Planet ISKCON

On Sri Advaita Acarya’s appearance day, I share with you a talk about Him by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, given on April 6, 1975, in Mayapur, India.  —Giriraj Swami

advaitam harinadvaita
  acaryam bhakti-samsana
bhaktavataram isam tam
  advaita acaryam asraye

“Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called Advaita, and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called Acarya. He is the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord’s devotee. Therefore I take shelter of Him.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 1.13)

So, gradually the author is offering respect: sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita. He has already offered respect to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda. Now it is the turn for Sri Advaita Acarya. Advaitam: “nondifferent”—He is expansion of Maha-visnu. He is visnu-tattva. He is not jiva-tattva. Therefore He is Advaita. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam. Krsna has got unlimited number of expansions—expansions, expansions of the expansions, and then expansions of the expansions, in this way. So Advaita Acarya is expansion of Krsna, as already explained. Therefore He is called advaitam. And acaryam bhakti-samsanat. This is the business of acarya: to spread bhakti cult. Acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit. It is said by the Lord, “You should accept the acarya.” Acarya means one who transmits bhakti cult. Bhakti-samsanat, spreading—gosthy-anandi. One who is not spreading—he is cultivating Krsna consciousness for his personal benefit in a secluded place, sitting and chanting—that is also nice, but he’s not acarya. Acarya means he must spread—gosthy-anandi. Bhajananandi, gosthy-anandi. Generally, gosthy-anandi means one who wants to increase the number of devotees. He’s called gosthy-anandi. And one who is self-satisfied, that “Let me do my own duty,” he is called bhajananandi.

My guru maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he was gosthy-anandi; he wanted to increase the number of devotees. And the more you increase the number of devotees, the more you become recognized by Krsna. It is Krsna’s business. Krsna personally comes as He is to spread this bhakti cult. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. He’s canvassing personally.

paritranaya sadhunam
  vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
  sambhavami yuge yuge

“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (Bg 4.8)

So, the same thing is entrusted to another devotee, who spreads—he’s acarya. So Krsna says, the acarya . . . Here it is said, advaitam harinadvaitad. Of course, Advaita Acarya is expansion of visnu-tattva, but any acarya, he is to be considered identical with the Lord. The Lord says that: acaryam mam vijaniyan—“One should understand the acarya.” Acaryam bhakti-samsanat. Acarya means one who is spreading the pure bhakti cult. “That acarya,” Krsna says, “you should consider such acarya as Myself.”

acaryam mam vijaniyan
  navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyasuyeta
  sarva-deva-mayo guruh

“One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.” (SB 11.17.27, Cc Adi 1.46).

You cannot consider, “Yes, he’s acarya, but not as good as Krsna.” No. Navamanyeta: don’t deride in that way. Then there will be falldown. Acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit. And in the Vedas also it is said:

yasya deve para bhaktir
  yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
  prakasante mahatmanah

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” (SU 6.23) All the Vedic literature becomes revealed (prakasante) simply by these two principles.

Guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija. We should not jump over to Krsna, without the help of guru. That is not possible. You must go through, because Krsna says, tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam: “One who is actually serious to understand higher transcendental subject matter, he must approach guru.” Tasmad gurum prapadyeta. These are Vedic injunctions. Cakhu-dan dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei. Anyone who opens . . . Guru means who opens the eyes of the ignorant person. Ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya—opening the eyes by giving real knowledge. Guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija. The bhakti-lata, the seed of devotional service, can be received by the parampara system through a bona fide spiritual master. And if we abide by the orders of spiritual master faithfully, then Krsna becomes pleased. That is stated by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. Ar na koriho mane asa—Narottama dasa. All the acaryas say like that.

Acaryavan puruso veda: “One who has accepted acarya, he knows things are they are.” Others, they do not know. It is not possible. So Advaita Acarya is the typical example how to become acarya. All are our acaryas: sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. All of them are acaryas because they are following the supreme acarya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore they are acarya. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh. So we have to follow the acarya. Then, when we are completely, cent percent, follower of acarya, then you can also act as acarya. This is the process. Don’t become premature acarya. First of all follow the orders of acarya and become mature. Then it is better to become acarya. We are interested in preparing acarya, but the etiquette is, at least for the period the guru is present, one should not become acarya.

