Freedom
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His habit is to identify his self with the matrix into which his person is poured, and to identify his self-interest with the experiences he finds in that matrix.

A person is an eternal being with limited freedom of choice. His awareness of what choices lie before him is shaped by time-bound material phenomena, which include experiences that are physical, emotional, and mental. The phenomena a person currently experiences are in reaction to his past actions. These reactions are plotted in accordance with three modes of work. Due to his past work within these modes, a person presently has good, mediocre, and bad physical, emotional, and mental experiences. All such experiences are temporary.

In the midst of the matrix of my experience, what do I, a person, ultimately seek? The answer is freedom. “What light is to the eyes,” said a wise man, “what air is to the lungs, what love is to the heart, liberty is to the soul of man.” Everyone wants liberation. Srila Prabhupada, my spiritual teacher, explains that this is the constitutional position of the soul. Constitutionally, we are eternal, complete in knowledge, and full of happiness. But the experience of matter suppresses the experience of our original nature. Now we find ourselves subject to time, ignorance, and misery. Innately, we all yearn for freedom from that suppression.

Three false conceptions of freedom

A liberated person is free to make real choices. Real choice is possible where there are options of real satisfaction. Unfortunately, the matrix of our experience may not permit us free choice. Why? The answer is quite simple: We are eternal, yet the options available to us in this world are not. We want the experience of unadulterated bliss, yet the options available to us in this world are mixed with distress. Choice as we know it now, within the matrix of our present experience, is insubstantial. We select shadows – of love, social life, recreation and so on – that appear and disappear in time. Yet within the confines of our experience, it seems very difficult for us to understand that we have no real freedom of choice. The matrix even supplies us with three notions of freedom: in goodness, in passion, and in ignorance. Unfortunately, they are not real.

three-modes(edit)

“Freedom” in the mode of goodness

Though it too is ultimately false, the goodness conception of freedom is superior to the others. Here, a person aspires for freedom by knowledge and morality, virtues that greatly boost the power of detachment. However, knowledge and morality do not grant us authority over our senses, namely the eyes, the tongue, the nose, the ear, and the sense of touch. Even in goodness, consciousness remains subjected to physical, emotional, and mental phenomena arising uncontrollably out of good, bad, and mixed fortune. A learned, moral person experiences those phenomena in an analytical, self-composed manner. Being detached from his experience, he may think himself liberated. But he is not really liberated if, in the name of goodness, he remains habituated to a life of imprisonment within mundane sensation. In his book The King of Knowledge, chapter seven, Srila Prabhupada explains:

“Goodness is also a kind of contamination. In goodness one becomes aware of his position and transcendental subjects, etc., but his defect is in thinking, ’Now I have understood everything. Now I am all right.’ He wants to stay here. In other words, the person in the mode of goodness becomes a first class prisoner and, becoming happy in the prison house, wants to stay there.”

Our two natures

Our first nature, the substance of our person, is eternal spirit. Our second nature is habit. For example, we have the habit to rejoice or lament our change of fortune. In the language of the Bhagavad-gita, this habit is the duality of bewilderment, which captivates all creatures born in the material world. In a lecture, Srila Prabhupada gave the illustration of a man crying over the death of a son. Who in the world will not cry if his son dies? Even a man of learning and morality will cry at such a loss. “It is habitual,” Srila Prabhupada said. But a person in the mode of goodness tries to be philosophical about it.

In the ancient world, philosophy meant primarily the intellectual method of distinguishing the spirit self from the habits of the body and the mind. Philosophers of the classical Mediterranean culture, which sired European civilization, knew that our first nature can be made well or unwell. The first nature (the spirt self) is made well by the cultivation of virtue. Conversely, as one loses his virtue, his first nature sickens.

In the Latin language, like Sanskrit, the root vir means “strong;” hence, virtue is the quality of a strong, healthy spirit. In European culture there are four classical virtues, foremost of which is sophia, true knowledge of the self beyond time. The others are fortitude, justice, and temperance or self-restraint. In Vedic culture too there are four similar virtues: truthfulness, austerity, mercy, and cleanliness. These are fostered when we refrain from gambling, intoxication, meat-eating (or lack of compassion towards animals and other creatures), and licentiousness.

Attachment to truth is essential to detachment from matter. Above all, truth means the timeless truth beyond my temporal self-image. The image of myself as a father of a son is “true” in a biological, psychological, and social sense, but in fact it is not true in the highest sense because my role as a father is only temporary. It takes real virtue to admit this.

As he laments the death of a son, the grief of a virtuous father is tempered by a sober insight into the deeper meaning of his change of fortune. He knows that what is given and taken away is not his own, for the eternal soul can possess nothing that is temporary. Hence, misfortune for a good person is not really bad. It often serves a lesson healthier than good fortune can, since in so-called good times we tend to forget that nothing in this world can last. As Philosophia, goddess of Greek and Roman thought, declares in The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius: “But if you could see the plan of providence, you would not think there was evil anywhere.”

The world is so planned that misfortune follows good fortune. The childless King Citraketu felt himself greatly blessed by providence when at last his wife bore him a son. Shortly, in a palace intrigue, the baby was poisoned. The king was emotionally crushed. But the sage Narada showed Citraketu that this loss was the very same gain he had celebrated days before. Thus the son was “good” and “evil,” “friend” and “enemy,” the object of both the king’s happiness and distress. When he understood this, the king really gained something – detachment.

For one detached from material gain and loss, “being” is far more important than “becoming” (becoming a father, for instance). No matter what good or ill fortune comes with time, the virtuous person chooses timeless being – his spiritual substance – over any material situation. On the other hand, a person of weak virtue is attached to the ebb and flow of his destiny. He sees the appearance and disappearance of pleasant and unpleasant experiences within time as good or evil. Because he is blind to his own karma under the wheel of fate, he supposes fate to be blind chance; or he supposes there is no fate at all, that success is tenacity of purpose, and failure the reward for laziness. In any case, his habit is to identify his self with the matrix into which his person is poured, and to identify his self-interest with the experiences he finds in that matrix. Thus, he who is pure spirit, becomes dependent upon the shifting arrangements of matter. Such is his bad habit.

