Planet ISKCON

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Jayapataka Swami’s sister visits TOVP (Album of photos)
Sadbhuja Das: We had a special visitor come to the ToVP site for a grand tour, her name is Leslie Elizabeth Bauer. She is HH Jayapataka Swami’s sister.
She was overwhelmed and moved by how big this project is and very much impressed by our workmanship on the accuracy of the carved marble that is placed on the walls.
She is also an interior decorator, she was able to understand our construction language.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/oTaHk9

“Inauguration ceremony” for a mega mini market in Santa Clara, Nueva Vrajamandala farm, Spain (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: One who feels he is not yet ready to live in a temple, especially householders who live with a wife and children, can start a center at home by installing the Deity, worshipping the Lord morning and evening, chanting Hare Krishna and discussing the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madya-lila, 3.190 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/3meBsi

Durban Ratha Yatra (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The members of the present Krishna consciousness movement were not born...

New Govardhana Goshalla progress (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The Krishna consciousness movement supplies materially st...

ISKCON Teachers Get Much-Needed Support at 5th Education Conference.
The main goal of the conference was to finish and revise ...

KC presentation at ‘Take Pride 2018’ at the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) International Convention Hall in Mumbai.
Radhanath Swami recently was a keynote speaker at the event ‘Take Pride 2018’ at the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) International Convention Hall in Mumbai. The event was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the most visible business association in India. ‘Take Pride’ is a platform offered to eminent leaders of India to share inspiring thoughts with Young Indians (Yi), which is the youth arm of the CII. The event was attended by over 600 young professionals.

Radhanath Swami was requested to speak on the topic “Steadiness Amid Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous Times”. He compared life to a boat sailing through a turbulent sea. “Even a boat caught amid the sea storm will eventually reach its destination if it’s guided by a compass. Similarly, if our life is guided by the spiritual compass, we too can successfully sail through the inevitable storms of life.”

Other speakers at the event included the president of Coca-Cola India and South West Asia business unit Mr. Krishnakumar T, Founder of Piramal Reality Mr. Anand Piramal, Chief Coach of India’s badminton team Mr. Pullela Gopichand, film director Mrs. Gauri Shinde, and renowned scientist Dr. R Mashelkar.

Preaching program in Siberia (Album of photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: We are now in Tomsk, in Siberia, Russia. These are som...

“Bhaktin” Kasia from Poland - 20 years later.
Indradyumna Swami: This is Kasia. She first came to our festival with her parents when she was 11 years old. As a child she was fascinated by everything. She even won a sari in the dance competition. She still has it. She returned this evening, 20 years later, with her own daughter. “I wanted her to have the same wonderful experience I had at your festival when I was young,” she said. “And most important I wanted to buy the book I remember you spoke on during my first visit years ago.” She is standing here next to me with that book: Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Just one of the many miracles these festivals are producing. All glories to Sri Krsna Samkirtan!

“I request…that everything in the Temple should be kept nice and clean… We should always remember that Krishna is the purest & similarly only the pure can associate with Him. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” –  Letter to: Nandarani, Krsna Devi, Subala and Uddhava, Delhi, 3 October, 1967 Srila Prabhupada always emphasised the importance of […]

The post Gundica Marjana – The Festival of Cleansing the Heart appeared first on Mayapur.com.

kiṁ kariṣyanti vaktāraḥ              śrotā yatra na vidyate

nagna-kṣapaṇake deśe                rajakaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

kim — what; kariṣyanti — will achieve; vaktāraḥ — speakers; śrotā — audience; yatra — where; na — not; vidyate — is present; nagna-kṣapaṇake deśe — in a town of naked sādhus; rajakaḥ — a washerman; kim — what; kariṣyati — will do

“What can expert speakers do if there is no like-minded audience? What can an expert washer-man achieve in a town full of naked sadhus?”

— Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāram, Sāmānya-nītiḥ, Verse 426.

In public speaking, speakers are often encouraged to prepare their content carefully and to deliver it clearly, confidently, charismatically. Working on content and delivery is certainly important, but it doesn’t guarantee that the speech will be well-received. If people are just not interested in a particular subject, then even a well-prepared, well-delivered talk on that subject may fall flat. This can happen especially when speakers speak on spiritual subjects because not many people are interested in spirituality.

To trigger people’s interest, spiritual speakers can and should try to present their message creatively. Still, there’s a limit to how much creativity can help – sometimes, people may just not be interested. As this verse states, a washer-man can’t find customers among those who have resolved not to wear clothes.