Even if he is complete, he should not, because the etiquette is if somebody comes for becoming initiated, it is the duty of such person to bring that prospective candidate to his acarya, not that “Now people are coming to me, so I can become acarya.” That is avamanya. Navamanyeta karhicit. Don’t transgress this etiquette. Navamanyeta. That will be falldown. Just like during the lifetime of our guru maharaja, all our godbrothers who are now acting as acarya, they did not do so. That is not etiquette. Acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta. That is insult. If you insult your acarya, then you are finished. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ’pi—finished. If you displease your acarya, then you are finished. Therefore it is said—Caitanya Mahaprabhu says to all the acaryas . . . Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, and Srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda, they are all carriers of orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

So try to follow the path of acarya process. Then life will be successful. And to become acarya is not very difficult. First of all, become very faithful servant of your acarya: follow strictly what he says and try to please him and spread Krsna consciousness. That’s all. It is not at all difficult. Try to follow the instruction of your guru maharaja and spread Krsna consciousness. That is the order of Lord Caitanya. Amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa, yare dekha tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa: “By following My order, you become guru.” And if we strictly follow the acarya system and try our best to spread the instruction of Krsna . . . Yare dekha tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa. There are two kinds of krsna-upadesa. Upadesa means instruction. Instruction given by Krsna, that is krsna-upadesa, and instruction received about Krsna, that is also krsna-upadesa. Krsnasya upadesa iti krsna-upadesa. Samasa, sasti-tat-purusa-samasa. And krsna visaya upadesa, that is also Krsna upadesa. Bahu-vrihi-samasa. This is the way of analyzing Sanskrit grammar. So Krsna’s upadesa is Bhagavad-gita. He’s directly giving instruction.

So, those who are spreading krsna-upadesa, simply repeat what is said by Krsna. Then you become acarya. Not difficult at all. Everything is stated there. We have to simply repeat like parrot. Not exactly parrot. Parrot does not understand the meaning; he simply vibrates. But you should understand the meaning also. Otherwise, how you can explain? So, we want to spread Krsna consciousness. Simply prepare yourself how to repeat Krsna’s instructions very nicely, without any malinterpretation. Then, in future . . . Suppose now you have got ten thousand. We shall expand to hundred thousand. That is required. Then hundred thousand to million, and million to ten million.

Devotees: Jaya!

Srila Prabhupada: So there will be no scarcity of acarya, and people will understand Krsna consciousness very easily. So make that organization. Don’t be falsely puffed up. Follow the acarya’s instruction and try to make yourself perfect, mature. Then it will be very easy to fight maya. Yes, acaryas declare war against maya’s activities. Maya is instructing, “Here is wine, here is cigarette, here is that.” In your country these advertisements are very prominent—holding both ways, wine advertisement, cigarette advertisement, naked woman advertisement, and sometimes also gambling advertisement. What is that? Congo?

Devotees: Bingo.

Srila Prabhupada: Bingo. Yes. So this is maya. And our declaration of war against maya—no intoxication, no meat-eating, no bingo. This is our declaration of war. So we have to fight in that way, because nobody can understand Krsna without being free from all sinful activities. These are sinful activities. Therefore it is acarya’s business to stop these nonsense activities. Otherwise they’ll not be able to understand, especially the meat-eaters. They cannot understand.

nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad
  bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-’bhiramat
ka uttamasloka-gunanuvadat
  puman virajyeta vina pasughnat

“Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the parampara system; that is, it is conveyed from spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except one who is killing animals or one who is killing his own self?” (SB 10.1.4)

Unless one is very expert in killing animals, he is not bereft of Krsna consciousness. That means one who is very expert in killing, he cannot understand. Therefore Christ also said, “Thou shall not kill”—the first business. Nobody will be able if one is a killer of animals, small or big—ultimately killer of his own children, killer of his own self. The killing process is so nice that it goes up to the point of killing one’s children. That is now happening. The killing business has so expanded that they are killing their own children. Just see the influence of Kali-yuga. The children take shelter of the father and mother, thinking very safe. Now, in this Kali-yuga, there is no safety even under the care of father and mother. Just see how this material civilization is progressing. Very, very dangerous. Kalau nasta-drsam. Therefore that Bhagavata verse is there:

krsne sva-dhamopagate
  dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drsam esa
  puranarko ’dhunoditah

“This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.”

