The letter by Srila Prabhupada to The Pope is as much relevant today as it was in 1968 in fact in my opinion it has gotten worse. Please read carefully the type of culture we are actively promoting for ourselves and our children. As Mahatma Gandhi said "be the change you want to see in the world" and so in that spirit, let us vow to make that change within our heart from materialism to God-centric and in time spread that consciousness to others. The change begins with us. Please read the letter - Hare Krishna.
AN OPEN LETTER TO POPE PAUL VI From A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
ISKCON Radha-Krishna Temple
3720 Avenue Du Parc
Montreal 18
Quebec, Canada
August 3, 1968
His Holiness Pope Paul VI
Vicar of Jesus Christ
State of Vatican
Rome, Italy
Your Holiness:
Please accept my respectful humble obeisances at your Lotus Feet. I beg to introduce myself as an Indian monk, following the Vedic principles of religious life. At the present, I am in the renounced order of Sannyas, aged 72 years, and am preaching God consciousness all over the world. I came to America in 1965, and since then I have many followers belonging to both Christian and Jewish faiths. And I have established a number of Krishna Consciousness temples in the USA and Canada. In the coming months, I am scheduled to go to London on this mission, and maybe I can visit other cities of European countries.
My mission is in the line of Lord Chaitanya, Who is personified Love of Godhead, and Who advented Himself 482 years ago in India, and preached God consciousness all over the world, on the basis of Srimad Bhagwatam (The Science of God). The principle of Srimad Bhagwatam is that any religious faith which helps a man to develop love of God, without any motives, and without being hampered by any material condition, is transcendental religion. And the best process or the easiest process, in this age especially, is to chant the Holy Name of God. From this definition of religion as we find it in the Srimad Bhagwatam, the criterion of religion is how it helps people to develop their dormant love of God. This is not artificially invoked, but it is aroused from within, due to bona fide association with devotees, and by hearing about God.
The human form of life is especially meant for this purpose, namely, to invoke the dormant love of God, because a higher development of consciousness is found in both man and animals. But the special significance of human life is to achieve love of God as the prime perfection of life. Unfortunately, at the present moment people are more concerned about the principle of sense gratification, or the animal part of human life, and they are gradually declining in God consciousness. This tendency is very much increasing, and because Your Holiness is the head of a great religious sect, I think we should meet together and chalk out a program for cooperation.
Human society cannot any longer be allowed to continue a Godless civilization at the risk of decreasing truthfulness, hygienic principles and mercifulness. Because, on account of the decline of these principles at the present moment, the duration of life, strength and memory of the human being is decreasing. Human society is gradually devolving in the matter of religiousness and justice; and "might is right" is gradually taking the place of morality and justice. There is practically no more family life, and the union of man and woman is gradually coming to the standard of sexuality. I understand it from reliable sources that people are trying to get Your Holiness' sanction for the contraceptive method, which is certainly against any religion of the world. In the Hindu religion, such contraceptive method and abortion are considered equivalent to murder.
Therefore, in the matter of sex, the human society is gradually becoming even less than animals. As a result of unrestricted sense gratification, even in ordinary dealing a man cannot trust another man, because the cheating propensity of man has increased beyond imagination. The attraction of young boys for young girls is no longer even a matter of love, but exists only on the basis of sexual potency. And as soon as there is a slackening of sex life, there is immediately a divorce petition.
In India, which was once the land of religion and Brahminical culture, things have deteriorated to such an extent that a man in a higher caste is recognized simply by putting a piece of thread on his body as a sign of sanctity. The so-called Swamis are cheating the public because the public wants to be cheated by some cheap method of self-realization. And today, if someone has no sufficient money, it is very hard for him to get justice from the court. And if anyone can simply bluff by so-called advancement of knowledge, he is offered the doctorate degree. If a man is falsely proud, he is accepted as civilized.
By frustration, people are gradually becoming communists and hippies, and the guardians of society must now take up the situation very seriously, without further delay.
The Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for overhauling the whole situation. We are creating men of character, and we are training our disciples to becoming lovers of God, or Krishna. From the very beginning, they are trained to refrain from the following four principles of degradation: 1) sex life outside of marriage, 2) meat-eating, or the eating of any animal food, 3) all forms of intoxication, and 4) gambling and idle sports. Our teachings are based on the authorized movement of Lord Chaitanya, on the principles of Bhagavad Gita, as the beginning, and Srimad Bhagwatam as the graduation.
I do not wish to prolong the body of this letter further, but if you think that my meeting with you will be beneficial for human society at large, I shall be very much pleased if Your Holiness will grant me an interview. Thanking you in anticipation of an early reply, I am
Yours in the service of the Lord,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
- From "Prabhupada-lila" by HH Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
Letter to Pope Paul
Letter to Pope Paul
→ Servant of the Servant
The letter by Srila Prabhupada to The Pope is as much relevant today as it was in 1968 in fact in my opinion it has gotten worse. Please read carefully the type of culture we are actively promoting for ourselves and our children. As Mahatma Gandhi said "be the change you want to see in the world" and so in that spirit, let us vow to make that change within our heart from materialism to God-centric and in time spread that consciousness to others. The change begins with us. Please read the letter - Hare Krishna.
AN OPEN LETTER TO POPE PAUL VI From A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
ISKCON Radha-Krishna Temple
3720 Avenue Du Parc
Montreal 18
Quebec, Canada
August 3, 1968
His Holiness Pope Paul VI
Vicar of Jesus Christ
State of Vatican
Rome, Italy
Your Holiness:
Please accept my respectful humble obeisances at your Lotus Feet. I beg to introduce myself as an Indian monk, following the Vedic principles of religious life. At the present, I am in the renounced order of Sannyas, aged 72 years, and am preaching God consciousness all over the world. I came to America in 1965, and since then I have many followers belonging to both Christian and Jewish faiths. And I have established a number of Krishna Consciousness temples in the USA and Canada. In the coming months, I am scheduled to go to London on this mission, and maybe I can visit other cities of European countries.
My mission is in the line of Lord Chaitanya, Who is personified Love of Godhead, and Who advented Himself 482 years ago in India, and preached God consciousness all over the world, on the basis of Srimad Bhagwatam (The Science of God). The principle of Srimad Bhagwatam is that any religious faith which helps a man to develop love of God, without any motives, and without being hampered by any material condition, is transcendental religion. And the best process or the easiest process, in this age especially, is to chant the Holy Name of God. From this definition of religion as we find it in the Srimad Bhagwatam, the criterion of religion is how it helps people to develop their dormant love of God. This is not artificially invoked, but it is aroused from within, due to bona fide association with devotees, and by hearing about God.
The human form of life is especially meant for this purpose, namely, to invoke the dormant love of God, because a higher development of consciousness is found in both man and animals. But the special significance of human life is to achieve love of God as the prime perfection of life. Unfortunately, at the present moment people are more concerned about the principle of sense gratification, or the animal part of human life, and they are gradually declining in God consciousness. This tendency is very much increasing, and because Your Holiness is the head of a great religious sect, I think we should meet together and chalk out a program for cooperation.
Human society cannot any longer be allowed to continue a Godless civilization at the risk of decreasing truthfulness, hygienic principles and mercifulness. Because, on account of the decline of these principles at the present moment, the duration of life, strength and memory of the human being is decreasing. Human society is gradually devolving in the matter of religiousness and justice; and "might is right" is gradually taking the place of morality and justice. There is practically no more family life, and the union of man and woman is gradually coming to the standard of sexuality. I understand it from reliable sources that people are trying to get Your Holiness' sanction for the contraceptive method, which is certainly against any religion of the world. In the Hindu religion, such contraceptive method and abortion are considered equivalent to murder.
Therefore, in the matter of sex, the human society is gradually becoming even less than animals. As a result of unrestricted sense gratification, even in ordinary dealing a man cannot trust another man, because the cheating propensity of man has increased beyond imagination. The attraction of young boys for young girls is no longer even a matter of love, but exists only on the basis of sexual potency. And as soon as there is a slackening of sex life, there is immediately a divorce petition.
In India, which was once the land of religion and Brahminical culture, things have deteriorated to such an extent that a man in a higher caste is recognized simply by putting a piece of thread on his body as a sign of sanctity. The so-called Swamis are cheating the public because the public wants to be cheated by some cheap method of self-realization. And today, if someone has no sufficient money, it is very hard for him to get justice from the court. And if anyone can simply bluff by so-called advancement of knowledge, he is offered the doctorate degree. If a man is falsely proud, he is accepted as civilized.
By frustration, people are gradually becoming communists and hippies, and the guardians of society must now take up the situation very seriously, without further delay.
The Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for overhauling the whole situation. We are creating men of character, and we are training our disciples to becoming lovers of God, or Krishna. From the very beginning, they are trained to refrain from the following four principles of degradation: 1) sex life outside of marriage, 2) meat-eating, or the eating of any animal food, 3) all forms of intoxication, and 4) gambling and idle sports. Our teachings are based on the authorized movement of Lord Chaitanya, on the principles of Bhagavad Gita, as the beginning, and Srimad Bhagwatam as the graduation.
I do not wish to prolong the body of this letter further, but if you think that my meeting with you will be beneficial for human society at large, I shall be very much pleased if Your Holiness will grant me an interview. Thanking you in anticipation of an early reply, I am
Yours in the service of the Lord,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
- From "Prabhupada-lila" by HH Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
AN OPEN LETTER TO POPE PAUL VI From A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
ISKCON Radha-Krishna Temple
3720 Avenue Du Parc
Montreal 18
Quebec, Canada
August 3, 1968
His Holiness Pope Paul VI
Vicar of Jesus Christ
State of Vatican
Rome, Italy
Your Holiness:
Please accept my respectful humble obeisances at your Lotus Feet. I beg to introduce myself as an Indian monk, following the Vedic principles of religious life. At the present, I am in the renounced order of Sannyas, aged 72 years, and am preaching God consciousness all over the world. I came to America in 1965, and since then I have many followers belonging to both Christian and Jewish faiths. And I have established a number of Krishna Consciousness temples in the USA and Canada. In the coming months, I am scheduled to go to London on this mission, and maybe I can visit other cities of European countries.
My mission is in the line of Lord Chaitanya, Who is personified Love of Godhead, and Who advented Himself 482 years ago in India, and preached God consciousness all over the world, on the basis of Srimad Bhagwatam (The Science of God). The principle of Srimad Bhagwatam is that any religious faith which helps a man to develop love of God, without any motives, and without being hampered by any material condition, is transcendental religion. And the best process or the easiest process, in this age especially, is to chant the Holy Name of God. From this definition of religion as we find it in the Srimad Bhagwatam, the criterion of religion is how it helps people to develop their dormant love of God. This is not artificially invoked, but it is aroused from within, due to bona fide association with devotees, and by hearing about God.
The human form of life is especially meant for this purpose, namely, to invoke the dormant love of God, because a higher development of consciousness is found in both man and animals. But the special significance of human life is to achieve love of God as the prime perfection of life. Unfortunately, at the present moment people are more concerned about the principle of sense gratification, or the animal part of human life, and they are gradually declining in God consciousness. This tendency is very much increasing, and because Your Holiness is the head of a great religious sect, I think we should meet together and chalk out a program for cooperation.
Human society cannot any longer be allowed to continue a Godless civilization at the risk of decreasing truthfulness, hygienic principles and mercifulness. Because, on account of the decline of these principles at the present moment, the duration of life, strength and memory of the human being is decreasing. Human society is gradually devolving in the matter of religiousness and justice; and "might is right" is gradually taking the place of morality and justice. There is practically no more family life, and the union of man and woman is gradually coming to the standard of sexuality. I understand it from reliable sources that people are trying to get Your Holiness' sanction for the contraceptive method, which is certainly against any religion of the world. In the Hindu religion, such contraceptive method and abortion are considered equivalent to murder.
Therefore, in the matter of sex, the human society is gradually becoming even less than animals. As a result of unrestricted sense gratification, even in ordinary dealing a man cannot trust another man, because the cheating propensity of man has increased beyond imagination. The attraction of young boys for young girls is no longer even a matter of love, but exists only on the basis of sexual potency. And as soon as there is a slackening of sex life, there is immediately a divorce petition.
In India, which was once the land of religion and Brahminical culture, things have deteriorated to such an extent that a man in a higher caste is recognized simply by putting a piece of thread on his body as a sign of sanctity. The so-called Swamis are cheating the public because the public wants to be cheated by some cheap method of self-realization. And today, if someone has no sufficient money, it is very hard for him to get justice from the court. And if anyone can simply bluff by so-called advancement of knowledge, he is offered the doctorate degree. If a man is falsely proud, he is accepted as civilized.
By frustration, people are gradually becoming communists and hippies, and the guardians of society must now take up the situation very seriously, without further delay.
The Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for overhauling the whole situation. We are creating men of character, and we are training our disciples to becoming lovers of God, or Krishna. From the very beginning, they are trained to refrain from the following four principles of degradation: 1) sex life outside of marriage, 2) meat-eating, or the eating of any animal food, 3) all forms of intoxication, and 4) gambling and idle sports. Our teachings are based on the authorized movement of Lord Chaitanya, on the principles of Bhagavad Gita, as the beginning, and Srimad Bhagwatam as the graduation.
I do not wish to prolong the body of this letter further, but if you think that my meeting with you will be beneficial for human society at large, I shall be very much pleased if Your Holiness will grant me an interview. Thanking you in anticipation of an early reply, I am
Yours in the service of the Lord,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
- From "Prabhupada-lila" by HH Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
06 Urmila Devi Dasi – Learn to Read Books – Part Two
→ Successful Vaisnavas – Personal Development for Hare Krishnas
Did you miss the first part of the interview? Click here: Urmila Part One At the end of the first part of the interview we were hearing how the Learn to Read books project was facing major challenges. Urmila was feeling stuck and unsure of how to proceed. In this part we will hear how […]
The post 06 Urmila Devi Dasi – Learn to Read Books – Part Two appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.
06 Urmila Devi Dasi – Learn to Read Books – Part Two
→ Successful Vaisnavas
Did you miss the first part of the interview?
Click here: Urmila Part One
At the end of the first part of the interview we were hearing how the Learn to Read books project was facing major challenges. Urmila was feeling stuck and unsure of how to proceed.
In this part we will hear how by asking one question to an expert the whole project got back on track and how one thing after another miraculously fell into place allowing the successful completion of all the books.
Continue listening to hear some very profound realizations about working for Krishna without attachment for results and the amazing reciprocation that Krishna provided.
To learn more about the wonderful books described in this interview visit: http://www.learntoreadenglish.co.uk/
The ipad version can also be purchased at
http://successfulvaisnavas.com/LTR
For another version of the story of how these books were produced.
Click this link:
The Zone
→ Home
Have you heard of the zone? It's a state of mind sometimes called "flow state". Humans experience it when they get really absorbed in an activity, such as sports, music, art, computer programming, and gaming, etc. It is the mad scientists state of mind when he is so absorbed in his invention that he hasn't eaten, washed, or slept in three days; it is the childs state of mind when she is so absorbed in playing that she doesn't realise that she has gotten hungry or tired; and it is the StarCraft champions state of mind when he is playing the computer game so intensely, executing ten actions per second, hammering his mouse and keyboard, ultimately defeating his opponent through superior focus and "micro", but has to retire at the age of twenty five because his reflexes become too slow.
Micro and Macro in Starcraft
Video of someone who is in the zone playing micro Starcraft
If you have experienced the zone, then you know it is blissfully absorbing. Your attention is completely taken away from other things. Your mind detaches from your body. You are fully in the moment, not conscious of the body, outside reality, or the passage of time. The zone produces an inner clarity where the activity you are doing becomes its own reward and you feel fantastic.
Many Eastern teachings, including the art and science of Krishna Consciousness, explain that we are not the body, but are, in fact, beings of pure spiritual consciousness. The zone closely resembles our original state of pure consciousness and is therefore a state of such great happiness. It is not, however, automatically a spiritual experience. It can be spiritual, but more often than not, it is simply the material mind getting absorbed in a material activity without any direct spiritual connection.
For all its wonders, there are some problems with the zone. For one, it is difficult to get into. It requires an activity that you are very skilled at and that is very challenging at the same time. Such activities are hard to come by, and the more you master them, the less likely they reliably lead you into the zone.
(source: Wikipedia)
The zone is also very much a temporary state. You might loose track of time for a while, but sooner or later you emerge from the zone and enter back into mundane realitythe bills, the work, and the usual routine.
