<p><span>It was the Ministry of West Bengal led by t</span><span>he Honorable Chief Minister Sushri Mamata Bannerjee </span><span>who facilitated the final journey of the vapu (body of ISKCON-guru Bhakti Charu Swami, who passed away on July 4th in Florida, back to Mayapur.</span></p>
Life is often defined in the Bhakti teachings as ‘a struggle for existence’. The daily grind, the showing up, the making it to the end of the week in one piece. Verse 14 in Chapter 2 of the Gita sums it up: “O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their […]
Judging by the amount of people in cafés and outdoor bars, things are opening up. At least that’s what Jivan Mukta, my walking companion for tonight, and I were observing. The problem with one, or two or more drinks is that you leave your guard down, and then social distancing can easily turn into social mingling. It looks like you could call it “opening up for trouble.” Oh well, I’m glad I don’t drink. I can’t, I’m a monk. Drinking toxins is a major taboo for us on the bhakti-yogapath. Drinking challenges your health, brain, family, bank account, relations with others, your business, etc.
I’m sure there are ways to socialize without harming yourself. There are so many approaches to ‘fun’ and some of us have figured them out by following old ancestral traditions, especially from the Vedic perspective of ancient India.
As mentioned, my companion today was Jivan Mukta and he’s a rather strict practitioner—he doesn’t mess around with substance abuse. What we did fancy was the simple act of moving along the promenade—a leisurely walk. While we walked, we chanted and sometimes took a break to observe some workmanship in the form of a dazzling piece of architecture; though frankly, most structures are contemporary works of blandness.
Anyway, viewing some of the old edifices, trees, and landscapes were our weakness or our little maya.
Sanjit and I decided to take a night walk going north to the Yonge and Davisville area, where walkers, runners and cyclists know the Beltline only too well. It was a former railway track and is now a trail used voraciously by feet and wheels—of a gentler kind. I mean to say nomotorists here. The Beltline is characterized by a generous tree line on both sides, which is so much needed for a city like Toronto. I imagine many deer roamed here centuries ago. Not anymore.
I relayed to Sanjit that some of our best devotees live at Yonge and Davisville and that’s another reason for walking to this destination. Two summers ago, a kirtan was held in a nearby green space.The vibes are good.
With Sanjit’s bike next to him as he walked it, and with both of us armed with beads in hand, we each chanted at our own pace while our legs moved in synchronized stride. The weather was just right—low twenties, Celsius, of course—apologies to those who may not prescribe to a metric system. I was raised on Fahrenheit but that changed for us in the north in the late ’70s.
At the green space, we met Ajaneya, Krsna Katha, and Vyenkath—all extraordinary bhakti-yogis. Our union was brief, but meaningful, before my cyclist companion and I did the turnaround from a mid-town district toward the downtown area. With some more mantras under our belt and distance under our feet, we completed a sweet six kilometres.
Lithuania’s Holy Name Monastery brahmacaris were on a traveling preaching tour, doing 1-2 public Harinama Sankirtana Yajnas per day in different cities across the Baltic countries. They returned to the monastery late on Sunday (12th of July). During the night at around 1:30 AM on July 14th, one of the brahmacaris heard a cracking sound […]
<p><span>During the night at around 1:30 AM on July 14th, one of the brahmacaris heard a cracking sound and went to check it. He saw the temple building on fire. Brahmacaries quickly took the Deities out to safety from the burning building. </span></p>
An internship program has been launched to help build a website and carry out important research for the still under-development project “ISKCON at the United Nations.” After applying and going through a rigorous approval process, The Office of Communications for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) received ECOSOC status with the UN in 2016, […]
<p><span>After applying and going through a rigorous approval process, The Office of Communications for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) received ECOSOC status with the UN in 2016, the highest level at which an NGO can be associated with the UN.</span></p>
This year we won’t get the chance to pull Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi’s chariots through the streets but don’t let that dampen your spirits. Get ready to welcome Them into your hearts this weekend! ISKCON Berlin, London, Radhadesh and Zurich are organizing the Spirit of Ratha Yatra, a unique first-time European virtual […]
<p><span>This year we won't get the chance to pull Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi's chariots through the streets but don’t let that dampen your spirits. Get ready to welcome Them into your hearts this weekend! </span></p>
Can one who has sinned be a saint?