When one becomes increasingly dependent upon and controlled by a bad habit, he is said to be addicted. That addiction is sin. Sin is persistent ignorance of our first nature. Sin develops from meat-eating (or participation in unnecessary animal slaughter), licentiousness, gambling, and intoxication, four kinds of behavior that corrode virtue.

It's like getting rid of a persistent head ache by chopping off the head.

It’s like getting rid of a persistent head ache by chopping off the head.

“Freedom” in the mode of passion

In the world of time, the mind hunts for sensual delights that are in turn haunted by old age, disease, death, and rebirth. Yet it is our habit to cherish the restless mind and senses as the agents of our hope. From this habit a passionate philosophy of freedom develops, one that some thinkers call “instrumentalism.”

An instrumentalist is a person for whom the “instrument panel” of the mind and senses is the only valid source of knowledge. He believes the human being can find, with the help of these instruments, the answer to the complex problems of material existence. A human is distinguished from other creatures not by his virtues but by the complexity of his problems. Human questions of right and wrong, true and false, can be solved only on the basis of useful facts, for usefulness is a measure of truth. Theories of the soul and its virtues are useless in practical affairs. Therefore they are untrue. Theories are to be judged not by their “goodness” but by their consequences: what results they give us.
The passionate instrumentalist uses his mind and senses like tools, to locate and dig up treasures buried deep within material nature – riches, rare pleasures, sources of energy, cosmic secrets – that he hopes will serve the needs of the human race. His outlook is prospective, since his faith is invested in the future. Thus “becoming” is far more important than “being.”

But what will he become? He will certainly not become free. His future holds countless births and deaths, for the philosophy of instrumentalism is simply the philosophy of embodied existence. For example, aerospace technology has made it possible for humans to fly high in the sky. If in the human body I convince myself that the most important problems of life are those that flight can solve, I deserve no better than to become a bird in my next life.

“Freedom” in the mode of ignorance

The person in the mode of goodness seeks freedom in being rather than becoming. The person in the mode of passion seeks freedom in becoming rather than being. The person in the mode of ignorance seeks freedom in non-being, or nihilism. He is retrospective in his outlook because in his heart he nurses unending dismay, anger, and frustration about his past experience. Thus he sees hope neither in the present nor future. He chooses to cancel out further involvement in this world by negating his personal self. There are demanding, highly disciplined philosophical systems dedicated to losing one’s self; but, in today’s Western world, many people try it the easy way, through alcohol, drugs, and suicide. Now, there are other angry, frustrated individuals who are not content to passively extinguish themselves. They want to drag the world down with them. Through aggressive, violent behavior and the oppressive domination of others, they seek freedom from the trouble of having to think rationally about the purpose of life. Striking out at the world in blind hatred and trampling it underfoot is just a motif of self-annihilation, as is clear from the examples of history’s famous tyrants like Caligula and Adolf Hitler. Thus, whether he takes the passive or aggressive path, the nihilist’s goal is to eradicate all differences in his life, which means to eradicate life itself.
A creed of voidism is, ex nihilo omne ens qua ens fit – “Every being in so far as it is being is made out of nothing.” If my being is nothing, then neither my self who chooses nor the world of choices has real importance. For a person in goodness, it is important to always choose internal well-being over entanglement in external variety. For a person in passion, it is important to entangle oneself in external variety; yes, more important even than internal well-being. But for a person in ignorance, all this is not worth the trouble.

Good people struggle to be free from the loss of the self to material attraction. Passionate people have no problem with losing themselves in that way. But they struggle to get free from the problems that result from their attraction to matter. The ignorant person claims freedom by disclaiming the importance of the struggles of goodness and passion. He thinks eternal life and worldly happiness are impossible, and the effort to attain them is a waste, an absurdity, nothingness. In Caligula, the French philosopher Albert Camus wrote, “Really this world of ours, this scheme of things as they call it, is quite intolerable. That’s why I want the moon, or happiness, or eternal life – something, in fact, that may sound crazy, but which isn’t this world…This world has no importance; once a man realizes that, he wins his freedom. And yet, I know that all I need is for the impossible to be the impossible!”

On one side, Camus advocated the “ignorant” freedom gained by rejecting life in this world. But that freedom is negative. It is like getting rid of a persistent headache by chopping off the head. On the other side, he admitted this is not what we positively want and need. We want and need positive freedom “to do the impossible.” And what is this impossibility, “Which isn’t this world,” which isn’t the matrix of our present experience? As explained before, it is the freedom to choose among options of real satisfaction, options formed out of the nature of eternal existence, complete knowledge, and pure bliss. But to one in ignorance, because it seems impossible, it is crazy.

Real Freedom

Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.25.15, explains how a person can be bound by and liberated from the three modes of nature:

“The stage in which the consciousness of the living entity is attracted by the three modes of material nature is called conditional life. But when that same consciousness is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is situated in the consciousness of liberation.”

Choice, the essential function of an individual’s consciousness, is defined here. We have two options: to choose to associate with the three modes of nature, or to choose the divine association.

If we choose the modes of nature, we are entrapped by them (the word ‘guna’ means “rope;” each of the modes is a strand of a rope that binds the soul within the matrix of temporal experience). Once so trapped, the soul’s dynamic essence, his power of choice, alternates rapidly back and forth between material dualities: mind and matter, intelligence and foolishness, good and evil, light and darkness, male and female, young and old, sickness and health, heat and cold, pleasure and pain, happiness and distress, wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness, excitement and boredom, sobriety and whimsy, sanity and insanity, honor and dishonor, fame and infamy, birth and death, up and down.

As long as the soul continues to choose between duality, his field of material activities is perpetuated life after life. Choosing the divine association unties the knot of bondage to material duality. As we shall see, liberation in spiritual association affords the soul unlimited opportunities for substantial choice.

