Planet ISKCON

1969 July 23: "I am sorry to learn that your health is not very good. The best thing is that you rest for some time until you are feeling stronger. There is no question of indexing in your present condition. When your health has improved we shall talk of work for you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

a little sneak peack of the 4th Sravanam Kirtanam. it was a great success with over 300 devotees from all over the world that got togheter.. we sang, danced, ate yummy italian prashad and had great association!! Read more ›

Indradyumna Swami: We are halfway through our summer festival tour here in Poland. Last night we presented our new theater production, 'Usa and Aniruddha.' People loved it. Today we are packing up and moving our base 400 kilometers west to Kostrzyn Nad Odra to begin preparations for the great Woodstock Festival. This will be our 20th year of participating in the event and we have bigger plans than ever! One time Srila Prabhupada requested his disciples to, "Think big.” As his servants our lives are meant for fulfilling his desires. Jai Srila Prabhupada! Read more ›

1971 July 23: "These plays are not meant for ordinary people. They are not meant for public showing unless they are very nicely done. The audience must give grave attention. If they laugh, then that is a great offense."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 July 23: "Lord Caitanya never played before ordinary men. Only before devotees. So plays of Krishna Lila should be avoided, unless it is very gravely performed. Some instructive stories from Bhagavatam may be played before the general public."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 July 23: "So far mixing with society, we can do it. That is all right. How a preacher can stop? The whole world is nondevotee. But to mix intimately is not good. Simply for jobs sake, we cannot. So that should be avoided."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 July 23 : "This is not my responsibility. Henceforth my students must take the responsibility for their own householder life, take all risk for supporting wife and home, but utilize it to make spiritual progress - that is the real thing."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 July 23 : "It is not necessary that we always wear the robes, but we should always keep sikha and tilok. Somehow or other distribute books and if you can impress people a little to chant then it does not matter about your dress."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 July 23 : "You are setting a very good example in that you yourself are going with the travelling party. The commander must be in front in the fight, not that he sits back behind the lines."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1975 July 23: "You have done a great service, and I am very pleased. Your proposal for travelling and distributing books all over India is very good. Krishna will bless you. Take books and sell and spend for your expenses."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Words are words
Thoughts are thoughts
Feelings are feelings
A viewpoint is that a viewpoint

Today we are surrounded by social media each seeking our attention
Today we are surrounded by propaganda each reportedly telling the truth

Each justifying a position an action
Each justifying conflict

Their is many commentators many points of view and each appears more disturbing than the last, justifying in this age war that kills more civilians than military personnel, few even from devotee sources mentions what Krishna or the Acharia’s have to say; and on war, what is justified war, how to wage war and the context of war in the age of Kali means.

Here are but a few selected purports to ponder:

This is the symptom of demons. The first concern of a nondevotee is how to enjoy his personal sense gratification at once, whereas the devotee’s first concern is to satisfy the Lord. This is the distinction between the nondevotee and the devotee. In this material world, since most people are nondevotees, they regularly compete, fight, disagree and war among themselves, for everyone wants to enjoy and satisfy his own senses. Therefore, unless such demons become Krsna conscious and are trained to satisfy the senses of the Lord, there can be no question of peace in human society or any society, even that of the demigods. The demigods and devotees, however, always surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord, and thus the Lord is always anxious to satisfy their ambitions. While the demons fight to satisfy their own senses, devotees engage in devotional service to satisfy the senses of the Lord. The members of the Krsna consciousness movement must be alert in regard to this point, and then their preaching of the Krsna consciousness movement will be successful.
SB 8.8.36

