Websites from the ISKCON Universe
By Udayananda dasa I was doing some work at my home, and I was listening to some Srimad Bhagavatam lectures giving by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada told a humorous story about a rabbit that killed a lion. It was so transcendentally pleasing that I thought I would share this nectar with all the assembled devotees on this world wide web site. Continue reading "The Rabbit that killed the Lion
→ Dandavats"
By Jaganmohini Devi Dasi I will have to tell you that today science education- people are taking it as very important. Scientific civilization, or scientific knowledge or scientific education, people are becoming engineers, doctors, telecommunication engineers, IT’s. It is important–the material education. But unless those fields of knowledge are applied in the understanding of higher or deeper dimension of knowledge it becomes a total material waste. In other words if one is not able to understand what the most important duty of the life is, it becomes useless. Continue reading "Purpose of education: Reviving our spiritual identity
→ Dandavats"
ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 04/30/2017
Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes simple living, cow protection, engaging oxen, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.
Participating Directors: Chaitanya Mangala, Ranaka, Sri Tulasi Manjari and Vraja.
Participating Managers: Nitaicandra
Recording Secretary: Jamuna Jivani
1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report
2. Nitaicandra’s Monthly Report
3. 2017 Farm Conference Update
Sri Tulasi Manjari reported on recent updates for the upcoming Farm Conference:
4. Spring 2017 Onsite Weekend Review
Some of the weekend highlights included:
Overall, the Board Members felt the weekend was productive and went well.
5. ECO-V Board Advisors (Olivia, Makara & Venkata)
WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to maintain a team of advisors.
RESOLVED: The Board invites Olivia Snyder, Makara dasi, & Venkatachalapati das to participate as Advisors from May 2017 to the January 2018 Annual Meeting.
6. New Vrindaban Community Center
Ananga Manjari, an INV Board Member, proposed the idea of INV and ECO-V contributing a portion of the funds they receive from the Rover Pipeline to build a Community Center. Both Boards and the Village Council generally agreed with the concept. This proposal was publicly announced at the Community Dialog during the March weekend meetings. As requested, ECO-V will appoint two of its members to participate in the Center’s planning committee.
The post Understanding Destiny appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Course at College of Vedic Studies, London, UK]
Podcast
Podcast Summary
The post Understanding Destiny 2 – Destiny determines the scope of our free will, not our free will appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Course at College of Vedic Studies, London, UK]
Podcast
Podcast Summary
The post Understanding Destiny 1 – What is pre-determined and what isn’t appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Inspire – youth talk at Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK]
Podcast
Podcast Summary
The post Kali Yuga predictions – Superficiality, Audacity, Anxiety, Spirituality appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Podcast
The post Gita 18.22 – Rise from tunnel vision through funnel vision appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post What are the symptoms of a self-realized person? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post Is praying to Krishna a part of our karma? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post Can someone be destined for failure? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post If a tide pushes us towards success, is that tide Krishna? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post If we are destined to succeed, will destiny make us act for success? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, April 2011, Durban, South Africa, Lecture)
In the association of vaisnavas, especially advanced vaisnavas, we become uplifted beyond our normal limitations of holding onto material security. We hesitate about jumping forward in spiritual life, that Krsna will catch us, that Krsna will provide, that Krsna always protects his devotee.
But some devotees die and not in good ways. Where was Krsna then? Was he not protecting? Does he protect some devotees and not others? Does it depend on the degree of one’s Krsna consciousness? Does Krsna only protect only the very advanced devotees?
In Bhagavad-gita 9.31, Krsna says, “Na me bhaktah pranasyati.” That my devotee will never perish! But what does it mean? It means exactly what Krsna says, “My devotee will never perish!” There is no doubt about it as long as we understand in the broader sense what it means. It means that the body, Krsna may or may not protect but the destination of the soul, Krsna will surely protect. Without a doubt! That is very certain!
If somehow or other, our time or our mission in this world is not yet fulfilled, Krsna may protect our body. I myself have slipped out of extremely dangerous situations many times and there was no doubt that Krsna had interfered. It is not possible that by any other means I would have survived.
