Temple of Vedic Planetarium: Brickwork Has Begun!
→ Dandavats.com

The project has entered a new phase of construction beginning the new contract for laying the brick on the walls and on the floors. Maintaining the TOVP standards, only India’s finest brick was chosen. This layer will form a solid base upon which the marble and decorative cladding works will be added. Furthermore, the walls will serve as weather protection for all of the structural elements. The brickwork reveals a new dimension of progress as the sterile construction site becomes gradually transformed into a recognizable temple. If looking closely, one could perhaps already see hundreds of devotees dancing in ecstasy as the sounds of mridangas echo triumphantly throughout the ether. -- Read more ›

Restoration Work Underway at Palace of Gold in New Vrindaban
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

 

1976- Srila Prabhupada tours his Palace

1976- Srila Prabhupada tours his Palace

Restoration Work Underway at Palace of Gold in New Vrindaban.

by Madhava Smullen

Today, as they did four decades ago, devotees at ISKCON New Vrindaban are embarking on a labor of love.

They’re undertaking the restoration of the Palace of Gold, home to Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON’s Founder-Acarya, to continue spreading his glories to the world.

Devotees began building the Palace with their own hands back in 1973 as a simple residence for Srila Prabhupada, who enjoyed the peace and spiritual atmosphere of New Vrindaban during his visits.

But as construction progressed, their plans became more and more ambitious. Srila Prabhupada was frequently expressing his desire to retire from the active management of his growing movement to focus on his translation work, and he often cited New Vrindaban as the place to do this. So his disciples wanted to create a home truly befitting him there.

Devotee laying marble in 1976.

Devotee laying marble in 1976.

Working with no pay and very little experience, they trained themselves in traditional artisanal skills. Designer Bhagavatananda said he didn’t have the slightest idea whether or not he was breaking architectural rules – he and the other devotees just worked from inspiration. The results, straight from their hearts, were stunning, as workers spent hours painstakingly handcrafting each piece.

Throughout, Srila Prabhupada’s love and encouragement kept them going.

“Regarding New Vrindaban I was very happy when I was there,” he wrote to Kirtanananda on October 5th, 1974. “Not only myself but all devotees and GBC members all enjoyed the atmosphere of New Vrindaban, especially the cow protection scheme. May Krishna give more facilities to advance the cause of New Vrindaban, and I am expecting very soon to go there and live in my proposed palace at least for some time.”

But Srila Prabhupada would never stay at his Palace while he was physically alive. He passed away in 1977 before it was completed. Yet this only fueled his disciples’ determination to construct a singularly beautiful monument to their beloved guru, his astounding achievements and the gifts he had given the world.

After all, the guru never dies but is always present in his instructions – so Srila Prabhupada still resides in his Palace in spirit as long as he is remembered and honored there by his followers.

In 1979, Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold officially opened its gates to the public. Thousands of tourists, as well as one thousand devotees from all over the world, flooded in to see Prabhupada at his New Vrindaban home.

One of them was Gopisa Das, who arrived at New Vrindaban to help finish the Palace’s wrought iron gates and cook for the festival. Now, thirty-four years later, he is ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Director of Facilities and also the acting project manager for the Palace restoration.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed when I first saw the Palace,” he says. “It was so beautiful. But what was most exciting to me was the spirit of cooperation, to see so many devotees working together for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada.”

With its gold-leafed domes rising above the emerald West Virginia hills, Prabhupada’s Palace is an impressive feat of architecture. Visitors can walk through the award-winning Palace Rose Garden and up the steps to the Palace, pausing before they enter to marvel at the picturesque views from one of the four corner chattras, or domed lookouts.

Inside, sunlight pours in through thirty-one stained glass windows, made from over 1,500 pieces. The walls and floor are made from fifty-two kinds of marble, each piece cut, polished and set with loving care.

And the rooms, originally designed for Prabhupada’s personal use, include a bedroom, a bathroom, and a study where a life-sized replica of Prabhupada leans over his desk, translating his books. For devotees and visitors, this is a place where they can sit, spend time with him and feel his presence as he executes his most cherished service to his own spiritual master.

Finally, in the temple room, a murti form of Srila Prabhupada sits on an ornate gold-leaf throne, beneath a domed ceiling made from over 4,000 pieces of crystal.

With all this, it’s no surprise that the Palace has long been one of West Virginia’s biggest tourist attractions, dubbed “The Taj Mahal of the West” by the New York Times and drawing up to 60,000 visitors a year at its peak in the 1980s.

View of Palace from lotus pond in back.

View of Palace from lotus pond.

Over the years, that number has declined. But the Palace managers, led by Tripada Vibhuti Das, continue to work closely with the Marshall County Tourist Board, and still receive twenty to twenty-five thousand tourists annually. Media coverage still abounds, with the July 2012 edition of CNN Travel selecting The Palace of Gold as one of the eight religious wonders to see in the United States. And guests on all the Palace tours learn about Srila Prabhupada and his amazing efforts in bringing Krishna consciousness to the Western World.

 

Tripad Vibhuti, Palace manager for many years.

Tripad Vibhuti, Palace manager for many years.

“Through the tour people really appreciate Srila Prabhupada, as well as the love that went into making the Palace for him,” Gopisa says.

Of course, for devotees, Prabhupada’s Palace is much more than a tourist attraction. It is a holy place of pilgrimage, one of only three samadhis, or official memorials, to Srila Prabhupada in the world, along with his Samadhi Mandir in Vrindavan, India, and Pushpa Samadhi in Mayapur.

“And of course, being the only official memorial dedicated to Srila Prabhupada here in the West,” Gopisa says, “It does provide a focal point for devotees to offer their respects and see him in this very beautiful rural setting, which he very much appreciated.”

