Planet ISKCON

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The post Renunciation doesn’t make devotion attractive – devotion makes renunciation attractive appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

By Gour Govinda Swami

“The love of Radhika is My teacher, and I am Her dancing pupil. Her prema makes Me dance various novel dances.”(Cc, Adi-lila 4.121-124) “You will find three topics in radha-prema. Radha-prema is so powerful that it makes Krsna, who is almighty and all-powerful, mad. Krsna is all-powerful, almighty and omnipotent, yet He becomes mad for radha-prema. So radha-prema is greater than Him. Number two is that the pleasure and happiness derived from relishing the mellow of that love, radha-prema, is unknown to Krsna. It is unknown to Him who is all-knowing. Therefore radha-prema is greater. The third and last point is that there is a combination of two opposites in radha-prema. One after another we will discuss these three topics.” Continue reading "Radha-Prema Makes Krsna Mad
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By Madhava Smullen

Themed “Back to the Basics,” the aim of the conference is not only to discuss the big picture end result; but also to provide practical first steps and a support network for those who feel inspired to carry out Prabhupada’s instructions on simple living, yet lack the experience or knowledge. ECO-V General Manager Ranaka Das, who has served at New Vrindaban for over forty years, will give participants a tour of the cow protection facilities along with a history of New Vrindaban’s cow protection program – the first in the Western World. Continue reading "New Vrindaban Invites All North American ISKCON Farmers To Second Annual Farm Conference
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Ecstatic harinam at Flowers Square in Zagreb, with HH Candramauli Swami and devotees (12 min video) Watch it here: https://goo.gl/fvMH3M

‘Fire' written and performed by Dhanya. Produced by Robin Livingston and Dhanya. Directed by Rasa Partin Stylist: Ganga (Wild Mudra).

Hurricane Harvey has caused major destruction in Houston and throughout Texas in the last several days. 21 trillion gallons of rain fell on the Houston area, causing 51 inches of flooding in the worst hit places. Thirty to forty thousand homes were destroyed by floodwaters just in and around Houston; 39 people died, and 13 million were directly affected.

By Madhava Smullen

The gardens at Srila Prabhupada’s Palace have always been jewels that enhance the beauty of this place of pilgrimage; while themselves becoming more beautiful by serving the pure devotee.

In 2014, after a long and illustrious history, they began their transition from chemical to organic. And today, like much of New Vrindaban, there are efforts to make them more practical and sustainable so that they can continue to flourish in Prabhupada’s service long into the future.

In September 1979, when the Palace first opened, the idea was to make the gardens as elaborate as possible to reflect its opulence. Beds were laid out formally on the Palace’s multi-level terraces and patios with cast concrete borders, fountains and symmetrical designs.

Vidya Dasi was the first head gardener, starting in 1980 and transporting flowers and other plants from the greenhouse at Bahulaban. The next year, miniature roses were planted around the Palace itself, beginning the famous Rose Garden. On the second level down, dahlia gardens appeared in front of the lotus-shaped fountains. On the ground level, in the Garden of Time, a colorful mix of annuals were planted. And just inside the entrance of the property, Vidya planted two 400-foot beds, and decorated the walkways with basket planters full of geraniums and petunias.

By 1984, Vidya and her crew were tending to 30,000 annual flowers, 40,000 spring flowering bulbs, and 5,000 tender summer flowering plants. Flowering shrubs and evergreen trees such as white pines and Norway spruce were positioned on the front slope of the Palace, as well as many rhododendrons. Lotus flowers and lilies grew in the fountains. And with the success of a 300+ plant rose garden, devotees decided to eventually plant the entire Garden of Time with roses.

“A lot of people ask me for my garden secrets,” Vidya wrote in a Brijabasi Spirit article during the 1980s. “This is my best one. Love is service; service is love. You can’t separate them. In growing flowers for Krishna, we’re showing Him our love. It’s practical.”

After Vidya, Betty Hickey, who came from a neighboring family of farmers, became the Palace Gardens caretaker in 1985 and managed them for the next twenty-six years.

Under Betty, in 1987 the Palace Rose Garden became one of only 130 gardens in America accredited by the All-America Rose Selections (AARS), which held very high standards.

This non-profit organization ran the world’s most challenging horticultural testing program, and gave the most exceptional roses its seal of approval. It would then give five of these winning rose varieties free of charge to AARS-accredited gardens like the Palace Rose Garden every year to showcase.

At one point, the Palace Garden boasted over 100 different varieties of roses, while close to half of its 850 rose plants were AARS winners.

