Planet ISKCON

Rathayatra in Vladivostok (Album of photos)
Vladivostok is a major Pacific port city in Russia overlooking Golden Horn Bay, ne...

Welcome to the Conch Aug 2018 Issue.
The monthly newsletter for the community of ISKCON New Govardhana (Krishna Farm)
Table of Contents: Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Lord Balarama Appears
Historic Building Breathes New Life
52 Years and Counting!
Krishna Pad News
Northern Adventures
Maha Jewellery by Manjula
In Focus: Krpalu Krsna Balarama Dasa
Magic in Krishna’s Gardens
The Lord’s Plan
Ratha-Yatra Snapshot
Read it online here: https://conch.org.au/conch_2018_08_aug/

“I’m here to make a sacrifice”
Question: You gave an example of Vyasadeva, who compiled the Vedic literatures and Narada Muni said it was all useless because it didn’t have a connection to the Supreme Lord, so is there any use of propagating Ayurveda, Yoga and things like that, to attract people or better we should represent pure devotional service?
His Holiness Bhakti Bhringa Govinda Swami: We should always represent pure devotional service. There’s no question about that. We’re not here to teach people how to make money. We’re not here just to teach people how to be healthy. We’re not here to teach people how to become fertile and have more children. We’re here to teach people how to become devotees of Krishna.
You see, but there are some aspects of Vedic culture which people do find attractive. So therefore will show those to people in order to attract them.
It’s just like in Gita Krishna tells Arjuna, He says “In the beginning of the creation I sent forth the generations of demigods and sacrifices to be performed.
He said “Be thou happy by the performance of sacrifice”
But this is not necessarily what Krishna wants us to do that we would perform Vedic sacrifice. Ultimately what does Krishna wants us to do? Can anyone remember the verse from the Bhagavad-Gita that will read last night?
Krishna wants full surrender, exactly.
Krishna doesn’t want that we just do some yajna so that we could go to material heaven. Krishna wants full surrender, so that we can come into a relationship with him.
Like we see the examples of Krishna’s great devotees. We see the standard of sacrifice they are willing to perform. The sacrifices that they perform that’s illuminated in the shastra. So we should understand that a high level of sacrifice is required if we wish to enter into a relationship with God.
Like the sacrifice of the happiness of family or material society, or material friends, or material wealth and all those different things. So a very high level of sacrifice is required.
But still Krishna says then you should do some yajna and by the performance of the yajna you will be happy. What is the psychology attached to that? That if you perform yajna you will associate with the learned people or Brahmans. And even though you are performing some ritual - the Brahmans will give you a higher instruction.
So we can give some instruction in yoga, we can teach people about ayurveda, because it is the natural way by which people can heal themselves, but we will always try to get people to chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, taking Srila Prabhupada’s books.
See we have to remain focused on that, otherwise it just becomes mundane. Unless we are focused on preaching and giving Krishna Consciousness - it becomes mundane. And then we see that we become materialistic, devotees just become progressively more and more materialistic and they forget the process that “I’m here to make a sacrifice”.
Anything we can use in Krishna’s service, but we will use these things to attract people and engage people in the Lord’s pure devotional service.

Chant and be Still!
Ananda Vrindavaneswari: There is a great connection between stillness and listening. “Don’t move” we say when we hear some noise around the house in the middle of the night. In yoga we hold the body still in order to hear the breath. We will hold the shoulders of our child while we tell her something important.

In the tradition of mantra meditation, the repetition of a sacred sound, how we listen, how we hear the mantra is the difference between a successful practice or not. Although in the Krishna Bhakti practice there are no hard and fast rules for chanting, and we are encouraged to chant in whatever way works best for us, being still while we do our daily japa meditation is very helpful for the practitioner wishing to advance.

When I sit down to do my mantra meditation I make a commitment not to move for 15 mins (that’s about 2 rounds on the japa beads). It’s important to make sure we are comfortable and the lower back is supported. Then I begin the meditation. Holding the body still immediately helps my mind to settle down. I move quickly to a clear sense of separation from the outer world to the inner world. I have arrived at an important place and time and the holding still invites me to be present.

