Planet ISKCON

Prabhupada: The Cutting Edge

Том 14, глава 11

На английском – http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33156

In a new documentary film released on December 10th for Gita Jayanti, the people of the Hare Krishna Movement share how Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON and devotion to Lord Krishna changed their lives, and how in turn they’re trying to make a difference in the world. One of the final events of the ISKCON 50th anniversary year, the 85-minute film has been called “one of the best films ever produced about ISKCON” by the society’s Communications Minister Anuttama Das.

The film is now available for public screening. Click for more info: http://www.joyofdevotionfilm.com/hold-a-screening

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[reposted from 12-24-16
and revised 7-3-18]
Who are we really—
beyond who we settle for
without thinking too deeply
as most just blindly accept
as normal, conventional identities
that we’ve learned from others
and from our educational system
so it must be true, right?

Is it really a fact that
we’re our past sad or happy history?
What about our genes, race, ethnicity,
our skin color, occupation,
economic status, religious
institution, sect, or sanga,
state or region, political party,
conservative or liberal bend,
or our nationality or home planet—
do they accurately define us?

What about our sexual proclivity,
desires, likes and dislikes,
skeletons in our closet,

read more

By Matsyavatara das

Some will get married and some will not, some will have children and some will not. But also those who don’t get married and those who have already surpassed this phase of life will greatly benefit by knowing the basic dynamics, the rapport of weights and measures, the values of family life in the Vedic-Vaisnava civilization. In the past so much damage has been done by people—who had no positive experience in this area—who tried, disastrously, to handle the life of others. Therefore those directly involved in family life—as well as those who have to come in touch with those directly involved—should know about the fundamental principles and values on which family relations are based. To know such fundamentals of the grihastha asrama is an integral part of spiritual realization, not because it’s in itself something spiritual, but because it’s a social organization problematic to spiritual realization. Even those who renounce family life for a more elevated aim will always be in touch with those in family life. Directly or indirectly everyone is interested in family life, either because one is married, or because one plans to form a family, or because one has brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, or parents in family life. In this way this asrama is fundamental and is not completely avoidable even for those who desire to live as brahmacaris—a very noble commitment and intention. Continue reading "Family Matters
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By Jaganmohini devi dasi

Therefore we have to study ourselves internally that, by asking who am I? What is my duty? Why I came to Krishna Consciousness? And this we have to ask regularly. Everyday to enquire then we will be able to go beyond the modes of nature, Ahankar. In other words, unless one is situated properly in this understanding in this culture, why am I infected by external modes of nature? It is very powerful. It is very powerful. You see these 3 modes Sattva, Raja and Tama, 3 gunas of this prakriti are so powerful that even the most advanced great soul is liable to be affected. So therefore we have to be extremely careful that the devotional path is not blocked by this great wall of material nature. So once we come to the platform then it is very natural that one will make progress. Now we heard in this purport Srila Prabhupada mentions here and also there in the Nector of Devotion that there are five important processes in the discharge of devotional service. Continue reading "Scientific understanding of Krishna Consciousness
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The attached letter is a request to donate for the distribution costs of Yadubara Prabhu’s already completed “Acarya” documentary on Srila Prabhupada. Please donate what you can at http://www.acharyathemovie.com/donate/ and help make Prabhupada famous around the world.

ISKCON Auckland NZ: Harinama Sankirtana (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: I am very glad to learn also that you are feeling joy while chanting the mantra Hare Krishna. Yes, it is exactly like this. If anyone chants this mantra in good faith and in simple understanding, then surely this transcendental vibration will act immediately in spiritual bliss. Please therefore continue to chant this mantra as many times as possible throughout the day and night. I do not think there is any inconvenience or loss on your part if you do so all the time. Even when you are walking, you can softly chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, or even when you are on the bus going to somewhere you can also chant. When you are working with your hands you can also chant and when you are resting or going to take rest you can also chant. Even in your toilet room while taking bath you can also chant. In this way there is no limitation or restriction for chanting this Holy Name of God, Krishna, and His Energy, Hara. In doing this business there is no loss, but there is very great gain which is transcendental realization. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Minoru, Kenji – Los Angeles 22 April, 1970
Find them here: https://goo.gl/w91crC

Vrindavan 2016 (Album with photos)
Vedavyasapriya Swami: Day trip to Ter Kadamba, Nandagaon, the Bhajan Sthali of Srila Rupa Go...

TOVP: Flag test.
Sadbhuja Das: We are testing the light flag to see the effect. Because the Chakra will be coated by gold plating.
We want to see how it will work by the constant wind up there. And today’s test was very successful. Because there is no wind at the bottom (ground level), but on the top there is some wind affect. So this flag won’t affect the gold.

