[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Adelaide, Australia]

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The post When spiritual life gives poison instead of nectar – PURE acronym – 2 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Celebrate Janmasthami & Vyasa Puja with Joy of Devotion Film Screening.
In honor of ISKCON’s 50thanniversary, two award-winning film were produced. While Yadubara Das’ film the Hare Krishna! presents Prabhupada’s extraordinary life, an ISKCON Communications Ministry documentary The Joy of Devotion directed by Krisztina Danka (Krishna Lila Dasi) of Karuna Productions picks up where the other film leaves off and captures Prabhupada’s worldwide impact, and gives an overview about what ISKCON is today, featuring dramatic, personal and very inspiring stories of devotees around the world and the difference they are making in society.
To read the complete article please click here: https://goo.gl/NLBNe8

“Live Consciously” retreat connects hearts and souls
Jayshree devi dasi: Last weekend (11 and 12 August 2018) around 80 devotees from Brisbane participated in a spiritual retreat facilitated by HG Chaitanya Charan das at Camp Warrawee. Located in beautiful natural bushland, on the North Pine river only 35 minutes from Brisbane Camp Warrawee served as a contemporary banyan tree in which devotees of all age groups, toddlers, teenagers and adults, took shelter to learn the art of applying scriptures in real life. An entire weekend was spent in devotional activities including morning program, chanting, kirtan, skits and discussions on various themes from the Mahabharat including,

Recently, we were visited by one of the best custom-made fountain manufacturing companies in the world from Germany, Oase Living Water.

They have made over 100,000 fountains worldwide, both commercial and residential, most custom-made to suit the size of the water pond and its effect on the surrounding area. Using sophisticated, high tech software programs, their designs can create illuminated and multi-colored water jets that appear out of nowhere, and luminous, leaping water displays with ever-changing patterns.

We are optimistic we can work with Oase to create many simple as well as sophisticated fountain designs all throughout the TOVP grounds, and they will be sending us a mockup of their ideas superimposed on our master plan, along with quotations of their costs. Below are two samples of highly sophisticated fountain displays they have manufactured that also include holographic effects.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/mayapur.tovp
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Phone App at: http://tovp.org/news/announcements/new-tovp-phone-app-goes-live/
Support us at: www.tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/

The post TOVP Fountains Underway appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Most devotees don’t know, but the two gigantic cranes used to complete the TOVP superstructure were the tallest self-standing cranes in Asia! In order to support them at their base to balance their weight and hold them up we had to construct two extremely strong concrete foundations, one for each.

Now that they are no longer on the construction site we are in the process of dismantling these two foundations and are finding it very difficult to do so. We need to run a special machine called a Concrete Breaker 12 – 14 hours a day to accomplish this. Please watch the video for a sample.

The difficulty in breaking up even these small, less important crane foundations is evidence of the quality of our concrete work. And we have built the TOVP foundation and superstructure even stronger than these two crane foundations.

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/mayapur.tovp
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Phone App at: http://tovp.org/news/announcements/new-tovp-phone-app-goes-live/
Support us at: www.tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/

The post TOVP Foundation and Structure Strength appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Работы по украшению наружных стен храма быстро продвигается вперед.

Один участок наружной стены алтарной уже завершён! На фотографиях вы можете увидеть сложные элементы декора, над которыми мы сейчас работаем.

The post Продолжается отделка наружных стен ХВП appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Work on the external temple wall finishing and decoration is ongoing and rapidly progressing.

One section of the temple room outer wall is now complete! From the photos you can have a visual effect of the intricate detailing that we are doing.

The post TOVP External Wall Detailing Progress appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

We spend our lives working hard to secure happiness. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Ajamidha Dasa: Today’s consumer seems to be moving away from accumulating things toward acquiring new experiences and feelings, collecting mental images with which to fill his life. Thus modern man has realized an age-old truth: enjoyment is only in one’s mind.

On the Crucial Choice: To Be Controlled by Force—or by Love.
The following conversation between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his disciples took place in January 1974 on an early-morning walk in Hawaii.

