Planet ISKCON

"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 →

The European RGB gives its blessings for Hridaya Caitanya’s taking up the position of a Co-GBC for Mayapur. Hridaya Caitanya Dasa plans to stay in Mayapur/India 6 months out of the year. The rest of the year he will take care of his present zone in Europe. After 2 years the RGB and Hridaya Caitanya will review his service in Mayapur. Read more ›

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

We are presently standing in the middle of a massive Harinam party in Amsterdam, for the King’s Day celebrations. About 150 devotees, many are young boys and girls which gives us hope that the movement is moving.
Fired up dancing brahmacaris in saffron robes, and the energy is contagious, the general public can’t control themselves, they are caught up in the dancing frenzy.
We traveled 700 miles to be here and no body complained about anything, lack of sleep, lack of facilities etc, it is worth travelling 7,000 miles to experience the Holy Name and the sadhu sanga as we did on the streets of Amsterdam. For 8 hours sin city Amsterdam felt like a Holy Dham. In our spiritual paths we are sure to meet many hurdles, many obstacles, many difficulties but our saving grace, is your special gift to us:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Enjoy the Movie:

See you next year in Amsterdam, put it in your diary, thanks to HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaj for organising the ISKCON camp, the three senior lead singers were HH Janananda Swami, HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, and HG Parividha Prabhu.

Your servant
Parasuram Das

Gadadhara Pandita is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani, the internal potency of Lord Krishna. But because Lord Caitanya is Krishna acting in the mood of Srimati Radharani, Gadadhara Pandita, although Radharani, did not act in the mood of Radharani–because there can be only one Radharani. Gadadhara Pandita understood, “This is Krishna’s time. This is Krishna’s opportunity to relish the loving ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, so I will keep my mood of Radha in the background and just support Him in His experience of Radha-bhava.” It is also said that if Gadadhara Pandita had manifested the nature or feature of Srimati Radharani, then Krishna, who was trying to absorb Himself in the mood of Radharani, would have become attracted to the Radha outside of Him and wouldn’t have been able to maintain His inner mood as Radha. So Gadadhara Pandita, to facilitate Lord Caitanya in His pastimes, played the perfect role to complement and support the Lord–that of a perfect brahmana, very gentle, very submissive, very scholarly, very sober. Read more ›

The questions atheists cannot answer in Darwinian evolution: http://bit.ly/1kn5A7K

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Please view the following galleries: Darshan Abhishek Gadadhara Pandita is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani, the internal potency of Lord Krishna. But because Lord Caitanya is Krishna acting in the mood of Srimati Radharani, Gadadhara Pandita, although Radharani, did not act in the mood of Radharani–because there can be only one Radharani. Gadadhara Pandita understood, […]

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A positive and happy experience... Read more ›

Srimad Bhagavatam(4,11,21) by H.H Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj on 20th April 2014.

The grass hasn't grown that high yet,  but the cows were so eager to roam the pastures after such a harsh, long winter that we let them out a few days ago. In fact, Madhava, the ox,  had broken out twice to munch the grass on the other side of the fence which really made the other cows envious.

We performed artik to our deity Giriraj and the cows and fed them the cows treats. Vegan Indira, the cow who was recently saved by ISCOWP members from the dairy industry, met the rest of the herd and green grass for the first time in her life as did the calves Indraneela and Anasuya who had been saved from the auction barn last fall. It was an auspicious time for the cows.

"One should be merciful and not cause anxiety to any living entity. The heart should always be filled with compassion for others. Exhibiting mercy to all living entities is one of the limbs of devotional service."

- Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktyaloka

When we wake up in the morning, our thoughts should turn to Japa - it's the beginning of our spiritual day and the most important.
You may remember the times when your Japa was focused and concentrated and you felt the purification of the Holy names - it affects our whole day, how we see the world and how we interact with the world.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 30 March 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.39.39)

Because we have been in the material world for many lifetimes, we have accumulated many desires that are stored within our subconsciousness and all these desires are still influencing us now. Again, we are trying to enjoy them one more time; again and again, although we were not satisfied in previous lives, not fulfilled but still, we try again! So this is where we are at. That is why spiritual life involves an element of struggle due to the influence of previous association with the material world.

