Planet ISKCON

HH Giriraja Swami unveiling the inside insight of 1970s ecstatic era with Srila Prabhupada.

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How can we best address and combat the global problems of climate change, desertification, loss of natural habitat, loss of biodiversity and extinction of species?>Read More...

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There is only one word to describe the Next Generation Leadership conference - excitement. There was a buzz felt throughout the two-day virtual conference, by youth and youth leaders that lingered on after in group chats and social media.

Fulfilling Srila Prabhupad’s instructions. No1 within 10miles of temple should go hungry....Read More...

Ramanuja was born in India during the year 1017 A.D. when, according to astrological calculations, the sun was in the zodiacal sign of Cancer. His parents were Asuri Keshava and Kantimati, both from aristocratic families. Rumanja passed his childhood days in Shriperumbudur, the village of his birth. At the age of 16 he was married to Rakshakambal.

Ramanuja’s philosophy became known as vishishtadwaita or qualified non-dualism. Accordingly, the living entities are believed to be qualitatively one with the Supreme and at the same time quantitatively different. Ramanuja’s assertion was that the quantitative difference means that the fragmentary parts of the Supreme are dependent on the Supreme but they cannot become the Supreme.

The fame of Ramanuja continued to spread far and wide. One day as Ramanuja sat in the solitude of his study, a venerable saint named Yamunacharya came to his door for alms. Extending his full courtesy, Ramanuja welcomed the saint into his home.

Ramanuja learned that Yamuna was from Shri Rangam, the famous Temple of Vishnu. In the course of their discussion, Ramanuja soon realized that Yamunacharya was a qualified spiritual master of the science of devotion. Overwhelmed with ecstasy and jubilation, Ramanuja fell at his feet and asked to be accepted as his disciple.

Although he lived for many years as a successful householder, Ramanuja was destined to accept the path of renunciation. Eventually he took up the renounced order of life, sannyasa, by going before the Deity in the Temple and praying to be exclusively engaged in the service of Godhead.

From that day forward Ramanuja always wore the the symbol of Narayana on his forehead, dressed in saffron cloth, and carried the renunciate’s three-sectioned staff, which signified service to God by body, mind, and words.

Ramanuja continued living at Shri Rangam, serving the Deity of Narayana and imparting enlightenment to whoever came to him until he was 120 years old. One day while worshipping the Deity, he prayed, “dear God, whatever I could do to preserve the essence of the Vedas, to uplift the fallen souls, and to establish the shelter of Your lotus feet as the supreme goal in life, I have done. Now my body has grown tired after many years in this world. Kindly allow me to depart from this mortal world and enter Your supreme abode.”

Ramanuja remained on Earth for three more days. Keeping his head on the lap of Govinda and his mind fixed in spiritual trance, relinquished his mortal body and entered the realm of Vaikuntha.

Queen’s Park, Toronto

Dark Brown Chutney

Today I learned how to make tamarind chutney. It goes good as a dip for samosas or pakoras, although probably not good for monks. There’s just too much sugar in it, although jaggery is a natural sweetener.

At this time of year in India the sap comes out of date-ras trees. The substance is collected, then boiled down to a crystallin form. The weather is so perfect in India right now. Mayapura is the place, a four-hour drive from Kolkata, where the action is currently. On this day a bhaktiluminary was born, Advaita Acharya, and he was a contemporary of monk Chaitanya.

I’m sure people of that era, 500 years ago, must have relished preparations made with the abovementioned hardened tree sap. Such items would be most appropriate as offerings for Krishna to become prasadam.

Now, how did I make tamarind chutney under the guidance of our cook, Dwarkanatha? Here is the procedure, without detailing the quantities:

1) A chunk of tamarind was put to soak in a bowl of water.

2) After the pulp loosens you blend this soft substance.

3) Then strain it to separate all the strings and pits.

4) Boil the substance and add generous amounts of jaggery.

5) Roast coriander seeds, then fennel, cumin and black pepper.

6) Blend the spices with water and add the mixture to the pot.

7) Salt is added.

8) Let chill.

The end product was divine.

May the Source be with you!

3 km

Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI

Cary, North Carolina

Sometimes Eyes Have a Cold Nose

There is no disputing the benefits of walking – walking increases cardiovascular health, reduces the chance of developing heart disease, lowers blood pressure and helps with stress management. Now imagine you are a person who is blind or visually impaired. Not only does exercise-walking become more difficult but walking for everyday activities, such as going to the grocery store, getting to work, and meeting up with friends, becomes difficult if not impossible.