A dedicated crew of devotees still steadily worship Srila Prabhupada at his Palace, cooking offerings at Sri-Sri RadhaVrindabanchandra’s temple and taking them up to him. Some visit for Mangal arati early in the morning, or go to hear senior devotees speak about Srila Prabhupada in the early days of ISKCON. And of course, Prabhupada’s appearance day and disappearance day are observed at the Palace.

But still, the Palace has not been celebrated amongst ISKCON devotees as much as it deserves in recent years, partly due to the fact that New Vrindaban temporarily parted ways with ISKCON from 1988 to 1998. At the time, many devotees felt as if the heart of Srila Prabhupada’s society had been ripped out, and in some ways New Vrindaban and ISKCON North America have never been quite the same since.

Another reason for the current lower awareness of Prabhupada’s Palace is the visible disrepair as a result of novice construction methods, signs of which began to show as early as the late 1980s. Today, chunks are missing from the outer wall, wrought iron pieces are rusting, the chattras and other cast concrete pieces are crumbling, and the granite on the steps leading up to the Palace is shifting from faulty concrete underneath.

Over the years, in the same loving spirit that infused the original builders, devotees like Tripada Vibhuti have patched up and painted what they could.

 

Fixing the gold leaf in the summer of 2013.

Fixing the gold leaf in the summer of 2013.

But lack of funds prevented a full restoration, until mid 2009, when an inspired Ramesvara Das joined forces with GBC Malati Dasi and other senior disciples to form the Palace Restoration Committee.

The group researched several architectural firms and selected Kayafas Architects of Wheeling, West Virginia, a local firm with an excellent reputation for historic preservation, to assess what needed to be repaired.

Fortunately, engineers concluded that the core structure of the Palace was sturdy and showed no indications of stresses or cracking.

Meanwhile, plans were put in place to repair the outer wall, the portico railing, the steps and the chattras as quickly as funding allows — the project is expected to cost around $1 million.

Some of these elements will be completed by the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s founding in 2016, while others will be ready by the 50th anniversary of New Vrindaban in 2018.

Although the project will employ professional consultants, much of the actual construction work will once again be done by devotees, in keeping with the legacy of the Palace.

“We’re older and smarter now,” Gopisa says, grinning. “And we have more training and information. When the Palace was first built, there was a real push to get it done as quickly as possible, and shortcuts were taken. We won’t make those same mistakes again. The materials we use will be tested to make sure that they’re of the proper standard and quality before they’re installed.”

Beyond 2018 is a larger, $5 to $7 million plan for the Palace’s expansion, which will take at least ten years to complete.

The final vision will see visitors pull into a larger parking lot, and first enter a welcome center and gift shop. They’ll then be guided through a museum about Srila Prabhupada where they will see different artifacts connected to the ISKCON founder.

Next, they’ll view a multimedia presentation on Srila Prabhupada’s life, and on the history of his Palace of Gold. Finally, they’ll take a tour through the Palace itself, culminating in a visit with Srila Prabhupada’s murti in his temple room.

With Gopisa Das already fully occupied as facilities manager, and Tripada Das tasked with the day-to-day running of the Palace, ISKCON New Vrindaban is currently searching for a dedicated project manager to realize this grand vision.

“We’re hoping that there are devotee professionals out there who would consider taking this up as their life’s work,” Gopisa says. “The applicant would require a background in many different fields of construction and would have to have the experience necessary to oversee a large multi-million dollar, multi-year restoration project such as this.”

Meanwhile other devotees can help by donating, or by visiting Srila Prabhupada at his Palace and doing a few days or weeks of service there.

 

Palace Rose Garden

Palace Rose Garden

This support is key, for many believe that restoring Srila Prabhupada’s Palace will symbolically show that New Vrindaban is once again rightly situated, and will raise morale throughout ISKCON North America.

A restored Palace, of course, will also create new interest amongst the public in Srila Prabhupada’s unique contribution.

“Without Srila Prabhupada, we would not have Krishna consciousness in the Western World,” Gopisa says. “His significance and contribution cannot be overstated. So having this focal point in the West where people can come and learn about him is very important.”

“In the future, we hope that the Palace will be restored beyond its former glory,” Gopisa concludes, “And that many thousands more will come and truly appreciate Srila Prabhupada, and the devotion that went into building this Palace for him.”

To donate towards the restoration project, please visit palaceofgold.com.

To apply for the position of Palace Project Manager, please contact Jaya Krishna Das at jaya.krsna.sns@gmail.com.

Srila Prabhupada at his Palace.

Srila Prabhupada at his Palace.

Ganga Sagar Mela
→ Dandavats.com

There are many rivers in the world that evoke a sense of awareness in the person of God, but the Ganges - the foremost of these rivers. Ganga and the Bhagavad Gita are the main sources of transcendental happiness of mankind, and a reasonable soul can take refuge from them to return home, back to Godhead. -- Read more ›

International Speaker & Author
→ The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland

Devamrita swami is back AGAIN with another of his insightful, and deeply thought provoking, workshops. There will laughter and wisdom combined, leaving you enlightened and ready for a knock out dinner, prepared by our Loft cooks. Devamrita swami is an international traveling speaker and author, delivering applied wisdom to many of the highest institutes of […]

The post International Speaker & Author appeared first on The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland.

Celebrating Vaikunta Ekadasi with a Difference in Malaysia
→ ISKCON Malaysia

BY SIMHESWARA DASA

Natural friends, children and cows.

