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The post August 14th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The post August 18th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

I walked right up to her and said, " Here's a gift for you. It's a vegetarian gourmet cookbook. With a big beautiful smile (she appeared very touched) she let out a genuine, "Thank You!" Read more ›

Nizhnyaya Salda is a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Salda River Read more ›

 

From a series of letters written by Srila Prabhupada outlining his vision for New Vrindaban.

Thanks to Vanipedia for the source material.

——————————————————————

June 14th, 1968.

My Dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I was just expecting your letter since I have come here from Boston. I have already informed you about my successful program in Boston, attending many colleges and universities, and the church meetings, practically throughout the whole month. And Sriman Satsvarupa is to be congratulated for his endeavor to keep me engaged in such meetings. I thought that you were going to San Francisco as you informed me previously that during Rathayatra festival you would be there. The Rathayatra festival is going to be held between 27th June to 7th July, and they are making broader arrangement than last year, and expecting people numbering from 1000 to 5000 will attend the procession, chanting Hare Krishna. They have been advised to turn San Francisco gradually into New Jagannatha Puri, and I have advised Kirtanananda and yourself to convert West Virginia into New Vrindaban. I understand the spot is very beautiful, and the hills may be renamed as New Govardhana. And if there are lakes, they can be renamed as Syamakunda and Radhakunda. Vrindaban does not require to be modernized because Krishna’s Vrindaban is transcendental village. They completely depend on nature’s beauty and nature’s protection. The community in which Krishna preferred to belong was Vaisya community, because Nanda Maharaja happened to be a Vaisya king, or landholder, and his main business was cow protection. It is understood that he had 900,000 cows and Krishna and Balarama used to take charge of them, along with His many cowherd boy friends, and every day, in the morning He used to go out with His friends and cows into the pasturing grounds.

So, if you seriously want to convert this new spot as New Vrindaban, I shall advise you not to make it very much modernized. But as you are American boys, you must make it just suitable to your minimum needs. Not to make it too much luxurious as generally Europeans and Americans are accustomed. Better to live there without modern amenities. But to live a natural healthy life for executing Krishna Consciousness. It may be an ideal village where the residents will have plain living and high thinking. For plain living we must have sufficient land for raising crops and pasturing grounds for the cows. If there is sufficient grains and production of milk, then the whole economic problem is solved. You do not require any machines, cinema, hotels, slaughterhouses, brothels, nightclubs—all these modern amenities. People in the spell of maya are trying to squeeze out gross pleasure from the senses, which is not possible to derive to our heart’s content. Therefore we are confused and baffled in our attempt to eschew eternal pleasure from gross matter. Actually, joyful life is on the spiritual platform, therefore we should try to save our valuable time from material activities and engage them for Krishna Consciousness. But at the same time, because we have to keep our body and soul together to execute our mission, we must have sufficient (not extravagant) food to eat, and that will be supplied by grains, fruits, and milk. So if you can develop this place to that ideal life and the residents become ideal Krishna Conscious men, in that part of your country, I think not only many philosophically minded people will be attracted, but they will be benefited also.

So far I am personally concerned, the United States Immigration Department has denied my application for permanent visa on some technical ground. In other words, just to avoid a Swami, because the government is disgusted with so-called Swamis who exploit the innocent public in your country. The difficulty is that the people in this country, they want to continue their practice of sense gratification, and at the same time they want to become transcendentally advanced. This is quite contradictory. One can advance in transcendental life by process of negativating the general practice of materialistic life. The exact adjustment is in Vaisnava philosophy, which is called Yukta Vairagya, means that we should simply accept the bare necessities of our material part of life, and try to save time for spiritual advancement. This should be the motto of New Vrindaban, if you at all develop it to the perfectional stage. And I am always at your service to help you by practical suggestion and assistance also.

On the other hand I was thinking that if I get permanent visa in Montreal, I shall make Montreal my headquarters and at that time I may require your help in so many ways. As we passed correspondence previously, that we should live together either in India or in this part of the world for publication of so many Vaisnava literatures. But if you want to develop New Vrindaban, I can spare you for that purpose, and it may be that we can live there together. For the time being, if you actually want to develop such ideal asrama, we must have sufficient land, and all other things will gradually grow. For raising crops from the land, how many men will be required—that we must estimate and for herding the cows and feeding them. We must have sufficient pasturing ground to feed the animals all round. We have to maintain the animals throughout their life. We must not make any program for selling them to the slaughterhouses. That is the way of cow protection. Krishna by His practical example taught us to give all protection to the cows and that should be the main business of New Vrindaban. Vrindaban is also known as Gokula. Go means cows, and kula means congregation. Therefore the special feature of New Vrindaban will be cow protection, and by doing so, we shall not be loser.