Having said that, interest is often a function of relevance. Education experts say that adult education is largely driven by relevance. Unlike school students who feel obliged to study for getting a degree, most adults don’t feel obliged to study. If they do study, that’s usually because the subject interests them or is relevant to their needs. And for spiritual talks, most of the audience comprises adults. So, spiritual teachers need to make their presentations relevant to their audience’s felt needs.

Why felt needs? Because, in the ultimate analysis, spiritual knowledge is an essential need for everyone; after all, every living being is essentially a spiritual being. But just as most people don’t realize that they are souls, so too most people don’t feel the need for spirituality. Of course, once they start understanding spiritual knowledge and appreciating that they are souls, they recognize that spiritual wisdom is their vital need. Till they come to that level of understanding, they need to be shown how spiritual knowledge serves some of their present needs. To do that, teachers need to take time to understand their audience’s felt needs.

Let’s consider two examples of relevant presentations of spiritual knowledge:

1. The rebranding of God as a cosmic therapist:

In the past, when people were unsure about getting their basic bodily needs, the portrayal of God as a provider of cosmic supplies such as food and water was relevant to the audience. Nowadays, when these needs are more or less steadily provided for, especially in the Western or Westernized world, people don’t feel the need for any cosmic provider. But with people facing ever-increasing mental health issues, they do feel the need for therapy. So, the portrayal of God as a cosmic therapist clicks with them. And because God is the provider of all our needs, both physical and psychological, this portrayal doesn’t stray from reality. But its application can stray if spirituality is reduced to feel-good pop psychology, wherein unpalatable or transcendental subjects are hardly ever discussed.

2. The battlefield setting of the Bhagavad-gita:

Many people see themselves as go-getters and think of philosophy as the recourse of armchair scholars. Countering such stereotypes, the Gita’s setting shows how philosophy is foundational for sound decision-making, something that everyone would like to do. The Gita, a profoundly philosophical book, is presented in the Mahabharata, which is an epic filled with romance, action and intrigue – topics that attract most people. And within the Mahabharata, the Gita is positioned at a highly suspenseful moment, just before the climactic war. By demonstrating how the quintessential go-getter, Arjuna, took time out to understand spiritual knowledge, the Gita’s setting emphasizes that spiritual knowledge can guide everyone in making their life’s defining decisions.

How can speakers understand their audiences’ needs? One deceptively simple yet remarkably effective way is to learn to hear from the audience, not just expect to be heard by the audience. When given an opportunity, people share what is important to them – specifically, which parts of a talk spoke to them or added value to their life; and generally, what issues attract their attention and occupy their heart. Practically speaking, speakers can’t hear from everyone in the audience, but if they make themselves available for interactions before or after their talks, the more articulate, outgoing or concerned members of the audience often come forward and share potentially valuable feedback. If speakers thus understand where the audience is coming from, they can customize their future presentations to serve their audience’s needs.

By such customizing, will spiritual speakers be pandering to the audience? Possibly, but not necessarily. It can become pandering if spiritual speakers start speaking on non-spiritual topics just to attract a crowd. But it won’t be pandering if speakers seek to understand the circle of the audience’s needs, find out where that circle overlaps with the circle of spiritual wisdom, and start their presentations with that area of overlap. Such an approach will attract more people. And not just attract but also benefit – benefit both by giving them wisdom they can use and by fueling their curiosity to explore spirituality further.

Think it over:

• Why do spiritual speakers need to understand their audience?
• How can spiritual speakers make their presentations relevant?
• What precautions do spiritual speakers need to take while addressing the needs of their audience?

(I thank my friend and scholar, Hari Parshad P, for providing me with the Subhashita and the image)

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Two Jagannatha Ratha Yatra took place at the same time (July 8, 2018) and in two different places. one far in the west, Jakarta, and the other one far in the east, Kediri, East Java. As Srila Prabhupada mentions in his lecture that "Just like the other day we held the festival, Ratha-yatra. Chant and take prasadam. That's all. Organize this all over the world. They will be saved. They will understand Krishna." (SP lecture on Bhagavad-gita 1.10-London, July 12, 1973) Continue reading "Two Jagannatha Ratha Yatras took place at the same time in Jakarta and Kediri, Indonesia
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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It was nice to be in Bali again. As usual, I visited the temples, gave class, led kirtan and met with the devotees.

The last time I was at Jagannatha Gauranga temple, the leaders told me that the Lord Nrsimha deity, who was made from local wood,  needed to be replaced.

When I came this time I saw the new Lord Nrsimha deity, who was ordered from Jagannatha Puri and made of stone. He is certainly a beautiful sight to behold.

All glories to Lord Nrsimhadeva!

