Planet ISKCON

Huddled together in sub-zero temperatures with no power during an ice storm this past holiday season, devotees in Toronto, Canada discovered the joy of simplicity and Krishna conscious association. The storm struck in the midst of book distributor Vaisesika Das’s annual “Festival of the Heart,” held from December 19th to 24th at ISKCON Toronto. 

On New Year’s Day, devotees at ISKCON Baltimore in Maryland, USA set a group goal to read 100,000 pages of Srila Prabhupada’s books by the end of the year, as an offering to the ISKCON founder. Within two weeks, they were already on track to beat their goal, and had set a new goal of nearly twice as much -- quite a start to the New Year!

The post January 31st, 2014 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

1969 January 31: "Our first meeting on Houston Street, it was all arranged by Krishna. That was a favor shown to me by Krishna. So Krishna sent you to me, and therefore our meeting was the desire of Krishna."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 January 31 : "I wish to request you to come and live with me but you have already said that will not be possible. So your help to my book fund is very much welcome. I shall always pray for your higher spiritual life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 January 31: "Whatever you can do to turn the minds of the people towards Krsna Consciousness, that is very much appreciated by me. You are intelligent boy, you can decide how."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 January 31: "So far the court case is concerned, I shall be interested to hear the outcome. So you may keep me informed. But always remember that Krsna is the Supreme Controller of all that be."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 January 31 : "We must be so careful to train the devotees nicely. They have come from the realm of maya to Krsna's place, so it is our duty to keep them there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1975 January 31: "If someone wants the blessings of Ganesa in order to get large amounts of money for Krishna's service, then it is alright, but they must send me at least $100,000 dollars monthly - not less."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Renewable Energy World Editors

Last week India finally held its national solar auction, the first in two years, seen as the least risky of several national and state-level solar auctions held over the past few years.

Demand was as heated as expected: 58 bids were received pledging to develop more than 2.1 GW of solar energy capacity, nearly triple the 750-MW that state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) was offering. Here’s the full list of eager developers, which includes Azure Power India (200 MW), Welspun Energy (160 MW), Goldman Sachs-backed local developer ReNew Solar Power (50 MW), First Solar (30 MW), and a handful of state-run utilities. Part of the spur behind the activity was the government’s promises to cover as much as 30 percent of project costs; part of the delay was the adjustment of payout period from one year to five years. And perhaps part of the huge interest was the delay of the auction to help clarify some of its structure and sooth investor and developer concerns.

More than half of the bids (36 bids for 700 MW) proposed to take advantage of the domestic content requirement (DCR), more than double what SECI expected. Developers appear to be hedging reliance upon domestic suppliers’ ability to support projects by de-emphasizing those requirements in favor of Viability Gap Funding (VGF), points out Bridge to India’s Jasmeet Khurana.

Another positive takeaway is that more than half (60 percent) of the bids in terms of capacity would end up being managed as an independent power producer (IPP), a big increase in their level of participation. Pure-play solar IPPs don’t enjoy some advantages of tax incentives such as accelerated depreciation, but separating such tariffs is giving pure-play IPPs a more level playing field, he added.

 

Filed under: Cows and Environment

In a place where any man-made bridge can easily be washed away, humans here have consciously decided to work in collaboration with nature.

Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits performing a moving rendition of their song -"Surrender"-from the album Ten Million Moons- at the Rhythm Hut in Gosford, NSW -Australia. (Dance: Vrinda, guitar: Bhakta Clayton Frick, bass: Shree Shyam, and Jahnavi Harrison on vocals and violin.)

The reputation of coconut flour is growing in the West due to its considerable health benefits, which far exceed those of processed flours.

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Iskcon Perth has been in operation since 1988 with a few devotees travelling out west to help spread the Sankirtan movement. Originally based in the Bayswater area, the temple proved a bit too small for the growing populus of devotees thus we have relocated to a bigger premises in the shire of Kalamunda. -- Read more ›

H.H Janananda Goswami Maharaj SB – 05.02.8

1975 January 31: "I beg you to come and live in Mayapur. I shall arrange a very nice room and you can peacefully engage in your painting and read Srimad Bhagavatam. I think this arrangement will be very nice."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Ukrainian priests are trained to comfort their flock — and these days, those worshippers are often on the barricades.

With a Spanish language ISKCON News website launched on January 1st (noticias.iskcon.org), and running successfully, it’s now Russia’s turn. “There is a lot going on in Russian-speaking ISKCON,” she says. “But a system for timely communication between different temples’ Communications Departments is only in the making now," says managing editor Bhaktin Olessia.

Salt is an essential nutrient that we require for transporting nutrients into and out of our cells, regulating blood pressure. However, not all salts are equal.

The survivors of any disaster welcome the rescue team with an open arm and willingly go back with them. But Lord Chaitanya had to deal here with those who were suffering from spiritual amnesia.

When New Vrindaban, ISKCON’s first rural community, was first established in 1968, it became, for many years, a shining example of the best that ISKCON had to offer. After a series of well-documented legal transgressions and spiritual deviations in the 1980s, however, many devotees left. Now New Vrindaban is in the midst of a major transformation.

In this long-awaited follow up to The Journey Home, renowned spiritual leader Radhanath Swami shares intimate stories from his forty years as a teacher of devotional (bhakti) yoga. His heartfelt down-to-earth writing makes accessible topics that have remained esoteric for generations: explanations of the material and spiritual selves, the way of righteousness (dharma), and what happens at death.

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction message and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

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Rasa Rasika dasa

O brother, please reside under the trees of Vrndavana, and from time to time enter the villages to beg alms. Drink as much Yamuna water as you like. Dress in some rejected pieces of cloth. Consider others’ praise of you the most bitter poison, and their disrespect sweet as nectar. Serve Sri Sri Radha-Muralidhara, and never leave this land of Vrndavana.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-48 Translation.]