Sometimes people think that once a person has performed sinful acts, especially acts that are grievously sinful, he must be regarded as a sinner forever. This notion runs contrary to Vaishnava philosophy.
Manorama dasa: I found this 1973 London Ratha-yatra news video by British Movietone / now Associated Press. Footage shows Srila Prabhupada walking in the parade, along with various early UK devotees from that time. Devotees dancing in the kirtan at Marble Arch, then the procession on the way to Trafalgar Square.
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja lecture in English on Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 12 Chapter 10 Verse 2 recorded on the 14th of November 1990 in ISKCON Melbourne, Australia.
No time to be personal, I have my "to do" list. How can we help and encourage each other if we don't take the time to know each other? There must be friendship among devotees and the time and space to develop it. Examples of friendship from the scriptures, Sudama, Arjuna etc. What is in our way is the tendency for impersonalism. Continue reading "Spiritual Relationships against impersonalism (video) → Dandavats"
With Janmastami just around the corner, there is still so much uncertainty about whether temples will be open for festivals or not ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry has put together a document guiding devotees how to observe Janmastami at home. Continue reading "How to observe Janmastami at home → Dandavats"
A lot of times when we talk about ISKCON, people think that it’s just an organization, and organizations have so many problems, and I am devoted to Prabhupada, but not to ISKCON. Bhakti Charu Swami never made that distinction, he didn’t want us to make that distinction. He made it very clear that if you are criticizing ISKCON, you are criticizing Prabhupada. If you love Prabhupada, you will work to make ISKCON better. That’s really important because as ISKCON grows, there will always be people who will make that distinction - I am devoted to Prabhupada but I just don’t like ISKCON, I don’t like what the movement is doing, I don’t like where it is going, I don’t like the leadership. Continue reading "Understanding the heart of Bhakti Charu Swami → Dandavats"
Question: How do we reconcile Bhagavatam cosmology with scientific cosmology? For example, Bhagavatam cosmology talks about fourteen planetary systems whereas we have nine or ten planets, so how do we reconcile this?
Answer: We have a very simplistic notion of the cosmology that is given and explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Usually we say, heaven is up but if the earth is round and America and India are more or less on opposite sides of the earth then the question would arise – is the heaven above America or is it above India? There are two upper opposites. When the scriptures talk about heaven being up, that is not a simplistic geographical “up”. The Bhagavatam is talking about different levels of the cosmos. There are different levels of reality in the universe and we live at a particular level of reality. Within the Indian knowledge of cosmology, there are two broad systems of cosmological knowledge – one is called as Puranic cosmology and the other is called as Jyotisha cosmology. Jyotisha is also called as Siddhantic cosmology and Surya Siddhanta is one famous book from that set of books. Both these give very different vision of the cosmos and if we go to the Jyotisha cosmology, it gives many figures which are very similar to the figures that are in modern cosmology. For example – the distance between the earth and the moon and the earth and the sun as described in Jyotisha cosmology is found to be remarkably similar to what science has found in modern cosmology.