Besides the small movements of the beads through my fingers, and the audible chanting, all else is quiet and my focus is on hearing the mantra and hearing it again and again. With a still body, my mind is easier to control, easier to bring back to the mantra with better focus and feelings. After 2 rounds I adjust my sitting position and set it again for another 15 minutes.

Be warned! When we hold the body still, it talks to us. We are more conscious of it than usual and it will twitch and itch and pain. But it’s a powerful experience to ignore all that and lean into the sound of the mantra.

At the end of the day it’s important to be careful about our practice so that it does the work it’s meant to do - remind us of who we are beyond our body and awaken pure love. Deep listening to the maha-mantra has a lot to tell us. Stillness can help us hear the message better.

Pol'and’ Rock 2018 - First Day (10 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: n this video we see the buildup to this year’s Poland’and’Rock festival, formally known as Polish Woodstock. Krsna’s Village of Peace plays an important part of the event. The sheer numbers of people who come to our village attests to that! We plan to distribute 150,000 full plates of prasadam in 72 hours!

Maha-Harinama with HH Sacinandana Swami and Pandava Sena - Stockholm 4 Aug 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A person w...

Krishna calls just another soul back to Him!
Shastrakrit Das: All you kind hearted Mahatmas out there please listen to this nectar: His name is Omkar, hardly 10 years old. He approached my book table and told me that recently he finished reading The Bhagavad Gita as it is cover to cover in two weeks. I asked him what is his conclusion after reading the Gita. He said that “Krishna is simply awesome”, I asked him where he got the Gita from? He reminded me that I gifted him the book couple of months ago. I asked him what book he wants to read next from the collection? He spontaneously picked up the Krishna book and gave $5. The funny part of the exchange is that when I asked his mother to bring him to our ashram sometimes, she thought I’m asking her to let him join the ashram and she said “ I’m sorry he is my only child, I can’t do that “

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.44 Protecting cows protects the cow protectors from greed appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcribed by: Suresh Gupta

Question: How can we change the chain of thoughts in our mind?

Answer: We can change the chain of thoughts in our mind. There are three broad ways in which it can be done. They are as follows:

1. Force ourselves to focus on the physical reality. For example, if we are driving while being lost in our own thoughts, and suddenly we see another car charging towards us, we are forced to come back to the physical reality and then navigate our way around. If there is something that demands our attention at the physical level of reality, then we quickly snap out of our thoughts. In some ways, deep breathing helps. Taking deep breaths and becoming conscious of our breaths bring us to the physical level, thereby breaking the chain of thoughts. Some people also go for a walk or a jog.

2. Analysis at the level of the thoughts itself, is another way. If an undesirable thought comes, then we try to change that thought. However, that is only possible if we have something more attractive to direct our thought to. Suppose we are worried or angry about something. For us to change such thought, we need something which is more attractive to us. If somebody is watching a movie, then they need to see something else which is more attractive than the movie to give up watching movie. Therefore, developing healthy mental habits help us change our thoughts. Healthy not just in terms of being beneficial but in the sense that we become attached to it.

3. The third level is the spiritual level. At a spiritual level, if we become aware that we are different from these thoughts and that we are the inner seer, that helps. In general, thoughts are like pop-up windows. If we don’t click on those windows, they will stay for some time and then they disappear. Another example is that sometimes kids make some strange faces to catch attention. If nobody pays attention to them, they will make more and more faces, but after some time when they see that nobody is paying attention, then they eventually just stop. In the same way, if we can understand we are different from these thoughts and then we neglect them by situating ourselves at the spiritual level, then that will free us from the chain of thoughts we get caught up in.

Overall, the physical level is the easiest method, but it is not always effective. We may try to take deep breaths a few times but then soon after we may again find ourselves caught in our thoughts. Therefore, the most effective method is at the spiritual level itself. However, cultivating that takes time. The more we gain knowledge and become spiritually situated, we can recognise our thoughts and have the strength to neglect them.

End of transcription.

The post How can we change the chain of thoughts in our mind? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

NEW VRINDABAN DAYS

As New Vrindaban enters its 50th anniversary (1968 to 2018), I wrote this series of articles for the Brijabasi Spirit in an attempt to give the reader not only an “understanding,” but more importantly a “taste,” of what life in early New Vrindaban was like – through the stories of one devotee’s personal journey.

