Websites from the ISKCON Universe
My front doorsteps are strewn with red autumn leaves. I feel like a celebrity leaving the house and stepping onto a red carpet. Nature is kind and playful. And her beauty is powerful. We fear nature’s power in hurricanes and other natural disasters. Unwieldy and destructive she plows through our lands and our lives. […]
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Nature is kind and playful. And her beauty is powerful.
Bhutatma Das, a dear disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami departed on Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day 2020 in Laguna Woods, California. Bhutatma Das was very involved in helping produce books like The Higher Taste and Coming Back.
The post Prabhupada Memories by Bhutatma dasa appeared first on ISKCON News.
Bhutatma Das, a dear disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami departed on Srila Prabhupada’s Disappearance Day 2020 in Laguna Woods, California. Bhutatma Das was very involved in helping produce books like The Higher Taste and Coming Back.
Video by GBC SPT
The post People Behind the Policies – Interview with Sesa Das appeared first on ISKCON News.
Video by GBC SPT
Listen Here! (Friday, November 20th– Los Angeles, CA)— Double-platinum recording artist, WILLOW, and British musician Jahnavi Harrison release their brand-new collaboration R I S E today! The six track EP featuring timeless Sanskrit mantras and original lyrics inspired by sacred texts of the bhakti tradition. Listen to R I S E here! In the […]
The post WILLOW And Jahnavi Harrison Release Brand New EP ‘R I S E’ Out Now appeared first on ISKCON News.
In the search for a deeper connection and inner calm, WILLOW and Jahnavi have combined their musical influences to create a spiritual, meditative and uplifting collection of art.
In 2016, 2017 and 2018, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to Kusuma-sarovara, where the gopis used to come collect different flowers and then Srimati Radharani made her vaijayanti garland for Krsna. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtans and lectures below, along with a few photos, at Kusuma-sarovara during Parikramas 2016, 2017 and 2018.
It is so peaceful in the morning at Kusuma-sarovara. It is a place we all know, a place that is transcendental. The gopis collected different flowers here. Srimati Radharani made her vaijayanti garland for Krsna. It is a long garland, made of five different types of flowers and it hangs below His knees. Every day, She made a new arrangement and somehow that garland would be delivered to Krsna. In this way, the land of Vrndavana is transcendental.
Behind Kusuma-sarovara, towards the right, is Uddhava-kunda. Uddhava was the perfect messenger, and he became a messenger twice. He was sent to Vrndavana as messenger and at the end of Krsna’s life on earth, Krsna met with Uddhava and extensively instructed Him. That conversation became the Uddhava-gita which is found in the Eleventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Uddhava-gita is in some ways more elaborate, asking many questions which are not addressed in the Bhagavad-gita. The Uddhava-gita is actually a very important Gita. There are various Gitas in the Bhagavatam; there is the Uddhava-gita, the Gopi-gita (the songs of the gopis in separation from Krsna), and the Bhumi-gita. The Bhumi-gita is the song of the Earth: “Many rulers have tried to possess me but what is left of them? Only names.” The Uddhava-gita was spoken because Uddhava was chosen to remain on this planet after Krsna left. He was to go to Badarikasrama and meet many devotees there.
So Uddhava was meant to go to Badarinatha. Krsna explained, “I never went there, therefore my representatives should go.” This was the purpose of Uddhava’s existence. We can understand that Uddhava did not realise that when he was younger. He never understood that that was the purpose but it was made clearer to him at the end of his life. Everyone has a role to play in this movement, but we may not always see it immediately. When we are young we think, “What am I going to do with my spiritual life?” The truth of the matter is that we do not know what our role will be. We do not always know what our role will be in this movement. It will become clear with time and it may be different from what we imagined. Uddhava’s role was also different from what he had imagined. He had no idea that he was simply destined to be a messenger.
