Kirtan Mela in New Dwarka, Iskcon Los Angeles (Album with…
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Kirtan Mela in New Dwarka, Iskcon Los Angeles (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “O Lord,” the demigods say, “the impersonalists, who are nondevotees, cannot understand that Your name is identical with Your form.” Since the Lord is absolute, there is no difference between His name and His actual form. In the material world there is a difference between form and name. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.2.36 Purport).
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Practice Loving Krishna
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Hare KrishnaBy Sridhara Swami

Have you ever worked for someone who doesn’t have time for you? Krishna is the controller of everything, but He has all the time in the universe for you. And not only for you but for me too. That’s the beauty of Krishna. He is with all of us individually. Because the Krishna conscious person is regulated in his work, speech, sleep, wakefulness, and other bodily activities, he or she experiences no misery. This is practical. If someone undergoes some sort of stress, a friend might say, “Just take your mind off it; get engrossed in your work.” People do that as a kind of therapy. Here the Gita recommends we go on permanent therapy. Work for Krishna. You’ll get so absorbed that you won’t fear even death. Steadiness comes from being constantly engaged in serving guru and Krishna. In the spiritual world the gopis compete to serve Krishna. There is so much work to do for Krishna that you can be totally carried away. Love is both a verb and a noun. To feel perfect satisfaction, you have to practice loving Krishna. You have to serve Him. Continue reading "Practice Loving Krishna
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Srila Prabhupada and the Vaisnava Tradition of Scriptural Commentary: Serving the Words of His Predecessors
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Hare KrishnaBy Gopiparanadhana Dasa

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the founder and organiser of a large worldwide religious movement; that he developed it in just twelve years, all after his seventieth birthday, shows that he was not only practical, innovative and determined but also spiritually empowered. Although these are valid reasons to think highly of Srila Prabhupada, he always de-emphasised his own abilities, preferring to be judged on the more objective grounds of his bona fide allegiance to the teachings of the Vaisnava tradition he represented. He did not credit his preaching success to any special abilities of his own. As he once said, 'I don't claim that I am a pure devotee or perfect, but my only qualification is that I am trying to follow the instruction of the perfect.' Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada and the Vaisnava Tradition of Scriptural Commentary: Serving the Words of His Predecessors
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From Brhat-Bhagavatamrta / Из “Брихат-Бхагаватамриты”
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“Сердце мое вовсе не довольно, если  преданные, безразличные ко всем остальным духовным практикам и реализациям, желающие одного лишь личного служения Шримати Радхике, постоянно воспевающие Ее славу и поглощенный любовью к Ней, достигают  того же места на Вайкунтхе, что и иные преданные. Это так печально! Я не могу смириться с тем, что это конечное место назначения таких преданных, как Шри Нандарайа и Шри Яшода. Все-таки для них должна быть иная обитель, выше Вайкунтхи. Если есть такое место, пожалуйста, опиши мне его и развей мои сомнения”.

[ Уттара – своему сыну, Парикшиу Махараджу, “Брихат-Бхагаватамрита”, 2.121-22,24 ]

 

“My heart cannot be satisfied if those devotees who, being indifferent to any other spiritual practice and spiritual attainment, desire only the personal service of Srimati Radhika, and who perpetually sing Her glories and are immersed in love for Her, attain residence in merely the same Vaikuntha as so many other devotees do. This is a matter of great sorrow! And I cannot tolerate that this must be the final destination for devotees like Sri Nandaraya and Sri Yasoda. There must certainly be a suitable abode for them that is superior to Vaikuntha. If there is such a place, then please describe and deliver me from doubt.”

[ Uttara to her son, Pariksit Maharaja, Brhat Bhagavatamrta, 2.121-22,24 ]

 

The Highest Compassion
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Hare KrishnaBy Niranjana Swami

The word "Acarya" in Founder-Acarya means that Srila Prabhupada is the ultimate teacher by his own example in ISKCON. Being a perfect teacher by example, therefore, everything he does is instructive because, as followers, we are meant to aspire to strictly follow his example. Prabhupada would oftentimes speak about the difference between following in the footsteps and imitating. He would say that following in the footsteps of the previous acaryas means that we follow the same path they themselves walked. It also means to follow their instructions. Therefore, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah....they leave behind instructions by which their followers can traverse the same path as they themselves also traversed. Imitating means that we try to artificially imitate the position of being fully realized without being fully realized. Continue reading "The Highest Compassion
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When serving Krishna through our profession, should we try to become the best in that profession?
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Answer Podcast