JANDA BAIK - Activities never cease at our cow farm, even during Vaikunta Ekadasi. Vadanya Gaura dasa and his group of friends visited the Gokulam Hare Krishna farm at Janda Baik and served the cows there on this auspicious day. As Go-Seva members, they receive 2 litres of milk a week from the farm. Most of all the children who came along enjoyed the visit and did not want to return back to their city homes.These children had natural affinity to the cows and they loved to chant "Hare Krishna" and be with Krishna and his cows, in contrast with us, the city dwellers who chant "Hare Krishna" and are happy to be in the city without His cows. The photos speak a million words.

A smaller hut for calves.

Preparing pond to pump water for grass cultivation.

And devotees preparing feast for cows.

Just see how close these children are with their friends.

This is Madam Chitra who is now adopting  our cows, Yamuna and calf, Kalindi.

The government does not allow you to keep a cow in your city condo or houses. So the best you can do is come to our farm and help with some seva.

Natural affinity for cows.

Guna Niddhi dasa(left) our very committed cowherd who manages the farm. Come to our farm and you get to feed these beloved cows of Lord Sri Krishna.

Growing grass for cow feed.

More grass planting. Want to donate some grass stalks for replanting?

Drumming It Up
→ travelingmonk.com

This morning we went on harinama samkirtan in Ahmedabad to drum up publicity for this evening’s festival program. People were fascinated to see so many western devotees along with their blissful Gujarati brothers and sisters chanting and dancing in great happiness through the streets of the city. Srila Prabhupada once called ISKCON the, “United Nations [...]

Travel Journal#9.24: New York
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 24
By Krishna-kripa das
(December 2013, part two)
New York
(Sent from Gainesville, Florida, on January 12, 2014)

Where I Went and What I Did

I continued chanting in New York City as part of Rama Raya Prabhu’s harinama party for five or six hours a day, and chopping vegetables for Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch at our Brooklyn temple. I visited the Quaker Meeting in Brooklyn the Sunday before Christmas and went to the Doughnut Plant that evening with my sister and her daughter, and one of my sister’s friends. I visited my family in Albany on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I also was a guest speaker at a Friday Gita class in Queens, and twice the speaker at Atmanivedana Prabhu’s program at 26 2ndAvenue on Saturday, where I made sure to have a stand up kirtana at the end with lots of dancing which people liked. Thus it was a busy time. As this is the last journal for 2013, I include my accounting and thank the many, many people who donated to allow me to share the Hare Krishna mantra and philosophy in different places.

Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu and his wife invited Jayadavita Swami to speak a few times at their Monday evening program at 26 2ndAvenue, so I continue to share notes from his lectures. I also have some notes on a class by Candrasekhara Swami. All this in addition to some quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books and Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s journal.

Thanks to Braja-raja Prabhu for his videos, Alex Vaishnava for his photos of harinama in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and Silvana Delgado from Columbia for her video of harinama in Union Square.

Itinerary

January 13–February 7 - Gainesville, Florida
February 8–11 - Tallahassee
February 12–13 - Jacksonville, Florida
February 14–February 19 - Gainesville, Florida
February 20 - Orlando and Philadelphia
February 21–24 - Dublin, Ireland
February 25 - Mumbai
February 26 - on a train between Mumbai and Howrah
February 27–April 14 - Mayapur
April 16 - Mumbai
April 17 - Dublin, Ireland
April 27 - Kings Day, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
May–July (first two-thirds) – The North of England, Birmingham 24-hour kirtana, London Ratha-yatra, Stonehenge Solstice Festival
July (last third)–August (first two-thirds) – Baltic Summer Festival, Polish Woodstock, Czech Woodstock
August (last third)–September (first half) – The North of England
September (rest) – New York

Income and Expenses for 2013

Income

Donations
4224.00
Book Sales
7.60
Loan Repayment
50.00
Total Income
$4,281.60


Expenses

Travel
3309.90
Gifts
444.57
Supplies
118.46
Festival Fees
47.22
Internet/Phone
20.56
Food / Water
8.27
Total Expenses
$3,948.98

Comments: I do not usually ask people for donations unless I need cash for a ticket to America, Europe, or India. Sometimes people give me donations when I give lectures or do extra harinamas in their region. I do sell more books than appears from this statement, but the funds are for the temple or project I am currently working on. Phone and internet are small because the U.S. government gives free phones to single people making less than $16,000 per year, because devotee friends sometimes top up my UK phone as a favor, and many temples have wireless internet. Food expenses are minimal as I eat in the temples. Gifts include donations to swamis and temples, and prasadam for relatives. Travel expenses in 2013 included the costs of going to New York and Florida, in the United Statues, and England, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia in Europe, and buying a ticket for my biannual trip to India in February 2014.