The full bhajan, initiation ceremony and lecture at Kusuma-sarovara from Parikrama 2016 can be found using the following link: https://www.kksblog.com/2016/12/vrindavan-braj-parikrama-2016-recordings/
The article " eParikrama 2020 Day 20 – Kusuma-sarovara " was published on KKSBlog.
Today was the 14th day of HH Sivarama Maharaja having started showing symptoms for Covid-19. By now the infectious stage is over and we are happy to report that his official quarantine is also over.
By Dahani Devi DasiIn the past, ISKCON has already been accepted as a religious community in Serbia, all until 2007 when it was erased from the list with an explanation that its Statute is more suitable for a civil organisation, not a religious one. Last year devotees finally agreed to join efforts and start the whole process of registration again. One hundred signatures had to be collected and all the legal and supporting documents composed. The request was at first reset to a new round due to objections related to two signatures, which made the devotees collect those all from scratch again. After the signatures got validated, the Ministry of Justice went thoroughly through the submitted documents and supporting statements from other countries, asked for further clarifications twice and finally approved the request. Continue reading "ISKCON registered as religious community in Serbia after many years
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By Devshekhar Vishnu Das With no end in sight, the Corona pandemic continues to take its toll on human health. More in terms of mental than physical. The fatality rate due to the corona has gone up, workplaces are being opened more for economic reasons not because the Corona pandemic is over. In between all these chaotic scenes, Iskcon Chennai-Perambur came up with the idea of providing the sublime knowledge of Bhagavad to masses in form of Bhagavad Gita 18 Adhyay 18 Satra i.e Bhagavad Gita 18 Chapters in 18 Days(1-18 Nov) for Hindi speaking population. Registration was opened on 27th October and Sessions were to be started by 1st Nov. Such was the enthusiasm and eagerness about Bhagavad Gita that with the mercy of Srila Prabhupada within a span of 4 days 6000+ participants registered for the Hindi course across the globe. People following faiths such as Islam, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhism also joined. Continue reading "Bhagavad Gita Online Course introduces Krishna to 6000 People
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By The GBC Strategic Planning TeamThe GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 3 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent Siksha Guru with Nrsimhananda Das. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru with Nrsimhananda Das
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By The GBC Strategic Planning Team The GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 3 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent Siksha Guru with Visakha Devi. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada-Our Preeminent Siksha Guru with Visakha Devi
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GBC Strategic Planning Team (SPT) is pleased to invite you to the Day 3 of our 3 day series celebrating Srila Prabhupada Disappearance Day festival reflecting on the role of Srila Prabhupada as our preeminent Siksha Guru with Suresvar Das
Toronto, Ontario
Meeting the Snow
After a day of chanting, discussion, calls, a class, a nap, a reading and some eating (broccoli stalks), I went out to meet the snow. It was a powdery type, drifting and blowing.
I was not the only one out during that night hour. Others, with their leashed dogs, had also come out, away from the mantelpiece, to perhaps greet winter. It has not become the intense sensation of weather just yet. Most likely the white will disappear in three days.
I was, however, the only one with japa beads as my leash. No dogs for me. Our ashram wouldn’t allow such pets. Nothing against them. They have their place.
This happened to be the eve of our guru’s departure from this world. Srila Prabhupada passed away on Nov. 14th, 1977, in Vrindavana, India—Krishna’s place of birth, and so it is, indeed, a very sacred place.
With these few steps I’ve taken in our neighbourhood I had the time to concentrate mentally on how my life is blessed. I could have been a tragic case had I not taken to this life of bhakti, devotion. I feel so grateful that such a benefactor as Prabhupada has touched my life in a favourable way. Although he never spoke to me, personally, I’ve learned all that I know from him, through his books and through his students. I understand that it is by the way of Krishna’s representatives that we connect with Him.
It was an evening walk of serenity.
May the Source be with you!
3 km
At 7:25 p.m., Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes, which were very clear, more so than in many months. His mouth opened, his tongue moved, and then he became still. The kaviraja took Prabhupada’s pulse and held a cotton swab to his nostril, detecting no movement of air.
