WALL ART. Harinama’s striking mural art.
Mandakini devi dasi: Harinama and his wife, Laksmi Priya devi dasi, with their three children – Caitanya five years, Nityananda four years and Bhakti aged one – recently moved onto New Govardhana Farm, Australia. The Perth couple had visited the farm several times and was keen to provide their children with a Krishna conscious education. At present the couple are busily engaged in renovating the Lily Pond house and cultivating the surrounding land. Harinama took to spiritual life 20 years ago soon after he graduated with a Diploma of Art from the Perth School of Fine Art. Inspired to paint wall murals at the farm, he has to date completed an impressive Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill at Carpark 1. Another work is in progress on the wall as you walk up to the temple from Carpark 1. This shows the scene from Srimad-Bhagavatam of Sukadeva Gosvami preaching to Maharaja Pariksit and the sages. With wall art being much in vogue, Harinama is hoping to continue the trend by painting several more murals.

Four or five new bhaktas arrived from Kalimantan, (formerly Borneo) to join the asrama at Jagannatha Gauranga Mandir in Denpasar.

Although not yet initiated brahmanas, they are learning how to serve the deities from the brahmanas at the temple so that they are ready once they take brahmin initiation.

The Sound of Krishna’s Flute.
Last month artist Dhanesvara dasa produced a series of works at a Murwillumbah studio (Studio 88) focusing on Krishna’s pastimes, calling the exhibition ‘The Sound of Krishna’s Flute’. He used traditional images with a contemporary twist. Dhanesvara hopes that these images reflect the devotional rasa’s that inspire our continual journey of bhakti-yoga, perfecting our love for Krishna and His devotees. The launch for the exhibition will be held Friday, 2 December at 6pm. Talented musicians Malcolm Knights (on flute) and his wife, Lila Kirtan devi dasi, leading the kirtana will be an additional highlight. A light supper of chai and nibbles will also be provided. Please come along Friday, 2 December at 6pm, 88 Main Street, Murwillumbah.
Read more: https://goo.gl/F6IJtg

Lismore High Religious Studies School Students Visit Iskcon’s New Govardhana Farm Community, Australia.
Damodara Pandit dasa: Lismore has always been a great place to visit and tell people about Krishna, so it was no surprise when the local Lismore High School contacted us requesting a visit. On Wednesday, 26 October, myself and Ambarish dasa made the journey down south. It was a pleasant surprise to be greeted by Paul Von Bratt, the Chaplain and Religious Studies teacher, who was extremely happy to see us. He then introduced us to the senior Religious Studies class. During the following hour we shared a nice kirtana led by Ambarish, and discussed the practice of Krishna Consciousness. The students were very interested and a few even stayed on during lunch to ask more transcendental questions.
Richmond River High Campus is a caring school of excellence which maintains – through curricular and extra-curricular initiatives – a strong commitment to quality.

Melbourne’s First Rathayatra Festival, Monday, 17 July 1972.
“Prabhupada was convinced that the festival was an important part of Krsna consciousness culture, and had personally told Madhudvisa that the Rathayatra parade was so spiritually potent that just by following the chariot of Lord Jagannatha as it passed down the road, one would be liberated from repeated birth and death.
Madhudvisa also had his own, special, personal experience of the potency of the Ratha-yatra festival - it had first attracted him to become a devotee, and later he had helped organize the 1969 and 1970 Ratha-yatra festivals in San Francisco.
Madhudvisa was well aware of the enormity of such an event, and he inspired others. May and June 1972 saw devotees in Melbourne work tirelessly on the multifarious aspects of Ratha-yatra - fund raising, purchase and acquisition of materials, publicity, planning the actual parade, hiring a hall for after the parade, and organizing a feast for thousands
Vaibhavi, now an accomplished artist, drew up plans for the cart from studying pictures of the massive chariots in Jagannatha Puri. After corresponding with Nara-Narayana who had designed the first carts in America, she came up with an especially scaled-down version that would fit into a single Melbourne traffic-lane. Notable also would be a special, custom-made mechanism to lower and raise the silken canopy to avoid the overhead tram lines that spanned the city streets.
Vaibhavi decided on the final color scheme, the position of the colorful blue and white swan motifs, the size of the Deity platform, and the location of the fencing. She tended to even the smallest details - the dimensions of the spire, the design of the kumbha, the parrots, the length of the flag, and even the angle of slope for the multicoloured canopy.
Work began under extreme weather conditions – the Melbourne winter of 1972 was a severe one. A vacant lot in Carlton was donated for the duration of the construction. Devotees labored day and night. Sometimes unknown men and women would turn up on the rugged, muddy site and volunteer their services for painting or construction.
Once, an old staggering drunk insisted on holding a kerosene lamp for hours so the devotees could work through the night. To the devotees, it seemed that Lord Jagannatha - Krsna, the Lord of the Universe - was personally, causelessly engaging these persons in His devotional service. Some of these men and women became so inspired that they actually became devotees.
And where was Lord Jagannatha? A Ratha-yatra parade held no meaning without the smiling, angular-faced Deities of the Lord and His brother Balarama and His sister Subhadra.
Dipak recalls: “One grey, overcast day I was out driving when I came upon an old sawmill. There I saw a huge seasoned log of hardwood lying on the ground. I purchased it and had it cut into three pieces then drove them back to the newly acquired Hare Krsna shop in Little Lonsdale Street and set them up in the chilly loft. The Lord had come to Melbourne!”
Dwaipayana Das recalls: “I had a desire and one day it was fulfilled. Vaibhavi asked me if I would like to help carve Lord Jagannatha! I was thrilled and honored.
Dipak came back from the sawmill with three logs and we carried them upstairs to an area partitioned off from the Mighty Apollo Gymnasium. We started with a chainsaw and then continued with hand tools. Dipak carved Lord Balarama and I carved Subhadra and Jagannatha. Finally, Nartaki painted them.”
Dipak: “I remember daily entering that freezing loft. There was such a holy atmosphere. Each morning we would come and offer our obeisances to the unfinished Deities and then commence our work. It had such a powerful effect on us. To this very day, I have a deep attraction to Lord Jagannatha.””
From The Great Transcendental Adventure, by Kurma dasa

By Members of Krishna Sambandha

November 29, for the first time in the history of Chile and its Courts of Justice, a concert was held in the Hall of Honor of the Supreme Court. Never before had there been a musical presentation in this space of great patrimonial and historical value for our country. The concert, consisting of an exhibition of classical and devotional music from India, was performed by Krishna Sambandha, composed of members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). This activity was initiated with a speech by His Excellency Mr. Hugo Dolmestch, President of the Supreme Court, and was attended by the Minister of Supreme Court, Gloria Ana Chevesich, the National Prosecutor of the Public Ministry, Andrés Montes; Ministers of the Constitutional Court; The President of the Court for the Defense of Free Competition, Enrique Vergara; The first Secretary and Cultural Manager of the Embassy of India in Chile, Mr. Venkataraman and Mr. Shammi Arora; The President of the Indian Federation in Chile, Kishan Dadlani and the leading exponent of classical Indian music in Chile, Master Millapol Gajardo. Continue reading "Preaching program at Honor All of the Supreme Court of Justice (Chile)
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The new Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, Pill Coff, bathing Srila Prabhupada’s murti.
Kalasamvara Das: He also promised to join us for Rathyatra in Queen street on the 10 December.

By Madhava Smullen

Devotees at ISKCON New Vrindaban, West Virginia are in the midst of major renovations on Srila Prabhupada’s Palace. And they’re launching a campaign to help them continue restoring the renowned Smriti Samadhi, or memorial shrine to ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya, to its full glory.

The effort is a labor of love, just as it was when devotees first started building the Palace in 1973, intending it as a residence for their guru, who expressed a strong desire to retire there and translate his books.

“Regarding New Vrindaban I was very happy when I was there,” he wrote to them in 1974. “I am expecting very soon to go there and live in my proposed palace at least for some time.”

When Prabhupada passed away in 1977, the Palace – which opened to the public in 1979 – became a monument to his astounding achievements and gifts he gave to the world; a place where he resides in spirit through his instructions; and a major attraction for pilgrims and tourists.

But over the last thirty years, the Palace, which was built by enthusiastic yet inexperienced & young devotees, began to decay. Large parts of the decorative domes, outer wall, railings, and steps crumbled away, and sections of wrought iron rusted irreparably.

More recently, a Palace Restoration Committee was established to take action, and had specialized engineers give their assessment. Fortunately, the core of the building was safe and sturdy, but work had to be done on the exterior quickly.

This time, the work is being carried out with the assistance of professionals – both devotees and reputable local companies.

“The new concrete we are pouring has all the attributes that experience and modern technology provide,” says restoration manager Gopisa Das. “So it will significantly outlast what was used previously.”

The first move was installing a new, far more efficient drainage system on the steps leading up to the Palace.

“Water is the biggest contributing factor to deterioration,” Gopisa explains.

Next, the steps themselves were beautifully renovated by recycling the original rose-colored granite and adding new black granite treads with polished front edges. The work is currently about to be completed.

“Those distinctive pink and black colors now look the same as they did thirty-five years ago,” says Gopisa. “And the steps are sturdier and more durable than ever, with two-inch-thick treads rather than just the one inch that was there previously.”