The yoga texts of ancient India elaborately describe Krishna Consciousness' path into the zone. The texts present a practice of meditation that leads to greater and greater absorption in relationship with the Supreme Consciousness, to Krishna Consciousness. This path starts with hearing sacred sound vibration, then repeating such sounds as you have heard them. This repetition can be done either quietly in "japa" meditation, or loudly in "kirtan" singing. The more you repeat the sacred mantras, the more they embed themselves into your consciousness. Soon, you start to remember them throughout the day, and your mood lifts. With determined practice, the mantras (sounds that represent the many names of the Supreme) become second nature, until you remember them in every situation. Prolonged practice of such Krishna Consciousness leads to a state known as "samadhi", pure spiritual trance, or fully awakened consciousness. In that state you completely understand your relationship to the Supreme and inhabit a body made of pure spiritual consciousness. You are no longer of this material world. You are completely happy, fully and permanently in the spiritual zone.
Below are some amazing videos of Alex Honnold, supremely expert free-solo climber. He climbs vertical walls without any tools, ropes, or support. I think part of the reason he does this is because he can reliably enter into the zone when doing such climbs and there is great happiness in that state. Alex has an amazing skill and I have the greatest respect for him. Still, as you watch the videos (notice your hands start to sweat as you watch) think to yourself how much safer, easier, and more accessible path into the zone you might find by seeking out a friendly group of spiritual practitioners, practitioners engaged in chanting japa and kirtan, practitioners on their way into "samadhi".
The Zone
→ Home
Have you heard of the zone? It's a state of mind sometimes called "flow state". Humans experience it when they get really absorbed in an activity, such as sports, music, art, computer programming, and gaming, etc. It is the mad scientists state of mind when he is so absorbed in his invention that he hasn't eaten, washed, or slept in three days; it is the childs state of mind when she is so absorbed in playing that she doesn't realise that she has gotten hungry or tired; and it is the StarCraft champions state of mind when he is playing the computer game so intensely, executing ten actions per second, hammering his mouse and keyboard, ultimately defeating his opponent through superior focus and "micro", but has to retire at the age of twenty five because his reflexes become too slow.
Micro and Macro in Starcraft
Video of someone who is in the zone playing micro Starcraft
If you have experienced the zone, then you know it is blissfully absorbing. Your attention is completely taken away from other things. Your mind detaches from your body. You are fully in the moment, not conscious of the body, outside reality, or the passage of time. The zone produces an inner clarity where the activity you are doing becomes its own reward and you feel fantastic.
Many Eastern teachings, including the art and science of Krishna Consciousness, explain that we are not the body, but are, in fact, beings of pure spiritual consciousness. The zone closely resembles our original state of pure consciousness and is therefore a state of such great happiness. It is not, however, automatically a spiritual experience. It can be spiritual, but more often than not, it is simply the material mind getting absorbed in a material activity without any direct spiritual connection.
For all its wonders, there are some problems with the zone. For one, it is difficult to get into. It requires an activity that you are very skilled at and that is very challenging at the same time. Such activities are hard to come by, and the more you master them, the less likely they reliably lead you into the zone.
(source: Wikipedia)
The zone is also very much a temporary state. You might loose track of time for a while, but sooner or later you emerge from the zone and enter back into mundane realitythe bills, the work, and the usual routine.
The yoga texts of ancient India elaborately describe Krishna Consciousness' path into the zone. The texts present a practice of meditation that leads to greater and greater absorption in relationship with the Supreme Consciousness, to Krishna Consciousness. This path starts with hearing sacred sound vibration, then repeating such sounds as you have heard them. This repetition can be done either quietly in "japa" meditation, or loudly in "kirtan" singing. The more you repeat the sacred mantras, the more they embed themselves into your consciousness. Soon, you start to remember them throughout the day, and your mood lifts. With determined practice, the mantras (sounds that represent the many names of the Supreme) become second nature, until you remember them in every situation. Prolonged practice of such Krishna Consciousness leads to a state known as "samadhi", pure spiritual trance, or fully awakened consciousness. In that state you completely understand your relationship to the Supreme and inhabit a body made of pure spiritual consciousness. You are no longer of this material world. You are completely happy, fully and permanently in the spiritual zone.
Below are some amazing videos of Alex Honnold, supremely expert free-solo climber. He climbs vertical walls without any tools, ropes, or support. I think part of the reason he does this is because he can reliably enter into the zone when doing such climbs and there is great happiness in that state. Alex has an amazing skill and I have the greatest respect for him. Still, as you watch the videos (notice your hands start to sweat as you watch) think to yourself how much safer, easier, and more accessible path into the zone you might find by seeking out a friendly group of spiritual practitioners, practitioners engaged in chanting japa and kirtan, practitioners on their way into "samadhi".
Deity Darshan: 4/21/2013
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Blog!
Mediate before you meditate
→ Tattva - See inside out
- Tolerance – the first moments of a conflict situation can determine the entire conversation. Be tolerant and patient. The art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. Adopting an adversarial approach erects barriers which block the meeting of hearts.
- Circumstance - beyond the perceived irrationality of actions and words, try to understand why someone is doing what they do. Then you hold the key to progress. In interpersonal relations the golden rule is this: seek first to understand, then to be understood. To do that you have to listen with an open heart and an open mind.
- Acceptance – did you ever consider that there may not be a right or wrong answer? Conflict comes from difference, but diversity is not necessarily bad. Fear of difference is fear of life itself. By accepting that we're all individuals, we can more appreciate that conflict is often a case of different ‘angles of vision’ illuminating the same truth.
- Importance – keep disagreements in perspective and properly evaluate their importance. Question whether the tenacious pursuance and resolution of a conflict is really necessary. Issues can easily be dropped or ignored, but often our emotional involvement keeps us doggedly fighting till the last breath.
- Transcendence – we love to be right, but the spiritual principle is to transcend right and wrong. The real aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress. If a concession of ‘defeat’ improves our relationships, helps us develop character, and opens up opportunities for progressive solutions, then where is the loss?
Mediate before you meditate
→ Tattva - See inside out
- Tolerance – the first moments of a conflict situation can determine the entire conversation. Be tolerant and patient. The art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. Adopting an adversarial approach erects barriers which block the meeting of hearts.
- Circumstance - beyond the perceived irrationality of actions and words, try to understand why someone is doing what they do. Then you hold the key to progress. In interpersonal relations the golden rule is this: seek first to understand, then to be understood. To do that you have to listen with an open heart and an open mind.
- Acceptance – did you ever consider that there may not be a right or wrong answer? Conflict comes from difference, but diversity is not necessarily bad. Fear of difference is fear of life itself. By accepting that we're all individuals, we can more appreciate that conflict is often a case of different ‘angles of vision’ illuminating the same truth.
- Importance – keep disagreements in perspective and properly evaluate their importance. Question whether the tenacious pursuance and resolution of a conflict is really necessary. Issues can easily be dropped or ignored, but often our emotional involvement keeps us doggedly fighting till the last breath.
- Transcendence – we love to be right, but the spiritual principle is to transcend right and wrong. The real aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress. If a concession of ‘defeat’ improves our relationships, helps us develop character, and opens up opportunities for progressive solutions, then where is the loss?
Join us this Sunday for the association of our guest speaker His Grace Mahabhagavata Dasa
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG
Sunday Feast, April 21st @ 11:00am
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 Discourse by His Grace Mahabhagavata Dasa
namas te narasimhayaThe 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 Discourse by His Grace Mahabhagavata Dasa
1:05 pm - 1:20 pm Tulasi Puja
1:20 pm - 2:00 pm Prasadam (Vegetarian feast)
Upcoming Events:
Nrsimha Caturdasi - Appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Please mark your calender for this upcoming event. ISKCON Brampton would celebrate this festival with an evening program starting 7:00pm on Friday May 24th.More details will be sent in the near future.
1:20 pm - 2:00 pm Prasadam (Vegetarian feast)
Upcoming Events:
Nrsimha Caturdasi - Appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Please mark your calender for this upcoming event. ISKCON Brampton would celebrate this festival with an evening program starting 7:00pm on Friday May 24th.More details will be sent in the near future.
prahladahlada-dayine
hiranyakashipor vaksaha
shila-tanka-nakhalaye
I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha, who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu.
Join us this Sunday for the association of our guest speaker His Grace Mahabhagavata Dasa
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG
Sunday Feast, April 21st @ 11:00am
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 Discourse by His Grace Mahabhagavata Dasa
namas te narasimhayaThe 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 Discourse by His Grace Mahabhagavata Dasa
1:05 pm - 1:20 pm Tulasi Puja
1:20 pm - 2:00 pm Prasadam (Vegetarian feast)
Upcoming Events:
Nrsimha Caturdasi - Appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Please mark your calender for this upcoming event. ISKCON Brampton would celebrate this festival with an evening program starting 7:00pm on Friday May 24th.More details will be sent in the near future.
1:20 pm - 2:00 pm Prasadam (Vegetarian feast)
Upcoming Events:
Nrsimha Caturdasi - Appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Please mark your calender for this upcoming event. ISKCON Brampton would celebrate this festival with an evening program starting 7:00pm on Friday May 24th.More details will be sent in the near future.
prahladahlada-dayine
hiranyakashipor vaksaha
shila-tanka-nakhalaye
I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha, who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu.
Seminar By Jaya Sila Dasa Adhikari & Vimala Devi Dasi
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth
Sri Vyasa puja ( Appearance day ) Celebration of HH Jayapataka Swami ( GBC & Initiating spiritual master)
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth
Dear Devotees & Friends,
On behalf of the disciples of H H Jayapataka Swami, I would like to invite you all for the Vaysa puja celebration . The program is as follows
Date: 22 April 2013
Day : Monday
Time : 5.45 PM – 8.30 PM
Venue: 159 Canning Road, Kalamunda
Program includes Bhajans, readings, Vaysa puja homages, Pushpanjali , Arati and Ekadasi prasadam
Date: 25 April
Day ; Thursday ( ANZAC Day)
Time: 11.30 – 2 PM
Venue: 159 Canning Road, Kalamunda
Program includes Introduction, glorification, Slide show, Lecture, Arati and special grain feast prasadam
Sita Rama Lakshmana Das
Sunday Feast 21 April
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth
Dear Devotees & Friends,
We would like to invite you all for the Sunday feast programme on Sunday, 21 April 2013.
PROGRAMME
5:00 PM Kirtans
5.20 PM Tulasi Arati
5:30 PM Special Seminar “Nurturing Krishna’s Children” by H G Jayasila prabhu & HG Vimala mataji *
7:00 PM Arati
7:30 PM Prasadam
IF YOU LIKE TO SPONSOR A FEAST OR HELP IN ANY WAY PLEASE Contact Shyama Sarana Das ( 0439 969 002) or Sita Rama Lakshmana das ( 0422 045 525)
*H G Jayasila Prabhu & H G Vimala Mataji are senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada and currently lives in Auckland, Newzealand . HG Vimala Mataji currently teaches in our Bhaktivedanta Swami Gurukula and H G Jayasila prabhu was the temple president of ISKCON Auckland.
Attend such a wonderful feast and receive the Lord’s mercy, full spiritual benefits of Kirtan, Aarti and Spiritual Discourse.
Hare Krishna
Sita Rama Lakshmana Das
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SEMINAR STARTS AT 5.30 PM. Do not miss!!
Mahabharata: The Movie?
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das
Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest
As some may know, I was involved in theater in the Movement for many years. That was back in the 70's and 80's. (Over the last twenty years I transitioned into dramatic storytelling, which I also do professionally.) Lokamangala prabhu and I performed Mahabhharata Off Broadway in NYC over 25 years ago and also toured with the play to temples, colleges and special events. We touched a lot of people with this play wherein we each took on several roles, including storyteller. Devotees often suggested we work on a Mahabharata movie. That’s a bit out of my reach at this point, but I thought I would write the story in a way that it would feel like a film.
I've been working on my Mahabharata rendition for some years. And at the end of July the book will finally be available. One scholar, Subhash Kak, PhD at Oklahoma State University, has written in the foreword: "A great book needs to be retold afresh for each generation. The Mahabharata is one of those books... Fast-paced and cinematic, this rendition captures the scope and breath of the great epic."
I've been working on my Mahabharata rendition for some years. And at the end of July the book will finally be available. One scholar, Subhash Kak, PhD at Oklahoma State University, has written in the foreword: "A great book needs to be retold afresh for each generation. The Mahabharata is one of those books... Fast-paced and cinematic, this rendition captures the scope and breath of the great epic."
My title is Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest. The amazing thing about the Mahabharata is that it contains all genres: action-adventure, romance, humor, tragedy, horror, mystery, mystical and apocalyptical. It's all there, and more. It's the living sacred story of an ancient land and an ancient tradition.
The book is geared to readers - young adults and up, and especially for study in college classes. My daughter is doing a full color cover. The book has a $16 price tag. To see more reviews & details & to pre-order the book go to http://mahabharata-project.com/
Until further notice I am only accepting orders in the USA. If you're outside let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
But I have a special request: If you would like to help in the printing of the book AND be listed on the acknowledgement page in the book for supporting this Mahabharata Project AND receive four autographed copies And be able to get copies at wholesale prices for as long as the book is in print (they are going to make great gifts) - You get all that for only $108. - TIME SENSITIVE - You will need to email me at - Story108@juno.com - by Tuesday, April 23 if you would like to help out in this way and have your name in the book as a supporter.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to get in touch.
your friend and servant,
Sankirtana Das
PS: Srila Prabhupada writes, "In this age, the Mahabharata is more essential than the original Vedas."
Mahabharata: The Movie?
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das
Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest
As some may know, I was involved in theater in the Movement for many years. That was back in the 70's and 80's. (Over the last twenty years I transitioned into dramatic storytelling, which I also do professionally.) Lokamangala prabhu and I performed Mahabhharata Off Broadway in NYC over 25 years ago and also toured with the play to temples, colleges and special events. We touched a lot of people with this play wherein we each took on several roles, including storyteller. Devotees often suggested we work on a Mahabharata movie. That’s a bit out of my reach at this point, but I thought I would write the story in a way that it would feel like a film.
I've been working on my Mahabharata rendition for some years. And at the end of June the book will finally be available. One scholar, Subhash Kak, PhD at Oklahoma State University, has written in the foreword: "A great book needs to be retold afresh for each generation. The Mahabharata is one of those books... Fast-paced and cinematic, this rendition captures the scope and breath of the great epic."
I've been working on my Mahabharata rendition for some years. And at the end of June the book will finally be available. One scholar, Subhash Kak, PhD at Oklahoma State University, has written in the foreword: "A great book needs to be retold afresh for each generation. The Mahabharata is one of those books... Fast-paced and cinematic, this rendition captures the scope and breath of the great epic."
My title is Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest. The amazing thing about the Mahabharata is that it contains all genres: action-adventure, romance, humor, tragedy, horror, mystery, mystical and apocalyptical. It's all there, and more. It's the living sacred story of an ancient land and an ancient tradition.
The book is geared to readers aged 14 to 94 (after 94 just stick to Prabhupada’s books). My daughter is doing a full color cover. The book has a $16 price tag. To see more reviews & details & to pre-order the book go to http://mahabharataproject.wordpress.com/
Until further notice I am only accepting orders in the USA. If your outside let me know and I’ll figure it out
But I have a special request: If you would like to help in the printing of the book AND be listed on the acknowledgement page in the book for supporting this Mahabharata Project AND receive four autographed copies And be able to get copies at wholesale prices for as long as the book is in print (they are going to make great gifts) - You get all that for only $108. - TIME SENSITIVE - You will need to email me at - Story108@juno.com - by Tuesday, April 23 if you would like to help out in this way and have your name in the book as a supporter.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to get in touch.
your friend and servant,
Sankirtana Das
PS: Srila Prabhupada writes, "In this age, the Mahabharata is more essential than the original Vedas."
Charity to the soul
→ Servant of the Servant
I just got this in my inbox which prompted this post.
Mr.Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 year experience(service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about TEN(10) Lakh rupees to the needy.
He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, (UNO)United Nations Organisation adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People of the 20th Century.. An American organisation honored him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 cores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.
Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father. He still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life for serving the society.
Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita "Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls."
- BG 18.5
Charity is done for the purification of one's mind. Charity in the mode of passion or ignorance, on the contrary, can bind one to this world. Therefore charity in the mode of goodness must be performed to liberate one to the spiritual plane. Of all the charities, the best charity is that where the recipient has to never suffer again and such a charity can happen only on the spiritual strata. While Mr Kalyansundaram's act of charity for the past several years is a humongous act of generosity and that which needs universal commendation, still, his help was focused on the body&mind of a living being.
