44 photos: Jhulan Yatra, at Hare Krishna temple of Baltimore, August 18, 2013 Read more ›

49 photos: Ratha Yatra ISKCON in Amsterdam, Netherlands, August 18, 2013 Read more ›

Sree Dham Mayapur Morning Program – 2010

Moving On

Los Angeles, California

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 KM

“I will miss so much pleasure if I devote myself to Krishna.” This feeling may check us while practicing spiritual life, especially its regulative principles.

Gita wisdom overturns this fear by declaring that we will miss far more pleasure by not devoting ourselves to Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita (10.41) indicates that the attractiveness of everything attractive is but a spark of Krishna’s all-attractiveness. This implies that Krishna’s pleasure-giving potency is far greater than the pleasure-giving potency of everything else, for he is the source of the pleasure-giving potency of everything.

Why then do we feel that worldly things are more pleasurable than Krishna?

Because our spiritual awareness that enables us to connect lovingly with Krishna is covered under lifetimes of materialistic conditionings. Though we are souls meant to rejoice in eternal love with Krishna, our conditionings have trapped our consciousness at the material level, thereby making spiritual happiness inaccessible.

So Krishna gives us the vision to see how he cares for us even at the material level, as the Gita (15.12-14) outlines. Over time when we understand philosophically and experience practically how Krishna loves us even when we don’t love him. Thus, we gradually develop faith in his assurance that devoting ourselves purely to him gives spiritual happiness far greater than the best material happiness.

When we take a leap of faith and sacrifice a few material pleasures for Krishna’s pleasure, we see for ourselves that we have not been losers but have been gainers. The enjoyment we have lost is drop-like, but the fulfillment we have gained is oceanic.

Once the conviction that Krishna is better than the best that the world can offer takes root in our heart, then worldly temptations lose their charm. And we march steadily and swiftly back to him.

**

Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.

Her Second

Los Angeles, California

Svavas has been the Krishna community leader here for many years. After I settled in at the sannyasi quarters of the LA community he showed me a copy of "Newsmax" August issue with a picture of First Lady Barbara Bush wearing a shawl from India. Draped around her shoulders it read in Devanagri script, "Hare Krishna." We were both delighted by Barbara's fashion statement.

My main reason for a rare visit to the City of Angels (It's just not on my regular trail) was to award brahman initiation to a Cleveland woman residing in the community. Hari Lila, was a super fan of George Harrison when she got internet-connected with Ramachandra of London Ontario, running a website of the legendary Beatle. One thing led to another and Hari Lila eventually, through the initial boost of George's devotional music, jointed the Krishna community here.

Hari Lila had earned this post of privilege on the strength of her sincerity and commitment. Svavas mentioned that she's earned it.

It was a pleasure to meet Rick, her father, a Lutheran, who came to the fire ceremony of his daughter. She was given new additional mantra to chant as part of the job description and that was followed by a planned walk on Ballona Bike Trail, through the heart of Culver City, a path she daily cycles as physical output. Her Dad came along as well as other friends.

The expression of wheels that takes to religiously is her down-time from kitchen and temple duties. Overall I'm very happy for her for having so many encouraging friends. "We love her," said one senior female devotee.

To her credit she has wrapped around her heart the Mahamantra, "Hare Krishna" and has mad it her life-line.

10 KM

Mundane wranglers have taken advantage of Bhagavad-gita to push forward their demonic propensities and mislead people regarding right understanding of the simple principles of life. Everyone should know how God, or Krsna, is great, and everyone should know the factual position of the living entities. Everyone should know that a living entity is eternally a servant and that unless one serves Krsna one has to serve illusion in different varieties of the three modes of material nature and thus wander perpetually within the cycle of birth and death; even the so-called liberated Mayavadi speculator has to undergo this process. This knowledge constitutes a great science, and each and every living being has to hear it for his own interest.

Bhagavad Gita As It is Preface

"Sometimes we think of chanting as a process, which it is. But more than a process, it is a relationship — our relationship with Krishna. We are in the material world because we have turned away from Krishna. We have come here to try to enjoy in imitation of Him, or in competition with Him. And when we realize that we cannot be happy trying to imitate God or take His place — when we realize that we have turned away from Krishna, who is our best friend and well-wisher, and we actually regret having turned away from Him and want to rectify our relationship with Him, the first — and best — thing we can do is to make the effort to chant His holy names with attention. So, it is really our relationship with Krishna in the form of His holy name that we are trying to develop."

From Reviving our relationship with Krsna
by Srila Giriraj Swami
Lecture 14 May 2013

Balarama Appearance Day 2013 Celebrations

Nitai’s Pizza and Pasta is an organic vegetarian restaurant run by Dhrumila das and his wife Nitai Carana devi dasi. Although situated in a busy area of Denpasar, the menu is not of local food style. The ingredients are totally vegetarian and organic. Along with pizza and pasta they serve breads, cakes, biscuits, energy health bars and much more.

