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Hare Krishna. Rajendranandana prabhu (Sam Rogers) a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and beloved by many devotees around the world, left his body yesterday (Tuesday, November 10th) at approximately 1:15pm local time in San Diego, California. He was at home and being lovingly cared for by his wife, son, and fellow devotees. Rajendranandana prabhu’s health had […]

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By Badrinarayan Swami

Rajendranandana prabhu’s health had been failing for some time, and two or three weeks ago he was diagnosed with terminal spinal cancer. He was given three months to live. In the Vaisnava fashion so typical of Raj prabhu, he took the diagnosis as Krishna’s mercy and began to prepare himself for this final test. By the merciful arrangement of the Supreme Lord, he passed away within two weeks (instead of the projected several months). Continue reading "Rajendrananda Prabhu Departs this World
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One rather awkward problem of today’s times is that of societal organization. There have been considerable difficulties and dissatisfaction in pretty much all societies, whether capitalist, socialist, communist, autocracies, democracies, theocracies or whatever. Nothing seems to be working too well. I think the term that might best describe most of them is ‘muddling along’, but […]

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During the Durga-puja festival in Bangladesh this year, posts appeared on social media claiming that the Hindus had disrespected the Koran by placing it on the floor before the Durga deities. A subsequent investigation found CC TV evidence showing that the Koran was placed there by a Muslim – it seemed to be a ploy of some Muslim extremists to stir passions among the Muslim masses. Unfortunately, it worked and hundreds in aggressive mobs rioted, destroying many Durga mandaps, as well as Hindu temples, businesses and homes. During these riots, a mob attacked the ISKCON temple in Noakhali, killing three devotees and disfigured the deity of Srila Prabhupada.

Channeling outrage in two ways

When such things happen, we naturally feel shocked, sickened and outraged. If we don’t feel angry, then where is our devotion? When five-year-old Prahlada was persecuted by his demonic father Hiranyakasipu, Lord Nrsimhadeva took serious action against Hiranyakasipu. We need not imitate Nrsimhadeva’s actions, but feeling anger when things connected with our Lord are threatened or destroyed is a natural sign of devotion. We feel angry about something when we are emotionally invested in it. Feeling indifferent about such incidents is a sign of apathy.
The main question is not whether we should feel angry, but how we should express our emotion of anger. Are our emotions taking control of us, impelling us to do things that we would regret or would make things worse? Or are we controlling our emotions and using their energy intelligently? We need to channel that anger in a constructive way so that our response makes things better.

Broadly speaking, there are two dimensions to our response in such situations:
1. Brahminical response based on scriptures (sastra)
2. Ksatriya response based on weapons (sastra).

The brahminical response with sastra, or scriptures, is used to protect people from misconceptions and to give them the right understanding. sastra or weapons are one part of the ksatriya response; this response is integral to a multi-pronged strategy for protecting the innocent and punishing the wrongdoers. Any healthy society needs to use both sastra and sastra to deal with such situations.

Brahminical response

From a brahminical perspective, we need to do three things:
1. Protect our own faith by taking shelter of scriptures
2. Avoid getting caught up in sectarian anger towards particular groups
3. Work in a collective spirit with those who share our cultural values, even if we may have philosophical differences.

Let us discuss each of them in detail.

1. Protect our own faith: Such events may shake our faith in Krishna’s power to protect us. But scripture offers a holistic understanding of Krishna’s protection. Both in Ramayana and Mahabharata, there were great souls who were on the side of virtue but were killed: Jatayu in Ramayana and Abhimanyu in Mahabharata. In Ramayana, even before the war took place, Lord Rama had come to a place in central India known as Ramateka, where he came across piles of bones. These were the remains of sages who had been performing austerities and had been devoured by cannibalistic demons who thereafter spat out their bones. In this material world, horrible things may happen to everyone, including even to sincere devotees of the Lord.

Krishna’s protection does not always manifest at a material bodily level; nonetheless, it always manifests at the spiritual level. Jatayu died in the arms of Lord Rama, and Abhimanyu died for the cause of the Krishna. Both of these personalities were elevated to the most auspicious destination. Similarly, those devotees who were unfortunately killed in Bangladesh will be elevated to a destination that is more conducive for their spiritual evolution.

2. Avoid getting caught up in sectarian anger: In such situations, it is easy to get caught up in sectarian conceptions by labeling certain religious groups as bad or violent. Instead, by taking guidance of scripture, we can learn to see the world around us in terms of the three modes of material nature. All over the world, in every group, be it religious or non-religious, there are some people in goodness (sattva), some in passion (rajas) and some in ignorance (tamas). People in goodness can discuss and resolve differences amicably. People in passion and ignorance will use violence to fulfill their agendas. These three types of people are there in every demographic group. Sometimes the leaders of such groups may also be in passion and ignorance. In such cases, all their followers may also become violent and destructive. Despite such occasional actions by some people or groups, we should be careful and not paint everyone in those groups with the same brush.

In our Gaudiya Vaisnava history, let’s see how our acharyas dealt with such situations in their times. Srila Viswanath Chakravarthi Thakhur came to Vrindavan at a time after the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had fanatically wreaked havoc in that holiest of all holy places for Krishna devotees. Previously, Srila Rupa and Sanatana Goswami had come to Vrindavan when Akbar was the Mughal king. Akbar was tolerant, although not as broadminded as painted in the history books. Under Akbar’s rule, the Goswamis were able to develop Vrindavan. It was not that Akbar helped a lot, but at least he did not hinder the development. The Gosswamis also had a good rapport with the Rajputs, who formed alliances with the Mughal kings and who thereby that ensured Vrindavana’s protection. Aurangzeb, however, put his religious fanaticism above political alliances; he devastated Vrindavan and terrorized the Hindus. After these depredations, Srila Viswanath Chakravarthi Thakhur came there and restored Vrindavan (at least a portion of it) to its erstwhile glory.

This was also the time when Viswanath Chakravarthi wrote his commentaries of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, as well as many other devotional books. Despite having witnessed the consequences of Aurangzeb’s fanaticism, in none of his books did he mention those terrible acts. Instead, he reiterated the Gita’s statement that this material world is a place of misery, and that we can best tolerate and transcend such distresses by following the path of bhakti. Being an acharya, he taught by his example: don’t let contemporary situations consume your consciousness.
Additionally, we can sastra-cakshu (vision of scriptures) to understand these distresses philosophically. Such events of communal violence are part of adhibhautika-klesa (distress caused by other living entities), which is one of the three major forms of worldly distress, the other two being adhyatmika-kleça (distresses caused by the body and the mind) and adhidaivika-klesa (distresses caused by nature. The more people are in passion and ignorance in this world, the more they will inflict such miseries on each other. Undoubtedly, we need a ksatriya response to deal with such people. But if we let ourselves fall under the influence of rajas and tamas, then we will not be part of the solution; we will only further aggravate the problem. We need to see that the entire religion or entire country is not extremist; some people within it are.

3. Work collectively with those who share our cultural values:
While our focus is on spreading Krishna consciousness, just to survive, we need the basic maintenance of dharma (law and order in society). Therefore, we need to connect with those who share with us the basic values of dharma. Sattva means seeing our commonality with others, which includes with various groups within the broader Vedic and Hindu tradition. We need the breadth of vision to overlook theological, religious and philosophical differences so as to build bridges. Then we can have the collective strength to draw on during such situations. In the past when there was a threat to Bhaktivedanta Manor (the biggest ISKCON center in the UK), the entire Hindu community came together to counter this threat to what was then the biggest Hindu temple in the UK. And the Manor was saved. Similarly, when the Bhagavad-gita was banned in Russia, the fact that the main sacred Hindu book was banned created a national outrage that reached even the Indian Parliament. The subsequent governmental and media pressure compelled the Russian government to revoke the ban.

Ksatriya response
1. Better self-defense
2. Increased collective advocacy

1. Better self-defense
Temples need to make arrangements for better security through various ways like training interested members in self-defense, inspiring those already with such training to do service in the temple, and working with organizations that are more experienced and expert at such things. Such proactive preparation for self-defense has precedents. When Srila Prabhupada was developing the Mayapur project (the birth-place of Lord Chaitanya and the global headquarters of ISKCON), trained devotees there had to keep guns to protect the temple from dacoits in the region.

