Nrisimha caturdasi festival @ ISKCON Salem, Tamilnadu, India (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One is understood to be an et...

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Srila Prabhupada: To the sincere devotee, this ocean of maya is easily crossed by the cool breeze of Krishna’s Grace. This is our business, to submit to Krishna’s desire to have us back with Him in the eternal sky of Krishna Loka. Letter to Syamasundara, November 24, 1968.

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Yasoda-du...

Ratha-yatra in Ukraine - Dnipro (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Dnipro is one of the main cities in Ukraine. We arrived just in time for the local temple’s celebration of Nrsimha Caturdasi and next day’s Ratha Yatra. A thousand devotees attended both programs. The city seemed alive with Krsna consciousness. There are over 10,000 devotees in Ukraine. A most perfect place for spreading Krsna consciousness.

Photos from London Nrsimhadeva Caturdasi 2019 celebrations.
Please find below photos from Nrsimhadeva Caturdasi 2019 in London...

Srila Prabhupada: "... everyone identifies to some party, either politically, socially or religiously, economically. We have got so many fields of activity. But, in each and every field, we have got a party feeling. You cannot avoid that. In political field, oh, we have got so many parties. Even in your own country, even there are democratic party or conservative party and this party, that party. Worldwide is also the capitalistic party, the communistic party. In our country also there is congress party. So party's already there. Socially also, oh, we are Christian, I am Jew, I am Hindu (https://prabhupadabooks.com/hindu). Of course, this is religiously. And socially also. In India, there is very social party. So you cannot avoid this partyism. All ladies and gentlemen who are present here, I ask you, do you not belong to any party? Can you deny that "I don't belong to any party"? Oh, everyone belongs to some party. Now spiritualism, spiritualism means that we should identify ourself as God's party. Continue reading "Krishna’s Party
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titiksavah karunikah
suhrdah sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravah santah
sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah

Translation: The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. SB 3.25.21

“Srila Prabhupada related this verse to his own situation in Juhu—trying to preach, establish his mission and build a temple there. He said that a sadhu has no enemies. Still, people are so fallen that an envious person will become the enemy of a sadhu. Not through any fault of the sadhu, but just because of their envious nature. And Srila Prabhupada said we have so many enemies who are trying to stop us. We have many branches all over the world. If the people of Bombay are trying to stop us we could go somewhere else. But, no—a sadhu is merciful. he wants them to take to Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada described the various difficulties that we we were facing and then said. ‘What can be done? Titiksava—we must tolerate and go on with our mission.’ Fortunately for us these characteristics of a vaisnava are fully exemplified in Srila Prabhupada and therefore by studying his character we can know what is a vaisnava and we can follow in his footsteps.”

Nrsima-caturdasi talk (Right-click to download)

Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Suresh Gupta

Question: Did God help Gajendra only when he stopped helping himself?

Answer: It is important to note that even surrender requires trying. Gajendra did not give up sinking in self-pity but instead looked up to call out to the Lord which also requires endeavour. In bhakti, there is a dual dynamic, there is dependence on Krishna and there is also diligence for Krishna, and both are integral to devotion. For things that are in our control, we need to have diligence to do them as nicely as we can. Arjuna practised archery painstakingly where he learnt the art all day and practised all night and that is how he became a champion archer and got the name Gudakesha. He did not think that he will depend on Krishna and shoot the arrow and Krishna will make it hit the target. Instead, Arjuna was practising painstakingly and that diligence was also his devotion. Therefore, for the things which are in our control, we need to be diligent and for the things which are not in our control, we need to be dependent. However, in some situations, we may think that it is in our control and we keep trying again and again but eventually realise that it is not in our control and then we surrender to Krishna.

Draupadi was also in a similar situation. She was trying to protect herself but when her endeavours failed, she finally surrendered to Krishna by raising her hands. But there is a big difference between Draupadi’s and Gajendra’s consciousness. Gajendra was completely in an enjoying mentality when he was out there in the lake for a picnic but Draupadi throughout her life was in a dharmic consciousness and at the time of disrobing she tried to persuade everyone to see dharma by questioning the stand of the elder members of the Kuru family. Hence, it is not that Draupadi was not surrendered before, it was out of surrender itself that she was trying to stay out of that calamity. Similarly, it is not that Arjuna was not surrendered when he was fighting. However, Gajendra was in materialistic consciousness and the emergency in his life put him in spiritual consciousness.

Both Arjuna and Draupadi were throughout their life in devotional consciousness and did their best in the mood of devotion to Krishna but at a particular point when they found that all the diligence was not enough then they shifted to depend on Krishna. In that sense, Gajendra’s evolution is from material to spiritual consciousness whereas for Draupadi and Arjuna, it is always spiritual consciousness, but from diligence in spiritual consciousness to dependence in spiritual consciousness. Both situations are not similar.

Sometimes we get caught in doership mentality thinking ourselves to be the cause and might also not remember Krishna but when things do not work out, we become humble and pray to Krishna. This is how we go from material to spiritual consciousness like Gajendra. At the same time, we should not think that in the name of dependence of Krishna, we do not do our part well. About 20 years ago, when I started giving spiritual classes for the first time, I received ten guidelines on “How to speak in public for Krishna” and the last guideline was – depend on Krishna (only after you have prepared).

Hence, if I do not prepare for a class and say that I am dependent on Krishna, then it is not dependence, it is irresponsibility. That is why, we should not think that dependence on Krishna is same as irresponsibility, we have to be extremely responsible in doing what we can but we should also try to have a consciousness of service where instead of doers we think ourselves as instruments, doing our duties for the pleasure of Krishna and knowing that it is he who will enable me to do it. In Bhagavad Gita 7.8, Krishna says paurusham nrsu: I am ability in man. Without ability, we cannot do anything and at the same time, our abilities are not our entitlements, they are endowments. They have been given to us or gifted to us by Krishna.

Thus, if we are in material consciousness like Gajendra where helplessness in individual situations take us towards spiritual consciousness then that is good but in normal when we are doing service, we should not think ourselves to be in material consciousness. We try to remain in devotional consciousness by being diligent towards Krishna and even after working diligently if sometimes things do not work out then we shift towards dependence.

End of transcription.

The post Did God help Gajendra only when he stopped helping himself? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

In that sacred atmosphere of gratitude and reflection, having offered our words, thoughts, hearts and for some, tears, Maharaja responded:

“I hear from you how I am being perceived. It is not how I perceive myself. It is a paradox. I see that I have to grow. We have to grow in spiritual life. What is the point of having a spiritual master if we do not change? We must be committed and over time quality becomes more important. Ultimately our connection with the spiritual master must bring us to Krsna and all things connected to Krsna (like the cows).

I won’t lead you by the hand. That is not my style. I want to see you do it. This is a golden opportunity and it is up to you to take it. Bhavananda said that I was a perfectionist. This is your life, the most precious thing you have. I don’t want you to waste the opportunity. You have a different personality. You don’t have to do what I do, but strive for perfection. Go at your own pace and do it your own way, but make the best of the opportunity.

Lord Caitanyas sankirtana mission is the only thing that will make us selfless. Ultimately Krsna is heavy; He wants everything. And I can’t make it any lighter than that. Please forgive my pushy nature but this life is an opportunity and we all have some dead weight to shift off. Everyone has some inherent weakness, therefore we need spiritual nourishment. I did it. I would sleep early, rise at 2am, chant and then read two hours of Caitanya Caritamrita. I placed the shoes of the devotees on my head just in case that helped. Don’t be so busy with so many things that there is no time for spiritual nourishment. Don’t try to be like me, but be serious. Be serious about serious things.

This is more than a nice gathering. It is a day to anchor ourselves, focus our lens and impress on our minds: “Yes, let me go back to Godhead.”

A sober message said with love.

It was a whirlwind gurupuja with petals flying one way and books (Under the Desire Tree, Maharaja’s latest release) and cookies flying the other way.

In the prasadam marquee the birthday cake was ceremoniously sliced and a mountain of prasadam was piled on Maharaja’s plate with remnants exiting from all directions. The Vyasapuja feast was ‘par excellence.’

In the late afternoon we gathered once more for the cultural evening. Shyamanada Prabhu and team set the bar high with a mime. Ever heard about the famous drama, “How did you become a devotee?” This drama emphasized the growth of the bhakti creeper with, “How did you stay a devotee?”

Next was the Brits with the Chand Kazi epic from the Caitanya Caritamrita and following suit were the girls’ theatre headed by Ananda Vrindavana based on the King of Puri, “A Humble Servant in Kingly Dress.” Of course the rocking closure in true Hare Krsna culture is kirtana and Maharaja ended the day at the lotus feet of Gopinatha with steaming kirtana. No half measures.

Voices sing and feet dance while in our hearts lie instructions, imprints of mercy flowing ceaseless and undeserved. We came to serve and glorify guru yet he outdid us in energy on Kingsday and he outdid us again at Vyasapuja, giving so much more than we could ever offer in return.

View all Vyasa-puja 2019 articles

The article " Day 3 – VP Ceremony Speech " was published on KKSBlog.

