The virtues of demon’ crazy
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Hare KrishnaBy Kesava Krsna dasa

Srila Prabhupada’s keen observation picked out the demon word in pan’demon’ium and demon’strate. He likewise slotted in words befitting his siddhantic stance. Democracy did not escape his scathing, if not light-hearted censure. What could be said about it? Democracy as we know it is a free for all conciliatory tool to suit the wishes of disparate views within the precincts of law and order. To date, no two nations who espouse and have fully-fledged democratic institutions have gone to war with each other. That it enables the most deadly and despicable foes to talk rapprochement and co-operate for the good of peace and stability, seems a tangible way of curbing bloodthirsty enmity. It seeks to channel the murderous tendency via the political route, where weapons be replaced by oral deliberations, and consensus be put into law. Continue reading "The virtues of demon’ crazy
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The Many Faces of Halva
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Hare KrishnaBy Kurma Dasa

Anyone who has ever visited a Hare Krishna Temple feast or a Hare Krishna restaurant will have undoubtedly tasted halva. The memory of its sweet, warm, moist, spiritually-infused 'comfort food-iness' will no doubt have lingered long after all traces of the buttery ecstasy have left the lips. You may not know just how widespread the halva story actually is, and how much world history there is to it. Halva is one of those dishes found from the Balkans to India and claimed as its own by practically every culture and country in between. There are many versions. Basic halva, as it is found throughout the Balkans and Turkey is a simple dessert. The most common version is made by cooking semolina and then shaping it into balls which are then sweetened with either honey or "pekmez" - grape must syrup. Continue reading "The Many Faces of Halva
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FATAL FAT
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Hare KrishnaBy Chaitanya Charan Das

Obesity and all other indulgence-induced problems originate from the presumption that material enjoyment is the only enjoyment available to us - and so we must have it, whatever the cost. But the Vedic scriptures - and indeed all the great spiritual texts – inform us that this presumption is a misconception. We are intrinsically spiritual beings. Our deepest fulfillment comes from having a satisfying relationship with God. The unlimited inner happiness thereof is our birthright, but being spiritually uninformed, we are searching in vain for that infinite happiness in the realm of finite matter. Most people assume that they can't enjoy life because they don't have enough money. But obesity statistics show that, even if they get all the money in the world to eat whatever they like as much as they like, still they will not be able to enjoy unlimitedly because their body limits their capacity to enjoy - inescapably. Continue reading "FATAL FAT
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Illusory beauty
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 March 2015, Stockholm, Sweden, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.4)

After years of chanting, we may stop and say, “Why am I doing this? I don’t feel like it anymore. I don’t know. I cannot get myself to chant anymore.” What happened? What happened to your knowledge? Is it all gone? Don’t you know that there is no alternative? Don’t you know that the material world is like hell? Don’t you know that you are caught here? Have you forgotten about all this? Don’t you know that this world is all glossed over by the illusory energy with an appealing packing? Nice beautiful packing with ribbons and beautiful colours, but what is inside? It is poison, it is suffering inside. This beautiful gift, packaged with glitter, beautiful ribbon and everything. And you want it but, oh God, it turns out it is Pandora’s Box.

In Greek Mythology, Pandora’s Box was given as a punishment to mankind. I will not get into the whole description of it, but basically, in Pandora’s Box all the suffering of the material world was kept with this beautiful box. Such an amazing box, that it was a gift from Zeus himself, “Whoa, a gift from the Gods! Oh, we are so lucky! Oh, what will be inside? I wonder! Oh, let’s look, open it up!” And then, all the suffering came out.

So this principle of the beautiful packaging of the material energy is there. It looks good and you may want to open it, but we must always remember that there is suffering inside. We must always look for the sign on this Pandora’s box that reads, “Do not open it. Watch out, do not do it!” So when we have knowledge in this way, we will not go for the material temptation as we remember that it is not worth it.

The article " Illusory beauty " was published on KKSBlog.