Our beloved Srila Prabhupada had departed. Surrounded by his loving disciples, who were chanting the holy name of Krsna; lying very peaceful in his bed in Vrndavana-dhama, the holy land of Krsna’s birth; his head directed toward the Deities of Krsna-Balarama; surrounded by photos of all the Deities and his Guru Maharaja; decorated with candana and a big tulasi leaf on his forehead; and holding tulasi in his right hand, he departed and returned to the lotus feet of Krsna, from whence he came.
The day was Gaura-caturthi-tithi (the fourth day of the light half of the month of Karttika). The time was 7:25 p.m., five minutes after the most auspicious time of that day, amrta-yoga, began.
The Annual MANtra, Men’s Retreat, usually held in New Vrindaban, USA, is going virtual this year and it all happens this weekend beginning Friday evening November 20 (EST), and continues through Sunday, Nov. 22. All men are invited ages 16 and up. This annual men’s sanga will feature interactive sessions with leading devotees of […]
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Topics include "Vaishnava Masculinity," "Men, Marriage and Myth," "Fatherhood," "Pornography, Pernicious and Prevalent," "Empowerment," "Brahmacari Ashrama—The Spirit Still Matters, and So Does the Form," and more.
New inspiring photos of TOVP and surrounding area made by a drone and kindly presented by Pavana Gopa prabhu from TOVP art team.
[See image gallery at tovp.org]The post Is scientific advancement driven by simple curiosity or by the controlling mentality appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
In 2018, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to Kaliya-ghata, where Lord Krsna jumped from a big kadamba tree (which still stands here) into the Yamuna River, which once used to flow here. It was here that Krsna then chastised and danced on the hoods of Kaliya. Check out Maharaja’s full lecture below, along with a few photos, at Kaliya-ghata during Parikrama 2018.
Kaliya was getting tired of being kicked. Not only was Krsna’s dancing on the hoods of Kaliya very elegant and beautiful, but He was also kicking Kaliya on the head at the same time and He was kicking hard. It was during the dancing that Krsna bowed down and invited the gopis, “Come and please dance with Me,” and they had a whole rasa dance on the hoods of Kaliya! Krsna eventually said, “My dear Kaliya, you cannot stay here in the Yamuna because your poison killed all my friends and all the calves and we cannot really have that in Vrndavana, so you will have to go back to your kingdom. But do not worry. My footprints are now on your head and therefore Garuda will not touch you.” So in that way, Kaliya returned to Ramanaka.
When we look at this pastime, we can look at many aspects. One aspect is how kind Krsna is. Krsna is not just a person who has friends and enemies but rather, He is the well-wisher of all. Krsna benedicts even those who act inimical to Him. Ultimately, Krsna is kind; He was kind to Putana and He was kind to Kaliya. Krsna is merciful and even demoniac personalities get His mercy. What to speak of His devotees? With this pastime, we can appreciate Krsna’s merciful nature and the way Krsna deals with everyone – respectfully. Even with a lowly, poisonous, envious creature, Krsna was still respectful. Both by Krsna’s kicks and His association, Kaliya was purified and became a devotee.
In the spiritual world of course, Krsna does not kill any demons. He does that here in the material world. If a demon appears in Goloka Vrndavana, it is because that demon is also a devotee of the Lord, and Krsna and Balarama are playing with them. By being here in Kaliya-daha, we may increase our desire to go back to the spiritual world. We may desire to enter into the pastimes of Krsna. Such a desire will help us greatly in our Krsna consciousness. If our desire to go back to the spiritual world is weak, how can we expect to be fixed in our spiritual life? If we awaken our desire to go back to the spiritual world then we will want to dedicate ourselves to this process. By connecting to such pastime places in Vrndavana we can actually develop that desire.
