Last weekend, i had the great privilege to meet His Holiness Bhaktivinoda Swami. The meet came as a complete surprise. It seemed he had expressed an interest to visit our yoga centre in the city and perhaps lead a short kirtan.

Running up the stairs, i was mentally preparing on what to say to prepare him for the evening. It would be a short meeting i was told as he had only recently arrived. But we spoke for an hour almost!!

Maharaj spoke at length about his activities in South India and his great ambition to learn about various outreach activities at various ISKCON temples. His mannerisms and enthusiasm was very youthful and energetic.

Anyways, he arrived at our venue in the evening and truly stole the show with a wonderful kirtan dedicating it to the life and values of Nelson Mandela who had passed away the day before.

After his kirtan, i mentioned on the microphone to him, “Thank you for turning the place upside down with your ecstatic kirtan!!”. He took the mic and enthusiastically said, “Spirituality means turning inside out!!”.

Looking forward to having him back in Melbourne next year.

The post December 12th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Me just thinking….

As practicing devotees, i think there are 3 matters that we are attracted to/concerned with most of the times:

(1) Problems of the material world
(2) Issues with governance
(3) Atheistic mindset of the common people

But to grow further spiritually, nurture an even more softer heart and to fulfil the full mission of the human life, we must put extreme efforts in understanding a 4th subject matter:

- Krishna’s Pastimes

The pure devotees of the Lord, however, can equally relish the nectar in the form of the profound philosophical discourses and in the form of kissing by the Lord in the rasa dance, as there is no mundane distinction between the two.

- Srimad Bhagavatam 2.4.24 purport

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From Tamil Mani P

Supposing a loved one dies early as a result of a disease or some unnatural causes, how can we remain equipoised, when even Krishna’s greatest disciple, Arjuna, mourned the death of his son? How do we compensate (or relate to Krishna) for having shown our feelings of distress at the death of a loved one?

Answer Podcast

Prabhupada has said that Hitler was destroyed by the bad publicity done by the Britishers

Answer Podcast

I have heard some devotees say that they belong to the shudra varna because they deal with the body, a material thing.

Answer Podcast

Jeannie (now named Vegan Indira) came home Saturday (December 7, 2013). She was living at a dairy and she could no longer produce enough milk for her owner to make a profit and therefore keep her. She was headed for slaughter when Judy, who works at the dairy, asked us to take her. Now she will never be sold for meat. Help us save more cows at this Link

Thank you! and in the meantime browse our web site for more info at the: ISCOWP Website

Brahmā Jī explained the contents of the universe to Nārada: First of all there is jīva – life force, conscious will. Then there is sva-bhāva - the psychological nature of consciousness, with particular inclinations and desires. This sets kāla in motion – time, the underlying matrix upon which activity (karma) can proceed. From activity, various treasure objects (dravya) are obtained.

These five are the essential principles of the universe, and all of them are directly the energy of Hari.

 

There are two reasons Māyā-devī is ashamed to venture into Hari’s sight. One is that she is ashamed of the deceitful work she must perform. The other is that illusion cannot affect the vision of the Supreme Being.

The taste for chanting comes from the Lord and when he sees we are genuinely trying to chant the Holy names to our best ability, He bestow this mercy on us and we make progress by steady purification.

——————
“Srila Prabhupada always spoke about anxiety in Krishna’s service as being spiritual. In relation to the Juhu temple, when construction materials were being stolen, he said, ‘How can I eat?’

There is a spiritual anxiety at the center of which is pleasing Krishna, and there is a material anxiety which is about pleasing me. And if one is in anxiety about anything, then, as Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Simply worrying is not good enough: one must act. The Lord helps those who help themselves.’ So if we are in anxiety—’Will I have  enough time to chant my rounds?’—one should immediately think, ‘What is my next action step? What can I do so that I will have enough time to chant my rounds?’ Don’t get caught just swirling around in your mind with anxiety. Act. Because the Lord helps those who help themselves.” —Bhurijana dasa

Questions and Answers
Sacinandana Swami on the Govardhan Retreat Project

1968 December 11: "Krishna is Controller and we are controlled. Simply a flick of the eye a temple has come to us, better than we were hoping for. When we accept the control of Krishna then all fortune is automatically present."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 December 11: "Because you are very nice, sincere boy so Krishna is giving you very good facilities. So if you try to continue in the humble attitude you have now, with little time you will have wonderful success in further developing your Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 December 11: "I have received so many preaching reports of meetings, newspaper articles and photos. This Krishna Consciousness movement will be very famous there and you will find many interested persons to become devotees. Now you go there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 December 11: "Approach the government authorities and convince them about our movement. I am very much worried the whole thing will collapse. I like that place very much, it will be great disaster if things are in confusion."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 December 11: "I am glad to hear of the excellent results. From other parts of the world there is also very good reports of book distribution. That is our main propaganda work. So you go on and I will be pleased to receive your report regularly."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 December 11: "Our preaching work will be measured by the quantity of books we distribute so continue ever-increasingly. Take care the devotees do not become sick. They should always be properly clothed and fed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1975 December 11: "As a farm boy or clerk becomes a hero for going to fight for his country during war time, so Krishna immediately recognizes the sincere effort of a preacher who takes all risks to deliver His message."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 December 11: "Europe and America are in great danger - this Hare Krishna Movement is enveloping them. Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, the Sankirtana devotees are very, very dear to Krishna."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Mahavishnu Swami. Performing Sankirtana at the Adi-Keshava Temple, Varanasi - the first temple of Varanasi. Lord Chaitanya danced in ecstacy in this temple o...Kirtana at Adi-Keshava Temple, Varanasi - Mahavishnu Swami | Ganga Trip 2012www.youtube.com Continue reading →

My ambition is to spread these books far and wide all over the world so that everyone shall read at least one of our books and that will change his life. If only 1 % become devotees, that will change the world. Read more ›

I recall book distribution in the Canadian Maritimes forty years ago. Wow – forty years!

