Planet ISKCON

An ISKCON UK delegation is set to attend COP26, also known as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will run from October 31st to November 12th in Glasgow, Scotland. The conference will bring world leaders together to discuss how to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, […]

The post ISKCON UK Delegation to Attend COP26 Climate Change Conference appeared first on ISKCON News.

By Satyaraja Dasa

Four special verses in the Bhagavad-gita and four in the Srimad-Bhagavatam lay out the fundamental teachings of Krishna consciousness. My mom always keeps peanuts around the house. Crack the shells open, and you find two peanuts inside. So much goodness in one little package: beneficial nutrients, plant proteins, fats, fiber, and plenty of vitamins, minerals, and bioactives. As I looked at the broken shells in front of me one day, my mind was drawn to four special verses of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and four of the Bhagavad-gita, each set often referred to simply as chatuh-shloki: "the four verses." Srila Prabhupada was the first to refer to them as "nutshell verses." Continue reading "Truth in a Nutshell
→ Dandavats"

• 

• 

Madhva was born around 1239 in a village called Pajaka, situated near the coast on the southerm part of the sate now called Karnataka. He was originally called Vasudeva. There are many references to his being an incarnation of Vayu the wind god, and he himself claimed that he was Hanuman during the Ramayana period and Bhima during the Mahabharata era – both were known to be sons of Vayu and thus possessed incredible physical strength. Madhva is reputed to have saved one of his disciples form the attack of a tiger simply by using his bare hands.

According to historical treatises, Madhva travelled to the Himalayas and personally took darshan of Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedic literature. More than Ramanuja, Madhva opposed the monistic theories of Shankara. He is usually depicted with the two fingers of his right hand held upward, emphasising duality – i.e. the difference between the soul and God. In this Madhva took an uncompromising position, and strictly speaking the term ‘dualist’ refers only to the Madhvas (the followers of Madhva). His sampradaya still flourishes in South India, and the headquarters is in Udupi.

Once a ship while approaching the shore near Udupi, faced a great storm and was in imminent danger. Madhva was standing on the seashore, and directed the ship by waving his cloth. The ship was saved, and the captain prostrated himself before the Acharya, thanking him for what he believed was a miracle. He requested Madhva to take something as gift. Madhva, by his inner vision, saw lying in the ship as ballast a heavy lump of gopi-candana (a type of white clay used for tilak). He asked for that as a gift.

Surprised at this seemingly trivial request the captain obliged. The Acharya drove his hand inside the lump of clay and brought forth a murti of Balakrishna, Krishna in his childhood. The idol was so heavy that the very fact that the Acharya could carry it all by himself was astounding. But more amazing was the information he revealed on the deity. It was apparently made by the divine architect Vishvakarma and was kept by Krishna’s leading Queen, Rukmini, in Dvaraka in the Dvarapa yuga. When Dvaraka was submerged in the sea at the end of Krishna’s time, the deity was lost. The same deity is still worshipped in Udupi today.

Madhva wrote three important treatises, on the Vedanta Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. His theology is called shuddha-dvaita, pure dualism. more than anyone, he stressed the differences between God and the individual soul. Madhva also goes by the names Purna-prajna and Ananda-Tirtha.

• 

• 

 

 

“Когда я принял отреченный образ жизни, моим домом стал лес Вриндавана. Моя кровать – мягкая пыль Вриндавана. Небо Вриндавана – мой кров, а цветущие лианы Вриндавана – мои единственные вещи. Луна над Вриндаваном – светильник моих надежд, а мои поющие четки отсчитывают дни до встречи с Божественной Четой, Шри Радхой и Шри Кришной”.

[Лалита Кишори, средневековый поэт-вайшнав]

“Having accepted the renounced order of life, my home is this Vrindavan forest. My bed is the soft dust of Vrindavan. The sky of Vrindavan is my blanket and the flowering creepers of Vrindavan are my only belongings. The moon over Vrindavan is the lamp of my hopes and my chanting beads are counting the days until I meet the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna.”

[ Lalita Kishori, a medieval Vaisnava Poet ]

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10220473393127817&set=a.3707173840886

 

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Nine, Chapter Ten: “The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Ramacandra.

TEXT 20

te ’nikapa raghupater abhipatya sarve
  dvandvam varutham ibha-patti-rathasva-yodhaih
jaghnur drumair giri-gadesubhir angadadyah
  sitabhimarsa-hata-mangala-ravanesan

TRANSLATION

Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramacandra faced the elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots of the enemy and hurled against them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs, and arrows. Thus the soldiers of Lord Ramacandra killed Ravana’s soldiers, who had lost all good fortune because Ravana had been condemned by the anger of Mother Sita.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The soldiers Lord Ramacandra recruited in the jungle were all monkeys and did not have proper equipment with which to fight the soldiers of Ravana, for Ravana’s soldiers were equipped with weapons of modern warfare whereas the monkeys could only throw stones, mountain peaks, and trees. It was only Lord Ramacandra and Laksmana who shot some arrows. But because the soldiers of Ravana were condemned by the curse of Mother Sita, the monkeys were able to kill them simply by throwing stones and trees. There are two kinds of strength—daiva and purusakara. Daiva refers to the strength achieved from the Transcendence, and purusakara refers to the strength organized by one’s own intelligence and power. Transcendental power is always superior to the power of the materialist. Depending on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, one must fight one’s enemies even though one may not be equipped with modern weapons. Therefore Krsna instructed Arjuna, mam anusmara yudhya ca: “Think of Me and fight.” We should fight our enemy to the best of our ability, but for victory we must depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Coming to Bhaktivedanta Manor, I was reminded of the struggle we faced here to keep the temple open to the public and to preach Krishna consciousness. Although in such battles the enemies sometimes appear to have the upper hand, in the end, as long as we remain faithful to and dependent on the Lord and at the same time make our best effort with all sincerity and intelligence, we will be successful according to His will.

We had a similar struggle in Juhu, Bombay. In fact, in Juhu we were even less equipped than were the devotees here, who had already established the mission quite solidly and had many friends—a large congregation and friends in influential positions. Still, it was a great struggle here.

