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O learned brāhmaṇa, the transcendental activities of the Lord are all wonderful, and they appear inconceivable because even great endeavors by many learned scholars have still proved insufficient for understanding them.
By the GBC The May 7th GBC Directive has three parts: 1) To strictly follow the new West Bengal government mandates; 2) To strictly follow additional practices provided by a team of medical experts affiliated with ISKCON, and 3) To strictly follow the ISKCON Deity Ministry Covid health policies for temple worship. Regular reporting to the GBC is required to ensure the standards are strictly implemented. Continue reading "GBC Mandates for Improved Covid Health Protocols at Mayapur
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By Soumya Gupta I have a PhD in cell biology and have been researching the subject of consciousness and its relation to the mind. The above verses intrigued me, and I wondered how they were related to our experiences of the world. In my research I came across a concept that provided valuable insights – the concept of subjective experience. I am an individual with my own likes and dislikes. My individuality, with its preferences, applies to all sectors of my life, to every single activity I do, be it in regard to my eating or clothing or colors or car – the list is endless. Continue reading "Knower of the Field: A Perspective on Consciousness
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Posted by Giriraj Swami on Wednesday, May 12, 2021
By Vishakha Devi Dasi In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna makes it clear that we have free will. We are not incapable, helpless pawns. After instructing Arjuna He says, “Deliberate on this fully and then do what you wish to do.” (Gita 18.63) As adults, each one of us has some ability to decide how we want to act; we have some self-mastery and personal power, and therefore we are responsible for our actions. Yet, at the same time and perhaps surprisingly, the scriptural view is that those of us who are not strong devotees of Krishna are victims – victims of Krishna’s illusory energy. We are adversely affected by Krishna’s material nature. Continue reading "Victims All?
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Room at 243, Toronto
The Power of the Gita
The Bhagavad-Gita, a divine conversation between a wise person and a confused one, is more relevant today than ever. This realization became evident today when a man called asking for a pocket book edition. Well, he comes to our Govinda’s Restaurant, which is open for takeout meals. A table is set in the middle of the room with devotional books, The Gita being one. Apparently, the fellow who reached out ended up not purchasing one. The soft bound version we have was just too big for his pocket.
Can anyone sew bigger pockets on his jeans and coat?
A second call from another person, actually someone who accompanied me on the first walk 25 years ago, from North Vancouver to Hope, B.C. He expressed, after not having seen him for years, how significant The Gita was for him; how it addresses the need for a confused population in this world. It is true, feeling lost is a strong feature of today.
An English man by the name of John Newton, who wrote the popular song, “Amazing Grace” was a bigoted slave trader who turned into an abolitionist. In the lyrics he admits to having been lost and then being found. He attributes the change to the principles of the unearned and unworthy grace or kindness that comes from above.
For those who expose themselves to the wisdom of The Gita, there is something there that is said to turn one’s life around.
May the Source be with you!
0 km
Ramsden Park, Toronto
A Dangerous Situation?
Franck recognized me at the park and came up to the mound where I was sitting.
“India’s not doing too good right now,” he said in concern over the Covid situation.
“That’s right.”
“So, you walked all of Canada?”
“And the US from Boston to San Francisco. A few more small countries.”
Frank continued, “Were you ever in a dangerous situation?”
“Oh yes, bears, blackflies and sometimes people. That shouldn’t be too surprising – the people part.” I told Frank about what looked like right out of a movie, the standard lines, “Get off this land or we’ll shoot!” And that was said while on public property – the road.
Frank was intrigued and wanted to hear more about the purpose of the walking, although I did say I was encouraging pilgrimage. And. by the way, I interrupted his walking. I also had to go for a Zoom talk, which we have every Thursday afternoon. He went his way and I went mine.
Over that discussion we dwelt on verse 9:30 of The Bhagavata-gita, a significant verse since it addresses the topic of what happens to a person, who, once on the path of bhakti, commits some error. Will he/she be punished? Will, he/she be given another chance by the Creator? By Krishna?
May the Source be with you!
3 km
Room at 243, Toronto
Cleaning and Finding
I was doing some spring cleaning and while doing so I came upon my records or reports of my second cross country walk, in 2003. Today, May 5, 2003, Bhakta Shane writes on the walking monk update:
Bhaktimarga Swami started his trek at 5 AM — a final farewell to St. John’s. He walked 40 km/25 miles from Marysvale to Upper Island Cove. The last time the walk was done he went along the TransCanada Highway. This time Bhaktimarga Swami decided to take the backroads to see the true Newfoundland and enjoy the people and scenery.
Bill, a cyclist, kept Bhaktimarga Swami company on the way, while support team lost him for about six hours out of the day. Finally spotting the saffron clad walker, the team treated Bill to a Canwalk sandwich made of bean sprouts, avocado, green peppers and cherry tomatoes that explode in your mouth…
Later in the day, as Bhaktimarga Swami took a break under a historical monument (an aircraft), the police paid him a visit after receiving a call about an odd-looking man. It became apparent through their conversation that they merely wanted to satisfy their own inquisitiveness.
