Mahabharata & Our Generational Challenge – 1 of 2
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das



In 2012-13, as I was bringing my book – Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest - to completion, I kept asking myself: what about the Mahabharata would be most relevant to today’s readers.  The book has endured for thousands of years. It’s revered by millions of Hindus all over the world. But what does it have to say to anyone else?  Is Mahabharata just for Hindus or does it have a place in world literature, or in the very fabric of our diverse cultures?

The German poet Goethe coined the phrase “world literature” in 1827, and he used it in the context of books transcending national themes.  To put it more emphatically, it means literature that speaks to all peoples. Mahabharata is the first of books. The Dharma teachings, the responsibilities of leadership, and warnings of the impending Kali-yuga (our age of darkness) are described as the five thousand year old epic unfolds.  It’s not only the first of books, but it’s also the first that can be said to be in the class of world literature. Mahabharata belongs to all of us.

Why? The book itself tells us that what is not found within its pages is found nowhere else. That’s a bold claim to make. Plato commented on two books we consider classical literature – Iliad and The Odyssey. At the time of Plato, those classics were already seven hundred years old. He regarded the books as beautiful poetry and great stories. But he lamented: Where was the philosophy and the moral standards to help guide people to live better lives?  

Plato would have liked the Mahabharata. It’s not only good poetry and a great story, but Mahabharata is also the embodiment of dharma.  The book exists just to help us understand what is dharma or, in other words, what is  our collective moral compass.  When we understand the Dharma we can live a life of wellness. That means we live in a balance of both the spiritual and the material. In this way, both the individual and society as a whole prospers.

For reviews  and more info on my book Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest visit: www.Mahabharata-Project.com

The effulgent Deities and glorious devotees of Iskcon Nairobi (Album 104 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

October 5, 1971 - Sria Prabhupadas letter to Jayapataka: "Here in Nairobi our program is going on very nicely. There are TV engagements and a very large meeting is scheduled at the University of Nairobi for tomorrow. Many respectful Hindus are inviting us and I am staying in everyone's house for four to five days. Most probably our center here in Nairobi will be a strong one, as strong as any of our other centers." Read more ›

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 2-23-2014
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

ECOV Logo

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 2-23-2014.

 Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes a simple, sustainable lifestyle centered on the care and protection of cows, local food production and the loving service of Lord Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

Participating Members of the ECOV Board of Directors:  Anuttama (partial attendance), Bhima, Chaitanya Mangala, Krpamaya, Navin Shyam, and Ranaka. Madhava Gosh did not participate in the Utica Shale gas lease discussion and vote (due to a conflict of interest).

Advisors present: Jaya Krsna

1.   Used equipment purchase

WHEREAS:  The ECOV Board wishes to acquire proper equipment for its gardening projects, and to facilitate a smooth winding down of the operations of the Small Farm Training Center on INV & ECOV managed properties.

RESOLVED: The Board authorizes up to $6,000 for acquiring implements from the SFTC, including a transplanter, plastic layer/bed former, and chisel plow.

2.   Utica Shale Gas Lease

WHEREAS: The ECOV Board wishes to proactively respond to the proliferation of natural gas drilling in and around New Vrindaban so as to minimize the risk of harm to the land and its residents and maximize any potential gains.

RESOLVED: Upon consideration of the inquiries from the New Vrindaban Advocacy Sanga (contained in e-mails dated February 13 and 19) and the respective legal opinions of Mr. William Leon (dated January 30 and February 19), which addressed the following issues:

  • Terms of the lease;
  • Conflicts of interest;
  • Proxy voting by directors;
  • Voting by non-resident directors;
  • GBC involvement;
  • Due diligence on the part of directors;
  • Air and water quality protections; and
  • Proposed well pad placements,

and after thorough examination of the terms of the proposed leases, in light of the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, the best interests of the community under the circumstances, and the principle of yukta vairagya (as described by Varsana Swami in his paper entitled “Yukta Vairagya and the Gas Drilling Contract”), the ECOV Board hereby authorizes its officers to execute lease agreements as to the Utica Shale formations underlying ECOV-owned lands, subject to the following two internal commitments by the Board:

1) If requested by the legal owner of an affected property, ECOV shall ensure testing of any water supply within a thousand feet of well pads located on either INV or ECOV-managed properties, in accordance with a regimen prescribed by an industry expert;

2) ECOV shall provide a grant of at least $350K toward renovation of Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, to be provided on a matching basis to any funds expended by INV.  This grant shall supersede the previous grant of $100K and loan of $100K, which are both hereby defunded.

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ March 3, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

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If you desire to attain the supremely sweet, blissful, exalted and opulent mellows of pure love of God, then, not touching the paths of bhakti mixed with piety, speculation and dry renunciation, break the hard shackles of material lie and accept the life of a sannyasi in Vrndavana.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-79 Translation.]

 Please click here for more photos

Ecstacy of Devotion, Uddhava and Vidura
→ The Enquirer

In the 3rd canto we meet Uddhava for the first time. In the 1st Chapter, Vidura asks him many questions about Krishna, and in the 2nd Chapter Uddhava tries to reply – but cannot, because he is overwhelmed by emotion as a result of contemplating the answers to those questions.

