Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.13.14 – Radhanath Swami & Jayapataka Swami
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(kindly transcribed by Sheela Mataji, Singapore) Download the audio for this lecture here: Download From: Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir Date: February 18, 2014 (Devotee Care Day) Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami (lecture one of two) Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.13.14 ity uktvadri-dari-kuñja-gahvaresv atma-vatsakan vicinvan bhagavan krsnah sapani-kavalo yayau Translation: “Let Me go and search for the calves,” Krsna […]

The post Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.13.14 – Radhanath Swami & Jayapataka Swami appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.36 – HG Krsna Ksetra Das
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(Kindly transcribed by Sheela Mataji, Singapore) Download the audio of this lecture from here: Download From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir Date: February 17, 2014 Speaker: HG Krsna Ksetra Das Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.36 We are reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4, Chapter 21, verse number 36. The chapter is entitled ‘Instructions by Maharaj Prthu’. I thought this […]

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Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.18 – HH Sivarama Swami
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Audio for this class may be downloaded here: Download [Kindly transcribed by Sheela Mataji, Singapore] From Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir! Date:    February 16, 2014 Verse:   Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.18 Speaker: HH Sivarama Swami —————————————————————————- Hare Krishna! Welcome to all of the members of the ILS festival that is taking place. This a leadership seminar and I […]

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Saturday, February 15th, 2014
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Missing But Found

New Delhi, India

Its always an honour to speak about walking icons.  Before me were dozens of resident brahmacharis (monks), I talked about this young prince who actually ran away from home, perhaps walked.  He felt some neglect from his parents, a step mom and biological father.  He was only five. 

He took to the wilderness and also the trails of sadhus (sages) and finally found a suitable place for his meditation.  He met his guru there - Narada Muni, who gave him a mantra.  "om namo bhagavate vasudevaya".  From this mantra he becomes powerful as an ascetic and a medium to communicate with the Divine.  With his strong conviction and encouragement from the aforementioned personalities he had gone through an internal cleansing.  After a brief six months practice of both astanga and bhakti yoga, he decided to leave his place of meditation and return back home on foot, back to the palace actually.  The missing child came home.  Troubles and miscommunications were reconciled.  A regretful father and his two mothers (even the nasty step mom) had regained consciousness, so to speak.

I had been telling the boys from our little drama troupe after their terrific performance before a packed house at the temple that there is nothing more unsettling for me than when I see these bill posted, like at a bus station, of missing persons.  Mostly they are kids or teens.  In our Vancouver community one teen was last seen on a bus.  He never made it home and police have not heard hide nor hair of the unfortunate young fella.

Practically in most cases these missing persons did not go for a walk to achieve enlightenment.  Your imagination can go wild on what may have happened to such souls.

Dhruva's story was a happy one.  He had anger issues from time to time.  For the most part he championed those frailties and became a great leader.  It was  a pleasure to talk about one of my most favorite walking heros, Dhruva, to a group of great bhakti yogis.

May the Source be with You!

4 KM

Sunday, February 16th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

New Delhi, India

Missing But Found


It’s always an honor to speak about walking icons.  Before me were dozens of resident brahmacharis (monks), I talked about this young prince who actually ran away from home, perhaps walked.  He felt some neglect from his parents, a stepmom and biological father.  He was only five. 

He took to the wilderness and also the trails of sadhus (sages) and finally found a suitable place for his meditation. He met his guru there - Narada Muni, who gave him a mantra.  "om namo bhagavate vasudevaya".  From this mantra he becomes powerful as an ascetic and a medium to communicate with the Divine.  With his strong conviction and encouragement from the aforementioned personalities he had gone through an internal cleansing.  After a brief six months practice of both astangaand bhakti yoga, he decided to leave his place of meditation and return back home on foot, back to the palace actually.  The missing child came home.  Troubles and miscommunications were reconciled.  A regretful father and his two mothers (even the nasty stepmom) had regained consciousness, so to speak.

I had been telling the boys from our little drama troupe after their terrific performance before a packed house at the temple that there is nothing more unsettling for me than when I see these bills posted, like at a bus station, of missing persons.  Mostly they are kids or teens.  In our Vancouver community one teen was last seen on a bus.  He never made it home and police have not heard hide nor hair of the unfortunate young fella.

