[Gita life class at The Bhakti Center, New York, USA]

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[Talk at Charlotte, USA]

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[Bhadra Purnima class at ISKCON, Hillsborough, USA]

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The post The Bhagavatam’s glory revealed in its concluding verse – PURE acronym appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

ISKCON Naperville distributed 57 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam on the auspicious occasion of Bhadra Purnima (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Srimad-Bhagavatam is the philosophy of devotional service and the scientific presentation of man’s relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prior to the age of Kali there was no need for such a book of knowledge to know the Lord and His potential energies, but with the beginning of the age of Kali human society gradually became influenced by four sinful principles, namely illegitimate connection with women, intoxication, gambling and unnecessary killing of animals. Find them here: http://bit.ly/2O3D9US

Recently, we had very productive meetings with Sadbhuja Prabhu during his visit to the TOVP Architecture Pune Office. Each Architect gave a presentation of the works which fall under their purview. Directing individual accomplishments towards an organizational goal is the fuel to attain uncommon results.

Anupama – Site & Consultant Co-ordinating Architect
Devendra – Vendor Research & Statutory Architect
Vrushali – GRC Specialization Architect
Hrishikesh – Fenestration Detailing and Cost Estimate Architect
Dipti – Assistant Architect / Office Manager
Anuja – Design Ornamentation Architect
Sandarbh – Construction Drawing Architect
Shashank – 3d Artist
Vilasini – Head Architect

Click here to see it in your browser or download a copy to your desktop for offline reading.

The post TOVP Architecture Department Report – A Visit to Pune, July 2019 – Edition #2 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

ISKCON UK’s 50th anniversary at Bhaktivedanta Manor (Album of photos)
A wonderful celebration of ISKCON UK’s 50th anniversary at Bhaktivedanta Manor this morning, with a class by UK GBC HG Praghosa Dasa, video presentation, cake cutting and pushpanjali to Srila Prabhupada.

ISKCON UK 50 - Monks celebrate at Abbey Road! (1 min. video)
Srila Prabhupada: Happiness is meant for the devotees, not for the karmis, the jnanis or the yogis. It is the property of the devotees. Just like these devotees are chanting very happily. They are not expecting anything. They are happy by chanting. That’s all. Srila Prabhupada – June 22, 1975, Los Angeles

Team Iskcon Silicon Valley distributed a total of 284 Bhagavatam sets on Bhadra Purnima! (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The bhaktivedantas are impartial in distributing the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. To them no one is enemy or friend; no one is educated or uneducated. No one is especially favorable, and no one is unfavorable. The bhakti-vedantas see that the people in general are wasting time in false sensuous things. Their business is to get the ignorant mass of people to reestablish their lost relationship with the Personality of Godhead. By such endeavor, even the most forgetful soul is roused up to the sense of spiritual life, and thus being initiated by the bhakti-vedantas, the people in general gradually progress on the path of transcendental realization. From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 1.5.24

DC Temple distributed 151 Bhagavatam sets on Bhadra Purnima (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This is the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that you go and preach and make propaganda about krsna-upadesa. This is Krsna consciousness movement. We are teaching all our men how to spread krsna-upadesa, how to spread Krsna consciousness. Then anartha upasamam saksat. Then all the unwanted things he has contaminated will be finished. Then pure consciousness… Pure consciousness is Krsna consciousness. Pure consciousness means to understand that “I am very much intimately connected with Krsna as part and parcel.” Just like my finger is very intimately connected with my body. Intimate… If there is little pain in the finger, I become so much disturbed because I have got intimate connection with this finger. Similarly, we have got intimate connection with Krsna, and we are fallen. Therefore Krsna also feels little pain, and therefore He comes down: paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8] Krsna is feeling pain. So you become Krsna conscious, then Krsna will feel pleasure. That is Krsna consciousness movement.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.7 – Vrndavana, April 24, 1975
Find them here: http://bit.ly/2O4TcBJ

The discovery of a pristine area of Vrindavana! (Album of photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: The Vrindavan of our dreams!!
One day me and Arjun were roaming around in Vraj and we found a place that made us feel that we went back hundreds of years in time. If Vrindavan were left untouched from modern urban development, the place would be just like that. We both explored with so much excitement and disbelief that such a place still exists. The Vrindavan of our dream. The place had so many Tamal trees it looked like a Tamal forest. Then there were huge Kadamba Trees, Bakul trees, parrots singing and flying around, dusty lanes and sadhus chanting. Arjun had his camera to capture this experience for you. Next time if you’re in Vrindavan, I’ll take you all there. Radhe Shyam!