While charity to the body&mind is important, charity to the soul is most important. It is most important because charity to the soul is not temporary where as charity to the body&mind is. Therefore, enlightening a soul on the real values of human life is the highest and greatest charity one can perform. The perfection of enlightenment is achieved when one is fully Krishna conscious. By preaching about Krishna, and inducing living beings to become Krishna conscious, Krishna will be the swift deliverer of all problems of life during life and at during death,
The US Government spends approximately 750 billion dollars (11% of GDP) on Welfare every year. Most of the 11% Welfare money goes to people who are victims of drugs, alcohol, sex related abuse/problems and vagary living. 750 billion dollars on Welfare is lot of money. The scale is by no means small. His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada applied spiritual principles to solve such problems of drugs, alcohol, sex and gambling and doing so freed many souls from physical and mental suffering. If the entire US population actually adopts his spiritual strategy, then the Government funding of 750 billion will drastically decrease thus saving billions on Welfare activities. So in my humble opinion, UNO and the Government must award Srila Prabhupada the prize for welfare service. Besides, people who seriously applied these spiritual principles did not recidivate at a later date (recidivism is a big problem in welfare services) and also helped others come out of similar behavioral problems. In my opinion, this is the fullest impact one can achieve through charity and hence charity to the soul is superior to charity to the body&mind.
While we need people like Kalyanasundaram to perform charity on the physical platform, however, we absolutely need a personality such as Srila Prabhupada to perform charity to the soul. Such charity to the soul can relieve one from all material problems once and for all.
Hare Krishna
Mr.Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 year experience(service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about TEN(10) Lakh rupees to the needy.
He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, (UNO)United Nations Organisation adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People of the 20th Century.. An American organisation honored him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 cores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.
Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father. He still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life for serving the society.
Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita "Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls."
- BG 18.5
Charity is done for the purification of one's mind. Charity in the mode of passion or ignorance, on the contrary, can bind one to this world. Therefore charity in the mode of goodness must be performed to liberate one to the spiritual plane. Of all the charities, the best charity is that where the recipient has to never suffer again and such a charity can happen only on the spiritual strata. While Mr Kalyansundaram's act of charity for the past several years is a humongous act of generosity and that which needs universal commendation, still, his help was focused on the body&mind of a living being.
While charity to the body&mind is important, charity to the soul is most important. It is most important because charity to the soul is not temporary where as charity to the body&mind is. Therefore, enlightening a soul on the real values of human life is the highest and greatest charity one can perform. The perfection of enlightenment is achieved when one is fully Krishna conscious. By preaching about Krishna, and inducing living beings to become Krishna conscious, Krishna will be the swift deliverer of all problems of life during life and at during death,
The US Government spends approximately 750 billion dollars (11% of GDP) on Welfare every year. Most of the 11% Welfare money goes to people who are victims of drugs, alcohol, sex related abuse/problems and vagary living. 750 billion dollars on Welfare is lot of money. The scale is by no means small. His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada applied spiritual principles to solve such problems of drugs, alcohol, sex and gambling and doing so freed many souls from physical and mental suffering. If the entire US population actually adopts his spiritual strategy, then the Government funding of 750 billion will drastically decrease thus saving billions on Welfare activities. So in my humble opinion, UNO and the Government must award Srila Prabhupada the prize for welfare service. Besides, people who seriously applied these spiritual principles did not recidivate at a later date (recidivism is a big problem in welfare services) and also helped others come out of similar behavioral problems. In my opinion, this is the fullest impact one can achieve through charity and hence charity to the soul is superior to charity to the body&mind.
While we need people like Kalyanasundaram to perform charity on the physical platform, however, we absolutely need a personality such as Srila Prabhupada to perform charity to the soul. Such charity to the soul can relieve one from all material problems once and for all.
Hare Krishna
Charity to the soul
→ Servant of the Servant
I just got this in my inbox which prompted this post.
Mr.Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 year experience(service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about TEN(10) Lakh rupees to the needy.
He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, (UNO)United Nations Organisation adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People of the 20th Century.. An American organisation honored him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 cores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.
Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father. He still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life for serving the society.
Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita "Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls."
- BG 18.5
Charity is done for the purification of one's mind. Charity in the mode of passion or ignorance, on the contrary, can bind one to this world. Therefore charity in the mode of goodness must be performed to liberate one to the spiritual plane. Of all the charities, the best charity is that where the recipient has to never suffer again and such a charity can happen only on the spiritual strata. While Mr Kalyansundaram's act of charity for the past several years is a humongous act of generosity and that which needs universal commendation, still, his help was focused on the body&mind of a living being.
While charity to the body&mind is important, charity to the soul is most important. It is most important because charity to the soul is not temporary where as charity to the body&mind is. Therefore, enlightening a soul on the real values of human life is the highest and greatest charity one can perform. The perfection of enlightenment is achieved when one is fully Krishna conscious. By preaching about Krishna, and inducing living beings to become Krishna conscious, Krishna will be the swift deliverer of all problems of life during life and at during death,
The US Government spends approximately 750 billion dollars (11% of GDP) on Welfare every year. Most of the 11% Welfare money goes to people who are victims of drugs, alcohol, sex related abuse/problems and vagary living. 750 billion dollars on Welfare is lot of money. The scale is by no means small. His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada applied spiritual principles to solve such problems of drugs, alcohol, sex and gambling and doing so freed many souls from physical and mental suffering. If the entire US population actually adopts his spiritual strategy, then the Government funding of 750 billion will drastically decrease thus saving billions on Welfare activities. So in my humble opinion, UNO and the Government must award Srila Prabhupada the prize for welfare service. Besides, people who seriously applied these spiritual principles did not recidivate at a later date (recidivism is a big problem in welfare services) and also helped others come out of similar behavioral problems. In my opinion, this is the fullest impact one can achieve through charity and hence charity to the soul is superior to charity to the body&mind.
While we need people like Kalyanasundaram to perform charity on the physical platform, however, we absolutely need a personality such as Srila Prabhupada to perform charity to the soul. Such charity to the soul can relieve one from all material problems once and for all.
Hare Krishna
Mr.Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years. Every month in his 30 year experience(service), he donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated even his pension amount of about TEN(10) Lakh rupees to the needy.
He is the first person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. In recognition to his service, (UNO)United Nations Organisation adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People of the 20th Century.. An American organisation honored him with the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rs 30 cores as part of this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.
Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star Rajinikanth adopted him as his father. He still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life for serving the society.
Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita "Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls."
- BG 18.5
Charity is done for the purification of one's mind. Charity in the mode of passion or ignorance, on the contrary, can bind one to this world. Therefore charity in the mode of goodness must be performed to liberate one to the spiritual plane. Of all the charities, the best charity is that where the recipient has to never suffer again and such a charity can happen only on the spiritual strata. While Mr Kalyansundaram's act of charity for the past several years is a humongous act of generosity and that which needs universal commendation, still, his help was focused on the body&mind of a living being.
While charity to the body&mind is important, charity to the soul is most important. It is most important because charity to the soul is not temporary where as charity to the body&mind is. Therefore, enlightening a soul on the real values of human life is the highest and greatest charity one can perform. The perfection of enlightenment is achieved when one is fully Krishna conscious. By preaching about Krishna, and inducing living beings to become Krishna conscious, Krishna will be the swift deliverer of all problems of life during life and at during death,
The US Government spends approximately 750 billion dollars (11% of GDP) on Welfare every year. Most of the 11% Welfare money goes to people who are victims of drugs, alcohol, sex related abuse/problems and vagary living. 750 billion dollars on Welfare is lot of money. The scale is by no means small. His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada applied spiritual principles to solve such problems of drugs, alcohol, sex and gambling and doing so freed many souls from physical and mental suffering. If the entire US population actually adopts his spiritual strategy, then the Government funding of 750 billion will drastically decrease thus saving billions on Welfare activities. So in my humble opinion, UNO and the Government must award Srila Prabhupada the prize for welfare service. Besides, people who seriously applied these spiritual principles did not recidivate at a later date (recidivism is a big problem in welfare services) and also helped others come out of similar behavioral problems. In my opinion, this is the fullest impact one can achieve through charity and hence charity to the soul is superior to charity to the body&mind.
While we need people like Kalyanasundaram to perform charity on the physical platform, however, we absolutely need a personality such as Srila Prabhupada to perform charity to the soul. Such charity to the soul can relieve one from all material problems once and for all.
Hare Krishna
it’s time…
→ kirtaniyah sada hari
Some of you may have noticed that I don't update this blog very often anymore. For those who may not know, it's because I'm fully occupied in my humble endeavour of trying to write on a Gita verse everyday! If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, please feel free to: http://www.gita-asitis.blogspot.ca/Today, however, I write because I am perturbed. I am perturbed by the "news-worthy" events that are constantly unfolding and that are almost always steeped in negativity. At the moment, the one that is fresh in my mind is the tragedy that unfolded in Boston yesterday. What a waste of energy and time to cause such disruptions and spread so much pain.
The predictions of the Bhagavatam are unfolding in front of our eyes. At such a time, the two words HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami coined keep ringing through my ears "Spiritual Warriors." If there was any time or any push we needed to truly invest and take our spiritual lives seriously - it's now.
However, it doesn't come cheap. We only have to look at the lives of incredible role models such as Srila Prabhupada and Bhakti Tirtha Swami to know that to become a spiritual warrior isn't something that can just be bought. It takes an investment of time, commitment and spiritual practice (sadhana).
Those sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna mantra we chant are our shield. In the battlefield, weapons and strategies are important, but if we do not have a shield to protect us from any weapons that are sent our way, what is the use? The Hare Krsna mantra is our shield in this battlefield of maya where corruption, negativity and hurt are the weapons of choice that are being hurtled at us. Therefore, it is so important to make chanting our utmost priority. Through chanting, we can take shelter and genuinely pray for the welfare of one other.
Our weapons to combat this battle are those that come from purification of the heart. Those intangibles such as kindness, compassion and realized knowledge come by putting in the time to work on ourselves and cultivating genuine, loving relationships with one another.
It's time...are you ready to step up to become a spiritual warrior?
it’s time…
→ kirtaniyah sada hari
Some of you may have noticed that I don't update this blog very often anymore. For those who may not know, it's because I'm fully occupied in my humble endeavour of trying to write on a Gita verse everyday! If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, please feel free to: http://www.gita-asitis.blogspot.ca/Today, however, I write because I am perturbed. I am perturbed by the "news-worthy" events that are constantly unfolding and that are almost always steeped in negativity. At the moment, the one that is fresh in my mind is the tragedy that unfolded in Boston yesterday. What a waste of energy and time to cause such disruptions and spread so much pain.
The predictions of the Bhagavatam are unfolding in front of our eyes. At such a time, the two words HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami coined keep ringing through my ears "Spiritual Warriors." If there was any time or any push we needed to truly invest and take our spiritual lives seriously - it's now.
However, it doesn't come cheap. We only have to look at the lives of incredible role models such as Srila Prabhupada and Bhakti Tirtha Swami to know that to become a spiritual warrior isn't something that can just be bought. It takes an investment of time, commitment and spiritual practice (sadhana).
Those sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna mantra we chant are our shield. In the battlefield, weapons and strategies are important, but if we do not have a shield to protect us from any weapons that are sent our way, what is the use? The Hare Krsna mantra is our shield in this battlefield of maya where corruption, negativity and hurt are the weapons of choice that are being hurtled at us. Therefore, it is so important to make chanting our utmost priority. Through chanting, we can take shelter and genuinely pray for the welfare of one other.
Our weapons to combat this battle are those that come from purification of the heart. Those intangibles such as kindness, compassion and realized knowledge come by putting in the time to work on ourselves and cultivating genuine, loving relationships with one another.
It's time...are you ready to step up to become a spiritual warrior?
Join us for the celebration of Lord Rama’s Appearance on Friday April 19th @ 7:00pm
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG
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Join us for the celebration of Lord Rama’s Appearance on Friday April 19th @ 7:00pm
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG
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Why This Devotee of God Doesn’t Think To Be Atheist Is To Be A Demon
→ Life Comes From Life
There are two kinds of people in this world. Devotees and demons.
I think this is absolutely true.
But let’s parse this out a bit.
First of all, what is the source of my seemingly eccentric and dogmatic statement?
In the sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna speaks of two kinds of natures that exist in this world and in our being: the divine and the demoniac. After listing a number of qualities that are of the divine nature, such as charity, aversion to faultfinding, purification of one’s existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor, Krishna lists six qualities-pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance-which mark the demoniac nature. In the remainder of the chapter, Krishna unpacks further how the demoniac nature unfurls in our reality.
In the ninth verse of the chapter, Krishna says:
Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.
In his commentary on this verse, renowned Vedic scholar/teacher A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada writes:
The demoniac are engaged in activities that will lead the world to destruction. The Lord states here that they are less intelligent. The materialists, who have no concept of God, think that they are advancing. But according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are unintelligent and devoid of all sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost limit and therefore always engage in inventing something for sense gratification. Such materialistic inventions are considered to be advancement of human civilization, but the result is that people grow more and more violent and more and more cruel, cruel to animals and cruel to other human beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another.
As a follower of the Gita, there is a straightforward-ness in Swami Prabhupada’s presentation which I find refreshing, important, and essential. It cuts to the rotted root of injustice, oppression, and hatred which exists in our world. It points to a deeper conception of why this injustice exists, in that without a conception of a divine reality, or a divine ethic, we all-too-fallible humans will all-too-often inevitably fall prey to the demoniac nature which surrounds us, and within us.
At the risk of appearing as a heretic (even more so than I appear to be already) to some more orthodox/literalist followers of the Gita, I want to critically examine what Krishna and Swami Prabhupada are saying in tandem in this chapter of the Gita. A surface interpretation of the dichotomy of the divine and demoniac here may provide a certain sense of clarity, but often what seems absolutely clear can lead to absolute expressions of theology and morality which can alienate and marginalize. This seeming clarity can also be at odds with people’s actual and visceral experience in the world, so I want to make a humble attempt to go a little bit deeper.
In thinking of my own experience doing Interfaith work in New York City, I have always made a sincere effort to be as open-minded and open-hearted as I can, with the appropriate respect and understanding of the natural boundaries that exist between different faith traditions. This mood has allowed me to develop wonderful relationships with Russian Orthodox priests, Reform Jewish rabbis, Wiccan priests, and just about everything else in-between. Being able to build, and walk across, bridges between faiths is one of the most important aspects of my spiritual journey. Real Interfaith work is a vehicle for creating the kind of deep and active compassion that is the most needed quality in this world at the present moment.
Yet as I went deeper into this work, I began to wonder what are the mechanics, as it were, of extending this joyful sense of communion towards those who identify as atheist/agnostic. More distinctly, I challenged myself to be as open-minded and open-hearted, with the same understanding of boundaries, with those I may encounter in my work and service who may not believe in God or a divine reality beyond the material reality we all inhabit together. This was a particular challenge for me, as I mentioned above, because to many within my tradition the terms atheist and demon go hand-in-hand. As usual, my innate sense of curiosity, or to put it more plainly, my independent streak, my desire to understand the truth beyond what may be “obvious” or “comfortable”, compelled me to question the basic assumption at hand: Does being atheistic mean one is inherently demoniac as described by Krishna in the Gita?
My opportunities to interact with serious and intelligent atheist thinkers were few and far between, so I was grateful to be invited to the 2012 World Faith Gala at the NYU Center for Spiritual Life this past December, with Chris Stedman as the featured speaker for the evening. Stedman is a unique figure in the world of Interfaith, as many of you already know. He is one of the founders of our esteemed community of thinkers here at State of Formation along with the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue. He is the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and a prolific writer, including blogging gigs at the Huffington Post and the On Faith blog at the Washington Post. Last year, Stedman published his first book Faitheist: How An Atheist Found Common Ground With The Religious, detailing his journey from being a “born-again” Christian through the acceptance of his alternative sexuality and eventual turn towards identifying as an atheist, along with his concurrent work and experience organizing for justice with communities of faith, even as he became someone for whom faith as most religious know it no longer necessarily applied.
As I listened to Chris that evening, and had the chance to meet him, the thoughts I had been having about my desire to understand the humanity and reality of the atheistic perspective became more intense. First of all, the work that Chris is doing is indeed of an enlightened nature. He is someone who understand the values of wisdom, empathy, and compassion. These are indeed spiritual values, but to understand them as spiritual values in the context of the work and convictions of someone like Chris Stedman means that one has to take a much broader, inclusive, open, and truer understanding of what it means to be spiritual. Hearing Chris speak, meeting him, and reading his words, it struck me that one cannot automatically assume that someone who is an atheist is inherently demoniac. Chris Stedman, who he is and what he does, is proof enough to me that what Krishna is saying in the Gita has to be understood with discretion, intelligence, and compassion. It has to be understood beyond the surface.