In India of course, a cow is protected and the cowherdsmen they derive sufficient profit by such protection. Cow dung is used as fuel. Cow dung dried in the sunshine kept in stock for utilizing them as fuel in the villages. They get wheat and other cereals produced from the field. There is milk and vegetables and the fuel is cow dung, and thus, they are self-independent in every village. There are hand weavers for the cloth. And the country oil-mill (consisting of a bull walking in circle round two big grinding stones, attached with yoke) grinds the oil seeds into oil. The whole idea is that people residing in New Vrindaban may not have to search out work outside. Arrangements should be such that the residents should be self-satisfied. That will make an ideal asrama. I do not know these ideals can be given practical shape, but I think like that; that people may be happy in any place with land and cow without endeavoring for so-called amenities of modern life—which simply increase anxieties for maintenance and proper equipment. The less we are anxious for maintaining our body and soul together, the more we become favorable for advancing in Krishna Consciousness.

Hoping you are well.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Alas! When will that day come when all greatly fortunate souls in countries such as England, France, Russia, Prussia and America will take up banners, kettle drums, mrdangas and karatalas and thus cause the ecstatic waves of Hari Nama kirtan and the singing of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s holy name to rise in the streets of their towns and cities? Read more ›

A few clicks from our time spent in New Panihati Dham during the North American Pandav Sena retreat in Atlanta. Thank you for inviting us to participate in this wonderful retreat. Read more ›

Mayur Kutir: “On this hill behind us we find the place called Mayur kutir. So many beautiful lila took place here. It is the place where Radha and Krishna would dance as peacocks. Read more ›

Birmingham Rathayatra 2013 With HH Mahavisnu Swami, HH Bhakti Charu Swami and HH Jayapataka Swami

“Can we hear Krishna speaking to us from within?” We may get this question when we come to know from the Bhagavad-gita that Krishna resides in our heart to guide us.

Yes, we can hear Krishna provided we first hear about Krishna.

That’s because Krishna’s voice is not the only voice present within us. There are also the voices of our desires and fears, our beliefs and biases, our dreams and nightmares. All these have lodged into our subconscious, creating impressions that surface unpredictably. When one of these impels us to do something, we may mistake that impulse to be Krishna’s voice.

To avoid such misjudgments, we need to train ourselves to recognize Krishna’s voice. This training centers on learning about Krishna from authentic sources, namely guru-sadhu-shastra (spiritual master-saintly teachers-scriptures). Krishna is non-different from the sound vibrations that glorify him. In fact, he manifests himself as those sound vibrations. The more we hear about Krishna, the more we associate with him and become acquainted with him, just as we become acquainted with a person by spending time with that person. Thereafter, if someone masquerades as that person, we can recognize and reject that imposter. Hearing about Krishna equips us to similarly screen the inner voices.

Additionally, in devotional life we are not alone in doing this screening; Krishna helps us. Hearing about Krishna is one of the most important forms of devotional service. When we render this service lovingly by hearing eagerly and applying enthusiastically, then Krishna becomes pleased and gives us the intelligence by which we can return to him, as the Bhagavad-gita (10.10) indicates. That intelligence comes as both the spiritually audible voice of Krishna and the discernment to separate this voice from other voices. Thus hearing about Krishna prepares us to hear Krishna.

***

To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

 

 

"My dear tongue, I stand before you with joined palms and beg you to recite the names of Lord Narayana. These names describing the Supreme Absolute Truth bring great pleasure, as if exuding honey."

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

In the Gita's first chapter, Krishna mentions varna-sankara resulting from the disruption of kula dharma. Why didn't you refer to that in your answer on Gita's perspective on inter-caste marriages?

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast

Verse 4.14: There is no work that affects Me; nor do I aspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become entangled in the fruitive reactions of work.

The laws of karma have been discussed extensively in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Gita. There, it was highlighted that both good and bad karma are unwanted. We also learned that all actions result in karma.

It was at this point that the Gita introduced the concept of akarma, or performing actions that do not incur any karma. The secret to performing akarmic work was given. Anyone remember? If you said a transformation of consciousness...you're right!

Any action that is performed with the attitude of offering it in gratitude to the Divine results in no karma.

If you've ever wondered why that's the case, today's verse gives the answer. The Divine Himself is not subject to the laws of karma, nor is He responsible for the karma that all of us incur. Although the King or President of a country is responsible for their citizens, there may be laws that do not apply to them due to their position. Furthermore, if their citizens break those laws, the King or President is not responsible for their actions. Those citizens have free will and have chosen to exercise it.

Since the Divine is not subject to the laws of karma, when our consciousness transfers from being self-centred to offering our best to the Divine, our actions are also not subject to karma.

The Gita is prompting us to imbibe a culture of gratitude and reciprocation.