Work on the outer wall – the first impression visitors get of the Palace – came next, and the hope is to complete its restoration this year as an offering to Srila Prabhupada for the 50^th anniversary of his ISKCON.

The block wall was stripped, grouted and stabilized with rebar and concrete. As water had been leaking through the top, an attractive new waterproof, saffron-colored topping with lotus designs was installed. And the crumbling window frames were pulled out and replaced with new ornate black frames with Jaipur-style arches.

Next, beautifully ornate iron window grills will be installed, and the wall’s surface will receive a durable concrete stucco finish.

This will complete the first phase of restoration and exhaust ISKCON New Vrindaban’s current funding for the project. The second phase is repair of the Palace roof, which has been leaking and causing internal damage for years. Gopisa considers this a vital undertaking, and assuming financial support is available, he hopes it will be completed by the end of 2017.

“The entire roof has to be stripped down and rebuilt, along with a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, and the domes need to be properly sealed,” says Gopisa. “That phase will also include rebuilding the crumbled balustrade railing around the Palace roof as well.”

With all this work, Gopisa says, “We are using the very best materials we can afford, to make it as long-lasting as possible, so the next generations won’t be faced with the same challenges we’re facing now.”

To the devotees in New Vrindaban there’s no doubt Prabhupada’s Palace is a sacred gem that must be revitalized. After all, it’s the only monument in the Western hemisphere built specifically to glorify Srila Prabhupada. It was constructed by volunteers who lovingly devoted years of their lives to its development. And it was beloved by Srila Prabhupada, who called its builders his “jewels” and promised, “I am already living here and always will be.”

Indeed, many devotees have commented they still strongly feel his presence there. Even tourists, who have never heard of Srila Prabhupada, are moved and affected. And in recent years, as media coverage of the Palace has once again increased, so have its visitors, with tens of thousands of pilgrims annually appreciating this sacred memorial to our beloved Founder-Acharya.

So please help support the restoration of Prabhupada’s Palace.

To offer your skills in renovation, contact Gopisa Das at gopisa108@gmail.com.

And to support the project financially, please contact Gaurnatraj Das at gaurnatraj@newvrindaban.com or phone 304 312 2069.

For more information, please visit:

http://palaceofgold.com/

http://www.newvrindaban.com/

Prabhupada’s Transcendental Musicality

“One should begin the worship of the deva Ganapati (Ganesa), who drives away all impediments in the execution of devotional service. In the Brahma-samhita it is stated that Ganapati worships the lotus feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva and in that way has become auspicious for the devotees in clearing out all impediments. Therefore, all devotees should worship Ganapati.” [ Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Нектар преданности, Глава 8 “Оскорбления, которых надо избегать” ]

* Painting by Mahaveer Swami, prints available at www.jaypore.com

Gauḍīya’s cite a verse we claim identifies Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the avatāra for Kali-yuga. Those who do not like this criticise us as giving a “sectarian interpretation” of that verse. Whether or not it is “sectarian” is not a concern, but let us see whether or not our interpretation is reasonable.

The Context

The verse comes in the fifth chapter of the Eleventh Canto of Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

In the 19th text King Nimi asks Śrī Karabhājana, “Please tell me about Bhagavān’s appearances among us at certain times. What are their colors, distinguishing characteristics, and names, and how do we worship them?”

In the 20th text Karabhājana replies about the times of the avatāra: “Keśava appears in the times called Kṛta, Treta, Dvāpara, and Kali.” And he says that each one has different colors, names, characteristics and methods of worship.

In texts 21-23, he describes the Kṛta-yuga (aka. “Satya Yuga”) avatāra: He is a white, four-armed ascetic worshipped by yogic meditation and known by names like Haṁsa.

In texts 24-26, he describes the Treta-yuga avatāra: a red, blonde, four-armed priest; worshipped by Vedic ceremonies, known by names like Yajña.

In texts 27-30, he describes the Dvāpara-yuga avatāra: dark blue, with yellow clothes and the Śrīvatsa mark; worshipped like a king (aka. by arcana), known by names like Vāsudeva.

Text 31 introduces the Kali-yuga avatāra, saying, “There are also ways to worship him in Kali-yuga. Now I will explain those.”

The Text

Text 32 is the key verse – which Gauḍīyas claim indicates Śrī Caitanya. Here is the verse:

कृष्णवर्णं त्विषाकृष्णं साऩ्गपाऩ्गास्त्रपार्षदम् ।
यज्ञैः सऩ्कीर्तनप्रायैर्यजन्तिहि सुमेधसः ।।

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ saṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

The first word, kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ, appears to be a description of the avatāra‘s color, “Black colored.” Karabhājana used same phrasing for the Treta-yuga avatāra: rakta-varṇa (“Red colored). But for the Kṛta-yuga avatāra he simply said, “śukla” (white), and for the Dvāpara-yuga avatāra he simply said, “śyāma.” So Karabhājana does not always use the word varṇa to describe the avatāra’s color.

If we take kṛṣṇa-varṇam to mean “black color” we run into a problem immediately, because the very next phrase is “tviṣākṛṣṇa.” The first word in this phrase, tviṣā, means color much more literally than varṇa. Tviṣā literally means “light” and color is a primary quality of light. So Karabhājana seems to say, “He is black” (kṛṣṇa-varṇam) and “He is black” (tviṣākṛṣṇam). Why would he say this twice in a row? Redundancy is a defect, and we don’t expect defect in śāstra.

Perhaps tviṣākṛṣṇa doesn’t mean “black”? The rules of Sanskrit sandhi allow tviṣākṛṣṇa to be broken down in a few possible ways: tviṣā-kṛṣṇa (black colored), tviṣā-akṛṣṇa (not black at all), and tviṣā-ākṛṣṇa (sort of black). So, perhaps Karabhājana is saying: “He is black, really black.” Or, “He is black, but not black.” Or, “He is black… sort of.”

Previous to the advent of Śrī Caitanya, commentators like Śrī Śrīdhāra Svāmī explained kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam to mean, “He is black, but not a dull black – a radiant (tviṣā) black, like a sapphire.” This, however, leads us to wonder why Karabhājana did not say the same thing for the Dvapara-yuga avatar, who is very famous in fact, as being ujjvala-nīla-maṇī (brilliant sapphire black).

The Gauḍīya Explanation

After the advent of Śrī Caitanya, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī explained that the verse refers to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who reveals Krishna (kṛṣṇa-varṇa); who is bright colored (tviṣā-akṛṣṇa);  who accomplishes much of his mission through his very dear associates (sa-aṅga-upāṅga-astra-pārṣada); and who is worshipped mainly by Sankīrtan (yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ) enthusiastically, by those citizens of Kali-yuga who are particularly intelligent (yajanti hi su-medhasa).

Objections to this interpretation of the word varṇa are unfounded. According to Monier’s dictionary, वर्ण (varṇa) is probably from the root वृ (vṛ) which means “delimit.” So, the first two definitions Monier gives are 1) “a cover” and (2) “outward appearance.” Then, as examples of outward appearances that “cover” / “delimit” something, he first gives visual things (like color, size, and shape) and then gives sonic things (like musical notes, sounds, letters, and words). Thus varṇa is the percievable quality of an entity and therefore means many things: color, size, shape, sound, description, definition, quality, class, and so on.

Thus, although कृष्णवर्णम् (kṛṣṇa-varṇam) can mean “perceivably black” (i.e. black-colored) it just as literally means, “describing Krishna” (i.e. revealing Krishna’s sound, shape, etc.).

Now there is no need to explain the flaw of repetition in the verse, for there is none. Only त्विषाकृष्णम् (tviṣākṛṣṇam) describes the color. What color is it? As explained above, there are three options, but “black” is, in my opinion, not likely because in text 20 Karabhājana said that each avatāra has a different color, and black is already taken by the dvāpara-yuga avatār. So if there was a duplication of color I would expect a word to acknowledge it. Thus, I think it is unobjectionable that tviṣākṛṣṇa must mean “bright colored.”

Thus, the first pāda of the text must read that the Kali-yuga avatāra, “reveals Krishna, as is bright-colored.” 

We must also note that the second line of the text has uncontested meaning: “he is worshipped by saṅkīrtan.” And this is clearly a very exact fit for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus, by no means can Śrī Jīva’s explanation be called “a stretch.”

Why Such a Riddle?

At this point we might ask, “Why is text 32, which is about the Kali-yuga avatāra, so much more cryptic then Karabhāja’s statements about the other yuga-avatāra?”

I can suggest two reasons:

1) Śrī Caitanya is not usually the avatāra for kali-yuga. That happens only once in a kalpa (roughly a thousand yuga cycles). So, the Purāṇa’s verse is designed to work for other Kali-yugas as well – in which (as Śrīdhara Svāmī and others suggest) there is no new avatāra. Kali-yuga usually has only the persisting forms of the black nīla-maṇi dvapara-yuga avatāra: the name of that avatāra – worshipped via saṅkīrtan, and the narrative of that avatāra, Bhāgavata Purana – worshipped via sumedhasa.

2) Even in that one-in-a-thousand kaliyuga where he does come, Śrī Caitanya’s motive is to experience and exemplify the life of an ideal devotee. To make his position as an avatāra known too widely previous to his manifestation would interfere with his goal, so Vyāsa and Krabhājana encrypted it.