In Juhu we were comparable to the band of monkeys that joined Lord Ramachandra. Srila Prabhupada himself drew parallels between himself and Lord Ramachandra, and between us and the monkeys. He compared the Western countries to Ravana, because they had so much wealth, just like Ravana in his opulent kingdom of Lanka. And wealth is Lakshmi—a manifestation of Lakshmi, or Sita. So, Srila Prabhupada said that just as Ravana had kidnapped Sita, the Western countries had kidnapped, or taken possession of, so much wealth. And just as Lord Ramachandra had crossed the ocean to redeem Sita, so Srila Prabhupada had also crossed the ocean. And just as Lord Ramachandra was assisted by so many monkeys, Srila Prabhupada was assisted by us.

The Juhu struggle is a great story, which has been told to some extent in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. One incident took place after we had been successful in getting the land from the previous owner, Mr. Nair. Srila Prabhupada used to refer to him as “the demon Nair.” Probably some of you have been to Juhu. When we first got possession of the land, the front of the property was vacant, and in the back were some old tenement buildings. So we built a temporary temple in the front for the Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari. At first, we were living on the roofs on the terraces of the buildings, but eventually we were able to get at least one of the apartments from a tenant—for Srila Prabhupada.

So, Srila Prabhupada was living there, and he would go up to the roof in the late afternoon and meet people. One evening he was sitting on the terrace and his disciple Haridas was fanning him. Srila Prabhupada said to Haridas, “Do you hear that?” And Haridas said, “Hear what?” Prabhupada said, “Do you hear the sound of the kirtan in the temple?” Haridas said, “No.” Srila Prabhupada said, “That’s the point! There’s no kirtan going on in the temple!” Then he said, “Where are all the devotees? They should be in the temple doing kirtan; it’s the time of arati.” Haridas speculated and said, “They are probably out collecting. They haven’t gotten back from the city yet.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “That was not my idea that devotees should go out all day and collect and neglect the temple programs.”

Then he said, “Why do you think we were successful here? Mr. Nair was so much more powerful than we were. He was a wealthy man; we had very little money. He had been the sheriff of Bombay and knew so many influential people; we hardly knew anyone. And he owned one of the three English daily newspapers in Bombay. So he was very powerful. And we had very little money or influence, yet we were successful. Why? Because we were working for Krishna, for the pleasure of Krishna, we were successful.” Regarding the temple program, he said, “We will be successful not because we go out all day to collect money and then come back late—we’ll be successful if Krishna is pleased. So, we should go out, but we should come back in time. The devotees should leave the city by five o’clock and come back, otherwise they will become like karmis. They should come and chant in front of the Deities and please the Deities, and when the Deities are pleased, we will be successful by Their mercy.”

This is always our position, that we make our best effort but depend on the mercy of the Lord. And making our best effort means according to the desire of the Lord—in our case, according to the order of the spiritual master. In the case of the monkeys of Lord Rama, they were directly under the Lord. Arjuna was directly under the Lord. We are also under the Lord, but under sadhu, shastra, and guru. They tell us what will please the Lord, and if we act to please the Lord, if the Lord is pleased, we will be successful.

Although the monkeys were successful in killing the army of Ravana, ultimately it was Lord Ramachandra who killed the great demon Ravana, and Rama-vijaya-dasami celebrates the victory of Ramachandra and specifically His killing of Ravana.

Now, in one sense this was an easier battle, because it is easier to battle forces that are outside of one’s self. But there are also enemies inside us with which we have to contend, and that struggle can be more difficult and more painful than the battle against enemies outside. Prahlada Maharaja survived so many attacks on his life organized by his father, Hiranyakasipu, but in his prayers to Lord Nrsimhadeva, he said that his biggest enemy was his own mind and senses. The Bhagavad-gita says that the mind can be one’s best friend or one’s worst enemy. So that’s a constant battle that we all face—how to keep the mind focused on Krishna, especially when we gather together to hear and chant the holy name, to hear and chant the transcendental topics. We should fix the mind on Krishna. Mayy asakta-manah partha. In the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says that the mind should be attached to Him. For us, aspiring devotees, or practicing devotees, the best way to fix our mind on Krishna is to hear the holy names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—and to hear, to actually hear, each word, each syllable. But it is difficult, because the mind is flickering and unsteady (cancalam hi manah krsna). Arjuna tells Krishna that it seems more difficult to control the mind than to control the wind, and who can control the wind? Nobody. That means it is practically impossible to control the mind. But Krishna says that it is possible by suitable practice and detachment. Abhyasa is the word for “practice.” We have to practice chanting and hearing. It is a struggle—it’s an effort—but we have to practice. As Srila Prabhupada said, “Practice makes perfect—even in spiritual life.”

Still, we will not be successful by our own efforts alone. I think we all have that experience—it applies not only to chanting japa, but to any of our activities. It applies to book distribution: Sometimes devotees go out thinking, “Oh, I am really fit today. I am going to have a great day.” And then they hardly have any results. And other times they go out feeling miserable—they don’t even know how they are going to get through the day—and they are very successful. They experience the lesson that they are not the doers, not the controllers. Whatever they do is by the mercy of the Lord, the mercy of the spiritual master, the mercy of the disciplic succession.

So, we make our effort, but ultimately we have to depend on the mercy of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada showed this all the time. After the success of the first Bombay pandal, he sent Tamal Krishna Goswami and me to Calcutta to organize a pandal program there. There were many Naxalites—communist youth—in Calcutta at the time. They used to kidnap people from rich families, and they would kill for their cause. When Srila Prabhupada first came to Calcutta, the Naxalites shot a wealthy person dead right on the street, just a few blocks from where Prabhupada was staying. They were envious. They may have had their reasons, but still, they were envious.

When Prabhupada came for the pandal program, the Naxalites were very disturbed and even sent Prabhupada a note: “Fly or die,” composed of letters cut out of a newspaper and pasted on the paper so that no one could trace the typewriter. The mood in the city was very tense.

