Planet ISKCON

Answer Podcast

The post Is living in the present without living for Krishna helpful? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

On March 10, International Women’s Day, the Amravati, Maharashtra, ISKCON Girls’ Forum successfully completed the movement’s inaugural vaisnavi one-day padayatra.

Apply these 5 open secret techniques to improve your Naam Kirtan — Sacinandana Swami

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Full speech by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ISKCON Delhi on February 26, 2019, at the occassion of unveiling the largest Bhagavad-gita in the world. 

Answer by HG Chaitanya Charan das

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Meet Australia’s oldest initiated Prabhupada disciple Bhutanath dasa.
Gauragopala Dasa ACBSP: Australia’s oldest initiated Prabhupada disciple 77 year old Bhutanath dasa ACBSP.

Constructive criticism from caring guides
Excerpt from The Spiritual Scientist
‘See Criticism With a Critical Eye’
By Caitanya Charan Das
The bhakti tradition compares the cutting words of sages to a surgeon’s scalpel. Just as the scalpel cuts off unhealthy tissue, so too do the corrective words of our trustworthy spiritual guides destroy our misconceptions. Just as avoiding surgery can worsen the disease, so too fleeing from corrections can aggravate our illusions. Therefore, when we get constructive criticism from our well-wishing mentors, we need to humbly and honestly introspect and improve.

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The Queen’s Secret (Album of 255 photos)
What a show!! This is by far the most amazing drama I have ever seen!! The Queen’s Secret depicts the life of Queen Kunti, from when she was a maiden princess, to begetting Karna and the five Pandas, until her last days in this world. The Mahabharata is nicely condensed in this hour-and-a-half drama performed by a cast of devotees from 25 countries. Deep emotion, anger, joy, regret, satisfaction, excitement, and tears fill this play all throughout. 255 pictures is a lot but for this play by Bhaktimarga Swami, it doesn’t give it justice… A small offering of gratitude to Bhaktimarga Swami and his great team!!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/m2dNqt

A visit to the TOVP (Album of photos)
Sadbhuja Das: Hare Krishna dear devotees,
Please check these images of His Holiness Radhanath Swami’s visit to the TOVP.
Srila Prabhupada: “As a result of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Krishna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.28)

By Nitya Kishore dasi

The next stop was the house of Saranga Murari, the famous guru who initiated a dead body that was floating in the Ganga in the early morning. His very unique pastimes made the devotees laugh when they heard the incredible activities of this unique vaishnava. The most humble and sincere Vasudeva datta was also living in this house and His beautiful deities are still there: Radha Madhan Gopal, they are very tall and Gopal has light blue body with big lotus eyes. Once Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to this place and for the pleasure of the devotees he saved a tree which was giving shadow in the courtyard. That very tree touched by Lord Caitanya's lotus hand is still there. Continue reading "Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2019 Day 5
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Dallas’ Mayor Rawlings invites all to Dallas Ratha Yatra (2 min. video)
Watch this wonderful invite to the Festival of Joy, by our very own mayor, Mike Rawlings!

Join us at the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple on Wednesday March 20th, as we celebrate one of the biggest festivals of the year, Gaura Purnima, the appearance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu! 

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than Lord Krishna Himself. He appeared in the city of Navadvipa in Bengal in 1486. Throughout His life he practically demonstrated how to follow the teachings of Lord Krishna with love and devotion in the simplest way. He inaugurated the Golden Age amidst the age of Kali and established the chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna (Sankirtan) as the Yuga Dharma. He generously distributed His teachings to all the fallen people without any discrimination and rekindled their love for God. In this way, He personally exemplified how to be a pure devotee of Lord Krishna.

Answer Podcast

The post Is it ok for devotees to give motivational classes without mentioning Krishna at all? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 August 2018, Vrindavan, India, Bhagavad-gita 4.9).

The pastimes of Krsna have more power to capture the heart than any other pastime. Therefore, to develop love for Krsna is especially easy because Sri Krsna is all attractive and His pastimes are especially sweet. What Lord Caitanya gave us is filled with taste and there is no compromise – it is the highest taste. Taste is the special feature of Lord Caitanya’s movement. 

In the Caitanya Candramrta of Prabodhananda Sarasvati the question is asked: “Where do you find renunciation as you find it in the associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu?”

Yes, and why is this? Because it is a renunciation which is based on blissfulness. When you are completely blissful in some activities there is no interest in anything else. You do not even think about it. Imagine if we are totally absorbed in a very blissful activity and some salesman comes and says, “You want this?”