I knew by the time I was a teenager I wanted to train dog guides for the blind. Becoming a dog guide trainer requires people to complete a three-year apprenticeship. It’s very competitive to get the position (one slot will have 50-100 applicants). During my interview for an apprenticeship slot I was asked, “This job involves walking 8-10 miles a day, are you up to that?” Not only was I “up to that” but it sounded wonderful to me! I always prefer to be active rather than sitting.

I have now been a dog guide trainer for the past 18 years. I’ve trained hundreds of dogs and walked hundreds, if not thousands, of miles. What I love the most about this job is every individual dog is different; I learn something new with every dog I train. There was Caper who was so naughty in puppy placement (he ate the drywall in his puppy raiser’s kitchen), but was one of the easiest dogs I’ve ever trained. He was too smart to be a pet dog, he needed a job. Then there was Natty, whom I affectionally called “Miss Goody Two-Shoes” because she never wanted to do anything wrong. She was the sweetest dog ever and was placed with a woman who is a teacher for kids with disabilities. Then, of course, there was Princeton. He was a male German Shepard and the biggest momma’s boy. I ran into him and his “person” several years after they completed training. He spotted me from across the room and started howling at the top of his lungs. He was loyal.

The world of dog training has changed a lot, and for the better. Now the highest level of training uses positive reinforcement methods. Dogs are regularly referred to as sentient beings or beings that are capable of experiencing a range of feelings and emotions such as joy and depression. Anyone who has owned a dog knows this is true. It’s my hope that one day other animals will also be seen in this light.

Written by Vishnu Priya dd

Disciple of HH Bhaktimarga Swami

Please view our new film, Rolling the Dice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3legHdMgI

https://youtu.be/JlfbZMK9bvM

“This human life is meant for understanding Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is real education.” (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 3.27, Madras, January 1, 1976)

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In the mood of visiting the Dham when you can't physically go to the Dham, GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is bringing the Dham to you. To honor the upcoming Lord Nityananda's Appearance Day, urging you all to fire up your phone or computer and join us on a special tour to the Birth place of Lord Nityananda with Chandan Yatra Das.

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“Those friends who show affection but are self-absorbed at heart are not friends in the truest sense. They simply play a part in mutual self-interest. They would never show their love unless there was some profit they could take advantage of. Oh slender-waisted gopis, others love without concern for what they have to gain from love or get back in return. Such people may be parents, friends or saints, but you can tell that they are truly friendly and wish everybody well. Still others don’t or can’t give back the love that they receive. They don’t love friends or kinsfolk—what to speak of enemies. Such people might be self-contained, in spirit or in wealth, ungrateful, or just hateful toward those better than themselves.

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I write to inform all of you that one of the ISKCON Movement's best friends and scholarly supporters has just passed away in the morning of Saturday, February 20, 2021. I have known Tom Hopkins for decades and he has been such a supporter of devotees and well-wisher of the Movement. He met Śrīla Prabhupāda and the early devotees in 1966 at 26 Second Avenue, and purchased his first set of Śrīla Prabhupāda's "Delhi" Bhāgavatams at that time (those volumes are currently in my possession). At one point, Tom even arranged for Śrīla Prabhupāda to teach a course at Franklin and Marshall College, where he was a professor. In the end, Śrīla Prabhupāda declined the generous offer of Tom because Śrīla Prabhupāda was too busy establishing the ISKCON and its temple-centers. Continue reading "Tom Hopkins, one of the ISKCON Movement’s best friends and scholarly supporters has just passed away
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Sri Madhvacharya was born in the year 1238 A.D. on the Vijaydasmi day of the month of Aswayuja in a village about 3 miles from Udupi in South Canara. His father was Madhyageha Bhatta a pious Brahmin belonging to Bhagavata Sampradaya. He was named ‘Vasudeva’ during the namakarana ceremony. 

Even as a child he exhibited many miraculous powers like clinging to the tail of a bull grazing in fields for several hours, converting tamarind seeds into gold and clearing the debts of his father, spending several days in a Narayan temple in the forest all alone, and correcting a Brahman pandit who was reciting the Puranas wrongly and so on.

Not even had Vasudeva attained his teens when he had the urge to take the holy orders and took sannyasa diksa. from Achutapreksha, the pontiff of a monastery at Kare near the modern town of Udupi. He was given the new name ‘Purnaprajna’.