Bhakta Rod: Once upon a time many years ago, the British began building trains that would travel far and wide throughout India...

By Bhurijana dasa: If you're having a problem, even if it's a big one, you're not alone. Dhruva Maharaja, the great devotee mentioned in Bhagavatam Canto Four, is also within the group of "problem-havers"

By Gangadhara das

One should never climb into a tree, grasp the unripe fruits and forcibly pull them off. Similarly, the followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami never abolish the initial systematic process of devotional service. The rupanugas never teach that the perfection of devotion can be reached by abandoning the consecutive order of development stages on the path. (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada; Prakrita Rasa Shata Dushani). The followers of Srila Rupa Gosvami never leave the path of the great devotees [mahajanas] and run to pursue a ‘new’ path. One should never mistakenly call material obstacles ‘useful for devotional service’, thereby following the wrong path. Continue reading "Truthfulness and Honesty
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In 1965, a lone holy man sets out across the ocean from India to America carrying nothing but a timeless message and a vision of a world united. in a time of war and disillusionment, he inspires a generation of youth, and against all odds forms an unstoppable spiritual revolution.

“Acharya” is the true story of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the revolutionary pioneer of bhakti yoga in the Western world.

Yadubara das and Visakha dasi have been producing a movie called “Acarya” that depicts the life or Srila Prabhupada. This project is in its final stages and has been made possible by the combined efforts of many people and their financial support. The latest news is that a distribution company called “Abramorama” is interested to help distribute this movie. For this additional funds are needed and Yadubara and Visakha are pleading for your support.

Check out the trailers, the website and if you need more info then you can find all in this pdf.

Official Trailer – Acarya the movie

A preview clip from the movie

 

Official letter distributed by the producers

By Krishna’s grace we have all the funds needed to complete our 90 minute documentary film *Acharya *on Srila Prabhupada’s life. Now there are funds needed to distribute the film. We have interest from a top rate distribution company, Abramorama out of New York City who recently distributed *Eight Days a Week*, a film on the Beatles by Ron Howard. Abramorama’s CEO had this to say about *Acharya*:

*I watched your film. I think it’s terrific: consistently smart and interesting. I’m certain there’s an audience for it even beyond the core. *

Funds are needed to cover all aspects of distribution starting Feb. 1 with a release in early June in movie theaters throughout the USA and Canada. Abramorama’s services will continue for up to 1 year depending on public response to the film. International distribution will start in the fall of 2017.

*This is an exceptional opportunity to reveal to the public Srila Prabhupada’s pastimes and extraordinary achievements in such a short period of time. *

Please read the attached letter of appeal and distribute it to those directly and indirectly under your spiritual care, encouraging them to support this exciting project. Your donation by example would be very much appreciated.

Through wide distribution of the *Acharya* film, every devotee and all aspects of ISKCON will be benefitted. There will be an increase in book distribution and temple and festival attendance, resulting in a greater understanding and appreciation of Srila Prabhupada and his followers.

If you have any questions please write to the email address below.

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

Your servants,
Yadubara das and Visakha dasi

yadubara.das@gmail.com
www.acharyathemovie.com

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue 390.
Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, 20 January 1952: In the old days, life was not so much conditional and encumbered. The simple problems were then the problems of bread, clothing and shelter, which were solved by the simplest process. By agriculture they used to solve the bread, clothing and shelter problems, and industrialization was unknown to them. Thus they had no idea of living in big palatial buildings at the cost of sacrificing the boon of humanity. They were satisfied to live in cottages, and yet they were perfectly intelligent. Even the famous Chanakya Pandit, who was the Prime Minister of India during the reign of Chandragupta, used to live in a cottage and draw no salary from the state. Such simple habits did not deteriorate his high intelligence and dignity, and as such he had compiled many useful literatures which are still read by millions for social and political guidance. Thus the simplicity of brahminical culture was an ideal to the subordinate members of the society, and in the deductive way the subordinate orders, namely the the ksatriyas , the vaisyas and the sudras, would follow the instruction of the cultured Brahmins. Such ways of approaching the truth are always simple, plain, and perhaps the most perfect. In the old days even a politician Brahmin like Chanakya would say: A really cultured, learned fellow is far above a politician because a politician is honored by the votes of his countrymen while a cultured and learned fellow is honored everywhere all over the world. So we say that Rabindranath and Gandhi were never dependent on the votes of their countrymen but they were honored all over the world for their cultural contribution. The same Chanakya Pandit defined the standard of learning. The standard of learning had to be testified by its result and not by the manner of university degrees. He said that one who looks upon all women except one’s married wife as mothers, all other’s wealth as pebbles on the street, and all living beings as one’s own self, is a really learned fellow. He never stressed on the point of how many grammars, rhetorics or other books of knowledge that one might have gone through or how many doctorates of different universities one might have been decorated with.
This issue can be downloaded at the following link:
https://archive.org/details/bindu390

Food for Life distribution in Tompkins Square Park, New York City (Album with photos)
“We are satisfied living in the forest of Vrindavan….” today’s Food for Life - Tompkins Square Park program with special guest help from family members visiting for the holidays and Bhakti Center devotees.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/0fxPKu

The post Daily Darshan: December24,2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Prabhupada Taught Us ABCD

The most thoroughly accepted Gauḍīya exact definition of bhakti is from Śrī Rūpa Goswāmī in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11

अन्याभिलाषिताशून्यं ज्ञानकर्माद्यनावृतम् ।
अनुकूल्येन कृष्णानुशीलनं भक्तिरुत्तमम् ।।

ānyābhilāṣitā śunyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam
anukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ bhaktir-uttamam

“The ultimate bhakti is expression of affection for Krishna, without ulterior motive or occlusion by extraneous elements.”

The extraneous motives and their means of attainment are classified broadly as bhukti (self-centered happiness) pursued by karma (self-centered endeavors), and mukti (freedom) pursued by jñāna (acquisition of objectivity and detachment).

Bhakti has its own intrinsic components of endeavors (anuśīlana) and supra-objective subjectivity (anukūlya) and thus has its own intrinsic happiness and freedom – so there is no need for extraneous endeavor. And the extraneous effort to attain happiness and freedom outside the context of love (bhakti) is a serious flaw that prevents one from actually experiencing true love (uttama-bhakti) at all.

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON New Vrindaban Communications

New Vrindaban’s fifth Service Appreciation Ceremony, held on Sunday November 13^th, began with some impressive statistics.

The semi-annual ceremony, launched in November 2014, has so far honored 22 individuals for their unique contributions to the development of New Vrindaban. And it has recognized over 700 years of collective service.

Started by ISKCON New Vrindaban and ECO-Vrindaban board members, the ceremony is inspired by Verse 4 of Rupa Goswami’s Nectar of Instruction. The six loving exchanges between devotees he describes, including giving and receiving gifts, revealing our minds and hearts, and sharing prasadam are all represented in some way at every ceremony.

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada writes, “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been established to facilitate these six kinds of loving exchanges between devotees,” and New Vrindaban members are taking this seriously, appreciating each other in heartfelt ways that are causing positive ripples throughout their community.

Around fifty gathered in the community hall under the Palace Lodge to honor five devotees, who also all received plaques from INV and ECO-V commemorating their lifetimes of service. MC Chaitanya Mangala began with Powerpoint presentations detailing each person’s life and contributions.

He started with Pitambar Dasi and her late husband Amburish Das, who passed away in 1989. Pitambar, who wasn’t able to physically attend due to health reasons, participated via Skype video, along with her two sons Acarya and Ananda. Her eldest son, Nitai, was present in the hall.

Amburish, the first devotee to be honored posthumously, moved to New Vrindaban in 1971 and was initiated by Srila Prabhupada that same year. An excellent kirtan leader and pujari, his favorite service during the 1970s and early ‘80s was caring for Krishna’s cows, which he did as if they were his own family.

Amburish was also renowned for his legendary sweet rice made with protected cow milk, which he cooked over a fire pit outside, and prepared with deep care and devotion.

Pitambar, who moved to New Vrindaban in 1976, met Amburish in the cow barn, where she took care of the calves just as diligently as he did the cows. She also churned butter by hand, prepared ghee and milk sweets for the Deities, and made gallons of ice cream with protected cow milk.

In the mid 1980s, she and Amburish oversaw the teenage boys’ ashram at the original Vrindaban farmhouse. Later, they worked at ISKCON’s restaurant in Pittsburgh, supplied the Rainbow Kitchen for the homeless with food; and throughout, raised their sons with love and dedication.

After Amburish’s passing, Pitambar started her own herbal goods cottage business to support herself and her boys, before moving to Pittsburgh in 2001, where she still lives.

Following the Powerpoint, New Vrindaban devotees poured their hearts out in appreciation of the couple, describing Pitambar as kind and loving, Amburish as hard working and enthusiastic, and both of them as role models for dedicated service.

