2014 02 15 Prerna Festival A Date With Krishna Devamrita Swami ISKCON Chowpatty

The Art Department has been working a marathon with early mornings and late evenings to progress with sculpting the Six Goswamis.

Jananivas and Pankajanghri prabhus were recently into the TOVP to approve the final mood of Gopal Bhatta Goswami’s deity. The next step in this process will be covering it in fiberglass followed by a bronze casting.

The attention to detail by the team of artists has made the form very life-like. We look forward to the next phase!

We can notice the different stages of animal life from the invertebrates to the fully-grown human beings. These stages have been classified by the Indian sages of a scientific outlook in ten orders, viz, (1) the invertebrate, (2) testaceous or shelly, (3) vertebrate, (4) erectly vertebrate (as in the combined form of man and beast), (5) mannikin, (6) barbaric, (7) civilised, (8) wise, (9) ultra-wise and (10) destructive. These are the historical stages of jivas [souls]. According to the gradation of these stages as indications of evolution of the serving mood of the jiva soul, there are manifested the ten Incarnations of God, viz., Matsya (fish), Kurma (Turtle), Varaha (Boar), Nrishmha (Man-Lion), Vamana (Dwarf), Parasu-rama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki, as worshippable Deities with eternal transcendental Names, Forms, Attributes and Sports.

Conversation between Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur and Albert E. Suthers, The Harmonist (Sree Sajjanatoshani), January 1929 issue.

Give up false identification with this wretched material body, identification that is the cause of the horrible cycle of repeated birth and death. Meditate on your spiritual form in Vrinda?vana. Millions of calamities may fall. Don’t be disturbed. Until all past karma is destroyed, reside in Vrinda?vana and always meditate on the pastimes of your two Lords, Sri Sri Ra?dha’ and Krishna.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-8, Translation.]

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Saturday Night Harinam London ****************************************
This weekend we were joined by one of Srila Prabhupada’s
senior European disciples, Srimate Mandakini Devi Dasi.

Mandakini came over from France to visit the London Yatra for Gaura Purnima. She was one of the guests of honour, along with mothers Malati and Manjuali at the Connaught Rooms on Lord Chaitanya’s Appearance Day. Over one thousand devotees attended this the festival.

We all felt great pleasure to have this humble and sincere disciple of His Divine Grace join this weeks Harinam party.

Please prabhus, try to find the time to take part in these ecstatic Saturday Night Street Kirtans. Following in the footsteps of Lord Chaitanya and His intimate disciples, we should certainly be going out every night, but in lieu of that, once a week is a must.

Please encourage us to push these weekly festivals to greater and greater heights by your blessings

Yesterday some of us chanted around the bedside of Bhakta Steve Roy as he left his body at the Peace Hospice in Watford.

Srila Prabhupada Kirtan was playing loudly for him.

Life is short.

Kirtaniya Sada Hari

All glories to Srila Prabhupad

Intrepid ISKCON Guru and GBC Bhaktimarga Swami, known colloquially as “The Walking Monk,” is planning his next big adventure. The Swami has already trekked across his native Canada three times, and has walked in Ireland, Israel, Guyana, Trinidad, Fiji and Mauritius, promoting spiritual thought and healthy living.

One of the joys of teaching is seeing students master concepts that previously gave them trouble. Long division no longer phases the fourth graders!

Students begin a flower experiment, in which five of the same kind of flower will listen to different kinds of music. Today students performed their initial observations; noted the control, independent, and dependent variables; and created their hypotheses. Stay tuned for updates on the flowers.

Vraja Kishor learns about the different states of matter. What happens when you heat water in a glass jar with a balloon on top? The seventh grader records his observations and measures them against his own hypothesis.

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If the message of sacrifice as a means to deep human relationships was all that the Ramayana offered to the world today, then that message in and of itself would be valuable. But the Ramayana’s gifts are much greater.

The post Does accepting disciples diminish a guru’s spiritual strength – continuing from yesterday appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Alexander and Radhapriya

Lilasuka (L): So how are things going for you, so far, here in New Vrindaban, Alexander and Radhapriya prabhus? You’ve been here for a few months now.