Practically, in most cases these missing persons did not go for a walk to achieve enlightenment.  Your imagination can go wild on what may have happened to such souls.

Dhruva's story was a happy one.  He had anger issues from time to time.  For the most part he championed those frailties and became a great leader.  It was a pleasure to talk about one of my most favorite walking heroes, Dhruva, to a group of great bhakti yogis. 

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Saturday, February 8th, 2014
→ The Walking Monk

To the Hill

Vrndavan India

The sun hadn't yet met Vrndavan until late. The six of us who took that popular pilgrimage around the celebratory and sacred hill, Goverdhan, were rather okay with that. Given the time of the year (days are short) in the northen hemisphere) and the overcast that stubbournly hung for a while, it gave our treck more energy retention.
 
Maha Mantra and Fil, both from Canada were on this trail for the first time, Nrsinghananda and Mukunda from the U.S had hit the dust here before. I've relished the six hour trek in the past (eleven years ago was my last) but it was our New Zealander, Kala, who appeared to be the expert, knowing the trail, he became our guide.
 
The 6:15 AM starting point was momentous at some juncture in the road, a mere few kilometers from Vrndavan. Which got us there by cab, from there our 22 KM trek commenced with the magic of Goverdhan itself unfolding delectibly before us.
 
Goverdhan is more like an escarpment flounting its ancient work and trees. The rock takes on hues of orange and violet, big and small. From a birds view Goverdhan assumes the shape of a peacock. At its edge are some quaint and significant temples. It is home to hundreds of bird, monkeys and nilagava, a blue deer- like cow, famous from the time of Sri Krishna Himself. At one point we admired the various animal communities enjoying breakfast together- green parrots, pigions- pigs, monkeys and cows. Pilgrims from all over India recognized our crew. They addressed us with a Hare Krsna which goes to show that Krishna Consciousness is becoming well established in India. Interaction with fellow foot travelers was inevitable.
 
Our vist to Radha Kunda, a particular watery haven was also memorable, one you get beyond exception. One aggressive apparent resident guide, was a very high strung, in your face guy who was mostly rupee conscious. I asked him to sit down with me, next to the sacred water. He did. " Now let us go over the mantra together," Hare Krishna..." I would not get past the first two words with him. I figured that if the mantra could meet his pan-chewing, never-seen-a-tooth-brush for teeth that there could be some benefits. As we sat together I asked him to chill, politely, and even stroked with my hand over his back a minute long massage just to get him on his good side. To no avail did he calm and left without a coin to his keep from us.
 
Our pilgrim group terminated this trek where literally thousands of pilgrims were, on this trail daily. We were happily fatigued, visited numerous temple along the way, chanted mega-numbers of mantra, interacted with folks, loved each others company and admired being by a hill that once Krishna lifted to protect his devotees from torrential rains, demonstrating his affection for the spiritually-based
 
May The Source Be With You!
 
23 KM

Thursday, February 6th, 2014
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Brussels / Delhi

In The Air
 
Our flight attendant, who is training to be a pilot and whose surname is Krishna, interesting to chat with. He regularly chants on his meditation beads as the two of us passengers were doing.

My companion to India is a young monk, Maha Mantra, who hails from Pickering, Ontario. We were both learning from our attendant about flying. For instance the engined plane we were on with Jet Airways has the bulk of its fuel in the wings, "More so than fuel in its belly," as he put it. We didn't know that.

We were watching the guys outside de- Icing the plane. Apparently the aircraft doesn't get off the ground when the wings carry some resistance for instance the ice. Despite all the engine power, the size of the wings and quantity of fuel the mechanics are such that the plane won’t get off the ground with all the ice on it.

From Brussels to Delhi a new team of flight attendants came on board. This time Anish, took over the shift of taking care of people's need. I always learn something about hospitality from these people. I've seen incidents when their patience is tested. According to Anish, “When someone has had just one drink too much he/she can go over the top with their behavior. At that point, we the flight attendants can never get angry," he said. Anish was curious about the Bhagavad Gita. He had been on old truth that applies even to modern times.