A Fish Out of Water.
When you’re out of your element, nothing seems to satisfy.
Drutakarma dasa: For years, Frederick J. Fish lived a very ordinary life beneath the waves of the blue Pacific Ocean off Malibu. But one day he noticed that up on the beach there were finless creatures who appeared to be having more fun. So he rode in on a wave and hopped up on the sun-drenched sand. Soon he was all fixed up to enjoy himself—beach chair, FM radio, a cold drink, sunglasses. But something was wrong. Gradually Fred’s feeling of discomfort turned to panic. Finally, gasping for breath, he realized, “I’m out of my element!”

"This evening you can make me some puffed rice and peanuts," he said. "It will fill me, but it is not heavy. What I ate last night made it difficult for me to get up and do my translating work. With puffed rice there is no indigestion." I left his room and began to prepare the puffed rice and peanuts. He told me to serve it with sliced cucumber and ginger root on the side. First, a chaunce was made and then the puffed rice and peanuts were put into the wok and cooked until all the grains were toasted. I brought it to his room along with hot milk that was sweetened with sugar. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada and the puffed rice
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Imagine a farmer who gets a Mercedes Benz as a gift. The only vehicle he has ever seen is a tractor, and the only purpose he knows for any vehicle is plowing. So he hitches a yoke to his new Mercedes and starts driving it over his field. Of course, not only does his attempt at plowing fail; his new car malfunctions. He becomes totally frustrated—with himself, his car, and his field. Ridiculous, we might say, that somebody would use a Mercedes to plow. But could this be the story of our life? Continue reading "When Science Points to Spirituality
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Sam Surya goes to his city’s orphanage one day and makes a large donation. Elsewhere in town, Andy Andhakara robs a bank. What led these two to make such drastically different choices? Was it their own volition, or the force of some other factor? In other words, were their actions predetermined, or did Sam and Andy have free will? These questions concern one of the pivotal debates in Western philosophy. Are human beings destined to follow a set course? Are we like children on an amusement park ride lets them steer right and left but inevitably takes them along a fixed track? Continue reading "How Free Are We?
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In the purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.4.12, Srila Prabhupada nicely explains the art of fanning the spark of good qualities in another person. Here, Sati speaks to her father Daksha after he insulted her husband Lord Shiva. Before she quits her body in a blazing fire, she instructs her father as follows: "Twice-born Daksha, a man like you can simply find fault in the qualities of others. Lord Shiva, however, not only finds no faults with others' qualities, but if someone has a little good quality, he magnifies it greatly. Unfortunately, you have found fault with such a great soul." In the purport Srila Prabhupada wonderfully elaborates: "There are some highly qualified persons, who accept only the good qualities in others. Just as a bee is always interested in the honey in the flower and does not consider the thorns and colors, highly qualified persons, who are uncommon, accept only the good qualities of others, not considering their bad qualities, whereas the common man can judge what are good qualities and what are bad qualities." Continue reading "Fanning The Spark Of Devotion
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.57 Take shelter of the intelligence to convince yourself of the need to take Krishna’s shelter appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Keshavgopal Das

Question: What is the role of ritualistic activities in bhakti – should we continue the rituals from our family traditions?

Answer: In general, devotees try to spiritualize the rituals. In todays world the word “ritual” has a negative connotation. However, rituals themselves are not negative. It is just a structured form of action done to symbolize something. There are rituals in every walk of life. When we meet people, we shake hands. On birthdays, we blow candles. In a cricket match, when a batsman gets out, the umpire raises a finger. When students graduate, they put a gown, put a special type of cap.

Devotees also perform rituals at various milestones in their lives, e.g. marriage, name giving ceremony of a child. Devotees try to spiritualize the rituals. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and before that Gopal Bhatta Goswami have written books to describe how we can perform rituals in a more Krishna centred way. For example, when various devataas are invoked, various forms of the Lord or various associates of the Lord can be invoked.

Rituals are not essential, but they are not necessarily rejected. The essence is to remember Krishna. Srila Prabhupada when inaugurated Vrindavan temple, he got a priest from Vrindavan to perform the rituals of inauguration. However, he said that the real inauguration is the chanting of the holy names to glorify the Lord. Rituals have their importance, but they should not be made all-important.

Which ritual to practice, which ones not? Srila Prabhupada did not emphasize much on any one particular aspect. Some devotees may want to follow rituals more serious than others. Some devotees may not want to follow these too seriously. Both ways are valid.

