Here’s a couple of more amazing stories & photos of…
→ Dandavats



Here’s a couple of more amazing stories & photos of Arabic Gita distribution, starting to come in daily now. There’s an exquisite phrase that seems to fit here: “An embarassment of riches.” Isn’t that nice? An overall atmosphere of sweet spiritual prosperity without end… a knowing, growing Benevolence just pouring down upon us all, gifts that are certainly given in abundance due to the daily sevice of these truly sincere book distributors..
1) Georgia Tech University. It’s a beautiful day. Shastrakrit Prabhu sets up his book table, puts the Arabic Gitas on a book rack, and a moment later sees a gentle soul with his eyes locked on one of the Gitas who thensoftly reads out loud the words “Bhagavad Geeta”… Who could this be other than the smiling Ahmed from Egypt! They get into a wonderful discussion, he becomes fascinated by the philosophy behind the color insert photos, and when Shastrakrit pleads with thim to take a book, he says “No no I want this!” and he gives a nice donation. When Shastrakrit offers him a prasad cookie, Ahmed reveals that he is trying to be a serious Muslim and is fasting for the week leading up to Ramadan…and then, with Arabic Gita in hand, he radiates his happiness into the camera.
2) University of California at Irvine. It’s a beautiful day. The humble, soft-spoken, and highly-determined Prema Sankirtan Prabhu – who also happens to be the #1 Arabic book distributor in the world – sees what is clearly a very enthusiastic student heading for his book table: it’s Zarya from Lebanon, and her eyes go saucer-wide when she sees all the Arabic books on the table (which she says she doesn’t really believe she is seeing). They talk a bit and then she grabs them all (Gita plus the three small books), gives a great donation and tells Prema that she feels so happy this has happened, and there’s the smile to match it… Thanks so much for stopping by…We’ll see you soon…!
To see Zarya from Lebanon click here: https://goo.gl/Fx1HsM

TOVP Euro Tour Day 10: New Yoga Pitha Dhama, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- TOVP.org

On Tuesday, April 24th we traveled about 3½ hours to the temple of Pancha Tattva in Ljubljana, Slovenia named New Yoga Pitha Dhama, Slovenia. We were certain Lord Nityananda would be ecstatic to come to the (new) yoga pitha of Mahaprabhu and would shower the devotees with His mercy and blessings.

As it turned out, Lord Nityananda poured His blessings on all the devotees incessantly. After greeting the Padukas and Sitari with kirtan and abhisheka, and speeches by His Holiness Chandramauli Swami, Jananivas and Braja Vilas prabhus, once again the ecstasy began to flow. Devotees from Croatia were also present and a total of eighty devotees started making their pledges. Eleven pledges were made for Silver Srivas Coins (9,000 Euros/11,000 USD) along with many other large and small pledges. The astounding fact is that before coming to the program many devotees did not expect to give anything significant, and some nothing at all. Yet, due to Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s influence their hearts were changed. The sacrifice of these devotees, like at all the other European temples, is very exemplary and significant, and a sign that our Lord Nitai is anxious to complete the temple.

We wish to thank the co-GBCs of Slovenia, Prahladananda Swami and Bir Krishna Swami and temple president Ananta das for their cooperation and support, and Urukrama das for coordinating the tour visit.

All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Lord Nrsimha! All glories to the devotees of the Lord!

Our next stop will be Italy where we have two temples to visit. The complete Euro Tour schedule is below:

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The post TOVP Euro Tour Day 10: New Yoga Pitha Dhama, Ljubljana, Slovenia appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Why Prabhupada is smiling?
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Why Prabhupada is smiling?
Hari-sauri das: June 5th 1976 - Los Angeles: One exhibit in particular is truly wonderful – that of Srila Prabhupada himself sitting at his writing desk in his Radha-Damodara room in Vrndavana. Made by Locana dasa, the exhibit will be designed so that the head of the diorama slowly looks up as the rays of the rising sun fill the room. Srila Prabhupada had not been informed that his figure actually moved. As he approached it the devotees switched on the mechanism causing the head to look up just as Prabhupada reached it. His reaction was a delightful mix of humility, appreciation and wonder. So realistic is the figure that it was like gazing at two Srila Prabhupadas simultaneously. >>> Ref. VedaBase => TD 2-5: Los Angeles


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TOVP Euro Tour Day 9: Vienna, Austria
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Hare KrishnaBy TOVP staff