Very, very abominable condition in this age of Kali—very, very. It is the beginning of Kali. Now we have to pass through 427,000 years. Kali-yuga will make progress in that way. And people are now practicing eating their children, and at the end of Kali there will be no food available. They’ll have to eat the children, like the snakes do. The snakes eat their own children. There are many animals who eat their own children. So don’t try to repeat your birth again and again in this Kali-yuga. It will be not very happy life. Better sacrifice everything in this life and be fully Krsna conscious and go back home, back to Godhead. Don’t wait for the next life. This is very seriously repeated, that “This life I shall finish my Krsna consciousness business.” And as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna consciousness business means to understand Krsna rightly. And He’s explaining Himself rightly. Where is the difficulty to finish the Krsna consciousness business? If Krsna is explaining Himself—what He is—then where is your difficulty? Krsna is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna is sending His representative acarya to teach you, and Krsna is within you trying to teach you, if you are actually serious. Then where is the difficulty? Inside, outside, all ways—books, knowledge—He is prepared.

So where is the difficulty to make yourself perfect in Krsna consciousness? There is no difficulty at all. Provided you are serious, you can become fully Krsna conscious in this very life.

A film by Vrisahbhanu Das.

A special gift for devotees all over the world for the 40th anniversary of Jayananda Thakura`s departure (Album with photos)
In this week the construction of the bas-relief on dedicated to the first Saint of ISKCON near to the Samadhi of Sriman Jayananda Thakur, on the wall behind the Samadhi in the temple of Lord Jagannatha, was completed. Three sections of the bas-relief depicted scenes from the life of Jayananda his outstanding contribution to the development of the mission of Lord Caitanya, his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada's love and gratitude to him.
Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu, the sculptor of the project is a well-known disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who has sculpted many murti of Srila Prabhupada worshiped around the world. Panels located in the Samadhi of Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan, also are the creation of his hands. Above the bas-relief project Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu worked in Mayapur for a few months. He took it with enthusiasm, wanting to glorify and perpetuate the memory of his dear spiritual brother and friend. Until recently, the author of the bas-relief is kept secret that is depicted in it. Now his creation, designed to preserve the memory of a wonderful example of the outstanding disciple of Srila Prabhupada, is available public.
If you see fit please post on the website the news that will be a gift for devotees all over the world for the 40th anniversary of the Jayananda Thakura`s departure.
Krishna Mangala das
Find them here: https://goo.gl/49oKmV
An other work of Bhaktisiddhanta prabhu in Vrindavan in the Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi here; https://goo.gl/AMIMwn

On Saturday January 14^th, Sura Das of ISKCON Los Angeles was invited to speak at Culver City’s 12^th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in Culver City Hall.  Sura serves as the secretary and treasurer of the Interfaith Council of West Los Angeles, and represents ISKCON Los Angeles on the Council. This theme of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was “Peaceful Warriors for Positive Change.” 

Pujaris from all over North America gathered in New Vrindaban, West Virginia in January to gain inspiration, support and training from two events organized by the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry: the inaugural North American Head Pujari Sanga, followed by the third annual Weekend Pujari Training. First off, twenty-one head pujaris and deity department managers from seventeen temples gathered for the Head Pujari Sanga, from January 3^rd to 5th.

India’s capital city Delhi has introduced a ban on disposable plastic. Cutlery, bags, cups and other forms of single-use plastic were prohibited by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

When we strive to grow by learning and living the Gita, we too will encounter challenges. If we balk and avoid the things that challenge us, we cut ourselves off from growth-inducing stimuli and stay stuck in the rut of worldly consciousness.

[Talk at youth forum meeting, Nasik]

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[Brahmachari class at ISKCON, Nasik]

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Radhanath Swami: Today is the day when we honor that personality who has brought the descent of Lord Caitanya into this world Shri Advaita Acarya, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is Mahavishnu, He is the personality who created this entire cosmic manifestation and knowing the purpose of the cosmic manifestations to send everyone back to Godhead that same Mahavishnu incarnated within this material world slightly over five hundred years ago. He was born in a little village in Bengal called Navagram, his mother’s name was Näbhadevé and his name was Kuvera pandit. When he was just a small child he was given two names Kamaläkña and Advaita. It is said that immediately after his birth the first word that came out of his mouth were Shri Krishna Caitanya but nobody could understand this. Playing the role of an ordinary human being, when he was very young he received the sacred thread, when he was only about four years old his parents moved to Shantipur on the banks of the Ganges. His parents both left this world; they died when he was just a very young man. So after performing the Çraddhä ceremony in Gaya he decided to go and Tirth Yatra to visit the holy places through all of India. During his journey he met that great spiritual master Madhavendra puri and he accepted initiation from him.

