Planet ISKCON

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With TOVP’s state-of-the-art Flipbook service, we are able to increasingly offer various publications, calendars and promotional materials as viewable, downloadable, shareable and printable Flipbooks on the TOVP website.

Now available are the North America and India 2022 calendars, set to the theme of the Prabhupada Welcome Ceremony from October 14 and 15 this year celebrating the arrival of Srila Prabhupada to his new home in the TOVP. All Vaisnava and important secular days are included.

Visit the TOVP Flipbook Page to view the calendars and other flipbooks we have created for your transcendental pleasure, and share them with others.

Hare Krishna!

Madhava Smullen is synonymous with ISKCON News. For the last 14 years, he has been the main storyteller for the global ISKCON Community for the news site. 

Here is a great and easy idea for the Christmas Marathon. One of the brahmacaryas here in San Diego, Govardhana prabhu, came up with it. He puts together three soft-bound books (Gita, Science of Self-realization, and Chant and Be Happy), and puts a Christmas bow around them.

Source: Sanskrit Sense

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Source: Veena Mauri

Mahotsaha Das has proven that the words of our founder Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are still living strong in the hearts of many.  Our beloved Srila Prabhupada’s heartfelt call to all his students of Bhakti Yoga to push vigorously for book distribution is amazingly still being carried down with great enthusiasm and fervor by his grand disciples.  

A brand new Crossways Hare Krishna Restaurant has opened in the heart of the busiest part of Melbourne, Australia, serving inexpensive all-you-can-eat vegetarian and vegan meals to the Melbourne community. 

With this holiday season upon us, devotees from Alachua as well as from Gainesville’s Krishna House, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine participated in the St. Augustine Christmas Parade in Florida on December 4^th.

Once in India Srila Prabhupada said to you “Yamuna you will become as famous as the river Yamuna.” In the mood of a pilgrim at the banks of a sacred river offering drops back to the river in the hope of receiving its blessings, so I offer to you words from your own life of devotion in the hope that this fallen soul may receive your mercy . The above prophetic words were spoken by Srila Prabhupada after a gentleman in India had just shown him a glowing newspaper article about the success of Sri Sri Radha Londonisvari with pictures of the Deities. It was largely down to your high standards as a pujari, and your expertise in organisation which he praised you for. He turned to you and uttered these words , and then he laughed and laughed and laughed. You made him laugh. Continue reading "In appreciation of Mother Yamuna’s biography
→ Dandavats"

                                                 Manager Ramesh Das in the new Crossways restaurant on opening day A brand new Crossways Hare Krishna Restaurant has opened in the heart of the busiest part of Melbourne, Australia, serving […]

The post New Crossways Hare Krishna Restaurant Opens in the Heart of Melbourne appeared first on ISKCON News.

                                                 Manager Ramesh Das in the new Crossways restaurant on opening day A brand new Crossways Hare Krishna Restaurant has opened in the heart of the busiest part of Melbourne, Australia, serving […]

The post New Crossways Hare Krishna Restaurant Opens in the Heart of Melbourne appeared first on ISKCON News.

Mahotsaha Das distributing books “I want that you all my students shall very vigorously try for this book distribution.” Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Kirtiraja — Vrindaban 27 November 1971 Mahotsaha Das has proven that the words of our founder Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada are still living strong in the hearts of […]

The post Mahotsaha Das Breaks Book Distributing Record appeared first on ISKCON News.

  In his purport to Caitanya Caritamrta (Madhya 24.256), he writes, “This is the process of initiation. The disciple must vow that he will no longer commit sinful activity — namely illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication. He promises to execute the order of the spiritual master. Then the spiritual master takes care of him […]

The post What Technically Happens During Initiation? appeared first on ISKCON News.

In the West, this is the holiday season, with Christmas and Hanukkah both coming up. As Srila Prabhupada explained, the Lord comes to this world to enlighten people with transcendental knowledge. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His son or His prophet or His representative, but they all come with the same message. They may speak in different languages according to the circumstances and the audience, but the essence of the message is the same: God is great; we are but small parts and parcels of God, meant to serve Him with love, and we have come from God and are meant to return to Him.

