I have arrived safely in Dallas and am now happily under the protection of Sri Kalachandji, His dhama, and His devotees, by the grace of Srila Prabhupada and his followers.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Qualities of a Srimad Bhagavatam Hearer.
Radheshyam Das: On choosing the Right person to hear from: Srila Prabhupada writes, “If hearing is from the right sources, it acts very quickly. Generally people hear from unauthorized persons. Such unauthorized persons may be very learned by academic qualifications, but because they do not follow the principles of devotional service, hearing from them becomes a sheer waste of time. Sometimes the texts are interpreted fashionably to suit their own purposes. Therefore, first one should select a competent and bona-fide speaker and then hear from him.” (1.8.36p)
“….sometimes people, in an unauthorized hearing process, take more interest in hearing about His dealings with the gopis. Such an inclination indicates the lusty feelings of the hearer, so a bona-fide speaker of the dealings of the Lord never indulges in such hearings. One must hear about the Lord from the very beginning, as in the Srimad-Bhagavatam or any other scriptures, and that will help the hearer attain perfection by progressive development. One should not, therefore, consider that His dealings with the Pandavas are less important than His dealings with the gopis. We must always remember that the Lord is always transcendental to all mundane attachment. (1.8.36p)
Srila Prabhupada writes, “One can certainly see directly the presence of Lord Sri Krishna in the pages of Bhagavatam if one has heard it from a self-realized great soul like Sukadeva Gosvami. One cannot, however, learn Bhagavatam from a bogus hired reciter whose aim of life is to earn some money out of such recitation and employ the earning in sex indulgence.” (1.3.44p). Thus one has to choose the right source before one sits down to hear Bhagavatam.

On Right Attitude of the Hearer: The hearer should be inquisitive to ask questions but not in a challenging mood; he should present his queries with great regard for the speaker and subject of Bhagavatam. The transcendental subject should be heard by submissive hearing process from right sources (based on SB1.1.5p). If queries are presented to test the scholarly aptitude of the speaker or to present one’s learning, such a boorish attitude blocks one’s ability to access the spiritual truths. Understanding is not a question of information accumulation, rather becoming an antenna to receive the descending mercy of Guru parampara.
Srila Prabhupada also writes, “The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. The transcendental message of the Absolute is not understandable by those who are materially absorbed. Under the direction of a bona-fide spiritual master, one becomes gradually purified. (SB 1.1.13p). The transcendental literature like Bhagavatam deals with the supermost activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna on the spiritual realm. If the hearers come with mundane motivations of earthly or heavenly pleasures or with desire for liberation from cycle of birth and death, then such self-absorption they will not be able to receive the full benefit. In India Bhagavat saptahas are held for seven days by well-to-do men, to increase their popularity by inviting a speaker who pampers the senses of the audience by directly going to the 10th canto confidential pastimes of Krishna and gopis. This titillates the senses of the hearers materially without yielding any spiritual benefit to them. Sincerity means that the audience should be interested in knowing how to rise above all forms of sense gratification and engage in the service of Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. They should be eager to blossom their devotional attitude by parampara wisdom.
Also Srila Prabhupada says, “Simple hearing is not all; one must realize the text with proper attention. The word niviñöa means that Suta Gosvami drank the juice of Bhagavatam through his ears. That is the real process of receiving Bhagavatam. One should hear with rapt attention from the real person, and then he can at once realize the presence of Lord Krishna in every page. The secret of knowing Bhagavatam is mentioned here. No one can give rapt attention who is not pure in mind. No one can be pure in mind who is not pure in action. No one can be pure in action who is not pure in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. But somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person, at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krishna in person in the pages of Bhagavatam.” (1.3.44p). This illustrates the importance of RAPT ATTENTION on the part of hearer.

December 6, 2017 - New York Supreme Court for Kings County Room 525 was filled with Krishna devotees opposing a petition seeking approval of the sale of their temple in Brooklyn. Also appearing in court to oppose the proposed sale were attorneys for ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC), an attorney for the newly reconstituted Bharati Center board, an attorney for the temple’s congregants and a New York Assistant Attorney General. New York State law requires court approval of the sale of real property belonging to a religious society. Typically, a religious society desirous of selling its place of worship first seeks approval from the New York State Office of the Attorney General. If the Attorney General rejects a religious society's petition to sell its place of worship, the seller's sole recourse is to attempt to overturn that decision in New York Supreme Court. Continue reading "New York Attorney General Urges Supreme Court to Reject Pending Petition for Sale of Hare Krishna Temple in Brooklyn
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Harinama Sankirtana at Union Square park subway station, NY, Sunday, December 10th (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Fire ...

