Planet ISKCON

By the inspiration of Jayapataka Swami, The Mayapur Chandras team organizes Kartik Navadvip Mandal Parikrama every year. For more information please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mayapur.Chandras

The walk began from Canterbury Cathedral - the mother of all pilgrimage sites in the UK. The devotees were blessed by the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral for a safe journey, providing an auspicious start to the festival of peace. The opening ceremony was also attended by Cathedral officials, local dignitaries, members of the Canterbury interfaith group.

A new rendition of the famous “The Boat Man & The Scholar” story by the Bhaktivedanta Players of Bhaktivedanta Manor (17 min video)
There was a poor boatman in a village. He was illiterate. He used to row boat to meet his both ends…
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/7wgRoV

Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement, and the Swami Who Started It All had its world premiere in June, at the Illuminate film festival in Sedona, in the USA. At the time of writing, the well-known movie review site Rottentamatoes.com, was reporting that 92% of their visitors who rated the movie liked it. The professional critics are not so sure, giving it only 14% on the Tomatometer. 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 31 July 2005)

The scripture says that if you chant the Holy Name of the Lord even once, you will be purified for more sinful activities than you can commit in an entire lifetime; imagine that! So can we all say the whole mantra just once:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

That was quick, wasn’t it, more sinful activities destroyed now than we can commit in an entire lifetime! Have you ever thought of the power of the maha mantra in that way? It is certainly not an ordinary thing. We are just not aware of the power of the Holy Name, the power of this Movement.

Just to bow down before the deities with our head on the ground, that alone will be sufficient for Krsna to accept us as his devotee! All these things are extraordinarily powerful, yet we do them very casually. There is also maha prasadam, it tastes very nice but consider the potency of it! The potency is inconceivable and just by doing these things, one transforms!

What does a prayer mean?
Question: My contemplations on prayer find me asking for a clear definition of what prayer is. I heard that it means to glorify the Lord. Also that chanting the Holy Name is the best prayer. Also that prayer means an intense desire.
What does a prayer mean? Is it accepting Supreme position of the Lord and subordinating my will to His Will?
How can I pray with a heart that gets frequently doubtful about Krsna and His devotees? Nonetheless I pray because I have seen nothing else working out and I have been recommended to do so. Reading some of your kind answers I felt like seeking this clarification.
———
Answer by Romapada Swami: Prayer, or vandanam, is the sixth of the nine processes of devotional service. The dictionary meaning of prayer is defined as “a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.”

Prayer is a unique way of expressing our heartfelt expressions to Krishna; it is a way of expressing our heart to the Lord. Prayer expressed with deep feeling and sincerity is what is accepted by the Lord. Prayer indicates something that is above us, higher than us, or even beyond us. That which the senses and mind cannot reach, prayers can reach, although we are using the senses and mind to pray.

The best way to pray in this age of Kali is to chant the Maha-mantra with all of one’s sincerity.

The real purpose of prayer is not to gain material resources or even spiritual salvation for oneself. The power of prayer comes when we call to Krishna out of a desire to do His will. Such pure prayers are not means to the end but are themselves loving exchanges between the Lord and His pure devotees. Whether we call on Him from the darkness of our fallen state in the material world, or whether we praise Him in the midst of His liberated associates in the kingdom of God, the pure prayer is the same: “Please engage me in Your service”.

Srila Prabhuapda explains the meaning of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra as follows: “The mantra is a spiritual call to the Lord, meaning, ‘Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in the loving service of Lord Krishna.’ This chanting of Hare Krishna is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, surpassing all lower stages of consciousness, namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need of mental speculation, nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such anyone can take part in this transcendental sound vibration without any previous qualification and dance in ecstasy. The word Hara is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord. Both Krishna and Rama are forms of directly addressing the Lord, and they mean “the highest pleasure.” Hara is the supreme pleasure potency of the Lord. This potency, addressed as Hare, helps us in reaching the Supreme Lord. The three words-namely Hare, Krishna, and Rama-are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra, and the chanting is the spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, for giving protection to the conditioned souls. The chanting is exactly like genuine crying by the child for his mother. Mother Hara helps in achieving the grace of the supreme father Hari, or Krishna, and the Lord reveals Himself to such sincere devotees”.

Outlined below are few of the many benefits of Chanting the Maha Mantra:

1. One can be liberated from the effects of all sins simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

2. One is directly associating with Krsna by chanting the Hare Krsna maha mantra.

3. Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God.

4. Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way.

