Bucharest public program.

Man has the chance to bloom spiritually by raising himself to the highest level of love of God.The Vedic scriptures divide consciousness into five categories, namely covered, shrunken, budding, blooming, and fully bloomed. Trees and plants, for example, are almost inert. They fall into the “covered consciousness” category. They seem to show no sign of consciousness, but when we observe them carefully, we see they have a limited consciousness. Other living entities, such as worms, insects, and other animals, are in “shrunken consciousness.” They are not as covered as the plants, but their consciousness is not fully developed either. Human beings have “budding consciousness.” A bud appears shrunken, but it has the potential to bloom into a flower. Human consciousness has similar potential; it appears shrunken like the animal’s, but humans have the innate ability to develop their consciousness to an almost unlimited extent, up to the point of knowing the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Continue reading "The Flowering of Consciousness
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If you met someone in the heart of London’s financial district and told them a monk was speaking at the ‘Old Lady’ of Threadneedle Street, they might be in disbelief. Although he hasn’t had a bank account or signed a cheque since 1969, and to the humour of the hundreds that attended when he admitted that, Radhanath Swami spoke at the Bank of England on Wednesday 22nd March 2017. Founded in 1694, the Bank of England is a public institution responsible for maintaining the monetary and financial stability of the United Kingdom. It serves as the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Continue reading "Mindful Leadership – Radhanath Swami Speaks at the Bank of England
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Unfolding Srila Prabhupada’s biggest vision on Education.
Srila Prabhupada incorporated his worldwide mission with deep concern for the suffering humanity. He outlined seven purposes which capsulized the essence of his mission. In these seven purposes Srila Prabhupada has immensely stressed on education.
Srila Prabhupada wanted to provide opportunity for all people to gain a systematic understanding of the profound vedic scriptures.
Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakura mentioned in a letter to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in 1910 – “Saraswati! I had a special desire to preach the significance of such books as Srimad Bhagavatam, Satsandarbha and Vedantadarshan. You have to accept that responsibility. Sridham Mayapur will prosper if you establish an educational institution there”
Also, Srila Prabhupada wrote in a letter to Atreya Rishi Prabhu in August 20th 1971 - “Throughout the whole world there is no institution to impart knowledge in the matter of spiritual understanding. So we are going to open a big centre in Mayapur where this education will be internationally imparted. Students from all parts of the world will go there to take education in this important subject.”
All our previous acharyas - Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura and Srila Prabhupada desired to establish educational institute at Sridham Mayapur for the benefit of devotees worldwide.
To fulfill this vision of our previous acharyas, Mayapur Institute (MI) was established in the year 2000. Since the launch of the Institute in 2000, over 3500 students of various race, ethnicity, gender, and economic status coming from various places like USA, UK, Russia, China, Australia, Africa, Europe, etc. have been benefited immensely from different courses at MI.
Due to significant growth in student enrollment every year, the current Mayapur Institute classrooms and offices are inadequate. Hence, MI had embarked on setting up an exclusive campus at Mayapur.
Now, Phase-1 of the Campus Project is almost ready and the time has come to offer this to our previous acharyas for their pleasure.
3rd July is going to be a historical event as the vision of our acharyas will start to unfold, creating facility for hundreds of students to come to Mayapur to study the scripture.
We invite you all to witness this wonderful historic event.
On 3rd Jul 2017, 8.30 Am onwards
Venue: MI Campus, Crossing Taranpur Road, Mayapur
Program details: Kirtan, Srila Prabhupada arrives at MI Campus from Temple, Guru Puja, Video Lecture by Srila Prabhupada, Speech by HHJPSM, Sannyasis, SP Disciples and Senior devotees, Inauguration and offering of the New Campus to Srila Prabhupada by H.H. Jayapataka Swami followed by Mahaprasadam at 12.00 PM

Harinam, book and prasadam distribution @Bajrasandi Park, Bali (Album with photos)
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)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/EqX4A3

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Transcriptions

Question: If our children do not become devotee, are we failing in our primary duty?

Answer: We have often heard this phrase – “Parents’ primary duty is to liberate the child.” This aspect of parenting should not become a burden on the child.

Sometimes it may happen that, despite having the greatest parents, the child may not become a devotee. We see in Chaitanya Charitamrita that one of Advaita Acharya’s sons did not become a devotee, but became a Mayavadi. Now, Advaita Acharya is an important associate of the Lord. The fact that his son did not become a devotee is not a deficiency in parenting of Advaita Acharya.

