Planet ISKCON

Answer Podcast

The post How to avoid judging others? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Kurukshetra- Jagannath Rath Yatra 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We must be purely chanting. But we should not be disappointed, even impure. Therefore we must have fixed chanting process. Because we are not in the pure stage. Therefore, by force, just like a boy in the school. We had this training in our childhood school. Our teacher would ask me, “You write ten pages, handwriting.” So that means practicing ten pages, my handwriting will be set up. So if we do not even follow sixteen rounds, where is the question of chanting Hare Krsna? So don’t be artificial; don’t be a showbottle. Be real thing. And that is wanted. If you want real benefit of spiritual life, don’t be showbottle. If one can chant purified offenseless, once krsna-nama, he is free from all material bondage. Once only. –From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.26-30 – Hawaii, January 23, 1974
Find them here: https://goo.gl/337YPd

When A Hare Krishna Meets Muslims! (3 min video)
(Activate the subtitles in English) Ramachandra Dasa in ISRAEL.
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A blind uncle is better than no uncle but HG Moksha Lakshmi Devi has chosen the best! (6 min video)

Program in Dundee town (Album with photos)
Bhakti Caitanya Swami: We did a little program last night in a town in South Africa ...

Govinda Swami: Clean Vraja Campaign Update!!
When I came home to Vrindavan I wrote a note that explained my personal crisis while being here … due to the prevailing insane situation in Vrindavan.
After my post, many friends from around the world commented, shared wonderful ideas, and offered their time, expertise, and commitment to help the ecological and heritage crisis that we are facing here in Vrindavan.
I started thinking.
Hey !! Please don’t laugh. I can still think .. a little
First I sat down with Indradyumna Maharaja to think of the folks we know who have been very successful in their services in Vrindavan.
We first met with Padmanabha Goswami of Radha Raman Mandir, one of our oldest Vrindavan friends, who is a recognized activist for the ecology and culture of Vrindavan.
Then we met our Vrindavan temple president Pancha Gauda Prabhu who has so successfully served and developed Vrindavan Temple for nearly 30 years.
Then we met Rupa Raghunatha who is the driving force of Food For Life Vrindavan and the world famous Sandipani Muni School for underprivileged girls.
Rupa has built schools and gives A to Z care for 1,400 young girls in Vrindavan and manages a staff of over 300 persons.
And then we met Jagatananda Prabhu, a very old friend with whom I shared my early days of Krishna consciousness in Toronto. We have probably not met since 1980.
Jagatananda is a teacher, scholar, writer, Sanskritist, master of Bengali language, translator and the editor of the internet newspaper Vrindavan Today.
In all the discussions we shared ideas and agreed that;
If we wish to attain the cherished goal of restoring Vraja we will need the assistance of the varied members of civil society in Vraja .. as well as the enforcement of the law of the land by the respected officers of the Indian Government.
On the first point;
Pancha Gauda and Rupa Raghunatha prabhus both run huge organizations. At present they are both in the process of creating better professional systems to manage their organizations.
Rupa Raghunatha has already engaged an international consultant to guide the restructuring of Food For Life Vrindavan and it has given fantastic results.
This last February his consultant visited Vrindavan and guided the FFLV team in their second training.
And, while the consultant was in Vrindavan, Rupa called together a group of prominent Vrindavan citizens and spent an afternoon of consultant guided brainstorming.
The conclusion of two hours of work was fantastic.
Now our desire is to again invite the consultant, pull more members on board, and chalk out a real plan for our work in Vraja.
And on the second point;
In India, we have a Prime Minister of the nation.
In each state, we have a Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister of our state Uttar Pradesh is a sadhu named Yogi Adityanatha. He is the Mahant of the Gorakhpur Temple Pith and has long been involved in national politics.
He is the president of an organization dedicated to the development of Vraja Bhumi .. and his vice president is a wonderful retired senior officer of the police. His name is Sri Shailesh Jha Kant Mishra.
He is the direct secretary to our state Chief Minister.
Mishraji is quite an amazing individual. He is a disciple of Devraha Baba, a renown saint who passed from this world around 1990.
At the time of his passing, he is said to have been between 300 and 400 years old.
Five generations of Mishraji’s family were disciples of Baba.
Baba instructed Mishraji to never purchase a house or own a piece of property during his life, instructed his wife never to purchase gold, and told him that one day he would be called to serve the sacred land of Vrindavan.
And in his retirement, he was requested by the Chief Minister to come to Vraja and serve.
Thus for him, this is a sacred service that has been given to him by his guru maharaja.
Through Pancha Gauda and Rupa Raghunatha, I have heard that Mishraji has agreed to be a part of the Vrindavan partnership development team and will assist in giving proper guidance and support to the committee.
He has said that until he dies he will be dedicated to the service of Sri Vrindavan Dham.
And folks … that is very good news.
So, in conclusion .. the ball is rolling … in a great direction.
I will keep all of you updated when I hear that there is any more information.
Your prayers, hearts, voices, arms, professional abilities, references, will all be needed to make this long-term dream come true.
Hare Krishna and good morning from Vrindavan !!
Yours in service,
BB Govinda Swami

