What is the difference between wealthy people who live simply and real renunciates?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

I have seen some people who own lot of money. They neither use their money for sense gratification nor even for Krishna’s service or for any other. They are just happy to see their fat bank balance.
They live simple do not even try to bring material comforts for living. What is the difference between these kind of people and a true Vairagi?

Answer Podcast

 

 

Sometimes the philosophy seems too philosophical and not practical. What should we do in such situations?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Answer Podcast

Comments to different Gita daily articles on Gitadaily.com

From Dilip Singh

may be i haven’t understood the explanation because of my physical and mental limitations.
But what i want to convey that this articles deals more about what we get ing to achieve but doesn’t elaborate more on how to achieve and incorporate practical changes in our lifestyle.

From Gaurav

It seems too difficult to refer this page to a neophyte, it seems too philosophical and not simple, and somehow looses essence while reading. I have no knowledge, just sharing my viewpoint, which can be totally rejected.

 

 

 

I have joined as a brahmachari but am opposed and troubled by my relatives. How should I stay strong?
→ The Spiritual Scientist

From Chandan Kumar

i am a practicing devotee joined pdc batch. as i told about the one year course at home they are not in favour of that.currently by receiving many calls from the home and hearing crying and words against the practice of devotional sevice i am getting disturbed too much with in. please guide me so that i could practice with strength.

Answer Podcast

A Message
→ Japa Group


From time to time I get messages and feedback about the Japa Group website. Today I received one of those messages from a 55yr old devotee - name truncated for privacy reasons.

"This website has inspired such an old (55) aspiring devotee! I live 2 hours from the nearest temple so this keeps me in touch with the "work" of Krishna around the world. Keep up the good work and chanting your rounds - it makes a difference."

I hope you had a good week of quality chanting of the Holy names.

A natural leader
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2013, Cape Town, South Africa, BTS Vyasa Puja Talk)

BTS_kirtanGoing earlier into Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja’s life, we see that Maharaja was already powerful, in the sense that he emerged from that black ghetto and came out as one of the very few, almost symbolic black students in Princeton University, where you had a handful just to make up a quota. He was there and obviously did very well, and graduated from that prestigious university, majoring in psychology – something that comes back in his later writings.

Even in student days, he connected with leaders, African leaders of that time, such as Martin Luther King and others. They all recognized him immediately, as someone who could have made a career in politics. And the reason was, not that he was such a diplomat or such a politician, no, that was not it. He was truly a leader of men. He was never just someone who thought in a small way. He always thought in a big way, in the interest of many people. It was natural to him.

He spent a significant amount of time preaching in Nigeria. At one point, he spent most of his time in Africa. In 1990, he was given the position of being a chief! Not just an external thing but because he had influenced so many people and led so many people because he was like that. He was thinking like that. He was thinking as a leader of many people and wherever he went, it was like that.

When Maharaja went to Soweto, he danced in front of hundreds of devotees who went with him on a maha-harinama. It was like a powerful victory dance of Krsna consciousness in the streets of Soweto –not ordinary at all. He was like that.

People recognized that he was such a leader. Therefore, he was naturally acceptable to heads of state, and he met them frequently on different occasions. He was very comfortable with the upper echelon people because he was thinking with same broadness of mind that leaders of many men have. Therefore, also in our society, he came to a leading position. Still, he was not what you call just a man who was representing an institution and who derived his prestige from his rule in the institution. Far from it! He was an individual who was ready to experiment and for the sake of preaching, venture out and try different strategies.

 

A natural leader
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 March 2013, Cape Town, South Africa, BTS Vyasa Puja Talk)

BTS_kirtanGoing earlier into Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja’s life, we see that Maharaja was already powerful, in the sense that he emerged from that black ghetto and came out as one of the very few, almost symbolic black students in Princeton University, where you had a handful just to make up a quota. He was there and obviously did very well, and graduated from that prestigious university, majoring in psychology – something that comes back in his later writings.

Even in student days, he connected with leaders, African leaders of that time, such as Martin Luther King and others. They all recognized him immediately, as someone who could have made a career in politics. And the reason was, not that he was such a diplomat or such a politician, no, that was not it. He was truly a leader of men. He was never just someone who thought in a small way. He always thought in a big way, in the interest of many people. It was natural to him.