In conclusion, eldest son Nitai stood and expressed gratitude for the appreciation of his parents. Hearing about his father, who had died when he was eight, was particularly uplifting. “Don’t give up on me yet, guys,” he chuckled. “I’ve still got time to try and fill those shoes.” Then, closing his eyes and raising his hands, he chanted the Hare Krishna mantra with such intensity and sincerity, in a voice so strikingly similar to Amburish’s, that not a dry eye was left in the house.

Another husband and wife couple, Damodar Das and Gopalasyapriya Dasi, were honored next. Gopa moved to New Vrindaban in 1975 from Detroit, and was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in November that year. Damodar came to New Vrindaban in 1978, after joining ISKCON in LA.

Both spent the late 1970s and the ‘80s on the road, fundraising for the community, before settling back in New Vrindaban in 1991. Damodara served as the temple president for several years, while Gopa ran the Krsna’s Attic thrift store and took care of the temple guest rooms. Around this time, she also began caring for the flower gardens around the temple and helping Prabhupada’s Palace Rose Garden caretaker Betty Hickey, whom she took over from in 2011.

Today, Damodar and Gopa still live in New Vrindaban, along with Gopa’s mother Anne, who also participated in the evening’s activities. Gopa continues to serve at the Palace Rose Garden, while Damodar volunteers for various restoration projects, such as the recent improvements on Prabhupada’s Palace, the temple guards Jaya and Vijaya, and the large Gaura Nitai sculptures.

Damodara also has another project. In the past, he recorded himself reading Srila Prabhupada’s Caitanya Caritamrita for his own use, but it was appreciated so much that he made it available to others. Now he’s collaborating with Tulasi Das to make audio recordings of all of Prabhupada’s books, which will be available on a new website in the next few months.

When appreciations were opened up to the floor, many ladies expressed their gratitude for Gopalasyapriya’s sweet and encouraging nature, and for the many times that she uplifted their spirits and kept them motivated when they were struggling.

Many devotees expressed similar sentiments about Damodar, saying his steadiness and determination inspired them to keep on with their service during challenging times.

Finally, everyone appreciated Varsana Swami, who respectfully declined to personally attend and instead encouraged his disciples to participate on his behalf. Those present included Sri Tulasi Manjari, Nitaicandra and Ananga Manjari.
One of New Vrindaban’s stalwarts, Varsana Swami has served there steadily for nearly forty-five years, moving to the community in 1972, and receiving initiation from Srila Prabhupada in 1973.

Working with draft animals in the 1970s before the introduction of tractors, he oversaw several teams of horses as they pulled equipment to cut hay, till garden beds and haul supplies to the different farms around New Vrindaban. He then became known for doing the majority of the landscaping at New Vrindaban, carving the holy dhama out of the existing contours of the West Virginia foothills.

Always seen driving heavy equipment, he and his team sculpted the beautiful shape of the land around Prabhupada’s Palace as we know it today; created Kusum Sarovara lake near the temple, leveled the temple grounds, and built the current road to the original Vrindaban farmhouse.

More recently, he has “excavated” Radha Kunda and Lalita Kunda at Govardhana Hill in New Vrindaban, and is gradually constructing Radha-Gopinath Mandir, the first of Srila Prabhupada’s proposed replicas of the seven main temples of Vrindavan, India. This has become a much favored pilgrimage spot for the parikramas ISKCON New Vrindaban devotees regularly organize for guests.

Speaking about Varsana Swami, several longtime community members, including Pippalada, Gaura Shakti, Advaita, and others acknowledged that he and Amburish were two of the two hardest working members of New Vrindaban’s pioneer generation, out doing service right after mangala arati and not quitting until long after sundown.

They also appreciated his wonderful speaking abilities, recalling how in the early days, when he was known as Kashyapa Das, they were not yet evident. But as Varsana Swami studied Vaishnava scriptures intently over the years, and was cajoled into speaking by his peers, he grew to be the wise and eloquent teacher so many look to for inspiration today. He also authored two books, Gaura Lila and Path to Vraja.

After presenting Varsana Swami’s plaque to his disciple and ECO-V board member Sri Tulsi Manjari to give him later, the event concluded with a unique treat. In honor of Amburish and Pitambar, sweet rice was served out made by New Vrindaban’s pioneer dynamic cooking duo Advaita Das and Sudhanu Das, using Amburish’s classic recipe.

Having been shown by Amburish how he cooked sweet rice, they carefully recreated his methods by preparing it outside in a large pot over a fire pit, constantly stirring and aerating the sweet rice just as he did. They then kept the dessert in a freezer and fridge so it was served ice cold and with a distinct smokey flavor – two essential parts of the magic formula. The third, of course, was the love and devotion with which it was prepared.

