When neither distress nor taste motivates us consistently in bhakti, how can we become consistent?
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Our beloved Srila Prabhupada conforms to the sastric description…
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Our beloved Srila Prabhupada conforms to the sastric description of who exactly is a perfect devotee. His behavior is flawless, as his every word and deed is meant to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna. He never deviates from that full attention to the Absolute Truth and he cannot be seen at any moment engaged in any frivolous talk or momentary material idleness. Each and every moment in a fully surrendered devotee’s life, even up to his last breath, is connected in some way to Krsna’s Name, Form, Instructions, or Pastimes.
Also, since he is no longer affected in any way by the three modes of nature, he is never forced to act, even for a moment. Everything is being directed personally by Krsna by His Internal Potency. Therefore, no one can ever find any fault because he is as good as Krsna Himself, and is completely under His care and protection at every moment. Krsna has all strength, all power, all everything. And He is never for a moment separate from such a perfect devotee but is eternally united with him through love and devotion.

So as we understand through hearing what transcendental characteristics describe a cent percent pure devotee, and as we see how he is spreading Krsna’s message all over the world, we gradually develop faith in such a rare soul. And if we are sufficiently blessed by Srila Prabhupada and by Krsna from within our hearts, we can develop unshakable faith in both Krsna and our spiritual master, at which time all the imports of the scriptures will be revealed to us. with all respect to the devotees, Mahananda dasa

Yet I hold back
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Hare KrishnaBy Madhumati Pushkarini Devi Dasi

Yes I hold back. There is every reason to surrender to You, every reason to hold on to You. Yet I hold back. This is my precarious condition, dear Lord. While I keep trying to coax my mind to understand what is good for me and what’s in it for me in surrendering to You, I come across this beautiful song by Purandara Dasa, Your unalloyed devotee. This is the song that helps me realize that indeed I have nothing really worth offering to You but still if I offer whatever I have, it is actually in my favor. Yet I hold back. Continue reading "Yet I hold back
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Was Srila Prabhupada intimidated with electronics?
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Hare KrishnaBy Gargamuni Das

So I thought, “Boy, how am I going to show Prabhupada how to use this thing? He’s from the village. In Vrindavan, they don’t know what a Dictaphone is.” So I brought it up to Prabhupada’s room, and I showed it to him. I showed him the mike, and he looked at it. I said, “Prabhupada, there’s an instruction book here how to use it. I’ll go through it with you.” He said, “No, that’s OK, I know.” I was shocked. And sure enough, Prabhupada knew. He pressed the right buttons, he was testing it, and I was shocked. He never even looked at the book. Continue reading "Was Srila Prabhupada intimidated with electronics?
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Can Kirtan be a source of maintenance for the body, mind and soul?
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Hare KrishnaBy Kripamoya Das

Sometimes devotees ask: "Can we be paid for doing kirtan?" and the reason why this question comes up is because many of us, especially young people, would like to lead a life of kirtan sharing kirtan with others. There are two considerations, one is that nothing should ever be done in Krishna consciousness for a profit motive. We don't give Srimad-Bhagavatam class for instance and then pass around the hat asking everyone to give a contribution for the class. We don't distribute prasad and ask for a a contribution. Continue reading "Can Kirtan be a source of maintenance for the body, mind and soul?
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Kirtan from Vrindavan!
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Sri Prahlada is spending some time in the holy land of Vrindavan, India. Check out this amazing Kirtan from an home program at Indradyumna Swami’s house!   Posted by Kartik Parikrama with Indradyumna Swami on Friday, 22 December 2017

Barefoot Yoga Kirtan and talk
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There was a wonderful event at Barefoot Yoga in Paddington, Sydney to close the year with a bang! Sri Prahlada gave an amazing talk on living a conscious life and led a wonderful Kirtan which had everyone dancing! Stay tuned for more events like this one early in the new year.

How can I overcome my attraction to watch every detail of my favorite actress?
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Saturday. December 23rd, 2017
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Toronto, Ontario

The Road Not Taken

Another one by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken.”  It’s somewhat appropriate for me because I did not take a road at all today, but just a church’s balcony; pacing back and forth.

I really love this one.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

Friday, December 22nd, 2017
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Toronto, Ontario

Something from Robert Frost

La neige—snow—finally did come and it compelled some of us, Nick, Vijay and I to strap on our boots, pull out the shovels and start clearing the outside stairs and sidewalks.  Neighbours love it when you remove the excess stuff lying on the paths and walkways.

We see it as a service to the community.  We extended the favour and shovelled the drive and walkways next door, which is known as Grant House, a facility for women implicated with the law and who are starting a new life.

When the job was completed and we entered the cozy warmth of our ashram, I saw I was sent a poem by Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

Whose woods these are I think I know.  
His house is in the village though;  
He will not see me stopping here  
To watch his woods fill up with snow.  

My little horse must think it queer  
To stop without a farmhouse near  
Between the woods and frozen lake  
The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake  
To ask if there is some mistake.  
The only other sound’s the sweep  
Of easy wind and downy flake.  