Please click here for more photos

When I was getting the YouTube address for Pete Seegar chanting Raghu[ati Raghava Rajarama I saw a lot of more traditional versions so I thought for my readers who weren’t familiar with it to post one of them.

Then I got obsessed with it and was playing it over and over again which was a pain because I had to keep hitting start. So I searched on “YouTube” ” loop” and found a lot of places you can do it.

Here is one of them.

You paste the 11 character YouTube video identifier  in the box on the right (everything after the = in the YouTube url) and you are off to the races, it endlessly loops it or maybe you can set how many times to loop it but I didn’t get that far.

Filed under: News, Ramblings or Whatever

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

Morality requires spiritual vision. For example if there is accident on the highway, what should be cared for first? The passengers in the car or the car itself? Similarly, a person with spiritual vision will know what is of greater importance, the body, or the soul within the body. That person who is in ignorance cannot see the soul and thus cannot make proper moral decisions.

"The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this. The endeavoring transcendentalists who are situated in self-realization can see all this clearly. But those whose minds are not developed and who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try." -Bhagavad Gītā As It Is15.10-11

It is just like someone who is not trained in automobile repair. He can see the car and the mechanic can see the same car but he will not be able to see what the mechanic sees unless he has been trained to see it. Thus it is mechanic who can make decisions rather than the ignorant person.

"The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle priest, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater." -Bhagavad Gītā As It Is 5.18

Thus a moral person who has spiritual vision does not condone harm to anyone regardless what their race, species, or position within or out of a womb, if such harm is for personal gratification.

 

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

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

In the Vedic tradition, religion, culture and everyday life are intertwined. The Sanskrit term Dharma means "The constitutional nature of an object."

Sometimes this term is misinterpreted as religion. However, a person can change their religion but they cannot change their dharma.

For example, the dharma of sugar is that it is sweet, the dharma of fire is that it is hot. It is not fire if it is not hot.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam teaches that the dharma of the self is to serve and love God. This nature of desiring to love and serve someone or something is always present in a person and is properly situated when directed towards God.

A follower of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad Gītā dedicates every action as an offering unto the Supreme. Thus ordinary things such as cooking, eating, and even sex to produce children are seen in relation to Krishna.

That is why it is called Krishna Consciousness because one is consciously and lovingly engaging their mind, body, and self in the service of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Krishna.

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

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 December 2013, Midrand, South Africa, Evening Lecture)

Prabhupada was saying, “How did this miracle happen to me? I’m an old man, I’m an old man. I am a foreigner. I came to America, I didn’t have any money.”

Old man, foreigner, no money. Who’s gonna listen to him? Nobody will care for him. He said, “How did this miracle happen to me?”

By the grace of guru and Gauranga! When guru is pleased then Krsna is pleased then Krsna will do, Krsna will make it all possible. Then anything can be done. Prabhupada was so successful and Prabhupada became so glorious but he never accepted any glory.

He would always point at Krsna or his spiritual master, “If you see any good qualities in me, then know it to be the good quality of my spiritual master.” He said, “Just like the moon, the moon actually has no effulgence of it’s own. It’s just reflecting light of the sun. In the same way, if you see any good quality in me, then know it’s just a reflection of the good quality of my spiritual master.” Like that, Prabhupada is not claiming any fame. Oh no. Prabhupada was pointing at Krsna.

Prabhupada said, “Krsna is your best friend.”

“Oh Prabhupada, you are our best friend,” the devotees said.

Prabhupada said, “No, no. I may disappoint you but Krsna, he never will, he never will because Krsna is omnipotent. He can do anything and everything. He is your best friend. I may disappoint.”

So like this, Prabhupada was pointing at Krsna as our shelter, as our friend, always Krsna, putting Krsna in the centre. 

 

With Niranjana and Sivarama Swamis -- Read more ›

“The heavenly planets are more celebrated than the earth. But the celebrity of earth has defeated that of the heavenly planets because of Dwarka where Lord Sri Krsna reigned as a king. Three places, mainly Vrindavan, Mathura and Dwarka, are more important than the famous planets within the universe. These places are perpetually sanctified because [...]

Everyone's energy is generated or borrowed from the reservoir of energy of the Lord; therefore, the resultant actions of such energy must be given to the Lord in the shape of transcendental loving service for Him. As the rivers draw water from the sea through the clouds and again go down to the sea, similarly our energy is borrowed from the supreme source, the Lord's energy, and it must return to the Lord. That is the perfection of our energy.

- Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.27 purport

I do not prefer yoga, occult powers or salvation, I do not prefer to be with the Lord in Vaikunta, Nor do I prefer to have only pure love for him, But I would prefer to live in Vrindavana. -- Read more ›

Govinda Swami: Just sat down to take a flight and the gentleman man, in charge of the cabin, came to speak to me. He said, I'm George, from Lebanon, and I'm your servant. If there is anyway I can serve you, please let me know. When he said that I went into a sort of ecstasy !! I told him that's the topmost viewpoint a person could have in his life, and I try to follow that, though most of the time I fail. I shook his hand and said, "George, you just made my day." -- Read more ›

The post Somewhere along the Transalvanian border… appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Radhadesh Mellows is one of the most anticipated events of the year. It is a kirtan festival organised by and held in a 19th century Belgian castle which now serves the purpose of being one of the most stunning temples in Europe dedicated to Radha-Krishna. Kirtan is the call-and-response chanting performed by the devotional traditions of India, although now it is found to be practiced in every country by millions of people, regardless of their race, caste or creed; Kirtan simply means to glorify God by chanting His Holy Names. -- Read more ›