HH Bhakti Charu Swami’s review about the HARE KRISHNA FILM (4 min video)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/X1Nx6p

Srila Prabhupada’s tireless pursuit of giving Krishna consciousness.
Udayananda: During the 1976 festival in Vrindavan, there was a whole schedule one day that started at mangal arotik and went all the way until midnight at a pandal program celebrating the Appearance of Lord Ram and attended by over twenty thousand people.
It was very impressive.
For me the day started blissfully as I got to go on a morning walk with Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada walked for a very long time preaching vigorously.
At the beginning of the walk I was at the rear of the devotees, but after about an hour I finally ended up right next to Srila Prabhupada.
At this point Prabhupada had to pass water so he turned and handed me his cane.
I took his cane and Prabhupada was handed a bottle of water to wash his hands.
He went down into a little gully and did what nature called.
In the meantime, I put the cane in my left hand and put my right hand in my japa bag to chant my rounds.
When Prabhupada returned, he reached for his cane and like a fool I started to hand it to him with my left hand.
Prabhupada said, “Left hand?”
Immediately I thought, “Oh, I am an idiot, aren’t I?”
So I put it in my right hand and handed it to Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada said, “Always right hand.”

Immediately after the hour and a half walk, Prabhupada spent the rest of the afternoon with dignitaries who had come from New Delhi, such as the governor and state representatives.

I was hanging outside Prabhupada’s room listening and was amazed at how he was like a lion amongst lambs preaching vigorously.

Then without rest, Prabhupada went to Mathura to give a lecture at the pandal program to the twenty thousand or so people.

Prabhupada started the lecture by saying, “Because there are so many people here to hear Krishna’s pastimes, and they may not speak English, I am going to speak in Hindi, and I apologize.”

Prabhupada actually said, “I apologize to my English speaking disciples”, as if he ever had to apologize to us.

What amazed me was not only Prabhupada’s humility when he apologized to us, but my realization about the scene I observed while Prabhupada preached about Krishna and Lord Chaitanya.

I looked around at the thousands of people there and the contingent of devotees from Africa, England, Australia, America, South America and remembered Bhaktivinode Thakur’s query,

“When will Americans and Englishmen and Germans come with their hands raised high and say, ‘Jaya Sachinandana, Gaura Hari?’

When will that day come?” I thought, “The day has come!”

I was thinking, “Prabhupada, you did it! You have done this and now you’re preaching to twenty thousand people and you were preaching to all these dignitaries all day long.

You’ve done it! You don’t have to do anything else! You’ve done it.

You can just rest on your laurels.

You don’t need to push! You’ve done it! You’ve done it all!”

With Prabhupada’s accomplishment, there was fanfare because he did an amazing, miraculous thing.

The fanfare, however, had no affect on him, nor was he interested in that type of glorification.

He was just interested in glorifying Krishna.

By the time we got back to Fogel Ashram it was close to midnight.

Everyone was completely exhausted.

I felt like a zombie and on top of that I had gotten a little sick because I ate some jalebis in the marketplace and came down with a violent case of diarrhea.

Every time I laid down to sleep, I had to go back to the restroom.

It was really hellish.

This went on for quite a while so I thought I might as well just stay up to chant my japa.

I went down to the temple and it was close to two o’clock in the morning.

I was the only person around except for one devotee who was doing the twenty-four hour kirtan and he was laying on the mridanga barely hitting the drum and just muttering Krishna’s name.

I came out the front of the Krishna-Balaram temple and I started to circumambulate.

As I came around the back of the temple, I was right next to Srila Prabhupada’s room where I saw a light on.

I reflected how Prabhupada had been preaching tirelessly since four o’clock in the morning and now it’s two o’clock in the morning the next day.

In his room, he had his dictaphone and I heard him say, “Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur says in his explanation of the Gita…” Prabhupada was translating the Bhagavatam.

I’m thinking, “Why? You’ve already done it all.

You’ve done everything.

You’ve done this big festival, there’s no one around seeing you do this.”

