Planet ISKCON

1974 December 16: "The difficulty is our GBC men are falling victim to maya. Today I trust this GBC and tomorrow he will fall down. So whatever we may resolve it will not be very useful."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 December 16: "Our actual credit is that we are simply repeating Bhagavad-gita As It Is without changing it, altering it or adding any mundane opinion. We simply repeat what previous acaryas have said and that is our merit. Therefore it is being accepted all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Gala Night Closing Kirtan with HH Kadamba Kanana Swami – 2013

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Lecture Podcast

Knowledge received by submissive inquiries and service is more effective than knowledge received in exchange for money.

Srimad Bhagavatam 2.5.1 Purport

 

"You can't minimize the importance you give your Japa (the essence of our philosophy, your link to Krsna, the most essential instruction of the spiritual master) without it having a negative effect on your spiritual life. And you can’t maximize the importance you give your Japa without it having a tremendously positive effect on your Krsna consciousness."

From Your Japa Blueprint
by Mahatma dasa

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 02 July 2013, Vrndavana, India, Bhagavad-gita 14.22-25)

So when we are looking at the first of these four verses (BG 14.22-25), prakāśaḿ ca pravṛttiḿ ca moham eva ca pāṇḍava, we can see, “O son of Pāṇḍu, he who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or long for them when they disappear; who is always unwavering, undisturbed.” So if we’re looking at these three words, illumination, attachment and delusion as translations for the words prakāśaḿ, pravṛttiḿ and moham, then we may not get it straight away just by reading through Prabhupada’s verse and purport. But if we look at the commentary of the acaryas, which I did because I was looking – illumination, attachment, delusion – why these words translated like this? Why? And the reason is because Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur, in his commentary, explains these words in a particular way and Prabhupada followed that commentary.

Prakāśaḿ translated as illumination here is representing the mode of goodness, sattva-gun. Then we see pravṛttiḿ or pravṛtta, attachment, is a quality that arises from rajo-guṇa. Delusion, moham, the quality that arises from ignorance, from tamo-guṇa. In that way, it is relating to the three modes of material nature and of course, when one is suffering under the influence of the modes of material nature or hankering to enjoy the modes of material nature, this is material consciousness.

So we see that throughout the verse, a neutral attitude is emphasized because it is pointed out that as long as we are embodied, we cannot be free from the influence of the body – like we feel the heat. It’s not that a maha-bhagavat doesn’t feel the heat. He feels it but he is neutral, he is not getting agitated. He is not allowing his mind get absorbed, “Ah, it’s so hot. Ah, it’s so hot. Ah, it’s so hot. Ah, garam, garam, garam, garam.”

This is a normal conversation topic in India at this time of the year. The word garam is very common, which means hot. So, one gets hot if one says hot, hot, so hot. Naturally. So it is a very practical thing. We can experience it, that if we remain neutral we are not so much affected by the heat or by the cold.

As said earlier in the Bhagavad-gita:

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino ‘nityās

tāḿs titikṣasva bhārata (Bhagavad-gita 2.14)

One has to tolerate. So being neutral or to tolerate is the same. The mind is not dwelling on the material
circumstances that are created by the three modes of material nature dhyāyato viṣayān puḿsah sańgas teṣūpajāyate (Bhagavad-gita 2.62). When we start to dwell on material objects, then attachment arises. Either positive or negative attachment so either we start to hate, “I hate, hate, hate or I love, love, love”.

In 1944, in his Back to Godhead which Srila Prabhupada published with so much difficulty, the one for which he had to convince an army officer to release paper because paper was reserved for the war. Prabhupada said, “Yes, therefore my magazine must be published because it is for the war. It is for the war because my magazine will bring peace.” And he got it and then he brought it out. Then he wrote an article and he explained that the other side of love in the material world, is frenzy. He used the word frenzy which is like a state of intense anger or intense aggression which was representing the World War that was going on 1944 – the frenzy of the war. Prabhupada pointed out that the love for one’s country or the love for the homeland creates the frenzy for the others who are not part of that.