HH Rthadvaja Swami telling the story of when he first went to a Hare Krishna temple (video)
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Excerpts from the new book by Srila Prabhupada’s secretary Shyamasundara Das.
On the afternoon of October 2, not many noticed the tiny, two-propeller DC-3 with BASCO markings slowly steer its way through barricades and wreckage on the runway at Cairo International, dwarfed by giant jets from almost every nation, to park in front of the multitiered transit terminal. Few remarked the small gaggle of Hare Krishna devotees that stumbled from the fuselage to emerge in unfamiliar heat, escorted by khaki-clad men armed with Kalashnikovs to a shaded compound in front of the terminal. When these strange people began clanging cymbals, clapping hands, and singing and dancing around, their guards began to pay attention. What in Allah’s name was going on?

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[Talk at ISKCON, Toronto, Canada]
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_5o_WTdi3Mx

Podcast:

Podcast Summary:

The post Narasimha Chaturdashi – How Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada reside in our hearts appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Did you ever notice the flow of oil being poured into a bowl? Compare it with the flow of water being poured into a cup. The difference is that the flow of oil (taila dhara) is seamless and consistent without obstruction, resembling a glossy finished column. On the other hand, the flow of water (jala dhara) is unsteady, obstructed, sprinkling water particles around. While the former seems to be focused on reaching its destination, the later seems to get distracted with diverted attention. Continue reading "Selfless and Seamless devotion
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This is a translation from Bengali of a letter written by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in 1926. We found it very illuminating and inspirational and felt to share with other devotees. "Discuss hari-kathä with the devotees who are with you and as you advance in your bhajana you will start realizing your fallen condition. You must be aware of this phrase - “the most advanced devotee considers himself the most fallen.” Always endeavor for the well being of your subordinates, as by doing so we make advancement in our own bhajana." Continue reading "The Duties of a Sadhaka
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The post Do great devotees like Prahlad just focus on Krishna and not bother about problems at all? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

ugro ’py anugra evayam sva-bhaktanam nr-kesari

kesariva sva-potanam anyesam ugra-vikramah

Although very ferocious, the lioness is very kind to her cubs. Similarly,

although very ferocious to non-devotees like Hiranyakasipu, Lord 

Nrsimha-deva is very, very soft and kind to devotees like Prahlada Maharaja. 

(C.C. Madhya 8.6)

Lord Narasimha is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu who incarnated to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu and to save his devotee Prahlada. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Lord Visnu, in his avatar as Varaha, killed the demon Hiranyakshya. His brother, Hiranyakasipu, angered by this gained mystical powers from Brahma by undergoing many years of austerity so that he could take revenge on Visnu. 

Lord Brahma gave him the boon that he could not be killed by any human, demigod or animal or during the day or night or on the threshold of a courtyard or on the earth or space or using any weapon. 

Hiranyakasipu returned to his kingdom and began to trouble the demigods. He also declared himself as God and ordered all to worship him. When his son Prahlada told him that Visnu is the only God and he could not accept his father as God, he tried to kill Prahlada. The servants threw Prahlada from top of mountains and into the sea but could not kill him. Snakes and fire also could not harm him.

The demon asked Prahlada whether Vishnu was present in a pillar and took his mace to hit the pillar. Lord Vishnu emerged from the pillar in his incarnation as Lord Narasimha with the head of a lion and body of a man. The demon king hit Narasimha with his mace but Narasimha brushed it aside swiftly. It was twilight and Narasimha caught hold of the demon Hiranyakashipu. He sat on the threshold of the court room, placed the body of the demon on his thighs, and pierced his nails into the body of the demon and broke open his stomach killing him.

The devotees invited me to attend the Nrsimha Chaturdasi festival in Brisbane where there was kirtan, yajna, lecture, arati, and wonderful feast.

The Candan Yatra Festival was observed for seven days in Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara Temple, Bali. The festival started on the 5th of May and ended on the 11th of May 2019. This function is one of joy, especially for the children. For few days before devotees prepared sandalwood pulp to be applied to Lord Sri Krishna and Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai every day. Devotees decorated the pool (kunda), stage and pandal with beautiful and fragrant flowers. It was difficult to tell there was water in the pond as it was completely covered with water. Devotees were joyous this year as they had the opportunity to hear Krishna katha from HH Subhag Swami Maharaj for two consecutive days. Continue reading "Colorful Candan Yatra Festival 2019 – Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara – Bali
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Happy Narasimha Chaturdashi! Today is the most auspicious appearance day of Sri Narasimhadeva. Mayapur is filled with devotees assembled to celebrate this special festival. Evening from 4 pm onwards, Abhisheka will begin. Watch the festivities live at mayapur.tv. Maha Sudarshana Yajna & adhivas took place yesterday. We thank all the donors for their kind support […]