He spent a significant amount of time preaching in Nigeria. At one point, he spent most of his time in Africa. In 1990, he was given the position of being a chief! Not just an external thing but because he had influenced so many people and led so many people because he was like that. He was thinking like that. He was thinking as a leader of many people and wherever he went, it was like that.

When Maharaja went to Soweto, he danced in front of hundreds of devotees who went with him on a maha-harinama. It was like a powerful victory dance of Krsna consciousness in the streets of Soweto –not ordinary at all. He was like that.

People recognized that he was such a leader. Therefore, he was naturally acceptable to heads of state, and he met them frequently on different occasions. He was very comfortable with the upper echelon people because he was thinking with same broadness of mind that leaders of many men have. Therefore, also in our society, he came to a leading position. Still, he was not what you call just a man who was representing an institution and who derived his prestige from his rule in the institution. Far from it! He was an individual who was ready to experiment and for the sake of preaching, venture out and try different strategies.

 

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Appearance Day, September 17, Houston
Giriraj Swami

07.BT_App_2013“It’s very important to understand the mission and the instructions of the spiritual master. They include both chanting and hearing about Krishna and rendering practical service to the cause. There was one sannyasi in Vrindavan who complained to Srila Prabhupada that he was weary of having to deal with the management and construction—procure cement, count the bags, keep them safe, keep account, and supervise of the work. He said that he wanted to be relived so that he could enter more deeply into bhajana in Vrindavan. Srila Prabhupada replied that selfless service to the guru is how you enter into Vrindavan. We know the stories from Mayapur how Tamal Krishna Goswami and Jayapataka Swami would sleep on the bags of cement and steel bars so nobody could come and steal them. They had that mood of selfless service. But at the same time, we also have to follow the instruction to chant and hear about Krishna—especially the basic instructions to chant at least sixteen rounds daily, follow the regulative principles, and read Srila Prabhupada books.”
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Giriraj Swami
Kesava Bharati dasa Goswami

05.21- What comes fast doesn’t last; what does last doesn’t come fast
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Our culture allures us with the promise of immediate pleasure: “Eat this, smell this, touch this – and you will enjoy real fast.”

Material pleasures may come fast – just by the contact of the senses with the sense objects. But they never last. Because the capacity of the sense objects to give pleasure is limited, as is the capacity of the senses to enjoy pleasure.

Though we get on to what is touted as the fast track to enjoyment, we never reach destination enjoyment. We may enjoy a bit, but it’s so tiny and transitory that we just can’t believe that there’s nothing more. So we keep going on the same beaten path, hoping to find a pleasure that will be fast and will also last. The wise recognize this hope to be a delusion and do not indulge in it, as the Bhagavad-gita (05.22) indicates.

Obviously, our wisdom is meant not to deprive us of happiness, but to help us to get the best happiness – spiritual happiness.

We as souls are inherently joyful – a joyfulness that we can relish when we love and serve Krishna according to our spiritual nature as his parts. To access that joy, we need to purify our heart. This endeavor takes time, but rewards a result that lasts for all time. The preceding Gita verse (05.21) urges us to concentrate on the Supreme and be satisfied thereof. The more we become purified, the more that satisfaction will increase, till finally our devotional service will revive our original pure love for Krishna. That love yields an ecstasy that fills our entire heart and lasts for all of eternity. That’s life’s greatest attainment and it’s eminently worth our patience and persistence.

***

05.21 - Such a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme.