Our very own videographer, Bhakta Ben, took some footage of a sun burst, stiffened bodied Bhaktimarga Swami walking along into the sunset with a refreshing breeze.
The day ended with a fabulous pasta dinner at the Hermitage Home, a bed and breakfast, owned and operated by Judy Lemoine who said, “I like B.C. mountains but I have to have my Newfoundland rocks.“
May the Source be with you!
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Room at 243, Toronto
PANKAJANGHRI
Another friend passed away from Covid in Mayapur, India. Bless his soul. He had taken me to the Ganges more than once for dispersing ashes of acquaintances. My poem dedicated to him.
PANKAJANGHRI
He was a fellow perceptibly mellow
He arrived with his brother to follow
At the beck and call of Mahaprabhu
In a land of mist and morning dew
From there on, it was all over
Worldliness gone/personal makeover
A dedication to good deed and thought
Attention to all His Divine Grace brought
He learned, he grew, and did so glow
Teaching others what he did know
On the subject of worship and wisdom
In an atmosphere of devotional rhythm
Like the Ganges with her endless liquidity
His service was one of constant fluidity
He stood at the feet of Lion Sublime
Both shone each day at the regular time
I don’t recall him ever in a rage
That’s because he was a genuine sage
He was an anchor for half of a century
Within which his bhakti grew exponentially
A role model, our dear Pankajanghri
Powerfully at peace wherever he be
~ Bhaktimarga Swami©
May the Source be with you!
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Hare Krishna!
Please accept our humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!
Date: 16th May 2021
Day: Sunday
Time: 11 am to 12 noon
Topic: The Highest Conception of Service
Speaker: Dr Keshav Anand das
Link to join the class from your desktop or laptop:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9150790510?pwd=Wk5GYXVRMkJmdk84MzZJRXBKYUgwUT09
Dr. Keshav Anand
Dr. Keshav Anand is a professional doctor and a monk. Since the last twenty years he has conducted extensive research and authored books in the field of science and spirituality. He feels the rift between science and spirituality must disappear to bring peace in the world. If spirituality is a superstition and a myth, science is materialistic and atheistic. A new approach to life is needed today that can bring the best of both. Science must re-embrace spirituality and be humble to admit its defects, flaws, and ignorance, and spirituality must base itself on sound, scientific, and rational ideas. Dr. Keshav Anand found this new approach in the Sanskrit sutras of the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita. For decoding the Sanskrit sutras of the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita, he studied Sanskrit and Western and Indian philosophy. Besides Sanskrit, he also learned Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, and Kannada to known about other traditions. His persistent endeavor in the field of science and spirituality has enabled him to come up with seminars on diverse topics like Science and the Vedas, Mind and Machines, Science fails to Explain life, Consciousness and Beyond etc. that he has presented in various colleges in India, Europe, and America. Under the guidance of his spiritual master H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami, He has also started a Gurukula, a traditional system of Vedic Education, in Punjab, India, where children learn the ancient Vedic culture and values. Besides, he has started a farm community. The community has a traditional way of living with mud huts and thatch roofs. With Cows. And of course, farming. The communities will set a model for the world to show how to live a life based on the principle of ‘Simple living High thinking
ISKCON Scarborough
3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,
Scarborough, Ontario,
Canada, M1V4C7
Website: www.iskconscarborough.org
Email:
iskconscarborough@hotmail.com
scarboroughiskcon@gmail.com
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 1 August 2020, Radhadesh, Belgium, Initiation Ceremony Lecture)
With the Mangalacarana prayers, we have invoked the blessings of the entire parampara, coming down from Lord Krsna and all the acaryas. That is how an initiation takes place. It is by the grace of all these personalities. We are all here simply as representatives of the mercy flowing from this parampara. Somehow or other, we have received mercy and because of that mercy, we are able to be here in some role. And the roles we play simply depends on whatever the vaisnavas have bestowed upon us. Because, that is the nature of spiritual life. Spiritual life is a gift. It is a gift of the vaisnavas and a gift of the pure devotees of the Lord.
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
(Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-Lila 19.151)
So we are receiving the gift of spiritual life, of the bhakti lata bija (the seed of devotional service), by the mercy of guru and Krsna. In his initiations in early days, Srila Prabhupada would always make sure that at the corners of the yajna, there were 4 brahmanas reading from 4 books – the Bhagavad-gita, the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Nectar of Devotion and the Caitanya-Caritamrta. So, I am just invoking, mentally, these 4 reading brahmanas. They are muted, so you do not hear them but they are reading everything! In this way, you need not worry, the completeness is there. The essence is described in the exchange between Vasudeva and Devaki. It is said that from the heart of Vasudeva, the consciousness of pure goodness manifested in him. Then, he transferred that pure goodness to Devaki. Then, the Lord is manifested in her heart and so on.