“What? No!” 

In this way maya has nothing to offer.

It is explained that the virakti of the vaisnava is like the eating process. When one is full one has no interest in anything, even in the tastiest things. Things that normally would be considered attractive are not attractive. So one who is absorbed in love of God and has that taste, has no interest in worldly pleasures. In this way we can be on a platform of renunciation which is otherwise virtually impossible for any yogi, who would have to undergo great difficulty, great pain, a lot of austerity and follow a very rigid program. Therefore taste is the central factor. It is the source of our strength.          

The article " The Highest Taste " was published on KKSBlog.

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The post QA session in Melbourne 2019 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post Krishna’s moods in the Bhagavad-gita (3) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Seminar in Melbourne, Australia]

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Video:

The post Krishna’s moods in the Bhagavad-gita 3 – Chp 13-18 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Gopi Gita: Nothing compared to my visit to the Bhakti Center! Every nook and cranny felt powered by intention; every step a visit takes carefully thought out in order to guide guests to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From the smiling receptionist to the signs, the colors, the pamphlets, wall decor, shoe racks placement, everything perfectly placed. I felt like I had been gently carried by another force to the ornately decorated temple room doors. Radha Muralidhara, breathtakingly beautiful and Sri Gaurachandra, resided inside, surrounded by walls decorated in sacred cowdung. The visionary for this temple is HH Radhanath Swami. And the excellent work being led by our very own Virabhadra as temple president. Bud Tansey (Virabhadra Ram)

The area was undeveloped and considered unsafe. Local people and even disciples used to tell Prabhupada that although he was planning to spend so much money, no one would go there, because it was so isolated. Undeterred, Prabhupada would say that it was a good location. He had a vision. When land is donated, he said, it is auspicious. He asked his disciple, Surabhi Dasa, a Dutch architect, to design the temple

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H.H.Radhanath Swami and HG Gauranga prabhu, during an important social event of the wedding of the son of Indian magnate Mukesh Ambani met with legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Super star Rajnikanth.

Jaya Jaya Sri Caitanya Jaya Nityananda, Jaya Advaita Chandra Jaya Gaura bhakta vrinda! In the Parikrama 4th day we covered Rtudvipa and Jahnudvipa, processes arcana and vandanam respectively. Rtudvipa is where the house of the learned Vidya Vanaspati is situated and Jahnudvipa is the island where the sage Jahnu muni was living, once Bhismadeva came […]

The post Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama: Day4 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

A new rendition of a song glorifying Sridham Mayapur (8 min. video)
Srila Prabhupada: By the grace of the Lord, if a devotee, ...

Srimad Bhagavatam 9.16.10-19 HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja Mayapur Dham 12.03.2019 trih-sapta-krtvah prthivim krtva nihksatriyam prabhuh samanta-pañcake cakre sonitodan hradan nava (SB 9.19) Translations by Srila Prabhupada (9.16.10-19) “Once when Paraśurāma left the āśrama for the forest with Vasumān and his other brothers, the sons of Kārtavīryārjuna took the opportunity to approach Jamadagni’s residence to seek […]

The post Live from Sri Mayapur: HH Radhanath Swami appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Adikarta das: Some of you, especially in America may have seen the news that Tusi Gabbard is running for President of the USA. Of course Tulsi is by birth a Hare Krishna devotee and has the potential to be an instrument for many people to hear Krishna's Holy Name and possibly steer society to a better course.

Youth-niting Art Academy opener based on The Queen’s Secret drama performed in Mayapur, 2019 (3 min. video)
This Opener is based on The Queens Secret drama performance 2019. It is moving story of Queen Kunti and her son Karna who never knew his mother or father.