Teachers at ISKCON’s schools work very hard, often with little support – so the chance to connect and collaborate with fellow educators from all over North America at the fifth annual ISKCON Education Conference was a blessing.

We have all heard the story of the house that Srila Prabhupada built in which the whole world can live. And how in his great mercy he lovingly created, in the body of ISKCON, a spiritual family to take up residence in that house. A family imbued with the qualities of love and trust, to stand at the door and welcome inside the rest of the world. Although we have repeated these words many times over the past 38 years, it is only in the last few days, after Hari-sauri Prabhu launched an appeal to help our family, that we have been privileged to really experience first-hand what it means to be embraced by the love of that family. We feel as if we’ve been sitting in the centre of a magic circle surrounded by hundreds of devotees and well-wishers from all over the world, flooding us with blessings, prayers, gifts from the heart, pledges of laxmi and messages of hope, wisdom, comfort and succour. Continue reading "Vaisnava Krpa – A Gift of Love by Srila Prabhupada’s Family
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[Bhagavatam class on 11.11.06 at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai, India]

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Sunday’s outreach event in Bucharest.

17th Padayatra in Slovenia. 3-20 July 2018. Wonderful experience every year! (3 min video)
GUESTS: HH Bir Krishna Goswami, HH ...

Harinama in Genova, Italy, with the international Padayatra team (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: A devotee always thinks of the Lord continuously. While chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the words Krishna and Hare immediately remind him of all the Lord’s activities. Since his entire life is engaged n the service of the Lord, a devotee cannot forget the Lord at any time. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.6 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/gntdN8

From shallow to profound!
Kadamba Kanana Swami: This mahamantra is our best friend. In fact, it is a very close friend of all living entities. The mantra is always there for us, whereby whoever wants it is able to turn to it wherever they are and whenever they want to. It does not discriminate. It is always available at our command and it does not cost anything either. So if we desire, we always have our friend, the mahamantra. And if we do not desire, the mantra will still come anyway. Sometimes the mantra rolls through the streets and some people cover their ears but then we sing even louder!

Festival of India in Poland: 29 years (15 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: This summer marks the 29th year of our Festival of Ind...

Rathayatra in Paris (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The atheists are always prepared to harass a devotee; therefore Caitan...

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 January 2018, Brisbane, Australia, Govinda’s Program Lecture)

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

This mahamantra is our best friend. In fact, it is a very close friend of all living entities. The mantra is always there for us, whereby whoever wants it is able to turn to it wherever they are and whenever they want to. It does not discriminate. It is always available at our command and it does not cost anything either. So if we desire, we always have our friend, the mahamantra. And if we do not desire, the mantra will still come anyway. Sometimes the mantra rolls through the streets and some people cover their ears but then we sing even louder!

Sometimes when we are out on harinama, there are a lot of positive reactions but every once in a while, there may be a really negative/aggressive reaction, and we wonder, “Why? What is the problem? We are just singing this nice mantra.” Maybe it is because those people associate the mantra with an angry and punishing God, one who is up there, ready to send down thunderbolts, “Thou sinners shalt repent!” No! Our mantra is joyful, it is blissful, it is meant to be fun and happy, something good that brings out the best of everything. This mantra is not just a sound or some words. It is a manifestation of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and in this way, we are never alone. Through this mahamantra, Krsna is always with us and in this way the mahamantra is our best friend as it is non-different from Krsna. This may be difficult to understand initially but it pulls you in, it starts to all make sense and this way, the mantra will bless us.

Through this mantra, everything starts to become clear. For instance, there is nothing wrong with alcohol, it is a perfectly okay substance. The only thing is that it is meant for the outside, not the inside! Once we start to understand that it is to be used as a disinfectant instead of drinking it, it all starts to make sense how we are supposed to use alcohol! (laughter) By chanting the mantra, we get the intelligence and the understanding of the purpose behind everything. Like it is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the purpose of everything is to be understood in respect to its relationship with Krsna. So in this way, through the mahamantra, it all starts to become crystal clear little by little. Without the mahamantra, everything is shallow but with the mahamantra, a shallow life becomes profound! 

What do you do when your loved one dies or leaves you? It is totally heart-breaking and rips you apart. Where is your shelter then? It is the mahamantra.

What do you do when you are in your car and suddenly the tyre squeaks and you can see the wall coming towards you? You know there is trouble coming, so where do you go? You go to the mahamantra.

What do you do at the end of your life, when you know and feel that life is slipping away? There is the mahamantra.

So in such ways, the mahamantra is always there for us whenever we call for it, and that is wonderful!

The article " From shallow to profound! " was published on KKSBlog.