Leaving the wonderful temple of Sri Sri Dayal Nitai Vijay Gauranga in Budapest, Hungary, we traveled by car three hours to Vienna, Austria arriving on Monday, April 23rd. This small Gaur Nitai temple was started less than three years ago and there are only a few initiated devotees and a small congregation. The small but enthusiastic group of about twenty devotees sang kirtan and offered the Lord His abhisheka. Jananivas and Braja Vilas prabhus spoke as usual explaining the importance of the TOVP project. We had no expectations for big results in our fundraising, but having seen miracles at all the other temples on the tour, anything was possible. We left the results in the hands of the Lord. Once again, to our surprise, devotees came forward with such zeal and ecstacy to offer their hard-earned money to the Lord, and in the end Vienna got to fourth place on the Euro Transcendental Results scoreboard with $108,000 in pledges. This is another shining example of sacrifice and service to the Lord. All the devotees will be blessed for their surrender. Continue reading "TOVP Euro Tour Day 9: Vienna, Austria
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Ratha Yatra at Brisbane – 28 April 2018 (Album with…
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Ratha Yatra at Brisbane - 28 April 2018 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This is Krsna consciousness. You have to act by the desires of Krsna. That is the proper use of your senses. You cannot use for your purpose. Anything… Just like you are working in some establishment. Anything in that establishment, you can use for the proprietor’s business. You cannot use it. Just like in hospital there are blankets. It is written there, “Hospital Property.” So long you are in the hospital, you can use it. But you cannot take it outside. Then you are criminal. Similarly, everything… Isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God, and you can use it for the service of God. Tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam. This is the instruction, Vedic instruction. You can use it as prasadam, but everything should be offered to the Supreme. Yajnarthe karmanah loko ‘yam karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]. If you do not do that, if you engage yourself always in good activities, as the karmis they do, and earn money and use it for your own sense gratification, that is papa.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/jZgqEd

The devotees transform the “King’s Day”…
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The devotees transform the “King’s Day” festivity in Amsterdam in Harinama Sankirtana day! (Album with photos)
Held every year on 27 April, King’s Day (previously known as Queen’s Day) is renowned for being one of the biggest and most colorful festivities in the Netherlands, and especially so in Amsterdam.
The Hare Krishna devotees took advantage of such a huge gathering of people in the streets to benedict all with the sound of Lord Krishna’s Name performing loud and joyous kirtans.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/KqjKr6

Monday, April 30th, 2018
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Mahaica, Guyana

I Encouraged All to Chant

It was a rather large sangha—gathering of bhakti yogis—at a remote village in Mahaica where I encouraged everyone to chant with beads.  “It’s great therapy,” I implied.

I was rather surprised at the marvelous turnout of people, from young children to the elderly.  The sangha happens every week, hosted by an elderly couple—farmers actually—by the name of Brghu Muni and Dhara.  They grow all kinds of produce including a fruit, mammea, which I relished today at breakfast.

Like many homes in Guyana, Brghu and Dhara’s house is on stilts.  It’s understandable because Guyana can easily flood. It’s under sea level.  In fact, this morning I walked on the seawall near Georgetown.  It was good exercise.  At places it’s only about 15 cm wide.  It kept Saci Suta and I focused while treading along, and helped, in some way, to program my walking back to applying even weight to both feet, instead of the subtle limp I’ve been taxed with.

As we left the seawall to go back to the sidewalk, we met Leo who greatly expressed his appreciation for the Bhagavad-gita,with commentary by Prabhupada.  He introduced himself proudly as Leo.  “Leo stands for ‘Love Every One’,” he said.

I’m getting to know Guyana more and more, but there’s something I’ve known for some time, the audience is shy.  I had much to do to excite the crowd at the sangha.

I learned today that a tiny red bug can get into the depth of your navel and irritate like hell.  Krsna Jnan told me of his childhood growing up and how these grass louse bugs would get at you.  That’s the tropics for you.

May the Source be with you!
6 km


Sunday, April 29th, 2018
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Georgetown, Guyana

What is Good for Me in Guyana

To date it’s my favourite T-shirt so far.  A recent gift from a cool guy, Kyle, from South Africa.  It is very breathable and carries a great message. Of my collection of T-shirts, it stands out for its comfort.  Now here is what it says. “Leave the road take the trails.”  Indeed it’s a message to love.

The only problem is I feel a bit like a hypocrite because in Guyana, where I am now, I’ve tried some trails in the past.  The best, or most adventurous ones, would be in the interior.  The only thing is in the interior there is everything you could imagine that is poisonous.  That’s why I stick to the main roads.  It’s safe enough.  Watch out for beaches.  I got nabbed by a catfish spike in the past and got a severe infection in the foot. Reason tells that you must be practical.

In any event, I like this shirt.  Sounds like a Donovan song.  I wear T-shirts to bed at night.

It was tonight at the Crane temple—my second temple and second class for the day—that a whole slew of teenagers followed me as the sun was setting.  The distance was only about three kilometres, but it was something we really enjoyed together.

I also like walking and that, of course, is an understatement.  Good T-shirts and good walking companions, as well as two good verses from the Vedas, made my day.  However, while walking is low in distance these days, leg massage has stepped up.  What has become obvious to the kind massage therapists who are rehabilitating my limbs, somewhat, are the numerous bumps, the mercy of sand flies from a Trinidad beach. Sneaky little guys, they are.  I was joking that the surface of my legs were starting to look like bitter melon.

May the Source be with you!
3 km

Saturday, April 28th, 2018
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Longdenville, Trinidad

Across the Street

Across the street from our Longdenville ashram is a neighbourhood, a suburb of blocks of homes and vacant lots.  It really is a fine place for walking.  Just beware of boisterous dogs, most of whom are leashed or behind fences.  Some stray ones frisk about.  Pious folks reside in the small but adequate spaces.  They are happy to see us clad in white or saffron dhotis.