(Excerpt from the book Transcendental Personalism by Suhotra Swami)

You Just Live Once, Twice, Thrice…
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Reality is structured; governed by laws. And that is evidenced by patterns. For instance, everywhere on earth that one may throw an object into the sky, it will return to the ground. Depending primarily on the mass of the object and the force that was exerted upon it, the height achieved by the object and the time taken for it to return will differ in a manner that is calculable. Scientists have similarly searched out patterns for countless phenomena that occur in the physical world and thus we have the subjects of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, etc. and their corresponding laws. However, dogma of both a religious and a scientific kind have hindered an unbiased inquiry by modern scientists into the patterns of our own metaphysical reality. While we now have logically and philosophically comprehensible and cohesive answers to questions pertaining to our day-to-day survival and entertainment, science is yet to discover equally persuasive answers to the questions of life and death.

Why are we born; some to a life of riches while others in the gallows of poverty? Why do we look the way we do, some beautiful and others ugly? Why do good things happen to bad people and the other way around? Why do the innocent suffer while the guilty roam free? Why do we die? Does it seem right that the above questions are categorically ordained to the realms of randomness by the same scientists who strive endlessly to see patterns and laws in the microscopic movements of subatomic molecules? This “scientific” attitude will seem rather nonsensical and counterintuitive to the unbiased observer and so herein are presented two laws that do in fact offer philosophically and logically sound alternatives to our presently prevailing paradigm. The current western worldview induces one to consider all the above situations of life a result of randomness, totally devoid of reason, even though that is completely uncharacteristic of the rest of reality which functions like clockwork. But the Vedic perspective explained below is exactly the opposite and aligns completely with our observations of the rest of nature. It constitutes the laws of Karma and Samsara; two frequently misunderstood and hence easily misused concepts, that are accurately elucidated herein, as described in their original source, the ancient Vedic texts.

Karma is cosmic justice. It can be easily understood as a metaphysical extension of Newton’s 3rd law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Just as Newton’s laws apply to all objects, all over the planet, irrespective of our knowledge thereof; similarly, karma brings to all sentient beings the effects of their actions, in the course of time, irrespective of their acknowledgement. It is crucial to understand that time is the vehicle that carries our karma to us. In other words, the results of certain actions may occur within a short time from their cause, but the results of other actions may take many years to fructify. For instance, if I were to slap you now, and you were to slap me in return, I would have received the karmic reaction of my action within moments of the cause. However, if you had restrained yourself from slapping me in return, I would be due to receive the karmic reaction of my action at some time in the future. A useful analogy to understand how we receive our karma is that of an attendant bagging our purchased items at a grocery store. The attendant will not always place our items in the bags according to the order in which we purchased them. Instead, the attendant will place the items in the order that is most convenient to carry and least likely to cause damage. For example, he or she probably won’t place the ice-cream along with some hot bread! Similarly, we won’t receive our karmic reactions in the order we performed our actions, but in the order that restores the cosmic balance.

 

Who can claim that their body has always been the same and not seen the tremendous changes from boyhood to youth to adulthood to old age?

Who can claim that their body has always been the same and not seen the tremendous changes from boyhood to youth to adulthood to old age?

However, karma fails to give answers until understood alongside reincarnation. The theory of reincarnation suggests that we, as embodied selves or souls, have been wandering around the universe since time immemorial; constantly changing bodies in a cycle of birth and death. Any honest person will admit that even within the confines of this one life, their body has never really been the same for more than a few years. In fact, every single body in existence is going through six different stages of birth, growth, reproduction, maintenance, dwindling and death. Who can claim that their body has always been the same and not seen the tremendous changes from babyhood to youth to adulthood to old age? The Vedic teachings of reincarnation are only an extension of this very evident phenomenon. They suggest that since we’ve only ever known the change of bodies, that is exactly what happens at death. Just as we’ve been accepting new bodies at every stage of “life,” we accept another new body at “death”. This is the law of samsara or reincarnation in the cycle of life and death.

According to our karma, we receive birth in a particular family with a particular body type, having certain innate talents within a particular nation, of a particular planet, and in a particular universe. Nothing is left to randomness; everything has a reason. Even what seem to appear to us as accidents or coincidences, are the results of our actions from the past. So when someone ‘innocent’ faces turmoil in life, or when a ‘wrongdoer’ enjoys happiness, it is a result of their actions from previous lives. In fact, every single situation that we face in life is karmically bound to our past. In effect, that which we do now creates our own future. Indeed, we are the true architects of our lives and in many ways our destiny is in our hands.

Professor Ian Stevenson, until his retirement in 2002, was the head of the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia. He investigated more than 2500 past life cases which he published in a series of technical books: Cases of the Reincarnation Type (1975-1983), Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation (1987), etc. He was internationally renowned for his research, which he called the “survival of personality after death” (Fox, NY Times, 2007). It revealed that many people do in fact have memories from their past lives and that these memories are fresh mostly in young children. But why do only some people remember and not everyone?

The Vedic literature explains that our subtle mind, the storehouse of all our memories, travels with us from one body to another in the cycle of samsara. And that a combination of our karma and our thoughts at the moment of death lead us to another body. Some people, especially those who die in traumatic ways, have very strong impressions from their previous lives on their subtle mind. This strong attachment to the previous body enables them to recall certain events, people and places from their past lives, even in their current body. However, just like most of us forget our childhoods by the time we’re in adult bodies, most people forget their past lives after birth. This is indeed desirable, as it saves us from chronic personality disorder! Reincarnation also provides an explanation for many psychological phenomena such as phobias. What modern science explains away as “irrational” phobias are simply strong impressions on our minds from past lives still affecting the psyche in our current life. So it is likely that those people who’re afraid of heights or darkness without any apparent reason, in this life, have had a traumatic experience at a high place or in the darkness in a previous life.

There are three kinds of actions: good actions, bad actions, and non-karmic actions. Good actions result in good karma such as getting a good job, having a healthy life, winning a lottery, etc. Bad actions, those that cause unnecessary suffering to other living beings, result in bad karma such as falling ill, meeting with an accident, having a poor relationship, etc. Bad karma is not as much punishment as it is an opportunity for learning. Just as there’s no better way to teach a thief not to steal than by having something dear stolen from him, bad karma offers every one of us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes. No action, good or bad, is ever overlooked in the cosmic scheme; karma is as infallible as gravity. However, those actions that are performed in transcendental consciousness, when the doer is not looking to selfishly enjoy the results of the activities but is offering them to God, do not incur any kind of karma and are thus called non-karmic or akarmic activities.