The post Back in Budapest appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

Dear Devotees and Friends,

We would like to invite you all for the Gita Jayanti celebration.

Friday 13 December is Ekadasi and it is Mokshada Ekadasi, It is the day Lord Sri Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita to His dear friend and devotee Arjuna at Jyotisar in Kurukshetra.

We are planning to recite the whole Gita ( 18 chapters (700 Verses)). Different devotees will be reciting a chapter each and the devotees can respond. We are planning to start by 4 PM. So please join us even for a shortwhile and enjoy the chanting of Bhagavad Gita.

Another opportunity is as this the special month of Lord Krishna speaking the Gita, we are trying to distribute as many Gitas as possible. You can buy few copies and give them to your friends as gifts OR you can sponsor them and we can distribute them to Libraries etc., on your behalf

 

Special price of Hard cover Bhagavad Gita is  $15.00 ( Regular price $20)

4 Copies —- $ 55.00

8 Copies  –  $100.00

10 Copies — $120.00

Please reserve your copies by contacting me at the above e mail address or on 0422 045 525.

All the sponsors names will be read to the Their Lordships on the Sunday feast 15 December.

Gita Jayanti Programme

Day:  Friday

Date: 13 Decmber 2013

Venue: 159 Canning Road, Kalamunda

Time: 4 PM till 9 PM

Please come and chant the whole Bhagavad Gita along with the devotees leading chapter by chapter on Mokshada Ekadasi ( Friday 13 December)

There will be Ekadasi prasadam served after the whole recitation.

Come, chant and receive unlimited blessings by the Supreme Lord by chanting the entire or part of the Gita.

Sita Rama Lakshmana Das

Because silent monks can't sing, this choir of them have to get a little creative when they put on a show. You'll be laughing when you see what they do! Read more ›

The schedule for this week’s early morning Srimad Bhagavatam classes in the temple  is:

Wed Dec. 11 - HG Ananda Vidya Prabhu  – Will speak on glorification of the Bhagavad Gita and Book Distribution as preparation for Gita Jayanti and going out on harinama sankirtan, chanting in Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Thursday.

Thurs Dec. 12 - Gita Jayanti –       HG Vrinadavan Prabhu –  Topic for his class will be the same as Wed’s class.     ** Let’s take advantage of the special day-Gita Jayanti, anniversary of the Advent of the Bhagavad Gita- and receive the extra mercy by distributing it and reciting the Bhagavad Gita.**

**Meet at the temple at 10 A.M. to go to Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park in Oakland until 3:00 P.M. Then back to the temple to recite Bhagavad Gita in the evening.**

Fri Dec. 13 – HG Rupanuga Prabhu

Sat Dec. 14 - HG Kripamaya Prabhu

Sun Dec. 15 – HG Sankirtan Prabhu

Mon Dec. 16 – HG Lalita Gopi Prabhu

Tues Dec. 17  - Srila Prabhupada recorded class

Govinda Swami: He had a biopsy last week and his results were negative. So thats good ... real good. Then a few days after the biopsy he developed a septicaemia infection. So thats bad ... real bad. Septicaemia is when you get a huge amount of bacteria gushing through your body at once. If you don't catch it fast it can be fatal Read more ›

H H Bhakti Brhad Bhagavat Swami BG 1 32 35

The post December 11th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Meeting in the Snow

Burnaby, British Columbia

It’s becoming rather routine, every time I take to the trail here to a section of what is Canada’s largest allotment of urban gardening, I meet this guy standing by the bus stop.  While waiting for his bus en route to his workplace, he’ll often light up a cigarette.  It’s interesting, he’s waiting there, and I’m walking near him.  It happens every time I come here.  And of course we “shoot the breeze” just long enough that it puts my walking on pause.  Each time we contact each other like this, I feel a friendship is building up.  Each time I’m able to give him an installment of neighbourliness which I hope will lead to words of a greater spiritual significance.   The fellow is younger than me and taller than me and he is Caucasian.  He greets with a smile.  I believe we shook hands for the first time this morning as snowflakes were a twirl making their descent to the ground we were standing on.

My second encounter with someone today on a second walk was Doug.  I felt the need to loosen up the limbs after many hours of mainly listening to people, indoors.  I took the same route, that quite urban gardening place, which I had learned had been a Japanese internment camp decades ago.  It was Doug who resembles Santa somehow, but with a beard blonder than the snow around us, and who told me about the internment.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Canada became highly suspicious of Japanese settlers in the country, so they were confined to these special supervised camps.

Doug and I didn’t dwell on this too long, we conversed more about other things such as Krishna.  At my mention of the word, he said, “Oh yeah, the movie ‘Airplane’, that’s how I know you guys.  Have you seen it?”

“No, I only heard about it.”

Doug, who was brushing the snow off his car’s windshield outside his tiny bungalow, proceeded to tell me the scene where the devotees of Krishna have their moment on the silver screen.  This popular film apparently gets rerun on television quite often, and for many people, it’s their reference to Hare Krishna.

“Doug, please come to visit our temple sometime.”  He’s going to try.  I hope that my encounter with Doug will also become routine.  I’m not set out to change his life, but I’m there to give him an opportunity.

May the Source be with you!

8 KM