The post When serving Krishna through our profession, should we try to become the best in that profession? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhagavatam study 80 1.15.31-37 Life is a relay race – know when to hand over the torch
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Podcast


 

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Gita 18.04 Just as indulgence can be indiscriminate, so can renunciation
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi
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Bhimasena said to Srila Vyasadeva, “Only when I eat to my full satisfaction does the fire in my stomach become satisfied. Oh great sage, I might possibly be able to fast only once, so I beg that you tell me of an Ekadasi that is worthy of my fasting and that includes all other Ekadasis. I shall faithfully observe that fast and hopefully still become eligible for liberation.”

Srila Vyasadeva said, “Oh Bhimasena, one who can fast on the special Jyestha-sukla Ekadasi reaps the benefit of having fasted on every Ekadasi during the year. You should even give up drinking water on this particularly auspicious Ekadasi day. 

Oh Vrikodara (veracious eater), whoever fasts on this Ekadasi receives the merits of bathing in all the places of pilgrimage, giving all kinds of charities to worthy persons, and fasting on all the dark and light Ekadasis throughout the year, in one go. Of this there is no doubt.

Oh tiger among men, whoever fasts on this Ekadasi truly becomes a great person and achieves all manner of opulence and wealth, grains, strength, and health. And at the fearful moment of death, the terrible Yamadutas, whose complexions are yellow and black and who brandish huge maces and twirl mystic pasha ropes in the air for binding their victims, will refuse to approach him. 

Rather, such a faithful soul will at once be taken to the supreme abode of Lord Visnu by the Visnu-dutas, whose transcendentally beautiful forms are clothed in gorgeous yellowish garments and who each hold a disk, club, conch and lotus in their four hands, resembling Lord Visnu. It is to gain all these benefits that one should certainly fast on this very auspicious and important Ekadasi, even from water.”

When the other Pandavas heard about the benefits to be gained by following Jyestha-sukla Ekadasi, they resolved to observe it exactly as their grandfather Srila Vyasadeva had explained it to their brother, Bhimasena. All the Pandavas observed it by refraining from eating or drinking anything, and thus this day is also known as Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi.

Wednesday, June 20th, 2018
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Guadalajara, Spain

A Small Strip of Spain

Alberto, an Italian-born devotee of Krishna, was right there at the Madrid Airport waiting to drive me for a one-hour stretch to the peaceful Spanish countryside at the retreat farm of Vrajamandala.  Residents number thirty.  There are six children of school age, five cows, one ox and a recently born, five-day-old bull, Baladeva.

The river, Tajuña, runs through the 350 acre property.  It was irresistible to walk from the town of Guadalajara (not the big city) of modest size, to the farm.  Julan Yatra from Tenerife came; so did Madhava from Barcelona, as well as Bhakta Nir from Israel.  We explored and took backways for a 6+ km walk.  The ‘secret passage’, however, turned out to be confusing, so we surrendered to the main road.

There are great walls left over from the Arab period, before the Crusades, so they are ancient.  My companions told me of how, before Christianity established itself, animals such as the bull were sacred to inhabitants.  I don’t know how that fits into the controversial bullfights of Spain. In fact, Madhava pointed out one estate along the road where bulls are trained for the fighting entertainment. Madhava added, “Most of the Spanish are opposed.”  He also mentioned that the town, Guadalajara, is one of those places where they release bulls in the town, and all citizens take refuge of their buildings.

Yadunandana Swami, who is Spanish, is an absolute gentleman, and arranged for me to give a talk about the ‘walk’ that everyone should give attention to.

May the Source be with you!
7 km



Tuesday, June 19th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

The Invasion

It is one of those days where I cannot sulk, but be a trifle sad about not walking.  The air travel restricts the possibility.  I flew in from Calgary this morning.  By 3:15 a.m., I was off to the airport for a flight to Madrid to meet up with the Cuban connection, that is those who were or are affiliated with our mission there.