Before the pandal program began, we had a small press conference with Srila Prabhupada behind the tent, and one of the reporters challenged, “What is the use of spending all this money on this pandal? You could use the money to help poor people.” And Srila Prabhupada said, “What is the use? The use is to give people a chance to hear. Actually, the whole pandal has come from hearing. I went to America and spoke and some young people heard me, and because they heard me, now they have made all the effort to organize the program. So, the use is to give people a chance to hear, and everything comes from that.” In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna tells Arjuna, tac chrnu: “Just hear from Me.” So, first comes hearing (sravanam), and then kirtanam and the other items of devotional service. Srila Prabhupada said, “They heard from me, and now they are repeating what they heard.”

Thousands of people attended the first night of the pandal program; they were just streaming in. We had dhurries, simple Indian carpets, on the ground, and most people sat on them, cross-legged. To the side, we had folding chairs, and we charged one rupee for a seat. So, some Naxalites came, and they were agitated that some people got to sit on the seats while other people had to sit on the ground. They made a huge disturbance. Prabhupada was trying to speak, and they were banging chairs together to make noise so that Prabhupada wouldn’t be able to speak. It was really tense. We didn’t know what was going to happen. Suddenly Prabhupada leaned forward, toward the microphone, and his voice boomed through the speaker system: “govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami . . .”—he was singing the Govindam prayers. Suddenly the commotion stopped, and the Naxalites just walked away. I thought, “He just has so much of faith in Krishna. He completely depends on Krishna.” (Years later, I read Gurudas Prabhu’s account of that incident, and it seems that along with singing the Govindam prayers, Prabhupada was sending notes to Gurudas telling him what to do with the Naxalites. And that’s good, too. We make our best effort and depend on Krishna. That is our process.)

We are about to begin the special month of Damodara, Kartik, and during this month we celebrate this binding of Krishna with ropes. Dama means “ropes” and udara means “belly.” Many of you know the story: Mother Yasoda was breastfeeding baby Krishna, and while doing so she realized that some milk that was on the fire was boiling over. So she set baby Krishna aside before He was satisfied, to tend to the milk on the fire. Baby Krishna became angry, and eventually He broke a pot of makhana (freshly churned butter) and began to eat it and share it with His friends.

When Mother Yasoda returned to where she had left Krishna, He wasn’t there. She saw His little footprints—His feet had been smeared with butter—and saw the broken pot. She was concerned and considered that she would have to discipline Krishna so that He would grow up properly. All responsible parents are concerned that they have to raise their children properly—that if they don’t discipline them, the children will not learn how to behave. As it was, Krishna was going to the neighbors’ homes and doing mischief, and they were complaining to Yasoda, “You better take care of your son. He is not behaving properly.”

Ultimately Mother Yasoda found Krishna, and when He saw her approaching—He was sitting, eating the makhana—He immediately got up and began to flee, and she started to pursue Him, but because He was smaller and more agile, He was able to get away. But eventually He allowed her to catch Him, and once she caught Him, she wanted to bind Him with ropes. Every morning she would tie His belt before He went to the pasturing grounds, so she didn’t think it would be difficult. But when she attempted to tie the rope, it was two inches too short, or, as the Bhagavatam says, the width of two fingers too short. So she added some more rope, but it was still two fingers too short. She added some more. It was still two fingers too short. She gathered all the ropes in the household—and being in a cowherd community, they had a lot of ropes for tying the cows and calves. And the neighbors were bringing their ropes. It was miles and miles of ropes, but she still couldn’t bind Krishna. But she didn’t give up. Her friends were telling her, “You are not going to be able to do it. This is not working. Just give up.” But she was so sincere, feeling that, as Krishna’s mother, she had a duty, that she endeavored to tie Him up so that He wouldn’t create further mischief—and to teach Him a lesson. So, she didn’t give up, and when Krishna saw her sincere effort, His heart melted and He allowed her to bind Him.

Our acharyas have commented on the significance of the two fingers by which the rope was too short. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that there was a competition between Krishna’s desire and Yasoda’s desire. Krishna’s desire was to be free and play with His friends, and Yasoda’s desire was to bind Krishna, so their desires were opposed to each other. Krishna has two saktis. One potency is called satya-sankalpa-sakti, which means that whatever He desires is fulfilled. So, that came into play. Another potency is called vibhuti-sakti, which allows Him to manifest His opulences, although He usually doesn’t—only when necessary. Say there is a forest fire. He can be defeated by His friends in their sports, but when there is a forest fire or some other threat to the residents of Vrindavan, the vibhuti-sakti comes into play and allows Him to manifest His opulences and swallow the forest fire.

In this case the two shaktis—satya-sankalpa and vibhuti—joined together to fulfill His desire to play, and Mother Yasoda couldn’t bind Him. But when He saw her tireless efforts, He felt compassionate toward her, and He allowed her to bind Him. The acharyas say that one finger represents parisrama, personal endeavor, and that the other represents krsna-krpa, Krishna’s mercy. When these two combine, Krishna agrees to be bound.

So, we make our effort. We never give up, no matter what. We make our effort, and when Krishna sees that we are so sincere in our effort to serve Him and please Him, His heart melts and He allows Himself to be bound. In any effort it is the same combination: our hard labor (parisrama) and Krishna’s mercy (krsna-krpa). It applies to our efforts to preach and to distribute books. It applies to our efforts to hear and to chant, to chant japa. We make our effort, and at the same time we pray for Krishna’s mercy. We depend on Krishna and pray for His mercy.

Here the mood of humility is essential. As long as we think we can do it on our own, we won’t get Krishna’s mercy, at least not to the same extent. That was Ravana’s mentality. He thought he didn’t need anyone. He thought he could do everything by his own strength and powers. So, we all have that little Ravana tendency. You may not—I do. I shouldn’t include you with me. So, we have to be conscious of that tendency and pray to Lord Rama to subdue that Ravana-like tendency within us.

There’s a beautiful prayer by Prahlada Maharaja in the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, in which he prays to Lord Nrsimhadeva, “Please vanquish the demonlike desires in my heart, just like You vanquished the demon Hiranyakasipu.” Hiranya means “gold,” and kasipu means “soft bedding.” Those are the main interests of materialistic people—money and sense indulgence. So, “Just as You killed the great demon Hiranyakasipu, please vanquish the demonlike desires within my heart.” After Nrsimhadeva subdued Hiranyakasipu, He sat on Hiranyakasipu’s throne, lifted the demon onto His lap, and tore his heart out, so we want Lord Nrsimhadeva to sit on the throne of our hearts and kill these demonlike desires for gold and sense gratification.