Conclusion

Śrīmad Bhagavatam 11.5.32 reveals that there are three avatāra of Bhagavān in Kali-yuga: Krishna’s name  (see CC Adi 17.22), Krishna’s narration – the Bhāgavata (see SB 1.3.43), and, very rarely, Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Perhaps this is a “sectarian interpretation,” since only the Gauḍīyas seem to accept it, but nonetheless it honestly seems to be the best explanation.

Vraja Kishor das

www.vrajakishor.com

Tagged: gaudiya vaishnavism, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 November 2016, Vrindavan, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.1-8)

In the Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Lord Caitanya says, “I am only one gardener. I have so many fruits of love of God. How can I alone distribute all these fruits? Therefore I order every man in the universe to distribute these fruits.”

He says, “How can I alone…” He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can do anything, he can distribute all these fruits, that is no problem. But he wants us to distribute these fruits because it is through distributing love of God that we can get the mercy! It is in this way that we become purified. Therefore let us become active preachers in the sankirtan movement. Every single devotee, somehow or other, must become an active preacher and we know that Srila Prabhupada was especially pleased by the distribution of his books. Let us push forward this movement together!

Prabhupada referred to an Indian railways poster which said, “The purpose of the railways is to keep the wheels turning.” This means that everything about the railways is meant for the turning of the wheels and similarly everything in this movement is meant for harinama sankirtan, to strengthen harinama sankirtan. All other services are ultimately for that. The fact that we have beautiful temples in Vrindavan is not just that we can roam around and call out “Radhe” or “Hare Krsna”. We visit the Holy Dhama to become rejuvenated, inspired and feel some fresh connection with Krsna so that we can go once again and go out and distribute!

Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka, the whole world is blazing. It is a blazing forest fire. What are we going to do about it? It is the rain clouds of vaisnavas, ‘ghanāghanatvam’ that are going to put out that forest fire. This is our business, we have to put it out. If we do not do anything, maya is not waiting, maya is preaching in full force, all the time using all the media to bombard everybody, including us. Therefore, we must act. We must push on this movement. It is such a rare opportunity. Srila Prabhupada was encouraging his men and women equally to push on this movement forward.

Modern cosmology is a field of speculative thoughts interspersed with points of evidence. These evidences act like tent poles holding up the fabric of cosmological theories. Theories such as steady state, big bang, M-theory, grand unified theory etc all give different explanations to the origins and the functioning of the universe. Personally, I found it more of science fiction than science.

Regardless, there are some fundamental axioms that physicists accept. Although, I am not a scientist, it seems hard to accept this lofty assumptions without critically questioning them. Below is a principle that always piqued my doubts related to modern cosmology.

Cosmological Principle:

The cosmological principle derives from the Copernican Principle but has no foundation in any particular physical model or theory, i.e. it can not be `proved' in a mathematical sense. However, it has been supported by numerous observations of our Universe and has great weight from purely empirical grounds. The greatest consequence of the cosmological principle is that it implies that all parts of space are causally connected at some time in the past (although they may no longer be connected today). Thus, a homogeneous Universe leads to the conclusion that the whole Universe appeared at a single moment of time, a Creation.

A corollary to the cosmological principle is that the laws of physics are universal. The same physical laws and models that applies here on the Earth also works in distant stars, galaxies, and all parts of the Universe - this of course simplifies our investigations immensely. Note also that it is assumed that physical constants (such as the gravitational constant, mass of the electron, speed of light) are also the unchanging from place to place within the Universe, and over time.

source - University of Oregon

In actuality, we have experience just on earth that gravity is not entirely constant across the globe. The same is said about time. At different altitudes, time and gravity although mathematically minuscule behaves differently. If we expand distance to light years, this small difference can add  up. Regardless, we cannot know what we cannot know. So unless we travel long distances in outer space to see for ourselves, to assume speed of light, gravity etc to be universal constants across light years is based on huge leap of faith and faith is something science looks down upon. I think there is a sense of hypocrisy built in this assumption.

Hare Krishna

Feeling unusually sober and contemplative, I wrote a rough poem today about how I feel after reading two devotee memoirs, as I think about compiling my own. While I will share it after this introduction, I have so much more to say, to properly convey, all I am feeling today. I continue to contemplate death as as a motivating meditation to live today, and to endeavor to have no possessive attachment weights, that if not addressed, will propel me to work out issues with others in future lives; too many times I have examined my life up to this point and all that I use to define myself, which seem like sand castles, the blowing wind, morphing clouds, crashing ocean waves.

We generally identify as ourselves as our thoughts, feelings, and what we contemplate such as our desires—desires for things, relationships, or experiences, and also our bodily identity of race, ethnicity or the color of our skin, gender or sexual orientation, our family of origin and the one we have created, and memories of past experiences and their principle players or actors. I find it fascinating, though disconcerting to understand how fleeting and temporary these self-concepts are, being only a disguise or transitory covering for our soul, or our real self, consciousness, the observer and animator of matter.

read more

A video by ENOUGH MAGAZINE (www.enoughmagazine.org).

The ISKCON GBC has announced that appointment of Kamlesh Krishna das as the International Director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office. He succeeds Champakalata devi dasi in this role, and is already actively involved in the service. 

Contact Asta.Sakhi.SRS@pamho.net
Gita Jayanti 2016

A Visitor’s Reflections.
Vrindavani Briant: My two-month visit from 21 July to 26 September 2016 to New Govardhana dhama wasn’t a trip I originally planned to make. After I visited New Govardhana briefly in April of this year – also an unplanned trip! – the sweetness of the New Govardhana temple and community made me feel compelled to return. With this in mind, I made inquiries into staying at the New Govardhana brahmacharini ashrama and received such a welcoming and encouraging response that I returned to New Govardhana in July for a two-month stay in the ashrama. The residents of New Govardhana dhama are a fortunate bunch. The farm, with its lush hills and clear river and lakes, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. In addition to the beauty of its scenery, it is blessed with such a loving community of devotees. Although essentially a stranger, I instantly felt like I was part of the New Govardhana family, thanks to the kindness and care showered on me by the devotees. New Govardhana is further exalted by the ultimate blessing, the central focus of everything: Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Govardhanadhari, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Giriraja. Thank you to all of the New Govardhana community for allowing me to experience the sweetness of life in New Govardhana, and for your kindness during my stay. Although I have left New Govardhana, a part of my heart remains.

By Syama Sakhi devi dasi

Recently, Gurukula principal, Vinod Bihari dasa, joined 29 other principals and Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, in a meeting organised by the AIS (Australian Independent Schools of NSW) in Sydney. Vinod Bihari gave a presentation on the programs implemented by the Gurukula that have led to such enormous success. Vinod Bihari talked about how the school is focusing on best instructional practices that tailor to student learning. The Gurukula has also pioneered a coaching model whereby a specialist educator from the US gives real-time feedback to teachers in the classroom. Education Minister Adrian Piccoli expressed a genuine interest in knowing more about the Hare Krishna School. The Minister left his entourage to spend some time alone with Vinod Bihari looking at a photographic presentation of the school on a nearby wall, and hearing about the Gurukula’s teaching and welfare programs. Minister Piccoli expressed that after his conversation with Vinod, his impression of the Hare Krishnas changed by 180 degrees for the better. The AIS Public profile page commented how Mr Piccoli specifically noted how much he enjoyed meeting Vinod Bihari. The Tweed Weekly and Tweed Daily interviewed Vinod and published articles acknowledging the school’s ongoing successes. Continue reading "Gurukula Headmaster meets Minister
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Awaking Devotion.
Vaisesika das: In the backyard of my home, I recently set up a bird feeder that I inherited from my father several years ago. For the past few weeks, I have been regularly filling it with Nyger seeds, much liked by Finches. Today, as I watched a group of happy Finches devouring these seeds, I mused at how they have no idea where the seeds come from, or how the feeder magically fills up every few days. They only merrily eat without considering the source of their food. This is true of most living entities. As the soul transmigrates from one physical body to another, passing progressively through eight million primitive species of life, it is Krsna who provides him his food and other necessities. The soul, covered by ignorance takes these gifts for granted.

When the soul attains the rare human body however, he can come to see that Krsna has been thoughtfully maintaining him all along.

This revelation is a beginning step in bhakti.

Children rarely appreciate the gifts and nurture given them by their parents. But, when the children mature into adults, if they are not spoiled, they begin to appreciate that their parent’s made sacrifices to raise them and they think of ways to reciprocate.

In a similar way, spiritually advanced people appreciating Krsna’s generosity, organize their lives around serving Him.

After drinking water a devotee thinks how kind Krsna is to provide such a remarkable beverage that quenches thirst and maintains the body.

Or, looking at the perfection of a fruit tree like the Avocado – whose skin is the perfect wrapper; whose “flesh” is a perfect food; whose branches hold forth its fruits as if from outstretched arms, saying, “Come here and take as many as you wish!” - a devotee sees Krsna’s charity and fine sense for design.

Out of appreciation for these gifts, a devotee offers them back to Krsna out of gratitude; and Krsna reciprocates with the devotee from within the devotee’s heart.

Krsna says: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Bg 9.26)

Prahlada Maharaja notes that when someone gives to Krsna, it is not for Krsna’s benefit. Rather, it is for the benefit of the giver. When one decorates one’s face, Prahlada says, the reflection of one’s face in the mirror is also seen to be decorated.

The great secret of happiness in life lies in offering ourselves and everything else to Krsna. As we do this, we feel satisfied and blissful.

Such satisfaction drives the devotee to serve the Lord with all his heart and soul and to encourage others in such service. This service is eternal and ever-increasing.

The effects of the Holy Name (1 min video)
Sometimes the holy name is not discernable as we know it. Sometimes it’s a secret language sung from a sweetheart to her sweetheart.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/uEDjq0

Festival of the Holy Name 2016 in Alachua, Florida (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Who God is” can be summed up in only five words. Krsna is the Supreme controller. If you become convinced of this, and preach it enthusiastically, success is assured, and you will be doing the greatest service for all living entities. So you continue more and more to serve Krsna, and He will help you. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Danavir — Honolulu 5 May, 1972
Find them here: https://goo.gl/JZr05e

What happens after death?
One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament. (Bhagavad-Gita—-2:27—-translation)
Yamaraja, the great controller of life after death, decides the living entities’ destinies in their next lives. He is surely among the most confidential representatives of the Lord. Such confidential posts are offered to great devotees of the Lord who are as good as His eternal associates in the spiritual sky. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-3:5:21—-purport).

Unfortunately people do not know that there is life after death; therefore mundane people waste their time amassing material profit which has to be left behind at the time of death. Such profit has no eternal benefit. Similarly, adoration by mundane people is valueless because after death one has to accept another body. Material adoration and titles are decorations that cannot be carried over to the next body. In the next life, everything is forgotten. (Sri Caitanya Caritamrta—-2:19:159—-purport).

Just as the most sinful wretch lives in a ghostly body after death and moves about in the ether, having been denied a gross body, so the impersonalist, although rising to the point of liberation in the transcendental position, falls back down to the material world because of not having developed the mood of loving service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore the severe austerities and penances the impersonalist performs are not equivalent to the eternal religion of devotional service. (Renunciation Through Wisdom).

In this life, an envious person commits violent acts against many living entities. Therefore after his death, when he is taken to hell by Yamaraja, those living entities who were hurt by him appear as animals called rurus to inflict very severe pain upon him. Learned scholars call this hell Raurava. Not generally seen in this world, the ruru is more envious than a snake. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:11—-translation).

A person is considered no better than a crow if after receiving some food, he does not divide it among guests, old men and children, but simply eats it himself, or if he eats it without performing the five kinds of sacrifice. After death he is put into the most abominable hell, known as Krmibhojana. In that hell is a lake 100,000 yojanas (800,000 miles) wide and filled with worms. He becomes a worm in that lake and feeds on the other worms there, who also feed on him. Unless he atones for his actions before his death, such a sinful man remains in the hellish lake of Krmibhojana for as many years as there are yojanas in the width of the lake. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:18—-translation).

“Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.” If we do not perform yajña and distribute prasada to others, our lives are condemned. Only after performing yajña and distributing the prasada to all dependents children, brahmanas and old men should one eat. However, one who cooks only for himself or his family is condemned, along with everyone he feeds. After death he is put into the hell known as Krmibhojana. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:18—-translation).

A person who indulges in sex indiscriminately even with animals is taken after death to the hell known as Vajrakanta-salmani. In this hell there is a silk-cotton tree full of thorns as strong as thunderbolts. The agents of Yamaraja hang the sinful man on that tree and pull him down forcibly so that the thorns very severely tear his body. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:21—-translation).

The shameless husbands of lowborn sudra women live exactly like animals, and therefore they have no good behavior, cleanliness or regulated life. After death, such persons are thrown into the hell called Puyoda, where they are put into an ocean filled with pus, stool, urine, mucus, saliva and similar things. Sudras who could not improve themselves fall into that ocean and are forced to eat those disgusting things. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:23—-translation).

If in this life a man of the higher classes (brahmana, kshatriya and vaishya) is very fond of taking his pet dogs, mules or asses into the forest to hunt and kill animals unnecessarily, he is placed after death into the hell known as Pranarodha. There the assistants of Yamaraja make him their targets and pierce him with arrows. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:24—-translation).

A person who in this life is proud of his eminent position, and who heedlessly sacrifices animals simply for material prestige, is put into the hell called Visasana after death. There the assistants of Yamaraja kill him after giving him unlimited pain. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:25—-translation).

If a foolish member of the twice-born classes (brahmana, kshatriya and vaishya) forces his wife to drink his semen out of a lusty desire to keep her under control, he is put after death into the hell known as Lalabhaksha. There he is thrown into a flowing river of semen, which he is forced to drink. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:26—-translation).

In this world, some persons are professional plunderers who set fire to others’ houses or administer poison to them. Also, members of the royalty or government officials sometimes plunder mercantile men by forcing them to pay income tax and by other methods. After death such demons are put into the hell known as Sarameyadana. On that planet there are 720 dogs with teeth as strong as thunderbolts. Under the orders of the agents of Yamaraja, these dogs voraciously devour such sinful people. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:27—-translation).

A person who in this life bears false witness or lies while transacting business or giving charity is severely punished after death by the agents of Yamaraja. Such a sinful man is taken to the top of a mountain eight hundred miles high and thrown headfirst into the hell known as Avicimat. This hell has no shelter and is made of strong stone resembling the waves of water. There is no water there, however, and thus it is called Avicimat (waterless). Although the sinful man is repeatedly thrown from the mountain and his body broken to tiny pieces, he still does not die but continuously suffers chastisement. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:28—-translation).

A lowborn and abominable person who in this life becomes falsely proud, thinking “I am great,” and who thus fails to show proper respect to one more elevated than he by birth, austerity, education, behavior, caste or spiritual order, is like a dead man even in this lifetime, and after death he is thrown headfirst into the hell known as Ksharakardama. There he must great suffer great tribulation at the hands of the agents of Yamaraja. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:30—-translation).

There are men and women in this world who sacrifice human beings to Bhairava or Bhadra Kali and then eat their victims’ flesh. Those who perform such sacrifices are taken after death to the abode of Yamaraja, where their victims, having taken the form of Rakshasas, cut them to pieces with sharpened swords. Just as in this world the man-eaters drank their victims’ blood, dancing and singing in jubilation, their victims now enjoy drinking the blood of the sacrificers and celebrating in the same way. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:31—-translation).

In this life some people give shelter to animals and birds that come to them for protection in the village or forest, and after making them believe that they will be protected, such people pierce them with lances or threads and play with them like toys, giving them great pain. After death such people are brought by the assistants of Yamaraja to the hell known as Sulaprota, where their bodies are pierced with sharp, needle like lances. They suffer from hunger and thirst, and sharp-beaked birds such as vultures and herons come at them from all sides to tear at their bodies. Tortured and suffering, they can then remember the sinful activities they committed in the past. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:32—-translation).

Those who in this life are like envious serpents, always angry and giving pain to other living entities, fall after death into the hell known as Dandasuka. My dear King, in this hell there are serpents with five or seven hoods. These serpents eat such sinful persons just as snakes eat mice. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:33—-translation).

Those who in this life confine other living entities in dark wells, granaries or mountain caves are put after death into the hell known as Avamta-nirodhana. There they themselves are pushed into dark wells, where poisonous fumes and smoke suffocate them and they suffer very severely. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:34—-translation).

According to the Vedic etiquette, even an enemy who comes to a householder’s home should be received in such a gentle way that he forgets that he has come to the home of an enemy. A guest who comes to one’s home should be received very politely. If he is unwanted, the householder should not stare at him with blinking eyes, for one who does so will be put into the hell known as Paryvartana after death, and there many ferocious birds like vultures, crows, and coknis will suddenly come upon him and pluck out his eyes. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-5:26:35—-translation).

A person who is very cruel is regarded as dead even while living, for while he is living or after his death, everyone condemns him. And after the death of a person in the bodily concept of life, he is undoubtedly transferred to the hell known as Andhatama. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-10:2:22—-translation).

While living one may be proud of one’s body, thinking oneself a very big man, minister, president or even demigod, but whatever one may be, after death this body will turn either into worms, into stool or into ashes. If one kills poor animals to satisfy the temporary whims of this body, one does not know that he will suffer in his next birth, for such a sinful miscreant must go to hell and suffer the results of his actions. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-10:10:10—-translation).

A son who, though able to do so, fails to provide for his parents with his physical resources and wealth is forced after his death to eat his own flesh. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-10:45:6—-translation).

The body of a brahmana is not intended to enjoy insignificant material sense gratification; rather, by accepting difficult austerities in his life, a brahmana will enjoy unlimited happiness after death. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-11:17:42—-translation).

The material color of the mind is changed when one washes it from contaminations of life-breathing and thereby frees it from the contamination of repeated births and deaths and situates it in pure spiritual life. All is manifested by the temporary embodiment of the material body, which is a production of the mind at the time of death, and if the mind is purified by practice of transcendental loving service to the Lord and is constantly engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is no more chance of the mind’s producing another material body after death. It will be freed from absorption in material contamination. The pure soul will be able to return home, back to Godhead. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-1:15:41—-translation).