One of Srila Prabhupada’s purports in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is contains a statement that relates to the holidays people in the West are about to celebrate:

“ ‘The avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatara. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatara.’ [Cc Madhya 20.263­–264] There are various kinds of avataras, such as purusavataras, gunavataras, lilavataras, sakty-avesa avataras, manvantara-avataras, and yugavataras—all appearing on schedule all over the universe. But Lord Krsna is the primeval Lord, the fountainhead of all avataras. Lord Sri Krsna descends for the specific purpose of mitigating the anxieties of the pure devotees, who are very anxious to see Him in His original Vrndavana pastimes.” (Gita 4.8 purport)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, said that Jesus Christ was a saktyavesa-avatara; he accepted that Jesus Christ descended to the earth from above. That is avatara. And saktyavesa means one who carries the power of the Lord. Thus, he accepted that Jesus Christ descended to earth with the power of the Lord to preach the message of Godhead. And Jesus Christ preached more or less the same message as Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Sometimes people would ask Srila Prabhupada about Jesus, and Srila Prabhupada would reply, “In the Bible Jesus said that he was the son of God, and in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says that He is the father of all living entities, so there is no contradiction.”

Jesus Christ filled the role of a spiritual master, or guru. The spiritual master teaches the science of Godhead, and when a disciple surrenders to a spiritual master, the spiritual master accepts the disciple’s sinful reactions. Jesus Christ performed the same functions in relation to his followers or disciples; he taught them about God, and he accepted their sinful reactions. Sometimes Christians quote Jesus as having said, “There is no way to the Father except through me.” This statement is a little controversial in learned circles—there is some question whether the attribution is authentic or not. But in any case, Srila Prabhupada took the truth in these words to be that one cannot approach the Lord directly; one can approach the Lord only through the Lord’s representative, the spiritual master.

As far as the idea that Jesus Christ accepted the sins, or sinful reactions, of his followers, Srila Prabhupada expressed one concern: The followers should refrain from sin. They should consider, “Oh, if I sin, my spiritual master will have to suffer!” Christians in particular may consider, “Because I have sinned, my spiritual master had to suffer! So I should not commit sin any longer.” That should be the basic sense. They should not think, “Oh, poor Jesus suffered for me, but now I can go on sinning.”

So, we accept Jesus as a saktyavesa-avatara, as an incarnation of Krishna. Christmas should be a time when we remember the teachings of Jesus Christ, the mercy of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice he made for us. And we should resolve to be better followers, better servants of God and God’s representatives, and of all humankind and all living beings.

Hanukkah, in the Jewish tradition, is also an important festival celebrated at this time of year. It is a winter festival, and winter is a dark season, when the sun sets early and rises late. Hanukkah is the festival of light. Historically, the ancient temple in Jerusalem was seized and desecrated, but eventually, with great courage and sacrifice, the Jewish heroes, the Maccabees, won it back. They wanted to clean and purify the temple to make it fit for worship of the Lord, and their worship included a flame that was sustained by sanctified oil, to be maintained at all times. But when the Maccabees regained the temple, they found only one flask of the priestly oil, enough to burn for only one day. Still, they lit the great temple lamp, the menorah, and, according to the story, the oil burned for eight days, until they could get more. So, the miracle of Hanukkah is that the purified oil, which was sufficient to last only one day, burned for eight days, time enough to obtain more.

Figuratively, the temple is the heart. Cleaning the temple means cleaning one’s heart of the many dirty things that accumulate there by material association. That dirt includes false identification with the body and material desires for the gratification of the body’s senses and mind independent of God’s sanction and God’s service. And figuratively, the light is transcendental knowledge, or consciousness of God, which illuminates the heart and dispels the darkness of ignorance.

