Planet ISKCON

Today is the Vyasa-puja day for my spiritual master, Bhaktimarga Swami.  I remember many years ago admiring his humility in offering respect given for him to Srila Prabhupada, his desire to see Srila Prabhupada glorified instead of himself, and that was when I first thought of him as a potential spiritual master for me.  In that spirit I would like to take the opportunity to post something I happened to write today upon seeing someone criticizing Srila Prabhupada, apparently in favor of yata mata tata patha or something like that.  In fact it was because of Srila Prabhupada that I found Bhaktimarga Swami, so these two spiritual masters are like a team of two great lifeguards who have come to save me from my helpless struggle in an ocean of unlimited ignorance.  I am forever in debt to both of them.  Hare Krishna…

Before I ever heard of Srila Prabhupada and had not the faintest idea Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I was a liberal atheist,  environmental science major, with a side interest in yoga.  I understood based on science that the world needed to stop raising animals for slaughter in order to accommodate population growth. However I soon realized that achieving that would be practically impossible. I didn’t know if there were a God, but I thought unless there is, the world is in serious trouble.

That was when I found _Bhagavad-gita As It Is_ and began to see that what he was teaching is perfect, practical and ideal.  He was trying to make anyone in the world able to understand Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Who else could do that?

When I was a child I understood that people at church didn’t seem to really know God, and thought if I could ever find out about God, that would be the most important thing.  I didn’t know yet, but Srila Prabhupada had recently gone all over the world teaching his expert knowledge of who really is God, Krishna, and how Krishna should be understood and served.  It’s how to actually achieve liberation from repeated birth and death, something inconceivably rare and great, and that is only mentioned because the real treasure of Krishna consciousness is inconceivable.  

I am so thankful that Srila Prabhupada did not waiver to satisfy any critics and very masterfully stuck to his mission of giving the way of Krishna consciousness to a world sorely in want of it but too ignorant to know.  Srila Prabhupada must be forgiven for distinguishing his knowledge from other proposed solutions because his teachings reveal the real solution to all problems, the making it clear that service to Krishna and His devoted  servants is the perfection and ultimate goal of life.  I am not even fit to glorify Srila Prabhupada, but thanks to him that is something I hope to someday achieve.  All glories to Srila Prabhupada!  Hare Krishna.

Sitting through the wonderful seminar with His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami. And of course at the end there will be a wonderful Kirtan as usual from him.

VICARU DAS
BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR
ISKCON UK

Sri Pariksit said: “O brahmana, how can the vedas directly describe the supreme Absolute Truth who cannot be described in words?” The vedas are limited to describing the qualities of material nature, but the supreme is devoid of all these qualities, being transcendental to all material manifestations and their causes. The supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives and ultimately attain liberation.

Those who came before even our ancient predecessors meditated upon this same confidential knowledge of the absolute truth, indeed anyone who faithfully concentrates on this knowledge will become free from material attachments and attain the final goal of life.

Now lets hear Lord Narayan Rishi’s conversation with Narada Muni.

Once, while traveling amongst the various planets of the universe, the Lords beloved devotee Narada went to visit the primeval sage Narayana at his asrama. From the very beginning of Brahma’s days Lord Narayana Rsi has been undergoing austere penances in this land of Bharata while perfectly performing religious duties and exemplifying spiritual knowledge and self control – all of the benefit of human beings in both this world and next.

There Narada approached Lord Narayana Rsi who is sitting amidst sages of the village of kalapa. After bowing down to the Lord, O’hero of the Kurus, Narada ask Him the very same question you have asked me. As the sages listened, Lord Narayana Rsi related to in ancient discussion about the absolute truth that took place among the residents of Janaloka.

