Planet ISKCON

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

We will just read something from the Caitanya Bhagavata. Srila Prabhupada said that the nature of scripture is that it is sweet on all sides so it does not matter where you begin, it is always sweet.

Lord Visvambhara looked at Advaita Acharya and said, “I have descended to this world in response to your vow and repeated worship. I was resting on the ocean of milk but your roaring woke Me up. You are so merciful that you could not bear to see the suffering of the conditioned living entities and so you summoned Me to alleviate their painful condition. All of these demigods, sages, devotees and associates have appeared in response to your call.”

Advaita Acharya had worshiped the Salagram Sila with Ganga-jal and Tulasi because he had read in the scriptures that the Lord said, “When you offer Me Ganga-jal and Tulasi, then there is nothing in My possession to repay such an offering. And thus all I can do is give Myself.” Thus, Advaita Acharya thought, “This is it! I will force the Lord to appear!” but he never knew that the Lord had appeared because for so many years Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained hidden.

No one knew that Nimai Pandit, the extraordinary scholar, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one had any idea but at this point, where we are reading now, Lord Caitanya has just revealed to Advaita Acharya that He is the Supreme Lord so Advaita Acharya is in ecstasy.

Lifting his arms, Advaita Acharya responded, ‘Today my life has become successful. All of my dreams have been fulfilled. By seeing Your lotus feet, my birth has gained meaning. O Lord, who else but You could liberate all the living entities.” Tears rolled down Advaita Acharya’s cheeks as He spoke. “Now perform My worship,” the Lord said. Having received this instruction, Advaita Acharya began worshiping the Lord’s lotus feet in great ecstasy. First, he washed Visvambhara’s lotus feet, then he smeared scented oil on them. Next, he dipped tulasi-manjari’s into sandalwood paste and placed them on the Lord’s lotus feet. Advaita Acharya performed worship with flowers, frankincense and lamps while everyone glorified the Lord. While Advaita Acharya continued the worship, he chanted the verse, ‘O my Lord, You are well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas indeed. You are the maintainer of the entire universe.’

Or the famous verse: namo brahmanya-devaya, go brahmana-hitaya ca, jagad-dhitaya krishnaya, govindaya namo namah. Advaita Acharya kept on repeating that mantra again and again while he was worshiping the Lord. So it is very interesting how that mantra is now so much part of our everyday life. At least a few times a day, we are chanting that mantra as if it is just another mantra and not realizing how intimate that mantra is to the Supreme Lord, how dear it is to the Lord and how essential it is to the pastimes of the Lord.

We are pleased to announce that marble work on the walls outside the main temple entrance has begun, and once finished sandstone work will commence.

This is part of the exterior finishing work that will continue on an ongoing basis until the temple is completed.

The post Temple Room Entrance Marble Work Begins appeared first on Храм Ведического Планетария.

