Planet ISKCON

As I’ve been getting ready to start up again, I’ve been trying to figure out which albums to convert first. I’m going to start with the album entitled simply: Mayapur. It was the sixth release by Radha Krishna Productions, though their name doesn’t appear anywhere on the cover or label. Oddly, only “Hare Krishna Records” is mentioned. This is the only Classic ISKCON record that I’ve never converted before.

The label claims that it is a live recording of a Hare Krishna festival, but it absolutely is not. It’s actually three recordings of Srila Prabhupada in the studio. You’ve definitely heard one of the songs before. Probably two. But the third seems to be something that has never been released digitally at all. In fact, I’ve only ever heard it here. That’s exciting!

I’ll then start with the selections that I had first done in 2007. I’ll probably kick that off with Krishna Consciousness by Srila Prabhupada. This was the first ISKCON record ever released. I have it posted, of course, but the MP3s are in a very low quality and no lossless FLAC files exist for it.

From there, I’ll probably head to the double LP called The Beautiful Hare Krsna People, released by Radha Krishna Productions out of Germany. The history of this one is weird and varied, clouded in a Tolkien-like mystery that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Due to the freakish practice of reissuing the same music under various labels and titles, converting this LP will take care of several other releases.

After that will come one of the many, many records inexplicably titled Hare Krsna Festival. This one was released by both Radha Krishna Productions (RKP-1004) and Hare Krishna Records (HKR-1003).

I’ve also been looking for a better copy of Acyutananda Swami’s Songs of the Bengali Vaisnavas, also entitled Lieder Der Bengali Vaisnavas, and most commonly known as India, since that’s the only word appearing on the front cover. My copy, the probable second pressing, sounds horrible. You can read all about it here. I’m currently looking for a clean first pressing.

This is proving very difficult. I’ve found ten record sellers (mostly in Germany) who quite possibly have the first edition. I emailed all of them, asking three specific questions to determine if they have the version I’m looking for.

First, I asked which cover was used. Was it the one with the “cut out” or was it the one without? Second, I asked if the text on the back was in German or English. Third, I asked if the labels were yellow or had a picture on them.

After four days, only two have responded. The first gave me a straight answer, telling me exactly which version they had (sadly, it wasn’t the version I was looking for). The second just said “I’m sorry. No.” Which makes no sense at all, since I wasn’t asking any yes or no questions. The remaining eight have been silent, which is a huge bummer since I’m pretty sure at least two of them have the exact version I’m looking for.

So anyway, I’ll keep everyone updated on the progress.

As it stands now, here is the schedule (with absolutely no promises of a time frame):
-Mayapur
-Krishna Consciousness by Srila Prabhupada
-The Beautiful Hare Krsna People Double LP
-Hare Krishna Festival (RKP-1004/HKR-1003)
-Songs of the Bengali Vaisnavas by Acyutananda Swami (if I find a first pressing)

From there, I’ll move on through the rest of my collection, which can be viewed here. I’m still unsure whether or not I’ll be converting the George Harrison-produced Apple Records since they’re readily available on CD. They are definitely my lowest priority at this point.

And for those who might ask if I’ll be converting a specific record from the 80s, the answer (which is probably “no”) and its explanation can be found here.

When all the vinyl is finished, I will start in on the cassettes! So basically, sometime in 2016.

By the grace of enthusiastic devotees from Alachua, Ratha-yatras are on the increase in North Florida. For the first time we had a Ratha-yatra cart in the St. Augustine Christmas parade. It was also special as this was first time as the new replica Jagannatha Deities rode on the cart. Dharma-raj Prabhu and his family, as usual, made all kinds of practical arrangements, getting the cart there, and decorated.

1. We have funds. We need cover designs and proofreading for fifty low run books.
2. Locating and digitizing art work.
3. Obtaining a tripod for photography.
4. Typists and proofreaders for my autobiography.
5. Visit and promote sdgonline.org and our Facebook site.
6. Buy ebooks and post comments on them.
7. Print 50 sets of 100 of my books to place in schools and libraries at $7 per book.
8. Transferring audio tapes to digital format.

1. to contemplate something we previously experienced
2. dharana: to focus our meditation on a specific subject
3. dhyanam: to meditate on a specific form of the Lord
4. dhruvanusmriti: a flow of remembrance of some pastime of the Lord.
5. samadhi: complete absorption.

