Planet ISKCON

We should specially note in this verse the description of gatiṁ bhāgavatīm. To become merged in the rays of the Parabrahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as desired by the brahmavādī impersonalist, is not bhāgavatīm perfection.

>Once a demon named Bhaumasura stole Lord Varuna’s umbrella, mother Aditi’s golden ear rings, and the playground of the demigods, known as Mani-parvata. He also kidnapped 16,100 beautiful young maidens from various royal families all over the world. Indra, King of heaven, went to Dvaraka to describe the demon’s transgressions to Lord Krsna. Together with Queen Satyabhama, the Lord then mounted His carrier Garuda and traveled to the capital of Bhaumasura’s kingdom.

Srila Prabhupada: Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krishna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 20.12)

When the living entity is encircled by wife, children and home, he acts on the mental plane. Sometimes he is very happy, sometimes he is very much satisfied, sometimes he is not satisfied, and sometimes he is bewildered.

This year we get the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the most auspicious month of Purusottama which is approaching in just a few days. The acharyas recommend us to take advantage of this holy month as it is like a Bhakti Super Sale where any spiritual activity performed, one gets 1000 times the benefit!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 1 June 2020, Radhadesh, Belgium, Caitanya Caritamrta Lecture: Disrespecting Vaisnavas)

Once one engages in criticising Vaisnavas, it becomes part of one’s nature. One will do it again and again until ultimately one offends Krsna!

Once one engages in criticising Vaisnavas, it becomes part of one’s nature. It sets in and one will do it again and again and again until ultimately one offends Krsna. He who offends Krsna, how can such a person approach Krsna? Such a person removes himself from Krsna and comes to a greater distance from Krsna. This is great misfortune. Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami had one outstanding quality – he would never hear any criticism about any Vaishnava and in front of him, if anyone would criticise a Vaishnava he would just walk away. So, this is a wonderful policy because hearing criticism of Vaisnavas is contaminating our consciousness. This is something that we especially must pay attention to in spiritual life.

In the Bhagavad Gita, we have the following verse:
icchā-dveṣa-samutthena
dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ
sarge yānti paran-tapa
(Bhagavad-gita 7.27)

Because all living beings are afflicted by delusion of desire and hate or lust and envy, that tendency is there within us. We must make a conscious effort to check this tendency and be very diligent about this and ask for forgiveness when we do this. Although we are diligent about avoiding offences, we are not the International Society for Avoiding Offences. We are the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So Krsna Consciousness comes first. First and foremost is devotional service. And then as we are absorbed in devotional service, it naturally becomes the course that we are careful not to criticise any Vaisnava or anything in relation to Krsna. In this way, we are eligible to make spiritual advancement. This is something we must learn. We must learn to glorify.

In Srimad Bhagavatam, it says:
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
para-svabhāva-karmāṇi
na praśaṁsen na garhayet
viśvam ekātmakaṁ paśyan
prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.28.1)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One should neither praise nor criticise the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth.

So basically, one should not criticise a Vaisnava and one should also not glorify the Vaishnava in front of the Vaisnava. Criticising should never be done, however, glorifying the Vaisnava in front of him can sometimes be done. One who praises us, he is not our friend because he makes us proud. One who finds faults in us is our friend. We take it like that when someone speaks to us. One may break that rule of praising the Vaisnava in front of him, although one should understand that if one praises the Vaisnava too much, that may unnecessarily increase his pride. So, we are not helping him to develop his humility, but we will give credit, certainly give credit. It is said that in praising the Vaisnava, one must praise the Vaisnava for something genuine that he has done. That is the way.

Watch the full video below or by checking out our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmCNrgP-nc&t=2453s

The article " Criticising? Think again! " was published on KKSBlog.

We hope this newsletter finds you, your family and friends in good health and spirits. It's been a busy and enlivening month at the farm with all of the festival celebrations. Thank you to everyone who came and joined in these celebrations and who also made generous donations to the temple.

Our programme is mainly about making good food for the less privileged and all to enjoy. It also helps to bring the needy/less privileged to Krishna through the act of feeding, caring and empowerment.

From Shyam P

Answer Podcast
 

Transcription :

Transcriber: Suresh Gupta

Question: Why is the Vedic Sanskrit and Puranic Sanskrit different?

Answer: The Sanskrit is different because the two bodies of knowledge are addressed to different people.

