Planet ISKCON

Revealing the Land of Krsna. Among the sacred cities of the world, Vrndavana is probably the least well known. Yet this small town in northern India ranks with Rome, Jerusalem, and Mecca as a center of worship. It was in Vrndavana that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, displayed His transcendental pastimes during His appearance on this planet some five thousand years ago. Over the course of centuries, the places of Krsna's pastimes were lost to human memory, until they were rediscovered in the sixteenth century by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself in the role of His own devotee. Continue reading "The Glories of Lord Caitanya
→ Dandavats"

Here are dozens of activities and resources for ages 2-18 about Lord Caitanya, organized around the five most potent limbs of devotional service. It's designed for parents who homeschool, or who have their children in non-devotee school and want to do something in the mornings, afternoons, or weekends. It can be used by devotee schools, once-a-week programs, or the festival coordinator who wants to do something special for the children for Gaura Purnima. Uses: For children being home-schooled to enrich the devotional part of the program. For regular academic schools that are related to Krishna consciousness. For once-a-week schools, children’s clubs, and similar supplementary programs. For children in non-devotee schools as a supplementary program in the morning or evening. Continue reading "A unit of activities for ages 2-18, centered around Lord Caitanya’s Appearance Day
→ Dandavats"

Sri Gaurasundara said that sankirtana is the only duty of humankind. This is proof of His magnanimous nature. Human beings can attain what it is impossible even for the best of the demigods to attain. Sri Gaurangadeva does not cheat and does not mix material enjoyment with spiritual understanding. He has preached what is most beneficial to all living beings. If one hears His teachings he will understand that all other teachings in this world are incomplete and weak. Sri Gaurasundara has not descended to cheat people as the mental speculators cheat people by presenting their insignificant sadhanas. By preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam Sri Gaurasundara has proved that the sadhanas put forth by so-called sampradayas are simply ineffective. He has also demonstrated that the congregational chanting of Krishna’s name is the only way to attain auspiciousness. Continue reading "Appreciating Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
→ Dandavats"

The dancing of Lord Chaitanya was so astounding that even the Lord of the universe, Sri Jagannatha was astonished. Lord Jagannatha who has seen the best of everything within and outside of the universes, how can He be astonished? Dance in Vaikuntha and Goloka must be beyond compare. The dance of destruction by Rudra must be inexplicably awesome. What was so unique about Lord Chaitanya’s dancing? Worldly scholars of our Gaudiya tradition will say that Srila Krishna Dasa Kaviraja and other Vaisnava author witnesses to such dancing have a tendency to exaggerate. After all, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is playing a ‘human’ role on earth, so should we not expect human limitations to His dancing at Ratha-yatra and elsewhere? Continue reading "Lord Chaitanya’s Dancing, Vulnerability and Escapism
→ Dandavats"

I often talk about how theoretical knowledge is different from experienced knowledge, but we don’t always know what we are talking about. I was reminded of this when I spoke at Jacksonville, Florida to students from the University of North Florida on “Near Death Experiences – Has the white crow been spotted?”

The title referred to renowned psychologist William James’ statement about the criterion to challenge ruling theories in science: ““If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, you mustn’t seek to show that no crows are; it is enough to prove one single crow to be white.”

In my talk, I discussed a strong candidate for the white crow in near-death studies – a case that seriously problematizes the materialist dogma that consciousness originates in the brain. It is the case of Pam Reynolds who was made brain-dead as a part of a surgery called “operation standstill” and during that brain-dead period had a vivid near-death experience (NDE).

After the class, three among the twenty-thirty students said that they had had NDEs. Seeing this frequency drove home the reality of the statistic I had read: “IANDS (The International Association for Near Death Studies) reports that as many 14% people, especially in USA, have had NDEs.”

How commonplace near-death experiences were became even more apparent when one of them nonchalantly asked me whether I had ever had a near-death experience.

I answered that I had had not a near-death experience, but an out-of-body experience. Once nearly a decade ago I had been sick and had been hospitalized. While I was given an intra-venous injection, something went wrong and instead of the fluid going into my body from the bottle, my blood started going into the bottle. I had dozed off during the injection. When I woke up and noticed what was happening, I became horrified and panicky. But suddenly I saw myself from an out-of-body perspective and immediately felt calm. After a few moments, I found myself back in my body. Still feeling calm, I pressed the nearby alarm button to call a nurse, who promptly fixed the problem.

