Planet ISKCON

New Ekacakra Dham in Slovakia (Album with photos)
The center of the Slovak ISKCON is located in a small village Abranovce in Presov. In the beautiful surroundings of the Slanské Hills, is developing a temple project and a rural community. The motto which underlies the Movement Hare Krishna is “Simple Life and high thinking” as it is taught by A.C.Bhaktívédanta Swami Prabhupada in his books. The aim of this project is to show the way of life that is based on spiritual understanding and simple way of living. And just to show, but also practically to live this way of life, as well as teach it and lead people to this natural way of life. Such a way of life according to the Scriptures makes a person happy and satisfied.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/68GVD9

A successful model Evgeniya Fedorova from Saint Petersburg, representative of the Vaishnava Culture, shared with the HARE KRISHNA lifestyle blog her story about how to turn non-sattvic business into a sattvic one, how to be a vedic and a modern girl at the same time and what kind of mantra she has been waiting for all her life. Continue reading "The Mantra that changed my life
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Srimad Bhagavatam Class Notes: 10.02.23-24

HG Abhishek Prabhu

North Sydney temple

15.07.2017

Kamsa was stricken with fear. He waited so many years for the 8th child to be born. All his moments were taken up, anticipating the arrival of Krishna. His fear had gone to that extent where he thought of killing his own sister instead of waiting. It was his natural option but he completely refrained from it. He felt the consequences would be too severe. In the pages of history, we see such carnage where one side would kill the family (children & pregnant women too) so that no lineages exist of the defeated army.

In our constant effort to push things to ourselves and pull away from things we don’t like, a living entity is in constant fear. This happens when one has turned away from Krishna. When one feels sheltered, he is satisfied. When one is absorbed in duality, he becomes covered. In BG, it’s compared to an embryo in the womb, totally covered. When one is deeply covered or in the mode of ignorance, he considers irreligious to be religious. Arjuna was very clear what he had to do on the war front due to advice of Lord Krishna. For such a person, their intelligence becomes very clear.

But Kamsa did not have this intelligence. He had no shelter of Krishna. We often find children who has had no proper parental shelter constantly look for a shelter. They feel a loss of identity and duty. In Vedic culture, there was an understanding that one’s strength (especially mental) comes from purity & dharma. Kamsa was very physically powerful and conquered many in the universe. Yet he had no mental strength.

When you are in a leadership position, one becomes isolated in someway because the decision he takes could be harmful or perceived to be harmful. This leads to people staying away from that person. Such an isolation is like death. But Krishna is such a leader that people long to name their children after Him. But, look at the case of incredibly dangerous dictators. Their name, activities and thoughts are pretty much banned from society. Think about the ill will on such people.

Kamsa was always engaged in unfavourable thoughts of Krishna in whatever he did, whether he be sitting, walking etc. He couldn’t see but Krishna everywhere. Although he was in total mood of absorption, unfortunately it was in enmity. Pure devotees of the Lord are also always thinking of Krishna but favourably. They have the mascara of love smearing the eyes of Krishna. Srila Prabhupada would see Krishna and preaching opportunities in everything he saw around him.

If children are raised with Bhakti in their hearts, then you can be confident to let them go. Even if a devotee is now seen engaged in sense gratification, there is always a chance of  a U-turn in his consciousness where he realises his mistakes and the time he has wasted. As parents, we cannot guarantee that the child will become a devotee immediately. But what can be done is to share Krishna bhakti with them in their younger years so that they can turn towards this lifestyle & education at some stage of their lives, even if you may not live to see it.

Science tries to reduce everything to physical principles with no acceptance of God and the divine diversity of life & emotions. Such a life is a waste of human life.

-*-*-

The post Daily Darshan: 15 July,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Gopala Bhatta Goswami (the son of Vyenkata Bhatta, a Sri Vaisnava brahmana) appeared in Sri Rangam, South India. Lord Caitanya once stayed four months in his home  and converted the family to Gaudiya Vaisnavism.

A boy at this time, Gopala personally served the Lord. Sri Caitanya treated him affectionately giving His remnants and blessings to become an acarya.

