Radha Rasesvara temple is located in a coconut tree and cocoa plant area in the hills outside Denpasar. The devotees were able to buy a good amount of land to build an asrama and temple. Since then more land has been acquired for a goshalla, vegetable garden, pond and shop.

"Just keep chanting Hare Krishna and moving the beads and focus on listening to the syllables of the Holy Names. As the mind wanders, we shouldn’t get agitated. Just keep chanting; don’t give up the process and eventually the mind cooperates."

Radhanatha Swami

Some people ask: “How can we find harmony among the many different spiritual paths?”

By looking beyond divergent ideas to convergent ideals, answers Gita wisdom.

The Bhagavad-gita (05.05) states that true seers see the same ultimate destination of the paths of sankhya (analytical contemplation) and yoga (detached action). Sankhya focuses on analyzing the material elements to progress towards the transcendental substance, spirit. In contrast, yoga focuses on action while fixing the mind on spirit and thereby cultivating inner detachment from matter.

People often talk of looking beyond externals to find commonalities. When we consider the paths of sankhya and yoga, not only are their externals different – one focuses on inaction; the other, on action. But even their internals are different: one stresses analysis; the other, meditation.

Gita wisdom helps us understand that there are levels in the internal too – there is the subtle material or mental level, where ideas reside; and beyond that is the spiritual level or the level of the heart, where ideals reside.  To find the ultimate common ground, we need to go beyond not just the physical but also the mental – and there find the spiritual. Though the ideas of sankhya and yoga are different, their ideals are the same: both seek the same Absolute Truth.

Of course, this search for common ground doesn’t license an uncritical acceptance of all spiritual paths as equally valid. The paths need to have convergent ideals; otherwise, the common ground may be more an imagination than an insight. The Gita’s (09.25) delineation of different destinations for those with different ideals reflects a spiritual rigor that refuses to apply a naïve whitewash on all paths.

Still, in a world torn by sectarianism, the Gita’s inclusive spirit of focusing on ultimate ideals is a beacon that promotes authentic harmony.

***

05.05 - One who knows that the position reached by means of analytical study can also be attained by devotional service, and who therefore sees analytical study and devotional service to be on the same level, sees things as they are.

Deena Bandhu Das: Today we went to Barsana on a beautiful cloudy day! This fortnight, called Pitri Paksa, they do colored rice flour paintings on the floor, a different lila depicted each day. Though pics are not allowed, Geet Govind managed to get some of this festival called Sanjhee! Don't miss this rare darshan in this collection! Read more ›

Titiksava Karunika Das AKA T.K. is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Namrock Band. Namrock plays rock music in the style of 60's and 70's rock and roll with uplifting lyrics and also employs the use of sacred mantras. Mantras are used to elevate the consciousness of the listener. Sacred sound vibration in a rock candy coated package. Read more ›

The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) is a university in the CBD of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was ranked in the 401st-500th bracket and 17th-19th in Australia in the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities.[1] The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. It is part of the Australian Technology Network of universities and has the fifth largest enrolment in Sydney Read more ›

Exploring the Roots of Spiritual Culture with Devaki devi dasi, Kharkov/Ukraine Read more ›

18-09-2013 Sacred Places and Deities, Durban, South Africa.mp3

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjK6cE7Y

Recent pictures capture the progress of construction on two important parts of the new temple.

They showcase the headway being made in the South West corner. The staircase tower is moving forward as the shuttering of form work is being done. The next layer is concrete with the following layer will being the blue tiles. The planetarium wing is also making great strides in it’s momentum. One final ring needs to be done at which point the construction of the dome will commence.

There is still much to be done to complete the super-structure, but the on-going development is both exciting and encouraging.

Harinama is the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord as shown to us by Srila Prabhupada. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced the sankirtan movement 500 years ago and it is the spiritual process recommended in the Vedas for the age of Kali, the age we now find ourselves in. From the beginning of the Krishna consciousness movement in the West, Srila Prabhupada directed the devotees to chant congregationally in the temple as well as in the parks and streets of the towns and cities. Read more ›

The post October 2nd, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

"You are the shelter of the shelterless. Your great glory is sung by all the Vedas. O Vrndavana you are my shelter. I have no other shelter than you." [ from Sri Vrndavana Mahimamrta, Sataka Eleven ] Read more ›

In terms of land area, Bogotá is the largest city in Colombia, and one of the biggest in Latin America. It figures among the 30 largest cities of the world and it is the third-highest capital city in South America Read more ›

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. (SPL to Karandhara, 2nd May, 1972) Read more ›

SB 2.7.27: It’s impossible for anyone else to take the life of a huge demon, while just an infant; to kick over a big cart, while just three months old; or to uproot two huge arjuna trees just by crawling in between them.