Following parampara does not necessarily mean following one line. It’s a circumference, and different devotees may take different positions within the circumference. If they are in harmony with a broad direction of the tradition, then that is fine.

As far as family rituals are concerned, the primary consideration for devotees is to maintain social harmony. As mentioned in BG 3.26, na buddhi-bhedam janayed, agyanaam karma-sanginaam (do not disturb the mind of unintelligent people), a devotee should not create a unpleasant situation on such issues.

Bhaktivinod Thakur in his commentary to Chaitanya Shikshamrita says that a Vaishnava can participate in three different kind of festivals (i) Krishna-centred festivals (ii) Festival meant for glorifying devataas (iii) Local festivals.

Krishna centred festivals such as Janmashtami, Gaura Purnima, Rama Navami etc. are those where the devotee’s heart is. A devotee delights in celebrating such festivals. For festivals pertaining to worship of devataas, a devotee can go there as part of social custom. Devotee goes there with an understanding the devataas are also devotees of Krishna. They are parts of the body of Krishna. In fourth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam it is described that Prithu Maharaja was part of sacrifices where different mantras for devataas were chanted. He was doing this as part of social custom. However, internally he was remembering Krishna. For local festivals such as Independence Day, Republic Day a devotee need not need defy them. If such occasions are part of local customs, devotee can still honour them.

Sometimes, we are part of a community or family where certain traditions are considered very important. If we defy those traditions, it may cause a lot of agitation within the community. It may even cause disturbance in our own bhakti due to clash in understanding. In such circumstances, we do not need to take a hard-lined position. Take part in the ceremony, do whatever is functional and move along.

End of transcription.

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[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Adelaide, Australia]

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The post When spiritual life gives poison instead of nectar – 1 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Bhagavad-gita class on 05.22 at ISKCON, Adelaide, Australia]

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Answer Podcast

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Answer Podcast

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Srila Prabhupada’s New Vrindaban Visits

Written By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON New Vrindaban Communications

Archival Research by Chaitanya Mangala Dasa

ISKCON Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada visited New Vrindaban four times, giving the devotees there his association and dispensing practical advice for simple living that remains invaluable not only to New Vrindaban, but to all ISKCON rural farm communities to this day.

During his first visit, running for over a month from May 20th to June 23rd 1969, Srila Prabhupada encouraged the small group of devotees to embrace the austerity of New Vrindaban life. He praised their simple lodgings and savored their well water and fresh milk straight from ISKCON’s first cow, Kaliya.

“I haven’t tasted milk like this in fifty years,” he said, commenting that “the Vedas calculate a man’s wealth in cows and grains.”

Prabhupada explained that the devotees could get everything they needed from nature, without artificial amenities. He taught them how to see Krishna in the morning sun, the fresh water, the cows and every other element of natural beauty at New Vrindaban.

One day, watching the young men working in the fields, he expressed that the hard work of simple country life was perfect for developing Krishna consciousness. “That is samadhi,” he said. “Samadhi doesn’t mean inactivity. It means being completely absorbed in Krishna.”

During his visit, Srila Prabhupada sat daily with his followers underneath a persimmon tree.

Every day at New Vrindaban, Srila Prabhupada held meetings at his favorite spot beneath a persimmon tree with the devotees gathered around him on the grass, and gave them practical instructions on how to realize his vision.

He laid out a plan for establishing the varnashrama system; gave his own designs for low-cost homes and horse carts; and described how to protect cows and bulls, who could provide many of life’s necessities. He told devotees they should build temples named after the seven main temples of Vrindavan, and call their hills Govardhana and their lakes Radha-Kunda and Shyama-Kunda.

Prabhupada’s vision and ambition astounded everyone. But he assured them that it could all be done if they cooperated together, and saw Krishna in charge and themselves as simply assisting Him.

“With cooperation, everything will be possible,” he said. “Krishna will help you.”

He was right. By the time he visited New Vrindaban again from August 31st to September 8th, 1972, Prabhupada was greeted by a much larger group of devotees outside a new farmhouse temple. And the community had expanded to several farms including Vrindaban, Madhuban and Bahulaban.