By the grace of enthusiastic devotees from Alachua, Ratha-yatras are on the increase in North Florida. For the first time we had a Ratha-yatra cart in the St. Augustine Christmas parade. It was also special as this was first time as the new replica Jagannatha Deities rode on the cart. Dharma-raj Prabhu and his family, as usual, made all kinds of practical arrangements, getting the cart there, and decorated.

1. We have funds. We need cover designs and proofreading for fifty low run books.
2. Locating and digitizing art work.
3. Obtaining a tripod for photography.
4. Typists and proofreaders for my autobiography.
5. Visit and promote sdgonline.org and our Facebook site.
6. Buy ebooks and post comments on them.
7. Print 50 sets of 100 of my books to place in schools and libraries at $7 per book.
8. Transferring audio tapes to digital format.

1. to contemplate something we previously experienced
2. dharana: to focus our meditation on a specific subject
3. dhyanam: to meditate on a specific form of the Lord
4. dhruvanusmriti: a flow of remembrance of some pastime of the Lord.
5. samadhi: complete absorption.

It’s been nearly two years since I’ve done anything with this site. I had been in the middle of reconverting all of the Classic ISKCON Records from vinyl to digital. The older files (done in 2007) sounded fairly bad. The newer ones (from 2011) sound quite a bit better, but still don’t sound as good as I’d like them.

Coming up next!

Recently, I’ve upgraded my equipment and will soon be going back through all of the Classic ISKCON Records and bringing them all up to the sound quality they deserve. They’ll be available in both high bitrate MP3 as well as lossless FLAC files.

That said, everything that I’ve ever converted from vinyl to digital is still available here. When I convert a new version, I’ll post it here and update the links, etc.

As for the Classic ISKCON Tapes, I would really like to update them as well. The problem is that I no longer have a tape deck. That will hopefully soon be remedied. No promises on the time frame though.

For now, I’ve got a record or two that I’ve never posted. They’ll be the first that I do and will become the template of everything I do from here on out.

If you are aware of any ISKCON records or tapes (recorded/released before 1979) that I don’t have, please let me know. I’d love to complete my collection and offer them to the assembled devotees.

Haribol!
-Eric

The first question often asked about the Bhagavad-gita is why was it spoken on a battlefield? Despite a common view that religion is a major cause of war, in most people’s minds the two should remain separate. Religion or spirituality should result in peace not conflict. If one’s spiritual practises bring about the bloodthirsty desire to eliminate the followers of some other faith then they must be suspect. That would surely seem to make sense.

Nevertheless the Gita did arise from a war, the great Battle of Kurukshetra. Not only that, but its final message to Arjuna—a mighty warrior who had suddenly veered towards pacifism—was to give up his “petty weakness of heart” and sally forth to slay his enemies in battle. How then is it a religious text?

Perhaps we should begin by defining religion. Dictionaries usually describe it as a system of belief in some supernatural power. That is where the conflicts tend to arise. My beliefs may well be different to yours, and human nature is such that we identify with these to the point where we create divisions based upon them. Hence we have many religious communities going under different names—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc. In most people’s minds this is what is meant by religion, all these various designations. The Gita however gives a broader definition.

In Sanskrit, the language of the Gita, the word for religion is dharma. This translates more accurately as the essential nature of a thing. In the case of a person this nature is to serve. We are always serving someone or something, be it our boss, family members, country, or maybe just our dog. We cannot avoid service. Even if we have no one to serve we will still serve our own mind and senses, which constantly demand satisfaction in one way or another. We cannot sit peacefully for very long before one bodily demand or another impinges upon us and we have to act to satisfy it.

Vedic wisdom tells us that this service propensity is actually meant for God. This is real religion, the dharma of the soul. No doubt the adherents of all the above named faiths and most others will concur with this, despite their external differences. Whatever our practises the ultimate aim must be to know and love God, to unite with him and serve him eternally. When we serve anything other than God we are never satisfied; we constantly search for the lasting fulfilment that no amount of sensual pleasure or material relationships can provide. As Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.”