My program in Jacksonville was held at the Bhakti House, a center run by a young couple: Amrita Keli Mataji, who is the Hindu Chaplain for the University of North Florida, and Lovelesh Prabhu, who is a software engineer.

While I have seen many youth centers managed by monks in India, this is the first youth center I have seen managed by householders, and that too in America. Amrita Keli Mataji and Lovelesh Prabhu have taken a two-story house, in which they live in one small part and open the rest of the house for students as a facility for staying and practicing bhakti.

One of the most inspiring features of being a traveling teacher of bhakti for me is seeing the commitment to outreach of devotees all over the world. Their dedication demonstrates that the zeal for outreach ignited by Srila Prabhupada burns strong in the hearts of his second generational American followers.

The post “Have you had a near-death experience?” appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

This video shows devotees at the Ganges on Gaura-purnima 1974 and features Tamal Krishna Goswami shaving up and Sridhar Swami, Madhudvisa Prabhu, and me in a major water fight.

Happy Gaura-purnima!

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

 Following is a lecture given in Mayapur India, on the Gaura Purnima day, in 1976 by HDG A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Lecture 7.9.38 Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: “In this way, my Lord, You have appeared in different incarnations—as human beings, as animals, as a great saintly person, as demigods and as a fish and a tortoise. In this way […]

The post Happy Gaura Purnima appeared first on Mayapur.com.

From Amrit Vani, “Nectarean Instructions for Immortality,” gleaned from the instructions of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and presented in the form of questions and answers.

Is the favor given by Mahaprabhu the highest favor?

There has never been nor will there ever be better benefactors than Mahaprabhu and His devotees. No other type of human welfare work can compare; all those others simply perform a great disservice to humanity. The favor offered by Mahaprabhu and His devotees is the supreme favor. This favor is eternal, not a temporary five- or ten-day promise. Mundane benefits tend to ultimately do harm, but Mahaprabhu’s favor will never harm others.

For example, what is good for our country will certainly be harmful to another country. It is the nature of temporary happiness to cause distress to others. If I am happy to ride in a horse-pulled cart, the horse will be inconvenienced by my pleasure. Mahaprabhu and His devotees never deceive people by preaching about temporary favors. Their favor and charities are suitable for all people at all times and under all circumstances. Their gifts are good for the entire universe. Mahaprabhu and His devotees never offer gifts related to narrow or sectarian views.

Mahaprabhu’s compassion is considered harmless compassion. Thus we say that He and His devotees are the most magnanimous. I am not speaking flowery language or myth but topmost truth when I say these things.

Mahaprabhu’s compassion is complete, while all other forms of compassion are limited and deceptive. Matsya, Kurma, Varahadeva, Ramachandra, and even Krishna distributed mercy only to Their devotees and annihilated those who opposed Them. Mahaprabhu displayed compassion to everyone. He did not even hesitate to show His harmless mercy to the Kazi and the Buddhists, and He converted the worshipers of Ramachandra, known as the Ramanandis, into pure Vaishnavas.

What has Sri Chaitanyadeva done?

Sri Chaitanyadeva has instructed everyone to engage everything they have in Krishna’s service. Although Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna, He appeared in the mood of a devotee and revealed Krishna to the world. He taught everyone to serve Krishna by His own example. Sri Rupa Gosvami Prabhu, who was an associate of Sri Krishna Chaitanya, glorified Mahaprabhu as follows:

namo maha-vadanyaya, krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

“O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 19.54)

O Sri Krishna Chaitanya! You are most magnanimous! You have not established so-called schools and orphanages, nor have You spent your time digging wells, building hospitals, or performing other social welfare activities. Rather, You have established spiritual institutions to educate the people. You are therefore the ultimate shelter of all orphans. You have revealed the nectarean ocean of the mellows of devotional service. You have built Gaudiya hospitals, centers where the root cause of material disease can be treated. Your mercy is causeless and yields no inauspicious results. The so-called mercy seen in this world always creates inauspiciousness in the end. But Your mercy on the living entities creates all auspiciousness for them. Therefore You are considered the most magnanimous personality and He who bestows love of Krishna.

Who is Sri Chaitanyadeva?

