Pasar Baru is an area in central Jakarta, Indonesia. We have had a centre there for some years but recently the devotees moved to another building in the same area.

It is a shop front type building with four floors and the bottom is used for a Govindas Restaurant. The next two floors are kitchen and accommodation, while the top is used for the temple room.

I was invited to attend Gita-Jayanti there, which coincided with the actual opening of the centre.

Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK - Deities tour the new Haveli facility.
The ceremonial Utsav Deities of Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Vrindadevi and Srila Prabhupada were recently taken on a tour of the nearly completed Shree Krishna Haveli building, located next to the main Manor building.

Podcast:

The post How can we know if worldly desires come from our heart or our mind – What happens if such desires come while chanting? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Perspectives on Time and Space.
What do the Bhagavatam and Srila Prabhupada have to say about these universal concepts? At the beginning of his first book, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Dedicated to the scientists of the world.” Perhaps it was Lord Krishna’s special plan that Srila Prabhupada’s first book be related to science, and space in particular. By this dedication, Srila Prabhupada is inviting scientists and any inquisitive thoughtful people to explore the science in the Vedic literature.

Ananda: It happens and will continue to happen - someone says something to us, or about us, and we feel the emotions rise. We get ‘bent out of shape’, can’t stop the replay in our mind, and practice all kinds of imaginary ways to respond to it. This may go on for days, weeks, or even years. Resentment cooks like that. We don’t like how we feel and yet we don’t know how to shake it off.

Read More...

Progress is being made on Prabhupada’s Bridge that connects the TOVP with Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi. This all-important bridge symbolically as well as practically connects our Founder-Acharya to his most important and magnificent project.

Jagadananda Prabhu has just completed aligning the cast iron fence on Prabhupada’s Bridge. Now that that’s completed, we will commence the detailing work for the pillar posts to prepare them for cladding, and of course go on with doing the final touches such as painting the cast iron itself. When you stand in front of the railing it looks absolutely stunning, as you have a beautiful frontal view of the peacocks.

 
[See image gallery at tovp.org]

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The post Progress on Prabhupada’s Bridge appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.44 The Family of Krishna 2019-11-30 Dallas

February 13, 2020 will mark the next historic milestone of progress in the TOVP construction. On that day ISKCON devotees worldwide will joyfully celebrate the most auspicious Grand Opening of the Deities’ entire Pujari Floor in a completely finished and usable condition.

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.

“Worship Krishna with love. That is the qualification for Deity worship. If you love Krishna, you will worship Him very nicely.”

Srila Prabhupada letter, October 7, 1974

“If one attains perfection in Deity worship, that is called Arcana Siddhi. Arcana Siddhi means simply by Deity worship one goes back to Godhead, immediately after this life.”

Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 18, 1969

“If you think this is a brass-made idol, then it will remain a brass-made idol to you forever. But if you elevate yourself to higher platform of Krishna consciousness, then Krishna, this Krishna, will talk with you. This Krishna will talk with you.”

Srila Prabhupada Lecture, L.A., July 16, 1969

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 here.

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App at: https://m.tovp.org/app
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The post The Most Auspicious Grand Opening of the TOVP Pujari Floor – February 13, 2020 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

On December 8, at Giriraj Swami’s ashram in Carpinteria, Varun Gogna, from London, received first and second initiation and the name Vraja Sundara Dasa; Bradley Nibblett, from Los Angeles, received first initiation and the name Bhakta Dasa; and Vraja Bihari Dasa and Sveta Manjari Dasi, from Mumbai, received second initiation.

Audio
Initiation Ceremony Talk (Right click to download)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 May 2019, Melbourne, Australia, Bhakti Vriksha Program)

By surrendering to a pure devotee, we are actually experiencing freedom. The pure devotee sets us free from our lower nature, the lower nature that we have due to our foolishness. Somehow or other, we got entangled in this lower nature and we know that we do not need it, but we still have it.

Take for example, uncontrolled anger! When people get angry, they often break things and it is a lot of damage which they have to pay for. They worked really hard for those things, but then they also break the things. So, uncontrolled anger is certainly a problem, part of a lower nature. Pride is another one – “Yes, I am so qualified! So incredibly qualified and therefore I have no problems. I have only one problem; that world does not recognise my glory.” But what we forget is that when we are very proud, there is nothing we can learn because we are under the impression that we already know everything.

Therefore, it is only when we become a little humble can we learn something meaningful such as how to overcome our lower nature. So like this, we have to grow, and it is through the association of devotees that we develop these qualities that can assist us in overcoming our false ego; overcoming our lower nature. 

The article " Overcoming our lower nature " was published on KKSBlog.

Twelve days of inspiration, adventures, loads of chanting and hours of travelling. You have made it and probably already arrived home, or are still exploring the holy dhama. There were many photos made and (live) videos recorded. Too much to handle during your busy kartik schedule, so here is a summary of all the Braja Parikrama 2019 articles that were published earlier.

Articles

Articles with travel stories, videos and photos.

• Arrival in Vrindavan
• Day 1 – 1st Nov – Govinda kund, Tribhuvanatha Samadhi, Nrsimha temple Puncari
• Day 2 – 2nd Nov – Gosvami Temples Vrindavana
• Day 3-5 – 3-5 Nov Jaipur
• Day 6 6th Nov – Yavat, Vrindakund
• Day 7 7th Nov – Sanket, Anjanoka
• Day 8 8th Nov – Vrindavan Parikrama
• Day 9 9th Nov – Unchagaon
• Day 10 10th Nov – Rest, Srimad Bhagavatam class
• Day 11 11th Nov – Krishna Kund, Prem sarovara, initiations
• Day 12 12th Nov – Garuda Govinda, Rama Tala

Rukmini devi dasi wrote her travel stories about the Jaipur trip in 3 parts. Highly recommended

• Jaipur Part 1
• Jaipur Part 2
• Jaipur Part 3

You can easily find all articles with this link.

Braja Parikrama 2019 Playlist

We are still expecting more videos to be posted to our Youtube channel (you are subscribed right?!) so keep an eye on that!

Promo Braja Parikrama 2019

Video by Gokularanjana das

Here are all the live videos that were streamed during the Braja Parikrama adventures in 2019

Memories

Kartik time in Vrindavan is the best moment of the year to immerse yourself into the holy dham and associate with the spiritual family of Kadamba Kanana Swami. We asked a few devotees to write down their experiences that we like to share with you;

Every moment was the best during parikrama as we could have remained absorbed in the function of pleasing Krsna and His devotees. Going on parikrama and completing it will definitely fill your heart with truth, compassion, tolerance and humility.

Sylvia

You get dust, you get heat and everything in between.
The mercy elevates you, the austerity humbles you.
Your soul thrives whilst your body is in respite.
You are with Krsna in the Holy Dhama.

Zoltan

I am reminded of Srila Prabhupada and how he made Vrindavan and the mercy of Lord Krsna and Srimati Radha Rani available to us all. I feel deep gratitude and respect to all the fortunate living entities – moving and non moving that are residing on the sandy ground of vraja

Harsarani devi dasi

My best moments would be serving Kadamba Kanana swami while doing Parikrama and setting a real mood with his kirtans.

Krishna Nidhi devi dasi

We were a colorful company of enthusiastic pilgrims sheltered and guided by a pure devotee of the Lord. How fortunate that we could bathe in transcendental sound for 12 continuous days, in the form of lively talks and mind blowing kirtan!

Amrtavani devi dasi

This parikrama was a  precious opportunity to make conscious contact with some of the super-heroes of our parampara, namely the six Goswamis. Who where they and how does our spiritual wealth rest on the bedrock of their sacrifices? From Vrndavana to Jaipur and back, we were humbled under the gaze their Deities, who are powerfully invested with their love.

Rukmini devi dasi

The article " Summary – Braja Parikrama 2019 " was published on KKSBlog.

His Holiness Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Maharaja was born in 1937 at Toubul Village, Manipur. His parents were vaisnavas and named him, Damodara. His father passed away from Typhoid at a young age and Damodara was brought up with the help of his uncle.

In 1969, Damodara was a student at the University of California, Irvine, doing his Ph.D. research in Physical Organic Chemistry. He met the devotees at Laguna beach while they were on harinama. A short time later he traveled to Los Angeles to meet Srila Prabhupada, who asked him to help preach to the scientific community.

At the time of initiation, Srila Prabhupada gave him the spiritual name, Svarupa Damodara Dasa. Later, after taking sannyasa initiation the prefix Bhakti was added and since that time he has been known as Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja.

I was able to attend his Vyasapuja celebration at Radha Rasesvara temple and I told his disciples my fond remembrances of him. Kavicandra Maharaja was also there and he spoke very nicely as well.

On November 16^th, devotees in London celebrated the life of one of Srila Prabhupada’s greatest warriors, who continues to inspire and motivate ISKCON members to this day – Tribhuvanatha Das, who passed away in 2001.

“It’s a subtle mind-shift between entertainment and appreciation” says our host Sakshi Gopal das, having greeted us all warmly this chilly Friday eve, 29th November 2019, “but let’s all appreciate what we owe George Harrison. Where would we be without him and the Beatles?"

It happens and will continue to happen - someone says something to us, or about us, and we feel the emotions rise. We get ‘bent out of shape’, can’t stop the replay in our mind, and practice all kinds of imaginary ways to respond to it.

About 100 people, including local devotees, parents and family they had invited, and members of the Indian community attended this year’s Thanksgiving program at ISKCON’s New Goloka Dham in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Mercy means we are increasing our relationship with Krsna.

Kadamba Kanana Swami

This quote is part of the morning class on Srimad Bhagavatam 4.25.50. Kadamba Kanana Swami was in Melbourne on the 20st of Nov 2019.

Watch the video below for the whole class or visit Youtube.

The article " Mercy means… " was published on KKSBlog.

The Bhagavad-gita is also known as the Gitopanishad and is considered one of the Upanishads. The title Bhagavad-gita is sometimes translated as “The Song of God.” Gita means “song.” God, Krishna, is so sublime that whatever He speaks is music and poetry. The word bhagavan has been analyzed by Vedic authorities. Bhaga means “opulence” and is related to the word bhagya: “good fortune.” And van means “one who possesses.” So bhagavan means “He who possesses all opulence in full.”

aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya yasasah sriyah
jnana-vairagyayos caiva
sannam bhaga itingana

“Full wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation—these are the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Vishnu Purana 6.5.47)

All of us possess some wealth. I may have ten dollars, but if I look I will find someone who has a hundred dollars. And if I look further, I will find someone who has a thousand dollars, and a million, and a billion. But no one can say that he has all the wealth in all creation, that no one is equal to or greater than him in wealth. When we come to that person who has all wealth—no one is equal to or greater than him—that is Bhagavan, Krishna.

The Bhagavad-gita was originally spoken by Krishna to Arjuna. As stated in the Gita (4.1),

   sri-bhagavan uvaca
imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave ’bravit

“The Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.” In this way, the knowledge was passed on through disciplic succession from one to the next to the next. But in the course of time, that chain became broken.

evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh
sa kaleneha mahata
yogo nastah parantapa

“This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.” (Gita 4.2) Nasta means “spoiled.” You may have a nice plate of prasada, but if you leave it aside and it becomes old and contaminated, it becomes nasta, spoiled. It is food, but you don’t get the benefit. To get the real benefit of the Bhagavad-gita, one must receive it through parampara (evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh).

Five thousand years ago, Lord Krishna detected that the chain was broken and that, consequently, the knowledge was lost. So He came again and spoke the Bhagavad-gita again, to Arjuna: “Now, Arjuna, you become the first recipient of this knowledge in the new chain, so that the knowledge is received and presented as it is.” Srila Prabhupada called his translation of the Gita the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. “As it is” means as Krishna spoke it five thousand years ago and as Arjuna understood it.

How did Arjuna understand it? First, he accepted Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead:

  arjuna uvaca
param brahma param dhama
pavitram paramam bhavan
purusam sasvatam divyam
adi-devam ajam vibhum

“Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest.” (Gita 10.12)

And he accepted everything that Krishna said as true: sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava—“O Krsna, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me.” (Gita 10.14) “I accept whatever You say, in toto.” He did not discriminate that he liked some parts of the Gita and not other parts. Sarvam etad rtam manye: “I accept in toto everything that You have said.”

