Planet ISKCON

I meditate on wonderful Vrindavana, where there are millions of lakes, ponds, and wells, all filled with water as sweet as transcendental nectar, where there are many gardens filled with blossoming transcendental flowers and fruits and unlimited wonderful trees and vines, where there are numberless transcendental deers and other animals who move here and there, and where there are many beautiful transcendental groves.

Verse 18 from the Sri Vrindavana-mahimamrita Shataka (Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrndavana-dhama) by Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura.

Please click here for more Deity photos …..

"Most High: Sri Isopanisad - Mantra One" by Mikey Jay (UK.)

"Bhakti Immersion Retreat" in Upstate New York by Hilary Tapper (Australia).

"Bhaktivedanta College Radhadesh" by Gauragovinda Das and Suravarya Das (Croatia). 

In the Fall 2013, ISKCON News called out to Krishna devotee videographers to send their short videos of inspiring Krishna-conscious people, stories, interesting Krishna-conscious projects, events or activities, or their Krishna-conscious music videos. There were over 50 contestants applied from 14 different countries, and shared their inspiring short films of various subjects, including festivals, spiritual retreats, Deity worship, outreach and artistic programs.

INVITATION TO ALL DEVOTEES OF NEW VRINDABAN

First Meeting of Advocacy Sanga

Agenda: Caring for Each Other, Caring for Devotees 

Soul Searching: How can we attract devotees to live in New Vrindaban? What can we do to inspire long term commitment?

Dear New Vrindaban Devotees,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Candra.

There is now a very nice opportunity to get involved in making a positive difference in our community. The idea is to develop a sanga of caring devotees for discussing how to make the community better and more harmonious in all respects. Since serving Krsna is a dynamic activity there are a variety of ways to please Him.

As Prabhupada explains,

“So everyone can serve Krsna. Either with your life, your money, your intelligence or with your words.  If you can dedicate your life for spreading this Krsna consciousness movement, that is first class. If you cannot dedicate your life immediately, then spend some of your income for Krsna. If you think you have no money, you can serve Krsna by your intelligence or by your words.” [from a S.P. lecture on S.B. 1.2.9]

The formation of the New Vrindaban Community Advocacy Sanga (NVCAS) is an opportunity for devotees to get involved with the community by engaging their individual and collective intelligence in giving input to the current management regarding a wide spectrum of issues that concern the community members at large. The input will take the form of well researched and thought out written proposals in line with guru, sadhu and sastra for management to consider.

The NVCAS is not, of course, a revolution. But it is revolutionary in that it creates an opportunity to revolt against our own apathy and our tendency to complain in a corner to individuals who can’t necessarily do anything about it.  Such complaining tends to quickly sink to the level of fault finding and good solutions never come from destructive criticism.

Although the formation of the sanga is appreciated by management, it is not being created by management, nor will it be overseen by management. Rather it is being formed and will be run by concerned New Vrindaban devotees because of a desire to assist in the pursuance of Srila Prabhupada’s vision for New Vrindaban.

Participation is open to all residents, but there will be a Core Membership established. Core members will be entrusted with the responsibility to come to consensus on advisory proposals. Core members should be:

1) residents of New Vrindaban for a minimum of one full year

2) willing to consistently commit to a minimum of two 2 hr meetings a month to meet with fellow sanga members in serious discussions on community issues with the goal of formulating articulate proposals for management and/or community members to consider

3) willing to educate themselves on topics under consideration on their own time so that discussions can be more productive.

4) willing to make themselves available to community members who have concerns

The 5 broad categories of Srila Prabhupada’s vision for N.V. and their corollaries will be some of the topics under consideration in the coming year.