The supreme Lord said: “O’ son of self born Brahma, once long ago on Janaloka, wise sages who resided there performed a great sacrifice to the absolute truth by vibrating transcendental sounds; these sages, mental sons of Brahma, were all perfect celebates, at that time you happened to be visiting the Lord on Svetadvipa – that supreme Lord in whom the Vedas lie down to rest during the period of universal annihilation. A lively discussion arose among the sages on Janaloka as to the nature of the supreme absolute truth Indeed the same question arose then that you are asking me now. Although these sages were all equally qualified in terms of Vedic study and austerity and although they all saw friends, enemies and neutral parties equally they chose one of their number to be the speaker,and the rest became eager listeners.

Sri Sanandana replied: “After the supreme Lord withdrew the universe He had previously created He lay for some time as if asleep, and all his energies rested dormant within Him, when the time came for the next creation the personified vedas awakened Him by chanting His glories just as the poets serving a King approach him at dawn and awaken him by reciting his heroic deeds. The srutis said: “Victory, Victory to you, O! unconquerable one by your very nature you are perfectly full in all opulence; therefore please defeat the eternal power of illusion who assumes control over the modes of nature to create difficulties for conditional souls. O! you who awaken all the energies of the moving and non-moving embodied beings sometimes the vedas can recognize you as you sport with your material and spiritual potencies.”

This perceivable world is identified with the supreme because the supreme Brahman is the ultimate foundation of all existence, remaining unchanged as all created things are generated from it and again merged with it. Thus it is toward You alone that the Vedic sages direct all their thoughts, words and acts. After all,how can the footsteps of men fail to touch the earth on which they live, Therefore O’ master of the three worlds, the wise get rid of all misery by diving deep into the necterean ocean of topics about you, which washes away all the contamination of the universe, than what to speak of those who, having by spiritual strength rid their minds of bad habits and freed themselves from time, are able to worship your true nature, O supreme one, finding within it uninterrupted bliss?”

Only if they became your faithfull followers are those who breathe actually alive, otherwise their breathing is like that of a bellows, it is by your mercy alone that the elements, beginning with the mahat tattva and false ego, created the egg of this universe. Among the manifestations known as anna-maya and so forth, you are the ultimate one entering within the material coverings along with the living entity and assuming the same forms as those he takes. Distinct from the gross and subtle material manifestations You are the reality underlying them all.”

When this human body is used for your devotional service it acts as ones self friend and beloved. But unfortunately although you show mercy to the conditioned souls and affectionately help them in every way and although you are their true self people in general fail to delight in you.

Instead they commit spiritual suicide by worshiping illusion, Alas, because they persistently hope for success in their devotion to the unreal, they continue to wander about this greatly fearful world, assuming various degraded bodies.

HARE KRISHNA

VICARU DAS
BHAKTIVEDANTA MANOR
ISKCON UK

One day Krishna and balarama were playing at the place called yashoda kunda with their friends, but it was time for them to come home to take their lunch and mother yashoda sent Rohini: you go to get Krishna and Balaram.
Rohini came and she said: “Krishna, Balarama, please come home, your lunch is waiting for you, Nanda Maharaj is also waiting for you”; But they were so busy playing having so much fun with their friends that they ignored mother Rohini. So she went and told mother Yashodamayi that they will not come so Yashodamayi came and she began to very strictly order Krishna: “You come back!”; But Krishna’s friend told Him: “If you go we will not play with you tomorrow, because you will ruin our game if you go in the middle”, so Krishna afraid of being banned from the play continued playing and Mother Yashoda was pleading with Krishna and chastising Krishna.

But Krishna and Balarama kept playing.

Finally mother Yashoda was thinking what should I do? He will be hungry I cannot allow Krishna and Balarama to be hungry, it is not good for Their health. So she began to think then she got an idea she said: “Krishna and Balarama, you better come right now because the Hau Bilau is coming.” Krishna and Balarama said: “What is Hau Bilau?” She said: “He is coming!, He is coming!, lets go.” They again asked: “what is this Hau-Bilau?” Yashoda replied with a huff: “Hmm…Hau Bilau walks on four legs and has very very fierce eyes and big big mouth and sharp sharp teeth and He eats little children,and he is coming.”

