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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.

Hare Krishna Festivals UK: Sutton Harinam - 23rd June 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: No one can be more pure than de...

(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.

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

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 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

By 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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By 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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By 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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The post Daily Darshan: June 24th, 2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Scientists and scholars from the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies (BIHS) will host the “Consciousness in Science” Conference - a multi-disciplinary exploration of its possibilities and challenges. The event will be hosted at the historic Thomas Center in Gainesville, Florida, USA on the weekend of 18-19 January 2019.

Podcast

 

The post Bhagavatam study 79 1.15.25-30 Remember Krishna in his absence by remembering his message appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post How can those in passion come to goodness to understand their nature? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post Should we serve Krishna as we feel inspired or as we are instructed? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 18.03 Gita 18.03 Appreciate others thoughtfulness even if it doesn’t lead to the best conclusion appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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!!!

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.

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
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

Sunday Feast Class on Life is a Living Classroom by Bhuta Bhavana Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai (video)

Harinama and prasadam distribution in Auckland New Zealand (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: So sweet, so sweet it can’t be beat,
Giving out the mercy in the form of the holy names and Krsna prasadam what a treat.
By the desire of Srila Prabhupada and the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu He wanted us to give to everyone we meet.
Sweet, sweet, sweet like the Lord’s lotus feet.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/vd6TP3

The event was organized by Braja Govinda Das, a Sydney-based disciple of Tamal Krishna Goswami, who wanted to give Fijian devotees the kind of international kirtan experience they hadn’t had before.

On June 16, 2018, ISKCON Melbourne had the privilege to receive very distinguished guests Hon Matthew Guy, Leader of the Opposition from Victorian State Parliament, Andrew Bond local candidate from Albert Park, and Katie Allan a candidate from Prahran and other prominent members from Indian community.

TOVP update (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: Here you can see the continuation of the GRC embellishments going around the dom...



The post Daily Darshan: June 23,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!

The ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture (IMCPA) is busy bringing Krishna conscious farm projects around the world together to share best practices in a series of regional conferences. They hope to hold gatherings in six continents by 2020, culminating in a global summit.

Harinama and Prasadam distribution in Summer Solstice at Stonehenge - 21st June, 2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Sr...

In the early months of 1969, before they had managed to establish a temple, Shymasundara das had carved the beautiful deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra. And so it was, in July that year, five months before the Radha Krishna Temple was opened in Bury Place, the first London Rathayatra proceeded from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square.

Nandapriya Das, born Zaza Ujmajuridze, was born in Tbilisi, Georgia – a country beautifully set between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea with a culture as ancient as its language, came out with his new music album. Besides being a musician, he is a successful oncologist, working in Denmark.

The Story of Pandava Nirjala Ekadasi

Once Bhimasena, the younger brother of Maharaja Yudhisthira, asked the great sage Shrila Vyasadeva, the grandfather of the Pandavas, if it is possible to return to the spiritual world without having observed all the rules and regulations of the Ekadasi fasts.

"Breathe Again," from my "Summer Krishna" album. Filmed in Mayapur, West Bengal, on the bank of the sacred Ganges river. A special shout-out to all the cool kids who made this production possible, both in the audio recording and in the music-video production.

By Samapriya dasi

How can one understand the esoteric personality of Srimati Radharani? She is the principal inspiration for the Lord, and only confidentially revealed in the Vedic scriptures. Yet, She takes shelter within the deepest realizations of pure hearted bhakti yogis. Lord Sri Krsna is bewildered by the profound brilliance of Her transcendental qualities and thus awakens a yearning within Himself to exhibit, absorb and experience Her divine nature. The influence and presence of Srimati Radharani, the embodiment of the Lord's hladini shakti, is expanded in the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Continue reading "Srimati Radharani- The Origin of the Sankirtan Movement
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By Radhanath Swami

In 1971 I was a devotee of Lord Siva, I was traveling from the area Pashupatinatha to Amarnatha for a pilgrimage in month of August. Very crowded third class train, didn’t sit down for about 40 hours. Finally the train stopped and I wanted to somehow or other to move, so I crawled over people’s heads, somehow I pulled myself out of the window, because I had these attachments. The train started moving and I tried to get back in and it was so very crowded, no window to fit a human being inside. So the train left and I was in this unknown place. I asked a sadhu on the railway platform - where is this. He said this is Mathura, today is Janmastami! So he took me to Janmasthaana where I spent the whole day. Continue reading "A wonderful story about Sri Sri Radha-Gopijanavallabha
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By ISKCON Mayapur

Srila Prabhupada states in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam5.7.1: “The water of the Ganges is called patita-pavani, the deliverer of all sinful living beings. It is a proven fact that a person who regularly bathes in the Ganges is purified both externally and internally. Externally his body becomes immune to all kinds of disease, and internally he gradually develops a devotional attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” The purifying properties of the Ganges water are not only acknowledged in the Vedas, but also by modern science. In 1896 the British bacteriologist Ernest Hanbury Hankin published a paper in which he describes the extraordinary antibacterial properties of the waters from the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. Continue reading "The Ambrosia of Love of Godhead
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“The waters of the Ganges are always carrying the flavor of tulasi offered at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, and as such the waters of the Ganges are ever flowing, spreading the glories of Lord Krishna. Wherever the waters of the Ganges are flowing, all will be sanctified, both externally and internally.” –Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Chapter […]

The post The Ambrosia of Love of Godhead appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The making of a special set of Sri Sri Radha Madhava/Ashta Sakhi fiberglass murtis has recently commenced.

The purpose of these murtis is specifically to place on the altars with the Pancha Tattva and Guru-parampara murtis for decorating the area as well as to determine how all the murtis on all the altars fit nicely together in Their places. This will make the altar complete and give us indications for future work to be done.

Additionally, these murtis will also serve the purpose of designing and measuring new Deity outfits.

The post Sri Sri Radha Madhava Murtis in the Making appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.