Madhva began to preach his own philosophy according to which the world is real, the individual souls are different from Brahman, and Vishnu is the highest entity in the Universe. Madhvacharya advocated dualism and realism. Many scholars of other schools of philosophy debated with Madhvacharya but were defeated by him and converted to his own views.

Madhvacharya next made a pilgrimage to North India where he visited the famous place of Badrikasrama and met Vedavyasa who lived there with his disciples. He received instructions about the true meaning of the Brahma-sutras and also Mahabharata and the Pancharatra Agamas, all of which were composed by him to establish the glory of Narayana.

The Madhvacharya founded the famous Sri Krishna temple at Udupi and established eight mutts. He had discovered the image of Sri Krishna which lay imbedded in a huge lump of mud (called gopichandan).  After washing it, he himself carried it to his monastery.

After many years and having intuitively felt that he had finished his work, Madhvacharya is said to have mysteriously disappeared from his seat, while teaching the Attareya Upanishad to his disciples, leaving a big heap of flowers on it.

 Hare Krishna!

Please accept our humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Date: 21st Feb 2021

Day: Sunday

Time: 11 am to 12 noon

Topic: "Krsna Consciousness, the Supreme Dharma" - concluding part

Speaker: H.G. Dravida das

Link to join the class from your desktop or laptop:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9150790510?pwd=Wk5GYXVRMkJmdk84MzZJRXBKYUgwUT09 

H.G. Dravida das

A disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Dravida dasa joined ISKCON in 1973 and has served as an editor and proof-reader for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for over 45 years. From 1983 to 1989 he was part of the team that completed Srila Prabhupada’s magnum opus: a commentated English translation of India's jewel of Vedic wisdom, the 18,000-verse Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also helped produce the revised editions of Srila Prabhupada’s Isopanisad, Krsna Book, Caitanya-Caritamrta, and Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and he is part of the team that produces Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja book every year. In addition to his editing work, he teaches Bhakti Yoga classes at ISKCON’s San Diego temple and other centres in North America.

Throughout all this immersion in transcendental literature, Dravida Dasa developed a love of the Sanskrit language, and especially the elaborate verses of the Bhagavatam and other works of bhakti literature.

His devotion and expertise in chanting form a marvellous combination. He has a been Brahmacari throughout his devotional career.

ISKCON Scarborough

3500 McNicoll Avenue, Unit #3,

Scarborough, Ontario,

Canada, M1V4C7

Website: www.iskconscarborough.org

Email:

iskconscarborough@hotmail.com

scarboroughiskcon@gmail.com

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 3
By Krishna Kripa Das
(February 2021, part one)

Where I Went and What I Did

For the first nine days of February, I remained living in the new Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies building in Gainesville, where I spent time almost every day in helping to catalog the thousands of books donated to their library. I continued to chant Hare Krishna at Krishna Lunch on weekdays, across from the University of Florida entrance with the Alachua devotees on Friday afternoon, and at Depot Park in Gainesville on the weekend. I also attended the ecstatic three-hour Saturday evening kirtan at Krishna House. On February 7, I went to Tampa with devotees from Alachua, and along with Tampa devotees, we chanted for two hours along the Tampa Riverwalk on Super Bowl Sunday, before the big game. On February 9, I took a bus to Tallahassee, my usual base in the winter, and I chanted three hours at Landis Green, behind the main library at Florida State University (FSU) on weekdays, and at Lake Ella and downtown Tallahassee on the weekends. I informed students of our plan to resume our Krishna Lunch program, collected email addresses for our mailing list, and mentioned we offered Bhagavad-gita classes, instruction on yoga and meditation, and spiritual music. Besides the lunch, music was the next most popular choice. Many students said they liked hearing the chanting on the campus, and many were happy to hear Krishna Lunch was resuming.

I share notes from my readings of the wonderful books Srila Prabhupada has given us, this time from Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, which is my favorite book, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and The Nectar of Instruction. I also share quotes from a couple of his Bhagavad-gita lectures. I share excerpts from the many books of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, who gave me first initiation in Gita Nagari on Nrsimha Caturdasi of 1983. I was not staying at places with regular Bhagavatam classes, so I have no notes on lectures of local devotees. Every day I play Janananda Goswami lectures at Yoga Lyrique in Paris with French translation, while preparing prasadam, eating, and cleaning, to help stay in Krishna consciousness and to learn French at the same time. Unfortunately I am usually not able to take notes on these classes as I am busy with other things, but I do include a link to part of a lecture where Janananda Goswami tells the fascinating story of a cow in Malaysia who liked to attend Hare Krishna programs. I also share a Prabhupada pastime I heard from Prabhupada disciple Pundarika Prabhu from Alachua as he drove me to Tampa for harinama.