Vedas primarily consist of karma kanda or jnana kanda where the primary focus is always on the rituals and thus, the literal recitation of the words is more important. That is why, the grammatical form is preserved in a very specific way in the lineage of panditas who recite Vedic scriptures such as Rigveda where the precise pronunciation is very important. In the Puranas, the primary focus is not just on the literal recitation, it is also in the meaning.

Puranas are part of the body of literature called smriti and Vedas are part of shruti. Since the purpose is different, the use of Sanskrit changes. More importantly, we also need to look at the context. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was asked, why the language of Puranas is more recent. He answered, “A person will change his dress according to the environment, climate and situation, similarly the same essential knowledge is presented according to time, place and circumstance. The focus of the Puranas is on understanding hence, the Sanskrit in them is relatively simpler. When the language is for recitational purpose (in terms of precise recitation) and not so much for comprehension then the ornamental form is considered more important.”

Although the Puranas are simpler and the Sanskrit of the Vedas is slightly different, if we look at Srimad Bhagavatam, its Sanskrit is much more Vedic than Puranic. The verse meter, the verses, the grammar and the structure are actually not of the typical Puranic genre, it is much more sophisticated. The reason is, it is spotless Purana (amala purana), where the conclusion of all the body of Vedic literature (the Vedas and the Puranas) is brought together. If somebody argues that earlier the language was very pure and later it became simpler, we can suggest that the Srimad Bhagavatam is the last of the Vedic literature and its language is so lofty.

The more important point is that if we look at the characters – Indra, Chandra, Surya, Agni, all of them are mentioned in the Vedas as well as the Puranas. We can infer a few things about them based on the generic connotation but more detailed description and stories about them come in the Puranas. If the Vedas and the Puranas are completely disconnected body of knowledge then why are the characters same, it is because, the Vedas are focussing more on karma kanda whereas the Puranas focus more on bhakti. Although some characters may be new, but the main essential characters are the same and overall the cultural context is also the same. Yajna, sacrifices, mantras etc. are mentioned in the Vedas as well as in the Puranas. But the essential point from the perspective of Vaishnav Acharyas is that there is continuity.

If we consider the analogy of Y axis, it contains – negative, zero and positive. Godless material life is like being in the negative axis. When we move forward towards Godly life then it is like moving upwards in the negative Y axis. This Godly material life is karma kanda. Moving upwards we come to point zero which are the Upanishadas. There one understands that he is different from his material form and gets hint of a spiritual form. Further, in the positive axis, there are the Puranas and especially the Bhagavat Purana which talks about spiritual forms, spiritual personalities, spiritual activities etc. and in that way there is continuity in the development of thought.

One important thing we need to understand about language is that, just because a person knows a language, it does not mean that the person understands everything written in that language. Assume there is a book about ancient medicines written in Chinese and there is a Chinese physician who has studied that book and has cured thousands of patients, based on that book. Later, this physician learns English and translates the book into English. On the other hand, there is another person, who is an English scholar linguist. This person learns Chinese and becomes a scholar in both English and Chinese and then translates the Chinese book on ancient medicine into English. Now, which book do you think will be more reliable? Naturally the one by Chinese physician, because he has the experience of curing the patients.

The point is, for study of ancient medicines, a separate kind of training is required. Similarly, mere knowledge of Sanskrit is not enough to understand the import, depth and continuity of Vedic literature. To understand these fully, one has to be like a spiritual doctor and such a person is referred to as Guru. Thus, all the scholars, as far as their linguistic skills or academic diligence are concerned, they can be respected but as far as their capacity to transform themselves or others through spiritual wisdom, it is actually near zero. For them these Vedic scriptures are not transformational books but just nonhistorical or mythological books. Hence, despite their scholarship, they do not see these books as a means for personal transformation. However, the acharyas are like the Chinese physician who have treated the material disease and transformed the lives of thousands of people. One example is the life of Srila Prabhupada who learned and presented this Vedic knowledge in English and transformed people all over the world.

Hence, we have to understand that if our objective in studying scripture is to become a better human being, a better devotee or more self-empowered person, then we should study from those, who are studying the book with the same perspective. That is why, it is accepted that there is a difference between the Vedas and the Puranas, but the reason is that the target audience is different, the subject matter is different, the thrust of the subject matter is different. However, we see that the characters and many of the themes are same. Traditional acharyas who have been teaching this body of knowledge, they see that there is continuity – from material form to formlessness and then to spiritual form. When we understand this continuity, we realise that these are continuous and harmonious bodies of evolving spiritual knowledge.