The word paribhava-ghnam is significant in this verse. In Kali-yuga human society is infected with enviousness. There is great envy, even among members of the same family, who constantly quarrel in this age. Similarly, neighbors are envious of each other and of each other’s possessions and status. And entire nations, burning with envy, go to war unnecessarily at the risk of genocide caused by terrible modern weapons. But all of these harassments caused by family members, strangers, so-called friends who are unfaithful, opposing nations, financial competition, social disgrace, cancer, etc., can be relieved by taking shelter of the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is not possible to save the material body, but one who takes shelter of Caitanya Mahāprabhu loosens the hard knot of the heart that psychologically binds him to the hallucination of identifying with the external body or the subtle material mind. Once this false identification is broken, one can be blissful in any adverse material condition. Those who foolishly try to make the temporary body eternal are wasting their time and neglecting the actual process for making life permanent, which is to take shelter of the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Krsna Himself.
SB 11.

Yamarāja has specifically described the qualities of the Visnudūtas to convince his own servants not to be envious of them. Yamarāja warned the Yamadūtas that the Visnudūtas are worshiped with respectful obeisances by the demigods and are always very alert to protect the devotees of the Lord from the hands of enemies, from natural disturbances and from all dangerous conditions in this material world. Sometimes the members of the Krsna Consciousness Society are afraid of the impending danger of world war and ask what would happen to them if a war should occur. In all kinds of danger, they should be confident of their protection by the Visnudūtas or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati). Material danger is not meant for devotees. This is also confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām: in this material world there are dangers at every step, but they are not meant for devotees who have fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The pure devotees of Lord Visnu may rest assured of the Lord’s protection, and as long as they are in this material world they should fully engage in devotional service by preaching the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Krsna, namely the Hare Krsna movement of Krsna consciousness.
SB 6.3.18

Yes a devotee full of compassion for the fallen condition soul is moved by their plight and as indicated we should not get wrapped up in apportioning blame or justification of killing of one over another NO!

Our business remains propagation of this Krishna Consciousness movement which teaches us not to misidentify with the body but identify with the spirit soul, to love and care for all living entities human/animal alike, to care for this land and look after the resources

And most important to unite the whole world in service to Sri Krishna (god) in love and devotion with street singing of the Mahamantra and prasadam distribution that feeds and nourishes mind body and soul

In this age one of the symptoms is war
In this age the solution is the preaching given to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu it is the only way in the age of quarrel and hypocrisy.

The post My meeting with some special guests today appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Too often, devotee couples face marital challenges without knowing where to go for help, or without feeling confident about letting others know the reality of the problems they face.

The Ratha Yatra in Kolkata was held on June 29, 2014. The event was entitled as the  "Prabhupada Ratha Yatra" because A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada used to hold a small Ratha Yatra for neighborhood children when he was a boy. A video by Jeff Wilson, commentary is by Subhag. 

The smell of herbs and chants. I do not know what you're thinking, but we are talking about the Indian festival "Ratha Yatra". This "festival of chariots" already visited most of Ukraine, and recently visited Dnepropetrovsk. Vaishnava bright costumes, these oriental beauties and the crowd escorted flowered chariot. Yes, the city plunged into authentic Indian feast! The embankment came not only Hare Krishnas and Hindus Dnepropetrovsk, but ordinary onlookers. Songs, dances and candy that throwing people with chariots, lifted the mood. Read more ›

Recently, responding to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Eastern Ukraine, the Executive Commitee of ISKCON's Governing Commission released a letter addressed to the Ukrainian devotees affected by the challenging situation.

“When the military operations intensified our home turned out to be on the front line. Until the last moment, I had hoped that the war would be over soon.” They were not so lucky. When Lugansk got attacked by mortars and the neighboring street became a battlefield, it was time for Nilacala Dasi, her husband Vrajamani Das and daughter Vrinda Gopi to leave.

