While I’m waiting for the last piece of equipment to arrive (the Sovtek 12AX7LPS Vacuum Tube), I thought I’d give a rundown of the hardware that I’ll be using this time around compared to what I used before. This is really of no interest to anyone aside from the geekily curious.
The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon with acrylic platter.
First, let’s start with the heart of it all – the turntable. I’ve upgraded to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, a belt-driven, quiet deck with a one-piece carbon fiber tonearm. When I first started this project in 2007, I had a portable plastic picnic player. It was nice to have turntable again, but sound quality wasn’t exactly its top priority.
I then wandered into an Audio Technica LP-120, which is a knock off of the much more famous Technics 1200. You’ll recognize these iconic tables as the “wheels of steel” used by every DJ ever. While it was a step in the right direction, and I made certain tweaks to it to better the sound quality, it simply was a DJ table through and through. The Pro-Ject is infinitely better for my purposes.
I’ve also changed the phono preamp, a necessary component for getting any sound of your table. Each preamp is different and some sound great, while others are barely passable. What I had before was a very budget-minded preamp that actually performed pretty well. What I have now, the Bellari VP130 Tube Preamp, sounds amazing. I love a warm sound when it comes to vinyl, and the Bellari is smooth and comforting even with the stock tube. The Sovtek 12AX7LPS should make it even more so.
But that’s not all I changed. For instance, I swapped out the metal platter on the Pro-Ject with an acrylic one. This does away with the felt mat and thus the static produced. This means less pops and clicks (many pops/clicks are produced not by scratches in the vinyl, but by static).
Belllari VP-130 Tube Phono Preamp making things sound all warm.
I also added a device called the Speedbox II. One of the issues with belt drive turntables is their inability to play at constant speeds (when compared to direct drive tables). Most folks would never notice this. But for my purposes, the less pitch shifting that occurs, the better. Plus, though I don’t have perfect pitch, I could hear a bit of warbling on held out, steady notes. It simply provides a more accurate speed and sound. It also slows the motor down, and that cuts down on motor noise. Other things like better cables and stylus are new, as well.
What all this means is that before the sound even gets to the computer, it will be much cleaner and more accurate than before.
The computer’s job is then to translate the music to digital without changing the sound. This is, of course, impossible, but I want it to be as close t perfect as I can get. For that, I’ll be recording at 24bits with a sampling rate of 96kHz. This is much, much higher quality than a CD (16/44.1), but allows tons of room for editing out pops and clicks. Let’s face it, the records I’m converting here are not pristine.
I’ll then convert the files down to 16bit FLACs and 320k MP3s (both resampled to 44.1kHz so they can be played in regular MP3 players, too). The FLACs will be for people who are okay with big files (and want to burn CDs) and will indeed sound better than the MP3s, which are much smaller, but will still sound pretty darn good.
Basically, I’m going to start with a huge audio file that gives me room to edit out to stuff that shouldn’t be there so that when it gets to you, the listener, it sounds amazing.
What’s really fun about this is that it will all be done on a Linux operating system (LinuxMint)! For a complete run down of the tools and equipment I’ll be using, see below.
Technical Information:
Audio Equipment Used:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon w/ acrylic platter and Speedbox II
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M Red
Preamp: Bellari VP-130 w/ Sovtek 12AX7LPS Vacuum Tube
Soundcard: Roland Edirol UA-1EX USB external soundcard
Software Used:
Audacity 2.0.1 on Linux Mint 14 (recorded at 24bit/96kHz)
Gnome Wave Cleaner 0.21-17 (click/pop removal)
Gnac 0.2.4 (to convert file to 16 bit FLAC level 8 and 320kbps MP3)
Once again we have the opportunity to get the association of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari at ISKCON Brampton. His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari appeared in this world in November 1947, the tenth day (Dasami) of the most holy month of Kartik according to the Vaisnava calendar. He first met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in 1971 and was initiated by him the same year. Srila Prabhupada personally told this new young disciple that he was pleased with his sincerity and enthusiasm for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement. Sankarshan Das fully dedicated his life for serving the order of his spiritual master to become a guru and deliver the world. For the last 40+ years he has uninterruptedly served his spiritual master’s movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in various capacities.
In the year 2000, in recognition for his full dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) gave him their blessings to initiate disciples. Since that time he has been regularly traveling and lecturing extensively all over the world for reviving the dormant Krishna consciousness in the hearts of all living beings. Well known for his Internet based training program, the Ultimate Self Realization Course, he has attracted over 14,000 subscribers from over 100 different countries who receive a daily inspirational message and personal answers to their questions regarding how to become perfect in Krishna consciousness. Those who are interested can join his course at:www.backtohome.com
The program consists of arati, kirtan (devotional chanting), philosophical discussion and prasadam. Please come, get inspired and inspire others through your desire to share Krsna Consciousness!
Program Schedule: 11:00 am - 11:30 am Guru Puja 11:30 am - 12:00 pm Arati & Kirtan 12:00 pm – 12:05 pm Narasingadev Prayers 12:10 pm - 1:00 pm Vedic discource by His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari
The Vaisnava Calendar 2013 will be distributed in the following weeks at ISKCON Brampton. Please be there to receive yours! ISKCON Brampton will be issuing tax receipts for 2012 donations this Sunday.
Upcoming events:
ISKCON Brampton Youth Program - Friday January 25th 2013 @ 7:00pm
Everyone is welcomed to come and participate. The program will start at 7:00pm sharp! So please try to make it at around 6:45pm. Sumptuous Prasadam will also be served at 9:00pm.
This event is absolutely free, but donations to the temple are always accepted.
Anyone that would like to help out with prasadam, or has any questions/queries please contact Sukhavak Das at sukhavakdas@hotmail.ca.
Once again we have the opportunity to get the association of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari at ISKCON Brampton. His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari appeared in this world in November 1947, the tenth day (Dasami) of the most holy month of Kartik according to the Vaisnava calendar. He first met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in 1971 and was initiated by him the same year. Srila Prabhupada personally told this new young disciple that he was pleased with his sincerity and enthusiasm for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement. Sankarshan Das fully dedicated his life for serving the order of his spiritual master to become a guru and deliver the world. For the last 40+ years he has uninterruptedly served his spiritual master’s movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in various capacities.
In the year 2000, in recognition for his full dedication to Srila Prabhupada’s mission, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) gave him their blessings to initiate disciples. Since that time he has been regularly traveling and lecturing extensively all over the world for reviving the dormant Krishna consciousness in the hearts of all living beings. Well known for his Internet based training program, the Ultimate Self Realization Course, he has attracted over 14,000 subscribers from over 100 different countries who receive a daily inspirational message and personal answers to their questions regarding how to become perfect in Krishna consciousness. Those who are interested can join his course at:www.backtohome.com
The program consists of arati, kirtan (devotional chanting), philosophical discussion and prasadam. Please come, get inspired and inspire others through your desire to share Krsna Consciousness!
Program Schedule: 11:00 am - 11:30 am Guru Puja 11:30 am - 12:00 pm Arati & Kirtan 12:00 pm – 12:05 pm Narasingadev Prayers 12:10 pm - 1:00 pm Vedic discource by His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari
The Vaisnava Calendar 2013 will be distributed in the following weeks at ISKCON Brampton. Please be there to receive yours! ISKCON Brampton will be issuing tax receipts for 2012 donations this Sunday.
Upcoming events:
ISKCON Brampton Youth Program - Friday January 25th 2013 @ 7:00pm
Everyone is welcomed to come and participate. The program will start at 7:00pm sharp! So please try to make it at around 6:45pm. Sumptuous Prasadam will also be served at 9:00pm.
This event is absolutely free, but donations to the temple are always accepted.
Anyone that would like to help out with prasadam, or has any questions/queries please contact Sukhavak Das at sukhavakdas@hotmail.ca.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me how I'm special, among them all. Innocent, guilty, or somewhere between? Privately, introspective spiritual persons often interrogate themselves about their honest-to-goodness (or honest-to badness) genuine worth. It's good to face the truth and swallow hard: harbouring material desire is not innocent, normal,or even acceptable—that is, when considered from the viewpoint of the real world, Krishna's perspective.
Ouch! Who wants to be known as damaged goods—deformed, misshapen, even perverted.
Gradually, as we spiritually advance in bhakti, we shed the illusory cloak that confers an imagined respectability upon our foolish temporary desires and pursuits for temporary gain. We realize that somehow we have to squeeze into one of two cubby-holes: straightaway embracing the full standard for sane life or determinedly developing toward that normal standard of spiritual sanity.
Though overnight enlightenment hasn't happened to us, yet we certainly can be progressive and proactive about our spiritual growth. What hurts us most is when we seek to justify or rationalize the material desires that we allow to corrupt us—you know, the maya nonsense that has deviated us from our original constitutional position.
The guiding principle of bhakti in this Age of Quarrel is both magnanimously liberal and therapeutically prescriptive: "The Krishna consciousness movement is meant to attract all types of men, even those who desire things other than the Lord’s devotional service. Through the association of devotees, they gradually begin to render devotional service." (Cc. Madhya 24:124 purport)
Climate change is not only a major issue for scientists and politicians but for artists as well. Here are ten examples of photographers and other visual artists who are challenging viewers to consider the dangers of inaction by capturing the effects of extreme weather and a warming world.
Climate change is not only a major issue for scientists and politicians but for artists as well. Here are ten examples of photographers and other visual artists who are challenging viewers to consider the dangers of inaction by capturing the effects of extreme weather and a warming world.
As I’ve been getting ready to start up again, I’ve been trying to figure out which albums to convert first. I’m going to start with the album entitled simply: Mayapur. It was the sixth release by Radha Krishna Productions, though their name doesn’t appear anywhere on the cover or label. Oddly, only “Hare Krishna Records” is mentioned. This is the only Classic ISKCON record that I’ve never converted before.
The label claims that it is a live recording of a Hare Krishna festival, but it absolutely is not. It’s actually three recordings of Srila Prabhupada in the studio. You’ve definitely heard one of the songs before. Probably two. But the third seems to be something that has never been released digitally at all. In fact, I’ve only ever heard it here. That’s exciting!
I’ll then start with the selections that I had first done in 2007. I’ll probably kick that off with Krishna Consciousness by Srila Prabhupada. This was the first ISKCON record ever released. I have it posted, of course, but the MP3s are in a very low quality and no lossless FLAC files exist for it.
From there, I’ll probably head to the double LP called The Beautiful Hare Krsna People, released by Radha Krishna Productions out of Germany. The history of this one is weird and varied, clouded in a Tolkien-like mystery that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Due to the freakish practice of reissuing the same music under various labels and titles, converting this LP will take care of several other releases.
After that will come one of the many, many records inexplicably titled Hare Krsna Festival. This one was released by both Radha Krishna Productions (RKP-1004) and Hare Krishna Records (HKR-1003).
I’ve also been looking for a better copy of Acyutananda Swami’s Songs of the Bengali Vaisnavas, also entitled Lieder Der Bengali Vaisnavas, and most commonly known as India, since that’s the only word appearing on the front cover. My copy, the probable second pressing, sounds horrible. You can read all about it here. I’m currently looking for a clean first pressing.
This is proving very difficult. I’ve found ten record sellers (mostly in Germany) who quite possibly have the first edition. I emailed all of them, asking three specific questions to determine if they have the version I’m looking for.
First, I asked which cover was used. Was it the one with the “cut out” or was it the one without? Second, I asked if the text on the back was in German or English. Third, I asked if the labels were yellow or had a picture on them.
After four days, only two have responded. The first gave me a straight answer, telling me exactly which version they had (sadly, it wasn’t the version I was looking for). The second just said “I’m sorry. No.” Which makes no sense at all, since I wasn’t asking any yes or no questions. The remaining eight have been silent, which is a huge bummer since I’m pretty sure at least two of them have the exact version I’m looking for.
So anyway, I’ll keep everyone updated on the progress.
As it stands now, here is the schedule (with absolutely no promises of a time frame):
-Mayapur
-Krishna Consciousness by Srila Prabhupada
-The Beautiful Hare Krsna People Double LP
-Hare Krishna Festival (RKP-1004/HKR-1003)
-Songs of the Bengali Vaisnavas by Acyutananda Swami (if I find a first pressing)
From there, I’ll move on through the rest of my collection, which can be viewed here. I’m still unsure whether or not I’ll be converting the George Harrison-produced Apple Records since they’re readily available on CD. They are definitely my lowest priority at this point.
And for those who might ask if I’ll be converting a specific record from the 80s, the answer (which is probably “no”) and its explanation can be found here.
When all the vinyl is finished, I will start in on the cassettes! So basically, sometime in 2016.