But he was there translating the Bhagavatam, and he was doing it for us.

I got to witness Srila Prabhupada’s tireless pursuit of giving Krishna consciousness to this planet, to this world, to this universe.

And that’s why he’s the spiritual master of the universe.

—Udayananda

Questions for the Sages - Interview from the Hare Krishna temple in Potomac, Maryland (audio)
Anandavridavaneswari devi dasi is...

The first, small but wonderful, Rathayatra in Reunion Island (Album with photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: We are now on Reunion ...

The maya of the material world has two main functions: It lures us away from our natural position of service to Krishna, and it deludes us into full forgetfulness of that position. But that maya, often referred to as maha-maya, has a spiritual counterpart its source, yoga-maya. Because yoga-maya is also an energy of Krishna’s, it too can overpower us. But yoga-maya connects us with Krishna. Another meaning of maya is “mercy.” By devotional service to Krishna we place ourselves under the influence of yogamaya and in time awaken to our eternal loving relationship with Him. Continue reading "We’re All in Maya
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"No Krsna rituals," my cousin the doctor admonished me. Although not her attending physician, being a doctor he had more or less taken charges of things."Your mother was not a Hare Krsna. Let her die as she lived." "But," I argued, "these last weeks I've been chanting to her, reading stories to her from our scriptures, singing devotional songs. She often asked me to , and really loved it.Why should I do something different today?" I was hopeful, yet nervous. For two weeks now I'd been with my mother twelve hours or more a day. The first week my muscles gradually became intensely strained, as I was on constant full alert, trying to notice when death would come so I could help her remember Krsna. Finally I understood: If I told my mother to surrender to Krsna, I had to do the same. The time and circumstances of her death were not in my hands. I couldn't be with her every moment, controlling the situation. Hadn't her roommate here in the nursing home, apparently in reasonably good condition, died unexpectedly from a heart attack practically in this very room just days ago? At that moment, I'd been at the nurses station. Would I be there when my mother's death came? Continue reading "The True Meaning and Glories Of The Holy Name
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The post Daily Darshan: December 10,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The universality of what Srila Prabhupada is offering.
While distributing at Richland College in Dallas, I met a couple who came to my table enthusiastic to hear about the teachings of the Gita, which they saw on the table. Both of them had heard of it. I showed them the illustrations and explained a little. Then they became more enthusiastic to take one. The young lady was happy to take one and give a donation, but the young man said he would get it another time.
A half hour later they came back to the table. They had been reading it for that half hour, and the young man said, “This is so interesting that I want one now.”
Meanwhile, the young lady was looking in my box of books. She said, “I’m intrigued by all the books you have.” I told her a lot of them are in different languages: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic.“
As soon as I said Arabic, the young man said, "You have Arabic? That’s my mother tongue.” He’s from Saudi Arabia. So he received the Bhagavad Gita and an Arabic book, “Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers.” She also received more books.
Your servant,
Vijaya Dasa
—-
Recently, a harinama was taking place at the Atlantic Ave./Barclays subway station in New York City. While sitting at our harinama book-table, I had two nice encounters within fifteen minutes, before the police asked us to remove the table.
A friendly Muslim lady, dressed in a black gown, with a large percentage of her head covered, stopped by. She mentioned that she had been to our temple in Brooklyn and liked it. She said that her daughter is a vegetarian, and she gave a donation for a Higher Taste.
A few minutes later, a jovial Jewish man, dressed in black and having a kippah over the center of his head, came to look at the books. He was attracted to Journey of Self-Discovery, especially after I said that it is a collection of essays. He said he already had Science of Self-Realization, and he liked it.
He was impressed when I told him that the Bhagavad-gita was spoken five thousand years ago. He was proud of his Jewish tradition, which has also been around for thousands of years, and mentioned that there must be truth in the traditions for them to last so long.
He ended up giving a donation and accepting the Journey of Self-Discovery. It impressed me that these two people, so much committed to their own traditions that they wore their traditional dress, had an appreciation for Srila Prabhupada’s temples and his literature. It shows the universal nature of what Srila Prabhupada is offering.
Your servant,
Krishna-kripa Dasa

Govardhan Retreat-2017 (6 min video)
In the sublime atmosphere of Giriraja Govardhana, devotees immersed themselves in the magical world of Krishna’s pastimes in the association of HH Sacinandana Swami, HG Bhurijana Prabhu, HG Jagattarini Mataji, HG Madhavananda Prabhu and HG Adi Purusha Prabhu during the annual VIHE Govardhana Retreat.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/e8DTWe