5. When one chants Hare Krishna, one automatically develop knowledge and detachment.

6. Chanting Hare Krishna gets one out of the endless cycle of birth and death.

7. Chanting Hare Krishna cleanses the heart of all illusions and misunderstandings.

8. By chanting Hare Krishna, one becomes free from all anxieties..

9. There are no hard and fast rules for chanting. One can chant anywhere, any time, under any circumstances.

10. Krishna Himself is fully present in the transcendental sound of His name.

11. All other Vedic mantras are included in the chanting of Hare Krishna maha mantra.

12. A person who chants Hare Krishna develops all good qualities.

A video by Ananta Vrindavan.

Interview with Jaya Jagannath Das.
They call me “Jaya”. My spiritual journey began when I was 17. At that time, I was training as a ballet dancer in New York (I had started training when I was 11 years old). I was also on the quest for love. I had a vague idea what to look for, but nothing that was very concrete. Sometimes, I would walk a hundred blocks hoping that I would bump into love someday! Of course it never happened. Later on, my roommate and cousin introduced a book to me by Carl Jung called “Man and His Symbols”. In that book he talked a lot about consciousness and super consciousness, dreams and architypes, dreams and songs. That kind of steered my quest for love in the spiritual direction. So, I started reading a lot of philosophical and religious books in order to inform myself about what love was.
I started reading a lot of philosophical and religious books in order to inform myself about what love was. So both of their conclusions were not satisfying… One day, I stumbled upon Srila Prabhupada’s book called “The Science of Self-Realization”
So, I started reading a lot of philosophical and religious books in order to inform myself about what love was. I was reading a lot from both Eastern and Western traditions. What I liked about the Western traditions was that their conclusions often were about the relationship with God, although it was very vague. What I liked about the Eastern traditions was that they had a lot of philosophical content that was just absolutely profound. But their conclusion was often very morbid: either you cease to exist (my understanding of the Buddhists at that time) or you merge with the Absolute and also cease to exist. So both of their conclusions were not satisfying, although the profound philosophical content was very interesting, fascinating, and nice. One day, I stumbled upon Srila Prabhupada’s book called “The Science of Self-Realization” (I was 18 at that time). The way I stumbled upon this book – I was starting to get into hip-hop. I was also writing hip-hop and we found a friend who was an actual artist (a lot of his music was about spiritual subject matter). So, I became his friend just to kind of pick his brain on spiritual subjects.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/gB2QSX

The Original Formula (7 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Lord Caitanya’s movement started with Harinam samkirtan - going out and chanting the holy names in the street with musical instruments. The process is as effective now as it was then. And it will work for the next 10,000 years. All glories to Sri Krsna samkirtan!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/BjdDES

Guruvayur, also called ‘Dwarka of Southern India’, houses the famous Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple. Guruvayur Sri Krishna, also affectionately called as “Sri Guruvayoorappan”, the presiding deity, was installed by Brihaspati and Vayu. Sri Guruvayoorappan is a four-armed form of Lord Krishna in standing posture with a chakra in the right hand, conchshell in the left, and mace and lotus flower in the other two. Lord Krishna displayed this form of His only twice during His appearance on earth: once to Arjuna just before the battle of Kuruksetra while speaking the Bhagavad-Gita, and once to His parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, at the time of His appearance in Mathura. This deity was worshipped by Vasudeva and Devaki in Dwarka. When Lord Krishna wanted to end His manifest pastimes on this planet, He entrusted His devoted friend Uddhava, to take good care of the Deity. Lord Krishna prophesied to Uddhava that at the end of His earthly sojourn, the island of Dwarka would be swept away by the sea, 7 days after He would leave. Continue reading "Sri Guruvayur Yatra
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An inspiring departure. For many years, Shri Shah had been averse to even visit Vaishnava Seva P’s house, leave alone stay there. Like most fathers, he had had great dreams for his son. When Vaishnava Seva Prabhu had started practicing bhakti, his father had become upset. His anger was not because they were from a Jain background, but because he feared that his son would neglect his career. In his disappointment, he had spoken heated words to, Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s spiritual master, HH Radhanatha Maharaj. He had even threatened to not attend Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s marriage. Continue reading "When Krishna thrusts his mercy, inconceivably
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We shall call our Society ISKCON! Srila Prabhupada coined the acronym, although many alternative names were proposed, why?

A video by the Bhaktivedanta Manor.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 April 2010, Radhadesh, Belgium, Lecture)

Another quality that I would like to see in individuals is kindness. Kindness is so important! We want to be on the receiving end of kindness but to be kind is so difficult however this is something that I see as being part of a strong individual. It is something that we all should try to cultivate. I would be so pleased if my disciples would be known for their extraordinary kindness. I think that it would be a real victory because kindness is what really conquers; it is what will truly make a difference.

