Planet ISKCON

Hare Krishna Dear Temple Presidents, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. On behalf of the GBC, we extend a warm invitation to the Temple Presidents for the upcoming International Temple Presidents Meeting scheduled for 27th February 2024 at Mayapur. This sanga provides an opportunity for Temple Presidents from ISKCON temples across
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Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja was one of the internal associates of Narottama Thakura. The two of them were practically inseparable. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja had obtained the full mercy and blessings of Srinivasa acarya. Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja’s father’s name was Ciranjiva Sena—his mother’s name was Sri Sunanda.  

At first Sri Ciranjiva Sen lived in Kumara Nagara. After he married the daughter of the poet Sri Damodara Kavi, he moved to the village of Sri Khanda. Ciranjiva Sen was a Mahabhagavata, a topmost devotee of the Lord. The devotees of Sri Khanda, headed by Narahari Sarakara Thakura all had great affection and respect for Ciranjiva.

One day Srinivasa Acharya was in Yajigrama at his own house, where many devotees had gathered to hear him lecture on Shrimad-Bhagavatam. At that time, passing by the house of Shrinivasa Acharya was Ramachandra Kaviraja the son of Ciranjiva Sen (one of Mahaprabhu’s eternal associates).  He had just been married, and he and his new bride were on their way back from the wedding. 

From a long way off, Srinivasa Acharya saw Ramachandra Kaviraja, and Ramachandra Kaviraja also saw Srinvasa Acharya from a distance. Upon seeing each other from a distance a deep mood of friendship arose within the hearts of those two eternally perfect devotees of Sri Gauranga. After seeing each other they were eager to meet one another.  

Srinivasa Acharya inquired about Ramachandra Kaviraja from the local people.  They told him that he was a great pandita named Ramachandra—a learned poet and expert doctor from a family of doctors and scholars. Hearing all this, Srinivasa acarya smiled, for he was greatly pleased. 

Ramachandra Kaviraja had heard about Srinivasa Acharya and was eager to have his darsana.  In this way, he finally went to the house of Srinivasa acarya along with his new bride and was introduced by some of the local people. The day passed quickly in discussion of Hari-katha. They spent the night where they had been staying since coming to Yajigrama, at a brahmana’s house near the home of Shrinvasa Acharaya, and the following morning went to Srinivasa Acharya and fell before his feet offering prostrated obeisances.

The Acharya bade Ramachandra Kaviraja to get up from the ground, and heartily embraced him saying, “Life after life you have been my friend.  Providence has brought us together again today by arranging our meeting.” Both of them felt great happiness as a result of their having met.  

Seeing that Ramachandra had an acute and deeply learned transcendental intelligence, Srinivasa was very happy.  He began to make him hear the Goswami scriptures. Ramacandra’s pure behavior  which was always in accordance with the scriptures very much pleased Srinivasa acarya, and after a few days the Acharya initiated him in the divine Radha-Krishna mantra.

Gradually, Ramacandra Kaviraja became eager to go to Vrndavana and take darsana of the holy feet of the Goswamis there. After receiving permission and blessings from various Vaisnavas in Bengal, including Sri Raghunandana Thakura, he set out for Vrndavana on an auspicious day. 

 At that time, Srinivasa acarya was staying in Vrndavana. Arriving there, Ramachandra Kaviraja offered his obeisances at the lotus feet of Sri Jiva Goswami and Srinivasa acarya and gave the devotees there the auspicious news about all the devotees in Bengal. 

On the order of Jiva Goswami, Ramachandra Kaviraja went to visit the three principal deities of Vrndavana: Sri Madana-Mohan,  Sri Govinda, and Sri Gopinatha, as well as the memorial shrine or samadhi of Sanatana Goswami. 

He took darsana of the holy feet of the principle Goswamis residing in Vrndavana at the time, including Sri Lokanatha Goswami, Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, and Sri Bhugarbha Goswami. Seeing Ramacandra’s wonderful expertise in composing beautiful verses glorifying Sri Krsna, they gave him the title “Kaviraja,” in recognition of his scholarship.

After staying in Vrndavana for some time under the guidance of those great souls, and after visiting the important holy places, Ramachandra was ordered by the Goswamis to return to Bengal. 

Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja delivered many sinners and nonbelievers to a life of auspiciousness as a result of his mercy. At the festival in Kheturi-grama, he was one of the leaders. On the order of Narottama dasa Thakura and Srinivasa acarya he again went to Vrndavana. When he arrived there, he found that almost all the Goswamis had passed away. 

When he found that so many great souls had passed away, his heart was deeply pained.  After some days in Vrndavana, feeling the pain of separation in this way, while deeply meditating upon the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Govinda, he entered into their eternal Vrndavana. pastimes.  

His disappearance day is on the third day of the dark moon in the month of Pausa.

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Once there were three sages, and these sages were discussing what is the best age to be delivered from material existence. One said, “I propose that Satya-yuga is the best age, because it is the golden age, the age of enlightenment. Just by a few hundred thousand years of meditation one can go back to
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Dear Devotees, This is a personal appeal from myself (Ambarisa das) and Braja Vilasa prabhu. We are quickly approaching the historic opening of the Nrsimhadeva Wing in the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium scheduled for February 29 – March 2. Much of the Wing interior will be completed for what will be the largest Nrsimhadeva […]

The post TOVP Give To Nrsimha Campaign Appeal from Ambarisa Das appeared first on ISKCON News.

From: Naresh

How to overcome spiritual boredom?

Transcription
Question by Naresh: How to overcome spiritual boredom?

Answer: There is no such thing as spiritual boredom. I think what you mean is that boredom while we practice spiritual life. Boredom is essentially a material emotion. When at the material level we do not find life to be titillating or enjoyable, then we call it boring. Now, sometimes, spiritual life may appear like that. It may not appear titillating, stimulating, enjoyable because we are going through the motions of practicing spiritual life without trying to take our consciousness deep within to the remembrance of Krishna. In material life, people try to do newer and newer activities externally so that they can get newer and newer pleasures. Now, people may try to eat new food, they may try to develop relationship with new partners; so, in all these things, people are trying to do external activities in a new way, but the essential pleasure remains the same because the pleasure is actually not in the particular objects but it is in the speculation/imagination of the ___ (1:39), ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā, so the contact of the sense and sense objects is what?…. manasi-jam…it creates an imagination, stimulation in our mind of pleasure. So, whichever sensory impulse, whichever sensation stimulates our imagination the most, we think that that is the most pleasurable. But it is all temporary and never gives us any lasting happiness.

Now, in spiritual life, we do not do new things externally, we chant the same Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we worship the same deities, we study the same scriptures, Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, then how can we experience happiness? If we keep searching for newness within spirituality in the external forms of the activities, then we will soon become bored. In material life, the activities are new, but the experiences remain the same. It is punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām, chewing the chewed again and again. In spiritual life, the activities remain the same, but the experiences are different. We chant the same Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but as our absorption in Krishna, as our intense devotional remembrance of Krishna increases, we experience greater and greater happiness and fulfillment.

So, to overcome boredom while doing our spiritual activities, we need to not just follow the forms of doing spiritual activity like chanting, taking darshan, studying scripture, but we need to do it with remembrance of Krishna. So, we can meditate that whatever I am doing, I am trying to do it to please Krishna, to serve Krishna, to love Krishna, and when we do it with that meditation, that focus, then we will find that gradually as we start connecting with Krishna more and more, the boredom will go away. And of course, if there are some activities within the devotional circle that we like to do, that give us a taste, then we can try to do them more. If you like to hear kirtans, if you like to sing bhajans, if you like to recite verses, we can do those more so that by doing these we can become more habituated to the reality of spiritual happiness. And as we started understanding that there is something called spiritual happiness, we will want to go deeper and deeper. So, once if we start singing and we start finding that hearing music or singing or this thing something like that gives me a taste, gives me spiritual happiness, we do it more and more. Gradually by that, our connection with Krishna increases, and when our connection with Krishna increases, we can connect with Krishna in other activities also which we may till then have not found so pleasurable. And then we will find that boredom will go far away.

So, two steps essentially: First is whatever we are doing in our devotional service, try to remember Krishna and do whatever we are doing as an offering of love for Krishna’s pleasure; and secondly, within spiritual circle whatever gives us pleasure, do it more so that we can experience the spiritual happiness and deepen our spiritual connection with Krishna and that connection can expand to all aspects of our spiritual life.

Thank you.

End of transcription.

