Planet ISKCON

Promotion Launch for the TOVP Celebration of Srila Prabhupada’s 125th Appearance Anniversary Year in 2021.

Janmastami and Vyasa Puja this year marks the launch of the TOVP Management’s announcement to the ISKCON world of our plans for the celebration of the 125th Appearance Anniversary Year of ISKCON Founder/Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. While the specific date of his Vyasa Puja is August 31, 2021, we have arranged two very special events to commemorate and worship the Samstapak Acharya for the next 10,000 years.

“I have given you instruction, it will never stop; it will go on. At least for ten thousand years it will go on.”

Srila Prabhupada, June 21, 1976

First, we are organizing a three-day festival that will include Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day (the adi-guru) on February 25 along with a special in-home, live streamed Prabhupada Installation Program, the official worldwide Opening of the Samadhi of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja on February 26, and the INSTALLATION OF THE NEW PRABHUPADA MURTI IN THE TOVP on February 27. This installation is of monumental importance as it places Srila Prabhupada in the TOVP to watch over the completion of the project. Six different kinds of abhishekas will be offered and we encourage your support during this Janmastami/Vyasa Puja time. Sponsorship opportunities are immediately available as part of our worldwide combined guru dakshina campaign. Read more at the address below:

m.tovp.org/prabhupadainstallation

February 25 – Nityananda Trayodasi / Worldwide Prabhupada Abhisheka

February 26 – Bhakti Charu Maharaja Samadhi Opening

February 27 – New Prabhupada Murti Installation

 
Second, for Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja we will be offering him a one-of-a-kind, magnificent, gold-leafed Book of Devotion containing the names of TOVP donors. This offering of the names of donors to Srila Prabhupada on this most sacred occasion will symbolize the incredible support from all his followers worldwide who have helped to make his dream a reality. The book will be an amazing artistic piece, 15″ (38 cm) x 20.5″ (52 cm) in size and 55 lbs (25 kg) in weight. To have your name included in the TOVP Book of Devotion, complete your pledge by December, 2020 (starting Nrsimha Bricks and up), or make and complete a new pledge. Read more at the address below:

m.tovp.org/bookofdevotion

We pray that you all have a wonderful Janmastami and Vyasa Puja celebration this year, and we continue to pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva for the continued protection of all devotees worldwide.

Sri Krishna Bhagavan ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Please offer your heartfelt prayers for Vidyananda Das ACBSP and also Syamali Devi Dasi IDS, who are both in the end stages of disease, preparing to leave their material bodies.

What is the long term solution for pandemics? Is it vaccines, or something else?

Virtual Rathayatras are a great idea. On line Kirtan, classes and videos. The only drawback is a virtual feast, nice photos of paneer subji, samosas, puris, shrikand, burfis is not quite the same as horsing into a real delicious plate of Prasad.

Then all of sudden he stopped, turned to me in a very grave mood, looked deeply into my eyes, and said with his deep voice, “All this will fail if there is no love and trust between the devotees.”

Mayapur Madhava das: I just wanted to report to you all on our Birmingham Rathayatra festival. We had a two day celebration on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July. Lord Jaganatha visited 51 homes over the weekend and gave darshan to 327 people. Lord Jagannatha was greeted with balloons, cards, letters, confetti, kirtana, cakes, bhoga, fresh Manjari's and so much more.

For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of June 2020. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5 Continue reading "NASN June 2020 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
→ Dandavats"

We're honored that Krsnanandini dasi has made herself available to share her deep reflections on the below intriguing topic.

Special Online Spiritual Evening with HG Matati devi dasi - 19 July 2020 (video)

Answer Podcast

Video:

Transcription

Question: QA on humility 2 – While being tolerant, how can we ensure that we aren’t abused by others?

Answer:

This is an important question. In general, rather than saying that it’s easier to tolerate with devotees than with non-devotees, we could say that it’s easier to be tolerant with people who are themselves tolerant. If somebody is intolerant, then being tolerant with them is much more difficult. So, one way to see tolerance is that tolerance means to keep small things small so that we can focus on big things.