Sri Chaitanyadeva is not a personality two thousand or ten thousand years old; He is eternal. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beginningless, the origin of all, and the cause of all causes. He is not born under the influence of time. Rather, past, present, and future originate in Him. He is eternal and almighty. He is not a physical body of flesh and bones but the primeval Lord. He is the supreme enjoyer and proprietor of everything. He is the Supersoul situated in the heart of all living entities. He is the supreme Brahman and the Supreme Lord. He is directly Krishna and the fountainhead of all incarnations. He is full of all opulence and is the supreme Absolute Truth.

Sri Chaitanyadeva is the ocean of mercy. No one else can bestow as much mercy as He can. No other incarnation of the Lord has ever distributed so much causeless mercy. His mercy is distributed to worthless persons to make them qualified. His mercy is eternal. He is so merciful that He gives Himself to His devotees. Such compassion has never before been seen.

Karmis, jnanis, and yogis are unable to see the beauty of His distribution of love of God, but any fortunate soul can attain it. Therefore I say, give up all your considerations and spend time hearing about Sri Caitanyadeva. If we hear about such a personality, who is far superior to ordinary human beings, we can find enough qualification to engage in krsna-bhajana, the actual path of peace.

The Absolute Truth is full of knowledge and bliss. We run here and there to try to know Him; but the Lord of Goloka has appeared in human form among us as Gauranga to give us instruction. If we do not follow His instructions, how will we be benefited?

What is Sri Gaurangadeva’s compassion?

Sri Gaurasundara said that sankirtana is the only duty of humankind. This is proof of His magnanimous nature. Human beings can attain what it is impossible even for the best of the demigods to attain. Sri Gaurangadeva does not cheat and does not mix material enjoyment with spiritual understanding. He has preached what is most beneficial to all living beings. If one hears His teachings he will understand that all other teachings in this world are incomplete and weak. Sri Gaurasundara has not descended to cheat people as the mental speculators cheat people by presenting their insignificant sadhanas. By preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam Sri Gaurasundara has proved that the sadhanas put forth by so-called sampradayas are simply ineffective. He has also demonstrated that the congregational chanting of Krishna’s name is the only way to attain auspiciousness.

But the sankirtana must be for Krishna. Any kirtan performed for one’s own happiness or the happiness of others is not krsna-kirtana. The holy name of Krishna is directly Krishna Himself. The letters K-r-s-n-a are nondifferent from Krishna.

By performing krsna-kirtana the sinful mentality of impersonalists and atheists is destroyed and they become eligible for ultimate liberation. Mayavadi Prakasananda is the prime example of this fact. Even people who are too attached to material enjoyment can attain ultimate liberation by performing krsna-kirtana. Prataparudra, the king of Utkala, is the prime example of this fact. All jivas, including men, women, animals, birds, trees, and even the dead stones can be liberated by the performance of krsna-kirtana. The animals, birds, trees, and creepers of Jharikhanda forest are prime examples of this fact.

The living entities are not becoming liberated simply because they do not engage in krsna-kirtana. Sri Gaurasundara incarnated in this world to benefit all living entities. Our only welfare lies in performing krsna-kirtana. There is no other way to attain the ultimate goal of education, knowledge, and life itself.

sri-krsna-caitanya-daya karaha vicara,
vicara karite citte pabe camatkara

“If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.14)

‘eka’ krsna-name kare sarva-papa nasa,
premera karana bhakti karena prakasa

“Simply chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without offenses vanquishes all sinful activities. Thus pure devotional service, which is the cause of love of Godhead, becomes manifest.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.26)

anayase bhava-ksaya, krsnera sevana,
eka krsna-namera phale pai eta dhana

“As a result of chanting the Hare Krsna 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 Krsna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 8.28)

harse prabhu kahena, “suna svarupa-rama-raya,
nama-sankirtana kalau parama upaya
sankirtana-yajne kalau krsna-aradhana,
sei ta’ sumedha paya krsnera carana”

“In great jubilation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘My dear Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, know from Me that chanting the holy names is the most feasible means of salvation in this Age of Kali.  In this Age of Kali, the process of worshiping Krsna is to perform sacrifice by chanting the holy name of the Lord. One who does so is certainly very intelligent, and he attains shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.8–9)

nama-sankirtana haite sarvanartha-nasa,
sarva-subhodaya, krsna-premera ullasa

“Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune, and initiating the flow of waves of love for Krsna.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.11)

sankirtana haite papa-samsara-nasana,
citta-suddhi, sarva-bhakti-sadhana-udgama
krsna-premodgama, premamrta-asvadana,
krsna-prapti, sevamrta-samudre majjana

“By performing congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, one can destroy the sinful condition of material existence, purify the unclean heart, and awaken all varieties of devotional service. The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Krsna, and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Krsna, and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.13–14)

Why did Mahaprabhu chant “gopi, gopi”?

