Planet ISKCON

From Radhika Nagara P

Answer Podcast

Come and bathe your soul in the soothing words of the great acaryas’ prayers.

Monthly Bhajans:

Friday May 2, 2014

Gopa & Damodara’s House

6 – 8 PM

From Radhika Nagara Prabhu

Alachua, Florida

It Started With A Cardinal

I spotted a cardinal bird, which is a sign of spring. 

“It’s a female,” said Manorama, who’s quite the outdoorsy type.  He knows his wildlife and his herbs.  “The male’s colour is more intense,” he explained more.  “The cardinal is a very aggressive bird, it’s been known to hop on to your rear view mirror and poke at it when seeing his reflection.  He takes that mirror image as a competitor, and so he pecks away at it very hard, at the mirrored object, to the point where he hurts himself and gets all bloody.”

Manorama was giving a mild lesson on this red bird’s dynamics in the midst of our discussing this summer’s youth bus tour.  “Great lesson about nature,” I thought.  Nature is harsh. 

My hosts in this district of Alachua are Ananta Sesa and Vaishnavi, both of South Indian origin.  They reside with their two sons, Aravind and Gopal.  They had arranged a picnic in the town’s park which has a typical Floridian forest trail.  Jagannatha, Vaikuntha, and son, Dhira, along with one of the very few monks in the area, Janudwipa, took to the trail with me, at least a small portion of it.  Conversations began about large temple constructions going on in various places in the world.  We were talking about the expansion of Krishna Consciousness in places like India, Russia, Eastern Europe, pockets of South America and Africa, where there is exponential growth.  North America seems to be lagging behind a little bit in terms of growth. 

When we look at a response in North America from the public, it is rather good.  People are either curious or just downright friendly, but not always so committal.  One thing to admit to is that our marketing approach needs some adjustment.  I’ve seen it work in places like Gainesville where young people are joining what we call, Krishna House.

Our evening wrap up occurred at the very home where I’m staying.  A host of people from various backgrounds, including some neighbours, showed up.  After kirtan, we discussed the nature of the mind, since that is what we all contend with on a daily basis. 

I opened up the discussion to all.  This is food for thought.

The mind: 

1)      The centre of the senses.
2)      The sixth sense.
3)      The subtle sense.
4)      It is fickle.
5)      It is like a switch.
6)      It’s either a friend or a foe.
7)      It possesses a good and bad side.
8)      It’s a storage unit of thoughts.
9)      A river of thought.
10)   It can elevate you when controlled and degrade you when it controls you.
11)   It can enslave you.
12)   It is a connector.
13)   It is the reigns of the wild horses (senses) pulled by the driver (intelligence) of the chariot (the body) and bewilders the passenger (the soul).
14)   It’s a rascal, a monkey, a clown.
15)   It’s like money, here today, gone tomorrow.
16)   Befriend it and it works in your favour.


May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Orlando, Florida

Cleanse For Glory

Angelo and I and a few other individuals made our way to Main Highway with meditation beads in hand, and then down to a quiet road which accesses the ocean.  It was my second trip here this morning.  A police cab was parked on that road very close to the water’s edge.  On my first venture over here, however, alone at 4 AM, it was a parked car that likely facilitated two lovers.  Who knows.  I’m not that curious.

Angelo had remarked that he like the fact that he parked ourselves (I mean buttocks) to a concrete block to be by the waves for gaining a sense of peace.  I concurred saying, “Chanting by the sound of moving water can do a lot to clear the cobwebs of the mind.” 

My visit to Miami terminated.  Goodbye, Miami, and hello Orlando. 

Here, I was driven to the new home of Abhimanyu Arjuna for a housewarming event, Vedic style.  Raghu, a young priest from near Gainesville, drove the distance to perform the homa (fire ceremony).  For Jamie and Chuck, who are local yoga instructors, viewing the ceremony was a new experience.  Again, here was a ritual, like the chanting by the ocean in the morning, which serves to cleanse or purify the consciousness. 

Considering the materialistic world in which we live with all its crazy demands, we need all the help we can get.  It’s important to remind ourselves and each other in a regular manner that we consider to make our exit from this life after a good cleansing.  Who wants to leave this world with a bad or sick heart?  No one in their right mind would want that.  It’s principles of forgiveness and gratitude that permit a glorious parting.  That’s why all the chanting, purifying rituals, wholesome interaction, etc., make a difference in changing the shape of our destiny. 