The title of the series, “New Vrindaban Days,” is in tribute to the wonderful book “Vrindaban Days: Memories of an Indian Holy Town” written by Howard Wheeler, Hayagriva Das. He was one of Srila Prabhupada’s first disciples, a co-founder of New Vrindaban, and, a great writer. As with Hayagriva’s book, this series focuses on a period of time in the 1970’s.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Chaitanya Mangala Dasa, for spending untold hours assisting me in refining my writing for your reading pleasure.

I have been asked to describe certain aspects of early New Vrindaban Community life such as the nature of the austerities, what it was like for a new person coming here, cooking, anecdotes about particular devotees, etc.

I attempt to tell these stories in some semblance of a chronological order, beginning with my first meeting with devotees in 1968, leading to my arrival in New Vrindaban in late 1973 and carrying through to the official opening of Srila Prabhupada’s Palace in 1979.

In this particular article I do not tell a story but rather try to give a “stream of consciousness” breakdown of “the landscape” of New Vrindaban Community when I arrived to stay on January 17, 1974. I also suggest a list of the devotees that were in New Vrindaban, when I arrived. I apologize for any of those devotees whose names I have forgotten or gotten wrong.

Please know I firmly believe without all these wonderful devotees there would be no “New Vrindaban Days” for any of us.

Advaitacharya Dasa

CHAPTER FIVE: THE NEW VRINDABAN LANDSCAPE – JANUARY 1974

The Bahulaban Farmhouse, early 1970s.

BAHULABAN:

Main Deities: Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra

Location: State Road – McCreary’s Ridge

Temple Building: 100 Year old farm house purchased from the Coffield Family circa 1971.

Ground Floor: Temple Room (a recent extension to the original farmhouse), Prasadam Room, Pujari Room, Tulasi Greenhouse (plexiglass build on to the side of the farmhouse), a primitive hand drawn “water well” with a black rubber bucket hanging on a rope. The well is partially covered with a concrete slab that contains a child’s handprint under which is the name “JUDY.” This was made by the daughter of Floyd Coffield, the person Bahulaban was purchased from. In 1973 Judy Coffield was likely in her twenties.

Second Floor: 3 Supply Rooms

Third Fl. Attic: Brahmacarini living quarters

Original Coffield Barn: Fifty yards south directly across the patio from the temple – approximately 20 milking cows.

Swami’s Cabin: Kirtanananda Swami’s living quarters and “office” of the project, located just east, about twenty yards above the temple farmhouse, on the hillside.

Utility Buildings: Deity Kitchen (15 ft. block building), Incense Warehouse (15 ft. block building), Women’s Bathhouse (12 ft. block building), Corn Crib, Wood shed, Outhouse, Hilltop Pavilion (scene of Prabhupada’s Bhagavat Dharma Discourses – 1972),

Householder Heights: 2 wood buildings with small rooms for householder couples located 100 yards up the hill above the Swami’s cabin and the incense warehouse (1 building has 6 “apartments,” the other has 2).

Bahulaban Residents:

Community President and GBC: Kirtanananda Swami.

Couples: Amburish and Vijaya, Kuladri and Kutila, Sudhanu and Lajjavati, Paramananda and Satyabhama, Adi Pati and Pracidevi, Vahna and Visvadhika, Daivata and Parayana, Gadadhara and Sarvesvari, Dulal Candra and Tarkik, Dharmatma and Lakhima, Yudisthira and Kamalavati, Yadunandana and Taruni, Bhidhan Candra and Ugrasena, Kirtiraja and Haripuja, Carney Ed and Bhaktin Lynn, Bhagavatananda and Yamini, Gajendra and Sucitra, Radha Kanta and Madhuryalilananda, Hayagriva and Shyama Dasi, Syamakunda and Girindra, Samba and Nandini Gokula, etc.

Brahmacharinis: Mahara, Rupa Ramesvari, Gunya Rupini, Isani, Kunjari, Kunti, Vajasana, Vajresvari, Mankumari, Vidya, Gomata, Radhabhavani, Carani, Hladini, Sudakari, Krsnamayi, Sukalina, Bhaktinidhi, etc.