The article " Blessings of the entire parampara " was published on KKSBlog.
Last night, in my capacity as the Chair of the Faith Community Council of Victoria, I had the opportunity to partake in this year's Premier's IFTA dinner with my Muslim brothers and sisters at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the city. It was a wonderful event and I was seated next to a very nice Muslim lady, Muniroh Rahim who is the Indonesian Consul/Minister Counsellor. We had a fun night discussing our mutual love for everything Balinese.
“Ahimsa” farming is the traditional, ancient Indian method of farming. “Ahimsa” means “non-violent”, and so Ahimsa farming does not entail any harm to the animals or land. Some would call it ‘Yoga farming’, or working in natural harmony with the land.
Guru carana padma dasi joined the movement in 1976 in Chicago where she was engaged in full time outreach/sankirtan programmes. She came to the UK in 1979 and was on the full time ladies sankirtan party in London and around the UK. After marrying Kripamoya Dasa in 1982 they developed community through the Nama Hatta outreach and FOLK (Friends of Lord Krishna) programmes as well as supervising, educating and nurturing new students who joined the ashram. After having her 3 children she became involved in children’s education at Bhaktivedanta manor and eventually became the head of the Primary elementary school where she served for over 20 years At this time she gained her degrees in Educational management and Early years education. She is currently serving on the temple council at Bhaktivedanta Manor UK and is on the Ladies (brahmacarini) i council at Bhaktivedanta Manor helping to support the ladies programmes there. She is also an Ombudsman/Mediator through ISKCON Resolve.
Volume 5 was five years in the making and includes the transcriptions from DVDs #61-80. This collection of oral histories features 108 devotees such as Mukunda Goswami, Jananivas, Srutakirti, Gopal Krsna Goswami, Bhakti Caitanya Swami, Cinmayi, Bhaktimarga Swami, Manjuali, Mohanasini, Garuda, Swarup, Ranchor, Sripati, Mondakini, Kishor, Kishori, Harikesa, Bhurijana, Janaki, Jadurani, Janananda Swami, Bhakta das, Bhagavan and Krsna Bhamini to name a few. There are 700 individual and unique stories to relish every day!
By Krishna Kirtan Dasa Chanting felt good. I was beginning to change and then something happened: I got to chapter 2, text 56 of the Gita and, reading in the purport, I learned that a person in Krishna Consciousness “accepts all miseries as mercy of the Lord, thinking himself worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that all his miseries, by the grace of the Lord are minimized to the lowest” A powerful realization lifted me like a Saturn V rocket. I had found Krishna, which is an astounding blessing. When I dove deep, fearlessly, and in complete self-honesty, facing those ugly past misdeeds, it occurred quite plainly that if things in my life had been just a smidge different, down to the simple fact of where I laid my head at night, I could have wound up with a life sentence. Krishna gave me such extreme mercy when I could have been doomed to spend the rest of my life in prison. Continue reading "The importance of ISKCON Prison ministry —a firsthand account of how it changed my life
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By Syamasundara Dasa If you assess a gorakshya relationship with humans we find a numerical context. For example if the whole UK was following gorakshya and you gave each person half a pint of milk per day you would have a UK herd of about 10 million with a human population of about 60 million. In other words there is one cow for every 6 people. That statistic is not even based on super high-yielding cows but gorakshya cows with extended lactations, milked by hand and allowed to live out their full lives. Continue reading "One Billion Cows on Earth. Good for the Earth but do it right
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Sponsor a $25 Sacred Water Abhisheka (125 sacred rivers) for Srila Prabhupada’s new murti installation this October. Use the payment links below. For more abhisheka options go to www.tovp.org.
NOTE: The TOVP CARE COVID RELIEF program is donating $25,000 for ISKCON Mayapur and Bangladesh temples under the direction of Ambarisa prabhu.
USA – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPFoundation
International – https://m.tovp.org/paypal
India – https://rzp.io/l/giving-tovp-fundraiser-2021
Canada – https://paypal.com/ca/fundraiser/charity/3440882
Europe – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPEU
UK – https://www.paypal.me/TOVPUK
Russia – https://tovp.org/ru/donate/russian-donations-details/
At its meeting on Wednesday, May 5th, the Governing Body Commission (GBC) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) discussed the urgent need for stricter implementation of health safety protocols at its international headquarters in Mayapur, India. At the meeting, GBC members expressed their exasperation and worry that videos and other reports from Mayapur […]
The post GBC Mandates for Improved Covid Health Protocols at Mayapur appeared first on ISKCON News.