2. Increased collective advocacy
Simultaneously, it’s important to remember that the ksatriya way is not only about warfare; it is also about diplomacy. If we focus too much on weapons and fighting, we run the danger of being branded as right-wing extremists, and we may even face the danger of becoming such extremists. Broadly, ksatriyas may work in four ways to resolve conflicts: sama (conciliation: focus on common interests), dama (reward: offer benefits for amicable resolution), bheda (dissension: create rifts in the opposite camp to weaken their opposition) and danda (force: use physical or martial force to overpower opponents). Considering these strategies in today’s context, diplomacy can mean exerting pressure on the Bangladeshi government. Devotees across the world organized kirtana protest marches in 150 cities all over the world. Simultaneously, devotees along with other Hindu groups have given letters to the embassies of Bangladesh in various parts of the world. These letters have made four requests to the Bangladesh government:

● Protection of Hindu temples, businesses and homes;
● Justice by punishing the perpetrators;
● Reparation for the victims;
● Reconstruction of the temples at government cost.

For such protests and petitions to be more effective, we as a community need to be more united and focus more on advocacy, whereby our voices are heard by mainstream media outlets, human rights organizations and national governments. In today’s world, few things are as effective as monetary consequences. Many Western governments give millions of dollars in aid to Bangladesh; if these governments could be persuaded to make that aid conditional to the protection of the human rights of Bangladesh’s Hindu minorities – and such protection is the basic duty of any government that claims to be secular – that would galvanize the government into action. Even if ISKCON may not be demographically large enough for a democratic government to have to pay attention to, we are parts of a large community of Hindus, who are among the wealthiest immigrants in the Western world. Moreover, Hindus are usually respected for their law-abiding and tax-paying nature; their ethos of hard work and personal responsibility; and their educational and professional success. Together, we can have a voice that will be influential. Unfortunately, we as the Hindu community haven’t used such influence to do effective advocacy for causes that are important for us. May this terrible incident be the necessary jolt that impels us to come together for taking tangible action.

End of transcription.

Transcription in Hindi

प्रश्न:बांग्लादेश में भक्तों पर हमले की क्या प्रतिक्रिया हो?

उत्तर: इस वर्ष बांग्लादेश में दुर्गा-पूजा उत्सव के अवसर पर, सोशल मीडिया के कुछ संदेशों द्वारा यह दावा किया गया कि हिंदुओं ने कुरान को दुर्गा देवी की मूर्ति के सामने रखकर उस पुस्तक का अनादर किया। बाद में एक जाँच में सीसीटीवी के सबूतों से पता चला कि कुरान को वहाँ एक मुसलमान ने रखा था और यह मुसलमानों को भड़काने के लिए कुछ मुसलमान कट्टरवादियों का एक षडयंत्र था। दुर्भाग्य से, वे अपने मंशा में सफल रहे और सैकड़ों लोगों की आक्रामक भीड़ ने दंगा किया तथा कई दुर्गा मण्डपों, हिंदू मंदिरों, व्यवसायों और घरों को नष्ट कर दिया गया। इन दंगों में, भीड़ ने नोआखली के इस्कॉन मंदिर पर हमला किया, तीन भक्तों की हत्या कर दी और श्रील प्रभुपाद के विग्रहों को क्षतिग्रस्त किया।

आक्रोश की अभिव्यक्ति दो प्रकार से

जब ऐसी घटनाऐं होती हैं, तो झटका लगना, व्यथित होना, तथा आक्रोशित होना स्वाभाविक हैा। ऐसे में यदि हम क्रोधित न हों, तो फिर हमारी भक्ति के क्या मायने? जब पांच वर्षीय प्रह्लाद को उसके आसुरी पिता हिरण्यकशिपु द्वारा सताया गया था, तो भगवान नृसिंहदेव ने हिरण्यकशिपु के विरुद्ध गंभीर कार्रवाई की थी। हमें नृसिंहदेव के कार्यों का अनुकरण करने की आवश्यकता नहीं, किन्तु जब हमारे आराध्य भगवान से सम्बन्धित वस्तुऐं खतरे में हों अथवा नष्ट कर दी जाऐं तो क्रोध आना हमारी भक्ति का एक स्वाभाविक संकेत है। जब हम किसी विषय में भावनात्मक रूप से निवेशित होते हैं तो उस विषय के प्रति दुर्व्यवहार पर क्रोधित होते ही हैं। ऐसी घटनाओं के प्रति उदासीनता हमारे निष्ठुर होने का परिचायक है।

मुख्य प्रश्न यह नहीं कि हमें क्रोध करना चाहिए या नहीं, बल्कि यह कि हम अपना क्रोध कैसे व्यक्त करें। क्या भावनाऐं हमें नियंत्रित करें, जिससे हम कुछ ऐसा करें कि बाद में पछताऐं या स्थिति और बिगड़ जाए? या हम भावनाओं को नियंत्रित करें और उसका बुद्धिमानी से उपयोग करें? आवश्यक है कि हम अपने क्रोध को रचनात्मक ढंग से अभिव्यक्त करें ताकि इससे परिस्थिति सुधर सके।

मोटे तौर पर, ऐसी परिस्थितियों में हमारी प्रतिक्रिया के दो स्तर हैं:

1. शास्त्रों पर आधारित प्रतिक्रिया (ब्राह्मण स्वभाव के अनुरूप)
2. शस्त्रों के आधार पर प्रतिक्रिया (क्षत्रिय स्वभाव के अनुरूप)

शास्त्रों के आधार पर प्रतिक्रिया का अर्थ है लोगों को गलत धारणाओं से बचाना और उन्हें सही दिशा प्रदान करना। किन्तु शस्त्रों के आधार पर प्रतिक्रिया का अर्थ है निर्दोषों की रक्षा तथा दोषियों को दण्ड। किसी भी स्वस्थ समाज को ऐसी परिस्थितियों से निपटने के लिए शास्त्र और शस्त्र दोनों का उपयोग करने की आवश्यकता होती है।

ब्राह्मण स्वभाव के अनुरूप प्रतिक्रिया

ब्राह्मण दृष्टिकोण के अन्तर्गत हमें तीन बातों का ध्यान रखना होगा:

1. शास्त्रों का आश्रय लेकर हम अपनी श्रद्धा की रक्षा करें
2. विशेष समुदायों के प्रति सांप्रदायिक घृणा न पालें
3. उन लोगों के साथ सामूहिक भावना के साथ काम करें जिनके सांस्कृतिक मूल्य हमारे जैसे ही हों, भले ही ऐसे समुदायों के साथ हमारे दार्शनिक मतभेद क्यों न हों।

आइए हम इन सब बिन्दुओं पर विस्तार से चर्चा करें।

1. अपनी श्रद्धा की रक्षा करें: ऐसी घटनाओं से हमारी श्रद्धा डगमगा सकती है। हमारे मन में यह भाव आ सकता है कि क्या वास्तव में श्रीकृष्ण हमारी रक्षा कर सकते हैं। ऐसे में शास्त्रों द्वारा हम इस बात का ज्ञान ले सकते हैं कि वास्तव में श्रीकृष्ण की रक्षा के मायने क्या हैं। रामायण और महाभारत दोनों ग्रंथों में, कई ऐसे महान चरित्र थे जो पुण्यवान थे, किन्तु फिर भी मृत्यु को प्राप्त हुए। जैसे रामायण में जटायु और महाभारत में अभिमन्यु का उदाहरण। रामायण में, युद्ध होने से पहले, भगवान राम मध्य भारत में स्थित रामटेक नामक स्थान पर आए, जहाँ उन्हें हड्डियों के ढेर मिले। ये उन ऋषियों के अवशेष थे जो तपस्या कर रहे थे और नरभक्षी राक्षसों द्वारा खा लिए गए थे, तथा खाने के उपरान्त राक्षसों ने उनकी हड्डियों को उगल दिया और हड्डियों का ढेर लगा दिया। इस भौतिक संसार में, किसी के साथ भी भयानक घटनाऐं हो सकती हैं, और भगवान के निष्ठावान भक्त भी ऐसी घटनाओं से अछूते नहीं हैं।

श्रीकृष्ण की सुरक्षा शारीरिक स्तर पर सदा प्रकट नहीं होती, किन्तु आध्यात्मिक स्तर पर यह सदा प्रकट होती है। जटायु ने भगवान श्रीराम की भुजाओं में अपने प्राण त्यागे, तथा अभिमन्यु श्रीकृष्ण के कार्य में निमित्त बनकर वीरगति को प्राप्त हुआ। इन दोनों ही भक्तों को परमगति मिली। इसी प्रकार, वे भक्त जो बांग्लादेश में दुर्भाग्यवश मृत्यु को प्राप्त हुए, वे भी ऐसी गति प्राप्त करेंगे जो उनके आध्यात्मिक उत्थान के लिए श्रेयस्कर होगा।