“It was phenomenal,” says Chaitanya Mangala. “As Pitambar described Amburish’s sweet rice, it was truly heavenly.”

Ceremony participants savored the sweet rice along with a yellow cake with berry filling and whipped cream frosting, baked by Lakshman Ishvara Das and inscribed with the names of all the honorees. As they shared prasadam together, they kept the appreciative mood going in personal conversations.

“These events are definitely having an impact in the community, and I hope the mood of our appreciations will be expanded so they happen more often and in different ways,” says organizer and MC Chaitanya Mangala.

Others agree. “How can we go wrong when we glorify the devotees of the Lord?” asked Damodar Das. Meanwhile temple president Jaya Krsna Das commented that the appreciation ceremonies have become some of the most powerful community building activities he’s experienced during his time at New Vrindaban.

“It’s so important we let these devotees know their efforts are valued and appreciated, in order to help them maintain their enthusiasm and understand that their efforts are making a difference,” adds Chaitanya Mangala. “My hope is that we keep holding these ceremonies for as long as we have devotees to appreciate!”

Every year, prominent people take part in ISKCON Hungary’s annual Divali dinner. This year, as usual, government officials, public personalities, sponsors, decision-makers, artists, representatives of other religions, university professors, scientists and others from the fields of politics and media all enjoyed the Hungarian devotees’ hospitality. The main theme of the event was the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of ISKCON.

Adapted from a Talk by Giriraj Swami
December 17, 2000
Ojai, California

Our host, Urvasi dasi, called tonight’s occasion “The Holiday Festival.” In the West this is the holiday season, with Christmas and Hanukkah both coming up. As Srila Prabhupada explained, the Lord comes to this world to enlighten people with transcendental knowledge. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His son or His prophet or His messenger or His representative, but they all come with the same message. They may speak in different languages according to the circumstances and the audience, but the essence of the message is the same: God is great; we are but small parts and parcels of God, meant to serve Him with love; we have come from God and are meant to return to Him.

Srila Prabhupada’s purport in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is contains a statement that relates to the holidays people in the West are about to celebrate:

“‘The avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation. And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who so descends is called an incarnation, or avatara. Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatara.’ [Cc Madhya 20.263­–264] There are various kinds of avataras, such as purusavataras, gunavataras, lilavataras, sakty-avesa avataras, manvantara-avataras, and yugavataras–all appearing on schedule all over the universe. But Lord Krsna is the primeval Lord, the fountainhead of all avataras. Lord Sri Krsna descends for the specific purpose of mitigating the anxieties of the pure devotees, who are very anxious to see Him in His original Vrndavana pastimes.” (Bg 4.8 purport)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, the spiritual master of Srila Prabhupada, said that Jesus Christ was a saktyavesa-avatara. As we just read, avatara means one who descends. So, he accepted that Jesus Christ descended to the earth from above. That is avatara. And saktyavesa means one who carries the power of the Lord. Thus, he accepted that Jesus Christ descended to earth with the power of the Lord to preach the message of Godhead. And Jesus Christ preached more or less the same message as Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. Sometimes people would ask Srila Prabhupada about Jesus, and Srila Prabhupada would reply, “In the Bible Jesus said that he was the son of God, and in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says that He is the father of all living entities, so there is no contradiction.”

Jesus Christ filled the role of a spiritual master, or guru. The spiritual master teaches the science of Godhead, and when a disciple surrenders to a spiritual master, the spiritual master accepts the disciple’s sinful reactions. Jesus Christ performed the same functions in relation to his followers or disciples; he taught them about God and accepted their sinful reactions. Sometimes Christians quote Jesus as having said, “There is no way to the Father except through me.” This statement is a little controversial in learned circles–there is some question whether the attribution is authentic or not. But in any case, Srila Prabhupada took the truth in these words to be that one cannot approach the Lord directly; one can approach the Lord only through the Lord’s representative, the spiritual master.

As far as the idea that Jesus Christ accepted the sins, or sinful reactions, of his followers, Srila Prabhupada expressed one concern: The followers should refrain from sin. They should consider, “Oh, if I sin, my spiritual master will have to suffer!” Christians in particular may consider, “If I sin, Jesus Christ will have to suffer for me, so I should not commit sin.” That should be the basic sense. They should not think, “Oh, I can go on sinning and poor Jesus will suffer for me.”

So, we accept Jesus as a saktyavesa-avatara, as an incarnation of Krsna. Christmas should be a time when we remember the teachings of Jesus Christ, the mercy of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice he made for us. And we should resolve to be better followers, better servants of God and God’s representatives, and of all humankind and all living beings.