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 23 By Krishna-kripa das (December 2012, part one)
North Florida and New York State (Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on January 7, 2013)
What I Went and What I Did
December started off with a new event for the North Florida Hare Krishnas on its very first day, the St. Augustine Christmas parade. In Gainesville, we had our last week of Krishna Lunch on the campus for the year, and I chanted on the campus through Wednesday. That Wednesday we had our usual harinama at the Gainesville Farmers Market, which had a special feature this time. Thursday Andy drove me to University of North Florida where Hladini, Amrita, Dorian, and Dorian’s friend, Tim, and I chanted together for four hours outside the Student Union as hundreds of students traded in their used books. Hladini also distributed many cookies and invitations to our Thursday evening program which Tim ended up coming to for the first time. On Friday I flew to Philadelphia where I saw Radha-Saradbihari and Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, and Sraddha dd, and where I took my niece, Fern, to my friend Haryasva Prabhu’s Govinda’s Restaurant, along with Jaya Sita dd and Varuni, a couple friends from Florida. The next day I went to Stuyvesant Falls, New York, about 100 miles north of New York City, where my initiating guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami had his Vyasa Puja ceremony that weekend. For the next week after that I served Satsvarupa Maharaja, by cooking his breakfast and lunch, cleaning his room, and washing everyone’s dishes. Muktavandya Prabhu, who was also assisting Satsvarupa Maharaja, and I went to Hudson on the warmest day of that week and did harinama for an hour, and we received some favorable gestures and smiles from a few locals and no negativity. On Saturday the 15th, I made a day trip to New York City to do harinama and kirtana, and to hear from my siksa guru, Niranjana Swami. That harinama was a special experience because of the response, and I share some video of some Santa Clauses dancing along with our party.
I share insights of visiting guests like Niranjana and Rtadhvaja Swamis and Malati Prabhu, as well as senior devotees in the Alachua Country community like Kalakantha and Sesa Prabhus. I tell of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Vyasa Puja ceremony and include some nice excerpts from his autobiography, The Story of My Life, in which he describes the early days with Srila Prabhupada. Then I share details from presentations by newer devotees in Gainesville and Jacksonville.
Lord Jagannatha Blesses the St. Augustine Christmas Parade
By the grace of enthusiastic devotees from Alachua, Ratha-yatras are on the increase in North Florida. For the first time we had a Ratha-yatra cart in the St. Augustine Christmas parade. It was also special as this was first time as the new replica Jagannatha Deities rode on the cart. Dharma-raj Prabhu and his family, as usual, made all kinds of practical arrangements, getting the cart there, and decorated.
Although I love freely distributing promotional literature about Krishna consciousness because I am convinced it will benefit the people, I was not very enthusiastic during the beginning of the parade because I thought the authorities would not appreciate us doing that at the parade and that the vast majority of the people would not be interested. Of course, I did it anyway as a matter of duty, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Many, many people were happy to see the devotees, and they reached out with smiles and words and gestures of approval to take the Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure and On Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlets that we were distributing. Of course, the prasadam candy canes were even more popular. After two-thirds of the parade, a light rain started, and I hid the pamphlets under my kurta for protection and continued to distribute. Later Kesava Prabhu got a call from the organizers in St. Augustine, saying that we won the award for the most unique float. Of course, that is not so surprising. Who is more unique than Lord Jagannatha, His brother, and sister on their glorious cart and His entourage of singing and dancing followers?
1565Today.com, St. Augustine, Florida’s newest online magazine, in an article “The St. Augustine Christmas Parade Wows the Kids” posted on December 1, writes “And honorable mention goes to the Hare Krishna devotees, who sang and tambourined their way through the city in a colorful injection of ethnic and religious diversity.” The two pictures illustrating this article were taken by Brian Nelson of 1565Today.com and are used with his permission.
A Special Harinama at the Farmers Market
With devotees working on Krishna Lunch and finishing up projects and papers and studying for finals as the semester ended, we had few devotees to chant at the first Gainesville Farmers Market in December. There was one surprise addition to our chanting party though, and that is our friend, Anna, a Quaker lady in her sixties, who originally came in touch with Hare Krishna at the very same Farmers Market perhaps a year or so ago. She developed a fondness for chanting Hare Krishna on beads, attends some programs, and sometimes helps serve out the Krishna Lunch on the porch of Krishna House. She chanted with us for an hour at the Farmers Market, spontaneously giving out invitations to those sitting or standing nearby, so they could benefit from some of the gifts the Krishna consciousness movement is sharing, as she herself has.
December 15 Harinama in New York City
As I walked from 34 West 31th Street, where the Chinese bus from Albany dropped me off, to find our harinama in Union Square, or as it turned out, Washington Square Park, I was amazed to see somewhere between 10% and 25% of the people were dressed as Santa Claus! “What is going on?” I wondered. Later as I researched this article, I found out, “SantaCon!” According to Wikipedia, “SantaCon is an annual mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill.” [Donaldson James, Susan (December 11, 2009). "Santa Con: Kringle Chaos is Coming to Town". ABC News. Retrieved December 18, 2011.]
People are in mood of celebration around Christmas, and during SantaCon, that is intensified. Thus during our five-hour harinama, many jolly Santas danced along with the devotees, as you can see in these videos by Bhakta Peter of The Bhakti Center:
We ended our harinama fifteen minutes to eight, a little early, as many devotees wanted to attend the rest of this month’s six-hour kirtana at the Bhakti Center, with Niranjana Swami as a special guest. We made an announcement to those dancing with us at the end to follow us to 25 First Avenue for some more singing, dancing, and refreshments, and about five or six of the Christmas partiers came along. I noticed two of them stayed at least two hours. The most enthusiastic was Yael, a NYU student, who was attracted to the kirtana in Washington Square Park being a percussionist. Although it was her first encounter with Hare Krishna kirtana, she played the djembe drum with the party for several hours, came to the Bhakti Center for more kirtana and prasadam, and she even washed a few pots. The next day she returned to catch the end of Niranjana Swami’s lecture.
She showed up for a few harinamas the next week, and hopes to visit the Chicago temple when she returns home for the holidays.
It was awesome for me to see all the people doing so many acts of devotion as a result of meeting the harinama party on the SantaCon day. This daily four-hour harinama in Manhattan organized by Rama Raya Prabhu is a very powerful outreach event!
Insights
Niranjana Swami:
To accept one’s imminent death as good news takes realization.
My mother was ninety and had no interested in hearing the word “death.” As far as she was concerned, she would live another hundred years. Although there were signs that things would not improve, she did not take them seriously. Five months before she passed away she was in a rehabilitation hospital and she told me, “I do not belong here. This place is only for old and sick people.” Life is meant for learn how to deal with the unavoidable event of death, but our present society is not dealing with this. My aunt got notice she was going to die within a week, and my sister invited me to visit her. My aunt said about me, “Look at him. Look at his eyes. Look at how peaceful he is! He looks like he knows the purpose of life.” Then she addressed me directly, “I can tell that you can accept whatever happens to you in life. Can you teach me to be like that?” People detected that something was going to happen and so they left, not for a long time as it turned out. I explained that soul exists beyond the body, and takes up another body according to one’s karma. Then an old friend came in and our conversation ended, but at least she could understand her situation and try to deal with it.
As it turned out I was with my mother alone in the room as she was dying. I saw her breathing was slowing down, and I decided to stop reading and chant Hare Krishna kirtana. And so I was chanting Hare Krishna for five minutes when my mother left her body. When I messaged Devamrita Swami, he replied that Prabhupada told Giriraja that parents of devotees at the time they leave their bodies will realize their good fortune of having a child who became a devotee. When my sister came in the room she said to me, “Your face is glowing. As soon as I saw your face. I knew everything was alright.”
We have to feel as a result of our devotional service that Krishna is there making arrangements in our life.
Bali Maharaja was cheated by the Lord, to whom He had offered three steps of land, but who had taken everything in two. But Bali was so elevated, he was not disturbed.
Voluntary repentance is the way to get the Lord’s attention, not to blame others.
Pariksit Maharaja saw the curse as an opportunity to become detached from all his material possessions and to become attached to Krishna.
The devotees have the greatest asset and the greatest benediction—to remember the Lord. The Lord minimizes other things in a devotee’s life to facilitate that.
We should practice developing this consciousness throughout our life, not just at the time of death.
from a conversation after the lecture:
In 1972 I lived in a hippy commune on Cape Cod. There were 15 fifteen of us, and we all had our own dogs. We considered that we would not want to kill our dogs and so it was hypocritical to kill animals for food, and thus we all became vegetarian. Many people liked to cook, but no one liked to clean up, so there were piles of dishes in the sink. As I was becoming a devotee by reading Bhagavad-gita, I knew Krishna would not accept the offering if the kitchen was not clean, so I would always clean the kitchen before I cooked. When the others understood that I would clean the kitchen before it was my turn to cook, they became even less enthusiastic to clean their own pots and dishes. I became resentful that I was doing everyone else’s dishes. When I came to the temple for the first time, I had been reading Bhagavad-gita for some days. When the devotees asked me if I wanted to do some service after the Sunday Feast, I agreed. They led me to the kitchen, and I saw a pile of pots that was bigger than I had ever seen before. I was shocked, but because I agreed to do some service, I did it, although reluctantly. When I was halfway through, another devotee came in. His name was Narendra. He was rejoicing seeing my fortunate position being engaged in the Lord’s service, but it was difficult to appreciate his mood. Then he spoke to me some words that completely transformed my consciousness: “By cleaning Krishna’s pots, you are cleaning your heart.” Then I saw the service in a completely different way. It was different than cleaning the pots at the co-op house. These were indeed Krishna’s pots, and I was becoming closer to Krishna by cleaning them.
Rtadhvaja Swami:
from Kalakantha Prabhu’s grandchild’s grains ceremony:
When we were having festivals almost every weekend in LA, Srila Prabhupada told us, “If you let me know, I can give you a festival for every day.”
These events, like the child’s grains ceremony, allow us to remember that human life is meant for self-realization not sense gratification.
There is a pastime with Narottama Dasa Thakura. He would not take the grains at his grains ceremony repeatedly. Then they realized that the grains had not been offered to Krishna first. They made a new batch, and offered it to Krishna, and tried again, this time successfully.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami [Vyasa-puja address]:
The purpose of the guru is to guide the disciple to go back to Godhead as soon as possible. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura advised to go back in this life. Why wait for additional births?
Srila Prabhupada said if you are 75% pure you can go back.
Srila Prabhupada said, “If you hold on my dhoti I can take you back to Godhead. I have a key to the back door.”
My task is to represent Srila Prabhupada to you. I have been representing Srila Prabhupada to people since being temple president in Boston.
I am in stable health and sound mind, and I am determined to serve you for the forseeable future.
It is said of the guru that he lives forever, and the follower lives with him by his instructions.
We serve the guru by taking care of him and serving his preaching mission.
I preach by the way I live my life and by my writing.
I wrote Srila Prabhupada asking if I could write, but fearfully, that I was so daring to write when he has written so nicely.
Srila Prabhupada replied, mentioning all the acaryas [previous spiritual teachers] who wrote extensively and saying, “Any self-realized soul can write unlimited books not deviating from the original purpose.”
Lilamrita [Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s biography of Hare Krishna founder Srila Prabhupada] is second best selling Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) book next to Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
I am writing now for my daily web site, beginning with quotations from a rasa-sastra, accompanied by illustrations, and then a japa report. I continue the japa report although it is repetitious because devotees say it helps their japa. I draw a picture. Then I tell about my life, telling my interactions with the devotees I live with, the local devotees, and those who visit here, along with material from the books I am hearing each day. And finally I tell about my deity worship.
By reading these writings is the best way for my disciples to keep in touch with me. It takes only ten minutes to have a relationship for me in cyberspace each day.
I try to write a book a year and present it to my disciples on Vyasa-puja day.
We have 150 books on Kindle and e-readers.
Radhanatha Swami looked through Prabhupada Smaranam and liked it very much. He promised to get help to print many copies for his followers.
I have written about Prabhupada, practices of devotional service, and the chanting of the holy name.
It is the duty of us all to produce as many Krishna conscious books as possible. People can help with these different tasks:
We have funds. We need cover designs and proofreading for fifty low run books.
Print 50 sets of 100 of my books to place in schools and libraries at $7 per book.
Transferring audio tapes to digital format.
We owe such a debt to the Goswamis, Krishna dasa Kaviraja Goswami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada for all their books.
I wrote 25 books about Srila Prabhupada.
I give people Caitanya Vaishnavism through a variety of genres.
If you attain pure love for Krishna, I will consider my spiritual master duties successful, and you can bless me, and we can go back to Godhead together. Srila Prabhupada writes about this in connection with Dhruva Maharaja taking his mother back to Godhead. That is my request of you. Thank you very much.