I want to thank the following people who kindly gave donations to me in 2013. They are listed in order from largest to smallest amounts, along with where the contributors are from, where they are living now, or where I met them. Rama Raya Dasa (NYC), Kaliya Krishna Dasa (NYC), Prema Sindhu Dasa (Columbus), Prema Vilasa Dasa (Columbus), Dhruva Dasa (Kansas City), Kalakantha Dasa (TP Gainesville), Uma Devi Dasi (Tampa), Pat Beetle (my mother, Albany), Praghosa Dasa (GBC, UK & Ireland), Newcastle, England, temple, the people who gave donations on harinamain many places, Atmanivedana Dasa (NYC), Janananda Goswami (UK), Charu Gopika Devi Dasi (Queens), Den Haag temple, Premarnava Dasa (Dublin), Sivananda Sena Dasa (Rotterdam), Prema Sankirtana Dasa (Newcastle), Jivamukta Yoga School (NYC), Naveen Krishna Dasa (Columbus), Nanda Kumar Dasa (Gainesville), Sthita-dhi Muni Dasa (Alachua), devotees from Leeds, Govind (NYC), Vrajendralal Dasa (Bolton), Caru Candra Dasa (Leeds), Clive (Chester), Raj Sharma (Leeds), Amsterdam temple, Ananta Nitai Dasa (Dublin), Gopali Devi Dasi (Slovakia), Pankajanghri Dasa (Queens), Bindu Madhava Dasa (NYC), Dauji (Switzerland), Kapil (Queens), Victor (Albany), Sunanda Dasa (Queens), Stevie B. (London), Alexi (London), Karen (my sister, Albany), Mr. Joshi (Plymouth), Govinda Prabhu (Bhaktivedanta Manor), Asta-sakhi Devi Dasi (Holland), the Sheffield devotees, Muni Priya Dasa (CZ), Daru Das (Tallahassee), Haryasva Dasa (Philly), Rasikananda Dasa (Alachua), Bhakti Rasa Dasa (Newcastle), an Indian guest (Sheffield), Magdalena (Liverpool), a man in pub in Hazel Grove, Nayan (Bhaktivedanta Manor), Ram Charan (London), a new devotee (Bratislava), Iksvaku Dasa (Amsterdam), Bhakta Andrej (London), Jivananda Dasa (Slovakia), Bhaktin Erzsebet (London), a man at the Philadelphia airport, and a Birmingham devotee.

Many other people helped in different ways. Candrasekhara Swami (NYC) donated two shirts and a sweater, Bhagavata Dasi (Belfast) donated a hat, Govind (NYC) donated a gamsha and three sets of counter beads, Gaura Keshava Dasa (Slovakia) donated some shoes. Prema Sindhu Dasa (Columbus) and Kaliya Krishna Dasa (NYC) also purchased airline tickets for me to Columbus and New York, respectively. My family donated figs, chocolate, and socks for Christmas. Kapil (Queens) gave me a orange sweater, and Larry (Brooklyn) an orange hat. Amrita Keli Devi Dasi (JAX) gave me some coconut oil.

If I forgot you, let me know, and I will apologize and I will mention you in my next journal. Too many people to mention helped with rides and accommodation.

Thank you all for assisting me in promoting the chanting of Hare Krishna and the knowledge in the transcendental literature given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Harinamas in New York City



We continued mostly in the subway stations, occasionally chanting in Union Square or Washington Square Parks.

Braja-raja Prabhu took some attractive video [http://youtu.be/vnSmt5d3VEg] of us chanting at the Times Square subway station. It includes my exchange with a passerby, who when asked where he encountered Hare Krishna before, replied with a smile, “Everywhere!”


Even on one cold night in Union Square, many devotees came out.




There is one man who has trained his cat to sit on his head.



At one point, he was even doing some dance steps to our music!



One old man appreciated the chanting.

Displaced from Union Square by the Christmas Market and Green Market, sometimes we chanted at Washington Square Park.



Here a whole family participated.


Here a guy joined us, playing the gong at the back of our party.


Back in Union Square, one girl enjoyed dancing and playing shakers.



Then a group of two adults and two kids all played the instruments with us.



One day at Washington Square Park was very warm.


A father and daughter danced, even as they went on their way.



A young woman enjoyed dancing with us.


Later she looked at the books.

At Union Square, one cab driver danced with upraised hands as he walked to his cab’s trunk to unload his passengers’ luggage . . .



. . . and then again while returning to the driver’s seat!


The day after Christmas at the Union Square subway station, a couple from Columbia in South America was happy to encounter our harinama party. The guy enjoyed playing the shakers and dancing, and the lady took a video [http://youtu.be/z4C_7sKHhDs] of us all. At that time, Sofia from Siberia was singing and Rama Raya Prabhu was playing the harmonium, as you can see:


A few days later they passed us in Grand Central station, and I thanked the lady for sending me her video.



At Delancey Street a man in a Christmas hat happily played the gong.




There four friends danced in front of our party for almost an hour.




One day at Union Square subway, three girls chanted happily with us for half an hour.




Later four guys played instruments and clapped.


Their leader was familiar with kirtana.


Later another girl joyfully chanted with us.


The last Saturday in December was very warm, and we chanted in Union Square. Brajaraja Prabhu took some video of children participating and posted it on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=344917838983786&set=vb.100003967196971&type=2&theater

Jayadvaita Swami joined that day, and once at Grand Central Subway Station.



One girl passing by our party at Union Square subway station, joyfully said to her boyfriend, “I love Hare Krishna!”

One evening when we were chanting at Grand Central on the long hallway between the other subways and the Times Square shuttle, two policemen passed our party just as one of our lead singers finished his shift and the kirtana suddenly stopped. One of the policemen exclaimed, “Why did you stop?” It made me smile. Usually policemen want us to stop singing, but this one wanted us to continue!

On New Year’s Eve, Rama Raya Dasa's harinama party chanted on the outskirts of New York’s Times Square festival. One Arabic mother from Dubai and her two kids danced with us for twenty minutes, and you can catch glimpses of them in this video (http://youtu.be/5whX4vCh-PI).


It was awesome to see her joy at dancing in the kirtana. Later a Brazilian couple followed us for over an hour, smiling and moving with the sound of the kirtana.



The lady (above) expressed interest in looking up Hare Krishnas when she returns to Brazil the following day.



It was seriously cold, 26° F or -4° C, and that was at 11:08 p.m.


To get uptown to do the Times Square harinama, we did harinamaon the “F” train from Second Avenue (http://youtu.be/qBSRwBkKzw4).