This is the message propounded by the Gita. It speaks of all beings as eternal parts of God having an unbreakable loving relationship with him. Arjuna’s dilemma as a warrior who was not inclined to fight was only the external context for a far deeper message than just getting him to take up his weapons. That message is encapsulated in the Gita’s key verse in the ninth chapter, where Krishna says, “Always think of me, offer me your respects, worship me and become my devotee. Surely then will you come to me.” This is the essence of all religion and it was what Arjuna had forgotten. He was thinking he had so many other duties which had all begun to seem onerous, conflicting and ultimately impossible. He got to the point where he did not know which way to turn or what to do. Krishna’s response was simple; just do what I want and you will be peaceful and happy.

As it happened at that time Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight. After all, sometimes fighting and violence are required when there are disturbing elements in society. We need the forces of law and order, which was Arjuna’s duty, but that’s not the real point. The ultimate message of the Gita is not about fighting or any other specific kind of work. It is about surrendering to God, acting only for his pleasure, recognising that this is truly in our own and everyone else’s best interests. When Arjuna understood this point his dilemma was over and he became peaceful. “My illusion is gone,” he told Krishna. “I am now free of duality and prepared to do whatever you ask.” And as Krishna asked him to fight that very fighting became a pure spiritual activity that led Arjuna to the highest point of self-realisation.

All of us are like Arjuna in so many ways. We stand on the battlefield of life faced with all kinds of challenges which often seem overwhelming. Sometimes we too don’t know which way to turn but the message of the Gita is also there for us. “Turn to me,” says Krishna. “I will always protect you and in the end bring you back to me.” That is the fight facing us all, turning from illusion towards Krishna, but with his help we like Arjuna will surely emerge victorious.

A curious confection: The British ‘Stick of Rock’ is made entirely of pink and white coloured sugar and has the name of the seaside town where it is sold running all the way through it. No matter where you slice it, or suck it, you’ll always get the same name, the same sweet taste. So it is with the Vaishnava tradition. The sampradaya is sweet all the way through as is the Name of God. And the stick – the parampara – is the structure that delivers it.

The words sampradaya and parampara are often used interchangeably, as if they conveyed exactly the same meaning. Sampradaya means a school of thought or philosophical conclusion or siddhanta, embodied by a community of orthodox practitioners. Parampara is, quite literally, ‘one after the other’ – an historical chain of spiritual preceptors, each of whom was a legacy-holder for the same path and practice.

Sampradaya refers to what the sincere aspirant may contact in the here and now, how he may be taught the siddhanta in the present day, and locate a current exemplar of the tradition. Whereas parampara refers to how the siddhanta has been transmitted down through the years. It is a chain of illustrious preceptors, each of whom was connected to the previous one, either through accepting the teachings (siksha) or by becoming initiated with a mantra (diksha), or a combination of both. The parampara is a lineage of successive gurus which is established retrospectively, sometimes long after their physical demise. A leading member of the sampradaya – usually the current acarya himself – looks back over the centuries, traces his finger over the spiritual family tree, and concludes: ‘This is how we all got here.’

When we describe a parampara we single out certain persons who have contributed the most in establishing the siddhanta, explaining it to others; defending it from intellectual attack; and leaving behind a body of literature that served best to perpetuate the siddhanta beyond the lifetime of the authors. Yet in choosing some lineage-holders we simultaneously de-select others. They were not unworthy souls, rather, they were great Vaishnavas, each playing their part in supporting, defending and extending the sampradaya in their own time. But others were singled out to have their names as a permanent fixture in the list of the greatest historical contributors.

No devotees living today – including those who initiate disciples – know whether they will be ‘in the parampara,’ although by definition they are already ‘in the sampradaya.’ Of course, for disciples, their own chosen guru is the current representative of the parampara. But if the disciples do not initiate their own disciples then that singular branch of the parampara will terminate at the death of the last disciple.

It may be that the majority of current initiators in the ISKCON branch of the Gaudiya lineage – by this process of discipular termination – will not feature in the parampara 100 years hence, and what to speak of 300 years. They might be collectively featured in some future chronicle as the sincere and determined followers of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; as those who met him personally and helped him in his mission to establish Gaudiya teachings outside India. But the moving index fingers of historians or acaryas of the far-distant future may pass immediately from Srila Prabhupada to the next major contributor in the chain. Names that are firmly fixed in the minds of all today, written in black ink as it were, may fade to grey or disappear completely, as many thousands throughout history have already done. Those who criticize the ISKCON movement for having what they consider to be less-than-suitable names ‘in the parampara’ should not unduly trouble themselves: time and tide will wash away anyone who is undeserving. And those who are already brilliant will continue to shine.