You have led us by your example to be a follower of Srila Prabhupada. You are his faithful and empowered representative. Your writing of books is a great contribution in this. You are inextricably linked with Srila Prabupada. Your honesty has endeared you to your readers.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
You have linked us to Srila Prabhupada wonderfully for so many years. When I have your association I feel Srila Prabhupada’s presence.
I could distribute cards for your site on harinama.
Krishna-kripa das:
You praised your disciples who are publishing and selling Russian translations of your books. I just wanted to say from my own experience at the Ukraine festival, Isani and Alexi Prabhus set up their GN Press book table at the very beginning of the festival and go to the very end. Instead of working a single book table together as many couples would do, they have two separate tables at different locations to increase sales. This year new and reprinted titles numbered five, including Entering a Life of Prayer, Prabhupada Appreciation, Japa Transformations, and Distribute Books.
When I quote from your journal on my blog, I could include a link to it.
A friend of my loved your Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name in which you share your personal struggle. He learned from that it is alright for devotees to be personal and to share feelings, not just to be austere and stoic.
How did you help us? Your writings gave me faith in Srila Prabhupada and the holy name. Your instruction to dance more in kirtana has made me so enthusiastic to dance in kirtana, I do it even when everyone else is sitting down.
Haryasva Prabhu:
I feel sadness that I am not reading or distributing your books as I have in the past.
Prabhupada and the holy name are two gifts you emphasized.
I felt I just missed Srila Prabhupada, but through your writings I feel connected with him.
I find that new people find your books to be easy reading.
Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu:
After three years of interviewing for Lilamrita, the message I got from the devotees was that they wished they had given Srila Prabhupada more time to write as that is what is left, and that they feel bad they did not take advantage of his presence while he was here. This is a realization I had that any disciple can help to do these two things in connection with you.
Mother Lilavatara:
When I met you I felt you were someone special and would be someone special, and you were.
Thanks for teaching us to be more regulated.
The pictures Guru Das posts are special to me.
Your drawings of the devotees are so funny to me and make me so joyful. They make my heart feel so light.
Thank you inspiring us to go back to Godhead by improving our chanting.
Your servants have done such a wonderful job for you over the years.
Thank you for guiding me to become more Krishna consciousness.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
reading from his autobiography, The Story of My Life:
“No talent is required to make a combined diary and autobiography interesting.”—Mark Twain
“The Swami kept leading the chanting for a full half hour. After awhile I got bored, but I kept going and eventually entered into a trancelike stage. It was far out. I went past boredom and became absorbed in the sound vibration. . . . I had the mantra almost memorized, and I was mesmerized. By the time it was over I felt that I was high. I left the storefront and walked home chanting in my mind and feeling certain that I would continue to attend the meetings. I felt I wanted to change my life and become pure.”
“My first personal contact with Srila Prabhupada was in a formal setting — the question and answer period after his lecture. In the company of about fifteen people I raised my hand, and he recognized me. I asked, “Is misery eternal?” My question came from my reading of Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Dear Theo. In one letter Van Gogh proposes to his brother that “misery is eternal.” I wanted to know what the Swami thought. Without hesitating he answered me, “Yes misery is eternal. You may break your arm and go to the hospital and have your arm healed. But then you may go out and break your leg. In this world there is no end to miseries. But there is another world . . . ” Swamiji explained that if you develop love of God and go back to the spiritual world you will be free of miseries, because there is no misery there. I was satisfied to be recognized, and his answer was assuring, overriding Van Gogh’s dismal view.”
“The early years with Swamiji were my favorite as ISKCON was a small movement, like a family.”
from a talk with disciples about japa:
Acaryas [the great spiritual teachers] say kirtana [chanting loudly with others]is more important than japa [individually chanting softly] because more people benefit, but that does not mean japa is not important, it is fundamental. Srila Prabhupada said it is the most essential instruction.
Japa is so personal. We speak to Krishna and Radha, and ask Them to engage us in Their service.
Lord Caitanya would not eat at the house of anyone who did not daily chant 64 rounds (100,000 names of the Lord).
I know one lady who plays the harmonium and sings kirtana, but does not chant her sixteen rounds of japa. Better that she would chant sixteen rounds first and then play the harmonium.
The mantras are a gift and should be handled gratefully.
In recent years, I have finally been able to pay attention to the names while I chant.
I pray to the holy name, “Please forgive me. Please protect me.”
I long for the day when I feel emotion like in “Siksastakam.”
Chanting is cozy, intimate and warms the heart.
Q: What does it mean no hard and fast rules?
A: It is not like Deity worship where you have to clean yourself first. You can chant morning or night. You can chant in the bathroom. The mantra can be chanted by anyone. You do not have to be initiated to chant. You can even still be doing sinful activities and still chant.
Q: Can you change the words?
A: No. Srila Prabhupada said not “Dear John.” No om, no sivaya. You can play any variety of instruments, and Prabhupada encouraged the musicians to play with us.
Q [by Rama Raya Prabhu]: How would you encourage us to preach in America?
A: Do Union Square harinama. There are bright spots: Kalakantha, Vaisesika, Hari Vilasa. Jayadvaita Swami said the Las Vegas center is encouraging. Take a place and do something, and it will become a bright spot that will be inspiring to others.
comment by Mother Lilavatara: I say Hare Krishna to the people. When they ask what it means? I said it is a blessing. They like that. They say, “I need all the blessings I can get.” Saying Hare Krishna to everyone I meet helps me, as now that I am older and cannot go out so much to share Krishna with people.
comment by Sankarsana Prabhu: Your example of chanting, getting up early, and being regulated, inspies me.
I yearn to progress to suddha-nama.
My disciple in Russia, Isani wrote a prayer, “Dear Lord, please give my guru maharaja nama-ruci [taste for the holy name].”
One should not chant too slowly.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
The conditions of Satya-yuga are similar to the Biblical description of the Garden of Eden. Then when Adam and Eve begot Cain and Able they two brothers got involved in agriculture which corresponds to the second age, Treta.
comment by Vaishnava Dasa: At Janaki Kunda in India one sage was reading the Vishnu Purana. There it said at the end of this age of Kali, the maximum age a human will live is seventeen years while the average is only twelve. A girl could conceive a child at age five.
No doubt that the teaching of Jesus Christ is pure bhakti, but with all that has happened over the years, it is hard to encounter his pure teachings.
I was involved with one meditation group where I had to pay for the mantra, and each successive class was more expensive than the last. The introduction to pure devotion is free, the intermediate instruction in devotion is also free, and the advanced classes in devotional service are also free.
Malati Prabhu:
There are two levels of liberation (1) freedom from material desires, and (2) positive engagement in Krishna’s service.
The Mayavadis accept the light but do not find out the source of the light, so theirs is an inferior understanding.
The natural instinct of the liberated person is to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.
Bowing down before the Lord is offering a service to Him.
Srila Prabhupada said we should not give children younger than ten the deities because they have not yet developed the necessary cleanliness.
Strictly speaking one should not set the holy books on one’s lap because the clothing below the waist is impure.
Srila Prabhupada’s father gave him 5-inch Radha-Krishna Deities which Prabhupada named Radha-Govinda like the larger Deities of his neighbors.
Srila Prabhupada said the Ratha-yatra cart is not different from the Lord and by decorating the cart one can make great advancement.
The Ratha-yatra symbolizes the gopis pulling Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavana.
All religions are meant for awakening the dormant instinct for devotion for the Supreme Lord—to reconnect with the Supreme Lord.
When we went to England, we were thinking, “We are going to meet the Beatles and get them to chant Hare Krishna.” That was our strategic plan.
We could understand we needed special empowerment to spread Krishna consciousness in England. We had heard from the scriptures about the glories of the lotus feet of the spiritual master, so before leaving for England, we asked Srila Prabhupada if we could touch his feet. We had seen the Indians do it, but we could see Srila Prabhupada did not really like it. He consented, and so we did.
I have interviewed 183 of Srila Prabhupada’s female disciples and at least 180 said he was glowing.
When leading kirtanas in Tompkins Square Park, Srila Prabhupada would encourage people to sing along, and more people began to get involved.
Srila Prabhupada called his society “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness” because he wanted people to understand that Krishna is God.
As soon as George Harrison came in contact with the devotees his devotion sprouted up.
I have had people tell me that they had no idea what Hare Krishna was but because George Harrison made the record, they chanted.
From 1970 to 1971 was a Hare Krishna explosion with 32 new temples being opened.
In the beginning we called the Sunday Feast, the Sunday Love Feast. I think we should get back to calling it that. The world needs a lot more love.
On Srila Prabhupada’s morning walks you got insight on practically applying the teachings in life.
Srila Prabhupada was an expert musician, especially with mrdanga and harmonium, but he made it clear that playing the instruments was simply an accompaniment to the chanting of the maha-mantra.
Srila Prabhupada wrote 6,000 letters that have been archived, and 30,000 photos were taken of him and 70 hours of videos made about him.
Mahatma Prabhu was interesting how organizations were managed. He had seen the Hare Krishnas with their chanting and dancing and happy disposition, and wondered how they were managed. He secured the opportunity to witness a meeting between Srila Prabhupada and his main leaders. Prabhupada began by preaching. Two hours later he was still preaching. Then Mahatma understood that Srila Prabhupada managed by preaching.
Sesa Prabhu:
My daughter was teaching some 1st or 2nd graders as a student teacher as part of getting her teaching degree. One of the boys in the class said to her, “Miss Spellman, I saw you in the parade!” So she had to explain to the teacher and the class that she was in the UF Homecoming parade as a Hare Krishna devotee. The husband of the teacher came by and mentioned how he enjoyed the Krishna Lunch as a student. Then the teacher asked my daughter, “What do you believe?” Later at home at the dinner table, we discussed the best way to answer this, and concluded, “We believe the purpose of life is to love God and serve Him.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura considered that first three processes of devotional service, sravanam, kirtanam, vishnu smaranam, hearing, chanting, and remembering the Supreme Lord, are primary, and the other six are contained within these.
We can become absorbed in so many things in life, but they may not be good for ourselves or others, but Krishna kirtana is good for both ourselves and others.
Remembering the Lord is natural, especially when we are in difficulty. When the U.S. astronauts were in a dangerous situation, the American leaders advised the citizens to pray to God for their safety.
The five kinds of smaranam (remembering):
to contemplate something we previously experienced
dharana: to focus our meditation on a specific subject
dhyanam: to meditate on a specific form of the Lord
dhruvanusmriti: a flow of remembrance of some pastime of the Lord.
samadhi: complete absorption.
comment by Mother Akuti: After I gave a class where we talked about how Lord Caitanya got all the animals to dance, we went on harinama, and I encouraged the devotees at least to get all the people to dance. That day we saw a lot of people dressed in animal costumes, and they all danced with us.
Citsukananda Prabhu was preaching in Trinidad, and he met the person who corresponded with Srila Prabhupada before he came to America about coming to Trinidad. The man even showed him the letters he received from Srila Prabhupada.
comment by Malati Prabhu: At the first arati of Radha-Shyamasundara in Vrindavana, Visakha Prabhu wanted to get a picture of Prabhupada doing the arati, but a tall sannyasi was standing in her way. She tapped the sannyasi on the shoulder twice, and the second time said pointing to her camera, “If you stand where you are, you will get a nice vision of Srila Prabhupada offering arati. but if you let me stand there the whole world will get that vision.” The sannyasi kindly traded places with her, and so we have that historic photo.
Tulasi Priya dd:
People who travel tend to be less bigoted, more tolerant, and more open minded.
A temple or place of pilgrimage is so powerful that no matter what your consciousness is, you will connect with Krishna simply by going there.
The Muslims have an idea that at least once in your life you should visit Mecca. Similarly, for us it is valuable if once in our life, we can go to India and visit Krishna’s birthplace.
We watch people’s lives like we watch a movie. We wonder what will happen to our friends next.
Dina Bandhu Prabhu:
In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 11.55 is a description of the spiritual world as having many planets. This tradition has more details of the spiritual world and what is going on there.
Our activities of exploiting material nature which we are thinking are making us happy are actually creating our distress.
Mental speculation is to think that by the power of our inductive reasoning we can understand the ultimate truth without hearing about it from a higher authority.
Bhagavad-gita 18.55 gives make practical suggestions of how to engage in devotional service to Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada explained to one devotee who was entering the household life and worried about how he would get good association there, “If when you are working, if you are remembering that you are working for Krishna, then you are associating with Krishna.”
Amrita Keli dd:
This Hare Krishna mantra is spiritual sound vibration, and it is completely different from any other sound vibration you have heard.
I started chanting Hare Krishna on my way to class, and I found my day went much better.
