Dear Devotees and friends

Kindly pray for Dukhi Radha Mataji a disciple of HH Partha Sarathi Das Goswami who was killed this morning in a house robbery.

She was a stalwart book distributor. May Lord Narasimhadev give strength to the family especially her daughter, Raksha, who is in a critical condition in hospital.

May our Beloved Sri Sri Radha Radhanath welcome Dukhi Radha Mataji into Their embrace.

-devotee care team, Durban
—–
Durban - Chatsworth police have launched a manhunt for the four men who stormed a home in Kharwastan on Monday, strangled a 72-year-old woman to death and assaulted her 40-year-old daughter before fleeing with money and jewelry.

Police spokesperson, Captain Nqobile Gwala said that the men entered the home on Robin Road at around 7.15am on Monday and attacked the two women.

“She was strangled to death. The suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. Charges of murder and house robbery are being investigated by Chatsworth SAPS”.

Garrith Jamieson the spokesman for Rescue Care Paramedics said that by the time emergency services arrived at the women’s home, the pensioner was already dead and the 40-year-old seriously injured after being attacked.

“Paramedics arrived on scene to find the woman in her 70’s had passed away due to the injuries sustained during the home invasion as well as a woman in her 40’s who sustained serious injuries. Advanced life support paramedics are working on the scene with police to stabilize the injured woman before transporting her to hospital,” he said.
Source: https://is.gd/G4vOGy

Transcribing Srila Prabhupada’s Words (13 min. video)
Harikesa das describes a somewhat difficult process to transcribe Srila Prabhupada’s dictations.

Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcription: Suresh Gupta

Editing: Keshavgopal das

Question: When people today are so untrustworthy how can we develop relationships?

Answer: There are two extremes. One is being naive and the other is being cynical. Being naive is believing that everybody is a wonderful person and hence trustworthy. If we are naive, we will be smashed, betrayed and may end up being cynical. Being cynical is also a very dark place to be in. There was an atheistic philosopher who was asked whether he believed in hell. People thought, since he is an atheist, he will not believe in hell, but he said, “Of course I believe in hell. Hell means other people.” He almost became a misanthrope, hating humanity. In Los Angeles, America, I saw a car in front of me and the bumper had a sticker written, “The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog.”

We all have bad experiences with people but in between naivety and cynicism, is the courage to trust. We do not want to trust manually. Basically, if we are driving a car, it needs a brake and an accelerator as well. While driving through the journey of our life, doubt is like the brake and trust is the accelerator. To drive safely, we need both. If traffic is huge and car is wearing off the road, we need to press the brakes. Similarly, we should not trust naively but instead should doubt using our intelligence. The Bhagavata Purana says: Doubt is the sign of intelligence and intelligent person have doubts. However, doubt is not the only sign of intelligence. If we keep doubting always, that is like driving with our foot on the brakes all the time. A lot of fuel will be consumed, and the car will lead to nowhere.

We cannot live our life only by doubts. At the same time, we cannot live our life only by trust. Like we cannot drive a car which has only accelerator and no brakes. Just as we intelligently drive and look around to keep the car on track, similarly, we use our intelligence before trusting someone. The problem with trusting absolutely and opening our heart is that we become vulnerable to being cheated. We expect absolute guarantee that the other person will not disappoint us. However, if we are humble enough to admit then such a degree of trust, we cannot have, even from ourselves.

Life does not come with hundred percent guarantee at any time. However, we should use our intelligence and take small steps with respect to trusting other person by opening the door of our heart in a small way. If the reciprocation is well received, we put more trust and gradually things may become better. Some relationships work out well, some do not. Sometimes, different relationships work out best at different distances.

To summarize, we use two things: intelligence and experience. Intelligence will help us to make sense about the person and assess the amount of trust we can place upon them. Experience will help us to reciprocate accordingly and place more trust. Thus, by intelligence and experience we can have the courage to trust as a balance between naivety and cynicism.

End of transcription.

