Planet ISKCON

The post Daily Darshan: December 19th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

1. ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaḿ - cleansing the mirror of the heart
2. bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaḿ - extinguishing the blazing forest fire of material existence
3. śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaḿ - one receives the benediction of pure devotional service, compared to moonshine spreading the white lily of good fortune
4. vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam - the life and soul of all knowledge; the devotee receives the benediction of knowledge of his eternal identity
5. ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaḿ prati-padaḿ - expanding the blissful ocean of transcendental life
6. pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaḿ - tasting full nectar at every step
7. sarvātma-snapanaḿ - the self is wholly cleansed of all desires other than for selfless devotional service

Rare old photos of clips from the local press coverage, the day Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur departed from this world.

Read More...

Let’s all Hare a great time.
Hare Krishna devotees parading in the Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead on Friday.
Hemeltoday: Our photographer David Satchel was sure to be there when Apsley Community Centre held a Hare Krishna Festival.
The event offered visitors of all creeds the chance to enjoy music, dance and food free of charge.
Giridhari Das, a Hare Krishna monk who heads up the UK Hare Krishna Festival team, said: “Whether local carnivals, theatres or town halls we like to be with the people.”
Source: https://goo.gl/gxbMzC

Modern Paper Currency Flawed: Within the system of varnasrama, three-fourth of the population does not earn money, namely the brahmacaris, those in the vanaprastha and those in the sannyasa asrama. Grhasthas, in particular the ksatriya householders and the vaisya householders, assisted by the sudra householders, are meant to support the rest of society. The brahmanas and sudra class do not earn money, only the ksatriya class through taxation and the vaisya class, but only one portion of the vaisya class, those engaged in trade, vanijyam. Those engaged in both krishi, agriculture and go-raksya, cow protection, also do not deal with money but rather with goods. The real currency should be in minerals such as gold or silver, and the real wealth should be in having tangible goods such as land, cows, grains, etc. The artificial paper currency currently in use is both artificial and fraudulent since it does not represent real wealth. Most countries in the world are in severe debts (and increasing every year), including the USA, with only temporary and flawed adjustments being made to salvage the present global economic crisis. Continue reading "Money Sweeter Than Honey
→ Dandavats"

It struck me the other day the astonishing similarity between the words Christmas and Krishna- Prabhupada once pointed out the similarity between the words Christ and Krishna, but when “mas” is added, and the “i” is shortened, the similarity becomes much stronger- one could even say to someone “krsnas tu bhagavan swayam” and they might respond “What was that about Christmas?” We all know the magic and enchantment that the word “Christmas” had over us when we were young, as we knew that from this word, everything of our hearts’ desire would be manifest, and as we chanted the word, we would long for Christmas to come. It is not all that different when we chant the name of Krishna- from Him alone, all the gifts in the world are given. Like the personality of Christmas, Santa Claus, there is the personality of Krishna, who through mystic potency or magic, makes gifts for all the children of the world (such as rain, sunshine, fresh air, potent seed grains, our bodies and knowledge), via the help of His people who work on His behalf, the demigods and other devotees who are known as “desire trees”. Continue reading "Wishing You A Merry Krishnas…
→ Dandavats"

Lord Krishna says, "Under My protection My devotee reaches My eternal abode." Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to this verse: "To a devotee who is engaged in Krishna consciousness, the Lord is very, very kind. In spite of all difficulties, he is eventually placed in the transcendental abode, or Krishnaloka." And two verses later, Krishna emphatically declares: "If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all obstacles of conditioned life by My grace." Please note: It is not by our own strength that we can conquer the darkness that surrounds us but by the strength of Krishna, which is more powerful than the power of one million suns. Continue reading "More Strength than a Million Suns
→ Dandavats"

Istanbul lecture (Dec 17th).

“I will love you, if you will love me.”
Satsvarupa das Goswami: The first initiation was on Janmastami in 1966 and it was so lackadaisical that people got initiated without seriously considering whether they were going to follow the four rules.
I wanted to stay independent. I didn’t think I was ready to get initiated, and besides nobody had asked me to get initiated. So I stayed home and typed for the Swami.
The day after Janmastami I showed up at his door and he said, “Oh, you did not come for initiation yesterday.”
I said, “No, but I did some typing.” I gave him the typing and he gave me some grapes.
He saw that unless I got invited I was reluctant to get initiated, to go to the morning class, to go to the feasts.
It was a defect on my part and at that time he said something important to me.
He said, “I will love you, if you will love me.”
That statement made a big change in me.
He exposed that I didn’t love him but I was expecting him to always love me.
I thought, “Why am I holding back my love for him? Is there something I dislike about his face or his way of talking or something? I do not love him, but I’m expecting him to pour love on me.”
I looked at all the ugliness inside myself that made me not love the Swami, and I decided that I should kick it out and love him.
He said, “If you do that, then I’ll love you. But it’s a two-way street.”
He read my heart and my mind and exposed my big barrier.
When the Swami said, “I will love you, if you will love me,” that became a good instruction for any relationship, certainly with a spiritual master and a disciple or with a husband and wife.
You have to love the other person if you want to be loved.
His words broke a lot of ice, and from then on I stepped forward more and didn’t have to be invited to things.
He once spoke on the telephone about a wedding that he was arranging between Mukunda and Janaki.
When he hung up the phone he said, “You’re invited to come to this wedding.” I said, “Thank you,” and I went to the wedding.
I felt sorry that I had not gotten initiated, so another day I asked him, “Could I get initiated on the next occasion?”
He said, “Well, you’ll have to be a strict vegetarian.” I said, “I already am.”
He said, “Yes, then you can be initiated.”
The Swami was teaching from Dr. Radha Krishnan’s Bhagavad-gita. He said, “The translation is 98% good. Don’t read the purport at all, it’s contaminating, but you can read the translations out loud.”
Some of us bought copies of that Gita and during our classes the Swami would ask us to read.
He’d say, “Raymond, read the translation for Chapter 8 Text 7.”
We considered the translations bonafide. We also had the Swami’s Srimad Bhagavatams.
We didn’t study them in any consecutive order. They were just there to read and grasp.
I bought a set but some others didn’t have the money to buy them.
I asked, “When you get initiated is your karma stopped?”
He said, “Yes. It’s like the electric fan is rotating—action and reaction, or karma—but on initiation the plug is pulled. The rotations may go on for a little while, but there’s really no more karma.”
—Satsvarupa das Goswami
.Excerpt from “Memories-Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint”
by Siddhanta das