Kaliya was proud of who he was. He was big, much bigger than others. It is always good when you are bigger than others, of course. A big dog knows he is big, and a big professor knows he is big as well. If we have greatness we naturally become proud. Kaliya was a snake so he was already envious. Add pride to envy then what have you got? The perfect situation to harm others. When we are proud and envious we do not care about others at all. Pride and envy create a mentality that will make us isolated. We withdraw all our feelings from others and do not care about them. Actually, a Vaisnava means para-duhkha-duhkhi. So another thing we can draw from here is that we need to become para-duhkha-duhkhi – concerned with the welfare of others. Let us think about that. How can we benedict others? That is something that Kaliya did not care about. This is our meditation.
The article " eParikrama 2020 Day 19 – Kaliya-ghata " was published on KKSBlog.
This humble devotee moved from her native home of Belarus to New York City in 2016 to study English and by Krishna’s arrangement she had a friend in New York named Zinaida who was a devotee! She started visiting the Radha Govinda mandir in Brooklyn every Sunday and during one Sunday feast program two devotees from NYC Harinam invited her to come and chant in Union square park.
Giriraj Swami begins about forty-three minutes into the program.
https://youtu.be/lIGReUoTTpg
Giriraj Swami begins about an hour and a half into the program.
Late into the night, while the world slept
A light was being lit by a spiritual adept
That light would illuminate humanity for generations
Showing a spiritual pathway to people from many nations.
After just a few hours of sleep, Prabhupada arose and contemplated,
Working tirelessly at an age when most people vegetated
Blessing us with a wisdom that we didn’t know we were missing
Explaining what a world with technology and prosperity was still lacking.
With a dictaphone in hand, pausing, deliberating, recording,
He exposed the meaningless materialism in which we were residing
He spoke of a God whose love could make our empty heart full,
Of a devotion that could make life’s challenges meaningful.
On this sacred day, on a sublime evening of nineteen seventy-seven,
He departed to be with his Lord in the supreme heaven
Leaving as he had been living, in divine absorption,
He showed how we all can pass life’s final examination.
When desires crowd our heart, may his teachings be our vision
When doubts cloud our head, may his example be our beacon
May remembering his dedication become our driving inspiration
May sharing his message become our unifying aspiration.
The post While the world slept … appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
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Brampton / Yorkville
A Nice Find
Going to the dentist is never the most thrilling of outings but it’s a necessity for devotional upkeep. The very safe and efficiently-run clinic I go to always has me excited. I wish we could run our ashram/temple in the same smooth way.
In any event, two very capable dental masters, working on my dental bridge, didn’t really turn out to be my day’s highlight—although I’m grateful. They did a nice job.
What did become an eye-catcher for me, and a day’s bright moment, was finding a particular photo. I was flipping through the publication, Vyasa Puja, devotional offerings of gratitude written by students of our guru, Srila Prabhupada. It is bedecked with pictures of His Divine Grace. I stumbled upon one which shows him walking along the Taylor Creek Ravine, in Toronto. The year was 1975, on a June morning. Someone snapped the shot of him on a slight descent to a trail. Along with him are Sri Govinda, Brahmananda Swami, Visvakarma, Amshu (I believe) and Jagadisha—all great admirers and students of his. I was quite happy to see this discovery with my eyes; it was also the first time. Perhaps it’s also yours?
No one can deny that His Divine Grace took seriously to a trek for health reasons, and a chance to get closer to his disciples. This was a daily routine.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
In 2018, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to Pavana-sarovara, where Lord Krsna would bring his cows while returning from the pastures in the evening. The cows used the cooling waters of Pavana-sarovara to quench their thirst. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtan and lecture below, along with a few photos, at Pavana-sarovara during Parikrama 2018.