Bahulaban is the hub of the New Vrindaban village. Everything is directed from the Swami’s cabin which sits on the hillside just above the temple building in the center of the patio. Every day after the morning program men gather in the cabin to figure out what projects will get priority that day.

Kuladri is regarded by most as the “Temple President” but he is in Los Angeles learning to paint. At one point Radha Kanta is serving as the President in his absence. For a little bit it is Vipina Purandara. They may act as the temporary presidents but it is Kuladri’s wife, Kutila, who is everywhere and involved in all things. She is the personification of the surrender of the devotees of New Vrindaban. Although she has just had her first child she is back working in the Deity kitchen with her baby girl Pritha on her back the very next day. All the women look to her, and all the men admire and respect her.

Kutila dasi, an inspiration to the New Vrindaban pioneers.

There are very few young children, so there is no formal school at this time (some had been sent to Dallas). The women in Bahulaban are involved everywhere. The brahmacharis walk down from the Vrindaban farm and work all over Bahulaban during the day. The barn is filled with cows who are milked twice daily by hand. The cooking needs done. The manure needs spread. The horse teams need worked. The firewood needs dragged in.

Girindra Mohini washing laundry by hand.

On the top of the largest hill they have broken ground for one of the Seven Temples: Govindaji. Srila Prabhupada had visited in 1972 and held a series of lectures called the Bhagavat Dharma Discourses in the pavilion on the top of the hill above Bahulaban. Sruti Kurti was in charge of the cooking for that festival and Sudhanu Das from NYC came to assist. Sudhanu was so taken by the place that he wound up staying.

In the side of the hill just above the central patio between the Swami’s cabin and the incense warehouse is an entrance to a cave they say they are going to hand dig through the mountain and out the other side about a mile away. At the time there is only about 20 feet dug out. In the back of the tunnel someone dug out a three foot deep hole that has filled in with spring water and serves as makeshift refrigeration.

Deep in the woods where the tunnel is predicted to come out of the hill is New Vrindaban’s “Syama Kunda.” In the original Vrindavan of India Syama Kunda is the sacred bathing place of Lord Krishna and the cowherd boys. In this area they say will be an amusement park celebrating the pastimes of Krishna.

There are rumors we are building a Palace for Srila Prabhupada to come and live in but in the realm of Bahulaban there is no sign of it.

There is no hot water and there won’t be for another couple of years. Everywhere you go and at all times it is cold and any signs of thawing are met with an ocean of mud everywhere. Providing firewood alone for the few buildings there are requires a full time staff of at least four men that are working on it all day long, seven days a week, outside in the weather. This includes cutting down the trees, hauling in the logs, cutting the logs to length, splitting the wood into the right sizes, and carting the wood to the different buildings.

Amburish heads up the cow barn and is joined in milking by devotees like Kuladri, Sudhanu, Samba and Cirantana as well as some the brahmacharis including Candramauli and Radhanath. All of the milking of is done by hand at this time.

Bahulaban barn with Kirtanananda, Devakinandana, Taru, Cirantana & resident cows heading in for a milking.

Some of the couples that make up the solid core are Kuladri and Kutila, Amburish and Vijaya, Sudhanu and Lajjavati, and Bhagavatananda and Yamini. Isani does the jewelry, Vidya does the flowers and garlands, Sudhakari does the sewing, Ruparamesvari, Gunyarupini, Mankumari, Mahara, and a host of others work in all kinds of day to day activities designed to help us simply to survive, what to speak of expand. Babies are delivered by Adi Pati, a male devotee who lives a half mile back in the woods in a one room mud house with his wife Pracidevi and their young son, Krsnastami.

Because we are often harassed by guns shot into the air by passersby in the middle of the night, different pairs of men take times serving as night guards seven days a week.

The original New Vrindaban farmhouse.

VRINDABAN:

Main Deities: Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath

Location: Three miles up an old logging road through the woods on a landlocked property.

Temple Building: 100+ year old small farmhouse secured by Hayagriva on a 99 year lease from the Rose family.