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QUESTION: Even if we accept the Vedas as a flawess source of transcendent knowledge, there still is the flaw of misinterpreting this source, because we have to use our own flawed intellect and experience to comprehend it. So there seems to be no way to really get flawless knowledge.

This is a very good point, and really needs careful explaining.

If we consider the importance of grammar and linguistics in mimāṁsa (understanding the Veda); the importance of objectivity and mental-calm in yoga; and the importance of painstaking intellect and logic in nyāya; ti is very very clear that we have to apply our own intelelct to the Veda with very careful scientific procedure. Indeed, Brahma-sūtra tells us this right from the beginning, “Brahman can be known from śāstra, but only when that śāstra is understood syncretically.” (Sūtras 3 and 4). Syncretic means very carefully, thoroughly, and broadly – taking everything into account wholistically.

Yet the Vedas – especially the Upaniṣads – also abundantly explain that actual experience of their subject can only come by a direct experience unmitigated by external, flawed tools and conceptions.

So what is the role of intellect? And what’s the role of this revelationary direct experience?

Intellect makes us capable of receiving the direct experience. Specifically, we have to use very careful intellect to understand the Vedas so that we can trust them (really trust, not talk ourselves into something, or “believe”). When we really, deeply “get it” and comprehend that the Veda truly are supremely reasonable, sublime, deep, all-inclusive, and supernatural, then we can open our hearts fully to their guidance. Then we can have unmitigated, direct experience of the reality the Veda have introduced us to and pointed us towards.

So, the “flawless” part of the Veda only comes to us at the very end, when we realize it through direct experience. Meanwhile, we work diligently on getting rid of our own flaws in comprehending what it is trying to say. That effort is done by our limited intellect. But when it accomplishes its task as best as it can, it makes the citta (heart and mind) capable to directly experience transcendence. It is that direct experience which is flawless.

Vraja Kishor

www.vrajakishor.com

Harinama Sankirtana in New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: 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. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.27 – January 4, 1975, Bombay
Find them here: https://goo.gl/LmSkam

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“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the Supreme Soul. If one meditates upon Your transcendental body, You naturally protect him from all sources of fear, even the imminent danger of death.” [ Srimad Bhagavatam 7.10.29 ]

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

“Everyone is sure to die, for no one is excused from the hands of death, which is but a feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one becomes a devotee, however, he is not destined to die according to a limited duration of life. Everyone has a limited duration of life, but a devotee’s lifetime can be extended by the mercy of the Supreme Lord, who is able to nullify the results of one’s karma. A devotee is not under the laws of karma. Therefore even a devotee’s scheduled death can be avoided by the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord. God protects the devotee even from the extreme danger of death”.

Дорогой Господь, о Верховная Личность Бога, Ты — Высшая Душа. Тех, кто медитирует на Твое трансцендентное тело, Ты непременно защищаешь от любых страхов и даже от нависшего над ними риска смерти. [ Шримад-Бхагаватам 7.10.29 ]

Gita verse-by-verse Podcast

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 November 2008, India, Lecture at Mamgachi)

namo brahmanya–devaya, go brahmana–hitaya ca, jagad-dhitaya krishnaya, govindaya namo namah

As Advaita Acharya continued his worship, he chanted this verse. Advaita Acharya fell prostrate before the Lord, seeking shelter at His lotus feet. Lord Gauranga lifted His lotus feet and placed it on Advaita Acharya’s head. Upon seeing this, the devotees became mad with jubilation, completely forgetting themselves. Some rolled on the ground; others embraced one another or slapped each other boisterously while many others cried out loudly. Advaita Acharya felt as if all of his desires had been fulfilled because the Lord had placed His lotus feet upon his head. Lord Caitanya then instructed, “Let Me see you dance!”

Advaita Acharya was not a young man. It said that when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this world that Advaita Acharya was already fifty-two years old! So after the Lord revealed Himself which was in His twenty-second year, that means Advaita Acharya was seventy-four years old, and he was supposed to dance! Advaita Acharya lived another twenty-five years after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya and thus we understand that Advaita Acharya actually became a hundred and twenty-five years old.