Hanukkah, in the Jewish tradition, is also an important festival celebrated at this time of year. Different festivals take place in different seasons and have different points of significance. Hanukkah is a winter festival, and winter is a dark season, when the sun sets early and rises late. Hanukkah is the festival of light. Historically, the ancient temple in Jerusalem had been seized and desecrated, but eventually, with great courage and sacrifice, the Jewish heroes, the Maccabees, won it back. They wanted to clean and purify the temple to make it fit for worship of the Lord. The worship included a flame that was sustained by sanctified oil, to be maintained at all times. But when the Maccabees regained the temple, they found only one flask of the priestly oil, enough to burn for only one day. Still, they lit the great temple lamp, or menorah, and, according to the story, the oil burned for eight days, until they could get more. So the miracle of Hanukkah is that the purified oil, which was sufficient to last only one day, burned for eight days, time enough to obtain more.

Figuratively, the temple is the heart. Cleaning the temple means cleaning one’s heart of the many dirty things that accumulate there by material association. That dirt includes false identification with the body and material desires for the gratification of the body’s senses and mind independent of God’s sanction and God’s service. And figuratively, the light is transcendental knowledge, or consciousness of God, which illuminates the heart and dispels the darkness of ignorance.

Just as the year has its cycles, we also pass through phases. We wish we could always be fully God conscious, but practically we may find cycles in our spiritual life, periods of increased devotion to God interspersed with periods of increased preoccupation with other matters. So the Hanukkah festival, the lighting of the candle or the burning of the lamp, means brightening our hearts with God consciousness or Krsna consciousness–cleaning the temple of the heart and rekindling the light of God consciousness, or devotion to God, within the heart.

In such devotional activities we require help, because alone each of us is quite weak. In the face of the material world, in the face of maya, we are weak and feeble, and we need the support and help of other devotees. If one person alone had to clean the temple, he or she would have a very hard job. But when all the devotees clean the temple together, the job becomes much easier.

The most complete science of God consciousness is presented in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which nicely explains the process of cleansing the heart:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
   punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
   vidhunoti suhrt satam

 “Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (SB 1.2.17)

The Bhagavatam says that hearing topics of Krsna, or God, is itself pious activity. For example, we all have gathered here and are hearing the message of Krsna–just sitting here and hearing is itself pious activity. We have only to open our ears to the message of Godhead and we become pious (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana kirtanah). Then, hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani: the inauspicious things in the heart–we could say the dirty things in the heart, the evil thoughts and selfish desires–become cleansed. How? Vidhunoti suhrt satam: The Lord Himself helps the truthful devotee to clean the dirt, because the Lord Himself is already there in the heart. He is already there, but because the heart is covered by material contamination, we cannot perceive the Lord’s presence; we cannot hear the Lord’s voice. However, when we show our eagerness to hear the Lord’s message through our ears, the Lord within reciprocates. He helps cleanse the dirty things from the heart so that we can hear Him there, guiding us. And when we surrender to the Lord and make sacrifices for Him, He supplies unlimited fuel for maintaining the flame of devotion in our hearts.

Satam means “truthful devotee.” The truthful devotee is honest in his or her endeavors in Krsna consciousness. One who is dishonest will make a show of piety or religiousness, but behind the show he will have other interests. He will harbor other ambitions. But the truthful devotee actually wants to understand the science of God and actually wants to serve the Lord and all living beings. Though he may be weak, if he is honest in his endeavors to listen to the messages of Godhead and apply the principles in life, even if he is incapable of executing the orders perfectly, still he is considered satam, a truthful devotee. And the Lord within the heart, who acts as the well-wishing friend of the truthful devotee, will cleanse the heart of the dirty things that have accumulated there.

Again we see how important association is, because the process for cleansing the heart is hearing the messages of Godhead, and only in the association of devotees can we receive the messages properly. Through our hearing and then chanting and repeating what we have heard, the heart becomes cleansed by the grace of the Lord. Ceto-darpana-marjanam: By chanting the holy names of God and by hearing the transcendental glories of God, the heart becomes cleansed and the light of Krsna consciousness there burns more brightly. It spreads throughout the entire body, and it comes out–through the skin, through the eyes, through the different senses. Especially, it comes out through the mouth in the form of transcendental sound, which comes from the heart. The messages that one has received through the ears and that have entered the heart come out again through the mouth and spread light, enlightenment, throughout the world.