2. सांप्रदायिक घृणा न पालें: ऐसी परिस्थितियों में, किसी धार्मिक समुदाय को बुरा अथवा हिंसक मानकर सांप्रदायिक घृणा पाल लेना बड़ा सरल होता है। ऐसी धारणा पालने के बजाय, शास्त्रों के मार्गदर्शन द्वारा अपने चारों ओर के संसार को हम प्रकृति के तीन गुणों के रूप में देखना सीख सकते हैं। इस संसार में, हर समुदाय में, चाहे वह धार्मिक हो या गैर-धार्मिक, कुछ लोग सत्वगुण में, कुछ रजोगुण में और कुछ तमोगुण में स्थित होते हैं। सतोगुणी लोग चर्चा द्वारा अपने आपसी मतभेदों का समाधान कर सकते हैं। रजोगुणी और तमोगुणी लोग आवेश और अज्ञानता के कारण अपना स्वार्थ सिद्ध करने के लिए हिंसा का प्रयोग करने से नहीं चूकते। ये तीन प्रकार के लोग हर समुदाय में होते हैं। कभी-कभी ऐसे समुदायों के नेता भी रजोगुण और तमोगुण के प्रभाव में हो सकते हैं। ऐसे में उनके सभी अनुयायी हिंसक और विनाशकारी बन जाते हैं। कुछ लोगों अथवा समुदायों द्वारा इस प्रकार यदाकदा घटनाओं के बावजूद, हमें सावधान रहना चाहिए और उन समुदायों में सभी लोगों को एक ही रंग से नहीं रंग देना चाहिए।

यह देखना आवश्यक है कि हमारी गौड़ीय वैष्णव परम्परा के इतिहास में हमारे आचार्य ऐसी परिस्थितियों से कैसे निपटे। श्रील विश्वनाथ चक्रवर्ती ठाकुर ऐसे कालखण्ड में वृंदावन आए थे जब मुगल सम्राट औरंगजे़ब ने उस पवित्रतम स्थान में कृष्ण भक्तों पर कहर बरपाया था। इससे पहले, श्रील रूप और सनातन गोस्वामी वृंदावन आए थे जब अकबर वहाँ मुगल शासक थे। अकबर सहिष्णु था, किन्तु उतना भी उदार नहीं था जितना कि उसे इतिहास की पुस्तकों में चित्रित किया जाता है। अकबर के शासन में, गोस्वामी वृंदावन को विकसित कर सके। ऐसा नहीं था कि अकबर ने बहुत सहायता की, किन्तु कम से कम उसने विकास में बाधा नहीं डाली। गोस्वामियों के राजपूतों के साथ, जिनका मुगल राजाओं के साथ गठबंधन था, अच्छे सम्बन्ध थे और यही कारण था कि वृंदावन की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित हुई। किन्तु औरंगज़ेब ने अपनी धार्मिक कट्टरता को राजनीतिक गठबंधनों से ऊपर रखा। उसने वृंदावन को तहस-नहस कर दिया और हिंदुओं को आतंकित किया। श्रील विश्वनाथ चक्रवर्ती ठाकुर का वृंदावन में पदार्पण इन लूटपाट की घटनाओं के बाद हुआ और उन्होंने वृन्दावन को (कम से कम उसके कुछ भाग को) उसकी पूर्व महिमा में पुनर्स्थापित किया।

इसी दौरान श्रील विश्वनाथ चक्रवर्ती ने भगवद्गीता तथा श्रीमद्भागवतम् पर अपनी टीकाओं के साथ-साथ कई अन्य भक्तिमय पुस्तकें लिखीं। किन्तु औरंगजे़ब की धार्मिक कट्टरता के दुष्परिणामों को देखने के बाद भी उन्होंने अपनी किसी भी पुस्तक में उन भयानक कृत्यों का उल्लेख नहीं किया। इसके बजाय, उन्होंने गीता के इस कथन को दोहराया कि यह भौतिक संसार दुख का स्थान है, और हम भक्ति के मार्ग पर चलकर ऐसे संकटों को सबसे अच्छी तरह से सहन और पार कर सकते हैं। एक आचार्य होने के नाते, उन्होंने अपने उदाहरण से सिखाया कि अपनी चेतना को समकालीन परिस्थितियों की बलि न चढ़ने दें।

इसके अतिरिक्त, हम ऐसे कष्टों को दार्शनिक रूप से समझने के लिए शास्त्र-चक्षु की सहायता ले सकते हैं। सांप्रदायिक हिंसा की ऐसी घटनाऐं अधिभौतिक-क्लेश (अन्य जीवों के कारण होने वाले कष्ट) कहे जाते हैं, जो सांसारिक क्लेशों के तीन प्रमुख रूपों में से एक है। अन्य दो हैं, आध्यात्मिक-क्लेश (शरीर और मन के कारण होने वाले कष्ट) और अधिदैविक-क्लेश (प्रकृति के कारण होने वाले कष्ट)। इस संसार में जितने अधिक लोग रजोगुण और तमोगुण में होंगे, उतना ही वे एक-दूसरे के लिए इन दुखों का कारण बनेंगे। निस्संदेह, हमें ऐसे लोगों से निपटने के लिए एक क्षत्रिय प्रतिक्रिया की आवश्यकता है। किन्तु यदि हम स्वयं को रजोगुण और तमोगुण के प्रभाव में आने दें, तो हम समाधान का हिस्सा नहीं बनेंगे, बल्कि समस्या को ही और बढ़ाएंगे। हमें यह समझने की आवश्यकता है कि समूचा धर्म अथवा देश कट्टरवादी नहीं होता है; इनके भीतर कुछ ही लोग ऐसे होते हैं।

3. उन लोगों के साथ सामूहिक रूप से काम करें जिनके सांस्कृतिक मूल्य हमारे समान हैं:

हालाँकि हमारा ध्यान कृष्ण भावनामृत के प्रचार पर रहता है, किन्तु मात्र अस्तित्व बनाए रखने के लिए, हमें धर्म अर्थात समाज में कानून और व्यवस्था के बुनियादी रखरखाव की आवश्यकता है। अतः, हमें उन लोगों से जुड़ने की आवश्यकता है जो धर्म के बुनियादी मूल्यों को लेकर हमारे साथ एकमत है। सत्व का अर्थ है एक-दूसरे में समानता देखना, और इसके अंतर्गत वैदिक और हिंदू परंपराओं से जुड़े तमाम अन्य समुदाय भी आते हैं। हमें शास्त्रिय, धार्मिक और दार्शनिक मतभेदों को नज़रअंदाज़ करने के लिए व्यापक दृष्टिकोण अपनाने की आवश्यकता है ताकि हम एकदूसरे के साथ सम्बन्ध स्थापित कर सकें। इससे हम एक सामूहिक शक्ति बन सकेंगे जो ऐसी परिस्थितियों में आगे बढ़ने में हमारी सहायक होगी। एक बार जब भक्तिवेदांत मैनर (यूके का सबसे बड़ा इस्कॉन केंद्र) पर खतरे के बादल मंडरा रहे थे तब उसका सामना करने के लिए पूरा हिंदू समुदाय एक साथ आया और यूके के सबसे बड़े हिन्दु मंदिर भक्तिवेदांत मैनर को बचाया गया। इसी प्रकार, जब रूस में भगवद्गीता पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया गया था, तो इस तथ्य के कारण कि हिंदुओं की एक मुख्य पवित्र पुस्तक पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया गया है, एक राष्ट्रीय आक्रोश उत्पन्न हुआ जिसकी गूँज भारतीय संसद तक भी पहुँची। इससे उत्पन्न सरकारी और मीडिया दबाव ने रूसी सरकार को प्रतिबंध को निरस्त करने के लिए विवश किया।

क्षत्रिय प्रतिक्रिया

1. बेहतर आत्मरक्षा
2. सामूहिक समर्थन जुटाने में वृद्धि

1. बेहतर आत्मरक्षा

मंदिरों को अपनी सुरक्षा व्यवस्था बेहतर करने की आवश्यकता है। इसे कई प्रकार से किया जा सकता है जैसे आत्मरक्षा करने में इच्छुक सदस्यों को प्रशिक्षण देना, पहले से ही इस प्रकार का प्रशिक्षण प्राप्त लोगों को मंदिर में सेवा के लिए प्रेरित करना, तथा ऐसे संगठनों की सहायता लेना जो इस विषय में अधिक अनुभवी तथा दक्ष हैं। आत्मरक्षा हेतु पहले से ही तैयार रहना कोई नया नहीं है। इसकी मिसालें हैं। जब श्रील प्रभुपाद मायापुर (भगवान चैतन्य का जन्म स्थान और इस्कॉन का वैश्विक मुख्यालय) परियोजना विकसित कर रहे थे, तब वहां मंदिर क्षेत्र में डकैतों से बचाने के लिए प्रशिक्षित भक्तों को बंदूकें रखनी पड़ती थीं।