Srila Prabhupada spoke his Bhagavat Dharma series on Govindaji Hill above the Bahulaban farm.

During his second visit, the ISKCON Founder focused on giving New Vrindaban residents spiritual education through a Bhagavat Dharma Discourse series. Over 500 devotees, guests and reporters from all over the US flooded in to hear him speak on the Bhagavatam for over a week. It was the biggest gathering ISKCON had seen so far.

Festivalgoers had to brave camping in the cold, rainy West Virginia Autumn weather, which turned Bahulaban into a sea of mud. Bathing and cooking were done outdoors. It was the full austere New Vrindaban experience. But the devotees faced it all with good humor and camaraderie, ready to do anything for Prabhupada’s association.

And it was worth it. Every evening, there was a transcendental party atmosphere as they carried him up “Govindaji Hill” in a palanquin, holding torches and lanterns and chanting ecstatically. At the top, Srila Prabhupada spoke from a large open-air pavilion, beautifully decorated and offering stunning views. And his words were nectar.

“In each successive discourse, Prabhupada took the devotees deeper and deeper into the meaning of Srimad-Bhagavatam,” recalls Suhotra Swami. “It was a perfect outline.”

Srila Prabhupada also gave ideal examples of how to put the teachings of the Bhagavatam into practice. He listened with rapt attention during a late night Janmastami reading of the Krishna book, while the other devotees struggled to stay awake. He humbly asserted, while being showered with praise on his seventy-sixth appearance day, that he was accepting the honor “on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for his person.” And he was so overwhelmed with devotion to the Lord while leading the kirtan on his vyasa-puja, that he cried tears of love and moved hundreds of devotees to tears too.

During the festival, Prabhupada wrote,  “Yes, the Bhagavata Dharma discourses here in New Vrindaban are going on very nicely… it is truly a wonderful time.” And the devotees felt the same, emerging refreshed and rejuvenated in their services.

Srila Prabhupada’s third visit, from July 18th to 23rd 1974, lasted under a week. But it was deeply meaningful. For the first time, New Vrindaban residents got to show Prabhupada the Palace they were building for him to reside and translate his books in; he had often expressed the desire to retire to New Vrindaban for this purpose.

The Palace had started as a simple house, but the devotees’ overflowing love for their spiritual master had turned it into something much grander. Prabhupada beamed as he was shown where his bedroom, bathroom, Deity room and study would be, tapping the walls with his cane to make sure they were solid.

When one devotee asked if the Palace – then still just a construction site — would be illuminated with jewels, like Lord Krishna’s Palace in the Krsna book, Prabhupada turned to construction workers Soma and Gostabihari, who had been toiling hard all day.  “These devotees,” he said, “Are my jewels.”

When he was requested to be patient as the Palace would be ready soon, Prabhupada responded, “If you want, I am already living here.” Before he left, he personally said, “Thank you very much,” to the crew, swelling their hearts with love and inspiration.

Srila Prabhupada during an initiation ceremony at Bahulaban during his 1974 visit.

Srila Prabhupada continued to show his deep care for the devotees throughout this stay. One day, he visited one of the small cottages, built for householders based on a design he had provided himself. Laughing and chatting with Daivata Das, who had made his home there with his wife Parayana Dasi, Prabhupada asked, “You are happy here?” He also inquired about their four-month old daughter Devahuti, praised them for growing their own vegetables, and said, “You should make thousands of these nice houses.”

At other times during his visit, Prabhupada expressed concern for his female disciples, cutting through the crowd to give one devotee a sweet; and making sure another was warmly dressed in the cool weather.

In a lecture, he voiced the hope that the devotees would take care of each other in the same way, asking them once again to cooperate together “and then everything will go nicely.”

Upon his fourth and last visit to New Vrindaban from June 21st to July 2nd 1976, Srila Prabhupada was impressed to see more progress. Spotting the new buildings, including a hall for festivals, an ox barn, and a grain storage tank, he said, “Oh, much improvement.”

During this stay, Prabhupada spent some time emphasizing the importance of cow protection. On one occasion, he visited the cows at the recently completed Bahulaban barn. While there, he let one of the four new calves lick his hand as devotees told him how they were turning the cows’ milk into ghee, cheese and buttermilk.