But that is not ultimately the meaning of na me bhaktah pranasyati. It means that a devotee will come closer and closer to Krsna, and once we have made steps in Krsna’s direction, Krsna will surely protect our devotional service. Krsna will protect our devotional service! Therefore, there is no fear. We just take shelter of devotional service and other things will come and go. Some hardships may come and may go but it will not really faze us. Our devotional service will continue and continue and in the association of devotees, we become uplifted again and again.
Harinama Sankirtana in Israel (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The mind is restless, always desiring something, desiring something. So the best policy to control the mind is to desire how to spread Krsna consciousness. This is the best. Kamah krsna-karmarpane. Narottama dasa Thakura has said that you cannot be free from desire. That is not possible. This is useless attempt. They say that “You become desireless.” No, that is not possible. How can I? If I become desireless, I become dead. So long I am living entity, I must desire. I cannot check it. Therefore kama means desire. So at the present moment, we are desiring how to become happy in this material world, how to acquire so much money, how to acquire this, how to acquire this, how to get this, how to get that. This is kama. So this brain taxation, if you engage in Krsna’s service – how to spread Krsna consciousness, how to convince people about Krsna, how to take them to the Krsna’s desire, sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66] – and in this way, if you go on making plan for spreading Krsna consciousness, then your mind is controlled. From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.27 – January 4, 1975, Bombay
Find them here: https://goo.gl/xR3mjQ
By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON New Vrindaban Communications
The sixth New Vrindaban Service Appreciation Ceremony, held on Sunday March 26th during the ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban Spring 2017 weekend gathering, reached an impressive benchmark.
Including Sunday’s event, the ceremony, launched by board members in November 2014, has now honored 25 of Srila Prabhupada’s ‘jewels’ with an astounding 1,000 years of service between them.
MC Chaitanya Mangala Das opened the event with a moving quote from “A Life of Unalloyed Devotion,” the biography of celebrated ISKCON devotee Yamuna Devi.
“Yamuna always retained a deep and abiding respect for the often unheralded devotees of New Vrindaban,” the quote read in part, “Who served Srila Prabhupada’s mission under extremely austere and trying circumstances.”
Five more of these special souls – whose stories often interweaved — were honored and given commemorative plaques by INV and ECO-V.
Kelly Howard Carter receiving award from Chaitanya Mangala Das
The first was Kelly Howard Carter, a teacher at Hilltop elementary in Moundsville who never ‘joined’ ISKCON, but who has been an intrinsic part of the community since she moved to McCreary’s Ridge at one year old in 1968 – making her one of New Vrindaban’s earliest pioneers.
As a child, Kelly could see the original Vrindaban farm from her yard. Her first memories of devotees were of them being a little odd – asking to pick flowers in her field to fry and eat, and refusing to say “hi” back to her, insisting instead on ‘Haribol.’
In 1974, when Kelly was about seven years old, she saw devotees carrying Srila Prabhupada in a procession, and waved at him. He waved back and smiled at her, and she was struck by how kind and compassionate he seemed compared to the average devotee she had met up until that point.
Soon after, Kelly did make friends with many of the devotees, and by her young teens was a familiar face in the community. She learned how to make garlands and helped build Prabhupada’s Palace, assisting Narendra Das with stained glass and Jala-kolahali with gold leaf.
Growing up, Kelly’s whole life was interconnected with New Vrindaban. A photo of her ready to go to prom shows Sankirtan Dasa’s house in the background. She got her first job in New Vrindaban, working in the Palace restaurant; and also served in the Palace gardens.
Now with her own grown-up children, Kelly feels that her experience meeting people from all over the world in New Vrindaban helped make her the broadminded woman she is today. She is also passionate about connecting the devotee and local communities, saying that she is glad to see both dropping their prejudices and working together more in recent years.
After the presentation, New Vrindaban residents shared their appreciation of Kelly’s friendship and exemplary service attitude. Many appreciated how she had raised her children Brayden, Parker and Jaimie to also be very open-minded and good friends with the devotee kids.