A committee was formed of GBC members BB Govinda Swami, Radhanath Swami, Anuttama das, and Radha Krishna das to compile specific recommendations. A special GBC meeting was held on Friday, May 7th, to finalize new directives for Mayapur.
PRABHUPADA IS COMING! to the TOVP this October at the historic installation of his new murti commemorating his 125th Appearance Anniversary Year. His divine presence there will inspire and guide us to complete the TOVP. His Grace Ambarisa prabhu, TOVP Chairman, encourages all devotees to sponsor an abhisheka for this historic occasion.
To encourage a grand welcome for His Divine Grace that all devotees, man woman or child, can participate in, the TOVP has created a once-in-a-lifetime abhisheka sponsorship campaign, and from May 14 (Akshaya Tritiya) until May 25 (Nrsimha Caturdasi) the #GivingToPrabhupada 11 Day Matching Fundraiser will make this seva opportunity available. Ambarisa prabhu will match the first $150,000, and our goal is $1 million.
Mark your calendar now and sponsor one of five kinds of abhishekas starting with the Sacred Water abhisheka (water from 125 sacred rivers) for $25.
Visit the Fundraiser Page for more information.
NOTE: The TOVP CARE COVID RELIEF program is donating $25,000 for ISKCON Mayapur and Bangladesh temples under the direction of Ambarisa prabhu.
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/whatsapp
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/
H.G. Sesa Das speaks on developing a spiritual vision as taught in the Bhagavad Gita
Krishna Dharma Das is the acclaimed author of a number of English versions of Ancient Indian classics including Mahabharata, Ramayana and Panchatantra. He is also a broadcaster, appearing regularly on the BBC’s ‘Pause For Thought’, and has written many articles giving the Vedic spiritual perspective on current events. He is a student of His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Showing gratitude to those who gave us those most essential first necessities of life love touch care sustenance today we show gratitude to her perhaps the most taken for granted persons in our lives our moms our first gurus the ones who gave us birth.
In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (147–53) it is stated, “The pleasure potency of Śrī Kṛṣṇa formerly known as Vṛndāvaneśvarī is now personified in the form of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has pointed out that in the shape of Lakṣmī, the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa, she was formerly […]
The post Sri Gadadhar Pandita Appearance 11th May 2021. appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Hare Krishna! ISKCON Alachua has formed an End-of-Life Team to serve the needs of our community as devotees approach the final stage of their lives. The EOL Team is a group of trained volunteers to assist you or your loved one in navigating the transition to end-of-life. We also provide care and support for family members.
Today is the 
most auspicious occasion of Sri Gadadhara Pandita’s appearance day. As many of you know, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself in the role of His own devotee. He is Krishna, but with the complexion and mood of Srimati Radharani. There are different purposes for the Lord’s advent. The internal reason for Lord Chaitanya’s appearance is that He wanted to experience the glory of Srimati Radharani’s love for Him, Her relishment of the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone experiences through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She experiences the sweetness of His love for Her—which only She can experience. The external reason (not that it is any less significant) was to propagate the yuga-dharma, the recommended method for God realization in each particular age (yuga).
To assist the Lord in His pastimes, four principal associates descended with Him—Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Srivasa Thakura, and Gadadhara Pandita. Together with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, they comprise the Pancha-tattva. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 1.14) the author offers his respects to all five together:
panca-tattvatmakam krsnam
bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
namami bhakta-saktikam
“I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krsna, who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation, pure devotee, and devotional energy.”
Krishna appeared in the form of a devotee (bhakta-rupa), as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; as the expansion of a devotee (sva-rupakam), as Nityananda Prabhu; as an incarnation of a devotee (bhakta-avataram), as Advaita Prabhu; as a devotee (bhakta), as Srivasa Thakura; and as the devotional energy that inspires a devotee (bhakta-saktikam), as Gadadhara Pandita. Together they all came to propagate harinama-sankirtana as the yuga-dharma for the present age.
We are now in Kali-yuga, the worst age. But although Kali-yuga is the worst, it affords us the best opportunity to realize God, through the chanting of the holy names. At the end of Srimad-Bhagavatam Sri Sukadeva Gosvami says, kaler dosa-nidhe rajann: this Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults. An ocean—you cannot measure the length or breadth of an ocean. Asti hy eko mahan gunah: but within Kali-yuga there is one great opportunity. What is that? Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: by chanting the holy names of Krishna, one becomes liberated from material association and attains the supreme goal of life.
Sanga—association. Sangat sanjayate kamah. Desire comes from association. Generally, people in the material world associate with the three modes of material nature: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, and tamo-guna. Because of their association with the three modes, they develop material bodies made of the three modes, and mentalities influenced by the three modes. And it is very difficult to overcome the influence of maya, which consists of these three modes.
daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
In the Bhagavad-gita (7.14) Lord Krishna says that this material nature, which consists of the three modes, is very difficult to overcome but that one who surrenders unto Him can easily overcome it and become free from the influence of these modes.