On pilgrimage he obtained twelve Salagrama silas. Later the Damodara sila manifested Himself as the beautiful Radha Ramana Deity. Since 1542, Radha Ramana has been worshiped with pure devotion following precise sastric rituals.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2011, Melbourne, Australia, Lecture)

Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva can give so many benedictions but they cannot give what Lord Vishnu can give, which is liberation from birth and death! But Lord Vishnu cannot give what Lord Krsna can give and that is Krsna-prema. Therefore, we understand that demigods are to be respected but they cannot compare to Vishnu. We worship Lord Vishnu but our deity is Lord Krsna because Krsna and ONLY KRSNA can give us prema – the love of God that exists in Goloka!

The post Daily Darshan: July 15th, 2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Love must be one of the most over used and perhaps undervalued words in the dictionary. I’m just as guilty as anyone else, declaring my love for cheese on toast, lying in the sun, or, confession time, Raymond Chandler.
In the true sense of the word I wouldn’t say I really love any of those things. For me love means an awful lot more than just liking something rather a lot. Actually in the language of my scriptures, Sanskrit, the word love is only used in connection with God. These texts, known as the Vedas, are quite specific about love. For a feeling to qualify it must be devoid of selfish desire.
The epitome of such love is exhibited by Lord Krishna’s consort Radha. She once declared that Krishna’s happiness was also hers, and if somehow her sadness would make him happy, then that very sadness would become her greatest joy.
In this world however, love is all too often a kind of mutual back scratching. As long as the other party is in some way pleasing to me the relationship endures – but should they become troublesome, or maybe just boring, there’s every chance it will end. Even between parent and child, perhaps the strongest bond, we find relationships breaking down. What to speak of romantic relationships, where heartbreak is sadly all too common.
Therefore the scriptures say that love is really meant for God, whose love for us never fails. Indeed, Hindus believe that this is what we are seeking, our long lost love, and it is the only relationship that time cannot destroy. As St Augustine put it, ‘you have made us for yourself Lord, and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.’
I have also reached this conclusion, and, as much as I love sitting down with a slice of cheese on toast and a copy of The Big Sleep, I don’t think it will ever truly satisfy me in the same way as my love for God.

Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!

Clean Your Heart Before You Go!
Vaisesika das: My father used to engage our family in cleaning our whole house before leaving for a vacation.
As a youngster, I naively once questioned him: “Why clean now since we won’t even be here?”
He answered, “You’ll appreciate it the moment you return.”
I did.
When we leave our present gross material bodies, we carry with us our subtle bodies in which are recorded the impressions we have accumulated during our present lives.
One who takes the time and trouble - during the current span of life - to cleanse one’s heart, begins the next life with a clear advantage.
Or, those whose leave this world with completely clean hearts, don’t take another birth in the material world again; rather they ascend to the spiritual world.

Those who spend time cleaning their hearts before they are forced to leave their present body are wise and will come to fully appreciate the fruit of their work either in this life or in the next.

“On taking such a birth, he revives the divine consciousness of his previous life, and he again tries to make further progress in order to achieve complete success, O son of Kuru. (Bg. 6.43)

"By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles-even without seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist stands always above the ritualistic principles of the scriptures.” (Bg. 6.44)

The Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
I approached a middle-aged couple. I offered a Gita to the husband, who said he did not have time to read this type of book.
I answered that if he had a desire, then he would find time to fulfill it. Having a strong desire, people find time to build houses, skyscrapers, spaceships, cars and so on.
The man responded that he had no such desire to buy the book.
But I replied that “I” had a desire to give him the book. God sees whose desire is stronger and fulfills the stronger one. The man continued to refuse.
I smiled and said that his wife would do it. Turning to her, I said, “If a man conquers the whole world but loses his soul, he will lose everything. While if he loses everything but not his soul, he will gain everything.”
Smiling, she said, “I’m definitely taking this book.”
Just at the same moment, as if he had been ordered, he took a big banknote from his pocket and handed it to me.
I concluded: “Now you see I was right.” So they left happily.
Vaninath Vasu Dasa
Belarus
—
The biggest Bhagavad Gita
Vijaya das: While visiting an influential friend in London, I noticed a very large Bhagavad-gita in his living room, five times bigger than our Deluxe Gita. Only a hundred and eight of them were printed by the Meditteranean BBT. They cost about $1,300 each. They were published with top VIPs in mind. The London temple gave a copy to my friend because of his long-time support of the temple. It must have weighed around twenty pounds.
Bhagavad-gita ki jaya!

