
A visit to one of the last living disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati (Album 32 photos)
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In anticipation of Snana-yatra and Anavasara in Dallas, Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 11.61.
“Hankering to do better means that there is a separation between where you are now and where you want to be, or what you have now and what you want to have in the future. That hankering, which is another side of separation, can go into the chanting—whatever stage we are in. Even if it is just hankering to be able to chant with attention, our chanting can be infused with that mood. It is not something separate but it is something that is infused into the chanting. We want to infuse our chanting of the name with some feeling. And that feeling will come from within our heart. Our hearts have some feelings of spiritual desire—hankering, or separation—so that should be infused into the names we chant. Even if we think, ‘I am too neophyte to have any spiritual feelings’—we do have some feelings: We don’t want to remain neophyte; we want to be able to taste the things we read about and that other devotees have tasted. So put those feelings into the chanting.”
"We are not separated actually. There are two—vani or vapu. So vapu is physical presence and vani is presence by the vibration, but they are all the same. So Krsna when He was physically present before Arjuna is the same when He is present before us by His vani of Bhagavad-gita."
Prabhupada's letter to Hansadutta, Los Angeles, June 22, 1970.
In Vrinda?vana the leaves on the trees are made of emeralds, the flowers of diamonds, the new flower buds of beautiful pearls, the newly sprouting leaves of red kuruvinda jewels, the many fruits, all filled with various kinds of nectarean tastes, of rubies, the rain of an incessant shower of nectar, and the bumblebees of sapphires.
[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-4, Translation.]
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2013, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 2.7.52)
Humility is something alien in the modern world. We had a comic in Holland; I saw it as a kid but it made an impression on me. It was a simple man; he had a cap on – a labourer type – and he was coming for a job interview which was happening in a big hall. The interviewer was sitting behind a glass with a screen so you couldn’t see him but his voice was coming out through a loud speaker.
The voice was saying, “Name?” Then the man said his name and he said, “Thank you very much, please.” And after every question that he answered, he said, “Thank you very much, please,” and he looked like a total fool but actually, if you think about it, he was very humble and the other man (the interviewer) was very cold and arrogant.
But this humility was depicted as like… you become a fool when you are humble. when you are simple! So the whole world projects this upon us that you’re a fool when you’re simple.
Even when you are a devotee, it hounds you, “How many slokas do you know?”
Reply, “Seven!”
“Only seven! My god, how can you know only seven slokas!?” Who can be so simple to say so…
So, the social pressure upon us in this whole world, where you have to be greater than you are, comes into every field. In the modern world, it came into the field of sex because ordinary sex will not do – it has to be super sex! You have to be a super lover and if you’re not a super lover, you’re a loser. That’s the image that is being projected.
Greetings…..
This past week brought us quite the selection of early spring weather sun, rain, and even snow. There is always such great anticipation for planting this time of year. The rule of thumb for working the soil is, “if the soil is wet enough that it easily clumps into a ball it is just too wet for tilling”.
While we patiently wait for the soil to dry we have been planting bushes and preparing our garden beds. A crew as been working on the foundation project around the temple getting it prepared for 9 types of mint and Clethra alnifolia, Summersweet, which blooms during the tourist season. In the Garden of Seven Gates we are planting fragrant flowering bushes around the gates. This week will we will be prepping the asparagus which should bring us the first bounty of spring vegetables. Also, this week I will be seeding vegetables in the greenhouse including melons, tomatoes, peppers, and greens. For anyone planning their own garden this year now is the time to start your transplants indoors.
On Sunday we had a new worker his name is Jonathan Davis. He attends Wheeling Park High School and was raised on a farm here in Marshall County. He will be working in the garden until the end of July when he is leaving to join the US Marines.
We are looking forward to a warm productive week in the gardens. Below is a really neat idea for a spring bean house that is low cost, ideal for climbing vegetables like beans or peas, and would make a beautiful addition to any yard.
Kacey Orr
2014 03 31 Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 05 14 14 By HG Gitanagari Prabhu ISKCON Mayapur
Caitanya Caritamrta class at the Manor.
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TOVP artist, Manju Lakshita Devi Dasi is working on the designs for the altar doors. Check out her beautiful work!
The main altar is being cast! This is where Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Panchatattva and the Guru Parampara will be installed.
BY THE STAR ONLINE
KUCHING - Some 80 members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Malaysia (Iskcon) Kuching Branch held a special prayer for the passengers and family members of MH370.
The prayer session was led by its chairman Prabu Kripa Sindhu Krishna Das where they performed a kirtan prayer, chanting the maha mantra “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama,Rama Rama Hare Hare”.