Srila Prabhupada & Kaliya (ISKCON’s first cow) walked together on Parikram to the original New Vrindaban farmhouse.

On another day, he was taking a morning walk when one devotee, Advaitacarya Das, pointed to a small herd of cows at the top of a hill. “Srila Prabhupada, look!” he said. “There’s Kaliya. She’s our first cow. You used to drink her milk.”

As Prabhupada looked up, Kaliya, now a retired matriarch at fourteen years old, broke away from her herd and made her way down to the steep embankment to walk with Prabhupada as if she were his pet calf. “Ah,” Srila Prabhupada said simply. “My dear old friend Kaliya.” Although he had not seen her since 1969, there seemed to be an almost mystical connection between them that the devotees all felt.

Srila Prabhupada greeted Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath at the original New Vrindaban temple.

Srila Prabhupada also spent his last visit to New Vrindaban encouraging devotees in all the main areas of his vision for the community. He visited the gardens, appreciating that devotees were growing their own vegetables and their own hay for the cows, and extolling the virtues of simple living. He visited several different Deities being worshipped in the different “forests and groves of New Vrindaban,” to show that it was a place of pilgrimage nondifferent from the original Vrindavan. He spent time with the young children in the gurukula, and held daily evening meetings on Krishna consciousness with his disciples to support spiritual education. And he tied it all together with the simple message to love Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada hoped that in the future, others could benefit from the peaceful New Vrindaban village life too. “Make this ideal life here,’ he told the devotees. “America has got good potency. We have got so much land here. We can have hundreds of New Vrindabans or farms like that. And people will be happy. Invite all the world, ‘Please come and live with us. Why you are suffering congestion, overpopulation? Welcome here. Chant Hare Krsna.’ Make that.”

On July 2nd, 1976, Srila Prabhupada physically left New Vrindaban for the last time, as its residents showered his departing car with flowers and called out his name at the top of their lungs.

But he forever remains with the devotees in their hearts and in his clear instructions for an ideal spiritual village.

And his words, written in 1975 letter, continue to guide and inspire them: “I am always praying to Krishna that the New Vrindaban attempt will be more and more successful and ideal for your country. That is my only prayer.”

Srila Prabhupada spoke daily at Madhuban during his 1976 visit. For the past 40 years, this Vyasasan is in his study at his Palace.

From a recent seminar on Kirtan Standards.
Bhaktimarga Swami: “I am going to Montreal on Monday, June 3rd, and if I find Montreal quite suitable, I shall call you and some other students to assemble there to practice Sankirtana in a systematic way. Of course, chanting Hare Krishna does not require any artificial artistic sense, but still, if the procedure is presented rhythmically, then the people may be attracted more by the transcendental music.” (Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Upendra, June 1, 1968)

Devotees chant, bring the rain during a draught and the Mayor of Cincinnati gave the key to the city, the highest award the city gives out!
Candramauli Swami: In the U.S.A. there has been a 25% increase in suicides over the last 25 years.

“Bhakta” Patrick (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: This is a guest who came to our festival yesterday. His name is Patrick. He came a little late and only caught one minute of my lecture from the stage. But somehow the philosophy of Bhavagad Gita had a profound effect on him. He immediately went to the book table and purchased 12 books. When I met him there I said, “You must be an avid reader!” He replied, “Actually, no. In my entire life I’ve only read 3 or 4 books. But what you shared with us from the stage really touched me. I promise you I will read all 12 of these books within no time!” Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Find them here: https://is.gd/mqPrsr

TOVP columns of the Main Temple area (Album of photos)
Sadbhuja Das: We just completed redoing in 3D the columns of the Main T...

The Bhadra scene in Toronto (Album of photos)
Team Toronto set a goal for 54 sets of which they’ve distributed 40 during the successful launch with HHGopal Krishna Goswami! Since then the teams been heading out door to door, and at festivals and through personal contacts - distributing more sets!
Find them here: https://is.gd/tlCHfT

Srila Prabhupada: “I just want to go back to the spiritual world and eat kachoris and laddus with Krishna.”
Srutakirti Prabhu: Srila Prabhupada was not just performing wonderful activities, but he teaching us by his activities how to be a pure devotee of the Lord.