If we begin to discriminate, “I like this portion, but I don’t like that portion,” we become implicated in ardha-kukkuti-nyaya, “half-hen” logic. A farmer had a hen that was laying eggs. But the farmer thought that only the hind portion was valuable, because that part was giving eggs, but that the neck portion was simply troublesome, because it just ate food. He concluded, “I will cut the neck portion, which is just a botheration, and keep the hind portion, which gives eggs.” And when he did, of course, the hen died and there were no more eggs.

One verse in the Bhagavad-gita that is popular among some people states, karmany evadhikaras te: “You are entitled to do your duty.” They think, “I can do my duty. I can go to work. I can make and spend money. I can take care of my family, live with my family, enjoy with my family and friends. That is a precious instruction.” But when they come to sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja—give up all varieties of religiousness and surrender to Krishna—that is a little troublesome, and they want to cut that part: “We don’t really need it. We’ll just keep the really valuable part: I can do my duty.”

In order to get the full benefit of the Bhagavad-gita, it is essential to accept it as it is. Devotees who have accepted it as it is and applied its principles in their lives have undergone extraordinary transformations. This knowledge can really help people. And any genuine person who gets something good will naturally want to share it with others. Anyone who has imbibed the nectar of the Bhagavad-gita, gotten the benefit of the Bhagavad-gita, will want to share the knowledge with others. It is natural. If you are eating a nice plate of prasada and taste something really good, it is natural to say, “You should try this; it’s really good.” Anyone—any child—will do that. So, when you actually experience the benefit of the Bhagavad-gita in your life, you will naturally want to share the knowledge with others so that they too can benefit and become happy.

Now, why did Krishna choose Arjuna to be the first student of the Bhagavad-gita? Arjuna was not a sannyasi. He was a married man. And he was not a brahman. He was a warrior. Why Arjuna? Krishna explains,

sa evayam maya te ’dya
yogah proktah puratanah
bhakto ’si me sakha ceti
rahasyam hy etad uttamam

“That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science.” (Gita 4.3) The main qualification for understanding the Gita is bhakto ’si me, to be Lord Krishna’s devotee. And later Krishna says that one should hear the Gita with faith and without envy (sraddhavan anasuyas ca srnuyad api yo narah). (Gita 18.71) This is a crucial point: to get the true benefit of the Gita, one must be a devotee.

What does it mean to be a devotee? Sometimes the word devotee is used quite broadly. To begin, let us understand devotee in contrast to karmi, jnani, and yogi. These are all technical (as well as general) terms. A karmi engages in fruitive work. He works for personal gain: “I have worked and earned. Now I have the right to enjoy the fruit.” That is 90 percent of the world. People work, and they feel, “I have earned the money, so I have the right to spend it—on myself, on my family, on my community, on my country” (or whatever limited or extended concept of sense gratification they have). But the Gita says no. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana: “You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action.” (Gita 2.47) The fruits belong to Krishna.

If you invite a carpenter to your house and give him wood and nails and glue—everything he needs—and say, “I want you to build me a cabinet,” in the end, to whom does the cabinet belong—to the carpenter or to you? It belongs to the proprietor, not the worker. The worker has assembled the ingredients supplied by the proprietor, but that doesn’t make him the owner.

This entire material creation, this entire cosmic manifestation—the elements are provided by Krishna. The earth we tread; the water we drink; the air we breathe; the fire, or electricity, we use—everything belongs to Him, and we cannot rightly claim any of it for ourselves. We may assemble the elements in different ways, but it all belongs to Krishna and is meant to be used for His purposes.

A karmi engages in work and wants to keep the fruits for himself. A karma-yogi engages in work but gives the fruits to Krishna. A man may grow a tree that produces fruits. A karmi will keep the fruits for himself, whereas a karma-yogi will give the fruits, or some of the fruits, to Krishna. The sakama-karma-yogi has selfish desires, but he still gives something to Krishna. If the tree produces a hundred mangoes, he may give one or two or ten or twenty to Krishna. And as he becomes purified, as he develops more faith and becomes more attached to Krishna, he will give more to Krishna. Eventually he may give all one hundred mangoes to Krishna, without any selfish desire (niskama-karma-yoga). But he will not be the loser. Krishna will give him His prasada, His mercy.

The jnanis and often the yogis are impersonalists; they believe that God is ultimately impersonal—nameless, formless, without qualities, without activities. They may even go so far as to think that Krishna’s form is material, that just as we have a physical body made of flesh and bones and blood, so does Krishna. And according to them, if Krishna is material, then His name, form, qualities, and activities are also all material. People may chant His name, but ultimately they have to go beyond that. People may worship His form, but they have to go beyond that. People may talk about His qualities and activities, but they have to go beyond that. Ultimately, according to them, we have to go beyond all these illusory forms and names and come to the all-pervading impersonal light and merge and become one with it. Then there is no you, no me, no Krishna—nothing. Just oneness.

In theory, that is also a possibility. But it is very rare to achieve that state, and very difficult. Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita (12.2–7):

mayy avesya mano ye mam
nitya-yukta upasate
sraddhaya parayopetas
te me yuktatama matah

“Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.

ye tv aksaram anirdesyam
avyaktam paryupasate
sarvatra-gam acintyam ca
kuta-stham acalam dhruvam

sanniyamyendriya-gramam
sarvatra sama-buddhayah
te prapnuvanti mam eva
sarva-bhuta-hite ratah

“But those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, unchanging, fixed and immovable—the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth—by controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me.

kleso ’dhikataras tesam
avyaktasakta-cetasam
avyakta hi gatir duhkham
dehavadbhir avapyate

“For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.

ye tu sarvani karmani
mayi sannyasya mat-parah
ananyenaiva yogena
mam dhyayanta upasate

tesam aham samuddharta
mrtyu-samsara-sagarat
bhavami na cirat partha
mayy avesita-cetasam

“But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Prtha—for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.”

Not only is the impersonal path difficult, but the result is not very satisfying, because ultimately everyone wants happiness and love. The two most basic human needs are to love and to be loved. We want friends, we want family, and we want community; we are not happy without them. If you were a billionaire but could never see another living being, would you be happy? No. You would be so desperate for company, for relationship, that you would say, “I don’t want this wealth. I just want to be with people I love and who love me.” In a way, this was Arjuna’s thinking at the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita. He considered, “What is the use of winning a kingdom if in the course of the battle all my friends and family die? What’s the use? With whom will I enjoy my kingdom?” The thought of being without family and friends so overwhelmed Arjuna that he said to Krishna,

na hi prapasyami mamapanudyad
yac chokam ucchosanam indriyanam
avapya bhumav asapatnam rddham
rajyam suranam api cadhipatyam

“I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like that of the demigods in heaven.” (Gita 2.8)

There is much truth to what Arjuna said at the beginning of the Gita, but that truth is on a lower level. And by the mercy of Lord Krishna, after hearing the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna was elevated to a higher, better understanding. He came to realize that perfect happiness and love are to be realized in relation to Krishna, and so Arjuna surrendered unto Him.

Krishna gave Arjuna the choice. Krishna did not force him, because true surrender, or true love, must be voluntary. He gave Arjuna the freedom to deliberate and then decide:

iti te jnanam akhyatam
guhyad guhyataram maya
vimrsyaitad asesena
yathecchasi tatha kuru

“Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.” (Gita 18.63) Yathecchasi tatha kuru—“You can do whatever you like.” We all have free will, given to us by God. But after hearing the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna immediately responded, karisye vacanam tava: “I will do whatever You say.” That is the position of the surrendered devotee.

   arjuna uvaca
nasto mohah smrtir labdha
tvat-prasadan mayacyuta
sthito ’smi gata-sandehah
karisye vacanam tava

“Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.” (Gita 18.73)

Now, we may be a little worried. We are back to that troublesome sloka, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” And we may wonder, “What are the implications of karisye vacanam tava: ‘I am prepared to act according to Your instructions’? What if Krishna tells me to give up my wife, my children, my business, my home? Then what?” This is a problematic question, and some people may not want to pursue the course of surrender to Krishna, because they are afraid of the consequences.