May the Source be with you!

7 KM

Lecture Podcast

Problems with the Aryan invasion theory

(Adapted from A Survey of Hinduism by Klaus Klostermaier)

1. Unsubstantiated Linguistic Conjecture: The Aryan invasion theory is based purely on linguistic conjectures, which are unsubstantiated.

1. 2.  Other kingdoms already in place: The supposed large-scale migrations of Aryan people in the second millennium bce first into western Asia and then into northern India (by 1500 bce) cannot be maintained in view of the established fact that the Hittites were in Anatolia already by 2200 bce and the Kassites and Mitanni had kings and dynasties by 1600 bce.

3. No reference in relevant literature: There is no hint of an invasion or of large-scale migration in the records of ancient India: neither in the Vedas, in Buddhist or Jain writings, nor in Tamil literature. The fauna and flora, the geography, and the climate described in the Ṛgveda are those of northern India.

4. Cultural continuity: There is a striking cultural continuity between the archaeological artifacts of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization and later phases of Indian culture: a continuity of religious ideas, arts, crafts, architecture, and system of weights and measures.

5. Archaeological similarity before and after the supposed invasion: The archaeological finds of Mehrgarh dated ca. 7000 bce (copper, cattle, barley) reveal a culture similar to that of the Vedic Indians. Contrary to former interpretations, the Ṛgveda reflects not a nomadic but an urban culture.

6. The missing horse is no longer missing: The Aryan invasion theory was based on the assumption that a nomadic people in possession of horses and chariots defeated an urban civilization that did not know horses and that horses are depicted only from the middle of the second millennium onward. Meanwhile archaeological remains of horses have been discovered in Harappan and pre-Harappan sites; drawings of horses have been found in Paleolithic caves in central India. Horse drawn war chariots are not typical for nomadic breeders but for urban civilizations.

7. Similar racial diversity in skeletons: The racial diversity found in skeletons in the cities of the Indus civilization is the same as in today’s India; there is no evidence of the coming of a new race.

8. Advanced astronomy: The astronomical references in the Ṛgveda are based on a Pleiades- Kṛttika calendar of ca. 2500 bce. Vedic astronomy and mathematics were well-developed sciences: these are not features of the culture of a nomadic people.

9. Destruction due to desertification, not invasion: The Indus cities were not destroyed by invaders but deserted by their inhabitants because of desertification of the area. Strabo (Geography XV.1.19) reports that Aristobulos had seen thousands of villages and towns deserted because the Indus had changed its course.

10. Advanced architecture prior to supposed invasion: Excavations in Dvaraka have led to the discovery of a site larger than Mohenjo Daro, dated ca. 1500 bce with architectural structures, use of iron, and a script halfway between Harappan and Brahmi. Dvaraka has been associated with Kṛishna and the end of the Vedic period.

11. Continuity in scripts: There is a continuity in the morphology of scripts: Harappan— Brahmi—Devanagari.

12. Long Puranic dynastic lists: The Puranic dynastic lists, with over 120 kings in one Vedic dynasty alone, date back to the third millennium bce. Greek accounts tell of Indian royal lists going back to the seventh millennium bce.

13. Vedic culture too advanced for nomads: The Ṛgveda shows an advanced and sophisticated culture, the product of a long development, “a civilization that could not have been delivered to India on horseback.”

14. Idea of a nationwide historical amnesia absurd: It would be strange indeed if the Vedic Indians had lost all recollection of such a momentous event as the Aryan invasion in supposedly relatively recent times—much more recent, for instance, than the migration of Abraham and his people, which is well attested and frequently referred to in the Hebrew Bible.

 

Coconut Grove, Florida
A Small Band of Us

A small band of us trekked to the ocean, and on our way we passed by a pizza shop which looked to be a 24/7 outfit.  The owner of the shop came out and broke out into a chant when he saw us.  It turns out that he knows one of our boys, a monk who passed away no less than two years ago. 

“I love that guy,” said the pizza man with his hand to his heart. 

“You mean, Siddha Vidya, my god brother monk?”

“Yeah, that’s the guy, that’s his name,” he said.  “I’ll make some pizzas for you guys,” and we declined saying it’s a little early in the morning.  It was 5:30 AM. 

Those of us who walked together knew of this extraordinary soul – Siddha Vidya, who made an impression on so many people with his visits to shop owners.  He made so many friends with all the people he had met.