Bhaktin Laura:
As a result of chanting eight rounds a day, I became more peaceful and was not haunted by things I had done in my past. Recently, because of the end of the semester, I have been too busy to chant eight rounds a day, and I can see I am sometimes haunted by such thoughts as before. I am so glad I am finished now, and I can return to chanting eight rounds.
Bhakta John:
In addition to the famous example of God appearing to Moses as a burning bush, in the Bible it also says the Lord manifest as, “A pillar of a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.”
comment by Ananda Loka Prabhu: When I was a tennis instructor, I would remember Krishna by chanting before and after going to work, bringing prasadam to the students, and bringing a small set of beads I could chant on when not otherwise engaged.
comment by Sruti Sagar Prabhu: To avoid bad association, Indradyumna Swami advised me to chant 64 rounds then, glorifying that practice for two minutes before saying at least chant 16 very good rounds.
Krishna-kripa das:
Sign on a church between Gainesville and Jacksonville, “You are the only Bible some people will read.”
from a post on Facebook:
Forty years ago on this day, Dec. 9, 1972, I broke my leg skiing. It hurt like hell, and it was awkward using crutches for six weeks with the snow and ice. In July of that year, my father had passed away, and my grandmother was to pass away in May of the next year. Thus when the Hare Krishnas told me seven years later, that the material world was a miserable place, I felt they actually understood the truth.
-----
susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat
“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva [the Supreme Lord].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16)
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 23 By Krishna-kripa das (December 2012, part one)
North Florida and New York State (Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on January 7, 2013)
What I Went and What I Did
December started off with a new event for the North Florida Hare Krishnas on its very first day, the St. Augustine Christmas parade. In Gainesville, we had our last week of Krishna Lunch on the campus for the year, and I chanted on the campus through Wednesday. That Wednesday we had our usual harinama at the Gainesville Farmers Market, which had a special feature this time. Thursday Andy drove me to University of North Florida where Hladini, Amrita, Dorian, and Dorian’s friend, Tim, and I chanted together for four hours outside the Student Union as hundreds of students traded in their used books. Hladini also distributed many cookies and invitations to our Thursday evening program which Tim ended up coming to for the first time. On Friday I flew to Philadelphia where I saw Radha-Saradbihari and Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, and Sraddha dd, and where I took my niece, Fern, to my friend Haryasva Prabhu’s Govinda’s Restaurant, along with Jaya Sita dd and Varuni, a couple friends from Florida. The next day I went to Stuyvesant Falls, New York, about 100 miles north of New York City, where my initiating guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami had his Vyasa Puja ceremony that weekend. For the next week after that I served Satsvarupa Maharaja, by cooking his breakfast and lunch, cleaning his room, and washing everyone’s dishes. Muktavandya Prabhu, who was also assisting Satsvarupa Maharaja, and I went to Hudson on the warmest day of that week and did harinama for an hour, and we received some favorable gestures and smiles from a few locals and no negativity. On Saturday the 15th, I made a day trip to New York City to do harinama and kirtana, and to hear from my siksa guru, Niranjana Swami. That harinama was a special experience because of the response, and I share some video of some Santa Clauses dancing along with our party.
I share insights of visiting guests like Niranjana and Rtadhvaja Swamis and Malati Prabhu, as well as senior devotees in the Alachua Country community like Kalakantha and Sesa Prabhus. I tell of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s Vyasa Puja ceremony and include some nice excerpts from his autobiography, The Story of My Life, in which he describes the early days with Srila Prabhupada. Then I share details from presentations by newer devotees in Gainesville and Jacksonville.
Lord Jagannatha Blesses the St. Augustine Christmas Parade
By the grace of enthusiastic devotees from Alachua, Ratha-yatras are on the increase in North Florida. For the first time we had a Ratha-yatra cart in the St. Augustine Christmas parade. It was also special as this was first time as the new replica Jagannatha Deities rode on the cart. Dharma-raj Prabhu and his family, as usual, made all kinds of practical arrangements, getting the cart there, and decorated.
Although I love freely distributing promotional literature about Krishna consciousness because I am convinced it will benefit the people, I was not very enthusiastic during the beginning of the parade because I thought the authorities would not appreciate us doing that at the parade and that the vast majority of the people would not be interested. Of course, I did it anyway as a matter of duty, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Many, many people were happy to see the devotees, and they reached out with smiles and words and gestures of approval to take the Krishna, Reservoir of Pleasure and On Chanting Hare Krishna pamphlets that we were distributing. Of course, the prasadam candy canes were even more popular. After two-thirds of the parade, a light rain started, and I hid the pamphlets under my kurta for protection and continued to distribute. Later Kesava Prabhu got a call from the organizers in St. Augustine, saying that we won the award for the most unique float. Of course, that is not so surprising. Who is more unique than Lord Jagannatha, His brother, and sister on their glorious cart and His entourage of singing and dancing followers?
1565Today.com, St. Augustine, Florida’s newest online magazine, in an article “The St. Augustine Christmas Parade Wows the Kids” posted on December 1, writes “And honorable mention goes to the Hare Krishna devotees, who sang and tambourined their way through the city in a colorful injection of ethnic and religious diversity.” The two pictures illustrating this article were taken by Brian Nelson of 1565Today.com and are used with his permission.
A Special Harinama at the Farmers Market
With devotees working on Krishna Lunch and finishing up projects and papers and studying for finals as the semester ended, we had few devotees to chant at the first Gainesville Farmers Market in December. There was one surprise addition to our chanting party though, and that is our friend, Anna, a Quaker lady in her sixties, who originally came in touch with Hare Krishna at the very same Farmers Market perhaps a year or so ago. She developed a fondness for chanting Hare Krishna on beads, attends some programs, and sometimes helps serve out the Krishna Lunch on the porch of Krishna House. She chanted with us for an hour at the Farmers Market, spontaneously giving out invitations to those sitting or standing nearby, so they could benefit from some of the gifts the Krishna consciousness movement is sharing, as she herself has.
December 15 Harinama in New York City
As I walked from 34 West 31th Street, where the Chinese bus from Albany dropped me off, to find our harinama in Union Square, or as it turned out, Washington Square Park, I was amazed to see somewhere between 10% and 25% of the people were dressed as Santa Claus! “What is going on?” I wondered. Later as I researched this article, I found out, “SantaCon!” According to Wikipedia, “SantaCon is an annual mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill.” [Donaldson James, Susan (December 11, 2009). "Santa Con: Kringle Chaos is Coming to Town". ABC News. Retrieved December 18, 2011.]
People are in mood of celebration around Christmas, and during SantaCon, that is intensified. Thus during our five-hour harinama, many jolly Santas danced along with the devotees, as you can see in these videos by Bhakta Peter of The Bhakti Center:
We ended our harinama fifteen minutes to eight, a little early, as many devotees wanted to attend the rest of this month’s six-hour kirtana at the Bhakti Center, with Niranjana Swami as a special guest. We made an announcement to those dancing with us at the end to follow us to 25 First Avenue for some more singing, dancing, and refreshments, and about five or six of the Christmas partiers came along. I noticed two of them stayed at least two hours. The most enthusiastic was Yael, a NYU student, who was attracted to the kirtana in Washington Square Park being a percussionist. Although it was her first encounter with Hare Krishna kirtana, she played the djembe drum with the party for several hours, came to the Bhakti Center for more kirtana and prasadam, and she even washed a few pots. The next day she returned to catch the end of Niranjana Swami’s lecture.
She showed up for a few harinamas the next week, and hopes to visit the Chicago temple when she returns home for the holidays.
It was awesome for me to see all the people doing so many acts of devotion as a result of meeting the harinama party on the SantaCon day. This daily four-hour harinama in Manhattan organized by Rama Raya Prabhu is a very powerful outreach event!
Insights
Niranjana Swami:
To accept one’s imminent death as good news takes realization.
My mother was ninety and had no interested in hearing the word “death.” As far as she was concerned, she would live another hundred years. Although there were signs that things would not improve, she did not take them seriously. Five months before she passed away she was in a rehabilitation hospital and she told me, “I do not belong here. This place is only for old and sick people.” Life is meant for learn how to deal with the unavoidable event of death, but our present society is not dealing with this. My aunt got notice she was going to die within a week, and my sister invited me to visit her. My aunt said about me, “Look at him. Look at his eyes. Look at how peaceful he is! He looks like he knows the purpose of life.” Then she addressed me directly, “I can tell that you can accept whatever happens to you in life. Can you teach me to be like that?” People detected that something was going to happen and so they left, not for a long time as it turned out. I explained that soul exists beyond the body, and takes up another body according to one’s karma. Then an old friend came in and our conversation ended, but at least she could understand her situation and try to deal with it.
As it turned out I was with my mother alone in the room as she was dying. I saw her breathing was slowing down, and I decided to stop reading and chant Hare Krishna kirtana. And so I was chanting Hare Krishna for five minutes when my mother left her body. When I messaged Devamrita Swami, he replied that Prabhupada told Giriraja that parents of devotees at the time they leave their bodies will realize their good fortune of having a child who became a devotee. When my sister came in the room she said to me, “Your face is glowing. As soon as I saw your face. I knew everything was alright.”
We have to feel as a result of our devotional service that Krishna is there making arrangements in our life.
Bali Maharaja was cheated by the Lord, to whom He had offered three steps of land, but who had taken everything in two. But Bali was so elevated, he was not disturbed.
Voluntary repentance is the way to get the Lord’s attention, not to blame others.
Pariksit Maharaja saw the curse as an opportunity to become detached from all his material possessions and to become attached to Krishna.
The devotees have the greatest asset and the greatest benediction—to remember the Lord. The Lord minimizes other things in a devotee’s life to facilitate that.
We should practice developing this consciousness throughout our life, not just at the time of death.
from a conversation after the lecture:
In 1972 I lived in a hippy commune on Cape Cod. There were 15 fifteen of us, and we all had our own dogs. We considered that we would not want to kill our dogs and so it was hypocritical to kill animals for food, and thus we all became vegetarian. Many people liked to cook, but no one liked to clean up, so there were piles of dishes in the sink. As I was becoming a devotee by reading Bhagavad-gita, I knew Krishna would not accept the offering if the kitchen was not clean, so I would always clean the kitchen before I cooked. When the others understood that I would clean the kitchen before it was my turn to cook, they became even less enthusiastic to clean their own pots and dishes. I became resentful that I was doing everyone else’s dishes. When I came to the temple for the first time, I had been reading Bhagavad-gita for some days. When the devotees asked me if I wanted to do some service after the Sunday Feast, I agreed. They led me to the kitchen, and I saw a pile of pots that was bigger than I had ever seen before. I was shocked, but because I agreed to do some service, I did it, although reluctantly. When I was halfway through, another devotee came in. His name was Narendra. He was rejoicing seeing my fortunate position being engaged in the Lord’s service, but it was difficult to appreciate his mood. Then he spoke to me some words that completely transformed my consciousness: “By cleaning Krishna’s pots, you are cleaning your heart.” Then I saw the service in a completely different way. It was different than cleaning the pots at the co-op house. These were indeed Krishna’s pots, and I was becoming closer to Krishna by cleaning them.
Rtadhvaja Swami:
from Kalakantha Prabhu’s grandchild’s grains ceremony:
When we were having festivals almost every weekend in LA, Srila Prabhupada told us, “If you let me know, I can give you a festival for every day.”
These events, like the child’s grains ceremony, allow us to remember that human life is meant for self-realization not sense gratification.
There is a pastime with Narottama Dasa Thakura. He would not take the grains at his grains ceremony repeatedly. Then they realized that the grains had not been offered to Krishna first. They made a new batch, and offered it to Krishna, and tried again, this time successfully.
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami [Vyasa-puja address]:
The purpose of the guru is to guide the disciple to go back to Godhead as soon as possible. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura advised to go back in this life. Why wait for additional births?
Srila Prabhupada said if you are 75% pure you can go back.
Srila Prabhupada said, “If you hold on my dhoti I can take you back to Godhead. I have a key to the back door.”
My task is to represent Srila Prabhupada to you. I have been representing Srila Prabhupada to people since being temple president in Boston.
I am in stable health and sound mind, and I am determined to serve you for the forseeable future.
It is said of the guru that he lives forever, and the follower lives with him by his instructions.
We serve the guru by taking care of him and serving his preaching mission.
I preach by the way I live my life and by my writing.
I wrote Srila Prabhupada asking if I could write, but fearfully, that I was so daring to write when he has written so nicely.
Srila Prabhupada replied, mentioning all the acaryas [previous spiritual teachers] who wrote extensively and saying, “Any self-realized soul can write unlimited books not deviating from the original purpose.”