2. सामूहिक समर्थन जुटाने में वृद्धि

साथ ही साथ, यह भी याद रखना महत्वपूर्ण है कि क्षत्रिय मार्ग का अर्थ मात्र युद्ध नहीं है; इसमें कूटनीति भी आती है। यदि हम शस्त्रों और लड़ने पर आवश्यकता से अधिक ध्यान केंद्रित करेंगे, तो हमारे ऊपर दक्षिणपंथी कट्टरवादी होने का ठप्पा लग सकता है, और हमें ऐसे कट्टरवादी बनने के खतरे का सामना भी करना पड़ सकता है। मोटे तौर पर, क्षत्रिय विवादों के हल के लिए चार प्रकार से कार्य कर सकते हैं: साम (समाधान: परस्पर हितों पर ध्यान देना), दाम (पुरस्कार: सौहार्दपूर्ण समाधान के लिए लाभ का प्रस्ताव), भेद (विरोध: अपने विरोधी को कमजोर करने के लिए विपरीत पक्ष में दरारें पैदा करना) और दण्ड (बल: विरोधियों पर काबू पाने के लिए शारीरिक अथवा सैन्य बल का प्रयोग करना)। वर्तमान संदर्भ में इन रणनीतियों का कूटनीतिक अर्थ है बांग्लादेशी सरकार पर दबाव बनाना। विश्व भर के भक्तों ने दुनिया भर के 150 शहरों में कीर्तन विरोध मार्च का आयोजन किया। साथ ही अन्य हिंदू समुदायों के साथ भक्तों ने विश्व के विभिन्न भागों में बांग्लादेश के दूतावासों को पत्र दिए। इन पत्रों में बांग्लादेश सरकार से चार अनुरोध किए गए हैं:

*हिंदू मंदिरों, व्यवसायों और घरों की सुरक्षा;
*अपराधियों को दण्ड देकर न्याय;
*पीड़ितों के लिए क्षतिपूर्ति;
*सरकारी लागत से मंदिरों का पुनर्निर्माण।

इस प्रकार के विरोधों और याचिकाओं को अधिक प्रभावी बनाने के लिए, हमें एक समुदाय के रूप में अधिक एकजुट होने और जनसमर्थन जुटाने पर अधिक ध्यान केंद्रित करने की आवश्यकता है, जिससे मुख्यधारा के मीडिया केन्द्रों, मानवाधिकार संगठनों तथा राष्ट्रीय सरकारों द्वारा हमारी पीड़ा सुनी जा सके। वर्तमान जगत में, वित्तीय कार्रवाई का भय कारगर साबित हो सकता है। कई पश्चिमी सरकारें बांग्लादेश को सहायता के रूप में लाखों डॉलर देती हैं; यदि इन सरकारों को राजी किया जा सके कि वे ऐसी वित्तीय सहायता बांग्लादेशी सरकार को तब ही प्रदान करे जब वे बांग्लादेश के हिंदू अल्पसंख्यकों के मानवाधिकारों की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करे। ऐसी सुरक्षा किसी भी सरकार का मूल कर्तव्य है जो धर्मनिरपेक्ष होने का दावा करती है। इस प्रकार के वित्तीय परिणामों का भय बांग्लादेशी सरकार को कार्रवाई करने के लिए प्रेरित कर सकता है। भले ही इस्कॉन जनसंख्या के दृष्टि से इतना बड़ा न हो कि एक लोकतांत्रिक सरकार का ध्यान आकर्षित कर सके, पर हम हिंदुओं का एक बड़ा समुदाय हैं, जो पश्चिमी जगत के सबसे धनी अप्रवासियों में से एक हैं। इसके अलावा, संसार में हिंदुओं को सम्मान की दृष्टि से देखा जाता है कि वे आमतौर पर कानून का पालन करने वाले होते हैं, नियमित टैक्स चुकाते हैं, कड़ा परिश्रम और व्यक्तिगत उत्तरदायित्व उनकी प्रकृति में होता है, और वे शिक्षा तथा अपने व्यावसायों में सफल होते हैं। सामूहिक रूप में हम एक प्रभावशाली शक्ति बन सकते हैं। दुर्भाग्यवश, हिंदू समुदाय के रूप में हमने अपने इस प्रभाव का उपयोग जनसमर्थन जुटाने के लिए नहीं किया है विशेष रूप से उन कारणों के लिए जो हमारे समुदाय के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं। आशा है कि यह भयानक घटना एक ऐसा झटका हो जो ठोस कार्रवाई करने के लिए हमें एक साथ आने के लिए प्रेरित करे।

End of transcription.

I have been trying to work out if in this life I have been fortunate or unfortunate. Certainly to have come into contact with your movement and to have some small faith in your words is a very great good fortune. I really don’t know how that happened. I was just an average fool heading straight to hell, fully absorbed in sense gratification. Sure I was suffering, but I wasn’t intelligent enough to recognise that fact.  I thought I was looking for spirituality, but didn’t have the faintest idea what that meant.  I had just heard from somewhere that meditation leads you to states of bliss, so I thought well that sounds good, I could use a bit of bliss, let me give it a try.  I starting doing so called transcendental meditation for a while, but all that did was send me soundly to sleep, so I began looking around for something a bit more effective. Roughly around this time I happened to encounter one of your disciples. Not my first encounter. Whilst in London I had previously been sold, on different occasions and on various pretexts, a record, a book and a BTG. I had also watched open mouthed as a Harinam party made its stately way past me on Oxford Street.  But alas I had been too dull and self-absorbed to understand any of it.  Sure, I could recognise that the devotees were on a spiritual path, which I thought was genuine enough, but it looked way too weird to me, the dress, the haircut, the bell ringing – no way was I going to get into any that. So I kept looking. But this time when I met your disciple it was different. A few more years had gone by and Maya had landed some good solid blows right on my chin.

So there I was one day hitchhiking and a van driven by your disciple - - dressed incognito -- picked me up. “Where are you going?” he asked. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Do you happen to know of any spiritual communities?” He looked at me curiously and said, “Funnily enough yes. I will take you there.” He then asked if I would read to him the book on his dashboard, which happened to be Bhagavadgita as it is. I picked it up and began to read the verses and it was like bombs going off in my head. I should perhaps add here that due to the assimilation of certain substances I had arrived at a point of total confusion about who I was, where I was, how I got there and where I was going. It was a complete identity crisis. I could intuitively understand that I was something other than the body in which I resided, but what that was I had no clue at all.  I wasn’t even sure if I actually existed at all. Then Krishna spoke to me through you. “For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”

As I read one powerful verse after another my mind was blown. Actually it might be more accurate to say that it was reconstructed. “What is this knowledge?” I asked. “Where can I find out more?”

To cut a long story short he brought me straight here to the Manor. I really had no intention of joining, especially after I had been apprised of the regulative principles, but I decided to stay for a week or two just to check it out. This was around Janmastami time in 1979 and I distinctly recall the Vyasa Puja ceremony of that year. As I watched one devotee after another stepping up to the microphone and tearfully declaring him or herself to be a low wretch of the worst order, unworthy of your divine mercy, I was astonished.  Here were persons undergoing what to me seemed like a path of very high renunciation and spiritual dedication, and yet they were so humble.  And who was this amazing person they talked about, to whom they had given their lives and for whom they now wept in unrestrained grief at his departure. My heart just melted.  There was no question of going anywhere.  I wanted to be like these people.  Within a week I had shaved up, put on the strange clothes, abandoned my girlfriend, and donated my life savings, the princely sum of £600 – quite a lot back then.

I really don’t know how I received such good fortune, but my misfortune was that I did not meet you Srila Prabhupada. I think about it a lot. I was surely in London at the same time as you on many occasions but the Lord did not guide me to you until after you had left. Still, I feel I owe you everything.  You are certainly the person who saved me, there is no doubt at all in my mind. It doesn’t really matter that I never saw your physical manifestation. Your books, your lectures, your loving disciples, your vibrant mission – I see you in all of these and that is what keeps me alive.

I have just one prayer. Please Srila Prabhupada, although I am hopelessly unqualified, a completely selfish rascal, please by your boundless mercy engage me in your service. And although I can never actually repay my debt to you, I ask that you kindly allow me to die trying.

 

 

The Home Secretary Rt Hon Ms Priti Patel joined thousands to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights at Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple near Watford on Sunday 7th November.

  In celebration of this weekend’s MAN-tra retreat, Bhaktimarga Swami has written the following poem to help inspire and set the mood.   It was somewhere near Oakland in CaliforniaWhere people drive everything from Harleys to a Porsche-a Anuttama and I were ambling on our humble feetAs traffic whizzed by like a roaring missile fleet […]

The post The Origin of MAN-tra appeared first on ISKCON News.

In celebration of this weekend's MAN-tra retreat, Bhaktimarga Swami has written the following poem to help inspire and set the mood.

• 

• 

“My dear Lord Krsna…. How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own…. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life….”