In the moments of waiting for Air Canada Flight 863 to call for passengers to get ready for boarding, I contemplated those appalling photos I had viewed from a recent National Geographic magazine covering the story of plastic.  I was shocked by the statistics and images of plastics that are currently challenging our very existence.  Our planet is becoming more of a dumping ground than I could have imagined.

One particular picture showed a sea horse in the ocean’s depth who had coiled around and was carrying a plastic Q-tip that he had found.  I was looking at the image while sitting most uneasily in the waiting room of the dental clinic.

You can see the accumulation of the shiny materials called plastic in the form of bags and bottles after the snow’s thaw.  Plastic bags fly in the air and cling onto trees. Bottles clog drains and pipes and drainage ditches.  In the clinic, I pointed out the sea horse photo to the receptionist who said, “Oh and now China is producing noodles out of plastic.”

You can go on.  We certainly must be more sensitive about our place of residence, Earth, which is becoming highly overrun by the plastic monster invasion.

May the Source be with you!
0 km




Monday, June 18th, 2018
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Calgary. Alberta

Good Day in Cal

Gaurachandra and Vani Priya are my usual co-walkers in the North East of Calgary.  With much rainfall in recent days, the mosquitoes can form clouds.  Well, they did that for us while we were in our stride. The presence of magpies was also so evident.  You wonder if while in flight they couldn’t just keep their beaks open and swallow a few mosquitoes in the process?

Nanda Gopal had invited me over for brunch.  “It will just be some steamed veggies,” was the promise. It was simply a well-meaning white lie. His two boys are a handful of energy—Shyama and Keshav.

Rakesh had also invited me, along with my hosts Radha Madhava, Svasti and the girls, for lunch. We had to push that forward in order to separate the meals.  This was feast #2.  I really am grateful to Rakesh for giving my inflamed knees a chance.  The massage was phenomenal.

While the meals of today were certainly upstage items, I have to hand it to Anuttama for organizing a splendid “Kirtan Lounge” program in downtown Calgary.  Forty local folks showed up, mostly singles is what I guessed.  I could gather that my ‘talking of walking (and not eating) ventures’ were as of much interest as was the spiritual element that I live by. The vegan meal was enjoyed like anything.  But I passed. Questions lingered on, before and after consumption time.

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Sunday, June 17th, 2018
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Edmonton / Calgary

Mangos and Dads

It’s Father’s Day, and so the natural topic to speak about, in two locations, Edmonton and Calgary, which are a mere three hours drive apart, was obvious—fathers!

At the Calgary venue, Radha Madhava’s Cultural Centre, there was a unique display of real mangos on the altar to celebrate a Mango Festival, something Gujaratis are crazy about. However, it was the younger generation—kids—who put more emphasis on fathers, the traditional seed-givers, protectors and providers.

It was evident in the T shirts worn. “Dads Rock!” and “Dad is Rad! were some of the messages.

Praise be to that member of the family who is often overlooked. Lest we forget the Supreme Father, Lord Sri Krishna, who is also the Supreme Mother—as per the Gita.

In Calgary, the priest Dwarkadish performed a homa, a fire ceremony, for four initiates.  The candidates were two males and two females. From Red Deer, a city smack in between Edmonton and Calgary came Fijian born, Sanjay (now Sugosh), his wife, Sileshni (now Subhadra) and their twenty-three-year-old son, Shiven (now Satyavrata), along with a local woman, a third generation Hare Krishna by the name of Tulasi Priya who is now Tulasi Puja.
https://www.facebook.com/ISKCONCalgary/videos/10156159666154597/

Congratulations to those forward-thinking and forward-doing individuals.

May the Source be with you!
4 km

Real beauty
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Real beauty.
Kadamba Kanana Swami: Human relationships become meaningful when Krsna is the priority. It is not good enough when Krsna is simply there in our lives. I mean, it is still nice that Krsna is there, but when Krsna actually becomes the priority, then it becomes significant to the point that everything will change. This is the unique feature of Srila Prabhupada, who truly made Krsna the priority and showed that consistently throughout his whole life. Many people in India have some affiliation with Krsna, so Krsna is obviously part of the culture of many people across the world. This is positive, very nice indeed, but that is not the same, not good enough. So Prabhupada came and gave us Krsna, making him the priority, and then suddenly, everything started to change – relationships started to change.