Instead of succumbing to the overwhelming ethos of "mine, mine, mine!" which is pervading our society, we can instead be instruments to help elevate it. By recognizing the gifts we have been given as those coming from the Divine, the greatest happiness can be experienced when we act as instruments of grace and offer our actions, and whatever results that come from it, on the altar of love for the Divine.

Shouldn't a devotee be doing everything for Krishna's pleasure?

Answer Podcast

When there is an epidemic disease, an antiseptic vaccine protects a person from the attack of such an epidemic. Similarly, food offered to Lord Visnu and then taken by us makes us sufficiently resistant to material affection.

Bhagavad-gita 3.14 purport

 

 

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

In it he mentions seeing a Hare Krshna devotee on his college campus. I thought it worthwhile to copy and paste "before and after" sections of the piece to show his attidude toward that devotee prior to his NDE, and after it happened Read more ›

BY VRINDA MAHARANI DEVI DASI

 

KUALA LUMPUR - Every year there is a five day festival all over Vrndavana called Jhulana-yatra, at which time the vijaya-vigraha (small) Deities of Sri Sri Radha and Krsna are swung by hundreds of thousands of Vrajabasis and others, in their various temples or homes, on a beautiful swing attached to long ropes. In the month of Sravana (the rainy season), the clouds in the sky begin to make a thundering sound and extremely fine mist-like rain drizzles everywhere. The atmosphere is very beautiful and pleasant after the heat of the summer months, for at that time all the forests of Vrndavana begin to bloom. Many types of flowers on both sides of the Yamuna, such as beli, cameli, jui, and madhavi begin to bloom. The bumblebees look here and there and chant, "Radhe Radhe" and the cuckoos also call out, “Radhe Radhe” .

Come and experience the transcendental happiness of swinging The Divine Couple!

Place:48 Jalan SS1/23, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MalaysIA

Date:19/8/2013

Time:7p.m.

Pandit currently serves as the first-ever Hindu chaplain of Columbia University and New York University. Read more ›

filmed with DJI Phantom and GoPro3 Read more ›

The post August 17th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

On this most Auspicious Occasion,

Everyone is encouraged to prepare some special loving preparations that you’d like tomake as an offering to Lord Balarama on His Appearance Day.

Our goal is to offer at least a total of 56 wonderful preparations at His special evening offering. This rare opportunity is especially meaningful to all those who are partial to HIS Special Mercy.

Please have all preparations in the Temple Pujari Room no later than 5:30 PM.

Thank you for your consideration. Hare Krishna.

***

SCHEDULE:

Fasting until noon.

5:30 pm                    Abhisheka
6:00 pm                    Lecture and offering of 56 preparations
7:00 pm                    Artika and Kirtan
7:45 pm                    Prasadam Feast served

Lilasuka dasi

Balarama.jpg

Basu Ghosh Das: Last night, Friday, August 16, 2013, Parashuram Das invited me to speak at his weekly program in the basement of the Matchless Gifts charity store that he runs in near East/almost Central London at Kings Cross. Pictures taken by myself and "Jenny", who manages the charity store. Read more ›

Union Square Park Harinam. Read more ›

Our books are being appreciated by learned circles, so we should take advantage. Whatever progress we have made, it is simply due to distributing these books Read more ›

2013 07 30 Kirtan & Lecture HH Niranjana Swami Riga Latvia

Los Angeles, California

A concrete man-made water way is what gave space for the Ballona Bike Trail, a route that Dhananjaya and I had now become partially familiar with. It looks like we were not the only ones aware of this quiet getaway. We shared in this secret with a coyote who non-chalantly prowled his way (a portion of its length opposite to the river to us.) I Tried to gain his attention, "Hey Dude!" but he wasn't in the least phased. Frankly I was happy he was just there. His very presence seemed to defy or transcend the human infrastructure around him.

The other day, I had the same feeling when at pre-dawn an opossum was making its journey at post-party time on the San Diego beachfront. For him the party just began as I followed his quiet footsteps from dumpster to dumpster. He was apparently doing his rounds.

For those of us who are fortunate to live the lifestyle in the monastic order, rarely a day goes by where we can ignore sastra, the written wisdom, wherever we go. In reflection on today's Bhagavatam verses I was asked to speak on the final message of Chapter 11, Canto 7, regarding the Vedic four social orders. The Vedas convert the four social human types based on a person's psyco-physical make-up. What I attempted to emphasize was that spiritually we are all equal, as servants of Him. Materially we are all distinct and simultaneously complimentary to each other.

Complimentary or not, I did mutually get on well with a guy at the LA Airport waiting for a flight to San Jose. He calls himself a skipper or a sailor who is well-travelled and works on boats. He was neighbours to Crosley, Stills, Nash & Young and helped them get their yacht adrift in those days. A firm believer in conspiracy theories, he clearly pointed out at the CNN screen in front of us and declared that tv tells no truth.