Glories of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura by HG Vaisesika Prabhu (video)
Srila Prabhupada: May the glorification of the transcendental name, form, qualities and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect us from the influence of bad planets, meteors, envious human beings, serpents, scorpions, and animals like tigers and wolves. May it protect us from ghosts and the material elements like earth, water, fire and air, and may it also protect us from lightning and our past sins. We are always afraid of these hindrances to our auspicious life. Therefore, may they all be completely destroyed by the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. —————————————-Srila Prabhupada’s translation of SB 6.8.27-28
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/mex05x

Disappearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur on 17th Dec 2016 at ISKCON Juhu (4 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: When Lord Caitanya asked Ramananda Raya what is the most painful experience in human society, Ramananda Raya replied that separation from a pure devotee is the most painful experience. In other words, when there is no devotee of the Lord present, there is great suffering in society, and association with other people becomes painful. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.30.6–7) it is stated that if one who is bereft of the association of a pure devotee tries to become happy through society, friendship and love devoid of Krsna consciousness, he is to be considered in the most distressed condition. In the Brhad-bhagavatamrta (1.5.54) it is stated that the association of a pure devotee is more desirable than life itself and that in separation from him one cannot pass even a second happily. ——————————–From “The Teachings of Lord Caitanya” by Srila Prabhupada
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/XvGzQk

Feelings of incompleteness diagnosed and cured.
Practically everyone I meet claims that they are plagued by anxieties or sadness of one kind or another. For instance, a student that I met at San Francisco State University recently, told me that he was worried about the rising cost of tuition. A young woman I met in Canada was sad because her mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. And people everywhere – on all income levels – are apprehensive about the world’s economy.
Angst is in the air, but each person feels that his or her fears are unique.
While recently considering this phenomenon, I remembered the invocation verse from Sri Isopanisad that says:

“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.”

In such a complete world that emanates from the complete omnipotent, all-merciful Personality of Godhead, why do people everywhere (even the materially affluent) feel incomplete?

Srila Prabhupada answers this in his purport to the Sri Isopanisad verse quoted above:

“All forms of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete knowledge of the Complete Whole.”

The more I learn about Krsna’s supreme opulence, becoming convinced that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more my fears and anxieties abate.

Krsna is my best friend and well wisher. He is all-powerful and all-merciful. Knowing this why should I lament?

When the sun rises in the morning, I see for myself that the venomous snake I feared in the darkness of night is actually a rope; with the arrival of daylight, I see opportunity, my gloom lifts, and I am filled with hope.

In the Gita 5.16 Lord Krsna says, “When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime.”

Recognizing that everyone is suffering for want of this light only, Bhaktivinoda Thakura advises:

“Desiring to bless all souls, the sweet name of Krsna has descended to the material world and now shines like the sun in the sky of the heart, destroying the darkness of ignorance… Take shelter of the holy name as your only business.”

Today, I pray to chant my rounds with my heart fully open to the soothing radiance of the holy name, the completely perfect gift of Sri Caitanya Mahprabhu.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna

Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Gaura Prema Anande!
Vaisesika Dasa

Noticing Krsna…
A construction supervisor, working on the sixth floor of a building, calls a worker on the ground floor. Because of the construction noise, the worker doesn’t hear his supervisor.
To draw his attention, the supervisor throws a dollar bill at the worker. It falls right in front of him. He picks it up and puts it in his pocket and continues working.
In hopes of capturing the worker’s attention, the supervisor throws a ten dollar bill at him. Again, the worker simply picks up the money without looking up, puts it in his pocket, and goes back to work as if nothing happened.

The supervisor realizes he must do something more drastic to draw the attention of the worker. He now picks up a small stone, throws it at the worker, and hits him on his helmet. This time the worker looks up, sees his supervisor, and thinks, “Why did he hit me on the head with a stone?” The supervisor tells him he was the one throwing the money in an attempt to get his attention, but since that didn’t work he threw a stone.

The worker soon realizes that the stone was the only way the supervisor could get his attention. Now the the worker and the supervisor are finally communicating.

This is often the story of our life. Krsna wants to communicate with us, but when He gives us gifts we might not notice Him as the gift-giver. Maybe we think that our life is going well because we are doing the right things and working hard, or that for some other reason we deserve the gifts we receive.

Or maybe we do notice He is giving the gifts. But this often doesn’t bring us closer to Him. In this case, Krsna helps us by hitting us with the stone of life’s troubles. This causes us to begin thinking of and communicating with Him more. Such events usually cause us to become more serious about our Krsna consciousness.

Sometimes, when Krsna wants to get our attention, giving us trouble is the best way to do it – or the only way to do it. If this is required, we should be grateful that He is bringing us closer to Him no matter how He must do it.