"Right you are," I explained to Anish, who is a young father, you learn first how to submit to your own psychophysical nature. Do as you are obliged. The second and final lesson is about submit to the will of the Supreme. "The first attitude blends into the second."

Take care Anish and Krishna from earlier on!

May the Source be with you!

0 KM

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura: Genuine Morality is a By-product of Bhakti
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During Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's visit to Dacca in 1935, a group of scholars came to hear from him, and one of them, the Sanskrit professor Sri Yukta Abhay Chandra, M.A., opened the conversation by stating that as a result of modern education, today's students were becoming misbehaved, vulgar, and immoral, and thus it was not possible to speak to them about devotion to God, which they snorted at as if it were a laughing matter; yet without first giving religious instruction, moral standards could not be established. Read more ›

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Poem To Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Bhakti Charu Swami

Song Name: Adore Adore Ye All Official Name: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Vyasa Puja Offering (1935) Author: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Book Name: The Harmonist Language: English LYRICS (1) Adore, adore ye all The happy day Blessed than heaven Sweeter than May. When he appeared at Puri The holy place, My Lord and Master His Divine Grace.(...)

Epistemology of Sri Sri Shikshashtaka
→ Servant of the Servant



While teaching topics of spiritual knowledge to both the students and teachers of the mundane schools of Navadvipa, Sri Gaurasundara composed the first verse of Sikshahstaka

(1)
cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambhudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam

Glory to the Shri Krishna sankirtana (congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names), which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. That sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

In the second verse of Sikshashtaka there is an elaboration of the first.

(2)
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalaha
etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragahah

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names, you have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach you by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

In the third verse the Lord reveals to the world the method of properly serving the first verse.

(3)
trinad api sunicena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harihi

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

In the fourth verse Sri Gaurasundara describes the process for giving up desires that are not related to Krishna.

(4)
na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanishvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

In the fifth verse the Lord describes giving up realization of the Supreme Lord's opulences while worshipping the supremely blissful Absolute Truth and chanting the holy names as an eternal servant.

(5)
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam vishame bhavambudhau
kripaya tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vichintaya

O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

The reactions of the body, mind, and speech as one progresses in chanting the holy names are described in the sixth verse.

(6)
nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nichitam vapuh kada
tava nama-grahane bhavishyati

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

According to the consideration in the seventh verse that the holy names and the Lord are non-different, a practitioner achieves perfection by attaining the state of apana-dasa, realization of one's original constitutional position.

(7)
yugayitam nimeshena
chakshusha pravrishayitam
shunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda-virahena me

O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

Lord Gaurasundara taught the eighth verse so that the same practitioner could become decorated with all symptoms of complete surrender by freeing himself from the bad association of aversion to Hari while giving up the concept of enjoyment in the course of chanting the holy names and thus attain Krishna prema. 

(8)
ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparaha

I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

Other than this, Lord Gaurasundara forbade all of His beloved devotees from discussing any topics indirectly related to Krishna. The living entities bereft of Sri Krishna Caitanyacandra's affection do not accept the Supreme Lord, who is full of transcendental rasa, as their beloved, because their hearts are dry and hard. No one other than svayam-rupa Krishna is bold enough to impart such instructions.


Purport by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Takur Prabhupada
Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata, Madhya Kanda, part three, chapter twenty eight text 27, page 530-31




Chanting Produces A Taste
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Chanting produces a taste
for chanting. It becomes
an indispensable part of
your life, you can not
bear to go with out chanting
early in the morning. Prabhupada
said of his 1 A.M. rising
and writing his books, “This
is taste.” Similarly, this is
taste which drives me to
go around the beads for sixteen
rounds with out letup,
building the strength and
relishing the sounds, and
when I am extra fortunate,
con tem plating on Radha and
Krishna who stand together
on the altar and play in
Their pastimes in my mind.

From Viraha Bhavan #106
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

New Vrindaban Daily darsan @ February 18, 2014.
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

01

Impersonal liberation is bitter, the objects of the senses shine like a fearful hell, sense pleasures are great flames of virulent poison, all great demigods are insects, and yogic powers are mirages, now that my heart is intoxicated by tasting the sweet nectar of Vrndavana.