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed; works best with Firefox or Explorer)

There are many modern and ancient ways to describe the subtle building blocks, or constituents, of the material world for different purposes. However, looking through the lens of the Bhagavad Gita, we find a perspective of the physical world which is most helpful for yoga, or spiritual practice. While many people are at least casually familiar with the ancient Chinese concept of yin and yang, the Gita's outline of the gunas, or modes/qualities/karmic-blueprints of nature, will be more helpful for those interested in understanding their material conditioning for making spiritual advancement. The Gita devotes a whole chapter to giving us a basic template for noticing the gunas in our life, and in subsequent chapters goes into more detail. This knowledge is so powerful that it is considered the best of all knowledge regarding the material world, by which even great sages have attained perfection (BG 14.1-2)

To understand exactly what the gunas are, we need to understand some basic yogic philosophy. The metaphysic of the Gita is that our true identity is spiritual--we are eternal consciousness, an atomic fragment (atma or soul) of serving disposition, or a spiritual particle of God. Our intrinsic nature is to serve or cooperate with our Source, the Supreme Whole, revealed to be Krishna--the speaker of the Gita. The world of matter is foreign to the soul, as a confining spacesuit is confining to a human being. In order to function in this realm of matter we are given physical bodies with unique characteristics built by various combinations of the gunas, further limited by additional laws of Nature, such as time and space. The Sanskrit word guna, means rope, or a type of binding force created as a manifestation and instrument of a soul's karma, or reactions to work from previous lives.

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Verse 4.15: All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding of My transcendental nature. Therefore you should perform your duty, following in their footsteps.

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

When I initially heard this quote from one of my bhakti mentors a few years back, it left a deep impression in me. How true those words ring!

It is also reminds me of a time when I asked another of my favorite bhakti practitioners a question. Younger and full of enthusiasm, I asked how I could become a better practitioner of bhakti yoga. With great compassion and a lot of love, he replied, "It will take patience and time. You are still young. With age comes many experiences which will help solidify your knowledge and deepen it into realization."

I remember meditating on that answer for quite some time. However, it is only years later that I gained the realization that those experiences don't necessarily have to be my own. By following in the footsteps of my teachers, inspirations and role models, I could also learn from their own experiences - whether they be positive or challenging.

The Gita is reminding us that first class intelligence is highlighted by learning from the experiences of others. Just like an aspiring entrepreneur will read and try to absorb the knowledge that was gained from the experiences of expert businesspersons, similarly the aspiring yogi observes and adopts the methods practiced by those successfully and steadily practicing the path of bhakti.

One of the traits of such advanced practitioners of bhakti yoga is humility. Such inspiring role models seek no recognition for themselves. Therefore, the price to get their company and hear from them is not money but a deep desire. Simply by desiring and making the effort to seek out such personalities, it's astounding how opportunities unfold to learn from them.

So go ahead and seek out the company of such wonderful personalities. After all:

"One's desires and ambitions develop according to the company one keeps."

3 years to complete, Symphony of the Soul has been a loving effort of about 200 devotees, writers, musicians, singers, music and technical engineers Read more ›

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I liked these answers so much I thought I should make it part of my blog post. If you have already read it elsewhere, you can ignore this post. Two quotes by Prabhupada come to mind related to this question, they are something like "first deserve then desire", and then "work first samadhi later". The work he was referring to was preaching Krishna consciousness.

H.H.Hridayananda Maharaja very nicely captures the elongation of vaidhi bhakti into raganuga bhakti. I like the way he categorically states his points in bullets, gives way for easy read. When we see vaidhi and raganuga as two distinct aspects of bhakti then we are missing the point. A degree in phd cannot be separated from undergraduate studies. Phd is simply a continuation of undergraduate studies and both exist symbiotically. Similarly raganuga bhakti is a natural growth of vaidhi bhakti. Therefore by strictly practicing the instructions of our spiritual master, Krishna will award us the mercy towards spontaneous devotion unto Him. Of this, there should be no doubt!!

Please continue to read the answer given by Maharaj.

Question: It is mentioned in Jaiva Dharma that without practicing raganuga bhakti (which specifically refers to following the vrajavasis in our siddha deha and not sadhaka deha) one cannot go back to Krsnaloka or Goloka Vrindavan but one can go to Dwaraka. According to my understanding from reading Srila Prabhupada’s and other devotee’s books, I believe to serve and surrender to the Guru’s mission in the sadhaka rupa is as good as performing raganuga bhakti. I do not consider it separate although Aindra Prabhu condemns this type of approach and mentions that it needs to be cultivated separately. So I would appreciate if you can please enlighten me on this subject and let me know if we can still go back to Goloka Vrindavan to assist the servants of the servants of the vrajavasis in this lifetime just by serving in the Guru’s mission in sadhaka rupa or whether we need to separately endeavor to practice raganuga bhakti.

Answer by Hridayananda das Goswami:

1. Srila Prabhupada states many times that his faithful disciples who assist his mission will go back to Vrindavana.

2. In fact, those who devote themselves to Prabhupada’s service, and seriously practice bhakti-yoga, are coming to the stage of raganuga-bhakti. I am not doing my service because there is a rule to do it. My service to Prabhupada and Krishna is my life and I desire no other life. I find that I can easily understand Krishna’s Vraja Lila, and I am realizing myself more and more as Krishna’s eternal servant.