Four SB installations by Charlotte Sankirtan Team during Bhadra Purnima (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Here we have got attraction, material, so we have to withdraw this attraction. How it will be possible? If we become more attracted to Krsna, then this attraction will go away. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. Bhakti means the more you realize Krsna, the more you will become detestful: “Ah, nonsense.” This is test. One side increasing taste, the other side decreasing. This is the test. If we think that “I have got attraction on Krsna and also the sense gratification,” that means bogus. The test is how far I am detached to sense gratification. Then it means that you have increased your spiritual life.

Alachua Temple distributed 55 Bhagavatam sets on the occasion of Bhadra Purnima! (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If the su...

First yoga/kirtan program ever held in Lebanon!
At the first yoga/kirtan program ever held in Lebanon, the Arabic-speaking attendees all seemed to be reaching out for Srila Prabhupada’s Arabic books with an intense hunger. One woman could be seen hugging our translator mataji with tears in her eyes. Our Arabic translation coordinator, Premadhan Prabhu, stood with the books resting in his open palms as everyone grabbed for them while giving nice donations. He said that the happiness he felt from this experience was unlike anything he encountered before.
It seems that book distributors worldwide have been relishing this same kind of happiness now in their own Western countries, distributing increasing amounts of Arabic books to sincerely interested tourists and university students visiting from the Middle East (who ultimately wind up taking the books back home with them to share with friends and family). All Glories to Lord Sri Krishna’s inconceivable mercy and plan…!

During the interview process, leaders were asked to express what it is that they look for in a temple president. Consistently, their responses were, ‘Someone to care personally for the devotees ... a spiritual presence ... a person who keeps us aligned to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada’.

Srila Prabhupada’s Pushpa Samadhi in Mayapur Kalash Abhishek (2 min. video)
The new, shining Kalash is finished, installed and looks beautiful!

Prasadam preparation for the Russian Sadhu Sanga Festival (Album of photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: About 5500 devotees assem...

Bhadra Purnima 2019 (Album of photos)
ISKCON of Connecticut: Multiple Bhagavatam sets were welcomed by devotees from all over ...

In the Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.13 it is stated: prausthapadyam paurnamasyam hema-simha-samanvitam dadati yo bhagavatam sa yati paramam gatim “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” In the Varaha Purana it is […]

The post Participate in Bhadra Purnima Campaign! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

A tortoise joins the Harinama party! (Album of photos)
We chanted totally for 120 hours on the streets of the 20 cities of Rus...

A fantastic Bhadra Purnima day distribution (Album of photos)
Shastrakrit Das: Many Bhagavatam sets went out, but those who refused the full set, we left them with First Canto & 10th canto ( Krishna book) of The Bhagavatam.

As Prahlada Maharaja appeared in a family of demons and Hanuman appeared as a monkey, Shri Haridasa Thakura appeared amongst the lower caste. Haridasa had a handsome form with all aristocratic features.

Highly intellectual, he won all debates in Sanskrit and philosophy. Yet, he never lost his temper. In his youth, he became famous for his extreme devotion and ascetism. Though born in a Muslim family, when he became a Vaishnava, even brahmanas would eagerly smear their bodies with the dust of his feet.

 While seeing Lord Chaitanya’s lotus face, holding His feet upon his chest, and chanting Shri Krishna Chaitanya, Haridasa left the world. Lord Chaitanya personally carried the body of Haridasa to the sea. And with His own hands buried him in the sand. Then Mahaprabhu begged alms for a festival to honor Haridasa Thakura’s departure. Lord Chaitanya paid tribute to His pure Devotee:

   “Let us all sing the glories of Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa was the crest-jewel of the world. By his death the earth has lost its treasure. Out of His great mercy Krishna had given Me his association. And now He has taken him away. When Haridasa himself wished to leave the world I could not hold him back. Just like Bhismadeva, Haridasa gave up his life at his own will.” (Chaitanya-charitamrta Antya 11.93-98.)
 
   The samadhi of Haridasa Thakura is located by the sea in Jagannatha Puri.

The appointment will begin in January 2020, which is a great conclusion to the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of ISKCON UK celebrations. Chairman of the temple trustees, Navina Krishna Das, said, “The initial proposal of Visakha Dasi actually came as a result of her engagement with the youth. They had found her both inspiring and deeply grounded in the teachings of Krishna consciousness. Even though she was invited to apply for the temple president position, her interview process was rigorous. On each level we found what we were looking for: a depth of spiritual understanding and a sobering maturity in Krishna consciousness. We look forward to working with Visakha Dasi.” Continue reading "Bhaktivedanta Manor Announces New President
→ Dandavats"

“If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” 

Visvarupa-mahotsava is the date on which Lord Chaitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa.

According to Vedic literatures, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come in the present age in the role of a devotee. In the previous age, Lord Krishna came in His original feature and spoke the Bhagavad-gita, and at the conclusion He instructed, sarva-dharman parityaja mam ekam saranam vraja: give up all other duties and surrender unto Me. But people could not understand or appreciate Lord Krishna’s instruction. So later, about five hundred years ago, Krishna came again, not in His original form but in His devotional form as Lord Chaitanya. And Lord Chaitanya taught us how to serve Krishna, how to worship God in the present age.

Lord Chaitanya taught various methods of worship, but He especially emphasized the chanting of the holy names of God, or Krishna. In particular, He quoted a verse from the Brhan-Naradiya Purana (38.126):

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Hari, Krishna. In this age of Kali, there is no other way, no other way, no other way for spiritual realization.”

He acted like a teacher who shows students how to write the alphabet. The teacher stands in front of the class and writes on the board, “A, B, C, D.” The teacher has no need to practice writing, but he shows by his own example how to form the letters properly. In the same way, God, Krishna, had no need to worship, but to set the example for us, so that we could learn how to worship God in the best way in the present age, He came as Lord Chaitanya and taught and demonstrated the chanting of the holy names of Krishna.

When Lord Chaitanya appeared, the social and spiritual system called varnashrama-dharma was still prevalent in India. In this system there are four social and four spiritual divisions, all necessary for society to function properly. Although we may not refer to them by the same terms, and although the system has not been developed as systematically and scientifically as in Vedic culture, still, by the arrangement of nature, the divisions still exist. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.” (Gita 4.13) So, the four social orders, or broad divisions of occupational duties, are created by Krishna.

The four divisions include, first, the intelligent class, who are teachers and priests, but mainly teachers. Then there is the martial, or administrative, class, who are rulers and warriors; they govern and protect the citizens. There is the vaishya, or productive class, who engage in agriculture—farming and cow protection—and, with any surplus, in trade. And there is the service class, or workers, who perform services to support the other three classes.

When a person hears the description of the different social orders and duties, he or she may be alerted to the possibilities for exploitation and domination of the “lower” classes by the “higher.” But in Vedic society the different members work cooperatively for the common good, ultimately for the pleasure of God. In the physical body there are natural divisions—the head, the arms, the stomach, the legs—and they all have different functions. But they all cooperate for the benefit of the whole. In the social body, the brahmans are compared to the head—they give guidance. The kshatriyas are compared to the arms—they protect the body. The vaishyas are compared to the stomach—they provide food for the body. And the sudras, or workers, are compared to the legs—they carry the rest of the body where it wants to go. There is no question of competition among the different parts of the body—or of exploitation. They all work for the good of the whole.

Apart from the social divisions, there are four spiritual divisions. These are also natural, especially in a culture meant for self-realization and God realization, which Vedic culture is. The first order is the brahmacharis, celibate students. In the traditional system, the brahmachari would study in the ashram of the guru, in the gurukula. He would be trained mainly in principles of good character. And because the main emphasis was on good character and spiritual development, the teachers had to be spiritually qualified.

Here we can see the defect in modern education, where emphasis is given to material knowledge without much consideration of personal character. Now practically no spiritual or moral qualification is required of teachers. They may drink, they may smoke, they may gamble, they may do all sorts of nonsense in their “private” lives, but if they know the subject in a material way, they are considered qualified to teach. But in the Vedic system, because the emphasis was on moral character and spiritual development, the teachers, the brahmans, had to be exemplary. And in addition, they had to know the content of the subjects they taught. The exemplar in the Vedic system was called acharya. Acharya means “one who teaches by example”— not that in the classroom the teacher says, “You should not smoke” but then outside the classroom he or she smokes, or that the teacher says, “You shouldn’t drink” but then outside he or she drinks.

A friend of ours in Bombay was attending an international conference on drug abuse in Delhi. She is a devotee, and she works with a lot of underprivileged people in the slum areas of Bombay. And in her own way, she tries to introduce Krishna consciousness, seeing how, by God’s grace, it can transform people’s lives, how people who were addicted to drugs can give them up with the spiritual strength gained by chanting and other practices. So, she went to the conference, and during the evenings her colleagues would get together and have parties and drink and smoke and take drugs. Then, during the day, they would meet to discuss what to do about the problem of substance abuse. Socially, she would be with them. After all, they were her friends and colleagues, but when she would attend their parties, they would insist, “Why don’t you have a drink? Have a smoke. Have this, have that.” And she would always refuse.

One night, their party was busted by the police. The only one of them of good character, of spotless character, was our friend, the devotee. They knew that her word would be accepted, because she was strict in her habits. So her colleagues appealed to her to make up some story that they were conducting an experiment, doing research, on taking drugs. Whatever happened in the end, the point I am making is that in Vedic culture the teachers were supposed to be exemplary. Their character was considered one of their main qualifications as teachers.

So, the first order is brahmachari—celibate students living in the ashram of the guru, the spiritual preceptor. The second order is grihastha—married, or household, life. At the age of twenty or twenty-five, the young man could choose to enter the grihastha-ashrama. At such a time he would take permission from the guru to leave the gurukula, and there would be a ceremony comparable to today’s graduation. The young man would leave and go out into the world, bringing with him all the principles of moral character and spiritual development that he had learned in the ashram of the guru.

Then, after living in the grihastha-ashrama, having children and providing for their future, the husband and wife would enter the vanaprastha-ashrama, retired life. They would retire, not to while away their time in idle pursuits and reminiscences, but to realize God. Of course, there is no harm in reminiscing sometimes, but they had a positive engagement, and their positive engagement was spiritual perfection.

The first instruction of the Bhagavad-gita is:

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) In other words, the soul is distinct from the body.

Later in the Gita Krishna says that He has two energies: the superior energy, or para-prakrti, which is spiritual, and the inferior energy, or apara-prakrti, which is material.

bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh
kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara itiyam me
bhinna prakrtir astadha

apareyam itas tv anyam
prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
yayedam dharyate jagat

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies. Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.” (Gita 7.4–5) The spiritual energy is conscious and eternal, whereas the material energy is unconscious and temporary. This physical body is made of the eight material elements, inferior energy, but the soul within the body is made of the superior, spiritual energy.

The soul continues to live after the death of the body. In one sense there is no death of the body, because the body is always dead. It is just a machine, and the soul is the driver of the machine who makes the machine work. When the soul is in the body, the body appears to be alive. When the soul leaves the body, we declare that the body is dead, because the soul has left. Now, someone might argue that the soul, or life, is created by a particular chemical combination, that when the chemicals or atoms and molecules combine in a certain way, life is produced. But if that were the case, death would merely be a breakdown in the chemical combination. If life were created by a certain combination of chemicals, then death would mean that the combination had broken down, and the implication would be that if we restored the combination, the person would come back to life. A car is a combination of material elements. The car may break down, but if you keep replacing the material elements, the car will work again. Even if the car is from 1900, if you replace the engine, replace the carburetor, replace the steering—whatever the parts are—if you keep replacing them, it will work again. Yet although people have tried to become immortal since the beginning of time, they have never succeeded in bringing a dead person back to life, because life is not a combination of material elements. Life is the quality of the spiritual soul, the superior energy of the Lord. Once the spiritual soul leaves the body, we can do nothing to bring the body back to life, because the living force has left.

So the question is, “What happens to the living force when it leaves the body? What happens to the soul?” According to the Bhagavad-gita, the soul, depending on its activities, or karma, will enter a particular type of body. If the car breaks down and is not worth fixing, the driver will get another car. What kind of car he gets will depend on how much he can afford. If the person has been earning and saving, he can get a luxury car. If the person has been working but not earning so much, or has not been saving, or not that much, he might get an ordinary car. If the person has been irresponsible or is unemployed, he might not be able to afford a car at all. He might have to get a motorcycle or a scooter or a bicycle, or he may just have to walk. In the same way, the body we get in the next life will depend on how we conduct ourselves in the present life. If we are responsible and follow a disciplined, moral, spiritual life, we will get a better body. In fact, if we are fully self-realized, or God-realized, fully surrendered to God, we can get a spiritual body and go to the spiritual world and live with God in the spiritual kingdom. Otherwise, if we are not perfect but are good, we will get a good material body in the material world; we will take birth on a higher planet—on a heavenly planet—or on earth in a better situation, with better opportunities for education; we may be born with more intelligence, with more opulence, with better looks, and so on. And if we have been negligent in our duties toward God, if we have been immoral or irreligious, we will be born in an unfortunate situation on earth in a human body or even in a lower species of life. Or we may have to take birth on a hellish planet and suffer there for some time.

In the Vedic system, by the time a person reaches the age of fifty or so, he or she should have fulfilled his or her family responsibilities and be free to leave the work and assets to the next generation, to concentrate on spiritual development. Old age is a warning, or a reminder, that one will have to leave the body, and so one will consider, “How can I use my time to reach the best destination?” It is as if you are living in a house and you get notice that you have to vacate. Of course, you will continue to take care of the house to some degree, but you will not put all your energy into taking care of a house that you must soon vacate. Rather, you will consider, “Where am I going to move?” That is the guiding principle in Vedic civilization: “Where am I going to go after I leave the present body, this present habitat?”

The best destination one can achieve is the spiritual kingdom of God, and for that one must engage in spiritual practices, especially chanting the holy names of God, by which one will develop love for God. Such practices are common to different religious traditions. Although here we speak on the basis of the Bhagavad-gita, the basis of Vedic knowledge, the principle of chanting God’s name is in practically every tradition; the principle of praying to God, glorifying God, learning about God from scriptures and teachers, and serving God and His creatures—ultimately to develop love for God—is part of every bona fide religious tradition. As the Bible says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shalt be in thine heart. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. . . . Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him.” This passage from Deuteronomy (6.5–9, 7.9) pretty well describes the life of devotees. While standing up, sitting in house, walking on a path—wherever they are and in whatever they do—they are conscious of God, and they teach their children the same principle: to be God conscious.

Again, the ideal of singing the name of the Lord or praising the name of the Lord is common to every tradition. The Bible, for instance, enjoins us, “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him, talk yet of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.” (I Chronicles 16.7–11) But the actual process of chanting, especially the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, is elaborated most scientifically in the Vedic literatures. Srimad-Bhagavatam in particular gives precise and detailed information about God and the process to reach Him. Otherwise, one could question, “If the principles are the same, why did you have to take to Krishna consciousness? Why could you not have just been a good Christian or Jew or whatever?” The answer is that this method, which is called bhakti-yoga, is scientific and practical, and that the knowledge of God given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam is most detailed. To love someone, you must know the person: “To know him is to love him.” To know God is to love Him. Otherwise, we may talk theoretically about loving God, but if we don’t know Him, how can we really love Him?

God in the most complete conception is both male and female: Radha and Krishna. Still, for simplicity’s sake, we often use the masculine pronoun. In any case, we learn about God in detail from the Vedic literatures, especially Srimad-Bhagavatam. As our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, used to say, “Every religion will teach that you should love God, but who is God? The Vedic scriptures tell you His name, His address, His telephone number—all the details—about His family, His friends, His habits, His hobbies, His pastimes.” That is why we have taken to Krishna consciousness: to learn about God and how to reach Him—in detail. Even then, as Srila Prabhupada said, “You don’t have to give up being a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim or whatever; you can add Krishna consciousness and become a better Hindu or a better Christian or a better Jew.” It is not a religion in the sense that you have to convert, like one gives up one faith and accepts another. You can remain whatever you are and add bhakti-yoga. With the physical practices of yoga, hatha-yoga, people don’t mind—they may be Christian or Jewish or Muslim and still practice yoga. So too you can practice bhakti-yoga whatever your faith may be. But this yoga will help you to come closer to God and have direct realization of God.

In varnashrama-dharma, the last stage, after retired life, is called sannyasa, renounced life. Although in retired life the husband and wife may stay together, their aim is God consciousness. They often retire to a holy place to worship and serve God, associating with learned scholars and saintly persons, so that they can come closer to God and be with God in their next life. But in the fourth stage, which is not meant for everyone and is not generally recommended in the present age, the husband and wife do not remain together. Also, although the brahmachari will usually marry and have children, in exceptional cases he may not; he may remain in the brahmachari-ashrama for his entire life, or at some point proceed directly from the brahmachari- to the sannyasa-ashrama. In the renounced order too there are different stages, four stages, but in the present age the recommended process for the renounced order is to spread the message of Godhead—to travel and preach the message of Godhead, and to write articles and books on the science of God.

So, these are the four social and spiritual orders, and from that background we come to today’s occasion: Visvarupa-mahotsava. As mentioned earlier, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, and He appeared on earth, as did Krishna, like an ordinary person. Yet although He seemed to take birth like an ordinary person, His birth was not ordinary; it was divine. Just as a dramatic actor might play the part of a family member on stage, so Lord Chaitanya appeared in a particular family on earth. And in the family in which He chose to appear, He had an older brother named Visvarupa (who Himself was an incarnation of Lord Balarama, Krishna’s first expansion).

From the very beginning, Visvarupa was attracted to devotional service to Lord Krishna. As soon as He was old enough, He would go daily to bathe in the Ganges and then proceed to the home of Advaita Acharya to engage in topics of Krishna. He had no interest whatsoever in material life. And so, when He heard that arrangements were being made for His marriage, Visvarupa left home and took sannyasa. At that time, Lord Chaitanya tried to console His aggrieved parents: “My dear mother and father, it is very good that Visvarupa has accepted the sannyasa order, for thus He has delivered both His father’s and His mother’s family.”

As a sannyasi, Visvarupa’s name was Sankararanya Svami. He traveled from one place of pilgrimage to another, throughout the country. Finally, He attained perfection—entered the spiritual world after giving up His mortal body—in Pandarapura, a holy place in Maharashtra. As cited by Srila Prabhupada, the Gaura-candrodaya states that after His departure, Visvarupa remained mixed within Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The date on which Visvarupa took sannyasa is celebrated today as Visvarupa-mahotsava.

Now we come to our spiritual teacher and founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He was born in Calcutta in 1896 in a very pious family. He was well educated and attended Scottish Churches’ College, one of the most prestigious colleges in Calcutta. As a young man, he married and had a child, but soon he met a very saintly person, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, and was impressed by him. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta requested that Srila Prabhupada take up the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and spread His message all over the world, specifically in English. From their very first meeting in 1922, Srila Prabhupada accepted Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in his heart as his spiritual master, and eleven years later, in Allahabad, he was formally initiated as Abhay Caranaravinda dasa. Abhay means “fearless” and caranaravinda means “the lotus feet” of Krishna. By taking shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna, one becomes fearless—even of death, the most fearful situation in the material world.

Srila Prabhupada always remembered the order of his guru maharaja, and in his household life he began the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead. He personally wrote all the articles, got the issues printed, and distributed them. He would go on foot to the teashops in Delhi and approach the customers with his magazine. Later, a friend suggested that magazines might be thrown away but that books would remain forever. And so Srila Prabhupada turned his attention to translating the Bhagavad-gita, and later Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In 1950 Srila Prabhupada retired from family life as a vanaprastha. He traveled to Jhansi and tried to start his guru maharaja’s mission there. He was on the verge of acquiring an ideal property to use as a center, but in the end there was some politics with the governor’s wife and the deal fell through. So he left Jhansi and came to Mathura, a holy place associated with Lord Krishna’s pastimes, to the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha, where he served in cooperation with one of his godbrothers, His Holiness Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Maharaja.

Even in his household life, Srila Prabhupada had dreams in which his guru maharaja was calling him to leave his family and follow him. Srila Prabhupada would wake up and feel horrified: “How can I take sannyasa?” He continued to have the dream, and in Mathura, Kesava Maharaja advised him, “To really preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and fulfill Guru Maharaja’s order, you must take sannyasa.” So, on September 17, 1959, on Visvarupa-mahotsava, the same date that Visvarupa, the older brother of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, took sannyasa, Srila Prabhupada accepted the renounced order of life at the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura. At the end of the ceremony Kesava Maharaja asked him to speak. Although the common language was Hindi, Srila Prabhupada thought of his mission and the order of his guru maharaja, and he spoke in English. Now he was Bhaktivedanta Swami and “completely ready to discharge the order of his spiritual master.”

It is most fortunate for all of us today that Srila Prabhupada did take sannyasa. After he translated Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, in three volumes, he felt ready to travel. Later he would remark, “When I decided to go to foreign countries, I thought of New York. Generally they go to London, but I thought, ‘No, I will go to New York.’” He managed to procure free passage in the passenger cabin of a cargo carrier of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, and so he crossed the Atlantic on board the Jaladuta, suffering two heart attacks on the way. Then, in New York, for almost one year, he struggled alone. No one took up his message seriously. He would stay at different people’s places, but he had no place of his own—and almost no money. He felt so discouraged that from time to time he would go to the Scindia office to see when the next boat was departing for India. But—again fortunately for us—he never left.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Visvarupa-mahotsava, September 17, 2005, Carpinteria, California]

Today is Bhadra-purnima. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.13) states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” As explained in the purport, “One should place Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne because it is the king of all literature. On the full-moon day of the month of Bhadra, the sun, which is compared to this king of literatures, is present in the constellation Leo and looks as if raised up on a royal throne. (According to astrology, the sun is said to be exalted in the sign of Leo). Thus one may unreservedly worship Srimad-Bhagavatam, the supreme divine scripture.”

In Krsna-lila-stava (412–416), Srila Sanatana Gosvami prays, “O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O nectar churned form the ocean of all the Vedic scriptures, O most prominent transcendental fruit of all the Vedas, O You who are enriched with the jewels of all spiritual philosophical conclusions, O you who grant spiritual vision to all the people of the world, O life-breath of the Vaisnava devotees, O Lord, You are the sun which has arisen to dispel the darkness of the Kali-yuga. You are actually Lord Krsna, who has returned among us.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, I offer respectful obeisances unto You. By reading You one attains transcendental bliss, for Your syllables rain pure love of God upon the reader. You are always to be served by everyone, for You are an incarnation of Lord Krsna.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O my only friend, O my companion, O my teacher, O my great wealth, O my deliverer, O my good fortune, O my bliss, I offer respectful obeisances unto you.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O giver of saintliness to the unsaintly, O uplifter of the very fallen, please do not ever leave me. Please become manifested upon my heart and my throat, accompanied by pure love of Krsna.”

Bhadra-purnima is also the date on which Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa. When asked, “Are you going to America?” he replied, “No, Srimad-Bhagavatam is going to America—I am going with it.”

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

The Radha Madhava Community is a colorful community with ISKCON residents coming from many different parts of the world and India. Our residents accept His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as their ultimate authority and guide on all matters, and live by the philosophical and behavioral guidelines set by him.