Earlier in the day, we had sung at Grand Central subway station on the corridor to the Times Square shuttle.Between Christmas and New Years, often Rama Raya would sing Hare Krishna to the tune of the famous New Years song, “Auld Lang Syne.” (http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGerEnGdI0xJ4_V6CVn2KkkjOGQBqLHEn)


One girl passing by told her boyfriend, “That’s ‘Auld Lang Syne!’”

Atmanivedana Prabhu’s Program at 26 2ndAvenue

It is wonderful that Atmanivedanta Prabhu and his wife, Subhie, are dedicated to having a Gita class every Saturday evening at 26 2ndAvenue. The people who come really enjoy discussing the philosophy and asking questions. I am trying to always have a nice standing up kirtana with dancing at the end, and people have been liking it. It is great to see this pilgrimage place of Hare Krishna history nicely utilized. Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu and his wife also have a program there on Mondays.

Charu Gopika Devi Dasi and Her Queens Program

Charu Gopika Devi Dasi uses the Internet to invite people to her home every Friday for a Hare Krishna program. She has interested some completely new people who have become regulars in that way. I was inspired by her dedication and innovation and hope to visit her program at least once each time I come to New York City.

Visiting the Friends Meeting in Brooklyn

I decided to visit the Friends Meeting (Quakers) in Brooklyn which is just three and a half blocks down Schermerhorn Street from the Brooklyn Hare Krishna temple. I had a friend from when I was teenager who attends that meeting, and I also like to share my realizations with them and hear what they have to say. My first encounter with the joy of the congregational glorification of God was singing Christmas carols with the members of the Albany Friends Meeting as a youth. Their worship, however, is sitting in silence, thinking about God, and sharing realizations. Learning of the power and joy of the practice of singing the glories of the Lord, I always think that the Quakers would do better to add more singing to their practice. Thus I mentioned in the meeting about my early experience with singing the Christmas carols and saying that they could take advantage of the season to do more of that. Surprisingly enough, at the end of the meeting, in honor of Christmas, the First Day school children entered the meeting room, stood right next to where I was sitting, and sang the song “Silent Night” for the pleasure of the congregation. Later I talked with an older lady who was originally from the Santa Monica meeting. She said in that meeting, in addition to speaking realizations during meeting, it was accepted, and even welcomed, if people would sing a song expressing their message. I told her how song is more common in Quaker services in recent years, and in Albany for half an hour one week a month they sing spiritual songs before meeting, and in Tallahassee some members come early and sing for fifteen minutes before meeting every week. She was inspired to suggest they might try that in Brooklyn. I also met a girl who asked the blessings of the congregation for her trip to India, and I offered to tell her of some special places to visit there.

Christmas in Albany

Victor greatly facilitated my program of making prasadam for my friends at the Albany Friends Meeting by greeting me at the Chinese bus in Albany with all the ingredients I needed for cooking. Since my sister had her own extensive cooking project, I cooked at the Friends Meetinghouse. A friendly Peruvian Catholic lady, Arinca, there with her Quaker friend, Crystal, kindly helped me grate for 4.5 cups of carrots that Victor had peeled, thus I was able to finish the carrot-coconut rice from Yamuna’s cookbook on time. I played a nice Hare Krishna kirtana tape while I cooked, which no one objected to.

We attended the Christmas play at the Albany Friends Meeting, and as usual people dressed up to act out different parts of the narration of Jesus’s appearance story, which included few appropriate songs which the congregation sang.



My eighty-nine-year-old mother played an angel.


And I played a wise man.


When the congregation sang the songs about the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, there was a nice spiritual feeling in the atmosphere.

After the drama, someone read The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, a story about a wood carver whose hard heart was softened in the course of carving the figures in the Jesus story. Later at my sister’s house my family read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a story of a family of delinquent children who become righteous in the course of enacting a drama of the Christmas story. It is interesting to me that the transforming power of narrations concerning God or the son of God is a common theme in these two fictional stories. Different verses in India’s Vedic literature refer to power of transcendental narrations such as: “On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.11) The story of the appearance of Lord Jesus Christ, who Srila Prabhupada considered to be a saktyavesa avatar of the Lord could be considered in this category of transcendental literature.

On Christmas I gave my adventurous niece, Fern, Radhanath Swami’s book, The Journey Home, her boyfriend, Oliver, who is studying philosophy, Bhagavad-gita, Victor, who has some devotional inclinations, The Nectar of Devotion, and my mother, Pat, the peace activist, Sri Isopanisad, with its message of peace through accepting our God-given quota and not taking that of others. I could not find a book I thought my sister would really like on our harinama book table.



Thus I decided to order for her online a Hare Krishna cookbook that she doesn’t have, Great Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma Dasa.

Oliver said he had read some passages from the Gita, and he was happy to get the entire book.

I also gave all my relatives each a piece of maha-prasadam pera from Radha Govinda.

I received two package of figs, one of my favorite treats, some chocolate, and a couple pairs of socks, useful for keeping warm on harinama. 

Some people living near my mom had an elaborate display of Christmas lights which was hard to avoid taking a picture of. 



Is it all done for the glorification of the Lord and free of karma? Let’s hope so.

To see the photos I took but did not include in this journal, click on the link below (the unused pictures appear after the used ones):

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 11.89, purport:

“Simply by accepting the associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as nitya-siddha [eternally perfect], one can very easily go back home, back to Godhead.”

from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 11.95, purport:

“There are many professional chanters who can perform congregational chanting with various musical instruments in an artistic and musical way, but their chanting cannot be as attractive as the congregational chanting of pure devotees. If a devotee sticks strictly to the principles governing Vaishnava behavior, his bodily luster will naturally be attractive, and his singing and chanting of the holy names of the Lord will be effective. People will appreciate such kirtana without hesitation.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:


“Today’s drawing shows three
bhaktasdancing and chanting
with upraised arms.
They are jolly and moving
together. They are detached
from the material world.
They avoid intoxication
illicit sex, meat-eating
and gambling. This
situates them on the transcendental plane.
They have no anxieties
or fear for material life.
This because they are
chanting the great mantra
for deliverance which
puts one under
Krishna’s protection.
The mantra is
so powerful it
beats back the material miseries. Anyone
can receive this position
if he or she chants
in a submissive, surrendered mood.”

