Planet ISKCON

[reposted from 12-24-16
and revised 7-3-18]
Who are we really—
beyond who we settle for
without thinking too deeply
as most just blindly accept
as normal, conventional identities
that we’ve learned from others
and from our educational system
so it must be true, right?

Is it really a fact that
we’re our past sad or happy history?
What about our genes, race, ethnicity,
our skin color, occupation,
economic status, religious
institution, sect, or sanga,
state or region, political party,
conservative or liberal bend,
or our nationality or home planet—
do they accurately define us?

What about our sexual proclivity,
desires, likes and dislikes,
skeletons in our closet,

read more

A very important video about safe takeout food practices, grocery shopping/handling.

On February 26, 2019 ISKCON New Delhi unveiled the gigantic “Astounding Bhagavad Gita”, considered “the largest principle sacred text ever to be printed”, at a size of 10’(2.5m) x 6.5’(2m). Produced, printed and bound by the publisher of the largest and most expensive books in the world in Milan, Italy, this Bhagavad Gita has no rival in the world.

Now the TOVP has contracted with the same printer, as well as with Milan, Italy’s best gold/silversmith, and bas-relief designer, to produce a Special Edition 125th Anniversary Vyasa Puja book to offer Srila Prabhupada in 2021 that will contain only the names of all the donors who have completed their pledges by the end of 2020. This offering of the names of donors to Srila Prabhupada on this most auspicious and sacred occasion will symbolize the incredible support from all his followers worldwide who have helped to make his dream a reality.

Here are some of the details of what is to be the most beautiful, ornate and jewel-like Vyasa Puja book ever published in ISKCON:

• 12”(.3m) x 17”(.4m) in size
• 44lbs (20kg) in weight
• 500 gold-leafed pages
• Silver/Gold bas-relief on the cover
• Printed on hand-made Freelife Merida paper
• Special illuminated text
• Printed in Milano, Italy
• A work-of-art offering to Srila Prabhupada
• To be permanently on display in the TOVP

Get your name included in this magnificent, one-of-a-kind Vyasa Puja Book offering to Srila Prabhupada by completing your TOVP pledge or making a first- time pledge and completing it, by December, 2020. The 2021 Special Edition TOVP Vyasa Puja Book will remain permanently displayed in the TOVP, and your name will be read by thousands of Vaishnavas for generations to come. Donor levels begin with the Nrsimha Brick sponsorship ($1000).

For further information go here.

The post The TOVP 125th Anniversary Special Edition Vyasa Puja Book 2021 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Recently we sent out the official announcement about the Second Annual #GivingTOVP 10 Day Matching Fundraiser which you can read here. This event starts on April 26 (Akshaya Tritiya) until May 6 (Nrsimha Caturdasi) and is poised to raise over $300,000 to help the completion of Lord Nrsimha’s entire East Wing and altar in the TOVP for the opening ceremony during Gaur Purnima 2021.

In this video Her Grace Svaha Mataji, wife of TOVP Chairman Ambarisa das, speaks about the importance of completing the TOVP by 2022 and how you can help during this ecstatic 10-day matching fundraiser which her husband will match up to $150,000.

Despite the escalating effects of the corona virus throughout the world, we pray that Lord Nrsimha will protect, inspire and empower devotees worldwide to give to this historic project even in the face of adversity. Without continued funding we run the risk of having to delay the Grand Opening in 2022. Please make a small sacrifice for this most auspicious cause. Thank you.

To read the official TOVP Corona Virus message go here.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

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The post H.G. Svaha Devi Dasi Speaks About the #GivingTOVP 10 Day Matching Fundraiser appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Death is not something we often think about. What can we expect at the time of death? Is there anything we can do to prepare for this final stage of our life?

After my stay at Sydney temple, Kaliya Krsna from New Gokula drove me up to our farm in the Hunter Valley. Like many parts of Australia, which were affected by months of drought, so too was New Gokula.

Fortunately, the farm had some good rain and everything was looking green and fresh. Obviously, more will be needed but at least for the time being the situation was much improved.