One of our walkers invited a woman from her front yard to attend our evening fest in honour of the avatar, Narasimha.  Nara means ‘human’ and simha refers to ‘lion’.  This avatar, which represents everything to do with protection of piety, is a favourite deity for the bhakti community, worldwide.

To celebrate this avatar’s coming, which occurred long ago in the period of the Satya Yuga according to the Vedas, we broke our full-day fast at dusk.  Before the feast, lively chanting ensued, then a fire ceremony, then an Abhishek bathing ceremony, then my talk and dramatic reading from Krsna Ksetra Swami’s script, “Hiranya Meets His Maker,” and finally kirtan.  Young and old were ‘lit’.

There is nothing more pleasing than seeing glowing faces, moving feet, legs, and arms and heads engaged in dance.

Congratulations to the family who came forward for diksha(initiation), namely Pundarik, Vaijayanti and Aisvarya—husband, wife and son.  Also on board was Raghunatha, who graciously drove me to the airport, as I headed for Guyana. 

May the Source be with you!
3 km

Friday, April 27th, 2018
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Port of Spain, Trinidad

The Day by Air and Water

Nice surprises.  I arrived at Port of Spain, and my dear friend, Guru Prasad Swami, was right there—waiting.  How nice, once again!  We talked. He looked fresh and had a good sleep before embarking on one of those eight-seater planes to St. Lucia.  I wasn’t fresh.  I can’t sleep on an overnight flight.

After a fifteen minute talk with the Swami, over topics that matter, I made my pass through customs, and then exited to meet my driver who took me to the beach, Las Cuevas Beach, in Trinidad.  The gates were locked, but opened at 6:00 a.m., thus we made it to that best of beaches for the swim and water-play of my life.  Other Vaishnavas had come to be part of the fun and therapy.

We left the water for a discussion, on the sand, as well as under the sun, and had a look at Angira Muni’s words to his depressed client, Chitraketu.  “We have to consider the atma, the self, and deny the identity of the body and mind…”  A good discussion, it was.

Also on our agenda was this thick noodle dish, with cheese.  “Everyone in Trinidad sees this prep as the standard beach food,” remarked one of the elders from our group.

Sleep held me down when we arrived at the Longdenville temple.  After a refresher of non-salt water in the shower, I was pleasantly called upon to give a class from the Gita, 7.29, regarding our lovable identity.  Aham brahmasmi.  “I am spirit.”

May the Source be with you!
0 km


Thursday, April 26th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Dangerous Words

I made two rounds of walking today—up to Yonge and Bloor, the ROM museum and then to Philosophers Walk at U of T.  Dwarkanath accompanied me.  Perhaps the most philosophical jargon that came our way was a sign in front of a store-front window.  It read, “The five most dangerous words in the world…I thought it would go away.”

Those five words—thought it would go away—are most thought provoking.  It relates to karma. What you are due to receive in the way of punishment or reward follows like a shadow.  For a lot of folks who are given warning signs of an on-coming disease, when symptoms tell all, health failure is inevitable.  Of course, you can pretend, forget about a health consultant, or a doctor, but one thing to keep in mind is that we all will be haunted by death in the end, despite warnings.

Death is the ultimate manifestation of time, and time is the most obvious form of change. Time is the most powerful form of God in this world.

There is a tremendous amount of contemplation that can be invested in these words beginning with ‘I’.  Oftentimes when you begin some sentence with an ‘I’, it has a tendency to be ego-based.

When ‘it’ doesn’t go away, you might do yourself the favour of addressing/facing “it.” Ignoring what is before you is the worst thing to do.

I'm off to Port of Spain, Trinidad, now.  It’s an all night flight and I’ll have to face that reality.

May the Source be with you!
5 km

Wednesday, April 25th, 2018
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Toronto, Ontario

Spring Has Sprung

It is Spring now, at long last.  Showers are upon us, and I was interested to find out that the famous phrase, “April showers bring May flowers,” has its origin way back in the 12thcentury.

Through the rain, I made a trip to Brampton with a purpose.  My signature was required to help establish a devotional enterprise for advancing a healthier lifestyle, along the lines of more walking and growing one’s own veggies.  Going more organic.  Going more green.

I see that the rains are doing that.  They are blessing and regenerating the land with grasses which  manifest that green.  Water also comes quite handy at this time of year as a way to regenerate the interiors of buildings.  For instance, I was quite thrilled to see that the soot collecting on our temple walls comes off with that good old H2O, when applied with cloth and muscle.  In other words, I got into spring cleaning.

To assist me is Dwarkanath, the newly-arrived monk from India.  On the day of Rishi and Pooja’s engagement last Saturday, I looked at the filthy wall with the collective film in one corner. The radiator emanates this blackness. I decided to roll up my sleeves and dip my hand in a bucket of water.  A ladder was necessary in spots.  Dwarkanath also rolled up, and we were both on our way to seeing what clean means.

I felt like the monk, Chaitanya, who, in a frenzy, cleansed the famous temple, Gundica.

He inspires.

May the Source be with you!
0 km (cold rain) 

My service
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 October 2015, Chowpatty, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.69.41)

Only in Vrndavana is Krsna fully manifesting his pure transcendental nature which is based only on loving exchange and nothing else. It is not based on any sense of duty. Krsna is only purchased by pure and unalloyed love. To follow a sense of duty is the lower platform of devotional service. Vaidhi-bhakti – it is the platform where one is still materially conditioned and then one takes shelter of rules and regulations.