There’s an obvious meaning here, and another, not-so-obvious one. The obvious one is that no ordinary human being can do these things. No ordinary infant can even protect itself, what to speak of kill a giant demon who attacks it. The cart was not a hand cart, it was like a child today kicking over a car. Not that dramatic, but similar – carts in those days were like cars. And Arjuna trees (Terminalia Arjuna) are notoriously tall (20-25 meters) and have very strong bases and roots.

The not-so-obvious meaning is that Brahmājī is not simply saying “no mortal can do this” – this śloka comes in the middle of a summary of avatāra - So, Brahmā is also saying, “no other avātar displays deeds as amazing as Krishna does.”

Viśvanātha Cakravartī elaborates: Vāmana was also a small child who defeated a huge, powerful demon – but he transformed into a huge, powerful form to do so. Krishna did not kill the giant Pūtana in this manner, he remained as a vulnerable infant. Why? It is more sweet. There is less awe and reverence. If Krishna transformed into a huge superhero to kill Pūtana, that would have intruded into the loving mood of his parents. He valued their love more than the killing of the demon, so he remained in the shape they adored, and coincidentally got the work done of getting rid of Pūtana in a beautiful way.

Nṛsiṁha kicked open a huge pillar – and Krishna kicked over a big cart. But Nṛsiṁha did so using huge, fearsome feet. Krishna kicked over the cart with the tiny foot of a three-month old child. Why? Same reason as explained above.

Varāha picked up the huge earth from the depths, but Krishna knocked down the huge trees and uprooted them from their depths. Varāha had to become a gigantic boar with huge, powerful tusks to accomplish his task, but Krishna didn’t have to become a gigantic boar, or even a huge super-baby to knock over these ultra-formidable trees. He just crawled in between them.

So, no other avatāra can match Krishna in sweetness.

Two ślokas later [2.7.29] Brahmā will mention how Krishna saved the Vrajavāsīs from a forest fire. To do this he had to do “godlike deeds” (divya karma), so he first instructed all the Vrajavāsīs to close their eyes, so as not to disturb the sweetness of their affection for him.

Govinda Prabhu (24hours kirtan iskcon vrindavan)

Driving At Night…

Toronto, Ontario

Driving at night is not the best situation.  Your vision is obscured.  It’s a risky way to go, yet sometimes you have no choice.

Our group of 5 took to interstate highways through Pennsylvania and New York states before reaching Ontario.  It was an all-nighter, it was impossible in a van to sleep as a passenger.  Pulling over the highway and having a break was like a glimpse of moksha, or as Buddhists call it, nirvana (a term that came from Hindus).  Basically you’re looking at having some relief from all the sitting.  Oh how I hanker to be on that road again, walking at my leisure.

A final relief came from the subtle agony of being motionless when at arrival time we finally reached or got home, and also much later on when Philippe and I made our way walking up Yonge Street.  Our destination was to Blu God tattoo shop.

During the nocturnal drive I had been thinking about the upcoming weekend in Toronto and how about a big outdoor art expression night called “Nuit Blanche” was to take place.  Two years ago we spontaneously went on Yonge Street for a chanting session.  We pulled large brass deities of Radha Krishna out of the tattoo shop at the courtesy of owner, Jamuna Jivan, and lovingly, respectfully, placed them on a blanket before setting them right on the street.  We then performed a ritual of love called arati with those deities, followed by chanting.  It was a crowd pleaser and a heart teaser.

Why not duplicate the process again?

It’s all a matter of laying out your creativity, being a little innovative and trying to instill in others a kindling of devotion, something that’s deep inside of everyone.

The one thing about walking (and I’ll also give some credit to driving a long distance) is there is some time for brain storms.  It’s a beautiful dream time while on journey, of course you have to watch where you’re going.

Padam padam yad vipadam na tesam is one of my favourite phrases, which means, “Every step (or in the case of a vehicle, every turn of the wheel) you take could spell danger.”