The post When people today are so untrustworthy how can we develop relationships? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

HG Bhakta Das ACBSP left his body Sunday.
Srila Prabhupada: For a sincere person to go back to home, back to Godhead, is not at all difficult. Especially Krsna in this age has personally appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very, very kind to the fallen souls. Papi-tapi jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo. His business was with all the papi and tapi. Papi means sinful, and tapi means suffering. So His business was papi-tapi? No. His business was with the most exalted personalities like… Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda, sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta. They were all very exalted personalities. But all of their mission was to deliver the papi-tapis. Papi-tapi is everyone, in this age especially. But if we take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His mercy we get everything. - May 22, 1975, Melbourne

Sridham Mayapur 2020 (Album of photos)
Walking with Radha Madhava’s elephants. Japa walk.

TOVP progress report (14 min. video)
Sadbhuja Das: I would like to share these wonderful videos, the first being the video presentation which was shown to the GBC of our progress that has happened over the span of last year. The second a nice small clip of the Pujari floor opening which occurred on the 13th of February of this year. We are quite happy with all these recent events and will continue on in achieving the end goal as soon as possible!

The real source of human intelligence (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam class by HH Bhakti Dhira Damodar Swami in Iskcon Mayapur

Let Me go and search for the calves,” Krsna said. “Don’t disturb your enjoyment.” Then, carrying His yogurt and rice in His hand, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, immediately went out to search for the calves of His friends. To please His friends, He began searching in all the mountains, mountain caves, bushes and narrow passages Continue reading "Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur 10.3.14
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Answer Podcast

The post Which mirror can show us the soul? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 7 January 2017, Brisbane, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.4)

There are so many mantras out there? Why is the Hare Krsna mahamantra considered to be the most powerful one?

Mantras are all invested with power. Previously, there were sages, who by chanting mantras, could do many things. Some people were fighting with mantras. Now we think we are very sophisticated these days; we have missiles for instance. But in the old days, you could just chant a mantra and invoke a great power. So mantras are known to have all kinds of powers. People could light fire by mantras. 

But the mahamantra is the great mantra because it serves the ultimate purpose. ‘Krsna’, which is one word in the mahamantra, means the all attractive. There are many things that are attractive that we can all think of. We can go window shopping and see all those things which are good. But, nothing is all attractive. What is all attractive? There are people who are attractive, but did you ever meet someone who is all attractive? Well, Krsna is all attractive. So, the chanting of Krsna is focusing on the all attractive. ‘Hare’ means service to the all attractive. And ‘Rama’ means happiness, the result of serving the all attractive. 

So the mantra in this way helps us focus on the ultimate goal of life. Instead of wasting our time with things that are partially attractive, we focus on the all attractive. And by serving that, we approach the all attractive with love. The result of this is pure happiness. This is why the mahamantra is the greatest mantra. It gives us the greatest result; the all attractive. What more could we want? 

The article " The greatest mantra " was published on KKSBlog.

Krishna wants you to become a TOVP Ambassador and share all the news and announcements about this historic and magnificent ISKCON temple at our World Headquarters in Sridham Mayapur. This flagship ISKCON project will alter the course of world history and the reputation of Srila Prabhupada and the Hare Krishna Movement for generations to come. Now you can be a part of that momentum as we move forward to the Grand Opening in 2022.

My name is Sunanda das, and I’m the Communications Director for the TOVP. My service is to make sure every devotee in ISKCON remains informed and focused on this most important endeavor for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada. But I can’t do this alone and need your help. If you send me your name and email address I’ll add you to my TOVP Ambassador Team and will personally send you regular news, updates and announcements about the progress of the TOVP to get the word out to everyone you know and beyond. I’ll offer suggestions and tools how to do that through emails, Facebook, temple websites and bulletin boards, etc. to reach as many devotees as possible.

There are only two years left to the Grand Opening of the TOVP, and it’s so important for us all to keep this project front and center, even in the midst of our own temple projects. Read this quote from Srila Prabhupada that illustrates the idea that the TOVP is like the rising water that lifts up ALL the boats:

“The more you help develop Mayapur, the more Lord Chaitanya will bless your area of the world and it will flourish.”