[Source : Nectarean Glories of Sri Vrindavana-dhama by Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati Thakura, 1-66 Translation.]

Please click here for all photos

Fine tuning
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 December 2013, Soweto, South Africa, Lecture)

kks_pianoTemple life is a little bit like a pressure cooker! In the world, there are some outlets – there is all this frustration and you can just get drunk one night! So okay, you got rid of that frustration for a night.

But as a devotee, all that you can do is eat lots of prasadam, take shelter in that since you cannot drink, smoke or do anything like that. For sex, then you have to get married! There is no sexual recreation, it is just for the sport!

So in that way, sometimes we may get into a pressure situation in the temple but you just tolerate. In the pressure situation, you brought your false ego and someone else has brought his and these two false egos really clash nicely!

So yes, it is very difficult. Lord Caitanya understands, he understands where we come from; he knows that we are not pure; he knows we are full of false egos. So, he knows that in the beginning, sometimes it gets out of hand. I have seen all kinds of cases – I have seen the skinny mataji strangle the fat one…

So Lord Caitanya understands that in the beginning, we are going to be a little rough on the edges, and maybe there will be some sparks flying. He does not take it very serious but when we get really envious, “I am going to destroy this guy!” That is vaiṣṇava-aparādha, that is when it really gets to vaiṣṇava-aparādha if you just go after someone.

‘tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā,’  (Siksastaka, verse 3)

Be more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree but if we just go after someone, “Get this guy! Screw this guy!” That is envy and then you get strong reactions. But the little rough dealings between new devotees are not so serious, are not taken so serious. If you keep on doing it, it will destroy some taste!

Otherwise, what chance would we have? Because everybody comes from different background than a pure devotee. You cannot act like a pure devotee overnight. We should try, it is about trying. Sometimes we fail, but we should keep on trying to be more tolerant than a tree, to be respectful!

 

Concept Of Density
→ TKG Academy

Density is the measurement of how much mass something has. The more tightly packed together the molecules, the denser the substance is; the more loosely packed the molecules, the lighter or less dense it is. The concept of density is taught using a few simple household items.

Students learn about density through layering liquids.What a fun!!!!!

 

Periodic Table and Geography Games
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A fun way of learning things by playing games!!!!

Sixth grade students play periodic table battleship.Fourth graders play geography games.These activities are challenging, and experimental in nature and can build on and further children’s learning in a stimulating and creative way, thus maintaining the positives associated with play, while also helping children develop new skills and learn new information.

 

Bilvamangala Thakur beautiful 3D Animation (10 min video)
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SB 1.11.19, Purport: Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Viṣṇu Svāmī Vaiṣṇava sect, in his householder life was overly attached to a prostitute who happened to be a devotee of the Lord. One night when the Ṭhākura came to Cintāmaṇi's house in torrents of rain and thunder, Cintāmaṇi was astonished to see how the Ṭhākura could come on such a dreadful night after crossing a foaming river which was full of waves. She said to Ṭhākura Bilvamaṅgala that his attraction for the flesh and bone of an insignificant woman like her would be properly utilized if it could be diverted to the devotional service of the Lord to achieve attraction for the transcendental beauty of the Lord. It was a momentous hour for the Ṭhākura, and he took a turn towards spiritual realization by the words of a prostitute. Later on the Ṭhākura accepted the prostitute as his spiritual master, and in several places of his literary works he has glorified the name of Cintāmaṇi, who showed him the right path. Read more ›

Seeking His Blessings
→ travelingmonk.com

After our festival tour in Gujarat concluded I headed straight to Jaipur to report the success of our efforts to Sri Sri Radha Govinda, the beloved deities of Srila Rupa Goswami. Bowing down before Him, I recounted each event we held and how the crowds seemed thrilled with every performance. I thanked Govindaji for the [...]

Prabhupada Letters :: Anthology 2014-02-18 14:49:00 →

1966 February 18:
"Received letter from Suryakumar asking me to write to the Prime Minister so I sent one letter to the Prime Minister. Two other letters also despatched as follows: The Ambassador of Nepal for an interview and the Ambassador of India requesting him to arrange for my meeting with the President of USA. Dr. Mishra asked me to come to the Ashram. But I didn't go. Simply waste of time."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966: