Planet ISKCON

Answer Podcast

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Transcriber: Sharan Shetty

Edited by: Keshavgopal Das

Question: Is the brahman aspect also sat-cit-ananda or is it only sat?

Answer: Brahman, paramatma and bhagavan are three names of the same Absolute Truth. All three are not different but the same Absolute Truth referred to by different names. Brahman is also sat-cit-ananda.

The example of halwa (an Indian sweet or candy) can help us understand it better. Suppose a person who throughout their life, has only smelt the fragrance of halwa and never tasted it may come up with a new name for the halwa, maybe Henry. The object maybe called differently due to the person’s experience limited only to the fragrance but it will nevertheless remain a halwa because it has all the attributes of halwa.

Similarly, brahman paramatma and bhagavan are three names of the same Absolute Truth. All three are sat-cit-ananda because they are the same one Absolute Truth. The difference lies in the level of realisation. Those who have realised the brahman level have realised only the sat aspect.

End of transcription.

The post Is the Brahman aspect also sat-cit-ananda or is it only sat? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Automatic percussion for a temple of Jagannath (1 min. video)
Some devotees were approaching to visit the temple thinking to meet a group of kirtaniyas who were playing their instruments. Instead, this is what they found :-)
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A special program at Bhaktivedanta Manor (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: All glories to the chanting of Hare Krishna mantra or Krishna sankirtana movement. All glories. All victory. How it is victory, all victory? If you chant this Hare Krishna mantra, then the dirty things which have accumulated in your heart due to material contamination will be cleared off. (Purport to Siksastakam)

Holy Name Retreat in Govardhana (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: How can we think mundane thoughts and at the same time chant? Two things are happening, and one will conquer. As maya is working to drag you from Krishna consciousness, you can challenge maya by chanting Hare Krishna. (Lecture on Bhagavad-gita, 3.6.10, Los Angeles 1968)

Gita Mela is an event organised by ISKCON Mayapur dedicated solely for interacting with the tourists. A winter festival that is held from December to January pays close attention to the guests by giving them valuable association of the devotees and showing them the importance of Bhagavad Gita. Also called the big ‘fair’ of knowledge, […]

The post Gita Mela-The Holy Name for One’s Faith appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HG Deena Bandhu Prabhu in ISKCON Chowpatty

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Answer Podcast

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Transcriber: Sharan Shetty

Edited by: Keshavgopal Das

Question: Does brahman always refer to the Lord’s effulgence?

Answer: There are words which have multiple meanings, and, in some context, certain words are given specific meanings. For example, Srila Jiva Goswami, in his analysis, uses the word bhagavan very specifically to refer to that Absolute Truth who has six opulences in full and beyond comparison – strength, wealth, knowledge, fame, beauty and renunciation. However, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the word bhagavan is also used to refer to great sages – Bhagavan Narada, Bhagavan Vyasa although these personalities do not have six opulences. Thus, the word bhagavan has different meanings in different context.

In a particular analytical framework, brahman may have a precise technical meaning but generally speaking, if we look at the Vedic literature, the word brahman is used to refer to the Absolute Truth and not necessarily just the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth. It is said that Lord Rama when he completed his past-times, he entered into the effulgence (atma jyotir agata). But that does not mean Lord Rama merged, it is a way to refer to the spiritual world in general. Broadly speaking, the Absolute Truth is referred to by the name brahman and in
the Bhagavad-gita 10.12,

param brahma param dhama
pavitram paramam bhavan

Arjuna also addresses Krishna as brahma.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has explained the features of the Absolute Truth and within that context, he uses the word brahman to refer to a particular understanding of the Absolute Truth. That means, the word itself has two different meanings. It cannot be said that in all scriptural references, brahman will refer only to the effulgence. Within a particular analytical framework, the word brahman refers to the effulgence which is the analysis of the Absolute Truth but many times in the scriptures, the word brahman is used to refer to the Absolute Truth in general. To understand with another example, consider the word father which in general refers to one’s own biological father but in Christianity, the word father also refers to the priest of the Church. Both the words are true, and the same word has two different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Likewise, the word brahman generally refers to the Absolute Truth but specifically and within a particular analytical framework, it also refers to the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the philosophy of achintya bhedabheda (inconceivable oneness and difference of the Absolute Truth and His energies) and when we consider the word brahman referring to the impersonal aspect, we are focusing more on the bheda (difference) where brahman is the impersonal aspect, paramatma is the witness and bhagavan is the personal aspect. But there is also abheda (oneness) which means that actually these three are non-different and they are all one Absolute Truth.