Just as the year has its cycles, we also pass through phases. We wish we could always be fully God conscious, but practically we may find cycles in our spiritual life, periods of increased devotion to God interspersed with periods of increased preoccupation with other matters. And the Hanukkah festival, the lighting of the candle or burning of the lamp, means brightening our hearts with God consciousness, with Krishna consciousness—cleaning the temple of the heart and rekindling the light of God consciousness, devotion to God, within the heart.

But we require help with such devotional activities, because alone each of us is quite weak. In the face of the material world, in the face of maya, we are weak and feeble, and we need the support and help of other devotees. If one person alone had to clean the temple, he or she would have a very hard job. But when all the devotees clean the temple together, the job becomes much easier.

The most complete science of God consciousness is presented in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which nicely explains the process of cleansing the heart:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
   punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
   vidhunoti suhrt satam

 “Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (SB 1.2.17)

The Bhagavatam says that hearing topics of Krishna, of God—just as we are sitting here and listening to Krishna’s message—is itself a pious activity, a form of devotional service. We have only to open our ears to the message of Godhead and we become pious (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana kirtanah). Then, hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani: the inauspicious things in the heart—we could say, the dirty things in the heart, our evil thoughts and selfish desires—become cleansed. How? Vidhunoti suhrt satam: The Lord Himself helps the truthful devotee to clean the dirt, because the Lord Himself is already there in the heart. He is already there, but because the heart is covered by material contamination, we cannot perceive the Lord’s presence; we cannot hear His voice. However, when we show our eagerness to hear the Lord’s message through our ears, the Lord within reciprocates. He helps cleanse the dirty things from the heart so that we can hear Him there, guiding us. And when we surrender to the Lord and make sacrifices for Him, He supplies unlimited fuel for maintaining our heart’s flame of devotion.

Satam means “truthful devotee.” The truthful devotee is honest in his endeavors in Krishna consciousness. One who is dishonest will make a show of piety or religiousness but behind the show will have other interests, harbor other ambitions. But the truthful devotee actually wants to understand the science of God and to serve the Lord and all living beings. Though he may be weak, if he is honest in his endeavors to listen to the messages of Godhead and apply the principles in life, even if he is incapable of executing the orders perfectly, still he is considered satam, a truthful devotee. And the Lord within the heart, who acts as the well-wishing friend of the truthful devotee, will cleanse the heart of the dirty things that have accumulated there.

Again we see the importance of association, because the process for cleansing the heart is hearing the messages of Godhead, and only in the association of devotees can we receive the messages properly. Through our hearing and then chanting and repeating what we have heard, the heart becomes cleansed by the grace of the Lord. Ceto-darpana-marjanam: By chanting the holy names of God and by hearing the transcendental glories of God, the heart becomes cleansed and the light of Krishna consciousness there burns more brightly. It spreads throughout the entire body and then emerges—through the skin, through the eyes, through all the different sense organs. Especially, it comes out through the mouth in the form of transcendental sound, which comes from the heart. The messages that one has received through the ears and that have entered the heart come out again through the mouth and spread light, enlightenment, throughout the world.

So, tonight we greatly appreciate the efforts of Mother Urvasi, for she works so hard to create a situation where we all can come together and speak about God, hear about God, and remember God. Holy days are special occasions when we can get together and remember the Lord’s appearance, or the appearance or disappearance of great devotees, or great events that have taken place in the service of the Lord. And when we get together and hear about the Lord and the great devotees of the Lord and the great service and miracles that have taken place in relation to the Lord, we become purified. And we become enlightened and engladdened.

Peace on earth and goodwill toward humanity actually can be achieved through God consciousness. The Bhagavad-gita explains how we can achieve peace: we must first make peace with God. If we reestablish our relationship with God and experience God’s peace and friendship, then we can have real peace and friendship amongst ourselves and help each other in our relationships with Him.

Srila Prabhupada said, “God consciousness is there. You have begun these Christmas holidays in your country. Throughout the whole month of December, you’ll observe nice festivities. Why? It began with God consciousness. Jesus Christ came to give you God consciousness, and in relation to him these festivities are going on. It may have degraded into another form, but the beginning was God consciousness. Now we may have lost it. But people cannot be happy without reviving God consciousness. It may be named differently—‘Krishna consciousness’—but that means God consciousness. That is the necessity. We want to love somebody. Our love will be perfected when we love Krishna, or God. We are teaching that. Try to love God, and if you love God, if you love Krishna, then automatically you love everybody. That is the perfection of love.”

