Websites from the ISKCON Universe
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 27 April 2014, Radhadesh, Belgium, Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya Lila 22.142)
Deal with the challenges – don’t cry. Don’t cry about what happens – just make it better. When everything goes wrong, rise to the occasion and face it. When everything breaks down, start again and do it better this time. Understand that Krsna is there, all the time. Without Krsna, it is not possible. Have faith in Krsna that he is there and that through all these struggles and challenges, he will be there and you will meet him at the end. He is there! We don’t see him but as we go through all these struggles for him, and we do it right, at the end we will meet him, for sure.
We remember what the Lord said to Narada Muni when he was still young. He had appeared for a quick darshan only to disappear after saying, “You will not see me again in this lifetime. But now you go on, through all the tests and trials, knowing that I’m there and at the end, we will meet!”
A man must act in philosophy. A man must act in knowledge, because he is not meant to be so emotional that sometimes he cannot think. He is meant to stay cool and balanced internally. He is meant to absorb the knowledge of Bhagavatam and then purposefully move up in life, saying, “I will live according to this transcendental knowledge, knowing that every step of my life is an offering to Krsna.” That turns boys into men.
Bhakti Caru Swami Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.51
“I asked Purusa-sukta Prabhu whether he had ever discussed with Bhakti Tirtha Swami what his mood was while chanting japa. Bhakti Tirtha Swami had told him, ‘I always like to chant near Srila Prabhupada’s vyasasana, and my prayer is that he will kick me in the head with his lotus feet.’ That was Bhakti Tirtha Swami’s mood: ‘My dear spiritual master, whatever it takes to make me a better instrument of your will, whatever it takes to make me a better servant of the devotees and the public, please do it. If you have to kick me in the head to wake me up, do whatever it takes.’ That was his mood. So I think I am going to go upstairs to Maharaja’s room and pray for two kicks: one from Srila Prabhupada and one from Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja.” — Giriraj Swami
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From Pankaj P
On Saturday 31 May, the George Harrison Memorial Garden at Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK was brought to life with the enchanting melodies of his music, as a local community choir performed a special concert in celebration of their tenth anniversary.
Food for Life Vrindavan (http://fflvrindavan.org) is a humanitarian aid organisation officially recognized by the Indian government. For the last ten years, they have worked in the poorest villages in the Vrindavan area, south of Delhi. A video by Robyn Symon.
Radhika Ramana Dasa (Ravi M. Gupta) is an internationally known Vaishnava scholar who has been on the faculty of Bhaktivedanta College since it opened, in 2002. He teaches Sanskrit and a module on Jiva Goswami's Sad-sandharbhas. He holds the Charles Redd Chair of Religious Studies at Utah State University.
We all know that it is not easy to trust the words of others. What to speak of trusting others’ words, we know for ourselves that keeping our word is no small challenge.
From Paul John:
I read your article on the Delhi gang-rape and though well-written, I found it somewhat simplistic in its analysis of the cause of rape. In the UP rape case, the cause is clearly discriminatory Indian caste system that commodifies women who are meant to be honored or dishonored.
Vaiyasaki Das & the Kirtan Explosion Band: We didn't have time to catch our breath during a blissful kirtan-packed tour throughout beautiful Bulgaria. Our tour took us to Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Blagoevrad, and Pernik, for 15 kirtans in two weeks. We were also interviewed in a radio station, and made beautiful friends all over the country.
"The holy name of Krishna is a transcendental wish-fulfilling gem. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krishna Himself. It is the personification of divine mellow and the fountainhead of all pleasure. The holy name of Krishna is eternally liberated and spiritual. This is because the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are non-different." -Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.223 Read more › The post June 3rd, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.
He who renounces all the opulences of his household life, who leaves his wife, children and other relatives and friends decorated with good qualities, who ignores the great respect everyone offers to him, who renounces the duties of ordinary piety, who does not become even slightly softened at heart by the repeated protests of mother, father, and other superiors, and who goes to Vrndavana, is proclaimed by all to be the most fortunate of all fortunate persons.
Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-52, Translation.]
Please click here for more photos
Co-operation by the followers of the founder-acarya is a key ingredient to being a successful instrument in the hand of His Divine Grace.
The post The last installment appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.
Bhaktivedanta Academy is a Montessori school rooted in the rich spiritual traditions and culture of ancient India. Our founder and namesake, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, believed that children who are given a well-rounded education that includes a foundation in the practices of bhakti, or devotion to God, will be fully prepared to make lasting and meaningful contributions to our world. He had a vision for a truly twenty-first century education, which we offer. Read more › The Ramayana –A Staged Reading of the Musical by Krpamaya das (John Sherwood)
written by Lilasuka dasi
The Ramayana –
A Staged Reading of the Musical by Krpamaya (John Sherwood)
By Lilasuka dasi
What is a “staged reading”, you may ask? On Sat. Apr. 26, many of us witnessed a staged reading and learned that it is a play or musical which is read, spoken and sung by the cast, with the purpose of getting valuable feedback from the audience to help in the ultimate production of the play.
Jaya Rama Sri Rama Bhajan
The staged reading was orchestrated by Krpamaya das (John Sherwood), a long-time resident Vaisnava at New Vrindaban, who has had this grand musical performance of the “Ramayana – Past in Present” inside his mind for many years, and it is finally well on its way to becoming a dream come true. Krpamaya das is an excellent guitarist and pianist, as well as a singer and all-round musician. He is a father and grandfather, who recently went back to school at West Liberty University, majoring in music and theater. Some of his fellow students agreed to participate in the staged reading, skillfully reading the parts of the characters Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman, Ravana, his queen, Jatayu, Kaikeyi, King Dasarath and Vibhishan, and doing a lot of expert singing.