Pavana-sarovara got its name from Pavana Gopa, who is the father of Visakha. Visakha is the second most important of the eight principal gopis. Her attributes, activities and resolve are all much like those of her friend, Lalita. Visakha was born exactly at the same moment her dear friend Srimati Radharani appeared in this world. Visakha’s garments are decorated with stars and her complexion is like lightning. Everyone in the spiritual world is related. Everyone is simply part of that village called Vrndavana and their relationships are eternal. When we attain our spiritual body, we will also get a spiritual family. If you thought that you had enough of being in family, then know that there is a family waiting for you in the spiritual world (laughter). However, that is our eternal family.
Pavana-sarovara was a pastime place for Krsna and His associates. It is said that Maharaja Vrsabhanu had a palace here. He built it
for his daughter so that She could be comfortable whenever She desired to come here. The cowherd boys would send their cows into the water to drink and cool down from the summer heat. In this way, Pavana-sarovara was a place for everyone. The gopis
performed pastimes with Krsna. Krsna also performed pastimes with the cowherd boys. Of course, we feel like we are nowhere, in the middle of these fields, but that is not really the case. Pavana-sarovara is a beautiful place. Normally, it is very quiet but someone is expressing his ecstasy with a whistle and he cannot get enough of it. What can we do? It sounds like a bird, an intense bird. We also get into the mood of transcendental enjoyment, playing with the water or sitting there out on the chhatris. Let’s see if those guys will make it back on that slippery, moss-covered platform, partially submerged under water. Get your cameras ready just
in case someone gets a holy dip for extra purification, as it has happened before. This is our transcendental enjoyment. Transcendental enjoyment is really what goes on in the spiritual world.
The article " eParikrama 2020 Day 18 – Pavana-sarovara " was published on KKSBlog.
I am very grateful to Srila Prabhupada for having brought me into your association. You are his sincere followers, and many of you have been serving him for decades, from when you read or heard about him or met him in person.
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.
To straightaway speak about Srila Prabhupada’s departure feels abrupt to me, because it 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 travelling 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. He was 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 him 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 do just 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 him—and he would feel pain. Some devotees feared that he might even give up his body on the way. They did not want him to be subjected to what they foresaw as certain pain—and perhaps the dire consequence of his death.
But under the circumstances, this second position was difficult to maintain, 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 his 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 Srila 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 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 his planned departure, 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 brought Babaji Maharaja into another room and spoke with him there.
Having heard what had transpired, Babaji Maharaja returned to Srila Prabhupada’s bedside and told him, “I don’t think you should go on this parikrama.” And when he heard this, Srila Prabhupada replied, “If you feel that way, then I won’t.”
Just then, Tamal Krishna Goswami and Bhavananda Maharaja, who had been upstairs in what previously had been Prabhupada’s bedroom, came back down—in a very emotional state. Prabhupada was aware of what they were thinking, and he asked, “So, you request me not to go?”
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.”
“Actually, Srila Prabhupada,” Tamal Krishna said, “we’re so attached to you that you practically drive us to madness sometimes. Tonight we were becoming mad.”
“No, I shall not do that,” Prabhupada assured them. “All right,” he said, agreeing that he would not go.
Srila Prabhupada turned to Babaji Maharaja and said, “Just see how much they love me.”
“Srila Prabhupada,” Tamal Krishna said, “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.
Srila Prabhupada spent his last three days with his disciples at 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 him 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; the feelings still ran strong on both sides, even after Prabhupada left. 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, and it was on my mind.
It was my habit, or practice, to chant japa in Srila Prabhupada’s rooms when he wasn’t 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. Somehow I found a little corner there and was chanting japa, when 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 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, especially made 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 serving as Srila Prabhupada’s personal assistant, innocently said to him, “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 depends 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 him, “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,” he said, “and if Prabhupada is giving us the choice, 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 Srila Prabhupada’s room and tell him that we wanted him to stay; Kirtanananda Swami would be the spokesman.
When we went back in 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, “Srila Prabhupada, 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.” All the disciples in the controversy about the parikrama 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 us 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, or 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—up 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 hearts’ 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. We always 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.