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We all practice sadhana-bhakti, and to achieve perfection in it by taking another happy birth enables a Vaisnava/i to associate with and obtain blessings from those eternally liberated souls forever serving with the Lord. In this regard, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur explains: "In this context we will make our analysis according to the method described in Srila Rupa Gosvami's Ujjvala-nilaman?i. There are two categories of gopis: the eternally perfect (the nitya-siddhas) and those who have become perfect by practicing bhakti-yoga (the sadhana-siddhas). The sadhana-siddhas are of two categories: those who belong to special groups and those who do not. And there are also two classes of the gopis belonging to special groups: namely the sruti-caris, who come from the group of the personified Vedas, and the rsi-caris, who come from the group of sages who saw Lord Ramacandra in the Dandakaran?ya forest.” (SB 10.29.9 purport) Continue reading "Where Do Our Departed Vaisnavas Go?
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ISKCON-Delhi: Srila Raghunatha Das Goswami Appearance 01-02-2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: If you make your friendship with Krsna, that will never break. If you make your master Krsna, you’ll never be cheated. If you love Krsna as your son, He’ll never die. Similarly, if you love Krsna as your lover or husband, He will be the best husband, the best lover. There will be no divorce. That is Krsna consciousness. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 4.13-14 – New York, August 1, 1966
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Transcendental Street Art (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: For so many countless lifetimes the conditioned souls have been giving all of their service and energy to the service of Maya, and I am requesting all of my disciples that for this one lifetime you give all of your energy and service to Krishna. The spiritual force is eternal, so to give simply one lifetime to Krishna is not a very difficult thing. And yet if we are serious in executing the devotional principles, this one lifetime of service to Krishna will absolute and final solution to all the problems of life. Sincere devotional service in even one lifetime is sufficient to make one eligible to return to the Vaikuntha world permanently. Krishna Consciousness has got this power. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Madhudvisa – Hamburg 7 September, 1969
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MAKING MARRIED LIFE AN ASHRAM THROUGH THROUGH WORSHIP OF THE FORM OF KRISHNA, SAINTS, AND THE HOLY NAME: I devoted a previous blog to the power of Deity worship in general and some of my experiences being a temple pujari for so many years. Today, after I dressed our Gaura and Nitai, and beheld the other Deities, all recently worshiped and adorned with new dresses and ornaments, as I chanted, I felt both awe and inspiration that these forms of Krishna and his expansions and energies have allowed us to live with and serve them. I was appreciating how for a householder, regular worship of Deities and seeing them as the true owner and enjoyer of our home and lives, is one way we transform our home into an ashram.

We have a simple home standard where we offer them everything we eat two or three times a day, and dress and bathe them once a week, while the shilas are worshiped daily, though also simply. I have reasoned that our real worship is through our daily chanting of the holy name through japa and kirtan, offering our prayers, and ultimately our very life and soul, which is the point of everything we do.

Saranagati, or surrendering our body, mind, and soul and all that we possess for divine service, or bhakti, is the process of spiritual awakening. Surrender is a loaded word, and we naturally feel it means we have to give up so much, lose so much. However paradoxical it may seem materially, it is by surrender that we gain our soul and true spiritual nature.

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Like so many things, both Economy and Cow Protection can exist in the Mode of Ignorance, the Mode of Passion and the Mode of Goodness. And although the Economic models can be perceived easily through the different modes of Nature, its way more difficult to differentiate Cow Protection within the different modes of Nature. It’s only been within the last 20 years or so that Cow Protection has taken on any kind of form. That it is not just a bunch of cows hanging around a field with red hands all over them and old Maha garlands hanging dishevelled on their horns. At least, on some Cow Protection projects it has been realised there are models to follow, albeit within the two lower modes of nature. Continue reading "Natural Economy, Cow Protection and the Mode of Goodness.
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A recent presentation in Bhaktivedanta Manor about Iskcon Gainesville's, (Florida, USA) successful program of bringing in new devotees. Focusing on recruiting, preparing the proper environment, tolerate breaking secondary rules and correct once a week, offering respect and appreciation, assigning responsible duties since the beginning, vision for a future devotional career, providing proper living facilities for man and women, access to car, internet etc., zero tolerance in regards the regulative principles, systematic training, realistic counseling, make everyone feel important, understood, welcome and loved, like mother Yamuna did. Continue reading "Successful methods of outreach
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Тех же, кто поклоняется Мне, безраздельно предавшись Мне и посвящая Мне все свои действия, кто занимается преданным служением и постоянно размышляет обо Мне, сосредоточив на Мне свой ум, — таких людей, о сын Притхи, Я без промедления вызволяю из океана рождения и смерти.