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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[Congregation program at Adelaide, Australia]

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The post WITH acronym – We may have to live with pain, but we don’t have to live in pain appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Sometimes people ask who is Lord Balarama? And the answer is that He is the brother of Lord Krishna. However, He does many things besides that. How we understand this is to first recognize that, according to Vedic scripture such as the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, it is described that Lord Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. They are no different from Him, but may exhibit differences in form and function. He first expands Himself into Baladeva, or Balarama, who is considered Krishna’s second body and brother. Balarama assists in Lord Krishna’s innumerable spiritual pastimes in both the spiritual and materials realms. Lord Balarama is also Lord Sankarshana, the predominator of the creative energy. He creates and is also the shelter of the material and spiritual worlds. By the will of Krishna and the power of the spiritual energy, Lord Balarama creates the spiritual world, which consists of the planet Goloka Vrindavana [the supermost spiritual planet] and the Vaikuntha planets [in the spiritual sky]. (Chaitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, 20.255-6) Continue reading "Lord Balarama: Who is He
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The question is this: Does God choose certain individuals or groups for salvation? In other words, are there chosen people? And, alternatively, are certain persons selected for condemnation? The technical term for the matter under discussion is predestination, a word which implies that our final destination, be it heaven or hell, is programmed into our souls from the beginning of our existence. Thus the question of predestination is closely connected with the concept of free will. A lot has been spoken and written about all this, but most of it is highly speculative. Not surprisingly, many of the views expressed contradict each other. Speaking of the Judeo-Christian tradition, C. T. McIntyre writes in his article on predestination in The Encyclopedia of Religion, “Advocates of all positions have appealed to the scriptures, although the scriptures do not contain doctrines of free will and predestination, nor even these words.” Continue reading "Chosen People Or People Who Choose?
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In this age of Kali married life will be accepted on the consideration of sex only; when the boy and girl are pleased in sex, they get married, and when there is deficiency in sex, they separate. Srila Prabhupada spends most of his purport describing the accordance of marriage as a basis for practicing spiritual life and how that combination is a feature of the success of ones Krishna consciousness. Herein it is mentioned how character should be matched up and if it is not done Prabhupada uses the word unhappy, the relationships become difficult and it is very hard to practice Krishna consciousness. So in Vedic culture the authority of seniors was given so much importance. Here it is mentioned Lord Brahma is giving the recommendation on what to do. Kardama Muni could and he is in the position as the father of these daughters to make arrangements for the daughters. Continue reading "Suitable arrangements for marriages
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Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcribed by: Raji Nachiappan

Question: How can we persuade followers of other Vaishnava sampradayas to accept that Lord Chaitanya’s teachings are the climax of the historical evolution of theism?

Answer: Generally, when we share knowledge with others, we have to understand what pramana will be acceptable to the person and speak accordingly. Pramana means an authoritative source of knowledge. If we are speaking to new people, who have no understanding of Bhagavad-gita or dharma and we explain to them that they are not their body but the soul, they may retort by saying, “Who says so?”. If we answer “Krishna says so”, then they may not necessarily accept, because they do not accept the authority of Lord Krishna yet. If we want to talk with such people, then we have to see what kind of pramana they find acceptable. For example, if certain people believe in science, there is a lot of scientific evidence of past life memories, evidence of consciousness not being material, near-death experiences etc. with which they may connect. Therefore, we need to present Krishna consciousness according to the pramana the other person accepts.

Srila Prabhupada says that realisation means to speak knowledge in such a way that is interesting to the audience. The knowledge becomes interesting when it clicks and makes sense within their world view. Ultimately, we want to change their worldview to Krishna’s worldview in Bhagavad-gita. However, at present, they have a specific worldview and we should try to present Krishna conscious knowledge within the reach of their understanding.

Also, nobody lives without accepting authority. Everybody accepts some authority. If we do not accept scriptures as an authority, then we will google it and thereby accept Google as an authority.

The understanding that there is an evolution in the revelation across the tradition is an insight that is given by the Gaudiya acharyas. This, however, may not be acceptable for those who have not accepted the authority of the Gaudiya acharyas. Therefore, there is no need to unnecessarily stress this point.