Srila Prabhupada has given us everything. I am sure people have said the same thing before, but he really has. He has given us the knowledge, he has given us the process, and he has given us the way to invoke Krishna’s mercy. The best way to invoke Krishna’s mercy is to practice and preach. That combination will invoke Krishna’s mercy and make us successful.

In previous ages, the Lord would kill the demons—Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu, Ramachandra killed Ravana, and Krishna killed so many demons—but in Kali-yuga, because we all have demonic tendencies within us and pretty much everyone has bad habits, the Lord doesn’t physically kill the person; He kills their demonic mentalities by His mercy, by giving them the holy name. We find that exemplified in the story of Jagai and Madhai. They were violent toward Lord Nityananda, and when Lord Chaitanya heard, He came rushing to the spot, ready to kill them with His Sudarshan chakra. But Nityananda Prabhu appealed to the Lord, “This is Kali-yuga, My Lord. In Kali-yuga You can’t just kill the people like that. In Kali-yuga everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai, so are You going to kill everyone? In Kali-yuga Your mission is to deliver them by Your mercy.” When Lord Nityananda intervened on behalf of the two sinful brothers, Lord Chaitanya hesitated, and the two surrendered to Lord Chaitanya, and He forgave them for their sins, with the condition that they would not commit sins again. They took up the chanting of the holy name. That means they developed faith in Nityananda Prabhu and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and because they developed faith, they took up the chanting and were eligible to receive the Lord’s mercy, and they were forgiven.

That’s our position in Kali-yuga. We need the mercy of Lord Nityananda and through Him the mercy of Lord Chaitanya. Srila Prabhupada said in LA, “To approach Radha and Krishna, we need the mercy of Lord Chaitanya. And to get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, we need the mercy of Lord Nityananda. And to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, we have to approach people like Jagai and Madhai.” In other words, the people on the street, the people in the subways, the people at the airport, the people in the offices, the people in the neighborhood, and sometimes even closer.

So, that is Prabhupada’s special mood, coming from the Panca-tattva. It is his special mood to get the Lord’s mercy by preaching, by approaching anyone and everyone to give them Krishna consciousness, give them the holy name of Krishna. So, our effort (parisrama) has two sides: one is our own practices, hearing and chanting attentively and following the whole system that Prabhupada gave us (sadhana-bhakti), and the other is at the same time making the effort to give Krishna consciousness to others, to induce others to accept the great gift of the holy name.

Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Rama-vijaya-dasami, October 19, 2007, Bhaktivedanta Manor, near London, England]

Yorkville, Toronto

Reflection in Favorable Conditions

 

I believe Prabhupada would really like the weather we are going through. It will be a mild twenty-one degrees Celsius (seventy degrees Fahrenheit) today, and that’s pleasant. He didn’t mind the heat though and the sun. I was blessed to be on a walk with him (and others) at a park in Atlanta. It was February and cold, even for residents there, but he was all bundled up. If I’m not mistaken, he wore the long coat custom made for him in Hawaii by Jaya Sri, an outstanding devotee from the states. She resides in New Vrindavan, West Virginia.

When I do these strolls in Toronto, I do think, from time to time, of our guru’s walking. He walked on the boardwalk at Kew Gardens. The sun was just coming up and there was also the fresh air to inhale, coming off the bay. There was quite the entourage.

One location that he was driving to was Taylor Creek Park, off the Don Valley Parkway. No big lake there but lots of green on both sides of the dirt trail. Although he did not roam most of the city and was not taken to posh Yorkville (which then, ’67, was transitioning out of a hippie haven), the place that I took to today, I still imagine him walking with cane in hand, observing what’s around him.

There were other cities where I had seen him walking or being driven. Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia, apart from Toronto and Atlanta. Guru is important in one’s life. It’s important to follow guru with his words and, if lucky, follow him on foot, even if you have to imagine it!

May the Source be with you!

2 km

 

 

Cleveland, Ohio

Heart Full Weekend

 

There are some really good walking trails in this Ohio city, some of which I’ve explored in the past, especially along Rocky River and the Metro Parks system ravines. The city actually has a lot of green cover. This can be seen from the air as you take off or land.

For me it was my last day and, as I ambled in the area of Olmsted, I was feeling a bit sad. It was a good stay. Even the music oozed out of one person’s garage where a guy was doing some carpentry work and it was that iconic classic piece by Andrea Borelli and Sarah Brightman, “Time to Say Good-bye.” It is a heart tugger.

The last three mornings I’ve spent time with Michael, A.K.A. Madhavananda, and Paurnamasi, my hosts, going over a sadhanasession and, particularly, going over Sanskrit and Bengali adaptation pronunciation of the words. They found it helpful going over what we call kirtan-standards. We even came to an agreement that next summer a group of families will ferry our way to Pelee Island, for a weekend retreat, to go over “Kirtan Standards,” capturing traditional melodies, pronunciation of words, devotional dance steps and also the mood to apply to chanting.

In the heart of Cleveland’s downtown there is a world class “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” which I’ve not as yet ventured to. I guess I’m hooked on chanting more than the music I grew up with. I can do with less heart-break songs and more with heart-whole songs of devotion to Krishna.

May the Source be with you!

2km

 

 

Cleveland, Ohio

Walking is Observing

 

I walked in at least two residential areas of Cleveland. I saw more blue jays and squirrels than people. People! Where do they hide? Cars, homes, gyms and restaurants, I suppose. I thought everyone was missing each other because of a long covid threat? The yards to homes here are huge. They are green but empty. I don’t get it. How about children playing in the outdoors?

With Brae we put in an hour and twenty minutes, before and after our indoor event of kirtan, Gita (8.24) and prasadam. We spoke about death in our discussion, based on Chapter 8, which has some powerful verses to remember, regarding taking on a new body linked to your most intense thoughts. We also discussed about life in other spheres, where duration stretches to an astronomical length. The bottom line on life itself is subsequent death and then life thereafter.

Life! What is it really? A person can be active yet show little sign of a living force. We could see living force in the blue jays, squirrels, and also in the pumpkins. Their colour seems to exude a kind of life; an intense orange. We stopped at one of those produce stands off the highway with Madhavananda and Paurnamasi. Indeed, their colour exceeds my robes in that intensity.