End of transcription.

The post Why is the Vedic Sanskrit and Puranic Sanskrit different? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

St Jamestown, Toronto

Greater Beauty

Some of us will never forget this date—September eleventh—a sad day in human history. On a positive note, it is also the date that marks the birthday of a dear follower of Krishna. His name is Keshava and I remember this day of his, not because he is a terrorist, by any stretch. He is a kind-hearted Malaysian Canadian. I wish him well. Very well!

I walked to Saint Jamestown, to a clinic, to intimate a medical check-up for next week. A queue of people were standing in the hall, waiting for the green light to welcome them in. I came to the back of the line, which wasn’t so long. A client walked in after me, with a sample for the clinic woman at the door. “I brought my pee!” She proclaimed, as she held it in the air. After all this is the place where you give some consideration to your physical make up.

Our guru tells the story of “Liquid Beauty” in the magazine, “Back to Godhead,” which he first published in 1944. Here it is, in short:

A young prince set his eyes on a beautiful woman. Spontaneously he wanted to arrange to meet her and, perhaps, win her hand in marriage. The young woman, knowing his intention, agreed to meet one month later. She had a plan to help open his eyes. So, for that time, before the prince came to take her to the ballroom, she took laxatives and collected the by-product, excrement and all, in containers. When the prince arrive to meet his date he was horrified to see an ugly, emaciated woman. He asked, “What happened to your beauty?” So she brought him the containers to see. Her point: beauty is only skin deep. There is a greater beauty that lies within.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Rosedale, Toronto

Juice At the End

Sanjit decided to come over for our nightly stairwell kirtan and then a walk. The walk was left to me and him. The kirtan party dispersed while he and I honoured an hour of the night. Days are becoming shorter. You don’t hear birds. The crickets have taken over and I must admit I cannot favour one group over the other, as far as sound goes. They are equal in giving comfort, however, the birds offer more aesthetic pleasure. Those ground crickets look too much like black cockroaches. But I love them. Sanjit, too, was remarking how sweet their sound is.

My prayer for the evening came out of the calmness of the night, and relates to the consistency of the crickets chirping. “My Dear Lord Krishna, please endow me with the steady enthusiasm to serve.”

I’ve been serving as a monk, first as a novice for 11 years, then 36 years as a full-fledged monk—a sanyasi. Many people take to the spiritual life and excel for the first 3 or 4 years, then continue but with some weaning of eagerness.

I hope to stay in the fire of love for service, to the Divine and His world. I would not trade anything in existence for my lifestyle. Fortune, or luck, has reached out and held on.

When Sanjit and I parted I prepared for rest and reached out for my usual evening beverage—water, lemon, jaggery, ginger and pepper. I might just as well call it con-covid juice. I drank from a mug — a mug bearing a vintage picture of my family from 1954. Even as a monk it’s good to keep some ties with family.

May the Source be with you!

3 km

Toronto, Ontario

About Yourself: Get Gutsy

A brahman (priest) had just finished dealing with the call of nature, and took a quick look at what had come out of his system, remarking, “You are so disgusting!” His output responded back saying, “I was a sweet ladhoountil I entered your company for a few hours.”

That was, perhaps, a lesson in gross humility.

I was chatting today with the foreman overseeing the renovations going on in our ashram. He was speaking about the sewage pipeline in our building. “This building, which is well over 100 years old, has its pipes very deep in the ground. We have had to dig real deep to get to the bottom of it in order to have washroom facilities for a guestroom.”

Acharya, one of our Ukrainian devotees, is the foreman, and he deals with practical matters such as this. “Dig deep!” He said, in relation to the reno’s. This concept of going deep needs to be applied to our spiritual self. We have to be gutsy in order to progress in all projects, whether physical or anti-physical.

Today was such a good day, from the introspective side, and also on pragmatic levels. Steps were thought out and taken to aim at solutions. It wasn’t just a day for putting out fires.

At the same time I was hearing that there’s a surge of Covid victims in Ontario again and there’s a concern about the children going back to school. How to honour social distancing for these young ones?

May the Source be with you!