In addition, the AARS awarded the Rose Garden certificates of achievement for garden maintenance nine times between 1992 and 2007.

As a result, the Garden frequently made newspaper headlines and drew tourists and rose afficianados from around the country in their thousands. Serving as the tour guide, Betty would lead them around, charming them with her warmth and botanical knowledge.

In 2011, Betty retired. New Vrindaban residents praised her for her care, dedication and kind-heartedness. For her part, Betty said she had “made so many wonderful friendships over the years” and commented, “I think that it’s not work if it’s good work, and I always enjoyed my work here.”

Gopa and Mukunda pruning rose bushes in Palace Gardens 2015

At Betty’s request, Gopalasyapriya Dasi stepped in to oversee the Gardens, a service that means a lot to her. Gopa grew up in the suburbs of Detroit – but working in a greenhouse as a teenager turned her towards spirituality.

“It changed my life,” she says. “I had never thought much about God, but watching the plants grow and seeing their variegatedness and tiny intricate root systems made me start appreciating the Lord’s creation.”

Gopa started working with Betty back in 2000, learning everything she could from her. So she was a perfect replacement. Starting in 2014, Gopa began implementing ISKCON New Vrindaban’s decision to shift from chemical care to a more sustainable and organic garden.

The move was made based on research showing that while pesticides and products like Round-Up control weeds and bugs, they also have many negative effects. Organic methods, devotees decided, are far better for health, the environment and of course for smelling and offering to Krishna.

Aiding devotees in the change was expert rosarian Paul Zimmerman. Paul was adamant that despite common misperceptions, roses do not need lots of chemicals to be healthy and flourish. He said it would take them several years, however, to adjust to the change and build up their immune systems naturally.

Some of the techniques included improving the quality of the soil with organic fertilizers, mulch and compost; spraying with vinegar; removing weaker varieties of roses and replacing them with naturally bug-resident strands; and putting in companion plants such as Dahlias and Blue Salvias.

As of now, the Rose Garden is gradually beginning to adjust and flourish with a more natural beauty, and is expected to really come into its own with the next couple of years. The new approach is sure to appeal to today’s more health and environment-conscious public. It’s also in line with Vaishnava principles and Prabhupada’s simple living vision for New Vrindaban.

These days, Gopalasyapriya continues to work with the roses while Mukunda Dasi is the head gardener. And under her and Prabhupada’s Palace manager Vrajakishor Das, there is another shift afoot: devotees are working to increase the overall beauty of the gardens, while simplifying the presentation so that they are easier to maintain in the long run.

The Rose Garden still grows mostly roses and is a gorgeous sight when in full bloom. Tear-shaped beds arranged in a semi-circle around the fountain are full of dozens of varieties in orange, yellow, pink, white, red, and purple. They’re peppered with delights like miniature roses, a “hot chocolate” rose and a tall red one called “Mr. Lincoln.” Between each bed are wrought-iron trellises welded by devotees and decorated with beautiful climbing roses.

But now, with a focus on simplification and with the All-American Rose Society no longer in existence, there are also other kinds of flowers in the rose garden: tulips, rhododendron and azalea bushes, vinca, dahlias and zinnias, all of which make it burst with color.

“In the outer walkways and gardens surrounding the Palace, we’re also starting to introduce some perennials, so we don’t have to keep planting ever year,” says Vrajakishor. “We’re simplifying the varieties, and doing more standardized color schemes. Around the exterior edge of the Palace wall, we’ve replaced what used to be a plantable garden bed with decorative stone. This highlights the architecture of the Palace more and saves a lot of labor just for that one bed!”

It’s a strategy that’s sure to keep Srila Prabhupada’s Palace Gardens attracting thousands long into the future. And Mukunda and Gopalasyapriya are delighted to work together on it.

“We started in the Gardens about fourteen years ago under Betty Hickey,” says Mukunda. “I just love Gopa – she’s a wonderful personality, one of my favorite people in New Vrindaban.”

Gopa says the same. And both add that they love serving in the Gardens, because it keeps them grounded and connected to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.

What’s more, Gopa feels that when the Gardens are well-maintained, they add to guests’ appreciation of Prabhupada’s Palace. They also create a spiritual world-like atmosphere and reflect well on the community.

“When they are well cared for, it shows that there’s love and devotion — bhakti –  going on here,” she says with a smile.

New Vraja Dhama is perfect for the main event – devotees on the 660-acre farm have had decades of experience and grow their own vegetables, fruits, and grains. They also care for cows and have their own waste water treatment system and solar panels that cover a large portion of their electricity needs.