As our human civilization faces a massive existential crisis in understanding that our consumerist way of life is no longer, and never was, a sustainable way for us to interact with the web of ecology that surrounds us, what is needed most is the kind of dynamic communication that builds a sense of community across not only the boundaries of different faith traditions, but across all unnecessary boundaries between people who sincerely want to create justice on this planet today, tomorrow, and going forward. There is a tremendous courage that is needed to cross through these boundaries, and the realm of Interfaith is a place where this cutting edge exists. In Faitheist, Stedman writes:
I believe that change will come from within-that by participating in Interfaith work, the nonreligious will broaden the meaning of such efforts and that the language used to describe them will change accordingly…I cannot begin to recount all of the times Interfaith work has opened up a space for robust conversations on problematic religious practices and beliefs. In fact, it has been a hallmark of my experience working in the Interfaith environment. Furthermore, it has allowed me to engage religious people about atheist identity and eradicate significant misconceptions about what atheism is and what it isn’t
I regularly hear from atheists who are leading the charge for Interfaith cooperation on their campuses and in their communities, and their experiences echo mine. They too have found that Interfaith is expanding to incorporate them and that, when done well, Interfaith engagement doesn’t require that people check their convictions at the door; it invites people to try and understand and humanize the other.
This understanding, and this shared grasp of what it means to be human in this world, at this time, is immeasurable more powerful and effective in organizing, working for, and living by the principles of divinity than by any surface labeling of who is divine and who is demoniac.
Let us look again to what Swami Prabhupada said above, to truly understand what is demoniac. The demoniac nature is that which exploits the material nature simply for the selfish exploitation of the senses, an exploitation that invariable leads to violence and cruelty. It does not take a great leap to understand, through the examples of our shared history and also our contemporary experience, that those who may claim to have an obvious “concept of God” can easily become wrapped up in the demoniac qualities. This is not a black-and-white equation. There are “devotees of God” who act demonically. There are “demons” who act divinely. If we stay on the surface of this dichotomy, without diving deeply, without the kind of courageous thought and activism that someone like Chris Stedman is offering, we will add nothing to the equation but the kind of irrational hatred that scars our very existence.
As I said before, the Gita is straightforward, and everything I have said above is not to discount that there are people who are obviously divine and obviously demoniac, and that those categories can fall alongside certain accepted parameters of faith/lack of faith. But instead of condemning every atheistic/agnostic person to be inherently demoniac, I challenge anyone who is challenged by this to think a little deeper, to broaden their experience working with and knowing the non-religious, to try to understand that the religious and the non-religious have a lot to learn from each other, and to read Faitheist. The true arts of compassion and communication require much more than intellectual and theological complacency. They require a courage based in a divine sense of love that belongs to all beings regardless of what they identify as.
Why This Devotee of God Doesn’t Think To Be Atheist Is To Be A Demon
→ Life Comes From Life
There are two kinds of people in this world. Devotees and demons.
I think this is absolutely true.
But let’s parse this out a bit.
First of all, what is the source of my seemingly eccentric and dogmatic statement?
In the sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna speaks of two kinds of natures that exist in this world and in our being: the divine and the demoniac. After listing a number of qualities that are of the divine nature, such as charity, aversion to faultfinding, purification of one’s existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor, Krishna lists six qualities-pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance-which mark the demoniac nature. In the remainder of the chapter, Krishna unpacks further how the demoniac nature unfurls in our reality.
In the ninth verse of the chapter, Krishna says:
Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.
In his commentary on this verse, renowned Vedic scholar/teacher A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada writes:
The demoniac are engaged in activities that will lead the world to destruction. The Lord states here that they are less intelligent. The materialists, who have no concept of God, think that they are advancing. But according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are unintelligent and devoid of all sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost limit and therefore always engage in inventing something for sense gratification. Such materialistic inventions are considered to be advancement of human civilization, but the result is that people grow more and more violent and more and more cruel, cruel to animals and cruel to other human beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another.
As a follower of the Gita, there is a straightforward-ness in Swami Prabhupada’s presentation which I find refreshing, important, and essential. It cuts to the rotted root of injustice, oppression, and hatred which exists in our world. It points to a deeper conception of why this injustice exists, in that without a conception of a divine reality, or a divine ethic, we all-too-fallible humans will all-too-often inevitably fall prey to the demoniac nature which surrounds us, and within us.
At the risk of appearing as a heretic (even more so than I appear to be already) to some more orthodox/literalist followers of the Gita, I want to critically examine what Krishna and Swami Prabhupada are saying in tandem in this chapter of the Gita. A surface interpretation of the dichotomy of the divine and demoniac here may provide a certain sense of clarity, but often what seems absolutely clear can lead to absolute expressions of theology and morality which can alienate and marginalize. This seeming clarity can also be at odds with people’s actual and visceral experience in the world, so I want to make a humble attempt to go a little bit deeper.
In thinking of my own experience doing Interfaith work in New York City, I have always made a sincere effort to be as open-minded and open-hearted as I can, with the appropriate respect and understanding of the natural boundaries that exist between different faith traditions. This mood has allowed me to develop wonderful relationships with Russian Orthodox priests, Reform Jewish rabbis, Wiccan priests, and just about everything else in-between. Being able to build, and walk across, bridges between faiths is one of the most important aspects of my spiritual journey. Real Interfaith work is a vehicle for creating the kind of deep and active compassion that is the most needed quality in this world at the present moment.
Yet as I went deeper into this work, I began to wonder what are the mechanics, as it were, of extending this joyful sense of communion towards those who identify as atheist/agnostic. More distinctly, I challenged myself to be as open-minded and open-hearted, with the same understanding of boundaries, with those I may encounter in my work and service who may not believe in God or a divine reality beyond the material reality we all inhabit together. This was a particular challenge for me, as I mentioned above, because to many within my tradition the terms atheist and demon go hand-in-hand. As usual, my innate sense of curiosity, or to put it more plainly, my independent streak, my desire to understand the truth beyond what may be “obvious” or “comfortable”, compelled me to question the basic assumption at hand: Does being atheistic mean one is inherently demoniac as described by Krishna in the Gita?
My opportunities to interact with serious and intelligent atheist thinkers were few and far between, so I was grateful to be invited to the 2012 World Faith Gala at the NYU Center for Spiritual Life this past December, with Chris Stedman as the featured speaker for the evening. Stedman is a unique figure in the world of Interfaith, as many of you already know. He is one of the founders of our esteemed community of thinkers here at State of Formation along with the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue. He is the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and a prolific writer, including blogging gigs at the Huffington Post and the On Faith blog at the Washington Post. Last year, Stedman published his first book Faitheist: How An Atheist Found Common Ground With The Religious, detailing his journey from being a “born-again” Christian through the acceptance of his alternative sexuality and eventual turn towards identifying as an atheist, along with his concurrent work and experience organizing for justice with communities of faith, even as he became someone for whom faith as most religious know it no longer necessarily applied.
As I listened to Chris that evening, and had the chance to meet him, the thoughts I had been having about my desire to understand the humanity and reality of the atheistic perspective became more intense. First of all, the work that Chris is doing is indeed of an enlightened nature. He is someone who understand the values of wisdom, empathy, and compassion. These are indeed spiritual values, but to understand them as spiritual values in the context of the work and convictions of someone like Chris Stedman means that one has to take a much broader, inclusive, open, and truer understanding of what it means to be spiritual. Hearing Chris speak, meeting him, and reading his words, it struck me that one cannot automatically assume that someone who is an atheist is inherently demoniac. Chris Stedman, who he is and what he does, is proof enough to me that what Krishna is saying in the Gita has to be understood with discretion, intelligence, and compassion. It has to be understood beyond the surface.
As our human civilization faces a massive existential crisis in understanding that our consumerist way of life is no longer, and never was, a sustainable way for us to interact with the web of ecology that surrounds us, what is needed most is the kind of dynamic communication that builds a sense of community across not only the boundaries of different faith traditions, but across all unnecessary boundaries between people who sincerely want to create justice on this planet today, tomorrow, and going forward. There is a tremendous courage that is needed to cross through these boundaries, and the realm of Interfaith is a place where this cutting edge exists. In Faitheist, Stedman writes:
I believe that change will come from within-that by participating in Interfaith work, the nonreligious will broaden the meaning of such efforts and that the language used to describe them will change accordingly…I cannot begin to recount all of the times Interfaith work has opened up a space for robust conversations on problematic religious practices and beliefs. In fact, it has been a hallmark of my experience working in the Interfaith environment. Furthermore, it has allowed me to engage religious people about atheist identity and eradicate significant misconceptions about what atheism is and what it isn’t
I regularly hear from atheists who are leading the charge for Interfaith cooperation on their campuses and in their communities, and their experiences echo mine. They too have found that Interfaith is expanding to incorporate them and that, when done well, Interfaith engagement doesn’t require that people check their convictions at the door; it invites people to try and understand and humanize the other.
This understanding, and this shared grasp of what it means to be human in this world, at this time, is immeasurable more powerful and effective in organizing, working for, and living by the principles of divinity than by any surface labeling of who is divine and who is demoniac.
Let us look again to what Swami Prabhupada said above, to truly understand what is demoniac. The demoniac nature is that which exploits the material nature simply for the selfish exploitation of the senses, an exploitation that invariable leads to violence and cruelty. It does not take a great leap to understand, through the examples of our shared history and also our contemporary experience, that those who may claim to have an obvious “concept of God” can easily become wrapped up in the demoniac qualities. This is not a black-and-white equation. There are “devotees of God” who act demonically. There are “demons” who act divinely. If we stay on the surface of this dichotomy, without diving deeply, without the kind of courageous thought and activism that someone like Chris Stedman is offering, we will add nothing to the equation but the kind of irrational hatred that scars our very existence.
As I said before, the Gita is straightforward, and everything I have said above is not to discount that there are people who are obviously divine and obviously demoniac, and that those categories can fall alongside certain accepted parameters of faith/lack of faith. But instead of condemning every atheistic/agnostic person to be inherently demoniac, I challenge anyone who is challenged by this to think a little deeper, to broaden their experience working with and knowing the non-religious, to try to understand that the religious and the non-religious have a lot to learn from each other, and to read Faitheist. The true arts of compassion and communication require much more than intellectual and theological complacency. They require a courage based in a divine sense of love that belongs to all beings regardless of what they identify as.
Sri Rama Navami celebration 2013
→ The Hare Krishna Movement
Please join us to celebrate the auspicious Sri Rama Navami -2013 to be held at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple in Auckland….
Visiting Devotees
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth
Dear Devotees & Friends
We would like to invite you all to come and hear from the following visiting devotees
Hanumatpresaka Maharaj :
Mahraj will be visiting Perth from Thursday 18 till Tuesday 22 and his program is as follows
Evening Program (EP) – Light of the Bhagavata (Text 15) – “Sri Rama the Transcendental Lord”
Fr(19) – EP – Light of the Bhagavata (Text 44 + SUPER 35-minute movie) – “Rama-rajya – The Ideal Government for Today”
Sa(20) – 5PM – “The Advent of Sri Sita Rama”.
Su (21) – MP – Nectar of Instruction.
Mo(22) – EP – Jayapataka Swami Festival
www.jayarama.us/lob17.tif
www.jayarama.us/lob28.tif
>Home
Note: EP: Evening Program at 7.30 PM., MP: Morning Program at 7.30 AM
Mahraj is very expert with this seminar on Light of Bhagavat – Cultivating Human Spirit. Please come and hear from him and take advantage of his assocaiation.
H G Jayasila prabhu & H G Vimala mataji
Will be arriving on Saturday 20 and will be here till Wednesday 24
Will be presenting a seminar on Nurturing Krishna’s Children
Dates: Sunday 21 at 5.30 PM and Tuesday 23 at 7.30 AM.
Please come and hear from these senior & experienced devotees.
Thank you
Sita Rama Lakshmana Das
Sri Rama Navami – The appearance day of Lord Sri Rama
→ Welcome to the official site of ISKCON Perth
Dear Devotees & Friends,
We would like to invite you all for the Sri Rama Navami festival on Saturday 20 April starting at 4.30 PM
Program:
4.30 PM: Bhajans
5.00 PM: Tulasi Aarati
5.15 PM: Sril Rama Lila by H H Hanumatpresaka Maharaj.
6.15 PM: Cultural Program by the children of Sunday School
6.45 PM: Announcements and offering gifts to Lord Sri Sita Rama
7.00 PM: Arati ceremony
7.15 PM Honoring the feast prasadam
If you like to help sponsoring the festival and the feast prasadam please cotact Shyama Sarana prabhu on 0439 969 002 or myself
Thank you
Sita Rama Lakshmana Das
Where Did the Reflections Go?
→ A Convenient Truth
My ambitious project to record a daily meditation/reflection on a photo of my Guru Maharaja ultimately crashed and burned. I realized after the Day 9 through 14 post that writing about six photos in one day was defeating the purpose of a "daily" meditation. And then it happened again where I was so backed up with work and life that I didn't have time to write anything for like six or seven days. I thought, "Well, I could do another 'round up' type of post and just do a big chunk of writing", but then I started to feel it becoming a chore and that's precisely what I didn't want it to become. I wanted it to be spontaneous and heartfelt. Instead it was becoming tedious, mechanical and just another task to complete. This isn't the right way to enter a meditation on transcendence.
So I gave in (or perhaps gave up) the notion of reflecting on a photo every single day. Sometimes I get so frustrated living a life that is so distracting towards my real welfare and benefit. My mind is so often absorbed in things that ultimately are meaningless; fickle little romps with sense gratification and maya. The material energy keeps pulling my mind and senses outward, pulling my face and my vision towards the illusory and temporary. It keep me distracted from looking inward and from pursuing the ultimate goal of life. "Over here! Over here! Look at me! Look at this! You need this! You want this! Here is happiness! Try this! Do this!" Maya is like a little kid who is starved for attention. She doesn't want us to look away from her. Doesn't want us to forget about her.
Sometimes, by the grace of Sri Guru, I look away from her face and stop listening to her cries for attention. When I do I see my death. I see the temporary nature of this current life I'm living and of this body I'm in. It's this sort of "holy shit" moment where you stop and realize, "I'm going to die and none of this superfluous stuff matters." In that state of mind an eagerness to travel inward and to connect with Sri Krishna in the heart manifests. We begin to crave the true, lasting reality, the Absolute Truth. We want to swim and live in that inner world, going deeper and deeper to our true nature and our relationship with the beings in that world.
And then in an instant Maya pulls us back out into the external world and floods our minds with material thoughts, "Oh, I need to pay this bill, wash the dishes, get stuff ready for work in the morning, get my car checked, go here, go there, do this, do that." And just that quickly the inner world fades and seems like a dream or a figment of our imaginations. Then we go back to putting all of our energy (mental, emotional and physical) into the temporary concerns of this world and of pursuing sense gratification. It's a crazy game and it's scary how easily we fall into it. Maya is so powerful. There's no way we can overcome it by our own endeavors. This is why in kali-yuga everything is based on mercy.
Oh Gurudeva, by your mercy alone do I even momentarily look away from the face of Maya. Thank you for this little drop of mercy to remind me of my true necessity.
So I gave in (or perhaps gave up) the notion of reflecting on a photo every single day. Sometimes I get so frustrated living a life that is so distracting towards my real welfare and benefit. My mind is so often absorbed in things that ultimately are meaningless; fickle little romps with sense gratification and maya. The material energy keeps pulling my mind and senses outward, pulling my face and my vision towards the illusory and temporary. It keep me distracted from looking inward and from pursuing the ultimate goal of life. "Over here! Over here! Look at me! Look at this! You need this! You want this! Here is happiness! Try this! Do this!" Maya is like a little kid who is starved for attention. She doesn't want us to look away from her. Doesn't want us to forget about her.
Sometimes, by the grace of Sri Guru, I look away from her face and stop listening to her cries for attention. When I do I see my death. I see the temporary nature of this current life I'm living and of this body I'm in. It's this sort of "holy shit" moment where you stop and realize, "I'm going to die and none of this superfluous stuff matters." In that state of mind an eagerness to travel inward and to connect with Sri Krishna in the heart manifests. We begin to crave the true, lasting reality, the Absolute Truth. We want to swim and live in that inner world, going deeper and deeper to our true nature and our relationship with the beings in that world.
And then in an instant Maya pulls us back out into the external world and floods our minds with material thoughts, "Oh, I need to pay this bill, wash the dishes, get stuff ready for work in the morning, get my car checked, go here, go there, do this, do that." And just that quickly the inner world fades and seems like a dream or a figment of our imaginations. Then we go back to putting all of our energy (mental, emotional and physical) into the temporary concerns of this world and of pursuing sense gratification. It's a crazy game and it's scary how easily we fall into it. Maya is so powerful. There's no way we can overcome it by our own endeavors. This is why in kali-yuga everything is based on mercy.
Oh Gurudeva, by your mercy alone do I even momentarily look away from the face of Maya. Thank you for this little drop of mercy to remind me of my true necessity.