In the same system of knowledge, these two systems of cosmology were very closely connected. Astronomy is the study of planetary distances and astrology is study of their effects on people. For any astrological calculation, even the Vaishnava acharyas or devotee scholars have never used the Bhagavatam cosmology. They all use Jyotisha cosmology which shows that they knew that these two branches of astronomy existed. They themselves had their primary life dedicated to teaching the Bhagavatam, living the teachings of Bhagavatam, explaining the Bhagavatam, but when it came to astrology, they did not use the Bhagavatam cosmology, they used Jyotisha cosmology. What this means is that they too recognised that the Bhagavatam cosmology is not for functional purposes in this world, it is more for a vision of theistic universe (when I say vision, it does not mean that this is just a conception). It is a way of looking at the world which shows how God, devotion, dharma – are all pervading the universe. As far as operating in this universe is concerned, they used Jyotisha cosmology and they never put the two in conflict. Bhagavatam itself describes two important things in Canto 5. First is, studying this will enhance our devotion and second, ultimately because this cosmos manifests the glories of the Lord and since the Lord is infinite and cannot be completely understood, similarly the cosmos cannot be fully understood. Therefore, the Bhagavatam itself is telling that if we do not understand its vision of the cosmos, we do not need to agonise over it too much because the purpose is to enhance our devotion. For functioning in this world, we do use the modern cosmology and there is nothing wrong in that.
We need not position scripture as a competitor of science. Scriptures are primarily about spiritual knowledge, to learn how to evaluate our consciousness. When we position scripture as the competitor of science, we devalue scripture. Scripture has given us spiritual knowledge to elevate our consciousness and Science can give us some material knowledge about how to function in this world. There may be some areas of overlap or some contradictions and how to resolve all of them is for specialist to discuss. I have seminars on this where I have told how good scholars are already working on this but as far as we are concerned, we don’t have to unnecessarily highlight or aggravate this conflict because within the tradition itself there are the example of two different vision of the cosmos and both being used – the Bhagavatam cosmology for increasing ones focus on the Lord and the Jyotisha cosmology being used for doing practical functioning in the world.
Similarly, we can have for modern cosmology and Bhagavatam cosmology.
The Srimad Bhagavatam talking about fourteen planetary systems is talking about cosmos, seen from a different scale of perception, it is not a human centred scale of perception. If whatever Sukadeva Goswami was describing in the Bhagavatam was readily visible to the eyes, then Parikshit Maharaj could have simply looked at the sky and saw it. Sukadeva Goswami is describing it because that is not visible through the naked eyes. It is a different vision of universe, seen from a different scale of observation and the scale of observation can significantly change the object of observation. For example, if we have a chalk and charcoal and we mix them together, we will see grey powder but if we see the same thing under microscope, we would not see grey powder but instead would see black particles and white particles. So, the question arises, what is it really? Is it white particle or black particle or is it grey powder? Well, what it is, depends from where we perceive it.
Therefore, we see the universe a particular way through science which is from our level of perception. The Srimad Bhagavatam gives us another level of perception of the universe and we need not necessarily see them as contradictory because there is a different level and different kind of perception for different purposes.
The hallmarks of ISKCON, its seven purposes were reaffirmed through a series of interviews and dialogues by the exemplary leaders of ISKCON who personify these seven purposes in their own exquisite ways. COVID-19, a global pandemic might be a menace but ISKCON GBC SPT Team optimized the lockdown situation by utilizing the social media forum […]
<p><span>The hallmarks of ISKCON, its seven purposes were reaffirmed through a series of interviews and dialogues by the exemplary leaders of ISKCON who personify these seven purposes in their own exquisite ways. <span>This symposium was the brainchild of a brilliant disciple of Bhakti Charu Swami who embodied Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and worked towards uniting everyone.</span></span></p>
As I laid out the straw mat on the sunlit veranda to prepare for his massage, Srila Prabhupada drew my attention to some sparrows making a nest. They had chosen a hole in the wall behind the electrical circuit box just outside Prabhupada's sitting-room window. He said that their chirping disturbed him at night while translating his books. So before they could build a complete nest and settle in, I removed the bits of strew they had gathered.
Have you ever wondered the complexity of the material universe? Did you ever stumble in your understanding about all the intricacies behind it while studying Srimad Bhagavatam? If the answer to the above questions is YES, then this is for you. Hear from the devotees who are experts in the field of Physics and Astronomy-Brahma Tirtha Das and Murali Gopal Das.