Evaluate
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, March 2018, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture)

Human relationships become meaningful when Krsna is the priority. It is not good enough when Krsna is simply there in our lives. I mean, it is still nice that Krsna is there, but when Krsna actually becomes the priority, then it becomes significant to the point that everything will change. This is the unique feature of Srila Prabhupada, who truly made Krsna the priority and showed that consistently throughout his whole life. Many people in India have some affiliation with Krsna, so Krsna is obviously part of the culture of many people across the world. This is positive, very nice indeed, but that is not the same, not good enough. So Prabhupada came and gave us Krsna, making him the priority, and then suddenly, everything started to change – relationships started to change.

There is a story about Ramanujacharya and a wrestler. This wrestler’s eye fell upon a very beautiful girl and instantly became so enamoured by her that he became her dedicated servant. Whenever she walked in the sun, he would hold a parasol over her head. If there was anything that she needed, he would bring it to her even before she could think of requesting it from him – he would already have everything ready for her. So in this way, he was always serving her with great attention.

One day Ramanujacharya came by and saw how this wrestler was serving the girl and he came to this wrestler’s ashrama and asked, “Why are you serving this girl?” The wrestler said, “Oh, because she is so beautiful.” So Ramanujacharya replied, “You call that beautiful?” If anybody else would have said this, they would have been in some serious trouble. But the wrestler did have some respect for a sadhu, so he did not take action but instead challenged Ramanujacharya, “Well if you say that this is not beauty, then you show me what beauty is?” Ramanujacharya accepted this challenge and when they met the next morning, he took the wrestler by the hand into back alleys, left and right, till eventually they walked through a back door and into the temple where they stood right before a deity of the Lord. Because the wrestler was accompanied by Ramanujacharya who was full of transcendental potency, the wrestler got a vision of the beauty of the Lord and he simply stood there, stunned. He realised what Ramanujacharya was getting at, and from that day on, the wrestler became a completely dedicated devotee of the Lord.

The beautiful girl started to notice, “What is happening here? The wrestler is no longer coming around with the parasol and with all the other things to please me, what is happening? He has now become so devoted to the deity of the Lord.” At first, she was feeling a bit neglected, but then she saw that the wrestler was actually extraordinary because he was such a dedicated devotee of the Lord. And as a result, she began to bow down to him and now she began to serve him! So in such a way, the whole relationship just changed when these two made Krsna the priority. Now, please note that it is not always that the man is the one who takes on the role of the spiritual leader. In a family, it could be the lady who is the devotee and then she brings the spiritual energy into the relationship. So I did not want to read a story and create some kind of a classic model and how we have to follow with that. But ultimately, whoever has the dedication to Krsna will lead in that relationship. But when Krsna is in the relationship itself, then everything falls into place.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is one of the catur-sloki. Initially, the Bhagavatam was spoken in four verses to Lord Brahma and then later, it was expanded into many verses. One of those four original verses to Lord Brahma said:

ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ

(Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.34)

This meant that the value of anything is to be understood with respect to its relationship with Krsna. This is a very profound way of looking at things because one can immediately look at something and understand the real value of it. What is the merit in this for Krsna? If it does not have much merit for Krsna, then it is clearly not very important. That is a fantastic yard stick to determine the importance of anything. When we wonder of what we should do, we must as ourselves, “Is this valuable for Krsna? If it is valuable for Krsna, then it is very important. If not so valuable for Krsna, then not so important.” So this is how Krsna consciousness changes everything, including all our relationships. It gives individuals like us a purpose to serve, and therefore all our interactions with everyone must also have that purpose.

The article " Evaluate " was published on KKSBlog.

For All Book Distributors – Past, Present and Future / Для всех распространителей книг нашего времени, в прошлом и в будущем
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Adapted from Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakur’s  Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara

After studying for a prolonged period in Vrindavan under the guidance of Srila Jiva Goswami and in the association of many exalted associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Srinivas Acarya along with his dear friends Shyamananda Prabhu and Narottam Das Thakur have been ordered to leave Vraja to preach and distribute the writings of the Six Goswamis. The following is a description from the night before they departed.

That night Srinivas remained in his bhajana-kuṭira while Narottam and Shyamananda went to theirs. Although Srinivas had spent the entire day having darshan of many vaiṣṇavas and deities, in the night he began to lament. Lifting his hands to the sky, he called out, “Providence has deprived me of this pleasure. Shall I, a worthless person, ever again see the deities of Govinda, Gopinath, Madan Mohan, Radha Vinod, Radha Mohan and Radha Damodara? Will Prabhu Sri Gopal Bhatta ever bring me back to Vrindavan or give me the opportunity to serve his feet again? Shall Lokanath Goswami, the incarnation of kindness, bestow his grace on me again? Catching hold of the hair of this sinner, will the gracious Bhugarbha Goswami ever bring me back again? Will Raghunath Das Goswami, the embodiment of kindness, ever again fulfil my desires? Srila Jiva Goswami is the light of the poor and the unfortunate people. Will I ever see his feet again? O associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, will you ever again bring such an unfortunate soul as me to Vrindavan and allow me to enjoy your company?”

His voice became choked with lamentation and tears flowed down his face. The similar lamentations of Narottam melted even the wood and stone. And who can describe the lamentation of Shyamananda? The thought of impending separation made each of them restless, and they could not sleep. By the will of Govinda, that night Srinivas fell asleep in the late hours. He had a dream in which he saw Rupa Goswami’s deity Sri Govinda leaving the temple and walking to Srinivas with the gait of an elephant. Defeating the beauty of the lotus flower, Sri Govinda’s beauty put hundreds of gods to shame. He was adorned with jewelry and wore the feather of a peacock on his head. He had long eyes and his body was well designed. The beauty of his face defeated the beauty of hundreds of moons.

Govinda Dev smiled and said:

ohe śrinivasa! kheda kara sambaraṇa śunite nā jani prāṇa karaye kemana

“O Srinivas, stop lamenting! You don’t know the pain that hearing you brings to my heart”

tumi mora prema-mūrti, nā jāna tā’ tumi nirantara tomāra nikaṭe āchi āmi

“Do you not know that you are the embodiment of my love and I am always with you?”

mora mano-‘bhīṣṭa ye tā’ aneka prakāre karilu prakāśa rūpa-sanātana dvāre

“My numerous desires have been manifested through Rupa and Sanatana.”

tomādvāre grantha-ratna kari vitaraṇa haribe jīvera duḥkha diya prema-dhana

“Through your distribution of these books I shall destroy the grief of mankind and give them the wealth of ecstatic love.”

ye jana la-ibe asi’ śaraṇa tomāra tāre āmi avaśya kariba aṅgīkara

“I promise I shall accept anyone who takes shelter of you.”

ha-iba tomāra śiṣya bhāgyavanta-gaṇa tā’ sabā la-iyā āsvādibā saṅkīrtana

“Whoever becomes your disciple shall be very fortunate; you should take them with you and perform congregational chanting.”

konamate kichu cintā nā kariha cite madhye madhye aiche more pāibā dekhite

“Don’t worry about anything. From time to time you will see me in this same way.”

After consoling Srinivas, Sri Govinda transformed himself into Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srinivas could not contain himself as he begged for a hundred eyes to see the form of the Lord. He worshiped the Lord’s feet by falling on the ground and Chaitanya placed his feet on Srinivas’ head. The Lord embraced Srinivas and bid him farewell for his journey to Gaudadesh. Then he abandoned his Chaitanya form and returned to the temple. Upon the disappearance of Govinda, Srinivas became emotionally torn and when his sleep broke he saw that it was dawn. After performing his morning duties, grief-stricken Srinivas exercised his patience and sat alone in a solitary place.

[ Srila Narahari Chakravarti. Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara. English translation by Sripad Kusakratha Das. Published by Krishna Library. Alachua, Florida. — Srila Narahari Chakravarti. Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara. Gaudiya Mission. Calcutta. 501 Gaurabda. Bengali. ]

[ Printed in Sri Krsna Kathamrita Bindu, issue 427, published by Madhavananda dasa with the scholarly input of Hari Parshad das Adhikary ]