Lord Chaitanya and His associates in the Pancha-tattva came to taste love of Godhead and to distribute love of Godhead—to taste the holy names of Krishna and to distribute the holy names of Krishna. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta describes that the storehouse of love of Godhead had remained sealed but that the members of the Pancha-tattva broke open the seal, plundered the storehouse, ate the contents, and became intoxicated with love of God. But they didn’t want only to enjoy the contents themselves; they also wanted to share the contents with others. And that was their life—tasting ecstatic love of Godhead and distributing it.
The main method by which they distributed love of Godhead was through the chanting of the holy names of God, in particular in the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The members of the Pancha-tattva would become so intoxicated chanting and dancing that they didn’t know whether it was day or night. They didn’t know where they were. Once, Nityananda Prabhu led a party of devotees from Puri, and they were chanting and dancing all the way. They were trying to make their way back to Bengal, but they were so intoxicated with love of God that they didn’t know which way they were going. They would start in one direction and days later would realize that they didn’t know in which direction they had gone. They would have to ask someone to set them in the right direction. Again, days would pass in chanting and dancing. They wouldn’t even eat or sleep. And after some time they would realize that again they didn’t know where they were. This was the high level of their kirtan in ecstatic love of God.
So, that is what they were tasting, and that is what they wanted to distribute. And reciprocally, that is what they wanted us to accept: the great gift of the holy name, the great treasure of love of God. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana: the great treasure of love of God has descended from Goloka Vrindavan, the spiritual world, as the congregational chanting of the holy name. The holy name is not a material sound vibration. Krishna’s name is Krishna Himself. It is completely spiritual.
nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh
Nama cintamanih krsnas: the holy name of Krishna is a transcendental touchstone that bestows all spiritual benedictions. Caitanya-rasa-vigrahah: it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is complete (purnah), pure (suddha), and eternally liberated (nitya-muktah) from the influence of maya, the modes of material nature. ’Bhinnatvan nama-naminoh: the holy name of Krishna is in all respects the same as Krishna Himself.
When we chant Hare Krishna, we are associating with Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has explained that in the material world the name of a thing and the thing itself are different. If you are thirsty and you chant “water, water, water, water,” just chanting “water, water” will not quench your thirst, because the word water and the substance water are different. But in the spiritual world, the absolute world, the name of the thing and the thing itself are the same. So when you chant “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,” Krishna is personally present, dancing on your tongue. And great devotees who realize Krishna through the process of chanting want to do nothing but chant. Srila Rupa Gosvami prayed, “With one tongue and two ears what can I chant, what can I relish? If I had millions of tongues and billions of ears then I could begin to chant.” That is the stage of relishing the holy name, when one is able to chant purely.
We, unfortunately, have no such attraction. In the second verse of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Siksastaka we find the word durdaivam, which means “misfortune.” We are unfortunate. Of course, we are also fortunate, because we have come in touch with Srila Prabhupada, who served the Pancha-tattva by executing their mission, traveling all over the world and distributing the holy name of Krishna. We are fortunate, but at the same time we are unfortunate, because we do not experience ecstatic love when we chant—because we commit offenses. The great value of the holy name can be realized only when we chant without offense.
But here too the Pancha-tattva help us, because they do not consider offenses. They are so liberal and magnanimous that they do not take any offense. Thus, if one chants the holy names of the Pancha-tattva with enthusiasm, with complete absorption, one will feel ecstatic, and when one feels ecstatic one can chant the holy names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra without offense.
But we have to work. We have to practice. As Srila Prabhupada said, chanting is easy, but the determination to chant is not so easy. We have to be determined to chant with attention, without offense. And if we can chant without offense, we will obtain the great treasure of love of God. Chanting is so important, as Lord Chaitanya instructed:
tara madhye sarva-srestha nama-sankirtana
niraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana
“Of the nine processes of devotional service, the most important is to always chant the holy name of the Lord. If one does so, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses, one very easily obtains the most valuable love of Godhead.” (Cc Antya 4.71)
There are ten offenses mentioned in the Padma Purana. Srila Jiva Gosvami has discussed them in detail in his Bhakti-sandarbha, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has also discussed them, in Sri Harinama-cintamani. In Srila Prabhupada’s books we find lists and explanations of the ten offenses in different places. The list in The Nectar of Devotion is often read in temples as part of the morning program after mangala-arati, as devotees prepare to chant their rounds, for just reading or reciting the list, hearing it and praying, will help us to avoid the offenses. The last offense in this list is “to not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter.” Devotees often then add, “It is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting.” Actually, at the end of the Sanskrit for the eighth offense we find the words api pramada. Pramada means “inattention.” In the Hari-nama-cintamani, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has taken pramada as a separate item, as the ninth offense—inattentive chanting. He states that by attentive chanting one can destroy all other offenses but that inattentive chanting allows the other offenses to grow and flourish.