Apparently a devotee may grow old, but he is not subjected to the symptoms of defeat experienced by a common man in old age. Consequently, old age does not make a devotee fearful of death, as a common man is fearful of death. When jara, or old age, takes shelter of a devotee, Kalakanya diminishes the devotee’s fear. A devotee knows that after death he is going back home, back to Godhead; therefore he has no fear of death. Thus instead of depressing a devotee, advanced age helps him become fearless and thus happy. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-4:27:24—-purport).

In due course of time, when a pure devotee is completely prepared, all of a sudden the change of body occurs which is commonly called death. And for the pure devotee such a change takes place exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously. That is to say a devotee simultaneously changes his material body and develops a spiritual body by the will of the Supreme. Even before death, a pure devotee has no material affection, due to his body’s being spiritualized like a red-hot iron in contact with fire. (Srimad Bhagavatam—-1:6:27
This is a link to an interview of an elevated Vaishnava talking about the final lesson: https://goo.gl/5YHpBW

Whoever you meet (Album with photos)
The sankirtan strategy of the Supreme Lord is simple and sublime… whoever you meet, tell them about Krishna! Every day we meet people… at work, at university, while shopping, on the train, in the surgery. Why not share something spiritual with them? What’s the worst that could happen? Imagine how many people would be touched. Try it today, and Gauranga Mahaprabhu may well orchestrate a few transcendental miracles. We don’t need a special time for sankirtan, just make it part of your daily life.
Mahesh Dhokia prabhu works all day in his shop but gives books to his customers.
Matsya Das (in the photo) is jet-setting the world on airplanes but gives books to the passengers.
Amazing Vaisnavas, thank you.
Manor devotees are doing a solid 1,000 books-a-day. After 4 days we have reached 4,044 books. Nice and steady, see more photos and the latest scoresheet here: https://goo.gl/nVZNpb

By Vamsuli Dasa

“Now, our next program will be to organize farming land to set an example to the whole world how people can be peaceful, happy, and free from all anxieties simply by chanting Hare Krishna Maha-mantra and living an honorable life in Krishna Consciousness. In India especially people are religiously inclined. They like to live in village and also like to love Lord Rama, Lord Krishna. This idealism is running through their blood and veins. We have to organize their natural tendency and elevate them again back to Home, Back-to-Godhead. Please think over these points very seriously and as soon as I return we shall take up the program. My beloved sannyasi disciple Swami Pusta Krishna has promised to give me a car, and as soon as I get it I shall move from village to village along with some selected assistants and organize this farming village development program.” Continue reading "“Our Next Program”
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By Ramanuja das

Ram Ghat on the banks of Mandakini Ganga, the caves of Gupt Godavari, the ever pleasing Kamad-giri or the sacred mountain on which Lord Ramachandra set up His residence - which is considered to be as good as Giriraj Govardhan in Vrindavan and many other pastime places of Lord Rama decorate Chitrakoot as beautiful ornaments which have attracted the minds of saintly personalities since time immemorial. Many ashrams would very happily and hospitably welcome the devotees and gladly agree to allow them to take prasadam which they provide free of cost to the sadhus every day. Lecture halls for the six days program as well as accommodation for the devotees were arranged at the Udyamita campus. Seminars on importance of devotee association, simple yet clear lectures by Subhag Swami, tips by Niranjan prabhu, fired up kirtans, chanting at train station and of course dramas depicting pastimes of lord Ramachandra enlivened the devotees. His Holiness Subhag Swami explained the meaning of go to dhama only for sightseeing….this is meant for those who don’t know the real purose of visiting holy places. The dhama is accepted to be holy because the Supreme Lord or His devotees enacted pastimes there and more because advanced devotees reside in these places and constantly speak about the lords pastimes. It is instructed that one visit the holy places because there one can avail the opportunity to hear Krishna katha from self-realized souls and enrich their Krishna consciousness.” Continue reading "Remembering Kartik
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By Sankirtana Das

Is it any wonder that we would want to retreat from a world that offers news of constant strife? What have we to look forward to? A world of uncertainty, a lackluster economy, a people divided, everyone talking past one another, hurtling slogans and accusations, and never connecting nor really listening to one another. With these burdens weighing upon us, meditation doesn’t seem to be enough. Maybe it’s downright ineffective! At the end of her article, Ms. Whippman evokes some studies which conclude that the results of meditation are “underwhelming” and that it might only “bring some small benefits. . . . compared with pretty much any general relaxation technique at all, including exercise. . . .” Continue reading "The Mindfulness Dilemma
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Vrindavan pilgrims (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The preacher must love the people. Otherwise why he is taking? He can do it for himself at home. Why he is taking so much trouble? Why in eighty years old I have come here if I do not love? So who can love better than a preacher? Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk–May 17, 1975, Perth
Find them here: https://goo.gl/4SQDVT

Worship of Srila Prabhupada by Listening

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 November 2016, Vrindavan, India, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.1-8)

Only the pure devotee can pull us out of the material world; this is the only way. Sometimes I look at old Back to Godhead magazines – the very early ones. Those ones were interesting because they were all about Srila Prabhupada; the whole Back to Godhead magazine was about Prabhupada. There was one article that was describing how the devotees were waiting for Prabhupada to come down for a lecture and they had a long kirtan and even when the kirtan ended, Prabhupada still did not come down but nobody cared too much. At the time, the only sannyasi was Kirtanananda. So they asked Kirtanananda to speak and he said, “Where were all of us one year ago? Where were we even six months ago before we got the mercy of a pure devotee.”

It is the mercy of the pure devotee that reaches the devotee. The Supreme Lord appears in this world and he disseminates his mercy in this world and continues to carry that mercy throughout the entire universe through his devotee and it is as good as receiving it directly from the Supreme Lord.

47th Anniversary of the Installation Of Radha Londonisvara (2 videos)
This was our biggest ISKCON50 event of 2016 in a big thea...

Qualified By Simplicity.
For serving Lord Krsna, is being simple a bad thing?
Giriraja Swami: After successfully launching the Hare Krsna movement in the West, Srila Prabhupada returned to India with plans to build at least three large centers, including one in Mumbai. I worked on the Mumbai project, and because Prabhupada was intimately involved with it, I was fortunate to learn many valuable lessons from him during that time. In late 1971 a prominent businessman, Mr. A. B. Nair, offered Prabhupada some land in Juhu, on the outskirts of Mumbai. Later we discovered that Mr. Nair was very tricky and cunning. Before taking money for the land from Prabhupada, he had already taken—and kept—money from two other parties.

After Prabhupada signed the purchase agreement and left Mumbai, Yaduvara Dasa and I had to deal with Mr. Nair. We would meet him at his home in Juhu and talk, but we couldn’t understand: Was he our friend, or was he our enemy?

Ultimately, from thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, Prabhupada concluded that Mr. Nair was trying to cheat us.

Eventually Prabhupada came to Mumbai to deal with the matter. Tamal Krsna Goswami told him how Mr. Nair had bluffed me. Perhaps he expected Prabhupada to reprove me. But Prabhupada replied, “Giriraja is simple. What can be done?”

Prabhupada’s words stayed in my mind: “Giriraja is simple.” I considered my simplicity a fault or a disqualification.

Some months later, while reading the book Krsna to Prabhupada during his morning walks on Juhu Beach, I came to the chapter “The Salvation of Trnavarta,” in which Lord Krsna defeats a demon who had assumed the form of a whirlwind. There I read: “After observing such wonderful happenings, Nanda Maharaja [Krsna’s foster father] began to think of the words of Vasudeva [Krsna’s father] again and again.”

Previously we had read how Nanda Maharaja considered Vasudeva a great sage and mystic yogi because Vasudeva had foretold an incident that happened in Vrndavana, where Krsna was living.

Prabhupada remarked, “Vasudeva is a ksatriya [a member of the ruling or martial class]. With political eyesight, Vasudeva predicted, ‘This may happen,’ but Nanda Maharaja, as a vaisya, a simple agriculturalist, thought, 'Oh, Vasudeva is a foreseer.’ ”

I noticed that Prabhupada was applying the word simple to a pure devotee—Nanda Maharaja—and I was surprised. I wondered how a pure devotee like Nanda Maharaja could have a disqualification such as being simple.

So I asked Prabhupada, “Simplicity is not considered a bad quality?”

Prabhupada replied, “No, no. For him it is all right. He is a vaisya, so he should believe like that. And a politician should act like Vasudeva. One should not imitate. For example, a physician does operations, but I should not imitate and take the knife and operate. That is not my business.”

Then Prabhupada explained, “But Vasudeva was thinking of Krsna, and Nanda Maharaja was also thinking of Krsna. As a simple agriculturalist, Nanda Maharaja was thinking of Krsna. And Vasudeva, when he was asking Nanda Maharaja, ÔGo take care of your children there,’ he was also thinking of Krsna. If thinking of Krsna is there, then whether ksatriya or vaisya or brahmana—it doesn’t matter. Everyone gets the same benefit.

"Everyone should understand, whatever I may be, I am an eternal servant of Krsna.’ So if this consciousness is maintained and everyone is engaged in the service of Krsna by his work and by his occupational duty, then he is perfect.”