In terms of analysis, we can say that there is an impersonal effulgence and some spiritual seekers focus only on the impersonal effulgence. The impersonal effulgence referred to as brahmajyoti is also spirit, it is not material light. It is beyond the material world, and is not matter. Just like atma (spirit soul) is sat-cit-ananda (full of eternity, knowledge and bliss), the brahman effulgence is also part of the Absolute Truth. As we are the separated energy, brahman is the integrated energy and integral part of the Absolute Truth. In that sense, for analysis, we can separate but we should not have so much emphasis of bheda that we forget the abheda aspect. Both exist simultaneously.

End of transcription.

The post ​Does Brahman always refer to the Lord’s effulgence? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Jagadisha Pandit is considered to be simultaneously both Nityananda-shakha and Chaitanya-shakha, a branch both of Chaitanya as well as Nityananda in the desire tree of devotion. He was born in the town of Gauhati in modern Assam.

His father’s name was Kamalaksha Bhatta. Both of his parents were Devotees of Vishnu. When they died, he came with his wife Duhkhini and his brother Hiranya to Mayapur on the shores of the Ganga where they built a home near that of Jagannath Mishra. Jagadisha Pandit became Jagannath Mishra’s very close friend.    

Jagadisha and his wife Duhkhini had the same kind of parental affection for the little Nimai as Jagannath and Sachi themselves. Duhkhini was like a mother to Nimai and even sometimes acted as his wet-nurse.

Nimai, the son of Sachi, is none other than the son of Yashoda, the Supreme Lord Krishna incarnate. It is not possible for anyone but an eternal associate of the Lord to have the good fortune to treat Him like a son in this way.

Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 1.4.3 The Hated Question 2019-12-03 #Dallas

The Peace Formula everyone needs to know about! (4 min video)
Simple, unless you bring God into the equation, secular solutions won’t work! God is the ultimate proprietor and beneficiary of all activities and resources and the best friend of all.

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“Don’t Judge Yourself; Love Yourself” by HG Mahatma Prabhu
When you become aware of your problems, don’t judge them. Just see them as they are and get to work on them. Everyone has the same problems but the difference between those who deal well with them and those who don’t is how we judge ourselves.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2 June 2012, Birmingham, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.13.5)

Imagine if someone would remember that he was a meat-eater in his previous birth, and yet he did not become an animal and took a human birth again. Well, then he should think that this human birth is just a step in between, and he would still have an animal birth waiting for him.

Sometimes you see, karma is an interesting cocktail. You may recall the story of King Nrga in the Krsna book. He was such a pious king, however by giving the same cow twice by accident to the brahmanas, he got a reaction for that. At the end of his life, he was asked: “What do you want first, the reaction to your pious activities or to you impious activities?” The King chose the impious and therefore first became a lizard. If he would have first gotten the reaction to his pious activities, because there were many, then he would have first gotten many wonderful births, and then in the end he would have been a lizard. So that is also possible, that there is still an animal birth waiting behind, maybe a few animal births. So like that, first maybe the result of pious activities which is holding up the result of the impious activities. In this way, karma is complicated!

The article " Karma – an interesting cocktail " was published on KKSBlog.

TOVP Pujari floor update.
Sadbhuja Das: I just wanted to share an update regarding the progress on the Pujari floor. These are some images of the ceiling panels which are made of GRG and in them will be placed the light fixtures. As you can see they are looking quite lovely, and give off a very opulent look to the area adding a nice touch to the ceiling as well.

I knew him for the last eleven years of his exemplary pastimes. But to say I knew him is going too far. I watched him. I listened to him. I talked with him and corresponded with him. I followed him and obeyed him-and disobeyed him. I learned from him. I bowed down before him and prayed to him. I loved him, and still do. Through those eleven years, that person I first knew as the Swami, then as Swamiji, and then as Srila Prabhupada, guided my life.

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Today’s featured video on Dandavats.com.
Srimad Bhagavatam Class 11.22.45 by HH Niranjana Swami at ISKCON Chowpatty.
Watch it here: https://is.gd/u9jbcw

Answer Podcast

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Transcribed by: Bhabesh Mishra

Edited by: Keshavgopal Das

Question: How could Yudhishthira have gambled his own wife?