If God could have stopped Hitler from killing innocent people, why didn’t he do so?
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Answer Podcast

The post If God could have stopped Hitler from killing innocent people, why didn’t he do so? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Bhagavatam study 74 1.14.34-44 Questions about causes of distress reveal conceptions of distress
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Podcast


 

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Gita 17.26 Any inclination to seek elevation of consciousness is praiseworthy
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 17.26 Any inclination to seek elevation of consciousness is praiseworthy appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Baladeva Vidyabhusana Disappearance
→ Ramai Swami

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana appeared in the 1600’s near Remuna, Orissa. In his youth, he mastered Sanskrit grammar, poetry, and logic. After carefully studying the commentaries of Sankara and Madhva he took initiation in the Tattva-vadi disciplic succession of Sripad Madhvacarya. Baladeva Vidyabhusana became a dig vijaya pandit and began visiting the holy places. Wherever he went he defeated the local sages, scholars, and sannyasis.

In Jagannatha Puri, he learned the super-excellent philosophy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya from Sri Radha-Damodara Goswami and took initiation after converting to Gaudiya Vaishnavism. In Vrndavan, he studied Srimad Bhagavatam under Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and worshiped Radha-Syamasundara.

In 1706 A.D. Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura sent him to Gulta (near Jaipur, Rajasthan) to uphold the credibility of Mahaprabhu’s movement. The local Ramanandis (a branch of Sri Vaishnavas) were claiming that the Bengali Vaishnavas had no right to worship Govinda because they had no commentary on the Vedanta-sutra.

Lord Govinda Himself directly revealed the Govinda-bhasya (a Vaishnava commentary on Vedanta) to Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Using it, Baladeva solidly established Gaudiya Vaishnavism as an independent philosophy. He also reinstated the Bengali Vaishnavas in Govinda’s service in Jaipura. Govinda-bhasya is the only bhakti commentary on Vedanta-sutra.

Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana was a niskincana-parama bhagavata, fully-renounced topmost Devotee of Lord Krishna. According to Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Navadvipa-dhama mahatyam, in Chaitanya lila Baladeva Vidyabhusana is Sri Gopinatha Acarya, the brother-in-law of Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. In Vraja he serves as Sri Radha’s eternal maidservant Ratnavali Devi.

Disaster Averted!! Iskcon devotees stop the change of road’s name ‘Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg’ in Vrindavan!
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Hare Krishna I had informed the highest leadership of BJP and they were also shocked and agreed with us that the UP government should not have done this. On 13th June I went to Delhi and met with the high command of the BJP and informed them that if this happens it would be a great injustice and millions of ISKCON devotees will hit the street.

“Accept the Mercy”
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“Accept the Mercy” by HG Mahatma Prabhu - June 17, 2018 (4 min video)
Suppose a man is fallen in the pit and he’s trying to come out, and another man drops a rope, “Please catch it. I shall take you out of the pit.” He does not catch it. Then how he can be taken out? So sadhu and sastra, they’re always ready to give you mercy, but you have to take it. If you don’t accept it, then how you can recover, recover?

Did Indra help the construction of New Vrindavana’ s Govindaji Mandir?
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Hare KrishnaBy Varsana Swami

A few days later, after the water had drained out of the footer, Bob and I went back up to Govindaji Hill and continued the footer exaction. To our surprise and delight, the rock broke out easily this time. I cannot say definitely that it was because of the lightning because standing water will also loosen layered rock. The excavation for the footer of Govindaji Mandir was completed in time so that the community was able to conduct two simultaneous installation ceremonies. There was a grand installation ceremony in Bahulaban for the cornerstone of Govindaji Mandir, the first of the seven temples that Srila Prabhupada had envisioned in New Vrindaban. There was another cornerstone ceremony for Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold. Continue reading "Did Indra help the construction of New Vrindavana’ s Govindaji Mandir?
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Anil Agarwal (Anirudha Das) an old acquaintance of Sagara…
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Anil Agarwal (Anirudha Das) an old acquaintance of Sagara Maharaja is a multi-Billionaire. He’s one of the most powerful businessmen in the world.
But I was personally struck by the spiritual component of his nature. While maintaining his high position in society, he is an incredibly humble and deeply devoted to Lord Krishna. When he talks, you seem to be listening to a saint or a sannyasi guru with the deepest transcendental implementations. Anirudha Das is constantly absorbed in the contemplation and hearing of Krishna’s pastimes.
The story of his life could well be the plot of pre blockbuster. Starting his business in 1982 he had nothing. But in less than 20 years, he has become one of the richest people in the planet. His growth in business has been directly attributed to his relation to Lord Krishna. He was happy to share wonderful stories about how Krishna “played” with him, giving rise to his capital, or lowering their level, depending on his relationship to money and Krishna.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/fcqhxX