Deena Bandhu Das: On Sunday, we celebrated the Disappearance Day of Baba Madhava Das who gave Vrinda Kunda to ISKCON. Celebrate with...

Schedule: Each festival can be the focus for a five-day week, with a concentration each day on one of the five most potent items of devotional service as related to that festival. This program is flexible and can be used in other ways. For example, it is entirely possible to take one item of devotional service and concentrate on it for more than one day, or even an entire week. And, some people might want to only spend one day on a festival. Continue reading "Lord Ramacandra’s Appearance Day: Activities and Resources For Teaching and Guiding Ages 2-18
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Russian-speaking ISKCON leaders from all over the country (and beyond) assembled in Moscow, in January 2018, for continuing their Zonal Supervisor course, an offering of the GBC College for Leadership Development. The group, which included among others Russian GBC Acyutatma Prabhu and three Russian sannyasis, had already gathered in Sochi, in the south of Russia, in June 2017, and now again came together to continue the training. Continue reading "GBC College in Russia – Second Residential Session
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Answer Podcast

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Answer Podcast

The post When the mind is restless, how are performers like archers able to focus on one point? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Lost Angles, USA]

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The post How philosophy and experience harmonize in bhakti appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Congregation program at Los Angeles, USA]

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The post How chanting works on the mind – and how the mind works during chanting appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 October 2017, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.3.17)

As eternal servants of Krsna, our natural position is to render service. Our happiness lies not in any other endeavour, but only in service. As soon as we try to become the master ourselves, we are in an artificial position. Since we are not very good masters, we have to ‘pretend’ and start hiding our defects.

We start on the wrong footing. If we only started properly from an early stage in life, we would be strong. However, we do not. We pick up bad habits even before we are adults. Then, by the time we are grown up, we are thoroughly fixed in all kinds of nonsense.

Srila Prabhupada liked using the words ‘nonsense rascal.’ In India, this is a big thing to say this to someone. I saw a certain senior devotee once calling a bank manager ‘nonsense rascal’ and then that devotee had to change his bank – that was it and it could not be fixed. So, it is a big thing to call someone ‘nonsense rascal’ in India but it sums it up really nicely!

A rascal is inclined towards all kinds of activities that are not beneficial, inclined towards activities that will bring suffering upon themselves and others; therefore it is nonsense – his actions do not make sense.

So if one comes to the point where one can actually admit, “I am a nonsense rascal!” this is the beginning of becoming a devotee. I get the question asked a thousand times, “How do I become humble?” Well, today I am answering it in a way that I have never answered it before. I say, “Admit to yourself that you are a nonsense rascal.” Then it is up to us to also understand, “Yes, I have all these foolish attachments somehow. Foolish attachments I developed that I have no benefit for whatsoever.”

This is our situation – being addicted to many things that are in fact sinful; life after life this is our situation. It is not necessary to do anything in this life to develop this addiction to sinful activities; it is already there. Even children are not as innocent as they look and neither are we for that matter. Srila Prabhupada understood this and in one sense he was not shy to point it out by saying things like ‘nonsense rascal’. He was not shy to point out the defects and yet somehow, he was not rejecting anyone in the end. Rather, he was welcoming everyone. That is the essence of Lord Caitanya’s movement!

The article " A humble beginning " was published on KKSBlog.

GBC approved Sastric Advisory Committee's Paper on Rama-navami Fasting. In this paper, we present research on the length and type of fasting for Rāma-navamī from sādhu, śāstra and guru. We also examine related items such as the concept of completing one’s fasting vow, specific calendar considerations, a comparison with other viṣṇu-tattva appearance days and Ekādaśī, and practices in some ISKCON centers. We then make recommendations at the end of the paper of general principles which we apply to ISKCON leaders, ISKCON members, and suggestions for the calendar listing. Continue reading "Rama-navami Observance & Fasting
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We have no attraction for hearing about Krishna, and this is the root cause of our suffering. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.7.1–2, purport)
Excerpt from “Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk” by Krishna-kripa das. To read the entire travel journal click here: https://goo.gl/L4k6V3

New Russian sannyasi! (Album with photos)
Ananda Vardhana prabhu one of the first students HH Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, president...