The higher manifestation of devotional service is devotional service based on pure love, when are contemplating, when we are hearing about these unique qualities of the residents of Vrndavana and we see how much they desire to please Krsna! Everything is done to please Krsna. This awakening in us of some desire to also please Krsna is a big change because for our whole life, we have simply been trying to please ourselves! Everything we ever did was to please ourselves. So to come to that state of pleasing Krsna, is the spirit of loving devotional service.

In the beginning, we serve according to rules and regulations and then gradually, attachment to serving Krsna will develop. In this way, serving Krsna according to rules and regulations transforms as attachment to Krsna develops. To develop attachment to serving Krsna is our aim, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (Bhagavad-gita 7.1).

Sometimes, we see devotees who do not find a service. They try this one. They try that one but they just cannot seem to get absorbed in any service; nothing captures them. This is a misfortune. Whenever we are given service, we should take that service and wholeheartedly with dedication try to develop that service as nicely as possible by making some special effort. It is not just, “Okay, this is my service.” No, “I’ll try and do it especially nice.” This is the point where attachment will develop.

But if one simply mechanically engages in prescribed duty then the service may stay dry. So this eagerness to do service especially nicely is what will make the difference in our lives. That is where attachment to Krsna and to that service begins to develop, where one starts to feel, “This is my service. It is mine!”

The article " My service " was published on KKSBlog.

QA transcriptions uploaded on 01-May-18
→ The Spiritual Scientist

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/emotions-come-heart-soul-subtle-body/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/can-avoid-forgetting-real-life-learn-classes/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/can-find-service-can-best-contribute/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/can-know-service-pleasing-krishna/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/08/can-know-whether-wrongdoing-accidental-intentional/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/can-prevent-faith-flickering-amidst-problems/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/krishna-god-vishnu-widely-considered-god-krishna-incarnation/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/vision-something-authorities-not-supportive/

https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2017/03/guidance-not-easily-available-can-make-good-choices/

The post QA transcriptions uploaded on 01-May-18 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

How to become pacified, purified and satisfied
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk at ISKCON, Calgary, Canada]

Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

Video:

The post How to become pacified, purified and satisfied appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Be open-minded, not empty-minded
→ The Spiritual Scientist

[Talk at Calgary Public Library, Calgary, Canada]

Podcast


 

Podcast Summary


 

PPT:

Video:

The post Be open-minded, not empty-minded appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Inner Change: Gita Daily Series Book 5
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Drawing from the timeless philosophical classic, the Bhagavad-gita, Inner Change features 121 thought-provoking, action-inspiring reflections on a wide gamut of human issues. Each reflection is encapsulated in an attractive title that doubles as a tangible carry-home message.

Managing the mind:
We are not our feelings – we are the feelers of our feelings
Cultivate a tender heart, but cover it with a thick skin

 

 

Growing through pain:
We can’t delete our memories, but we can choose what we remember
Focus not on letting go of things – focus on taking hold of your thoughts

Relationships:
In the war of egos, the winner is the bigger loser
We may be unloved, but we are never unlovable

Inner Change is your aid to a richer life, today and every day

 

You can get the Kindle edition of book at: Amazon.com

 

The post Inner Change: Gita Daily Series Book 5 appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Book Distribution weekend April 26 -29, 2018 (Album with…
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Book Distribution weekend April 26 -29, 2018 (Album with photos)
Mohanasini Devi Dasi: Only the cream of the crop makes it into the album each week! But sometimes, I miss someone, like this sweet lady who sent me a friend request, “Hi, I was the girl with the mom walking around the French Quarter. You gave me a book about Krishna. I have been interested in learning about Hinduism for a very long time.. and would like to know more.. I was hoping you could point me in some direction.. I live in Tennessee.”
I replied, “Oh awesome! Definitely, I’m here for you! Which book did you get from me? I’m just a message away if you have any comments or questions…. I look forward to hearing from you and I’ll go right now and confirm your friend request …..thank you so much for reaching out to me… Hare Krishna! She responded, "You gave me the, “you have questions and here are the answers” book. I’m on chapter 6 and still reading. Thank you so much for your kindness ”
Of course, I’m so glad you like it!
I just started distributing “Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers” this week as recommended by Bhakti Charu Swami, so needless to say, I was really thrilled to get this response!
PLEASE take a moment to click on each pic to see each fortunate soul’s story!
Book totals for this weekend: 23 Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers, 64 Perfection of Yoga, 7 Chant and Be Happy, 78 Higher Taste Cookbooks, 2 Science of Self Realization, 83 Bhagavad Gitas, and 5 Srimad Bhagavatams Total: 262 books
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ri4TJV

Lord Nrsimha appearance at Southport Centre (Album with…
→ Dandavats



Lord Nrsimha appearance at Southport Centre (Album with photos)
Ramai Swami: Lord Nrsimhadeva’s appearance festival was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the Southport Centre on the Gold Coast.
Over 100 devotees and guests came for the arati, lecture, drama, puspanjali, feast and prasadam. The drama was especially nice with some of Hiranyakashipu’s soldiers being portrayed by the young devotee children.
https://goo.gl/2oqy4K

TOVP Euro Tour Day 9: Vienna, Austria
- TOVP.org

Leaving the wonderful temple of Sri Sri Dayal Nitai Vijay Gauranga in Budapest, Hungary, we traveled by car three hours to Vienna, Austria arriving on Monday, April 23rd. This small Gaur Nitai temple was started less than three years ago and there are only a few initiated devotees and a small congregation.

