Planet ISKCON

1975 May 12: "Now, I am on world tour. At present, I am staying in Perth, Australia, then in one week, I shall go to Melbourne, then Fiji, then Honolulu where I will stay for at least one month. Then I shall go to Philadelphia and San Francisco, etc."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 May 12: "I wish to develop a Janmastami Park near the Buddha Jayanti Park and construct a grand Krishna Balarama temple and keep many cows and invite all the residents of New Delhi to observe a grand festival on Janmastami day. That is my ambition."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

The post May 12th, 2014 – Darshan – Chandan Yatra – Day 11 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The centre has over the years hosted numerous events and functions and now the devotees of Krishna! Read more ›

Nine Million people live in Azerbaijan, an affluent, oil-rich Muslim country bordering Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran.There are 250 practicing devotees in Azerbaijan, most of whom live in the capitol, Baku. Slowly, but surely, they are spreading Lord Caitanya’s message. Please everyone give them your blessings and keep them in your prayers.

With Devakinandan prabhu Read more ›

Vaiyasaki Das: I am traveling the world presenting Kirtan Rasa in the tradition of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I am an initiated disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami who introduced Krishna Kirtan to the western world in 1965 in New York City. Read more ›

Discovering a New Way of Life

I was crawling my way through a nine-hundred-and-sixty-nine page Mechanical Systems Modeling textbook, preparing for a final, when in a moment of weakness, I began pondering the college student’s quintessential concern, “is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?”

The answer came as easy as algebra to an engineer, and was by far the most coherent thought I had all day. “No way man,” was my resounding confession. At the heart of my dissatisfaction was neither the tremendous amount of work that I had to deal with, nor was it my inability to fathom transient second order mechanical systems; rather, it was the prospect of a life consumed by the struggle to keep up with what society had deemed ‘the right path’ – get a job, marry, have kids, and then retire to aching bones, depleting memory and obsolescence. Not that these things are wrong or futile, but what concerns me is that there has to be something more to life. Having watched my parents and many others walk ‘the path’ for the past twenty years, I am convinced that this so-called ‘path’ is not the one to lasting happiness and fulfillment. Even with our horrendously low standards of happiness – which to many people mean simply the cessation of suffering, or in my current case, the end of exams – we’re rarely, consistently happy for more than a couple of days at the max! And if one were to dare suggest raising this shallow bar, such a person might be labeled naive.

At the root of this superstition is that we are brainwashed from the very beginning to believe that the above mentioned ‘path’ is actually indispensable; that hoarding money, family, and material security somehow directly equate to happiness and that no amount of scientific studies or personal experiential proof should convince us otherwise. In this regard, Jerome K. Jerome in his classic novel, Three Men in a Boat, writes, “Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need – a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love….” His words, ‘only what you need’ beg redefinition for each and every one of us at an honest and individual level. And so when I asked myself, “what do I really need?” I inevitably came to the conclusion that the Beatles had arrived at a long time ago, that all you need is love!

Every creature, whether it is cognizant of it or not, is ultimately looking for love. If not for love then why would we bother getting out of bed every single day to slog away at a cramped desk for long, tedious hours, solving abstract equations or writing convoluted papers about things that we couldn’t care less for? Without love, earning money and assimilating fame and power would be meaningless, because if no one would love you for it, then what would be the point of all that effort? My conclusion is that dead matter – anything devoid of a spirit soul – in and of itself cannot satisfy us, unless and until it causes a loving interaction between conscious living beings. And so when we emphasize material pursuits, we are effectively missing the forest for the trees.

SYMBOLS OF SUCCESS

In cultures and subcultures there tend to be different symbols of status and success.

For example, in rap culture, it’s the bling – the big chain made of precious metal that lets everyone know that the rapper is important. In a yoga/exercise studio, it might be some high-priced yoga pants or a special yoga mat that symbolizes the blessings of goddess Laksmi Devi (the goddess of wealth) in their life. Another symbol of success may be the car one is driving, or the kind of credit card one carries. Hence, it is very easy to notice materialistic success through external symbols, which inform others of their social status.