The devotee prays, “Oh Krsna, whatever difficulties You must give me to bring me closer to You, please give them. And whatever pleasures and attachments You must remove to bring me closer to You, please remove them.”
Mahatma das

Children Festival 2016 in Iskcon Slovenia (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Practically we see, with the advancement Kali-yuga, people are forgetting his relationship with Krsna, and the price of commodity and the food grains, the price is increasing. They cannot eat sufficiently. So many people are dying of starvation. If they cannot eat, how they will live? Therefore Krsna gives His instruction. He’s the supreme ruler. He gives this order: annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg. 3.14], “You require food grains.” This is practical. Who will disagree with Krsna, that “We don’t require food grains; we require bolts and nuts in the factory”? Who will say? This is practical. So they do not… Just like we see here that, that they do not grow food grains. They are growing jute, because they will get some money, more money. But the rascal does not know that “I will get more money, and it will be taken away next by the food grain seller.” So similarly, we are interested in industry, in plan-making, this, that, so many things. But Krsna does not say that “You open slaughterhouse and industries and brothels and cinema.” No. Krsna does not say. Krsna says, “Grow more food, rascal! You’ll eat and become strong.” And nobody is obeying Krsna. Is it not? —————————————-From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.18 – September 28, 1974, Mayapur
Find them here: https://goo.gl/t8nyWG

“All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote strikes us as paradoxical: If the thought is ours, how could it have been stolen by the ancients who existed before us and our thoughts? Yet Emerson’s point resonates with thoughtful people. We sometimes get a striking thought and feel elated at having come up with something so brilliant, so incisive, so original. But then we discover, to our consternation, that the thought has already been phrased by some ancient thinker. So, we feel as if that ancient has stolen our thought. “Stolen” not in the sense that they plagiarized our idea, but in the sense that the originality we had thought as ours was actually theirs.

This quote also resonates with a principle integral to spiritual growth. While studying spiritual texts and molding our lives accordingly, we sometimes find that the ancients have worded something that echoes our experience. Or rather, our experience shows their words to be profoundly true. Gita wisdom refers such resonance as realization. A contemporary word with a similar sense is epiphany, a moment of sudden and sublime insight. While any insight can be called an epiphany, spiritual realization refers to the insight that is a re-sight – we see demonstrated in life the truth that we have seen taught in wisdom-texts. That which is a reality, when we understand it to be a reality, we get realization.

For helping us gain realizations about the spiritual realm, which is not accessible through our senses, the Gita offers the process of yoga. Yoga practice streamlines and sublimates our consciousness, thereby tuning us to perceive higher truths. The Gita (09.02) indicates that those who practice its teachings realize those teachings.

When we get a yogic realization, rather than we getting an insight and then finding that the ancients had already got it, we read their insight and then experience it to be true. Chronologically, these two are different. But essentially they both reflect a similar principle: truth is timeless; and in the discovery of truth, ancients and moderns, and indeed all people, are in harmony.

Ultimately, the deepest, highest insights that we are capable of – insights about our essential identity and ultimate purpose – are neither stolen by the ancients from us, nor borrowed by us from them. Those truths are timeless and transcendental. They exist at the innermost core of our being and rise to our awareness as we evolve spiritually. The opportunity for such spiritual evolution is open for all people at all times.

The post Timeless insights, timely re-sights appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Storefront of the Mind

The post Daily Darshan: December 18th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, is my grand spiritual master, but I feel that I never really knew him that well until I read his biography Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava by my godbrother Bhakti Vikasa Swami. Many of the quotes and references below come from that work, which has helped bring me closer to my spiritual grandfather.

We are all here by the mercy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There’s a line through which the mercy descends upon us, beginning with Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and passing, one teacher after the other, through parampara, or disciplic succession. Five thousand years ago Krsna came in His original form and in the Bhagavad-gita (9.34, 18.65) He instructed, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto: “Always think of Me and become My devotee.” Five hundred years ago the same Lord Krsna came again, in the devotional form of Sri Krsna Caitanya, to explain and personally show how to be a devotee and always think of Krsna. Lord Caitanya quoted a verse from the Brhan-naradiya Purana (38.126):

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Hari, Krsna. There is no other way, no other way, no other way for success in the present age of Kali.” He also desired and predicted:

prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

“In as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the earth, My holy name will be propagated.” (Cb 3.4.126) He expressed this desire and prediction at a time when it was almost impossible to imagine or believe that it could happen.

In the 1800s Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura began the effort to spread the holy name of Krsna to countries outside India. He wrote a small book in English called Caitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts and dispatched copies to libraries around the world. In recent years Srila Prabhupada’s disciples have discovered copies in libraries from Canada (McGill University) to Australia. Bhaktivinoda Thakura yearned for the day when devotees from all over the world would unite in harinama-sankirtana and wrote, “Very soon the unparalleled path of harinama-sankirtana will be propagated all over the planet. . . . Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mrdangas, and karatalas and perform kirtana through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh, for the day when the fair-skinned men from their side will raise up the chanting of ‘Jaya Sacinandana, jaya Sacinandana ki jaya!’ and join with the Bengali devotees. When will that day be?” (Sajjana-tosani)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a very powerful spiritual master, acarya. After the disappearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates, many unscrupulous people claiming to be Mahaprabhu’s followers introduced concocted philosophies and practices—even illicit activities—to the point that if an educated Bengali heard the word “Vaisnava,” he would immediately think the worst. In educated circles, “Vaisnava” had come to mean a sentimental, ignorant person with loose character who, in the guise of religion, engaged in all sorts of activities. In this precarious situation, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura came forward and presented the true understanding of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, speaking strongly against the deviant groups that had distorted and perverted His pure teachings and practices.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura held a high position in the British rule of India—the highest an Indian could hold, and then only very rarely. He had important responsibilities in the government and had a large family, but his main interest was Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the sankirtana movement. He would sleep little and rise early. He did so much—wrote books, traveled, preached, established centers—and had a tremendous effect, especially on the people of Bengal and Orissa, including the intellectual elite who were just then coming in touch with modern ideas from the West. He revived the true mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, inspiring hosts of people to join him, and pushed back the deviant groups, which lost much of their influence.

Having undertaken such a tremendous task and executed it so successfully but still being surrounded by so many parties with vested interests in covering the true intention of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was at a loss as to who would carry on his mission. So he prayed to Sri Krsna to send one of His own associates from the spiritual realm to continue the work. It is understood that the appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was the answer to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s prayers.

There are many incidents from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s early life that indicate he was that person sent by Krsna. When he was five months old, the Ratha-yatra cart halted in front of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s home in Puri, and the Thakura directed his wife, Bhagavati Devi, to carry the baby to the chariot. When the infant was placed at the lotus feet of Lord Jagannatha, he extended his tiny arms to touch the Deity’s feet, and Lord Jagannatha dropped one of His garlands around the baby—a blessing and a confirmation of his divine descent.

Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati understood his father’s mission and worked with him to fulfill it. His father initiated him into the chanting of the holy name (hari-nama), the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, but according to etiquette, a father does not give actual diksa to his son. So Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructed him to approach Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, a great maha-bhagavata, fully self-realized, liberated soul, for diksa. But Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji was a renounced bhajananandi and not inclined to accept disciples; he preferred to just immerse himself in chanting the holy names and hearing scripture.

When Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati approached him, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja told him directly that he would not accept him or anyone else as a disciple. Still, Siddhanta Sarasvati persisted, so Babaji Maharaja told him, “I will ask Mahaprabhu.” A few days later, when Siddhanta Sarasvati returned and inquired, “What was Mahaprabhu’s order?” Babaji Maharaja replied, “I forgot to ask.” And when he came for the third time, Babaji Maharaja directly refused him: “Mahaprabhu has not given permission.”

Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati was devastated. He stood up and quoted a line by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, addressed to the guru—karuna na hoile, kandiya kandiya, prana na rakhibo ara: “If you are not merciful to me, I will simply weep, and I will not be able to maintain my life.” When Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja understood how sincere and serious Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati was, he accepted him as his disciple and initiated him.

Five years later, in 1905, Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati undertook a vow to chant at least three lakh holy names daily, or ten million monthly, until he had chanted one billion holy names. For his disciples, Srila Prabhupada fixed the minimum number of sixteen rounds per day, which takes most devotees about two hours. Four times sixteen is sixty-four rounds, or one lakh names. And three times sixty-four rounds comes to three hundred thousand names, which would take us, even at a good rate, at least sixteen hours a day. In Mayapur, Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati constructed a grass hut, where he lived very simply and chanted day and night. If rain came and leaked through the thatched roof, he would just hold up an umbrella and continue chanting: “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

Completing his vow took more than nine years, but even then, Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati would write, preach, and serve the dhama.

One program he attended was especially significant. In Bengal the caste brahmanas had a stranglehold on religious people’s practices. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had spoken openly against them and their false claim, based on their supposed high birth, that they possessed exclusive rights to be gurus and perform brahminical functions. Naturally, when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati challenged them, the brahmanas reacted. An assembly of smarta-brahmanas and jata-gosanis (caste Gosvamis) came together to try to refute the arguments of the pure Vaisnavas and published a tract against them. In response, the Vaisnavas called a three-day public meeting to discuss the relative positions of brahmanas and Vaisnavas. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was expected to be the main speaker, but severe rheumatism had rendered him bedridden.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura himself was not born in a brahmana family, and obviously, neither was his son. Now, the question may be raised, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was a ray of Visnu, an eternal associate of Krsna’s sent from the spiritual realm to the material world to preach—Krsna could have arranged for him to take birth in the highest class of brahmana family, with all the brahminical qualifications, but He didn’t. Why not? Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati explains that the Lord does not arrange for pure devotees to take birth only in high-class families, with all the advantages of good health, education, culture, wealth, strength, and so on, because ordinary people would feel discouraged. They would think, “Oh, I didn’t take birth in a high-class family; I didn’t have this or that advantage. What is the hope for me?” So great souls take birth in various kinds of families to show us the example that anyone in any condition—even if not born in a brahmana family—can become Krsna conscious, and to give us hope that we too can be Krsna conscious.

So, after the publication of the caste brahmanas’ tract, on the eve of the public meeting to be convened by the Vaisnavas, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was incapacitated, and he cried out in desperation, “Is there no one in the Vaisnava world who can reply to these people and by presenting scriptural evidence and logic put a stop to their base activities?” Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati took up the challenge, wrote an essay called “Conclusion Regarding the Comparison of Brahmanas and Vaisnavas,” and went to the meeting.

Many caste brahmanas, although not invited, also attended. Understanding that Bhaktivinoda Thakura was indisposed and unable to be there, they swaggered about, confident that they would easily triumph over the Vaisnavas.

Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati was the first speaker. He began by quoting various statements from scripture about the exalted position of brahmanas, and the caste brahmanas in the audience were delighted. He was so brilliant that he could speak better about the high position of brahmanas than the brahmanas themselves. But then he began quoting verses from scripture about the position of Vaisnavas, establishing that Vaisnavas were higher than even brahmanas and that irrespective of one’s birth, if one accepted the Vaisnava principles he would attain a position more exalted than that of a brahmana. The brahmanas in the audience were completely overwhelmed. Seeing no way to counter Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati’s arguments, the smarta-brahmanas and jata-gosanis slinked away.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura felt assured that his mission was in capable hands, that Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati was a worthy successor to continue his cause. And Sri Siddhanta Sarasvati began to preach far and wide. He was fearless and open in his criticism of anything false. His example and instructions are relevant to us today.

Srila Sarasvati Thakura was a prodigious writer and speaker, on various topics, including how to present the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. He noted that there are people who think that you should say only positive—not negative—things. I experienced that when I was in Madras. I was just preaching as I had heard Srila Prabhupada preach, and people reacted. Even friends, people who were hosting me and supporting me, advised me, “Don’t criticize others. Just say positively what you want about your philosophy and activities, but don’t criticize others.” Srila Sarasvati Thakura addressed this very issue and averred that it is imperative not only to elucidate the truth but also to criticize anything false, because in Kali-yuga there is so much false propaganda that we have to be very clear; there cannot be any ambiguity in our message:

The positive method by itself is not the most effective method of propaganda in a controversial age like the present. The negative method, which seeks to differentiate the truth from non-truth in all its forms, is even better calculated to convey the directly inconceivable significance of the Absolute. It is a necessity which cannot be conscientiously avoided by the dedicated preacher of the truth if he wants to be a loyal servant of Godhead. The method is sure to create an atmosphere of controversy in which it is quite easy to lose one’s balance of judgment. But the ways of the deluding energy are so intricate that unless their mischievous nature is fully exposed, it is not possible for the soul in the conditioned state to avoid the snares spread by the enchantress [Maya] for encompassing the ruin of her only too willing victims. It is a duty which shall be sacred to all who have been enabled to attain even a distant glimpse of the Absolute.

