Planet ISKCON

On the 11th August 2018, devotees in Medan, Indonesia held a grand Ratha Yatra festival for the pleasure of Lord Jagannath and His pure devotee Srila Prabhupada, under the expert guidance and leadership of HG Maniram das. The devotees in Medan were expecting the arrival of HH Subhag Swami on the day of the event but unfortunately due to Maharaj’s health it was not possible. At 5pm guests started to arrive and at 5 30pm evening arati was performed to the Lord. Following this, Their’ Lordships were carried to the exquisitely beautiful chariot. HG Maniram das then addressed all the devotees and guests present and distinguished guests such as police officers and leaders of the Hindu Parishad spoke. Next a recorded speech by HH Subhag Swami was played to everyone present. Maharaj spoke of the significance of the Ratha Yatra festival and the importance of a service attitude toward the Lord. Continue reading "5th Ratha Yatra in Medan, Indonesia
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Answer Podcast

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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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[Talk at the Radha Krishna Cultural Center, Gold Coast, Australia]

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The post What is Krishna consciousness? – Talk to multi-faith group in Australia appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Should I Forgive Him?
Once upon a time Bali Maharaja approached Prahlada Maharaja and asked him, “Which is actually best, forgiveness or the use of strength?” Prahlada Maharaja thought for some time and replied, “Neither forgiveness nor the use of strength is good in all situations. If one were to always forgive, then his servants, dependents and even strangers would disrespect him. Read More...

Haryali Teej (Album of photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Today in Braja we celebrate Hariyali Teej! Hariyali means greenery and Teej r...

Dharmashala district jail program - India (12th August 2018) (Album of photos and videos)
On the 12th of August 2018, we had a...

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 07/08/2018. Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Founder-Acharya.. Participating Directors: Anuttama, Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Ratha Yatra in the Sokolniki Park, Moscow (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Others, who are not devotees, may think, “How can people devote so much time simply to talks of God?” The chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is simply the repetition of three words, Hare, Krishna, Rama, but still devotees can go on chanting this Hare Krishna mantra twenty-four hours a day without feeling fatigued. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.13.1Purport)

Photos from a soggy Saturday Night Harinama Sankirtan in London.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t rain ALL the time in the UK. After enduring weeks and weeks of scorching sun, the demigods kindly showered refreshing rain upon us prior to this weekend’s London Saturday Night Harinama Sankirtan. Please find the photos below.
Slideshow (please turn on sound): http://davidc.zenfolio.com/saturday_night_harinama_sankirtan_11082018/slideshow
Gallery: http://davidc.zenfolio.com/saturday_night_harinama_sankirtan_11082018 Your servant, David

Alex said that he didn’t want to offend me, but he had noticed that many people who see the Hare Krishna chanting groups don’t understand what we’re doing. He asked, “How is that welfare, if they don’t understand?” I explained that the effect of the chanting doesn’t depend on our understanding. I used the example of a medicine we take to cure a disease. We swallow the pills, but we don’t need to know how they act. After some time, the medicine takes effect, and the disease goes away. Similarly, the chanting acts to cure the soul of its disease, which is bondage to maya. Continue reading "Sankirtana: Welfare for All Beings
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I think of Lord Krishna’s answer to Brahma prayers: “O Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.34) What is the relationship of all these things to the Lord, I wonder? Do these people at all believe in His omnipotence? Everything I see is the illusory energy of the Lord. Continue reading "The Road Ahead
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The link is for the slideshow of the preparations, the parade and festival (147 HR photos). Please turn your volume up and relish the sounds of the Sri Jagannathastakam. (Note: the sound will begin after the second slide). As there were so many devotees doing so much service, more photos will be added and the slideshow will update automatically, so if you are missing someone or something, they may be being added soon. Thank you very much. Until next year... Continue reading "42nd LA Annual Ratha yatra Festival of the Chariots was the best of all times!
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Suresh Gupta

Edited: Sharan Shetty

Question: Does becoming spiritual mean becoming unemotional – won’t that make our life flat?

Answer: It is not about becoming unemotional. Emotions are a part of who we are but if emotions become the whole of who we are, then they drive us out of control. At a mental health care centre in New Jersey, many patients who come there are quite elite. For example, one patient there was a double PhD. He was admitted there because his application for a grant was rejected. However, when his colleague applied, he got the grant despite having only a master’s degree.