Where Did the Reflections Go?
→ A Convenient Truth
My ambitious project to record a daily meditation/reflection on a photo of my Guru Maharaja ultimately crashed and burned. I realized after the Day 9 through 14 post that writing about six photos in one day was defeating the purpose of a "daily" meditation. And then it happened again where I was so backed up with work and life that I didn't have time to write anything for like six or seven days. I thought, "Well, I could do another 'round up' type of post and just do a big chunk of writing", but then I started to feel it becoming a chore and that's precisely what I didn't want it to become. I wanted it to be spontaneous and heartfelt. Instead it was becoming tedious, mechanical and just another task to complete. This isn't the right way to enter a meditation on transcendence.
So I gave in (or perhaps gave up) the notion of reflecting on a photo every single day. Sometimes I get so frustrated living a life that is so distracting towards my real welfare and benefit. My mind is so often absorbed in things that ultimately are meaningless; fickle little romps with sense gratification and maya. The material energy keeps pulling my mind and senses outward, pulling my face and my vision towards the illusory and temporary. It keep me distracted from looking inward and from pursuing the ultimate goal of life. "Over here! Over here! Look at me! Look at this! You need this! You want this! Here is happiness! Try this! Do this!" Maya is like a little kid who is starved for attention. She doesn't want us to look away from her. Doesn't want us to forget about her.
Sometimes, by the grace of Sri Guru, I look away from her face and stop listening to her cries for attention. When I do I see my death. I see the temporary nature of this current life I'm living and of this body I'm in. It's this sort of "holy shit" moment where you stop and realize, "I'm going to die and none of this superfluous stuff matters." In that state of mind an eagerness to travel inward and to connect with Sri Krishna in the heart manifests. We begin to crave the true, lasting reality, the Absolute Truth. We want to swim and live in that inner world, going deeper and deeper to our true nature and our relationship with the beings in that world.
And then in an instant Maya pulls us back out into the external world and floods our minds with material thoughts, "Oh, I need to pay this bill, wash the dishes, get stuff ready for work in the morning, get my car checked, go here, go there, do this, do that." And just that quickly the inner world fades and seems like a dream or a figment of our imaginations. Then we go back to putting all of our energy (mental, emotional and physical) into the temporary concerns of this world and of pursuing sense gratification. It's a crazy game and it's scary how easily we fall into it. Maya is so powerful. There's no way we can overcome it by our own endeavors. This is why in kali-yuga everything is based on mercy.
Oh Gurudeva, by your mercy alone do I even momentarily look away from the face of Maya. Thank you for this little drop of mercy to remind me of my true necessity.
So I gave in (or perhaps gave up) the notion of reflecting on a photo every single day. Sometimes I get so frustrated living a life that is so distracting towards my real welfare and benefit. My mind is so often absorbed in things that ultimately are meaningless; fickle little romps with sense gratification and maya. The material energy keeps pulling my mind and senses outward, pulling my face and my vision towards the illusory and temporary. It keep me distracted from looking inward and from pursuing the ultimate goal of life. "Over here! Over here! Look at me! Look at this! You need this! You want this! Here is happiness! Try this! Do this!" Maya is like a little kid who is starved for attention. She doesn't want us to look away from her. Doesn't want us to forget about her.
Sometimes, by the grace of Sri Guru, I look away from her face and stop listening to her cries for attention. When I do I see my death. I see the temporary nature of this current life I'm living and of this body I'm in. It's this sort of "holy shit" moment where you stop and realize, "I'm going to die and none of this superfluous stuff matters." In that state of mind an eagerness to travel inward and to connect with Sri Krishna in the heart manifests. We begin to crave the true, lasting reality, the Absolute Truth. We want to swim and live in that inner world, going deeper and deeper to our true nature and our relationship with the beings in that world.
And then in an instant Maya pulls us back out into the external world and floods our minds with material thoughts, "Oh, I need to pay this bill, wash the dishes, get stuff ready for work in the morning, get my car checked, go here, go there, do this, do that." And just that quickly the inner world fades and seems like a dream or a figment of our imaginations. Then we go back to putting all of our energy (mental, emotional and physical) into the temporary concerns of this world and of pursuing sense gratification. It's a crazy game and it's scary how easily we fall into it. Maya is so powerful. There's no way we can overcome it by our own endeavors. This is why in kali-yuga everything is based on mercy.
Oh Gurudeva, by your mercy alone do I even momentarily look away from the face of Maya. Thank you for this little drop of mercy to remind me of my true necessity.
Podcast 12 – Chakrini Mahamantra
→ Oxford Kirtan
Our third offering from Chakrini, recorded in 2011, as she chants the mahamantra.
Podcast 12 – Chakrini Mahamantra
→ Oxford Kirtan
Our third offering from Chakrini, recorded in 2011, as she chants the mahamantra.
Podcast 12 – Chakrini Mahamantra
→ Oxford Kirtan
Our third offering from Chakrini, recorded in 2011, as she chants the mahamantra.
Mood of a Vaishnava
→ Servant of the Servant
This is something I aspire, desire - the gold standard of a Vaishnava - but woefully falling short. I beg unto all assembled Vaishnavas over the internet to bless me to follow in the footsteps of what Maharaj is saying;
Usually we are envious of our superiors, fight with our rivals or equals and lord it over our juniors. But the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so happy when we get His mercy - “O! Prabhu! You made it! You became so advanced! It's so wonderful! Please bless me I can become advanced like you!” This is a non-envious mood of the humble Vaisnava....We should never use this movement to get fame and name or show how great we are, show our talents off and get appreciation,our real test is when we are humble when we are corrected,we know we are humble when we don't think that we are all knower and all perfect,we are humble when we see our own faults and try to change them and see good in others and appreciate them,this movement is The Lord's mercy on us,we must humbly try to serve and serve and serve and please the devotees,then we can get The Lord's favor,else there is no hope, only suffering awaits those who use this process for their sense gratification ,who are engaged in gramya Katha (mundane talks) and Khuti nati (hypocrisy) or fault finding.We must be very clean in our heart.
- H.H.Mahanidhi Swami
Hare Krishna
Usually we are envious of our superiors, fight with our rivals or equals and lord it over our juniors. But the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so happy when we get His mercy - “O! Prabhu! You made it! You became so advanced! It's so wonderful! Please bless me I can become advanced like you!” This is a non-envious mood of the humble Vaisnava....We should never use this movement to get fame and name or show how great we are, show our talents off and get appreciation,our real test is when we are humble when we are corrected,we know we are humble when we don't think that we are all knower and all perfect,we are humble when we see our own faults and try to change them and see good in others and appreciate them,this movement is The Lord's mercy on us,we must humbly try to serve and serve and serve and please the devotees,then we can get The Lord's favor,else there is no hope, only suffering awaits those who use this process for their sense gratification ,who are engaged in gramya Katha (mundane talks) and Khuti nati (hypocrisy) or fault finding.We must be very clean in our heart.
- H.H.Mahanidhi Swami
Hare Krishna
Mood of a Vaishnava
→ Servant of the Servant
This is something I aspire, desire - the gold standard of a Vaishnava - but woefully falling short. I beg unto all assembled Vaishnavas over the internet to bless me to follow in the footsteps of what Maharaj is saying;
Usually we are envious of our superiors, fight with our rivals or equals and lord it over our juniors. But the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so happy when we get His mercy - “O! Prabhu! You made it! You became so advanced! It's so wonderful! Please bless me I can become advanced like you!” This is a non-envious mood of the humble Vaisnava....We should never use this movement to get fame and name or show how great we are, show our talents off and get appreciation,our real test is when we are humble when we are corrected,we know we are humble when we don't think that we are all knower and all perfect,we are humble when we see our own faults and try to change them and see good in others and appreciate them,this movement is The Lord's mercy on us,we must humbly try to serve and serve and serve and please the devotees,then we can get The Lord's favor,else there is no hope, only suffering awaits those who use this process for their sense gratification ,who are engaged in gramya Katha (mundane talks) and Khuti nati (hypocrisy) or fault finding.We must be very clean in our heart.
- H.H.Mahanidhi Swami
Hare Krishna
Usually we are envious of our superiors, fight with our rivals or equals and lord it over our juniors. But the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so happy when we get His mercy - “O! Prabhu! You made it! You became so advanced! It's so wonderful! Please bless me I can become advanced like you!” This is a non-envious mood of the humble Vaisnava....We should never use this movement to get fame and name or show how great we are, show our talents off and get appreciation,our real test is when we are humble when we are corrected,we know we are humble when we don't think that we are all knower and all perfect,we are humble when we see our own faults and try to change them and see good in others and appreciate them,this movement is The Lord's mercy on us,we must humbly try to serve and serve and serve and please the devotees,then we can get The Lord's favor,else there is no hope, only suffering awaits those who use this process for their sense gratification ,who are engaged in gramya Katha (mundane talks) and Khuti nati (hypocrisy) or fault finding.We must be very clean in our heart.
- H.H.Mahanidhi Swami
Hare Krishna
Travel Journal#9.4: North Florida
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 4
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2013, part two)
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2013, part two)
North Florida
(Sent from Jacksonville, Florida, on April 11, 2013)
(Sent from Jacksonville, Florida, on April 11, 2013)
Where I Went and What I Did
The second half of February I spent mostly in Gainesville, organizing the chanting at Krishna Lunch. I also went on a brief visit to Tallahassee, promoting our Krishna Lunch and temple programs there, and to Jacksonville, chanting on campus and promoting our Krishna Club programs there. I share inspiring incidents from these trips. I had an unusual Nityananda’s appearance day, which I briefly describe.
I have quotes from the writings of my siksa and diksa gurus, Srila Prabhupada and Satsvarupa das Goswami, and notes on recorded lectures by Niranjana and Radhanath Swamis. I also have notes on another wonderful lecture by visiting Prabhupada disciple, Amala Bhakta Prabhu, and notes from lectures of many local speakers.
Chanting in Tallahassee
At one point, six of us chanted together at Tallahassee’s Lake Ella one Saturday. Krishna is kind to give me friends to chant with in so many cities. One friend had left Tallahassee for Gainesville, but another had left Gainesville for Tallahassee. One lady came by our chanting party, wondering where our Tallahassee temple was, and other people were happy to get sweets and to hear of our vegan/vegetarian food options in the city.
On Monday and Tuesday, I chanted at Florida State University, and the first person I talked to was interested in meditation and came to our Tuesday Bhagavad-gita class. Both days I met someone who had become vegetarian very recently, so I was able to interest them in our lunch program and cooking classes. I was pleased each day to have nice conversations with several students and to distribute many prasadam sweets.
Chanting at the University of North Florida
On Wednesday we chanted for four and three-quarters hours on the green at the University of North Florida, and at one point nine people were on the blanket chanting with us. One girl who was a friend of someone in Krishna Club sat down with us and fell in love with the drum, playing a nonstandard beat that fit the music. She also chanted Hare Krishna for the first time, even as she played the drum. She is a Resident Advisor for a dorm and invited us to do a program there sometime.
Also on Wednesday, one young gentleman, originally from Kenya, who frequents the UNF Library sat on the bench, enjoying the kirtana. Amrita invited him to our program, and he came two weeks in a row, taking Coming Back, and talking with the devotees about spiritual topics and giving donations each time. Later he visited our temple in Alachua several times before relocating to south Florida for a job opportunity.
A couple girls sitting on a bench at UNF liked listening to our chanting for half an hour. When one of them saw our weekly program was called “Soul Medicine,” she smiled, saying she liked the name because when she sat down she had a neck and back ache but it went away with the singing. When we took a break, she thought with alarm, “Why did they stop?”
Later we taught a beat on the drum to the president of our Bhakti Yoga club who was playing mrdanga for the first time and we taught a Christian girl we talked with earlier in the week how to play the karatalas,also for the first time. Miraculously, in just a few minutes they were both able to play in time as we played harmonium. That was a rarity. I had never seen such a wonder in my thirty years as a devotee that new people would pick up the instruments so fast!
Lord Caitanya is so kind inspire the people with such appreciation and abilities, and to engage us all in His service.
Later we taught a beat on the drum to the president of our Bhakti Yoga club who was playing mrdanga for the first time and we taught a Christian girl we talked with earlier in the week how to play the karatalas,also for the first time. Miraculously, in just a few minutes they were both able to play in time as we played harmonium. That was a rarity. I had never seen such a wonder in my thirty years as a devotee that new people would pick up the instruments so fast!
Lord Caitanya is so kind inspire the people with such appreciation and abilities, and to engage us all in His service.
The next Wednesday I was out of town, but Amrita Keli said the chanting on the green was fabulous. One student danced for an hour and a half, not realizing how fast the time was passing. It is wonderful see Americans naturally attracted to Krishna consciousness, especially in the present day.
Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day
The devotees who were to drive me home to Gainesville were sick, and so I ended up celebrating Lord Nityananda’s appearance day in Jacksonville. The devotees who organize the programs at University of North Florida impressed me on Lord Nityananda’s appearance by spending two hours in the morning reading Caitanya-caritamrita and Nityananda Caritamrita, and talking about Lord Nityananda. Then in the afternoon, other Alachua and Jacksonville friends impressed me by their enthusiasm to do congregational chanting of the holy name at the Jacksonville stadium before the crowds attending the Monster Truck Jam, instead of attending the festival in Alachua. Lord Nityananda appeared to deliver the most fallen, and I could not help but think that people who take pleasure in watching monster trucks smash into each other fit into that category. One friend told me that last time he went to such an event he was nine-years-old. It was a tough crowd to distribute pamphlets to. You had to watch and make sure the people did not throw them out when you were not looking. On the bright side, in front of the devotees’ chanting party, one man danced joyfully with his young daughter. Later she and a friend joined with some of the devotee ladies and danced for quite sometime with them. It was definitely an unusual day, but I think that in the ultimate issue Lord Nityananda Prabhu was pleased by all our attempts to glorify Him and to share His mercy, and that made it worth it.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.24.8, purport:
Not caring what will happen in the next birth, gross materialists are simply busy enjoying during the present short span of life. A Vaisnava is always anxious to give all such bewildered materialists the real happiness of spiritual bliss.
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.24.19, purport:
When one becomes a pure devotee in love, he may also be blessed with a good material position by the will of the Supreme Lord. However, one should not mistakenly think that the material opulence of a devotee is the result of his devotional service. The real result of devotional service is the awakening of pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which continues under all circumstances.
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.3–4, purport:
When the intrigue of the Battle of Kuruksetrawas going on, she [Gandhari] was not in favor of fighting with the Pandavas; rather, she blamed Dhrtarastra, her husband, for such a fratricidal war. She desired that the state be divided into two parts, for the sons of Pandu and her own.
from Caitanya-caritamrita(Antya 3.178):
Haridas Thakura, however, said that the desired result of chanting the holy name of the Lord is not that one is liberated from material bondage or freed from the reactions of sinful life. The actual result of chanting the holy name of the Lord is that one awakens his dormant Krishna consciousness, his loving service to the Lord.
from notes by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami on a Prabhupada lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam3.25.23 given on November 23, 1974, in Mumbai:
“When the sravanam-kirtanamis about Krishna, then there is no suffering or unhappiness. Other hearing and talking will not reduce suffering. Devotional service is so nice that even in the material world, the devotee will not suffer material miseries. Because his mind is absorbed in thought of Krishna, he does not suffer.”
from The Nectar of Devotion:
When a devotee is never tired of executing devotional service and is always engaged in Krishna conscious activities, constantly relishing the transcendental mellows in relationship with Krishna, he is called perfect.. . . Anyone who becomes exhilarated by hearing of the pastimes of Lord Krishna when He was present on this earth with His associates is to be understood as nitya-siddha, eternally perfect.
from a lecture:
Lord Caitanya taught there is a goal beyond liberation, love of Godhead.
Krishna says anything other than surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna is not real dharma.
One cannot say, “I do not accept the laws given by the state. I will make my own laws.” So in the same way, we cannot make our own dharma. Dharma is given by God.
Krishna is not speaking just to the Hindus. He is speaking to everyone as the father of all living beings.
This Krishna consciousness movement is very important because people are not understanding they are spiritual souls and not their bodies.
Our love has become spread out to our nation, our relatives, our friends, but it must become concentrated on Krishna.
Previously it was considered abominable to become a drunkard. Now it has become a fashion.
Our only request is that you take up this chanting of Hare Krishna.
People should take this Krishna consciousness movement very seriously.
Lord Caitanya’s movement is meant for both the common men and the educated. The common men can simply chant Hare Krishna, and the educated can study our vast literature.
Vasudeva wanted a son like Krishna, but Krishna is without an equal, and so He Himself appeared as the son of Vasudeva.