But there is some leniency here, some considerateness. Lord Krishna gives us a gradual process to come to the stage of surrender, because surrender is based on faith. When we have faith in someone or something, we can surrender. If we don’t have faith, we won’t surrender. In this present Age of Kali, genuine faith is rare; it is very difficult to come by. Society is materialistic, and everyone is acculturated in the idea that they are independent, free to think and do whatever they like, without restriction. In fact, they are envious. Material life means envy—first of Krishna. People think, “Why should I surrender to Him? I am also intelligent. I also know things. I can also speak and argue. Why should I surrender?” And people find fault with Krishna: “Why did He tell Arjuna to fight? Why did He cause so many people to die?” In particular, people who are envious find fault with Krishna. They can never understand the Bhagavad-gita. Therefore Lord Krishna says,

idam te natapaskaya
nabhaktaya kadacana
na casusrusave vacyam
na ca mam yo ’bhyasuyati

“This confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.” (Gita 18.67) One must be a devotee, a bhakta. Only devotees are without envy.

Still, Krishna, like a loving father, wants to bring all His sons and daughters to the highest perfection, even though He knows that it may take some time. A parent will want his child to grow to be strong and healthy and happy and intelligent and competent, and to take over the family business. A genuine, loving parent will want to give everything to the child, but the parent first wants to see that the child is responsible enough.

As I grew up, my father gave me a weekly allowance. My first allowance was five or ten cents. I was just a child, and he wasn’t sure how I would use the money. Eventually he raised my allowance to twenty-five cents. And I felt so proud: “My father really trusts me.”

Parents want to give to their children, but they also want to see that their children are responsible enough to take care of what they give them. In a similar way, Krishna wants to give us everything—even Himself—but He wants to see that we are qualified.

Another analogy is a teacher in a classroom. The study of math begins with one plus one equals two. There is much more, but the students proceed step by step: addition, then subtraction, then multiplication, then division—so many processes they have to learn.

In the Bhagavad-gita, the first instruction is that you are not the body but the soul within the body. Aham brahmasmi. That is the beginning, and if we understand even one line of the Bhagavad-gita, from the very beginning, our lives will change.

dehino ’smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (Gita 2.13) If we just understand that we are not the body but are the atma, the jivatma, within the body, that alone is enough to change our whole life. We will no longer act on the basis of the body, for sense gratification, but on the basis of the soul, for self-realization. In today’s materialistic society, one’s whole endeavor is to get things for the body—my body, my wife’s body, my children’s bodies, my parents’ bodies—to make the body comfortable. But the body is just dress for the soul. And which is more important—the clothes or the person wearing the clothes? The person, of course. The body itself is just dress, which changes. The real person is the soul, who exists always.

vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
navani grhnati naro ’parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Gita 2.22)

If we understand just this one point, we will work for the benefit of the soul, which is our actual self and is part and parcel of the Supreme Self, God, Krishna, knowing that our real relationship is with Him. And then, gradually, step by step, we will come to the conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita:

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ’si me

“Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” (Gita 18.65)

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Gita 18.66)

Man-mana—always think of Krishna. If you do that, you will naturally become His devotee (mad-bhakto). You will worship Him (mad-yaji) and offer obeisance unto Him (mam namaskuru). It is so simple.

The critical point is man-mana, to always think of Krishna. And how can we always think of Him? In the ninth chapter of the Gita Krishna says,

satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas ca drdha-vratah
namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
nitya-yukta upasate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Gita 9.14) Satatam kirtayanto mam—if we always (satatam) engage in glorifying Krishna, chanting His holy name (kirtana), we will always think of Him.

We are Hare Krishna devotees, and we are speaking about the Bhagavad-gita. What is the connection? The chanting of Hare Krishna is the real way to follow the instructions of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Sri Krishna Chaitanya, the incarnation of Krishna for the present Age of Kali, who inaugurated the Hare Krishna movement five hundred years ago, taught, kirtaniyah sada harih: “Always chant the holy name of Hari [Krishna].” And in the Bhagavad-gita, Sri Krishna gives the same instruction: satatam kirtayanto mam—always engage in kirtan, chanting the holy name of Krishna. The chanting of Hare Krishna is really the fulfillment of Lord Krishna’s ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gita: man-mana—always think of Krishna. Chanting is the best—and easiest—way to think of Krishna.