But what about success symbols for transcendentalists; those who endeavor on the spiritual path for a happiness not based on material possessions?

INVISIBLE VALUE

In materialistic endeavors, like capitalism, you can see the results of an investment. Someone makes a lot of money and their lifestyle reflects it. You can clearly perceive the material value that a sacrifice of physical labor bears. An outsider might see the success symbol of a business man/woman and immediately think, “Wow, what did they do? Maybe there is some opportunity for me as well? How can I get a similar lifestyle of enjoyment?” It inspires them and becomes a driving motivation for those that want to make money.

In the cultivation of God consciousness or spiritual consciousness, it may not be so easy to notice its value, because unlike matter, the fruits of spiritual labor are sometimes practically invisible.

Why? Because spiritual advancement is really something that is internal; something that is intangible. Yet, such non-material assets do have immense and incredible value to us everyday, which no one can deny.

HIDDEN MOTIVATIONS

Who among us would underestimate the value of an education, the value of a dear friendship, and especially the value of loving feelings toward another person? Such internal gains are the most vital factors in our own personal sense of happiness and wellbeing; though, it usually doesn’t appear externally.

Many who strive after wealth and fame only do so because of a lack of inner satisfaction and fulfillment. We feel that getting more wealth and fame will result in getting more attention, more affection, more education, and freedom from worries. Thus, even the attempt for material gain is really only for the purpose of getting deeper and meaningful things out of life.

Despite feeling a lack of satisfaction with material acquisitions, people may still be very reluctant to take up a spiritual discipline like meditation or bhakti-yoga, which is aimed at inner fulfillment because the results are seemingly intangible. Yet, we all should understand the symptoms of spiritual success and perceive it as a potential reality if we want to attain it.

LIFESTYLE OF THE SPIRITUALLY RICH

What are the symptoms of a spiritually wealthy person?

The Bhagavad Gita describes the state of genuine self-realization:

“One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service” (Bhagavad Gita 18.54).

In the material conception of life, people work hard for getting money for sensual pleasures such as good sex life, nice food, and a high social position. When they are able to get such a situation they consider themselves happy, and when they lose these pleasures they feel extremely depressed, and when they are not able to get them at all, they feel frustration.

To the contrary, a spiritually rich person has no anxiety or depression. Unlike the materialistic person who depends on material things for happiness, the transcendentalist who is fully God conscious is fully satisfied due to the absolute nature of their object of mediation, and they have no personal motives to fulfill since every endeavor is an act of loving devotion to the Supreme. Meditation is not merely an act of trying to void all thoughts and feelings in order to enter a state of non-perception. Real meditation means to achieve a state in which the mind is saturated by God consciousness – seeing God in everything and everyone at every step of life.

So in that vision of non-duality, a transcendentalist sees a plain piece of paper and a hundred dollar bill with equal vision in regard to both objects being a means for inner fulfillment.

Transcendentalists also see others equally in regard to their intrinsic spiritual identity and not based on their outward bodily appearance. The materially driven person often considers their self worth based upon what others think of them or will think of them. Thus they tend to categorize themselves and others based on what they own or possess, such as ugliness or beauty, wealth or poverty, etc. and treat others according to that perception. A transcendentalist on the other hand, adept in realization of the self, can see the soul of every living being beyond their external bodily designation. The transcendentalist recognizes their own spiritual worth apart from their possessions and can see others in the same way.

MEASURING OUR SUCCESS

A transcendentalist’s vision far surpasses the very concept of material duality, which renders all material status symbols useless. People that rely on material status symbols are cultivating an identity that relies on things which are not intrinsic to their actual self.

Giving up the meaningless search for the self through attachment to material acquisitions, we should all strive towards our true identity as a spirit soul, which is eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge.

In conclusion, how can we know when we are truly becoming successful on the spiritual path? What is the “bling” of the spiritually rich?