But, just by hearing about Krsna, seeing Krsna in His deity form, chanting His name, taking prasadam or taking shelter of any other form in which Krsna manifests Himself, is enough to burn up so much of that previous karma; therefore we do change!

That verse which I used to forget a lot. It happens that you forget one line of a verse and this one, I always used to forget. Then one time, I was in Bombay and I took a taxi and the taxi-driver quoted the verse so then, I felt a little embarrassed, “Here is the swami and he couldn’t quote the verse.” I got defeated by a taxi-driver so my false-ego got to me and that worked better than my devotion because since then I can remember the verse. So, I am going to try it now, let’s see:

namno hi yavati saktih

papa-nirharane hareh

tavat kartum na saknoti

patakam pataki narah (Brhad-visnu Purana)

 

All glories to the taxi-driver! No problem, I can easily remember it! It is amazing that when you get motivated by false-ego, it is so easy and when you have to do something on the strength of pure devotion, it is a struggle! This verse says that if you chant the holy name once, you burn up more sin than you can commit in a life-time! Think about that…

 

Mahavishnu Swami Lecture | Rhythm Tree Festival 2013Rhythm Tree World Music Festival, located on the Isle of Wight, England - 20 July 2013 Continue reading →

The Mayapur Temple of Vedic Planetarium (TOVP), under construction, recently opened an office in the ISKCON Juhu temple, at Hare Krishna Land in Mumbai. In honor of the occasion, and to further the cause, I thought to share an excerpt adapted from my article “Memories of Sridhar Swami” in my book Many Moons.

In November 2003, Srila Prabhupada’s staunch disciple Sridhar Swami phoned me from Bombay and told me that he was planning to go to Vancouver in April for four to six months. Soon thereafter, however, he sent an e-mail saying that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer and was going to Vancouver immediately to see if he could get a liver transplant, which was his “only hope.”

There the tests revealed that his cancer had spread beyond the limit allowed for transplants, and so his “only hope” was dashed, and it seemed like he was soon to leave his body.

I phoned Maharaja from Santa Barbara and eventually got him on his cell phone. “Where are you?” I asked. “I’m shopping,” he answered. He seemed so jolly—like always. But then he confirmed my worst fears: “The doctor says that I could go at any time. Phone me back later. We have to talk.”

After that, we would speak every day, usually twice a day. And we had wonderful talks. Then the question arose whether he should go to Mayapur—and when. He decided he would go to Mayapur and concluded that he should go as soon as possible.

He had three desires, he said: “I just want to survive until I reach Mayapur. Then, if possible, I want to live to see the Panca-tattva installed. And then, if possible, I want to live until Gaura-purnima. And then—whatever.” (He meant, of course, “And then—whatever Krishna wants.”) No one knew how much travel Maharaja’s weakened body could bear, but with these three desires in his heart, he flew to London and then to Kolkata, and eventually he arrived in Mayapur.

I wanted to phone Maharaja every day, but the way it worked out with the time difference and all the difficulties in just getting through to Mayapur, we only managed to speak every third day or so. The last time, two days before he left, he was having a good day. The previous day had been a bad one, but the night before, they had given him some additional medication. So when I spoke with him that last time, he was having a good day, and we had one of the best talks I have ever had with anyone in my entire life. We spoke mainly about the Mayapur project and Srila Prabhupada’s mission. It’s really something that I’ll cherish for my whole life—the experience of it and the lessons it contained.

That was Thursday, March 11. The next day, Friday, we installed beautiful brass Deities of Gaura-Nitai in our Carpinteria ashram. They had come from Vrindavan, originally commissioned by Mother Kirtida for Tamal Krishna Goswami. I felt that Their coming was also part of Sridhar Swami’s mercy, because he so fervently desired that the glories of the Panca-tattva be spread and that we build the great temple for Them in Mayapur. So, two representatives of the Panca-tattva had come, and I felt that Their arrival was his desire.

On Thursday I had told Maharaja, “I don’t know if I will be able to phone you again before then, but the Deities have come and we will install Them Friday evening, and by your mercy we’ll try to serve Them and Their dhama.” And now, whenever I look at Their beautiful forms and appealing faces, I feel that we have to do something for Them—we have to build Their wonderful temple, as Sridhar Swami always reminded me.