All these ślokas in chapter 2 are ecstatic, but the 6th śloka has particularly appealed to my heart and mind today. It says, śanakair bhagaval-lokān nṛlokaṁ punar āgataḥ, which literally means “Gradually, from the world of Bhagavān to the world of humans, returned.” Uddhava’s memories of Krishna literally carried his consciousness to Krishna’s location! In that location, he experienced divine, transcendental emotions – and the side effects of these were visible even in Uddhavas form that was rooted in the normal plane, the human-world, the “mortal location.” And gradually he returned his consciousness to the human location so that he could reply to Vidura’s questions.

While his consciousness had gone to the spiritual location, tears and horripilation and so on erupted from his physical form. But as he returned to this plane, the śloka says, vimṛjya netre viduraṁ prītyāhoddhava utsmayan, which literally means “wiping dry his eyes, out of affection for Vidura, Uddhava smiled.” The word for smiled indicates a sudden, smile, almost like being jolted or shocked back into external consciousness – but in a pleasant way.

Śrīla Viśvanātha comments that while with Bhagavān in Bhagavān-loka, Krishna had told him, “now please return to the normal world to answer the questions of my beloved Vidura.”


New Vrindaban Celebrates Gaura Purnima Sun. Mar. 16, 2014
→ New Vrindaban

Everyone is invited to come and celebrate the auspicious, sacred Appearance Day of Lord Caitanya, Who personally inaugurated the chanting of the maha mantra for the liberation of all souls   

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare!!
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare!!

GAURA PURNIMA  will be honored on Sunday March 16, 2014 at Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra's temple.

The Schedule is:

5:00 AM                 MANGAL  ARATI
5:30 AM                 NRSIMHA PRAYERS                                       
5:45 AM                 TULASI PRAYERS
6:00 AM                 JAPA
7:30 AM                 GURU PUJA
8:00 AM                 GREETING THE DEITIES IN THEIR NEW  GAURA PURNIMA OUTFIT
8:20 AM                 SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM CLASS

11:00 AM              GOVARDHAN PARIKRAMA ( weather permitting)

1:00 PM                ARATI
1:30 PM                CLASS
2:15 PM                Lunch  Prasadam (for those  who are not fasting)

5:00 PM                ABHISHEKA ON THE ALTAR
6:00 PM                LECTURE BY HIS HOLINESS VARSANA SWAMI
7:00 PM                ARATI
7:40 PM                 MAHA KIRTAN     
8:00 PM                 PRASADAM FEAST

Your preparations for the Lord are welcome.  Please bring them by 5:45 PM.

If any second initiated devotees are interested in helping cook in the deity kitchen on Gaura Purnima day, please contact Abhinanda das either on facebook or email:

FB: Abhinanda Das               E-MAIL: abhinanda_bcs@yahoo.co.in

There is much Gaura Purnima service available, such as in the devotee kitchen (all morning), prasadam transfer (12:30 PM), or cleaning the prasadam hall after the festival.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!

NEW MEDITATION CLASSES
→ The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland

Monday mantra meditation & mantra chanting (also known as KIRTAN). Each session will include powerful mantra chanting together as a group, using styles with beads and also chanting to kirtan music. These forms of yoga are extremely powerful yet so joyful and easy to do. Don’t feel like you need some prior experience, just come along and enjoy the […]

The post NEW MEDITATION CLASSES appeared first on The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland.

Turn on the light
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 December 2013, Mayapur, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.9.3)

DBN_sept 2013The brahma-jyotir is known to be the effulgence of Krsna but if we read a little more about the brahma-jyotir then we read that it is filled with cit-kaṇaḥ. The cit-kaṇaḥ are the endless infinitesimal souls that are in there. So the whole brahma-jyotir is actually made up of souls that are in the state of being merged in brahman. So, although it looks like one all pervading effulgence, it actually consists of endless living beings.

So, in the same way, one can look at the sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya. Although it looks like one movement, it is actually made up of individuals and each individual has to make an endeavour towards his own purity. It is not that we have to wait, ”Oh when or when, will I be a pure devotee? Oh when or when, will the light go on?” No, the light will go on when we decide to turn it on. In other words, when we decide to make the commitment, at that point we will be pure devotees.

 

 

 

Lord Siva’s Compassion Makes Him the Greatest Vaisnava, March 2, New Dvaraka, Los Angeles
Giriraj Swami

Siva_with_PracetasSiva_Drinking_Poison
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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.30 during the Sunday program.