The one-and-the-half-hour session from 6.30pm at the Kuching Waterfront here was to pray for all passengers of flight MH370 and their loved ones with the hope that they are safe in the hands of God and their loved ones given the strength and courage to face this unexpected tragedy.
The programme was a continuation of special prayers offered by Iskcon members at the Batu Kawah temple for MH370.
At the ceremony Iskcon Batu Kawah Kuching president expressed his heartfelt sympathy to all the passengers of MH370 and their family members.
He also thanked all his members for making the kirtan prayer a reality.
“Both the boys and the girls are being trained to become preachers, those girls are not ordinary girls but are as good as their brothers who are preaching Krishna consciousness.”
In Vrinda?vana the effulgent ground is fashioned with many very wonderful colorful cinta?an jewels, the trees and vines are full of blissful spiritual fruits and flowers, the birds make a great tumult by reciting the hymns of the Sa?ma Veda, and the lakes and streams are filled with transcendental nectar. May my heart meditate on Vrinda?vana in this way.
[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, Sataka-2, Text-3, Translation.]
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 March 2014, Sydney, Australia, Bhagavad-gita 13.3)
Arjuna Acarya was a pundit who was writing a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, and as he was writing he came along this verse, which basically says:
“I’ll carry what you lack and I’ll preserve what you have.”
When Arjuna Acarya was reading this verse, he was thinking, “Well, of course Krsna doesn’t personally do that. He will make arrangements for that.” And he changed the Sanskrit wording in the manuscript.
After his editing and commentary, he went about purchasing some supplies from the market so that his wife could cook lunch. He didn’t return, but some boys came carrying a big bag. His wife opened the door and they said, “Your husband sent us with the supplies.”
She said, “Oh, come in! That is very nice – such nice boys like yourselves are bringing these things. Come in, I’ll give you something.”
The boys said, “Oh no! We cannot come in.”
She said, “No, it’s okay, you can come in.”
The boys said, “No, we cannot come in – your husband may come.”
She said, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be afraid of my husband. He is very nice. He won’t beat you.”
“Oh no?” one of the boys said, and he showed his back, revealing beating marks.
“No! Did my husband do that?” And then the boys left.
Some time later, Arjuna Acarya came home and something extraordinary had happened. His wife had cooked and she had already eaten before him. That was unheard of in those days. He was shocked. And when he asked her what was going on, she wouldn’t reply. Arjuna Acharya wanted to know what he did wrong and asked for forgiveness.
Finally, she told him, “You brute! How could you beat those boys?”
“Beat those boys! Which boys?”
“You know! One had a light complexion, one had a dark complexion – you know very well!”
“What boys?”
“You know very well! The dark boy had beating marks on his back!”
Then Arjuna Acharya suddenly understood. He walked to his manuscript and he saw that the words that he had altered were changed back to yoga-ksemam vahamy aham ”I carry, I personally carry what you lack, and I’ll preserve what you have.”
So then Arjuna Acharya could see that Krsna personally comes. He personally came, he personally adjusted things. So it is like that. Krsna will make us successful. As simple as that! As long as we are sincerely trying to serve him.
Social media is a an interesting thing indeed and has the ability to send some surprises probably one of the most sobering is an old long forgotten school picture.
Sobering given how much time has passed since it’s being taken and so many hopes and aspirations that are still to be realised makes me wonder how the others in the picture are doing did they achieve the dreams all primary school children have for their future.
Dreams and hopes give way to the reality of life but still hope one day.
Time and the age of Kali take it’s toll on the entrapped spirit soul but still a great belief that some how things will work out just as we planned it, I will be the pilot flying around the world with a beautiful wife and even more beautiful children.
But I feel more fortunate even though this child hood aspirations have never been realised
Some how I came across the devotees, read Srila Prabhupada’s books and been able to do some seva for Sri Sri RadhaGokulananda.
Is this the greatest achievement making life successful when the mind is focused not on material gain but spiritual gain’s that are hard to measure without spiritual knowledge, I wonder how many of these young individuals achieved their goal in life or look back a little frustrated or with regrets.
Society measures success indeed we measure our own success on a false image of reality but even if externally to others we appear to have everything their is still internal strife for more, an eternal endeavour.
Even in spiritual life I find the same drive a need for more, the amazing exception is their is no regrets or maybe just one why did I not have this opportunity earlier, but with each small progressive step bliss and relief from material suffering.
Indeed for me peoples wealth and social status means less and less even my own progress materially seems pointless compared to spiritual progress and watching the amazing development of those who’s spiritual vision is progressing nicely.
But still sobering seeing the old school photo and how quickly time has passed, reminding me that their is no time to loose in striving for more spiritual rather than material progress