UNESCO Recognises India’s Kumbh Mela As ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ Of Humanity. PM Modi has applauded the move saying that it is a well-deserved recognition for this iconic festival.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said the recognition was accorded by the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, an entity which works under UNESCO. The decision to recognize the Kumbh Mela was taken at its ongoing meeting in Jeju, South Korea.
The inscription of the Kumbh Mela was recommended by the expert body which examines the nominations submitted by member states. The committee observed it was the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.
“The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO inscribed the ‘Kumbh Mela’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 12th session held at Jeju, South Korea,” the MEA said.

The session, which started on 4 December, is to end on 9 December. It said the inscription was the third in two years following 'Yoga’ and 'Nouroz’.

While recommending the Kumbh Mela, the expert committee observed it was the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.

“The committee observed that 'Kumbh Mela’ is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth. The festival, held in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, represents a syncretic set of rituals related to worship and ritual cleansing in holy rivers in India,” the MEA said.

“As a religious festival, the tolerance and inclusiveness that Kumbh Mela demonstrates are especially valuable for the contemporary world,” the MEA said in its statement.

The committee also took note of the fact that knowledge and skills related to the 'Kumbh Mela’ were transmitted through the Guru-Shishya parampara (teacher-student relationship) by way of saints and sadhus teaching their disciples about traditional rituals and chants.

Reacting to the recognition, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said it was a proud moment for India.

The big thick English language book…
Some Burmese doctors were attending a medical convention in New York City and got a book from a devotee on the street. The book distributor showed them the Dasavatar painting in the Gita, pointed out Lord Buddha, and the doctors bought the book.
When they got back to their hotel and looked through the Gita, they thought “Wait a minute. This is not about Buddhism” but as they bought the book, they decided to take it back to Burma and give it to a Hindu doctor friend. The Hindu doctor friend turned out to be a staunch follower of Sankharacharya. He thought “Ah, this is a book about Bhakti. I have no interest in this” and he put it in one corner of his office, in a pile with so many other medical journals etc.
One day, the Hindu doctor’s son was visiting his father’s office. The young college student son wanted to learn English. He saw the big thick English language book sitting in the corner and thought “Hey, I will take this book. Look up all the words in a dictionary and teach myself English.” The son had no interest in the philosophy or studying the Gita. He simply saw it as a means to learn English.
Moving slowly, looking up every second or third word, by the time the young man finished the 6th chapter he had learned English–and become a devotee. He is now initiated as Srivas Pandit prabhu, the regional secretary for Burma, and has made waves of devotees and opened multiple temples and preaching centers all over Burma. He will tell you that it all came from one Gita distributed thousands of miles away in New York City. And I should mention–his father is now an initiated devotee as well.
Such is the potency of book distribution.
PS: I have attached a photo of a beautiful new temple the devotees are building and a group photo of the devotees from one of the temples in Burma – all from just one book.
Your servant,
Badrinarayan Swami

Please find below audio recordings of kirtans and lectures by Kadamba Kanana Swami captured during the Vrindavan Parikrama 2017. Video recordings will follow soon.

Download ALL (Zip file, 2.5 GB)

Day 1

KKS_VrajParikrama_25thOctober2017_BrahmandaGhat_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_25thOctober2017_BrahmandaGhat_Lecture

KKS_VrajParikrama_25thOctober2017_Raval_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_25thOctober2017_Raval_Lecture

Day 2

KKS_VrajParikrama_26thOctober2017_SurabhiKunda_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_26thOctober2017_SurabhiKunda_ShortLectureOnGovardhan

Lecture and Kirtan – outstanding recordings

Day 3

KKS_VrajParikrama_27thOctober2017_Madhuvan_DhruvaTila_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_27thOctober2017_Madhuvan_DhruvaTila_Lecture

Day 4

Initiation ceremony and Damodarastakam – outstanding recordings

Day 5

KKS_VrajParikrama_29thOctober2017_Anjanoka_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_29thOctober2017_Anjanoka_Lecture

KKS_VrajParikrama_29thOctober2017_Sanket_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_29thOctober2017_Sanket_Lecture