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.

May the Source be with you!

0 km

Rathayatra Makes Devotees! Hello, my name is Ian Somerville. I…
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Rathayatra Makes Devotees!
Hello, my name is Ian Somerville. I am a devoted young man in search of true enlightenment. Throughout the course of my life, I have personally studied and practiced many world religions. But the one that ignited that withered flame was Krishna consciousness.
During my spiritual journey, I have read many religious texts, but none can compare to the Bhagavad Gita. This book is not a Shakespearean playwright or a book of dreamy poetry, but a book in which Krishna, the supreme being, god of all gods, truly shows us how we can gain a life of spiritual perfection. Within the boundaries he has set in place for us He shows how to separate our material and spiritual worlds. Without a spiritual world, there can be no material world.
Let me give you a brief tour into a recent miraculous event that occurred for me. Recently, I had checked out a copy of Bhagavad Gita from the library. Following that I prayed ‘God, please give me a sign that this is the path I should pursue’. Two days later I happened to be walking down the Baltimore Inner Harbor and as I turned around I saw a sign that read, ‘Festival of India’. So I walked to the event, turned around, and before my two eyes I saw the sign, ‘Bhagavad Gita’! My prayers were answered almost immediately.
Everyone who has grown up has to find an identity, not only that but a personal faith. May Krishna bless all.
Don’t ever forget to chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Appreciative Love (22 min video)..
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Appreciative Love - Rukmini Devi Dasi | Gratitude | Christmas Special (22 min video)
Rukmini Devi Dasi joined the ISKCON society in San Francisco in 1968. She then traveled to Montreal to meet Srila Prabhupada with the six devotees who were on their way to open the temple in London. She was initiated in Montreal and later served in Boston as an artist and then pujari there and in New York City.

Sri Radhakund (Album of photos) Giridhari Swami: On the fourth…
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Sri Radhakund (Album of photos)
Giridhari Swami: On the fourth day of our Govardhana Parikrama, we journeyed to Radhakund. In his Upadesamrta, Srila Rupa Goswami describes the sanctity of this holy place thus: “The holy place known as Mathura is spiritually superior to Vaikuntha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathura-puri is the transcendental forest of Vrndavana because of Krsna’s rasa-lila pastimes. And superior to the forest of Vrndavana is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Sri Krsna and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Sri Radha-kunda stands supreme, for it is overflooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Sri Krsna. Where, then, is that intelligent person who is unwilling to serve this divine Radha-kunda, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill?” (NoI: verse 9)

Our party arrived just at dawn. We offered our obeisances, took achaman (many members of our party took full bath) and sat down to chant japa for over an hour. We then moved the group to a courtyard, where the samadhis of Ragunatha Bhatta Goswami, Ragunatha Das Goswami and Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami are situated. We held a long and meditative kirtan, followed by talks given by Asita Krishna Maharaja, Krishna Baladeva Prabhu and yours truly. In many ways, visiting Radhakund was the most gratifying part of our whole retreat. May Sri Radha’s ambrosial waters drown us all in pure love for the Divine Couple and Their foremost servant Srila Prabhupada!
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Bhagavatam study 70 1.13.51-60 Determination directed towards renunciation brings spiritual elevation
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Should we correct others when we don’t have the authority to do so and others aren’t receptive?
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Ljubljana Christmas harinam 2017 (Album of photos) Srila…
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Ljubljana Christmas harinam 2017 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah, gopala govinda rama sri-mudhusudana. This is another way of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. The meaning is as follows: “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. He is the descendant of the Yadu family. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Gopala, Govinda, Rama and Sri Madhusudana.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 25.64 Purport)
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Bhagavatam study 69 1.13.46-50 When we can’t protect ourselves from kala, karma and guna, how can we protect others?
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Christmas, Prabhupada and Jesus
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Christmas is celebrated by millions all over the world. Thousands of the ISKCON congregation, although not Christians, visit our temples on Christmas day. Carparks are full and temple rooms packed out.

Srila Prabhupada commented on Jesus Christ many times:

“Jesus Christ was such a great personality–the son of God, the representative of God. He had no fault. Still, he was crucified. He wanted to deliver God consciousness, but in return they crucified him–they were so thankless. They could not appreciate his preaching.

But we appreciate him and give him all honour as the representative of God.

Of course, the message that Christ preached was just according to his particular time, place, and country, and just suited for a particular group of people.

Certainly he is the representative of God. Therefore we adore Lord Jesus Christ and offer our obeisances to him.”

Christmas In Jaipur
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https://www.facebook.com/indradyumna/media_set?set=a.10210832247545203.1073742780.1321748113&type=3

We spent Christmas in Jaipur visiting various temples of the Lord. It seemed a fitting way to respect such a day which is so dear to our Christian brothers and sisters. We were particularly touched to see the mood of devotion in the eyes of of the residents of Jaipur as they took darshan of Radha Govinda in the main temple of the city.