The small but enthusiastic group of about twenty devotees sang kirtan and offered the Lord His abhisheka. Jananivas and Braja Vilas prabhus spoke as usual explaining the importance of the TOVP project. We had no expectations for big results in our fundraising, but having seen miracles at all the other temples on the tour, anything was possible. We left the results in the hands of the Lord.

Once again, to our surprise, devotees came forward with such zeal and ecstacy to offer their hard-earned money to the Lord, and in the end Vienna got to fourth place on the Euro Transcendental Results scoreboard with $108,000 in pledges. This is another shining example of sacrifice and service to the Lord. All the devotees will be blessed for their surrender.

We would like to thank the GBC, Her Grace Dina Sharana devi dasi, temple president Nava Kishori devi dasi and Vaidyanath das for coordinating our visit.

All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Lord Nrsimha! All glories to the devotees of the Lord!

The next stop on the tour is Slovenia temple of Sri Sri Pancha Tattva. The complete Euro Tour schedule is below.

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The post TOVP Euro Tour Day 9: Vienna, Austria appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Grand Nrsimha Caturdasi Celebrations at ISKCON Netrakona In the…
→ Dandavats



Grand Nrsimha Caturdasi Celebrations at ISKCON Netrakona
In the state of Mymensingh of Bangladesh, a beautiful temple hosting the all-attractive Lord Jagannath stands bold. Located in the district of Netrakona the devotees have become known to almost all the residents here due to their enthusiastic preaching.
In the last year, there has been much progress in temple activities. A sankirtan bus was opened with eight enthusiastic brahmacaris distributing the holy names and Srila Prabhupada’s books. They travel to nearby towns and villages for most the month and return for festivals to the temple. A Govindas restaurant was also opened in the recent months and it has become famous all over Netrakona. In the evenings it is packed up on a daily basis with around forty to fifty eating there at one sitting. It is amazing to see that many people belonging to other faiths also come there and eat Krishna prasad with great relish. Many have commented that it is the best food they’ve ever tasted! Prabhupada once commented in a letter in 1975, ‘You should make a stock of ghee from the farm and if possible open a restaurant in the city for attracting people. You can prepare samosas, kachoris, rasgullas …’
The temple has now 30 full-time brahmacaris who serve in different departments: College preaching, sankirtan, caring for the restaurant needs, tribal preaching, bhakti vrksa preaching etc.
On the request of the temple management, HH Subhag Swami attended the appearance celebrations of Lord Nrsimhadev at Netrakona on the 29th of April 2018. The festivities began from Mangala arati with nearly 200 devotees coming from different parts of Bangladesh. Many devotees arrived late the previous night but still woke up early to attend the morning program.
One of the highlights of the day was the opening of a new sweet shop named ‘Jay Nrsimha Sweets’. Due to the great success of the Govinda’s restaurant, a new place was obtained by the devotees exclusive for distributing a variety of sweetmeat prasadam. Maharaj cut the ribbon and offered an arati ceremony to Lord Nrsimhadeva to invoke auspiciousness and the sweet shop was officially inaugurated.
In the evening a wonderful Abhishek ceremony took place for the half man half lion incarnation of the Lord. At the same time, there was an installation ceremony for Giriraj Govardhana. Maharaj participated in the Abhishek whilst devotees sang in a melodious tune. Maharaj then delivered a short speech to the devotees present about the appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva. The devotees were very much enlivened and enthusiastic to hear more although the majority had been fasting even from water since the beginning of the day. The festivities ended with a sumptuous Ekadasi feast which was served to around 500 devotees.
We request all the devotees to offer the kind prayers for the devotees serving at ISKCON Netrakona so they can continue to and increase their efforts in spreading the Krishna Consciousness movement in Bangladesh where the devotees have faced and continue to face many hardships.
‘A preacher has to face many difficulties in his struggle to preach pure Krishna Consciousness. Sometimes he has to suffer bodily injuries, and sometimes he has to meet death also. All this is taken as a great austerity on behalf of Krishna. Krishna has therefore said that such a preacher is very, very dear to Him.’ KB Ch 29.
To know more about ISKCON Netrakona please see: www.dandavats.com/?p=44587
For pictures of the festival please see: https://goo.gl/4bQ85W

On The Black Sea (Album of photos) Indradyumna Swami: The city…
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On The Black Sea (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The city of Sochi, on the Black Sea in Russia, hosted the Winter Olympics several years ago. Krsna consciousness came to Sochi in the late 1980’s and today has a large temple with an enthusiastic group of devotees whose presence adds a special charm to the city.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/reQERh

17 – Damodar Prabhu – Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Pt 1 – Private Victory
→ Successful Vaisnavas – Personal Development for Hare Krishnas