Are there any questions?

Guest: I want to ask how you feel about a belief I am entertaining, namely that Jesus was a spiritual master because he had attained a spiritual level of consciousness or ascendancy through releasing his ego attachments and becoming transparent to God, and that statements attributed to him such as “No one can come to the Father but through me” and “I am the way, the truth, and the light” could be referring to the way he had attained his level of spiritual mastery. That is, such statements may be indicating that one cannot come to the Father in any other way but to release ego attachments and create this transparency to God. I realize that you were referring to the need for a spiritual master to assist one in achieving a level of spiritual ascendance, but could Jesus have been saying, “This is the way—the way I’ve done it”?

Giriraj Swami: What you say could be true. In fact, Srila Prabhupada used to describe the spiritual master as transparent. To be transparent, we have to purify ourselves of all material dross, and the subtlest level of material contamination is false ego. We cannot be transparent unless we become free from false ego. However, we do not accept the idea of the impersonalists that we give up our ego to merge and become one with God. Rather, we accept the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, of Jesus Christ and other theists, to give up the false ego, the misconception that “I am the body, I am the Lord, I am the controller, I am the proprietor, I am the enjoyer” in favor of the real ego, the true understanding that “I am the eternal servant of God.” Certainly, the spiritual master is the eternal servant of God, or Krishna, so he can properly represent Him and direct others to Him. And certainly, the process of giving up the false ego in favor of the real ego, the process of devotional service, is the only process that will bring us to God, that will enable us to fully realize we are eternal servants of God rather than illusory masters of the world.

Hare Krishna.

[Adapted from a talk by Giriraj Swami, December 17, 2000, Ojai, California]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 3 May 2021, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.19.27) 

What did it mean when Srila Prabhupada said that ISKCON cannot be destroyed from the outside, but only from the inside?

Yes, ISKCON can be destroyed from the inside. Srila Prabhupada is referring to a forest fire here. There are two forest fires that Krsna swallows. One of these forest fires is the disagreement that comes about in the spiritual movement in the sanga of the devotees. And so, this is highlighted as something that can destroy our movement from within. As long as there is a core group of devotees who are embodying pure Krsna consciousness, then everyone will be blessed by them. These are the devotees who are above the dualities, who have no enemies and are the well-wishers of all. As long as there is this core group within our movement, who are the well-wishers of all, then our movement can never be destroyed. Srila Prabhupada was very much that person. He was completely the well-wisher of all. If we turn to Prabhupada in that mood of being close to him, then that mood of giving and being generous will pass on. But if everyone starts fighting for themselves, for their position, for their room, for their facility, for their recognition and so on, then there will be fires. Then, that kind of fighting can undermine this movement. But fortunately, by Prabhupada’s grace, there are still so many Vaisnavas who are dedicated.

Prabhupada started the ISKCON movement, and when he did so, the older splinter groups about the succession of Gaudiya-matha also revived. But it is not so easy to destroy ISKCON because Prabhupada is so present. We always have to keep on it. Not just doing the Guru-puja of Prabhupada, but also aligning with his teachings and aligning with what he considered important. Therefore, book distribution should always remain strong as long as there are printing presses. The temples have a history of strong book distribution and we should really keep that and continue to revive it. It goes up and down. We have to rebuild it up again with new enthusiasm. It is very important here because that was the thing that pleased Srila Prabhupada the most, no doubt. That is what will revive our community. The fact that there are so many young people within our temples is because of book distribution. Where there is book distribution, people join. So this is one way to remain connected to Srila Prabhupada and of course in many ways we need to ensure that we remain connected to Prabhupada. We have to read not only his books, but we have to read his letters. We have to find out what did Prabhupada want? Not just lip service and, “Guru carana padma.” No, we must focus on what our founder acarya wanted, and then just do it.