Thanks to Jennii Miller for the two videos of the Saturday evening three-hour kirtan at Krishna House. Thanks to Laura Pellini of Venezuela, whose mom used to play Hare Krishna music for her when she was a kid, for the photos of me at Landis Green at Florida State University.

Itinerary

February 9–April ?: Tallahassee harinamas and college outreach
April ?–5: Orlando harinamas and college outreach
April 6–: New York City

Chanting Hare Krishna in Gainesville

Alex, a University of Florida student living at Krishna House, chants a Hare Krishna tune that she just learned how to play that very day at Krishna Lunch in Gainesville (https://youtu.be/mM0schK4jmo):

Nitai Prasad Prabhu, a doctoral student in chemistry at University of Florida, chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/oi2RVbTc1t4):

Haripriya chants Hare Krishna at the Krishna House Saturday evening three-hour kirtan, and Brandi dances with her hula hoop in the rain [This video and the next are by Jennii Miller.] (https://youtu.be/9pGIkcrNZNQ):

Satyahit Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the University of Florida Krishna Lunch, and I play drum and dance (https://youtu.be/GhVeUV4o1os):

Vivasvan Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada doing outreach in Tampa for decades, chants Hare Krishna on the Tampa Riverwalk in the shade of a bridge on Super Bowl Sunday along with devotees from Tampa and Alachua (https://youtu.be/CWFl0PgqHE4):

Vivasvan appreciated his performance and told us to give him a dollar. I also gave him an invitation to the Sunday feast program at Vivasvan’s temple.

Kishor Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Tampa Riverwalk on Super Bowl Sunday, and a guy named Cortez dances with devotees (https://youtu.be/zAqOjvhZH3I):

A girl dances with the Hare Krishna book she received, and Cortez continues to dance while distributing Hare Krishna books, as Kishor Prabhu goes on chanting (https://youtu.be/V5OeNXTrdZo):

Here are my remaining video clips of Vivasvan and Kishor Prabhus leading the chanting of Hare Krishna on the Tampa Riverwalk with devotees from the Tampa and Alachua on Super Bowl Sunday (https://youtu.be/OWuL5NiGid8):

Chanting Hare Krishna in Tallahassee

In the above photo at Landis Green, where I daily chant on the Florida State University campus, taken by an art student who loves photography, I am not wearing my classes. Sometimes due to the cold and at other times due to the humidity, my glasses fog up and cannot see, so I have to take them off.

The third day I chanted at FSU, I mentioned our vegan lunch program to one interested girl who passed by after I had packed up my email list. Not wanting to miss my bus, I gave her my card and told her to write me. She did, which is rare in itself, saying “I would love to be added to the list for the vegan lunches on campus. Very excited you are starting this back up! 🧡 Much love, Courtney” I wrote her back, telling her about our other programs as well, and she was quite interested, describing herself as a very spiritual person who liked to study different religions.

I met many students who remembered seeing me from before and also those who recalled conversing with me before. These include a couple of Christian girls who ended up coming to the Krishna Lunch and liking it.

I find students seem friendlier than in previous years. Perhaps that is because the COVID-19 challenge is bringing people together, or maybe it is just because there are fewer students on the campus. Also a much greater percentage of students on the campus are freshmen, who are likely to be more curious to learn about new things.

In the three days I chanted on the campus during the first two weeks of February, 33 students gave me their emails, with 31 interested in Krishna Lunch, 11 interested in Krishna music, 7 interested in yoga, 3 interested in meditation, 3 interest in philosophy, and 2 interested in healing.

Physicists’ Quotes on Science and Religion

While cataloging the books at the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies in Gainesville, I came across a Bhaktivedanta Institute conference volume entitled Science and Spiritual Quest. One page from the book grabbed my attention. It displayed quotes by famed physicists on science and religion:

“The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass, God is waiting for you.”

— Werner Heisenberg

“For religion, God is at the beginning; for science, God is at the end.”

— Max Planck

“Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind.”