By Dr. Baladeva Dasa It is a pleasure to announce the release of the Syamananda-satakam, composed by Sri Rasikananda Murari and adorned with a beautiful commentary by Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana. This is the tenth of the latter’s works published under the “Baladeva Vidyabhusana Project.” In this poem consisting of a hundred verses (satakam), Sri Rasikananda
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Health Update of H.H. Jayapataka Swami Camp: ISKCON Ahmedabad, 25th Jan 2024. Hare Krishna! Dear disciples and well-wishers of H.H. Jayapataka Maharaja, Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Guru Maharaja! Srila Guru Maharaja recently traveled to Ahmedabad from Kolkata for attending Bureau meetings, right after returning from Agartala.
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Srila Prabhupada once explained the festival this way: “Krishna was just a toy in the hands of the Gopis, so one day the Gopis decided that we shall decorate Him. Pusya abhisheka means a ceremony to decorate the deity profusely with flowers, ornaments, cloths. After there should be lavish feasting and a procession through the streets, so that all the citizens should see how beautiful Krishna appears.”

In the spiritual world the Gopis decorate Krishna and Balaram with feathers, fruits, leaves and flowers. Amongst their many gardens in Pushpavan near Kusum Sarovar, every day, just before noon, Srimati Radharani collects flowers from that garden to make beautiful garlands to offer to Krishna when He meets her at Radha Kunda.

. Diwali night Bhajan by PM Rishi Sunak & family at Southampton Mandir . गर्व से कहो हम हिंदू है। pic.twitter.com/2Zx6oVpHQQ — Minni Razdan (@mini_razdan10) November 14, 2023
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In 2017, during the Padayatra march in the Czech Republic, I was hit by a car with two other devotees. The driver of the car had an epileptic seizure and drove at full speed into our ten-member harinama group. She only stopped when she hit a gas station, in the place where cars are pumped
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The TOVP Communications Department is pleased to provide a page on the TOVP website dedicated to the promotion of the ISKCON Mayapur City.

Based on the Mayapur Master Plan brochure, Sri Chaitanya Cultural World Heritage Center, this page provides some insights into the current status and future plans of the World Headquarters of the Hare Krishna Movement in Sridham Mayapur, West Bengal, India. The ISKCON Mayapur City is the fulfillment of the vision of ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wherein a spiritual civilization dedicated to the principles of Vaishnavism and sanatan dharma can flourish and proper in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna.

Visit the ISKCON Mayapur City page to read more.

For more information on Srila Prabhupada’s instructions for ISKCON Mayapur, read the flipbook Srila Prabhupada on Mayapur which is available to view, download and share.

 

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In Vraja there was a dancer named Candrahasa who was very expert in the tasting of rasa. In Chaitanya-lila, he became Jagadisa Pandit who also took great pleasure in dancing for the Lord.
(Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 143)

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

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

Jagadisa and his wife Duhkhini had the same kind of parental affection for the little Nimai as Jagannath and Sachi themselves. Duhkhini was like a mother to Nimai and even sometimes acted as his wet-nurse. Nimai, the son of Sachi, is none other than the son of Yashoda, the supreme Lord Krishna incarnate. It is not possible for anyone but an eternal associate of the Lord to have the good fortune to treat him like a son in this way.

Just as Mahaprabhu was conquered by the devotion of Jagadisa Pandit, so too was his dearest companion Nityananda Prabhu who considered him to be one of his own intimate associates. Nityananda Prabhu was Jagadisa’s life and soul. Jagadisa was present in Panihati for the Chira-dadhi Mahotsava.

Putrada Ekadasi falls on the 11th lunar day of the fortnight of the waxing moon in the Vedic month of Pausha (December/January). This day is also known as Pausha Putrada Ekadashi, to differentiate it from the other Putrada Ekadashi in the month of Shravana (July/August), which is also called Shravana Putrada Ekadasi.

This is the first Ekadasi of the year 2024. It is an auspicious start for the rest of the year, and we encourage devotees reading this to kindly consider donating on this day to help open Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Wing from February 29 – March 2, 2024. Please go to th Give To Nrsimha Fundraiser page on the TOVP website and select one of several new and unique seva opportunity options.

  NOTE: Putrada Ekadasi is observed on Sunday, January 21st worldwide. Please refer to your local calendar through www.vaisnavacalendar.info.