The mahatmais not under the control of the material energy but under the protection of the spiritual energy. His symptom is that he has no other activity besides the service of the Lord.
The whole Vedic civilization is to engage people in pious activities because by engaging in pious activities they will one day come to the point of bhajana.
There are many Bhagavans, but Krishna is the original.
We are telling people, “You are the son of Krishna, a most important personality. Why not go to your home? Why are you rotting in this material world?” People have to understand they are rotting in this material world.
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.4–5:
Atheists try to conceal the hand of God, which is present in every creation, but they cannot explain how all these creations could come into existence without a competent intelligence and almighty power behind them. Simply to imagine or speculate is a waste of time. In Bhagavad-gita (10.8), the Lord says, aham sarvasya prabhavo: “I am the origin of everything.” Mattah sarvam pravartate: “whatever exists in the creation emanates from Me.” Iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah: "When one fully understands that I create everything by My omnipotence, one becomes firmly situated in devotional service and fully surrenders at My lotus feet."
Niranjana Swami:
The result that a devotee aspires for is that Krishna may be pleased by his efforts in devotional service.
Krishna is only pleased by unflinching, unalloyed devotional service.
Most of our obstacles are within our heart and can be cleansed by Krishna who becomes pleased by the devotees’ service of hearing and remembering Him.
Srila Prabhupada explains that anxiety is a feature of this world, and you can choose either to have material anxiety or to have spiritual anxiety.
If we are consciousness of our subservient position in relationship to the Lord, then we will be without [material] anxiety in this world.
A good result will ultimately manifest if we accept our position as a servant of Krishna.
Krishna is the supreme plan maker. I have my plans and Krishna has His plans, and Krishna always has the final decision.
Srila Prabhupada writes in his journal in February 1966 after a recording session with some friends, “Haridas Thakura has said that anyone who hears these holy names, even animals and beasts, can be attracted. Today I have personally witnessed the statement of Haridas Thakura. The Americans have been become attracted by the chanting. This is all Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy. It is not my credit.”
Krishna as our best friend can take care of our needs, but we need to remember Him. He can make a much better arrangement to remove our obstacles than we can ourselves because of his perfect knowledge.
Srila Prabhupada used a story of the train conductor asking for his son’s ticket, and his son being bewildered until he took shelter of his father to show how when we take shelter of Krishna all anxiety goes away.
Radhanatha Swami:
from a lecture on Lord Nityananda:
The conception that something is lovable exists is because of Krishna.
Service is so great that the Lord also desires to engage in service to show that pure unalloyed service is the ultimate experience.
Laksmana entered the forest for 14 years, simply to serve Lord Rama. It is said He remained awake for the entire time so as not to miss a chance to serve the Lord.
A real spiritual master teaches how to surrender to Krishna.
Ekacakra was experiencing a drought until Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared, and then it rained pleasingly and all vegetation flourished.
The only play Nityananda Prabhu would engage in was to enact dramas of the pastimes of the Lord.
To execute His mission of assisting Lord Caitanya in His mission, Lord Nityananda would have to leave home. But He had such loving parents, how was it possible? Thus by the Lord’s arrangement, a sannyasi came who begged Hadai Pandit for his son in charity to be his assistant. Every parent in Ekacakra wanted to offer their son as a replacement as they loved Nitai so, but the sannyasi had disappeared.
When Nityananda on His tour saw the Shaivites and the Vaishnavas fighting, He who is the source of both Shiva and Vishnu laughed.
When He encountered Madhavendra Puri, He exclaimed, “I have traveled so far and seen so many pilgrimage places, but I have not yet seen such ecstatic love for Krishna as you have.”
Laksmipati Tirtha worshiped Balarama who appeared in a dream and told him to initiate a brahmana who would soon appear.
Lord Nityananda lived in Vrndavana, playing with cowherd boys and cows, and waiting for Nimai Pandit to inaugurate His sankirtana movement.
Lord Nityananda did not preach until He got the order from Lord Caitanya. This supreme humility has its origin in God Himself. He did not want to consider Himself the doer of His activities.
Srila Prabhupada told a reporter, “My only qualification is I am simply repeating the words of my spiritual master.” When asked if he was a pure devotee or if he was perfect,he explained, “I may or may not be a pure devotee or be perfect, but my words are perfect because I am repeating my guru’s words.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
from Yellow Submarine, #213:
“A quiet afternoon,
the hours go by slowly.
This is preaching too,
hearing gentle sounds
and trying to speak from the heart,
if you can find your heart.
Staying by the Lord
in a safe place,
the yellow submarine. From here
you can see eternity if you become
quiet enough and listen.
He’s just by your side,
and you can relax.
He’s coming through the ether,
and your pulse is beating softly.
the hours go by slowly.
This is preaching too,
hearing gentle sounds
and trying to speak from the heart,
if you can find your heart.
Staying by the Lord
in a safe place,
the yellow submarine. From here
you can see eternity if you become
quiet enough and listen.
He’s just by your side,
and you can relax.
He’s coming through the ether,
and your pulse is beating softly.
“Why don’t you go out?
I can hardly walk.
I’m content to sit and
hear His voice coming
to me in music muted.
It’s another day to be
with Krishna and write
your realizations for
your friends, your virtual friends.”
I can hardly walk.
I’m content to sit and
hear His voice coming
to me in music muted.
It’s another day to be
with Krishna and write
your realizations for
your friends, your virtual friends.”
from Viraha Bhavan, February 24, 2013:
Japais easy but
to do it seriously is difficult.
I was successful in keeping out
other thoughts except utteringharinama.I tried to
do it with attention and
devotion.
to do it seriously is difficult.
I was successful in keeping out
other thoughts except utteringharinama.I tried to
do it with attention and
devotion.
Amala Bhakta Prabhu:
When people have a unified aim, it is easier for them to work cooperatively.
Devotional service is its own reward because it brings the mercy of the Lord, and for one who has the mercy of the Lord, what is there left to attain?
We build up our bodies by working out and become so proud of our abilities, thinking we are invincible, but then a microscopic organism comes by and knocks us out for two weeks. Despite our pride, we have to admit that the person who made the virus is superior to us.
Everyone wants to live forever. They may say they do not want to live forever, but whenever there is some problem with the body, they are always going to the doctor. Why? Because they want to live forever. Why do we want to live forever? Because as souls we really do live forever.
We suffer from stress because our attachment to our body, but by spiritual practice that can be reduced.
It is very difficult [as a lecturer] to compete with prasadam [spiritual food].
Once the Bhagavatam speaker told one of the listeners who remained awake during the class to awaken the person next to him. The listener replied, “You put him to sleep. You can wake him up.”
If you are fully self-realized, you will get guidance from the Supreme Lord within how to help your dependents make advancement. In fact, if you become self-realized, you can truly benefit everyone.
Even God Himself appears as an ordinary person most of the time, except for a few occasions when He exhibits His superhuman opulence.
Charity, patience, and humility are virtues that can help us in self-realization.
We cannot dictate to Krishna when He will let us understand something.
We should see the Bhagavad-gitawith reverence.
The biggest sin is to forget the Lord.
Best is if we chant as if we are crying out for Krishna’s assistance.
To feel the closeness, nearness, and presence of Krishna is the best thing, and when you get that you want to share it others, your family, your friends, and the people in general.
Srila Prabhupada’s words were floating on his divine energy.
If we start thinking I am better than him and I am better than him, then we became a materialist again.
If we have a residence in the USA and another in Italy, and yet another residence somewhere else, we become very proud of our good fortune, but Krishna has a residence in every atom.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
at Dr. Dina Bandhu Prabhu’s marriage:
In marriage, like anything, if we approach it in the mood of enjoying, we will fall flat on our face, but if we approach it in the mood of service, we will be successful.
If we put Krishna in the center and make our house a temple that will take the edge off any conflicts we may have.
Prasannatma Prabhu:
The love we have for our family, our nation, our dog, is incomplete and temporary. It is all finished in a moment and that moment is death. Sometimes the relationships end before death, there is divorce, or we transfer from one school to another, ending our friendships with people from the previous school.
Different goswamisgive different explanations of the maha-mantrawhich are all true.
Lord Caitanya did not ask us to love Himself, but to develop love for the Divine Couple, Radha-Krishna. First we meditate on Lord Gaura, and then we meditate on Radha-Krishna.
We follow Rupa Goswami and Raghunatha Goswami. We do not want to follow Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Nimbarkacarya. We respect them all, but we are determined to follow Rupa Raghunatha.
Imagine Krishna cannot get something. Krishna is the supreme controller, and yet there was something He could not get, the experience of Radharani’s love for Himself. Thus He came as Lord Caitanya to experience this.
Gandhari never saw her 100 sons because of her voluntarily blindfolding herself so as not to excel her blind husband. What an austerity for a mother to perform! She was so determined.
When you do austerity you get much power. When you do not do austerity, you do not have much power.
The first word that was heard in this universe was “tapa” (austerity).
In France, when the government imposes some restriction, people go on strike, and chant “No austerity! No austerity!”
In America, people are eating anything at any time, boiled peanuts, chocolate candy, chips, etc.
In material life, people eat a little for breakfast, a little for lunch, and have a big dinner, while the devotee takes just a little at night so he can get up early and perform spiritual activities.
Ranjit Prabhu:
Constant engagement (satata-yuktanam) isnot possible without loving ecstasy (priti-purvakam).
I recommend rereading Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is very rewarding. You will encounter a lot of things that you forgot along the way.
Krishna has newer and newer beauties that are beyond our understanding and experience.
Krishna was not attracted by the incomparable beauty and feminine charms of His queens but by their pure devotional service to Him.
Sometimes very sincere Christians would approach me to save me. Sometimes I would joke with them saying, “There are two kinds of people. Those who know and those who do not know. For those who know, no explanation is necessary, and for those who do not know, no explanation is possible.” It would sometimes frustrate them as they did not have an answer to it. To some extent that statement is true, but it also inaccurate because the desire of the pure devotee is so powerful that those who do not know can be enlightened.
Devotees would present different philosophies, and Srila Prabhupada would analyze them from the viewpoint of Krishna consciousness. Later some devotees realized that original presentations of the philosophies were incorrect, and asked if he would be willing to do it again, and he valued that project so much that it did it again. The second formulation is in Quest for Enlightenment.
Leibniz said that every thing has purpose in the universe and the purpose of the entire universe is to know the creator of the universe. Srila Prabhupada very much liked that philosophy.
Jung lamented that philosophy was no longer a way of life. He felt the rites of many religions had became unintelligible in the modern world.
Subuddhi Krishna Prabhu:
In Bangalore, one guest loved the kitri so much he asked for the recipe which I obtained for him from the cooks. When he made it himself, he complained it did not taste the same. I asked if he offered it to Krishna, but he had not. I gave him the mantras to offer it, and he tried again. It was better but not good enough. I asked if he just offered it so he could eat it, or if he had really offered it with devotion. He realized he had not done it with devotion, so he tried again, this time successfully. Thus we can see practically there is a difference between prasadam [food offered to Krishna with devotion] and ordinary food.
Prema Manjari dd:
Just as in a dream something completely illogical can happen at any moment, in our conditioned life, although our situation appears very stable, the reality is that something completely illogical can happen at any moment.
When the fiery demon started approaching Ambarisa Maharaja in order to kill him, Ambarisa Maharaja did not appeal to the Lord for protection. He merely continued thinking of the Lord as usual.
It is difficult to be surrendered to the Lord at every moment until one has developed one’s love for Him.
Madhava Prabhu (from Alachua):
We are giving up bad habits and developing new ones, so sometimes we act in a bad way and sometimes in a good way. Krishna does not take that too seriously if we are engaged in His service in devotion.
Srila Prabhupada describes what he means by an accidental falldown. If you were a smoker, and you accidentally associate with other smokers and you light up a cigarette, and later you feel bad, thinking “what have I done?” then it is forgiven. But if you think now I am a devotee, I can smoke like anything and it will all be forgiven, that is cheating.
comment by Tulasirani dd: Mother Laksmimoni would explain that if a sinful act is premeditated then it is not an accident.
Tulasirani dd:
There are austerities in devotional service like chanting, which are joyful, and others, like getting up for mangala-arati,where you have to grit your teeth. If you just do the austerities where you have to grit your teeth and not the joyful ones, then you will lose your taste for devotional service, so there has to be a balance.
It is not possible to absorb your mind for eternity in a stagnant object, but Krishna’s qualities are always increasing and captivating the mind more and more.
They do not have cell phones in the spiritual world. Krishna plays different tunes on his flute to call different groups of friends.
The gopis were envious of Krishna’s flute, for the flute constantly had Krishna’s association while they only did sometimes.
We want to become an instrument like a flute that Krishna can play and attract people back to the spiritual world.
Govardhana Hill adjusts the temperature of the rocks on its slopes to facilitate the pastimes of Krishna according to the season.
When you are humble it changes people’s hearts.
Vaishnava das Prabhu:
I see in the five years I have practiced I have improved. The mind is less of a disturbance.
Sometimes we try to act better just to look good to others, but that is not actually required, for in reality, just by engaging in devotional service we will attain all good qualities.
In Chapter Twelve of Bhagavad-gita many good qualities of a great devotee, such as tolerance in the face of dualities are described, and in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are examples like Maharaja Pariksit and Maharaja Ambarisa, who were not disturbed by extreme difficulty.
Gopala Prabhu:
Krishna wanted to show that worship of Indra is not necessary but that worship should be directed to Krishna or Vishnu. Thus he advised his father not to perform sacrifice for Indra but instead to worship Govardhana Hill which sustained them. As Krishna is not different from Govardhana Hill, he was actually engaging them in Vishnu worship.
Although Krishna killed the many demons who would daily come and harass His associates in Vrindavana, He merely humiliated Indra, who inundated Vrindavana with torrential rain, by lifting Govardhana Hill, because Indra was a devotee at heart.
There are three ways material desires are “fulfilled”:
- You do not get it.
- It is not what you thought it would be.
- It is what you wanted, or even better, but it does not last.
Dr. Dina Bandhu Prabhu:
If we are not fixed on the Supreme, our minds will pursue sense enjoyment.
On the spiritual path, we must be moving forward, otherwise we will end up moving backward.
If we cultivate a relationship with Krishna through yoga, our relationships with other people will automatically improve.
Srila Prabhupada says that if we take one step to Krishna, He will take ten steps to us, but we cannot understand how Krishna will take ten steps toward us until we take that one step toward Him.
It is not if Krishna will reciprocate but when.
Lindsey: Regarding my trip to the Alachua temple for the weekend, I found everything I needed was supplied. I just had to desire to go there.
Amrita Keli devi dasi: We chanted several hours on New Year's Eve in Alachua, then slept five hours, and drove to JAX and chanted two or three hours at the football game, and then we drove to St. Augustine, and chanted several hours in the afternoon. When I returned to Jacksonville my body was wiped out, but I was so happy because of all the chanting which was more than I ever do. I can see Krishna really reciprocates when we go a little beyond what we think is our limit.
Joseph: We always think we do not have time for a spiritual practice, but we find when we make time for a spiritual practice, we still have enough time to do the other things we need to do.
It is a phenomenon that the more people who have the same delusion the more difficult it is to classify it as a delusion. The delusion of maya that we are the body and not the soul is such a widespread delusion.
If you are wearing handcuffs, you have to approach the person who has put them on you in order to get free. Our bondage to the material world is like that. We have to please the Lord to get free.
To understand the message of Krishna we have to hear it through Arjuna’s ears. In other words, we have to accept it as Arjuna did.
comment by Lovelesh: I encountered some web sites discussing popular translations of Bhagavad-gitaand I found that often Bhagavad-gitaAs It Is is number one.
If someone claims to be representing a religious tradition, he should have a good understanding of the soul, for that is one of the ABCs.
comment by Kimani: I was looking for a mantra and found the Hare Krishna mantra in a book. I found it helpful in cleansing my heart and removing obstacles in my life. It brought me happiness that was not available in my life before.
Hanan Prabhu:
The ability to tolerate provoking situations is the quality of the greatest.
The saying “push my buttons” is interesting to me as a non-English speaker. It seems to imply we are like machines like computers that can be controlled by pushing buttons.
Karma is what happens to you, and free will is how you react.
Researchers says we have 32,000 thoughts going through our minds each day. Krishna advises how to deal with them: “Aperson who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires — that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still — can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.”(Bg. 2.70)
Srila Prabhupada advises that we should not become angry at the agent of our karma. One example that illustrates the foolishness of becoming angry at the agent of karma is this: Suppose the postman comes and gives you a letter from Bank of America that states you owe the bank $20,000, and you become angry and take a stick and start beating the postman.
Kunti suffered greatly, perhaps more than anyone else in the Bhagavatam, so she is qualified to talk about it. After suffering many calamities caused by Duryodhana, during the Battle of Kurukshetra, she had to witness one son (Arjuna) killing another son (Karna), which is a terrible thing for a mother to see.