4 KM

In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.26, Brahmājī introduces the avatāra named “Krishna.” It is an exceedingly deep and wondrous śloka, so I would like to avail myself of the honor and pleasure of discussing it to some extent with those of you who might chance to happen upon this page.

bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ
kleśa-vyayāya kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ
jātaḥ kariṣyati janānupalakṣya-mārgaḥ
karmāṇi cātma-mahimopanibandhanāni

To erase the Earth’s suffering from the burdensome hordes of vile schemes, the brilliantly-black Master of Pleasure, Krishna, appeared. His extraordinarily uncommon ways demonstrated the unsurpassable greatness of his being.

“Suffering from the Burdensome Hordes of Vile Schemes”

On the surface, this phrase (“Erasing the Earth’s suffering from the burdensome hordes of vile schemes” - bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ kleśa-vyayāya) refers to a proliferation of armies by ambitious, militaristic kings. The actual fruit inside the “banana peel” of this surface meaning, however, is that Krishna comes to erase the suffering we all cause to ourselves by proliferating our armies and armies of selfish schemes for self-centered happiness and enjoyment.

Selfishness, self-centeredness, is the core of all suffering – for it is antithetical to the essential nature of what we are (a small part of the glorious whole). Krishna’s avatāra has the specific purpose of destroying selfishness.

How?

The rest of the verse explains how.

The Brilliantly-Black Master of Pleasure

Krishna erases our selfishness by showing us himself, the brilliant black Master of Pleasure. We are selfish because we have the misplaced notion that we will obtain pleasure by focusing on ourselves. Krishna’s avatāra, however, vividly demonstrates that we obtain unsurpassable pleasure by focusing on the glorious whole, Krishna – the brilliantly black Master of Pleasure.

This phrase, “Brilliantly-Black Master of Pleasure” is expressed in Sanskrit as sita-kṛṣṇa-keśa. In his commentary on this śloka, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravatī discusses this phrase in detail. The main meanings of the words in this phrase are

sita: (1) bound/joined, (2) bright/white, (3) beautiful.

kṛṣṇa: (1) black, (2) the person Krishna

keśa: (1) hair, (2) emanating rays, (3) ka-īśa, the master of pleasure

So, the primary meaning is: Krishna, the bright-black master of pleasure. Another meaning is that Krishna has beautifully set, brilliantly black hair.

Another meaning can be taken if the phrase is not separated from the word that follows it: sita-kṛṣṇa-keśa jātaḥ. Now, the phrase can mean “born from white and black hairs.” Viśvanātha Cakravartī discusses this at length. He cites Viṣṇu Purāṇa and Mahābhārata which describe Krishna and Balarāma as expanding from a white and black hair that Mahā-Viṣṇu (the Puruṣa, and source-via-medium for all avatāra) pulled from his body.

The Ṭhākura makes the point that Viṣṇu has jet black hair, because he never ages. His hair does not grey. Thus the “white hair” cannot be seen as a “grey hair” in that sense. The hair may be white because it comes from a unique part of his body, perhaps the śrīvatsa. This is my own timid suggestion as to where the “white hair” of the ever-youthful puruṣa may come from. Viśvanātha suggests that the one hair was not “white” but “brilliant” (sita). Viṣṇu pulled out two hairs, one of them glimmered brilliantly indicating the white color of Balarāma. He references Śrīla Sanātana Goswāmī’s Laghu-Bhāgavatāmṛta and Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī’s Kṛṣṇa-Sandarbha which support the conclusion that the idea of Viṣṇu having grey hair is a mistake, that his hair is brilliantly black, and beautifully bound into topknots and other wonderful styles.

The phrase in this śloka, sita-kṛṣṇa-keśa is an indirect reference to the circumstantial “origin” of Krishna and Balarama’s avatar, but much more directly it is a description of the beauty of Krishna – the beauty which attracts our hearts away from the ugliness of selfishness, the beauty of the brilliantly black Master of Pleasure, Krishna.

Extraordinarily Uncommon Ways Demonstrating his Unsurpassable Glories

Krishna’s avatāra is for the purpose of erasing the armies of vile selfish desires burdening our hearts. He wipes out these armies by being so beautiful and blissful (sita-kṛṣṇa-keśa). How does he display his blissful beauty?

He displays (kariṣyati) his heart-stealing beauty in “extraordinarily uncommon ways” (janānupalakṣya-mārga). This is really a beautiful phrase, and reveals the intimate connection between the motive of the Krishna avatāra and the motive of the subsequent Krishna-Caitanya avatāra. Krishna will do things, will behave in ways (mārga) that the people of this world have never seen before (jana-anupalakṣya). This unconventional, unprecedented behavior of Krishna, what does it do (karmāṇi)? It “demonstrates the unsurpassable glory of his being” (ātma-mahima upanibandhanāni).