Answer Podcast

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“Contentment” (5 min video)
Mahatma das: It is impossible to be content when you’re hankering for something, not connected to Krishna, that you don’t have. If you want to be content appreciate how much God has already given you.
So one of the problems we face in our culture is that were made to feel that we never have enough that we never are enough but there’s something wrong with us or there’s somebody better than us and if we just have what they have then we’ll be okay, if we’re just different them we’ll be okay.
So it’s kind of kind of like sometimes put ourselves in a corner where it’s actually impossible to be happy, it’s impossible to be content which is really the opposite of Krishna consciousness. Because Krishna consciousness means we are merged in an ocean of bliss which satisfies, just by hearing and chanting about Krishna and we’re appreciating so much the association of devotees, chanting the holy names, hearing the Bhagavatam, all the nectar of the richness of the culture, we’re just feeling always grateful and appreciative. At least we should be.

So what the material culture does and materialism does it makes us feel there’s something we need that has nothing to do with Krishna, to make us happy.

So we should understand that appreciation and self-satisfaction being full in Krishna consciousness they go together and if we’re not appreciative it means something is lacking in our Krishna consciousness, something is missing and if something is missing and often we’re going to try to fill it with something that’s not Krishna conscious so that’s a dangerous position. To try to fill our needs with something that takes us away from Krishna.
If we can just appreciate what Krishna has given to us and glorify Him, honor Him even if we’d like more, even if maybe we think we deserve more, when Krishna sees that you’re appreciating whatever it is He’s given you then He’s more willing to give you more.

Prabhupada wanted us to be satisfied with some service and with the Holy Name, some association, he wanted us to be satisfied simply and that’s a sign of advancement, a sign of the devotees being very simple and satisfied.

So if we’re not satisfied, if we’re hankering too much materially should be a sign that material fever is rising and we need to become more grateful for everything that we have in Krishna consciousness every day all day.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/h8r6XD

On Indradyumna Swami's  festival tour along the Baltic Sea coast in Poland each summer devotees try to give people an experience of the spiritual world. Through the stage show, the many tents, exhibits and the vegetarian restaurant people come to understand how joyful spiritual life can actually be.

The App is currently available for iPad and iPhone, with an Android version being planned. It contains the full text of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita as it is. You can make notes. You can adjust the font type and size, search the text to find what you need and choose between scrolling or swiping pages.

Bhakti yoga center in Fishtown, Pennsylvania, United States is part of a new "urban-rural farm connection" project. "We're in a very serious situation, as the only species that has destroyed its own habitat, and we need to understand that without a connection to the land – and all that that connection entails in terms of a balanced lifestyle – there’ll be no major solution," Swami said. "The question is, how many urbanites want to invest in a rural connection, if not moving to a rural area, at least developing an active reciprocal relationship?" Continue reading "Philly yoga and meditation center links city dwellers back to nature
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The post Daily Darshan: July 14,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, August 2010, Leipzig, Germany, Initiation Lecture)

Initiation is very important and of great help in our spiritual life. Within Iskcon, Srila Prabhupada formalised this process of initiation where formal vows are taken. Previously it was not like that. Previously there weren’t these questions, “What are the four regulative principles and how many rounds do you promise to chant?”

But Prabhupada knew that modern man, the man of this age, unless he promises it out aloud, in front of the deities and the vaisnavas, he will think, “Well, I didn’t promise this so I am not obliged!”

The vows of initiation also stand for our protection. We make these vows in front of the deities, in front of the spiritual master, in front of Krsna, in front of the vaisnavas therefore we are bound by them.

(J.Richardson - C.Willcox) From the album "Love´s Undying Storm" 1996.

The conference registered new ideas and inspiration on how the knowledge and art rich tradition of Vaishnavism could help contribute to the social, cultural, scientific, economic and ecological wealth of humanity.

The UK's first "slaughter-free" dairy farm, Ahimsa dairy, is hoping its model will be picked up upon by other farms. Dairy cows are usually culled when they get older and cannot produce as much milk. But for Ahimsa dairy, the older cows are "retired".

Another reason to keep smartphones off the table.