Day 6

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thOctober2017_SudeviMandir_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thOctober2017_SudeviMandir_Lecture

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thOctober2017_Unchagaon_LalitaDeviTemple_Lecture

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thoctober2017_Unchagaon_DehaKunda_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thoctober2017_Unchagaon_DehaKunda_ShortLecture

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thOctober2017_Unchagaon_SakhiGiriParvat_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_30thOctober2017_Unchagaon_SakhiGiriParvat_Lecture

Kirtan at Srila Prabhupada’s house – outstanding recording

Day 7

KKS_VrajParikrama_31stOctober2017_PremSarovar_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_31stOctober2017_PremSarovar_Lecture

KKS_Vrindavan_31stOctober2017_Lecture_BG_17.24

Day 8

KKS_VrajParikrama_1stNovember2017_RamaGhat_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_1stNovember2017_RamaGhat_Lecture

KKS_VrajParikrama_1stNovember2017_ChirGhat_Kirtan

KKS_VrajParikrama_1stNovember2017_ChirGhat_Lecture

Day 9

KKS_Vrindavan_2ndNovember2017_JayaRadhaMadhava

KKS_Vrindavan_2ndNovember2017_Lecture_SB_7.8.49-50

KKS_Vrindavan_2ndNovember2017_Kirtan_Guruvastakam

KKS_Vrindavan_2ndNovember2017_JayadvaitaSwami_Glorification

Day 10

KKS_VrajParikrama_3rdNovember2017_YamunaBoatKirtan

Other_VrajParikrama_3rdNovember2017_YamunaBoatKirtan

Other

KKS_Vrindavan_24thNovember2017_Lecture_SB 7.9.19

Feeling Separation from Krishna.
Sacinandana Swami: “O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, a moment feels like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.’ (Sri Siksastaka, Verse 7)
For devotees of Krishna, the world feels empty in the absence of their beloved Lord. In affairs of love there is no substitute for the beloved—no other person, toy, or material object can replace one’s beloved. Without Krishna the world seems like a playroom filled with meaningless toys—toys that hold no fascination. A devotee wants only Krishna.
Because the devotees desire Krishna intensely, they cry tears. There are two kinds of tears—hot, angry tears and cool, happy tears—but the tears devotees shed when crying for their Lord are of a different type. These tears have a special potency because they wash away whatever contaminations remain over the eyes that block them from seeing Krishna. These tears actually make the devotees’ eyes clear so that they can always see Krishna. So what are we to make of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s wonderful verse that he composed while experiencing the highest ecstasy? Will we forever close our ears and hearts to his urgent message, fearing that we will never ourselves be able to experience exclusive longing? While it is, of course, a mistake to imitate exalted Krishna-conscious states, it is certainly favorable when we hanker for the day when we too will enter the mood of separation from Krishna. When we feel separation in this world, we feel only abject misery. We feel forsaken, forlorn, depressed. But if we can feel separation from Krishna, this separation will create the highest ecstasy in us. How? If we think of Krishna, Krishna will be present. Thoughts of Krishna are identical with Him. If we can think only of Krishna, intensely, then Krishna will be with us intensely. Truly feeling separated from Him and wanting nothing except His association certainly qualifies as intense thoughts of the Lord. In his Padyavali Srila Rupa Goswami cites this verse:

“If I have to choose between union with Krishna and separation from Him, I would choose separation, because when I am with Krishna I see only one Krishna, but when I am separated from Him, then I see Krishna coming toward me from every corner of the universe.”

If while in this world we can actually awaken to the fact that we are now separated from Krishna, we will not feel relaxed about our state. Especially when we are chanting Hare Krishna with an awareness of how we are separated we will begin to feel a deep necessity to reconnect with Him.

In 1969 Srila Prabhupada instructed the devotees to cry prayerfully for Krishna while chanting His name:

“So we are addressing, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna: ’O the energy of the Lord, O the Lord, please accept me.’ That’s all. ’Please accept me.’ We have no other prayer. ’Please accept me.’ Lord Caitanya taught that we should simply cry, and we shall simply pray for accepting us. That’s all. So this vibration is simply a cry for addressing the Supreme Lord, requesting Him, ’Please accept me. Please accept me.’”