It is one quality that I really appreciated in Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada as the most exalted but you also see him as a very kind, wise human being. This is what I wish to become. I know and I’ll say it here that I have a sharp side in my nature. I can be quite cutting and it is not my favourite quality in myself. I’m trying to grow out of it and I guess it’s getting a little better. But those who get close to me, they get the brunt of it! It is something to work on. May we all be challenged to grow; this is what is required.

It is not enough just to be a member of ISKCON, just to be here, just to be initiated. It is nice and it is meaningful but I like to compare the vows of initiation to pearls and then tell the story about Krsna who planted pearls and many bushes of pearls grew. I really feel that these vows of initiations should be taken like that, like pearls that must be planted and developed. I’m looking for growth, I’m looking for compassion and kindness in strong individuals.

Tourists see unique gathering outside Canterbury Cathedral, UK (2 min video)
Canterbury has seen hundreds of thousands of pilgrims over the centuries.
Ever since Henry II’s soldiers murdered Beckett in the Cathedral, they have paid their respects, and sought redemption for their sins.
But there has never been a gathering quite like the one that tourists and visitors witnessed this week.
For the very first time, Hare Krishna monks have assembled outside the cathedral gates.
Their mission? To let the crowds watching them know, that regardless of the terror attacks that have beset the country this summer, there is more that unites us, than divides us.
Tom Savvides reports.
Interviewees: Mantra Chaitanya Das, Hare Krishna Canterbury; and Very Rev Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/eHS8za

The fact that we are souls having a human experience, doesn’t mean that we can deny the body—we can however, make our body and mind as favorable as possible for spiritual practice. This should be the guiding principle for any introspection, healing, or counseling we undergo. The intern result of such endeavors should be living and acting in the mode or quality of goodness as outlined in the Bhagavad Gita, and being a balanced human being—so helpful for steady sadhana for the long haul of a life. Continue reading "Making Peace with our Body and Mind, Finding Joy in the Self
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Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s father, Shriman C K Shah, left his body on 17-7-17 at 11.03 pm. The day coincided with the disappearance day of Srila Loknath Dasa Goswami and the Brahmotsava of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath.

The auspicious moment of departure

Three years ago, he had started developing dementia. And four months ago, his left side had been paralyzed, which had left him mostly bed-ridden and semi-conscious. He had been on the border of life and death, with no hope of recovery and with the possibility of passing over at any moment.

Thankfully, when that moment came, his family was around him. Vaishnava Seva Prabhu had very much wanted to be by his father’s side during his last moments. He had been concerned that if that time came during the day when he was in surgery, he wouldn’t be able to leave the operation theater with the surgery half-done. And if that moment came at night when he and his wife, Kalindi Mataji, were asleep, then too his father would depart alone. Wanting to prevent that eventuality, he would wake up several times each night just to check his father’s condition.

Fortunately, that moment came when both he and Kalindi Mataji were at home. On the night of 17^th July, after Vaishnava Seva Prabhu finished his dinner prasad at around 10.45 pm, he got an intuition that something was wrong. He noticed that his father’s breathing had become slower and more strained than usual. He immediately called Kalindi Mataji and she found that his pulse had gone down to an all-time low. Sensing that the end was near, they both started chanting intensely. Despite being paralyzed, his father, on hearing the kirtan, started moving his leg gently in response to the singing – he had a habit of doing that while hearing kirtans. Slowly, the movement of the leg decreased. And within the next seven minutes, he breathed his last, with the sound of the holy names in his ears.

In addition to the time of departure, even the day of departure had worked out wonderfully. For several months, Kalindi Mataji had been reading scripture to him every night. She had completed reading the full Bhagavad-gita a few days ago and had thereafter started reading the Bhagavatam. Just that very night, she had read the Bhagavatam chapter about Kunti’s prayers, repeating the celebrated namo pankaj nabhaya … (1.8.22) verse thrice in his ears. After completing that chapter, she had started reading the next chapter about Bhishma’s departure. As this chapter describes the ideal way to depart, Shri Shah’s hearing that chapter on his last night was a special blessing.

The buildup to the auspicious departure

Not only was the moment of departure divinely orchestrated, so were the preceding events that laid the setting for this moment.

For many years, Shri Shah had been averse to even visit Vaishnava Seva P’s house, leave alone stay there. Like most fathers, he had had great dreams for his son. When Vaishnava Seva Prabhu had started practicing bhakti, his father had become upset. His anger was not because they were from a Jain background, but because he feared that his son would neglect his career. In his disappointment, he had spoken heated words to, Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s spiritual master, HH Radhanatha Maharaj. He had even threatened to not attend Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s marriage.