Everything Counts Vaisesika Dasa: My father used to take my…
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Everything Counts
Vaisesika Dasa: My father used to take my brother and me for regular backpacking excursions into the mountains of California, Wyoming, and Canada. To help us keep our backpacks as light as possible, my father would tell us as we packed: “Watch out for the ounces and the pounds will watch out for themselves.”
His philosophy worked well.
By carefully considering the relative importance and physical weight of each item before putting it into my backpack – no matter how insignificant the difference seemed at the time – the end result was that I brought just what I needed and appreciated the lightness of my backpack while hiking.
Since those days in the mountains, I’ve found my father’s backpacking advice to be equally applicable to the practice of bhakti yoga. That is, my decisions about apparently small matters and my attention to detail (or lack of it) bring larger-than-expected results over time in devotional service.
In the Gita, Lord Krishna says:
“Gradually, step by step, one should become situated in trance by means of intelligence sustained by full conviction, and thus the mind should be fixed on the Self alone and should think of nothing else.” (Bhagavad-gita 6.25)
Krishna’s use of the words, “gradually” and “step by step” mean that one’s progress in bhakti comes in a series of small victories in controlling one’s mind and senses.
One has to win the seemingly insignificant battles that are right in front of one’s nose. Each one counts.
And as the progressive bhakti yogi continues her winning ways, she is quietly, yet steadily promoted to the status of a truly advanced soul.
Om Tat Sat

Carrying the vaishnavas
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 April 2011, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture)

Srila Prabhupada wrote two letters after the departure of his spiritual master. In the first letter, he said, “My spiritual master has now returned back to the spiritual world and has taken up his eternal position as a manjari (flower) in the spiritual world.” In the second letter, he wrote, “Although my spiritual master is now in the spiritual world, he is always looking at everything I do.”

So in other words, Prabhupada was saying how his spiritual master was always actively involved in his work. This is the situation. All great and pure devotees can manifest themselves either by appearing before devotees in this world, or by appearing in the dreams of devotees, or by appearing as someone else. They do this by arranging for Krsna Consciousness to manifest and influence the lives of all us devotees. There is no doubt about this.

We can understand that just like Srila Prabhupada wrote that his spiritual master was watching over him, so similarly Prabhupada is now watching over all of us. Isn’t this what we are experiencing? A devotee once told me how he had done a lot of service one day and still had some rounds left to chant. However, he was just so exhausted, that he went to bed. Soon, he had a dream that there was someone knocking at his door, and when he opened it, there was Srila Prabhupada asking him, “Did you finish your daily rounds?”

So in such ways, Prabhupada will help us, and so will the other great and pure devotees who have departed and are residing in the spiritual world. And just like this, there will be other pure devotees who will emerge and who will manifest themselves by carrying the Vaishnavas. So one should not just look at the pure devotees who have passed on, but one should also look at the pure devotees in the present, who will somehow or the other give us shelter. We must take shelter in them, and then everything can be attained, because the same knowledge and the same mercy is coming from the disciplic succession.

The article " Carrying the vaishnavas " was published on KKSBlog.

Srila Prabhupada On Education By Example
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Hare KrishnaBy Indira-sakhi Devi Dasi

You are right when you say that setting a good example for the boys is the best precept. There is a saying that an example is better than a precept. Our exemplary character depends on strictly following the four principles, and this will conquer the whole world. Our boys and girls in London, by their exemplary character, have drawn the attention of many respectable persons and even some public papers. Our movement is not only for some theoretical teaching, but it is for developing practical character and definite understanding. (Letter to Aniruddha, Los Angeles, February 4, 1969) Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada On Education By Example
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WELCOME TO MOTHER RUSSIA: Education in ISKCON Russia
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Hare KrishnaBy Tirtha-pavana Das