The account of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu’s deliverance of the two drunken sinners Jagai and Madhai demonstrates the harmful results of blaspheming Vaishnavas and the beneficial results possible for those who do not blaspheme. Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (Madhya-khanda, 13.39–43) describes:

“Every type of sin became manifest in the bodies of those two [Jagai and Madhai] except the sin of blaspheming Vaishnavas. They happily spent their days and nights in the company of other drunkards. Therefore they had no opportunity to blaspheme the Vaishnavas. The assembly in which Vaishnavas are blasphemed will be ruined, even if all other religious principles are observed. If an assembly of sannyasis indulges in blasphemy, then that assembly is more sinful than an assembly of drunkards. A drunkard will be delivered in due course of time, but one who engages in blasphemy will never attain the goal of life.”

Later, after Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu delivered Jagai and Madhai, Mahaprabhu accepted all their sinful reactions—and sent the sinful reactions to those who blaspheme devotees:

“Mahaprabhu said, ‘O brothers, I have accepted the sinful reactions of Jagai and Madhai. You will all see for yourselves.’ In order to demonstrate that there were no more sins remaining in the bodies of those two, the Lord’s body turned blackish. The Lord said, ‘How do I look?’ Advaita replied, ‘You look just like Sri Gokulacandra [Krishna, Syamasundara].” On hearing Advaita’s comment, Visvambhara smiled and all the devotees chanted the name of Hari. The Lord said, ‘See how these two sinners are black. Perform kirtan so that their sins take shelter in those who blaspheme.’ Hearing the Lord’s words, everyone became jubilant. They then began to perform kirtan in ecstasy.” (Cb Madhya-khanda 13.298–303)

I desperately pray never to commit the offense of blaspheming devotees. Rather, as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said, “Let me have unlimited mouths and unlimited lifespan to unlimitedly glorify the unlimited qualities of Krishna’s devotees.”

Hare Krishna.

—Giriraj Swami

Gita verse-by-verse Podcast

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The post Gita 12.08 Bhakti changes not our outer location but the locus of our inner world appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, April 2008, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Lecture)

I would say that in our Hare Krsna Movement, one of the great causes of devotees becoming dry in their spiritual practices is because they do not get absorbed in reading. You see, chanting is something you do because we measure it – sixteen rounds; it is very clear. But we do not vow to do one hour of reading. We just do not make that vow so we do not give it the same urgency but it should have the same urgency. Reading of scripture is very important; very, very important. If we are not reading, I guarantee you that everything will become stale.

Reading has the capacity to just sort of change our whole vision back to transcendental. So it is very important and many devotees will say to you, “I use to read much more before I joined than after…” and many would agree to that. I understand that circumstances and the culture in which we live is not favourable that we have to struggle to do it but it is really is important. And if you have so much service that you never have time to read, then maybe it is time to speak to the senior vaisnavas about giving you some time. Of course, I know that when you get that little time then you fall asleep within two minutes. But I knew one devotee then who was really fired up. He used to be cleaning with one hand and with the other he was learning slokas! He did it and he became very learned!

What would you do if the White House were to announce that President Trump added India to the list of nations whose citizens are temporarily banned from entering the United States? What if the president announced that banning entry to majority Hindu countries is a small price to pay for keeping America safe?

Five Principles of Vedic Education (12 min video)
His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami explains about the basic principles of Vedi...

Umang Festival at ISKCON Gaya (Album with photos)
On 29th Sunday evening, Umang Festival was celebrated at Dharmsabha Bhawan, Gaya by ISKCON Youth Forum, Gaya. More than 500 students attended the festival from Gaya Engineering College, Gaya College, Magadh University, Central University and some other educational institutions. The festival started with a movie “Bina PK” (A movie where all the answers are given to the questions asked at PK). After that, a seminar on “Mind Your Mind” was given by Hg IsvarNam Prabhu(Director, IYF, Bhagalpur). Hg Rambhadra Prabhu(Director, IYF, Bihar) delivered the concluding points. A drama on “Me & Mind” was performed by the IYF, Gaya devotees. Thereafter the students enjoyed the Mantra Rock and delicious dinner…Iskcon Gaya website was launched….Please visit www.iskcongaya.com
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Urmila devi dasi: These are very professionally done videos on recent seminars about Manah siksa. Manah siksa is the step-by-step gu...