Words by B.B.Govinda Swami

I read, with sadness, of the death of the young Indian girl who was gang raped in Delhi.

My prayers go to that departed soul, to her family, and to her friend who was also beaten and thrown off the bus.

The present perverted culture of India allows rape and molestation of women to take place anywhere and everywhere in the nation.

I have been shocked in hearing the stories of my female students in Vrindavan;

A western lady told me how while standing in front of Radhe Shyam, her eyes closed in prayer, an Indian man approached her, grasped her breasts, touched her buttocks, and rubbed his hand against her private parts.

A forty-ish year old Indian lady told me how on Sri Krishna Janmastami, an Indian man pushed his genitals onto her as everyone was wedged in the crowd trying to have darshan.

I heard tonight on Indian TV that in one political party alone there are 31 accused rapists.

This tragedy stirs me up.

I wish the Indian youth were savvy enough, and courageous enough, to use the social media in the same way that it has been used over the past few years to bring a change to the status quo.

But I think the Indian youth are too afraid of what their parents and society would say. Rather, they use the social media to ape the degraded materialistic culture.

I wish the Indian old elite would do the right thing, step aside, and allow brains that work to develop a structure for the nation in which all the citizens were equal before the constitution.

Yet … a drastic change would bring no good result if there were no Krishna consciousness, God consciousness.

It has been said that the fish rots from the head down.

The world is rotting, India included.

Maybe India is rotting more … for turning away from its ancient spiritual traditions.

Did you ever visit a country of 1,241,491,960 people where over half of the people perform their toilet activities on the train tracks or the sides of the roads daily?

Urination in public is so socially acceptable?

Where people in towns and villages heap their trash in the middle of the national highways?

The rich build huge mansions, high boundary walls, and dump their garbage outside their walls.

Where sacred rivers have been killed, officially declared dead by the World Health Organisation.

Why? Due to the the unrestricted dumping of pollutants from factories and waste from slaughter houses? All run by greedy materialistic men.

A country where over 100,000 people die on the roads yearly, and where hundreds and thousands are left maimed for life.

Where there is noise everywhere, plastic everywhere, smoke and smog everywhere.

And to get the most simple deed accomplished you must give a gift?

As Prabhupada sat and wrote in his rooms at Radha Damodar, he stated that what we are seeing today is simply the burnt remnants of India’s great tradition of culture.

That was 50 years ago.

Yes, a revolution is needed. But, it should be a revolution of consciousness. Krishna consciousness, God consciousness.

These situations make me think, “if I were young I would join a revolution and pull down the rotten machine.”

Now, alas, I am too old to sling stones and could never tolerate gunfire.

But then, when I was young, I did join a revolution. And I am still a small part of it, and I am still trying to pull.

bharata-bhumite hoila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari karo para-upakära

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, para-upakara.

His mission is to be very merciful to all people.

So, I will continue in the revolution of Srila Prabhupada and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

I will continually try to assist my master to change the degraded consciousness of the world.

Please everyone, take the holy names, study the message of Bhagavad Gita, worship Sri Krishna.

By these activities, the degraded material consciousness of this world will change.

One poet said, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror.”

Another small Indian man said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

Together …. Let’s make that change.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Interesting to see that yet another hard-hitting anti-smoking ad campaign is about to be released here in Britain. Although there’s been drastic changes here in the past ten years, there are still so many smokers who cannot conceive of the devastating cancer that lies ahead for them.

In my childhood – in the 1950s and 1960s – just about everyone smoked – and they smoked everywhere. My local cinema was so smoky you had to look through a fug to actually see the screen. Trains, buses, restaurants, pubs and clubs, schools and even in doctor’s surgeries. The doctor might even be smoking when you went to see him!