— Albert Einstein

Upon reading over the quotes, verse 7.19 of Bhagavad-gita came to mind:

bahunam janmanam ante

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”

This indicates a true seeker of knowledge ultimately comes to the point of accepting God, which some of these physicists, from hearing their words, seemed to have a hint of.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192–194:

“At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself. When the devotee’s body is thus transformed into spiritual existence, the devotee, in that transcendental body, renders service to the lotus feet of the Lord. ‘The living entity who is subjected to birth and death attains immortality when he gives up all material activities, dedicates his life to the execution of My order, and acts according to My directions. In this way he becomes fit to enjoy the spiritual bliss derived from exchanging loving mellows with Me.’ [Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.29.34]”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila, 5.45–46, verse and purport:

“When one hears or describes with great faith the pastimes of Lord Krishna, such as His rasa dance with the gopis, the disease of lusty desires in his heart and the agitation caused by the three modes of material nature are immediately nullified, and he becomes sober and silent.

“Purport: Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this connection, ‘Any person seriously inclined to hear about the pastimes of Krishna’s rasa dance, as mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam, with great faith and a transcendental, spiritually inspired mind, is immediately freed from the natural lusty desires found within the heart of a materialistic man.’

“When a pure Vaishnava speaks on Srimad-Bhagavatam and another pure Vaishnava hears Srimad-Bhagavatam from such a realized soul, both of them live in the transcendental world, where the contamination of the modes of material nature cannot touch them. Freed from the contamination of the modes of nature, the speaker and hearer are fixed in a transcendental mentality, knowing that their position on the transcendental platform is to serve the Supreme Lord.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila, 5.47:

“Tasting transcendental, effulgent, sweetly ecstatic love of Krishna, such a person can enjoy life twenty-four hours a day in the transcendental bliss of the sweetness of Krishna’s pastimes.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila, 5.89–90:

“O devotees, relish daily the nectar of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for by doing so one can merge in transcendental bliss and attain full knowledge of devotional service.

“Thus Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accompanied by His associates, His pure devotees, enjoyed transcendental bliss in Jagannatha Puri [Nilacala] by preaching the bhakti cult in many ways.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila, 5.123:

“‘There is no distinction between the body and the soul of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at any time.’

“Purport: This quotation, which is included in the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.5.342), is from the Kurma Purana.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila, 5.124:

[Lord Brahma said:] “‘O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge. In Your impersonal Brahman effulgence in the spiritual sky, there is no occasional change and no deterioration of internal potency. I surrender unto You because, whereas I am proud of my material body and senses, Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation. Yet You are untouched by matter.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.3]

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.4.17–18, purport

“The unfortunate men of this age are always reluctant to give a reception to the transcendentalists who are representatives of Srila Vyasadeva and selfless workers always busy in planning something which may help everyone in all statuses and orders of life. The greatest philanthropists are those transcendentalists who represent the mission of Vyasa, Narada, Madhva, Caitanya, Rupa, Sarasvati, etc. They are all one and the same. The personalities may be different, but the aim of the mission is one and the same, namely, to deliver the fallen souls back home, back to Godhead.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.4.23, purport:

“The original source of knowledge is the Vedas. There are no branches of knowledge, either mundane or transcendental, which do not belong to the original text of the Vedas. They have simply been developed into different branches. They were originally rendered by great, respectable and learned professors. In other words, the Vedic knowledge, broken into different branches by different disciplic successions, has been distributed all over the world. No one, therefore, can claim independent knowledge beyond the Vedas.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.4.27, purport:

“Perfection is never attained until one is satisfied at heart. This satisfaction of heart has to be searched out beyond matter.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.4.31, purport:

“Unless one is fixed in the normal condition of service, neither the Lord nor the living being can become fully satisfied.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.2, purport:

“One cannot be cheerful by nature unless one is factually seated in self-realization, which is transcendental to the material body and mind.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.5, purport:

“In the material world everyone is engrossed with the idea of identifying the body or the mind with the self. As such, all knowledge disseminated in the material world is related either with the body or with the mind, and that is the root cause of all despondencies. This is not always detected, even though one may be the greatest erudite scholar in materialistic knowledge.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.8.22, purport:

“One has to wait for the mercy of the Lord before one can either render service unto Him or know Him as He is.”

From The Nectar of Instruction 7, purport:

“We are sending sankirtana parties all over the world, and they are experiencing that even in the remotest part of the world, where there is no knowledge of Krishna, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra attracts thousands of men to our camp. In some areas, people begin to imitate the devotees by shaving their heads and chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, only a few days after hearing the mantra. This may be imitative, but imitation of a good thing is desired. Some imitators gradually become interested in being initiated by the spiritual master and offer themselves for initiation.”