Answer: When invited for gambling, Yudhishthira had no desire for gambling because he felt that it would lead to conflict or even lead into a war. However, he was goaded. Consequently, he started gambling more and more. Eventually as the gambling went on, the fever caught him also.

We may ask how a virtuous person like Yudhishthira gambled to such an extent. I would suggest we look at this in another way – even a virtuous person like Yudhishthira could get so much caught up in the frenzy of gambling. Such is the frenzy which gambling can subject a person to.

Yudhishthira of course was thinking, “I have lost so much. I have lost my weapons, jewels, kingdom, in fact lost everything. Somehow, I have to regain these things.” He was hoping that by the next gamble, his luck will turn around and he would regain. That is why, when he lost everything, he gambled Nakula and Sahadeva. After that, Shakuni goaded him and said, “It seems you love Kunti’s sons more than Madri’s. That is why you have gambled Madri’s sons, but you are not ready to gamble Kunti’s sons.” The five Pandavas were one. Although, they were stepbrothers, they were closer than most brothers are. Yudhishthira was infuriated by this accusation. He said, “You fool. We five Pandavas are like the five fingers of a hand. We are all united. How dare you create disassociation among us?” Shakuni immediately became apologetic. He changed his face and said, “Sorry, sorry. In the heat of the moment I might have spoken something, please forgive me. You are my superior in every way. Let us continue gambling.” Shakuni put on a repentant face but he got his purpose served. Then Yudhishthira staked Arjuna and lost him. He then staked Bhima and lost him too. Then he staked himself and lost himself also.

At this point he had lost everything. Now, Shakuni suggested, “You still have one thing to stake and that is Draupadi.” When the name of Draupadi was mentioned, the whole assembly erupted in agony and horror. Yudhishthira himself was shocked at the prospect. Then he thought she has no protectors now. Her husbands have become slaves and surely if I stake Draupadi, at least now I might be able to win. If I can win then I can get back what I have lost. Then we will at least have some life, otherwise what life will Draupadi have? It is not that Yudhishthira’s reasoning was right but that is how it was. Then at this particular point, he decided to gamble Draupadi.

Now if we see, the significant thing is that he gambled his brothers before he gambled himself. He gambled Draupadi afterwards. This means he actually considered Draupadi far more valuable. It was not that he gambled her casually. He was, first of all, bound by instructions of others to gamble. He was goaded by others to keep gambling to scandalous extent. He was not just caught in the fever of gambling but was in despair because he did not want to lose everything. Thus, he ended up gambling Draupadi also.

We can say from the spiritual and devotional perspective, it was all arranged in such a way that Krishna eventually rescued Draupadi. Yudhishthira’s actions were orchestrated by the Lord in such a way that He could demonstrate – “ultimately, we have no protector except Krishna”. Draupadi had five heroic husbands who had few parallels in the world. Practically no parallels. Yet such husbands were rendered helpless at that particular point. She couldn’t turn to them for help. She turned to Krishna and He helped her.

From a transcendental perspective, Yudhishthira’s actions were orchestrated by the Lord so that He could demonstrate this truth that we have ultimately no protector except Krishna. However, from the circumstantial perspective, we can understand that Yudhishthira gambled because of the instructions of his elders, goading of Shakuni, being caught in the fever of gambling and because of the desperate hope that somehow, he could undo the damage that had happened. That is how he ended up gambling Draupadi.

End of transcription.

Transcription in Hindi
प्रश्न: क्या धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर का अपनी ही पत्नी को जुए में दाँव पर लगाना अनुचित नहीं था?

उत्तर: जब महाराज युधिष्ठिर को जुए के लिए आमंत्रित किया गया, तब युधिष्ठिर की जुआ खेलने की कोई मंशा नहीं थी। उन्हें लगता था कि इससे भाईयों में मतभेद और बढ़ेगा, यहाँ तक उन्हें युद्ध होने की सम्भावना भी थी। किन्तु, उन्हें जुआ खेलने के लिए उकसाया गया। परिणामस्वरूप, वे उसमें फँसते चले गए और उन्होंने और अधिक जुआ खेलना आरम्भ कर दिया। अन्ततोगत्वा, जैसे-जैसे जुए का खेल आगे बढ़ा, वे जुए के प्रभाव में जकड़ लिए गए।

यह प्रश्न उठाया जा सकता है कि युधिष्ठिर जैसा धर्मपरायण व्यक्ति जुए के प्रभाव में कैसे इतना फँस सकता है। हमें इस परिस्थिति को एक दूसरे दृष्टिकोण से देखना चाहिए। जुए का उन्माद इतना तीव्र हो सकता है कि युधिष्ठिर जैसा धर्मपरायण व्यक्ति भी उसमें किसी भी हद तक फँस सकता है और जुआ पूर्णतया उसे अपने वश में कर सकता है।

युधिष्ठिर वास्तव में सोच रहे थे, “मैंने बहुत कुछ खो दिया है। मैंने अपने शस्त्र, आभूषण, राज्य सब खो दिए हैं। अब किसी तरह, मुझे इन वस्तुओं को पुनः प्राप्त करना है। “वे यह आशा कर रहे थे कि अगले दाँव तक, उनका भाग्य पलट जाएगा और वे उन सब वस्तुओं को पुनः प्राप्त कर लेंगे। अतः, जब उसने अपना सब कुछ खो दिया, तो उसने नकुल और सहदेव को दाँव पर लगाया। इसपर, शकुनि ने उसे उकसाया और कहा, “लगता है कि तुम माद्री से ज्यादा कुंती के पुत्रों से प्रेम करते हो। अतः तुमने माद्री के पुत्रों को दाँव पर लगाया है, कुंती के पुत्रों को नहीं।” वास्तव में पाँचों पाण्डव एक थे। यद्यपि, वे सौतेले भाई थे किन्तु उनमें आपस में सगे भाईयों से भी अधिक घनिष्टता थी। इस आरोप से युधिष्ठिर क्रोधित हो गए। उन्होंने कहा, “तुम मूर्ख हो। हम पाँच पाण्डव एक हाथ की पाँच अंगुलियों के समान हैं। हम सब एक हैं। आपने हमारे बीच मनमुटाव पैदा करने की धृष्टता कैसे की?” शकुनि ने तुरंत युधिष्ठिर से क्षमा माँगी। उसने अपना चेहरा बदल लिया और कहा, “क्षमा करें, क्षमा करें। मैंने परिस्थितिवश आपको कुछ गलत कह दिया, कृपया मुझे क्षमा करें। आप हर तरह से मेरे श्रेष्ठ हैं। आइए जुआ खेलना जारी रखें।” शकुनि ने पश्चाताप का दिखावा किया किन्तु उसने अपना उद्देश्य पूरा कर लिया। तब युधिष्ठिर ने अर्जुन को दाँव पर लगा दिया और उसे खो दिया। फिर उन्होंने भीम को दाँव पर लगाया और उसे भी खो दिया। फिर उसने स्वयं को दाँव पर लगाया और स्वयं को भी खो दिया।

इस समय वे अपना सब कुछ खो चुके थे। अब, शकुनि ने सुझाव दिया, “आपके पास अभी भी एक और वस्तु दाँव पर लगाने के लिए है, और वह है द्रौपदी।” जब द्रौपदी का नाम आया तो पूरी सभा में हाहाकार मच गया। युधिष्ठिर स्वयं इस सुझाव को सुनकर हतप्रभ थे। तब उन्होंने सोचा कि अब द्रौपदी का कोई रक्षक नहीं बचा। उसके सारे पति दास बन चुके हैं और यदि मैं द्रौपदी को दाँव पर लगाऊँ, तो सम्भवतः जीत जाऊँ। यदि मैं जीत गया तो जो मैंने खोया है उसे वापस पा सकूँगा। तो कम से कम कुछ तो जीवन जी पाऐंगे, अन्यथा द्रौपदी का क्या जीवन होगा? ऐसा नहीं है कि युधिष्ठिर का तर्क उचित था किन्तु उस परिस्थिति में वे ऐसा सोच रहे थे। तब ऐसी मनोस्थिति में, उन्होंने द्रौपदी को दाँव पर लगाने का निर्णय किया।

अब यदि हम देखें, तो महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है कि जुए में स्वयं से पहले उन्होंने अपने भाइयों को दाँव पर लगाया। उसके बाद ही उन्होंने द्रौपदी को दाँव पर लगाया। इसका अर्थ यह है कि वे वास्तव में द्रौपदी को कहीं अधिक मूल्यवान मानते थे। ऐसा नहीं था कि उन्होंने यूँ ही द्रौपदी को दाँव पर लगा दिया था। सर्वप्रथम, युधिष्ठिर जुआ खेलने के लिए अपने वरिष्ठजनों के निर्देशों से बंधे हुए थे। उन्हें अन्यों द्वारा जुआ खेलने के लिए एक कुत्सित भावना के अंतर्गत उकसाया गया था। वे न सिर्फ जुए के उन्माद में फँसते चले गए अपितु वे अत्यंत निराश भी थे क्योंकि वे अपना सब कुछ खोना नहीं चाहते थे। इस अवस्था में उन्होंने द्रौपदी को भी दाँव पर लगा दिया।