The mood in this sentence is that one should do one’s best to offer facilities to children for spiritual growth. One should not think of becoming a parent simply as just an ordinary activity. It is not just a result of the biological activity of mating. One should see parenting not just a material responsibility but also as a spiritual responsibility.

At the same time, if our children do not become devotees, we shouldn’t see that as a personal failure. Sometimes something similar happens with spiritual masters also. Spiritual masters are far more potent than most parents, but sometimes some of their disciples may not become devotees. In contrast to parenting, the spiritual master-disciple relationship is formed on a spiritual basis and still sometimes the disciples may leave practicing bhakti.

Yes, at one level, it is heartbreaking for the spiritual master when the disciple gives up bhakti. But still, this is not to be seen as a personal failure of the spiritual master and certainly this should not be used to whip the disciple into submission. The disciple is an independent soul and the disciple may choose to give up bhakti. Similarly, the child is also a separate soul and if the child doesn’t practice bhakti, we shouldn’t make this as a personal antipathy. The relationship with the children should still go on irrespective of whether they are practicing bhakti or not.

If we take too much of a “holier than thou” attitude of moral superiority – “You know, you are giving up devotional life, one day you will learn a lesson. You will come crawling back. You will understand that I was right and you were wrong!” – it becomes an ego issue and even if they realize that they were wrong, their ego would not let them come back.

I remember one case of a child whose both parents were devotees. His sister also became a wonderful devotee. This child went through a difficult phase in his life and just gave up practicing bhakti. His parents were very concerned but the parents didn’t force him. One day this child went to a rock music concert. It was many years ago when Michael Jackson first came to India. There was a huge crowd, he pushed through, got a ticket in black, spending a lot of money. And then when he was there in that concert, as it was going on, suddenly it struck him that “this rock music is just noise.” He realized that the simple kirtan he used to hear in the temple was so much sweeter. This moment became like an epiphany, a transformational moment for him. All the bhakti impressions of childhood that were there in him just manifested at that time. After that his life took a complete dramatic turn. He has now become a dedicated devotee and he is doing more preaching than his parents.

If somebody has tasted bhakti, even if they experiment to taste something else, eventually its paleness will become manifested in due course. As parents our job is that we open the doors of bhakti for them. Sometimes they may walk through the door, but sometimes they may not. However, by our loving relationship with them, we keep the door open. Just because they are not practicing bhakti, we should not slap the door in their face.

Therefore, in parenting, spiritual responsibility is extremely important. But at the same time, spiritual responsibility should not make our parenting conditional. As parents, we continue to love our children, whatever they may choose. Naturally, the connection will be deeper if they become devotees, but even if they don’t, still our relationship with them should be – “we are there for you, whatever happens.”

End of transcription.

Transcription in Hindi
प्रश्न: यदि हमारी संतान भक्त नहीं बनती तो क्या इसका अर्थ है कि एक माता-पिता के रूप में हम अपने कर्तव्य में असफल हो गए?

उत्तर: हमने प्रायः कहते सुना है – “माता-पिता का प्रथम कर्तव्य है संतान को जीवन-मरण के चक्र से मुक्त कराना।” यह कथन उचित है किन्तु पालन-पोषण का यह पक्ष संतान पर बोझ नहीं बनना चाहिए।

कभी-कभी ऐसा भी हो सकता है कि माता-पिता के महान भक्त होते हुए भी संतान भक्त न बन सके। चैतन्य चरितामृत में हम देखते हैं कि अद्वैत आचार्य का एक पुत्र भक्त नहीं, बल्कि मायावादी बन गया। अब, अद्वैत आचार्य भगवान के एक महत्वपूर्ण पार्षद हैं। यह तथ्य कि उनका पुत्र भक्त नहीं बन सका, इसका यह अर्थ नहीं कि अद्वैत आचार्य के पालन-पोषण में कमी थी।

वास्तव में इस कथन का भाव यह है कि संतान को आध्यात्मिक विकास के लिए सुविधाएँ प्रदान करने के लिए माता-पिता को अपना सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रयास करना चाहिए। हमें अभिभावक के अपने उत्तरदायित्व को एक सामान्य गतिविधि के रूप में नहीं देखना चाहिए। संतान के पालन-पोषण को केवल एक भौतिक उत्तरदायित्व के रूप में नहीं बल्कि एक आध्यात्मिक उत्तरदायित्व के रूप में भी देखना चाहिए।