So, make up your mind today to become a TOVP Ambassador and join my team. Send your name and email address to The TOVP Wants You!!! appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

New Release - New Extended Songbook.
HH Bhakti Gauravani Goswami: This a songbook that I prepared in the last two years.
Here is the link to a website where you can find all the information, a link to request paper copies, a link to download the book in e-book format and a link to download the mp3 files that accompany the songs. https://www.sacredsongsymphony.com/
Combining Philosophy & Music
From the very beginning of my devotional life, I had been intrigued by the bhajans that were sung in the temple. Sanskrit and Bengali seemed to be designed for glorifying Krishna. The combination of philosophy and music was fascinating. Over the next couple of years, I made myself familiar with many of the songs that our predecessor acaryas had composed, and I wanted to share them with others by combining sound with sight to enhance the experience. In those days a slide projector would have to do, involving many hours of preparing appropriate photographs, often taking close-ups from the paintings in Prabhupada’s books. That was in 1975, decades before computers would make audiovisual presentations a breeze.
Times have changed. With the advent of the digital age, the combination of images and sound has become as easy as can be. During the last decade (2010-2019), wherever I was invited to preach, I used to give PowerPoint Seminars about the songs of the Vaisnava acaryas. When participants approached me afterward, asking for CDs with the songs that we had studied, I had to disappoint them. There were none.
The requests did not stop and finally, in 2017, I began to contemplate how to go about it. I did not want to simply record some songs. That I had done in the past and, at any rate, there were already so many recordings by so many devotees available. If I were to embark on such a project, it had to be different. I wanted people not just to listen to the songs, I wanted them to imbibe the meaning and become inspired and encouraged to sing these bhajans themselves.
Each song needed a choir, who would invite the listener to sing along with them. And a songbook was needed that would offer more than just the transliterations and translations. Our Vaisnava songs are a treasure house of transcendental knowledge, and Srila Prabhupada was very much familiar with its contents. He used to quote from the acaryas’ songs hundreds of times in his books and lectures. The reader/listener should hear Prabhupada speak, and to this end, I have included in Sacred Song Symphony quotes for almost each of the 108 songs.
Digital recording has many advantages over analog technology, one being the tremendous flexibility it offers. Many devotees collaborated and lent their voices for the choirs, but the more the merrier. I would love to see the choirs grow, and expand the synergy more and more.

Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha Parliament House, Shri Harivansh Narayan Singh visited ISKCON Delhi Temple

Make the Material World Spiritual (video)
A westerner’s first, weird temple experience /what is Deity worship all about? / controlling body, words & mind / how to wake up in the morning / Aindra Das’s intense devotion / “it’s not for me first” / duty is the first step in mastering the mind / St. Valentine / can dented cans become undented? / dedicating all our activities / tiny brains / putting oneself in the center leads to suffering / Krishna saves Raghu from choking on a lozenge / the secret to success / making the material world spiritual

Festive Mood in Mayapur! (Album of photos)
Mayapur is getting painted with a festive mood everywhere. Attractive pandals, tents, variety prasadam outlets, exhibits, and most importantly, the feast of seeing all the wonderful moons of our movement together in Mayapur, Gaura Purnima festival is the highlight of the year in Mayapur. ISKCON Leadership Sanga (ILS) setting is so creative, artistic and innovative and added with the various seminars on leadership skills that nurture a bright future for ISKCON.

Intricate Workings Of The Modes Of Material Nature (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam class by HH Radhanath Swami