Any structure suggests a kind of pattern, but we aim to make education more personal. We have given local leaders the right to adapt curriculums and different resources, including books, training aids, etc., to the needs of their community. Also, we try to make education inextricably linked with mentoring in order to implement the principles of individuality, practicality, and live guidance in education. Therefore we are trying to organize a considerable amount of home programs, where in small groups, devotees can receive education that meets their needs. So, devotees are able to attend courses of their interest, which are conducted in an informal environment from year to year to develop relationships with the elder Vaisnavas and receive systematic mentoring in their life. Continue reading "WELCOME TO MOTHER RUSSIA: Education in ISKCON Russia
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When terrorists kill people, are those people killed because of their own karma?
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Answer Podcast

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How can we explain why bad things happen without seeming insensitive by bringing in karma?
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Answer Podcast

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Be creative in fixing the mind on Krishna – Hindi
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[Bhagavatam class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.22 at ISKCON, Mira Road, Mumbai, India]

Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

Video:

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Gita 17.25 Recitation of tad signifies and stimulates the pursuit of transcendence
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

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Hare Krishna Couples’ Retreat! **Registration Extended**
→ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!

We would like to warmly invite all the associating, engaged, and married couples to the Hare Krishna Couples' Retreat which will be happening from 28 September - 30 September, 2018, just an hour outside of Toronto. The retreat is put on by the Grihastha Vision Team (GVT) for the first time in Canada!

The facilitators - Uttama and Partha prabhus, Krsnanandini and Tariq prabhus (http://vaisnavafamilyresources.org/grihastha-vision-team-members/) are highly expertise in strengthening, educating and enlivening family relationships.

Throughout the retreat you can learn how to better communicate, 'spiritualize' your relationship while balancing material demands, and get an escape from the city!

Address:
Simcoe County Rd 50,
Adjala-Tosorontio, ON L0N 1P0
(an hour away from Toronto)

Registration:
To sign up for this wonderful retreat please click here.

Fees:
$320 per couple
registration deadline: September 15, 2018
fee includes: accommodation, prasadam, classes
*overnight accommodation available
Fees can be paid by using the following options:

1.) Donate button on the sidebar. Please include "Couple Retreat" in the memo.  

2.) EMT transfer at donate@torontokrishna.com. Please use the password "couples2018" to ensure your payment is accepted. 


Wednesday, June 13th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

The Force and the Source

Have you ever looked out the window to see, before your very eyes, a storm, not brewing, but suddenly hammer its way through?  I did.  It was on this very day.  I would say there was no physical warning.  It just came, turbulently.

I was in the chair looking at the trees from our second storey. Suddenly those trees swayed in such a way that I didn’t know they could bend like that.

Of course, some didn’t bend.  Some older growth just snapped and crashed.  The winds with rain moved easterly, and it was severe for only about seven minutes.  The downpour of rain then shifted vertically.

The sirens resounded throughout the city.  I went for an aftermath walk.  Sure, enough damage was done.  Power lines were down in the Yorkville area.  Cars were crushed under massive tree branches.  Someone I spoke to on a stroll mentioned that the popular Eaton’s Shopping Centre downtown had major leakage coming from its high ceiling. With all this you can say it could have been worse.

“Nature is like the mind—turbulent,” I said to two guests in Govinda’s.  They concurred that they were seeing themselves in the condition of the weather.

During my nighttime stroll, I took the opportunity to sit in a café chair by a parkette.  I was having a break from the return of the wind.  Indeed my dhoti experienced a good tossing in the air.  I had to tame it, holding it down at times.  I placed my japa beads on the table and was content to have them always near me.  After all, it is the Kali Yuga.

May the Source be with you!
4 km

Tuesday, June 12th, 2018
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Brampton, Ontario

 Opportunities

Three of us, Keshav, Vijay and I, went for some fund-raising in Brampton.  There is a need to receive kindness from donors for the up-and-coming Chariot Fest in Toronto.  The target for collection is $20,000 (Canadian).  People were reciprocating.  One dentist and one pundit from a Hindu temple gave generously.

We lunched at Keshava’s, and since Vijay, the driver, wished to nap before the return journey home, I decided to get a head start. Eastbound I went on Wanless Drive which eventually changes name to Conservation Drive.