Over the years, his heart softened when devotees helped him during his times of need. When he underwent his first cardiac bypass surgery in 1996, several devotees donated blood, and senior devotees such as HH Bhakti Rasamrita Maharaja and Krishna Chandra Prabhu came to see him in the hospital. This touched him deeply and accelerated the transformation of his heart.

Significantly, the seed of that transformation had been sown more than two decades earlier. In the early 70s, he had seen Prabhupada walking on the Juhu beach and had attended three days of Prabhupada’s Cross Maidan program. He had been especially impressed by seeing foreigners practicing bhakti enthusiastically.

After recovering from the bypass surgery, his appreciation for devotees increased, and he started using his influence to assist them. During the early days of Bhaktivedanta Hospital, he asked his friend Mr Damji Anchorwala to sponsor the entire ICU. Additionally, he used his experience in pharmacy to help systematize the hospital’s pharmacy shop.

Still, he remained reluctant to visit his son’s house in Mira Road. But in 2014, while he was staying at his residence in Andheri, he started showing signs of dementia. Under the influence of that distressingly degenerative disease, he would sometimes become aggressive. When his family members there found it difficult to calm him during those times, Vaishnava Seva Prabhu offered to take care of him. Dementia had blurred much of Shri Shah’s memory, and along with it had been blurred his unwillingness to live with his son. At Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s residence, which is also the office of ISKCON Desire Tree, the overall devotional atmosphere, as well as the association of the devotees working there, had a soothing effect on him. His aggressiveness subsided, and he grew fond of devotees. When Radhanatha Maharaj visited the ISKCON Desire Tree office, he had sweet, memorable interactions with Maharaj. I had the fortune to be present at that time and I had written about it here: A giant desire tree blesses ISKCON desire tree.

During the months when he was paralyzed, devotees would almost daily bring charnamrita for him. Radhanatha Maharaj visited him once more. He had been taking prasad for over two years and now he was given prasad through a stomach feeding tube. Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna dhun and other devotional kirtans would go on twenty-four hours near him for the last several months of his life, till his last moment.

Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s reflections

On the morning after his father’s departure, Vaishnava Seva Prabhu, with his characteristic humility, told me that because of his immaturity in the early days of bhakti, he had alienated his father. He had been hoping to get an opportunity to make amends. His father’s dementia, though it had been difficult for all his family members, had become the means for him to make amends. It that enabled him to serve his father both materially and spiritually: materially by providing the required bodily and medical care, and spiritually by providing a devotional atmosphere.

Vaishnava Seva Prabhu appreciated his wife Kalindi Mataji for extending herself to take care of his father, treating him as if he were her own father. In the early days of Vaishnava Seva P’s marriage, while his father had still been upset with his son, he had sometimes taken out his anger on his daughter-in-law. Yet, she had always remained humble and tolerant, and kept serving him whenever she got the opportunity, especially during his sickness. During his last days, she had rendered many menial services to him, doing whatever was necessary.

Vaishnava Seva Prabhu appreciated his father for having infused within him the drive to achieve. During his school days, he had been apathetic about his studies. But his father had pushed him to study seriously and to pursue a medical career; whatever he had achieved materially, it was primarily due to his father’s motivation. His father had imparted within him the zeal to take initiative, learn new skills and branch out into diverse areas. He had been able to use all these in Krishna’s service through ISKCON desire tree which had started as an audio resource but has now become a multimedia online outreach platform with its flagship Hare Krsna TV reaching over five million viewers.

Concluding thoughts

Seeing the departure of anyone in any situation is sobering, but seeing someone’s departure in a devotional setting is also uplifting. Contemplating how devotees strive to arrange for such a setting for their loved ones deepens our appreciation for devotees. And contemplating how Krishna orchestrates events to arrange such a setting for a soul, even a soul not directly practicing bhakti, boosts our faith in his expert benevolence. Even if things seem to be going wrong, Krishna can inconceivably bring good out of the bad. After all, who could have conceived that dementia might become a blessing that removes one’s blocks to receiving Krishna’s mercy?

Through life and through death, Krishna is present in our hearts, guiding our wanderings. How he orchestrates circumstances to thrust mercy on a soul is demonstrated poignantly through the departure of Shriman C K Shah.

May the Lord that guides all souls take the departed soul to spiritual serenity.

May that Lord guide us all through our life-journey in preparation for our final moment.

May our Lord give us the faith to cooperate with his inscrutable ways and to always live in the light of his guidance.

The post When Krishna thrusts his mercy, inconceivably (Reflections on the departure of Vaishnava Seva Prabhu’s father) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

TOVP: video of the “red flag of victory” being temporarily installed for testing purposes.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/1pagSt

Saturday night Manchester.