It is said that separation is the best mood in which to perform bhajan. Srila Prabhupada once said,

Actually, meeting Krishna is possible through the attitude of separation taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When the feeling of separation becomes very intense, one attains the stage of meeting Sri Krishna. (Caitanya Caritamrita. Adi 4.108, purport) Many of you know how difficult it is to instruct the mind to think something particular. It is just as difficult to instruct the emotions what to feel. When we are unable to feel separation from Krishna and we either think we are doing all right or we remain disturbed by our material problems – that is, we do not long for Krishna – we should know something’s wrong with us. Sri Krishna is the source of all life and happiness. Why don’t we hanker to attain Him? Even a tree feels thirst when it does not rain and an animal feels hunger when there is no food. Isn’t God more to the soul than the food and drink that sustain the gross body? Still, there is hope on the horizon. The realized words of the great acharyas form a stream of sweet water to refresh our tired hearts and awaken in us feelings of devotion. Let us eagerly listen to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his song Kabe ha’be bolo as he makes his appeal:

1. Please tell me, when, o when, will that day be mine when my offenses will come to an end and a taste for the pure holy name will be infused in my heart by the power of divine grace?

2. Feeling myself lower than a blade of grass, welcoming the quality of forbearance into my heart, giving honor to all living beings, and becoming free of false pride, when will I taste the essence of the liquid nectar of the holy name?

3. Wealth, followers, beautiful women as described in worldly poetry—I do not want these bodily pleasures. O Lord Gaurahari! Please give me unmotivated devotion to Your lotus feet birth after birth.

4. When, while articulating the divine name of Sri Krishna, will my body thrill with ecstatic rapture, my words choke with emotion, and my body lose color and tremble ecstatically? When will streams of tears flow constantly from my eyes?

5. When, in the land of Navadvipa, on the banks of the celestial Ganga, will I run about innocently calling out, “O Gaura! O Nityananda’? Dancing and singing, I will wander about like a madman, giving up all consideration of proper social behavior.

6. When will Lord Nityananda be merciful to me and release me from the illusion of worldliness? When will he give me the shade of his own lotus feet and bestow on me the qualification necessary to enter the marketplace of the holy name?

7. Somehow or other I shall buy or steal the mellows of the name of Lord Hari. Becoming thoroughly intoxicated by those liquid mellows I will become stunned. By touching the feet of those great souls who are expert in relishing those mellows I will be constantly immersed in the sweet nectar of the holy name.

8. When will there be an awakening in me of compassion for all fallen souls? Then this Bhaktivinoda will forget his own happiness, and with a meek heart he will set out to propagate by humble solicitation the sacred order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

I once met a devotee to whom I confessed the hard state of my heart: “I never feel any longing for Krishna. Rather, I feel satisfied with the present state of my life. What can you recommend so that I can enter the world of spiritual feeling?” The devotee’s answer surprised me: “If you cannot hanker for Krishna, then hanker that one day you will hanker for Krishna. If you cannot hanker for that day, then hanker for the day when one day you will hanker for Krishna.” He went on until his point was clear: start somewhere.

HARINAM Sankirtan by the ISKCON Sigatoka Devotees, Fiji (12 min video)
The devotees there perform Harinama every Sunday.
Srila Prabhupada: “As a result of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Krishna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.28)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/P4oxGb

You may already know what an amazing event ISKCON Leadership Sanga is, with over a thousand ISKCON leaders and potential leaders, like yourself, from around the world attending. Many will share their skills and knowledge through a wide variety of presentations, seminars, and workshops. This spectacular event will run from February 4 – 11, 2018 at Sri […]

The post ISKCON Leadership Sanga 2018 Registration has begun! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

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The post Why do the Vedas give all rights to men and no rights to women, who simply have to obey men? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Food for Life Vrindavan organised a Cleaning Drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Vrindavan.

Chile beach Harinama, Vina del Mar (Album with photos)
My dear King, congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord is th...

The post Daily Darshan: December 09, 2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

TOVP: Amazing time-lapse video of the Kalash and Chakra installation on the Planetarium Dome (2 min video)

A Ray of Vishnu (video)
A class by H.G.Bhurijan Prabhu about the Disappearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.