साथ ही, यदि हमारी संतान भक्त नहीं बनती, तो हमें इसे व्यक्तिगत विफलता के रूप में नहीं देखना चाहिए। कभी-कभी आध्यात्मिक गुरुओं के साथ भी कुछ ऐसा ही होता है। आध्यात्मिक गुरुजन अधिकांश माता-पिता की तुलना में कहीं अधिक भक्ति में उन्नत होते हैं, किन्तु कभी-कभी उनके कुछ शिष्य भक्त नहीं बन पाते हैं। अभिभावक-संतान की तुलना में गुरु-शिष्य का सम्बन्ध बनता ही आध्यात्मिक आधार पर है किन्तु फिर भी हम देखते हैं कि कभी-कभी शिष्य भक्ति का अभ्यास करना छोड़ देते हैं।

एक स्तर पर, शिष्य का भक्ति छोड़ देना, गुरु के लिए हृदयविदारक होता है, किन्तु फिर भी, इसे गुरु की व्यक्तिगत विफलता के रूप में नहीं देखा जाना चाहिए और इसका उपयोग शिष्य को शरणागत बनाने के लिए तो कदापि नहीं किया जाना चाहिए। शिष्य एक स्वतंत्र जीव है और वह भक्ति छोड़ने का विकल्प कभी भी चुन सकता है। इसी प्रकार, संतान भी एक स्वतंत्र जीव है और यदि भक्ति छोड़ता है, तो हमें इसे व्यक्तिगत विरोध के रूप में नहीं लेना चाहिए। अभिभावकों को संतान के साथ सदैव प्रेमपूर्ण सम्बन्ध बना कर रखना चाहिए चाहे वे भक्ति का अभ्यास करे अथवा नहीं।

यदि हम स्वयं को नैतिक रुप से श्रेष्ठ दिखाकर संतान पर दबाव डालेंगे – “तुम भक्ति का जीवन छोड़ कर बहुत बड़ी गलती कर रहे हो। ध्यान रखो कि तुम ऐसा करके पछताओगे। तुम गिरते-पड़ते मेरे पास वापस आओगे। देखना एक दिन तुम आभास होगा कि हम सही थे और तुम गलत!” – तो ऐसा करने से संतान के अहम् को ठेस पहुँचेगी। फिर भले ही भविष्य में उन्हें यदि आभास हो भी जाए कि वे गलत थे, उनका अहम् उन्हें वापस नहीं आने देगा।

मुझे एक लड़के का किस्सा स्मरण है जिसके माता-पिता दोनों भक्त थे। उसकी बहन भी बड़ी अच्छी भक्त थी। इस लड़के के जीवन में एक कठिन परिस्थिति के कारण उसने भक्ति करना छोड़ दिया। उसके माता-पिता बहुत चिंतित हुए किन्तु माता-पिता ने उस पर कोई दबाव नहीं डाला। एक दिन यह लड़का एक रॉक संगीत कार्यक्रम में गया। यह कई वर्ष पहले की बात है जब माइकल जैक्सन पहली बार भारत आए थे। बहुत भीड़ थी, धक्का-मुक्की कर, ढेर पैसे खर्च करके ब्लैक में टिकट लेकर वह उस कार्यक्रम में पहुँचा। जब वह कार्यक्रम आरम्भ हुआ और संगीत बजने लगा, उसे यह आभास हुआ कि “यह रॉक संगीत शोर के अलावा और कुछ नहीं।” उसे याद आया कि बचपन में मंदिर में जो सामान्य कीर्तन वो सुनता था वह कितना मधुर हुआ करता था। यह क्षण उस लड़के लिए एक परिवर्तनकारी क्षण बन गया। बचपन के वे सभी भक्ति के संस्कार, उस क्षण उसके भीतर प्रकट हो गये। उसके जीवन ने एक नाटकीय मोड़ लिया। अब वो एक समर्पित भक्त बन चुका है और अपने माता-पिता से भी अधिक भक्ति का प्रचार करने में लगा है।

यदि किसी ने अपने जीवन में भक्ति का रस चखा है, तो भले ही वह किसी और रस को चखने का प्रयास करे, अंततः समय आने पर उसे उस रस की तुच्छता प्रकट हो जाएगी। माता-पिता के रूप में हमारा उत्तरदायित्व है कि हम संतान के लिए भक्ति के द्वार खोलें। कभी-कभी वे द्वार से प्रवेश कर सकते हैं, किन्तु कभी-कभी नहीं भी कर सकते। उनके साथ अपने प्रेमपूर्ण सम्बन्ध स्थिर रखकर, हम इस द्वार को खुला रख सकते हैं। मात्र इसलिए कि वे भक्ति नहीं कर रहे हैं, हमें इस द्वार को उनके मुख पर पटक नहीं देना चाहिए।