“Today’s drawing shows four
bhaktasdancing and
chanting with upraised arms.
They are jolly and
moving together.
Prabhupada encouraged us
right from the beginning
in 1966 to get up
and dance. When the
first boy, Bob Lefkowitz
danced, I thought
he was too sensual, but
Swamiji smiled at him
approvingly. Later I
rose for the first time
and did the Swami
step, and he nodded that it
was good. In
later years the
dancing grew more
choreographed and wild.
But Prabhupada allowed it.
He just wanted to see
that we were enthusiastic.”

Jayadvaita Swami:

Devotional service is practical activity, not imaginative ecstasy. The example could be given that a man comes home and asks his wife if dinner is ready, and she simply says, “I love you so much.”

Bhakti is not just a feeling, but practical service, and that service is performed in knowledge.

[After telling the story of the bum who donated toilet paper to 26 2ndAve.:] We are all more or less bums, just of different caliber.

We at the BBT (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) would have put a ceiling on editing the books a long time ago, but we keep finding things that really need to be changed.

Srila Prabhupada told Hayagriva he could use the Bhagavad-gita translations from the other editions which were more or less accurate. Hayagriva said that would be plagiarism. Prabhupada replied, “What plagiarism? They are Krishna’s words!”

Hayagriva’s son Stambha delivered some of his father’s papers to the BBT not long ago. In them I found a page of the Gita manuscript with Srila Prabhupada’s introduction of a handwritten line blasting Mayavadi philosophy. It is good we did not put a ceiling on the Gita so we can include this change Prabhupada obviously wanted.

I think for everyone to be concerned about everything is psychologically unhealthy, and Krishna recommends that one be concerned about doing his own duty.

I think that it would be better if those concerned about the editing issue voiced their concerns to the people who can actually do something about it and not by mentioning them on Facebook.

One might ask if we can change the format of the books, by eliminating the Sanskrit, the word synonyms, the transliteration, etc. The BBT trustees are discussing this issue, but it has not yet become an Internet discussion.

When I was at our temple on 55thSt. I revised the translations for the first two chapters of the First Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. When Srila Prabhupada was visiting New York, I was going to drop them off with his secretary, but he was there, and he had me read a few of them to him. He heard them and asked what I had done.
I said, “I just tried to make them closer to what you originally said.”
He said, “Oh, in that case, it is alright.”

Although Srila Prabhupada blasted Radha Vallabha for liking to change things too much, when he proposed to resign, Srila Prabhupada would not allow him to, saying “What else can he do?”

There are genuine issues and then there is internet madness, which unfortunately obscures the real issues.

Comment by Abhirama Prabhu:

When Srila Prabhupada was personally present, and we did not understand something, we would ask him about it, and he would explain it in another way. We can understand from this that Srila Prabhupada approved of different explanations of the same thing as long as the meaning was not altered.

Q: There is so much controversy about this edition of Bhagavad-gita or that edition. Is there something else I can do besides reading Bhagavad-gita?
A: Yes. You can chant Hare Krishna. That was one of the original attractions for me. I saw philosophy in school was just a lot of hot air with nothing definitive about improving my life. Thus when Srila Prabhupada presented that the Hare Krishna mantra came directly from the transcendental plane beyond the mind and intelligence, I thought that was great—I can circumvent all the hot air and attain the spiritual plane.

Actually the differences in the editions of Bhagavad-gita are really minor. It is not like Krishna is supreme in one edition and Shiva is supreme in another.

Q: So I am to understand that by chanting Hare Krishna I will be able to actually understand either edition of Bhagavad-gita?
A: Yes. The chanting cleanses the heart so we can understand. That is why we chant before our classes.

Once the GBC suggested the BBT footnote Srila Prabhupada’s statements that might offend some people, but the BBT declined. Who was qualified to make those determinations and where would they end? Srila Prabhupada is against anything except pure devotional service to the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, thus there is something Srila Prabhupada’s books that will offend anyone.

We have a few “will not fixes,” things that Srila Prabhupada said a certain way, and we are not going to change them.

Some things are hard to define. How many hairs do you have to have on your face to have a beard? Twenty? Forty?

I suppose if Srila Prabhupada were here, there may be a few changes he didn’t like. [With folded hands:] “I am sorry, Srila Prabhpada.” But he would be very happy so many important corrections were made.

[After class, Jayadvaita Swami advised one disciple of Tamal Krishna Goswami to take second initiation from a swami who has a relationship her initiating guru and who will continue guiding her in the same direction.]

Death for the devotee is the path back to Godhead. Death for the atheistic is total loss.

Death of the demons is compared to the cat capturing a rat. Demons are like rats. Rats always hope the cat is absent so they are free to do as they please.

The people who pass by us at the subway station benefit. They are not hearing the holy name offensively; they like it. Their misunderstandings compared to their appreciation are insignificant.

Q (by Abhirama Prabhu): Is that first smile of those who hear us chanting, worship of Krishna?
A: Yes. They are appreciating Krishna in the form of His name. Otherwise, they would not be wandering through the subway system thinking, “I love God.” But they love the chanting, and the chanting is not different from Krishna.