The post July 23rd, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

SB 10.68.25-54, Tha Marriage of Samba Part 2, Durban, South Africa.mp3

Every morning, seven days a week, she wakes the Deities and makes the mangala sweet offering. She says one of the reasons she likes to wake the Deities daily is because, "They wake us up." Then she offers the mangala aratik. Every day since 1979 her service has been to bathe and dress Chota Radha Govinda. When she goes on pilgrimage or on the rare occasion is ill, it takes five devotees to cover her services. Every morning she is there for Greeting of the Deities and Gurupuja. She does the morning transfer and carefully puts the Lord's remnants into little bags to distribute to guests & devotees. She always saves a plate and has someone take the plate around after class so each and every devotee gets some maha-prasadam. Seven days a week she is in Srimad-Bhagavatam class hearing very attentively. Right after class she goes on the streets distributing small books and prasadam lollipops. She waves to each driver on the street with a smile and a "Hare Krishna, Good Morning.” She then heads to the park and does the same. Most people are receptive to some extent to her purity and divinity. Although she doesn't move her counter beads after 16 rounds, she estimates she chants about 25 rounds daily. Daily, Mother Nidra engages in 2-3 hours of correspondence. She is in touch with 12 prisoners and does all the mail outs for IPM (since the 1980’s). She also contributes to the Temple newsletter and stays in touch with devotees and congregational members. She somehow recognizes all the devotees' birthdays with whom she in touch, and always sends a devotional card filled with her love and blessings. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights, she attends Gaura aratik and then gives the Bhagavad-Gita class. Every Wednesday night she joins the devotees in Boulder for Harinama to distribute books as well as at the downtown Denver Mall on Fridays. On Saturdays she distributes books door to door at apartment complexes in the greater Denver area. Read more ›

The holy name of Lord Krishna is a reservoir of all transcendental happiness. It destroys the sins of the Kali-yuga. It is the most purifying of all purifying things. It is the saintly person's food as he traverses the path to the spiritual world. It is the pleasure garden where the voices of the greatest saints, philosophers, and poets play. It is the life of the righteous and the seed of the tree of religion. May that holy name of Lord Krishna bring transcendental auspiciousness to you all.—author unknown (Padyavali 3) Read more ›

O Supreme Personality of Godhead, when someone desires to chant Your holy name, sins tremble in fear, the glory of material illusion faints unconscious, Yamaraja's scribe Citragupta becomes happy and gazes at the chanter's toenails with awe and reverence, and Lord Brahma prepares madhu-parka with which to worship him. O Lord, what more can we say than this?—author unknown (Padyavali 4). Read more ›

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This talk is a part of the "Fascinating Mahabharata Characters" series. To know more about this course, please visit: bhakticourses.com

"I do not know how a Christian can violate this important commandment of the Bible, "Thou shalt not kill.'' So in this way, if we want to criticize we can, but it will simply increase our enemies. Better let us try to invoke the dormant transcendental emotion by chanting and dancing."

 

Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita 2 March, 1969

Holy Name Meditation Podcast

Question based on this Gita-daily article:

Cultivate humility not as the justification for shirking responsibility but as the inspiration for embracing responsibility 

Answer Podcast

Holy Name Meditation Podcast

Answer Podcast

Question based on this Gita-daily article

We don’t have any choice except to believe in our power of choice

Answer Podcast

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 June 2014, Stockholm, Sweden, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.75)

I will tell you the story of André. Some of you may have heard it… There was a devotee in Holland who was always very eager to preach. He was the kind of person who was very friendly to everyone and with strangers, he would always be friendly. So, he was quite a bold preacher but he had one problem: with principle number four! That principle was a little difficult for him sometimes.

Anyway, one day he went to the director of a big, big warehouse store. You know, a multi-multi-storey thing which has branches all over the country and he said, “In your book department, you are missing the books of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and you should take a full set of these books to make it complete.”

The director told him, “Young man, no one has ever walked to my office like that and sort of treated me the way you did. I must say, you have guts. I will do it.” So, he got (Prabhupada’s) books into all the stores, all over the country. That was very big! So like that, he was a powerful preacher.