Traveling with Radheshyam Prabhu and distributing books is nothing short of an adventure. As per the English dictionary, the definition of an adventure is “an exciting or daring experience”. An experience is exciting when you don’t know what is awaiting you the next moment. With Radheshyam Prabhu, every day is an exciting experience, especially during Book Marathon. One day traveling in crowded trains, then traveling further to remote villages in the vehicle with bumpy roads. Some days lying down on a desolate station in the middle of the night, waiting for a regularly delayed train. Sometimes distributing books in trains trying to escape the eyes of local police. Or even sometimes getting into debates with unreasonable wranglers trying to mar ISKCON's reputation in public. Continue reading "Prabhupada Bhagavata Swagatham Book Marathon distribution 2019 – 650 SB sets in 6 weeks by Radheshyam Prabhu
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“Kirtan is 2020 Vision for Cambodia“ was organized to bring people's attention to the local programs so that they can become involved in devotional service to the Lord. The beautiful festival is an initiative of Srila Prabhupada's disciple, Kala Das who is assisted by two local devotees from Indonesia, Kumudaksha Das and Guna Avatara Das. The festival started on 26 January and continued for five days. Every day we visited different places, predominantly in the area of Siem Reap city. Wherever we went we brought kirtan with us. All the instruments and a portable sound system were always ready to accompany us in kirtan on the streets. Continue reading "Kirtan is 2020 Vision for Cambodia Festival
→ Dandavats"

Answer Podcast

The post Why do we associate religion with spirituality – are communists really anti-God? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Any more? Bring, bring, bring!
Lord Chaitanya was a strict renunciate in Puri - then why did He consume stored prasadam for 100 men ??
Srila Prabhupada recites this extraordinary lila!
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. It is for the devotee. A devotee can eat, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu was eating. Govinda, His servant, complained, “Sir, so many things are lying here, and everyone asks, ‘Whether Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taken my preparation?’ 'Oh, yes, He has taken.’ So I have to speak so many lies. You don’t take. What can I do?” He said, “All right, bring it. Bring it.” So He began to eat for one hundred men’s foodstuff stocked. He finished. Then He asked, “Any more?” So now only the bags are there. Everything finished. [laughs] So He ate everything, one after another, one after another, one after another. “All right. Bring, bring, bring.” So He can eat. We cannot.

HARE KRISHNA’S SHINE ON SUNDAY! (video)
Newcastle ( Australia) Rathayatra is now on NBN news!
Hare Krishnas are known the world over for their messages of love and happiness – but it’s been more than a decade since they’ve hitched their wagon through the streets of Newcastle.

We have our plans Krishna has His plans! (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam class by HG Gouranga Das in Iskcon Mayapur, February 16, 2020

Prior to the Grand Opening of the TOVP Pujari Floor on February 13, several India periodicals and newspapers printed articles reporting on the event. Below is the article from The Telegraph India.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
View us 360° at: www.tovp360.org
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/
Support us at: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/

The post The Telegraph India Pujari Floor Opening Article appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Answer Podcast

The post Lord Chaitanya said that Bible and Koran are full of faults? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

In a talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.51, on December 28, 1973, in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada spoke about bhagavat-priyanam, those who are very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“Bhagavat-priyanam. There is a common saying in English, ‘If you love me, love my dog.’ That is very important. If you love such person who is very dear to Krishna (bhagavat-priyanam), then Krishna is more pleased.

“There is a version in the Padma Purana. Parvati was asking questions to Lord Shiva, and he was replying. This is the process at home. The wife is supposed to inquire from the husband about spiritual advancement of life, and the husband must be competent to answer all the wife’s questions. That will keep the relation very nice. Sravanam kirtanam, hearing and chanting. (SB 7.5.23) That is bhakti. So, Parvati was asking . . . Because according to the Vedas, there are so many demigods. Vishnu is sometimes taken as one, but He is not. Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh are the principal deities. So, her inquiry was, ‘Which worship is the best—Vishnu or Lord Shiva or Brahma or Chandra?’ There are so many demigods. Sometimes they are misunderstood, that all of them are Gods. No. They are called demigods. God is one. Originally, God is Krishna. Isvarah paramah krsnah (Bs 5.1). [“Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the prime cause of all causes.”]