Our emotions trigger us towards several responses. For example, we get angry when anything goes wrong in our life. The emotion of anger is natural and to some extent indicates that we care. Unless we care about something, we would not become angry. Anger can express itself at different levels. Some people stop talking, some start talking short snappy words, some just explode, some may start attacking others, or some may go to the extent of even shooting the other person.

Anger is a natural emotion. Expressing anger by not speaking is one level of response but shooting the other person is an entirely different level of response. When our emotions impel us to act destructively, that is when we are emotionally imbalanced. No doubt, emotions are natural. They actually bring richness to our life, but emotions alone should not decide our actions. We are also meant to use our rational side. Words spoken in haste are regretted at leisure.

There are two possibilities:
(i) we express emotions or
(ii) we repress emotions.
Spirituality does not mean that we become unemotional or repress our emotions. Spirituality means going beyond from expressing or repressing to processing emotions. We should understand that we are different from our emotions. While we acknowledge their presence, we should evaluate them based on merit and then act appropriately. In cricket when a bowler appeals, the umpire is meant to evaluate the appeal based on merit and not on its volume. Similarly, our emotions are like the fielder’s appeal and we are the umpire. The umpire should be disinterested (impartial) and not uninterested (do not care) towards the appeal. We cannot be unemotional, but we need to be able to impartially evaluate our emotions.

Our emotions can come from three sources:
(i) from the situation
(ii) from our imaginations
(iii) a combination of situation and imagination
We need to learn to discern between situation and imagination. This is what is meant by processing of emotions. If we think, spirituality means becoming unemotional, then spirituality will become very unappealing. Spirituality is about experiencing those emotions which truly matter to us. Sometimes our emotions and our values do not work together. A person’s value may be that he wants to be a caring, responsible and loving individual but his emotions may make him angry, short tempered, demanding. This can interfere with a rich value centred parameter which is why if one is able to process the emotions by understanding the situation and acting accordingly then such an emotion will lead the person not just towards right action but also towards a richer life.

End of transcription.

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The post Live consciously (7) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[“Live consciously” retreat, session 7, at Brisbane, Australia]

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[“Live consciously” retreat, session 6, at Brisbane, Australia]

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[“Live consciously” retreat, session 5, at Brisbane, Australia]

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[“Live consciously” retreat, session 4, at Brisbane, Australia]

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This video is recorded in two parts.

The post Duryodhana character analysis 1 – Are some people innately evil? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Relationship advice you need to hear (4 min video)
By Sivarama Swami.

Sri Harinam Sankirtan Nectar - Sydney CBD - 10/08/18 (Album of photos)
The effect of chanting the names of Radha and Krishna is beyond material conception. We cannot describe it satisfactorily.
Krishna is so compassionate that if anyone calls His name even once, He destroys innumerable sinful reactions in their heart.
So kind is He that even if someone speaks his name accidentally, or even unwillingly, Krishna purifies them from millions of years of conditioning.
Tonight, as our Harinam Party passed a nightclub in the city, a number of the patrons came out and began to dance and chant with us. They put so much effort into it, they were chanting to the best of their ability.
Millions of years of conditioning were being purified as they were calling the names of Radha and Krishna.
30 books were distributed tonight including a number of books in Arabic and Chinese.
Please accept our invitation to come and share the Yuga Dharma, the spiritual practice for his age, with the people of Sydney.
Come along even once, just once, to help with the distribution process. Meet us this Friday outside Woolworths atTown Hall, in Sydney, at 6.30pm. We will finish at 8.00pm. we have a spot reserved just for you.
Sri Harinam Sankirtan ki Jaya.
Chant
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
And Be Happy …
Find them here: https://goo.gl/vNfh4X

Lord Jagannatha is spreading mercy in Zagreb (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If one wants success in practical yoga practi...

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 07/08/2018

Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Founder-Acharya.

Participating Directors: Anuttama, Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Jaya Krsna, Kalakantha, and Kripamaya.