Srila Prabhupada: “You know, they think we’re CIA in Bengal.”
Sravanananda: During one Ratha-yatra in New York where both Prabhupada and Jayananda attended, I hired a professional film crew to document the entire event.
It was a random thing I did just so I could take it back with me to India and show everyone there.
In India we had a portable briefcase projector called a Fairchild that was ideal for viewing.
It would pop open and people could watch movies right on their desk or we could flip the lens and reflect it on a large sheet for the villagers.
When I did return to Madras with the film I was able to show it to Srila Prabhupada and he really liked it.
I was very happy I could please him.
The first thing he said was, “You know, they think we’re CIA in Bengal.”
Prabhupada said, “How would people think we’re CIA and put on a Ratha-yatra in Manhattan? What CIA would put on a Ratha-yatra in Manhattan?”
Prabhupada said to me, “Would you mind going to Bengal and show this in every town and village?”
I never thought of that since I was totally entrenched in Madras.
When Prabhupada asked me to go Bengal I said, “Srila Prabhupada, whatever you want.”
The way Prabhupada asked me was just the epitome of humility.
It wasn’t a directive, “Go to Bengal.”
I went to Bengal and went village to village from the Bay of Bengal, to Darjeeling to Assam.
We showed the movie on screens and had reporters attend as well.
We were traveling on the boat program and we were also distributing Gitar Gans.
I wrote a letter to Srila Prabhupada that said we had just distributed sixteen thousand Gitar Gans in one month.
Prabhupada wrote a letter back stating, “That is very results.”
I will always remember that, “That is very results.”
We were ecstatic that we could please him and serve him in separation.
Prabhupada’s instructions in his books were extremely powerful and his desire to save every living entity within the universe by the distribution of not only his books, but prasadam and all the paraphernalia that he introduced was all inspiring.
Prabhupada was also always gracious.
When he was a guest at someone’s house, he wasn’t a king.
He was always a servant.
He was always there to serve even his own disciples.
I felt his greatest kindness when I listened to the audio of Prabhupada on morning walks in Bombay with Dr. Patel.
Dr. Patel would always ask aggressive, somewhat condescending, irritable questions to Srila Prabhupada.
I never saw Prabhupada upset with him once.
I sometimes have to turn off my audio when that man is talking.
It just seems so offensive to me.
But Prabhupada liked that combative mood because he knew the whole world was challenging this philosophy and he was letting us see how to deal with this type of person.
It was almost like Prabhupada was doing the Chinese water torture on him because I met that man after Prabhupada left, and he was crying like a child when the talked about Prabhupada.
Prabhupada wore him down because he never got angry with him.
He just kept answering his questions beautifully.
I never once had a doubt to this day about Srila Prabhupada and I’m just so happy I found Prabhupada or he found us.
That is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.
—Sravanananda

Devotees to Feed 3,000 London Refugees, Homeless and Students Daily in the UK.
Charity organization Food For All, run by Parasurama Das and other ISKCON devotees, is set to move out of its previous home at Bhaktivedanta Manor and into two purpose-built kitchens in London. The move will see Food For All triple its prasadam distribution.
The first kitchen will be a multi-storey building just down the road from the four-star Kingsway Hall Hotel in the University Area of Holborn, where over forty thousand students study. The building will be a temporary location until Food For All moves into its own kitchen in the Kingsway Hall Hotel itself.
The new kitchen will be kitted out with the best industrial cooking implements, including two 370 liter stainless-steel pots.
Members of Food For All’s fifteen devotee staff will cook rice, subji, salad, cake, and herbal tea daily.

Our greatest problem is that we have turned away from Krishna. This one action has turned into our existential dilemma. We are lost servants. But strangely we think, at least unconsciously, that it is Krishna who has abandoned us. Only when we become eager to meet Krishna again, and serve Him with body, mind and heart – as eager as a drowning man is eager to breathe again – can we attain our spiritual success. Real love, however, will only flow when we move out of the center and put Krishna there. For that, hearing about Krishna’s divine characteristics, activities and His sweet relationships with the devotees, is essential. Lila or Krishna’s pastimes, is defined by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur as that which nourishes and protects us and then gives us an intense desire to attain Krishna (samvardhanam samposanam laulyam dadati lila). When we are fully nourished with Krishna consciousness, we do not feel the need to go to maya in search of false shelter. Krishna affords us with the best protection. So as a result of hearing again and again about Krishna, an intense desire to attain Him is installed in our heart. That is the potency of Krishna-lila. It works for sure. Continue reading "Two Essential Keys To Increase Our Attraction To Sri Krishna
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