“Although maya may be present, it cannot disturb a devotee once he attains the bhava stage. This is because the devotee can see the real position of maya. Maya means forgetfulness of Krishna, and forgetfulness of Krishna and Krishna consciousness stand side by side like light and shadow. If one remains in shadow, he cannot enjoy the facilities offered by light, and if one remains in light, he cannot be disturbed by the darkness of shadow. By taking to Krishna consciousness, one gradually becomes liberated and remains in light. Indeed, he does not even touch the darkness.”

From The Nectar of Instruction 8:

“The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one’s full time – twenty-four hours a day – in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja [Goloka Vrndavana-dhama] and serve Krishna under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.”

“Purport:

“At the time of death, the mind and intelligence of a living entity create the subtle form of a certain type of body for the next life. If the mind suddenly thinks of something not very congenial, one has to take a corresponding birth in the next life. On the other hand, if one can think of Krishna at the time of death, he can be transferred to the spiritual world, Goloka Vrindavana.

“Again Srila Rupa Gosvami states in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (1.2.295):

“In the transcendental realm of Vraja [Vraja-dhama] one should serve the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, with a feeling similar to that of His associates, and one should place himself under the direct guidance of a particular associate of Krishna and should follow in his footsteps. This method is applicable both in the stage of sadhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage of sadhya [God realization], when one is a siddha-purusa, or a spiritually perfect soul.”

From a lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.13 in New York on March 11, 1966:

“Unless one is firmly convinced that ‘I am not this body,’ he cannot progress in the spiritual line.”

From a lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 in Los Angeles on December 2, 1968:

Madhudvisa: “Prabhupada, when we’re out on sankirtana, chanting, what would be the best way for us to engage the crowd to become participants in the chant with us? What would be the best of . . .”

Prabhupada: “Best way you go on chanting. Your business is not to, I mean to say, satisfy the crowd. Your business is satisfy Krishna, and then crowd will be automatically satisfied. We are not going to please the crowd. We are going to give them something, Krishna. So you should be very much careful whether you are delivering Krishna in the right way. Then they’ll be satisfied. Your only business should be to satisfy Krishna. Then everything will be satisfied. Tasmin tuste jagat tusta. If Krishna is satisfied, then whole world is satisfied. If you pour water on the root, then it is automatically distributed in every parts of the tree. So Krishna is the big tree, root of the big tree, and you take to watering Krishna, chant Hare Krishna and follow the rules and regulation, everything will be all right.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From The Wild Garden:

“Life is what characterizes the pure devotees’ love for Krishna – intense life. You have to be vulnerable to Krishna’s hurting you, neglecting you. You have to love Him. Did you ever love anyone? Are you too bound up to love even God?”

“Krishna tests the gopis, but they prove their love for Him again and again. We say Krishna is testing us too, but we are not in contact with Him. We are not even sure it is Krishna who is handling us roughly in His embrace. For most of us, ‘Krishna’s embrace’ is just a metaphor. We recite Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s beautiful verses, and we believe it applies to Him. He is the one experiencing separation from Krishna. He is the one who will become broken-hearted if Krishna is not present before Him. But what about our empty, lonely lives? Are they connected with Krishna? We are not madly looking for Him, asking the trees and creepers, ‘Did the son of Nanda Maharaja pass by here?’ What does all this mean to us?

“And if Krishna invites us, will we even go?”

“Walking back and forth to keep awake, to keep my circulation flowing easily, but I don’t go too far. Who would be so crazy as to light a fire on a cold night and then walk away from it? Who would be so foolish as to make a fire and then douse it with water, just when it’s doing its best?

“This fire bodes no danger. If it were to spread and blaze out of control, what benefit there would be for the world! I chant in the darkness waiting for dawn, waiting for the sun of hari-nama to fully rise. When the sun of devotion begins to blaze, then I will see Krishna’s pastimes, qualities, and forms, and I will sing madly, not caring for what others think. When will that day be mine?”

From Passing Places, Eternal Truths:

“I feel satisfaction when I write honestly and then stumble upon genuine Krishna consciousness, even while candidly writing my imperfect thoughts. When candid feelings of attachment to Krishna come out, they are gems because they are real. Good writing and good living is not how it looks to others, but how it feels, how deep the actual surrender is.”

“‘Catfish Special.’ ‘Country-Style Fried Chicken.’ ‘Radio Shack.’ The eyes rarely get a rest. ‘Lone Star Beer.’ Lord Krishna protects His devotees, or else we would all be drowned in this ocean of names. ‘Cajun Sausage.’ ‘Deer Processing.’ Except for the chanting of the holy names, we would be covered all over with signs.”