Then Krishna Balarma looked at her and said: “We do not believe in Hau Bilaus there’s no such thing.” And then mother Yashoda, she looked behind Krishna and Balarama where they were standing and she said: “Here he is the Hau Bilau; has come ahh!!!” and then with big eyes she started running away as fast as possible and when Krishna and Balarama saw this they were afraid to even look back; they immediately let out and scream and said: “mother wait for us” They started running full speed ahead and Mother Yashoda ran all the way back to Nand Bhavan and Krishna and Balarama ran and ran as fast as they could. They were afraid to even look back and then they came into the house and Yashoda mayi had nice Prasad ready for them and they sat next to Nanda Maharaj.

Krishna and Balarama were telling Nanda Maharaj: “You should have seen this Hau Bilau, He had a big fiery eyes and long teeth and big mouth and fur all over him but We escaped somehow or other we ran fast,We got away!” and Nanda Maharaj was very happy.

So in way mother Yashoda with her parental affection performed so many pastimes for the pleasure of Krishna and Balarama it is also said that after mother Yashoda saw that this pastime work very good she made the Murtis of Hau Bilau; and when Krishna Balarama would be naughty she would say: “Beware, I will take you to Hau Bilau” so they would become very nice.

Krishna,Balarama Hau Bilau lila
ki Jay

BG 05.29 House is burning down, still happy? 2013-07-26

Our culture often reduces character to image, wisdom to sound bytes and self-worth to net-worth.

Being goaded by such a superficial environment, people frequently, even feverishly, aim to look big. They want to appear to be belonging among the best, even to be the numero uno.

The Bhagavad-gita (16.15) characterizes such obsession with appearances as decidedly ungodly, as indicating a tragically deluded mindset.

Why tragically deluded?

Because those who crave to look big are small – they are driven by their inner feelings of insecurity and inadequacy, their desperate need for outer validation and congratulation.

Below the pretense of bigness is smallness, pathetic smallness. And that becomes evident when the relentlessly grinding power of time strips such people off their vaunted abilities, even the ability to keep up appearances. Of course, our culture doesn’t like such disconcerting reminders of the final futility of facades. So with an ever-new parade of icons, it blinds us to those being sent to the trashcan of the public eye.

Worse still, even if we succeed in looking big, the success never satisfies the heart. It may bring a temporary pat on the back in a culture that eggs its members through such mutual back-pats on the racecourse to nowhere.

Our heart longs for the nourishment of love, not the cosmetic of ego-inflation.

And that love comes not by struggling to look big, but by learning to love the biggest person, the most loving and lovable person, Krishna. When we learn to love him by practicing devotional service, his grace often empowers us to do big things, to do better than what we would have done without him. But more importantly his grace blesses us progressively with an inner fulfillment so big that we no longer need to look big.

**

16.15 - I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice." In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.

 

 

 

Every endeavor requires land, capital, organization and labor. Just as in business one requires a place to stay, some capital to use, some labor and some organization to expand, so the same is required in the service of Krsna. The only difference is that in materialism one works for sense gratification. The same work, however, can be performed for the satisfaction of Krsna, and that is spiritual activity. If one has sufficient money, he can help in building an office or temple for propagating Krsna consciousness. Or he can help with publications. There are various fields of activity, and one should be interested in such activities.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is 12.10

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.64-66 during the morning program at the ISKCON Dallas temple.

“Although the gopis are the most worshipable devotees in existence, they worshipped Uddhava as a dear friend of Krishna’s. So, when one develops such purity of heart, although one is most exalted, one feels oneself to be ordinary and prays for such benedictions as to always think of Krishna, to chant the names of Krishna, to render service to Krishna. One appreciates the service and qualities of other devotees and wants to worship them.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.47.64-66

Lord Chaitanya states in the Chaitanya Charitamrita that the “root cause of bhakti is sadhu sanga”, which Srila Prabhupada translates as the association of advanced devotees. Read more ›

The music is from the album "The Hanumen - Manipuri Hare Krishna" Read more ›

Please visit our new website for Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold!