The reality is that if we don’t become enthusiastic about improving ourselves, we are going to have trouble moving forward. We can lament and feel remorseful about our fallen condition, yet we can be enthusiastic for bhakti at the same time. We see this mood in many of the prayers of our acaryas. On one hand they are lamenting their fallen nature and on the other hand they are expressing a strong hankering to achieve Krsna’s lotus feet. These "negative emotions" can be the very impetus to move us forward. How? They can make us disgusted with being fallen. Like the saying goes, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” When we become ill we don’t think, “Well, I am sick and weak, so what’s the use of taking care of myself? Rather, we take better care of ourselves. So if we fall down in our spiritual practices doesn’t it make sense to do the same thing - to take more care of our spiritual life? Continue reading "Choosing to Fall Down
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On May 12 Mohini Madaan, now Madana-mohana-mohini dasi, who suffers from severe muscular dystrophy and has been told she does not have long to live, shared with me her thoughts on her eighteenth birthday:

My dearest Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva. All glories to your divine lotus feet.

Yesterday was the second birthday of our Deities, Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, and also (as you know) my 18th birthday. I never liked growing old, but time just doesn’t stop!

The last eighteen years have been a wonderful journey. Almost every day was a struggle, but now, looking back, I really grew in my Krishna consciousness. The years now look like a systematic, beautiful pattern embroidered on a cloth, but all I could see was the part underneath, where all the threads were messy. Now I am able to glimpse the real design; Krishna is allowing me to see that. And this vision is helping me accept all that’s coming my way now and all that will come in the future. Before, I would just hear that everything was happening for a reason, but now I am experiencing it, and it’s the best.

The last eighteen years have been like a roller-coaster ride, but with guru and Krishna holding onto me tightly, I have always been safe. Every day is becoming more and more intense; Krishna is testing me more and more. I guess He wants to check how much I love His devotees. I have taken births in so many bodies, and though I don’t remember even one of them, I am getting the feeling that this has been the best life ever. It hasn’t been so nice materially, but spiritually, I couldn’t have asked for better. I could not even imagine how wonderful Krishna consciousness could be. I could not imagine getting this close to Krishna and His dear devotees!

Devotees look up to me as an inspiration for their bhakti. I am far from being what they see me as. I want to become the inspiration they think I am. Otherwise, this is cheating. I want to surrender completely, right at this very moment. But it seems that, unfortunately, my desire is not strong enough. I have so many faults in me. No gratitude, no respect, no devotion, no submissiveness, no selfless love. I don’t want to waste the opportunity I have. I don’t want to take even a single moment in Krishna consciousness for granted. I want to stop being impure. Whatever little time I have, I want it to be filled with pure, selfless love for Madana-mohana (and His devotees)—unmotivated, uninterrupted pure devotional service. I really want to become trnad api sunicena, taror api sahisnuna, amanina manadena, kirtaniyah sada harih. I really, really want to apply aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam, adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va, yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato, mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah. I really want to surrender right now. I really want to please my spiritual masters. I want to taste the bliss that resides in the holy name.

But where will these transcendental emotions come from? You, being an unalloyed devotee of Krishna, have the power to bless me with Krishna prema, which, from this moment, is the only goal of my life, my existence.

According to the Vedic system, on one’s birthday, one should give gifts. So please tell me what you would like me to do for you. I really want to give you something, and I will try my best to gift you that.

Thank you so much for being part of my life. You are one of Krishna’s greatest mercies for me. I look forward to getting your association for eternity.

According to the Western calendar, today is the 78th appearance day of Mother Kirtida. It is also my mother’s birthday. Please bless her, that she may get all the strength required to deal with the events taking place in her life, that she may be successful in all aspects of her Krishna consciousness, and that she may be able to please her spiritual master.

Also, please find attached a picture of our deities from yesterday.

I hope this meets you well!

With lots and lots of love,

Wanting to be yours,
Mohini

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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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• Not all curses lead to boons
• The worst curse is having a material body
• Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is the best means to countaract curses
• The Yādus are either demigids or eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa
• Sādhana is not a numerical obligation (16 rounds) but is also about quality
• By regular connection with the Bhāgvatama we will know what we are doing and will value the Holy Name, the Deities, the vaiṣṇavas and will feel inspired
• Plans for the UK visit
• Durvāsā Muni’s offence and Indra’s vaiṣṇava-aparādha – offences destroy our spiritual life
• Why despite of all the suffering do people still want to stay in the material world?

Answer Podcast

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[Renaissance youth session at ISKCON, Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, India]

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[Youth meeting at ISKCON, Sant Nagar, Delhi, India]

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