Lilamrita [Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami’s biography of Hare Krishna founder Srila Prabhupada] is second best selling Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) book next to Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
I am writing now for my daily web site, beginning with quotations from a rasa-sastra, accompanied by illustrations, and then a japa report. I continue the japa report although it is repetitious because devotees say it helps their japa. I draw a picture. Then I tell about my life, telling my interactions with the devotees I live with, the local devotees, and those who visit here, along with material from the books I am hearing each day. And finally I tell about my deity worship.
By reading these writings is the best way for my disciples to keep in touch with me. It takes only ten minutes to have a relationship for me in cyberspace each day.
I try to write a book a year and present it to my disciples on Vyasa-puja day.
We have 150 books on Kindle and e-readers.
Radhanatha Swami looked through Prabhupada Smaranam and liked it very much. He promised to get help to print many copies for his followers.
I have written about Prabhupada, practices of devotional service, and the chanting of the holy name.
It is the duty of us all to produce as many Krishna conscious books as possible. People can help with these different tasks:
We have funds. We need cover designs and proofreading for fifty low run books.
Print 50 sets of 100 of my books to place in schools and libraries at $7 per book.
Transferring audio tapes to digital format.
We owe such a debt to the Goswamis, Krishna dasa Kaviraja Goswami, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada for all their books.
I wrote 25 books about Srila Prabhupada.
I give people Caitanya Vaishnavism through a variety of genres.
If you attain pure love for Krishna, I will consider my spiritual master duties successful, and you can bless me, and we can go back to Godhead together. Srila Prabhupada writes about this in connection with Dhruva Maharaja taking his mother back to Godhead. That is my request of you. Thank you very much.
You have led us by your example to be a follower of Srila Prabhupada. You are his faithful and empowered representative. Your writing of books is a great contribution in this. You are inextricably linked with Srila Prabupada. Your honesty has endeared you to your readers.
Rama Raya Prabhu:
You have linked us to Srila Prabhupada wonderfully for so many years. When I have your association I feel Srila Prabhupada’s presence.
I could distribute cards for your site on harinama.
Krishna-kripa das:
You praised your disciples who are publishing and selling Russian translations of your books. I just wanted to say from my own experience at the Ukraine festival, Isani and Alexi Prabhus set up their GN Press book table at the very beginning of the festival and go to the very end. Instead of working a single book table together as many couples would do, they have two separate tables at different locations to increase sales. This year new and reprinted titles numbered five, including Entering a Life of Prayer, Prabhupada Appreciation, Japa Transformations, and Distribute Books.
When I quote from your journal on my blog, I could include a link to it.
A friend of my loved your Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name in which you share your personal struggle. He learned from that it is alright for devotees to be personal and to share feelings, not just to be austere and stoic.
How did you help us? Your writings gave me faith in Srila Prabhupada and the holy name. Your instruction to dance more in kirtana has made me so enthusiastic to dance in kirtana, I do it even when everyone else is sitting down.
Haryasva Prabhu:
I feel sadness that I am not reading or distributing your books as I have in the past.
Prabhupada and the holy name are two gifts you emphasized.
I felt I just missed Srila Prabhupada, but through your writings I feel connected with him.
I find that new people find your books to be easy reading.
Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu:
After three years of interviewing for Lilamrita, the message I got from the devotees was that they wished they had given Srila Prabhupada more time to write as that is what is left, and that they feel bad they did not take advantage of his presence while he was here. This is a realization I had that any disciple can help to do these two things in connection with you.
Mother Lilavatara:
When I met you I felt you were someone special and would be someone special, and you were.
Thanks for teaching us to be more regulated.
The pictures Guru Das posts are special to me.
Your drawings of the devotees are so funny to me and make me so joyful. They make my heart feel so light.
Thank you inspiring us to go back to Godhead by improving our chanting.
Your servants have done such a wonderful job for you over the years.
Thank you for guiding me to become more Krishna consciousness.
Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:
reading from his autobiography, The Story of My Life:
“No talent is required to make a combined diary and autobiography interesting.”—Mark Twain
“The Swami kept leading the chanting for a full half hour. After awhile I got bored, but I kept going and eventually entered into a trancelike stage. It was far out. I went past boredom and became absorbed in the sound vibration. . . . I had the mantra almost memorized, and I was mesmerized. By the time it was over I felt that I was high. I left the storefront and walked home chanting in my mind and feeling certain that I would continue to attend the meetings. I felt I wanted to change my life and become pure.”
“My first personal contact with Srila Prabhupada was in a formal setting — the question and answer period after his lecture. In the company of about fifteen people I raised my hand, and he recognized me. I asked, “Is misery eternal?” My question came from my reading of Van Gogh’s letters to his brother, Dear Theo. In one letter Van Gogh proposes to his brother that “misery is eternal.” I wanted to know what the Swami thought. Without hesitating he answered me, “Yes misery is eternal. You may break your arm and go to the hospital and have your arm healed. But then you may go out and break your leg. In this world there is no end to miseries. But there is another world . . . ” Swamiji explained that if you develop love of God and go back to the spiritual world you will be free of miseries, because there is no misery there. I was satisfied to be recognized, and his answer was assuring, overriding Van Gogh’s dismal view.”
“The early years with Swamiji were my favorite as ISKCON was a small movement, like a family.”
from a talk with disciples about japa:
Acaryas [the great spiritual teachers] say kirtana [chanting loudly with others]is more important than japa [individually chanting softly] because more people benefit, but that does not mean japa is not important, it is fundamental. Srila Prabhupada said it is the most essential instruction.
Japa is so personal. We speak to Krishna and Radha, and ask Them to engage us in Their service.
Lord Caitanya would not eat at the house of anyone who did not daily chant 64 rounds (100,000 names of the Lord).
I know one lady who plays the harmonium and sings kirtana, but does not chant her sixteen rounds of japa. Better that she would chant sixteen rounds first and then play the harmonium.
The mantras are a gift and should be handled gratefully.
In recent years, I have finally been able to pay attention to the names while I chant.
I pray to the holy name, “Please forgive me. Please protect me.”
I long for the day when I feel emotion like in “Siksastakam.”
Chanting is cozy, intimate and warms the heart.
Q: What does it mean no hard and fast rules?
A: It is not like Deity worship where you have to clean yourself first. You can chant morning or night. You can chant in the bathroom. The mantra can be chanted by anyone. You do not have to be initiated to chant. You can even still be doing sinful activities and still chant.
Q: Can you change the words?
A: No. Srila Prabhupada said not “Dear John.” No om, no sivaya. You can play any variety of instruments, and Prabhupada encouraged the musicians to play with us.
Q [by Rama Raya Prabhu]: How would you encourage us to preach in America?
A: Do Union Square harinama. There are bright spots: Kalakantha, Vaisesika, Hari Vilasa. Jayadvaita Swami said the Las Vegas center is encouraging. Take a place and do something, and it will become a bright spot that will be inspiring to others.
comment by Mother Lilavatara: I say Hare Krishna to the people. When they ask what it means? I said it is a blessing. They like that. They say, “I need all the blessings I can get.” Saying Hare Krishna to everyone I meet helps me, as now that I am older and cannot go out so much to share Krishna with people.
comment by Sankarsana Prabhu: Your example of chanting, getting up early, and being regulated, inspies me.
I yearn to progress to suddha-nama.
My disciple in Russia, Isani wrote a prayer, “Dear Lord, please give my guru maharaja nama-ruci [taste for the holy name].”
One should not chant too slowly.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
The conditions of Satya-yuga are similar to the Biblical description of the Garden of Eden. Then when Adam and Eve begot Cain and Able they two brothers got involved in agriculture which corresponds to the second age, Treta.
comment by Vaishnava Dasa: At Janaki Kunda in India one sage was reading the Vishnu Purana. There it said at the end of this age of Kali, the maximum age a human will live is seventeen years while the average is only twelve. A girl could conceive a child at age five.
No doubt that the teaching of Jesus Christ is pure bhakti, but with all that has happened over the years, it is hard to encounter his pure teachings.
I was involved with one meditation group where I had to pay for the mantra, and each successive class was more expensive than the last. The introduction to pure devotion is free, the intermediate instruction in devotion is also free, and the advanced classes in devotional service are also free.
Malati Prabhu:
There are two levels of liberation (1) freedom from material desires, and (2) positive engagement in Krishna’s service.
The Mayavadis accept the light but do not find out the source of the light, so theirs is an inferior understanding.
The natural instinct of the liberated person is to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.
Bowing down before the Lord is offering a service to Him.
Srila Prabhupada said we should not give children younger than ten the deities because they have not yet developed the necessary cleanliness.
Strictly speaking one should not set the holy books on one’s lap because the clothing below the waist is impure.
Srila Prabhupada’s father gave him 5-inch Radha-Krishna Deities which Prabhupada named Radha-Govinda like the larger Deities of his neighbors.
Srila Prabhupada said the Ratha-yatra cart is not different from the Lord and by decorating the cart one can make great advancement.
The Ratha-yatra symbolizes the gopis pulling Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavana.
All religions are meant for awakening the dormant instinct for devotion for the Supreme Lord—to reconnect with the Supreme Lord.
When we went to England, we were thinking, “We are going to meet the Beatles and get them to chant Hare Krishna.” That was our strategic plan.
We could understand we needed special empowerment to spread Krishna consciousness in England. We had heard from the scriptures about the glories of the lotus feet of the spiritual master, so before leaving for England, we asked Srila Prabhupada if we could touch his feet. We had seen the Indians do it, but we could see Srila Prabhupada did not really like it. He consented, and so we did.
I have interviewed 183 of Srila Prabhupada’s female disciples and at least 180 said he was glowing.
When leading kirtanas in Tompkins Square Park, Srila Prabhupada would encourage people to sing along, and more people began to get involved.
Srila Prabhupada called his society “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness” because he wanted people to understand that Krishna is God.
As soon as George Harrison came in contact with the devotees his devotion sprouted up.
I have had people tell me that they had no idea what Hare Krishna was but because George Harrison made the record, they chanted.
From 1970 to 1971 was a Hare Krishna explosion with 32 new temples being opened.
In the beginning we called the Sunday Feast, the Sunday Love Feast. I think we should get back to calling it that. The world needs a lot more love.
On Srila Prabhupada’s morning walks you got insight on practically applying the teachings in life.
Srila Prabhupada was an expert musician, especially with mrdanga and harmonium, but he made it clear that playing the instruments was simply an accompaniment to the chanting of the maha-mantra.
Srila Prabhupada wrote 6,000 letters that have been archived, and 30,000 photos were taken of him and 70 hours of videos made about him.
Mahatma Prabhu was interesting how organizations were managed. He had seen the Hare Krishnas with their chanting and dancing and happy disposition, and wondered how they were managed. He secured the opportunity to witness a meeting between Srila Prabhupada and his main leaders. Prabhupada began by preaching. Two hours later he was still preaching. Then Mahatma understood that Srila Prabhupada managed by preaching.
Sesa Prabhu:
My daughter was teaching some 1st or 2nd graders as a student teacher as part of getting her teaching degree. One of the boys in the class said to her, “Miss Spellman, I saw you in the parade!” So she had to explain to the teacher and the class that she was in the UF Homecoming parade as a Hare Krishna devotee. The husband of the teacher came by and mentioned how he enjoyed the Krishna Lunch as a student. Then the teacher asked my daughter, “What do you believe?” Later at home at the dinner table, we discussed the best way to answer this, and concluded, “We believe the purpose of life is to love God and serve Him.”
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura considered that first three processes of devotional service, sravanam, kirtanam, vishnu smaranam, hearing, chanting, and remembering the Supreme Lord, are primary, and the other six are contained within these.
We can become absorbed in so many things in life, but they may not be good for ourselves or others, but Krishna kirtana is good for both ourselves and others.
Remembering the Lord is natural, especially when we are in difficulty. When the U.S. astronauts were in a dangerous situation, the American leaders advised the citizens to pray to God for their safety.
The five kinds of smaranam (remembering):
to contemplate something we previously experienced
dharana: to focus our meditation on a specific subject
dhyanam: to meditate on a specific form of the Lord
dhruvanusmriti: a flow of remembrance of some pastime of the Lord.
samadhi: complete absorption.
comment by Mother Akuti: After I gave a class where we talked about how Lord Caitanya got all the animals to dance, we went on harinama, and I encouraged the devotees at least to get all the people to dance. That day we saw a lot of people dressed in animal costumes, and they all danced with us.
Citsukananda Prabhu was preaching in Trinidad, and he met the person who corresponded with Srila Prabhupada before he came to America about coming to Trinidad. The man even showed him the letters he received from Srila Prabhupada.
comment by Malati Prabhu: At the first arati of Radha-Shyamasundara in Vrindavana, Visakha Prabhu wanted to get a picture of Prabhupada doing the arati, but a tall sannyasi was standing in her way. She tapped the sannyasi on the shoulder twice, and the second time said pointing to her camera, “If you stand where you are, you will get a nice vision of Srila Prabhupada offering arati. but if you let me stand there the whole world will get that vision.” The sannyasi kindly traded places with her, and so we have that historic photo.