Now, we continued on through Peacock Park, where hippies frequented, played Frisbee and enjoyed the food and fun that Krishna monks provided in the ‘70’s.  Vishnujana Swami, a most renowned monk of his time, drew the crowds. 

Much later in the day, or let’s say at 1-ish, a second group of us made our way to the docks for a boat ride and swim.   The operator of the boat called “Pearson” with the Shake A Leg establishment, was one of those guys that used to hang out at Peacock Park with the Krishnas in the ‘70’s.  Being sensitive about our needs, he took us to a beach area away from the sex, drugs, and rock and roll scene, bless his heart.  Hence, we played hard in the water.  I still prefer fresh water though.  Jambavan, from Michigan, was with us, and told about his father’s t-shirt, which held a caption in support of the Great Lakes, where there’s fresh water.  The caption read, “No Sharks, No Salt, No Worries”.  When I asked the operator of the boat about sharks in the area, his facetious response was, “Whoever amongst you is a poor swimmer, just keep him near you.”

The evening wrapped up at the ISKCON Centre with Jambavan and I doing a duet on the Gita’s message.  I will also say that the kirtan that preceded it was electrifying.

May the Source be with you!

8 KM

Coconut Grove, Florida

The second-largest ISKCON temple in the world, after ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, is set to open in Kanpur on October 3rd, 2014. The festival is expected to draw over 100,000 people including over 500 ISKCON devotees. Construction on the temple began in October 2011 and will conclude this August. Set on a fifteen-acre site, the elaborate 100,000 square-foot temple, with its majestic towers, will include an open-sky courtyard and large temple hall. On the temple’s three altars devotees will worship Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Sri Radha Madhava, and Sri Sri Sita Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman. And wrapping around the building will be a Parikrama marg, or pilgrimage path. In its first phase of construction, the project will also include a 60,000 square-foot Vedic Ashram, a guest house, Food For Life center, community hall, Bhaktivedanta Youth Academy, gift shop, Govinda’s restaurant, a Goshala housing sixty cows, and a Bhaktivedanta Book Library with a conference hall. Read more ›

Answer Podcast

The post May 1st, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

After Prabhupada chanted "Narayan", there was an eerie silence for about 20 seconds at the end. Finally Prabhupada concludes the lecture saying "Thank you very much". After I heard the pause two or three times, I was convinced Prabhupada went into trance calling the names of Narayana. I wanted to verify my doubt so I did some research online to find if there were any eye witness to this lecture. Lo and behold I found a passage about this encounter by Satyaraja Dasa (Steven Rosen) in his book "The Agni and the Ecstasy". Read more ›

We originally wanted to make this documentary to start an abrupt filmmaking career with projects planned to follow. Little did we know, Krsna (God) had bigger and better plans for us. We are now living in the ashrams depicted in the video with faith and determination on the path to spiritual advancement. Read more ›

Devamrita Swami 04-20-2014 Sunday Feast

The Krishna consciousness movement is based on this principle: chant the Hare Krishna mantra at every moment, as much as possible, both inside and outside of the temples, and, as far as possible, distribute prasada. This process can be accelerated with the cooperation of state administrators and those who are producing the country’s wealth. Simply by liberal distribution of prasada and sankirtana, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous.

- Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.12.10

New Vrindaban’s Transcendental Throwback Thursday – 05/01/14.

Each week we highlight an earlier era of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

This week’s challenge: In this famous photo, there are two devotees & a cow. Can you name all three?

Extra Credit: What year was this photo taken?

Post your guesses on the “who, what, when, where & why” in the comment section at the New Vrindaban Facebook Page.

Technical stuff: We share a photo Thursday and confirm known details Sunday. Let’s keep it light and have a bit of fun!

Special request: If you have a photo showing New Vrindaban devotees in action, share it with us and we’ll use it in a future posting.

Read the Latest ISCOWP News

Articles Included:
Value of Milk and Cow Protection.
What Does Lord Krsna Want?
What Does Srila Prabhupada Want?
Offering Commercial Milk Products to Krsna?
Srila Prabhupada's Incremental instructions.
Establishing Cow Protection.
What About the Ox?
Krsna-dairians.
The Choices You Have.:

 

This is just an incredibly blissful section, please listen attentively… ŚB 3.6.35-end.

