The Power of Story (1)
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das



Srila Prabhupada explains in the Krsna Book: “The conditioned soul has a natural aptitude to hear about other conditioned souls in the form of fiction, drama and novel. That inclination to hear something about others may be utilized  in hearing the pastimes of the Lord.”  Storytelling is an age old tool in all cultures around the world.  Actually it is both a technology and art form in itself.  Through the stories people learn about the history of their culture. Stories are the perfect way to understand what is right and wrong, what it means to be good or bad, how to approach life’s obstacles,  and what are the consequences of our actions. Stories are for the young and old, the rich and the poor, the learned and unlearned. Everyone will delight a story well told. Especially in our Vedic tradition we are so close to stories that we take them for granted. Sukadev Goswami shares stories of Krishna’s incarnations with Maharaja Pariksit. Valmiki shares the stories of Lord Rama. Vyasadev shares the stories of Mahabharata. And Srila Prabhupada shares many stories both scriptural and non-scriptural in offering a variety of lessons and insights. 

To spread Krishna Consciousness in todays’ climate, it is imperative for each of us to understand the power of story. In Srimad Bhagavatam 3:13:48 Prabhupada writes, “Every one of us is fond of hearing some wonderful narration, but most stories are neither auspicious nor worth hearing because they are of the inferior quality of material nature. Every living entity is of superior quality, spirit soul, and nothing material can be auspicious for him. Intelligent persons should therefore hear personally and cause others to hear the descriptive narrations of the Lord's activities, for that will destroy the pangs of material existence. Out of His causeless mercy only, the Lord comes to this earth and leaves behind His merciful activities so that the devotees may derive transcendental benefit.”

Look for more about the power of story later.

And please visit www.Mahabharata-Project.com  about Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest, my cinematic rendition of India’s ancient history. Thanks.


Institute for Spiritual Culture
→ Mayapur.com

With excitement and joy we are announcing the newly established Institute for Spiritual Culture. The inauguration program will be held on the 5th of March 2014 at the Goshala in Mayapur. The Board Members HH Sivarama Swami, HH Niranjana Swami, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami, HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami and HG Badrinarayan Prabhu will grace the […]

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ISCOWP January 2014 E-newsletter
→ Life With the Cows and Land

Balabhadra receiving a lick from Vegan Indira, the source of
so much milk and milk products
Curd made from Vegan Indira's milk after adding lemon juice.

















Soup made from whey left over from making curd. Other ingredients
are sweet peppers, broccoli and greens frozen and canned from
 last year's garden and beets, carrots and Brussel sprouts from
our January garden (before the temperatures reached below 0.



Read more at ISCOWP January 2014 E-newsletter  

Some Articles:
Milking a Cow Realizations
Winter Arthik and Treats Offered to the Cows (video)
How to Make Curd and Whey From Milk
ISCOWP in The Huffington Post





Gaura Purnima Seminars
→ Mayapur.com

HG Devakimataji will be offering a seminar on “The False Ego- our Constant Companion and Trouble Maker” during the Gaura Purnima festival. Mother Devaki has served in various capacities for over 20 years and has in later years engaged in creating festivals and various meetings for devotees to listen about and glorify Krsna. She started […]

The post Gaura Purnima Seminars appeared first on Mayapur.com.

New Open Positions Available in New Vrindaban
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

NEW OPEN POSITIONS IN NEW VRINDABAN – Jan. 26, 2014

ISKCON New Vrindaban is looking for devotees to serve and help fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s instructions in the following positions:

Main Cook Restaurant

Assistant Cook Devotee Kitchen

Assistant Cook Restaurant

Cleaning Personnel for Restaurant

Cleaning Personnel for Lodge

Cleaning Supervisor

Lodge Receptionists

These are all paid positions and some are seasonal. Please send your applications to vasudeva108@gmail.com

For additional information about the New Vrindaban community and the lodge, please visit newvrindaban.com and palacelodge.com.

Your servant,

Vasudeva dasa

(Oscar Maduri)
Lodge & Restaurant Manager
ISKCON New Vrindaban
3759 McCrearys Ridge Road
Moundsville, WV, 26041
Phone: 304 843 1600 Ext133

www.palacelodge.com

www.newvrindaban.com
http://www.festivalofcolors.us/

 

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ January 27, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

01

O, look at Vrindavana, so beautiful with many blissful, splendid groves of kalpa-vriksha trees, with many parrots and other birds intoxicated by singing Vedic hymns glorifying Krishna, with many deers so pleasing to Krishna, with splendid transcendental lakes, ponds and streams, all filled with water sweet as nectar, and with mountains of valuable jewels.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-45 Translation.]

Please click here for all photos

Sunday, January 26th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

Toronto, Ontario

Acceptance of the Storms

Nature can be very punishable, so it seems at times, with such severe weather being what it is.  Have we done anything wrong? 

An emphatic “yes” would be the appropriate answer.  Let’s be honest.