Prabhupada’s answer was deep. He said that for a person in a certain position simplicity may be a good qualification, and for another it may not be. For a vaisya or a brahmana to be simple may be good, but not for a ksatriya, who has to deal with politics and diplomacy. Yet ultimately it doesn’t matter whether one is a brahmana, a ksatriya, a vaisya, or whatever. What matters is that one works in Krsna’s service and thinks of Him in love—in Krsna consciousness.

NASA article on Sanskrit.
Modern scientists hail the ancient language of the gods as the only unambiguous natural language on the planet!
In ancient India the intention to discover truth was so consuming, that in the process, they discovered perhaps the most perfect tool for fulfilling such a search that the world has ever known – the Sanskrit language.
Of all the discoveries that have occurred and developed in the course of human history, language is the most significant and probably the most taken for granted. Without language, civilization could obviously not exist. On the other hand, to the degree that language becomes sophisticated and accurate in describing the subtlety and complexity of human life, we gain power and effectiveness in meeting its challenges. The access to modern technology which has been designed to give ease, efficiency and enjoyment in meeting our daily needs did not exist at the beginning of the century. It was made possible by accelerated advancement in the field of mathematics, a “language” which has helped us to discover the interrelationship of energy and matter with a high degree of precision. The resulting technology is evidence of the tremendous power that is unleashed simply by being able to make the finer and finer distinction that a language like mathematics affords.

At the same time humankind has fallen far behind the advancements in technology. The precarious state of political and ecological imbalance that we are now experiencing is an obvious sign of the power of technology far exceeding the power of human beings to be in control of it. It could easily be argued that we have fallen far behind the advancements in technology, simply because the languages we use for daily communication do not help us to make the distinctions required to be in balance with the technology that has taken over our lives.
Relevant to this there has recently been an astounding discovery made at the NASA research center. The following quote is from an article which appeared in AI Magazine (Artificial Intelligence)
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/6HMwgW

These things are required: Tapasa Brahmacaryena.
(August 11, 1976, Tehran Morn Walk)
“Prabhupada: …I.A.S. civil service examination before one man is posted in some responsible office. Similarly, to be recognized by Krsna, as He says na ca tasman manusyesu, one has to pass examination, severe test of examination. All the big, big devotees we see. Narada Muni, before becoming Narada Muni, he had to pass through severe examination, test. That chance is there in the human form of life, to pass the examination, test. But they are passing this human life with ordinary animal propensities. They are not trained up to pass the examination and be recognized by God. That civilization is lost, Vedic civilization, to prepare the human beings for passing the test, examination for being recognized by God.

tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca tyagena satya-saucabhyam yamena niyamena va

These things are required, tapasa brahmacaryena.
Atreya Rsi: To pass the examination, one must follow a strict, austere life.
Prabhupada: Yes. Tapasa brahmacaryena, beginning tapasya, austerity. Brahmacarya, celibacy. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena damena, controlling the senses, controlling the mind. Tyagena, by renunciation. Satya-saucabhyam, by following truthfulness and cleanliness. Yamena niyamena va, by practicing yoga, yama-niyama. These are the different items of being qualified. But all these things can be done by one stroke, kevalaya bhaktya, by engaging oneself in devotion, vasudeva-parayanah.

kecit kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva-parayanah agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah

One becomes qualified by one stroke of bhakti to Vasudeva. Just like the sunrise immediately dissipates the fog. Agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah. In the Kali-yuga, this one item of bhakti can make one perfectly fit candidate to pass the examination. Agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah. What is this nonsense life? There is no tapasya, no spiritual culture,”

(New Vrndavana, 1976)
Prabhupada: Now questions?
Devotee (1): So is there ever, for someone whose determination wavers and slackens here and there, is there ever a point where the neophyte devotee is in danger of just forgetting everything and falling, tumbling completely back?
Prabhupada: Everyone is neophyte. He should practice determination, that’s all. If he cannot practice, then why should he enter into this association? Let him remain aloof. One who has entered with the determination that “I must practice,” so if he cannot practice, then why this make show that “I belong to Krsna consciousness movement. I am initiated.” Why this farce? He must practice with determination that “By practicing I’ll be success.” That is wanted. He has no determination, why should he make a show? Drdha-vrata. Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. Drdha-vrata, that is wanted, determination. Hmm, go on. When one is determined, his success is assured. If he’s not determined, then success or failure.
Devotee (1): Can one develop determination gradually?
Prabhupada: Why gradually? When you promise before your spiritual master that no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, why should you fall down? If you have no determination, why should you promise in presence of the Deity, fire, spiritual master, Vaisnava? Why do you make this farce, if you have no determination? If you want to make it a farce, that depends on you. But you should not.
Devotee (1): When we make that promise…
Prabhupada: Yes, you should not fall down, that is determination. That is gentleman’s determination, that “I have given my promise. Why shall I fall down?” That is determination. “I must respect promise.” That is called drdha-vrata. So he’ll success. Where is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. But if we want to cheat, that is another thing. If we have no determination, we should not take up this life. Therefore, chance is given that “Stay with us for six months or one year, be determined. Then be initiated.” If you are not determined, what is the use of false initiation?
Devotee (1): Sometimes this weakness seems to be…
Prabhupada: Weakness there, you should rectify weakness. Why you should give any importance to weakness? Weakness is weakness. Rectify it.
Kuladri: This promise is the minimum determination.
Prabhupada: Hmm?
Kuladri: This promise of following four regulative principles, chanting sixteen rounds daily, that is the minimum determination. Then, from there, he must increase.

(Morning Walk at Stow Lake, March 23, 1968, San Francisco)

“Prabhupada: We should forego sleeping even. The real regulated life is that if sixteen rounds is not completed, then we have to forego sleeping. You should take out hours from sleeping. We should be… The main thing is that we should always be careful that… We are going, we have taken up a very responsible task, Krsna consciousness. So we should be very much careful in discharging the duty. The devotee should be so much careful that he’ll always see “Whether this moment is spoiled or utilized?” Avyartha-kalatvam. Avyartha-kalatvam, that “My time may not be wasted.” He should be so careful, “Whether my time is being wasted?” and time wasted, the time we engage for our bodily necessities, that is wasted. Generally, conditioned souls, they are simply wasting their time. Only the period which we have engaged in Krsna consciousness, that is utilized. So we should be very much careful whether time is being wasted or being utilized.
Devotee (1): Sometimes, well, if you (we) slept less, we could do more for Krsna, but at the same time you (we) would be very tired. I mean, you could be… Well, you could regulate that.
Prabhupada: Yes. Practically everything depends on practice. Abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina. Abhyasa-yoga. Abhyasa-yoga means yoga practice… Practice it. So this whole Krsna consciousness movement is to practice transfering from one kind of consciousness to another. So we require practice. Just like one man can run few miles. I cannot run even one mile. He has practiced. We see some boys, they run, run on. They practice. Practice it. Strength of the heart increasing by practice. And if I run, my heart will be palpitating. Because I have no practice. So by practice, everything can be attained. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. (break) …determination. And this determination is increased by celibacy. Brahmacarya is recommended to keep oneself determined. A brahmacari, if he determines something, he executes. He has got that strength of mind. Those who are too much addicted to sex life, they cannot be determined. They cannot be fixed-up. They are fluctuating, changing.”

(Lect SB. 6.1.13-14 NY 7/27/71)
Vimarsanam means to be thoughtful. Without being thoughtful, philosopher, how one can understand, what is his position? Thoughtful. And that thoughtfulness comprehends so many things. Tapasa. One has to learn it by tapasya. Just like if one wants to pass M.A. examination, then he has to go school, follow the principle of the schools, college, study, and take some pains. Then gradually he’ll come a passed M.A. student. And if he plays all the day on the street, how he can…? That is not possible. Therefore the process is being explained by Sukadeva Gosvami: tapasa. First thing is tapasya, austerity. Even it is painful… Austerity’s painful. Brahmacarya is painful. Because we want, unrestricted, to do everything. But no. As soon as it is regulated it appears to be painful. When it is practiced, it is not painful. One brahmacari in Indian city, in severe cold, he was sleeping in the open air, without any covering. And it was severe cold. But it was practice. During Magha-mela, many saintly persons come there on the bank of the Ganga, Ganges. This year we had our own camp; we have seen. The whole night they are sitting in the open air, without any covering.
So practice. So practice means if you undergo austerity, tapasya, everything will be practiced. That is a Bengali proverb: sarire na mahasaya(?). Mahasaya is a word used in India, a very respectable gentleman, mahasaya. So this sarira, this body is mahasaya. Ya sa haye sa taicha(?). Whatever he’ll practice, it will be accustomed. So practice. So here this Krsna consciousness movement is bringing them to the practice. Therefore you find, so nice, boys and girls, they’re practiced. As soon as they’re neglectful to the practice—-falls down. They cannot stay. Immediately goes out. So that is called austerity, tapasya. Practice. Practical life. So these are the processes.

tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca tyagena satya-saucabhyam yamena niyamena va deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah sraddhayanvitah ksipanty agham mahad api venu-gulmam ivanalah

Venu-gulmam ivanalah. Just like there is a jungle—so many unwanted creepers—so you set fire. Everything will be burned into ashes and the field will be cleared, cleansed. So it is said: deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah sraddhayanvitah. Those who are dhira… Dhira and adhira. Dhira means sober and adhira means extravagant. There are two classes of men, dhira and adhira. Here Sukadeva Gosvami’s speaking of the dhira. Who is dhira? Dhira means in spite of provocation, in spite of something present which agitates the mind, one remains, I mean to say, in his position, steady. He’s called dhira.