“My dear Vidura,” Maitreya concluded, “this form of the All-Attractive, which embodies destiny and fate, arises on the strength of his own internal potency. Who can even aspire to completely describe it?

Maitreya stops describing the universal form (a divine manifestation that facilitates the destiny and fate of individual living entities) because it is impossible to exhaustively describe the limitless and indescribable.

Even still, my friend, for the sake of purifying my own impure voice, I narrate this kīrtan to you – explaining as much as I can comprehend of whatever I could hear about the glories of Hari.

Maitreya does not think he is enlightening Vidura. He thinks he is Vidura’s student, and that Vidura has purified him by engaging his impure voice in speaking about Hari. Only such a person with such a mood is qualified to perform the function of Śrī Guru. So long as we feel superior to any person we cannot function as Śrī Guru, we are only impostors and obstacles to others on their path of bhakti-yoga.

Another essential point about preaching (i.e. “functioning as Śrī Guru”)… we must hear Hari-katha before we are capable of “preaching!” Then we must understand something about what we heard. If we don’t understand what we are hearing or reading, we are still not qualified to preach (i.e. give others the sonic link to Śrī Hari). What we are supposed to preach is not what we hear but don’t understand – just repeating like parrots, robots, or sheep following a script. This is like shooting a gun with blanks instead of real bullets. Such a gun makes a sound, but there is no actual bullet coming out. We have to preach what we understand about what we have heard about Hari.

This means we better get off our lazy butts and make some serious endeavor to understand something substantial in the words of Śrī Guru – otherwise we are unfit instruments and will perform no important function in the service of Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

It is said, ‘Your words can achieve no greater fortune than to speak about him, whose qualities are the roots of the most exquisite poetry.’ And the ears, their greatest fortune is to very deeply fill up with ambrosial Hari Kathā spoken by the wise.

My God! This is such a beautiful, beautiful verse!

Your words can achieve no greater fortune than to speak about Hari. Hari is so wonderful that his qualities are the roots of the tree producing the most beautiful flowers and most delicious fruits mankind has ever expressed in words. So how can our words achieve anything more valuable than to enjoy those fruits and flowers?

And as for the ears… the greatest fortune they can achieve is to be filled very thoroughly and deeply with the ambrosia of Hari Kathā. Not just any Kathā, but the Kathā spoken by people who have understood something deep and significant about what they have heard about Hari.

This is the hope we cherish beyond all hopes — to be given to the company of persons whose voice emanates deep sounds of Hari-Kathā without cessation. When will Śrīmatī Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī fulfill this wish? Or, when will this polluted soul named Vraja Kishor stop blocking the fulfillment of that wish, like a klutz tripping over his own feet?

My dear child, even the original poet couldn’t comprehend the greatness of that Being, even after striving by perfect mystic intelligence for a thousand celestial years!

Maitreya said that Hari-guṇa (the qualities of Hari) are the roots of the most exquisite poetry (suṣloka-mauleḥ)… so he continues speaking on the theme and talks here about Ādi-kavi Brahmā, the original poet, and will next mention other lesser poets…

So what can be said about lesser poets? The enchanting mysteries of the All-Attractive bewilder those mystified souls. Even he cannot fully comprehend his own limitlessness! Unable to grasp him, the words, mind, and egos of all the gods of the world fall silent and fold their hands to the All-Attractive, saying “namaḥ.”

This is how kīrtan tends to end. With the feeling that we may have caught a glimpse of a glimmer of the toenails of the Gopis rushing towards Krishna, but we cannot progress further, we cannot focus the picture. So kīrtan becomes tired, falls silent and prays for forgiveness and mercy to go further. The kīrtan that strives to establish itself via the voice, mind, or individuality of the speaker or singer, tends to always fail in this manner – even if gracefully and repentantly.

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphurty adaḥ

“The name (etc) of Krishna is not within the reach of the senses. It manifests of its own accord from tongue (etc) of a person who is inclined towards loving service.”

Hare Krishna.

This is what I saw in a refrigerator few days ago – milk in 3 types! Extra Lite, Low Fat Lite and Full Cream!

But i want none of those and want the “Nectarean Milk” which Srila Prabhupad is talking about below.

“Milk is compared to nectar, which one can drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one immortal, but it can increase the duration of one’s life. In modern civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years, their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer “to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, advises go-rakṣya, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one’s life, develop his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is essential to get food grains and water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags.”