आध्यात्मिक और भक्तिमय दृष्टिकोण से यदि इस घटना की विवेचना की जाए तो यह कहा जा सकता है कि घटनाक्रम इस प्रकार व्यवस्थित किया गया कि श्रीकृष्ण को ही अंततः द्रौपदी की रक्षा के लिए आना पड़ा। युधिष्ठिर के कार्यों को भगवान् द्वारा इस प्रकार व्यवस्थित किया गया कि वे प्रदर्शित कर सकें – “अंततोगत्वा, श्रीकृष्ण के अलावा हमारा और कोई रक्षक नहीं है”। द्रौपदी के पाँच अत्यंत वीर पति थे जिनके समान जगत में शायद ही और कोई अन्य वीर होगा। सम्भवतः कोई भी न हो। किन्तु फिर भी ऐसे पति उस विशेष समय पर असहाय बना दिए गए। द्रौपदी सहायता के लिए भी उनके पास नहीं जा सकती थी। वह श्रीकृष्ण की ओर मुड़ी और उन्होंने ही उसकी सहायता की।

संक्षेप में कहा जाए तो, आध्यात्मिक दृष्टिकोण से, युधिष्ठिर के कार्यों को भगवान द्वारा व्यवस्थित किया गया था ताकि वे इस सत्य को प्रदर्शित कर सकें कि श्रीकृष्ण के अलावा हमारा कोई रक्षक नहीं है। किन्तु, परिस्थितिजन्य दृष्टिकोण से, हम समझ सकते हैं कि युधिष्ठिर ने अपने वरिष्ठों के निर्देश के कारण, शकुनि के उकसावे में आकर, जुए के उन्माद में फँसकर और इस हताश आशा के कारण जुआ खेला कि सम्भवतः वे हो चुकी सम्पत्ति की क्षति को पूर्ववत कर सकते हैं। इसी विकट परिस्थिति एवं मानसिक अवस्था में वे द्रौपदी को भी जुए में दाँव पर लगा बैठे।

End of transcription.

BUSH FIRE UPDATE:
After coordinating our strategy to support the victims of the terrible bush fires raging here in Victoria in particular, I have contacted all the various Councils and also the Sikh community and they have assured me that …at this time… there is absolutely no need to have direct food distribution outlets.
There is so much food that has been donated they have a problem with storage.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.17

Today’s featured video on Dandavats.com.
HH Radhanath Swami expounds the intricate workings of the modes of material nature in his Srimad Bhagavatam class on SB 11.25. 06 at ISKCON Chowpatty on 5th Jan 2020.

It’s natural to be angry with a person who hurts us. If the pain caused by someone’s actions is too severe, one might even consider punishing them. But how appropriate is it to condemn or punish an entire community or family for one person’s mistake? Here are some examples from Srimad Bhagavatam to explore more on this topic. Continue reading "Does One Man’s Mistake Make Many Culprits?
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Answer Podcast

The post History is written by winners – because Rama and Krishna won wars, did they declare themselves as God? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Audio Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save content”

Transcribed by: Bhabesh Mishra

Edited by: Keshavgopal Das

Question: Is ISKCON’s institutionalized structure an import from Christianity?

Answer: This is a very simplistic way of analysing how tradition works.

Institutionalization is a necessary part of every culture and it was there within the Indian traditions long before the Britishers came to India. Shankaracharya had his akhadas and Buddhists had their monasteries. Buddhism itself was very well organised and in response to that, Shankaracharya also organised very systematically. Even the personalistic Vedantic acharyas such as Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, they all organised things systematically. They even made succession plans.
The organisation was very much a part of not just Buddhism, Advaitism or Vedantic Vaishnavism but even before that, there was organization in the brahminical culture in India. There were hierarchies of priests when a particular sacrifice would be performed. In the Rigveda, different priests for different rituals has been prescribed. Institutionalization in itself is not a Western concept. It has been very much there in the Indian tradition.