Advaita Acharya happily began to dance and so the devotees started a very sweet melodious kirtan. As he continued dancing in front of the Lord, Advaita Acharya sometimes moved in a spirited manner and sometimes moved very gracefully. Sometimes, he felt very humbled and kept a bunch of straw in between his teeth. Sometimes, Advaita Acharya would spin around, jump into the air, then fall to the ground and roll back and forth. At other times, he would breathe deeply and quickly, and then fall unconscious.

We know that keeping a bunch of straw between the teeth indicates humility. It is in a mood of humility that one keeps straw between the teeth. Exactly why this custom is there, I cannot say, but it is there. And more important than the custom, is the mood that Advaita Acharya manifested because no one can do anything without the mercy of the Supreme Lord.

Although Advaita Acharya himself was also the Supreme Lord, still he was not govindam adi purusam – the original purusa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, but rather, he was the avatar of Lord Sri Krsna.

In the Bhagavad-gita (4.8) it is stated, paritranaya sadhunam, vinasaya ca duskrtam, dharma-samsthapanarthaya, sambhavami yuge yuge, that the Lord appears in various millenniums for the sake of establishing the principles of religion and to annihilate the miscreants. That is the work of the incarnations of the Lord. Only the Supreme Lord can give krsna-prema and that is why Advaita Acharya was very eager for Krsna to appear, because Advaita Acharya was not interested just to establish the principles of dharma; Advaita Acharya wanted to drown the entire world in love of God.

Now we can see how it is happening! We can see how gradually, little-by-little, invisibly, the sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya is infiltrating. Because, as a person becomes touched by this sankirtan movement, as one hears the holy name or as one engages in devotional service, one becomes captured.

“FORTUNATE SOULS” (Album with photos)
Dharmatma Das: Some of the many people who received Srila Prabhupada’s Books and took part in the Harinam during our tour of Gold Coast and New Zealand. These are to show the unfathomable mercy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada, by whose grace these people, us and so many more have become, “Fortunate souls.”
Find them here: https://goo.gl/tNgVcL

This is a video message from Vandana Shiva aired during the Nexus Conference 2015(www.nexusconference.in) held in Govardhan Ecovillage on OCT 31 and NOV 1 2015.

World Holy Name Week celebrated the 50^th anniversary of ISKCON this year in style, running for closer to two-and-a-half weeks, from July 28^th to August 14^th. The celebration, organized by Lokanath Swami, Janananda Goswami, and Ekalavya Das, included several key sacred days throughout its run, including the disappearance days of Sri Raghunandana Thakura and Sri Vamsidasa Babaji. Most notably it included the 50^th anniversary of the incorporation of ISKCON in New York on July 28^th, and the 50^th anniversary of the first public Harinam Sankirtan in the Western World, on August 14^th.

On Sunday January 29^th in a special program at the New Govardhana Farm in Murwillambah, Australia, Mukunda Goswami shared memories of the Mantra-Rock Dance he helped organize fifty years ago on January 29^th 1967. The Mantra-Rock Dance concert was a key event in both ISKCON’s early growth and in the counterculture scene of the time, and commemorating it is an important part of ISKCON’s 50^th anniversary celebrations. 

For the past ten years, the Mayapur Academy – run by the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry – has offered devotees a four-month intensive training course that equips them with all the knowledge, skills and values they need to serve as pujaris in ISKCON. Many successful graduates have come away from the course with diplomas in archana. But it’s not always easy for devotees to travel so far and be away from their services or homes for four months.

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The Conch - Newsletter of the New Govardhana Community.
EDITORIAL BOARD: Damodara Pandit dasa, Govardhana Seva dasa, Krishnarupa devi dasi (ACBSP), Urvasi devi dasi
(layout and graphic design).
Srila Prabhupada: Vedic civilization is very strict. Because the whole aim was how to go back to home, back to Godhead, not sense gratification, eat, drink, be merry, enjoy. That is not the aim of human life. So everything was planned with that aim. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.3 – London, August 4, 1973
Find it here: https://goo.gl/0XlLoq