No Whites! (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday I went out with devotees on a Food For Life program in a Zulu township near Durban here in South Africa. As we drove to the township Vrindavan Candra das, who heads up Food For Life in Durban, told me the township was one of the most notorious in the country.
“On average there are 10 murders each weekend”, he said. “The situation is so bad that the police rarely, if ever, enter the township.”
“And we’re going in there?” I asked a little surprised.
“Lord Caitanya is the deliverer of the most fallen,” he replied with a smile. “Plus I convinced 3 policemen to accompany us with AK-47’s,” he said. “They like what we do.”

As we entered the township we saw a big sign that read, “No whites!”

“Don’t worry.” Vrindavan Candra said looking over at me. “The people love us. They are the poorest of the poor and down and out. We’re feeding them prasadam, giving them Srila Prabhupada’s books and having kirtan with them. They truly appreciate.“

Then he paused and said, "But do be careful.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll take some photos to show the devotees around the world what an amazing service you guys are doing down here.”
Find them here: https://goo.gl/5C1RVj

Answer Podcast

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The post When the mind is like software, then how can pills for treating the hardware – the brain – cure mental problems? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Why hearing is the first and most important of the nine kinds of devotional service to the Lord. When I first read that hearing is the most important of the nine kinds of devotional service, I was confused. I was twenty-one at the time and had been hearing all day every day for my whole life. What was so special about hearing? Continue reading "The Magic of Hearing About Krishna and His Devotees
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Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami: You have no right to chastise, no right to correct anyone. You are not guru. Guru has that right. If you see something and you have a good heart, “He is doing something wrong that is detrimental to his bhakti.” Then go to him, pay obeisances, and tell him confidentially, not in front of others, “O my brother, I see this thing and it pains me very much that you are doing this and this. This is a great impediment on the path of devotion. I fear you will not be able to make any advancement. Therefore I am coming to you and telling you. O my friend, please don’t do it. Be serious about your bhajana. Continue reading "The Fallacy of Fault-finding
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Radhadesh Mellows 2017 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The vibration of Krsna’s flute is always prominent in the ears of the gopis. Naturally they cannot hear anything else. Constant remembrance of the holy sound of Krsna’s flute keeps them enlightened and enlivened, and they do not allow any other sound to enter their ears. Since their attention is fixed on Krsna’s flute, they cannot divert their minds to any other subject. In other words, a devotee who has heard the sound of Krsna’s flute forgets to talk or hear of any other subject. This vibration of Krsna’s flute is represented by the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. A serious devotee of the Lord who chants and hears this transcendental vibration becomes so accustomed to it that he cannot divert his attention to any subject matter not related to Krsna’s blissful characteristics and paraphernalia. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 21.145
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ISKCON or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been known for propagating the Holy Name of Lord Krishna through the Hare Krishna Mahamantra worldwide as instructed by our previous acharyas. The weeklong festival celebrated every year aims towards engaging devotees in spreading the glories of the holy name everywhere through special kirtans, events, harinams and much more. For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and in celebration of ISKCON50, World Holy Name Week 2016 was celebrated between July 18 – August 14, 2016. We have received a total of 44 reports – 5 from overseas and the rest from India.