Ramayana Staged Reading Cast
Krpamaya has said, “I hope to integrate my skills in presenting Krsna Consciousness through the performing arts.”
Michael Aulick, a theater director at West Liberty University, and one of Krpamaya’s professors, collaborated very strongly with him through the whole process and was present at the staged reading, directing and encouraging the cast. “I couldn’t have done this without Mike,” declared Krpamaya.
The Audience is Impressed
The feedback seemed to be genuinely appreciated by the devotees and guests in the audience, as well as the cast members from West Liberty University. They were all very pleased with the results. “The Ramayana-Past in Present” had taken on a life of its own.
The Happy Producer and Composer, Krpamaya
When donors give money to someone, their own reserve of money decreases. If they are religious, the knowledge that they have gained pious credits solaces them. Still, the sense of loss at the immediate, practical level may nag.
Such nags are much lesser in charity of knowledge. Those who teach something to others often find their own understanding of that subject enhanced by teaching it. Still, if the possession of that knowledge is the qualification for some material position, then the transmission of that knowledge to another person may bring some insecurity: “What if this person usurps me?” Read more › 
Maha Harinama at Venice Beach in Los Angeles during the Srila Prabhupada Festival 2014 Read more › If there is some desire in the heart, then the devotee should continue his chanting humbly recognizing it yet detesting it. In a short time the Lord will come into the heart, purify it of all desire, and accept the devotee's love.
Chaitanya Shikshamrita, Bhaktivinoda Thakura
This talk is a part of the "Fascinating Mahabharata Characters" series. To know more about this course, please visit: bhakticourses.com
BY THARANYA ARUMUGAM AND ALIZA SHAH
A homeless woman making a ‘home’ for herself under the Sungai Klang bridge, near the Pasar Seni light rail transit station, which the bridge serves as shelter to about 30 homeless people. Pix by Yazit Razali
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: New Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR - Amidst the skyscrapers dotting the city, lies a scene of poverty filled with dirt, danger and darkness, little known to the public.
The plight of the homeless in Kuala Lumpur came under the spotlight yet again following the gruesome murder of a homeless woman's toddler, who was beheaded and abandoned at the bank of Sungai Klang near the KTM station in Jalan Tun Sambanthan here on Wednesday.
The New Straits Times hit the streets yesterday and found many homeless people have made the corridors of the busy Central Market, Dayabumi complex, Petaling Street, Chow Kit, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Klang Bus Stand and Puduraya bus terminal their home.
One of the popular areas is along the Sungai Klang riverbank -- the crime scene of the murder -- that serves as home to about 30 homeless people.
In our visit to the area yesterday, we were first greeted by the stench, followed quickly by glares, as we approached a young man who was busy cleaning his "home".
Spotting our camera, the 25-year-old man, who wished to be identified only as Zul, immediately cautioned us not to take any photographs, for fear they would be chased away by City Hall (DBKL) officers.
Zul, originally from Kelantan, said he moved to Kuala Lumpur five years ago to look for a job, but could not afford to rent a house or even a room.
"We were chased away by DBKL several times, but would always come back here, since we have no other place to go.
"Even though, on some occasions, we risk losing our lives, especially when it has been raining heavily, as the river's water level could rises up within minutes."
He said there were several cases of people drowning when they could not climb up the poles or cross over the drains to escape from the rising water.
Zul, who is still looking for a job, said drug addicts had also caused problems for them, as they were subjected to constant raids by the police.
He said most of the vagrants were waiting for the local authorities to fulfil their promises to provide them with shelter and decent jobs.
"Last year, DBKL had carried out raids in our area and confiscated all our belongings," he said, adding that when they were nabbed, they were sent for counselling and later released if their urine tests came out as negative for drugs.
Norliza, who had been living in the area for a year, said she came to Kuala Lumpur to visit her sister, but found herself with nowhere to go when she was chased out of the house.
The 49-year-old, who was having a cold and got married last month to another vagrant, said she had no money to go to the clinic and hoped her husband would have enough to bear the cost of her medication.
She said her husband, who is now an odd-job worker, used to work at Pasar Karat with other vagrants before it was shut down by the authorities.
Rosli, 49, from Perak, claimed that even though he owned a house in his hometown and earned RM1,400 monthly, he was feeling lonely and chose to live with the homeless.
"As a Felda settler, I get RM1,400 monthly, but the loneliness forced me to move here. I plan to go back to my hometown after I get married."
He had been living in the area for three years.
Security guard Suhaimi Md Kamarahan, 54, who often spoke to the homeless, said there were more than 10 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) providing food and other necessities.
"The homeless would spread information among their groups on the time and locations where NGOs would provide food.
"Besides food, Pertiwi (Pertubuhan Tindakan Wanita Islam) would also provide soaps and towels once a month."
Hare Krishna's "Food For Life society" committee member V. Kunasekaran said the NGO had been providing free vegetarian meals to the public every Sunday at noon in Jalan Masjid Jamek since 2010, adding that the food, prepared for about 250 people, would usually finish within an hour.
"People, including the homeless, will start queuing from 11.45am. Some would return for second servings."
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 April 2014, Radhadesh, Belgium, Caitanya Caritamrta Lecture)
When we come together once a year, that is valuable! At least for one thing – we are still here! Time is passing, a year has passed – what has happened!? In that year, we all have developed – some have become more learned in scriptures, some have made material progress, some have lost something… so whatever it is, now we stop in our tracks and we are here. So whatever happened in the last year, now we stop. Now, we start a new year, we start again – that is the idea. Whatever it was, it is closed now! Let us put it behind us and we start again.