So, we greatly appreciate the efforts of Mother Urvasi, for she works so hard to create a situation where we all can come together and speak about God, hear about God, and remember God. Holy days are special occasions when we can get together and remember the Lord’s appearance, or some great devotee’s appearance or disappearance, or some great event that took place in the service of the Lord. And when we get together and hear about the Lord and the great devotees of the Lord and the great service and miracles that took place in relation to the Lord, we become purified. We become enlightened and engladdened.

Peace on earth and goodwill toward humanity actually can be achieved through God consciousness. The Bhagavad-gita explains how we can achieve peace. As we have heard, we must “first make peace with God.” If we reestablish our relationship with God and experience God’s peace and friendship, then we can have real peace and friendship amongst ourselves and help each other in our relationships with God.

Srila Prabhupada said, “God consciousness is there. You have begun these Christmas holidays in your country. Throughout the whole month of December you’ll observe nice festivities. Why? It began with God consciousness. Jesus Christ came to give you God consciousness, and in relation to him these festivities are going on. It may have degraded into another form, but the beginning was God consciousness. Now we may have lost it. But people cannot be happy without reviving God consciousness. It may be named differently–‘Krsna consciousness’–but that means God consciousness. That is the necessity. We want to love somebody. Our love will be perfected when we love Krsna, or God. We are teaching that. Try to love God, and if you love God, if you love Krsna, then automatically you love everybody. That is the perfection of love.”

Are there any questions?

Guest: I want to ask how you feel about a belief I am entertaining, namely that Jesus was a spiritual master because he had attained a spiritual level of consciousness or ascendancy through releasing his ego attachments and becoming transparent to God, and that statements attributed to him such as “No one can come to the Father but through me” and “I am the way, the truth, and the light” could be referring to the way that he had attained his level of spiritual mastery. That is, such statements may be indicating that one cannot come to the Father in any other way but to release ego attachments and create this transparency to God. I realize that you were referring to the need for a spiritual master to assist one in achieving a level of spiritual ascendance, but could Jesus have been saying, “This is the way–the way I’ve done it”?

Giriraj Swami: What you say could be true. In fact, Srila Prabhupada used to describe the spiritual master as transparent. To be transparent we have to purify ourselves of all material dross, and the subtlest level of material contamination is false ego. We cannot be transparent unless we become free from false ego. However, we do not accept the idea of the impersonalists that we give up our ego to merge and become one with God. Rather, we accept the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, of Jesus Christ and other theists, to give up the false ego, the misconception that “I am the body, I am the Lord, I am the controller, I am the proprietor, I am the enjoyer” in favor of the real ego, the true understanding that “I am the eternal servant of God.” Certainly the spiritual master is the eternal servant of God, or Krsna, so he can properly represent Him and direct others to Him. And certainly the process of giving up the false ego in favor of the real ego, the process of devotional service, is the only process that will bring us to God, that will enable us to fully realize we are eternal servants of God rather than illusory masters of the world.

Hare Krsna.

Our thoughts can cause a lot of turbulence in our mind. Everyday, we're bombarded by thousands of images, sound, and smells. Mindfulness and meditation can help tame the turbulent mind. www.panditdasa.com

Before he could say anything more, the uninvited guests, who were the agents of death, grabbed him and took him away and his body dropped dead. He was not willing to go but he was hopelessly powerless, his dear family members wanted him to be with him but they were hopelessly helpless. 

“The Time of the Sages,” a documentary film currently in production, will aim to bring the same kind of worldwide recognition to the Srimad-Bhagavatam as is awarded to the Bhagavad-gita. The hour-long film will follow scholar Krishna Kshetra Swami (Dr. Kenneth Valpey), a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, as he interviews fellow academics and visits key places in India relevant to the Bhagavatam.

Kirtaniyas & Sufi Soul Sangeet in Australia just after our debut tour of Australia. Video produced, filmed and edited by Nila and Sundari Vanwolf (AUS).

Anantacarya dasa: Lord Jesus Christ lived for two years in the temple at Jagannatha Puri. "Lord Jesus Christ lived for two years in the temple at Jagannatha Puri. He was thick and thin with the priests in that temple, and he took his spiritual training from Lord Jagannatha. It is because Lord Jesus loved Lord Jagannatha......and because Lord Jagannatha loved Lord Jesus.......that He, Lord Jagannatha, has come to your country".Read More...

Pusta Krishna das: Today I had a personal epiphany, a realization that can help us all remember Krishna with affection.

Please excuse the pace of speaking due to lingering illness.