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Staff Report

Lalita Gopi

• Ananda Vidya is currently milking eight cows: Jamuna, Surabhi, Laxmi, Sita, Anjali, Sriya, Malati, and Subhadra. Lalita Gopi, Jitendra, Nil Govinda, and Vrindaban Priya have been assisting as well.
• The cows are producing approximately 30-32 gal of milk per day.
• Butter and yogurt production has continued with Ananda Vidya transforming the extra milk into 15 lb of butter, 15 gal of yogurt, and a half gallon of ghee on a weekly basis. This month he produced one (8” diameter x 3.5” high) wheel of Colby cheese.
• Subhadra gave birth to a healthy heifer calf named Jaya Sri on June 2nd.
• Usha is residing in Nandagram and will be due to calf in late August or early September
• The ISKCON North American Farm Conference took place on June 25-26 in Deland, Florida. Jamuna Jivani devi dasi and Lalita Gopi devi dasi attended on behalf of ECO-V.

Ray

• has been harvesting hay, while Joshua Rama has been hay raking ahead of the baler and Pippalada assisted with moving hay into the barn.
• 226 800-pound round bales have been harvested and stacked in the barn for storage in addition to the 250 bales from last year
• cleared the calf pasture of three years of built-up winter bedding

Logan

• prepped and painted board fences and barn trim at the Valley Barn
• helped Caitanya Bhagavat with fencing and upgrade work at Nandagram

Caitanya Bhagavat

• put up posts, gates, and fencing around our loafing shed in Nandagram to create a geriatric area for Tulasi, a 15-year-old retired milking cow. The veterinarian came to look at her and thinks it won’t be long before she goes down. She is in the company of her old herd mates Ganga and Punya. She is listening to Srila Prabhupada’s chanting and lectures, drinking charanamrita, and receiving Govardhan dust on her head daily.
• removed two trees that came down in a storm on fence lines in both Nandagram and Bahulaban. All fences and gates have been repaired. All the cows were safe.
• cut several dead standing locust trees from the Bahulaban forest for fence posts then brought to the Nandagram to be used to complete the new bullpen breeding area using high tensile wire and barbed wire for fencing.
• created a new rotational grazing area for Madhu the bull alongside his pen. He now has more pasture for running, playing, and grazing.
• added 3,000 feet of new barbed wire to the existing fences at Nandagram and Bahulaban to increase the height of the fence that will protect the cows and oxen.
• and Logan disassembled the old ox paddock in Bahulaban. The wire was wrapped up and the t-posts removed from the ground to be reused for the Nandagram bullpen.
• performed a daily cow check for the 17 cows at Bahulaban and 18 cows at Nandagram. This involves counting them to make sure everyone is present and to monitor their health.
• weekly mowing and weed-whacking at Nandagram.

Suchandra

• Community Garden:
  • planted sunflowers, zinnias, sweet corn, watermelon, beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, and swiss chard
  • put in a second round of winter squash and green beans
  • sprayed potatoes with organic bug repellent to get rid of potato beetles, and sprayed vegetables and flowers with copper zinc to prevent fungi and diseases
  • staked tomatoes
  • replaced bad tomato plants with good ones bought from coop
  • sprinkled Epsom salt weekly onto soil of vegetables
  • weeded potatoes
  • picked two batches of basil and 400 big marigolds
• Teaching Garden:
  • planted herb bed with parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, mint, cilantro, etc.
  • planted beans (for teepee), bitter melon, purple fountain grass, and Mandevilla vining plants (on pavilion)
  • spread mulch in walkways throughout front beds
  • weeded lily beds weekly
  • harvested 6,500 small marigolds, 200 lilies, 30 zinnias, 50 snapdragons, and four batches of mint

Mukunda & Lila (at the Nandagram Garden) 

• Harvested and delivered to temple kitchen:
  • kale – 5.75 Lbs
  • black raspberry – 1.25 Lb.
  • hot pepper – .81 Lb.
  • zucchini squash – 4 Lb.
  • yellow summer squash – 2.25 Lb.

Radhanath das (at Vidya’s Garden)

• planted three 50’ rows of green beans, put down ground cover, and fenced it in
• weeded the three perennial beds, asparagus, and lilies, and mulched one of them with newspaper and hay
• weeded, mowed, and weed-whacked.
• pruned tomatoes and successfully kept a blight of black dots at bay.
• planted cucumbers, but they turned yellow and rotted, most likely due to some sort of fungus
• turned the compost and kept building it with the weeds and cuttings out of the garden
• harvested and delivered to Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple:
  • asparagus – 4 bundles
  • green beans – 76 lb
  • basil – 6 batches
  • hot peppers – 2 batches
  • peony – 160
  • lilies – 320
  • marigolds – 3,575