Let us hear from HG Tapana Mishra Das as he reaffirms the Purpose #1 of ISKCON (To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world)
Summertime is Ratha Yatra time! The Ratha Yatra festival is a celebration of reunion, when Their Lordships Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra, who had been separated from Their devotees during a two-week “sick” leave, finally return and are taken out on a pleasure ride in a gorgeously decorated chariot. On a deeper level, it signifies the ecstatic reunion of Krishna with the residents of Vrindaban after Krishna had been away for a long time on business in Mathura. For us at New Vrindaban, this year’s Ratha Yatra, which took place on Wednesday evening, was a reunion of all the devotees who had been separated from each other due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions. On all three levels, it was a joyful bringing together of the devotees with the Lord. Continue reading "Pandemic Ratha Yatra in New Vrindaban → Dandavats"
Gopala Bhatta Prabhu interviews HH SIvarama Swami for the ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning Team reaffirming Purpose #6 of ISKCON (To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.)
Kalakantha dasa: The ISKCON GBC Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture is presenting a series of very interesting podcasts on its Facebook page featuring experts on different areas of cow protection and agriculture, who have successfully lectured in Continental Farm Conferences in previous years.
"Swans have a proclivity to stick their long necks underwater and wrap them around the stem of the lotus flower. So King Kulasekhara is praying, "My dear Krsna, may the swan of my mind enter the network of the stem of Your lotus feet.' He is praying to do so now, at the present moment, while he is healthy and can chant Hare Krsna and entangle his mind in Krsna thought. Therefore, King Kulasekhara wishes that he may die immediately, because he fears that if he waits until later, when the time of death comes, he will be choking. The elements of his body will be disturbed, and there will be a death rattle, like "gar, gar.' How will it be possible then to remember Krsna? Continue reading "Sangam of Twelve Alvars in Srila Prabhupada → Dandavats"
“We have some questions,” asked a curious young couple, modest in appearance and child-like in inquisitiveness, as I sat there in the centre of the park. I slid over on the bench to make room for them.
“What do you believe?” they persisted.
“We follow an ancient way from India called bhakti, it is a form of yoga-devotion.” I replied.
“You’re not a Buddhist?”
“No, we follow Krishna.”
“Christian?”
“No, Krishna, the speaker of the, Bhagavad-gita. Do you both live here in Canada?”
“We just arrived. We are Palestinians. We love Canada.”
I could see by mannerisms and dress code I was speaking with a young couple who were a mix of ‘free spirit’ and a touch of ‘Islam orthodoxy,’ if that makes any sense. They continued to pleasantly probe.
“You are vegetarian?”
“Most definitely. Much of our values are placed in non-violence.”
“Not Buddhist?”
“Actually we are the origins of Hinduism—the longest, most resilient culture on earth…”
I offered them both my handy maha-mantra cards so they could leave with something. The card reads, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Translation: Oh awesome creator, allow me to be of blissful service to you and the world.”
After a lively dialogue I walked back to my destination—the ashram.
This year's 48th Annual Festival of India from July 1-12 was a virtual one on account of the current pandemic situation. As in the past, the Krishna Funskool team hosted a range of children’s programs for the virtual Kids Area. We had yoga sessions, a cooking demo, puppet show, drama workshop, crafts and more!
There was also another way children could participate- by sending in videos of their performances dedicated to the theme of the festival. This came in along with some beautiful colouring and craft work. Please see below for the contributions.
Narada Muni, citing a practical example from his own life, established that by associating with devotees and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, any man in any condition of life can achieve the highest perfection without a doubt. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.15.74 Purport)
<p><span>It was the Ministry of West Bengal led by t</span><span>he Honorable Chief Minister Sushri Mamata Bannerjee </span><span>who facilitated the final journey of the vapu (body of ISKCON-guru Bhakti Charu Swami, who passed away on July 4th in Florida, back to Mayapur.</span></p>
By Radha Dasi
By Nrsimha Kavaca Dasa
By Mahatma das
By The ISKCON GBC Strategic Planning Team
By New Vrindavana
By the Srila Prabhupada Lila Team