Finally, after discussion and walks it is concluded that death is inevitable and a destination becomes determined by our current actions. We are all playing out a role. Lights! Camera! Action!

May the Source be with you!

5 km

 

Olmsted, Ohio

First Full Day in Cleveland

 

Brae and I walked for a japa session in this American-dream neighbourhood of expansive yards, fine homes and swimming pools. We came to a juncture and there met a middle-aged couple who stopped their vehicle with a rolled down window in such unusually warm weather for October.

“Buddhist monks?” asked the driver. At least he didn’t ask, “Hallowe’en characters?” Brae wore a white dhotiand chaddar and actually looked like he was wearing a Greek toga. I, myself, was in saffron.

“We are Hare Krishnas,” I replied.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of them.”

“Come to our event at 5 p.m.,” I invited. He made prior arrangements.

Our arrangement was actually a massive tent set up like a banquet hall. The ambiance was like that of a temple. Michael and Paurnamasi had it all so well designed in their yard. The occasion was an initiation ceremony, so nicely attended by friends and relatives. Michael, my host, received the Sanskrit name Madhavananda. Hare, who’s from India, received the name Haripada. His wife, Saumya, is now Sandamini. Shyama, raised in America, is Shyama Kund, named after the sacred pond at Govardhan, India. And Andy now has the name Adi Karta. Andy is an ordained Minister with the United Church.

The priest presiding over the fire arena was Dayal Nitai, A.K.A. Don Foose, a straight-edge vocalist. We sat together and he told me he was a boxer for twenty years. “I would wake up in the morning sore all over my head and have these head aches.”

“I’m glad you’re over this. Congratulations on your brahminical task for this evening.”

I also want to congratulate the five initiates.

May the Source be with you!

2 km

 

 

Cleveland, Ohio

Went to the U.S.

 

Well, I did it. I left Canada for a visit to the U.S. for the first time since Covid restrictions were implemented. It has been tight at the border since early spring of 2020. My experience at Toronto’s airport, and through U.S. Customs, was relatively smooth. I didn’t even have to produce my Covid passport or the document showing my recent covid test, which reads negative. So, easy sailing.

Bhakta Michael, who’s getting initiated this weekend, picked me up at Cleveland’s Airport with perfect weather conditions. That weather was to later transform into an exciting storm. We paid a visit to Meena’s place, where an interesting warm and cold front collided in the air. I don’t recall hearing thunder claps ever. It was night time and a group of about 20 of us were just sinking our teeth into perogies when a heart cracking tumult from nature occurred.

No one was worried. If some explosion or fire started by lightning, we felt we were in good hands because we were eating blessed food and just about to delve into a Gita discussion, from Chapter 18. We were looking at the three modes of nature and how these energies impact us in so many ways. Our reading led us to the forty-second verse and the qualities of an advanced brahmana, or spiritualist; the qualities of peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, tolerance, honesty, wisdom and their application, as well as being dharmic or pious.

We were in the living room, sheltered from the storm, while Zoomed-in with the Oakville team.

May the Source be with you!

 

By Giriraj Swami

The soldiers Lord Ramacandra recruited in the jungle were all monkeys and did not have proper equipment with which to fight the soldiers of Ravana, for Ravana’s soldiers were equipped with weapons of modern warfare whereas the monkeys could only throw stones, mountain peaks, and trees. It was only Lord Ramacandra and Laksmana who shot some arrows. But because the soldiers of Ravana were condemned by the curse of Mother Sita, the monkeys were able to kill them simply by throwing stones and trees. Continue reading "Sri Rama-vijaya-dasami
→ Dandavats"

By Vaisnavananda Das

For those who knew and loved Pita it is a great loss for us and certainly the world at large. Why is the passing of Pita prabhu such a great loss for all? Well, it is difficult to begin extolling his glories, there are so many! Pita prabhu was a great devotee, friendly to all, amicable, compassionate, helpful, very honest, funny, a true Southern gentleman, but most of all his highest virtue is that he loved and served Srila Prabhupada with all his heart and soul! Certainly, people of his caliber, whether devotees or not, have risen above the grade of varna shankara, unwanted population. Continue reading "The Passing of Pita Das (ACBSP)
→ Dandavats"

By Niranjana Swami

"People should not expect that even in the Krishna Consciousness Society there will be Utopia. Because devotees are persons, therefore there will always be some lacking -- but the difference is that their lacking, because they have given up everything to serve Krishna -- money, jobs, reputation, wealth, big educations, everything -- their lackings have become transcendental because, despite everything they may do, their topmost intention is to serve Krishna. "One who is engaged in devotional service, despite the most abominable action, is to be considered saintly because he is rightly situated.'' The devotees of Krishna are the most exalted persons on this planet, better than kings, all of them, so we should always remember that and, like the bumblebee, always look for the nectar or the best qualities of a person." Continue reading "Memorial for HH Nitai Chaitanya Goswami
→ Dandavats"

On October 14, during the Grand Welcome Ceremony of Srila Prabhupada to the TOVP, the TOVP Team will launch the first-ever e-Abhishekam online virtual murti bathing ceremony. Every devotee will have an opportunity to virtually ‘bathe’ Srila Prabhupada from a choice of several different auspicious substances.

There is no cost for this unique seva opportunity. It has been designed to give every devotee the chance to bathe Srila Prabhupada during this historic Welcome Ceremony commemorating His Divine Grace’s 125th Appearance Anniversary Year.

Book your slot TODAY by registering your name at the link below: https://m.tovp.org/eabhishekam

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsapp2
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

By Sri Nandanandana dasa

The environment means nature, and whose nature is it? It is God's nature. Did anyone else create it? Did anyone else put it all together so that it operates the way it does? In fact, humanity is still trying to figure out all the intricacies of its functionality. Continue reading "A Look at Vedic Environmentalism
→ Dandavats"

 

This video of HG Hari-Sauri Prabhu was made in 2020 in preparation for the planned installation of the new Prabhupada murti in the TOVP in February of this year. Due the pandemic, the installation was rescheduled for October this year, but again has been postponed to 2022.