 

 

 

 

How impersonalism is also a type of God worship
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Such people [impersonalists] think themselves to be the Supreme Lord, and in this mentality they worship themselves. This is also a type of God worship, for they can understand that they are not the material body but are actually spiritual soul; at least, such a sense is prominent. Generally the impersonalists worship the Supreme Lord in this way.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is 9.15 purport

Brahmacari meeting in Mayapur with Jayapataka Swami (16 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

"As I began to spend more time with the brahmacaris, I noticed an unusual trait. They seemed to be always joyful, beyond the moody ups and downs that had plagued my spiritual quest." "What would happen to me if I wanted to become a Hare Krsna devotee?" a young man recently asked me. The first step, I told him, would be to enter the brahmacari asrama, the status of life for single men serious about spiritual advancement. Though I am now happily married, the conversation reminded me of the years I spent as a brahmacari. Read more ›

Rangadevi & Sudevi
→ Mayapur.com

Rangadevi -Sri Govindananda Gosh Rangadevi is the seventh of the varistha gopis. Her complexion is the color of a lotus filament and her garments are the color of a red rose. She is seven days younger than Srimati Radharani. Her personal qualities are much like those of Campakalata. Her parents are Karuna-devi and Rangasara. Ranga-devi is always like a […]

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 9-07-2013
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

 

ECOV Logo 

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 9-07-2013

Mission Statement: ECOV (Earth, Cows, Opportunities & Vrindaban Villages) is dedicated to cow protection, sustainable agriculture, self-sufficiency and simple living — all centered around loving service to Sri Krishna, as envisioned by the ISKCON New Vrindaban Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Participating Members of the ECOV Board of Directors:  Chaitanya Mangala, Krpamaya, Madhava Gosh, Navin Shyam and Ranaka.

Advisors present: Jaya Krsna

1. Prototype house at G7G

The Cabin roof was insulated this past week.  It still needs flooring, a window, solar panels, a water catchment system, and potentially a composting toilet.  Though it will not likely be fully ready for the October 5th opening, the ceremony will take place.

After hay harvesting is done, Tom and Ray will work on the cabin.

Although funding for the solar panels and floor pavers will come from other sources, more money is needed for labor and other aspects of the project.

WHEREAS: The ECOV Board wishes to complete the prototype cabin in the Garden of Seven Gates (“G7G”) as originally envisioned.

RESOLVED: The Board augments the project budget of the G7G prototype cabin by $3K.

2. Temple foundation plantings

Brikhasanga dug a trench, applied insulation and back filled on the temple building’s foundation.

3. Pine-tree trimming around Temple area

The project will begin after the foundation plantings are completed.

4.  Reduce/Reuse Initiative

Navin Shyam will resend the final version of the three posters to Krpamaya to print, laminate, and distribute to the various reusable metal water bottle vendors.

5. Gopal’s Garden School

As requested by ECOV, Ruci and Ranaka are developing a September issue of a school newsletter, focusing on Radhastami activities by the students.

6. Bahulaban barn demolition

This will begin in October after the combination barn closing ceremony and G7G Cabin opening celebration.

7. Bulk grain purchasing

WHEREAS: The ECOV Board wishes to help improve the self-sufficiency of the New Vrindaban community.

RESOLVED: The Board authorizes a line of credit to INV of up to $20K to make bulk grain purchases, to be stored in the bins that ECOV has previously purchased and set up. Precise terms of the arrangement will be worked out in a separate written agreement between Ranaka and a representative of INV management.

8. Budget for Valley Barn maintenance

WHEREAS: The ECOV Board wishes to provide adequate shelter for its cows as well as maintaining buildings in its care.

RESOLVED: The Board authorizes a budget of up to $10K  for repairing the roof of the valley barn.

Boat Festival at Kalachandji’s Hare Krishna Temple in Dallas (127 photos)
→ Dandavats.com

After Srila Prabhupada left his body in 1977, many of the devotee members of the famous Radha-Damodara Sankirtana Party came to stay in Dallas and Houston. Today, more than 15,000 followers now live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. There are presently 25 temple-owned homes in the immediate neighborhood which have became models of community redevelopment Read more ›

When God Leads a Political Revolution
→ The Enquirer

This is a translation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto Two, Chapter Seven, Śloka 22

parasuramaBrahmā: When the hell bent government strayed from the moral path by controverting the philosophers who explained the spirit of the law, the Great Soul made them the oil in the sacrificial offering to fate. With his very sharp, terribly powerful axe, he uprooted those thorns from the earth, thrice seven times over.

Nārada: The Paraśurāma avatāra.

In his elucidation on this śloka, A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupāda comments that some of these governors/kings were able to flee from Paraśurāma to distant places, especially to Eqypt – where they founded the Egyptian civilization. He says this claim is supported by Mahābhārata. Elsewhere he has been quoted as including Greece and Rome among the civilizations begun by those who fled from Paraśurāma.