[A talk by Giriraj Swami 0n Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day—“Srila Prabhupada’s Departure—Drawing Out Love”—November 14, 2007, Mayapur]
In 2018, His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami took us to the Radha-Govinda Mandir in Kamyavana, where we find Vrndadevi, Deities of Radha-Govinda and a hypnotic Lord Jagannatha accompanied by Gaura-Nitai. Check out Maharaja’s full kirtan and lecture below, along with a few photos, at Radha-Govinda Mandir in Kamyavana during Parikrama 2018.
On this altar, we find Vrndadevi and we also find the Deities of Radha and Govinda. They are pratibhu Deities or replicas of the original. When the original Radha-Govinda Deities were leaving Vrndavana, it was such a momentous occasion. The Radha-Govinda Deities were in the centre of worship of the Gosvamis and at the heart of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement. When They are leaving Vrndavana, the devotees experienced intense separation and as They passed through Radha-kunda, expansions of the original Deities were made. These are called pratibhu Deities. In that way, they continued to worship Radha-Govinda in Vraja. Kamyavana is at the edge of the dhama, the beginning of Rajasthan, and another set of pratibhu Deities were made here.
The original Radha-Govinda are now in Jaipur and the devotees worship Them there. Vrndavana is manifesting there. How many times have we went there for darsana and witnessed the transcendental worship of Radha-Govinda? There are thousands of devotees who very enthusiastically worship Them, and give everything to the Deities. They give the Lord everything. Nothing is lacking in Their comfort. In Jaipur, they are afraid that if they neglect the Deities, then the Deities will return to Vrndavana. And in Vrndavana, well we are just waiting for Them to return! (laughter)
We are at home here. Srila Prabhupada would say, “Vrndavana is my home, Mayapur is my place of worship and Bombay is my office.” This is the home of Krsna. This is the home of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is non-different from Krsna. He brings the transcendental ecstasy of Vrndavana with great force to the entire world. Before Him, all of Vrndavana was covered. This is why we come to such holy places – to penetrate a little deeper. Of course, we come here as servants of Srila Prabhupada and he connects us to all these eternal associates. When we try to go directly to the eternal associates, we will find that we have no adhikara. We will find that, sooner or later, we will be blocked. But Prabhupada is our connection. He is at home in Vrndavana. In this way, we are also very much at home in Vrndavana. We are at home because this is Krsna’s home. In many other places, Krsna is far away. So we are very fortunate to come to such places where Krsna has lived.
The article " eParikrama 2020 Day 17 – Radha-Govinda Mandir, Kamyavana " was published on KKSBlog.
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243 Ave. Rd., Toronto
Not Inclined
I was not inclined to do any walking outside today for lack of favourable weather. Branches were flying. Winds were high. Pedestrians were low. I took to indoor walking via the inner balcony of our building. It is shaped like a horse-shoe, and from its view your eye can catch a piece of the outside through the western window. Quite stormy, but just a fraction of what Florida receives during hurricane season.
“By now every last leaf must be gone,” said Vallabha, from Croatia, in describing the power of the autumn wind. Vallabha is one of our crew.
Vallabha is a most animated person, off the set, and he has many things to say, however, they are helpful contributions to make before the camera rolls for our filming another scene from “Rolling the Dice.” The leafless trees had little to do with our indoor shooting. I always appreciate the reminder of nature’s presence, even when inside. Indeed, as I composed this very blog I could hear the wind howling like anything, outside another window from the eastern side of the building.
It certainly makes us appear insignificant when nature comes on strong and imposing. That is a good message, for sure. The reality is that we are puny in contrast to the world. Nature keeps us educated.
When I gave a class by phone to Cameron I could hear, not howls, but blasts of wind—gutsy and ghastly. We were looking at chapter 18 from The Gita, and dwelt on the five factors behind any action—the place, the performer, the senses, the endeavour and finally the Supersoul.
Lessons from nature and lessons from the book.
May the Source be with you!