Instead, we are observing a Grand Welcome Ceremony to greet His Divine Grace to the TOVP on October 14 & 15. The video still reflects the mood we are trying to maintain with the Prabhupada Is Coming! theme, and the planned abhishekas will still be performed at the Welcome Ceremony.

Hare Krishna!

Visit the Welcome Ceremony page to sponsor an abhisheka TODAY!

ABHISHEKA AND SEVA SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS

1. SACRED WATER BATHING – $25 / ₹1,600 / £20 (sponsor for each family member)
2. COPPER COIN BATHING – $300 / ₹21,000 / £250
3. SILVER COIN BATHING – $500 / ₹35,000 / £400
4. GOLD COIN BATHING – $1,000 / ₹71,000 / £800
5. PLATINUM COIN BATHING – $1,600 / ₹1 Lakh / £1,300
6. SAMSTAPAK ACHARYA SEVA – $10,000 / ₹7 Lakh / £8,000

– Coin donors will receive the abhisheka coin
– Samstapak Acharya donors will receive a 5″ replica murti
– Installment payments are available

DONOR COIN CARDS

Donors will receive the coin used to ‘bathe’ Srila Prabhupada in these beautiful, specially designed cards.

5″ replica Prabhupada murti

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsapp6
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Tejiyas das sent me this remembrance, and I thought to share it with you.

During Srila Prabhupada’s visit to the Hyderabad farm, there was a lot of tension created by one devotee, as he was so politically minded that he could see me and Hamsaduta only as enemies (his mindset was “enemy or friend”).

Srila Prabhupada tried to mediate, sometimes roughing me up with words such as “Do not be bureaucratic,” and even instructing me to “go out in back and fight it out with the devotee and finish this.”

Hamsaduta was unhelpful—unknown to me, drunk on a liter a day of 45 percent Ayurvedic Sarivadi Salsa.

Somehow, one day we all went to Srila Prabhupada’s room at the same moment, and despite our differences, we just sat in front of him, as we were all astounded by what we were witnessing: The sun was shining through the window, painting Srila Prabhupada with golden-white rays. His eyes were firmly closed but without strain or tightness. He sat upright on his cushion behind his desk, between the side cushions and the backrest. He had his right hand in his bead bag, and we could see how he was attentively fingering his beads and they were clacking as he rubbed them between his fingers. You could see the movement of the beads under the cloth of the bag. His face was serene, but by every indication he was fixed on hearing the holy names. As he chanted Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, his tongue rolled in his mouth, and his lips were almost rolling in a circle, too. It appeared that he was tasting something, chewing it gently. His chanting was distinctly audible, his words articulate and clear, and he stressed them as he spoke each syllable. His head was swinging slightly left and right with a subtle up-and-down motion. Simultaneously, all three of us dove our hands into our bead bags and joined His Divine Grace in japa. You could sense that we were momentarily united and transcendent to our differences. We watched him with open eyes, delighting in this rare vision. After some time, Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes for a moment and without moving looked at all of us at the same time and said, “Go on chanting and all your problems will be solved.”

 

Yorkville, Toronto

Poem for the Clan

 

Answering to belated birthday messages is a pleasurable task, really, and in the midst of it I managed to pull together, within minutes, a poem about my still-living siblings and I. There’s no real spiritual content here. It’s light and it serves a purpose. Untitled, here it is.

We’re just a bunch of peachy, beachy kids

“Peach” because we picked them before they hit the skids

We harvested just about everything, you bet

And “beach” because our summers meant getting wet

We had a blast at playing marbles, baseball, hula hoops

Connie once fell into the sewer, the ultimate oops

We built forts, hay tunnels, played cops and robbers

Jerry and I were in the manure, the field, hence clodhoppers

It was sweet Rose Ann’s birthday when JFK died

The twins were adorable lying side-by-side

Paul sucked his thumb while Pauline felt two fingers are better

That was in their phase beyond being bed-wetters

For television we watched Tarzan and curly Shirley

High school dances let us loose to move quite squirrely

We liked Dylan, Joni, Jethro, Motown, the British invasion

A mild counter-culture impacted our pervasion

And Mum and Dad, we loved them despite the gen gap

The sacrifice they gave – hard to find on today’s maps

They had the Dutch touch, told stories of the war

And the Depression, intriguing, we’d ask for more

We had our ups and downs – the way of the world

Seasons were of sun, rain, snow, and a wind that swirled

We remain connected, our peachy beachy bunch

Sometimes get together for a veggie lunch

Beliefs vary, but that’s okay, we’re Canadian, human

Boys and girls, souls who grew up on cheese with cumin

 

-Composed by Bhaktimarga Swami, The Walking Monk©

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

The Annex, Toronto

On the Way to Get Tested

 

To go to The States requires that I take a covid test. The clinic where I could get this done was just a 2-kilometre distance away. Job was completed and on my return I walked down Wells St. when I heard, “Hey, Walking Monk.” It was repeated since I could not determine the source. The caller didn’t give up. “Hey, Walking Monk.”

There he was a middle-aged, dark-haired fellow I’ve met before. Once, while he was driving, he spotted me and at other times, too. He gets around and is somewhat mysterious about his identity. “So,” he said, “You’re the Walking Monk. I’m the Driving Yogi.” That remark cracked up his two companions having brunch on the veranda of, what I guess was, his house. He’s friendly enough.

It’s always great to have your stride mildly interrupted by people who show some interest. On the return journey an older fellow, sitting in a front yard of the same settled neighbourhood, asked me, “Buddhist?”

“No, Krishna!”

“Oh! Hare Krishna – on Avenue Road.”

“Why yes!” I said to him.

“What do you believe?”

“Our beliefs are a science based on the text Bhagavad-gita. It teaches that we are not the body, but we are spirit.” We spoke more. My only thought at that point was why does the covid test cost $200 at the clinic when the body is relatively insignificant?

 

May the Source be with you!

2 km

 

Brampton, Ontario

I’m 69

 

Twenty-one years ago, the film “The Legend of Baggar Vance” was released, where Will Smith plays the role of the name mentioned in the title. The name “Baggar Vance” is an interesting angle on the Sanskrit word Bhagavan, which is a more formal name for Krishna. He does a splendid job in this role.