Kelly continues to care for New Vrindaban children to this day, bringing Murahari Das, her young student from Hilltop elementary, along to the ceremony as her ‘date.’
“I really appreciate the friendships I made here,” she said, addressing the assembled devotees. “I can’t imagine what my life would be like without New Vrindaban and all of you.”
Next, Tejomaya Das, who has been serving at New Vrindaban for 43 years, and his wife Kelly were honored.
Tejo grew up in the Bronx. In 1973, he joined ISKCON in New Vrindaban with his friend Manonatha, after they read an article about the community in Mother Earth magazine.
From the very beginning, Tejomaya braved many austerities. He and Manonatha worked with Madhava Gosh in the garden, and would get badly suburnt after a whole day in the sun. By night, they would mix and carry cement used to build Prabhupada’s Palace.
In October 1974, the two friends were initiated by Srila Prabhupada. Tejo was transferred full-time to the Palace construction crew, and became integral to the team of whom Prabhupada said, “These devotees are my jewels.”
In 1979, he moved back to New York City, where he ran his own plumbing business and met his wife Kelly, who had grown up in Queens with several New Vrindaban devotees. The couple had two children, Gopala and Haridas, and served at the New Vrindaban outpost in Brooklyn.
In the 1990s, they moved back to New Vrindaban, and Tejomaya took over the service of maintenance and plumbing from Jaya Murari, which he continues to do to this day.
When everyone was invited to share their appreciations, several called Tejomaya the most hard-working devotee in the history of New Vrindaban to date.
Many shared stories of how he would drop whatever he was doing at any time of the day or night to help a devotee with plumbing problems – there were tales of him coming over at 3:00am, and even fixing a busted pipe on his way out for the evening in his finest suit.
Out of shyness, Tejo and Kelly were not present at the appreciation ceremony, but Tejo did send a letter which was read out loud. In it, he praised his wife, who raised their children, put herself through college, maintained a full-time job as a nurse for decades and always supported him.
“Just try to imagine waking up for thirty-five years and the first person you see is Tejo. I bet that is beyond everyone’s imagination,” he wrote, sending the audience into peals of laughter.
Tejo, known for being a New York tough guy with a heart of gold, moved many with his last paragraph. “I thank Prabhupada every day for giving me such a beautiful family that also includes all you guys,” he wrote. “I pray that all the newcomers can experience what Prabhupada has given us.”
Advaitacarya Das and his wife Madri Dasi with Chaitanya Mangala
Finally, Advaitacarya Das and his wife Madri Dasi were honored. Interestingly, Advaita and Madri’s paths often interweaved with the other honorees of the evening – for instance, they gave Kelly Carter her first job at the Palace Restaurant. Tejomaya met his wife Kelly through Madri, who was friends with her in New York. And Advaita was the first devotee Tejomaya met when he arrived in New Vrindaban.
Like Tejomaya, Advaita grew up in a rough part of New York – Brooklyn. After seeing devotees chant in Washington Square Park in 1968, and then reading a Back to Godhead magazine, he began visiting the New York temple in 1972. In 1974, he visited New Vrindaban, immediately felt a connection, and moved there. Later that year, he was initiated by Srila Prabhupada.
Madri, who had moved in the same circles as Advaita in New York and gone to the same school, saw him introduce all their friends to Krishna consciousness, but was initially skeptical. Later, however, as she heard more about New Vrindaban from Advaita and Tejo, she moved there and joined ISKCON in 1978.
In the 1970s, Advaita’s services in New Vrindaban included driving teams of horses and assisting Sudhanu with festival cooking. He also managed the Bahulaban devotee kitchen, the Palace restaurant, and the Pittsburgh restaurant Simply Wonderful.
In the mid 1980s, he and Madri moved back to New York, where they started the New Vrindaban outpost in Brooklyn that Tejo was also part of. They ran many outreach efforts including a dinner program for people with AIDS, and sold fruit and vegetables to earn a living. In the early 90s, they moved back to New Vrindaban and have been there ever since, with Advaita running his own business and helping in community building efforts like the Village Association.