I think this may have been Maharaja’s main contribution in recent years, at least to me in my service: He impressed upon me—and upon our entire movement—the importance of the Mayapur project, of the “wonderful temple” (adbhuta mandira) that Nityananda Prabhu had desired for the service of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had envisioned. (One day, when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was chanting japa on the balcony of his house in Godruma-dvipa, he looked across the Jalangi River to Mayapur and had a vision of a transcendental city with a magnificent temple rising like a mountain in its midst.) Maharaja’s whole life was dedicated to Srila Prabhupada, and I think he felt that this was one of Srila Prabhupada’s main desires left to be fulfilled. And he felt that we had to do it—and that we had to do it; it would benefit the whole society, and the whole world. He would quote Ambarisa Prabhu: “This will be the tide that will make all the boats rise.” So, although Sridhar Maharaja left so many wonderful legacies for us in terms of his personal qualities and activities, I think one legacy that may serve to unite the movement and fulfill one of Srila Prabhupada’s main desires is his inspiration to push on the construction of the great temple in Mayapur.

When I was a new devotee, maybe less than two years in the movement, I approached Srila Prabhupada one day while he was getting his massage on the veranda of the Calcutta temple. “Srila Prabhupada,” I said, “I have been thinking about what pleases you most.” Srila Prabhupada was so pure he took every word into his heart. He replied, “Yes.” I said, “The two things that seem to please you the most are distributing your books and building the big temple in Mayapur.” Srila Prabhupada smiled with great appreciation and said, “Thank you very much.”

So, those were Srila Prabhupada’s two main strategies for spreading Krishna consciousness, and Sridhar Swami helped him in both. In his early days, Sridhar Swami was instrumental in developing book distribution in North America. And in his later years, he was very involved with the Mayapur project, planning and raising funds for the great temple. And by Maharaja’s mercy, on Gaura-purnima, standing in front of the Panca-tattva Deities in Laguna Beach, I got the inspiration: “Now it’s time for Mayapur. Sridhar Swami understood that long ago. Now it’s time for you [me] to join the effort, too.” And that was important for me in other ways as well—to let go of the past: “Forgive and forget. Now let’s all work together for Mayapur, for Sridhar Swami, for Srila Prabhupada, to build the wonderful temple.”

When I asked Sridhar Swami how I could help, he requested me to speak about my experiences of Srila Prabhupada related to Mayapur. So, in 1973, when Srila Prabhupada came to Calcutta from England, he was very excited and enthusiastic about Mayapur. Tamal Krishna Goswami had gotten the first land, we had observed the first Gaura-purnima festival there, and now Srila Prabhupada had come with the plans for the first building. There was a detailed discussion, and at the end Srila Prabhupada said, “If you build this temple, then Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.”

Now I think, “That might be my only hope, so I’d better get to work. We’d better build the Mayapur project, because I don’t know how else I will ever get back to Godhead.”

His Holiness Sridhar Swami has given me a lifetime of work in service to Srila Prabhupada. Although jivo va maro va, to live or die is the same for a devotee—and certainly that was true of Maharaja—my own feelings are mixed. I think, “He has left so much service for me, given me so many instructions. So I must stay and execute his mission.” I think the same about Tamal Krishna Goswami. Even though part of me misses them terribly and wants to be with them, mainly I think, “They left me so many instructions. I have so much service to do for them here.”

Of course, how long we have to do what they have asked—what they would want—all depends on Krishna. Therefore, whatever time we do have left we should use in the best possible way—in Krishna consciousness.

Hare Krishna.

—Giriraj Swami

In the Bhagavad-gita (6.41-43) it is stated that a man who enters upon the path of self-realization but does not complete the process, despite having sincerely tried to realize his relationship with God, is given a chance to appear in a family of suci or srimat. The word suci indicates a spiritually advanced brahmana, and srimat indicates a vaisya, a member of the mercantile community. So the person who fails to achieve self-realization is given a better chance in his next life due to his sincere efforts in this life. If even a fallen candidate is given a chance to take birth in a respectable and noble family, one can hardly imagine the status of one who has achieved success.

- Srila Prabhupada, Sri Isopanishad Mantra 3

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