In the Israel army they have a person who has lost a son himself inform a family that their child has died, for such a person can empathize with their situation.
If we tell Krishna, “Tomorrow,” in response to his invitation to surrender. He will say, “Ok. Tomorrow, then.”
------
vande sri-krishna-caitanya-
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau san-dau tamo-nudau
I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krishna Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.2)
Travel Journal#9.4: North Florida
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 9, No. 4
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2013, part two)
By Krishna-kripa das
(February 2013, part two)
North Florida
(Sent from Jacksonville, Florida, on April 11, 2013)
(Sent from Jacksonville, Florida, on April 11, 2013)
Where I Went and What I Did
The second half of February I spent mostly in Gainesville, organizing the chanting at Krishna Lunch. I also went on a brief visit to Tallahassee, promoting our Krishna Lunch and temple programs there, and to Jacksonville, chanting on campus and promoting our Krishna Club programs there. I share inspiring incidents from these trips. I had an unusual Nityananda’s appearance day, which I briefly describe.
I have quotes from the writings of my siksa and diksa gurus, Srila Prabhupada and Satsvarupa das Goswami, and notes on recorded lectures by Niranjana and Radhanath Swamis. I also have notes on another wonderful lecture by visiting Prabhupada disciple, Amala Bhakta Prabhu, and notes from lectures of many local speakers.
Chanting in Tallahassee
At one point, six of us chanted together at Tallahassee’s Lake Ella one Saturday. Krishna is kind to give me friends to chant with in so many cities. One friend had left Tallahassee for Gainesville, but another had left Gainesville for Tallahassee. One lady came by our chanting party, wondering where our Tallahassee temple was, and other people were happy to get sweets and to hear of our vegan/vegetarian food options in the city.
On Monday and Tuesday, I chanted at Florida State University, and the first person I talked to was interested in meditation and came to our Tuesday Bhagavad-gita class. Both days I met someone who had become vegetarian very recently, so I was able to interest them in our lunch program and cooking classes. I was pleased each day to have nice conversations with several students and to distribute many prasadam sweets.
Chanting at the University of North Florida
On Wednesday we chanted for four and three-quarters hours on the green at the University of North Florida, and at one point nine people were on the blanket chanting with us. One girl who was a friend of someone in Krishna Club sat down with us and fell in love with the drum, playing a nonstandard beat that fit the music. She also chanted Hare Krishna for the first time, even as she played the drum. She is a Resident Advisor for a dorm and invited us to do a program there sometime.
Also on Wednesday, one young gentleman, originally from Kenya, who frequents the UNF Library sat on the bench, enjoying the kirtana. Amrita invited him to our program, and he came two weeks in a row, taking Coming Back, and talking with the devotees about spiritual topics and giving donations each time. Later he visited our temple in Alachua several times before relocating to south Florida for a job opportunity.
A couple girls sitting on a bench at UNF liked listening to our chanting for half an hour. When one of them saw our weekly program was called “Soul Medicine,” she smiled, saying she liked the name because when she sat down she had a neck and back ache but it went away with the singing. When we took a break, she thought with alarm, “Why did they stop?”
Later we taught a beat on the drum to the president of our Bhakti Yoga club who was playing mrdanga for the first time and we taught a Christian girl we talked with earlier in the week how to play the karatalas,also for the first time. Miraculously, in just a few minutes they were both able to play in time as we played harmonium. That was a rarity. I had never seen such a wonder in my thirty years as a devotee that new people would pick up the instruments so fast!
Lord Caitanya is so kind inspire the people with such appreciation and abilities, and to engage us all in His service.
Later we taught a beat on the drum to the president of our Bhakti Yoga club who was playing mrdanga for the first time and we taught a Christian girl we talked with earlier in the week how to play the karatalas,also for the first time. Miraculously, in just a few minutes they were both able to play in time as we played harmonium. That was a rarity. I had never seen such a wonder in my thirty years as a devotee that new people would pick up the instruments so fast!
Lord Caitanya is so kind inspire the people with such appreciation and abilities, and to engage us all in His service.
The next Wednesday I was out of town, but Amrita Keli said the chanting on the green was fabulous. One student danced for an hour and a half, not realizing how fast the time was passing. It is wonderful see Americans naturally attracted to Krishna consciousness, especially in the present day.
Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day
The devotees who were to drive me home to Gainesville were sick, and so I ended up celebrating Lord Nityananda’s appearance day in Jacksonville. The devotees who organize the programs at University of North Florida impressed me on Lord Nityananda’s appearance by spending two hours in the morning reading Caitanya-caritamrita and Nityananda Caritamrita, and talking about Lord Nityananda. Then in the afternoon, other Alachua and Jacksonville friends impressed me by their enthusiasm to do congregational chanting of the holy name at the Jacksonville stadium before the crowds attending the Monster Truck Jam, instead of attending the festival in Alachua. Lord Nityananda appeared to deliver the most fallen, and I could not help but think that people who take pleasure in watching monster trucks smash into each other fit into that category. One friend told me that last time he went to such an event he was nine-years-old. It was a tough crowd to distribute pamphlets to. You had to watch and make sure the people did not throw them out when you were not looking. On the bright side, in front of the devotees’ chanting party, one man danced joyfully with his young daughter. Later she and a friend joined with some of the devotee ladies and danced for quite sometime with them. It was definitely an unusual day, but I think that in the ultimate issue Lord Nityananda Prabhu was pleased by all our attempts to glorify Him and to share His mercy, and that made it worth it.
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.24.8, purport:
Not caring what will happen in the next birth, gross materialists are simply busy enjoying during the present short span of life. A Vaisnava is always anxious to give all such bewildered materialists the real happiness of spiritual bliss.
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.24.19, purport:
When one becomes a pure devotee in love, he may also be blessed with a good material position by the will of the Supreme Lord. However, one should not mistakenly think that the material opulence of a devotee is the result of his devotional service. The real result of devotional service is the awakening of pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which continues under all circumstances.
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.3–4, purport:
When the intrigue of the Battle of Kuruksetrawas going on, she [Gandhari] was not in favor of fighting with the Pandavas; rather, she blamed Dhrtarastra, her husband, for such a fratricidal war. She desired that the state be divided into two parts, for the sons of Pandu and her own.
from Caitanya-caritamrita(Antya 3.178):
Haridas Thakura, however, said that the desired result of chanting the holy name of the Lord is not that one is liberated from material bondage or freed from the reactions of sinful life. The actual result of chanting the holy name of the Lord is that one awakens his dormant Krishna consciousness, his loving service to the Lord.
from notes by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami on a Prabhupada lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam3.25.23 given on November 23, 1974, in Mumbai:
“When the sravanam-kirtanamis about Krishna, then there is no suffering or unhappiness. Other hearing and talking will not reduce suffering. Devotional service is so nice that even in the material world, the devotee will not suffer material miseries. Because his mind is absorbed in thought of Krishna, he does not suffer.”
from The Nectar of Devotion:
When a devotee is never tired of executing devotional service and is always engaged in Krishna conscious activities, constantly relishing the transcendental mellows in relationship with Krishna, he is called perfect.. . . Anyone who becomes exhilarated by hearing of the pastimes of Lord Krishna when He was present on this earth with His associates is to be understood as nitya-siddha, eternally perfect.
from a lecture:
Lord Caitanya taught there is a goal beyond liberation, love of Godhead.
Krishna says anything other than surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna is not real dharma.
One cannot say, “I do not accept the laws given by the state. I will make my own laws.” So in the same way, we cannot make our own dharma. Dharma is given by God.
Krishna is not speaking just to the Hindus. He is speaking to everyone as the father of all living beings.
This Krishna consciousness movement is very important because people are not understanding they are spiritual souls and not their bodies.
Our love has become spread out to our nation, our relatives, our friends, but it must become concentrated on Krishna.
Previously it was considered abominable to become a drunkard. Now it has become a fashion.
Our only request is that you take up this chanting of Hare Krishna.
People should take this Krishna consciousness movement very seriously.
Lord Caitanya’s movement is meant for both the common men and the educated. The common men can simply chant Hare Krishna, and the educated can study our vast literature.
Vasudeva wanted a son like Krishna, but Krishna is without an equal, and so He Himself appeared as the son of Vasudeva.
The mahatmais not under the control of the material energy but under the protection of the spiritual energy. His symptom is that he has no other activity besides the service of the Lord.
The whole Vedic civilization is to engage people in pious activities because by engaging in pious activities they will one day come to the point of bhajana.
There are many Bhagavans, but Krishna is the original.
We are telling people, “You are the son of Krishna, a most important personality. Why not go to your home? Why are you rotting in this material world?” People have to understand they are rotting in this material world.
from Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.4–5:
Atheists try to conceal the hand of God, which is present in every creation, but they cannot explain how all these creations could come into existence without a competent intelligence and almighty power behind them. Simply to imagine or speculate is a waste of time. In Bhagavad-gita (10.8), the Lord says, aham sarvasya prabhavo: “I am the origin of everything.” Mattah sarvam pravartate: “whatever exists in the creation emanates from Me.” Iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah: "When one fully understands that I create everything by My omnipotence, one becomes firmly situated in devotional service and fully surrenders at My lotus feet."
Niranjana Swami:
The result that a devotee aspires for is that Krishna may be pleased by his efforts in devotional service.
Krishna is only pleased by unflinching, unalloyed devotional service.
Most of our obstacles are within our heart and can be cleansed by Krishna who becomes pleased by the devotees’ service of hearing and remembering Him.
Srila Prabhupada explains that anxiety is a feature of this world, and you can choose either to have material anxiety or to have spiritual anxiety.
If we are consciousness of our subservient position in relationship to the Lord, then we will be without [material] anxiety in this world.
A good result will ultimately manifest if we accept our position as a servant of Krishna.
Krishna is the supreme plan maker. I have my plans and Krishna has His plans, and Krishna always has the final decision.
Srila Prabhupada writes in his journal in February 1966 after a recording session with some friends, “Haridas Thakura has said that anyone who hears these holy names, even animals and beasts, can be attracted. Today I have personally witnessed the statement of Haridas Thakura. The Americans have been become attracted by the chanting. This is all Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy. It is not my credit.”
Krishna as our best friend can take care of our needs, but we need to remember Him. He can make a much better arrangement to remove our obstacles than we can ourselves because of his perfect knowledge.
Srila Prabhupada used a story of the train conductor asking for his son’s ticket, and his son being bewildered until he took shelter of his father to show how when we take shelter of Krishna all anxiety goes away.
Radhanatha Swami:
from a lecture on Lord Nityananda:
The conception that something is lovable exists is because of Krishna.
Service is so great that the Lord also desires to engage in service to show that pure unalloyed service is the ultimate experience.
Laksmana entered the forest for 14 years, simply to serve Lord Rama. It is said He remained awake for the entire time so as not to miss a chance to serve the Lord.
A real spiritual master teaches how to surrender to Krishna.
Ekacakra was experiencing a drought until Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared, and then it rained pleasingly and all vegetation flourished.
The only play Nityananda Prabhu would engage in was to enact dramas of the pastimes of the Lord.
To execute His mission of assisting Lord Caitanya in His mission, Lord Nityananda would have to leave home. But He had such loving parents, how was it possible? Thus by the Lord’s arrangement, a sannyasi came who begged Hadai Pandit for his son in charity to be his assistant. Every parent in Ekacakra wanted to offer their son as a replacement as they loved Nitai so, but the sannyasi had disappeared.
When Nityananda on His tour saw the Shaivites and the Vaishnavas fighting, He who is the source of both Shiva and Vishnu laughed.
When He encountered Madhavendra Puri, He exclaimed, “I have traveled so far and seen so many pilgrimage places, but I have not yet seen such ecstatic love for Krishna as you have.”
Laksmipati Tirtha worshiped Balarama who appeared in a dream and told him to initiate a brahmana who would soon appear.
Lord Nityananda lived in Vrndavana, playing with cowherd boys and cows, and waiting for Nimai Pandit to inaugurate His sankirtana movement.
Lord Nityananda did not preach until He got the order from Lord Caitanya. This supreme humility has its origin in God Himself. He did not want to consider Himself the doer of His activities.
Srila Prabhupada told a reporter, “My only qualification is I am simply repeating the words of my spiritual master.” When asked if he was a pure devotee or if he was perfect,he explained, “I may or may not be a pure devotee or be perfect, but my words are perfect because I am repeating my guru’s words.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
from Yellow Submarine, #213:
“A quiet afternoon,
the hours go by slowly.
This is preaching too,
hearing gentle sounds
and trying to speak from the heart,
if you can find your heart.
Staying by the Lord
in a safe place,
the yellow submarine. From here
you can see eternity if you become
quiet enough and listen.
He’s just by your side,
and you can relax.
He’s coming through the ether,
and your pulse is beating softly.
the hours go by slowly.
This is preaching too,
hearing gentle sounds
and trying to speak from the heart,
if you can find your heart.
Staying by the Lord
in a safe place,
the yellow submarine. From here
you can see eternity if you become
quiet enough and listen.
He’s just by your side,
and you can relax.
He’s coming through the ether,
and your pulse is beating softly.
“Why don’t you go out?
I can hardly walk.
I’m content to sit and
hear His voice coming
to me in music muted.
It’s another day to be
with Krishna and write
your realizations for
your friends, your virtual friends.”
I can hardly walk.
I’m content to sit and
hear His voice coming
to me in music muted.
It’s another day to be
with Krishna and write
your realizations for
your friends, your virtual friends.”
from Viraha Bhavan, February 24, 2013:
Japais easy but
to do it seriously is difficult.
I was successful in keeping out
other thoughts except utteringharinama.I tried to
do it with attention and
devotion.
to do it seriously is difficult.
I was successful in keeping out
other thoughts except utteringharinama.I tried to
do it with attention and
devotion.
Amala Bhakta Prabhu:
When people have a unified aim, it is easier for them to work cooperatively.
Devotional service is its own reward because it brings the mercy of the Lord, and for one who has the mercy of the Lord, what is there left to attain?
We build up our bodies by working out and become so proud of our abilities, thinking we are invincible, but then a microscopic organism comes by and knocks us out for two weeks. Despite our pride, we have to admit that the person who made the virus is superior to us.
Everyone wants to live forever. They may say they do not want to live forever, but whenever there is some problem with the body, they are always going to the doctor. Why? Because they want to live forever. Why do we want to live forever? Because as souls we really do live forever.
We suffer from stress because our attachment to our body, but by spiritual practice that can be reduced.
It is very difficult [as a lecturer] to compete with prasadam [spiritual food].
Once the Bhagavatam speaker told one of the listeners who remained awake during the class to awaken the person next to him. The listener replied, “You put him to sleep. You can wake him up.”
If you are fully self-realized, you will get guidance from the Supreme Lord within how to help your dependents make advancement. In fact, if you become self-realized, you can truly benefit everyone.
Even God Himself appears as an ordinary person most of the time, except for a few occasions when He exhibits His superhuman opulence.
Charity, patience, and humility are virtues that can help us in self-realization.
We cannot dictate to Krishna when He will let us understand something.
We should see the Bhagavad-gitawith reverence.
The biggest sin is to forget the Lord.
Best is if we chant as if we are crying out for Krishna’s assistance.
To feel the closeness, nearness, and presence of Krishna is the best thing, and when you get that you want to share it others, your family, your friends, and the people in general.
Srila Prabhupada’s words were floating on his divine energy.
If we start thinking I am better than him and I am better than him, then we became a materialist again.
If we have a residence in the USA and another in Italy, and yet another residence somewhere else, we become very proud of our good fortune, but Krishna has a residence in every atom.
Kalakantha Prabhu:
at Dr. Dina Bandhu Prabhu’s marriage:
In marriage, like anything, if we approach it in the mood of enjoying, we will fall flat on our face, but if we approach it in the mood of service, we will be successful.
If we put Krishna in the center and make our house a temple that will take the edge off any conflicts we may have.
Prasannatma Prabhu:
The love we have for our family, our nation, our dog, is incomplete and temporary. It is all finished in a moment and that moment is death. Sometimes the relationships end before death, there is divorce, or we transfer from one school to another, ending our friendships with people from the previous school.
Different goswamisgive different explanations of the maha-mantrawhich are all true.
Lord Caitanya did not ask us to love Himself, but to develop love for the Divine Couple, Radha-Krishna. First we meditate on Lord Gaura, and then we meditate on Radha-Krishna.
We follow Rupa Goswami and Raghunatha Goswami. We do not want to follow Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Nimbarkacarya. We respect them all, but we are determined to follow Rupa Raghunatha.