Then due to the weakness he had with the principles, in a city like Amsterdam it can be dangerous. At one point, I was no longer in Holland but I heard about it, I heard that he had AIDS. You know, what to do? Anyway such is, such is life.

Then some time later, I was coming through the Netherlands for a few days and someone said, “Did you remember André?”
I said, “Yeah, sure.”
He said, “Well, he is really very close-by in some sort of hospital and he is in his final days. You want to go?”
I said, “Okay, let us go.”

So we went there and he was in this hospital bed and then he coughed. He started coughing and a ball of mucus as big as a tennis ball came out of his mouth and I was like, “Whoa! Some kind of pneumonia that only parrots get and AIDS patients.” It was intense.

So then we were speaking a bit and then he said, “Can you…” He said, “You know, could you do me a favour?”
I said, “Sure.” You know, dying man, right.
So he said, “I am just right now organizing my funeral and I like your singing. Could you sing at my funeral?”
So what can you say when somebody asks. So I said, “Yes.” Then I was thinking, “Gosh, I may have to come back for this…” You know what I mean! “Or should I stay here?” It is like what do I do it? I promised him now.

Anyway, he left his body within days after that and then it was the funeral. So, we went for the funeral. It was a cremation and they had like an amphitheater, and a stage and on the stage, the box was standing there.

So, first a letter was read out and the letter said, “I know that most of you think that I am dead and gone but I have news for you: I am still alive. I am still here but no longer in the same body in which you knew. I have moved on but certainly alive. All of you are my friends and all of you are from very different backgrounds but today, for my sake, I am asking that you appreciate each other. Within a few moments from now, a devotee of the Hare Krsna movement will come forward and he will start singing that Hare Krsna song and I want you all to sing along and not just a little bit but with full enthusiasm, for my sake, today. After that, you are invited to go to the temple and have some prasadam there.”

Then it was my turn and I chanted Hare Krsna and I chanted a basic tune, you know, “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare…” Prabhupada’s tune. Then the people got into because he told them to. There was this big lady (high pitched voice), “Hare Krsna!” You know, like the opera. Then at the very end they gave me a signal to stop and then they turned on the Govindam tape and then slowly the box was going down the stage. The people cracked. I mean, that music was very powerful. They cracked. They just fell in each other’s arms and were crying. Everyone said, “I have never seen a funeral like this.” Well, what can I say? I am sure he got some mercy for that. What do you think? If I could organize my funeral like that, it would be pretty good.

 

 

"The Gosvamis, especially Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, strictly followed all the regulative principles. The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya 11.24

"One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." To possess bhakti or love for God means to have come in contact with a vaisnava-- a lover of God. This comes about due to sukrti or past tendencies towards spiritual culture. If one holds ice near one's body, he becomes cold. If one holds a flame near one's body, he becomes hot. If one associates with a devotee-- a vaisnava-- he becomes devoted to God. Prahlada Maharaja was a great devotee who, when he was only a young boy, spoke of nine processes which, if executed with sincerity, are sure to reinstate one's original position as an eternal servitor of the Lord. Read more ›

The new Mayor of Harrow officially opened the Summer Fayre at the Krishna Avanti School on Camrose Avenue. The fair was all about raising funds for a new minibus for the school and a great time was had by all. (pictured) The children of Krishna Avanti school along with the Head of the Parents Association, Mr Shah, the Headteacher of the School, Usha Sahani and the Harrow Mayor's chaplain, Srutidharma das of the Hare Krishna temple. Read more ›

1967 July 22: "It is the Grace of Lord Krishna that He has put me in contact with so many rare souls who are taking Krishna Consciousness in all seriousness. Now I am going to India; and even if I cannot come back, I will work so all you transcendental children can be strong enough to preach this cult for the benefit of all human society."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 July 22: "After finishing your M.A. exams I wish that you become fixed up and come for some time to Vrindaban in my personal touch. When I come back, I shall install Radha-Krishna Murti in the temple, and I hope it will be a great center for the society."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967