This poem was written on September 17, 1965. Just twelve years later, on November 14, 1977, A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, passed away in Vrndavan, India, at the age of 81. 

Srila Prabhupada, had spread the teachings of Krsna consciousness to every major city in the world, and had formed an international society comprising thousands of dedicated members. He had established 108 temples, with magnificent estates spread across six continents, and had circled the globe twelve times to personally guide the membership of his broadening mission.

Srila Prabhupada had also translated, written, and published 51 volumes of books in 28 different languages, tens of millions of which had been distributed throughout the world.

He had delivered thousands of lectures, written thousands of letters, and taken part in thousands of conversations with followers, admirers, and critics alike. And he had won the esteem of hundreds of prominent scholars and social figures, who had genuine appreciation for Srila Prabhupada’s contributions to religion, philosophy, and culture.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

• 

• 

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Super Special Day

There is an expected rule for covid restrictions and therefore we have limited attendance for our extended festival of Govardhan, here in the province of New Brunswick. Nevertheless, those who came to the location, the home of Kadamba Priya, had a sweet time. Now, today, Sunday, November 7, we take on dutifully an event to honour our world teacher, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who passed away in 1977. It is an anniversary celebration today and we will remember him, sadly but gloriously, for the great contribution he has made.

What did he do for the world and, to better express it, what does he continue to do for humankind? The gifts he has offered us may be too many to list but let us begin with saying that he turned people’s lives around for the better. It begins with his making clear our true identity. We are spirits – servants to the world. We are not these bodies. We are the engine; the heart of the machine (the body).

Our priority is this: to come to terms with our actual nature in taking care of the needs of others and that of our maker, Krishna. There is the need to rekindle our connection with God. To do that we take measures to remove obstacles that stand in the way of achieving that ignored relationship.

Prabhupada insisted that we reconnect, that we love again, and what helps is looking at lowering bad habits. Clear-mindedness and challenging the mental clutter is a way forward. We live in a confused world with misdirection and imbalance being the norm. What he has left us is his good guidance through his books, letters, and conversations. Take advantage of that compassion. Make a commitment today to make needed personal improvements and better the world.

May the Source be with you!

8km

 

The article below appeared in NPR: News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville. Meet Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and a Gainesville resident When most people hear the name “Ford,” they think of cars. But one heir to the company wanted to change that in his […]

The post Meet Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and a Gainesville resident appeared first on ISKCON News.

Alfred Ford, 71, is the great-grandson of American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1950 to Josephine Ford, the only granddaughter of Henry. That was three years after Henry died in 1947.

The disappearance day of Srila Prabhupada is observed by his followers by offering prayers to him and feeling his separation. Simultaneously, heartfelt gratitude is also expressed to please his divine grace and seek his blessings.

Once, on his guru maharaja’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada said, “On the absolute platform, there is no difference between the appearance and the disappearance of the spiritual master. Both are beautiful, just like the sunrise and the sunset.” So, although we feel separation, within that separation our remembrance of Srila Prabhupada is heightened, and thus we experience the beauty of his presence—in separation.

Srila Prabhupada’s departure is a painful topic, but remembering Srila Prabhupada’s words that the disappearance is also beautiful, I wanted to share with you a lesson I learned from his departure.

A few days before he was to leave us, Srila Prabhupada expressed a desire to travel by bullock cart to different holy places in India. His Holiness Lokanath Swami had been traveling by bullock cart to different places of pilgrimage, and Srila Prabhupada was very enlivened when Lokanath Swami reported to him in Vrindavan. And Prabhupada said that he too would like to go on pilgrimage on a bullock cart. He asked Lokanath Swami to arrange it, and Lokanath Swami was enthusiastic, having been encouraged by Prabhupada in such a direct way. He immediately went to organize the cart and make all the arrangements. Govardhana-puja was to take place in a couple of days, and Prabhupada said that he would begin his pilgrimage by traveling on a bullock cart to Govardhana Hill to celebrate Govardhana-puja with the Vraja-vasis.

At that time, Srila Prabhupada was bedridden and, one could say, emaciated. He was unable to eat, and he was able only to sip a little liquid. So he was very gaunt and weak, with almost no energy. He would just lie on his bed, and sometimes, with great difficulty, he would speak softly, often so faintly that only those very close to him could hear his words.

There were many devotees in the room when Srila Prabhupada had his exchange with Lokanath Swami. And immediately after the discussion ended and devotees went outside, they began to express two strong, heartfelt opinions about what Srila Prabhupada should do—and, more than that, how we as disciples should relate to Srila Prabhupada and serve him.

One group, which included Lokanath Swami and other esteemed, senior disciples, such as Hamsaduta Prabhu and Baradraj Prabhu, felt that we should just do what the spiritual master orders. We shouldn’t question his order; we should just execute it. And some of the other disciples, many of whom had been attending to Prabhupada’s personal care, felt that Prabhupada’s health would not sustain his travels on a bullock cart and that, because he was so emaciated (he had practically no flesh on his bones), it would be very painful for him to go. Even if they padded the cart with a mattress, it would still be a basic bullock cart, and the roads in Vraja were very rough, so the movement of the cart would jostle Prabhupada and he would feel pain. Some devotees feared that he might even give up his body on the way. So, they did not want him to be subjected to what they foresaw as certain pain—and perhaps the dire consequence of his death.

But this second position was very difficult to maintain under the circumstances, because Srila Prabhupada was so emphatic. “Let me travel to all the tirtha-sthanas,” he had said—to all the holy places. And whatever objections devotees had raised against the proposal, he had countered. “One-day experiment,” he had pleaded. “Rest assured. I will not die in one day.” When even Prabhupada’s kaviraja had predicted that with all the jostling on the bullock cart, Prabhupada would not survive more than two hours, Prabhupada had replied, “But I think I shall be cured.” Still, Tamal Krishna Goswami, Bhakti Charu Swami, Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, Bhavananda Maharaja, and others felt strongly that this “experiment” would have dire consequences. But how to convince Prabhupada?

So, the controversy continued. When Prabhupada said, “I think I shall be cured,” Hamsaduta and others took it that he was supporting their position. But the other side took it differently: “What does it mean that he is going to be cured? It means that he is going to leave his body and get a spiritual body. That’s how he is going to get cured.” Each party was seeing things in a particular way that supported its particular point of view.

Finally, things came to the stage where the bullock cart was waiting outside the gates of the Krishna-Balaram Mandir. Everything was being readied. And for the devotees who were in the mood that Srila Prabhupada should stay, it must have been like when the residents of Vrindavan saw Akrura getting the chariot ready to take Krishna to Mathura.

The evening before the planned parikrama, Srila Prabhupada was lying on his bed (many of you have seen his bed in his house in Vrindavan). Bhakti Charu Swami was in the room, and Srila Prabhupada’s godbrother Akincana Krishna dasa Babaji Maharaja came to visit. Babaji Maharaja was a very advanced devotee; Srila Prabhupada had said that he was a paramahamsa. He was always engaged in hari-nama—absorbed in hari-nama—and he was always blissful. And he and Prabhupada had an extraordinarily affectionate relationship. So, Bhakti Charu Swami thought, “Let me appeal to Babaji Maharaja. If he asks Prabhupada not to go, then Prabhupada may listen.” So, he was speaking with Babaji Maharaja.

In the meantime, Tamal Krishna Goswami and Bhavananda Maharaja were upstairs in what had been Prabhupada’s bedroom before his bed had been moved down some months earlier. And while Babaji Maharaja was sitting at Prabhupada’s bedside, they came down—in a very emotional state. Prabhupada was aware of what they were thinking, and he asked, “So, you request me not to go?” And Tamal Krishna Goswami responded, “Srila Prabhupada, we were getting so upset. Two devotees told me this road is so bad that if you go on this road you’re going to be jolted back and forth. The road is terrible. I just can’t understand, Srila Prabhupada, why it has to be tomorrow that we have to go. If anybody wants you to travel, I do. But why do we have to go when you’re in this condition? I can’t understand it.”

“All right,” said Srila Prabhupada. “I will not go.”

“Thank you, Srila Prabhupada,” said Bhavananda. “I was in too much anxiety.”

“No, no, I cannot put you in anxiety. I shall do what you like. My left hand and my right hand—I cannot refuse.”

Then Tamal Krishna said, “Actually, Srila Prabhupada, we’re so attached to you that you practically drive us to madness sometimes. Tonight we were becoming mad.” Prabhupada said, “No, I shall not do that.” And to Babaji Maharaja he said, “Just see how much they love me.” Then Tamal Krishna said, “Srila Prabhupada, the way you deal with us simply deepens our attachment every moment.” And Prabhupada replied, “It is my duty.”