The Deity of Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji is the oldest Deity form of Krishna found outside of India (500 years old). Read more ›

The post October 5th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

In addition, we discovered this month that maintenance at Sakhi Kunda is being managed by an organization called Tirtha Vikas Trust. We are attempting to contact their people in order to find out if they will allow us to clean and renovate there. Meanwhile, the cleaning, gardening and beautifying at Radha Kunda continue. Read more ›

Niranjana Swami — Kirtana with disciples at Bhakti sangama — September 19, 2013

But oh if you could see, the change you’ve made in me, That the angels in the skies, were envious and surprised, That anyone as nice as you, would chance with me. [Rodriguez]

On our way to Varna for a public program, we stopped at the historic site of Nesebar, an ancient town on a peninsula just off the Black Sea coast. Nesebar dates back to the 11th Century and at one time had over 35 churches on the small peninsula measuring only 300 meters wide and 850 [...]

Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction message and I will be happy to make you a member:

rasa108 ::_::{.at.}::_:: gmail dot com

ys

Rasa Rasika dasa

Castle and Apples

Toronto, Ontario

I took 5 people with me today to show them a trail unknown to them.  It was a brief trek to Casa Loma.

Our ashram where I live is in a unique location. It’s one kilometre from Queens Park, half a kilometre from Yonge Street, parks are all around.  The museum, a world class, is also just one kilometre away.  Ravines are within a two kilometre distance.  The country’s largest university’s limits are within a short walk.  And then there’s Sir Henry Pellat’s home, Casa Loma, which means in Spanish, Hill House.  It has 98 rooms and over 30 toilets.  There’s an oven large enough to cook an ox, they say.  The house was built for his wife, Lady Mary Pellat.

Sir Henry Pellat was not noted for his walking, but his running.  In 1879 he won the men’s 1500 metre or mile run at the US national championship.

In any event, there was Casa Loma.  Our walking/chanting group took a moment to look at this masterpiece of a castle as we dreamt away.  “What a gorgeous Vedic temple this would make,” as we gawked at the largest private residence in the country.

Onward we went to new streets of charm where you find those old red brick 19^th century homes.  As we walked past the York tennis court, the edge of the property bore a golden delicious apple tree.  I shook a branch, the apples fell, we picked.  As a routine I chant a quick mantra as a way to offer such organic fruit to Krishna.  We ate with relish.

A security man from inside the building caught us on screen.  It was still early and dark.  He saw us, some in robes, he rushed out to the scene.  Suddenly, he halted and said, “Oh, it’s you, yeah go ahead, take them all,” he said in the tone of absolute kindness.  Relieved he was that we were neither pranksters nor thieves, and rewarded we were having a real gift of sweet fleshiness in our palms and then our mouths.  Thievery is not our game, but I’ll admit that we are greedy to hone in on all the treasures of the morning, the greatest of them all being the chanting on our lips and the company of bhakti yogis.

10 KM

It is relatively easy to accommodate those who accommodate us. It is much more difficult to accommodate those who don’t accommodate us.

The Bhagavad-gita reveals how Krishna is supremely accommodating. Therein, Krishna outlines various spiritual paths custom-made for people with varying inclinations, thereby expressing his desire to get everyone to start off on their spiritual journey.

Among these paths, he does establish bhakti-yoga as the best path for that journey. But even within bhakti-yoga, he offers a ladder of varying levels of practice, as delineated in the Gita (12.08-12.11). In this ladder’s lowest rung as conveyed in 12.11, Krishna accommodates even those who can’t accommodate him – even those who have neither any external cultural connection with him, nor any internal conceptual consciousness of him.