The nature of karma is to bind the performer to the material plane of existence. This is because anyone who has some karma remaining at the moment of death must receive another body in order to enjoy or suffer the result of their karmic actions. Thus the only way to escape the endless cycle of birth and death is to cease all karmic activities and perform all work in transcendental consciousness. But why would anyone want to escape the cycle of samsara? To many it may be more appealing to simply accumulate good karma and enjoy the results in a worldly life of luxury. However, good karma -no matter how good- will also bring one back to the material atmosphere, wherein it is impossible to escape the four unwanted conditions of life: birth, old age, disease and death. Irrespective of anyone’s karma, all must face the discomfort of gestation and birth, the inconvenience of old age, the pain of disease, and finally, the doom of separation at death. A truly happy existence must therefore be devoid of these four conditions and so, those who are convinced of this, seek respite from the cycle of repeated birth and death.

Karma and reincarnation, correctly understood, do away with what theologians refer to as the problem of evil. In the Vedic paradigm, life is not unfair or out of our control; everyone deserves exactly what they are experiencing. This is a much more satisfying outlook than the commonly held belief that everyone is victim to randomness or that we’re at the whims of a heavenly screenwriter. Although this paradigm may seem deterministic at first glance, a deeper understanding of it reveals that it certainly allows for free will. Even though our present circumstances are predetermined by our own choices from the past, our future is dependent on our choices right now. The situations we find ourselves in life may for the time being be out of our control, but how we respond to those circumstances and in what consciousness, will determine our future; in that way we have free will.

The purpose of understanding karma and reincarnation isn’t so that we can blame others for their ill-luck or fixate over the karmic consequences of our every action. The purpose is to understand that we’ve been here in the material world a very long time and that we will continue to watch the same movie of life again and again, with only slight changes in the script, until we endeavor to gain release from the cycle of birth and death by understanding our essential nature as eternal spiritual beings in search for the absolute truth; the highest plane of existence devoid of birth, old age, disease and death.

Doors Open Toronto this Weekend!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Blog!


This weekend (May 25 - 26), the Hare Krishna Centre is participating In Doors Open Toronto. Annually, 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and social significance open their doors to the public for a city-wide celebration. While Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple is open, free of charge, to the public year-round, Doors Open presents an opportunity for the public to learn about the architectural and historical story of our amazing building!

Guided Tours will take place from 10am-5pm on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th. Guided tours of the building highlight the architectural, historical and spiritual history of the building. There are also visual displays of media news clippings and interesting publications related to the building. There will also be a book lounge and free refreshments provided to the visiting public!

Additionally, the regular Sunday programme (Sunday Feast) is open to the public 6:00-8:30pm, including a Free Vegetarian feast served at 7:30pm.

For more information, please visit the official Doors Open website here.

We hope to see you!

If you would like to volunteer for this event please contact Radha Bhakti devi dasi

Doors Open Toronto this Weekend!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Blog!


This weekend (May 25 - 26), the Hare Krishna Centre is participating In Doors Open Toronto. Annually, 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and social significance open their doors to the public for a city-wide celebration. While Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple is open, free of charge, to the public year-round, Doors Open presents an opportunity for the public to learn about the architectural and historical story of our amazing building!

Guided Tours will take place from 10am-5pm on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th. Guided tours of the building highlight the architectural, historical and spiritual history of the building. There are also visual displays of media news clippings and interesting publications related to the building. There will also be a book lounge and free refreshments provided to the visiting public!

Additionally, the regular Sunday programme (Sunday Feast) is open to the public 6:00-8:30pm, including a Free Vegetarian feast served at 7:30pm.

For more information, please visit the official Doors Open website here.

We hope to see you!

If you would like to volunteer for this event please contact Radha Bhakti devi dasi

Gaṇeśa in Bhakti
→ The Enquirer

English: Ganesh, India Español: Ganesh, India

A friend recently asked me,

“How come Rupa Goswami said to worship Ganesh? I saw on FB you have a Ganesh altar and since you studied Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, I’m asking you for the tika behind that instruction of worshipping Ganesh.”

(A) I don’t exactly have a Gaṇeśa altar. Once upon a time my wife and I bought a wooden statue of Gaṇeśa from a “Pier One” type store. We took it with us when we moved to Japan. My mother in law, whom we live with, created an altar around it. So, it’s not my altar, really.

(B) Rūpa Goswāmī didn’t say to worship Gaṇeśa.  Nectar of Devotion (a summary presentation of Śrī Rūpa’s Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu) does say, in Chapter Eight,

“One should begin the worship of the demigod Gaṇapati, who drives away all impediments in the execution of devotional service. In the Brahma-saḿhitā it is stated that Gaṇapati worships the lotus feet of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva and in that way has become auspicious for the devotees in clearing out all impediments. Therefore, all devotees should worship Gaṇapati.”

This, however, is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s inclusion of material from Śrī Jīva’s commentary on Śrī Rūpa’s Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu. The commentary is on BRS 1.2.118, which lists as the 19th item of sādhanaseva-nāmāparādhānāṁ varjanaṁ” (“Casting off the anti-affections in deity worship and chanting of Krishna’s name.”) In his commentary on this verse, Śrī Jīva goes to the extent of enumerating 64 anti-affections (aparādhā, “offenses”) to serve as examples of what to avoid and cast off. One idea that emerges from this list is to avoid jumping into worship unprepared. When you do service to Krishna, you should do it nicely, calmly, and fully from start to finish – not abbreviating it. Abbreviation is likely to be a symptom of anti-affection. Therefore Jīva Goswāmī advises us to be on guard against abbreviation of our services.