So love and hate come together! One can say, I love heat and I love cold or the other way around, like this, the dualities. Generally, loving one means hating the opposite and that is material existence. Neutrality is the position that we take but this is tapas. This is something which is different from the senses because the senses are sending information signals to the mind, like the dashboard. The senses are sending signals like red lights that are flashing on a dashboard.

“Too hot! Too hot! Too hot! Alarm! Alarm!” Or it can be another signal, “Very attractive! Very attractive! You cannot let this opportunity go by, it may never come again. You’ll never forgive yourself if you let it go.” So the senses are sending these kind of signals and they are received in the mind. It is there where the signals come in and it is there where we have to be neutral.

We cannot be neutral in the senses, that is not possible. The senses will not be neutral. Hungry is hungry. You can’t stop being hungry. It doesn’t work. But when we fast, just don’t think about it. Try not to think about it.

“Oh, we’re fasting! Oooooh fasting. Oh I’m so weak. Oh I’m so sick. Oh, I always get sick. Oh, whenever we’re fasting. Actually it’s not good for my constitution to fast. Oh really, it’s like kapha people can fast but vata people can’t fast at all. No, no. And pitta people also, they need to eat otherwise their own fire burns their bodies. Even dangerous. Serious. Yes. Alright,  then I’ll fast half a day then.”

So, the more one allows the mind to become pre-occupied, naturally it becomes more difficult. So, one learns to withdraw the mind, withdraw the mind from these sense objects and just as we’re doing in chanting, in chanting japa, we withdraw the mind and bring it back to the holy name, from everywhere just withdraw the mind. So therefore it automatically brings that state of neutrality, we become focused on Krsna.

 

—————-
“Do all your activities, and put the word ‘servant’ before the activity: servant-cook, servant-preacher, servant-speaker, servant-listener—whatever. Then Hari-dasa, or Giriraja Govardhana, and all your memories from here will stay with you. But if you take ‘servant’ away, you are only a preacher, only a cook, only a guru, only a disciple, and it won’t work. You should always have the word ‘servant’ before, or ‘dasa’ after.” —Sacinandana Swami

Adi Purusha dasa
Madhavananda dasa
Giriraj Swami
Sacinandana Swami
Jagattarini devi dasi
Bhurijana dasa

SB 10.51.46 Cockroaches With Lipstick 2013-12-05

Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 10.51.46 Cockroaches With Lipstick 12/5/2013 Dallas

Murari Gupta’s house is a stopover during “Navadvipa-Mandala Parikrama” which is organized every year about 10 days before Guara-Purnima Festival at Sridham Mayapur. One can visit this transcendental house by attending Navadvipa-Mandala Parikrama Read more ›

The Kali Yuga series No 4.

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Use milk to get meat eaters to take to Masada, see quotes below to support the premise.

The milk is nothing, but it is cow’s blood transformed. Just like mother’s milk. The mother’s milk, wherefrom it comes? It comes from the blood, but transformed in such a way that it becomes nutritious to the child, tasteful to the child. Similarly, cow’s milk also, a most nutritious and valuable food.

Bhagavad-gita 7.3  — Montreal, June 3, 1968

Yes, you do not know. You do not know how to utilize the animal. Ignorance. The milk is also produced out of the blood.

So it is intelligence. You are drinking the blood in a different way, produced by nature with more vitamin values and more taste and more gentleman. Why should you kill one cow and try to drink the blood? The blood is there already, but in a different form, without any violence.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.17 — Denver, June 30, 1975

Another business is to protect the cows, and to give them food nicely so the cows will give enough milk. And from milk, you know, so many nice preparations, all full of vitamins. So why they should be killed? You are killing; the blood is not utilized, you are taking the flesh. But flesh is transformation of the blood. And milk is also transformation of the blood. So if you take, just like channa, it is as good as flesh. By taste, by benefit — as good as. So why if you can take the flesh and blood in a human way-blood is transformed into milk, and from milk there are so many good preparations-ghee, yoghurt, burfi, channa, so many preparations are available. This panir, channa, and let the animal live peacefully. Why are you cutting his throat? You require some benefit from the animal. Take this benefit. Why should you kill?