In this episode I catch up with my friend and mentor Damodar Prabhu… We discuss: Steven Covey’s 7 Habits and how they apply to Japa and Krishna consciousness in general How Srila Prabhupada exemplified the 7 Habits Prioritising your life Avoiding disctactions The power of routines What is a Private Victory and why is it […]

The post 17 – Damodar Prabhu – Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Pt 1 – Private Victory appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

17 – Damodar Prabhu – Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Pt 1 – Private Victory
→ Successful Vaisnavas – Personal Development for Hare Krishnas

In this episode I catch up with my friend and mentor Damodar Prabhu… We discuss: Steven Covey’s 7 Habits and how they apply to Japa and Krishna consciousness in general How Srila Prabhupada exemplified the 7 Habits Prioritising your life Avoiding disctactions The power of routines What is a Private Victory and why is it […]

The post 17 – Damodar Prabhu – Seven Habits of Highly Effective People – Pt 1 – Private Victory appeared first on Successful Vaisnavas - Personal Development for Hare Krishnas.

Sri Narasimhadeva : The Ultimate Protector
→ Mayapur.com

Narasimha Caturdasi 2018 has been a very successful and grand festival with devotees from different parts of the world participating in the event. Usually, the weather is hot during this season, but by Lord’s mercy, we had rain showers  to the delight of devotees. We had offered 167513 rounds of Hare Krishna Maha mantra japa, […]

The post Sri Narasimhadeva : The Ultimate Protector appeared first on Mayapur.com.

New Vrindaban Days – Chapter 2
→ New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

New Vrindaban 50th Anniversary

NEW VRINDABAN DAYS

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

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

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

I will attempt to tell these stories in some semblance of a chronological order, beginning with my first meeting with devotees in 1968, my first encounter with Srila Prabhupada in 1972, all leading to my arrival in New Vrindaban in late 1973 and carrying through to the official opening of Srila Prabhupada’s Palace in 1979.

By Advaitacharya Das

CHAPTER 2: SRILA PRABHUPADA – JAYA RADHA MADHAVA

Emil Sofsky (pre Advaitacarya Das) in New York – circa 1972.

Emil Sofsky (pre Advaitacarya Das) in New York – circa 1972.

It is sometime in the last quarter of 1972, I’m nineteen years old, and the Hare Krishna’s are the spookiest group of people I have ever seen. They have shaved heads, wear bed sheets, and have chalky lines drawn on their foreheads, reminiscent of the X’s the followers of Charles Manson have carved into their heads. I am completely adverse to the idea of ever being in their direct company. Unfortunately, for me I have started chanting Hare Krishna and have even searched out Bhagavad Gita As It Is, in a local bookstore.

Cover of the Back To Godhead Magazine 1972.

Cover of the Back To Godhead Magazine 1972.

Slowly and against any remnant of sanity that I think I may have I opened the BTG magazine that first piqued my interest and look up the address of the temple which is located on Henry Street in Brooklyn. Seeing the phone number, I call and get directions.

“Are you crazy?” my mind screams.

“I’ll just go and look at the building from across the street. I won’t actually go in.” I bark back internally.  Somehow it seems logical and my mind is appeased.

NYC Subway circa 1970s.

I take a 45 minute bus ride and then transfer to the GG line of the New York City transit system. The entire trip takes almost two hours. The whole time I am fighting the fear of directly running into any of the devotees. As the train pulls into the station I begin walking down toward the end of the platform where the exit is located.

GG Brooklyn Queens Subway Sign.

“Sure,” I tell myself, reviewing the plan in my mind. “This will be easy. I will walk by a couple of times. Look at the building. All the creepy people will be inside praying. I won’t see any of them. And, then I will get my butt out of there free and clear. A fool proof plan – simple enough.”

Street Sankirtan in Times Square - 1970s.

Street Sankirtan in Times Square – 1970s.

The train pulls out, clearing my visual pathway and I nearly choke on my next breath. My eyes have crossed to the other side of the tracks where I see what seem to be at least fifty devotees waiting to take the GG in the opposite direction. I practically die. There is nowhere to run or hide. They are all over the place. I’m panicked. I avoid looking and speed up toward the exit. I now consider turning around to head back home. As I exit the turnstile, and climb the stairs to the street above, I realize that if I turn around I will be trapped on the same platform as them. It then dawns on me that the fact that they are out of the building en masse means the coast will be clear for my inspection of the exterior of the temple. Success!

Henry Street, Brooklyn.

I walk what seems to be at least ten blocks to the temple to find a three story brownstone on a very nice block. The temple is near the corner with a vacant lot along the side. I am immediately struck by the unusual curtains hanging in the side windows which appear to be no more than 6 inch X 30 inch pieces of saffron colored cloth (which I later discover to be the brahmacaries brahman underwear) hanging in tandem.

Henry Street, Brooklyn.

The front of the building is very nice with a ten foot high staircase going up to the double wide front doors. In accordance with my plan, I make multiple trips past the building on the opposite side of the street. Soon I even make a pass on the same side of the street. Since there are no devotees to be seen I quickly skip up the stairs and peek through the front doors to see if I can get a view of anything inside. I peer through the glass but I find that there is another set of doors just inside and I cannot see anything. I get brave and try the door. It is open. I step inside the small hallway and put my face up against the glass to have another look. Suddenly the door is yanked open from the other side.