The article " What did Srila Prabhupada want? " was published on KKSBlog.

This is a short video by Sadbhuja das explaining the process of external facade cleaning of the TOVP GRC (glass reinforced concrete) which will take place annually after the monsoon season. The TOVP will be maintained in an immaculately clean condition externally for years to come, and rightfully so.

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From door knobs to big domes – the work continues on. Adjustments, refinements and accuracy on the drawings to fit the site conditions are in full swing for various elements of this grand building. Sharing some Architectural frames in this TOVP Architecture Department report.

Hope all devotees are keeping well and praying that we can progress sooner than later to offer this building to Their Lordships.

Click here to read the entire offering in your browser or download a copy to your desktop for offline reading.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
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The first-ever online youth girls camp for unmarried girls of India will be held on December  18th- 16th, 2021. This virtual event was originally to take place earlier in 2020 when the pandemic hit the world.  This event is an excellent opportunity for youth girls struggling with peer pressure and the inability to balance both […]

The post ISKCON India Youth Girls Camp appeared first on ISKCON News.

Burnaby, British Columbia

Night Walk

Sarva Rasa agreed to join me for an evening walk down by the greenhouse enclave. This was after a full day of his teaching and then catching up with the final portion of a reading of the Gita in the temple. Today marked the anniversary of Arjuna hearing the timeless truth from the mouth of Krishna Himself. It was aural reception divine.

In any event, it was time to just get outside and let nature do what it would wish of us. As is common, nature is a teaser. Within minutes of our start, clouds began to spit. A slight hesitation struck Sarva’s heart, about continuing our trek, so I tested him. “Do you want to go back?” I admit to a sarcastic tone of, “Are you chicken?”

“No! No! There’s no turning back,” he rebounded. “I’m inspired. This is going to help me,” he admitted with conviction.

The whole day, from early morning to afternoon, and finally with this walk, thought of the priceless lessons of the Gitacame as reminders to me; how my life turned around decades before. It’s been an experience of wellness.

Street lights allowed for us to recognize puddles. In the night, they are black and some glisten with lampposts reflecting on their surface.

It doesn’t fail that a reminder of covid always sneaks about. On every stroll I see an abandoned mask that, in most cases, slipped from someone’s pocket.

Some predator birds flew low and near as we made our way through the rain as it was letting up. Only near the end of our walk did clouds spit again. As we were nearing the door to our apartment, Sarva once again remarked about the need to be out. “I’ve got to make this a daily regimen.”

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Kitsilano, British Columbia

Gita Wisdom 

Once you were in the body of a very small child

Then you grew up to become a little wild

Your body as a youth showed all this passion

When people carry on in a certain kind of fashion

And then you took the body of a man

Energy went to responsibility as you plan

Then before long your body gets old

You then exit to enter another life of gold

The body will perish but you will not

What I tell you is very good food for thought

The soul is immortal, it will persist

It cannot be injured by sword or by fist

By fluid or water, it cannot be drowned

By fire, not burned, like ashes to the ground

By wind and air, it cannot be dried

No method of destruction will work if you tried

So Arjuna, you really should not lament

For the body that lived in time well spent

You start to focus as a warrior will do

Or else there’ll be ridicule towards your clan and you

The Kauravas are watching every move you make

It’s a matter of duty you’re obliged to take

If you hesitate when something needs to be done

You receive a reaction and that is no fun

Action, and subsequent reaction, is called karma

When we act as expected it’s called dharma

Do your dharma, avoid the karma

Do your dharma, avoid the karma

The world with all its changes will never come to an end

I’m telling you all this because you are my friend

-Composed by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk©

May the Source be with you!

Burnaby, British Columbia

We’re Coming Together

I have known Abhidheya since the late ‘80s, through a cow protection program we had in Ontario, where she then lived (still trying to get back home). She has been extremely helpful with plays I’ve directed for the community, in addition to editing my material. Well, she and hubby, Arlen, came to visit me at Vancouver’s Govinda’s Restaurant.