The same Bhagavad Gita that talks about tolerance in BG 2.14 (tams titikshasva bharata), but that same Gita is also exhorting Arjuna to fight a war. Now we could say a war is definitely not an expression of tolerance. We normally would consider tolerance and violence to be the opposite extremes. So, why is there a call for tolerance within a book that at least in some ways looks like a call for ending non-violence? The point here is that the Bhagavad Gita is itself neither a call for tolerance nor is it a call for violence. It is a call for transcendence. That one has to raise one’s consciousness to the spiritual level. Especially because Arjuna was a king, he was a ruler, he had to create the social structures, oversee the maintenance of those structures that would help people to raise their consciousness to the spiritual level. For that purpose, normally tolerance is the way forward because our tendency is to often get carried away with the emotions generated by the events of the moment. You said this to me, I’ll do this. This thing happened, I’ll do this now. We tend to get swept away by that. In that sense, we need to tolerate. Basically tolerance could be towards that which is not very important but which seems very important at that particular time because of the pressure of the situation.

Tolerance can also be towards things that are unchangeable. The Bhagavad Gita says tolerate the changes of heat and cold and tolerate pleasure and pain that come along the way of life. Bhagavad Gita also says that we all have a role to play. We all have a dharma to follow and that is a big thing. Don’t let circumstantial pleasure or pain which may be too trivial to distract us from that which we are meant to do. We have a dharma, we have a purpose in our life, we have a duty, we have a calling. This can all refer to different things based on what the context is. But we need to focus on the big things. So keep small things small so that we can focus on big things.

Tolerance in that sense is not “never standing up for oneself” but it is actually knowing that everything is not worth fighting for. It doesn’t mean nothing is worth fighting for. It doesn’t mean never standing up. It is that we get too caught up and our tendency is to get reactive about things that are unworthy of reaction or things that are unproductive. They are either inconsequential or they are inevitable. In those two cases we don’t get ourselves distracted by them. But there are things about which are important for us, about which we are responsible and we need to take a stand in those things.

End of transcription.

Dear Giriraj Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Here is a story that I would like to share with you—an experience with Srila Prabhupada in Germany in 1974. At that time I was in charge of managing the festival of Srila Prabhupada’s stay in Schloss Rettershof. For organizing all the devotees, I used a magnetic board with all the names of the devotees on magnetic nametag holders. So, while I was in my office managing the temple, all of a sudden I felt that somebody was behind me.

It was Srila Prabhupada, who said in his deep voice, “What is that?” Naturally, I hit the floor and paid my obeisances, and Srila Prabhupada asked again, “What is that?”

“It’s a magnetic board, Srila Prabhupada,” I replied. Here I can see instantly all the SKT devotees on, the kitchen devotees, the hari-nama devotees, the deity department, the pot washers, the vegetable cutters, in short, all the devotees who are present here.”

While I was demonstrating the board to Srila Prabhupada, he became curious: “How does that actually work?”

“It’s a magnetic board, Srila Prabhupada. Every devotee is here with his magnetic nametag.

I can, for example, take this devotee from here to there, and another devotee from there to here, etc.”

“Can I try?” Srila Prabhupada said.

“Of course, Srila Prabhupada.”

Then he said, “Okay, let’s transfer this devotee from this department to that department, that devotee from that department,” and so on—altogether he moved about five or six devotees around the board. He was really into it, moving people around.

Then all of sudden he stopped, turned to me in a very grave mood, looked deeply into my eyes, and said with his deep voice, “All this will fail if there is no love and trust between the devotees.”

Wonderful Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krishna.

Your servant,
Prithu das

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 June 2020, Radhadesh, Belgium, Caitanya Caritamrta Lecture: Mayavada Part 2)

We are not at length going to study the Mayavada philosophy or the Buddhist philosophy because they are very extensive and academic philosophy. The Mayavada philosophy is basically appealing to the very root cause of the living entity being in the material world, namely the competitive spirit in relationship with the Supreme Lord, where the living entity wants to be the enjoyer and the controller, and this, in turn, causes lust and envy.  So it is said, as we are freeing ourselves from the maya of trying to enjoy the material energy, the last snare of maya is us trying to be the Supreme Lord. And just as we are trying to become free, the Mayavadis are also trying to become free from all ego. But actually, they are not succeeding. Rather, they have the biggest ego because they think that they are God. And that, of course, is not a small thing. It is a huge problem!