1) Cow protection/Earth protection

2) Spiritual education/Devotee School/ New Devotee Training/ Western Outreach

3) Self-sufficiency/Livelihood/ Devotee Care/Self Governance

4) Holy place of pilgrimage/Deity Worship/Festivals

All the above to be focused on

5) Loving Krsna

If you are interested to be involved especially as a core member or even as a participating member or just want to find out more, you are invited to the first meeting of the NVCAS on Tuesday Jan. 7, 2014. The meeting will be held at 6pm at the school building. Prasadam will be available from 5:30 onwards.  The agenda will be ”Caring for Each Other, Caring for Devotees”

You can also contact Lilasuka or Nityodita to find out more.

lilasooka@msn.com      or   nityodita@gmail.com

“Exploring the Bhagavad gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning,” a book by ISKCON Academy of Arts and Sciences member Dr. Ithamar Theodor, has received its second prestigious award. Theodor’s unique contribution is his articulation of the Gita’s structure, thus highlighting the ancient wisdom text’s relevance in contemporary philosophy.

Mangala Arati of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath,ISKCON Temple,Chowpatty,Mumbai;24th Dec.2013

Suppose patients get the right medicine, but don’t value it. Or suppose they value it but don’t take it. Either way, they continue suffering.

The Biblical dictum, “Love God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,” is not an invitation for the practice of earthly love towards God.

The post December 27th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Can you pl comment on the article below?

http://www.merinews.com/article/surrogate-advertisement-enters-religious-arena-too/15892151.shtml

Answer Podcast

Quote of Francis delighting in Deity desecration:

“I would gather all the boys of the village and go to the place where they had  made and worshipped the idols; and then the dishonour heaped on the devi was greater than the honour paid to him by the parents and relations of the boys at the time when they made and venerated the idols. For the boys would take the idols and break them to tiny pieces, and then they would spit on them and trample them under foot and do other things which perhaps it is better not to record in detail, thus showing their contempt for the one who had the impertinence to demand the veneration of their fathers.” (Francis Xavier in a letter to Father Ignatius,  Quoted in S. C. Neill, A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to ad 1707, 146.)

[p.s In yesterday's QA on conversion, the link of the huffington post article had got broken. The correct link is posted here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-goldberg/missionaries-in-india_b_4470448.html]

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhaya-lila 19.151 and Adi-lila 8.24, during the initiations of Bhakta Akash and Bhaktin Komeshnee, in which he gave them the spiritual names Akrura dasa and Kamala-sundari dasi, respectively.

“Anartha-nivrtti is a very critical stage in which unwanted desires and behaviors are eradicated. Devotees can get stuck and spend a long, long time without passing through this stage—because to pass through it requires work. In Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s analogy about the devotional creeper, he says that after receiving the seed of devotion one should become a gardener and plant the seed and water it by chanting and hearing. And he states that one should be careful of weeds, or unwanted creepers, that grow up alongside the devotional creeper. These weeds can very closely resemble the devotional creeper; they can appear to be of the same size and the same variety as the devotional creeper, but they are actually weeds, and if one is not careful, the water from the chanting and hearing can be sucked up by these weeds. So, that is another way of looking at why someone can remain stuck for a long time—because the person is not able to distinguish between the real creeper and the weeds. The weeds, in broad terms, are material desires. So, one may be chanting and engaging in so many devotional activities, but within oneself one may want some material position or even harbor some covert desire to merge and become one with God, or Brahman. So, to pass through anartha-nivrtti requires sincerity and effort.”

Initiation Talk

Dick Thornburgh, former Pennsylvania governor and U.S. attorney general, gave a speech last month entitled “The Role of Faith in Public Service.” In it, he said not only that his religious faith was important to him as a lawyer, governor and cabinet member under two presidents – but also that he tried to keep “a particularly instructive passage of scripture” in mind. It was Micah 6:8, a well-known passage for many Jews and Christians: “Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

In his speech, Thornburgh explained why he tried to keep that particular passage in mind.

As a prosecutor, Thornburgh said the idea of justice meant making a good-faith effort to combine the toughness necessary to govern with a compassion for people in need. Of kindness, he said: “This admonition encompasses the highest claim upon those of us in public life – that of assisting others.” As for walking humbly, that sometimes means admitting when you’re wrong.