Morning Walk — May 10, 1975, Perth

“They cannot give up that small piece of meat. What is the difficulty?  The same thing can be made by milk, milk product, channa. What do you call curd? Cheese. You prepare cheese and fry it. You’ll get the same taste.”

Lecture, London, 12 July ’73 / Conversation, Melbourne, 2 July ‘74

“It is a very good idea for people to come to our vegetarian restaurant and take so many nice things, especially the panir, fried cheese, and sandesh, kachori, rasagulla, samosa and in this way they will forget their meat-eating. If you make a soup of fried panir with asafoetida and ginger, this will replace lobster soup nonsense.”

Letter to Tusta Krsna, Mumbai, 9 Nov. ‘75

Filed under: Cows and Environment

One of Srila Prabhupada's most cherished desires was to establish the New Vrindaban Community in America. He spoke at great length about building a replica of Vrindaban India, where there are seven main temples. In 1968, The New Vrindaban Community was founded in West Virginia to fulfill Prabhupada's dream of an ideal society based on Krishna Consciousness, or love of God Read more ›

The post Kirtan on December 15th in Krsna Valley appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

The rest of the week was spent around the Creamery – laying pipes below the freeze line; installing the pasteurizer; cleaning the barn; and getting the building in shape for inspection Read more ›

Anyone can visit Jihvna Mandir on the bank of Radha-kunda at any time of day and see that it is perfectly clean and groomed Read more ›

Brahmananda Invites Devotees To New Vrindaban On Behalf of Srila Prabhupada – September 1968.

New York
7 September, 1968

ALL GLORIES TO SRI GURU AND GAURANGA
MEMO TO ALL DEVOTEES

RE: NEW VRINDABAN

I have just returned from a two days stay at our newest center New Vrindaban in Moundsville, West Virginia, near Wheeling. This New Vrindaban is under the direction of Sriman Hayagriva and Kirtanananda Maharaja and promises to be a great step forward for Krishna Consciousness in America.

It has a farmhouse and several other structures, well, streams, hills (govardhana, as named by Swamiji) pasture grounds (a cow will be acquired soon), ghat, pond, woodland, all situated on 138 acres.

Prabhupada has requested that 7 temples be established there. Its main activity will be cow protection and to show the world that simply by living with cows and land and chanting HARE KRISHNA a perfect society will prevail.

A great deal of work is required and Swamiji has requested at least four devotees to go there immediately. New Vrindaban lacks so-called necessities as hot running water and toilets, so that only stout and sturdy devotees are needed, especially those with carpentry experience and can do manual labor.

New Vrindaban will be especially attractive to householders who will want to raise their children in full K.C.

So, all devotees who are interested in living in New Vrindaban, either immediately or in the near future should please contact me. Those with carpentry experience should especially do so.

Approved . . .

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Approved . . .

Kirtanananda Swami

Signed . . .

Brahmananda das Brahmacari

1966 December 15: "I do not wish to disturb the position of the sevaits of Radha Damodara Temple, but simply if I am given the facility to live there with my disciples, it will be my pleasure to serve Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Damodara to my best capacity."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1967 December 15: "In the Absolute world there are no such relativities as success or failure. The one thing in the Absolute world is to serve Krishna. Krishna must know that we are working very seriously and that is our goal of life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1969 December 15: "We are now printing 50,000 BTGs per month, so try to increase sales as far as possible. Sankirtana and distributing BTG and my other literatures is the fieldwork of this movement. Temple worship is secondary."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 December 15: "Your mother has benefited undoubtedly and she will be more and more benefited. Not only your mother, but also your father and all family members will be benefited by your dedication of life for Krishna's sake. Be rest assured. Krishna Consciousness is so nice."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1972 December 15: "I, the undersigned, shall be the sole operator of the Account; furthermore, in the case of any emergency the two Members of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, besides myself, may be called upon to enter and withdraw funds into and from the Account."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 December 15: "I shall be the last man to give up the land to the rogue. He has taken our money but tactfully has not given us the conveyance. The land is still in our possession and we are not going to leave this land so easily. More when we meet."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 December 15: "We have neither changed our plan nor have we any intention of changing our plan of developing our Land. We shall stick to the place to the last moment and we require your cooperation very much."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 December 15: "Enclosed find three sacred threads and three gayatri mantras for the second initiates. Hold a fire yajna, after which they may listen to the mantra once through the right ear from from the cassette tape I have made."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

Two Jewels In The Drizzle

Burnaby, British Columbia

I guess it was an Otter in the water.