Meet Guru Prasad devi dasi an Iskcon pujari, cook and popular myotherapist in Australia.
Mandakini devi dasi: Popular myotherapist and remedial massage healer Guru Prasad devi dasi decided last year to study Occupational Therapy (a specialized, four-year degree) at Southern Cross University.
Occupational therapy is a client-centered health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Therapists achieve this outcome by working with individuals and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or environment to better support their occupational engagement.
Once fully qualified, Guru Prasad may be called upon to assist children with learning disabilities, assist adults to bathe and dress after experiencing a stroke, modify workplaces so that injured people can return to work, teach parents how to care for a child after a motor vehicle accident, or design renovation plans to ensure a person’s home is accessible for their wheelchair and much more.
For Guru Prasad, this degree means mountains of study, particularly at the weekends, but she is embracing it wholeheartedly. Undaunted by the fact that her workload may well double next year, she is putting her best foot forward for the long haul.
In spite of her busy schedule, Guru Prasad is maintaining her commitment for two days a week Deity dressings and she also helps Ambika and Krishnarupa devi dasis with the practical devotee care program by cooking for devotees in emergencies whenever time allows.
Since mid-year 2016, she has reduced her usual five days a week clinical hours at her therapeutic massage clinic to two days. She is now available for consultation and treatments at her Main Street clinic on Mondays and Wednesdays only.

Normality and illness only exist in the illusionary vision of man. In reality, there is only the immense path of spiritual evolution, characterized by vicissitudes, incidents, stages, progresses, stasis, deviations, falls and imprisonments. Certain incidents are isolated and classified by medicine and psychology as “illness”. Then medicine and psychology study them under an unconscious perspective and do not take under account the evolution context in which they are inserted. These sciences can still obtain respectable, considerable and useful short-term results, but these are only limited to the symptoms. They can also have a certain prevention capability, however the entity and means of their cure and prevention cannot go beyond to reach the substance. This is because they are not contextualized into reality and into the process of spiritual evolution, which are mostly invisible even though they are sometimes remotely perceivable. Continue reading "The Yoga of Love – Beyond illness and psychotherapies
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In spite of what a person who is suffering depression may think, it is actually very easy to overcome depression from a spiritual point of view. It is not at all as difficult as one imagines. And this is a major issue, since it is all a matter of perspective or point of view, which is based on the mental disposition. This attitude and perspective is what must be changed. Mind has the mysterious power of magnifying a problem and making it appear formidable and bigger than it is. Do not listen to the promptings of the mind. Reject them ruthlessly and throw them out. Although spirituality may not be able to cure all forms of depression completely, it will certainly help. In many cases, developing oneself spiritually can lay the groundwork so that if you are depressed, you may change your view which may allow you to rise above a depressed state of mind. In other cases, it can lift you right out of any depression or despair that you may feel. Continue reading "Curing Depression with Spirituality
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Chanting the holy name and engaging in Bhakti-yoga (Krishna consciousness or devotional service) is the ultimate process of purification and healing in our tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The process of counseling should be seen as an adjunct to the process of Krishna consciousness, and although it can be helpful for some devotees, it is not in itself the panacea for all our problems. The reason for bringing this up is that sometimes the question arises: “Why do we need anything other than our spiritual practices to be successful in our spiritual life?” Continue reading "Psychotherapy and the Practice of Krishna Consciousness
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[Class at Radha Madan-Gopal Mandir, ISKCON Nasik on Bhagavad-gita 18.33-35]

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Happy Vasanta Panchami, Vrindavan’s first day of spring, which is the appearance day of Srimati Visnupriya Devi, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Sri Raghunandana Thakura, and Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami; the disappearance day of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura; and the anniversary of the acceptance of sannyasa by His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami (my sannyasa-guru). May they shower their mercy upon us all.

Hare Krishna.

—Giriraj Swami

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Sri Advaita Acharya was the first among the associates of Lord Chaitanya and He appeared on earth some 50 – 60 years before Lord Chaitanya’s own advent. Sri Advaita Acharya is recognised as a combined incarnation of Sri Maha Vishnu and Sri Sadasiva, Lord Siva in Goloka dhama.

Before the appearance of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, all the Vaisnava devotees in the Navadvipa area used to gather at the house of Advaita Acharya. In these meetings, Advaita Acharya preached on the basis of the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.

It is said that Advaita Acharya prayed fervently to the Lord for several months. He worshipped His saligram silas lovingly with sacred tulasi leaves and Ganges water calling out to the Lord to manifest and show a way to the worldly people to reach the eternal spiritual abode.