Ground Floor: Temple Room, Pujari Room

Second Floor: Brahmachari Ashram

Basement: Kitchen, Bathhouse

Out Buildings: Small Cow Barn (a few cows) – Pole Pavilion – Swami’s Log Cabin – 3 or 4 Brahmachari cabins- Hayagriva’s A-Frame.

Resident Brahmacharis: Radhanath, Param Brahma, Romaharsana, Bhakta Mark (Madhava Ghosh), Bhakta George (Jalakolahali), Bhakta Jim ( Jagat Trata), Papastaya, Chandra Mauli, Kasyapa, Kripacharya, Garga Rsi, Bhakta Burt (Bhavishat), Bhakta Ron (Gopinatha), Caidyasatru, Parasara, Bhakta Dennis (Damodar Pandit ), Somadas, Bhakta Atticus (Tapanacharya), Taru, Kiranasa, Nrsinghananda, Sridhara, Devakinandana, Murari Gupta, Krishna Sravana, Vasudhama, Cirantana, Gatravan, Vipina Purandara, Ajitananda & Haridhama.

Gargarsi (playing flute) walking with Kaliya (ISKCON’s original cow) along the path to Vrindaban farmhouse.

It is the original New Vrindaban farm. It is the site where Srila Prabhupada spent a month at in 1969 and where he pointed out the future sites of New Vrindaban’s own Govardhan Hill and Kesi Ghat.

About thirty brahmacharis live in the ashram. The majority of them sleep on the floor in one room. There are cubbyhole shelves along the walls for the devotees to put their personal things in which don’t amount to much more than a change of clothes, a sleeping bag, one of Prabhupada’s books, and a toothbrush.

Param Brahma is the temple president. Radhanath is the pujari. Candramauli spends most of his time in the basement kitchen having his eyes burned out by wood smoke while he cooks the offerings and milk sweets for Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath. Kasyapa is the horse driver and is considered by many to be the hardest worker in the community. Somadas is the carpenter. Bhakta Mark (soon to be initiated as Madhava Gosh) is doing the garden and is later to be called the best dancer in the movement by Tamal Krishna Goswami. Caidyasatru is the community avadhuta – he feeds goats, eats from the compost, and at times wears newspaper Brahmin underwear.

Taru cooking in the Bahulaban pits.

Taru is the scholar and the most infamous “Prasadam Addict” in the community. The older, wizened Romaharsana is the consummate woodsmen. Kripacharya is the blacksmith. Papastaya works in the garden. Bhakta Burt (soon to be Bhavishat) assists Romaharsana. Bhakta Dennis (soon to be Damodara Pandit) is starting the Brijabasi Spirit with visiting Sannyasi Paramahamsa Maharaja. Devotees like Bhakta George (soon to be Jalakolahali), Bhakta Jim (soon to be Jagat Trata), Haridhama, and others work at random other services. As hard as they work, they sankirtan even harder.

They are all young men. All working hard, eating little, and sleeping even less. Some are saintly and composed. Well, maybe one or two. And, the majority of the others are agitated out of their minds. Austerity, sense control, and deprivation interact to create an explosive combination. There is pressure on all sides. Other than Radhanath and Candramauli, all brahmacharis walk a muddy logging road the three miles through the dense woods every day to work at Bahulaban. They make the same walk back every evening. After the Sunday feast each week in Bahulaban the Swami and a few of the married men make the trip up the road with them to spend the night with Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Nath.

Radhanath Dasa painting the outside of the Madhuban Temple building (a decade later he became a Swami).

MADHUBAN:

Main Deities: Sri Sri Radha Madhava

Location: Second property purchased after the original Vrindaban farm in 1971. Almost directly east, across the valley from the Vrindaban farm and about three miles North, up the state road from Bahulaban.

Temple Building: 100 year old farmhouse

1st Floor: Temple Room, Kitchen

Out Buildings: Small tin roof shelter for cows and horses.

Prabhupada Houses: In the tree line about fifty yards from the temple farmhouse the devotees have begun building “Prabhupada Houses,” made of tamped clay. They are called the Prabhupada houses because it was a form of construction that Srila Prabhupada had suggested in a letter dated 07/27/1973. They consist of only one room about 12 ft. by 15 ft. and are meant to be housing for householders. Some devotees spend short periods of time trying to live in them but they don’t really last. Shyamakunda and Girendra’s daughter Visakha will be the first girl born in New Vrindaban and she will be born on January 23rd.

In the winter of 1974, only a few devotees inhabit Madhuban. The principal devotee there is Paramananda Das who is not only one of the original inhabitants of New Vrindaban, having arrived in the spring of 1969, but he and his wife Satyabhama are also two of the original devotees from 26 Second Avenue. Paramananda and Satyabhama have two sons, Premananda and Madhavendra Puri. Kuntidevi Dasi lives in Madhuban with her young daughter Kham (Karnamrita), along with a few others.

Parmananda painting the Madhuban farmhouse.

Paramananda is the acting head of the entire community’s farming, or the “plough,” department. There is only one old red tractor and three teams of horses. Paramananda is known by many of the local farmers who he travels to meet with to learn about farming in the rough hills of West Virginia. Sometime in the next year Paramananda, his family and a few friends will leave New Vrindaban to found Gita Nagari in Pennsylvania. After that Paramananda will also eventually become a Minister of Agriculture for the greater ISKCON.

About a mile further North past the Madhuban temple live the very austere Yudisthira Das along with his wife Kamalavati and their young son Haladhara. They are living off the land, farming with oxen, in a very small log cabin.
The primary activity at Madhuban is caring for the Deities, Sri Sri Radha Madhava.

TALAVAN:

There is no temple building in the part of the community called Talavan. Living in Talavan are a few more senior, independent devotees including Yadunandana and his wife Taruni.

NANDAGRAM:

There is no temple at this location. There is an old farmhouse and a shelter for a few oxen and cows. Nandagram is inhabited by the family of Hayagriva Das and Shyamadasi, along with their two children, Samba and Haridas. Besides the house, Hayagriva has a very small shelter down in the woods across from the house where goes to write and edit.

Vedic Wedding of 5 couples I attended in December of 1973:

To the best of my knowledge the participants of this wedding ceremony are Sudhanu and Lajjavati, Dulal Chandra and Tarkik, Bidhan Candra and Ugrasena, Mahendra and Sukhada (Pittsburgh Temple), and Samba and Nandinigokula.

Devotee children living in New Vrindaban when I arrived to stay on January 17, 1974:

Kuladri and Kutila’s daughter – Pritha
Kamalavati and Yudisthira son – Haladhara,
Hayagriva and Shama dasi sons – Samba and Haridas,
Kunti’s daughter – Kham-Karnamrta,
Radha Bavani’s daughter – Mallika,
Paramananda and Satyabhama’s sons – Premananda and Madhavendra Puri,
Daivata and Parayana’s daughter – Bhava,
Adi Pati and Pracidevi’s son – Krsnastami,
Yadunandana and Taruni’s son – Sanat Kumar,
Bhagavatananda and Yamini’s son – Bhakti
Gajendra and Sucitra’s son – Purnima
Girindra and Syamakunda’s son – Kiba Jaya (six days later daughter Vishaka is born)

——————————————————

Did you miss any of the previous chapters? Click the links below to catch up:

Chapter 1: Every Journey Begins With a Single Step

Chapter 2: Srila Prabhupada – Jaya Radha Madhava

Chapter 3: Captured by the Beauty of Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra

Chapter 4: Fired Up – We Depend On Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra

Stay tuned for Chapter 6: In The Woods

Gundica Marjana 2018 at New Govardhana, Australia (4 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: The first result of chanting the maha-mantra...

Sri Krishna Haveli project update (Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK)
Construction work on Bhaktivedanta Manor’s new Haveli has begun and is in full swing with a date of completion for Janmashtami 2019. • The Primary school & Preschool have been relocated. • Radharani’s bakery has been relocated. • New access roads to car parks are in use. • New greenhouses for Tulasi devi are completed • The Site perimeter has been erected for construction • Over 100 truck-loads of subsoil has been removed to level the site • Foundations for the building has been laid • Drainage has been installed • Walls around the cottage have been erected to secure the stability of the building • Concrete slabs for the main buildings have been laid