Someone or something is a witness to our actions, making a subliminal registry.  Karma is then released in time, good or bad, positive or negative.  It can come charging like some lanced gladiator, or softly land like a gentle angel floating in.

During the freeze dynamic of the outdoors, the morning at the ashram had begun.  Two of our monks were comfortably nestled next to the old timed radiator.  They were in the lotus position.  A third one was on a chair nearby, being that he suffered from a stroke years ago.  His mantra chanting doesn’t sound so articulate while he fingers through his meditative beads.  For the other two, their sound is clear in the delivery of the mantra meditation.  I can see that out of respect for the more senior and disabled monk, that they accept his awkward but sincere verbal output. 

Sitting cross the cozy meditative zone we’ve created for ourselves was me, and like the other three, we are all dealing with our stormy minds.  In this regard the outdoor winter madness, and the mental barrage within, are one.  Only the mantra, once concentrated upon, will permit a sense of aloofness from any mental blizzard. 

Snowflakes galore descended for the bulk of the day in winters persistence.  Fortunately, it did not deter people from coming to our Sunday Open House.  Then I personally enjoyed the slide presentation by my spiritual sister, Praharana, it was most enlivening seeing from the presentation that some of our monks in Burma are receiving as donations, neglected temples.  These older structures are now being adopted.

The feast was amazing at the Open House, and we had a rousing kirtan to follow, which lasted until 9 PM. 

New laden snow made a walk attractive, and so Durjoy, a young Bangladesh devotee who comes around, joined me in this last activity of the day.  We both vowed that it would be a japa (chanting) walk.  With our winter parka pockets as beadbags, we clutched our right hands tightly onto our beads while addressing the stormy minds within.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Remember To Bring The Mind Back
→ Japa Group

"We are asking him to do something he can’t do — give up all distraction. Rather than ask for the impossible, ask him to add something.
We tell newcomers they don’t have to change their lives, but just add chanting. This is similar advice....you are already chanting, so please remember to bring the mind back."

From Bhajan Kurtir #38
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

Just in transit
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, United Kingdom, Pandava Sena Program)

kks dec 2012We think that the purpose of life is to enjoy this world because we think that this word is a wonderful playground and we are all meant to have a wonderful time. But this material world is not the place to enjoy.

Heard of Mr Bean? There is an episode when Mr Bean arrives at a hotel, checks-in at the desk and then they take him up to the room. When he is alone up there, from his suitcase he pulls out a drilling machine and starts drilling holes in the wall, everywhere. He puts screws in them, then he pulls out of his suitcase paintings and he hangs the paintings on the wall. Next, he has a flower vase with plastic flowers and he puts out that one. Finally, he puts up the sign: Home Sweet Home, on the wall.

Then he wants to use the bathroom and he realizes that he does not have an attached bathroom. So he checks it out in the corridor and, yes, the bathroom is right next to his room. He has a score blade which he puts on the drill and he cuts out a door somehow or other. He locks the bathroom from the inside and now everything is okay! He puts on his sleeping hat, takes his teddy bear and is ready to go to bed…

This is ridiculous! He is treating a hotel room as if it is a permanent place, as if he lives there! It’s ridiculous and we are doing the same thing – we are treating this temporary world which is just a transit lounge, like a permanent place!

mr Bean portret

 

Srila Prabhupada’s Vision for Education, January 20, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu, Mumbai
Giriraj Swami

prabhupada-with-child-636x310

——————————–
“The idea is to help people and spread Krishna consciousness. It happens quite often that you can have a more exclusive group of students whose training is more intensive, or you can have a more inclusive group whose education is more mixed. Both have advantages and disadvantages. But the main thing is the purity of the teachers and the staff. In either case, that is important.”
On Education

New, open services available in New Vrindaban
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

ISKCON New Vrindaban is looking for devotees to serve and help fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s instructions in the following positions:

Main Cook Restaurant
Assistant Cook Devotee Kitchen
Assistant Cook Restaurant
Cleaning Personnel for Restaurant
Cleaning Personnel for Lodge
Cleaning Supervisor
Lodge Receptionists

These are all paid positions and some are seasonal. Please send your applications to vasudeva108@gmail.com

For additional information about the New Vrindaban community and the lodge, please visit newvrindaban.com and palacelodge.com.

Your servant,

Vasudeva dasa

Main Priest of Dwarka “In my lifetime it has not happened” ! (Album 88 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

Indradyumna Swami: As soon as our bus arrived in the sacred abode of Dwarka the other day we all jumped out and began harinam through the town. Chanting and dancing for hours we finally ended up in front of the 5,000 year-old Rukmini Dwarkadish Temple. As we continued kirtan many of the brahman priests came outside to watch. At one point the main priest invited us to chant inside the temple compound. Due to security measures no instruments are allowed to be brought inside the temple, but he made an exception for us. “In my lifetime it has not happened,” he said. “But you ISKCON people - your kirtan is special.” -- Read more ›