For the devotees in the room, it was a jubilant occasion that Prabhupada had agreed to wait. As Tamal Krishna Goswami had said, “We will take you on tirtha-yatra, to all the places. Just get a little stronger.” But when the news reached the other group, they were upset: “This is not our duty as disciples, to try to prevail upon our spiritual master. Our duty is to execute his will. He said that he wants to go by bullock cart to Govardhana, and our duty is to arrange for what he wants. Our duty is not to advise him or prevail upon him according to our perception.” The controversy continued until the end—the anniversary of which is today.

Prabhupada spent his last three days with his disciples at the Krishna-Balaram Mandir, and the last day he didn’t speak. His only words were in the morning, when the kaviraja asked him to drink some juice and he replied, “Meri kuch iccha nahin”: “I have no desire.” After that, Prabhupada didn’t speak. He was in a completely internal state of consciousness, and the devotees surrounded him with kirtan. For the last few hours, in the afternoon, the leaders opened up the doors to everyone. Young, old, children, men, women—all were allowed to be in the room with Srila Prabhupada and to reciprocate love with him. Then, at about 7:26 p.m., his tongue and mouth moved—Hare Krishna—and he left.

As for the controversy, it continued; even after Prabhupada left, the feelings still ran strong on both sides. And I still couldn’t determine who was right. There were devotees senior to me on both sides—devotees whom I respected and had served. Personally, I may have been closer to some of the ones engaged in Srila Prabhupada’s personal service, but still I wasn’t sure who was right. I just wasn’t sure, and it was on my mind.

It was my habit, or practice, to chant japa in Srila Prabhupada’s rooms (of course, not when he was there), and after he departed, I did that. I was in his room chanting japa, and behind his bed was an area with his bookshelves. So, I found a little corner there and was chanting japa, when somehow my eyes fell upon the new volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam that had just arrived—the Tenth Canto, Volume Two. It had been delivered into Srila Prabhupada’s hands in his last days. When the devotees had presented the book to Srila Prabhupada and he was looking at the pictures, everyone could see the love in his eyes. Tamal Krishna Goswami had remarked, “How much love for Krishna Prabhupada has,” as evident from the way Prabhupada had been looking at the pictures of Krishna. So, I saw the book. It had gold embossing, made especially for Srila Prabhupada. I opened it up, and it happened to open to Chapter Nine: “Mother Yasoda Binds Krsna.” I read a few verses and purports, and then I came to a verse that, to me, answered the question:

TEXT 19

evam sandarsita hy anga
  harina bhrtya-vasyata
sva-vasenapi krsnena
  yasyedam sesvaram vase

TRANSLATION

O Maharaja Pariksit, this entire universe, with its great, exalted demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, and Lord Indra, is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet the Supreme Lord has one transcendental attribute: He comes under the control of His devotees. This was now exhibited by Krsna in this pastime.

COMMENT

The pastime is encapsulated in the previous verse:

TEXT 18

sva-matuh svinna-gatraya
  visrasta-kabara-srajah
drstva parisramam krsnah
  krpayasit sva-bandhane

TRANSLATION

Because of Mother Yasoda’s hard labor, her whole body became covered with perspiration, and the flowers and comb were falling from her hair. When child Krsna saw His mother thus fatigued, He became merciful to her and agreed to be bound.

COMMENT

When I read these verses, I thought, “This is what happened.” The spiritual master is the transparent medium through which Krishna manifests Himself. Of course, in vraja-bhakti the relationship with Krishna is different. In Vraja, Krishna exhibits nara-lila, humanlike pastimes, in which there is complete intimacy and freedom between the devotees and the Lord. In the relationship between the disciples and spiritual master, there is always an element of awe and reverence—and duty. Still, duty is meant to lead to love. And Srila Prabhupada did say to Babaji Maharaja, “Just see how much they love me.”

One month earlier, there had been another incident. Srila Prabhupada had stopped drinking. Previously, he had said that when his father had wanted to leave his body, he had stopped drinking, and that this was a bona fide way to give up one’s body when the time came. Prabhupada didn’t make any announcement or anything; he just stopped drinking.

Upendra dasa, a very sweet devotee who was Srila Prabhupada’s servant at the time, said to him innocently, “Prabhupada, you have to drink. If you don’t drink, you will become dehydrated. And Prabhupada said, “Oh, you want me to drink? Call the GBC.” That decision—whether Prabhupada should drink or not—was no small matter.

So, Abhirama informed the GBC, and the GBC and senior devotees came into the room. Prabhupada said, “If I want to survive, of course I’ll have to take something. But my survival means so many inconveniences. Therefore I have decided to die peacefully.”

“Everything is in the hands of Krishna,” said Tamal Krishna. And that had been the mood, coming from Srila Prabhupada: everything depended on Krishna. Many times, Prabhupada had said that he would accept whatever Krishna desired. If Krishna allowed him to stay, he would stay. And if Krishna wanted him to go, he would go. Previously, a disciple had asked Srila Prabhupada, “You said that your guru maharaja left early because he was disgusted. Is that the case with you?” And Srila Prabhupada had replied, “No. If Krishna allows me to stay in your association, I will be most happy to stay in your association.”

Now, however, Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes and said, “Krishna wants me to do as I like. The choice is mine. He has given me full freedom.” This was a different mood—a completely different answer. And it gave—and gives—us a glimpse into the intimate reciprocation between Krishna and Prabhupada.

We all went out into the anteroom and discussed. Kirtanananda Swami’s point was most clear and lucid and intelligent. “If Krishna has given Prabhupada the choice and Prabhupada is giving us the choice,” he said, “then we should ask Prabhupada to stay.” Everyone agreed: “Yes, we should ask him to stay.” Then a devotee said, “But all the GBC men aren’t here.” And Brahmananda retorted, “Come on. What GBC is going to say that they don’t want Prabhupada to stay?” So, it was decided, unanimously. We would go back into Prabhupada’s room and tell him that we wanted him to stay; Kirtanananda Swami would be the spokesman.

When we went back into the room, Prabhupada was lying quietly on his bed. As soon as we finished offering obeisances, Kirtanananda broke down and started sobbing. He couldn’t speak. Brahmananda, sitting behind him, rubbed his back to soothe him. Then Kirtanananda managed, “If Krishna has given you the choice, then don’t go! We need you!” Srila Prabhupada asked, “Is this your joint opinion? Have you discussed?” “Yes, we have all met together. We want you to remain and lead the movement and finish the Srimad-Bhagavatam.”

Prabhupada was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then he yawned and said, “All right.” Just like that. He agreed to stay in such a nonchalant way. All the devotees were jubilant. Within ourselves, we were rejoicing: “Prabhupada is going to stay! Prabhupada’s going to stay! He is not going to leave us. He is going to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam. He is going to lead the movement.”

And Prabhupada said, “This is real affection.”

So, when I read this verse from the Tenth Canto, I thought of these two incidents and put them together. In both cases, when the disciples had expressed themselves—“We want you to stay,” “We want you to get healthy”—Prabhupada had said, “This is real love,” “Just see how much they love me.” So, I think that all the disciples in this controversy were acting on the basis of their realization of their devotion for Srila Prabhupada, but I believe that what Prabhupada really was doing was drawing out our loving sentiments—beyond our just following the order. Following the order is a given; there is no question. We have to follow the order of the spiritual master. To disobey the order of the spiritual master is an offense against the holy name. It is a basic principle of spiritual life. So, we are not talking about disobeying the order of the spiritual master; we are talking about developing loving feelings for the spiritual master and expressing them to him. When Srila Prabhupada brought us to that stage in those two incidents, he commented, “This is real love,” “Just see how much they love me.”

Relating the verse from the Tenth Canto to what Srila Prabhupada did with us, there’s also a parallel between the damodara-lila and that principle of spontaneous love. Every night during the month of Damodara, we recite the Damodarastaka, including verse three:

itidrk sva-lilabhir ananda-kunde
  sva-ghosam nimajjantam akhyapayantam
tadiyesita-jnesu bhaktair jitatvam
  punah prematas tam satavrtti vande

“By such pastimes He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy and revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. To this Supreme Lord, Sri Damodara, whose belly is bound not with ropes but with His devotee’s pure love, I offer my humble obeisances.”

The damodara-lila shows pure, spontaneous love’s special power to conquer the Lord. The Lord comes under the control of such pure love. In the same way, Srila Prabhupada—not exactly that he came under the control of our love, but I would say that he brought that love out from deep within the recesses of our hearts, and then he reciprocated with us by coming under our control, by agreeing to our requests.