Tulasi Priya dd:
People who travel tend to be less bigoted, more tolerant, and more open minded.
A temple or place of pilgrimage is so powerful that no matter what your consciousness is, you will connect with Krishna simply by going there.
The Muslims have an idea that at least once in your life you should visit Mecca. Similarly, for us it is valuable if once in our life, we can go to India and visit Krishna’s birthplace.
We watch people’s lives like we watch a movie. We wonder what will happen to our friends next.
Dina Bandhu Prabhu:
In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 11.55 is a description of the spiritual world as having many planets. This tradition has more details of the spiritual world and what is going on there.
Our activities of exploiting material nature which we are thinking are making us happy are actually creating our distress.
Mental speculation is to think that by the power of our inductive reasoning we can understand the ultimate truth without hearing about it from a higher authority.
Bhagavad-gita 18.55 gives make practical suggestions of how to engage in devotional service to Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada explained to one devotee who was entering the household life and worried about how he would get good association there, “If when you are working, if you are remembering that you are working for Krishna, then you are associating with Krishna.”
Amrita Keli dd:
This Hare Krishna mantra is spiritual sound vibration, and it is completely different from any other sound vibration you have heard.
I started chanting Hare Krishna on my way to class, and I found my day went much better.
Bhaktin Laura:
As a result of chanting eight rounds a day, I became more peaceful and was not haunted by things I had done in my past. Recently, because of the end of the semester, I have been too busy to chant eight rounds a day, and I can see I am sometimes haunted by such thoughts as before. I am so glad I am finished now, and I can return to chanting eight rounds.
Bhakta John:
In addition to the famous example of God appearing to Moses as a burning bush, in the Bible it also says the Lord manifest as, “A pillar of a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.”
comment by Ananda Loka Prabhu: When I was a tennis instructor, I would remember Krishna by chanting before and after going to work, bringing prasadam to the students, and bringing a small set of beads I could chant on when not otherwise engaged.
comment by Sruti Sagar Prabhu: To avoid bad association, Indradyumna Swami advised me to chant 64 rounds then, glorifying that practice for two minutes before saying at least chant 16 very good rounds.
Krishna-kripa das:
Sign on a church between Gainesville and Jacksonville, “You are the only Bible some people will read.”
from a post on Facebook:
Forty years ago on this day, Dec. 9, 1972, I broke my leg skiing. It hurt like hell, and it was awkward using crutches for six weeks with the snow and ice. In July of that year, my father had passed away, and my grandmother was to pass away in May of the next year. Thus when the Hare Krishnas told me seven years later, that the material world was a miserable place, I felt they actually understood the truth.
-----
susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat
“O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva [the Supreme Lord].” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.16)
Today as I cleaned up the kitchen I reached into the cinnamon jar and took a small stick to chew on. That small stick led to a deep appreciation of a spark of a spark of Krsna’s splendor. It took … Continue reading →
It’s been nearly two years since I’ve done anything with this site. I had been in the middle of reconverting all of the Classic ISKCON Records from vinyl to digital. The older files (done in 2007) sounded fairly bad. The newer ones (from 2011) sound quite a bit better, but still don’t sound as good as I’d like them.
Coming up next!
Recently, I’ve upgraded my equipment and will soon be going back through all of the Classic ISKCON Records and bringing them all up to the sound quality they deserve. They’ll be available in both high bitrate MP3 as well as lossless FLAC files.
That said, everything that I’ve ever converted from vinyl to digital is still available here. When I convert a new version, I’ll post it here and update the links, etc.
As for the Classic ISKCON Tapes, I would really like to update them as well. The problem is that I no longer have a tape deck. That will hopefully soon be remedied. No promises on the time frame though.
For now, I’ve got a record or two that I’ve never posted. They’ll be the first that I do and will become the template of everything I do from here on out.
If you are aware of any ISKCON records or tapes (recorded/released before 1979) that I don’t have, please let me know. I’d love to complete my collection and offer them to the assembled devotees.
I’ve just returned from Ireland. Great trip. As I catch my breath in London for a week, I simultaneously prepare for a flight to India this coming Monday. My destination is the holy village of Vrindavana where Krishna spent His childhood years. Located 130 km south of Delhi, it’s a mystical place which is full of inspiration, insight and intrigue. They say that nobody returns from Vrindavana the same person, and that’s exactly why I’m going there! We can present ourselves as spiritual doctors, but we are undoubtedly patients as well. People may accept us as teachers of wisdom, but we remain humble students. After a month of sharing spirituality with others, now comes an opportunity to explore my own heart and question whether that inner transformation is really taking place.
These trips are not just a physical journey to a special place but also an inner journey towards transcendence. The great saints of Vrindavana were so absorbed in meditation and prayer that they became indifferent to the external world. Their living quarters were not formal brick or wooden structures, but temporary arrangements like the hollow of a tree, a clearing under a thorny thicket, or an underground cave. One saint is renowned for performing his meditation in a vacant crocodile hole. In these austere and solitary settings the great saints would slide into spiritual trance and have their conversations with God. They would continue on for hours on end. Their chanting wasn’t a casual activity. It wasn’t a ritual. It wasn’t simply a discipline – but it was full of emotion and feeling. It was from the core of the heart.
Could I ever isolate myself and go that deep? Probably not, and neither is it recommended to try. But hearing of such remarkable personalities nevertheless inspires me to intensify my spiritual endeavors. I’m trying to break free of my mechanical and ritualistic approach. I’m trying to rediscover the freshness, enthusiasm and simplicity that attracted me to this path. I'm searching for that childlike innocence that I once had. I’m going back to basics. Core spiritual practices like mantra meditation, scriptural study and practical service to others are the bridge to the eternal reality. They are not to be taken lightly. I’m approaching Vrindavana in the mood of a beggar: spiritually impoverished but confident that I’ll find some sacred treasures along the way.
I’ve just returned from Ireland. Great trip. As I catch my breath in London for a week, I simultaneously prepare for a flight to India this coming Monday. My destination is the holy village of Vrindavana where Krishna spent His childhood years. Located 130 km south of Delhi, it’s a mystical place which is full of inspiration, insight and intrigue. They say that nobody returns from Vrindavana the same person, and that’s exactly why I’m going there! We can present ourselves as spiritual doctors, but we are undoubtedly patients as well. People may accept us as teachers of wisdom, but we remain humble students. After a month of sharing spirituality with others, now comes an opportunity to explore my own heart and question whether that inner transformation is really taking place.
These trips are not just a physical journey to a special place but also an inner journey towards transcendence. The great saints of Vrindavana were so absorbed in meditation and prayer that they became indifferent to the external world. Their living quarters were not formal brick or wooden structures, but temporary arrangements like the hollow of a tree, a clearing under a thorny thicket, or an underground cave. One saint is renowned for performing his meditation in a vacant crocodile hole. In these austere and solitary settings the great saints would slide into spiritual trance and have their conversations with God. They would continue on for hours on end. Their chanting wasn’t a casual activity. It wasn’t a ritual. It wasn’t simply a discipline – but it was full of emotion and feeling. It was from the core of the heart.
Could I ever isolate myself and go that deep? Probably not, and neither is it recommended to try. But hearing of such remarkable personalities nevertheless inspires me to intensify my spiritual endeavors. I’m trying to break free of my mechanical and ritualistic approach. I’m trying to rediscover the freshness, enthusiasm and simplicity that attracted me to this path. I'm searching for that childlike innocence that I once had. I’m going back to basics. Core spiritual practices like mantra meditation, scriptural study and practical service to others are the bridge to the eternal reality. They are not to be taken lightly. I’m approaching Vrindavana in the mood of a beggar: spiritually impoverished but confident that I’ll find some sacred treasures along the way.
Last week as I was sitting down to chant my noon gayatri I realized something. I was trying to chant all the mantras really quickly as though I had some place to get to immediately. Truth was, the only thing I had lined up afterwards was checking my email! So why the need to rush?
When I analyze my life, I grudgingly realize it's something I do constantly. I fast forward through most of my spiritual practices as though there is some imaginary race that I must win. Even though I know faster isn't better, the challenge in slowing down is having to acknowledge the fact that I may be doing things imperfectly.
When I used to take singing lessons, the thing that challenged me the most was singing my scales slowly. And I'm not talking about just slowly, I mean excruciatingly slow. That was the time my teacher would always correct me. Over and over and over again would I have to repeat them until I got it right. Although frustrating, I never forgot what she told me. "If you don't get it right when you sing slow, you'll not only sing it wrong when you sing fast, but worse, you won't even notice that you're singing it wrong."
Similarly, as I hit fast forward in almost everything I do, I'm starting to realize the only person I'm short changing is myself. As aspiring bhakti yogis one of the most importantly lessons to imbibe is that it is the mood and consciousness that matters. When I rush, my consciousness is of stress, not devotion!
It's a humbling lesson. There's no need to fast forward. It's a good thing to hit pause and re-evaluate and even more important to be satisfied on play. That's the time when I'll grow.
Last week as I was sitting down to chant my noon gayatri I realized something. I was trying to chant all the mantras really quickly as though I had some place to get to immediately. Truth was, the only thing I had lined up afterwards was checking my email! So why the need to rush?
When I analyze my life, I grudgingly realize it's something I do constantly. I fast forward through most of my spiritual practices as though there is some imaginary race that I must win. Even though I know faster isn't better, the challenge in slowing down is having to acknowledge the fact that I may be doing things imperfectly.
When I used to take singing lessons, the thing that challenged me the most was singing my scales slowly. And I'm not talking about just slowly, I mean excruciatingly slow. That was the time my teacher would always correct me. Over and over and over again would I have to repeat them until I got it right. Although frustrating, I never forgot what she told me. "If you don't get it right when you sing slow, you'll not only sing it wrong when you sing fast, but worse, you won't even notice that you're singing it wrong."
Similarly, as I hit fast forward in almost everything I do, I'm starting to realize the only person I'm short changing is myself. As aspiring bhakti yogis one of the most importantly lessons to imbibe is that it is the mood and consciousness that matters. When I rush, my consciousness is of stress, not devotion!
It's a humbling lesson. There's no need to fast forward. It's a good thing to hit pause and re-evaluate and even more important to be satisfied on play. That's the time when I'll grow.
The first question often asked about the Bhagavad-gita is why was it spoken on a battlefield? Despite a common view that religion is a major cause of war, in most people’s minds the two should remain separate. Religion or spirituality should result in peace not conflict. If one’s spiritual practises bring about the bloodthirsty desire to eliminate the followers of some other faith then they must be suspect. That would surely seem to make sense.
Nevertheless the Gita did arise from a war, the great Battle of Kurukshetra. Not only that, but its final message to Arjuna—a mighty warrior who had suddenly veered towards pacifism—was to give up his “petty weakness of heart” and sally forth to slay his enemies in battle. How then is it a religious text?
Perhaps we should begin by defining religion. Dictionaries usually describe it as a system of belief in some supernatural power. That is where the conflicts tend to arise. My beliefs may well be different to yours, and human nature is such that we identify with these to the point where we create divisions based upon them. Hence we have many religious communities going under different names—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. In most people’s minds this is what is meant by religion, all these various designations. The Gita however gives a broader definition.
In Sanskrit, the language of the Gita, the word for religion is dharma. This translates more accurately as the essential nature of a thing. In the case of a person this nature is to serve. We are always serving someone or something, be it our boss, family members, country, or maybe just our dog. We cannot avoid service. Even if we have no one to serve we will still serve our own mind and senses, which constantly demand satisfaction in one way or another. We cannot sit peacefully for very long before one bodily demand or another impinges upon us and we have to act to satisfy it.
Vedic wisdom tells us that this service propensity is actually meant for God. This is real religion, the dharma of the soul. No doubt the adherents of all the above named faiths and most others will concur with this, despite their external differences. Whatever our practises the ultimate aim must be to know and love God, to unite with him and serve him eternally. When we serve anything other than God we are never satisfied; we constantly search for the lasting fulfilment that no amount of sensual pleasure or material relationships can provide. As Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.”
This is the message propounded by the Gita. It speaks of all beings as eternal parts of God having an unbreakable loving relationship with him. Arjuna’s dilemma as a warrior who was not inclined to fight was only the external context for a far deeper message than just getting him to take up his weapons. That message is encapsulated in the Gita’s key verse in the ninth chapter, where Krishna says, “Always think of me, offer me your respects, worship me and become my devotee. Surely then will you come to me.” This is the essence of all religion and it was what Arjuna had forgotten. He was thinking he had so many other duties which had all begun to seem onerous, conflicting and ultimately impossible. He got to the point where he did not know which way to turn or what to do. Krishna’s response was simple; just do what I want and you will be peaceful and happy.