Of course, we think of Krishna when we hear about Him from the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, but for that we need a book or a reader. We think of Krishna when we see His Deity form, His murti, but for that we need a temple, a mandir, with a murti. There are so many ways of thinking of Krishna, but the beauty of chanting, either kirtan or japa, is that we need only our tongue and ears. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.25) Lord Krishna recommends, yajnanam japa-yajno ’smi: “Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa].” This, anyone can do. Young or old, black or white, man or woman, educated or uneducated—anyone and everyone can chant Hare Krishna and fulfill Krishna’s instruction in the Bhagavad-gita.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, the authorized biography of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, relates an instructive story. While touring South India, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to the holy place of Sri Ranga-ksetra, where, in front of the temple, He saw a brahman holding the Bhagavad-gita and crying, surrounded by people who were laughing and criticizing him. Sri Chaitanya asked the brahman, “Why are these people laughing?” And the brahman replied, “I am holding the Bhagavad-gita, but I am more or less illiterate. I don’t know how to pronounce the words properly, and I do not know what they mean. But my guru ordered me to read it, and so I read all eighteen chapters every day.” Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, “Why are you crying?” And the brahman replied, “When I hold the Bhagavad-gita I see before me Krishna and Arjuna on the chariot. Krishna is acting as Arjuna’s chariot driver. Taking the reins in His hands, He appears very beautiful. While seeing Lord Krishna instructing Arjuna, I weep in ecstatic happiness.” Then Lord Chaitanya told the brahman, “You are the true authority in the reading of the Bhagavad-gita. You know the real purport of the Bhagavad-gita.” And He embraced him.

Proud people may think, “Oh, these Hare Krishna people can’t understand much. They don’t know Sanskrit. They don’t have the samskaras. Let them chant. It is good.” But actually, by chanting the holy name of Krishna one awakens one’s love for Him, which is the real purport of the Bhagavad-gita. By chanting, one fulfills the Lord’s instructions in the Bhagavad-gita to always think of Him and sing His glories. Although some who chant may not be very learned or knowledgeable in a certain sense, if they are genuine devotees of Krishna, they are fulfilling the Gita’s real purport.

aho bata sva-paco ’to gariyan
yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya
brahmanucur nama grnanti ye te

“Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Aryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas, and fulfilled everything required.” (SB 3.33.7)

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness not only presents the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita but also gives the practical means by which one can fulfill its purport—to become a devotee of Krishna, always think of Him, worship Him, offer homage to Him, and preach His message. After personally surrendering to Krishna (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja), one can go further and teach this knowledge. This is Lord Krishna’s last instruction:

ya idam paramam guhyam
mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati
bhaktim mayi param krtva
mam evaisyaty asamsayah

“For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

na ca tasman manusyesu
kascin me priya-krttamah
bhavita na ca me tasmad
anyah priyataro bhuvi

“There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Gita 18.68–69) The real conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita, built upon one’s full surrender to Krishna, is to spread this message and become most dear to Krishna.

This is the opportunity we all have. On Gita Jayanti we think of Krishna, recite the Gita, and perform the yajna, but the real essence of the celebration is to bring more people to Krishna, to the wisdom of the Gita. As devotees, we want to bring others to Krishna, and when we do, Krishna is even more pleased. And that is what Gita Jayanti is really meant to do: to please Krishna, to bring the Bhagavad-gita to more people and bring more people to Krishna—and make us dear to Krishna.

It is a wonderful opportunity. I have been chanting Hare Krishna and reading the Bhagavad-gita for forty years, and it is ever-fresh. Once, Srila Prabhupada told a New York Times interviewer, “Every day your employer is printing so many newspapers. On Sunday especially the paper is so big that one can hardly carry it. But after reading it for an hour, people throw it away. Here is this book—the Bhagavad-gita—and people keep it and read it for a lifetime, and in this way it has been read for the past five thousand years. Give people such literature that will be taken and kept forever.” And the reporter laughed—and agreed.