Today is the divine appearance day of the transcendental twins: Rangadevi and Sudevi Sakhi. In the year 1992, the last of the four Asta-sakhis, or principle associates of Srimati Radharani, appeared in Mayapur and took their places on the altar. Rangadevi and Sudevi, were two of these four and they stand third and fourth on […]

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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila Chapter 11,

“Haridasa Thakura is known as namacarya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nama, the holy name of God. By using the words tomara avatara (“your incarnation”), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that Haridasa Thakura is the incarnation of Lord Brahma. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that advanced devotees help the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission and that such devotees or personal associates incarnate by the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord incarnates by His own will, and, by His will, competent devotees also incarnate to help Him in His mission. Haridasa Thakura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahma, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta 11.25 purport)

Srila Haridas Thakura’s disapperance day (Right click to download)

In the beginning, when my Guru Maharaja ordered me, I thought it that 'I shall first of all become very rich man; then I shall preach.' (laughs) So I was doing very nice in business. In the business circle, I got very good name, and with whom I was dealing business, they were very satisfied. But Krishna made so trick that He broke everything, and He obliged me to take sannyasa. So that is Hari. So that I had to come to your country with only seven dollars. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada talks about his sannyasa initiation
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From: Rahul Ranjan Mishra

Some people say that the incident of Lord Rama worshiping Lord Shiva is not mentioned in Valkmiki Ramayan. Is it true? Are there any other incidents that are not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan but are described by subsequent Acaryas? 

To hear the answer, please click here

Transcription by: Raji Nachiappan

Question: Is the incident of Lord Rama worshiping Lord Shiva not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana? Are there any other incidents that are not mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana but are described by subsequent acharyas?

Answer: The two well-known incidents that are not mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana apart from the incident of Lord Rama worshipping Shiva, are the incidents of the Lakshmana-rekha drawn by Lakshmana when he left Sita to search for Lord Rama and the incident of Shabari offering half chewed fruits and berries to Lord Rama.

In general, since the Lord’s pastimes are many in number and because different pastimes happen in different yugas, it is never possible for any one book to be comprehensive in the narration of all pastimes. Therefore, the question is, if we hear a pastime, then how do we know if it is authentic? We have to look at what our acharyas have said. By our acharyas, I mean the acharyas from the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya. However, the acharyas of the Gaudiya sampradaya have primarily focused on detailing Krishna Lila. Hence, if we do not find relevant comments in their writings, then we can look in the writings of acharyas from other sampradayas. In the Sri sampradaya, for example, there are commentaries like the Govinda Raja commentary on the Ramayana, which is well acknowledged, and we can refer to those for verification. If we are unable to find any comments that substantiate these pastimes in any of the acharyas’ writings, then that in itself does not necessarily mean that these pastimes are not bonafide. It just means that they may or may not be bonafide. We then have to look at two factors: (i) does the pastime fits the storyline of the Ramayana (ii) does the pastime supports the philosophical message of Ramayana. If these pastimes contradict either of these, then there is reason to treat them with a pinch of salt.

Some storytellers of the Ramayana, in order to portray everybody in the Ramayana as a devotee, narrate certain incidents. One among them is the incident when Lord Rama went to Kaikeyi and asks her to do a sacrifice for him. Kaikeyi then replies, “Whatever you want, I will do for you”. Lord Rama then warns Kaikeyi that by agreeing to do this, the whole world will misunderstand her. Kaikeyi did not mind and was ready to do what Lord Rama asked of her. He further cautioned her, that doing this sacrifice may even cause the death of her husband. Kaikeyi hesitates but then says, “For your sake, I will do it.” Then, Lord Rama tells her to ask for those two benedictions. The attempt here, to portray everyone as a devotee including Kaikeyi, leads to a disastrous contradiction with the storyline, message and the teachings of the Ramayana. In the Valmiki Ramayana and most other renditions of the Ramayana, it is Manthara who actually instigates Kaikeyi. Therefore, if Lord Rama is requesting Kaikeyi, then the whole incident of Manthara instigating Kaikeyi becomes redundant and this particular twist to the story becomes contradictory to the storyline of Valmiki Ramayana. Secondly, it is also against the philosophy because the philosophical message from this pastime is that how bad association can pervert a person’s mentality completely. It is described in the Ramayana that Kaikeyi was kind, gentle and wise. However, because of bad association, she became cruel, harsh and foolish. Kindness is a disposition of the heart and she turned the opposite, as cruel. Gentle is a manner of speech and she became harsh. Wise is a disposition of the intelligence but she became foolish.

The incident of Kaikeyi becoming influenced by Manthara teaches a very important lesson at an ethical level. That lesson is that bad association can ruin a person completely and distort as well as pervert his perceptions and actions. This lesson becomes redundant and lost if this new twist to the Ramayana is accepted. Hence, this twist cannot be accepted.