The specific way in which institutionalization might have been done may vary according to time, place and circumstance. It’s true that in Gaudiya Vaishnavism itself, there was not much institutionalization prior to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati or Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Before that we see that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself was not at all an institution organizer, although he empowered and delegated people with different missions.

If we classify on the basis of institutional theory, there is soft, medium and hard institutionalization. Soft institutionalization means that there is a broad overall agreement of theology principle and practice but there is a wide variety of institutionalization. It can be seen in the way kirtans evolved in Bengal and Odisha. There is some difference between the two but they both glorified Krishna as revealed through Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

However, by the time of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, things had changed substantially. Britishers had gained power and there was a systematic attack on the institutions of Vedic culture by both Christian missionaries and British rationalists. Christian missionaries wanted to Christianize India and British Rationalists wanted to rationalize India. Either way Vedic culture was under severe attack. In such a situation, it was important to defend it. If an army is attacking in a particular way, the counter attack has to be befitting. For example, an army attacked by arrows cannot defend themselves simply with swords.

When the British came to India, they were quite organised, whether it was for commercial or for conversion purposes. Therefore, within the broad Indian tradition, there took place the Bengali Renaissance and there was a lot of change that happened in Bengal and India. It was at that time the contemporary spiritual teachers took the responsibility for presenting and representing the tradition in a way that would be intelligible, defensible and appealing to their contemporary audiences. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Srila Prabhupada were present in those formative years of what has become modern Hinduism now. Bhaktivinoda Thakura did envision a structure of Namahatta for systematic propagation of the holy names.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s institutional structure although was conceptually very deep, but it was a loose structure in terms of implementation mainly because Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a grihastha with lot of responsibilities – legal as well as familial. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the first person who built a Gaudiya Math and he created an institutional framework which did phenomenal outreach. In particular, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was very bold. Since the forces criticizing dharma were heavily critical, it was essential to counter them using similar institutionalization. That’s what the acharyas did.

In institutionalization, there is always a possibility of degenerating into evil. Instead of focusing on the purpose, the focus is on the periphery. Certainly, there is hierarchy and centralized power the purpose of which is effective dissemination of spiritual knowledge and culture. But if people become power hungry and they focus on power and not on the purpose, they misuse the power. Instead of fulfilling the purpose of glorifying the Lord, they often try to gather glory for themselves. This can happen in any institution. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur himself alerted us. There is a famous lecture where he talks about Putana. Just as Putana tried to kill Krishna, similarly mundane institutionalization in the garb of a nurse rather than nourishing devotion can very well poison it. Hence, one has to be very careful.

Srila Prabhupada himself built an institution and strongly identified with it. He said “ISKCON is my body.” But then he also taught us that we are not our bodies. That means that “ISKCON his body” means two things – (i) we cannot live without a body (ii) while we need a body to function, still we are not the body.
Without the institutional structure of ISKCON, the worldwide propagation of bhakti that has happened would not have happened. The very fact that it has happened indicates that this is a special structure that has enabled the dissemination of bhakti.

The body is there to help us do our bhakti and seva. However, sometimes we become so bodily conscious, that instead of serving with the body we start serving the body. Similarly, it can happen that instead of using the institution to share wisdom, we can just focus on the institution to glorify ourselves. Then, it can become a battle for ego, prestige and position.
Unfortunately, this has happened in the movement. The way to prevent such situation is by purifying our purpose, not by rejecting the form of the institution because without the form, it would be very difficult to maintain our bhakti. To explain the point, let us analyse what an institution is.

An institution is essentially a group of like-minded people coming together and creating the infrastructure and facilities for pursuing their joint interests. Consider that our individual bhakti is like a trickle of water, coming down from the mountain towards the ocean of Krishna. While moving on its way facing various obstacles, this trickle may just get evaporated, trapped or lost. On the other hand, if many such trickles come together and form a river which can move forcefully successfully negotiating various obstacles on its way towards the ocean.
An institution is just like a river. Different people with some spiritual urges come together. The combined energy of their spiritual urges become like a forceful river. They all inspire each other to move towards Krishna. However, if people forget the purpose of moving towards Krishna, and start thinking of gaining prestige and power, then the purpose is lost. This is the danger in institutionalisation.

The way to deal with that danger is by purification of intent, not by rejection of form. If we reject the form, then we will not be able to have the benefit that the form provides in terms of giving us a systematic avenue for channelizing our devotional aspirations. So even within an institution, rather than focusing on the form of the institution, we focus on the purpose – love and serve Krishna – then the sanga of devotees will inspire us.