Spiritual retreats, UK.
The College of Vedic Studies (CVS) is now organizing no less than 6 retreats a year. There have been five retreats since last September, including Buckland Hall in Wales, Radhadesh Temple in Belgium and the Goloka Dham temple in Germany. Retreat attendees have a chance to immerse themselves in the daily practice of Krishna Consciousness and the association of devotees, away from the mundane routines of life. Asha Bhimji shares her experience: “My highlight over the last few years has been the CVS retreat to the Goloka Dham temple in Germany. The association of the devotees, in particular a great luminary like Sacinandana Swami, and the level of immersion away from the stress of work was magical for me. That’s the beauty of retreats; there is a great mix of amazing locations, creative programs, association of other devotees as well as plenty of free- time to do your own thing!”

Known American rapper and occasional producer KRS-One, a longtime friend of the devotees, presents in this video his own version of “you are not this body”

Senior Padayatra bull Narasimha completed 1 and a half round walking around India in 13 years!
All India Padayatra NEWS (1 min video)
By Acarya Dasa and Prajeesh Prabhu
On August 3, 2018, All India Padayatra left Pandharpur Dhama for onwards journey and reached Ajote, a small village 10 Km from Pandharpur. We left our senior bull Narasimha at Pandharpur gosala. He was with the padayatra for more than 13 years and completed 1 and a half round walking around India i.e. Tirupati to Tirupati and Tirupati to Pandharpur. The next senior bull Nandkishor, Narsimha’s best companion must be feeling bad in his absence. Now we got 2 new bulls from Gujrat. We stayed in a school at Ajote. Evening sankirtan at a nearby Hanuman temple. Many congregational devotees and villagers attended the programme.

TOVP’s outer wall update (Album of photos)
Sadbhuja Das: One section of the temple room outer wall is completed!
This is how the visual effect will be. This gives you an idea and indication of the detailing that we are doing.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/sC5Ats

Yesterday Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja arrived in Carpinteria to spend some time with me at my ashram. I was much impressed with his plans and initiatives for cow protection (go-raksya) and, of course, as always, with his spiritual purity and Krishna consciousness. And I know that it was only his love for Srila Prabhupada and me that brought him so far to visit.

Today Maharaja continued to enliven and inspire us with his memories and realizations of Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON, and the future of the Krishna consciousness movement. He is truly a loyal disciple, member, and friend.

Hare Krishna.

Your grateful servant,
Giriraj Swami

Answer Podcast

The post Do animal species have no intelligence? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.43 Kshatriyas control in service of the supreme controller appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Melbourne, Australia]

Podcast

Podcast Summary

Video:

The post Dhruva pastime analysis 1 – Everyone faces distress, the fortunate find the right direction – DHRUV acronym appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Seminar at Community Hall, Melbourne, Australia]

Podcast

Podcast Summary

The post From ritual to spiritual 1 – Analysis of Krishna’s pastime with the ritualistic brahmanas appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

BHAGAVAD GITA seminar 2018 at Iskcon Nola On Esplanade, New Orleans, USA (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Lord Caitanya Mah...

Devotees of ISKCON Kurukshetra called for Maha Harinam in Jodhpur, Rajasthan (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: O Hari-nama! ...

The Peace Garden.
Faith representatives and well-wishers from the local area joined the former Mayor of Watford, UK, Dorothy ...

Auckland NZ: Giving out the mercy!! (Album of photos)
Kalasamvara Das: This process given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is like the perfect transcendental storm.
Or transcendental net that catches everyone,
By books, prasadam, the holy names, and Association with devotees.
It’s so attractive and brings smiles to all
Bringing them BTG!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/XZVQct

Vaishnava Summer Festival Baltic 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Of the nine processes of devotional service, the mos...

Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold Named One of the Most Beautiful Places in the U.S.
ISKCON devotees will be pleased to note that amidst such attractions as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art was the headline “Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold - New Vrindaban, West Virginia.”
To read the complete article please click here: https://goo.gl/58xPpt

Mahadyuti Swami’s great performance during the Vaishnava Baltic Festival 2018 (6 min video)
Mahadyuti Swami sang a song about how he likes to take prasadam at Govinda’s. Maharaj wrote this song 25 years ago when he was a manager there.

The article " Genuine appreciation " was published on KKSBlog.