The materialist cannot understand why Mahaprabhu, who is the supreme teacher of all living entities, chanted “gopi, gopi.” In order to teach people that without glorifying the devotees one cannot glorify Krishna, and without engaging in the spiritual master’s service one cannot engage in Krishna’s service.

Can you please tell us Sri Chaitanyadeva’s philosophy in brief?

We find Sri Chaitanyadeva’s philosophy summarized in one ancient verse:

aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita
srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pum-artho mahan
sri-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah nah parah

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vrndavana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” (Caitanya-manjusa, a commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam)

Krishna, the son of Nanda, is the complete manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Krishna manifests Himself in three features before His devotees according to their respective qualifications. All of these features are complete. They are not partial or indirect manifestations of Krishna the way His manifestations as Paramatma and Brahman are partial. These three features are complete, more complete, and most complete and are situated in Dvaraka, Mathura, and Vrindavan. In Dvaraka Krishna’s manifestation is complete, in Mathura, He is more complete, and in Vraja, He is most complete.

Above Vaikuntha is Dvaraka, above Dvaraka is Mathura, and above Mathura is Goloka Vrindavan. Those spiritual abodes, which are eternally present in the spiritual sky, are also manifest in this world. Whatever is absent in the spiritual world cannot appear in this one. As lotus flowers grow in the water but are not touched by the water, so Vrndavana-dhama is in this world but untouched by matter. Those whose hearts are not inclined to serve the Lord cannot realize the transcendental nature of the Lord’s abode as it appears in this world.

Sri Chaitanyadeva established the supremacy of serving the Lord of Vrindavan, or Gokula. Krishna is the fountainhead of all the Vishnu incarnations; He is the son of Nanda and the beloved child of Yasoda. He is also the beloved Lord of Radha. This Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna alone is the eternally worshipable Lord of the Gaudiyas, the followers of Sri Rupa like ourselves. Sri Chaitanyadeva has instructed everyone to worship Krishna, the Lord of Gokula.

Are Sri Gauranga’s instructions the topmost teachings?

There is no truth superior to the truth preached by Sri Gaurasundara. It is possible to attain to the highest kingdom of bhajana only by the Lord’s holy name.

Thank you.

Hare Krishna.

Your aspiring servant,
Giriraj Swami

OPEN INVITATION: The board members of ISKCON New Vrindaban, ECO-Vrindaban & the Village Council invite all New Vrindaban residents, neighbors and well-wishers to participate in the upcoming weekend activities.

MARCH 24th, 25th & 26th WEEKEND ACTIVITY SCHEDULE:

Friday, March 24th

7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Dinner Prasad with members of the Village Council, INV & ECO-V Boards & GBCs (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

Saturday, March 25th

9:00 am to 10:00 am: Breakfast Prasad (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

9:45 am to 1:30 pm: INV, ECO-V & Gopal’s Garden Presentations (under Lodge)

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Lunch Prasad (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

3:30 pm to 6:00 pm: Community Dialog (under Lodge. Tentatively two topics: 1. A Foundation for the New Vrindaban Village Association: Rights and Responsibilities; 2. Rover Pipeline Discussion; possibly additional topics, TBD.)

7:30 pm to 8:30 pm: Dinner Prasad with members of the Village Council, INV & ECO-V Boards & GBCs (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

Sunday, March 26th

9:00 am to 10:00 am: Breakfast Prasad (at Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Temple)

11:00 am to 1:00 pm: Parikrama Tour (Tentative stops: Madhuban, Vrindaban, Yoga Shala, & possibly additional locations, TBD. Weather permitting.)

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Sunday Program & Feast (at RVC’s Temple)

3:30 pm to 6:30 pm: Service Appreciations (under the Lodge. Honorees: Kelly Carter Howard, Tejo & Kelly, & Advaita & Madri)

The devotees of the Jagannatha Gauranga Temple in Denpasar, Bali, organised a big kirtan mela in the lead up to the installation of Jagannatha and Gaura Nitai deities.