He expressed that he really liked what I was doing as a roaming monk, hitting trails on foot and meeting people. On a recent ocean voyage he took ninety boy scouts for an adventure. I asked about the outcome.

"They're today's kids, hooked on gadgets and know little of the outdoors. About a dozen caught on. It's a shame, really."

10 KM

Meet People

San Diego, California

Dhananjaya and I took to peripatetic activities. Out trekking took us along Pacific Beach, where we would later on go for a swim. Our ashram is located so close to sand and ocean and, as I've been told, our monks do take advantage of swimming opportunities when it's more safe for monks. As one of them put it, "Outside the bikini hours."

Dhananjaya and I were about to finish our term when two young guys and a girl came towards us trying to get our attention.

"Hey!" said one of the guys.

We stopped.

"What are you doin'?"

"We're walking and meditating!"

"Can you walk and meditate at the same time?" ask the fellow in a slurred voice. (It was a party-all nighter.)

"We are doing mantra meditation. We try to tap into sound that is other worldly." I asked them to close their eyes and listen to the mantra, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna…" They liked that.

"Who is Krishna?" Is He the one with the many legs?" asked the girl who called herself Robin.

"No! We are looking at two arms and two legs and He is a celestial blue-like Avatar."

"Oh yeah, okay?" said one of the guys.

Somehow I had a feeling that they would make it someday to our ashram on Grand Ave.

"The invitations on," I said. I relayed this encounter to the monks seated in class in the ashram and also at my evening talk at the home of Pandava for a spiritual gathering. My purpose in doing so was to endorse the practice of going out into the neighbourhood in your devotional wear and see what friends you'll make.

10 KM

Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realization.

Bhagavad-gita 2.1 purport

We sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of things that we need to get done. No doubt, we do have a lot to do, but we often put unnecessary loads on ourselves by our unregulated desires.

The mind is the place where desires crowd. These desires may come from outside, entering through the doors of the senses from the external world, filled as it is with temptations. Or desires may come from inside, surfacing from our memories of our past indulgences. Whichever way they arrive, they soon make the mind a crowded mess, wherein we feel pulled in a hundred different directions. The Bhagavad-gita (16.16) points to this predicament when it states that the ungodly are bound by a network of desires and dilemmas.

Desires breed dilemmas, dilemmas about which desire to indulge in first. These dilemmas cloud our intelligence and make us unsure or unclear about what to do, leaving us vulnerable to choose the path of least resistance. Sometimes a particular desire becomes dominant and appears to resolve the dilemma for us. However, the dilemma returns soon with a bigger bite because indulgence has made the desire stronger. As our capacity for indulgence is limited, whereas our capacity for desire is unlimited, the dilemma created by the gap between the two capacities, makes life more difficult.  In trying to bridge the gap, we feel impelled to cast aside ethical boundaries and thereby pave the way to hellish consequences for ourselves. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be our fate. We just need to change our desires and choose the desire to love Krishna. That devotional desire removes the cloud from our intelligence and connects us with Krishna’s supreme intelligence, thereby providing us access to the best possible counsel for resolving our dilemmas.

***

Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, they become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell.

Verse 4.13: According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.

Have you heard about the caste system? Most likely you have and like the majority of persons out there, the concept just doesn't sit right with you. Guess what? The Gita agrees!

This is what happens when things are taken out of context and unscrupulous persons give their own interpretation to fit their own needs and desires. It might surprise some, but the original divisions of society actually stem from the Gita itself.

The Gita outlines that persons have a specific nature and with that come certain proclivities and inclinations. Broadly, these natures fit those of the:

1. teachers/academics/philosophers
2. administrators/leaders/protectors
3. trade persons/business persons/agriculturalists
4. workers/artists

Of course, it is very possible for persons to be a mix of these natures and that is something we often see today. When the Gita outlines these four natural divisions of society, it also stresses that each one is important and serves a particular purpose. If everyone was just a worker, we wouldn't have a proper functioning society. The same goes if everyone was just a teacher or philosopher.

One can think of them as the four seasons. Each one is important and offers a special contribution in terms of weather and facilities.

As well, unlike the perverted caste system which states that if one is born in a family of teachers or priests that they too are of that nature - the Gita says otherwise. These qualities and natures are not necessarily inherited by birth. Instead it is important to observe the individual and determine what nature that person has and help them understand it. No fitting any square pegs in round holes here!

Every single person and every nature is valued. The aspiring yogi strives to understand the nature they have been given and acknowledges it as a gift they can cultivate and use positively.

So take the opportunity to determine what your nature is and offer it not only to to the world, but to the Divine in gratitude!

“Your report of the book distribution there is very encouraging. Make program to distribute our books all over the world. Our books are being appreciated by learned circles, so we should take advantage. Whatever progress we have made, it is simply due to distributing these books. So go on and do not divert your mind [...]