Picture: Srinivas Acarya

Nirjala Ekadasi with Mantra House Devotees
Giriraj Swami

Today we were blessed to observe Nirjala Ekadasi with about twenty devotees from the Mantra House program in Los Angeles. Not only did we chant many rounds together, but we also discussed many interesting points related to the practice and preaching of Krishna consciousness. “Everyone should be friendly for the service of the Lord. Everyone should praise another’s service to the Lord and not be proud of his own service. This is the way of Vaisnava thinking . . . Everyone should be allowed to render service to the Lord to the best of his ability, and everyone should appreciate the service of others.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.12)

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,

Giriraj Swami

 

Transcendental Cruise (Album of photos) Ramai Swami: Disciples…
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Transcendental Cruise (Album of photos)
Ramai Swami: Disciples of Vedavyasapriya Maharaja organized a boat cruise for the devotees. I was also invited and more the 170 devotees booked on the boat named “The Lady” which left from Southport Marina on the Gold Coast.
The cruise, which lasted four hours, went up and down an inlet between Stradbroke Island and the mainland. The whole time was spent in kirtana, readings and wonderful prasadam prepared by Maharaja’s disciples.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/36Kfbh

Unity Among Diverse Personalities
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Hare KrishnaBy Visakha Dasi

In terms of our personalities and abilities, no two of us are alike. Why should we be? And why would anyone want us to be? Variety, Srila Prabhupada tells us, is the mother of enjoyment. Whatever our personality, whatever our talents, Prabhupada wants us to use them in Krishna's service. Yet when we learn from Prabhupada's teachings that women are to be chaste, tolerant, shy, and subservient, it may seem that while men have variegated personalities, women's personalities are expected to be uniform. But in fact, in their service to Krishna, women's personalities differ from one another's as much as men's. To accept the wonderful variegatedness inherent within each of His devotees, Krishna is unlimitedly variegated. Srila Rupa Goswami describes Krishna's personality in his Bhaktirasamrita- sindhu. Krishna, he says, is dhirodatta, or grave, gentle, forgiving, merciful, determined, humble, highly qualified, chivalrous, and physically attractive. He is also dhiralalita, or naturally funny, always in the bloom of full youth, expert in joking, free from all anxieties, domesticated, and submissive to His lover. Continue reading "Unity Among Diverse Personalities
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Lust blinds love liberates
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Hare KrishnaBy Purushottam Nitai Das

Bilvamangala Thakura was a wealthy south Indian Brahmin and belonged to a cultured family. But he got attracted to a prostitute named Cintamani. The attraction soon became attachment. And as it happens when we get attached to worldly enjoyment we lose our intelligence and subsequently our dignity. The fire of lust was so intense that he was not at all moved when his father died; in fact standing near the pyre of his father he was engrossed in the thought of Cintamani. The body of his dead father did not bring tears to his eyes but his eyes were eager to see the physical beauty of the lady. Continue reading "Lust blinds love liberates
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How the Essence of Religions Came From Vedic Culture
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Hare KrishnaBy Sri Nandanandana dasa

As we look over the various cultures and religions of the world, we may ask if all religious systems are divine. Though they seem to conflict with each other on various points, still there are many areas of truth in which they all agree. Or you could say that some of the same essential truths can be found within each of them. And by a careful comparison, we can trace the essence of that truth back to what was originally explained in the Vedas, the oldest of all written texts, and, more importantly, what was the most developed of all cultures and philosophies. In this way, we can also trace these essential truths back from one religion to another, and how the Vedic culture influenced Zoroastrianism, which influenced Judaism, which influenced Christianity, which influenced Islam. Continue reading "How the Essence of Religions Came From Vedic Culture
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Bhagavatam study 79 1.15.25-30 Remember Krishna in his absence by remembering his message
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Gita 18.03 Gita 18.03 Appreciate others thoughtfulness even if it doesn’t lead to the best conclusion
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Ratha-Yatra Festival is Coming! July 14-15, 2018
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

Srila Prabhupada’s mercy continues to bless and nourish our international movement in a myriad of ways, and the global Ratha-Yatras are indeed a prime example of but one such benediction. Srila Prabhupada’s grace has transformed the once-rare opportunity to pull the ropes of the beautiful chariots of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra into an international phenomenon for devotees the world over.

We in Toronto’s Hare Krishna community are exceedingly fortunate to have had the opportunity to present this Ratha-Yatra festival for the past four decades where thousands enjoy the festival amidst the association of great Vaisnavas and ecstatic kirtans.