One specific way in which abbreviation can take place involves neglect of Gaṇeśa. All auspicious deeds should begin be worshipping Gaṇeśa. This puts the performer in a fortunate, blessed position therefore more likely to carry out the deed / service nicely. If we skip the worship of Gaṇeśa at the beginning of our seva, we are abbreviating our service – and that is likely to be an anti-affection that will ruin the point of the service: to practice affection (bhakti).

Now, the devotee may question:

But Gaṇeśa is a material demigod, and we are not supposed to worship other gods besides Krishna.

This attitude is not exactly, necessarily “wrong” but in most cases today it carries the strong scent of the Judeo-Christian approach to divinity, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me… For I am a jealous God.” This is not an accurate conception for Krishna. Krishna is generous, not jealous.  There are many other gods, and they are all invested with power by Hari (Krishna), therefore we certainly respect them all – though certainly our heart naturally reserves its true affections for adorable Krishna alone.

This, in fact, is the injunction given by Śrī Rūpa in the verse two verses before the one under discussion here. BRS. 1.2.116 lists the 16th practice of sādhana as anya devajñā (“Following the orders of other gods”) – and Śrī Rūpa quotes Padma Purāṇa to substatiate it: “Always worship Hari – who is the master of all the Gods; but also do not disrespect Brahmā, Rudra, and others.”

There is nothing wrong with worshipping a demigod for the purpose of serving Krishna. What is wrong is to worship a demigod to gain personal rewards. In fact this is the general principle applying to all things“anukūlyeṇa saṁkalpa, pratikūlyeṇa varjita” - we will do anything for the purpose of serving Krishna, and not do anything for any other purpose.

Gaṇeśa, like all gods, worships the Supreme Person, Hari – to obtain the power to carry out his responsibility as a god. Specifically Śrīla Prabhupāda says that he worships Hari in the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva. Seeing the gods as a class of Vaiṣṇava, we who aspire to be Vaiṣṇava will always respect them as such.

So, if we are very elaborate and “full-format” in our pūjā, we begin with “maṅgalācaraṇa” (auspicious beginning), which traditionally means respecting Gaṇeśa. If we abbreviate this, it is a lack of affection for Krishna – and we should avoid that. Perhaps it is not necessary to include Gaṇeśa in the maṅgalācarana of our pūjā. All gods are respected by respecting the guru. Therefore by remembering and respecting our guru in the beginning of our worship of Krishna – we perform a full maṇgalācarana. And, as Prabhupāda indirectly indicates in the 8th chapter of Nectar of Devotion – a full maṅgalācarana can be effected simply by chanting the all-powerful Hare Krishna mantra in the right state of mind.

One might ask:

Why is Gaṇeśa traditionally associated with auspicious beginnings?

The answer is that Gaṇeśa is the god of thresholds. You can investigate the story of Gaṇeśa getting an elephant’s head to see that his mother Pārvatī put him in charge of guarding the door, the threshold. A doorway is the entrance to, thus the beginning of, a place. So, by being the guardian of thresholds, Gaṇeśa Jī is the guardian of beginnings. If you want a new endeavor to “get off to the right start” you should remember Gaṇeśa while starting, and ask him humbly for his blessing of your crossing the threshold.

I hope this helps satisfy your curiosity.

 


Six Ingredients
→ Servant of the Servant

Six ingredients in worshipping the Deity
  1. Water
  2. Aasana
  3. Cloth
  4. Lamp
  5. Food grains
  6. Betel nuts
Six ingredients for invoking auspiciousness
  1. Cow dung
  2. Cow urine
  3. Yogurt
  4. Milk
  5. Ghee
  6. Gorocana
Six ingredients in devotional path or bhajana marga
  1. Offering obeisances
  2. Offering prayers
  3. Offering the fruits of all activities
  4. Offering services
  5. Remembering the Lotus Feet of the Lord
  6. Hearing topics of the Lord
source: Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata Madhya Kanda Part One, Ch six Text 33 Purport

Hare Krishna

Six Ingredients
→ Servant of the Servant

Six ingredients in worshipping the Deity
  1. Water
  2. Aasana
  3. Cloth
  4. Lamp
  5. Food grains
  6. Betel nuts
Six ingredients for invoking auspiciousness
  1. Cow dung
  2. Cow urine
  3. Yogurt
  4. Milk
  5. Ghee
  6. Gorocana
Six ingredients in devotional path or bhajana marga
  1. Offering obeisances
  2. Offering prayers
  3. Offering the fruits of all activities
  4. Offering services
  5. Remembering the Lotus Feet of the Lord
  6. Hearing topics of the Lord
source: Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata Madhya Kanda Part One, Ch six Text 33 Purport

Hare Krishna

The Best Of Shaktifest
→ travelingmonk.com

Held in the desert of Southern California, Shaktifest draws thousands of spiritual seekers each year. Yoga classes, meditation workshops and hours of kirtan attract people from all over the USA. This year myself, BB Govinda Maharaja, Bada Haridas, Karnamrta dasi and other ISKCON devotees performed ecstatic kirtans both on and off the main stage. I [...]

Australian AGM
→ Ramai Swami

20130522-084214.jpg

20130522-084249.jpg
The Australian National Council met at Govinda Valley in May for their annual general meeting. There were about 20 participants who came from the temples to discuss various issues pertaining to development of the Australian yatra.

Govinda Valley, a property of about 20 acres, was purchased about 10 years ago and is set in a beautiful valley at Otford, just one hour south of Sydney. It is also only 5 minutes from the beach and visitors like to swim there during the summer months.

Throughout the year devotees have retreats there and at other times yoga groups book the facility for their functions as well.

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Narsimha Chaturdasi 2013 Celebrations
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG


THE ADVENT OF LORD NRSIMHADEV

In the purport of 7.8.51 of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada writes, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His transcendental form of Lord Nrsimhadev is always ready to kill the demons who always create disturbances in the minds of honest devotees. To spread the Krishna consciousness movement, devotees have to face many dangers and impediments all over the world, but a faithful servant who preaches with great devotion to the Lord must know that Lord Nrsimhadev is always his protector.”