The dhira example is given by Kalidasa Pandita, a great poet in India, Sanskrit poet, long, long ago. He has written one book: Kumara-sambhava. Kumara-sambhava. In our college we read that book in Sanskrit class. Kumara-sambhava. So he has given one example of dhira about Lord Siva, Mahadeva. He was meditating and the demigods, they had a plan, that “The demons are fighting with us. We are being defeated. We want a commander in chief, who must be born out of the semina of Lord Siva.” But he was in meditation. So how to do it? So Parvati, she was sent. She was young girl. And she was worshiping the genital of Lord Siva. So a young girl, touching the genital, and she’s present, but still Lord Siva was in meditation. So Kalidasa—-here is the example of dhira. He’s called dhira. In spite of presence of a young girl touching the genital, he’s not, I mean to say, disturbed.

Just like Haridasa Thakura. You have heard the Haridasa Thakura. He was chanting Hare Krsna mantra, and somebody wanted to cut down. He was young man. So young prostitute was sent at dead of night. And he, she proposed… Haridasa Thakura said, “Yes, it is very nice proposal. Please sit down. Let me finish my chanting, and I shall enjoy.” So it became morning. The prostitute became, I mean to say, perturbed. And Haridasa Thakura replied, “I am very sorry. I could not finish my chanting. Please come this night again.” The first night, second night…, third night the prostitute fell down on his feet and said, “Sir, this was my intention. I was induced to do this act by some man who is your enemy. So kindly excuse me.” So Haridasa Thakura replied, “I knew that. But because you came to me, therefore I allowed you to come here, three days, so that you may be converted to be a devotee. So now take these chanting beads. You sit down. Go on chanting. I am leaving this place.” Here is another dhira.

So here it is said, deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah. One who has control, deha, the body, vak, the words, buddhi, intelligence—they are dhira. So this tridandi. This tridandi-sannyasa means to become dhira, controlling sarira; deha, the body; vak, words; and intelligence. These things should be utilized. How? By dhira, those who are dhira. Dharmajna. One who knows actually the principle of religion. Dharmajna. Deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah sraddhayanvitah, ksipanty agham mahad api. So because our life is continuously committing sinful activities, from time immemorial… You do not know when it began. Evolution, many births. Therefore this life is meant for rectifying all mistakes that we had committed in our previous life or in this life. How? By this process. Ksipanty agham. Agham means the resultant action of sinful life. Mahad api. Although it is very great, mahad api, how? Venu-gulmam, venu-gulmam ivanalah. Just like if you set fire to unwanted grass and creepers in the field. You set fire, and they will be all burned. Similarly, by this process, tapasa brahmacaryena, you can liquidate all of your sinful activities of life and you become purified.

The first thing is tapasya. The first… Tapasya means you have to accept some austerity. The same example can be given that the doctor says… Suppose a diabetic patient. So doctor prohibits him that “You cannot eat. You have to starve for some days.” So I do not like to starve, nobody likes to starve. But because doctor says you have to starve, if you want to cure a disease, then I have to voluntarily accept, accept starving. This is called tapasya: voluntarily accept some miserable condition of life. That is good. And human life is meant for that purpose.

So tapasya is required. Without tapasya you cannot make advancement in spiritual life, or life of knowledge. If you simply give away…, in the animal propensities of life, eating, sleeping, mating and defending and don’t accept the process of tapasya, then your human life is failure. You have to accept some tapasya if you want to make solution of the problems of life. Sukadeva Gosvami first recommends tapasya. Just like here, in our institution, whoever comes and becomes an initiated member, we first of all ask them to undergo tapasya. Tapasya. Especially in your country, it is a great tapasya to give up illicit sex life, to give up intoxication up to the point of smoking and tea drinking, and to give up meat-eating, and to give up gambling. Although they’re only four, but it is very difficult to give up these four items. Even Lord Zetland, in England, when he was asked to do this, one of my Godbrothers, Lord Zetland, Marquis of Zetland, he inquired from my Godbrother, “Swamiji, whether you can make us brahmana?” So he said, “Yes, why not? You have to give up these four principles of life, prohibited: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating.” The Lord Zetland replied “Impossible.” Yes, it is impossible. Because in Europe and America, this is the way of life from the very beginning. And from India, our Indian gentlemen come here to learn this art, how to do it nicely. And they think it is advancement. India is automatically taught this tapasya by their culture, but they come here to forget that culture and accept another type of life.
But real, real fact is if you want to advance in spiritual understanding, if you want to make a solution of all the problems of your life, then you have to accept this life of austerity, tapasya. Restriction. Restriction is meant for human beings, not for the animals. Just like in our common dealings, when you drive your car, you have got some restriction. You cannot drive your car on the left side. That is offense. “Keep to the right.” You cannot drive your car when there is red light, or yellow light. You have to follow the restriction. But the dog, if it keeps to the left or crosses the street when there is red light, it is not punished, because it is animal, dog. But if you violate the laws, you’ll be punished. Why? That means you have got advanced consciousness. If you do not follow the rules and regulation, then you are nothing but animal. Human being, human life means voluntarily accepting the laws, the rules and regulation. That is human life. But now the propaganda is that everyone, one wants to be free, no regulative life. This is animal life. Just try to understand. The regulations, lawbooks, restrictions, they are meant for human being, not for animals. And if you want freedom from all restrictions, then you come to the animal life. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recommends first tapasya. If you want to stop the problems of life, then you have to accept the life of austerity, tapasya.
And what is the tapasya? That is also… Brahmacaryena. Brahmacaryena. Brahmacaryena means restricted sex life. Real meaning is no sex life, no sex, celibacy, completely. This is tapasya. Therefore, according to Vedic culture, the first beginning of life is brahmacari. (break) But in the brahmacari life there is no sex life. Only in the grhastha life there is sex life, married life. I was reading the other day a magazine, Watch… What is that? Watchtower. So this paper was criticizing so many immoral activities in the Christian world. And one item I was surprised to read that a Christian priest has sanctioned marriage between man to man. That was written there. I do not wish to discuss all those things, but people are degrading for want of this tapasya. People are not taught how to execute tapasya life, tapasvi life. Simply by criticizing will not do. Practically you have to be trained in the life of tapasya. Then it will be effective. Just like we are doing. Here, in our Krsna consciousness movement, in every center, everyone, at least who are living within this temple, must get up at four o’clock to perform the aratrika. This morning I was asking somebody that if you cannot rise, then you cannot live in this temple. Because this temple is meant for tapasya, not for extravagancy. Unless you follow the life of tapasya, you cannot make progress.
So this temple, we are inviting everyone to live here, to live with us, and practice tapasya. Then your life will be advanced. Then you’ll understand what is your constitutional position, what is God, or Krsna, what is your relationship with Him, what is the aim of life, how to execute it, how to make life successful. These things are taught here. This is called tapasya. And in the Vedas it is said that those who are executing the regulative life of tapasya, they are brahmanas. Etad viditva yah prayati sa eva brahmanah. Etad aviditva yah prayati sa krpanah(?). These are the Vedic injunctions. One who is dying… Everyone is dying. Nobody can live here permanently. That’s a fact. But one who is dying after executing the life of tapasya, he’s a brahmana. And one who is dying like cats and dogs, without any execution of tapasya, he’s called krpana. The two words are there in the Vedic literature: one is brahmana and one is krpana. Krpana means miser, and brahmana means liberal, broad-minded. Brahma janati iti brahmanah, or one who knows the Supreme, the Absolute Truth, he’s brahmana. And one who does not know, that is animal. This is the difference between animal and man. Man should be educated to understand the Absolute Truth. Therefore in the human society there is school, colleges, universities, philosophers, scientists, mathematician. Because human life is meant for knowledge. The animal life, they’re not required to take education. They are simply busy with how…, with the business how to eat, how sleep, how to mate and how to defend. That’s all.
So the tapasya life begins from celibacy, brahmacaryena. Sukadeva Gosvami recommends. Brahmacarya is described in the sastras that smaranam kirtanam kelih preksanam guhyam asanam(?). Sex life, smaranam, thinking of sex life, that is against brahmacarya. Complete celibacy means one should not think of even sex life. Smaranam. Or talk of sex life. Our modern literature, newspaper and everything, simply full with talks of sex life. But this is against brahmacarya life. Smaranam kirtanam keli. And actually indulging in sex life. Preksanam: looking, overlooking a nice boy or nice girl, that is also against brahmacarya. Guhyam asanam: whispering between girls and boys, that is also against brahmacari. Guhyam asanam sankalpam. Then determination of sex life. Vyavasaya: endeavoring how to effect sex life. So when we can stop all these activities, that is real brahmacarya. It is very difficult at the present age. Etan maithunyam astangam pravadanti manisinah vikarita brahmacaryam eda astanam laksanam iti(?). So brahmacarya means that you cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life, or you cannot endeavor for sex life. These eight types of activities in sex indulgence are against brahmacari life. But here it is prescribed that if you want to make solution of the problems of life, then you adopt, you have to adopt a life of tapasya, austerity, which begins from brahmacari.
To summarize this brahmacarya life in this age, we have given a simple formula, that “No illicit sex.” Sex is there. Sex is not bad. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, dharmaviruddhah kamo ’smi: “Sex life which is not against the religious principles of life, that is I am.” Krsna says. So dharmaviruddha, according to Vedic civilization, one should have sex indulgence only once in a month. That is the prescription. And when the wife is pregnant there is no sex life. That is dharmaviruddha. That is not against the religious principles. Even in your life, married life, if you indulge sex life more than once in a month, or in pregnancy, that is against religious principles. So Krsna dharmaviruddhah kamo ’smi: “Lust, sex indulgence, which is not against the rules of religious principles, that is I am.” That means only for begetting children, nice children, so that there may not be disturbance. Unless there are nice population, children born in a systematic way, how you can expect peace in the world? That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. When there are varna-sankara the whole world becomes hell. This is described in the Bhagavad-gita. So the life of austerity begins from the life of celibacy, brahmacarya. So brahmacarya, the descriptions are given here, how you can execute brahmacari life. You cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life. There are eight types of different regulation to stop sex life. But these things are very difficult in this age. Therefore we have simply summarized that don’t have sex life beyond the married life. That is not good.
Then how brahmacarya can be executed? That is also given here: tapasa brahmacaryena samena. Samena means controlling the mind. The yoga system, astanga-yoga system, practicing the asana, sitting posture, breathing exercise, controlling the senses from outside engagement, pratyahara, these are, this yoga system is meant for controlling the mind and controlling the sense. If there is no control of mind and no control of senses, the so-called yoga practice is bogus. It has no meaning. Yoga indriya samyama. Yoga means to control the senses. That is the real meaning of yoga. So if one is unable to control the senses… I have seen in some yoga practice institution in New York. They are practicing some, this asana, and just after finishing, immediately smoking. You see. This much control they learned. So these, these are all bogus. This is not yoga system. Yoga system is not so easy, especially in this age. Yoga system means to control the senses, control the mind; and control the mind means you have to control so many things—your eating, your sleeping, your behaving. These are prescribed in the Bhagavad-gita, how to practice the astanga-yoga. You have to find out a suitable place, a sacred place, a solitary place. Therefore real yogis, they used to go to Himalaya. Sometimes some young men, here, in your country, they inquire from me how to go to Himalaya, and what you’ll do there, going there, Himalaya? So you are not practiced. So instead of practicing yoga in the Himalaya, you practice yoga here. We have come here to help you. Here this Krsna consciousness movement is there. If you are serious about practicing yoga, this, take bhakti-yoga. That will come, how it happens in the next lines.
So this astanga-yoga is not possible in this age—samo damah, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the astanga-yoga system. Impossible. It is not only impossible now—even five thousand years ago, when Krsna was advising about this astanga-yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Krsna. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna’s name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Krsna: “My dear Krsna, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable.” So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna? So this astanga-yoga system is not possible at all in this age. If you are satisfied by learning some sitting posture, artificially, that may give you some chance of good exercise of the body. You can keep good health. But there is no chance of spiritual realization by astanga-yoga practice in this age. So Sukadeva Gosvami says samena. Sama means manasa-niyamam, controlling the mind. The mind’s business is acception, acceptance and rejection. This is mind’s business. Even one is very elevated, the mind’s business is mind’s business. Mind will accept something: “It is very good,” and next moment it will reject. That is mind’s business. But you have to fix up your mind in something which you cannot reject. That is only the lotus feet of Krsna. If you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, then your mind cannot go elsewhere. You practice it and you’ll see it. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh.
Therefore Ambarisa Maharaja fixed up his mind always… Our Krsna consciousness movement we are teaching our students, how to fix up the mind always in Krsna, some way or other. That is the first-class yoga system. And Krsna also advises. (break) …feet, and pray, bhajate. “Krsna, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly again engage me in Your service. Somehow or other, without being engaged in Your service, I have been dragged to the service of maya. Service I am going. I am rendering service. Because I am eternal servant, therefore my serving process is going on. But where it is going on? I am serving my lust, I am serving my anger, I am serving my greediness. So that means, in one word, I am serving my sense gratification. So kindly help me. Instead of serving my sense gratification, let me serve Your sense gratification.” That is yoga. That is first-class yoga. Pray always, fix up your mind in Krsna’s lotus feet, and pray that “I am eternal servant. Now I’m engaged in the service of my sense gratification, and You please help me. I have come to my senses, to engage my(self) in Your sense gratification.” The business is there, sense gratification. But Krsna consciousness means instead of satisfying one’s own senses, one should be ready to satisfy the senses of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness.