  View, download and share the TOVP 2024 Calendar​.

 

The Glories of Putrada Ekadasi

From the Bhavishya Purana

The pious and saintly Yudhisthira Maharaj said to Lord Krishna, “Oh Lord, You have so nicely explained to us the wonderful glories of the Saphala Ekadasi which occurs during the dark fortnight (Krishna paksha) of the month of Pausha (December – January). Now please be merciful to me and explain the details of the Ekadasi that occurs in the light fortnight (Shukla or Gaura paksha) of this month. What is its name, and what Deity is to be worshiped on that sacred day? Oh Purushottama, Oh Hrishikesha, please also tell me how You can be pleased on this day?

Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh saintly king, for the benefit of all humanity I shall now tell you how to observe fasting on the Pausha-shukla Ekadasi. As previously explained, everyone should observe the rules and regulations of the Ekadasi vrata, to the very best of their ability. This injunction also applies to the Ekadasi named Putrada, which destroys all sins and elevates one to the spiritual abode. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Narayana, the original personality, is the worshipable Deity of the Ekadasi, and for His faithful devotees He happily fulfills all desires and awards full perfection. Thus among all the animate and inanimate beings in the three worlds, there is no better personality than Lord Narayana.

“Oh King, now I shall narrate to you the history of Putrada Ekadasi, which removes all kinds of sins and makes one famous and learned. There was once a kingdom named Bhadravati, which was ruled by King Suketuman. His queen was the famous Shaibya. Because he had no son, he spent a long time in anxiety, thinking, ‘If I have no son, who will carry on my dynasty?’ In this way the king meditated in a religious attitude for a very long time, thinking, ‘Where should I go? What should I do? How can I get a pious son (putra)?

“In this way King Suketuman could find no happiness anywhere in his kingdom, even in his own palace, and soon he was spending more and more time inside his wife’s palace, gloomily thinking only of how he could get a son. Thus both King Suketuman and Queen Shaibya were in great distress. Even when they offered tarpana (oblations of water to their forefathers), their mutual misery made them think that it was as undrinkable as boiling water. They thus thought they would have no descendants to offer tarpana to them when they died and would become lost souls (ghosts).

“The king and queen were especially upset to learn that their forefathers were worried that soon there would be no one to offer them tarpana also. After learning of their forefather’s unhappiness, the king and queen became more and more miserable, and neither ministers, nor friends, nor even loved ones could cheer them up. To the king, his elephants and horses and infantry were no solace, and at last he became practically inert and helpless.

“The king thought to himself, ‘It is said that without a son, marriage is wasted. Indeed, for a family man with no son, both his heart and his splendid house remain vacant and miserable. Bereft of a son, a man cannot liquidate the debts that he owes his forefathers, the demigods (devas) and to other human beings. Therefore every married man should endeavor to beget a son; thus he will become famous within this world and at last attain the auspicious celestial realms. A son is proof of the pious activities a man performed in his past one hundred lifetimes, and such a person achieves a long duration of life in this world, along with good health and great wealth. Possessing sons and grandsons in this lifetime proves that one has worshiped Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the past. The great blessing of sons, wealth, and sharp intelligence can be achieved only by worshiping the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna. That is my opinion.’

“Thinking thus, the king had no peace. He remained in anxiety day and night, from morning to evening, and from the time he lay down to sleep at night until the sun rose in the morning, his dreams were equally full of great anxiety. Suffering such constant anxiety and apprehension, King Suketuman decided to end his misery by committing suicide. But he realized that suicide throws a person into hellish conditions of rebirth, and so he abandoned that idea. Seeing that he was gradually destroying himself by his all-consuming anxiety over the lack of a son, the king at last mounted his horse and left for the dense forest alone. No one, not even the priests and brahmins of the palace, knew where he had gone.

“In that forest, which was filled with deer and birds and other animals, King Suketuman wandered aimlessly, noting all the different kinds of trees and shrubs, such as the fig, bel fruit, date palm, jackfruit, bakula, saptaparna, tinduka, and tilaka, as well as the shala, tala, tamala, sarala, hingota, arjuna, labhera, baheda, sallaki, karonda, patala, khaira, shaka and palasha trees. All were beautifully decorated with fruits and flowers. He saw deer, tigers, wild boar, lions, monkeys, snakes, huge bull elephants, cow elephants with their calves, and four-tusked elephants with their mates close by. There were cows, jackals, rabbits, leopards, and hippopotamuses. Beholding all these animals accompanied by their mates and offspring, the king remembered his own menagerie, especially his palace elephants, and became so sad that he absent mindedly wandered into their very midst.