Srila Prabhupada also demonstrated this approach. He had a friend named Dr. Patel who would always accompany him on his morning walks on Juhu Beach and converse with him. Dr. Patel was quite literate, he knew Sanskrit, and he was quite sharp. One morning, Dr. Patel started praising a revered popular religious figure of India, and Srila Prabhupada, in turn, began to criticize the figure. Dr. Patel protested, “You cannot criticize like this.” But Srila Prabhupada replied, “I am not saying; Krsna is saying—na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah, mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah: if you are not surrendered to Krsna, you are a miscreant in one of these categories—fool, rascal, demon.”

Dr. Patel became agitated and raised his voice, and Srila Prabhupada raised his. The whole situation became very tense and very intense. Finally, Dr. Patel’s friends dragged him away. It was like in a boxing ring when the bell rings to signal the end of the fight and the two opponents just keep going at each other and their corner men have to pull them apart.

For the first time, Dr. Patel stopped coming for the morning walks, and Srila Prabhupada also said, “Now no more discussion. We will only read Krsna book.” But after a couple of days, as Dr. Patel explains it, with no intention of joining Srila Prabhupada—he was walking from one direction on the beach, and Prabhupada from the other—something in his heart just drew him to Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet. He offered obeisance and said, “Prabhupada, I am sorry, but we are trained to respect all the accredited saints of India.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, and our business is to point out who is not a saint.” He had learned that from his guru maharaja, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja. We not only tell who is a saint; we also explain who is not a saint. And that is the mercy of the Vaisnava, so people know clearly what is what; otherwise, they can be misled and suffer.

Srila Sarasvati Thakura was a tremendously powerful and successful preacher who fearlessly spoke the truth. And his pure preaching inspired hundreds of thousands of people to support him, follow him, join him, and become his disciples.

Yet he also had enemies. He himself was the enemy of falsehood, and people who were thriving on falsehood sometimes became his enemy. There were many incidents. Once, when he and his party were performing navadvipa-parikrama, the caste brahmanas hired gundas, or thugs, and they let loose on the party with a volley of stones and boulders. They were really aiming to take Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s life. (There were attempts on his life on other occasions as well.) But one of his disciples cleverly exchanged his white dress for Sarasvati Thakura’s saffron, so Sarasvati Thakura emerged disguised and escaped. But it was a terrible scene. It looked like a massacre, with the streets of Navadvipa stained with the blood of the Vaisnavas. Some devotees suffered gashes and fractures, but by Krsna’s grace no one was killed.

It was a dark, dark moment, but when it came to light that the attack had been perpetrated by the caste Gosvamis, the shocked public sided with Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and the Gaudiya Matha, and the caste Gosvamis’ opposition to him lost whatever credibility it had. As news of the event spread, those in learned circles protested in newspapers and magazines. The chief police inspector in Navadvipa was sacked, and the parikrama continued under full police protection. Later, when urged to press charges against the culprits, Srila Sarasvati Thakura declined, saying that the hooligans had done a yeoman’s service—otherwise how could the Gaudiya Matha have been featured on the front pages of all the newspapers? Srila Sarasvati Thakura was the enemy of falsehood, but he was the well-wisher of everyone, even of people who were inimical to him.

Although Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was so austere and rigid, so strict with himself, when it came to preaching he was ready to spend any amount of money and do anything. When I was first serving in India, in 1970, only affluent people could afford cars, mainly the locally manufactured Fiats and Ambassadors. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had a limousine—back in the 1930s. And he dressed nicely. He would always wear a dhoti, but on occasion, as required, he would also don a double-breasted coat, stockings, and shoes. For receiving special guests, he had fine furniture. Thus, referring to the elite, he said, “We are preaching by approaching the people of the world dressed even somewhat better than they, showing knowledge even somewhat greater than theirs, being even somewhere more stylish than they—without which they would think us worthless and not listen to our hari-katha. . . . I have to go to various places for propagating hari-katha, so I must present myself as a learned and decent gentleman; otherwise nondevotees will not give me their time.”

He used all means to broadcast the message of Krsna. He had dioramas and other exhibits made, using the latest technologies, and staged huge Theistic Exhibitions. He built a grand marble temple on the banks of the Ganges at Bag-bazar in Calcutta. The procession that brought the deities on a beautiful ratha, chariot, from the matha at Ultadangi to the new temple was enormous. Literally millions of people lined the streets along the two-mile route, which took four hours to traverse, and twenty-five thousand men, divided into forty-three groups, accompanied the deities with loud harinama-sankirtana. For its work, the Gaudiya Matha owned four cars, a horse and buggy, an elephant, and a camel. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati would treat prominent guests to excursions on the Ganges in one of the Matha’s launches and expound hari-katha to them.

In January of 1935 the governor of Bengal, Sri John Anderson, visited Mayapur. This was a      major event, because the Britishers were the rulers, and Srila Sarasvati Thakura was one of their subjects, their vassals. Still, the governor, accompanied by many other dignitaries, came all the way to Mayapur to meet Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and see his work.

In spite of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s tremendous purity and potency and success as a preacher, there were disconcerting signs within his own institution that some of his leading disciples were becoming materially infected. With so much opulence, facility, fame, and respect, some of them had become distracted. Instead of realizing that all the facility was meant for the service of the Lord, to bring people to the Lord’s unalloyed service, they were enjoying the facilities and the adulation. In an effort to reform them, Srila Sarasvati Thakura spoke strongly, and he restricted the use of certain facilities—only for service, only for preaching—to curb the devotees’ materialistic tendencies. (Of course, he also had many sincere disciples, who did not become materially affected.) At the same time, Srila Sarasvati Thakura continued his propaganda activities in full force, with all enthusiasm—writing, publishing, traveling, and preaching—and was successful wherever he went. Still, he was disturbed that some of his disciples had become so mundane.

