Planet ISKCON

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 March 2014, Sydney, Australia, Bhagavad-gita 13.3)

In spiritual life, we need to keep ourselves safe. We have to think, ”I am not very powerful spiritually. I am weak and I’m surrounded by maya (the material energy), and maya is very strong.” So I need to look for all kinds of protection – devotees protect, Bhagavad-gita protects, prasadam protects, chanting protects. So we must take shelter of all these things that offer protection.

Actually, a devotee is always looking for protection and this is the way to get it – cheaply! To tell you the truth, if we just carry on with chanting and following the principles, it will happen automatically. Success guaranteed!

“The Lord, Sri Krishna, says,

daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te

‘This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.’  (Bg 7.14)

“One who surrenders to Krishna can easily overcome Maya—not directly, but by Krishna’s mercy. We do not have the strength to fight Maya independently. Maya is a very powerful energy of Krishna’s. When we surrender to Krishna He will arrange for our release from the clutches of Maya. So, Ravana is lust personified. He could be killed only by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ravana had ten heads, and as soon as one head was cut off another head would grow. In our own practice of Krishna consciousness, we can recognize this phenomenon. Material desires come one after another. And lust does not mean only sexual desire but any desire to enjoy independent of Krishna, any desire to enjoy anything in forgetfulness of Krishna which will take us further away from Krishna.” —Giriraj Swami

Rama-navami Morning Talk

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Lecture Podcast

From Hiten P

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From Ramabhadra Priya P:

As you mention in your classes, there is no spur for the lord to speak, as He is in ecstasy and continues to speak to extol the glories of Bhakti. That is the link you mention for chapter 9 to chapter 10. Is it also true that when lord spoke 9.34, the most confidential knowledge, now in order to show how to execute this most confidential knowledge, He explains chapter 10.  Arjuna also makes the same request 10.17.

Answer Podcast

Lecture Podcast

The chapter summary for 10^th chapter says that the Lord’s aisvarya is the cause of Bhakti, which is discussed in the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th chapter. The same is now explained in more detail. For 7^th chapter, the verses are 7.8-12, and  for 9^th chapter, the are verses 9.16 to 9.19. Which are the verses for 8^th chapter which discuss lord’s aisvarya?

Answer Podcast

Podcast

Its been few weeks since i started my new service of making the Sunday morning salad at the temple.

Whenever I thought about cooking, I would contemplate on vegetables, spices and oil – boiling, frying and baking. The heavy fragrance of melting ghee, crackle of the mustard seeds, the stringent aroma of the hing, the turmeric powders, the garam masalas.

Salad? Would it a step down in my cooking efforts? Would throwing some leaves together be cooking? No one ever say, I am cooking salads.

Thats what I made by the way this morning. I can’t believe it but making salads is something I really enjoy now. As I was talking about my attempts about the recipe with my wife at the temple, a lady in front of me was looking around for someone to talk to. Seeing me there, she boldly and perhaps hopefully walked up.

She : Excuse me…Hare Krishna
Me : Hare Krishna
She : I heard you mention salad
Me (heart pounding) : yes…?
She : Do you know how its made? It was really good.

What in the world just happened!?!

So, this is what I made today:

Vegetables Used
– sweet potato marinated in olive oil, dry basil, oregano and rosemary and then baked
– small potatoes cut in half and baked
– carrots in strips and baked

Leaves & Greens used:
– Celery, Rockets, Lettuce

Dressing:
Yoghurt mixed with Olive oil, Oregano, basil, rosemary, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, paprika powder, pepper, salt and sugar.

Bring them all together and be happy :)

A big thanks to Sri Krishna Chandra prabhu & Chetan prabhu for giving me the tips and guidance. And thanks to Aravind prabhu for the entertainment he provides while I prepare the salad.

Waking up early morning, doing japa and walking over to temple, spending beautiful time in the kitchen with wonderful devotees, kirtan in the background – i think the whole project is making me a better person. So, I think I am not making salads. The salad is making me.

Class: HG Murli Manohara Prabhu – SB 10.63.1-6 – 03.04.2014

Srila Prabhupada Encourages Devotees to “Work Cooperatively” to Build New Vrindaban – July 1971.

From a series of letters written by Srila Prabhupada outlining his vision for New Vrindaban.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

——————————————————————

July 31, 1971

My Dear Satadhanya,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your kindly letter dated 25th July, 1971. Very soon I am going to Europe; London and Paris, but soon thereafter I will be returning to USA. At that time I may very well visit New Vrindaban. In the mean time you work cooperatively with the others to make our New Vrindaban a very nice place. Then how I can refuse to visit there? So far your name, Satadhanya was a great devotee king.

Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Holy Name Meditation Podcast

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 April 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, BYS Lecture)

A saint in one tradition,one morning came out of the house, carrying a bucket with fire and a bucket with water. People said, “Ooooh, what you gonna do with all of that?”

And the saint said, “With the water, I will put out the fire of hell and with the fire, I will burn heaven.”

(Gasping) “You’re gonna burn heaven!? You’re gonna put out the fire of hell!? What is this?”

“Yes,” the saint said, “Because most people are into spirituality either because they want to avoid hell or because they want to attain heaven where they enjoy eternally instead of being in it for the love of God.”

So that, I thought, was a nice statement. If I look cross-cultural at the saints who represent their traditions and who are meant to have realized something through their meditation, then you see in these saints, certain characteristics as a result of their process, their meditation. These saints, they have an inner strength. They are not disturbed by any outside factors. Internally, they are unaffected. These saints hold love in the highest esteem. These saints are aiming to dedicate their life to God and at the same time they are dedicating their life to benefiting all the living beings. So they are well-wishers, that is a saint and I think we can see it in every tradition. I’m summarizing in a short talk like this, the result of traditional meditation is basically: sainthood, saintliness. That is something that interests me.

Imagine – a modern saint. That would be something, right. Imagine if people would become saintly through their meditation. Imagine we have a few saints in a university. Imagine we even have a faculty, “Faculty for Sainthood!” I mean, you know, it sounds pretty cool. I think the university would benefit from such a faculty. Absolutely! Whether you would get a job, I don’t know. Saints are known to be unemployed these days, what can be said. A lot of unemployment among saints in the modern world but, you know, you can be optimistic because saints somehow or other, even although they may not find a job, somehow or other, it seems that they have a little angel that takes care of them. So in that way, in the end, you might wind up alright – if you get a degree in sainthood!

Whether one is a demigod or a demon, a man or a creature other than man, such as a beast or bird, everyone should worship Lord Ramacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears on this earth just like a human being.