Lord Nrsimhadev is therefore worshipped by the devotees as their Supreme Protector and they also pray that He vanquishes all obstacles that they may face on the path of devotional service. So it is with much enthusiasm that the devotees come together to worship the Lord on this day of His appearance in the material world.

Special prayers are sung for Lord Nrsimhadev throughout the day and a complete fast is to be observed by the devotees till dusk to express their love and gratitude to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Here’s the link to Srila Prabhupada’s lecture regarding Advent of Lord Nrsimhadev:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_1cYFd-EWk


NARSIMHA CHATURDASI PROGRAM INCLUDES:
7:00pm          Guru Puja
7:15pm          Main Aarti
7:30pm          Narasimha Pranam
7:35pm          Welcome Announcements
7:40pm          Glories on Appearance of Lord Narsimha Dev by HG  Vaisnava Dasa
8:20pm          Abhishekam
                      Recitation of Brahma Samhita
9:00pm          Sunday School performance
9:30pm          Sringar Aarti & Closing kirtan
9:45pm          Honouring of Prasadam
 
SPONSORSHIPS AND DONATIONS:
ISKCON Brampton always appreciates your constant support in so many different ways that you are doing to help us carry on Srila Prabhupada’s mission of spreading the message of the Bhagavad Gita all around.

Maha abhiseka..............................$51[per family]
LakshmiNarasimha maha feast.....$251
LakshmiNarasimha maha aarti.....$108
Florals and garlands......................$108
For sponsorships, please contact Mother Krsna Smaran (kavitabalram@yahoo.com).
 
Please contact Acarya Thakur Prabhu [alexf108@gmail.com]or mother Prema Gaurangi [premagaurangi.jps@hotmail.com] for any festival related matters. Your valuable comments and suggestions to improve the festivals are always welcome. 

Narsimha Chaturdasi 2013 Celebrations
→ ISKCON BRAMPTON'S BLOG


THE ADVENT OF LORD NRSIMHADEV

In the purport of 7.8.51 of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada writes, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His transcendental form of Lord Nrsimhadev is always ready to kill the demons who always create disturbances in the minds of honest devotees. To spread the Krishna consciousness movement, devotees have to face many dangers and impediments all over the world, but a faithful servant who preaches with great devotion to the Lord must know that Lord Nrsimhadev is always his protector.”

Lord Nrsimhadev is therefore worshipped by the devotees as their Supreme Protector and they also pray that He vanquishes all obstacles that they may face on the path of devotional service. So it is with much enthusiasm that the devotees come together to worship the Lord on this day of His appearance in the material world.

Special prayers are sung for Lord Nrsimhadev throughout the day and a complete fast is to be observed by the devotees till dusk to express their love and gratitude to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Here’s the link to Srila Prabhupada’s lecture regarding Advent of Lord Nrsimhadev:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_1cYFd-EWk


NARSIMHA CHATURDASI PROGRAM INCLUDES:
7:00pm          Guru Puja
7:15pm          Main Aarti
7:30pm          Narasimha Pranam
7:35pm          Welcome Announcements
7:40pm          Glories on Appearance of Lord Narsimha Dev by HG  Vaisnava Dasa
8:20pm          Abhishekam
                      Recitation of Brahma Samhita
9:00pm          Sunday School performance
9:30pm          Sringar Aarti & Closing kirtan
9:45pm          Honouring of Prasadam
 
SPONSORSHIPS AND DONATIONS:
ISKCON Brampton always appreciates your constant support in so many different ways that you are doing to help us carry on Srila Prabhupada’s mission of spreading the message of the Bhagavad Gita all around.

Maha abhiseka..............................$51[per family]
LakshmiNarasimha maha feast.....$251
LakshmiNarasimha maha aarti.....$108
Florals and garlands......................$108
For sponsorships, please contact Mother Krsna Smaran (kavitabalram@yahoo.com).
 
Please contact Acarya Thakur Prabhu [alexf108@gmail.com]or mother Prema Gaurangi [premagaurangi.jps@hotmail.com] for any festival related matters. Your valuable comments and suggestions to improve the festivals are always welcome. 

ISKCON Scarborough – Grand Appearance day celebrations of Lord Narasimhadev – Friday – May 24th 2013‏
→ ISKCON Scarborough



Hare Krishna!

Please accept our humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Narasimha Caturdasi is the celebration of the appearance day of Lord Narasimhadev, a direct incarnation of the Lord in His half-man, half-lion form. Lord Narasimhadev appeared in order to protect his dear most devotee, Prahlada Maharaja, whose demonic father, Hiranyakasipu was a powerful atheist and enemy of the Lord.

When the angry demon Hiranyakasipu asked his Vaisnava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, Prahlada Maharaja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. Hiranyakasipu then struck the pillar with his fist, and with a tumultuous roaring sound, Lord Narasimhadev burst forth from the column and killed the demon.

Lord Narasimhadev is Krishna Himself, appearing especially in this form to reciprocate with our desire to remove all the obstacles in our devotional service.

"Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although very ferocious to non-devotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadev is very, very gentle and kind to His devotees like Prahlada Maharaja."- HG Pankajanghri prabhu

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.8: The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambudvipa

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Narasimha deva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demon like desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world”

On the auspicious occasion of the appearance day of Lord Narasimhadev, there will be grand celebrations at ISKCON Scarborough starting at 6.30 pm coming Friday- May 24th 2013

6.30 pm- Abishek on the deities of Lord Narasimhadev
7.15 pm- class on the divine appearance & pastimes of Lord Narasimhadev
8.15 pm – Arti & Kirtan
8.45 pm- 1 round of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha mantra
9 pm- free vegetarian feast

Benedictions for hearing Lord Narasimhadev’s pastimes: Narada Muni to Maharaj Yudhisthir
Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.46:
One who hears and chants this narration (Lord Narasimhadev’s pastimes) about the omnipotence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is certainly liberated from material bondage without fail.

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.47:Anyone who with great attention hears this narration concerning the activities of Prahlada Maharaja, the killing of Hiranyakasipu, and the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narasimhadeva, surely reaches the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety.