I always enjoy my visits there because of the beautiful deities of Sri Radha Gokulananda, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Sri Gaura Nitai. Not to mention the wonderful devotees and cows.

Krishna is absolute. Krishna the person, and Krishna’s words, Bhagavad-gita—there is no difference. Advaya-jnana, no duality. Everything is one, absolute. Krishna is absolute, Krishna’s instruction is also absolute, Krishna’s pastimes absolute. Everything. That is Absolute Truth. There is no difference. In the material world, the name and the thing are different. Suppose here is mango—mango the thing and mango is name. If I simply say “Mango, mango, mango,” there is no mango. There must be the thing, mango. That is duality. This is the world of duality. “Absolute” means the name and the thing are the same. Otherwise, if they’re different, then what is the use of chanting “Krishna”? Krishna chanting means Krishna this word, and Krishna the person are the same. Therefore constant chanting means constantly associating with Krishna. And thus we are becoming purified. Purified. There is no difference.

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.19, May 19, 1976, Honolulu

Unprecedented times require unprecedented solidarity.

Never before have I experienced a time where one persons behaviour can impact another so dramatically. 

I don’t think I need to explain how bad the coronavirus crisis is everywhere.

Many services for homeless people are closing.  Schools are closing which immediately impacts low income families. Almost 1.3 million children, about 15% of those in England’s state schools, receive free school meals because they come from low income families.  Official data showed the need was greatest in parts of London, the north and Midlands where more than one in four pupils were entitled to free meals. No school means an unacceptable rise in the number of hungry children. How can that be right?

UK Governments call for the elderly and the vulnerable to self-isolate is the right thing to do, however many people on a low income are not in a position to isolate them selves. The need to house and feed themselves and their families doesn’t afford them that ‘luxury’. The homeless continue to be the first to suffer, closely followed by families on low earning and then the impact reaches out to the general populace.

Can something be done to help? Most certainly YES!  

Volunteers at Food For All are raring to get into action to respond to the need of the day. We are ready to cook 20,000 meals daily at our certified kitchens in Holborn, Central London. We have the infrastructure in place to be able to distribute hot vegetarian meals from the following seven distribution points:

1. Tower Hamlet
2. Islington
3. Camden
4. Kings Cross
5. Russell Square
6. Trafalgar Square
7. Holborn

With all Government guidelines and safety policies in place, meals will be freshly cooked in three batches throughout the day and served fresh all day. The hot meal will consist of a protein rich, complete meal, the healthy ‘kitchari’ which will provide each person with satisfying nourishment for the day. The health benefits of ‘kitchari’, can be viewed here;

https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/what-is-kitchari-why-we-eat-it-for-cleansing/

How can you help?

If you’re fit and healthy, then please come volunteer your time. If you are self-isolating then no need to feel helpless, please consider donating generously to the budget below. For as little as 10p-15p a plate, we can provide a hearty meal to a child or a person in need during these uncertain times.

Each giant pot of kitchari will provide 6,000 meals and will require:

100kg dal – £110

120kg potatoes – £120

30kg carrots – £40

8 large cans tomato purée – £54

Ghee – £25

Spices plus other vegetables – £40

Gas – £60

Plates, spoons, containers – £380

Total: £829 per pot.  

To provide 20,000 meals per day we need £2,500 per day.

These extraordinary times call on each one of us to step up and to reach out to those in the most need.  That any child or adult should go hungry in a prosperous first world country never fails to appal me. 

To be fully operational by the 6th April we need you to galvanise into action now. We are ready to do our part to serve, we await your much needed support.

With kind regards,

Peter O’Grady

Director, Food For All

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The post Gita key verses course 7 – 2.47 – Can I be detached without becoming irresponsible appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[ISKCON of Bergen County]

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The post How to see the current Corona Crisis from a spiritual perspective appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Every little bit of devotional service that we do now; is a preparation for a greater service in the future.