Although 52 years have passed since the founding of ISKCON, the society is still growing. In 1965 Srila Prabhupada left the city then called Calcutta on a merchant steamer bound for New York. Only his son, Vrindavan Chandra De, was present to see him off. At age 60, Srila Prabhupada was carrying out the order of his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. The directive was to spread the glories of Lord Krishna to the English-speaking world. Srila Prabhupada had no friends or acquaintances in the US. Continue reading "52 Years and Counting!
→ Dandavats"

I was the TP in Nairobi from 1975 to 1982 and I know very well the extremely challenging situations preachers face in Kenya. After 36 years I returned to see the progress. Under my almost 7 year watch the preaching on the one side to the Indian community resulted in newly initiated Indian devotees and an increase of life members from 350 to 1,500. Substantial preaching was made with the African community too in terms of newly initiated devotees, Back to Godhead magazine in Kiswahili, regular performance of street and temple kirtans, and prasadam distribution. But all along our outreach to the students at the university campuses has met with very limited results and this of course left Srila Prabhupada’s cherished desire unfulfilled. Continue reading "Amazing ‘University Students’ Preaching in Kenya
→ Dandavats"

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.42 Brahmanas cultivate material material regulation and spiritual redirection by intellectual conviction appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Sudeep Naik

Question: What can we do when we see terrible things happening in the world?

Answer: Whatever actions we do are reflections of the consciousness we have. Consciousness of different people is directed in different ways. Suppose we are walking on a road and we step on someone, as soon as we realize that we stepped on someone we immediately apologize. Normally a person is sensitive, when they cause pain to others, they feel sorry and apologize. However, sometimes some people may deliberately step on someone. They feel pleasure when they cause pain to others. At extreme level, people are sadistic or psychopaths. They feel pleasure in causing pain to others. Such people do not feel any remorse as there is no conscience left. These are different levels of awareness.

Wars happen, people kill, damage ecology, because their consciousness is at a particular level. Our consciousness is directed at the level where we find pleasure. Somebody who is compassionate, kind hearted feel pleasure in bringing joy to others. Somebody who is self-centered, sadistic get pleasure in causing pain to others. Somebody who is materialistic or technologically infatuated get pleasure in watching TV or playing video games.

We need to raise our consciousness because the more our consciousness evolves upwards, the more we become a part of the solution. Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” Practice of spirituality raises our consciousness upwards. We may be associated with some field – finance, engineering, politics, education etc. However, irrespective of the field, our consciousness will make us either a positive contributor or a negative contributor in that field. Spirituality help raise our consciousness which help us become more of a positive contributor. The world is a big place and we do not have control on how people act. However, we have control on how we act. Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. If each of us try to raise our consciousness then we can become the part of the change.

Suppose we are sitting in a room and the power goes off then we may get annoyed, complain or yell. However, we can switch on the flashlight in our mobile. The flashlight does not replace the room light but gives enough illumination to take few steps forward. Similarly, the world around us is a dark place. It is easy to curse the darkness that we are surrounded with. Yes, there are many problems, but it is much more productive to light at least one light. That light is the light of our own consciousness. If we can spiritualize our consciousness, then whichever area we are in we will be able to contribute and who knows we may start a chain reaction by which others elevate their own consciousness as well. A small change can lead to a big change over a period. On the mountaintop, it starts with a trickle of water but eventually becomes a forceful river. Similarly, a change in our consciousness in the right direction, can lead to a bigger change in the society with time.

On 60th anniversary celebration of United Nations in India, the United Nations in-charge of India told, “In last 60 years, we have worked very hard, got thousands of volunteers and spent billions of dollars. When we started, UN had 60 different forums like World Trade Organization (WTO), World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO etc. In all these 60 different forums, things have become worse. Not even in one of the areas, things have tangibly improved. UNESCO charter states that, “Just as war begins in the minds of people, similarly peace also has to begin in the minds of people. Now we are recognizing that social activism is important but we need something to change the consciousness of people. The change has to happen inside-out.” The world is focused a lot changing the outside. Outside change is required, but for the change to be sustainable and transformational, it must be an inside-out process. By raising our consciousness, we are trying to be part of that inside-out change.

End of transcription.

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