Every faith and spiritual tradition has its verses, phrases, expressions, central ideas. The Bible, the Torah, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, Tripitaka, myriad religious texts and spiritual beliefs – each has what Thornburg calls a “particularly instructive passage” providing guidance for people in public life.

The Faith Panel took up the question —What single passage from your faith tradition would you recommend to elected officeholders and those who advise them? Their answers were varied, similar, extraordinarily diverse and amazingly consistent.

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

"Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 3.21

People require leaders who can lead by their practical example. A leader who smokes cannot teach his followers not to smoke. Therefore honest persons do not take the position of leadership without first behaving above moral scrutiny. A leader must not only be an exemplary example but also their leadership should be guided by transcendental wisdom. If the leader does not have a complete understanding of the self he will not be create a peaceful situation. For only the self-realized are peaceful and satisfied.

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

"The devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are called santas, and they are always in love with the Lord as it is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38): premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. The santas, being always in a compact of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda (the giver of all pleasures), or Mukunda (the giver of liberation), or Kṛṣṇa (the all-attractive person), cannot accept anything without first offering it to the Supreme Person." -  Bhagavad Gītā purport 3.13

Lauren Kavanaugh

Over the last week, the Dallas Morning News has run a series on the story of 20-year old Lauren Kavanaugh. In “The Girl in the Closet”, you will read a devastating, demoralizing account of depravity. (To access these stories, go to the chapters portion on the toolbar.)

The report tells the story of how young Lauren was locked in a closet, deprived of food and sexually abused by her mother and stepfather over several years. It will tell you how she rose above that horror to later be sexually abused again in her teen-age years. Throughout the story, you will learn of the rise and fall and rise of this young girl. You also will hear many an expert say this was as bad a case of victimization as they have seen.

Here, then, is my question:

Where was God in the ordeal young Lauren faced?

Of course, this is an age-old question, but I would like to hear your views.

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

My sister died when she was just two years old when I was a young boy in middle school. She suffered terribly in the hospital for two years and then passed away. For that reason, I also had this same question.

It is like if you were to walk into a grocery store and the cashier twists your arm behind your back and pushed your face hard down onto the table, all under the purview of the manager. If the manager did nothing to stop this mistreatment, naturally you would see this as bad management, neglect, or cruelty. In this same way, Mother Nature can be seen as the cashier and God is her manager.

Omnipotent means that God not only has the power to stop mistreatment but rather everything happens by His own sanction. Omniscience means that God knows all that is happening. And finally omnibenevolence means that God is the most kind and loving. So how does one resolve this great contradiction?

Since God is the most intelligent, shouldn't there be an intelligent answer? If that person who was at the grocery store was there the day before and they were shoplifting, then it would not be seen as cruelty, mismanagement, or neglect of the cashier and manager, if he were to be accosted and  arrested. Similarly, the only answer that gives a logical framework to the suffering of children and the existence of an all loving God, is that everyone bears the burdens of past karmas of previous lives. Otherwise a solid case for neglect and cruelty could be made against the Supreme Lord.

Why karma, what is the benefit of karma? Karma is material actions of the past that come with their concomitant material reactions. When one acts fully in God consciousness there is no karma, no reactionary bondage to their actions. Karma reminds the soul that the material world is not its home.

The true saint feels compassion and pain towards all other's suffering. A saint will teach by example one how to become fully God-conscious and thus destroy the problem of suffering at its root.

 

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

Camera: Polaroid Big Swinger 3000 | Film: Fuji FP-3000B

Fuji is discontinuing their black & white Polaroid film, and I’m incredibly bummed out by it. I haven’t used it much (only three packs, I think), but it was magical and I was really planning on delving into it this coming spring. No such luck, I’m afraid.