We humbly welcome you, your family, friends and relatives to ISKCON Scarborough to take part in the celebrations and par take the unlimited blessings of Lord Narasimhadev

With best wishes from,

ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7
Phone: 647-955-0415

Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

website:
http://www.iskconscarborough.com

ISKCON Scarborough – Grand Appearance day celebrations of Lord Narasimhadev – Friday – May 24th 2013‏
→ ISKCON Scarborough



Hare Krishna!

Please accept our humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Narasimha Caturdasi is the celebration of the appearance day of Lord Narasimhadev, a direct incarnation of the Lord in His half-man, half-lion form. Lord Narasimhadev appeared in order to protect his dear most devotee, Prahlada Maharaja, whose demonic father, Hiranyakasipu was a powerful atheist and enemy of the Lord.

When the angry demon Hiranyakasipu asked his Vaisnava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, Prahlada Maharaja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. Hiranyakasipu then struck the pillar with his fist, and with a tumultuous roaring sound, Lord Narasimhadev burst forth from the column and killed the demon.

Lord Narasimhadev is Krishna Himself, appearing especially in this form to reciprocate with our desire to remove all the obstacles in our devotional service.

"Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly, although very ferocious to non-devotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadev is very, very gentle and kind to His devotees like Prahlada Maharaja."- HG Pankajanghri prabhu

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.8: The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambudvipa

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Narasimha deva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possesses nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demon like desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world”

On the auspicious occasion of the appearance day of Lord Narasimhadev, there will be grand celebrations at ISKCON Scarborough starting at 6.30 pm coming Friday- May 24th 2013

6.30 pm- Abishek on the deities of Lord Narasimhadev
7.15 pm- class on the divine appearance & pastimes of Lord Narasimhadev
8.15 pm – Arti & Kirtan
8.45 pm- 1 round of chanting the Hare Krishna Maha mantra
9 pm- free vegetarian feast

Benedictions for hearing Lord Narasimhadev’s pastimes: Narada Muni to Maharaj Yudhisthir
Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.46:
One who hears and chants this narration (Lord Narasimhadev’s pastimes) about the omnipotence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is certainly liberated from material bondage without fail.

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.47:Anyone who with great attention hears this narration concerning the activities of Prahlada Maharaja, the killing of Hiranyakasipu, and the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narasimhadeva, surely reaches the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety.

We humbly welcome you, your family, friends and relatives to ISKCON Scarborough to take part in the celebrations and par take the unlimited blessings of Lord Narasimhadev

With best wishes from,

ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough,Ontario,
Canada,M1V4C7
Phone: 647-955-0415

Email Address:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

website:
http://www.iskconscarborough.com

Teachings of My Mother
→ Karnamrita's blog

Author: 
Karnamrita Das

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed; works best with Firefox or Explorer)
 photo MeandMomWeb451x640_zpse4f22564.jpg
[reposted from 05-20-2013]
Saturday, May 20th was the death anniversary of my mom. I usually post the blog I wrote a few days after she “left her body” (as devotees call death of the physical body, since the soul moves on) seven years ago. Although, I’ll give some links for a whole series of blogs I wrote around that time, I would like to express some thoughts for your consideration, and perhaps, for thinking of your own mom, or your relationship to your parents in general. One of the questions I am thinking about is: “How has your relationship with your parents affected your life in terms of your relationships with your spouse and children (if you are married), or to friends, people in general, or yourself?”

There are many events in life which are like initiations into stages of growth, the first being birth and the last death—the number and type of “initiations” in between those two periods are as individual as people are. For me, some of my significant growth opportunities were: moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco at four years old, the shock of going to Junior High School from a tightknit grammar school, when my parents divorced and I had to live with my father, when my High School met Haight-Ashbury (so to speak), or how I let hippiedom appear to torpedo my education but also lay the ground work for my spiritual quest, my second girlfriend, spiritual initiation at 20, my guru Shrila Prabhupada’s leaving his body, marriage, the struggle to find an occupation, and to the point of this blog, the “death” of my parents.

I haven’t spoken about my father’s death, though I should, as he died by his own hand with a 38 Special revolver. He was obviously miserable, felt his life unmanageable, and had no spiritual knowledge to help him. Although I later went to the place where he committed suicide in an attempt to release his soul, in case he had a ghost body, his death was not as fortunate as my moms. I was able to surround her with prayers and a spiritual environment as she passed on.

read more

Teachings of My Mother
→ Karnamrita.das's blog

Author: 
Karnamrita Das

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed; works best with Firefox or Explorer)
 photo MeandMomWeb451x640_zpse4f22564.jpg

Monday, May 20th is the death anniversary of my mom. I usually post the blog I wrote a few days after she “left her body” (as devotees call death of the physical body, since the soul moves on) three years ago. Although, I’ll give some links for a whole series of blogs I wrote around that time, I would like to express some thoughts for your consideration, and perhaps, for thinking of your own mom, or your relationship to your parents in general. One of the questions I am thinking about is: “How has your relationship with your parents affected your life in terms of your relationships with your spouse and children (if you are married), or to friends, people in general, or yourself?”

There are many events in life which are like initiations into stages of growth, the first being birth and the last death—the number and type of “initiations” in between those two periods are as individual as people are. For me, some of my significant growth opportunities were: moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco at four years old, the shock of going to Junior High School from a tightknit grammar school, when my parents divorced and I had to live with my father, when my High School met Haight-Ashbury (so to speak), or how I let hippiedom appear to torpedo my education but also lay the ground work for my spiritual quest, my second girlfriend, spiritual initiation at 20, my guru Shrila Prabhupada’s leaving his body, marriage, the struggle to find an occupation, and to the point of this blog, the “death” of my parents.

I haven’t spoken about my father’s death, though I should, as he died by his own hand with a 38 Special revolver. He was obviously miserable, felt his life unmanageable, and had no spiritual knowledge to help him. Although I later went to the place where he committed suicide in an attempt to release his soul, in case he had a ghost body, his death was not as fortunate as my moms. I was able to surround her with prayers and a spiritual environment as she passed on.

read more

Fierce Festival
→ The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland

The Perfection of Horror This Sunday 26th May, at the Loft will be the ultimate mid year festival. From the international speaker, spiritual teacher and author, Devamrita swami, we will hear about real wisdom and the origin to our pleasure propensities, including the pleasure of horror or being scared. This will all be sandwiched with [...]