2 km

The sun-god felt great affection for his devotee Satrajit, and as a token of his satisfaction the demigod gave him the Syamantaka jewel. Each day the gem would produce about 170 pounds of gold, and the place where it was kept and properly worshiped would be free of calamities such as famine or untimely death, and also of evils like snakebites, mental and physical disorders, and the presence of deceitful persons

Jagattarini Mataji shares some of her adventures with puppetry, and explores the fascinating history of the famous ITV Krishna Puppet Shows.

After over six months of halted construction on account of the India lock-down, work on the TOVP has successfully resumed.

Under the direction of Ambarisa prabhu, a special yajna was performed on August 29, the appearance day of Lord Vamanadeva, to bring auspiciousness to the planned restart of TOVP construction. As Vamanadeva took three steps which covered the entire universe, we pray that this yajna, our endeavors and the prayers and blessings of all the Vaishnavas will bear spiritual fruit allowing us to complete the TOVP within the next three years and relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their new home.

The next milestone in our efforts will be the grand and historic installation of the new Prabhupada murti in the TOVP during a three-day celebration of his 125th Appearance Anniversary Year in February, 2021.

February 25 – Nityananda Trayodasi / Worldwide Prabhupada Abhisheka

February 26 – Bhakti Charu Maharaja Samadhi Opening

February 27 – New Prabhupada Murti Installation

We request the participation of every devotee in this installation ceremony by sponsoring an abhisheka as our combined guru dakshina on this most auspicious occasion. Please go HERE to find out more. PRABHUPADA IS COMING!

We want to take this opportunity to thank all our donors and supporters with whose help we have achieved this incredible accomplishment thus far. We are grateful and pray for your continued support over the coming years as we enter the final stages of construction.

HARE KRISHNA!

Each devotee should receive care and individual guidance • Create groups of devotees at similar levels of advancement/commitment, and assign them for care and guidance to a more advanced and committed devotee.

Understanding the importance of bullocks, their role in cow protection and how we can be engaged in this service. Karunamayi devi dasi interviews Krishna Kirtan das, succesfull bullock trainer from New Govardhan, Australia.

ISKCON Vrindavan

The 2020 worldwide Bhadra Campaign saw devotees triple the Srimad-Bhagavatam set distribution of previous years, obliterating their initial goal of 10,000 sets. All told, over 22 countries and 150 cities participated to distribute more than 23,000 sets despite the challenges of COVID-19. Continue reading "Bhadra Campaign Distributes 23,000 Bhagavatam Sets Worldwide
→ Dandavats"

Under the direction of Ambarisa prabhu, a special yajna was performed on August 29, the appearance day of Lord Vamanadeva, to bring auspiciousness to the planned restart of TOVP construction. As Vamanadeva took three steps which covered the entire universe, we pray that this yajna, our endeavors and the prayers and blessings of all the Vaishnavas will bear spiritual fruit allowing us to complete the TOVP within the next three years and relocate our beloved Mayapur Deities into Their new home. Continue reading "TOVP Construction Resumes!
→ Dandavats"

VP offering to Vaisesika Prabhu

The 2020 worldwide Bhadra Campaign saw devotees triple the Srimad-Bhagavatam set distribution of previous years, obliterating their initial goal of 10,000 sets. All told, over 22 countries and 150 cities participated to distribute more than 23,000 sets despite the challenges of COVID-19. The Bhadra Campaign was launched in 2017, inspired by the Srimad-Bhagavatam verse 12.13.13, […]

The post Bhadra Campaign Distributes 23,000 Bhagavatam Sets Worldwide appeared first on ISKCON News.

The Bhadra Campaign was launched in 2017, inspired by the Srimad-Bhagavatam verse 12.13.13, which states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.”

Hearing that a total eclipse of the sun was soon to occur, people from all over India, including the Yadus and the residents of Vrndavana, converged at Kuruksetra to earn special pious credit. When Krsna and Balarama saw Nanda Maharaja and mother Yasoda, both the Lords and Their foster parents were overcome with emotion. Raising their two sons onto their laps and holding Them in their arms, Nanda and saintly mother Yasoda forgot their sorrow.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=607433173259757

Interview – Care For ISKCON Monks 2020-09-03 GBCSPT Ljubljana

The post Video Interview - Care For ISKCON Monks 9/3/2020 first appeared on Prahladananda Swami.

Lord Sri Krishna says:

“For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.”