The Valmiki Ramayana does not mention Shabari offering fruits which she first chewed. Valmiki Ramayana just says that she offered fruits to Lord Rama. Here, if we contemplate on the point that the Lord is bhavagrahi and how for the sake of his devotees he is ready to flout all rules, then that is beautifully conveyed through this incident. The Lord was ready to accept that which is already chewed because it was offered with love. The message of this pastime is not contradictory to the essential underlying message of the Ramayana which is the glorification of bhakti and the bhaktavatsalya nature of the lord.

Similarly, the Lakshmana-rekha pastime is also not incorrect because it neither contradicts the philosophy nor the storyline of the Ramayana. Valmiki Ramayana just mentions that Lakshmana left Sita to search for Lord Rama. It stands to reason that Lakshmana still wanted to do his duty and make some arrangements to protect Sita while he was away. It is conceivable that he could have drawn the Lakshmana-rekha. That Lakshmana-rekha is also used by our achrayas to indicate the protective nature of the instructions of the spiritual master. As long as we are within the circumference of protection of the spiritual master we will be protected. Lakshmana represents the spiritual master and when we step out of that circle of protection, we get dragged away by Ravana who represents the mind. In that sense, this incident is not contradictory but complementary to the storyline of the Valmiki Ramayana. It is also conveying a valuable additional lesson and hence there is nothing wrong in accepting that.

With respect to Lord Rama worshipping Lord Shiva, that is also consistent with the overall mood of the Valmiki Ramayana. Lord Rama does not consistently reveal himself as the Supreme Lord in the Ramayana, although he does extraordinary deeds and displays not just super human but divine power. Also, Lord Rama worshipping Shiva is not the only incidence of Lord Rama worshipping a devata. He even worshipped Samudra Deva, when he wanted to get across the ocean.

In general, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are depicting the karma kanda way of life at one level, while depicting bhakti at another. At the karma kanda level, it is depicted that how in order to fulfil one’s obligation to the devatas one needs to worship the devatas and Lord Rama demonstrates that. At a pure devotional level, he is actually exhibiting his bhaktavatsalaya nature. Lord Krishna worshipped and performed an aarti for Sudama, however, that does not make Sudama to be God. Similarly, just because Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, it does not mean that Lord Shiva is the supreme.

Therefore, broadly speaking, it is ideal to stick to Valmiki Ramayana when making a decision of which pastimes are bonafide. Otherwise, stick to pastimes which are referred to, by our acharyas. Also, if the pastimes are not contradictory to the storyline or the philosophical message of the Valmiki Ramayana, they can be accepted if we have heard other senior Vaishnavas quote them. If some pastimes do not fit into any of the above categories, then it is best that we do not quote them. However, that does not mean that we go on a crusade or a campaign to condemn such pastimes. They may have some devotional input that some devotees may be able to relate to. If they, of course, contradict the philosophy or the storyline then we have to be cautious. At least we should not quote them and if we have the capacity, then we can tell the person who is quoting to rethink their position.

End of transcription.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 August 2019, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Bhagavad-gita 13.3)

Everyone is trying to be happy in the material world. Real happiness however is found on a deeper level. Now, the art is to develop a bigger vision. The Bhagavad-gita, in the beginning, talks about Arjuna, who is a member of a royal family, and has found himself in a difficult situation, a war situation which made him depressed. But then Krsna explained to Arjuna na jayate mriyate va kadacin nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah (Bhagavad-gita 2.20). He explained that the soul never takes birth, the soul never dies, and so on.

He also explained that the goal of life cannot be something temporary because by nature, we are eternal and by nature, we are looking for things that last eternally. Nobody likes it when the thing they really like is broken or stolen. It hurts. We are all attached. We want things to continue. We want love forever. All these things we want, but do we get them? Not really in the material world. It changes over time. So material enjoyment is by nature different from our nature. We are looking for things that last and they never do and it is painful because we are meant to actually find our enjoyment in eternal things. 

That is the message of the Bhagavad-gita: that one should look a little deeper in life, a little more long-term and only then can one find true happiness. It is a change. It takes some time to change our outlook but many people feel that there has to be more. So the real goal of life is spiritual and that is what we somehow or other have to keep in mind. We may sort of feel that way ourselves, but it will never become very solid unless we hear from self-realized persons. Therefore, one must hear from a teacher – from a guru – because such a teacher will not only tell us that spiritual life is the goal, but he can also instill a desire in our hearts. That is our aim.

The article " Look a little deeper " was published on KKSBlog.

“Today we are observing the Sri Krishna janmasahtami adhivas because lord Krishna Janmastami is one of the most holy days in the universe. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita  My birth and My work is transcendental. We will offer about 26 sacred items to the deities. We will offer that with various prayers. We have here […]

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