Excerpt From: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. “Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 08.06.12.

The much awaited visit of the year is here ! HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami will be in Melbourne for the next 10 days and I attended first of his talk yesterday – Faith in Scriptures.

Maharaj took time to clarify the difference between blind faith and educated faith. He cited so many examples from both the scriptures. srila prabhupada and his own to make everyone understand. The only disappointing part of the evening were (1) mobile phones going off (2) little children making noise; while the talk was going on.

Almost on all mornings, he will be giving Srimad Bhagavatam class which ought not to be missed.

Also looking forward to his talk at Urban Yoga, a place for the general mass of public to start their spiritual education. Yesterday i was asked to choose 3 topics for him to choose from and this is what i came with:

1) City of 9 Gates
The intricate workings of the body, senses, mind and soul. The theme is basically- we know so many things of the world but do we know out own body.

2) Blind Faith
Making one understand that devotees/spiritualists have a structured and scientific process to understanding their life and scriptures and that true religion is not a blind faith.

3) Understanding the 4 Pillars of Spirituality
This topic relates to making one understand how austerity, truthfulness, cleanliness and mercy are an integral part of building ones character and foundation.

Hope one of them works! And more realizations and updates coming up!

"He chants as a watchman does his rounds, guarding the property, happy in his duties, guarding to make sure his voice utters only the name. And with his watchman’s searchlight he constantly pierces into the darkness of the wandering mind. As a watchman, he does his rounds."

From Japa Reform Notebook
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Krishna has given everyone something extraordinary and to serve Krishna with one's extraordinary talent means successful life.

- Srila Prabhupada in a letter to Sukadeva -- Calcutta 4th March 1973

I deeply respect His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Maharaj as an exalted Vaishnava, a dedicated leading follower of Srila Prabhupada, a meticulous scholar and a vigorous writer. Especially through his writings, he has also been one my most important shiksha-gurus. His books on brahmacharya and Prabhupada were vital guiding lights that shaped my convictions in the formative years of my Krishna consciousness. His three-volume magnum opus, Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava, is arguably among the best offerings that ISKCON has made to the Gaudiya sampradaya, forming a precious link to our glorious past and illumining the way to the future. I was so inspired by that book that I wrote a long appreciative review of his book and sent it to Maharaj, and he posted on his site as well sent on his egroup. Moreover, I have served Maharaj as an editor on a few occasions.

Given this background, I am dismayed and appalled at the impression being circulated in some circles that we are embroiled in some controversy due to our seemingly opposing stands on the issue of voting in elections.

My original talk 

HH Bhakti Vikas Maharaj response

To remove such misimpressions, I wrote to Maharaj, informing him about the controversy and clarifying my position. He also felt that the controversy was unnecessary and has posted his clarification here.

HH Bhakti Vikas Maharaj clarification

My clarification (This talk is an expanded version of the below text, which is an edited version of the letter I had sent to Maharaj - edited so that it addresses the readers instead of Maharaj)

*

In my talk, “Voting in elections is the social responsibility of devotees,” my using this term ‘social responsibility’ may have conveyed that I was saying that devotees have to vote in elections. That was not my intention at all.

I gave my talk because I had come across some devotees who were insisting that, as a matter of principle, devotees shouldn’t vote. Is that sort of insistence warranted by the teachings of Srila Prabhupada? No doubt, he disapproved democracy. But does his disapproval amount to an eternal ban on voting for devotees?

Only if we divorce his words from his actions.

In his practical example, Srila Prabhupada was dynamic in responding to changing social realities. For example, in the initial days of our movement, he stated that there was no need for varnashrama - just Krishna consciousness was enough. But later, seeing how the contemporary culture made sustainable practice of serious bhakti extremely difficult, he emphasized that varnashrama was needed.

This social dynamism was evident even in his approach to democracy.

For example, though Lord Chaitanya refused to meet King Pratap Rudra when the king himself was desperate to meet him, Srila Prabhupada went out of his way to meet Indira Gandhi – he cancelled a world tour to meet a democratically elected leader who was a politician and a woman. And he did that after he had repeatedly stated and written that democracy was not a desirable form of government, that politicians weren’t trustworthy and that a female being a head of state wasn’t appropriate.

How do we understand this difference between Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya – and even the difference between Srila Prabhupada’s words and actions?

By understanding the context.