Q (by Murli Vadaka Prabhu): Doesn’t Krishna make it hard for us after the initial stage?
A: No, we make it hard for ourselves because of our misgivings. We did not realize how dirty our consciousness is, and what it will take to clean it.

Happiness is more than just maintaining a smile. It involves sacrifice. Like the happiness of the warrior is to fight for the protection of the innocent people although it may be troublesome. Or the happiness of the nurse is taking care of the patients despite so much inconvenience. Similarly the devotee is happy despite the difficulties in executing devotional service.

Comment by Abhirama Prabhu: We see people on harinama who are so happy to encounter the devotees and the chanting that their eyes fill with tears of joy.

We can be as happy as the newcomers on harinama. If we think we have too much work to do and so we cannot go, then we will miss out on that happiness that even the newcomers experience.

The Six Goswamis were engaged in utkirtana, the loud chanting of the holy name, and they were big, big philosophers.

Q (by Murli Vadaka Prabhu): What about people in other traditions who engage in some limbs of devotional service but still engage in sinful activities?
A: It is good they are chanting the name of God, but not good that they engage in sinful acts. Still they are much better than those who do not engage in any acts of God consciousness. They can maintain their situation in their own tradition, and learn from the Hare Krishna devotees to avoid illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling.

I do not think I am afraid of birth and death. But I am afraid of dying, and coming back, and having to go through adolescence again.

Once Basu Ghosh Prabhu was telling Srila Prabhupada some of the austerities the Jews perform, and after hearing these, Srila Prabhupada said, “Something good.”

Philosophically one should find an uttama-adhikari, or a devotee on the highest level to be one’s guru. But Lord Caitanya did not make a big issue of it. He simply accepted that anyone who knows the science of devotional service to Krishna is qualified to be a guru.

One must see that Krishna is coming in the form of the spiritual master.

The devotee thinks, “I may be insignificant, but my spiritual master can take you back to Godhead.”

Just take up the service of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and all the confidential understandings will be revealed. If we try to pursue these separately we will fail.

Revatinandana Prabhu told Srila Prabhupada that it was his understanding that by chanting and serving his spiritual master, all higher understandings would be revealed. When Srila Prabhupada heard that, he smiled and replied that he was correct and that our process is one of revelation.

Q: What is the difference between kirtana at our temples, and kirtana on the streets.
A: Caitanya Mahaprabhu would do both.

At one point, Srila Prabhupada wanted 24-hour kirtana in all our temples.

When we were working on his books in Boston, the most important work, he still said we should go out on harinama an hour a day, and we would do that. And that hour of public chanting would nourish us the whole day as we were connecting with the people we are supposed to be reaching.

If we just chant in our temples, that would not be the movement that Srila Prabhupada created.

And when we did kirtana in the temple, it was not like Lord Caitanya at Srivasa Angam where outsiders were not permitted. Srila Prabhupada always had the doors open to all.

Ramesvara Prabhu said his realization was that book distributors were in the mood of the gopis because they are bringing others to Krishna for His enjoyment. Someone asked Srila Prabhupada about that, and Srila Prabhupada said Ramesvara was right.

comment by a senior devotee: Srila Prabhupada said humility means to boldly preach Krishna consciousness.

Q: What does it mean that Srila Prabhupada is the siksa guru of everyone in ISKCON?
A: He is the samstapaka-acarya (founder acarya). He created the whole formula. Sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna. Four rules, mangala arati. He made the teachings of the previous teachers accessible to people of the present day. ISKCON is that society that appreciates Srila Prabhupada’s presentation of Krishna consciousness. If you like that, you can be part of it. If not you can look elsewhere.

Govinda Maharaja, successor of Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother Sridhara Maharaja, said, “We are all eating Srila Prabhupada’s remnants.”

Sridhara Maharaja said that if you try to skip over any of nine steps from sraddha to prema, that part that you skipped will remain hollow. I accept that because it agrees with Srila Prabhupada’s condemnation of jumping over parts of the devotional process.

Candrasekhara Swami:

There is an eternal world, one that is not manifest at a certain point, and is thus called aprakat. Not apricot, but aprakat.

Scientists have difficulty explaining the origin of language. From the Vedic knowledge we understand that because language exists eternally in the spiritual world, it exists in this world.

Unless we come to point of an intimate relationship with God, we have not attained the perfection of religion. Developing this relationship is not a minor point but rather is the central point of religion.

The spiritual realm seems to people like an endless prayer meeting, so they are not attracted. God seems like an ego maniac who gets off on engaging people in glorifying Him.

We in the material world are like a teenagers so absorbed in video games that they forget to eat and do not notice people in the room around him.

The Vedic literature describes the spiritual world as having the same sorts of varieties that go on in the material world but in perfection, and thus it is easier to become attracted to go there.

-----

kalim sabhajayanty arya
guna jnah sara-bhaginah
yatra sankirtanenaiva
sarva-svartho bhilabhyate

“Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana [the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.36)

Principles for Effective Chanting, Putrada Ekadasi, January 11, Andheri, Mumbai
Giriraj Swami

01.11.14_MumbaiGiriraj Swami and Bhurijana dasa spoke at a program at the home of Vrindavan Bihari dasa and Prema Manjari dasi.