Without wanting to be judgemental, if an ordinary living being starts to consider himself as God and starts to tell everyone, “You are God”, then there is a problem. This is because the Vedic literature clearly establishes that, “No, we are not God. We are not losing all personality and becoming that impersonal energy and emerging into it. We are rather eternally the servant of the Lord.” So as the Lord exists eternally and as we, the servants, also exist eternally, there is an exchange of love through this service. And it is here that we experience love, and this love grows eternally too!

The article " We are not God! " was published on KKSBlog.

Srila Prabhupada: These temples, they are just like oasis in the desert for the conditioned souls to quench the thirst of their desire for real happiness.

Sacrifice Is the Price You Pay for KC | HH Tamal Krishna Goswami - SB 6.1.27 - 1 June 1990

View of a Hare Krishna wedding Ananga Manjari and Hyrdayananda dasa, in the Brighton neighborhood, Boston, Massachusetts, 1971. (Photo by Spencer Grant)

Bhakti Vedanta National School students tops at CBSE 10th std Board exams. Congratulations to the students and staff!

Shri Raghunandana Thakura made his appearance within this world in Shri Khanda. In his home he became acquainted with the worship of Shri Gopinatha from an early age. One day his father, Mukunda Dasa, who was a doctor, had to go away on medical business.

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Krishna is available so cheaply for the people, especially, in this Age of Kali. Still, we are reluctant to chant the holy name. Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu regrets, etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi: “Although You are so liberal and kind upon this fallen soul, still, unfortunate as I am, I am not inclined to chant this holy name.” This is our position—dog’s obstinacy. But if we do it, then we become purified.

Answer Podcast

The post QA on humility 1 How are the various points of Lord Chaitanya’s verse on humility inter-related? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The more we hear about Krishna, the more we become purified. We cannot understand Krishna because we are not purified. But if you hear the Krishna name, Hare Krishna—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare—if you chant and hear, you become purified. So why should we not take this simple method, as it is recommended in the shastra, harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam [“In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”] (Brhan-naradiya Purana 3.8.126, Cc Adi 17.21)? Simply chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, twenty-four hours? Kirtaniyah sada harih. [“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.”] (Siksastaka 3, Cc Adi 17.31) You become perfect. . . .

Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah. [“O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of transcendental names, such as Krishna and Govinda, in which You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are no hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O My Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.”] (Siksastaka 2, Cc Antya 20.16) There are all potencies. And there are many names, not only one name. If you don’t like to chant Krishna’s name, then there are other names also—any name. Must be name of harer nama, nama, the name of Hari, not others. Harer nama. Then you get all the potencies. Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis tatrarpita. And niyamitah smarane na kalah. And there is no consideration whether you shall chant in the morning or in the evening or while you are purified or not purified. Any circumstances, you can chant. Niyamitah smarane na kalah. There is no such consideration.

Krishna is available so cheaply for the people, especially, in this Age of Kali. Still, we are reluctant to chant the holy name. Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu regrets, etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi: “Although You are so liberal and kind upon this fallen soul, still, unfortunate as I am, I am not inclined to chant this holy name.” This is our position—dog’s obstinacy. But if we do it, then we become purified.

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.30, October 10, 1974, Mayapur

Shri Mukunda Dasa, Shri Madhava Dasa and Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura were three brothers who lived in Shri Khanda. Shri Mukunda Dasa Thakura’s son was Shri Raghunandan Thakura. 

Shri Raghunandana Thakura made his appearance within this world in Shri Khanda.  In his home he became acquainted with the worship of Shri Gopinatha from an early age. One day his father, Mukunda Dasa, who was a doctor, had to go away on medical business.  

He called Raghunandana to his side.  He told Raghunandana to see to it that their deity was served with great care and attention. He told him to be sure and feed the deity.  

At the appointed hour, taking the order of his father on his head, Raghunandan went to perform the service.  He took the offering of food into the deity.  Raghunandan was just a little boy. He told the deity: “Eat! Eat!”  When he saw that the offering appeared untouched, he began to cry.  Not being able to resist the child’s intense devotion, Krishna ate everything on the plate, leaving no remnants.