While trekking under a hot sun, a man I couldn’t recognize passed by me in his car and made a U turn.  He honked his horn which drew my attention.

“I’ll drive you.  Come on in.” He offered his pranams.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said in certain terms. “Someone—Vijay—is napping at the Asian Food Centre.  He’ll pick me up.”

Sorry at missing the opportunity, the gentleman went about his way. A second driver pulled over and didn’t offer a ride but delivered a classic question that I often receive, “You don’t remember me?”

“Vaguely, I’m sorry.”

“I’m Balen.  I laid down a floor for you in your temple.”

“Yes, it’s coming back to me,” I said in a genuine moment of recollection.  “That was in the mid-eighties.”  I thanked him and let him know we are ready to lay down tiles again for a different floor. He moved on and I was thrown into nostalgia.

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Monday, June 11th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Small Band of Monks

My physical body was in T.O., T-Dot, now called The Six—according to Drake—but really, I took a mental-flying carpet all over the nation; nay—the continent; nay—the globe.  By phone and e-mail, I moved about looking at how places can be helped, in a social sense.

There is a lot of pain in the world.  Higher, not lower, consciousness can alter that in an incremental way.  It’s amazing what a circle of monks can do.

I sat down with our small team of young monks in Canada—Prana, Marshall, Samuel and now also Karuna—planning out the month of June. For starters, the boys are planning to drive to Saskatoon, a length of some distance.  The mission is to stir up the town a little for three weeks, and reap a harvest of new students.  A nice Gujarati family, comprised of Kashyapa and Panchami, as well as son and daughter, had initiated a weekly program for awareness of the Divine.  This has been running for eight years.

Sadly, they are to leave, since work contracts have expired and finance isn’t looking that great in the province of Saskatchewan.  It is not booming at the moment.  The redeeming aspect of the place is its university; it’s pretty downtown with a big beautiful river, the Northern Saskatchewan, running through it, and there are lots of friendly people.

I was envying the group of monks who were embarking at noon today for the long journey through a scenic Central Canada route.  Too bad they’re not walking.  It’s a 3,000 kilometre trip and they’ll miss the hidden treasures of Lake Superior’s north shore.

May the Source be with you!
6 km

Sunday, June 10th, 2018
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Moundsville, West Virginia

Success Between Him and Her

I applaud any couple who can do the job of staying together. Although I am an unwavering renunciate, I am a blesser of families.  I remain a firm believer in true-hearted couple-ism as much as I hold onto my saffron dhoti(robe).

Vraja Kishor is a happy householder—though not without disagreement with wife, Nitai.  They just know, or are constantly learning to know the ropes behind living it out on the foundation of compromise.  Their five year old, Arjuna, is a major factor who glues the relationship together.

Vraja looks after me when I come to visit their community in ‘them there hills’ of West Virginia.  Happily, they celebrated their 10thanniversary today.  I and others, I’m sure, bless them that those ten years will be multiplied by five or six decades.  That would be something worthy of having an eggless, processed-sugar-free cake.

A particular ingredient behind the success of a marriage is the spiritually-centric nature of it.  Yes, the dharmaside of it teaches compromise and communication.  Anything can come to tempt you, to displace you, and when your guard is down, emotions are up and good rationale is ebbed low, then, you can register as a disaster.

Disaster!  There are just too many of them today.  We don’t need any more to add to the list.

Vraja took me to the Pittsburgh Airport where they only play good classical instrumental music, the type of vibration which keeps couples as one.

Back home in Toronto, I sit in a room with brahmacharis—monks—who respect married men and women.  They are content to be as they are, and if any of them choose to marry, we will encourage the loyalty between them and their spouse.

May the Source be with you!
0 km

BBT Annual General Meeting Kick Off in Korsnäs Gård – New…
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BBT Annual General Meeting Kick Off in Korsnäs Gård - New Radhakunda, Sweden: Gundica Marjana!!! (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The more you cleanse the temple, the more you decorate the Deity, the more your heart becomes cleansed and you become spiritually decorated. Cleanliness is next to godliness. Material world means dirty things and spiritual world means clean. Calcutta February 4, 1977
Find them here: https://goo.gl/KhVqwy