Ranaka

• Tejo has nearly completed the upgrade to the Nandagram water system, including installing a new submersible pump for the Garden House.
• Tejo also finished work on the Nandagram Field House which included:
  • installing a new electric breaker box for the water system
  • installing a new water heater
  • repairing the electric, lighting, spout, shower head, lavatory faucet, and fan motor in the downstairs bathroom.
  • repairing lighting, bath tub, rebuilt the toilet, and installing a new shower door in the upstairs bathroom.
  • upgrading the kitchen lighting
  • hooking up a dryer and washer
  • servicing the A/C, heating unit, and evaporator

Announcement: Kalindi, a 19-year-old retired Holstein previously residing at the Valley Barn, died May 22, 2018. A few years ago she had one of her eyes removed due to cancer, but went on to live a happy, peaceful life for several more years, which is not always the case for cows with this condition.

2. Update on the NV50 Festival in September

Jamuna Jivani gave a brief update on the current plans for the NV50 event planned for September. In addition to honoring the past, members of the board suggest elements of the festival should also appreciate the current residents and projects in New Vrindaban, as well as offer opportunities for participants to envision the next 50 years. Jamuna Jivani will share this with the NV50 organizing committee.

3. European ISKCON Farm Conference and GEN training

Kalakantha invited ECO-V to send representation to the upcoming ISKCON European Farm Conference at Karuna Bhavan in Scotland, as well as a training with the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) at their world headquarters in Findhorn. The GEN training is September 5, and the conference is September 7-9. There was a general agreement among the board members that ECO-V could send up to two representatives. Ranaka will share the info with the ECO-V staff to see if anyone would like to go.

Here’s a link to the ECO-Vrindaban website.

For regular updates, please visit, like and follow the ECO-V Facebook page.

We know the value of associating with advanced devotees and are keen for their darsana, guidance and blessings. Unfortunately, we quite often deprive ourselves of the full benefit of spending time with them. We tend to speak rather than hear and we try to bring them into our world rather than proactively and sensitively gain entrance into theirs. What an unfortunate misuse of a chance of mercy!

How Can I Serve You?
HH Candramauli Swami: This topic is fundamental to everything we do in devotional service. Understanding this principle requires each of us to know clearly that as living beings our nature and our happiness in achieving that nature rests on the principles of service. When we say service as an activity, we mean service rendered for the benefit of the person being served. Service that is done without this motivation is defined more as using another to get something for ourselves. The dynamics on how service is executed solely for the benefit of the person served is described throughout the scriptures as pure devotional service. When we do something for someone in order to please or benefit that person in some way, then that service establishes a relation with that person that is pleasing and satisfying to both.

Our society fosters neither love nor fear of God, but glamorizes godless, selfish materialism instead. Consequently nowadays many people are extremely selfish in their relationship with God. They don't give even a few moments to the person who has given them their entire life. In a family, if a son doesn't care for his father, who is his link with his brothers, soon he will stop caring for them too. In fact, he may even become malevolent toward them because they become his competitors for inheritance. Similarly, selfishness toward God is the origin of all evil. We have all sown that evil seed in our own hearts and are now force-feeding each other its bitter fruits—terrorism, corruption, crime, exploitation—all born from fighting with each other for the world's resources, God's inheritance for us. Continue reading "A Call to Spiritual Heroism
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“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.” (Sri Chaitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 9.41) Even though I wasn’t born in India, I’d like to take Lord Chaitanya’s instruction to heart. I’m an Indian-American in touch with Srila Prabhupada’s philosophy, so I feel well equipped with both cultures. Continue reading "Finding Shelter in True Identity
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I joined The Hare Krishna movement in 1982 and have been chanting Hare Krishna regularly since about 1983. I have been more and less steady throughout the years. But never has it been as intense as it has been in these past months of incarceration.  It is said in the sastras that when you are put in adverse situations, all of a sudden, you can really call out to the Lord. Srimati Kunti Devi prayed, "I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths."  Continue reading "ISKCON prison ministry – Strengthening my faith.
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Brisbane, Australia]

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The post Krishna is close to us, but we are far away from him appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[“Live consciously” retreat, session 3, at Brisbane, Australia]

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The post Dhritarashtra character analysis 2 – Do we need to lose everything before we lose our attachments? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.