When Mukunda Dasa returned, he asked the boy, “Bring me the prasada remnants of the offering you made earlier.” The boy said, “Father, listen. I made the deity eat as you told me to. He left no remnants.  He ate everything on his plate.”  

Mukunda was amazed at what the child was saying.  Ordering the boy to offer food as before, Mukunda hid himself outside the house and watched through the window.  Raghunandana, then, with great delight, offered Gopinatha a laddu. “Eat! Eat!” he said.  The Lord ate half the laddu. 

Meanwhile, Mukunda, who was watching from outside, beheld all this in great amazement. He could understand that since the deity had already eaten once, and had not left any remnants, his hunger was satisfied. As a result, he could only finish half the laddu.

According to certain authorities, Shri Raghunandana Thakura was Kandarpa Manjari. According to others, he was one of Krishna’s sons in Dvaraka whose name was Kandarpa. This is on the basis of Kavi Karnapura’s Gaura-Ganodesa-dipika.

Cabbagetown, Toronto

Past and Present

Zoom calls to different global locations and kirtan sessions going abroad are occupying some of my recent days. The endeavours towards publications are also engaging. There are four works in progress—“Saffron Road,” about my walking experiences, a book of poems I’ve compiled, a collection of scripts I’ve written over the years, detailing Vedic tales, and the most recent is an e-book, which is very much in the embryonic stage, “Krishna in the Maple Leaf.” It is exciting for me and it has required juggling my hours to fit it all in.

Heat is consistently a reality here and it continuously pushes me to evening walks. This night I sauntered along to Cabbagetown and sat at Allen Garden’s edge, recalling the older golden days of early Krishna Consciousness. It was never the greatest neighborhood—a wino district—when we secured the 187 Gerrard Street house for a temple. The area is, however, changing and taking on a new face.

Anyway, I imagine most people in their 60s really flashback to an interesting past. It becomes rather personal. Also very sweet on today’s list was the unofficial opening of a switchback ramp at our Ramsden Park across the street. This rustic iron structure will now accommodate the handicapped and elderly from what were formerly agonizing steep-like climbs.

A genuine walker will admire something like this.

May the Source be with you!

7 km

The Annex, Toronto

The Night of the Skunk

A generous rain came down upon us tonight. It canceled out our daily ten minute kirtan at the steps of our temple ashram. It subsided at 10:30 p.m. and, after a snooze, I took to a faithful trek when all was more calm.

During nights like these—silent, with barely a breeze—the skunks come out. The first one I spotted was full-grown and scrounging around for its meal. A second was just a young one and perhaps naïve. I ended up rather close to that one. I became motionless but equipped myself with the camera on my phone. You may show either bravado or stupidity when encountering these fellows. It was necessary for me to freeze as the skunk was curious to the point of sniffing my shoes. Instinctively he backed off and, luckily for me, did not raise his tail for the infamous spray technique.

Skunks are omnivores. They go after grubs, insects, worms, moles, roots, leaves, grass and fungi. It’s a big menu they have. Fortunately ‘monk’s toes’ aren’t on that list. Their dinner time is usually quite late. This guy was munching at midnight, just as I was completing my walk.

I had a chat with an officer, one of those young, clean-cut kind of rarities. Also I met a civilian, Michael, who gave a “Hare Krishna” salutation. He was more inquisitive than the skunk. With so many questions I began to feel it was tough to stand anymore. I concluded the conversation with tact.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Music by Mahatma dasa. Words by Suresvara dasa

Memorial Event for H.H.Bhakticaru Swami, Jul 11, 2020

HH Bhaktimarga Swami and Mother Krsnannandini share their thoughts and memories of Bhakti Charu Swami

Being born in this world is not easy and being born as a woman is definitely not easy and being a chaste woman and trying to live a principle-centered life is definitely, definitely not easy. The struggles a woman goes through being a wife, raising children and running a family is many times beyond comprehension and very often, overlooked. Running an empire is easier than running a family. But probably the biggest challenge of womanhood is in being understood. Every woman looks for some man to empathize with her struggles and see her side of the picture. But instead of being understood, she is more often than not, misunderstood and exploited by the stronger sex.