Krishna attracts our hearts away from their stubborn fixation on selfishness by demonstrating the unsurpassable glory his being. So, he displays the unparalleled bliss of the Master of Pleasure. How? By showing us a glimpse of true pleasure, and thus demonstrating ways of life that human beings simply have not even imagined possible. This refers directly and explicitly to his unmatchably sweet interactions with his mother, with his friends, and with his lovers, whose enchanting attractiveness far surpasses any earthly supermodel, any heavenly courtesan of paradise, any manifestation of master goddesses, any Lakṣmī in Vaikuṇṭha, and even any Divine Queen of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The epitome of what this phrase refers to is the rāsa-līlā and the events and circumstances which lead up to and support it. The main essence of the reason for Krishna’s avatāra is to give us a small glimpse of the pristine and compellingly captivating beauty and pleasure overflowing from the pure divine love expressed romantically in the exquisite setting of the Rāsa Dance. By receiving a glimpse of that divine dance – provided that we are not cursed by some vile misunderstanding of it – the focus of our hearts will be forcefully abducted from our vile armies of selfish schemes, and thrown completely to focus selflessly upon, in any small way, enhancing and augmenting the unparalleled pleasure effusing abundantly from sweet, romantic divine love, epitomized in the Rāsa Dance.

Pope Francis offered some provocative thoughts last week. Speaking about the hot-button issues of abortion, gay rights and conception, he told a Jesuit interviewer: “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.”

He went on in the interview to say that his church had grown obsessed with those topics.

I have to admit, the church universal seems way too caught up in debates over abortion, gay marriage and conception. So, I happen to agree with his view.

But what do you think? Are people of faith becoming too occupied with gay rights, abortion and conception?

And what do you make of this statement that also came from the Pope:

“The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent.”

Applying that line to your own religious tradition, how are believers supposed to know which teachings are more important than others?

In my tradition, the Presbyterian Church USA, we have creeds, but we don’t necessarily have a Presbyterian’s guide to the top 10 beliefs, or some such list of priorities.

This could get arbitrary, couldn’t it?

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

All teachings start with a foundation. Without a clear foundation it is impossible to get a translucent picture as to how should one operate in this material world. Otherwise one may have various principles, many of which that have value, but such value will difficult to impart without a clear, logical, and philosophical premise.

The basic idea in the Bhagavad Gita is that the soul is different from the body. That is something that everyone witnesses, whether they know it or not. That body changes but the witness within that body remains the same.

So with this understanding one can evaluate various issues. One can see how the particular issue relates to the soul and that soul’s relationship with God.

If the soul is different from the body and if the soul can be understood to be present by the symptoms of life, then it is easy to understand that there is a soul in body of every human, every fetus, and every animal. To say that there is a soul in the fetus but Fido the dog does not have a soul is illogical.

People of this world will not continue to be satisfied with rules and regulations based illogical and foundationless principles. That is why so many have rejected religion altogether. Therefore anyone who is interested in the All Intelligent Supreme Person, Krishna or God, must seek a logical foundation upon which the proper rules and regulations can rest

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

Only a powerful genius could compose such an amazing work.  Verses composed of only 2 or even 1 consonant and verses that create almost impossible pictures. 

Expounded upon by Baladeva Vidyabhusana in his last commentary.  This great video has been put together by the Matsya Avatara Prabhu and his students from ISKCON’s Govardhan Sanskrit school, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata Vidyāpīṭham.
Here are some related links
Books by Rupa Goswami - http://j.mp/17oRChW
HH Sivarama Swami - http://www.sivaramaswami.com/en/2008/12/07/citra-kavitvani/
Powerpoint - http://j.mp/15HwkxA

"....one can be freed from all sinful reactions simply by remembering His holy name. The Lord is therefore as good as the holy places of pilgrimage. One can be free from all sinful reactions after reaching a place of pilgrimage, but one can have the same benefit at home or at any place simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord."

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.15 purport

http://Kiwi6/file/v7msqwif20

http://Kiwi6/file/v7msqwif20

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 8 September 2013, Johannesburg, South Africa, Home Program)

There are favourable principles described:

dadāti pratigŗhnāti

guhyam ākhyāti pŗcchati

bhuńkte bhojayate caiva

ṣaḍ-vidhaḿ prīti-lakṣaname, (Nectar of Instruction, Verse 4)

  

It is said that first one must give, one must generously give. Yes, devotees, they are giving. It is about giving gifts but not ordinary gifts.