ISKCON NC - New Goloka - Ratha Yatra with St Patrick’s Parade (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Love means two persons, there is exchange. Giving something, taking something, feeding something and to eat something, and speaking everything, no secrecy, and to know everything of the other person. When these things are transacted, then there is love. Dadati pratigrhnati bhunkte bhojayate caiva guhyam akhyati prcchati. If I love you and I have got some secrecy, I don’t disclose to you, that is not perfect love. I must deal with you open-hearted, you must deal with me open-hearted, then there is love. This is one of the basic principles. -Srila Prabhupada - Evening Darshan, Tehran, 9th August 1976
Find them here: https://goo.gl/3TjSww

St Patrick’s Day Parade, London (18th March 2018) (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The holy name, chanting of holy name, if we act it properly, without any offense, then we are directly in connection with Krishna. Vrndavana, September 16, 1976.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/2R7xpB

The post Tap the mind, don’t be trapped by the mind (3) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Seminar at ISKCON, Seattle, USA]

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The post Tap the mind, don’t be trapped by the mind 3 – From shakshi bhava to seva bhava appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Iskcon Kurukshetra - Jagannath Rath Yatra 2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We have to work sincerely, and because Krishna is in everyone’s heart, there will be no difficulty to have the necessary facilities. Letter to Satsvarupa, September 14, 1969.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/qFbFs9

Srila Prabhupada once remarked, “The two brothers Pankajanghri and Jananivasa – there is no comparison. Everyone should know there is no complaint.” (1/2/76, Mayapur – A Transcendental Diary Vol.1) The 19th of March marks the auspicious appearance day of two of ISKCON Mayapur’s most beloved and long-standing residents, His Grace Jananivas Prabhu and His Grace Pankajanghri […]

The post Honoring two of Mayapur’s Most Beloved residents! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The post Winning with emotional intelligence (2) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Iskcon School Documentary (5 min video)
The Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School Patron of Education.

• Mamgachi pūjārī, Jagad Bandhu prabhu passed away
• Mamgachi is a place of many pastimes
• Rādhā-Madana Gopāla, the Deities of Vāsudeva Datta
• Jagad Bandhu prabhu is the example of dedicating one’s life to the service of Deities
• Another ideal example of being steady in service is Muni Mahārāja in Purī, an arcana-siddha

Answer Podcast

The post If seva-dhyana comes in the way of nama-dhyana, what to do? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post Did some of the leaders of our movement fall down because of being haunted by demonic forces? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 December 2017, Govinda Valley, Australia, Initiation Lecture)

Krsna has a deep personal relationship with every living entity and he is conscious of every thought the every living entity has – just imagine that! Krsna is unlimitedly great in this aspect. And so, Krsna enters into a deep personal relationship with every devotee and can become attracted and captured by their loving service. This is called sri krsna-akarsani – to attract Krsna by devotional service. This is our aim: to go deeper into devotional service and attract Krsna.

Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita that by remaining covered by his illusory energy, people will not be able to see him in this material world. Therefore, there is sometimes doubt or strong opinions where some may say, “He is an old man with a beard.” Once a professor referred to Srila Prabhupada as “dogmatic” for saying that Krsna is God. The professor was of the opinion that we should be more universal to all religions and not become narrow-minded; this is what he meant by dogmatic. In response, Srila Prabhupada said, “Why is he so dogmatically saying that Krsna is not God when he has never seen God?”.

Ultimately, one has to see the Supreme Lord but because of the cover by the illusory energy, we have forgotten our origins, our connection with Krsna. Even if we remember a little, by some mercy or have some knowledge, it is still very incomplete. We are not seeing Krsna face-to-face. So, our purpose is to reawaken our natural love for Krsna and to restore our original relationship with him; to dedicate our lives in service to Krsna, so that we can attract him. Once that is happening, we naturally become more and more attached to Krsna by hearing, chanting and serving him. This is completely natural because Krsna is not an ordinary person!

The article " The reawakening " was published on KKSBlog.

Rupa Raghunatha is well known to devotees all over Australia. He has been regularly going out on book distribution for over 25 years.

Some time ago he moved to Murwillumbah near our New Govardhana temple.

When gurus, sannyasis and senior devotees visit New Govardhana, he invites them for a program at his home. I received such an invitation the last time I visited.