Srila Prabhupada lived in a socio-political situation substantially different from the one at the time of Lord Chaitanya. Whereas Lord Chaitanya’s reputation would have been sullied by meeting a king, in the modern situation Srila Prabhupada’s reputation would have been enhanced by meeting the Indian Prime Minister.

In his writings, Srila Prabhupada declared as ideal a government headed by a spiritually enlightened monarch. But he also recognized that today’s practical reality was radically different, necessitating a pragmatic response that made the best use of a bad bargain. One such response was meeting and influencing a democratically elected head of state.

 

Srila Prabhupada’s context-sensitive response demonstrates that his practical actions in relationship with democracy were far more nuanced than mere condemnation. And ISKCON’s global history confirms that devotees too need to adopt carefully considered socio-political positions.

In today's socio-political situation, overall countries with democratic governments have been far more conducive for sharing Krishna consciousness than countries with non-democratic forms of government.

Had it not been for devotees’ contacting politicians who had been elected democratically and who therefore had to be responsive to public opinion,

1. We might have had no temple at Juhu (An influential democratic leader intervened to stop the demolition),
2. Bhagavad Gita As It Is might have been banned in Russia (India’s democratically elected Parliamentary leaders vehemently opposed the proposed ban and sent a strong message to the Russia government).

In contrast, non-democratic governments have often been hostile to devotees

1. The non-democratic communist governments in USSR persecuted devotees.
2. The non-democratic theocracies in the Middle East ban the public practice of devotional service to this day.
3. Countries with nominal democracies such as China are similarly hostile.

So, in a world when there’s no enlightened spiritual form of government, ISKCON’s history testifies that democracy appears the best option for us.

In a democratic setup, there will be karmic reactions in voting for a government that doesn’t correct wrongs like cow slaughter. But is not voting necessarily a karmically safe option?

Given the choice between a party that may curb cow slaughter and others that most certainly won’t curb it, not voting may also lead to karmic reactions. How? Because by our inaction we may have neglected doing what was in our power to try to stop cow slaughter. After all, the Bhagavad-gita asserts that inaction is also a form of action; and the Mahabharata demonstrates that Bhishma and Drona became culpable during Draupadi’s disrobing because they didn’t do anything. As His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Maharaj has stated in his talk, the social situation today is extremely complex and there are no easy answers or quick solutions such as “all devotees should vote” or “no devotee should vote.”

Of course, if we had a devotee-candidate, or better still, a political party formed by devotees was contesting, then naturally the answer would be: “devotees should vote”. Srila Prabhupada encouraged devotees to start a political party and campaign for getting votes. Unfortunately, at present, there’s no such party.

 

For those devotees who feel inclined to vote for a party that is relatively more favorable to sanatana-dharma than others, my talk intended to show that our philosophy is inclusive enough to accommodate their inclination. Maharaj too gave that room for choice by stating that devotees can vote.

The purpose of my talk was to help devotees concerned about bringing in a social environment more favorable to sanatana-dharma could see voting as a social opportunity.

If I intended to convey that voting was a social opportunity, then why did I use the word ‘social responsibility’?

To convey that devotees shouldn’t be apathetic to the social situation, dismissing it as mundane. I have observed that the dismissive disdain for voting among some devotees unnecessarily alienates socially responsible people, many of whom are intelligent, are in the mode of goodness and are potential devotees. Such people see the disdain of devotees as a confirmation of their misperception that devotees are socially irresponsible: “You people don’t care about what happens in society – you just want to, like a parasite, use society’s resources for doing your own other-worldly stuff.”

If we feed the public perception that devotees’ role in society is parasitic, we do violence not just to our preaching mission but also to the truth. Our social role is not parasitic, but cathartic. Or at least it should be. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to transform society positively – in that sense, devotees are meant to be socially conscious and socially concerned, or in other words, socially responsible. One way devotees can express that social responsibility is by voting in elections.

Will such voting distract devotees from their far more important social responsibility to implement Srila Prabhupada’s broad program: all-round social reform necessary for bringing in guna-karma-based varnashrama?

That distraction is possible, but not probable. Because voting in elections will take only a few minutes once in a few years. As I had said in my talk, Srila Prabhupada has abundantly cautioned us against romanticizing this world. This means that we shouldn’t become obsessed with politics, entertaining vain hopes that political change alone will solve all problems. The occasional activity of voting shouldn’t become a replacement for our perennial social responsibility of spiritually-centered reform.