India: Ahmedabad, Amravati, Aravade, Baroda, Beed, Belgaum, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Dabilpur, Delhi, Govardhan Eco Village, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Katra, Kaundanyapur, Kurukshetra, Manipur, Mayapur, Nagpur, Nasik, Nellore, Nigdi, Noida, Panchsheel, Pandharpur, Pune, Rajkot, Siliguri, Solapur, Surat, Tirupati, Udhampur, Vijaywada and Vrindavan

Overseas: Australia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore and UK Continue reading "World Holy Name Week 2016 report
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Maha Harinam Party in Wellington, New Zealand (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: When a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada how to attain perfection after Srila Prabhupada’s departure, Srila Prabhupada replied, “When you chant harinama purely, then the sun of love of Godhead will rise in your heart. You will then see everything clearly, as when the sun rises in the morning sky. You’ll see Krsna and you’ll see yourself and I will be there and will instruct you. Srila Prabhupada Vyasa-puja book 2008 p. 47.
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Gita verse-by-verse Podcast

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 October 2016, Johannesburg, South Africa, Nama Hatta Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 9.10)

In Srimad Bhagavatam, in the discussions with Kapila Muni, it is said that doubt is a symptom of intelligence. So this is interesting, doubt as a symptom of intelligence. We always thought that doubt was a symptom of faithlessness and so on. No, an intelligent person will inquire and will not just blindly accept. So doubt is alright and pure devotees are there to alleviate doubt by their own personal example.

This is a very important point and this is why I call Prabhupada the shortcut. See, once we have faith in Prabhupada, then we do not have to put every word of the Vedic literature on a scale and weigh it because Prabhupada supersedes it because he has realised the essence of the Vedas. He is clearly in direct communication with the Supreme Lord.

That is actually how people developed faith in this movement. We did not first study all the literature inside-out and then thought about it in great depth and then said, “Shall I accept this as truth?” Nobody bothered. Some people sort of intuitively came, “Why did you come?”

“Well, I do not know. I just liked it. I felt it.” That is also there but others went a little deeper. They understood that it is Prabhupada who is the living proof for us. Therefore, one should investigate Srila Prabhupada and read about Srila Prabhupada, especially these biographies.

We have the Srimad Bhagavatam which is our main scripture. One day Prabhupada was giving a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam when someone in America asked a question, “Is Joan of Arc also in Srimad Bhagavatam?”
Prabhupada says, “Eh? Joan of Arc in Bhagavatam? Eh?” Then he says, “Yes, she is also in Bhagavatam because the life of the devotees are also Bhagavatam.”

So Prabhupada just right there and then, extended Bhagavatam beyond the twelve cantos and said actually the life of all these devotees are also Bhagavatam because they are the person bhagavat. Therefore the Prabhupada Lilamrta is also Bhagavatam because it is the life of the bhagavat. It is the life of the person who is the personification of the bhagavat. By reading the Lilamrta and so many other biographies, we can see very clearly how he is not an ordinary person.

If anyone wants hard evidence then I always give the example how in Germany there was a photographer. He was making many photos of Prabhupada and in those days it was not digital camera. It was film inside and there is a big flash and the flash would just, “Whoo!” Really like strong flash, worse than the phones. This photographer was just like one picture after… flash, flash, flash. So at one point, Prabhupada was just seeing balls and he said, “No more balls.”

So then what happened was that the photographer used another technique. He put in a slow, very light sensitive film. Those kind of films would very slowly capture the image and needed less light but then any movement would upset the picture. So he put the camera on a tripod, put the slow film and did not even touch the shutter. He had one of those extension cords. They used to have like that. Before he was taking the photo, he had to adjust the camera. It was not computerised because we did not have computers yet in those days, and the lens had to be manually adjusted. He had to adjust the camera manually according to the light so he had a light meter. So he was measuring the light, adjusting the camera for the light, everything ready. Click. Suddenly, as he was clicking some pictures, suddenly, the light just got much stronger. The meter just goes into maximum! He looks, “Did someone turn on a light?” No. it was Prabhupada. He was beaming with light and it was measured on German light meter. So if that is not hard evidence, then what is hard evidence? German light meter.

So in that way, it was measurable. It was not just imagination that some people, due to sentiment, we are just seeing Prabhupada as an amazing personality. No, even a German light meter. There is no sentiment in a German light meter but even a German light meter could recognise that Prabhupada was an enlightened personality. So in this way, we appreciate, how the pure devotee makes everything accessible and makes everything real.