Krishna being one who sees beyond the surface to the substance appreciates those who are ready to develop the virtue of selflessness. After all, the whole spiritual journey spans the territory from self-absorption to selfless Krishna-absorption. Full absorption in Krishna is the greatest selflessness because it enables those thus absorbed to become instruments for the supremely selfless and benevolent person, Krishna.

What takes us along our spiritual journey is the gradual increment in our selflessness as we become less obsessed with ourselves, and become more conscious of Krishna and of how to serve everyone as his servants. In its pre-initial state, this journey begins with a selflessness that may not be explicitly devotional. For those who can’t directly connect with him due to social, cultural or other circumstantial obstacles, Krishna recommends the gradual development of selflessness by sacrificing the fruits of their work for a good cause. This selfless sacrificing spirit, when eventually spiritualized by saintly association, paves the way for their progression towards him.

Thus does Krishna accommodate even those who can’t accommodate him.

***

The impersonal conception of the Supreme Absolute Truth, as described in this [twelfth] chapter, is recommended only up to the time one surrenders himself for self-realization. In other words, as long as one does not have the chance to associate with a pure devotee, the impersonal conception may be beneficial. In the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth one works without fruitive result, meditates and cultivates knowledge to understand spirit and matter. This is necessary as long as one is not in the association of a pure devotee. Fortunately, if one develops directly a desire to engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in pure devotional service, he does not need to undergo step-by-step improvements in spiritual realization.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is 12.20 purport

Here Then And Now

Toronto, Ontario

Yesterday I trekked amidst trees.  Today I took to pavement with concrete buildings on both sides.

I can’t say that scenario number two, or today’s scene was anything less interesting.  Pedestrians are playing out their lives in their own natural way, conversing a bit, flaunting, or just moving from one place from another in their own individual way.

I time machined my way back to a hundred plus years and imagined the situation then.  People would be milling around, clothes would be dark and folks would be less risqué in their style of fashion.  Both men and women wore hats, there would be a sharing of space with horses.  There would likely be a courtesy, but not necessarily a warmth of exchange with that Victorian air about it.  There was optimism and talk about business and the family.  You might find people speaking of the Bore War, and Canada’s participation in it in Africa.  The pace of life would be slowed down compared to what it is now.  In the business district a stride would be more of a strut where as in the residential area it would be more of a stroll.

In 1905 there was a great fire.  It had razed many buildings demolishing many of them.  But people resilient as they are or were shot everything up again.

All this imagery I superimposed onto the current background of the existing urban setting of Toronto.  I couldn’t imagine a monk in saffron walking at that time – the turn of the century.  There wasn’t the kind of freedom then as there is now.

I had actually been walking with a member of the Krishna community when the flashback hit.  I had been urging him to settle down and formally tie the knot with his common-law wife.  The idea is to make commitments in life that encourage sacrifice.  The idea is to build a team of two, maybe three or four or more (as in children).  The idea is that love should be more firmed up and less whimsical.  The idea is that the relationship should have a spiritual base.

Funny thing is here I’m fast forwarding now using my walking partner as the subject.  I believe he appreciated my suggestions.  After pressing the rewind button and then the fast forward one I decided to press play.  Here we are, let’s live in the moment, get real, follow dharma (duty), and adhere to the wishes of guru and Krishna and make progress.

8 KM

As many will remember, the Toronto Hare Krishna Centre participated in the annual Nuit Blanche
Festival Nuit Blanche - an all-night arts festival which transforms a huge area of downtown Toronto into a giant contemporary art museum. Last year, we presented a 12-Hour Kirtan that spiritually blew the roof off!

This year, we hope to have the same effect on downtown Toronto with a large harinam going out to the streets! The plan is to meet up at the Temple on Saturday, October 5th at 11:00pm and walk to Yonge and Wellesley, where we will set up carperts in the middle of the road and bring the sacred sounds of our tradition to the masses!