So, this is a very deep pastime of Srila Prabhupada’s. Among the disciples who were around him at the end, it was understood that he was the perfect acharya—he had taught us by his own example how to live in Krishna consciousness, and now he was teaching us how to die in Krishna consciousness. That was the general idea in those months and weeks, that he was showing us how to retire to a holy place and how to be absorbed in hearing the holy names of the Lord, and how up until the end, even in his delicate condition, he was trying to push forward the mission and was translating and dictating purports to Srimad-Bhagavatam—until the very end. In that way, he was showing us how to die in Krishna consciousness. But within that final lesson he also brought us to this more intimate level of exchange where we could express to him our heart’s deepest desires even in spite of the barriers that I would say he deliberately put up. He deliberately put up the barriers, but then he inspired us to break through them to reach out to him and express our love for him and ask him to stay with us.

Even though Srila Prabhupada has now left that body, we still have that choice: Do we want him to stay with us or not? And I remember that at that time, although we had been going along in the mood that whatever Krishna wanted was all right, when we understood what really should have been in our hearts—that we wanted him to stay—we thought, “Maybe we want to be the controllers, to be the enjoyers.” So, there is always that question: Do we want the kingdom of God without God, without God’s representative, or do we want the kingdom of God with God, with His representative, as their humble servants? And so I pray to Srila Prabhupada that I will always remember this lesson and always pray and act in such a way that he will be pleased to stay with each of us individually and all of us collectively, and bind us to his lotus feet eternally.

Hare Krishna.

[“Srila Prabhupada’s Departure—Drawing Out Love,” a talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, November 14, 2007, Mayapur]

Trenton/Fredericton

Piece of the Great Trail

For Tyler and I, Trenton Park, with its trails, was a new discovery. Ravi knew the place but never went onto the trails. There are the dominant coniferous trees but not without the deciduous ones.

Ravi had done a wise thing the day before. He contacted New Glasgow’s town website, and notified folks maintaining it about my coming to town. So, on our walk on what is an extension of “the Great Trail” we met at least two couples who read the notice about the Walking Monk in town and offered congratulations.

For wildlife, we only sighted a chipmunk, hence there were two monks on the trail. The only thing is, I’m not gifted with climbing trees like the other guy. He’s agile, fast and chatters better than I can.

The trail trekking with Tyler was just great company for Ravi and I, and we accomplished a 5km stretch before Ravi and I left with his family for the next province, New Brunswick, to its capital city of Fredericton. The trip was a planned visit to a South Indian couple’s home. His name is also Ravi and it was at this place that we delighted in light kirtan chanting in honour of Krishna as the weight-lifter. Indeed, He hoisted that sacred hill, Govardhan, to protect His fellow villagers from a torrential deluge. Four families and I partook in a sweet ritual to revere a symbolic form of a hill placed on a chair that we circumambulated.

People here have many choices for how to spend a Friday night. We had our modest but fulfilling program set out for us.

May the Source be with you!

5km

 

Stellarton, Nova Scotia 

Lots of Gulabjamuns

Happy Diwali! Happy Govardhan Puja!

Two important days on the Vaishnava calendar are mentioned above. But, for that matter, every day is special. You have to make it that way.

Ravi, Daniel, and I were welcomed by the sun and urged by our own will to hit the Albion Trail, which merges with the Samson Trail; a former route for the local railway line in what is called rails to trails. Freight and passenger trains were once the major channels or mobilizing goods and people.

Regarding people, most of the pedestrians on this pathway, which edges along the East River of Pictou, are seniors which of course are precious entities. The problem with towns like this is that younger folks who grew up here depart for the bigger places like Halifax or Toronto. I’ve come to know that many business enterprises are individually trying to figure out how to keep or attract a younger generation. I imagine the issue is a global concern.

We met some fine people who came to visit. Tyler moved here from Hamilton. He’s in the food and restaurant business. Divyan’s now been here for three years and came from Toronto. He works as the Director of Community Development. Hamilton and Toronto are bigger places. So, we can see that some adjustments are in the making – at least in the district of New Glasgow/Stellarton.

By the way, Ravi hosted a small Diwali function at his home. A banker, moved from Toronto, came and so did a dentist as well as their families. We just had a great time. There were lots of questions. Lots of gulabjamun sweets.

 

May the Source be with you!

6 km

 

Stellarton, Nova Scotia

A Story and Trails

He was only twelve and at school he got confused. He thought maybe he should be a girl, and so he started doing some “new things,” such as putting nail polish on the fingernails. Some of the kids were making fun but he was supported by the staff. Some months had passed and he figured out that “maybe I am really a boy,” and he was relieved of confusion. Now, some years ago, he is the captain of his local hockey team and the path is more clear for him.

The above story was told to me by a relative of the boy. You can draw your own conclusions on the story. For me, it conjures up concerns about our school system. Should the system educate and enlighten or should it indoctrinate and confuse young students through its “sex education.”

I was told this story as I walked with a companion, along Albion Trail. I trekked with different co-walkers today, while at the Bedford Basin; Jitney Trail and Albion. Biting into an apple from abandoned trees along these pathways was irresistible. “Organic juice bodies,” is how I might describe the darlings. There was a fun sign at the beginning of the Jitney Trail, addressing dog walkers, saying that the poop fairy doesn’t do her job here. Nope, it’s a dog owner’s responsibility.

Daniel drove me to New Glasgow and its twin town, Stellarton. It’s the location of Sobey’s food empire headquarters and our gracious host, Ravi, is an employee. Ravi invited Mexican co-worker Samuel. We engaged in great conversation on metaphysical and higher consciousness.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

Happy Diwali!

 

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

 

A Dynamite of a Day

 

An interesting name for a pathway – the “Dynamite Trail.” Well, it does exist. I have the proof as I walked on it this morning. And I had the glory of trekking on the bridge overlooking the Mush-a-mush River. Beautiful sight! And the smells – nostril arousing – especially the pines.

 

This phenomenal trail led me to the South Shore Waldorf School where one of its teachers, Yogendra, offered me to speak to three of the classes. It was a stimulating day doing these classes – one on the story of Dhruva, another on “Saints” and finally the topic of pilgrimage. Indeed, I was dredging up memories of pedestrian pastimes and sharing them with youngsters and teens who are at an age wondering about their own futures.

 

I do like to think that my tales from trails urge some of them to journey to areas of adventure that will contribute to their further formation of good character. Nice school. Nice teachers! Nice building!

 

From the school, Yogendra drove us to his farm, a two-acre home with barns, garden and pasture, all situated on a ridge. Two of the teachers came by for company and there, after soup and bread, we read from the resilient book “Sri Isopanisad,” the first mantra which highlights the need for all entities to contribute to the function of the Whole. The follow-up discussion was enlivening.

 

Yogendra led us to his Highland breed of cows and his sheep. A good day! Peaceful creatures!

 

May the Source be with you!

4 km

 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 22 November 2018, Surabhi-Kunda, Govardhana, India, Parikrama 2018 Lecture)

Our chanting is not based on a technique. I read a book that described that certain types of music create alpha waves, causing the brain to become very receptive. I thought, “Rubbish!” Even if it would work, it would only be a temporary fix. It would not be substantial at all because if we really want to chant, we have to become attracted to Krsna. That is how we come to the point of chanting attentively.

It is said that currently, our consciousness is invested in the sensual platform, therefore we take prasadam to satisfy these senses. For the mental platform, we have kirtana. For the intellectual platform, we have philosophy. We can intellectually make plans for Krsna. We can use our senses to do things for Krsna and in this way, they become purified and they will not harass us so much because, indriyani mano buddhir asyadhisthanam ucyate (Bhagavad-gita 3.40) – lust is situated in the senses, the mind and intelligence. It is lust that creates the problem. We chant, but influenced by lust, we cannot focus. By engaging the senses, mind and intelligence in service, lust diminishes and then our chanting will improve. Our absorption will improve in this way.

The article " Diminishing lust for improved chanting " was published on KKSBlog.

The article below appeared in WUFT News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Meet Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford and a Gainesville resident

When most people hear the name “Ford,” they think of cars. But one heir to the company wanted to change that in his own life.

He’s doing so from his home in Gainesville.

Alfred Ford, 71, is the great-grandson of American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1950 to Josephine Ford, the only granddaughter of Henry. That was three years after Henry died in 1947.

The idea of working for the family company never appealed to Alfred Ford as he was growing up, even though members of the family, such as his grandfather, Edsel Ford, gave their lives to the business.

“I was always interested in the bigger questions. Who am I? Why am I here? How big is the universe? What’s on the other side of the universe? Who was God? What is my relationship with God?” Ford said.

He said he didn’t hear a lot of stories about his late great-grandfather. However, he did know one thing.

“Henry Ford kind of had two different sides to him,” his great-grandson said. “One of them was a genius, engineer and businessman. And the other one was a searcher after the truth and various religious paths. So I took after that side of it.”

And so Alfred Ford did that by joining the Hare Krishna movement.