The post Fierce Festival appeared first on The Loft Yoga Lounge Auckland.

09 Bir Krishna Goswami-Psychophysical Nature
→ Successful Vaisnavas – Personal Development for Hare Krishnas

In this episode His Holiness Bir Krishna Goswami discusses using our psychophysical nature so that we can engage ourselves properly in Krishna consciousness.      This is the basis of the varnasrama system and follows on from our discussion last week with His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami about how to find your varna.      […]

The post 09 Bir Krishna Goswami-Psychophysical Nature appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

09 Bir Krishna Goswami-Psychophysical Nature
→ Successful Vaisnavas

In this episode His Holiness Bir Krishna Goswami discusses using our psychophysical nature so that we can engage ourselves properly in Krishna consciousness.

question12 hours clock Fiji Sevens   Golf in the Rain

This is the basis of the varnasrama system and follows on from our discussion last week with His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami about how to find your varna.

 book            sword           gold hammer

To contact His Holiness Bir Krishna Goswami or to hear more from him visit

http://bkgoswami.com

Bir Krishna Goswami

There is also an update on the “tidy up the house” and “put shelves in the cupboard” project (that we have been discussing for the last few weeks. )You will get some tips for communicating with employees and tradespeople to make sure that the job gets done the way that you really want. 

Final preparations are being put in place for the launch of the Successful Vaisnavas Online Course.

 More information will be given on the upcoming live online event.

Go to http://successfulvaisnavas.com/hangout to register.

“Just Hear” the Name???
→ The Enquirer

This can be what "Hare Krishna, Hare Rama" LOOKS like when you hear it.

This can be what “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama” LOOKS like when you hear it.

Krishna’s name is a noun, a transcendent noun.

Nouns are words, sounds that carry meaning. When you hear a word in a language you don’t understand – it is only sound. But as you repeatedly listen with curiosity and intelligence the meaning becomes clear. When you understand a language, hearing the sound of a word immediately invokes your awareness of the meanings and implications of the word.

There is no real meaning to “hearing the sound” of Krishna’s name without the sound of that name causing you to become aware of Krishna.

When we are “newborn” we don’t understand much in the sound of words (Krishna’s names). So it behooves us to listen carefully to the sound, with curiousity and intelligence (i.e. do our best to learn as much as we can about the person being named,  mainly by reading Śrīmad Bhāgavatam). When we are “a few years old” we begin to understand words. When we hear the names of Krishna, the sound will invoke in us awareness of the person being named – naturally, that is simply what nouns do.

However, the names of Krishna are transcendental nouns. Therefore as we become “full grown” in hearing and chanting these nouns – hearing the name of Krishna will invoke in our awareness direct cognition of the named (Krishna). At this stage we begin to experience in the name more than what we read about Krishna – more directly, more personally. The name is becoming pure and showing its inherent nature of non-duality from the named.

The effort to “simply hear” the name, without “remembering Krishna” as a result of hearing it is rather like an infant trying to remain an infant and never learn how to use words.


Narsimha Caturdasi – This Friday!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Blog!

Festival season continues with Narsimha Caturdasi on Friday, May 24th 2013. This festival marks the appearance day of Lord Narsimhadeva, Krishna's half-man half-lion incarnation who appeared in order to protect the saintly child Prahlada who was being tormented by his father, Hiranyakashipu.

On Friday, May 24th, Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre will be celebrating Narsimha Caturdasi, starting at 6pm and will include an abhisheka (bathing ceremony) and amazing kirtan!

Schedule (subject to change):

6:00pm - 6:30pm: Kirtan (Arati)
6:30pm - 6:40pm: Welcome and Announcements
6:40pm - 7:25pm: Discourse on Lord Narsimhadeva
7:25pm - 8:00pm: Abhisheka (Bathing Ceremony)
8:00pm - 8:30pm: Kirtan (Arati)
8:30pm - onwards: Vegetarian Feast

Celebrations will include a special surprise so please join us on this auspicious occasion!

Narsimha Caturdasi – This Friday!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Blog!

Festival season continues with Narsimha Caturdasi on Friday, May 24th 2013. This festival marks the appearance day of Lord Narsimhadeva, Krishna's half-man half-lion incarnation who appeared in order to protect the saintly child Prahlada who was being tormented by his father, Hiranyakashipu.

On Friday, May 24th, Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre will be celebrating Narsimha Caturdasi, starting at 6pm and will include an abhisheka (bathing ceremony) and amazing kirtan!

Schedule (subject to change):

6:00pm - 6:30pm: Kirtan (Arati)
6:30pm - 6:40pm: Welcome and Announcements
6:40pm - 7:25pm: Discourse on Lord Narsimhadeva
7:25pm - 8:00pm: Abhisheka (Bathing Ceremony)
8:00pm - 8:30pm: Kirtan (Arati)
8:30pm - onwards: Vegetarian Feast

Celebrations will include a special surprise so please join us on this auspicious occasion!

Planting Berry Bushes 101
→ Life With the Cows and Land




Springtime brings planting in the cow dung fertilized earth of ISCOWP farm. This year, besides vegetables, we are planting perennials of rose bushes, lilac bushes, berry bushes, lavender and even an almond tree. These plants are for the use of the ISCOWP staff but also to make products for our members and for sale to support ISCOWP's cow protection activities.

A little elementary instruction for a 4 year old and anyone who does not know much about planting is in this video.

Planting Berry Bushes 101
→ Life With the Cows and Land




Springtime brings planting in the cow dung fertilized earth of ISCOWP farm. This year, besides vegetables, we are planting perennials of rose bushes, lilac bushes, berry bushes, lavender and even an almond tree. These plants are for the use of the ISCOWP staff but also to make products for our members and for sale to support ISCOWP's cow protection activities.

A little elementary instruction for a 4 year old and anyone who does not know much about planting is in this video.