Please dress in your best Vaishnava traditional attire and warmly as it might be cold out. Bring your smile and enthusiasm to chant! We hoe to see you there!

It is customary for devotees to walk around the town of Vrindavana. There is a parikrama path that goes around the town. This path is one street over from the ISKCON temple. It usually takes two to three hours to go around Vrindavana. The parikrama path is 10 km (6 miles). Some of the places passed on the way are: Mohana Ter, Kaliya Ghata, Madana Mohana Temple, Imli Tala, Sringara Vat, and Keshi Ghata. The main day that people do parikrama of Vrindavana is on Ekadasi (the eleventh day of the waxing and waning moon). It is customary to do this walk with bare feet, which is fairly painless, even for one who never walks in bare feet. Read more ›

There was a time in ancient India when man spent his surplus wealth in serving the Deity form of God. God is omnipotent and hence the belief is that He resides in His Deity form to show mercy and compassion to His devotees. In reciprocation to God's love, devotees show their love by dedicating whatever they get as surplus in service to Him. This relationship of expression of love of giving gifts to God was the hallmark/essence of vedic customs, rites and rituals. Thus the fully satisfied man was a good steward of fellow living beings and nature. In such an enriched environment, there was no poverty, crime, exploitation, animal slaughter, greed, lust, pride etc - things we take for common today was not even heard of in ancient vedic culture.

Remnants of such culture can be seen even today where pious Hindus give gifts to the Deity form of the Lord. While the external rituals remain, the inner meaning of love is lost. Unless we revive our inner feelings of love for God we will not be satisfied in life. We will not be good stewards of fellow beings and nature. Our hearts will only be filled with exploitative tendencies of greed, lust, fear etc.

Feeding the poor, building orphanages or schools or hospitals might be the band-aid solution to solving social ills but the root cause solution is to clean the ecology of our own hearts from materialistic tendencies of greed, lust, pride, fear etc.

I will end this post in the spirit of Gandhi's birthday reminding us of his words - “Be the change that you wish to see in this world". The change within us can come about only if we revive our original culture of giving our surplus to God in an exchange of unmotivated gratitude, devotion and love.

Hare Krishna

Prabhupada: If halava is made nicely, actually it is best. So prepare all these things. Offer to Krsna and devotees, and at last you take. Don't take first. Give all, as much as you like, then you take. Susukham kartum avyayam. It is such a nice movement. It is simply pleasing. To execute, it is simply pleasing. Read more ›

Jacksonville Beach is the same place where Lord Jagannath loves to take His annual stroll down the Jacksonville, Florida, USA, beach, benedicting hundreds with His big smile. His happy devotees chant smokin' kirtans during the entire procession! Read more ›

Indradyumna Swami: On our way to Varna for a public program, we stopped at the historic site of Nesebar, an ancient town on a peninsula just off the Black Sea coast Read more ›

Deena Bandhu Das: On Wednesday, we went to Ter Kadamba, Uddhava Khyari, and Vrinda Kunda! I was overjoyed to see the progress of Uddhava Khyari, with so many Kadambas and other trees planted there by my friend Shyam Das Baba. Bringing it back to its former glory! Read more ›

We have several programs focused on glorifying God through singing, dancing, worship of the lord(arati), discussing philosophy, and finally having vegetarian prasadam (sanctified food/food offered to the Lord) together. We believe in developing loving relationships, guiding, encouraging, and inspiring each other in spiritual practices and spreading the message of God. We sincerely invite you to join us in any of our programs, especially our Sunday program. If you have any questions, please call us at 404-377-8680. or email at info(at)atlantaharekrishnas.com. Please don't forget to register with us to receive email announcements about special events at our temple. Read more ›

Lectures at yoga center in Istanbul evening of October 1st. (English/Turkish)

20-09-2013 CC Madhya 16.281 Why Visit Vrindavan, Cape Town, South Africa.mp3