We would like to humbly invite everyone to join us this year, on July 14th-15th, 2018 for our 46th Annual Ratha-Yatra here in Toronto.

Festivities will kick off on Friday, July 13th as we celebrate the Festival of the Golden Moon, a 12-Hour Kirtan, featuring many kirtaneers from around the world! We will be blowing the roof off New Remuna Dhama (ISKCON Toronto) with this 12-hour kirtan marathon. Once again, the special event is planned for Friday, July 13th from 10:00am to 10:00pm. This kirtan event is not to be missed!

Of course, this precedes the big weekend! Toronto’s Ratha-Yatra has the unique distinction of being accredited by Madhuha das, the organizer of the traveling Festival of India tour, as being the largest Ratha-Yatra in North America with close to 40,000 people in attendance and a veritable plethora of Srila Prabhupada’s books sold each year!

Some of the unique features of Toronto’s Ratha-Yatra include:

A Parade Right Through Downtown Toronto
A “Bhajan Kutir” with Non-Stop Kirtan
“Yoga Meltdown” – A Mini Yoga Festival
Live Cooking Demonstrations
Internationally-Acclaimed Arts & Entertainment and much more!

Most significantly, Toronto’s Ratha-Yatra presents a unique and wonderful outreach opportunity. Thousands of Torontonians observe the parade as it proceeds down Yonge Street and dance with us when the kirtan reaches its climax in the famous “Toronto Tunnel”.

Immediately following the parade, festival-goers enjoy a kirtan-filled ferry ride over to Centre Island, where celebrations continue for the rest of the weekend. While on Centre Island devotees will be able to enjoy the association of a number of distinguished personalities! The Centre Island festival-pavilion will also host a children’s area featuring fun and wholesome, Vedic-themed activities and events. All in all, Toronto's Ratha-Yatra will offer everyone a chance to experience a unique festival promoting simple-living and high-thinking, with kirtan on the streets, underground, and on the water!

We hope to see you at the big event! Hare Krishna!!!



Transcendental Cruise
→ Ramai Swami

Disciples of Vedavyasapriya Maharaja organised a boat cruise for the devotees. I was also invited and more the 170 devotees booked on the boat named “The Lady” which left from Southport Marina on the Gold Coast.

The cruise, which lasted four hours, went up and down an inlet between Stradbroke Island and the mainland. The whole time was spent in kirtana, readings and wonderful prasadam prepared by Maharaja’s disciples.

Festival of the Golden Moon – 12 Hour Kirtan!
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

The much-awaited annual pre-Ratha-Yatra 12-Hour Kirtan is just a few weeks away. Featuring kirtan leaders from around the world, this is certainly a day not to be missed! Being held on Friday, July 13th from 10am to 10pm at the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple at 243 Avenue Road, it promises to be the best 12 hours of your life!

Book the day off work or school as this is your opportunity to immerse yourselves in 12 amazing hours of the transcendental vibrations of the Maha Mantra accompanied by singing, dancing, drumming and clapping.

World renowned kirtanyas will be descending on Toronto from around the world, including Madhava Prabhu from Switzerland and Amala Kirtan Dasa from Brazil and many more! Make sure you come early as your favourite kirtanya might be chanting earlier than you expect!

Don’t forget to invite and bring your family and friends on Friday July 13th, 2018. We look forward to seeing you there!




The Destination of Faultfinders
→ Dandavats



The Destination of Faultfinders
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada: Only those averse to Lord Hari and whose only assets are their defective material senses find fault with vaishnavas. Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad-gita that his devotees never perish. Can those who worship the Lord without deviation ever fall down? They certainly achieve perfection. Since our vision is polluted we find fault with others and thereby ruin ourselves. When we thus become materialists we become bereft of service to guru and Krishna. We think of the trouble of others because we ourselves are in trouble. Because we are full of faults we find fault with others. If we can correct ourselves we will find that we have no time to find fault with others. W* — From Amrta Vani, collected teachings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Compiled in Bengali by Sri Bhakti Bhagavat Mayukha Maharaja. Adapted and translated into English by Bhumipati Das and Isvara Das. Touchstone Media. Mumbai. 2004. Page 229.
This is from Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu #427 magazine.
To read it all: https://archive.org/details/bindu427