Henry Street, Brooklyn

“Hare Krishna, can I help you?”

I am stunned. Standing before me is an attractive looking young woman seeming much like a hippie only dressed in a colorful Indian sari.

“Um. No. No, thank you. I just wanted to look in.” I say.

Motioning to a doorway just off to the left she asks, “Would you like to take off your shoes and take a quick look into the temple room? It’s right here.”

Of course I don’t want to take off my shoes and actually step inside this place to look into the temple room. But, I can see that there are no other devotees around. This is safe. This is my chance. I remove my shoes and step in, crossing the few steps to the left I look into the temple room. Glancing to my left I am surprised to see what appears to be a throne with a picture of a man on it. I am reading the BTG and the Bhagavad Gita so I recognize the person in the picture to be the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami, who the devotees refer to as Srila Prabhupada.

By nature I am a skeptic. For years I have seen posters plastering the subways of New York featuring the names and pictures of various gurus: chubby teen aged boys, women, and older men with greying beards – all kinds of gurus. I have never taken any seriously. Mentally, I even mock them. Maybe it is because I have started by reading his literature I am not feeling anything negative in regard to Prabhupada. Sure, I think all of his disciples are likely crazy and certainly weird but as for him I have no such feelings. To the contrary, I believe that he is someone that is extremely knowledgeable and even more compassionate. I have no problem with him being represented on a throne.

Sri Sri Radha Govinda on Their altar @ the Henry Street Temple.

Turning my head to the right I look down the length of the fifty foot long room and see the altar on which stand Sri Sri Radha Govinda. I am stunned. Other than the garish colors of the room I find the place to be quite attractive. But, hey I have certainly overstepped my own boundaries and should probably get out the door as fast as I can. I step out of the temple and I am met again by the girl.

“We have a very nice art gallery upstairs. Would you like to go up and see the paintings?”

“No, I don’t think so. Maybe next time.”

“There are no devotees here right now but there is another hippie boy upstairs who could show you the gallery if you like.”

Hmmm, another hippie boy and no devotees. She points up a long flight of stairs where she tells me I will find the art gallery on the second floor. My curiosity gets the best of me and I accept her offer.

Garuda Carrying Lord Vishnu.

The gallery is bedecked with beautiful paintings which the hippie boy does indeed explain to me. I especially like the one of Vishnu riding on the back of Garuda plucking a devotee out of a churning ocean.

“This painting represents how Krishna pulls his devotee out of the ocean of material suffering. That’s why the devotees wear the ponytail, which is called a sikha. So, Krishna can pull them out by the sikha.”

Within a few minutes I am shocked when two male devotees enter the room identifying themselves as Visnugada Das and Apurva Das. Internally I am panicking but I try not to show it.

Front cover of Bhagavad Gita As It Is.

“Would you guys like a short Bhagavad Gita class?” they ask.

My vocal chords are paralyzed and the hippie boy responds. “Sure.”

I feel trapped and take a seat on the floor alongside the hippie as the two devotees proceed to give us a class. By the time it ends I am not even sure how long I have been down the rabbit hole and my only thought is to get out. The hippie and I thank the two and I proceed out of the gallery into the hallway and make my way down the long staircase headed for the door at the bottom of the steps. As I reach the bottom my greatest fears are realized as the door flies open and the devotees I had previously seen on the subway platform return from wherever they had been chanting in the streets.

My heart is pounding as I try to push my way past the devotees who are chanting wildly and jumping up and down. I reach the first door hopeful that I will soon escape when one of the devotees grabs me firmly by my shirt.

Hare Krishna Street Chanting in NYC 1970s

Devotee chanting Hare Krishna on sankirtan.

“Hare Krishna,” he blurts directly into my face.

He has a crazed look, is uncomfortably close, and has his eyes opened unusually wide. “Where are you going? Why don’t you join us for bla bla bla?” He asks?

I have no idea what bla bla bla is but I am sure that I don’t want any. “I can’t,” I plead. “I have an appointment.”

“You can’t leave without taking bla bla bla,” he returns while dragging me toward the back of the hallway.

“Really, I can’t.” I say, feeling on the verge of tears.

“You must,” He says. “If you don’t take bla bla bla you will be committing a great offense.”

My mind is reeling. I came here to try to feel closer to God and now I am on the verge of committing a “great offense.” I try a last resort. “I can’t take anything,” I say, “I don’t have any money.”

“That’s okay,” he says. “Bla bla bla is free.”

I have lost the battle and he leads me feebly down a flight of stairs into the basement.

The large room in the basement is a bright yellow and the floor is painted red. He sits me down against the wall and steps away to a nearby room. He returns in a minute with what appears to be the most disgusting bowl of food I have ever laid my eyes on. I now realize the word he has been saying which sounds like no more than “bla bla bla” to me is actually “prasadam” and it refers somehow to food. I am appalled. My diet to this point has consisted primarily of hamburgers, pizza, frozen and canned foods. What he holds in his hand is a steel bowl filled with some kind of yellow creamy substance that has chopped green peppers floating in it with oily looking spice trails tracking behind the chunks of peppers. I have entered the building.  I have visited the art gallery. I have sat and listened to a Bhagavad Gita class. I will not, and do not “take” the “Bla Bla Bla.”