Bhagavad Gita 18.68/69

The worldwide success of Radhanath Swami’s preaching efforts, whether through temples, farms, books, speaking to elite members of society, or enlivening devotees, is well-known in ISKCON. In this TOVP TALKS webinar Maharaja reveals his thoughts about the importance of preaching, and his methods for successfully implementing them, as well as why the TOVP will have such a strong impact on the world.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/c/TOVPinfoTube
View us 360° at: www.tovp360.org
Twitter at: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Instagram at: https://m.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App at: https://m.tovp.org/app
News & Texts at: https://m.tovp.org/newstexts
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/

Please accept our humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga!

Date: 6th Sep 2020

Day: Sunday

Time: 11 am to 12 noon

Topic: "The Six Limbs of Surrender"- The 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

If you click the above link from your desktop or laptop, you will be able to join directly

If you click this link from your cell phone or IPAD etc, you will have to download the Zoom application (less than a minute to download)

H.G. Dravida das

A disciple of Srila Prabhupada, Dravida dasa joined ISKCON in 1973 and has served as an editor and proofreader 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

It’s easy to take mothers for granted. Some researchers recently followed around one such mother for a week in an attempt to estimate the monetary value of her ‘motherly love’. She took the kids to school, so they calculated how much a taxi driver would cost. She cooked the breakfast, lunch and dinner so they approximated the wage bill of a chef. The mother also played the role of a cleaner, psychologist, accountant and nurse to name but a few. They calculated the overtime the mother put in, and how she would often go on for years without any time off (every family holiday she was fully on-call). After crunching the numbers, they concluded that to employ such a mother would set you back in the region of £150,000 a year!

"Taking care of the children is just as important as doing Deity worship. One service is not more important than another. These children aren't ordinary children. They are Vaikuntha children. They have been sent by Krishna Himself."

A preacher's task is to care for those in his charge, whatever stage of life they are in. The time of death is yet one more stage calling for brahminical expertise. Here we bring you instructions how to perform a simple ceremony for this occasion.

Steps for practical application. 1. Arrange seminars on devotee care regularly - preferably having the seminars delivered by those who have actually implemented devotee care. 2. Increase awareness of devotee care by wider circulation of the devotee care newsletter. 3. Display quotes about devotee care on temple notice boards just as quotes about book distribution are prominently displayed. 4. Set up a dedicated team for devotee care with a caring and competent devotee at the helm. 5. Send team members to centers where devotee care is being implemented so that they can learn not only through theory but also through practice, by observing and experiencing how devotee care is actually being implemented. 6. Share inspiring instances of devotee care, in whichever parts of the world, during classes and ishtagoshti. 7. Conduct informal inquiries and formal surveys as required, to find out front the devotee community areas in which devotee care seems CO be lacking, and direct the focus of the devotee care team to those areas. 8. Keep track of the activities of the devotee care team, take inventory periodically and publish the report regularly, at least among the concerned authorities, so that devotee care doesn't remain a talked-about ethereal subject, but becomes an acted-upon tangible reality. Continue reading "Implementing Devotee Care – A Pragmatic Vision
→ Dandavats"

Vaisnavism has been manifested in its purest and most wonderful form through the love and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates. The most beautiful aspect of Lord Caitanya's pastimes is the loving interaction between Him and His devotees, and among the devotees themselves. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya played the role of the devotee just to teach us how to conduct our lives as devotees. In Navadvipa sometimes Lord Caitanya would bow down to His devotees and take the dust from their lotus feet. Sometimes He would wash their clothes with His own hands. Sometimes, on the bank of the Ganges, He would fold their clothes. Sometimes He would bring them clay from the Ganges to use as tilaka. Sometimes He would see devotees carrying loads and He would take the load upon Himself and would carry it. In these and many other ways, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught by His own example that the highest of all religious principles is the service to the Vaisnavas. Continue reading "Counselor System – Caring for Every Devotee
→ Dandavats"

Sri Mayapur Community Hospital Team is happy to bring one more milestone facility for your Health and safety. Our RT-PCR technology based viral diseases testing facility is operational from yesterday. We had performed mandatory safety screening of TOVP work force using this facility. We would like to thank everyone who donated for this facility and made it possible […]

The post Covid -19 testing Machine in Mayapur Community hospital! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The Monk’s Podcast with Radha Gopinath Prabhu

Answer Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

Transcription :

Transcriber: Suresh Gupta

Question: How can we serve cooperatively with devotees without aggravating mutual conflicts?