Ultimately, when Srila Sarasvati Thakura reached the age of sixty-two, his health declined, and he made statements indicating that he would soon be leaving. In late October 1936 he traveled to Puri, a holy place that was also warmer than Calcutta. But for some reason, in December, in a very weakened condition, he wanted to return to Calcutta, and his disciples arranged for him to travel by train. One poignant incident took place when he was about to leave. A householder told his young son, “This may be the last time you see him,” and the boy offered full, flat obeisances to Srila Sarasvati Thakura, who noted the child’s devotion.

In Calcutta Sarasvati Thakura’s disciples called in some of the most renowned physicians in the city. When one advised him, “You have to rest more. You can’t speak so much,” Sarasvati Thakura proceeded to preach to the man, for hours, about the purpose of human life, that the physical body is temporary and that the soul’s absolute necessity is to serve the Lord. He felt that if he couldn’t speak about Krsna, what would be the use of living? We’re here on this planet only for the sake of serving and broadcasting the glories of Sri Krsna.

On December 23 Srila Sarasvati Thakura instructed the devotees gathered at his bedside:

I have upset many persons’ minds. Many might have considered me their enemy, because I was obliged to speak the plain truth of service and devotion towards the Absolute Godhead. I have given them all those troubles only so they might turn their face toward the Personality of Godhead without any desire for gain and with unalloyed devotion. Surely some day they will be able to understand that.

I advise all to preach the teachings of Rupa-Raghunatha [two of the Six Gosvamis, direct disciples of Lord Caitanya] with all energy and resources. Our ultimate goal shall be to become the dust of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Rupa and Raghunatha Gosvamis. You should all work conjointly under the guidance of your spiritual master with a view to serve the Absolute Knowledge, the Personality of Godhead. You should live somehow or other without any quarrel in this mortal world only for the service of Godhead. Do not, please, give up the service of Godhead, in spite of all dangers, all criticisms, and all discomforts. Do not be disappointed, for most people in the world do not serve the Personality of Godhead; do not give up your own service, which is your everything and all, neither reject the process of chanting and hearing of the transcendental holy name of Godhead. You should always chant the transcendental name of Godhead with patience and forbearance like a tree and humbleness like a straw . . . There are many amongst you who are well qualified and able workers. We have no other desire whatsoever.

After midnight on December 31, Srila Sarasvati Thakura left this world. His disciples took his body to Mayapur and established his samadhi there.

He was a monumental personality. News of his departure was broadcast on All-India Radio, and an official day of mourning was observed in Bengal. The Corporation of Calcutta held a special meeting in tribute to his memory and issued a resolution expressing its members’ deep sorrow. The mayor addressed the assembly:

I rise to condole the passing away of His Divine Grace Paramahamsa Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, the president-acarya of the Gaudiya Matha of Calcutta and the great leader of the Gaudiya movement throughout the world. This melancholy event happened on the first day of this New Year.

Born in 1874, he dedicated his whole life to religious pursuits and dissemination of the cultural wealth of this great and ancient land of ours. An intellectual giant, he elicited the admiration of all for his unique scholarship, high and varied attainments, original thinking, and wonderful exposition of many difficult branches of knowledge.

With invaluable contributions he enriched many journals. He was the author of some devotional literature of repute. He was one of the most powerful and brightest exponents of the cult of Vaisnavism, his utterances and writings displaying a deep study of comparative philosophy and theology. The catholicity of his views, soundness of his teachings, and, above all, his dynamic personality and the irresistible force of the pure and simple life, had attracted thousands of followers of his message of love and service to the Absolute as propagated by Sri Krsna Caitanya.

He was the founder and guiding spirit of the Sri Caitanya Matha at Sri Mayapur (Nadia) and the Gaudiya Matha of Calcutta. The Gaudiya movement, to which his contribution is no small one, has received a setback at the passing away of such a great soul. His departure has created a void in the spiritual horizon of India, which is difficult to be filled up.

That void was a big one—there was no one else like him. There had never been anyone like him before, and nobody could imagine anyone like him coming afterwards.

But then, in 1965, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s humble servant, a grhastha disciple named Abhay Caranaravinda dasa, who after his guru maharaja’s disappearance had been awarded sannasya and the name “A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami” by Sripada Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, boarded a steamer from Calcutta, traveled to New York, and began the Krsna consciousness movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, in the West. Bhaktivedanta Swami, or Srila Prabhupada, as he became known, embodied the spirit and teachings and potency of his guru maharaja and fulfilled that desire and prediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and Srila Sarasvati Thakura that the holy names of Sri Krsna, of Sri Krsna Caitanya, be propagated in every town and village of the world.

Srila Prabhupada made adjustments, because he had his own audience and particular circumstances. Like his guru maharaja, he was ready to use anything and everything in the service of the mission. He engaged modern technology—tape recorders, dictation machines, electric typewriters, printing presses, computers, airplanes—in the service of the Lord. He sent disciples to Bengal to learn the traditional art of doll making and also used modern technology to create diorama exhibits illustrating the principles of Krsna consciousness and the pastimes of the Lord. Adopting Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s idea of theistic exhibitions, he created the FATE (First American Theistic Exhibition) museum in Los Angeles.

So the line of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is continuing, by his divine grace.

But it is not easy to preach in Kali-yuga. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had many enemies, and Srila Prabhupada did too. As Srila Prabhupada said, “Big preaching means big enemies.” If we just stay at home, or tell people, “I’m okay, you’re okay—everything is okay,” we’re not going to make many enemies, but neither are we going to have much effect. In fact, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati sarcastically remarked, mein bhi cup, tum bhi cup: “I’ll be quiet, you be quiet,” meaning, “I won’t disturb you, you don’t disturb me.” But that was not his mood, and that was not Srila Prabhupada’s mood, and that should not be our mood either.

And of course, the holy name: the essence of everything is the chanting of the holy name. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati advised, “Krsna and krsna-nama are not two entities. Krsna is His holy name, and the holy name is Krsna. Krsna-nama is the son of Nanda, Syamasundara. Our only devotional service and duty is sri-krsna-nama-sankirtana. This understanding is auspicious.”