As it happened at that time Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight. After all, sometimes fighting and violence are required when there are disturbing elements in society. We need the forces of law and order, which was Arjuna’s duty, but that’s not the real point. The ultimate message of the Gita is not about fighting or any other specific kind of work. It is about surrendering to God, acting only for his pleasure, recognising that this is truly in our own and everyone else’s best interests. When Arjuna understood this point his dilemma was over and he became peaceful. “My illusion is gone,” he told Krishna. “I am now free of duality and prepared to do whatever you ask.” And as Krishna asked him to fight that very fighting became a pure spiritual activity that led Arjuna to the highest point of self-realisation.
All of us are like Arjuna in so many ways. We stand on the battlefield of life faced with all kinds of challenges which often seem overwhelming. Sometimes we too don’t know which way to turn but the message of the Gita is also there for us. “Turn to me,” says Krishna. “I will always protect you and in the end bring you back to me.” That is the fight facing us all, turning from illusion towards Krishna, but with his help we like Arjuna will surely emerge victorious.
A curious confection: The British ‘Stick of Rock’ is made entirely of pink and white coloured sugar and has the name of the seaside town where it is sold running all the way through it. No matter where you slice it, or suck it, you’ll always get the same name, the same sweet taste. So it is with the Vaishnava tradition. The sampradaya is sweet all the way through as is the Name of God. And the stick – the parampara – is the structure that delivers it.
The words sampradaya and parampara are often used interchangeably, as if they conveyed exactly the same meaning. Sampradaya means a school of thought or philosophical conclusion or siddhanta, embodied by a community of orthodox practitioners. Parampara is, quite literally, ‘one after the other’ – an historical chain of spiritual preceptors, each of whom was a legacy-holder for the same path and practice.
Sampradaya refers to what the sincere aspirant may contact in the here and now, how he may be taught the siddhanta in the present day, and locate a current exemplar of the tradition. Whereas parampara refers to how the siddhanta has been transmitted down through the years. It is a chain of illustrious preceptors, each of whom was connected to the previous one, either through accepting the teachings (siksha) or by becoming initiated with a mantra (diksha), or a combination of both. The parampara is a lineage of successive gurus which is established retrospectively, sometimes long after their physical demise. A leading member of the sampradaya – usually the current acarya himself – looks back over the centuries, traces his finger over the spiritual family tree, and concludes: ‘This is how we all got here.’
When we describe a parampara we single out certain persons who have contributed the most in establishing the siddhanta, explaining it to others; defending it from intellectual attack; and leaving behind a body of literature that served best to perpetuate the siddhanta beyond the lifetime of the authors. Yet in choosing some lineage-holders we simultaneously de-select others. They were not unworthy souls, rather, they were great Vaishnavas, each playing their part in supporting, defending and extending the sampradaya in their own time. But others were singled out to have their names as a permanent fixture in the list of the greatest historical contributors.
No devotees living today – including those who initiate disciples – know whether they will be ‘in the parampara,’ although by definition they are already ‘in the sampradaya.’ Of course, for disciples, their own chosen guru is the current representative of the parampara. But if the disciples do not initiate their own disciples then that singular branch of the parampara will terminate at the death of the last disciple.
It may be that the majority of current initiators in the ISKCON branch of the Gaudiya lineage – by this process of discipular termination – will not feature in the parampara 100 years hence, and what to speak of 300 years. They might be collectively featured in some future chronicle as the sincere and determined followers of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; as those who met him personally and helped him in his mission to establish Gaudiya teachings outside India. But the moving index fingers of historians or acaryas of the far-distant future may pass immediately from Srila Prabhupada to the next major contributor in the chain. Names that are firmly fixed in the minds of all today, written in black ink as it were, may fade to grey or disappear completely, as many thousands throughout history have already done. Those who criticize the ISKCON movement for having what they consider to be less-than-suitable names ‘in the parampara’ should not unduly trouble themselves: time and tide will wash away anyone who is undeserving. And those who are already brilliant will continue to shine.
I read, with sadness, of the death of the young Indian girl who was gang raped in Delhi.
My prayers go to that departed soul, to her family, and to her friend who was also beaten and thrown off the bus.
The present perverted culture of India allows rape and molestation of women to take place anywhere and everywhere in the nation.
I have been shocked in hearing the stories of my female students in Vrindavan;
A western lady told me how while standing in front of Radhe Shyam, her eyes closed in prayer, an Indian man approached her, grasped her breasts, touched her buttocks, and rubbed his hand against her private parts.
A forty-ish year old Indian lady told me how on Sri Krishna Janmastami, an Indian man pushed his genitals onto her as everyone was wedged in the crowd trying to have darshan.
I heard tonight on Indian TV that in one political party alone there are 31 accused rapists.
This tragedy stirs me up.
I wish the Indian youth were savvy enough, and courageous enough, to use the social media in the same way that it has been used over the past few years to bring a change to the status quo.
But I think the Indian youth are too afraid of what their parents and society would say. Rather, they use the social media to ape the degraded materialistic culture.
I wish the Indian old elite would do the right thing, step aside, and allow brains that work to develop a structure for the nation in which all the citizens were equal before the constitution.
Yet … a drastic change would bring no good result if there were no Krishna consciousness, God consciousness.
It has been said that the fish rots from the head down.
The world is rotting, India included.
Maybe India is rotting more … for turning away from its ancient spiritual traditions.
Did you ever visit a country of 1,241,491,960 people where over half of the people perform their toilet activities on the train tracks or the sides of the roads daily?
Urination in public is so socially acceptable?
Where people in towns and villages heap their trash in the middle of the national highways?
The rich build huge mansions, high boundary walls, and dump their garbage outside their walls.
Where sacred rivers have been killed, officially declared dead by the World Health Organisation.
Why? Due to the the unrestricted dumping of pollutants from factories and waste from slaughter houses? All run by greedy materialistic men.
A country where over 100,000 people die on the roads yearly, and where hundreds and thousands are left maimed for life.
Where there is noise everywhere, plastic everywhere, smoke and smog everywhere.
And to get the most simple deed accomplished you must give a gift?
As Prabhupada sat and wrote in his rooms at Radha Damodar, he stated that what we are seeing today is simply the burnt remnants of India’s great tradition of culture.
That was 50 years ago.
Yes, a revolution is needed. But, it should be a revolution of consciousness. Krishna consciousness, God consciousness.
These situations make me think, “if I were young I would join a revolution and pull down the rotten machine.”
Now, alas, I am too old to sling stones and could never tolerate gunfire.
But then, when I was young, I did join a revolution. And I am still a small part of it, and I am still trying to pull.
bharata-bhumite hoila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari karo para-upakära
This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, para-upakara.
His mission is to be very merciful to all people.
So, I will continue in the revolution of Srila Prabhupada and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
I will continually try to assist my master to change the degraded consciousness of the world.
Please everyone, take the holy names, study the message of Bhagavad Gita, worship Sri Krishna.
By these activities, the degraded material consciousness of this world will change.
One poet said, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.”
Another small Indian man said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
Together …. Let’s make that change.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Most observers would agree, though, that changes in regulation do not come from objective scientific studies. (Both sides, after all, can flood any government hearing with experts and impressive-looking scientific reports.) Regulations are determined, in large part, by politics. And the politics of fracking are changing and are very likely to change drastically in coming years. As examples from the last century suggest, the sudden discovery of oil and gas can transform an entire economy and regulatory system to serve the industry’s interests. Economists call this the resource curse — the perverse process in which a valuable discovery like oil, gas, diamonds or gold ends up enriching a few at the cost of impoverishing most of the population. At its worst, the resource curse leads to deeply corrupt regimes like those in Iraq, Iran, Myanmar and Libya. At its mildest, this can create one-industry economies in which there is little innovation and even less resistance to the whims of a handful of powerful interests. Many believe this already describes the oil economies of Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma and, increasingly, North Dakota, where the fracking industry is entrenched. Politically and economically, it’s hard to argue with an industry that has helped keep the state’s unemployment rate at about 3 percent.
If there is an uneasy equilibrium, right now, between environmentally concerned citizens and pro-fracking industrial groups, what will the political balance be like in a decade? What pressures will be on state legislatures and regulators if the projections are true and the millions of workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and maybe New York will owe their jobs to fracking. There will be trillions of dollars of new wealth. Will environmental and health concerns have any chance against that juggernaut?
Most observers would agree, though, that changes in regulation do not come from objective scientific studies. (Both sides, after all, can flood any government hearing with experts and impressive-looking scientific reports.) Regulations are determined, in large part, by politics. And the politics of fracking are changing and are very likely to change drastically in coming years. As examples from the last century suggest, the sudden discovery of oil and gas can transform an entire economy and regulatory system to serve the industry’s interests. Economists call this the resource curse — the perverse process in which a valuable discovery like oil, gas, diamonds or gold ends up enriching a few at the cost of impoverishing most of the population. At its worst, the resource curse leads to deeply corrupt regimes like those in Iraq, Iran, Myanmar and Libya. At its mildest, this can create one-industry economies in which there is little innovation and even less resistance to the whims of a handful of powerful interests. Many believe this already describes the oil economies of Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma and, increasingly, North Dakota, where the fracking industry is entrenched. Politically and economically, it’s hard to argue with an industry that has helped keep the state’s unemployment rate at about 3 percent.
If there is an uneasy equilibrium, right now, between environmentally concerned citizens and pro-fracking industrial groups, what will the political balance be like in a decade? What pressures will be on state legislatures and regulators if the projections are true and the millions of workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and maybe New York will owe their jobs to fracking. There will be trillions of dollars of new wealth. Will environmental and health concerns have any chance against that juggernaut?
Fresh produce from my garden. By the way dear readers, I now have transferred a lot of my energy to my new Facebook page. If you'd like to find me, and I know you, I will accept your friend request. Comment on this post to get that happening.
Interesting to see that yet another hard-hitting anti-smoking ad campaign is about to be released here in Britain. Although there’s been drastic changes here in the past ten years, there are still so many smokers who cannot conceive of the devastating cancer that lies ahead for them.
In my childhood – in the 1950s and 1960s – just about everyone smoked – and they smoked everywhere. My local cinema was so smoky you had to look through a fug to actually see the screen. Trains, buses, restaurants, pubs and clubs, schools and even in doctor’s surgeries. The doctor might even be smoking when you went to see him!
Now things have changed, and I am stunned that things have changed so much in a relatively short space of time. Now if you want to smoke you have to leave the public building you’re in and stand out in the street,no matter what the weather. But despite this, the intelligent, thoughtful, health-loving British public just doesn’t get it: smoking kills. And its not propaganda.
There are still 8 million smokers in this country; that’s one in every five adults. Last year 800,000 tried to give it up completely, and half of them were successful. That’s great news.
But half of all smokers – that’s 4 million in this country – will go on to die from smoking-related diseases. That’s a crying shame. And in a country where health is paid for from public taxation – not by the insurance company or by the person who is ill – that places a significant drain on public finances. 4 million people needing expensive cancer care is very expensive. Its also wrong if people who made a decision not to smoke are indirectly forced to pay for the healthcare of those that do. And with the financial recession there’s less money to pay for sick people.
Maybe that’s why the government in the UK is working hard to discourage smoking. At least they’re paying £2.5 million for this new campaign that starts soon. But with total tobacco revenue standing currently at £12 billion it would seem that they’re not trying all that hard.
Here’s the new campaign: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/28/smokers-graphic-ad-campaign-tumour
My alarm clock tone is the 1966 track of Prabhupad singing pranam and Hare Krishna. This morning I decided to put in my earphones and listen to the whole track.
Prabhupad's voice filled my being.
The thought came to me how I want this track to be playing at the time of my death. Seeing myself on my deathbed did not feel morbid at all. In fact, I experienced such peace.
No matter how much my body may change, if I travel the world or remain in a small town, who I marry or if I ever marry, disasters or triumphs that befall me, who my children are or if I ever have children, what my career is, if I accomplish famous deeds or remain utterly unknown, whatever may transpire in my life...
... everything becomes so simple in those moments before I leave this body.
Prabhupad.
The holy name. Krishna.
Listening to Prabhupad sing this morning while I laid in bed, I experienced quiet moments of perfection. I don't need to prove anything in this life, to conquer the world or something. I just need to be me. I am enough.
Prabhupad will come for me.
[for e-mail subscribers, click on this link: http://youtu.be/NCusDs1scmY ]
My alarm clock tone is the 1966 track of Prabhupad singing pranam and Hare Krishna. This morning I decided to put in my earphones and listen to the whole track.
Prabhupad's voice filled my being.