Imagine Krishna cannot get something. Krishna is the supreme controller, and yet there was something He could not get, the experience of Radharani’s love for Himself. Thus He came as Lord Caitanya to experience this.
Gandhari never saw her 100 sons because of her voluntarily blindfolding herself so as not to excel her blind husband. What an austerity for a mother to perform! She was so determined.
When you do austerity you get much power. When you do not do austerity, you do not have much power.
The first word that was heard in this universe was “tapa” (austerity).
In France, when the government imposes some restriction, people go on strike, and chant “No austerity! No austerity!”
In America, people are eating anything at any time, boiled peanuts, chocolate candy, chips, etc.
In material life, people eat a little for breakfast, a little for lunch, and have a big dinner, while the devotee takes just a little at night so he can get up early and perform spiritual activities.
Ranjit Prabhu:
Constant engagement (satata-yuktanam) isnot possible without loving ecstasy (priti-purvakam).
I recommend rereading Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is very rewarding. You will encounter a lot of things that you forgot along the way.
Krishna has newer and newer beauties that are beyond our understanding and experience.
Krishna was not attracted by the incomparable beauty and feminine charms of His queens but by their pure devotional service to Him.
Sometimes very sincere Christians would approach me to save me. Sometimes I would joke with them saying, “There are two kinds of people. Those who know and those who do not know. For those who know, no explanation is necessary, and for those who do not know, no explanation is possible.” It would sometimes frustrate them as they did not have an answer to it. To some extent that statement is true, but it also inaccurate because the desire of the pure devotee is so powerful that those who do not know can be enlightened.
Devotees would present different philosophies, and Srila Prabhupada would analyze them from the viewpoint of Krishna consciousness. Later some devotees realized that original presentations of the philosophies were incorrect, and asked if he would be willing to do it again, and he valued that project so much that it did it again. The second formulation is in Quest for Enlightenment.
Leibniz said that every thing has purpose in the universe and the purpose of the entire universe is to know the creator of the universe. Srila Prabhupada very much liked that philosophy.
Jung lamented that philosophy was no longer a way of life. He felt the rites of many religions had became unintelligible in the modern world.
Subuddhi Krishna Prabhu:
In Bangalore, one guest loved the kitri so much he asked for the recipe which I obtained for him from the cooks. When he made it himself, he complained it did not taste the same. I asked if he offered it to Krishna, but he had not. I gave him the mantras to offer it, and he tried again. It was better but not good enough. I asked if he just offered it so he could eat it, or if he had really offered it with devotion. He realized he had not done it with devotion, so he tried again, this time successfully. Thus we can see practically there is a difference between prasadam [food offered to Krishna with devotion] and ordinary food.
Prema Manjari dd:
Just as in a dream something completely illogical can happen at any moment, in our conditioned life, although our situation appears very stable, the reality is that something completely illogical can happen at any moment.
When the fiery demon started approaching Ambarisa Maharaja in order to kill him, Ambarisa Maharaja did not appeal to the Lord for protection. He merely continued thinking of the Lord as usual.
It is difficult to be surrendered to the Lord at every moment until one has developed one’s love for Him.
Madhava Prabhu (from Alachua):
We are giving up bad habits and developing new ones, so sometimes we act in a bad way and sometimes in a good way. Krishna does not take that too seriously if we are engaged in His service in devotion.
Srila Prabhupada describes what he means by an accidental falldown. If you were a smoker, and you accidentally associate with other smokers and you light up a cigarette, and later you feel bad, thinking “what have I done?” then it is forgiven. But if you think now I am a devotee, I can smoke like anything and it will all be forgiven, that is cheating.
comment by Tulasirani dd: Mother Laksmimoni would explain that if a sinful act is premeditated then it is not an accident.
Tulasirani dd:
There are austerities in devotional service like chanting, which are joyful, and others, like getting up for mangala-arati,where you have to grit your teeth. If you just do the austerities where you have to grit your teeth and not the joyful ones, then you will lose your taste for devotional service, so there has to be a balance.
It is not possible to absorb your mind for eternity in a stagnant object, but Krishna’s qualities are always increasing and captivating the mind more and more.
They do not have cell phones in the spiritual world. Krishna plays different tunes on his flute to call different groups of friends.
The gopis were envious of Krishna’s flute, for the flute constantly had Krishna’s association while they only did sometimes.
We want to become an instrument like a flute that Krishna can play and attract people back to the spiritual world.
Govardhana Hill adjusts the temperature of the rocks on its slopes to facilitate the pastimes of Krishna according to the season.
When you are humble it changes people’s hearts.
Vaishnava das Prabhu:
I see in the five years I have practiced I have improved. The mind is less of a disturbance.
Sometimes we try to act better just to look good to others, but that is not actually required, for in reality, just by engaging in devotional service we will attain all good qualities.
In Chapter Twelve of Bhagavad-gita many good qualities of a great devotee, such as tolerance in the face of dualities are described, and in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are examples like Maharaja Pariksit and Maharaja Ambarisa, who were not disturbed by extreme difficulty.
Gopala Prabhu:
Krishna wanted to show that worship of Indra is not necessary but that worship should be directed to Krishna or Vishnu. Thus he advised his father not to perform sacrifice for Indra but instead to worship Govardhana Hill which sustained them. As Krishna is not different from Govardhana Hill, he was actually engaging them in Vishnu worship.
Although Krishna killed the many demons who would daily come and harass His associates in Vrindavana, He merely humiliated Indra, who inundated Vrindavana with torrential rain, by lifting Govardhana Hill, because Indra was a devotee at heart.
There are three ways material desires are “fulfilled”:
- You do not get it.
- It is not what you thought it would be.
- It is what you wanted, or even better, but it does not last.
Dr. Dina Bandhu Prabhu:
If we are not fixed on the Supreme, our minds will pursue sense enjoyment.
On the spiritual path, we must be moving forward, otherwise we will end up moving backward.
If we cultivate a relationship with Krishna through yoga, our relationships with other people will automatically improve.
Srila Prabhupada says that if we take one step to Krishna, He will take ten steps to us, but we cannot understand how Krishna will take ten steps toward us until we take that one step toward Him.
It is not if Krishna will reciprocate but when.
Lindsey: Regarding my trip to the Alachua temple for the weekend, I found everything I needed was supplied. I just had to desire to go there.
Amrita Keli devi dasi: We chanted several hours on New Year's Eve in Alachua, then slept five hours, and drove to JAX and chanted two or three hours at the football game, and then we drove to St. Augustine, and chanted several hours in the afternoon. When I returned to Jacksonville my body was wiped out, but I was so happy because of all the chanting which was more than I ever do. I can see Krishna really reciprocates when we go a little beyond what we think is our limit.
Joseph: We always think we do not have time for a spiritual practice, but we find when we make time for a spiritual practice, we still have enough time to do the other things we need to do.
It is a phenomenon that the more people who have the same delusion the more difficult it is to classify it as a delusion. The delusion of maya that we are the body and not the soul is such a widespread delusion.
If you are wearing handcuffs, you have to approach the person who has put them on you in order to get free. Our bondage to the material world is like that. We have to please the Lord to get free.
To understand the message of Krishna we have to hear it through Arjuna’s ears. In other words, we have to accept it as Arjuna did.
comment by Lovelesh: I encountered some web sites discussing popular translations of Bhagavad-gitaand I found that often Bhagavad-gitaAs It Is is number one.
If someone claims to be representing a religious tradition, he should have a good understanding of the soul, for that is one of the ABCs.
comment by Kimani: I was looking for a mantra and found the Hare Krishna mantra in a book. I found it helpful in cleansing my heart and removing obstacles in my life. It brought me happiness that was not available in my life before.
Hanan Prabhu:
The ability to tolerate provoking situations is the quality of the greatest.
The saying “push my buttons” is interesting to me as a non-English speaker. It seems to imply we are like machines like computers that can be controlled by pushing buttons.
Karma is what happens to you, and free will is how you react.
Researchers says we have 32,000 thoughts going through our minds each day. Krishna advises how to deal with them: “Aperson who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires — that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still — can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.”(Bg. 2.70)
Srila Prabhupada advises that we should not become angry at the agent of our karma. One example that illustrates the foolishness of becoming angry at the agent of karma is this: Suppose the postman comes and gives you a letter from Bank of America that states you owe the bank $20,000, and you become angry and take a stick and start beating the postman.
Kunti suffered greatly, perhaps more than anyone else in the Bhagavatam, so she is qualified to talk about it. After suffering many calamities caused by Duryodhana, during the Battle of Kurukshetra, she had to witness one son (Arjuna) killing another son (Karna), which is a terrible thing for a mother to see.
In the Israel army they have a person who has lost a son himself inform a family that their child has died, for such a person can empathize with their situation.
If we tell Krishna, “Tomorrow,” in response to his invitation to surrender. He will say, “Ok. Tomorrow, then.”
------
vande sri-krishna-caitanya-
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau san-dau tamo-nudau
I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krishna Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.2)
ECOV: A CALL TO SERVICE IN NEW VRINDABAN
→ Seeking The Essence
ECOV: A CALL TO SERVICE IN NEW VRINDABAN
Originally posted by Chaitanya Mangala on Brijabasi Spirit 03 April 2013
At the start of 2013 ECOV began asking devotees to share their ideas for projects they’d like to make happen in New Vrindaban. We are repeating this request and reminding everyone that ECOV is open to funding projects in and around New Vrindaban that have a clear community benefit and are consistent with our mission (see below).
Since putting the word out in January, we are pleased to report that we are currently supporting the following programs:
1. Nityodita is leading a team that will soon be producing cream, yogurt, butter, ghee and other milk products for the Deities’ daily offerings using only milk from New Vrindaban cows.
2. Rafael Canuto is busy planting seedlings for the Deity Garden with a goal of providing all of the Temple’s flower needs throughout the 2013 summer growing season.
3. Tapahpunja and his crew are installing three green houses to expand the Garden of Seven Gates agricultural production capabilities by starting the growing season earlier in the spring and extending it later into autumn.
4. Jaya Krsna (Junior) is incorporating environmentally friendly upgrades into renovations at the Guest Lodge, including using low volatile organic compound paint, energy saving CFL bulbs & non-toxic floor underlayment.
5. Madhava Gosh is overseeing the planting of 100 fruit trees, 50 walnuts trees, 110 berries, 20 grape vines and a variety of perennial vegetables; additionally, seven individuals were provided trees to plant at their homes; all of which will add to the overall community food production capacity.
We highlight these examples for two reasons:
First, we want to thank the people mentioned above for stepping forward and developing projects that continue to bring New Vrindaban another step closer to the self-sufficient, Krishna centered village that Srila Prabhupada envisioned.
Second, we want to give readers a flavor of the types of projects we are looking to be involved in, with a goal that after reading these descriptions more devotees will be inspired to step forward, share their ideas and take an active role in expanding these wonderful service possibilities.
By sincerely following Srila Prabhupada’s instructions – and working together cooperatively – we have experienced how we can collectively accomplish more, and in doing so help to increase the pleasure of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra.
In Closing: ECOV is currently accepting and reviewing project proposals. If this is relevant to you, please contact any of the members (listed below) and we will be happy to get you a grant application, answer any questions you may have and see if there is an opportunity for us to serve together.
Mission Statement: ECOV (Earth, Cows, Opportunities & Villages) is dedicated to cow protection, sustainable agriculture, self-sufficiency and simple living — all centered around loving service to Sri Krishna, as envisioned by the ISKCON New Vrindaban Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Board Members: Anuttama, Chaitanya Mangala, Kripamaya, Madhava Gosh, Navin Shyam & Ranaka.
Advisers: Jaya Krsna (Senior) and Varshana Swami.
Quiet
→ Seed of Devotion
Quiet. I have found quiet. The sound of my fingers hitting the keys sound like the clicking of palm tree leaves in the breeze. Fans whir above my head in soft murmurs. The afternoon air is velvet on my skin. I'm surrounded by blue, chalky walls, and when I glance up from this screen I see a black chalkboard covered in algebra equations.
Be present. Write what you know. All week long, I have been coaching and drilling and testing my middle school English students to be present, use their senses, just write write write. Let expression emerge by movement of the pen.
So right now, I'm letting expression emerge by movement of my fingers. I just concluded my second week of teaching, ever. For two weeks I have been amazed, humiliated, surprised, exasperated, and utterly absorbed. Although I am surrounded by whirls of activities and noise and meetings and lessons, I have rarely ever felt so quiet in my life.
Quiet.
Just quiet.
I am doing my duty. With that comes this quiet inside. Even in my depths of discouragement in teaching, I always conclude: where else would I be? What else would I be doing?
My teaching needs a lot of improvement. A lot. Yet Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Better to do one's own duty poorly than another's duty well."
I had found quiet in this computer lab, and now boys have filled the room, their voices reverberating off the walls in discussion of fight scene choreography. Laughter rises. There - a boy just rang the bell that hangs on the tree outside - bong bong bong bong. The boys filter out of the room, chatting.
Class begins soon.
Once again I can hear the clicking of my fingers moving across this keyboard, like palm tree leaves moving in the breeze. All is quiet.
Be present. Write what you know. All week long, I have been coaching and drilling and testing my middle school English students to be present, use their senses, just write write write. Let expression emerge by movement of the pen.
So right now, I'm letting expression emerge by movement of my fingers. I just concluded my second week of teaching, ever. For two weeks I have been amazed, humiliated, surprised, exasperated, and utterly absorbed. Although I am surrounded by whirls of activities and noise and meetings and lessons, I have rarely ever felt so quiet in my life.
Quiet.
Just quiet.
I am doing my duty. With that comes this quiet inside. Even in my depths of discouragement in teaching, I always conclude: where else would I be? What else would I be doing?
My teaching needs a lot of improvement. A lot. Yet Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Better to do one's own duty poorly than another's duty well."
I had found quiet in this computer lab, and now boys have filled the room, their voices reverberating off the walls in discussion of fight scene choreography. Laughter rises. There - a boy just rang the bell that hangs on the tree outside - bong bong bong bong. The boys filter out of the room, chatting.
Class begins soon.
Once again I can hear the clicking of my fingers moving across this keyboard, like palm tree leaves moving in the breeze. All is quiet.
Quiet
→ Seed of Devotion
Quiet. I have found quiet. The sound of my fingers hitting the keys sound like the clicking of palm tree leaves in the breeze. Fans whir above my head in soft murmurs. The afternoon air is velvet on my skin. I'm surrounded by blue, chalky walls, and when I glance up from this screen I see a black chalkboard covered in algebra equations.
Be present. Write what you know. All week long, I have been coaching and drilling and testing my middle school English students to be present, use their senses, just write write write. Let expression emerge by movement of the pen.
So right now, I'm letting expression emerge by movement of my fingers. I just concluded my second week of teaching, ever. For two weeks I have been amazed, humiliated, surprised, exasperated, and utterly absorbed. Although I am surrounded by whirls of activities and noise and meetings and lessons, I have rarely ever felt so quiet in my life.
Quiet.
Just quiet.
I am doing my duty. With that comes this quiet inside. Even in my depths of discouragement in teaching, I always conclude: where else would I be? What else would I be doing?
My teaching needs a lot of improvement. A lot. Yet Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Better to do one's own duty poorly than another's duty well."
I had found quiet in this computer lab, and now boys have filled the room, their voices reverberating off the walls in discussion of fight scene choreography. Laughter rises. There - a boy just rang the bell that hangs on the tree outside - bong bong bong bong. The boys filter out of the room, chatting.
Class begins soon.
Once again I can hear the clicking of my fingers moving across this keyboard, like palm tree leaves moving in the breeze. All is quiet.
Be present. Write what you know. All week long, I have been coaching and drilling and testing my middle school English students to be present, use their senses, just write write write. Let expression emerge by movement of the pen.
So right now, I'm letting expression emerge by movement of my fingers. I just concluded my second week of teaching, ever. For two weeks I have been amazed, humiliated, surprised, exasperated, and utterly absorbed. Although I am surrounded by whirls of activities and noise and meetings and lessons, I have rarely ever felt so quiet in my life.
Quiet.
Just quiet.
I am doing my duty. With that comes this quiet inside. Even in my depths of discouragement in teaching, I always conclude: where else would I be? What else would I be doing?
My teaching needs a lot of improvement. A lot. Yet Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Better to do one's own duty poorly than another's duty well."
I had found quiet in this computer lab, and now boys have filled the room, their voices reverberating off the walls in discussion of fight scene choreography. Laughter rises. There - a boy just rang the bell that hangs on the tree outside - bong bong bong bong. The boys filter out of the room, chatting.
Class begins soon.
Once again I can hear the clicking of my fingers moving across this keyboard, like palm tree leaves moving in the breeze. All is quiet.
Join us for opportunity to get the association of His Holiness Bhaktimarga Swami this Sunday
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG
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