Now Will Smith, the well-known actor, is telling people about the Bhagavad-gita in a direct and candid way. As Will explains in a video that’s going around, “Arjuna is overwhelmed… His family has tripped out… They tried to disrobe his wife.”

In looking at the above we might be able to deduce the most celebrated dialogue coming out of the east is making inroads into the west. Perhaps, in the future, Krishna and His warrior friend become mainstream. That would be nice. It would be beneficial since a timeless wisdom is unleashed from the conversation between the two; a wisdom that is relevant and speaks to all.

I want to thank the organizers of the program last night in Brampton. It was more than a birthday party. Kindness came out of the cake which was shared by two other persons to have their birthday fall on October 5th. Nandini is a 10-year-old girl in our community and is a good student. Hrsikesh was born 30 minutes before I showed up. We’re both 69. Happy birthday to you all.

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Yorkville, Toronto

Thank You All

 

Usually when it is one of our birthdays, my siblings and I make that Zoom call and chat away, wishing the birthday boy or girl a happy occasion. This evening the six of us came together by the grapevine to acknowledge my day of hatching, which is actually tomorrow, the fifth. We are fond of each other. In our teens, we were the beachy-peachy types, meaning we liked the water in the summer and spent time picking fruit during harvest time.

When on the call we don’t have much spirited talk, although I do normally read one of my poems, especially the ones of a more secular nature. Not everyone in the clan is ready for the spiritual. In time, perhaps.

On this day, I want to not only recognize those cherished sibs of mine, but also those who gave me a good amount of love and mentoring in the early days of Krishna Consciousness. On my list of Krishna Conscious care are B.B. Govinda Swami (then Ayodhya-pati), Visvakarma, Drupada, Satyajit, Sripati, Rupa Vilas, Jagadisa, Hiranyagarbha, Laksmimoni, and more.

If it were not for their mentoring, I would not be a monk today.

I also wanted to thank, most graciously, those kind souls who have been super steadfast on this here blog which has been up and running for some years now. TheWalkingMonk.net is what it is due to the great help of Abhidheya, Nitai Priya, Dhruva, Yogendra, and a host of others. Bless you all. The purpose of the blog is to keep in touch. Thank you, Ananda Rupa, for the Facebook page, and Nakula, for the twitter.

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Ottawa, Ontario

Surrender NOW

 

Prahlad’s story is described in the 7th Canto of the book, Bhagavatam. He reveals, through the text, his high level of realizations and pandit-ism. With our morning discussion at the Bhakta Prahlad Montessori School in Russell, we delved into the topic of Prahlad’s feeling for others; especially for those who have been unable to channel bhakti through their lives. So being a scholar is one thing, but you also have to have a heart at the same time. True saints are perceptive; they see the world for what it is – a place of suffering – but they also would like to see a healing take place. Those of us in the discussion want to model ourselves after his example. Deep down we really do. Each of us want that kind of success, if I could speak on everyone’s behalf.

My second discussion-lead for the day was at the Iskcon Ottawa Centre. I believe the count was about twenty-five people inside, while others were waiting outside the door. All those inside were masked and following protocol. The talk was rather a follow-up from the morning. Knowing that we must apply wisdom with heart, it then becomes apparent that one should be serious and take the first step of surrender. We brought up statements of an affirmative nature such as Krishna’s words, “Armed with yoga, stand and fight!” Referring back to “Just Do It.” A notion needs to be an action.

The message was “Let’s do what we need to do NOW! Why procrastinate?”

May the Source be with you!

 

Russell, Ontario

Day of Wisdom and Warmth

 

Roman and I took the scenic root on Highway 7 through the ancient Shield countryside, then through super-flat but fertile farmland, by car, before we reached the newly acquired farm in Russell, Ontario. It was a drive, not a walk – a five-hour pleasant trip – and it was well worth it. For the time-being we call this a Vaishnava Farm Garden Fest where people from the bhakti spectrum come together to share in the dreams and realities of simpler living.

 

Roman and I left a warm current Toronto for cooler drizzly weather but, again, it was well worth it. Attendees were so happy to see each other, at least half the face (we were masked, right). Veda Vyasa did an amazing presentation on garden tips, heirloom seeds and such. He’s employed with the city of Granby, Quebec, as a grower and tender of flowers, plants and veggies. It’s remarkable what he’s learned and what he can share.

 

Additionally, Jai Chaitanya from near Castleton, Ontario, presented a slide-show of his achievements with plant and animal care. In fact, both presenters offered hope to those of us from city environments where more and more people and concrete intensify modern life. In all, we counted fifty participants, and because it was largely an outdoor event, we could safely be present and share wisdom and warmth amongst us very well during this taxing pandemic time.

 

We do need to live and learn better.

May the Source be with you!

 

The Grand Welcome Ceremony of Srila Prabhupada’s new murti to the TOVP, Srila Prabhupada Vaibhava Darshana Utsava, will be celebrated in a few days on October 14 and 15. With the help of modern broadcasting technology, devotees all over the world can participate by watching this historic occasion from their own homes in over eight different languages on Mayapur TV.

The live broadcasting feed will also be available on the Mayapur TV and TOVP YouTube Channels and Facebook Pages, but the broadcast on www.mayapur.tv will have the availability of live, synchronized text translations in over eight languages.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event. The schedule is linked below for viewing and downloading. And take advantage of your rare fortune by gratefully offering Srila Prabhupada one of five abhishekas, a part of our $1 million guru dakshina offering to His Divine Grace. Go to the Welcome Ceremony Page to sponsor an abhisheka TODAY!

View and download the Ceremony Schedule.

ABHISHEKA AND SEVA SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS

1. SACRED WATER BATHING – $25 / ₹1,600 / £20 (sponsor for each family member)
2. COPPER COIN BATHING – $300 / ₹21,000 / £250
3. SILVER COIN BATHING – $500 / ₹35,000 / £400
4. GOLD COIN BATHING – $1,000 / ₹71,000 / £800
5. PLATINUM COIN BATHING – $1,600 / ₹1 Lakh / £1,300
6. SAMSTAPAK ACHARYA SEVA – $10,000 / ₹7 Lakh / £8,000

– Coin donors will receive the abhisheka coin
– Samstapak Acharya donors will receive a 5″ replica murti
– Installment payments are available

DONOR COIN CARDS

Donors will receive the coin used to ‘bathe’ Srila Prabhupada in these beautiful, specially designed cards.