The post Daily Darshan: August 31,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world.

This is lesson 3 teaching the voice commands Get Up and Whoa. More lessons to come. These lessons will take the viewer through the training process from infancy to adulthood or full working capacity. The goal is to show the usefulness of the ox as an alternative to his slaughter. A video by ISCOWP.

A video by Ananta Vrindavan.

How to Reconcile a Sentimental Heart and a Skeptical Mind (5 min video)
Devamrita Swami: It’s a very distressing affliction to have a sentimental heart and a skeptical mind. This syndrome is very prevalent in 1st world and is now even popping up in the 2nd and 3rd world.
Our heart longs for fulfilment, security and love. Simultaneously our mind can be so skeptical and cynical - how to reconcile the two? This problem has to be resolved on a level higher than the material platform through applied spiritual technology.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/1KhYeG

Answer Podcast

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The post If Krishna is eternally youthful in the spiritual world, are his childhood pastimes present there? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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The post From Love Universal to Bhakti Confidential – Gaudiya Vaishnavism Glories 6 – Parakiya-rasa is not immoral, but trans-moral appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Shraddha Season - Bhaktivedanta Manor.
Wednesday 6th September – Tuesday 19th September
Sraddha period is a very important time for those with deceased parents and grandparents, as during this period offerings are made to help the soul of the ancestor on its journey. Ancestors are important because we owe them our very existence, so the least we can do is to help them, even though they have disappeared from our sight.

ISKCON Vrindavan bags the Green Temple Award 2017 on Vedic Earth Day.
On Varah Jayanti, Friends of Vrindavan held its fifth annual Vedic Earth Day and Green Awards Ceremony at the Swami Vivekananda Auditorium at Vrindavan’s Ramkrishna Mission.
A total of five “Vrindavan Green Awards” were distributed to a distinguished temple, school, campaigner, author and activist.
This year, ISKCON Vrindavan took home the Green Temple award for its environmentally-conscious services, including organic farming, conversion of prasadi flowers into compost, cow protection, marketing of non-dairy cow products like gomutra and govar, and more.

Our Only Hope (Album with photos)
Giridhari Swami: This year I had the good fortune of celebrating Sri Radhastami at ISKCON Hong Kong. His Holiness Rtadhvaja Swami Maharaja is visiting and this made the festival very special indeed. We held two programs, one at noon for the temple devotees and close congregational members, and the other in the evening for our Indian congregation. The noon program included an abhiseka of our Devarishi Prabhu’s Radhe-Shyama deities, kirtan, a presentation given by yours truly, aratika, and prasadam. The evening program included a class given by Rtadhvaja Maharaja, puspa abhiseka, kirtan, aratika and prasadam. Both programs were well attended and everyone wholeheartedly engaged in some serious hearing and chanting. I want to share with you an excerpt from a lecture Srila Prabhupada gave in London on the occasion of Radhastami, which I included in my presentation:

Radharani is hari-priya, very dear to Krsna. So if we approach Krsna through Radharani, through the mercy of Radharani, then it becomes very easy. If Radharani recommends that “This devotee is very nice,” then Krsna immediately accepts, however fool I may be. Because it is recommended by Radharani, Krsna accepts.

(Radhastami – August 29, 1971, London)

Our only hope of approaching Krishna is through Radharani. It is fortunate for us that Krishna and Radharani both come together as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the most merciful Lord of all Lords. He only asks that we chant Krishna’s holy name purely and request others to do the same.

Sri Radhastami ki-jaya!
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki-jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki-jaya!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/kBRXs1

Sankirtan Stories.
A bouquet of flowers for … (surprise!)
I was distributing books at a community market in Australia, where I met a florist who had a booth. He was happy to take the Bhagavad-gita and a few small books. He gave a generous donation and on top of that, he gave me a bouquet of flowers. He expressed his interest in visiting the ISKCON farm, New Govardhana, and said he would come for the Sunday feast. I was happy to meet such a favorable person and pleased that he gave me something special to bring back and offer to the Deities.
I stuck the stalk of the bouquet into my backpack, and the flowers visibly stuck out of the top of it. I carried on distributing books, and after an hour or so of not seeing my sankirtan partner, I happened to walk past her while she was in the middle of distributing a book. She reached over just as I walked by and pulled the bouquet from my backpack.
She said to the fortunate soul with Prabhupada’s books in his hands, “You can give her these.”
I later learned that the man she was speaking with had come to the market to buy flowers for his wife and had brought only enough money for that. Because she gave him the bouquet of flowers I had received, he was able to give a donation and take home the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna couldn’t have had me walk by at a more perfect time.
Cc. Adi 12.94-5: “The ocean of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is immeasurable and unfathomable. Who can have the courage to measure that great ocean? It is not possible to dip into that great ocean, but its sweet mellow fragrance attracts my mind. I therefore stand on the shore of that ocean to try to taste but a drop of it.”
Yours in service,
Bhaktin Karly

Radhastami in Vraja (Album with photos) Indradyumna Swami: On the auspicious day of Radhastami we visited Raval, where Srimati Radharani made He...