So, we have to make a concentrated effort to overcome this offense (pramada) and chant and hear with attention. As the Bhagavad-gita (6.26) says,
yato yato niscalati
manas cancalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
atmany eva vasam nayet
“From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self.” So, that is our work.
When we observe the activities of the mind while we are chanting and really consider what is happening—“Why is my mind always wandering? What is it thinking about?” (There is a whole list of things we think about, which we can’t even begin to discuss.)—if we consider, “What is going on? Why am I having all these other thoughts when I should be hearing the holy name?” we will find (at least in my experience) that it basically comes down to thinking that we are the doers, the controllers, the proprietors, the enjoyers. Actually, the holy name is Krishna, and He is the controller, He is the proprietor, He is the enjoyer. So let us surrender to Him. Let us surrender to the holy name, surrender to Krishna in the form of transcendental sound, and let Him take over.
When we are chanting, at least our sixteen rounds, those two hours—or however long it takes—are our time with Krishna. At least in those two hours we should have no other thought but to be with Krishna, to associate with Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has explained that the chanting is a prayer to Radha and Krishna. The name “Krishna” refers, of course, to Krishna, and “Hare” is a way of addressing Radha. Thus Hare Krishna means “O Radha, O Krishna.” When we call people’s names, we want to get their attention, and when we get their attention they may respond, “Yes, what do you want? What can I do for you?” So when we get Radha and Krishna’s attention by chanting Their holy names, Hare Krishna, what are we going to ask? A pure devotee will ask for only one thing: service—“I want to serve You. Please engage me in Your service.” That is our prayer when we chant.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written much about the Siksastaka and the holy name, and in Sri Bhajana-rahasya he has explained that the eight prayers of the Siksastaka correspond with the eight pairs of names in the maha-mantra. So when we are chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—the verses of the Siksastaka are included. And if we are really concentrating, we can focus on each pair of names and know that the corresponding prayer of the Siksataka is included. We should not be racing through our rounds, just to finish them—“Oh, God, okay, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna . . . Okay, one down, fifteen to go.” Not racing through. This is our time with Krishna—in one sense, it is the most important time of the day—and we should give ourselves to Him. Of course, we serve Him throughout the day—in principle, twenty-four hours a day—but this is our special time to associate with Him, with hari-nama, directly.
Our godbrother Gopala Bhatta Prabhu owns a large business and has many responsibilities and projects, but he told me that when he chants his rounds he takes off his eyeglasses and his wristwatch. This is his time with Krishna, and he will not think about anything else. Of course, he is very organized. He makes long lists of what he has to do, so when he is chanting he doesn’t have to worry about remembering or forgetting things. That is a common fault, a common form of inattention—while we are chanting, within our minds we are making our to-do lists. If what we have to do is important enough, we will remember it later. But we have to hear; we have to let go of all other thoughts when we chant, and just hear. Sometimes it may be that in that purifying process of chanting, Krishna is trying to tell us something, trying to remind us of something. And it really builds up. Even though we try, we just can’t let it go. Then it might be better to make a note of it, and then our mind might settle down. Otherwise, in principle, whatever it is, just let it go and hear—tac chrnu—hear the holy name of Krishna.
This is the great mission of the Pancha-tattva—to propagate pure chanting of the holy name, and through it, ecstatic love of Godhead.
Gadadhara Pandita appeared one year after Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And in their childhoods, the two were inseparable; they were so attached to each other. Together, they attended Gangadasa Pandita’s tola, or school, and as classmates they enjoyed many pastimes with each other. In His childhood, Lord Chaitanya was called Nimai, because He was born under a neem tree. So, Nimai and Gadadhara would go to Ganganagara and attend class together. They would walk home together. They would study together. They would take bath in the Ganga together. They could not bear to be separated from each other for even a moment.
Later, when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and went to reside in Jagannatha Puri, Gadadhara Pandita followed Him. Most of Mahaprabhu’s other associates in Navadvipa remained in Bengal; they came to Puri only once in a year, for the four months of the rainy season, to attend the Ratha-yatra and to see Mahaprabhu. But Gadadhara Pandita couldn’t bear to be separated from the Lord, and the Lord couldn’t bear to be separated from him. So he was permitted to stay with Mahaprabhu in Puri, and there they engaged in pastimes. Gadadhara Pandita accepted ksetra-sannyasa, which means he took a vow never to spend a night outside the dhama, Jagannatha Puri. And he engaged in the service of the Deity called Tota-gopinatha. The first time Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left Puri to travel to Vrindavan, Gadadhara Pandita followed Him—even at the cost of his ksetra-sannyasa and his service to Gopinatha. And when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu finally compelled him to return to Puri, Gadadhara fainted. He could not bear the separation. And for Mahaprabhu too, the separation was difficult. But Mahaprabhu tolerated it because He wanted to keep Gadadhara’s vow and service intact. Gadadhara Pandita and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had many intimate, loving pastimes together in Puri, which are described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come regularly to relish Gadadhara Pandita’s reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam. And it is said that in the end Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu entered the Tota-gopinatha temple and never came out, that He entered into the Deity of Gopinatha to return to His eternal pastimes.