Alexander (A) & Radhapriya (R):  Well, we like our apt.  There’s easy access to the temple.  Things are good.

L: I heard you went to India recently, Radhapriya. Would you like to tell us about that?

R:  Sure. It was October to December, 2013, and it was my first time to India. I went on Indradyumna Swami’s Kartik parikrama to the Vrindavan area. It was a rigorous, intense schedule, with not a lot of free time.

But I really liked Vrindavan because everyone there knows about Krsna. I have to admit that from everything I had read and heard, I had expected Vrindavan to be a peaceful, serene rural scene.  But I’m afraid it wasn’t like that at all.

It was quite noisy and crowded.  A person gets literally pushed around a lot!  All the temples are full of people, but that’s to be expected since it was Kartik time.  There are cars everywhere, it seems. And the people have this amazing habit of just throwing their trash in piles and setting them on fire.   Plus, it was very hard to find any time alone, with some peace and quiet.

There were other surprises, too. We were staying at the Srila Prabhupada Charity Trust building, where our roof accommodations were very scenic, but the electricity would go off regularly, as well as the water. And there was no hot water at all! Quite austere conditions. I didn’t expect it.

L: Welcome to India! Ha Ha! India has always been a challenge, on the physical level.

R: But it’s transcendental too.  All the men in Vrindavan have sikhas and everyone chants “Hare Krsna!”, “Radhe Radhe!”  The sweetest experience I had was attending the matajis’ kirtans.  Every day, in Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi, groups of very renounced, dedicated women would come and chant together in an intimate atmosphere.  It was the sweetest experience and very powerful.

L: Thank you, Radhapriya.  So, Alexander, what kind of work do you do?

A:  I work full-time, online as a tech support for WP Engine, a managed WordPress hosting platform.

L: I see. And how did you two meet?

A: Well, I was a philosophy major at the University of Texas in Austin in 2007, when I used to see Radhapriya on “The Drag” (the main street at U.T.) distributing books.  I used to talk to all sorts of interesting people on The Drag. Radhapriya looked particularly captivating, and aroused my curiosity.  I was taking a photojournalism class, and eventually I ended up doing a photo story on Radhapriya.   When I asked her permission to do that, she replied, “I’ll have to talk to my spiritual master.”  That made me REALLY curious!

(They both laugh.)

A: I just kept following her around.

R: And he’s still following. (They laugh again.)

L:  What made you decide to move to New Vrindaban?

A: Well, I have to admit that ever since I first met devotees, I’ve never been able to fully appreciate kirtans. But when we came to N.V.’s 24 hour kirtan last summer, my heart felt very uplifted and moved.  I also really love the natural setting here. Those are the main things that convinced me to want to live here.

R:  Yes, the beautiful countryside, the variety of people, being part of an established devotee community, all the festivals – these were some of my reasons for wanting to move here. Plus, New Vrindaban is a true place of pilgrimage – a spiritual hub.  It’s one of those go-to places that HAS to be visited.  A person can meet all sorts of new devotees here, and establish relationships.

A: Last summer, when we came, Madri dasi showed us around and took us to see Varsana Swami’s project.  That’s when I realized: This is a holy dhama for real.   It’s a spiritual abode. It is Vrindavan!!  New Vrindaban has that spiritual potency.  There’s a very rich history here. And there are so many treasures to be discovered here – it’s an adventure. Almost like we’re living in Krsna’s lila!  I feel like we’re making spiritual progress here.

L: Radhapriya, I understand that you also work full time. What do you do?

R: I work full-time, online, doing graphics and web design.  I’m also helping Jaya Krsna prabhu by designing a new brochure.  I may also help with some festival posters.  I’d really like to help paint some of the deities and the Jagannatha altar.

L: Radhapriya, how did you become a devotee?

R: I was in a literature class, where I read parts of a version of the Bhagavad Gita and then did a report on “Karma and Dharma”.  But I wanted to read more.  So I went out and discovered Srila Prabhupada’s “Bhagavad Gita As It Is”, with its attractive, colorful cover. I thought to myself, “This must be a good, authoritative version.’