Rather than accusing the Krishna Consciousness movement of importing something from Christianity, we should recognize that tradition itself is a dynamic blend of past tradition and contemporary culture so that the tradition’s message and culture can be most effectively presented to the world. Christianity does not have a monopoly on institutionalization. Institutionalization was there in Vedic tradition itself and the tradition was also aware of the dangers of institutionalization. In fact, our tradition has guided on how to avoid those dangers.

It may be true that some specific forms may have been adopted from a contemporary culture but it’s not that some particular culture has monopoly over those forms. For example, now we are using internet for sharing Krishna’s wisdom. Then is it to be said that since internet was developed by an atheist, use of internet by the Krishna consciousness movement is an import from atheism? No.

We shall not have such a frozen idea of tradition as something which stays eternally static. Tradition has a central core which is static but its periphery, the way in which it interacts with the contemporary world, that will vary according to the contemporary culture and will naturally change. Though, there are dangers in such kind of interaction but there are dangers in not interacting in that way also.

Hence, we need to focus on the principle that we should do whatever it takes to make Krishna accessible and relishable to as many people as possible. Institutionalization provides the structure by which we can share Krishna’s message far and wide. At the same time, we should also know that there is a danger associated with institutionalization. It can create obstacles if the purpose is forgotten. Therefore, if there is systematic sadhana, study of shastra, then the purpose is fulfilled. By fulfilling the purpose, we can purposefully continue to move towards Krishna.

End of Transcription.

The post Is ISKCON’s institutionalized structure an import from Christianity? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Jiva Goswami’s Hand-Writing!
Srila Prabhupada: Some years back I attended a meeting in Calcutta wherein Pramathanath Tarkabhusan, the learned Sanskrit scholar, was present. He said about Jiva Goswami very highly that there was no comparison with Jiva Goswami and any other philosophers of the world. Gaudiya Vaisnavism is very much proud of having such a great acarya as Jiva Goswami.

In a little over one month ISKCON will be celebrating another milestone event at the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in preparation for the opening in 2022: The Grand Opening of the fully completed Pujari Floor. On February 13, 2020, in observance of the 146th anniversary of the appearance of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and in preparation for the relocation of our beloved world Deities into Their new home, the Pujari Floor will be inaugurated with great pomp and celebration.

This will be the largest pujari space of its kind in the world at a size of 2.5 acres, with over 20 dedicated rooms for Deity seva designed under the scrutiny and guidance of Their Graces Jananivas and Pankajanghri prabhus, ISKCON Mayapur’s Head Pujaris. Details of the level of professionality, resources, and the multi-faceted elements that are part of this highly specialized pujari area can be found in this Pujari Floor Report from Cushman & Wakefield who have overseen the work from its start.

Srila Prabhupada said, “Mayapur is my place of worship.” Here he established the Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir to facilitate that worship, eventually to a scale that would influence the entire world through the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Indeed, the TOVP is the long-awaited new home for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Pancha Tattva and Sri Nrsimhadeva, and this Pujari Floor opening ceremony heralds the relocation to Their new home in 2022. Here They will be worshiped in the most impeccable and grandiose manner for thousands of years to come, offering Their merciful darshan to devotees and pilgrims from every corner of the world.

21 of the rooms on the Pujari Floor have also been selected for eager donors to sponsor. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to directly serve ISKCON’s Main Deities at our World Headquarters in sacred Sridhama Mayapur won’t come again. You can personally serve Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava, Sri Pancha Tattva and Sri Nrsimhadeva by financing the completion of one of these rooms in Their long-awaited new home, and have your name placed over the entrance as the sevaite responsible for this unique service. Make your pledge today and receive Their Lordships’ eternal blessings.

For more information go to the TOVP Rooms of Worship page.

Grand Opening Schedule

9:00 – Svagata: Welcoming the Deities, Padukas and Srila Prabhupada
9:30 – Invocation Prayers
9:45 – Addresses by Senior Vaishnavas
11:30 – Vastu Puja/Homa Yajna
12:15 – Puspanjali for H.D.G Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur
12:30 – Pujari Kaksha Udghatana: Pujari Rooms Opening
2:00 – Bhandara: Celebration Feast

The full event can be watched live or recorded on Mayapur.tv

Below are several CGI compositions from the TOVP Architecture Department showing what some of the finished Pujari Floor rooms will look like.