By His Divine Grace A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada

Dear Swami, Your philosophy states that the soul or Self is eternal, and that God, the Supreme Self, is also eternal. If this is so, then how is God to be considered the Creator ? Sincerely, Mary Welch. Srila Prabhupada: Dear Miss Welch, Creator means the Source, and creation means the emanation from that Source. The Creator and the creation are both eternal but the creation depends upon the Creator, and not vice versa. It is like the sun and the sunlight. They are always together, but the sun is supreme and independent, while the sunlight is subordinate. Still, they are not separable, as we are eternally inseparable from God. Ever your well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Continue reading "The Swami Responds – 2
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By ISKCON YOUTH FORUM Delhi

Udgaar is a youth festival organized by ISKCON Youth Forum, Delhi at regular intervals for inspiring the youths to develop the natural goodness of the heart and persuade them to share it with others. The festival witnessed participation of more than 500 youths from different nook and corner of Delhi-NCR. The festival was presided by many dignitaries like R.P. Singh, BJP national secretary, Gopal Krishna Aggrawal, BJP Spokesperson and others. The festival started with video show and melodious kirtans by devotees which mesmerized the youths assembled. After this exuberant and spiritually enlivening opening, the chief guests performed the Lamp-lightening ceremony in accordance with the Vedic aphorism “Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamya”. This was followed by a seminar on the topic” Transcendental Transformers” by HG Amogha Lila Pr, Vice President ISKCON Dwarka and visiting faculty in IIM Ahamdabad and IIT Patna. He spell bound the youths present with his pragmatic and logical presentation of Krishna Consciousness. The seminar was followed by events like drama, rock show and sumptuous prasadam which helped the audience to relish the variety of Krishna Consciousness in a most pleasing and palatable manner. Continue reading "UDGAAR -An Expression of Goodness and Joy
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The Glories of Srimati Radharani by Lokanath Swami (video) Morning Class at ISKCON Vrindavan, 29 Aug 2017. Watch it here: https://goo.gl/ACAxc1

It is never too late to be what you might have been – George Eliot

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Sometimes we feel that life has passed us by, that it is now too late to do many of the things we wanted to achieve in our life. Such thoughts demoralize us and prevent us from taking the small incremental steps on the path to improvement that may still be possible for us.

Amidst such demoralization, Gita wisdom offers consolation and inspiration with the insight that it is never too late because we are eternal. We are at our core indestructible souls who continue to exist even after the destruction of our bodies. With this spiritual worldview, we understand that we will always have opportunities to improve – if not in this lifetime, then in a future lifetime. Such understanding causes hope eternal to spring in our heart. Being animated by this hope, we can resist the temptation to quit.

When we keep trying determinedly, we are often pleasantly surprised to discover that we are able to do many of the things that we had thought were beyond us. Undoubtedly, certain achievements depend on certain material conditions; if those conditions are changed irrevocably, then those achievements may become impossible. A sports player who grows too old to play can’t become a champion in that sport.

Thankfully however, this irrevocability applies only to material achievements, not spiritual achievements. The summit of all spiritual achievements is to connect lovingly with Krishna, our all-attractive Lord whose parts we are eternally, and to rejoice forever in that connection. The opportunity to develop that spiritual connection always stays with us, no matter how many material things are taken away from us.

Thus, the spirit of the statement that we are never too late applies most realistically to our spiritual growth. The Bhagavad-gita explains that the soul never ages. Being eternal, it exists beyond time. And realizing ourselves to be souls opens the door to a fulfillment that exists beyond time, a fulfillment that is never too late to pursue and achieve. Learning to live as souls by practicing yoga, especially bhakti-yoga, raises our vision beyond bodily pleasures. Such pleasures become too late to enjoy when our body ages and loses its capacity to enjoy. Even when the body has that capacity, those pleasures remain at best fleeting and unfulfilling.