3. Preaching itself is raganuga-bhakti, not an inferior activity as some foolishly think. In the course of preaching, we realize great spiritual bliss and gain extraordinary insight into Krishna Lila. Most preachers I know are becoming more and more attached to Vrindavan, not Mathura or Dvaraka. That attachment comes from Krishna and indicates a devotee’s future destination.

4. The Bhagavatam does not explicitly state that we must practice a separate Raga-bhakti. Lord Caitanya stated that the Bhagavatam contains all Vaishnava-siddhanta. Therefore the requirement of practicing Raga-bhakti is not a siddhanta, a fundamental principle, but rather a detail as outlined in Chapter 6 of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. And details are variable, as stated by Rupa Goswami.

5. Bhaktivinoda Thakura perfectly spoke for his time. Then Krishna sent Prabhupada to make a full presentation to the world. Are we really to believe that Krishna will deny His Vraja-dhama to those who give their lives to His pure devotee, Prabhupada? That would be a ludicrous conclusion.

6. Aindra Prabhu did great service. He also wrote a book in which he seems to insult all the preachers of the world and place himself above them as their teacher. That’s what I read. I never heard an Aindra kirtana in which he first chanted the pranama prayers to his guru, Prabhupada. It is unusual to never begin kirtan by thanking and honoring your own guru, who happens to be a nitya-siddha devotee. In his book Caitanya-Caritamrta, Krishnadasa Kaviraja offers great respect to his predecessor gurus, as does Prabhupada in his books and kirtanas. If it were the case that simply chanting in Vrinavana, one could spread the sankirtana movement, why did Prabhupada leave Vrindavana to save all of us?

7. I suggest you read the Bhagavatam 6.17.28, which states that those actually devoted to the Lord do not worry about where they are going. They simply want to serve Krishna and they know that Krishna will reciprocate with their desire. Krishna clearly states in Bhagavad-gita 4.11 that He perfectly reciprocates with all souls. So if you are serving Prabhupada and you long to go to Vrindavana, why would Krishna send you somewhere else? Why would He deprive those who are most selfless, who think only of service, and who faithfully follow the pure devotee Prabhupada, not caring for their own bliss?

8. The essence of Vrindavana is selfless service, not trying to relish Krishna Lila. The essence of Vraja is forgetting any personal desire, including the desire to relish bliss, and rather doing whatever will please Krishna. We learn about what Krishna wants from His pure devotee Prabhupada. Those who think of nothing but fulfilling Krishna’s desires, as revealed by Prabhupada, are the real Vraja-vasis.

With best wishes,

Hridayananda das Goswami

Hare Krishna

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The post August 19th, 2013 – Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Question: It is mentioned in Jaiva Dharma that without practicing raganuga bhakti (which specifically refers to following the vrajavasis in our siddha deha and not sadhaka deha) one cannot go back to Krsnaloka or Goloka Vrindavan but one can go to Dwaraka Read more ›

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The festivals have begun as of yesterday here at Krishna Balaram Mandir, ISKCON Vrindavan. During the month of Shravan Vrindavan is flourishing with greenery due to the rains and is also buzzing with pilgrims Read more ›

Photos HERE

Photos HERE

BB Govinda Swami leading late-night kirtan at Polish Woodstock 2013

BY NEW STRAITS TIMES

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

KUALA LUMPUR: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), a non-profit cultural and community development organisation, is celebrating Sri Krishna Janmastami, a festival showcasing Vedic culture and history, on Aug 28 at 7pm.

It will be graced by Jayapataka Swami from the United States. He has been a travelling Vedic cultural ambassador of Iskcon for more than 40 years.

Ancient India is famous for melodious recitations of hymns and prayers. Iskcon Malaysia is flying in expert reciters of these prayers for the festival.

An abhisekh ceremony will be performed to invoke blessings on participants.

Iskcon Malaysia has been celebrating this ancient and colourful festival for 30 years.

Every year, more than 8,000 people observe this festival at Iskcon centres across Malaysia.

Iskcon Malaysia temple president Kripa Sindhu Krishna Das said: "In India this festival is celebrated in every state with a touch of their own culture.

"Similarly, in Malaysia, it is celebrated with the unique Malaysian touch.

"Each year, the festival committee brainstorms on how we can present something unique to our guests. We want to celebrate the festival in a way that it will invoke blessings on the guests."

He said contemporary dance studio Astana Arts would put on a stage performance entitled Syamasundara.

"Syamsundara is a production that depicts the pastimes of Lord Krishna in a beautifully choreographed dance. A sumptuous vegetarian feast will also be served for free," he added.

The festival will be held at Iskcon Malaysia, Lot 9901, Jalan Awan Jawa, Taman Yarl, Off Jalan Kelang Lama. For details, call Kripa Sindhu at 016-860 2154 or Iskcon KL at 03-7980 7355.

Read more: Sri Krishna Janmastami celebrations - Johor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/johor/sri-krishna-janmastami-celebrations-1.339907#ixzz2cO6D7zWB