Answer: Basically, if we remind ourselves the purpose for which we are practicing bhakti and help each other remember the same then whatever conflicts happen, we can see them in perspective. Conflicts can have various results; it can cause some people to leave bhakti or it can aggravate the internal tensions so much that we do not feel inspired to share bhakti with others at all. Or because of it, people serving together may try to undermine each other’s efforts and pull each other down. All this can happen because we are all sadhakas and human beings with conditionings. That is why, we should periodically remind ourselves about our purpose and ask ourselves, why have I come here?

In my understanding, the Krishna consciousness movement is also like Krishna, in the sense, it is like kalpataru (desire fulfilling tree) which means whatever we want from it, we will get it. If we come here for power, we will get power; if we want prestige, we can get a lot of prestige; if we want conflict, we can get more conflict then we can in material world and if we want controversies, we can get that as well but most importantly, if we want Krishna, then we can get Krishna also.

Srila Prabhupada often said, “ISKCON is my body” but Prabhupada also taught us that we are not our body. It means that there is an institution and there is also the purpose of the institution. Just as soul is different from the body, similarly along with the institution, there is also the essence of the institution, which is the spiritual purposefulness of the devotees. Conflicts maybe unavoidable but that is just because we all are different human beings due to which differences may pop up, but if we keep reminding ourselves of our purpose then before the conflicts become too much, we will look for course correction. This can be done in various ways. Broadly, when we face with problems, we can do three things:
(i) change the situation or try to solve the problem by changing the consensus which can also involve getting people to change.
(ii) change ourselves
(iii) walk away from there. Walking away is not necessarily running away.
The above three options may not be necessarily right or wrong but once we come to the ground level and recognise what our options are in dealing with people who may exasperate us or irritates us, then we may try to change them or change ourselves. Trying to change a person is not something where we should be investing our energy since people can be rigid and are ultimately what they are. Although bhakti process can cause people to change but sometimes, some changes manifest quickly, and some changes take a lot of time.

Broadly speaking, in an institution, we will have relationship with different people who will be at different levels of proximity. As human nature goes, some people will get along and some will not. If some people are important in a project but it is difficult to get along with them then it is best to have clearly defined boundaries. There is a saying, “good fences make good neighbours”. Similarly, if we have well defined boundaries, then the responsibilities can be executed much more smoothly. When people feel that their area of influence is being encroached, then they become hypersensitive especially if there is a situation where no clear senior authority is present, and individuals are more or less at same levels. At that time, having well defined policies is important. Policies are not substitute for human relationships, but policies can minimise the friction which are there in human relationships.

When the five Pandavas got married to Draupadi, Narada Muni came and instructed them on how they should be associating with her. Narada Muni is a sannyasi but he plans for Pandavas who are grihasthas that when one brother is associating with Draupadi, no one else should come in at that time. We may say, why is Narada Muni doing all this, but he tells the story of how there were two undefeatable demons – Sunda and Upasunda and they were both attracted to the same woman Tilottama. Before meeting her, they were undefeatable, but after they met her, they both became attracted to her and fought with each other. The Pandavas were exalted devotees and they were dharmic souls yet Narada Muni gives them this warning and creates the system for them.

Similarly, if we are working with people together on a project then many things have to be shared and it is vital that we have some system by which different people have different responsibilities which have been clearly defined. That way, even if we notice something wrong in someone else’s area of responsibility, we don’t have to necessarily go and correct that. If we have a good rapport and if the problem is big, we can go and give some feedback, but basically, we stay off each other’s turf. That way everybody gets room to grow and people actually feel satisfied. We might say it is the ego that is satisfied, but ultimately, we cannot wish away our ego right now. When people are satisfied then actually relationships can work out much better.

In summary, there are three things. First, everybody should remind themselves repeatedly about their purpose in practising bhakti and even if some complication comes up, then course correction will help us come back on track. Second, ISKCON is like a kalpataru, and it will give us what we are looking for. Hence, even in situations which are filled with conflicts, if we are looking for Krishna in that situation and the other person may be seeing conflict then keeping ourselves purposefully fixed in Krishna, will help us grow in that situation. Third, for dealing with specific issues of conflict basically there are three ways – changing the situation, changing ourselves, walking out of the situation. The way we adopt will differ according to the situation. If there are number of equals working together then we remember that “good fences make good neighbours”. We need to have well defined areas of jurisdictions as per the policies and that can give everyone space for making their contributions which will ultimately help the project to move on.

End of transcription.

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