To the contrary, this occasional voting may well contribute towards that long-term program. One way to progress towards varnashrama is by influencing social leaders. Though the ideal situation is that political leaders come to spiritual leaders for guidance, we are far away from that situation, as Maharaj pointed out. So making the best of what we have, one way to begin interacting with today’s leaders is by making our social presence felt in a way that counts for them – as a group of socially conscious voters.

To conclude, my use of the word ‘social responsibility’ was not to convey that voting was something that devotees had to do – rather, my intention was to convey that it being a social responsibility is optional, as contrasted with a spiritual responsibility which is mandatory.

Devotees who feel inclined to vote don’t have to be made to feel that they are going against Srila Prabhupada’s teachings – nor, of course, should devotees who feel disinclined to vote. His Divine Grace has built a house big enough in which both groups can live.

 

I was listening to a lecture by Srila Prabhupada on the life of Ajamila. Prabhupada very nicely explains the significance of Holy Names especially at the time of death. The class runs 27 mins and is very interesting.

Another thing that excited me was at the end when Prabhupada was imitating Ajamila by chanting "Narayan". After Prabhupada chanted "Narayan", there was an eerie silence for about 20 seconds at the end. Finally Prabhupada concludes the lecture saying "Thank you very much". After I heard the pause two or three times, I was convinced Prabhupada went into trance calling the names of Narayana. I wanted to verify my doubt so I did some research online to find if there were any eye witness to this lecture. Lo and behold I found a passage about this encounter by Satyaraja Dasa (Steven Rosen) in his book "The Agni and the Ecstasy".

In page 71 of his book, he writes "On the fourth day of Prabhupada’s Chicago lectures, another miracle occurred. After repeating Narayana’s name many times in telling the story of Ajamila, Srila Prabhupada fell into trance. This was something he rarely did in public. An intense silence engulfed the room. We all felt blessed to witness the transcendental phenomenon. Through purely calling out Narayana’s name, in telling the story, Prabhupada was seeing Narayana face-to-face. His trance-like state and his inability to speak lasted two minutes. Although I have read about the ecstatic symptoms of a pure devotee, I was amazed to see them. Those of us who were in the room will never forget his spiritually uplifting expression, as tears rolled down his face. After two seemingly eternal minutes, Srila Prabhupada said, “All right. Thank you very much.” He then gestured that kirtana should begin, and one of the most intense chanting sessions I had ever experienced permeated the large hall.”

 You can listen to the lecture below.

 

 Hare Krishna

Lecture Podcast

1966 April 30: "At present I am staying in New York city and holding my classes on the culture of musical kirtana as well as discourses on the cult of devotion (Bhakti) which are participated by the American Youths, Ladies and Gentlemen."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1969 April 30: "So far as the songs that you have written, you may send me a copy of them and I shall see them. In Montreal also they are writing songs in the popular Western style of music and it is coming very nicely."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 April 30: "If your house can develop into a students home, preaching our philosophy to the residents, it will be a great service. If the occupants take part in kirtana and hear our philosophy, certainly they will take it up."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 April 30: "Parivrajakacarya is ordered not to stay more than three days at a place, but at the Paramahamsa stage, one can stop moving. So I have made my headquarters here, still I may go outside."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 April 30: "It is published that four Hare Krishna Movement Missionaries were killed in Dacca by soldiers. I had advised not to go after the civil war began but I am afraid they were very daring and might have gone against my instruction."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1973 April 30: "To err is human, so in the neophyte stage some discrepancies are there. Kindly forgive their small mistakes. The big thing is they have given everything to Krishna - that is never a mistake."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 April 30: "Forget your relationship with him. Now you become mixed up in Krsna business and live like a chaste Hindu widow woman, wear white sari and engage 24 hours a day in chanting Hare Krsna Mantra."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 April 30: "They sit separately in the temple and then outside mix again. Therefore I get the boys and girls married. But nature is so strong that in spite of being married they are attracted to the opposite sex."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Regarding your getting married, I have no objection. However as a brahmacari you are not obligated to marry, what is the advantage to your getting married? That should be considered. If one can remain brahmacari that is best. Finish this life and go back to Godhead, that is the basic idea of Krishna consciousness movement. So you decide.

Letter to: Mahavisnu—Bombay, 31 December, 1975 Continue reading →

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