From Free Write Journal #130

“Patriotic ISKCON

“On Inauguration Day, a girl recited her poem with hope that the nation will ‘climb the hill’ of strife and obstacles and emerge victorious. One stanza of hers mirrors our situation:

“‘The hill we climb
If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it.
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it.’

“Prabhupada said our love for him
would be tested by how
we cooperated to preserve the institution.
We are at the beginning of the Golden Age
which Lord Caitanya predicted
would be auspicious for Krishna consciousness
for the next 10,000 years.
ISKCON has seen its troubles and obstacles from outside,
but at 60 years old it is flourishing
gaining many new members
in countries and cultures all over the globe.
Millions are chanting
the Hare Krishna mantra
which is the panacea against all sinful acts.
Let us climb the hill together
against all calamities and differences.
and see the day when God is pleased with us
and shows His full mercy to all the fallen
and realize the Golden Age.”

“What does a devotee do with the inevitable ‘bad hair’ days that come in the material world? He has to go inward and find his faith in guru and Krishna and seek relief in the Lord’s protection. He or she should not be shaken by material upheavals but stay fixed in Krishna consciousness. In the material world there is danger at every step, but one who has surrendered to Murari (Krishna) is not affected by the dangers. The calamities that come are shrunk up for a pure devotee so that they are no more than the impression of a calf’s hoof in the mud. He can cross the calamities easily by the strength of guru and Gauranga.”

“Prabhupada’s Purports

“As a member of the Library Party going to the universities with Prabhupada’s books, I found that most of the professors admired Prabhupada’s presentation. They liked the Devanagari alphabets, the English translation, the word-to-word synonyms and even the profuse illustrations. But did they read all the purports? If they did they would have seen Prabhupada smashing material civilization and mundane scholarship of the Vedas. Yet few of them complained about his point of view. They took it that he was writing in Vaishnava parampara, being true to the acaryas and the literal meanings of the verses. Few complained. They accepted Prabhupada as a scholar of Gaudiya Vaisnavism and thought he was bona fide.”

“Weather-talk is for everyone. People ask each other, ‘How much snow will fall?, ‘How cold is it supposed to be tomorrow?’, ‘Last year at this time it was much warmer/colder.’ Even with the facility of high-tech weather tracking, the weather will always remain unpredictable, and therefore not a serious issue except for the farmers and travelers. Other than that, the weather is just a disturbance in the air. The poet Shelley wrote, ‘If winter comes, can spring be far behind?’ But predicting weather becomes the ground for many useless conversations which have nothing to do with the soul or Krishna. Oh, how the world would change if the main conversation was Krishna-katha and not the latest weather!”

From The Wild Garden:

“At the time of death, humility and honesty can save us. We have been dedicated to our spiritual master’s mission and we may have been modest about that. But then the wave of truth: we have not attained devotion to Krishna and guru. We will be fortunate if such a thought should occur to us. Then we can regret our fallen condition and beg for forgiveness and mercy. We can beg to again try to serve the devotees.

“Honesty is important because Krishna sees through all poses. He knows what we want, and He awards us accordingly. We beg Him not to award us on that basis. We beg Him to disregard our desires for sense gratification and liberation. We beg Him to honor what little bhakti we have attained. We beg Him to increase that small store of devotion.

“Who needs a theme other than impending death?

“‘Again offering obeisances unto all you brahmanas, I pray that if I should again take my birth in the material world I will have complete attachment to the unlimited Lord Krishna, association with His devotees and friendly relations with all living beings’ (Bhag. 1.19.16).

“Srila Prabhupada writes, ‘Maharaja Pariksit was certainly going back to Godhead, but even if he were not to go back, he prayed for a pattern of life which is the most perfect way in the material world. A pure devotee does not desire the company of a personality as great as Brahma, but he prefers the association of a petty living being, provided he is a devotee of the Lord.’ (Bhag. 1.19.16, purport)”

From Every Day, Just Write, Volumes 1–3:

“I cannot guarantee when I’ll ‘arrive’ (back home, back to Godhead). But by the grace of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, I know I won’t give up.”

From Memory in the Service of Krishna:

“I had found new strength, and it was obvious to me that it was not a strength of my own doing. I did not even have to exert any effort. I had simply ceased to desire sinful activities. What I could not do on my own, Krishna and His pure devotee had done; they had released me.”