The Gita really resonated with me.  Everything you do will come back to you one way or the other, I learned.  Then I googled the Hare Krsnas and soon signed up for an e-course from the one who eventually became my spiritual master. It is   www.backtohome.com.  I remember when my spiritual master, His Grace Sankarshan das Adhikari, was coming to Delaware & I went to visit him at one Indians’ family’s place. So the first devotee I met was my Guru Maharaj, his wife, & Arya Siddhanta – their driver. They had an enthusiastic kirtan.  Mostly, I remember the gauranga potatoes!  In 2005, I took initiation.  Eventually I moved to Austin to do book distribution. That’s where I met Alexander – and you’ve heard that story.  Coming to New Vrindaban has really helped to revive my spirituality, which wasn’t thriving in Austin.  As a matter of fact, I’ve always been attracted to West Virginia Appalachia and the cows.

A: It really makes me happy to see my wife serving the cows.  Everything about the cow is pure.

R: Yes, even cow urine has antiseptic properties.  I hope to work more with the cows.  Physical labor makes me feel good. I love being outside, connected with nature.

A:  I also feel that a person misses out on the real beauty in the world if they just live in a city.  City life is so disconnected. That’s one main reason why we love New Vrindaban.

R:  Yes. It seems as though a person can either be “stressed out” here in New Vrindaban, or they can choose to take shelter of the land, the cows and the amazing abundant gifts of the land.

L: Thank you both. Hare Krsna.

Mangala Arati sung by HG Sundar Nitai Prabhu – 29.03.2014

Finally, a great episode. I want all the episodes to be like this one. This is my kind of stuff.

But I can’t miss the opportunity to use the opening lines of this episode to illustrate what has been bugging me so bad about the first three episodes. Neil deGrasse Tyson says,

Seeing is not believing.
Our senses can deceive us.
Even the stars are not what they seem.

Then I want to rhetorically and sarcastically add:

But everything I am about to tell you is true.
Even though it is based on what we observe
With our senses.

“The cosmos revealed by science”… is supposed to be something different that the cosmos that deceives our senses, but that’s poppycock because the “science” he’s talking about is empirical science. “Empirical” means “based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.” So empirical means based on observation, and observation is carried out by our senses, which, as Mr deGrasse Tyson declares, are faulty and deceive us.

So, it goes without saying that “the cosmos revealed by science” is another sensory deception. Certainly a more elaborate and refined one that the deception presented to the naked eye, but a deception nonetheless.

That doesn’t mean its useless.

It does mean that it shouldn’t claim to hold absolute, final answers.

Finally, a great episode. I want all the episodes to be like this one. This is my kind of stuff.

But I can’t miss the opportunity to use the opening lines of this episode to illustrate what has been bugging me so bad about the first three episodes. Neil deGrasse Tyson says,

Seeing is not believing.
Our senses can deceive us.
Even the stars are not what they seem.

Then I want to rhetorically and sarcastically add:

But everything I am about to tell you is true.
Even though it is based on what we observe
With our senses.

“The cosmos revealed by science”… is supposed to be something different that the cosmos that deceives our senses, but that’s poppycock because the “science” he’s talking about is empirical science. “Empirical” means “based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.” So empirical means based on observation, and observation is carried out by our senses, which, as Mr deGrasse Tyson declares, are faulty and deceive us.

So, it goes without saying that “the cosmos revealed by science” is another sensory deception. Certainly a more elaborate and refined one that the deception presented to the naked eye, but a deception nonetheless.

That doesn’t mean its useless.

It does mean that it shouldn’t claim to hold absolute, final answers.

The special characteristic of Madhvacarya's doctrine is that it very clearly defeats the faulty mistakes of the Advaita perspective. By maintaining this forceful position, the distress caused by impersonal philosophy falls to the wayside, allowing one to understand and appreciate the Lord's personal form. Therefore, in order to bring about safe and sure benefit for the conditioned souls who are weakened from the onslaughts of Kali-yuga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the doctrine of Sri Madhvacarya [by adhering to his lineage]. But by doing so He did not minimize the importance of the other three Vaishnava doctrines in any respect. All forms of savisesa-vada (philosophy of eternal distinction) are relishable, for it will certainly bring eternal auspiciousness.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Vaishnava Siddhanta Mala, Chp 5

Don’t even glance at the external things of this world, whether they
belong to you or to others, whether they are as splendid as millions of suns and moons, or whether they possess a great flood of good qualities, Renounce them¡ Give up all conventional peaceful composure, and without caring for anything else, always remember Sri Sri Ra?dha?-Krishna and reside in Vrinda?vana.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-7, Translation.]