5″ replica Prabhupada murti

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsapp2
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

• 

• 

The festival of Dussehra, also known as Vijaya dashmi, is one of the fascinating festivals of India and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. According to the great scripture, the Ramayana, Lord Rama performed chandi-puja (holy prayer). This was carried out in order to invoke the blessings of Durga for the killing of Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Sri Lanka who had abducted Sita, wife of Lord Rama.

Durga divulged the secret to Rama on how he could slay the great Ravana. Hence upon vanquishing the demon Ravana, Lord Rama with Sita and younger brother Laksmana, returned victorious to his kingdom of Ayodhya on the day, which is called ‘Diwali’.

Revelers across northern India re-enact the legend at sundown in a performance called the Rama lila, featuring actors dressed as Rama shooting flaming arrows at effigies stuffed with firecrackers. 

Dussehra day is considered a most auspicious day. It is a time-honored belief that if any new venture is started on this day, it is bound to be successful. Hence, all the undertakings be it laying-in of foundation of a new building, opening of a new commercial establishment or even initiating a child into the world of learning- are started on this day.

• 

• 

This video of HG Jananivas Prabhu was made in 2020 in preparation for the planned installation of the new Prabhupada murti in the TOVP in February of this year. Due the pandemic, the installation was rescheduled for October this year, but again has been postponed to 2022.

Instead, we are observing a Grand Welcome Ceremony to greet His Divine Grace to the TOVP on October 14 & 15. The video still reflects the mood we are trying to maintain with the Prabhupada Is Coming! theme, and the planned abhishekas will still be performed at the Welcome Ceremony.

Hare Krishna!

Visit the Welcome Ceremony page to sponsor an abhisheka TODAY!

ABHISHEKA AND SEVA SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS

1. SACRED WATER BATHING – $25 / ₹1,600 / £20 (sponsor for each family member)
2. COPPER COIN BATHING – $300 / ₹21,000 / £250
3. SILVER COIN BATHING – $500 / ₹35,000 / £400
4. GOLD COIN BATHING – $1,000 / ₹71,000 / £800
5. PLATINUM COIN BATHING – $1,600 / ₹1 Lakh / £1,300
6. SAMSTAPAK ACHARYA SEVA – $10,000 / ₹7 Lakh / £8,000

– Coin donors will receive the abhisheka coin
– Samstapak Acharya donors will receive a 5″ replica murti
– Installment payments are available

DONOR COIN CARDS

Donors will receive the coin used to ‘bathe’ Srila Prabhupada in these beautiful, specially designed cards.

5″ replica Prabhupada murti

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsapp6
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

This video of HG Pankajanghri Prabhu was made in 2020 in preparation for the planned installation of the new Prabhupada murti in the TOVP in February of this year. Due the pandemic, the installation was rescheduled for October this year, but again has been postponed to 2022.

Instead, we are observing a Grand Welcome Ceremony to greet His Divine Grace to the TOVP on October 14 & 15. The video still reflects the mood we are trying to maintain with the Prabhupada Is Coming! theme, and the planned abhishekas will still be performed at the Welcome Ceremony.

Hare Krishna!

Visit the Welcome Ceremony page to sponsor an abhisheka TODAY!

ABHISHEKA AND SEVA SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS

1. SACRED WATER BATHING – $25 / ₹1,600 / £20 (sponsor for each family member)
2. COPPER COIN BATHING – $300 / ₹21,000 / £250
3. SILVER COIN BATHING – $500 / ₹35,000 / £400
4. GOLD COIN BATHING – $1,000 / ₹71,000 / £800
5. PLATINUM COIN BATHING – $1,600 / ₹1 Lakh / £1,300
6. SAMSTAPAK ACHARYA SEVA – $10,000 / ₹7 Lakh / £8,000

– Coin donors will receive the abhisheka coin
– Samstapak Acharya donors will receive a 5″ replica murti
– Installment payments are available

DONOR COIN CARDS

Donors will receive the coin used to ‘bathe’ Srila Prabhupada in these beautiful, specially designed cards.

5″ replica Prabhupada murti

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View at 360°: www.tovp360.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://m.tovp.org/whatsapp6
Instagram: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 6 July 2021, Goloka Dhama, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1.18)

“Don’t let any opportunities go by! What if you are missing out in life? You may never get that opportunity again!” This is a common worldview, whereby this life is all there is considered to be. There is nothing after it and everything that you want to possibly experience has to be experienced in this one little life. Time is moving and you have to be quick. And that creates anxiety. You now have choices to make, and they better be the right ones because if you make the wrong choice, then, you may spoil your whole life. Midlife crisis, what is it about? It is simply the approach of old age and the approach of losing it. “Help me, I am going to lose the chance to enjoy!” Midlife crisis, “Let me enjoy now before it is too late!” America is an interesting country because there, even old people are trying to be young. They act as if they are young but there is no such thing. It is more like a mature European thing. People nowadays dress like they are young and they do all the things they used to do when they were young. They do not know how to relate to it. But yes at seventy, it is still young. (laughter). At eighty, still going strong. But that also does not work. I am experiencing that myself. That does not work since we go from being young to being totally incapacitated. Yesterday, we were on the bicycle and then the next day we are in the wheelchair. There is nothing in between. So, spiritual life is about realism.

The article " Midlife crisis " was published on KKSBlog.

Source: ISKCON in Vladivostok and Worldwide

Lecture: Russia, Vladivostok at 1 Oct 2021 (USA) /  2 Oct 2021 (RUS).

 

It’s not always easy to find rock music that tackles spiritual themes, much less Krishna conscious ones. But Australian alternative funk rock band Supersoul does just that, wrapping deep philosophical concepts in funky rhythm sections, soaring harmonies and ripping guitar solos. Hailing from ISKCON New Govardhana in Murwillumbah, the band consists of four devotees, all […]

The post Spiritual Funk Rock Band Supersoul Releases New EP “Rukmini’s Ecstasy” appeared first on ISKCON News.