Janananda Goswami:

From a lecture at Yoga Lyrique in Paris on September 15, 2020:

Here Janananda Goswami tells the amazing and amusing story of a cow in Malaysia who delighted in attending Hare Krishna programs which is recounted in his book, Animals in Krishna Consciousness (https://youtu.be/tDABTV4lfUo):

From a car conversation:

In Melbourne, Australia, as it was becoming clear that Srila Prabhupada would not be staying in this world much longer, a disciple inquired from him, “Who will be the next spiritual master?”

Srila Prabhupada said, “Whoever follows my instructions perfectly he’s Guru. (Pause) Whoever follows my instructions perfectly he’s Guru.”

I think important is the fact that after saying the answer once he repeated it word for word a second time.

-----

Why do we drive to towns hours away to chant Hare Krishna before events attended by thousands of people? Because we are trying to follow the example of the Pañca-tattva:

patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana

“In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pañca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 7.23)

In the mood of visiting the Dham when you can't physically go to the Dham, GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is bringing the Dham to you. Urging you all to fire up your phone or computer and join us on a special tour to the sacred pastime places of Sri Advaita Acarya in Shantipur with Chandan Yatra Das.

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Dear friends and devotees, We hope this newsletter finds you, your family and friends in good health and spirits. It has been a wonderfully busy time at the farm with thousands of guests visiting over the Christmas, New Year and school holiday period

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At this time our planet and our devotees need prayer. No doubt many devotees have their own prayers. Yet some do not. It can be downloaded, there is no cost. You can forward it to whoever you think would value it or who would benefit from it. Our hope is that the contents will ease devotees’ concerns during the challenging times that face us. With a prayer that Radha-Syama protect you all and enable you to remember their names, forms, qualities and pastimes whatever providence has in store; I thank you! Continue reading "My Daily Prayers – A Gift From Sivarama Swami
→ Dandavats"

“Metpally . . . Radha-Krishna installation . . . festival . . .” Our ashram at ISKCON Chowpatty was buzzing with this discussion last week when I visited after a gap of few days. Many brahmacharis were excited about visiting this small town in Telangana, around 800 kms from Mumbai. The temple managers were busy arranging for all the essential services that had to be taken care of in the absence of so many devotees. Continue reading "The Descent of Radha-Krishna in Metpally
→ Dandavats"

By the momentum of Advaita Acarya’s spiritual fervor, his loud cries pierced the coverings of the material universe and reached the ears of Sri Krishna in Goloka leading to the advent of Sri Krishna Caitanya, the Golden Avataar.

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Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bhakti Center in New York City has been offering a new selection of virtual yoga teacher training and meditation teacher training programs, as well as training in Ayurveda and kirtan.

Lord Rama could have hated his stepmother Kaikeyi forever. And no one would have blamed him. Kaikeyi was so callous that the tears of her husband, Dasrath, did not melt her heart. She saw him dying but she did not care. She just wanted to satiate her false ego.  Her feelings, her emotions, her desires, […]

The post What We Get When We Take Shelter of Lord Rama? appeared first on ISKCON News.

This is the quality of the Supreme Lord, our eternal father. He is magnanimous. He does not hate anyone. He is the well-wishing friend of all. 

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) stands appraised and recognized with one of the highest honors in India – the “IGBC Green Champion Award 2020” during the 18th edition of ‘Green Building Congress’ organized from 29th – 31st October, 2020. ISKCON was unanimously chosen as a winner of the 7th IGBC Green Champion Awards under the category of […]

The post ISKCON Receives Prestigious ‘Green’ Award in India appeared first on ISKCON News.

ISKCON’s two projects, the Govardhan Eco-village and the Chowpatty Mandir in Mumbai have achieved the Platinum level IGBC green certification.

“While Bhīṣmadeva was describing occupational duties, the sun’s course ran into the northern hemisphere. This period is desired by mystics who die at their will.” SB 1.9.29

“The perfect yogīs or mystics can leave the material body at their own sweet will…

In the momentous hour of leaving his material body, Bhīṣmadeva set the glorious example concerning the important function of the human form of life. The subject matter which attracts the dying man becomes the beginning of his next life. Therefore, if one is absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he is sure to go back to Godhead without any doubt. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā.” (8.5-15)

Metpally is mainly an agricultural town with a population of 10,000. ISKCON’s activities began here a few years ago when Narahari Das from Chowpatty first started to come here.