For her part, Madri served in the front office in New Vrindaban in the early days, worked at the Palace Restaurant with Advaita in the early 1980s, and later cooked the Sunday Feasts at the Brooklyn outpost. She also cared for their six sons and two daughters, and cooked offerings for Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra — to this day, her four o’clock offering of cheesecake is one of the most sought-after pieces of maha-prasadam around.
With the audience well warmed up by this time, the sharing of appreciations for Advaita and Madri lasted the longest. Many praised Madri’s steadiness and determination, as well as her kindness for all. One devotee told a story of how, when she was at the front desk at ISKCON New Vrindaban, she would take calls from a devotee in a mental institution that no one else wanted to talk to. Not only did she spend time speaking with him, but for many years she would personally cook prasadam for him which Advaita would personally deliver to him in Pittsburgh.
Many of the couple’s adult children and seven grandchildren were present, and expressed their gratitude for such kind and loving parents. “You taught us how to be good people,” they told their mom. Their father was also recognized for being such a dedicated advocate for devotee care over the years.
In one particularly sweet (pun intentional) moment, pujari Venkatachalapati Das shared how he had lived in New Vrindaban for the past four years, but had never met Madri before – only learning of her steady, quiet devotion through her incredible cheesecake offerings. He also called Advaita’s sweet rice the best he had ever tasted, and confessed to stealing a gallon so he could drink a cup every day.
In response, Advaita laughed, “I’m glad some New Vrindaban traditions are being carried on! There is hope for the future!”
The service appreciation ceremony ended with everyone chatting, sharing more memories and tucking into Lakshman Ishvara’s banana-nut cake inscribed with the names of the five honorees.
It was another heartwarming and enlivening event that embodied the ceremony’s mission, encapsulated in a quote from Bhaktivinode Thakura’s song Suddha Bhakata Charana Renu, which Chaitanya Mangala shared: “Service to the devotees is itself the Supreme Perfection and the root of the tender creeper of Divine Love.”
Special darshan of Shri Banke Bihari bed in His Temple of Vrindavan.
Srila Prabhupada: My Guru Maharaja never compromised in His preaching, nor will I nor should any of my students. We are firmly convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all other are His part and parcel servants. This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not foolishly dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krishna as Supreme Lord. From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Giriraja, 30 December 1971
Lucy Logan Green: PiTV takes a look at Hare Krishna's free lunch. 
By Urmila Devi Dasi He will think, "I don't like pain, so why should I give pain to an animal just so I can eat?" He’ll be honest: “I don't like to be cheated, so why should I cheat others?” And he'll always speak beneficially: “I like to hear the truth, I don’t like to be insulted, and I want to hear what is useful to me. Let me speak to others that way.” A truly educated person, therefore, will try not to hurt anyone, even by his words. Continue reading "Real education
→ Dandavats"
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada So this dog’s philosophy will not help you, that “I have got this body, and how to enjoy the bodily sex life.” This is dog philosophy. A dog knows all these things. Your philosophy should be how to refrain from sex life. That is knowledge. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. Tapasya. This human life is meant for tapasya, to refrain from sense gratification. That is knowledge. Not that how to enjoy sex life or sense gratification. This is known to cats and dogs without any education, without any philosophy. The philosophy, pravrttih esam bhutanam nivrtes tu maha-phalam.(?) Pravrtti, every living entity has got this pravrtti, means propensity. What is that? Sense enjoyment. Loke vyavaya ‘misa mada-seva nityas tu jantuh.(?) Jantuh means living being. Nitya, always, he has got the propensity, vyavaya amisa mada-seva. Vyavaya. Vyavaya means sex life and amisa means meat-eating. Vyavaya amisa, mada-seva, and intoxication. These are natural instincts of all living entities, even amongst the ants these propensities are there. Those who have studied… The ants are very much fond of being intoxicated. Therefore, they find out sweet, sugar. Sweet is intoxication. Perhaps you know, all. The liquor is made from sugar. Sugar is fermented with acid, sulphuric acid, and then it is distilled. That is liquor. Therefore too much sweet eating is prohibited. Continue reading "Dogs And Cats Don’t Need Freud
→ Dandavats"