When we internalize Gita wisdom, we realize that life has much more to offer us than what we had been taught to believe by our prevailing materialistic culture. Life is meant for redirecting our love from the world to the source of the world, the all-attractive supreme, Krishna. When we learn to purify our heart and center it on him, we find ourselves becoming that which is our hearts’ deepest calling.

Ultimately, life’s greatest achievement is not in getting or doing – it is in becoming. Or more precisely, it is a becoming by which realize our being. As souls, we are, by our very nature, blissful beings. Only because we misidentify with our physical bodies and become attached to worldly objects do we become oblivious to our innate blissfulness. We become aware of our essential identity and the concomitant joyfulness by practicing bhakti-yoga. And as bhakti-yoga, the path of eternal spiritual love, is the perennial calling of the deepest layer of the human heart, it is not dependent on anything material, not even age.

So, yes, it is never too late for us to be what we were meant to be – spiritually realized individuals contributing harmoniously to the all-attractive whole and therein relishing sublime, supreme fulfillment.

 

The post It is never too late appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

My favorite place in Vrindavan is the Kusum Sarovar. During my recent Vrindavan visit, I savored the beauty of the Sarovar in the early morning hours.

A local caretaker took us inside one of the buildings to have darshan of Vishnu’s lotus feet there. He explained how the Rajput kings who had built the Kusum Sarovar had countered through construction the destruction that had been wrought in Vraja by Mughal invaders.

As I meditated on the architectural beauty of Kusum Sarovar, it struck me that the attack on bhakti nowadays was not so much architectural as it was intellectual. Temples are not being widely destroyed today, but the faith that makes people come to temples is being extensively destroyed. Srila Prabhupada has launched a dual program of both architectural and intellectual rejuvenation. He has inspired the building of many beautiful temples and has also inspired the systematic study of bhakti wisdom that will protect and strengthen the faith that drives people to visit the temples. I spoke these thoughts briefly: Kusum Sarovar meditation – Cherishing the culture rich with spiritual stimuli.

As I beheld the beauty of Kusum Sarovar that is evident to our fallible eyes even today and meditated on the timeless beauty of Vrindavan that is revealed through scriptures, I felt a longing to relish Krishna’s Vraja-lila. Many devotees across the world have told me that as they grow older, they feel inspired to cut down on their worldly engagements and focus more on direct devotional service, maybe even relocate to Vrindavan.

I found myself conflicted while praying for something similar because my present service seems to be keeping me away from directly meditating on Krishna-lila. And as I have started focusing on Western outreach over the last few years, I have needed to read, think, speak and write on basic human applications of spiritual principles because that’s what most people nowadays find relevant – that’s what they need to hear before they will even consider Krishna-lila as anything more than religious mythology.

Of course, there are thousands eager to hear direct Krishna-lila. But far more are the people who need to be made ready to hear about Krishna, and serving them happens to be my primary service.

Thinking how far my consciousness was from direct meditation on Krishna-lila had left me feeling a little devotionally forlorn. But I felt strengthened on visiting another of my favorite places in Vrindavan – Prabhupada’s rooms in Radha-Damodara temple. Though Prabhupada had been there, at the lotus feet of Krishna and the acharyas, he had left Vrindavan to go to New York – and there too, to the Lower East Side, the Mecca of the hippies. Why had he embarked on this perilous journey? Because his devotion was not just to relish Krishna’s sweetness, but to get those stooped in degradation to relish that sweetness. It is because of Srila Prabhupada’s selfless sacrifice that I and millions of souls like me have the opportunity to start relishing Krishna-lila.

As a service to Srila Prabhupada and his followers, I too need to study and share that which serves his mission. Meditating on Prabhupada’s example reminded me forcefully that speaking is first and foremost a service. What we speak on is not as defining as why we speak it. To think that just by speaking directly about Krishna, we will automatically be closer to him is like thinking that just by being in Vrindavan, we will automatically be closer to Krishna. Yes, speaking directly about Krishna-lila is wonderful, as is being in Vrindavan. But what is more important is the consciousness, the attitude, the intent. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura has memorably said: “Don’t try to see Krishna – try to serve him in such a way that he will want to see you.” And a variant of that saying applies to those who are trying to share bhakti in today’s world: “Don’t try to see Krishna by speaking about direct Krishna-lila – try to serve Krishna by speaking about Krishna-shiksha, his teachings that will help people come closer to him; and he will reveal himself as per his sweet plan.”

The post Meditation on Vrindavan – relishing Krishna-lila and sharing Krishna-shiksha appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post From love universal to bhakti confidential – Gaudiya Vaishnavism glories (05) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

A video by Kunjabihari Dasi.

Answer Podcast

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