I started off the kirtan, followed by Madhava and Sri Radhika, then expert kirtaniyas from Bali and other parts of Indonesia kept chanting while different ceremonies were being performed.

Harinam - 11th March 2017 - Reading, UK (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: So this process of hari-kirtana is very simple: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Actually there are only three words: Hare, Krsna, and Rama. But they are very nicely arranged for chanting so that everyone can take the mantra and chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Since we have started this movement in the Western countries, Europeans, Americans, Africans, Egyptians, and Japanese are all chanting. There is no difficulty. They are chanting very gladly, and they are getting the results. What is the difficulty? We are distributing this chanting free of charge, and it is very simple. Simply by chanting, one can have self-realization, God realization, and when there is God realization, then nature realization is included also. For example, if one learns one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and zero, then he has studied the entirety of mathematics, because mathematics means simply changing the places of these ten figures. That’s all. Similarly, if one simply studies Krsna, then all his knowledge is perfect. And Krsna is easily understood simply by chanting this mantra, Hare Krsna. So why not take this opportunity? >>> Ref. VedaBase => SSR 5b: The Appearance of Lord Caitanya
Find them here: https://goo.gl/boV3p1

ISKCON-Delhi: Sri Gaur Purnima Shobha Yatra : 11-03-2017 (Album with photos)
Lord Caitanya’s Mission (From the book Teachings of Lord Caitanya by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the Science of Krishna, a task which those who follow Him have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are in fact most voluminous, exacting and consistent due to the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses, called Śikṣāṣṭaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts. These supremely valuable prayers are translated herein.
1.
Glory to the Sri Krishna sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.
2.
O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.
3.
One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
4.
O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.
5.
O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.
6.
O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?
7.
O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.
8.
I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/jsuLRo

TOVP: The “goodies” are coming home!
Sadbhuja Das: The second container from Moscow has arrived! Carrying the titanium nitride Chatris and Kalashes.
The kalashes were so well packed that they were the exact size of the inner container. It took not only the labours, but also all the managers to try to get it out and over an hour to get one of the boxes.
The 3rd container will be loaded this coming week, the Russian engineers will come to Mayapur at the end of the month to start assembling and installing them.
This is very exciting!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RWWxUH

Dear Devotees, Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I wish you all a very happy Gaura Purnima. It is a very special occasion for us, the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the followers of Srila Prabhupada, because on this day the Supreme Personality of...

The post 2017 Gaura Purnima Message By Bhakti Charu Swami! appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.

Srila Jiva Goswami’s mercy (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday I arrived back home in Sri Vrindavan Dhama. After bathing I went to Nityananda Vat, where Lord Nityananda sat under a Banyan tree when he first arrived in Vrindavan 500 years ago. There I prayed for His mercy to take shelter of Lord Caitanya, whose appearance day it is tomorrow. Afterwards I met my good friend, Anup Goswami, who invited me to his room to chant on the original japa beads of Srila Jiva Goswami. I had chanted on them before, but this time took on special meaning because of the difficulties I underwent recently. I tried my best the chant from my heart, begging for continued service to the samkirtan movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I am so grateful to be back in Vrindavan, where mercy seems to flow like a river to the sea.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/81YgdG

Varnasrama Series

The post Daily Darshan: Mar 11,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Another fascinating aspect of Mahaprabhu’s chart is that Mercury—planet of communication, learning, literature, etc.—is debilitated in the house of death (the eighth). Shrila Prabhupada, who refused his college diploma, demonstrated that learning without Krishna consciousness is useless. And Mahaprabhu, after His meeting His spiritual master, went from the “wrangling Pandit Nimai” to an ecstatic bhakta who was simply absorbed in calling upon the sacred names of His Lord Shri Krishna, the mahamantra. This was a great shock to some pandits of Nabadwip who responded by ridiculing the Lord’s devotion (until one by one they fell under His sankirtan spell). Furthermore, whereas His followers have produced tens of thousands of volumes of sacred literature, Shriman Mahaprabhu produced only eight shlokas, the Sikshastaka verses. Technically, in Mahaprabhu’s chart, Mercury attains exaltation by the yoga called neecha-bhanga because Mercury is in an angle in relationship to the house lord Jupiter. As an example to us, the Lord demonstrated that learning is useless (as seen by a debilitated or neecha Mercury in the eighth) when it is not dovetailed into Krishna consciousness. And even one who is not learned by material standards must be considered the most intelligent and educated if he understands the science of devotional service Continue reading "Horoscope of the Supreme Lord Shri Chaitanya
→ Dandavats"