Alfred Ford, 71, is the great-grandson of American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. (Photo courtesy of Alfred Ford)

The Hare Krishna movement, formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was founded in 1966. It now has 500 major centers around the world for its millions of members. According to the official website of the Hare Krishna movement, the movement “belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya, a monotheistic tradition within the Vedic or Hindu culture. Philosophically it is based on the Sanskrit texts Bhagavad-gita and the Bhagavat Purana, or Srimad Bhagavatam.”

Alfred Ford first became interested in the movement when he was 23 years old after seeing devotees chanting on the campus of Tulane University, where he studied.

“Immediately, the philosophy was very attractive to me,” Alfred Ford said.

Two years later, in 1975, he was initiated. Compared to his upbringing, which included boarding school at age 15, the Hare Krishna lifestyle was very different for him —so much that his spiritual master didn’t expect him to renounce everything.

“He knew that I was accustomed to a certain lifestyle. And when you become a Hare Krishna, you don’t necessarily have to give up everything…you utilize what you have to serve,” he said. “It’s very simple.”

Now, Alfred Ford and his wife of 37 years, Sharmila, are utilizing the family name to “help push forward the movement,” both in Gainesville and abroad. Since 2004, the couple has lived in Gainesville, and their two daughters, Anisha and Amrita, went to Oak Hall School.

One year after he was initiated into the movement, Ford had a conversation with the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in Detroit. They talked about Prabhupada’s plans to build a big temple in Mayapur, which is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Krishna.

Ford said the conversation planted a seed in his heart to take up the challenge. But it wasn’t until 2009 that construction started on the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir – Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. As chairman of the project, Ford has had to deal with several challenges over the years, such as a lack of cooperation from the communist government in West Bengal and, more recently, the pandemic.

“I put in quite a bit of seed money and that got the project off the ground,” he said. “I’m one of the people driving the agenda there, so it’s been a wonderful adventure.”

Despite all of the delays and difficulties, Ford hopes the temple opens by 2024 or 2025.

“Where I see the opening as being is when the deities, which is a form of Krishna that is in the temple that we offer our worship to, when they’re moved into the new temple from where they are now, I will consider that to be a grand opening,” Ford said. “I’m looking forward to that.”

Although Ford said most of his attention and energy is focused on the construction of the temple in India, he and his wife have stayed connected with the local Hare Krishna community in North Central Florida, which is one of the largest in the U.S.

“I just think that this community is wonderful, Gainesville and Alachua,” Ford said. “The people here are very fortunate to have such a wonderful temple and so many devotees that are doing outreach. If I was growing up here, I would feel very lucky to have so many opportunities to become enlightened.”

 

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Highlights of Govardhan Puja celebrated on 5 Nov 2021 at ISKCON Chowpatty

Persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh: with HG Amogha Lila Das!

* What's the reality for Hindus in Bangladesh? Is there hope for communal peace or is it just a mirage for Bangladesh?

* As vaisnavas, how do we respond to such violence?

* ISKCON trains people to become Brahmanas. Don't we also need Kshatriyas?

* How can we build more #unity amongst the Hindu community?

* What can ISKCON do to bridge the gap between themselves and the Hindu community?

Amogha Lila Das is a #spiritual leader and inspirational speaker, especially for the youth with over 1 million subscribers on youtube! He is the Vice President of #ISKCON Dwarka (New Delhi); B.Tech (Computer Science, Delhi University); Co-Faculty at IIMs Ahmedabad for teaching 'Principles, ethics and morality in leadership'; Director of #ISKCON Youth Forum Dwarka, for uplifting the character amongst youth; Co-Director and Corporate Trainer for V-SERVE (Vedic Solutions to #Empower Resources by #Value Education) – a spiritual corporate training wing. He also delivers weekly sessions at NSIT and has delivered sessions on stress management, anger management, conflict management etc. in companies like Max New York Life, Emami, Nestle, Maruti, Holland tractors, Ernest and Young, Prakash Industries to name a few.

Forty-four years ago this year, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this world for the divine abode of Sri Krishna and His pastimes. During his empowered life as a preacher of Krishna consciousness from 1965-1977, he accomplished more than practically any acharya in history, bringing the opportunity for the highest attainment of Goloka […]

The post Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day and the TOVP appeared first on ISKCON News.

Forty-four years ago this year, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left this world for the divine abode of Sri Krishna and His pastimes. During his empowered life as a preacher of Krishna consciousness from 1965-1977, he accomplished more than practically any acharya in history, bringing the opportunity for the highest attainment of Goloka Vrindaban to millions of souls throughout the world. We are brought to tears no longer having his association in our midst.

Early this morning Srila Prabhupada’s beloved disciple, my dear godbrother, Sankha Dasa departed this  world. You can read about him and his wonderful service to Srila Prabhupada in Juhu in the following excerpt from my book I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story. I have no doubt that Srila Prabhupada has called Sankha Dasa back to him. He is in the front row at the far left in the attached photo.

After Nara Narayan left, we didn’t have a steady gardener for almost two years—until Sankha dasa arrived after Gaura-punima in 1974. “I didn’t know how to do anything,” Sankha later admitted, “but I feel in my heart that I was blessed by Prabhupada to learn gardening. When I arrived, Caitya-guru, the temple commander, took me to see Prabhupada, and I said, ‘Srila Prabhupada, you have asked me to come to Bombay. What would you like me to do?’ ‘I want you to plant a flower in every square inch of Hare Krishna Land,’ he told me. And we offered our obeisances and left.

“The next day, we went back for clarification, and I asked Prabhupada, ‘Would you like me to grow vegetables?’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘our space is limited; it will be cheaper to buy them in the local market.’ ‘What about fruits?’ ‘Yes—guavas, chikus, bananas.’

Prabhupada passed by the garden every day on his morning walk, and some time after Sankha’s arrival, he noticed that there still weren’t any fruits or flowers growing. “Where are the flowers?” he asked Sankha, but there never were any. “He’s just bluffing,” Prabhupada commented. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Simply bluffing.”

Then one morning, after he had returned from traveling in India, Prabhupada went out for his walk and saw that the garden was full of fruits and flowers. He was very pleased with Sankha’s service, and thereafter, Sankha would offer Prabhupada a flower every day and became known as “Prabhupada’s flower boy.”

Sankha grew papayas, guavas, chikus, and strawberry bananas—small and pink inside, and very sweet. “One day at the airport when Prabhupada was about to depart for London,” he recalled, “I brought a big load of ripe bananas and asked Prabhupada if he would like one. He opened his eyes wide and said, ‘You grew these?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘I have grown them for you.’ He grabbed one, peeled it, and ate it all. ‘These are very good,’ he said. ‘Now pass them out to everyone in the airport.’ And while I was distributing the bananas, Harikesa jumped up on a table and started preaching. Prabhupada really appreciated when we grew our own food.”

Hare Krishna.

In the splendid Tuscan settings of Villa Vrindavana ISKCON (where the  ” Goshala Balarama ” Cow Protection Sanctuary is located), an initiative dedicated to children aged between 3 and 9 was started. ”Om” Giardino in Natura is a family-oriented project of devotees designed to help children to grow in harmony with themselves and with the […]

The post ”Om” Giardino in Natura at Villa Vrindavana ISKCON – Italy appeared first on ISKCON News.

In the splendid Tuscan settings of Villa Vrindavana ISKCON (where the  '' Goshala Balarama '' Cow Protection Sanctuary is located), an initiative dedicated to children aged between 3 and 9 was started.

It is said that acceptance of uncertainties in life leads to adventure. On top of being a devotee leader par excellence, Nityananda Pran Das (Nachi Lolla) is certainly an adventurous man. At the peak of his professional career as a marketing executive at a fortune 500 company making a 6-figure salary, he quit and became […]

The post Nityananda Pran Das: On a Mission to Improve Marriages and Parenting in ISKCON appeared first on ISKCON News.

It is said that acceptance of uncertainties in life leads to adventure. On top of being a devotee leader par excellence, Nityananda Pran Das (Nachi Lolla) is certainly an adventurous man. At the peak of his professional career as a marketing executive at a fortune 500 company making a 6-figure salary, he quit and became the full-time temple president of Chicago ISKCON. That too with wife and a young child in-tow. Do not try this at home, folks! This unique path which included being the Temple President and leader for 13+ years and building one of the top ISKCON communities in the USA without any personal income to maintain his family is only for the very adventurous and courageous!

Portland’s only vegan Jewish deli and bakery is open for business and is devotee run and operated. Ben and Esther’s is modeled after a traditional New York-style Jewish deli but is completely plant-based. You’ll find their menu filled with classic New York deli staples like lox, matzo ball soup, rugelach, knishes, and kugel.  ISKCON News […]

The post Ben & Esther’s, Portland’s Only Vegan Jewish Deli appeared first on ISKCON News.