Now things have changed, and I am stunned that things have changed so much in a relatively short space of time. Now if you want to smoke you have to leave the public building you’re in and stand out in the street,no matter what the weather. But despite this, the intelligent, thoughtful, health-loving British public just doesn’t get it: smoking kills. And its not propaganda.

There are still 8 million smokers in this country; that’s one in every five adults. Last year 800,000 tried to give it up completely, and half of them were successful. That’s great news.

But half of all smokers – that’s 4 million in this country – will go on to die from smoking-related diseases. That’s a crying shame. And in a country where health is paid for from public taxation – not by the insurance company or by the person who is ill – that places a significant drain on public finances. 4 million people needing expensive cancer care is very expensive. Its also wrong if people who made a decision not to smoke are indirectly forced to pay for the healthcare of those that do. And with the financial recession there’s less money to pay for sick people.

Maybe that’s why the government in the UK is working hard to discourage smoking. At least they’re paying £2.5 million for this new campaign that starts soon. But with total tobacco revenue standing currently at £12 billion it would seem that they’re not trying all that hard.

Here’s the new campaign: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/28/smokers-graphic-ad-campaign-tumour

When one thousand people in the United States were asked the question: “What factors brought you to your present religious belief and membership of your current religious community?” the overwhelming majority, 85%, responded that ‘my friend got me interested,’ or ‘my friend was already involved,’ or ‘I went along to the meetings with friends.’ The findings of this survey suggest that a prime influence in religious self-identification (other than deeply-held personal conviction) is our circle of friends; and what we believe then influences our subsequent choices of friends. The committed relationships we maintain with our circle of friends also seem to be a key ingredient in the expansion, socialisation and sustainability of a religious community.

There will always be highly motivated, self-starting, lone seekers of spiritual wisdom. After a mystical experience, or a deeply heart-warming reading of an ancient text, and armed with only their own initial inspiration, they’ll search out a spiritual practitioner who can share his or her wisdom. They may even join a small, very dedicated, band of austere followers. In India it was formerly quite common for a guru to impart rahasya-vidya, secret teachings, to a handful of such disciples, sometimes only one or two. Those disciples would then pass on the secret mantras and tantras to another two disciples. Over the generations this would form a small and exclusive parampara; perfectly valid and intact, but not one that would have any far-reaching social consequences.

The paramparas associated with the Vaishnava community are, in contrast, dedicated to widespread dissemination of knowledge and practice. They are based upon the compassionate uplifting of humanity with the message of the most merciful incarnations and messengers of God. As such, the mantra – at least the particular parampara’s ‘great mantra’ – is distributed to all comers, irrespective of any material or social consideration. It is this friendship to all – the creation of lines of friendship so important to the socialisation of a religious message – that guarantees the widespread popularity of Vaishnavism and its endurance across the centuries.

Although a parampara is simply the handing down of knowledge from teacher to student – guru to sisya – it also generates a parallel manifestation due to its reaching out in friendship to others: a self-perpetuating community of spiritual friends that forms a distinct social grouping, steadily growing down through many centuries.

The authentic teachings of Vaishnavism in written form have become essential in perpetuating a parampara. For this reason modern-day Vaishnavas of ISKCON have digitized the founder-acarya’s teachings, audio recordings and visual images, and provided bomb-proof, museum-level archives for the original materials. Without preservation of the original teachings there would inevitably be philosophical divergence at some point in the future, threatening the perpetuation of the parampara.

But the other elements that serve to sustain a parampara are those that were amply demonstrated by the acarya himself. Firstly, the personal appearances: individual teaching and lecturing – upadesha and upanyasa – with guidance, correction, encouragement, and enthusiasm given to disciples by a living preceptor. Second, the formation of branches of the community, physical places where, in a dedicated environment, followers may gather together for prayer, meditation, worship and discussions. Third, the utter dedication to reaching out to others in a spirit of friendship: free hot meals of sacred food, theatre and colourful festivals, singing processions and sales of philosophical books in accessible language. It is difficult to imagine the present success of ISKCON without these components so generously arranged by the founder.

The sustainability of the parampara would thus seem to be best guaranteed by the preservation of the teaching; the living presence of the exemplars of the teaching; the proliferation of physical spaces where the practices of spirituality can prosper, and the spirit of reaching out to others. And of course, if everyone can remain friends then success is assured.