[Talk at ISKCON, Houston, USA]

Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Relishing Shikshashtakam – Appreciating how meditation on the holy name blossoms to meditation on Krishna appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Talk at Texas A and M University, College Station, USA]

Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Spirituality in the age of science – The hard problem of consciousness appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

TOVP 2017 is a presentation by TOVP Chairman, His Grace Sriman Ambarisa das, about the current progress of the TOVP construction and an appeal for donations to help continue the current pace towards its completion in 2022.

Thanks to Thakur Saranga prabhu for producing this video.

The post TOVP 2017 – Ambarisa Prabhu Speaks Out appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, February 2013, Vrindavan, India, Lecture)

We are not just hearing the Caitanya Caritamrta, we are not just reading the Caitanya Caritamrta, we are living the Caitanya Caritamrta right now, actually! The pastimes of Caitanya Mahaprabhu are not over yet. They are not over yet! The golden age is just beginning. The miracle is just beginning to happen and we are in it!

EnChant is Kirtan Vancouver’s “bread and butter,” a kirtan, short talk, and prasadam at a yoga studio every second Saturday that attracts an impressive fifty to seventy people of all ages each time – some from different yoga paths, but many completely new to Eastern spirituality. Once advertised through Facebook, meetup.com, and physical posters, EnChant is now the most well-known kirtan event in the city, and is spread just by positive word-of-mouth.

Food For Life Nepal a non profit organization actively working by feeding 1600+ plates of Nutritious Food daily in more that 5 Government Schools where 100% attendance of the students was noted. For More Information visit -  http://fflnepal.org/ or
- https://www.facebook.com/NepalFFL/

A decade old best seller Sri Brhad Bhagavatamrta went out of print for a while, and now with a positive initiative from Touchstone Media the book is back. Sanatana Gosvami’s magnum opus of the devotional journey back to the Supreme Almighty, impeccably presented by Gopiparanadhana Das, had received very positive responses from the Vaisnava community worldwide.

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata prove the above statement true, as Draupadi and Mother Sita had the whole dynasties destroyed, when men of those dynasties dared to dishonor temple like bodies of these women.

The post Daily Darshan: Mar 10,2017 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

 Vaisesika Das' super-successful book about the art of transcendental book distribution, Our Family Business, is now available as an e-book in all flavors, for all devices. In this very readable book, Vaisesika Dasa discusses ISKCON-devotees we should join the “family business” of distributing transcendental knowledge through the written word, as well as how book distribution benefits distributors, the devotional community, and all those who receive one of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

A devotional classic Bengali film from 1959 portraying the life of the avatar of Radha-Krishna, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, from His birth in Nadia to His accepting of the sannyasa order. Bengali with English subtitles. Black and white, 80 minutes.

On the occasion of Sri Madhavendra Puri’s disappearance day, we share two verses and purports from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta which, by Sri Madhavendra Puri and Srila Prabhupada’s causeless mercy, may help us progress in Krishna consciousness.

ayi dina-dayardra natha he

prāyaḥ prakāśatāṁ yāti
malinaḥ sādhu-bādhayā
nāgrasiṣyata ced arkaṁ
ko ‘jñāsyat siṁhikā-sutam

prāyaḥ — usually; prakāśatām — limelight; yāti — attain; malinaḥ — envious; sādhu-bādhayā — by harassing the saintly; nāgrasiṣyata — wouldn’t eclipse; cet — if; arkam — the sun; kaḥ — who; ajñāsyat — would know about; siṁhikā-sutam — Rahu (the son of Simhika)

The only way envious people can bring themselves into limelight is by harassing the saintly. How would anyone ever know about the dark planet Rāhu if it would not perform its regular task of eclipsing the sun?

— Subhāṣita-ratna-bhāṇḍāgāra, Durjana-nindā,

When we try to do anything worthwhile, some people will criticize us. Critics can help us recognize where our contribution needs improvement. But to be helpful, their criticism needs to be constructive, not destructive.

Constructive criticism affirms the contributing person’s effort and worth; gives specific, actionable points of improvement; and ends on an encouraging note. Destructive criticism, on the other hand, doesn’t just critique the contribution, but also disparages the contributor. It can destroy the contributor’s morale.