It was Greek Day and the cooks prepared all Greek food, vegetarian of course, and offered to the Lord before dishing it out to us. It was really delicious. Different! When you get caught up in the presnt and the past, over food, it becomes delectable all around. From the couple I received not only a sweet time, but a gift and beautiful card with a peacock and decorated Douglas fir tree on its cover.

Nice to have that company. Nice to have such friends.

Then the afternoon and evening opened up for an ecstatic kirtan and an initiation ceremony. Three good souls received new Sanskrit holy names. Sunil, my doctor, friend and teacher, took the name Sarva Rasa. Lalita Gopi received the name Lila Shakti; she’s from Fiji. And Kirti accepted the name Krishna Shanti. I’ve known her for years and she has been steady in bhakti during this time.

The event was so pleasurable. At the end those who registered for the Nine Devotions Workshop received certificates recognizing their involvement from the day before.

I just hope Covid’s variants won’t slow down the fun and achievements experienced this day.

May the Source be with you!

Burnaby, British Columbia

Alignment

Planets have been making alignments with the moon as of late. During my evening walk this night I could see when the clouds were not covering. I spotted the moon and also a companion, another heavenly body situated on either side of the moon. I’m quite sure one was Saturn, however, I’m not sure about the other. This unique line up of luminaries reminded me of descriptions of planetary adjustments; when planets queued up at the time of Krishna’s birth. That day is called Janmasthami.

During my stroll of chanting mantrasand planetary gazing I also contemplated on the affairs of the day, much to do with alignment issues and falling in order. This time the issue is more to do with people.

At 4:30 p.m. the Sunday School group of kids were scheduled for kirtan; a chanting session. I was invited to lead a portion of the session. In doing so, we put into exercise the method of “receive and respond.” It went well. These five to fourteen-year-olds went through a clapping session also, all while moving together. How important it is, training to follow in line!

Earlier in the day, at 10 a.m., I conducted a workshop on the Nine Devotions. In that workshop, the spirit and practice of alignment, in many ways, became the theme.

Next Saturday, we’ve planned a Kirtan Standards seminar, which will highlight and help the participants gain a sense of order. There is beauty and strength in that.

May the Source be with you!

3 km

Burnaby, B.C.

Bhakti Yogis Are Precious

It was a full day of rain and I’m not used to this, but such is nature.

Special about today, though, is that it’s the birthday of Vrnda. Who is Vrnda? Well, she’s a very sweet and intelligent woman who is doing a lot for this movement. She has an incredible devotional and legal head and is most helpful in so many capacities, most of all acting as the zonal secretary for our North Zone here in North America. She assists me in my GBC responsibilities. GBC stands for Governing Body Commissioner.

It is interesting to note that she resides in the dead-centre of the continent – that is Winnipeg, Manitoba – and Manitoba is the place in the world known as the polar bear capital. No, you won’t find them roaming around at the Winnipeg location for Krishna Consciousness; at 108 Chestnut Street. Those big burly predators are found in the northern portion of the province.

While the local community paid homage to her, being that it is her day of appearance, I received a call that one of our Mauritius members, mother of Aindra, from Oakville, Ontario, passed away today at the age of 80. Her name is Coosmootee and she is a bright spot in this world, along with Vrnda.

I pray that Vrnda will be with us for a long time to come. Practitioners of bhakti yoga are precious.

May the Source be with you!

Burnaby, British Columbia

Walk With Purpose

As Sathya, Sunil, and I were about to embark on our backroads walk, we chanced upon a person we all know. His name is Hadai and I told him, quite frankly, the three of us were taking a break from people. Then I chanced upon these sayings from Jesus on TIKTOK.

4 things to always walk away from:

1. Walk away from CONVERSATIONS that involve hate and gossip. JAMES 4.11

2. Walk away from unnecessary DRAMA. PROVERBS 11.9

3. Walk away from PEOPLE who put you down. PROVERBS 26.20

4. Walk away from the table if RESPECT is no longer being served. EXODUS 23.1

Something I reflected upon more than once is that these legs have multi-purposes. They are certainly designed for helping us to go to places, for reaching destinations. And we can justify moving away from unwanted places by the way of legs. We walk to a friend and walk away (or run) from the enemy.