By Bhaktimarga Swami

Thereafter, Paraśurāma joined his father’s head to the dead body and placed the whole body and head upon kuśa grass. By offering sacrifices, he began to worship Lord Vāsudeva, who is the all-pervading Supersoul of all the demigods and of every living entity. After completing the sacrifice, Lord Paraśurāma gave the eastern direction to the hotā as a gift, the south to the brahmā, the west to the adhvaryu, the north to the udgātā, and the four corners — northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest — to the other priests. He gave the middle to Kaśyapa and the place known as Āryāvarta to the upadraṣṭā. Whatever remained he distributed among the sadasyas, the associate priests. Thereafter, having completed the ritualistic sacrificial ceremonies, Lord Paraśurāma took the bath known as the avabhṛtha-snāna. Standing on the bank of the great river Sarasvatī, cleared of all sins, Lord Paraśurāma appeared like the sun in a clear, cloudless sky. Continue reading "Srimad Bhagavatam class in Mayapur, March 13, 2019
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By Jaya Gaursundar Dasa

“The Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu is the Absolute Truth, whose lotus feet all the demigods are always eager to see. Like the sun god, He pervades everything by the rays of His energy. He appears impersonal to imperfect eyes.” Continue reading "Energies of Lord Krishna
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Mayapur Planetarium (Album of photos)
Ramai Swami: ISKCON leaders were invited to attend a presentation by the committee for t...

By Nitya Kishore dasi

So, we can't describe the happiness of the devotees to visit such sacred places! Champahati (or the market of jasmines) are one of the most beautiful places in Navadvipa Dhama. The Lordships Gaura Gadhadara are forever worshipped here. They were installed by Gadadhara pandit's nephew. Campahatti is also the place where Jayadeva Goswami wrote his world famous Gita Govinda poems. In this very sacred place Jayadeva Goswami and his wife Padmavati had the darshan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna! Every year the Parikrama party stop in Champatti and have a great time with Katha given by different sanyasis, drama, darshan and prasada. Continue reading "Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2019 Day 4
→ Dandavats"

ISKCON leaders were invited to attend a presentation by the committee for the ToVP Planetarium. This important aspect of the new temple was very much desired by Srila Prabhupada who wanted to show Vedic cosmology and the underlying spiritual aspect to the world.

The devotees sat in a small replica dome and images of the planetary system and its origin were projected onto the ceiling. This was followed by an address by Jayapataka Swami, the chairman of the committee. Other devotees, such as, Drutakarma das, Ramesvara das, Antardvipa das and Anakadundubhi das explained other themes that are to be incorporated into the planetarium.

Answer Podcast

The post Why is it so difficult to step back from a dramatic position that we have publically taken – is it because of ego? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The Vedic texts describe that there are innumerable spiritual planets in the spiritual sky beyond this material creation, each having one of the unlimited forms of the Lord with countless devotees engaging in His service. In the center of all the spiritual planets of Vaikuntha (meaning the spiritual sky where there is no anxiety) is the planet known as Krishnaloka or Goloka Vrindavana. This is the personal abode of the original Supreme Personality of God, Sri Krishna. Krishna enjoys His transcendental bliss in multiple forms on that planet, and all the opulences of the other Vaikuntha planets are found there. This planet is shaped like a lotus flower and many kinds of pastimes are taking place on each leaf of that lotus, as described in Brahma-samhita, verses two and four: “The superexcellent station of Krishna, which is known as Gokula, has thousands of petals and a corolla like that of a lotus sprouted from a part of His infinitary aspect, the whorl of the leaves being the actual abode of Krishna. The whorl of that eternal realm, Gokula, is the hexagonal abode of Krishna. Its petals are the abodes of gopis [friends] who are part and parcel of Krishna to whom they are most lovingly devoted and are similar in essence. The petals shine beautifully like so many walls. The extended leaves of that lotus are the garden-like dhama, or spiritual abode of Sri Radhika, the most beloved of Krishna.”

The only business that Sri Krishna has in the spiritual realm is transcendental enjoyment. The only business of Krishna’s eternal servants or devotees is to offer enjoyment to Him. The more enjoyment the devotees offer to Krishna, the happier He becomes. The happier Krishna becomes, the more His devotees become enlivened and taste eternal, transcendental ecstasy. In this way, there is an ever-increasing competition of spiritual ecstasy between Krishna and His parts and parcels. This is the only business in the spiritual world, as confirmed in Brahma-samhita, verse 6: “The Lord of Gokula is the Transcendental Supreme Godhead, the own Self of eternal ecstacies. He is superior to all superiors and is busily engaged in the enjoyments of the transcendental realm and has no association with His mundane [material] potency.”