And to one disciple, he wrote:

I am overjoyed to hear that your enthusiasm for chanting is increasing. As our contaminations are removed by chanting, the Lord’s form, qualities, and pastimes will be revealed to us in the holy name. There is no point in making a separate effort to artificially remember the Lord’s form, qualities, and pastimes. The Lord and His name are one and the same. This will be understood clearly when the coverings in your heart are removed. By chanting without offenses you will personally realize that all perfections come from the holy name. Through chanting, the distinction that exists between the self and the gross and subtle bodies is gradually effaced and one realizes one’s own spiritual form. Once aware of the spiritual body, as one continues to chant, one sees the transcendental nature of the Lord’s form. Only the holy name reveals the spiritual form of the living being and then causes him to be attracted to Krsna’s form. Only the holy name reveals the spiritual qualities of the living being and then causes him to be attracted to Krsna’s qualities. Only the holy name reveals the spiritual activities of the living being and then causes him to be attracted to Krsna’s pastimes. By service to the holy name we do not mean only the chanting of the holy name; it also includes the other duties of the chanter. If we serve the holy name with the body, mind, and soul, then the direction of that service spontaneously manifests like the sun in the clear sky of the chanter’s heart. What is the nature of the holy name? Eventually all these understandings spontaneously appear in the heart of one who chants the holy name. The true nature of hari-nama is revealed by listening to, reading, and studying the scriptures. It is unnecessary to write anything further on this subject. All these things will be revealed to you through chanting.

So let us all chant, “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

Thank you very much.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami given on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s Sarasvati’s disappearance day, December 24, 2010, Ventura, California]

ISKCON Connection (4 min video)
Introduction to ISKCON Connection.
In a new Youtube video ISKCON GBC members and gurus including Lokanath Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami, and Radhanath Swami, request those who identify with ISKCON to register as a member at iskconconnection.org.
ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission defines a member of ISKCON as someone who accepts the teachings of Lord Krishna as presented by Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada, wishes to be counted as part of the spiritual family of ISKCON, and agrees to practically support its mission.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/63lrPp

This is the first sample of the iron casting of the grills, fences and railings for TOVP.

In this old Kolkata Factory they prepare hundreds of molds during 3 days, and than cast 3 days non stop.

Casting involves continuous casting process, metal starts flowing at 7 in the morning, and only finish at 8pm. All day they fill up crucibles, and run around bare feet, to fill up all of the sand molds on endless mold fields.

The post Metal Casting (Fences and Railings) for TOVP appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Finally available: the highly acclaimed memoir from
Srila Prabhupadas personal photographer: Visakha Dasi Five Years, Eleven Months and a lifetime of unexpected love. Brilliant photographs a talented writer her descriptions are lyrical and evocative. Kirkus Reviews

Conclude ISKCON 50 with an overlay on your Facebook picture.
By ISKCON 50 Global Office
The Global Office for ISKCON 50 has released a 50th anniversary overlay that can be used over your profile picture on FaceBook. The overlay which was developed by a team in India led by Advaita Das and Toshan Nimai Das to conclude the 50th anniversary with a high note on social media. “We have seen several successful social media campaigns such as Digital India and the Paris solidarity movement after the bombings when people overlaid their profile pictures with a flag,” explained Toshan Nimai Das. “Similarly, we have designed an overlay using the ISKCON 50 logo, which devotees around the world can overlay on top of their existing profile pictures. This way, we can build more awareness about ISKCON 50 through social media.” Devotees can simply use the overlay by clicking here or visiting http://iskcon50.thyrse.org/signup. Once at the site, you need to login using your Facebook credentials to drag the overlay over your current profile picture. The resulting picture with the ISKCON 50 logo on top of your profile picture will be added to your album, and you need to change your profile picture with the new one.

“The team that has developed this application worked hard over a few months,” explained Romapada Das, International Coordinator for the 50th anniversary. “We urge devotees around the world to use this overlay and change your profile picture. Please request all devotee friends on Facebook to do the same. Let us conclude the 50th year of ISKCON on a high note by making our presence felt on social media.”

For more information contact the ISKCON 50 office by sending an email to romapada@iskcon50.org.

Questions to Move You Forward
1. Do you talk about what’s wrong with people or do you talk about what’s wrong with yourself and how you can improve?
2 Do you procrastinate on your goals and tell others why you can’t achieve them or do you work on your goals?
3. Do you spend more time watching TV, surfing the net, and reading the news than you do hearing and/or reading sastra?
4. Do you allow yourself to become distracted when you chant japa or do you make an effort to be focused, present and prayerful?
5. Do you shy away from making needed changes in yourself, sadhana and service or do you love to challenge yourself?

6. Do you just do enough sadhana (or just do it well enough) to keep your head above water or do you do whatever is necessary to make steady advancement?

7. Do you associate more with those who like to complain or do you associate with those who can help you advance?

8. Do you remain stuck in the past or do you get inspired by what can be done now and in the future?

9. Do you resist difficult or challenging service or do you seek out such service?

10. Do you do your service with an attitude of “just get it done” or do you do it like an artist would approach working on a masterpiece?

11. Does your association bring people down or does it lift them up?

12. Do you waste time or do you fully exploit time?

13. Do you serve to receive applause or do you serve to please guru and Krsna?

14. Do you sleep late or do you rise early?

15. Do you do your service just for your own upliftment or do you also do service as a means to change the world?
Mahatma das

Let Krsna into your heart through your ears!
When I listen to Srila Prabhupada speak, I marvel at all the verses that he knows and recites and how his knowledge is flawless. I meditate on him sitting before his Guru Maharaja, hearing with rapt attention. I also think about where and when Srila Prabhupada was when he memorized each sloka that he knows. I pray that I can someday see all this.
Srila Prabhupada told us that he was very enthusiastic to hear from his Guru Maharaja even though at first he didn’t understand everything that his Guru Maharaja was saying. Srila Prabhupada: “As you know, because I was little interested in hearing, my Guru Maharaja, he accepted me as his disciple. He marked this. ‘This boy is interested in hearing. He does not go away.’ Actually, I do not know. I could not understand what he was speaking in the beginning, but still I was very much interested to hear him, out of curiosity or something like that.” (10/19/72)

The fact is, anyone who actively hears transcendental knowledge from the right source – throughout his or her life – will mature in devotional service and come to the highest platform – simply by hearing.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna advises Arjuna to hear from Him, saying that by doing so Arjuna will come to know everything perfectly.