As I was about to turn a corner at Willard and 10^th Ave. I heard a splash in the creek next to me.  I came to a halt and waited for whatever to surface.  Not all creatures walk, like me.  Some swim.

Sure enough out pops his head and off he goes for his slinky swim.  He must be a member of the weasel family.  Hard to tell.  At one point he poked his head out and stared.  And so did I  - stare at him.  His stillness was better than mine.  I couldn’t fool him with my static pose.  My breath could be seen, a misty exhaust emanated from the mouth.

I take these things as a little game.  I like to imitate, even mock the birds at times trying to see if there is any communication.  I attempt it with crows and hawks.  I’m sure they concluded that I’m a weirdo.

After this long pause our creek fellow submerged, then continued on gliding through a greenish snow melt as I kept an eye on his moving pelt.  It was a curvy motion he took.  I couldn’t do that even if I fit into the creek.  Our friend the Otter (I guess) is just sleek and slick.  He made my day.  I would have stayed on, staring, but I had things to do and besides, the drizzle drove me to continue forging ahead until a new encounter came about.

Yes, and that did occur.  A mustached man with baseball cap delivering newspapers just came right out and started talking, “You know they say it never rains in LA,”  (I didn’t know that) “well, I’ve got a song about how it always rains in BC.”  He then proceeded to recite his poem.  I thanked him for that.  It was a gem of a poem – his poem.  What a treat!  That doesn’t happen too often, that someone out of the blue starts sharing poetry to a stranger.  Perhaps the donning of dhoti makes you look receptive.

The drizzle thickened and drove me on, otherwise I might have heard more.  His newspapers needed distributing.  “Hare Krishna, friend.”

Multiple duties blessed this day but the highlights were the Otter and the poet.

May the Source be with you!

5 KM

Black Feathers

Burnaby, British Columbia

My walking today was not my idea of walking.  Weather conditions somewhat restricted my being in the out of doors.  Sometimes, out of a sense of duty I pace indoors as it’s important to be with others, so I confined myself to the temple where I could be with others.

Recently a survey was done revealing that Canadians are relatively happy with their work, in fact, thee happiest in the developing countries.  Another survey that went around revealed that when it comes to a sense of community or a sense of belonging, 90% said it’s not there.  With the deterioration of the family unit, the infiltration of secularism and a general mood of “I need my space”, we can understand the reason for such results.

I did at portions of the day pick up my meditation beads and pace in the apartment given to me for my three week stay here.  It becomes a C shaped trek, back and forth venture between two rooms where I curve to dodge the furniture.  At one point I opened the door to the real world with the real air.  There, in front of the door was a gathering of crows.  With a fresh white blanket, an inch deep snow, this feathered community seemed to have less access to food.  Two dried up chapattis were left on the dinette table, so I found the opportunity to have those cracker like pieces tossed out to the crows.  They were ecstatic.  I envied their “togetherness”.

Rain had been coming down, turning the snow to mush or slush.  For this reason I guess the dynamics force people indoors into their cubicles.  Although there is facility available for group fun and work, few people make the effort, even in this devotional setting.

I have to ask, what’s happening to human beings?  We have lost our sense of interdependence.  We are going the route of depression and despair.

Keeping in mind the active crow community, I am inspired to do something.  While I’m here I will attempt to pull together some drama, as in theatre, with the intent to engage members in a positive way, to bring them together.  I must try to be a part of the solution and not the problem.

Thank you, crows.

May the Source be with you!

7 KM