Unfortunately, some critics delight in destructive criticism; they criticize not to help others, but to throw their weight around and make their voice heard. They believe that their defining contribution is their criticism of others’ contribution – the more scathing their critique, the more brilliant their contribution. To ensure that their criticism is constructive, critics need to offer criticism with discretion, not let criticism become their default disposition.

The Bhagavad-gita (16.02) states that the godly are characterized by aversion to faultfinding. It doesn’t say that they are blind to faults, but that they don’t delight in finding faults. In contrast, the same Gita (16.04) deems harsh speech as a characteristic of the ungodly.

The Mahabharata tells the story of the demoniac Shishupala whose incorrigible faultfinding extended right up to the Supreme Lord. He knew that he was flirting with self-destruction – if he blasphemed Krishna more than a hundred times in one go, he would die. Yet he wasn’t deterred; he repeatedly launched tirades against Krishna, stopping just before the danger threshold. Eventually, in his self-appointed mission of criticism, he got carried away, overstepped the limit and met his end.

Whereas Shishupala was malicious, our critics may not be. While determining their motives for criticizing us, we can give them the benefit of doubt. Assuming that they desire our good, we can strive to clarify and rectify things. After all, we always have room for improvement – and criticism often spurs us to improve.

But if our critics are not ready to give us a similar benefit of doubt, if they keep going on a campaign of criticism against us and especially if their words sap our morale, then their motive is not as pertinent as their effect on us. We need to protect our enthusiasm by moving away from them, physically or at least emotionally.

After we do honest introspection and sincere rectification where necessary, if we find that our critics still remain critical, then the problem lies not in us, but in them. We need to give up futilely agonizing over questions such as “Why are they criticizing me like this? Why are they making such a big fuss over a tiny fault?” We can improve from others’ faultfinding mentality, but not from their fault-imagining mentality; all we can do is leave them with their imagination.

When responding to those whose only contribution is criticism of others’ contributions, the most constructive response is to imbibe their spirit: Just as they don’t stop making their “contributions,” we too shouldn’t stop making our contributions.

The post Constructive response to destructive criticism appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The Bishop of Leicester to discuss love of God at Hare Krishna Festival
When: Sunday 12 March 2017
Where: ISKCON Leicester, 31 Granby Street, Leicester
Time: 14.00-16.00
The Right Rev’d Martyn Snow, the Bishop of Leicester will be visiting the City’s Hare Krishna Centre for the first time this Sunday.
The Bishop will discuss “Love of God” with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The talk, which takes place from 2-4pm will be moderated by Dr Tom Wilson, Director of the St Philips Centre.

The Bishop has timed his visit to coincide with the Hindu festival of Holi, and the birth anniversary of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who taught love of God in 15th Century India. Festivities will continue throughout the day at ISKCON Leicester, with chanting of Krishna’s names, dance and drama.
For further information: http://www.iskconleicester.org/

Take Life Seriously.
This morning I took a short, one-hour flight from San Francisco to Orange County in Southern California, where I am staying near the Laguna Beach temple at the home of Rupanuga Dasa and his wife Premanjana Dasi. Premanjana Dasi is a medical social worker, specializing in hospice care. (Hospice means end-of-life care for patients who have fewer than six months to live.) Counseling those who are about to die, Premanjana Dasi is constantly reminded by her patients to not take her own life for granted. Today she told me about a current patient who had been fastidious about caring for her physical health good diet, exercise, medical check ups, and so on but who nonetheless, had developed terminal cancer at a relatively young age. Premanjanas patient had battled her affliction for several years, but it finally got the best of her. Now, looking back, she feels regretful that she took her life for granted, and wishes she had taken it more seriously. Scripture repeated reminds us that human life is inestimably valuable and that we should use it to advance in Krishna consciousness without wasting a moment. While hearing the story of Premanjanas patient, I remembered this verse spoken by the Avadhuta Brahmin to Maharaja Yadu: After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krishna consciousness is possible only for a human being. (SB 11.9.29) Srila Prabhupada once said, a materialist is one who thinks he will live forever; a transcendentalist is one who remembers that he might die at any moment. Cultivate a sense of urgency and take full advantage of the most valuable opportunity you have now to advance your bhakti practice. Vaisesika das