One time, I went with Indradyumna Maharaja to a program in Sydney, Australia and we went to the house of some devotees and it was a pizza party and the whole mood was, “Pizza! Pizza! Party!” You know how these things go, I need not mention. Anyway, a pizza party and Maharaja came in and he had a bouquet of flowers which he presented to the lady of the house and he said, “I guess, it’s not all the time that you’re getting bunches of flowers from sannyasis. It’s a bit uncommon”. I looked sort of, “Yeah, it is, Maharaja, it is.”

And then, it went on and then Maharaja, at one point, at the end of the dinner, he pulled out this big box! It was like nicely wrapped – ribbon and the whole thing, you know these boxes, right! And a big one, you know. And then, inside there was actually a lot of stuffing paper and in the big box, there was a small box. So okay fine, the small box came out. That was wrapped as well and it would have driven me nuts (laughing), but anyway, finally the packet was open and then what was inside the little box was a little piece of a chaddar of Srila Prabhupada. So that was not bad! In the end, you know, the substance was spiritual. See. That’s the substance – giving spiritual substance – somehow or other, giving some mercy. Because devotees receive mercy, dadāti pratigŗhṇāti, they receive mercy. They save that mercy for special occasions.

I know another devotee, Bhurijana, who found out where there was a chaddar of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. He went for it and with donations, this and that, he got it! And then what did he do, believe it or not, when he had the chaddar of Bhaktisiddhanta, he got himself some big scissors and started cutting the whole thing into pieces, “Aaaah, maha-aparadh! How can you cut it into pieces!?” But then, he took each piece, he nicely put it in a little frame and then started distributing it to so many devotees! So, yes, he understood, deeply understood this principle of dadāti pratigŗhṇāti of somehow or other, receiving things, collecting things, collecting mercy and then distributing it and distributing it.

So this is our culture, imagine some devotee gives you a chaddar like that, you never forget it, right. He’ll be your friend. Yeah, so in this way, devotees are giving mercy. That is our charity and it is said that devotees are charitable. We collect mercy and give it and that builds genuine relationships where we feel, “Yes, he gave me something so valuable, so valuable.” So this is a very nice culture. I will appreciate it when such things are given. If you say, “Yeah well okay, I don’t have such a chaddar”, but then give a very nice verse from the scripture. I know someone that always sends me nice verses and that is appreciated.

There was one devotee who would walk into my room with Srimad Bhagavatam in his hand and say, “Listen to what I’ve just read”, and then he would start reading to me (laughing). He would do it all the time, not just once in a while – he would just come again with a book in his hands and he start reading to me. And after a while, I start to appreciate it, you know, I said, “God, he’s actually a nice person. He always brings me a little Krsna in my life. He just walks into my room and starts reading about Krsna. It’s actually nice, it’s nice. He brings something of value in my life, something meaningful.” So this is a devotee, one who brings something meaningful.

 

 

Holy Name Meditation Podcast

Many people imagine that the body is the gateway to pleasure, as is often depicted in novels and movies.

Pleasure is not our native country, not our normal condition. Miseries from the body-mind complex, the social circle and the environment attack us repeatedly, if not constantly. Just as residents of a troubled country look for a gateway to a better land, we look for a gateway to pleasure. That gateway, the media makes us believe, is the body.

However, the body is at best a visa, never a passport. Just as a visa gives us opportunity to stay in a foreign country, the body gives us opportunity to experience pleasure at the material level of reality that is foreign to us as souls. Just as a visa allows us to stay only temporarily in a foreign country, the body allows us to enjoy pleasure only temporarily – only in youth and even then for a few moments at a time. Those few moments are preceded and succeeded by hours and years of craving that are often nothing but torment unrelenting. And as the body ages, its capacity to enjoy declines and dies, leaving us vulnerable to misery due to various ever-worsening diseases. As the visa expires, we are evicted from the fantasized pleasure-land into a nightmarish misery-land.

The Bhagavad-gita (05.22) cautions us about this visa-like nature of bodily pleasures by stating that they have a beginning and an end – and that they ultimately breed misery.

Thankfully, we don’t have to be trapped forever in misery-land. The real passport to get out of it is devotion. By using the body as a tool to render devotional service to Krishna, we can raise ourselves to the spiritual level of reality where bliss eternal awaits us.

**

05.22 - An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunti, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.