Within the name
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 July 2013, Durban, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.6)

maha mantraIn the maha-mantra, there is a relationship. There is Krsna, the all-attractive Supreme Lord, and the vocative form of Hara which is Hare and that is the hladini shakti, the pleasure potency – pure devotional service embodied by Radharani, but also referring to any devotional service.

Hare represents devotional service to Krsna, and Ram represents either Balaram or Lord Ramachandra. Balaram is the embodiment of ecstacy, and is particularly the one who gives spiritual strength. So from serving Krsna, comes Ram, which is spiritual strength and ecstacy. Therefore transcendental happiness is experienced when chanting Hare Krsna in devotional service to Krsna.

Even when referring to Lord Ramachandra, who is the embodiment of religious principles, one becomes pure and the embodiment of religious principles when chanting. So it is interesting that all these things are there within the name. If you just chant other names of the Lord, that relationship is not there. Therefore it cannot compare to the maha-mantra.

 

Within the name
→ KKS Blog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 July 2013, Durban, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.6)

maha mantraIn the maha-mantra, there is a relationship. There is Krsna, the all-attractive Supreme Lord, and the vocative form of Hara which is Hare and that is the hladini shakti, the pleasure potency – pure devotional service embodied by Radharani, but also referring to any devotional service.

Hare represents devotional service to Krsna, and Ram represents either Balaram or Lord Ramachandra. Balaram is the embodiment of ecstacy, and is particularly the one who gives spiritual strength. So from serving Krsna, comes Ram, which is spiritual strength and ecstacy. Therefore transcendental happiness is experienced when chanting Hare Krsna in devotional service to Krsna.

Even when referring to Lord Ramachandra, who is the embodiment of religious principles, one becomes pure and the embodiment of religious principles when chanting. So it is interesting that all these things are there within the name. If you just chant other names of the Lord, that relationship is not there. Therefore it cannot compare to the maha-mantra.

 

THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN STOP HURTING ME
→ Gita Coaching


"Hurt feelings or discomfort of any kind cannot be caused by another person. No one outside me can hurt me. That's not a possibility. It's only when I BELIEVE A STRESSFUL THOUGHT that I get hurt. And I am the one hurting me when I am believing what I think. This is very good news because it means I don't have to get someone else to stop hurting me. I am the one who can stop hurting me. It's within my power." BK

08.15 – The world is a hospital; be hospitable to the doctor
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Patients admitted in a hospital know that the doctor’s counsel is essential for their recovery. If some patients were inhospitable to the doctor, we would be appalled by their irrationality: is this a mental hospital?

Yet, might we ourselves be acting like those patients?

Gita wisdom indicates that the disease of misdirected desires afflicts us. Though we are eternal and spiritual, we crave for the temporary and the material. Whenever we lose our desired objects, as we inevitably do in due course of time, we suffer. Terribly. Repeatedly.

To heal us, Krishna, the Supreme Doctor, provides the therapy of devotional service. This process efficiently and expeditiously reverts our desires back from the world to Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita (08.15) assures that those who learn to love Krishna become forever free from this miserable world.

Krishna offers his expert help freely and lovingly through his various manifestations like the scriptures and the holy names. But we are often inhospitable to him. We misperceive that his guidance will interfere with our enjoyment in this world. We give him as less time as possible – and even in that time, we give him as less thought as possible. Our inhospitality is evident in our half-heartedness and distractedness in devotional activities like mantra meditation. By being inhospitable to Krishna, we aggravate our misery and perpetuate our hospital sentence.

Gita wisdom gives us the intellectual impetus to become hospitable to Krishna. When we adopt his guidance, the practice of bhakti-yoga cures us quickly. It also makes our recovery a joyful journey, as the Gita (09.02) indicates. Using the things of this world in Krishna’s service grants us meaningful achievement and perennial fulfillment.

By regularly reinforcing our intelligence with Gita wisdom, we can become inhospitable towards our irrational inhospitability to Krishna and help him to help us.

***

08.15 - After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.