In general, knowledge has to be presented according to the adhikar of the people. For example, let us take the point that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a combined manifestation of Radha and Krishna. Now, this is a very important truth of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, however, this is not important for new people to be immediately aware of.

Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur offers a very non-confrontational way of presenting Gaudiya Vaishnavism. In the introduction to his book, Life and Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, he says that as far as the Gaudiya Vaishnavas are concerned, they accept Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as Lord Krishna himself. For them, the many miracles that Lord Chaitanya has performed, are testimonies of his divinity. However, Bhakti Vinod Thakur himself plays the devil’s advocate and says that miracles are no proof of divinity. Even demons like Ravana could perform miracles like changing their form etc. Therefore, he concludes by saying that he will leave it to his esteemed readers to decide upon the position of Lord Chaitanya, but what he requests his readers is that Lord Chaitanya has come to give the gift of love of God and that we sincerely follow the process to take advantage of that gift and experience love of God.

Suppose, somebody comes to us and says, “This doctor is the best doctor in the world”. We may naturally question the authority of the person to make such a big claim. That person may say, “I had a terrible disease and hundreds of doctors could not cure it, yet this doctor cured it”. Since, this has been the experience of this person, that is why they have developed such conviction. This person, however, cannot expect everyone else to have the same conviction because they have not had similar experiences. Therefore, if the person wants to recommend that doctor he will have to talk about the qualifications of that doctor in a manner, that is intelligible for others. He will have to talk about the education, work and treatments that the doctor has done so far and then let people try out the doctor’s treatment. When they try it and they get cured, then the conviction increases. Therefore, when we are practicing Krishna bhakti, there is no need for us to get into what we can call as religious one-upmanship – that we go around proclaiming that Gaudiya Vaishnavism is highest amongst all forms of theism. The intention may not be religious one-upmanship, but it can be perceived as such.

We focus primarily on elevating people’s consciousness from where they are. We need to educate people on how they are not their bodies but souls, how by chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra the consciousness can be elevated, how to manage the mind and become free from anarthas as well as on how to become better human beings. These are universal principles and practically applicable to everyone’s lives. To the extent people practice these principles and get benefitted, to that extent they will be inclined to go further. Srila Prabhupada is the most prominent representative of Gaudiya Vaishnavism which centres on Srimati Radharani, the topmost devotee. Srila Prabhupada when writing his foremost book for outreach, the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, refers to Srimati Radharani only once – in the introduction, when he prays, tapta-kanchana-gaurangi radhe vrindavaneshvari vrishabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye (O Srimati Radharani, I offer my respects to You whose bodily complexion is like molten gold. O Goddess, you are the queen of Vrindavana. You are the daughter of King Vrishabhanu and very dear to Lord Krishna). Besides this, he does not refer to Radharani at all in the entirety of the Bhagavad-gita. Srimati Radharani, the feminine divine, is a very elevated subject matter and it is not relevant for that audience. Hence, Srila Prabhupada does not get into that.

In general, there is no use in getting into confrontation with people who do not accept the pramana that we accept. We have to find out what is the pramana that they accept and speak to them at that level. Along with the pramana, is also the adhikara of the person. What is it that they need to know now?

Sometimes people come and start asking very advanced questions about Krishna lila and when we give the answer and tell them that Krishna is God, then they question whether God exists. While they have very advanced questions, they do not have clear basic conceptions. Therefore, we cannot really do significant outreach to them at this point and we need to go step by step.
Once people start practicing Gaudiya Vaishnavism and experience the sweetness of bhakti as offered by the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, then the authority of the acharyas of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, becomes intelligible to them. Also, if somebody is from a Sri-Vaishnava family or a Madhva-Vaishnava family and they do not accept the evolution of theism, that does not mean that they are lesser devotees. If they are following their path, they are devoted to Lord Krishna or Vishnu, and practicing a pure life, they will also get elevated.

Therefore, we have to recognise what the thrust of our outreach should be and speak those things that help people rise upwards from where they currently are.

End of transcription.

The post How can we persuade followers of other Vaishnava sampradayas to accept that Lord Chaitanya’s teachings are the climax of the historical evolution of theism? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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and videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ajXLohd5ENN4JkFa6