So on Christmas day, we tramped out to Snoqualmie Falls so I could take my last two black & white Polaroids (ever?). These are the falls featured in the opening to Twin Peaks. Anyway, when taking the last two photos, I actually though that I had a spare pack of B&W in the fridge. Upon returning home, I discovered that I was mistaken. Thankfully, I’m pretty happy with both.

What makes me most happy about the shots is probably the camera. I was using a Polaroid Big Swinger 3000, which has a strange, ethereal blur. It reminds somewhat of a Holga. The problem is that this camera is only set up to take photos with 3000iso film. The color film is 100iso. I figured that I might be able to alter it. Maybe I could bore out the shutter blades, but no. I won’t go into why, but it was actually impossible.

What was possible, however, was moving the lens to a different camera. This was a bloody (literally) ordeal, which I’ll talk about tomorrow.

For now, enjoy my second to late black & white Polaroid photo.

(Yes, I know you can still get the film, but it’s going for $20+ a pack and I really can’t justify that. I’m really sorry to see it go.)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, September 2013, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 8.20.12)

Before Aindra Dasa, Srila Prabhupada started the 24 hour kirtan in 1975. When the temple opened, for a short while Hamsadutta Dasa was the temple president. He had a very strict system – everyone would get coupons for prasadam at mangal-aarti.

So it was a very strict management and not so popular but then Prabhupada instructed him about the 24 hour kirtan. Prabhupada told him to have shifts and Hamsadutta implemented it in everyone - no matter who you were, you were given a shift. All the devotees had shifts and one mataji went complaining to Prabhupada, by saying, “But I have to make garlands for three hours.” Prabhupada said, “Yes, then you do not have to do the kirtan. It is not like that, it is for those who do not have other service.”

So it was a big struggle and it was hard to maintain after Prabhupada’s disappearance; it became difficult to maintain the kirtan. It was going on a bit but not exactly for 24 hours.

In 1978, I became in charge of the 24 hour kirtan for quite a number of years and we just did not have people to go on the whole night. We used to keep the kirtan going during the day with different volunteers. The temple commander before me was very eager; he was always getting devotees from all over the world to come and sit down and do some kirtan, while others danced. But no one had done exactly the schedule that Prabhupada wanted because we were managing. We were not sitting down ourselves but Aindra, he sat down himself. He sat down and he did the night shifts; he did the tough parts.

So like that, by hard work, he was successful not by some miracle but by hard work!

Prominent ISKCON sannyasi Bhakti Vrajendranananda Swami, who had been suffering from serious liver condition, has made a remarkable recovery and has just been discharged from the hospital.

If a king cannot distinguish between the time to be angry and the time to forgive, then he is lost.

- Draupadi to Yudhisthira, Mahabharata, Vana Parva

It's not an accident that Brussels sprouts, like other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale, have a famously unpleasant taste.

6,000 plates of hot meal and 32 tons of food packages, warm cloths and toys were distributed by Hungarian Krishna devotees over the Christmas holidays. Many political leaders, well-known public figures, sportsmen and artists joined them as volunteers in helping their efforts to care for underprivileged families.

BY JANANANDA GOSWAMI

KUALA LUMPUR - I am pleased to say that His Holiness Bhakti Vrajendranananda Maharaja has made a remarkable recovery  and has just been discharged from the hospital. He is still of course in a state of more than sensitive health. This is the third time the doctors were almost helpless as to what to do and that he was practically gone. Krishna protects.

It is stated, mare krsna rakhe ke, rakhe krsna mare ke: If Krishna protects someone, no one can kill him, and if Krishna wants to kill someone, no one can save him. SB 11.1.4

The doctors concluded that the prayers of the devotees were the only cause of his recovery. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. 

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

 

Generally,in old age a person is allowed retirement from mundane service. But in the transcendental service of the Lord there is no retirement at all; on the contrary, the service attitude increases more and more with the progress of age.

SB 3.2.3