Bonds of Love: Nagapatni Devi Dasi
Nagapatni was the only one of six children who showed any interest in her father’s academic career as a professor of theology at a Catholic University. When she was about 13 she started asking her father questions about why we were here and where we were going. And, “Why is one child born into a rich family and another born into severe poverty?”
He told her she just had to live with these types of questions. But she couldn’t. There were too many of them and a world full of misery. She started looking for answers in other traditions.
In 1968, at age eighteen, Nagapatni was working at head shop in Laguna Beach called Mystic Arts. That summer a few of her friends went to San Francisco and purchased Brijbasi prints from Costplus. They bought hundreds of beautiful prints featuring a beautiful blue boy. This enchanting figure piqued her interest. Who was he? It wasn’t until the following year, when she met a devotee, that she got a real introduction to him.
Finding the devotees a bit extreme she kept her distance. At the same time, her curiosity grew. One evening, she ventured to ask one devotee boy, “Why is there a lady chasing this beautiful blue boy with a stick in her hand?” The young brahmachari opened his mouth and poured out a stream of what sounded like memorized dogma, leaving her more annoyed and confused than edified.
A few days later, a visitor came to her home. He was an old friend of her husband’s, and was shaven and dressed like a devotee. He brought a big box of luglus. Unfortunately, her husband, who was sitting with other visiting friends, chose to ignore this kind visitor. Nagapatni felt bad that he was treated so rudely, but she noticed his pleasant, mild nature. This was Nanda Kumar, who was Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant at the time. As she and Nanda Kumar spoke, she told him she had just returned from a TM meeting, where they were charging $35 for a mantra for self-realization. She wanted something more meaningful than a hippy lifestyle. He encouraged her to visit the temple.
She went on a Sunday and found the chanting very spiritual. Although she was following a macrobiotic diet at the time, she accepted a plate of prasada. Then an amazing thing happened: although her mouth was burning from the chilies, she couldn’t stop eating the prasada. Next, the devotees encouraged her to meet their spiritual master. They had such awe and respect for him that she thought it a bit extreme. How could anyone be that special? But they encouraged her by telling her she could ask him questions. The next day, she arranged a ride with them to hear him speak at the L.A. temple.
She prepared five questions to ask after the lecture, but she became overwhelmed and shy, intimidated by the large number of zealous devotees in attendance. She was afraid she didn’t have the nerve to ask her questions. But during the lecture something mystical happen: Srila Prabhupada answered every one of the five questions in order. She cried tears of joy at how effortlessly Srila Prabhupada had cleared her mind of these troubling questions that had haunted her for years. There was no doubt in her mind now that this was her spiritual master.
This became her first lesson in vani. Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, she realized, transcended time and space.
When she started reading the Bhagavad-gita the text hit her heart like lightning. All the questions and confusion were clearing. She had read many other books, looking for answers, but here was so much more. She thought she should just learn the basics of Krishna consciousness, and go on with her life with her husband separately, but the temple commander, Shukadeva Dasa, saw right through her faulty plan and tricked her into more participation by inviting her to a cooking lesson and engaging her in devotional service. Shukadeva was engaged in kneading the dough when she heard him doing something on the stove. When she turned around, he put a lid on a pot and began preaching to her. Soon after, she and her husband joined.
Being in an all-brahmachari temple was challenging. She wanted to dress in a sari but didn’t have one. Then one day, the temple president, Durlab Dasa, brought her one. But there was no one to teach her how to put it on. The next Monday night the devotees were scheduled to travel to hear Srila Prabhupada again and she decided to try to wear the sari however she could. She wrapped it round and around herself like a mummy. When they arrived, everyone ran in, but she waddled like a penguin. Nothing got past Srila Prabhupada. As soon as Nagapatni came through the door, he told Sudama’s younger sister to take her and teach her how to put on a sari and tilaka.
