Śrī Śrī Nitai Gaura Premānande Hari Hari Bol.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 27 June 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.13.17)

People do so many things; like again the world cup has come and again, people are waving flags. Gradually, it is building up towards a finale and the tension is building up; it is getting more and more exciting. In that way, we stay engaged. It is something to do. But then, what is the meaning of it?

It is a way of killing time, it is a way of just trying to have some enjoyment. It does not have a deep meaning; we are not really making serious progress in life. Life is meant for inquiring into the Truth, into the Absolute Truth, like athāto brahma jijñāsā, what is the goal of life?

When it comes to football, Srila Prabhpada once said, “We think we are the players but in actuality, we are the ball because at any moment, we can be kicked and we are just out of here.” So therefore, we are the ball, not the players!

So when looking at life, this is not just a playground; a field for a game. We should see that the aim of life is happiness, “But why am I not getting this happiness? And how can I actually attain happiness?” These kinds of questions are about the deeper meaning of life, and until one begins to ask such questions, one will just waste his time and not make real progress.

Life is meant to grow and life is meant to develop better qualities, as a person. Then we can say, “Yes, I have made some progress.” Otherwise, material progress – you have it for a while and then it breaks down again; that is the nature of material life! So, here we are focusing on a discussion which aims at rising above the temporary reality and reconnecting ourselves with eternal reality.

 

"Japa is an important part of devotional life. If your japa is not up to standard, this is serious. You must reform. That is, out of your regret may come success. Prabhupada used to say, ‘Failure is the pillar of success.’ Assess yourself, and try to improve your chanting of Hare Krishna."

From Japa Reform Notebook
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

We have just 3 days left on our summer festival tour in Poland. Our bodies ache, but our souls hanker for even more ….

The celebration took place in the temple of the Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Khabarovsk. Followers of the Bengali Vaishnava tradition come together to celebrate this day, hold public rituals and offerings, and then arrange a holiday feast. Read more ›