And while trying to sell the Bhagavad-gita the man asked him if he reads the book and Nimai quoted the verse they learnt the day before: https://youtu.be/K1CWUoGXzIY

Congregational members in UK distribute almost 40.000 of Srila Prabhupada’s books for the marathon (Album with photos)
Sutapa Das: Planting the Seeds
“Don’t judge each day simply by the harvests that you reap, but also by the seeds that you plant”
Bhakti Vriksa Manor are going from strength to strength… they’re empowered gardeners in the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! They have distributed nearly 40,000 books in this marathon so far, and still have some transcendental tricks lined up Reaching out on the streets, door-to-door, holding Gita Programmes, meeting shop owners, and finding ingenious new ways to connect with people. They know the art of planting the seeds and harvesting the crop! Inspired vaisnavas indeed. Thank you so much.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/BbGupN

By Ananda Vrindavaneswari Devi Dasi

With Christmas upon us, we take a look at what our Founder, Srila Prabhupada said about Jesus. The title is from a letter Prabhupada wrote in 1965 to a Mrs. Sally Agarwal. Prabhupada stayed with Sally and her husband Gopal in Butler, Pennsylvania when he first arrived in America. Sally told the background story of the name: "One time something happened with our little girl, Kamala, who was only three years old. I used to take her to Sunday school, and she learned about Jesus in Sunday school. Then when she would see Swamiji with his robes on and everything, she called him Swami Jesus. And this one time when it first dawned on us what she was saying, she called him Swami Jesus, and Swami smiled and said, 'And a little child shall lead them.'" Sally Agarwal Later, when Prabhupada was in New York he wrote to Sally: "I am obliged to your good daughter for awarding me a good degree as SWAMI JESUS which is actually a great honour for me. Some time the Lord speaks through innocent child and I take this honour as sent by Lord Jesus through an innocent child free from all formalities of the current society. Lord Jesus preached the message of God and I have taken up the same mission, and it would be a good luck for me if I can follow the footprints of Lord Jesus who preached the message of God in spite of all persecution. Lord Jesus is a living example how one has to suffer in this material world simply for the matter of preaching the message of God." Srila Prabhupada, 1965 Continue reading "Swami Jesus
→ Dandavats"

Nrsimhananda Das: We don't need to talk to the doctor; we have Srila Prabhupada's PERFECT example.

The Best Exercise is Walking.
Lots of walking is good for your health.
Walk away from maya when she invites you to play wi...

Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s chief disciples, the Six Goswamis, set goals!
About this, Srinivasa Acarya writes:
Sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih … “The Six Goswamis performed their daily sadhana in a scheduled manner, carefully counting their chanting, bowing down, and so on.”
Srila Prabhupada calls the Goswami’s measured approach: “Maintaining a numerical strength.”
Those who are serious about spiritual advancement may take advantage of this technique by setting daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals for their spiritual lives.
Once you set a goal and you write it down, you’ll see that your mind immediately begins working to attain it. It’s like magic.
Here are a few practical tips on setting goals.

1. Decide what you want and write it down.

2. Make your goals SMART:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
3. Write your goals in present tense and make them positive:

“I read the entire SB in the next five years.”

4. Break large goals in smaller tasks.

Example– Ask: “How many pages a day must I read to finish the SB in one year, two years, etc?”

5. Create accountability by sharing your goals with others you trust.

6. Make your list of goals visible and review it often.

“Where attention goes, energy flows.”

7. Stay on course: regularly assess and celebrate your progress.

8. If needed, adjust your goals to make them realistic and exciting.

(This means, you may have to adjust them up or down …)

9. Categorize your goals:

Spiritual
Family
Professional
Health, fitness
Etc.
10. Use various time frames:

One minute, hour, day, week. Thirty Day, One year, Five year, Ten year, Lifetime, Etc.
Of all the tips listed above, the first is most important: “Decide what you want and write it down.” Doing this transfers your goal from the subtle level of thought, to the grosser level of ink on paper. From there it will continue to manifest outwardly. (Especially if you purposely work at it.)

Begin today by sitting quietly with a pen and paper. Meditate on elements of your spiritual practice and life that you’d like to improve; think of what you’d like to attain, and transform your aspirations into written goals. Don’t worry if they seem to be very small or humble goals. Remember, “Drops a day wear the stone away.” “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”

After writing down even one new goal, you’ll be off to a fresh start in your spiritual life and you’ll feel a new sense of animation.

Hare Krsna!

Quotes to note:

“Disturbance is due to want of an ultimate goal, and when one is certain that Krsna is the enjoyer, proprietor and friend of everyone and everything, then one can, with a steady mind, bring about peace” (Srila Prabhupada; Bhagavada-gita As It Is, 2.66, Purport).

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” (Alice in Wonderland)

“Goals are potent.” (Will McCoy)
Vaisesika Dasa