I am very grateful to all of you for having come this evening, after what was probably a long, hard day at work. I am grateful that you came and spared your valuable time. And I look forward to working together with all of you on this project, which will be so beneficial to so many people. Srila Prabhupada’s guru instructed him to preach the message of the Bhagavad-gita in English all over the world, telling him, “This will do much good for you as well as for your audience.” So, it is win-win-win. It will be beneficial for you, it will be beneficial for the people in general, and ultimately Krishna will be pleased. And that is our goal—that is what bhakti means—to please Krishna. When Krishna is pleased, our life is successful and we are naturally pleased and satisfied.

Thank you very much.

Hare Krishna.

[An address by Giriraj Swami to leaders of Hindu organizations in Houston, October 23, 2009.]

A new paperback edition of “Hope This Meets You in Good Health,” a book by ISKCON guru and Prabhupada disciple Prahladananda Swami, is now available on Amazon.com and on Barnes & Noble’s website in English. The book has also been translated into Spanish, Polish and Russian.

Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, devotees at ISKCON Boise, Idaho launched a new annual “Festival of Gratitude” this year, with the motto: “Appreciating Deity, Devotee, Nama, Dhama, Bhagavatam.”

Why is Sankirtan the prime benediction of this age? Every day morning, after Mangla Arthi, Srila Prabhupada quote will be read! Being book marathon month, to inspire and motivate devotees to push the book distribution, we read Srila Prabhupada quote on book distribution. Today’s quote is a beautiful letter to German disciples in the month […]

The post Sankirtan- The Prime benediction! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Tomorrow is the eightieth birthday of Sripada Satsvarupa dasa Goswami Maharaja. He was my first temple president, and he has been my inspiration in writing, especially about Srila Prabhupada, which has been my main service. 

My dear Satsvarupa das Goswami Maharaja,

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

As you know, you are my mentor, exemplar, and inspiration for writing about Srila Prabhupada, which has been my main focus for the last several years, and so I have been thinking of you. I recently finished the first draft of my book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu, and while working on the book I would refer to Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta and marvel at how beautifully it was written.

Now I am contemplating writing about Boston, where we first met and where you nurtured me in Krishna consciousness and encouraged me to write. And I will be referring to your writings about that period as well.

In my initiation letter, dated July 5, 1969, Srila Prabhupada mentioned you: “With my blessings, I am sending herewith your beads, duly chanted upon by me. You should avoid the ten offenses as far as possible, and follow the four regulative principles, as Satsvarupa will instruct you. I know your good godbrother Satsvarupa will always help you in this connection.” And even now, your emphasis on your personal japa is guiding and inspiring me.

So I feel very grateful to you, for you have nurtured me in Krishna consciousness from my very first days, as a student at Brandeis University, until today. And I know that you will continue to do so.

How you protected me is exemplified in a small exchange. Once, at breakfast, Saradia was sitting at the end of the sheet on which we had our plates, kitty-corner to me, and you were next to me. Saradia, glancing at me, said, “Satsvarupa, since when do we let hippies stay with us?” You winced and replied incredulously yet firmly, “Glenn isn’t a hippie, Saradia. He’s a devotee.”

Later, at North Beacon Street, feeling especially wretched and lowly, I said, “I feel so fallen, I don’t think Rupa Goswami would want me in the spiritual world,” and you replied, “No, he thinks that you’re nice and that you should be with there with them.”

Unfortunately, my health has not allowed me to visit you again, but I often recall my visit to Stuyvesant Falls and the association and instructions I got from you there.

If there is anything I can do for you, it would be my great honor and pleasure, so please ask without hesitation or reservation.

I love you, Maharaja.

Hare Krishna.

Your eternal, indebted, aspiring servant and younger godbrother,
Giriraj Swami

During this year of anniversary of 35 years, ISKCON Finland is not only preparing for Srila Prabhupada Book Distribution Marathon, but also trying to secure the future of the Krishna temple and our headquarters in Malmi, Helsinki.

ISKCON Finland has an opportunity to purchase the land where the present temple building lies in Malmi, Helsinki. The size of the land is 0.6 hectares, and the price is 300 000 €. For more info visit: https://krishna.fi/product/temppelitontti/?lang=en

A video by Be Inspired.