“Whether we are just beginning chanters or the most expert chanters chanting on the platform of prema-nama, we still should chant Krishna’s names. And we should chant the best we can, on the highest level we are able to.  So, the first principle is to chant Krishna’s names. The second principle is that when it is time to chant japa we have to make a determination—a sankalpa—‘At this particular time while I am chanting my japa, I have nothing else to do.’ We have to make that decision: ‘I have nothing else to do now’. Because, if we don’t make that decision, when our mind starts accepting and rejecting so many things, we will fall into thinking that ‘This—whatever my mind tells me—is what I have to do right now. But now we have to make the determination—the sankalpa, decision—that I have nothing else to do right now but chant japa.”—Bhurijana dasa

Talk by Bhurijana dasa and Giriraj Swami
Kirtan by Giriraj Swami

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ January 12, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

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Please click here for all photos

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If you desire to easily get vast wealth, a beautiful wife, good children, a palatial home and the other opulences that don’t come in this world without a struggle, and if you desire krishna-bhakti, which carries liberation in the palm of her hand, then simply reside in the spiritual realm named Vrindavana.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-34 Translation ]

The Method Of Chanting
→ Japa Group


"The method of chanting refers to physical considerations such as sitting straight on an asana, chanting during the peaceful predawn hours, and associating with lovers of nama. It also includes using tulasi beads; clear pronunciation; concentrating on the meaning of the mantra; reviewing and avoiding the ten offenses and repentance for transgressions."

From Art Of Chanting Hare Krsna
by Mahanidhi Swami

The thrills in Krsna consciousness
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, UK, Pandava Sena Program)

IDS_tourThere are thrills in the material world and there are many thrills in Krsna consciousness but the difference is that thrills in material life are all about the thing itself. Let’s say – a party, “Hey, hey, party, party! Ok! Ready! Gonna have a good party now!”

We are going to this wonderful, really good party where we will have a really good time. So we’re at the party and we’re having a good time and then the party is over – and that’s it. Finished! That is a material party.

But with a spiritual party, you have a good time and simultaneously there is another dimension to the party – a spiritual dimension of eternal benefit because all the spiritual things you do, get you eternal benefit. So, that’s a good party! Therefore, Krsna conscious parties beat all the others – they are the best! So yes, we have our thrills.

Over the years, I have spoken to many audiences and maybe the toughest audience that I ever had to speak to was a school class that was sent to the Hare Krsna temple – they didn’t really want to but they were sent to our temple. It was a school class of thirteen-year old girls. So, they were there at the temple, looking as though they did not really want to be there but they had to listen to my talk. That was tough!

kks_kirtan mela 2012So I spoke very short because I could see that they could not take much. Then immediately the first question came, “Are you ever going to a discotheque?” I knew it was a burning question because if I would have said “no”, then I was a square and that was it. At the same time, I did not go to the discotheque, so what to say?

So my brain worked at lightning speed and finally I said, “No, we don’t go to discotheques because we have a party here every day! We’re dancing everyday here so why would we go to a discotheque when we have it at home?” I said, “Would you also like to get into it?” And they said, “Yeah, why not!”

Then we had a big kirtan and they danced around and liked it a lot. So in this way, we saved the day but if I would have just somehow or other said (in disgusting voice), “Discotheque?? That’s maya!”, then I would have been finished.

So, we see that Krsna consciousness is not dry. Sometimes people ask me, “What is it like to live in a monastery?” My answer is, “No idea! I don’t know! The Hare Krsna temple is not a monastery!”

 

 

Radhanath Swami Meets Legendary Social Activist Sindhutai Sapkal
→ Dandavats.com

On the evening of 22nd of December’ 2013, at Gangadham ground chowk, Pune, both Radhanath Swami and Sindhutai Sapkal were honored as the chief guests at the performance of ‘Jaoo Devayacha gava’, a Marathi rendition of a drama on the life of Saint Tukaram (1577-1650), one of the most important and popular saints of bhakti tradition. Over five thousand people viewed the show directed by Sanjay Bhosle. -- Read more ›

TEXAS FAITH 118: Aren’t we all searching for community and wonder? How would you describe your search for meaning?
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

This Sally Quinn essay from The Washington Post struck me as a provocative piece. In writing about the search for meaning in our lives, she describes an anti-pastor, an anti-gay atheist and Billy Graham at the end of his career.

The piece is worth the read if only for the part about the “tattooed Lutheran pastor, weight lifter, stand-up comic, former alcoholic and drug addict and hard-swearing Nadia Bolz-Weber.”

At the end, Quinn, in talking about the search for meaning, asks: Aren’t we all searching for community and wonder?

How would you answer that question?

How would you describe your search for meaning?

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas 

The nature of the self is sat-cit-ānanda, eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Our present body is not sat-cit-ānanda. It is called asat for it is perishable. It is acit, full of ignorance, for we have very meager knowledge of this world and practically no knowledge of the spiritual world. And nirānanda, for instead of being full of bliss it is full of misery. All miseries of this world arise from this temporary body and mind but one who remembers Krishna, God, at the time of death, attains a sat-cit-ananda body.


It is our very nature to be full of bliss. Because the highest bliss to be known is from loving relationships, we seek community and love. However, because the body is temporary the relationships remain temporary and thus they cannot satisfy the self and also they create anxiety. In addition to that, the love found in this world is not pure and most often it is tainted with selfishness.

Because our nature is to be fully conscious, we are not only bliss-seeking but also knowledge-seeking. But our instruments of information are dependent on so many factors. Our eyes only see when there is light. Our ears and nose function when there is air. We are so ignorant that we are not even consciously aware as to how we are digesting food or whether there is cancer somewhere in our body.
Meaningful life is found when we act according to our nature. When we, the eternal, lovingly connect to the Supreme Eternal, Krishna.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

Kirtan with First United Methodist Church’s Confirmation Students
→ Nityananda Chandra Das' Blog, ISKCON Dallas

Every we are visited a blissful group of young students from the ages of 7-13 along with their supportive parents and youth leaders.  The students and parents always ask very nice and intriguing questions following by a lovely kirtan.

After the program we always get a lot of thanks about how they enjoyed the presentation and everything else.