“Because Lord Siva is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he loves all the devotees of the Supreme Lord. Lord Siva told the Pracetas that because they were devotees of the Lord, he loved them very much. Lord Siva was not kind and merciful only to the Pracetas; anyone who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very dear to Lord Siva. Not only are the devotees dear to Lord Siva, but he respects them as much as he respects the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, devotees of the Supreme Lord also worship Lord Siva as the most dear devotee of Lord Krishna. They do not worship him as a separate Personality of Godhead.” (SB 4.24.30 purport)

Maha Siva-ratri Los Angeles 2014

Don’t concoct purpose in purposeless material existence
→ The Spiritual Scientist

…one should first of all understand that this material existence is anartham. Anartham means purposeless life. There is no purpose. Real purpose should be how to get out of the spell of material nature. That is real purpose. They do not know. They are taking very seriously some temporary purpose of life, which will be changed with the change of body. Now, as human being, I am manufacturing so many purposes of life, but as soon as the body is changed and I get the body of a cat or dog or tree, the whole purpose is changed. Therefore it is purposeless life, anartham.

- Srila Prabhupada lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.6, Bombay, December 18, 1974

Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-03 17:20:00 →

1968 March 3: "One God, one scripture, one mantra, this idea is not manufactured by me, but it is authoritative statement. In Life Magazine, Feb. 9, 1968, there you will see how nicely the American boys and girls are dancing and chanting the Holy Name of the Lord. I think a very nice Sankirtana party can be organized to travel all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

The tenth anniversary of Sri Panchatattva’s installation in Mayapur Maha-Abhiseka huge ceremony! (Album 138 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Who are the Pancha-tattva? The Pancha-tattva are a five-fold manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, featured as five tattvas (truths), namely, isha-tattva (the Supreme Lord), His expansion tattva, His incarnation tattva, His energy tattva and His devotee tattva. These five tattvas incarnate with Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and thus the Lord executes His sankirtana movement with great pleasure. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32) there is the following statement regarding Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:-"In the Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of the sankirtana-yajna." Lord Chaitanya is always accompanied by His plenary expansion Sri Nityananda Prabhu, His incarnation Sri Advaita Prabhu, His internal potency Sri Gadädhara Prabhu and His marginal potency Sriväsa Prabhu. He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should know that Lord Chaitanya is always accompanied by these other tattvas. Therefore our obeisances to Lord Chaitanya are complete when we say:- sri-krishna-chaitanya, prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara, srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda. Read more ›

New Personal website Jayadvaita Swami
→ KKSBlog

jayadvaita-swami-smiling

The renewed website of HH Jayadvaita Swami has been launched today, the 3rd of March 2014. Jayadvaita swami has been writing extensively for the Back to Godhead magazine, published and co-edited several books and is in charge of editing the BBT books of Srila Prabhupada and other contemporary devotees.

His website has been refreshed with a new layout and navigation menu. You can now easily find interesting articles about reincarnation, 9/11 and even about health issues. you can comment on articles and even subscribe to receive new articles by email when they are published. So you will not miss anything.

Visit : www.jswami.info

Here are some jewels of articles

 

 

 

 

New Vrindaban Celebrates Gaura Purnima 2014
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Gaura Purnima is coming up in less than two weeks and everyone is invited!

Lord Caitanya and His Sankirtan Party

Lord Caitanya and His Sankirtan Party

Here is the schedule, below, for the celebrations on Sunday March 16, 2014:

5:00 AM                 MANGAL  ARATI
5:30 AM                 NRSIMHA PRAYERS
5:45 AM                 TULASI PRAYERS
6:00 AM                 JAPA
7:30 AM                 GURU PUJA
8:00 AM                 GREETING THE DEITIES IN THEIR NEW  GAURA PURNIMA OUTFIT
8:20 AM                 SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM CLASS
11:00 AM               GOVARDHAN PARIKRAMA ( weather permitting)
1:00 PM                 ARATI
1:30 PM                 CLASS
2:15 PM                 Lunch  Prasadam (for those  who are not fasting)
5:00 PM                ABHISHEKA ON THE ALTAR
6:00 PM                 LECTURE
7:00 PM                ARATI
7:40 PM                 MAHA KIRTAN
8:00 PM                 PRASADAM FEAST

Your preparations for the Lord are welcome.  Please bring them by 5:45 PM to Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s pujari room.

If any second initiated devotees are interested in helping cook in the deity kitchen on Gaura Purnima day, please contact Abhinanda das either on facebook or email:

FB: Abhinanda Das               E-MAIL: abhinanda_bcs@yahoo.co.in

Much Gaura Purnima service is available, such as in the devotee kitchen (all morning), prasadam transfer (12:30 PM), cleaning the prasadam hall after the festival.

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-03-03 15:55:00 →

1974 March 3: "We will present our program exactly in the line of Lord Caitanya, by kirtana, prasadam distribution and speaking from Bhagavad-gita. We cannot deviate even an inch in order to attract the followers of the ecology philosophy or any other materialistic, utopian movement. Our ideal Vedic community will attract everyone on its own merit."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Sri Panchatattva in Mayapur never seen so happy! Maha Abhisheka 2014 (Album 130 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

In the Pancaratra scriptures there is a saying that in the ultimate analysis devotion is the only element which might cause the Lord to appear. That’s how the small Panca-tattva came, due to the great desire and devotion of His devotees. Then, as long as the devotee wishes to serve Him, the Lord reciprocates in the same way. Regarding the big Panca-tattva Deities, a whole book has been written on how They were manifested, first in South India, and then installed in Sri Mayapur dhama. Read more ›