After Mahaprabhu left, Gadadhara Pandita felt such intense separation that his body began to age very quickly—although he was only forty-eight years old. In time, he was unable to stretch out his arms even to offer a garland to the Deity. So the Deity, to facilitate Gadadhara’s loving service, sat down (one can still visit Tota-gopinatha and see the sitting Deity), and soon Gadadhara himself entered into the Deity to join Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in His eternal pastimes.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta states that Gadadhara Pandita was an incarnation of the pleasure potency of Sri Krishna. And Sri Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika confirms that Srimati Radharani appeared in gaura-lila as Gadadhara Pandita. When the Lord descends, He doesn’t come alone; He comes with His eternal associates. Thus, when Lord Krishna came as Sri Krishna Chaitanya, in the role of a devotee, His eternal associates accompanied Him, also as devotees, to assist Him in His pastimes. And the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, written by Kavi-karnapura, another associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, explains what roles the associates of Krishna in krsna-lila played in gaura-lila. Sri Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (147–149) states, “Srimati Radharani, who is the personification of pure love for Krsna and who is the queen of Vrndavana, appeared as Sri Gadadhara Pandita, who was very dear to Lord Chaitanya. Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami has also confirmed that the goddess of fortune, who appeared in Vrndavana and was very dear to Lord Krsna, appeared as Sri Gadadhara Pandita, who was filled with love for Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”
Gadadhara Pandita is an incarnation of Srimati Radharani, the internal potency of Lord Krishna. But because Lord Chaitanya is Krishna acting in the mood of Srimati Radharani, Gadadhara Pandita did not act in the mood of Radharani—because there can be only one Radharani. He understood, “This is Krishna’s time. This is Krishna’s opportunity to relish the loving ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, so I will keep my mood of Radha in the background and just support Him in His experience of radha-bhava.” It is also said that if Gadadhara Pandita had manifested the nature or feature of Srimati Radharani, then Krishna, who was trying to absorb Himself in the mood of Radharani, would have become attracted to the Radha outside of Him and wouldn’t have been able to maintain His inner mood as Radha. So Gadadhara Pandita, to facilitate Lord Chaitanya in His pastimes, played the perfect role to complement and support the Lord—that of a perfect brahman, very gentle, very submissive, very scholarly, very sober.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7, 166, 163–164) concludes,
panditera saujanya, brahmanyata-guna
drdha prema-mudra loke karila khyapana
“Gadadhara Pandita is celebrated all over the world for his gentle behavior, his brahminical attributes, and his steady love for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”
panditera bhava-mudra kahana na yaya
‘gadadhara-prana-natha’ nama haila yaya
“No one can describe the characteristics and ecstatic love of Gadadhara Pandita. Therefore another name for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Gadadhara-prananatha, ‘the life and soul of Gadadhara Pandita.’
pandite prabhura prasada kahana na yaya
‘gadaira gauranga’ bali’ yanre loke gaya
“No one can say how merciful the Lord is to Gadadhara Pandita, but people know the Lord as Gadaira Gauranga, ‘the Lord Gauranga of Gadadhara Pandita.’ ”
On this auspicious occasion we can pray to Gadadhara Pandita, a most intimate associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and a member of the Pancha-tattva, to be merciful to us and help us to taste and distribute the nectar of the holy name, the nectar of Krishna consciousness, as humble servants of his devoted servants.
Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna.
Sri Gadadhara Pandita ki jaya!
Sri Sri Pancha-tattva ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Gadadhara Pandita’s appearance day, April 17, 2007, Dallas]
Srimati Radhika came in the form of Sri Gadadhara. We should try to know Gadadhara-tattva. There is no difference between Sri Gadadhara Pandita and Srimati Radhika, but the activities are different in Krsna’s pastimes and Gaura’s pastimes. In Gaura-lila Sri Gadadhara Pandita is in the mood of a servant.
No gopi, including Candravali, Lalita, and Visakha, can experience Srimati Radhika’s madanakya-mahabhava. Krsna experiences the ecstatic loving moods of rudha and adirudha, but not madanakhya-bhava. Sri Gadadhara Pandita, on the other hand has madanakya-mahabhava. In Gaura-lila, however, it is covered, so that he can help Krsna to play the part of Srimati Radhika. In the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandita, Srimati Radhika is looking and examining, and if there is something wrong in Krsna (as Mahaprabhu), She corrects it.