Dahl, Sabji & Chapatis

Dahl, Sabji & Chapatis

Sitting on the floor with the wide eyed devotee preaching to me, my mind is screaming.

“What did you do? Why did you come in here? Why are you having anything to do with these people? Are there any para-military groups nearby that can rescue me?”

Finally, I am out in the street and making my way back to the subway. I am sure of only two things. I WILL NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN and I WILL NEVER HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THESE CRAZIES EVER AGAIN!!!

439 Henry Street.

Over the next few months I continue chanting and reading and finding myself crossing the two lines in the sand mentioned above. Not only am I visiting the temple regularly and bringing lots of friends I have expanded my horizons when it comes to my culinary choices and I am now regularly filling my face with “bla bla bla.”

Prabhupada said this. Prabhupada said that. Prabhupada did this. Prabhupada did that. Prabhupada wants this. Prabhupada wants that. For every one thing you learn about Krishna you hear something about Srila Prabhupada. It is clear that he is not only the heart of the movement but the heart of all of the devotees.

Prabhupada Radha Govinda Henry Street 1973

Srila Prabhupada greets Radha Govinda.

It is now nearing April, 1973 and the temple is abuzz with the fact that Srila Prabhupada will be spending some time at the New York Temple. I make sure that I am there to see him. The energy level soars as the place is full not only with the devotees that live on Henry Street but also with devotees visiting from all over. I see Prabhupada sitting in a rocking chair spending personal time with the devotees. I see him watch the play, The Kidnapping of Rukmini by the devotee theater troupe the Vaikuntha Players.  I see him standing before Sri Sri Radha Govinda in the temple room. I watch as even my brother Billy and some of my Brooklyn friends that I have brought to the temple bow down on the temple room floor offering him obeisance’s as he walks through the room.

Prabhupada at Henry Street Temple 1972

Srila Prabhupada leads the chanting of Jaya Radha Madhava at the Henry Street Temple.

On the last morning of His visit I attend the early morning Srimad Bhagavatam class that he will be giving. The temple room is packed with devotees squeezing in like sardines. The class begins with Him chanting. I have not heard the prayer he sings before this day. It starts off slowly but hypnotically, “Jaya Radha Madhava, Kunja-bihari,” The whole prayer consists of no more than four short lines repeated over and over again. “Gopi-jana-ballava, Giri-vara-dhari,”  I do not know what I am listening to. “Yasoda-nandana, Braja-jana-ranjana,” I do know that as I am listening the entire room slowly seems to become transformed. “Yamuna-tira, Vana-chari.” Over the next minutes His chanting reaches a feverish pitch. The devotees are transfixed. I don’t know what I’m witnessing – whether it is real or just in my head. I have not taken any drugs but all colors seem enhanced 10 times. Intellectually I have come to understand that I exist within the energy of God. While this chanting goes on everything around me seems to become surcharged with that energy. Solid seems on the verge of becoming liquid. Walls seem to shimmer and vibrate. Maybe this is one of the acid flash backs I have heard so much about.

The chanting ends and when things settle down the class begins. After the class the devotees stream out of the temple room and into the hallway. I am a new guy and do not really know any of the many devotees standing around. All of them are frenetic and commenting about what they had experienced during the chanting. It will not be until a couple of years later when I am standing with two older devotees who were also in the room at the time. They are reflecting on being at Sri Sri Radha Govinda’s temple in NYC on the morning I have described. They talk about it being the first time that they ever experienced Srila Prabhupada chanting the “Jaya Radha Madhava” prayer before giving the Srimad Bhagavatam class. They talk about how the energy of the room was surcharged and transformed. I am not only grateful for the fact that I was there but that I now was hearing directly from two people who had experienced the same thing that I had.

Prabhupada Radha Govinda Henry Street 1973

Srila Prabhupada greets Radha Govinda.

After taking breakfast prasadam that morning, I am approached by a devotee in the same exit doorway I had tried to flee out of the year before.

“Bhakta Emil, Srila Prabhupada asked about you. Why don’t you come up stairs to meet him?”

I begin considering it when out of the blue the devotee proverbially hits me over the head by saying, “You can surrender to Srila Prabhupada right here and now and move into the temple today.”

As inviting as going upstairs to meet Srila Prabhupada sounds, surrendering and moving in is much more than I am ready for on this particular morning.

NYC Subway Token early 1970s

NYC Subway Token.

I walk back to the subway. This time I am not asking myself why I came, or telling myself that I will never come back again. This time I ask myself, “Why am I leaving?” And, “Why wasn’t I ready to surrender to Srila Prabhupada and become a devotee?” And, most importantly, “Would I ever be?”

——————–

Did you miss Chapter 1: Every Journey Begins With a Single Step? Click here to read it.

Stay tuned for Chapter 3: Captured by the Beauty of Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra.

If a well-thought decision turns out to be a mistake, then do we get the karma for it?
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