“Suddenly the king heard a jackal howl in the distance. Startled, he began wandering about, looking around in all directions. Soon it was midday, and the king started to tire. He was tormented by hunger and thirst also. He thought, ‘What sinful deed could I possibly have done so that I am now forced to suffer like this, with my throat parched and burning, and my stomach empty and rumbling? I have pleased the devas (demigods) with numerous fire sacrifices and abundant devotional worship. I have given many gifts and delicious sweets in charity to all the worthy brahmins too. And I have taken care of my subjects as though they were my very own children. Why then am I suffering so? What unknown sins have come to bear fruit and torment me in this dreadful way?’

“Absorbed in these thoughts, King Suketuman struggled forward, and eventually, due to his pious credits, he came upon a beautiful lotus bearing pond that resembled the famous Lake Manasarova. It was filled with aquatics, including crocodiles and many varieties of fish, and graced with varieties of lilies and lotuses. The beautiful lotuses had opened to the Sun, and swans, cranes and ducks swam happily in its waters. Nearby were many attractive ashramas where there resided many saints and sages who could fulfill the desires of anyone. Indeed, they wished everyone well. When the king saw all this, his right arm and right eye began to quiver, a sakuna sign (for a male) that something auspicious was about to happen.

“As the king dismounted his horse and stood before the sages, who sat on the shore of the pond, he saw that they were chanting the holy names of God on japa beads. The king paid his obeisances and, joining his palms, addressed them with glorified praises. Observing the respect the king offered them, the sages said, ‘We are very pleased with you, Oh king. Kindly tell us why you have come here. What is on your mind? Please inform us what is your heart’s desire.’

“The king replied, ‘Oh great sages, who are you? What are your names, surely your presence reveals that you are auspicious saints? Why have you come to this beautiful place? Please tell me everything.’ “The sages replied, ‘Oh king, we are known as the ten Vishvadevas (the sons of Vishva: Vasu, Satya, Kratu, Daksha, Kala, Kama, Dhriti, Pururava, Madrava and Kuru). We have come here to this very lively pond to bathe. The month of Magha (Madhava mas) will soon be here in five days (from the Magh nakshatra), and today is the famous Putrada Ekadasi. One who desires a son should strictly observe this particular Ekadasi.’

“The king said, ‘I have tried so hard to have son. If you great sages are pleased with me, kindly grant me the boon of having a good son.’ ‘The very meaning of Putrada,’ the sages replied, ‘is “giver of a putra, pious son.” So please observe a complete fast on this Ekadasi day. If you do so, then by our blessing and by the mercy of Lord Sri Keshava invested in us – surely you will obtain a son.’

“On the advice of the Vishvadevas, the king observed the auspicious fast day of Putrada Ekadasi according to the established rules and regulations, and on the Dvadasi, after breaking his fast, he paid obeisances again and again to all of them.

“Soon after Suketuman returned to his palace and united with his queen. Queen Shaibya immediately became pregnant, and exactly as the Vishvadevas had predicted, a bright-faced, beautiful son was born to them. In due course of time, he became famous as a heroic prince, and the king gladly pleased his noble son by making him his successor. The son of Suketuman took care of his subjects very conscientiously, just as if they were his own children.

“In conclusion, Oh Yudhisthira, one who wishes to fulfill his desires should strictly observe Putrada Ekadasi. While on this planet, one who strictly observes this Ekadasi will surely obtain a son, and after death he will achieve liberation. Anyone who even reads or hears the glories of Putrada Ekadasi obtains the merit earned by performing a horse sacrifice. It is to benefit all humanity that I have explained all this to you.”

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Pausha-shukla Ekadasi, or Putrada Ekadasi, from the Bhavishya Purana of Veda Vyasadeva.

This article has been used courtesy of ISKCON Desire Tree

 

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Praghosa dasa: The first minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf visited our Karuna Bhavan temple yesterday. He was garlanded with the Deities Maha garlands and was pleased to receive Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita.
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