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Prtha, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.”(Bg. 7.1)

Kapiladeva’s guidance to His mother, Devahuti, is similar: “Kapiladeva said: One can get liberation by seriously discharging devotional service unto Me and thereby hearing for a long time about Me or from Me. By thus executing one’s prescribed duties, there will be no reaction, and one will be freed from the contamination of matter.” (SB 3.27.21)

In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada comments: “This serious devotional service can develop by hearing for long periods of time.”

Our ears are miraculous instruments – gifts from God – that are specifically designed to collect information about the spiritual world and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

To grow in spiritual life, regularly point your ears toward the transcendental vibration. Hear purposely and for as long as possible each day . Even if, at first, you don’t understand or appreciate everything that you are hearing, in due course of time, you will come to relish it.

Krsna Katha is Krsna Himself. Let Krsna into your heart through your ears and He will reveal all.

Narada Muni:

“Thus he is the actual seer who worships, in the form of transcendental sound representation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who has no material form.” (SB 1.5.38)
Vaisesika Dasa

Bhaktisiddhanta Disappearance Day class at Radha Gopinath Mandir, Mumbai

Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

The post Appreciating Bhaktisiddhanta’s historic contributions in historical context appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 09 December 2011, Durban, South Africa, Morning Lecture)

Piety has diminished many generations ago. But the mercy of Lord Caitanya that has come into the sinful life of fallen people in a world where everything has gone astray. Sinful activities are covering the globe; this is the reality. Therefore this is not a time when we can just feel good about ourselves. It is not a time where we can stay in our temples where everything is very flowery and sweet. When we are concerned with ourselves only; that will not do. We cannot expect that we will be saved from the influence of the illusory energy which is all around us by staying on our little island in the middle of the ocean as even in the temple, material desires are very strong.

Devotees are finding that externally they accept spiritual life but internally they struggle. Internally, they feel the pushings of the mind and the senses to be very strong and some are cutting some edges! So how to overcome this… how to deal with this… how to control the mind? The question has been asked a thousand times over. Again and again, many times a day that question is asked, ‘How can we conquer the mind? How can we conquer lust? How we overcome material desires? How can I become humble? How can I become spiritual? How can I become saintly when I’m not?’

How??? The key is devotional service. To simply engage in devotional service so much so that there is no time to worry about the mind and the senses! Whenever there is time, the mind becomes agitated and then the answer is more service. When the mind gets agitated about having too much service; that is all right. That is good, otherwise the mind would be agitated about material things!

Super Saturday! (Album with photos)
Sutapa Das: Today is probably the biggest shopping day of the year! Over 250 devotees will be out there giving people the best gift in the world… the best books in the world :) Join them if you can!
Big thanks to all those offering your energy and efforts to the “Final Offering”. See if you can spot some of the illustrious book distributors!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/3GyiCt

It is said that the higher authorities are always observing us. The sun, moon, air, fire and the ten directions, they are noting our actions. We cannot escape this. A sadhu, who by dint of his spiritual advancement can perceive this, refrains from committing sinful activity, even though apparently no one is watching. Even after knowing about all of this, sometimes we get carried away. Why? Because of kama (lust). Therefore Krishna instructs us that we should first curb this lust. Because of this we are forced to act in such a way, even though we know we shouldn’t. If one can control this then he is advanced. It takes time. Continue reading "Controlling our urges
→ Dandavats"

On 17th December 2016, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj gave festival class at Sridham Mayapur on the occasion of the disapperance day of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Please hear/download it here :

The post Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Disappearance Day Class (Mayapur) appeared first on Bhakti Charu Swami.

He who sees an object is called the seer, and an object seen by the observer is called the seen. The instrument of seeing, is called sight. It is a common error to deem the sense of sight the actual seer. Whatever we can measure by any of our senses we also call a seeable object, and he who senses it is called the seer. It is best that the jiva see himself as the object of Krishna's enjoyment. Thinking himself the seer, he sees the world as the object of his enjoyment. But thinking himself the enjoyer, under the influence of the false ego, will result only in his misfortune. It is not fitting that the jiva see the world as the object of his own enjoyment. Rejecting that outlook, and instead seeing the world as the object of the Lord's enjoyment, seeing it as Krishna's world or Gokula, is the jiva's good fortune and satisfies Krishna's senses - "I am not the seer, but rather am seen by Krishna. I am not the enjoyer, but the object of enjoyment for Krishna." Continue reading "The Philosophy of “the Seer and the Seen” of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati
→ Dandavats"

Every spot on earth where discourses on God are held is a place of pilgrimage. Possession of objects not related to Krsna is our main malady. Those favored by God find their paths set by thorns. We are put to test and trial in this world. Only those who attend the kirtana of the devotees can succeed. Let me not desire anything but the highest good for my worst enemies. As dalliance with the body in luxury increases, so wanes the spirit of service of the Lord. Those favored by God find their paths set by thorns. Continue reading "Words of wisdom from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
→ Dandavats"

Turning to Swamiji in the Here and Now

The post Daily Darshan: December 17th, 2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

We have over a hundred devotees living in Lombok, which is the next island over from Bali, Indonesia. The population is mainly muslim but there’s about 10-15% Hindus living there as well.

About 15 years ago, the devotes got together and bought some land and built a simple temple with asramas, kitchen, prasadam hall and small goshala.

They regularly have programs and festivals like Rathayatra. It was my good fortune to visit there again recently.