Soon after the property on Watseka Ave was acquired, Nagapatni and her husband moved to L.A. It was such a sweet, special time. Each morning the devotees gathered in front of the temple to greet Srila Prabhupada as he returned from his morning walk. Each devotee would give him a flower, and he would give a flower to each of them in return. Sometimes he would pat a devotee on the head. Everyone then followed him into the temple room to greet the Deities. After the greeting, everyone would sit down for a Sri Ishopanishad class. First the devotees chanted in unison the verses they had already learned, and then Srila Prabhupada taught a new verse. This would be followed by a lecture. The atmosphere at the temple was completely transcendental. Nagapatni absorbed her full consciousness in Prabhupada’s presence, especially his words and gestures. She wanted to imprint him deeply into her consciousness.
One morning after greeting the Deities, Srila Prabhupada turned to walk from the altar to the vyasasana. However, it seemed he was walking straight toward Nagapatni. She stepped back, thinking he would turn at any moment toward his seat, but she soon found her back against the wall, with Prabhupada smiling at her. She felt a different dimension open up. Time was not relevant as he looked at her; he saw her past and future. She knew no one had or ever would love her more than Srila Prabhupada and that she was experiencing real love.
There could be one of two reasons why Srila Prabhupada gave her the name Nagapatni. Once, while chanting and walking around the temple room she found herself wondering what service she would have in the spiritual sky. She stopped at the painting of Krishna subduing Kaliya. Not knowing the pastime, she thought the Nagapatnis were surfing. She thought, “This is something I can do! I use to surf!” Or perhaps its was because her husband kept delaying his request for initiation. At one point he said he didn’t want to do it. She told him fine, “but I’m going to take initiation, and you will feel foolish having a wife who is more advanced.”
A week before the San Francisco Ratha-yatra, the L.A. devotees would go up to help. Nagapatni was expecting her first child within a month, and Srila Prabhupada told her for the well-being of her child that she shouldn’t travel after seven months of pregnancy or offer her obeisances after five. Only seven devotees stayed in L.A. to take care of things.
One warm evening, she was the only one attending the arati. The back doors of the temple were open and someone threw a cherry bomb into the temple. It made a very loud noise. Srila Prabhupada was very concerned. The next morning he came to greet the Deities as usual, and the seven devotees sat around him in a semicircle. He asked each of them how they were doing. Nagapatni was overwhelmed by his fatherly compassion. Tears filled her eyes, and as her emotions increased, she became afraid that she wouldn’t be able to answer him without sobbing uncontrollably. He saw her discomfort and gave her a knowing smile.
Srila Prabhupada then passed out a paper with two verses written on it – a prayer to Lord Nrisimhadeva – and proceeded to teach them the prayer. He instructed them to chant it every day after arati and said that Krishna would protect them. Nagapatni was struck with awe at how Srila Prabhupada was making them fearless not only from material dangers but the danger of taking another material body.
Nagapatni never tried to come too close to Srila Prabhupada because she didn’t want to interfere with his important translation work. She started the first nursery school program in ISKCON at the L.A. temple. A few women would take the now large number of children out to a park or beach. Then some would distribute books and the rest would watch the children. Once, a devotee who was married to a member of the GBC came to L.A. and wanted to dissolve the program. She thought the children could simply be kept in one room and given coloring books. Nagapatni was distressed. She felt the children needed healthy exercise and fresh air, but she was nobody compared to this devotee. The next day in Srimad-Bhagavatam class, Srila Prabhupada talked about Krishna and Balarama and how They would go to the Yamuna every day with Their friends. Then he said, “Like you have a beach here the children can play there.” Srila Prabhupada’s connection was greater than material designations, greater than time and space.
Somehow or other, Srila Prabhupada has remained Nagapatni’s dearest father. Her body has grown old and troublesome, but she begs to remain in his service until her last breath.

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