The thought came to me how I want this track to be playing at the time of my death. Seeing myself on my deathbed did not feel morbid at all. In fact, I experienced such peace.
No matter how much my body may change, if I travel the world or remain in a small town, who I marry or if I ever marry, disasters or triumphs that befall me, who my children are or if I ever have children, what my career is, if I accomplish famous deeds or remain utterly unknown, whatever may transpire in my life...
... everything becomes so simple in those moments before I leave this body.
Prabhupad.
The holy name. Krishna.
Listening to Prabhupad sing this morning while I laid in bed, I experienced quiet moments of perfection. I don't need to prove anything in this life, to conquer the world or something. I just need to be me. I am enough.
Prabhupad will come for me.
[for e-mail subscribers, click on this link: http://youtu.be/NCusDs1scmY ]
Tulasi Harison sings ‘Krishna He’ at our December Kirtan. Just the chant to ring in the new year. Happy 2013 everyone, and may you be blessed with auspicious sounds to hear, peace in your hearts, inspired thoughts, and action that pleases everyone. In short may your year be filled with the Supreme Spirit.
Tulasi Harison sings ‘Krishna He’ at our December Kirtan. Just the chant to ring in the new year. Happy 2013 everyone, and may you be blessed with auspicious sounds to hear, peace in your hearts, inspired thoughts, and action that pleases everyone. In short may your year be filled with the Supreme Spirit.
Tulasi Harison sings ‘Krishna He’ at our December Kirtan. Just the chant to ring in the new year. Happy 2013 everyone, and may you be blessed with auspicious sounds to hear, peace in your hearts, inspired thoughts, and action that pleases everyone. In short may your year be filled with the Supreme Spirit.
When one thousand people in the United States were asked the question: “What factors brought you to your present religious belief and membership of your current religious community?” the overwhelming majority, 85%, responded that ‘my friend got me interested,’ or ‘my friend was already involved,’ or ‘I went along to the meetings with friends.’ The findings of this survey suggest that a prime influence in religious self-identification (other than deeply-held personal conviction) is our circle of friends; and what we believe then influences our subsequent choices of friends. The committed relationships we maintain with our circle of friends also seem to be a key ingredient in the expansion, socialisation and sustainability of a religious community.
There will always be highly motivated, self-starting, lone seekers of spiritual wisdom. After a mystical experience, or a deeply heart-warming reading of an ancient text, and armed with only their own initial inspiration, they’ll search out a spiritual practitioner who can share his or her wisdom. They may even join a small, very dedicated, band of austere followers. In India it was formerly quite common for a guru to impart rahasya-vidya, secret teachings, to a handful of such disciples, sometimes only one or two. Those disciples would then pass on the secret mantras and tantras to another two disciples. Over the generations this would form a small and exclusive parampara; perfectly valid and intact, but not one that would have any far-reaching social consequences.
The paramparas associated with the Vaishnava community are, in contrast, dedicated to widespread dissemination of knowledge and practice. They are based upon the compassionate uplifting of humanity with the message of the most merciful incarnations and messengers of God. As such, the mantra – at least the particular parampara’s ‘great mantra’ – is distributed to all comers, irrespective of any material or social consideration. It is this friendship to all – the creation of lines of friendship so important to the socialisation of a religious message – that guarantees the widespread popularity of Vaishnavism and its endurance across the centuries.
Although a parampara is simply the handing down of knowledge from teacher to student – guru to sisya – it also generates a parallel manifestation due to its reaching out in friendship to others: a self-perpetuating community of spiritual friends that forms a distinct social grouping, steadily growing down through many centuries.
The authentic teachings of Vaishnavism in written form have become essential in perpetuating a parampara. For this reason modern-day Vaishnavas of ISKCON have digitized the founder-acarya’s teachings, audio recordings and visual images, and provided bomb-proof, museum-level archives for the original materials. Without preservation of the original teachings there would inevitably be philosophical divergence at some point in the future, threatening the perpetuation of the parampara.
But the other elements that serve to sustain a parampara are those that were amply demonstrated by the acarya himself. Firstly, the personal appearances: individual teaching and lecturing – upadesha and upanyasa – with guidance, correction, encouragement, and enthusiasm given to disciples by a living preceptor. Second, the formation of branches of the community, physical places where, in a dedicated environment, followers may gather together for prayer, meditation, worship and discussions. Third, the utter dedication to reaching out to others in a spirit of friendship: free hot meals of sacred food, theatre and colourful festivals, singing processions and sales of philosophical books in accessible language. It is difficult to imagine the present success of ISKCON without these components so generously arranged by the founder.
The sustainability of the parampara would thus seem to be best guaranteed by the preservation of the teaching; the living presence of the exemplars of the teaching; the proliferation of physical spaces where the practices of spirituality can prosper, and the spirit of reaching out to others. And of course, if everyone can remain friends then success is assured.
"The Colorado River provides fresh water to nearly 40 million people in seven states out west: Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. A sizable chunk of U.S. agriculture relies on that water — about 15 percent of the nation’s crops and 13 percent of its livestock. (Indeed, the vast majority of the river’s water is used for irrigation and agriculture.)
But there’s a problem: The Colorado River may soon no longer have enough water to satisfy the region’s needs. Thanks to rapid population growth in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, water demand is surging. Meanwhile, the supply of water is dropping — and could keep dropping as climate change speeds evaporation, shrinks the snow pack in the Rocky Mountains, and makes droughts more likely."
"The Colorado River provides fresh water to nearly 40 million people in seven states out west: Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. A sizable chunk of U.S. agriculture relies on that water — about 15 percent of the nation’s crops and 13 percent of its livestock. (Indeed, the vast majority of the river’s water is used for irrigation and agriculture.)
But there’s a problem: The Colorado River may soon no longer have enough water to satisfy the region’s needs. Thanks to rapid population growth in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, water demand is surging. Meanwhile, the supply of water is dropping — and could keep dropping as climate change speeds evaporation, shrinks the snow pack in the Rocky Mountains, and makes droughts more likely."
Sometimes what I read ties me in knots. Suddenly the purports in Srila Prabhupada's books reveal their unlimited depths, and I feel like a small child gazing upon the ocean for the first time: "When does it end; where is the bottom?" Let me plunge you into a section of Chaitanya-caritamrita that has overloaded my circuits for two weeks—therefore I didn't write anything (an excellent excuse).
In Jagannatha Puri the devotees of Mahaprabhu had gone to the sea to bathe, preparing for their awesome lunch. Meanwhile, Lord Caitanya sought out Haridasa Thakura—finding him, of course, chanting the mahamantra in ecstatic love of Krishna. Immediately Haridasa Thakura falls on the ground like a stick, offering his respects. Mahaprabhu picks him up and embraces him.
Now, here is what has shut me down: "Then both the Lord and His servant began to cry in ecstatic love. Indeed, the Lord was transformed by the qualities of His servant, and the servant was transformed by the qualities of his master." (Madhya 11:187)
Although Mahaprabhu, Krishna Himself, is always the predominator, and the living entity, the predominated, nevertheless, in the exchange of ecstatic love, both become transformed.
This is Krishna's intelligent design—the innermost mystery of existence.
As Prabhupada writes in the purport: ". . . the servant of the Lord is the heart of the Lord, and the Lord is the heart of the servant. . . .The Lord is always eager to congratulate the servant because of the servant's transcendental qualities. The servant pleasingly renders service unto the Lord, and the lord also very pleasingly reciprocates, rendering even more service unto the servant."
Meanwhile, we are afraid to intensify our relationship with Krishna? Such paranoid madness can only be the result of contact with maya.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
I remember the way I felt the first time I heard this, "Wow, that's totally applicable to me and everyone I know!" Years later, I've realized it's not only beautiful and inspirational but more importantly, it's a call to action for all of us. Krsna has given all of us unique abilities and talents and it is our service to culture, nourish them and offer it back in His service. om tat sat. :D
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson
I remember the way I felt the first time I heard this, "Wow, that's totally applicable to me and everyone I know!" Years later, I've realized it's not only beautiful and inspirational but more importantly, it's a call to action for all of us. Krsna has given all of us unique abilities and talents and it is our service to culture, nourish them and offer it back in His service. om tat sat. :D
Today, Sunday December 23, 2012 marks Gita Jayanti- the anniversary of when the Bhagavad gita was spoken over 5000 years ago on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra.
The Bhagavad gita - as it is, is one of my favourite books. In fact, I often comment that it's "my hand book for life". If I have a question, a problem, am frustrated or am in need of some inspiration, the Gita is always there for me. I never need to worry that it's too busy or doesn't have time for me. In short, the Gita never lets me down.
I wanted to do something to commemorate this significant day and so for the first time in my life I consecutively read all 700+ verses - in English. I've recited all the sanskirt verses before and it was a wonderful experience. However, since my understanding of sanskrit is minimal at best, I could only appreciate the beautiful sound vibration of the mantras and not the essence it contained within them.
That's why I challenged myself to read the English translation of all 700+ verses. At some point in time between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 an idea came to me. Well...it was more like a challenge: write something about every single verse in the Gita. A verse a day on the importance of the topic discussed, the way it makes me feel reading it or perhaps even a question that comes to mind.
And so here I am at the start. Today marks the beginning of diving into THE greatest yoga text. I invite you to join me... www.gita-asitis.blogspot.com
Today, Sunday December 23, 2012 marks Gita Jayanti- the anniversary of when the Bhagavad gita was spoken over 5000 years ago on the sacred grounds of Kurukshetra.
The Bhagavad gita - as it is, is one of my favourite books. In fact, I often comment that it's "my hand book for life". If I have a question, a problem, am frustrated or am in need of some inspiration, the Gita is always there for me. I never need to worry that it's too busy or doesn't have time for me. In short, the Gita never lets me down.
I wanted to do something to commemorate this significant day and so for the first time in my life I consecutively read all 700+ verses - in English. I've recited all the sanskirt verses before and it was a wonderful experience. However, since my understanding of sanskrit is minimal at best, I could only appreciate the beautiful sound vibration of the mantras and not the essence it contained within them.
That's why I challenged myself to read the English translation of all 700+ verses. At some point in time between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 an idea came to me. Well...it was more like a challenge: write something about every single verse in the Gita. A verse a day on the importance of the topic discussed, the way it makes me feel reading it or perhaps even a question that comes to mind.
And so here I am at the start. Today marks the beginning of diving into THE greatest yoga text. I invite you to join me... www.gita-asitis.blogspot.com
This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.
This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.
This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its waves of pace.
This year, Gita Jayanti, the anniversary of Lord Sri Krishna’s speaking the Bhagavad-Gita to Sri Arjuna, falls on Sunday, December 23rd.
For those whose lives have been forever improved by meeting Lord Krishna personally in the pages of the Gita, Gita Jayanti is not only a day of celebration but also a chance to express their gratitude. And the best way to do so is to share the Gita with others. Krishna Himself says, “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Bg. 18.69)
The Gita teaches the essence of spiritual knowledge, purely and succinctly, in a way that anyone – in any situation of life – can practically apply its instruction and wisdom. And since Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, resides within the heart of every living being, He is always there to help the reader understand the Gita’s profound message.
Many people in the world are innocent; and when they hear the message of the Gita from a devotee, they at once embrace it and attain perfection.
Krishna says, “Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.” (Bg. 13.26)
More than ever before, people need the common sense and elegance of the Gita. Why? The modern media daily brings us foul rumors, incendiary disputes, and scenes of massacre. And a popular scientist has proclaimed, “The human race is just chemical scum on a moderate sized planet . . .” (Stephen Hawking, interview 1994).
It seems that the public demands these things—at least some studies suggest that they do. And news anchors across the world have come to count on the fact that people have developed an insatiable appetite for calumny and the gory details of tragic events.
As people disclose the acrimony and conflict that trouble their hearts in tens of millions of daily blogs, YouTube clips, Facebook postings, and interviews in the 24-hour news cycle, the resultant din is a toxic outpouring of malignant sound that flows into the ears of the innocent masses, leading the world’s population into anxiety, despair, and mental illness.
The delicate human ear requires Krishna’s soothing voice in the Gita to clarify the heart and fortify the intellect.
Even five thousand years after Lord Krishna’s departure from this world, “the Bhagavad-gita can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour.” (SB 1.15.27, purport)
Lord Caitanya exalts the Gita to Srila Sanatana Gosvami: “Kåñëa is so merciful that simply by aiming His instructions at Arjuna, He has given protection to the whole world.” (Cc Madhya 22.56)
The Gita issues from the beautiful lotus mouth of Lord Sri Krishna, our best friend and eternal benefactor. And as that message passes through the pen of Krsna’s empowered representative, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Bhagavad-gita “As It Is” becomes all the more relishable.
As Gita Jayanti approaches, please read the Gita, remember the Gita, give the Gita.