Carmarthen Rathayatra in UK - 20th May 2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: This human form of life is meant for saving time to develop our Krsna consciousness. It is not meant for wasting unnecessarily because we do not know when the next death is coming. And if we do not prepare ourself for the next life, then at any moment we can die, and we have to accept a body offered by the material nature. Therefore I wish that all of you who have come to join this Krsna consciousness movement live very carefully so that maya may not snatch you from the hand of Krsna. We can keep ourself very steady simply by following the regulative principles and chanting, minimum, sixteen rounds. Then we are safe. So you have got some information about the perfection of life. Don’t misuse it. Try to keep it very steadily, and your life will be successful. This movement does not stop anything for comfortable life, but it makes regulated. So if we follow the regulative principles and chant sixteen rounds, that is our safe position. I think this instruction you will follow. That is my desire. Srila Prabhupada; Departure Lecture – February 18, 1975, Mexico City
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FdNXQO
Krishna conscious function in Mumbai (Album with photos)
On the 2/05/17, Gaur Gopal Das spoke at a function with veteran Bollyw...
[Bhagavatam class on 10.39.31 at Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK]
Podcast
The post Krishna is our protector, even when he seems to be the afflictor appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
[Evening program in London, UK]
Podcast
The post Bhagavatam study 1.13.1-7 – The detachment that fosters attachment to Krishna appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post Did Vidura depart because of unbearable criticism or frustration at his counsel being neglected? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post Was Vidura irresponsible in departing when his family was about to fight the worst war of their life? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
A new Hare Krishna temple in Novokuznetsk (Album with photos)
Bhakti Caitanya Swami: Some days ago we were in Novokuznetsk, a small town in Siberia, Russia. The devotees have built a wonderful temple there.
Answer Podcast
The post How important is it for we ourselves to be detached? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post How do we convey the importance of the don’ts in bhakti? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
By Dhameshvara Mahaprabhu Dasa In this article, I begin with a confession of what I experience as a common experience for men with an addiction to pornography, based on my life and deep empathetic conversations with others. I will share what I believe to be the way to overcome this addiction in Krishna consciousness. This includes the necessity of an environment with minimal temptations, knowing of the science of overcoming anarthas, and the value of being genuine in relationship with others. I will take the liberty of writing on these topics as a commentary to the Shrimad-Bhagavatam, 1.2.16-22, in literal English verse, which describes the progression of Krishna consciousness from beginning to consummation. Continue reading "Overcoming Pornography Addiction
→ Dandavats"
Answer Podcast
The post What is a healthy attitude towards guilt induced after sense indulgence? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post What does it mean to hear the holy name? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post Why does our inspiration for service rise on hearing and fall when material responsibilities come up? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Answer Podcast
The post Pingala got realization despite having no spiritual environment – why don’t we get realization despite having spiritual environment? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
The post Daily Darshan: May 21,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.
Harinama in Barnaul, Russia, 20.05.17 (Album with photos)
“We go out on the streets of the city with harinama, and we say to people: "Sing along with us!” Then they come to the temple, and worship the Deities in the temple. We distribute books, and this inspires people to change their lives. If we follow correctly everything that Srila Prabhupada taught us, Radha, Krishna and Vrndavana will unfold in our hearts. There is no doubt about this. The secret is to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions in a humble state of mind. To be more humble than a blade of grass, more patient than a tree, and, not expecting respect for oneself, be ready to show respect to everyone. If we get these qualities, and we continue to do what we do, success in spiritual life is guaranteed to us. “
Find them here: https://goo.gl/m84wSG
This is a beautiful short documentary on the Hare Krishna Food For All feeding the local university students, enjoy
YS Parsharam Das