“So, her inquiry was, ‘There are so many gods—which worship is the best?’ And Lord Shiva replied,

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam
(Padma Purana, Laghu-bhagavatamrta 2.4)

The meaning is, ‘My dear wife, Devi.’ The wife is addressed ‘Devi,’ not by name. The husband should address the wife, ‘Devi.’ They must be like devis. ‘Devi’ means goddess. And the wife must address the husband as ‘lord.’ This is the system. So, Lord Shiva replied, ‘Devi, aradhananam sarvesam.’ There are many kinds of recommendations. ‘If you want this, you worship this god. If you want this, if you worship . . .’ These are described in the Bhagavatam. So, Lord Shiva said, ‘Of all different types of worship, the worship of Lord Vishnu is the best (aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param). And further he said, tasmat parataram devi: ‘There is still better worship.’ What is that? Tadiyanam samarcanam: ‘To worship the devotee of Vishnu, the Vaishnava.’ That is the best. First he said, visnor aradhanam param—’That is the supreme.’ But then he said, tasmat, ‘above that,’ tasmat parataram, ‘still better,’ tadiyanam samarcanam, ‘to worship the devotee of God.’

“This is very simple method. You cannot approach God. It is not a very easy thing. But God’s representatives, God’s devotee, who is canvassing on behalf of God, tadiyanam—that worship is better. Tadiyanam samarcanam.

“So, to worship God is very good, but to worship the devotee of God is still better. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (18.69), na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah. Krishna says, ‘Anyone who is preaching this Bhagavad-gita,’ na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah. Bhagavat-priyanam. Priya-krt. Priya means dear, very dear. Krishna says, ‘Anyone who is preaching the message of Bhagavad-gita to the suffering people of the world,’ na ca tasmat priya-krt, ‘nobody is dearer to Me than he.’ ”

I aspire to serve and worship those who are bhagavat-priya, dear to God—first and foremost, Srila Prabhupada—and by doing so, by their mercy, I may also become dear, to them and to God.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Timeless teaching on finding inner peace by Sivarama Swami (4 min. video)
His Holiness Sivarama Swami is a senior monk and spiritual teacher of the devotional path (Bhakti-yoga), a 5000 year old spiritual tradition emerging from ancient India. He is the author of over 15 books that elucidate the teachings of Bhakti further and is the inspirer behind the world-renowned Krishna Valley community in Hungary; a self-sustained eco-village founded on the principles of ‘simple living & high thinking’.

The Sankirtan On podcast ‘Stories from the Streets’ is here bringing you Sankirtan stories from around the world! (audio)

Dear devotees and well wishers,

Interview with Dr. Vallabhbhai Kathiria (20 min. video)
HH Krishna Kshetra Swami: A few days ago here in Mayapur I had occasion to present a copy of my book ‘Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics’ to Dr. Vallabhbhai Kathiria, the Chairman of the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog – the Indian government agency for promoting cow care. Next day we had a 20-minute interview with him.

In Calcutta, there was a very virulent type of plague epidemic in 1898. So Calcutta became devastated. All people practically left Calcutta. Daily hundreds and hundreds of people were dying. I was one year old or one and a half years old. So one babaji, he organized sankirtana, Hare Krishna sankirtana all over Calcutta. And in the sankirtana, all people, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, everyone joined. And they were going road to road, street to street, entering in every house. So the plague subsided. This is a fact. Everyone who knows history of Calcutta, know that the plague was subsided by sankirtana movement.

Jagannatha Ratha Yatra on the Bogor Street festival 2020
Bogor, located in Java in Indonesia, is known locally for its cool weather and its relaxed charm. It’s also a heritage city and a city of culture.

Twice last week, accompanied by various devotees, including Vrindavan Chandra das from London; Ugrasena das, Nitya Manjari dasi, and Kaviraj from Durban; and Visnupriya dasi from Dallas, I visited Rajani Priya dasi (Rose Forkash) at her home in Carpinteria, California. She is seven months away from her one hundredth birthday, but she is mentally and spiritually strong, and we all felt uplifted by her association. In addition to speaking with us about her life in Krishna consciousness, in appreciation of Srila Prabhupada, she also played Hare Krishna on the piano beautifully, and we all joined in chanting. One of her greatest pleasures in life is chanting and getting others to chant, which she has done with many, many people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Srimad Bhagavatam class by HG Govardhan Das in Iskcon Mayapur, 15/2/2020