Radhanath Swami, a modern day spiritual master in the bhakti-yoga tradition, has established a benchmark for recognizing spiritual success in our life: “If you want to find out how rich you are, then find out how many things you have that money cannot buy. That is real wealth.”

Guest: How many other people are there on this planet who have made as much spiritual progress as you have?

Prabhupada: I don’t know, there are no statistics in my possession. But what is the use of taking such statistics? Why don’t you become one of them? Why waste time on statistics? You try to become enlightened. What is the use of taking record of who is enlightened or not? You should try to be enlightened yourself. For example, when you purchase a plane ticket, do you ask, “How many tickets have you sold?” What is the use of that? Just purchase your ticket, get on the airplane, and go. Don’t waste your valuable time. If you are serious, just purchase the ticket, get on the airplane, and take the journey.

(From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.40-45 — Los Angeles, December 13, 1968)

PRABHUPADA SANGAM – DAIVATA-VISHVADHIKA

Conversation with guests in Istanbul.

The post Questions and Answers (Part 2) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

From Stoka Krishna P

Answer Podcast

From Stoka Krishna P

If in case a Guru falls down/falls away, then his disciples are not required to be re- initiated and are considered to be connected with Srila Prabhupada. Why this can't be done in the first instance itself by being initiated from Srila Prabhupada for everyone.

Answer Podcast

From Stoka Krishna Prabhu

As per shashtras Diksha Guru is the highest principle, then how come an Iskcon Diksha Guru is under GBC orders. If GBC is an authority endorsed by Srila Prabhupada, then does not that tacitly imply that he is the only Diksha Guru and rest everyone is a Shiksha Guru, some can be senior and others junior, like we have lecturer, Assoc Professor and Professor.

Answer Podcast

Lecture Podcast

Answer Podcast

12-04-2014 SB 1.2.8 Useless Labor Defined, Ramesh Prabhu’s Home, Tongaat, South Africa.mp3

More than the donations, flowers or garlands, the spiritual master is most pleased when he sees his disciple conquering material desires and developing some attraction to the service of Radha and Krsna.

Dear devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Sri Narasimha Bhagavan ki Jai! On 13th of May, we shall be celebrating the appearance day festival of Lord Narasimhadeva- Sri Narasimha Caturdasi Mahotsav. I am pleased to inform you that preparations are underway for a grand festival at Sri Mayapur dhama. Devotees […]

The post Last chance to help sponsor Nrisimha Chaturdasi appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Always a Festive Time at New Dwarka Temple, Los Angeles! New Dwarka ki jaya! Read more ›

Gokula lila devi dasi: The devotees from the Wellington community in New Zealand were traveling through the country for the mid-year Marathon, and on their last day, they met this German traveler in a small town 2hours away from a big city. He got a Bhagavad Gita and chant and be happy and took up chanting Hare Krishna maha mantra immediately. Before he left for Germany, he visited our outreach centre in Wellington, got chanting beads and has been chanting 16 rounds since. All glories to Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan! Read more ›

HG Gaur Gopal Prabhu – SB 10.64.26-28 – 30.04.2014

Indradyumna Swami: Nine Million people live in Azerbaijan, an affluent, oil-rich Muslim country bordering Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran.There are 250 practicing devotees in Azerbaijan, most of whom live in the capitol, Baku. Slowly, but surely, they are spreading Lord Caitanya's message. Please everyone give them your blessings and keep them in your prayers. Read more ›

"My japa was good in fighting all the way although it was a strange way to go about it. I listened to the syllables of the holy names and punched out all the obsta­cles that come to good chanting such as pramada inattention, the great difficulty, and blasphemy of a pure devotee and not having faith in the scriptures and so on."

From Bhajan #450
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 December 2010, Cape Town, South Africa, Lecture)

Hari Katha and Krsna Katha, from Melbourne, are two brothers who are disciples of Devamrta Maharaja. They work hard in their travel agency business and now have bought a two story terrace building opposite the main campus at Melbourne University.

Sri Sri Gaura Nitai ki jaya! Read more ›