Though it is not possible to experience spiritual pastimes or to see the form of the Supreme with ordinary senses, by spiritualizing our senses by the practice of devotional yoga we can reach the platform of perceiving the Supreme at every moment. At that time we start becoming Krishna conscious and can begin to enter into the pastimes of Krishna, although we may still be situated within this material body. If we become fully spiritualized in this manner, there is no doubt that when we give up this material body, we will return to the spiritual world. Until then, we can continue studying the Vedic texts to remember and be conversant about the beauty and loveliness of the spiritual world, as described as follows:

“Vrindavana-dhama is a place of ever-increasing joy. Flowers and fruits of all seasons grow there, and that transcendental land is full of the sweet sound of various birds. All directions resound with the humming of bumblebees, and it is served with cool breezes and the waters of the Yamuna River. Vrindavana is decorated with wish-fulfilling trees wound with creepers and beautiful flowers. Its divine beauty is ornamented with the pollen of red, blue and white lotuses. The ground is made of jewels whose dazzling glory is equal to a myriad of suns rising in the sky at one time. On that ground is a garden of desire trees, which always shower divine love. In that garden is a jeweled temple whose pinnacle is made of rubies. It is decorated with various jewels, so it remains brilliantly effulgent through all seasons of the year. The temple is beautified with bright-colored canopies, glittering with various gems, and endowed with ruby-decorated coverings and jeweled gateways and arches. Its splendour is equal to millions of suns, and it is eternally free from the six waves of material miseries. In that temple there is a great golden throne inlaid with many jewels. In this way one should meditate on the divine realm of the Supreme Lord, Sri Vrindavana-dhama.” (Gautamiya Tantra 4)

“I worship that transcendental seat, known as Svetadvipa where as loving consorts the Lakshmis, in their unalloyed spiritual essence, practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Krishna as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose-tree; where the soil is the purpose-gem, water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milch-cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the duration of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.” (Brahma-samhita, 5.56)

By studying and hearing about the beauty of the spiritual world, we will understand that everything we are looking for in life has its origin in that eternal realm. There, as it is described, one finds freedom from all pains and suffering, and the atmosphere is unlimitedly full of ever-expanding beauty, joy, happiness, knowledge, and eternal, loving relationships. It is a world full of recreation only, without the struggle for maintaining our existence. There is never any hunger, and we can feast and never get full. Neither is there any lamentation over the past or fear of the future. It is said that time is conspicuous by its absence. Thus, the needs of the soul for complete freedom and unbounded love and happiness are found in the spiritual atmosphere. That is our real home.

For more information and paintings and photographs of Krishna, go to the Krishna Darshan Art Gallery at http://www.stephen-knapp.com, which presents a collection of photographs of lovely Radha-Krishna Deities from around the world, as well as paintings and prints of Krishna’s pastimes and His incarnations.

[From www.stephen-knapp.com]

2013-09-21 Bhakti Sangam #Russian #BookDistribution

Bhaktimarga Swami: Many of our crew members are quite ill with fever, but like real troopers they’re carrying on with the show. A number of them wouldn't mind participating in the walking events, called parikrama,but they see the need to reserve time for this valuable service, the service of ‘enterlightenment’.

Two students meet again.
Both did B.Tech in Metallurgical engineering the same year (1992). One from IIT Kharagpur and other from IIT Bombay. One works for a company that helps people to search for content on the internet/web, the other gives company (association) to search God within and around us. One developed Chrome and the other developed Govardhana ECO village.
None other than Google CEO Sundar Pichai with HG Gauranga prabhu at Mukesh Ambani son’s (Akash Ambani) marriage.

The following is a chapter from Modern Culture–a Dangerous Experiment by DAYANANDA DAS ADHIKARY.
This section discusses human greed as the root cause of environmental disasters. Many consider the problem to be systemic,[1] and they advocate changing fundamental values to those that would provide genuine reverence toward nature.
The solution presented in this book is to adopt the essential values and practices of Vaishnava culture, specifically those related to yajna.

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HG Chaitanya Dasi’s memorial in Vrindavan (Album of photos)
Mahadevi Dasi: Yesterday in Srila Prabhupada’s House here in Vrndavana, Caitanya Dasi’s Godsisters n brothers sat in a family circle to glorify n remember Prabhupada’s dear disciple. Caitanya dasi has served Srila Prabhupada faithfully in ISKCON since 1969.

The last 2 days of Parikrama have been such an unforgettable experience for all the pilgrims. In the second day we visited Godrumadvipa, the island where kirtan is the process. This is where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave comments on the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta and wrote all his songs. We were in Surabhi kunj where Sri […]

The post Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama:Day2 &3 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Navadvip Mandala Parikrama 2019 - Day 4 (17 min. video)
To experience ecstasy in the holy places is not as simple as buying a ...