 
[See image gallery at tovp.org]

The post TOVP Pujari Floor Grand Opening – H.H. Gopal Krishna Maharaja Speaks Out appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Boat Sankirtan by Sydney Opera’s House, Australia (1 min. video)
Srila Prabhupada: “Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.51 Purport)

H.H Mahavishnu Swami’s letter to the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison.

Dear Honourable Prime Minister Scott Morrison,
Happy New Year! Hare Krishna!

I am a traveling monk, an ISKCON* Spiritual Master visiting branches in Australia. Our society is teaching the science of how man’s consciousness affects the ecology of God’s nature.

In this bushfire emergency so far material solutions seem to be of no avail. Therefore I humbly offer my service to inspire the public to participate in an enjoyable spiritual solution which can by God’s Grace bring rains to put out the fires.

This is called ‘sankirtan yoga’ or the “all together ” chanting of God’s Holy Names. It is nonsectarian so anyone can sing their preferred names of God…like Christ, Allah, Buddha, Krishna, Rama etc.

After we arrived in Australia from NZ on 24th December, 15 of us chanted on the streets in downtown Sydney and it immediately rained for about 20 minutes. If through the media we can inspire thousands or more to join in this yoga practice by God’s grace it can do the job we all want.

What is the loss if we try? After all, it is said, “necessity is the mother of invention”.

I humbly request you to take this seriously and if necessary give me time to discuss this with you personally.

Yours sincerely
Mahavishnu Swami
(Mr John Riddihough,UK citizen aged 74)

*International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Mantra Chaitanya das, 33, on how spirituality has changed his attitude towards money.
Interview by The Guardian.
Name: Mantra Chaitanya das
Age: 35
Income: £12-£15,000
Occupation: Gardener, teacher and voluntary university chaplain, Canterbury

Bhakta Dasa: With the tragic bush fires around Australia at the moment, the Hare Krishna devotees in Melbourne are contributing in a variety of ways. We are supporting the JET Australia Foundation ( the Ramanuja Sampradaya ) by providing funds to them to distribute bottled water to the Firefighters. We are also looking at ways Hare Krishna Food for Life can assist with Vegetarian meal distribution. There are also plans to have a joint Hindu temples and organizations Yajna where we will be performing the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra Sankirtan Yajna. At the temple tonight also there is a Bushfire Kirtan relief prayer session starting at 5.00pm. All welcome.

Conditions for Second-generation Diksa-gurus—2019 [Governing Law]. Whereas at the 2019 AGM, it was resolved that, under certain conditions, disciples can give initiation in the physical presence of their spiritual masters; Whereas this resolution called for the Guru Services Committee to develop a more detailed process of implementation; Resolved: That the responsibility of ensuring that all conditions for Second-generation Diksa-gurus as listed in resolution “701.2, Conditions for Second-generation Diksa-gurus —2019” of the 2019 Annual General Meeting,rests with the respective Local Area Councils nominating such candidates. Srila Prabhupada: “Just adhere yourself to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then you become spiritual master. That's all. So I hope that all of you, men, women, boys and girls, become spiritual master and follow this principle. Continue reading "GBC 2019 Midterm General Meeting Resolutions
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 7 January 2017, Brisbane, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.4)

It was right there in the centre of the universe where the Srimad Bhagavatam was spoken. In this way, we know that the Srimad Bhagavatam is in the centre of this movement. It is the essential literature which is really the purpose of the movement. The Srimad Bhagavatam is showing us the path which the devotees took. It is showing us the nature of the spiritual world in great detail, which is our ultimate goal. This is why the Srimad Bhagavatam is in the centre of our movement.

We cannot say, “I like reading Prabhupada’s books, but only the little ones like ‘Beyond birth and death’ and ‘Perfection of Yoga’. I like them so much that I just keep reading them again and again”. That is very good that we enjoy reading those books, but now we must read the Srimad Bhagavatam. We must always remember that the Srimad Bhagavatam is the essence of this movement.

The article " Srimad Bhagavatam is the essence " was published on KKSBlog.

[reposted from 2008-10-06]
My dear Hari Nam Prabhu:

By the grace of Shrila Prabhupada
and my shiska gurus who represent
Lord Chaitanya and Nitai,
(who have brought you in Kali-yuga)
I have been introduced to you
in the process of japa and kirtana.

With whatever humility and gratitude
I can embody, I thank you for
remaining with me over the years,
many of which were quite poor spiritually--
yet you somehow enabled me to keep chanting.

read more