Kadamba Kanana Service, Srimad Bhagavatam ŚB 1.15.4, 21 feb 2020

Watch the whole class below or visit our Youtube channel by clicking the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66JUVABqyXY

SB 1.15.4

sarve tam anunirjagmur, bhrātaraḥ kṛta-niścayāḥ
kalinādharma-mitreṇa, dṛṣṭvā spṛṣṭāḥ prajā bhuvi

Translation
The younger brothers of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira observed that the Age of Kali had already arrived throughout the world and that the citizens of the kingdom were already affected by irreligious practice. Therefore they decided to follow in the footsteps of their elder brother.

Purport
The younger brothers of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira were already obedient followers of the great Emperor, and they had sufficiently been trained to know the ultimate goal of life. They therefore decidedly followed their eldest brother in rendering devotional service to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. According to the principles of sanātana-dharma, one must retire from family life after half the duration of life is finished and must engage himself in self-realization. But the question of engaging oneself is not always decided. Sometimes retired men are bewildered about how to engage themselves for the last days of life. Here is a decision by authorities like the Pāṇḍavas. All of them engaged themselves in favorably culturing the devotional service of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to Svāmī Śrīdhara, dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa, or fruitive activities, philosophical speculations and salvation, as conceived by several persons, are not the ultimate goal of life. They are more or less practiced by persons who have no information of the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is already indicated by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.64), and the Pāṇḍavas were intelligent enough to follow it without hesitation.

The article " Every bit of Devotional Service " was published on KKSBlog.

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura says, samsara-visanale, divanisi hiya jvale, judaite na kainu upaya: “We are always suffering from material pangs, and our hearts are burning, but we cannot find any way out of it.” The materialistic person can also be called a tapasvi, which means someone who is always suffering from material pains. One can get rid of all these material pains only when he takes shelter of the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. This is also explained by Narottama dasa Thakura: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana, rati na janmila kene taya. Narottama dasa Thakura regretted that he did not pursue his attraction for the transcendental vibration of the Hare Krsna mantra. The conclusion is that all persons in this material world are suffering from material pains, and if one wants to get rid of them, he must associate with saintly persons, pure devotees of the Lord, and chant the maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. That is the only auspicious way for materialistic persons.

—Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.15 purport

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

[republished from 7-21-11] People we meet or know who impress us the most are those that extend us kindness and heartfelt interest. We may appreciate a person’s beauty, strength, wealth, knowledge, fame, or renunciation (qualities Krishna has in full), but if a person is not kind it stands out like a huge blemish. A lessor person who is kind and friendly appears more valuable, and greater. Of the twenty-six qualities of a devotee given in the great Gaudiya Vaishnava scripture, Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, we find that kindness to others is the very first quality. Therefore, being a being an advanced devotee of Krishna means to be kind by nature. The six Goswamis disciples of Lord Chaitanya were “popular both to the gentle and with the ruffians”. Everyone appreciated them because of their equanimity and kindness.

read more

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

[republished from 7-21-11] People we meet or know who impress us the most are those that extend us kindness and heartfelt interest. We may appreciate a person’s beauty, strength, wealth, knowledge, fame, or renunciation (qualities Krishna has in full), but if a person is not kind it stands out like a huge blemish. A lessor person who is kind and friendly appears more valuable, and greater. Of the twenty-six qualities of a devotee given in the great Gaudiya Vaishnava scripture, Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, we find that kindness to others is the very first quality. Therefore, being a being an advanced devotee of Krishna means to be kind by nature. The six Goswamis disciples of Lord Chaitanya were “popular both to the gentle and with the ruffians”. Everyone appreciated them because of their equanimity and kindness.

read more

A video by Chaitanya Charan Das.

Millions of people are lying low to limit the spread of COVID-19. Self-isolation and social distancing, they say, will help curb the crisis. Next problem: how do you cope with being cooped up for days on end? How do we use this time wisely?

Sometimes I wonder, do we forget we are going to die? What is the difference between dying from any other situation or dying from corona virus?