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2013, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.12.6)

Pure devotees of the Lord are only interested in satisfying the senses of the Supreme Lord, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.2). They are not concerned with the material world because they appreciate that in the material world, everything is only temporary and therefore any relationship that we have with the material energy, will not endure and therefore it will be painful.

Whatever we have, we become attached to and then it will disintegrate in the course of time. That’s the nature of anything material, so what is the point? “I love my beautiful sandcastle; it is so wonderful. But it will not last; it will be destroyed; so many dreams.”

But the love for these dreams comes from the heart because there is a natural need within the living being for happiness and fulfillment. In this material world, we are always experiencing some emptiness within the heart, always experiencing some yearning, some longing for something, some hope that maybe it will happen. Whatever it is, whatever we want, “Maybe I’ll become rich… maybe I’ll become famous… or rich and famous! Maybe one day I’ll wake up and I’ll be beautiful… it’s doubtful but maybe somehow or other, a miracle will happen, you never know! It could happen, therefore, just wait, just in case. Hold onto to that little straw because maybe it will happen and I so much want it to happen. Oh yes, maybe my love will appear. Yes, the one that is my perfect match, the one that is designed for me, that one!’

Of course, that one doesn’t exist; there is no perfect match, it doesn’t exist! It becomes a boxing match sooner or later. It’s not a perfect match, it is not like that. It’s hard work to make relationships work. You cannot say that there is a marriage that just works. No, you have to work for it. It’s hard for relationships to work and then still you don’t really get what you were dreaming of. That’s the material world!

Anyway some say, “Yes, but better a blind uncle than none. Better something than nothing at all!” Okay yes, we want something after all. Alright have it, if you want to settle for something but let that something that you want out of the material world not interfere with your eternal progress! So it cannot be sinful because when we fulfill our desires in a sinful way, then we become bound up by the laws of material nature.

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ
andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ, (SB 7.5.31)

“Come one, don’t be a square! Yeah, it’s okay, everybody’s doing it, everybody.”

Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās, and the blind are leading the blind. Te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ, and the result is that we remain bound up in chains. The whole world is doing it and they all just remain bound up in chains, in this material world. The three gunas, sometimes known as the three qualities of material nature, other times known as the three ropes that bind us; that is what will happen.

So the pure devotee doesn’t even bother with such things. The pure devotee is thinking about Krsna. Krsna is important, Krsna’s desires are important, Krsna’s glory is important, Krsna’s service is important, Krsna’s name is important, tadīyānāṁ samarcanam (CC Madhya-lila 11.31); anything related to Krsna is important. Tadīyā, anything related to Krsna. The Ganga because of the dust of Krsna’s lotus feet. Tulasi Devi is related to Krsna, ‘tulasī kṛṣṇa-preyasi,’ anything related to Krsna.

‘ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ
viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param
tasmāt parataraṁ devi
tadīyānāṁ samarcanam,’ (Padma Purana, quoted in CC Madhya-lila 11.31).

Lord Siva said to Parvarti in the Padma Purana, ”Of all that are worshipable, the Supreme Lord Visnu is the ultimate worshipable entity. But greater still are those personalities and things that are related to him in service.’ That is wonderful!

Janmejaya Das has made many Rathayatra Carts including the ones at New Govardhana, New Varshana and Christchurch temple. This year, Jamal Arjuna from the Bhakti Centre on the Gold Coast, asked him to make a smaller cart for the Rathayatra parades there.

The numerous benefits of lavender contain its capability to get rid of mental tension, alleviate painful sensations, disinfect skin, treat respiratory troubles, and so much more.

The day began in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII decreed the adoption of the “Gregorian calendar”, which moved New Year’s Day from the end of March to Jan. 1.