Sri Gadadhara Pandita is Srimati Radhika and he therefore has up to madanakya-mahabhava, but He wants to serve Mahaprabhu. He wants to do what Krsna wants, and thus he covers his madhurya-bhava. Sri Gadadhara Pandita knows what Mahaprabhu wants: Mahaprabhu wants to play the part of Srimati Radhika.
Right from the beginning He is in Srimati Radha’s mood, and He is chanting, “Krsna prana-natha (My beloved Krsna)!” He came to Tota-Gopinatha Temple to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from Sri Gadadhara Pandita – Srimati Radhika – to learn how to play Her part. In its deepest understanding, Srimad-Bhagavatam is really the glories of Srimati Radhika’s moods.
There were three and a half confidential associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Gambhira. Why was Sri Gadadhara Pandita not one of them? He is superior to these other three and a half confidential associates. This is a hidden secret. If Sri Gadadhara Pandita were there, Mahaprabhu’s separation mood would not have come. In the association with Srimati Radhika He would have thought Himself to be Krsna.
How can you dissect what you learned from the Bhagavad-gita and apply it in your daily life
PRABHUPADA IS COMING! to the TOVP this October at the historic installation of his new murti commemorating his 125th Appearance Anniversary Year. His divine presence there will inspire and guide us to complete the TOVP. Sacinandana Swami encourages all devotees to sponsor an abhisheka for this historic occasion.
To encourage a grand welcome for His Divine Grace that all devotees, man woman or child, can participate in, the TOVP has created a once-in-a-lifetime abhisheka sponsorship campaign, and from May 14 (Akshaya Tritiya) until May 25 (Nrsimha Caturdasi) the #GivingToPrabhupada 11 Day Matching Fundraiser will make this seva opportunity available. Ambarisa prabhu will match the first $150,000, and our goal is $1 million.
Mark your calendar now and sponsor one of five kinds of abhishekas starting with the Sacred Water abhisheka (water from 125 sacred rivers) for $25.
Visit the Fundraiser Page for more information.
NOTE: The TOVP CARE COVID RELIEF program is donating $25,000 for ISKCON Mayapur and Bangladesh temples under the direction of Ambarisa prabhu.
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On harinama in Miami Beach, one vacationer wanted to play the drum, and he did an impressive job. He was even able to play it as Mahavishnu Swami swung him around in a circle. When the kirtan was over, he told he was a Prabhupada disciple, Markandeya, visiting from California. May 7,
“There are very exalted spiritual understandings in Krishna consciousness. They are not fictional, imaginary, or concocted. They are facts, and every devotee can have the privilege to understand and indeed take part in Krishna’s pastimes if he is actually advanced. We should not think that the privilege given to Mother Yasoda is not available to us. Everyone can have a similar privilege. If one loves Krishna as one’s child, then one will have such a privilege, because the mother has the most love for the child. Even in this material world, there is no comparison to a mother’s love, for a mother loves her child without any expectation of return. Of course, although that is generally true, this material world is so polluted that a mother sometimes thinks, ‘My child will grow up and become a man, and when he earns money, I shall get it.’ Thus there may still be some desire to get something in exchange. But while loving Krishna there are no selfish feelings, for that love is unalloyed, free from all desires for material gain.
“You should not expect anything in return. That is real love. Just like a mother is loving her child, not expecting any return. But she still she gives service. So, that is as a little sample of pure love.”
—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.31, April 23, 1973, Los Angeles, and room conversation, July 13, 1976, New York
Happy Mother’s Day!
Hare Krishna.
Your grateful servant,
Giriraj Swami
From stenciling and painting huge maha-mantra signs on the walls of towns and villages while on padayatra in Goa and Karnataka South India, we arrived at a new innovative phase in teaching this sacred chant to the people. A group called the Harinama Mandir Orchestra are using harmony, rhythm and texture to teach new devotees how to chant. This rhythmic singing of sacred sounds of the maha-mantra could range from simple melody to highly complex structures with repetition as a core aspect. All of this done in an enchanting meditation lounge!
Harinama Mandir is a group of musicians who have teamed up in order to propagate the Krishna Consciousness movement under the direction of ISKCON. This group gives ample opportunities for all classes of men to utilize this art of chanting the holy names of the Lord rhythmically and systematically, as a service to Krishna.
The first-ever exclusive online Japa Retreat by His Grace Mahatma Prabhu (ACBSP) took place on April 18 and 25. More than 600 participants from 38 countries attended the retreat, including prominent ISKCON leaders as HH Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami Maharaja, and other senior Vaisnavas.
Due to the pandemic Australia has been in lockdown for almost a year, with no visits to the temple or harinama festivals. The sound of the holy names of the Lord was conspicuous by its absence in Melbourne. When some restrictions were lifted, Vrindavan Kirtan Prabhu seized the opportunity to organise a weekend Preaching Bhakti Yoga Kirtan festival.