6200 students from 22 different schools of North Delhi, India participated in first Value Education Olympiad organized by ISKCON Punjabi Bagh.

On 1^st March, Bhakti Learning offered their new online Krishna-conscious program for children to Srila Prabhupada at his puspa-samadhi in Sridhama Mayapur.

A video by the Bhaktivedanta College, Radhadesh. 

A video by Radhadesh Mellows.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye. (Siksastaka 4) Dhanam means wealth . . . But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, na dhanam: “I don’t want money.” Just the opposite. Everyone wants money. He says, “No, I don’t want money.” Na dhanam na janam: “I don’t want many men as My followers.” Just the opposite. Everyone wants. The politicians, the yogis, the swamis, everyone wants, “There may be hundreds and thousands of my followers.” But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, “No, I don’t want.” Na dhanam na janam na sundar?? kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye. “Neither I want very nice, beautiful, obedient wife.” Then what do You want? Mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki: “Life after life, let me remain a faithful servant of Your Lordship.”

This is Vaishnava. He doesn’t want anything. Why will he want? If he becomes servant of Krishna, then what does he want? Suppose if you become servant of a very, very big man, then what is the question of your want? This is intelligence. . . . There is no question of want. Just try to become servant of God, and all your necessities will be sufficiently fulfilled. This is intelligence. Just like a rich man’s child, does he want anything from father? No, he simply wants father, mother. The father, mother knows what he wants, how he will be happy. That is the duty of the father and mother. Similarly, this is very good intelligence: just to try to become the sincere servant of Krishna. All your necessities of life will be sufficiently supplied. There is no question of asking.

Therefore intelligent devotees do not ask, “Give us our daily bread.” He’s God’s servant, and He will not get your bread? You have to ask from God? No. God is giving bread to the eight million other living entities. Birds, beast, tigers, elephants—they are not going to the church for asking bread. But they are getting it. So if God is supplying everyone food, why He shall not supply you? He is supplying. So we should not go to God for begging some material benefit. That is not actual devotion. We shall go to God for begging how we can be engaged in His service. That should be the begging.

“Hare Krishna” means . . . Hare means, “O energy of God,” and Krishna, “O Krishna, Lord Krishna, please engage me in Your service.” This is Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

It is simply praying, “O my Lord Krishna, O Srimati Radharani, Krishna’s energy, kindly engage me in Your service.” That’s all. All business finished. This is Vaishnava. So, Vaishnava has no necessity. He knows that “I have no necessity. My only business is to serve Krishna.” So he’s happy in all conditions.

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.6–7, June 8, 1975, Honolulu

Video – Memories: Brahmananda Prabhu 2015-06-14 Krasnodar #History #Russian

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 9 January 2017, Brisbane, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.6)

We may think that we are free because we are making our own choices according to our own liking. But what we fail to see is that when we are not following the four regulative principles closely, we are actually in the grip of kali. This is why Srila Prabhupada formalised the four regulative principles. Pānaṁ (intoxication), dyūtam (gambling), striyaṁ (illicit sex) and śunām (meat eating) are all mentioned as the four types of adharma (irreligion). Therefore, Prabhupada pointed out that we must follow the four regulative principles because otherwise, we are not actually in control of our own mind, but kali will be in control of our mind. 

The article " Freedom from the grip of kali " was published on KKSBlog.

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The post Gita key verses course 6 Do animals have souls? Are humans just evolved animals? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

We have got Krishna; we have got spiritual master; we have got books, Bhagavata and Gita. Now let us take advantage of it. We have taken much pain to translate these transcendental literatures into English so that you can understand. We have got fifty books. So take advantage. It is not meant for the cats and dogs. It is meant for the human beings. Not a particular class or nation. No. It is meant for all human beings. So take advantage of this knowledge, understand the philosophy of life, that “I am eternal.”

—Srila Prabhupada, talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.1, May 21, 1975, Melbourne

With different countries around the world at different stages of COVID-19 precautions, ISKCON Mayapur has introduced its own safety measures for visitors, community devotees, and stranded foreign devotees.