अतः, संतान के पालन-पोषण में आध्यात्मिक उत्तरदायित्व अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण है। किन्तु ध्यान रहे कि यह उत्तरदायित्व संतान के लिए हमारे प्रेम की एक शर्त न बन जाए। माता-पिता के रूप में, हमें अपनी संतान से प्रेम बनाए रखना चाहिए, चाहे वह कुछ भी चुने। यदि वे भक्त बन जाते हैं तो हमारा उनसे सम्बन्ध अधिक प्रगाढ़ होगा, किन्तु यदि वे नहीं भी बनते हैं, तब भी उनके साथ हमारा सम्बन्ध ऐसा होना चाहिए – “चाहे कुछ हो जाए, हम सदा तुम्हारे पास हैं।”

End of transcription.

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Kirtan is an uncomplicated and effective way of communing with God. The Padma Purana tells us, “Because the holy name and the ‘holy named’ are nondifferent, the name is fully complete, pure, and eternally liberated. Indeed, it is Krishna Himself.” Philosophically, this idea can be summarized as follows: matter and spirit are opposites. Thus, since in the material world, all things are relative, and part of that relativity manifests in a thing and its name being different, in the spiritual realm, the opposite must be true: a thing and its name are one. This is the nature of the Absolute. Continue reading "Sacred Sound
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Artists at all levels who want to connect with their creative and devotional sides, and experience bhakti through art, are welcome to attend the upcoming Transcendental Art Seminar at Bhaktivedanta College, Radhadesh. Running from August 21^st to September 2^nd, the seminar will be taught by classically trained husband and wife team Dhriti Dasi and Ram Das Abhirama Das.

Torino Iskcon Cultural Center has celebrated the 2nd Anniversary. A video by Citra Karuni devi dasi.

Joy of Krishna Consciousness (7 min video)
Bhakti yoga is the eternal science of loving service to Krishna or God. The philosophy of this movement is rooted in ancient Vedic texts, particularly the Bhagavad Gita (Song of God), which contains the essential teachings of Krishna on how to achieve the highest perfection of life.
The Hare Krishna devotees are known throughout the world for their melodious chanting of the Hare Krishna Mantra, which the Vedas declare as the most sublime and effective means for spiritual enlightenment in the current age:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare RamRam Ram Hare Hare

Krishna is a name of God meaning “the all-attractive one,” and Rama is another name meaning “the reservoir of pleasure.” Hare invokes His presence in our lives. This Maha (great) Mantra is chanted either congregationally (sankirtan), or individually (japa), as a meditation. Since each of us is constitutionally a part and parcel of God, the chanting of His holy names brings one innate satisfaction and the highest pleasure.

The chant is called a mantra, a vibration of sound that cleanses the mind, freeing it from anxiety and illusion. And this is a mantra anyone can chant. It’s for people of all religions, all nations, all colors, and both sexes. No need to pay any fees, join any group, or turn your life upside down. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you can try the chanting for yourself and experience its result.

Krishna and His energy are fully present in the sound of the mantra, so even if we don’t know the language or intellectually understand how it works, by coming in touch with Krishna we’ll become happy, and our life will become sublime.

Music:
His Grace Mahatma Das
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/NyIDTP

The post Daily Darshan: July 1st, 2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

300 kg of paneer from ISKCON farm, Gita Nagari
Everybody has heard about the amazing Sadhu Sanga Retreat in North Carolina last month. What most people didn’t know is that one less publicized dream of Srila Prabhupada was also becoming true. An ISKCON farm, Gita Nagari, delivered 300 kg of paneer, produced with the farm’s milk from protected cows, to the festival kitchen. Hope this will become a reality soon, that the farms will produce food to our temples, restaurants and congregations. All glories to Gita Nagari, for their exemplary karma-free dairy and all glories to the event organizers, who encouraged and valued the farm’s produce by buying it! This is a way to go!
https://www.facebook.com/gitanagarifarm/

H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami has written an wonderful article on the topic ” The Flowering of Consciousness ” on how to Bloom our  Consciousness  for progressing further in Krishna Consciousness. To know more about it please read the below written article:- The Flowering of Consciousness...

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