Legs also perform the function of holding up the rest of the body. They are great for dancing and perhaps kicking. And for swimming, well, you would have a hard time to generate a propulsion within water to keep you afloat without them.

Finally, I just wanted to mention something about the legs and feet of our guru, Prabhupada. He walked on a cargo freighter that took him across the Atlantic and, after the trying journey was over, he walked off the ramp at the Boston Harbour and did a lot of people a favour by doing that with his legs.

May the Source be with you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvtwKQy6el4

Port Coquitlam, B.C.

Along the Dyke

It was the first sunny bright day in weeks, so a number of us took full advantage. We took to De Boville Slough, which has a dyke running along to one side and then edges along Pitt River. Bears do frequent the area.

We strolled for two-and-a-half kilometres and then returned, making it a five kilometre stretch of glory-walk. We talk as we walk, and sometimes get silly. It is a component of my daily reality to get down to dealing with grave matters, but I have found it necessary for equilibrium and sustainability to have light moments with others. Self-isolation is torture and unfavorable for spiritual progression. Being with others of like mindedness is a treasure. Part of my work.

One person recently asked me, on a Gita-study Zoom call, how they might reciprocate and be of service or assistance to me personally. My answer was, “I can be served a large thali, or plate of prasad, but I’m truly more satisfied when someone makes the effort to share higher (Krishna) consciousness with others.”

It is my experience that eating is not a problem for me. There’s always plenty. As our guru’s guru, Bhaktisiddhanta, used to say, there isn’t anything lacking in this world except for uplifting consciousness.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Burnaby, British Columbia

Reading What Nature Says

A fresh snowfall descended recently and has blanketed the surface throughout most of the province. Nature, it seems, speaks to us all the time. With the whiteness of snow, the message is “be introspective,” “be pure,” “be still,” “be calm.” When spring comes around the message is “move about,” “clear the space,” “dance and sing,” “stretch,” “grow.” When summer rolls in I hear it saying “take in the sun,” “relax,” “swim,” “play.” And when autumn ushers in it says “breathe,” “eat,” “sleep,” “smell,” “work.”

For all the seasons, walking should be consistent – of course. Nine devotions are not a bad idea for any of the nature’s passing.

Today, however, was a rainy day, so it is time for indoor stuff, including planning. I spent a good seven hours in a conference or board room and there I sat, still for the most part, on the phone until the scheduled meeting with members of the NTC, new temple committee.

Yes, indeed, a new temple for Krishna has been conceived for Burnaby. The old one has lost its sense of functionality. A gorgeous good facility is being urged on and a Mr. Navin Malory, with origins from Fiji, is the chairperson, while two professional sons and their glorious wives are involved in plan-making. Others are included, such as Manu, the temple president. It’s a community and you feel like the four seasons are sitting around the conference table with good brains in motion.

May the Source be with you!

Chemainus, B.C.

Catching Up

My younger brother Paul, and his son John, popped over to see me at the Jagannath Temple, owned and operated by hosts Gadadhar and Manoharini. What a treat! Manoharini greeted them with a resounding “Amazing Grace,” played on her bagpipe. It was beautiful!

As usual, when family reunites there’s a natural tendency to catch up on matters that have not yet been shared - news of other family, friends, the world, and of course, covid as well as a sky-rocketing real estate on much of the planet.

We took the opportunity to walk the snow-cleared boardwalk at Crofton. If you are standing in the direction where the pulp-and-paper residue flies in the air you will experience a scent from the nether worlds.

In general, Vancouver Island is a place of rich and natural resources, a fine area to be. For that matter, all locations on earth can be a pleasant experience when incorporating a higher consciousness in life. It only requires the implementation of the phrase, “Just do it!” Then all is good.

My stay on the island ended with the exit of the bag pipe sound; so comforting and so triumphant.

May the Source be with you!

3 km