The post Happy Narasimha Chaturdashi! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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The post Does bhakti become more and more complicated as we go into the details? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Srila Prabhupada was with us in Juhu for Nrsimha-caturdasi on May 5, 1974. The following excerpt from my forthcoming book about Srila Prabhupada and Juhu, entitled I’ll Build You a Temple: A Good Fight and a Promise Fulfilled, describes the devotees’ drama:

For Nrsimha-caturdasi, a troupe of devotees led by Jagat Purusa organized a drama depicting the appearance of Lord Nrsimha, to be performed in the temple room. There was an all-male cast, including the young and slender Nava-yogendra as Prahlada Maharaja; Bhagavata, who was quite large, as Nrsimhadeva; and Jagat Purusa, who was very thin, as Hiranyakasipu. The stage was set before anybody arrived, and Bhagavata, wearing a massive lion headdress, was hidden with a microphone in a papier–mache pillar that had been built in the corner of the darshan area. He narrated the drama, but because his voice was broadcast by speakers, nobody knew where he was. Prabhupada sat on his vyasasana, and the play went on all around him, with the temple room itself as the stage, and everyone else in the audience outside on the grounds.

Hiranyakasipu was the most powerful man in the universe, so he was supposed to have a big, muscular physique, but the drama opened with him when he was performing his austerities—standing on the tip of his toes with outstretched hands, with all his ribs showing—and afterward Jagat Purusa put on shoulder pads and lots of wadding. Anirdesavapu had been in the pujari room washing pots, but when the person playing Lord Brahma didn’t show up, the devotees asked him to fill in. All he had to do was respond to Hiranyakasipu when he asked for his boons, they assured him, and they dressed him up with some ornaments and a crown and sent him to the temple room.

From his viewpoint on stage, Anirdesavapu could see how absorbed Prabhupada was in the drama. “When he saw me,” Anirdesavapu later recalled, “he was astonished and opened his eyes wide, as if he was actually seeing Lord Brahma. His eyes got big, his head tilted back, and he was smiling. He wasn’t just seeing some brahmacharis dressed up in makeshift costumes—he was seeing Lord Brahma and the other divine personalities.” At the climax, when Hiranyakasipu called for Prahlada’s lord and pounded the pillar, Bhagavata, as Lord Nrsimha, burst out with a roar, and Prabhupada opened his eyes wide and leaned so far back that his vyasasana almost toppled over.

Decades later, Jagat Purusa still remembered the day vividly: “Over the years, I had done dozens of dramas with various devotees, but I’d never had an experience like this. In one particular school of drama, the Stanislavski School, the actors meditate upon their roles and by doing so transform into the characters they are portraying. I wasn’t really trying to train the devotees in this way, but even without any conscious attempt, by Srila Prabhupada’s presence every devotee in the drama ceased being that devotee and became the part he was playing. It was just unbelievable! Srila Prabhupada was there from the opening scene to the very end, and he was showing all these amazing expressions: surprise, concern, happiness, delight. Some of the devotees could barely watch the drama, they were so transfixed watching Srila Prabhupada watch it unfold. Everything was flawless, because it was not a drama—it was a pastime.”

Afterwards, the actors, still in their costumes, sat down where they were for Prabhupada’s lecture. “Today is the appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva,” he began. “I am so pleased that within such a short time these boys have nicely learned how to play, and especially I have to thank Mr. Hiranyakasipu,” at which everyone laughed and applauded. “Mr. Hiranyakasipu has played his part very nicely.”

The devotees—especially the actors—were exuberant. “As every devotee knows,” Jagat Purusa recalled, “there is nothing—nothing—compared to getting the confirmation that Srila Prabhupada is pleased with something that you have done in his service. I was sitting there just two feet from his lotus feet, and I felt myself melting into the cracks between the tiles, and I thought, This is the best time for me to leave my body! It is so fulfilling to know that Srila Prabhupada is pleased.”

1,500 to 2,000 people are expected at the festival over the two days, when the largely devotee-owned Watseka Ave alongside the temple will be turned into a sort of block party, with colorful tents and stalls, and lanterns strung everywhere. 

A video by RealLifeLore.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are five of the biggest religions in the world. Over the last few thousand years, these religious groups have shaped the course of history and had a profound influence on the trajectory of the human race. Through countless conflicts, conquests, missions abroad, and simple word of mouth, these religions spread around the globe and forever molded the huge geographic regions in their paths. A video by Business Insider.

A beautiful poem by Ananada Vrindavan dasi, temple president of ISKCON Washington, D.C.

This year over 4,000 people attended the event, also dubbed Festival of Colors, on Saturday May 4^th. So many turned up, in fact, that offsite parking had to be arranged with buses to shuttle them back and forth.