CELEBRITY SANKIRTAN.
Radha Damodar dasa: Srila Prabhupada asked that his disciples go out and distribute his books. In the early days the main engagement of the devotees was to go to the busiest part of the city and blissfully sing the Hare Krishna mantra accompanied at first by guitars and kartals (cymbals) and later by mrdunga drums and kartals. So, we started to also ask the passing people to buy a book or maagazine and even went door to door to sell books but the result wasn’t satisfying. People weren’t interested and only gave us a little change to get rid of us. About 1975, mostly due to the ideas of Tripurari dasa, we developed a new technique called “undercover Samkirtan” or “karmi clothes Samkirtan”. Samkirtan means to publicly glorify the Lord. We would put on Western style clothes such as shirts and trousers or even suits and the men would wear wigs or hats. We wore Identification Badges or carried some kind of license or certificate and went to every crowded place. Our main method was “the numbers game” which was to keep on asking for a donation from as many people as you could. The number of donations, quarters, dollars, etc. added up and any man could collect a hundred dollars or more in a day. The money went mostly to the BBT press to pay for the printing of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

So we would go to malls, shopping center parking lots, sports events, State Fairs. The best place to go was to the airport terminal because it was always crowded, you rarely met the same people twice and you were inside, protected from the elements of weather. Airport officials did not like us but the courts had to uphold our right to preach in a public place as long as we did not sell but merely “accepted donations”. We would hand out a small gift such as a stick of incense or a lollipop to get the people to stop. Then we would give them a brief statement of our need for donations for a good cause and if they gave a donation we would give them a large or small book and then run to the next prospect. In this way, many thousands of enthusiastic young men and women blitzed every store, every home in every town and village in the U.S., Europe, India, and everywhere else in the world between 1975 and 1985. More about this in my next essay “The Good Old Days” but now my personal recollections of distributing or preaching to celebrities:

One day in 1974, I was distributing at the door of a Target Department Store in Denver, Colorado. I was dressed in an orange dhoti and was handing out incense and magazines. At noon I called the temple and the president told me that “Bob Dylan was just here looking like he stepped off an album cover with faded jeans and tussled hair. He just went into the temple room and chanted on his beads for a couple of hours while the devotee couple that he’s travelling with collected all the prasadam (remnants of the Lord’s foodstuff) they could and bought books and posters.”

A few minutes later Puspa dasa came up and introduced himself and said, “Bob wants to see you in the van.” I picked up my box and went out to the van and there he was, strumming his guitar on the floor of the van. “Please come in,” he said.“Please have some prasadam.” Puspa and his wife gave me a big tray of all kinds of prasad such as sweets, halavah, vegetables and rice with milk to drink. I looked about - all around the top of the van walls were colourful pictures torn from Back to Godhead magazine and on his guitar was a picture of Lord Krishna on the body and the logo of Srila Prabhupada on the neck. I praised his involvement in IsKcon but Bob appeared very shy. Puspa suggested that Bob sing the song about Krsna that he’d just wrote so he sang “Come to Krsna, Hari Bol” and they sang along with enthusiasm. I then thanked them and left, going back to my Samkirtan.

At the Denver airport I met Timothy Leary, who is famous for synthesizing the hallucinogenic drug LSD. He was familiar with our philosophy, so we were chatting. I had a gulab jamon (a juicy sweetball) and I had just persuaded him to put the whole stick sweetball in his mouth when a female devotee from the temple said, “How nice, now you won’t have to be a ghost,” and he spat it out into an ash tray saying, “ I want to be a ghost, ” and he walked away.

I distributed at the Denver airport about 40 hours a week for many years. Usually I would pin a carnation on the lapel of a traveller and ask for a donation, then give them some literature. One day, the other devotees called me over to try to get a donation from Rock guitarist Gregg Allman. He was on his way to Vail for a ski vacation with his wife, singer Cher and her daughter Chastity. I showed him the book Bhagavad Gita and they all listened nicely to me for half an hour, then he gave me $5, a good donation in those days and I gave him the Gita.

One day, I saw actor-singer-dancer Sammy Davis Jr. coming through the airport. I gave him a flower and asked for a donation. His companion said, “Look, we get this all the time. We just can’t…” but Mr. Davis snapped, “Listen, give me a couple of bucks for me!” His friend gave me a dollar very reluctantly but didn’t want a magazine. A few minutes later I gave Mr. Davis a Bhagavad Gita and he put it under his arm and said, “thank you, I promise to read this.”

The Beach Boys were running with their luggage to catch a plane but Mike Love came over to me and said,“oh, wow I could really use a Bhagavad Gita where I’m going, would $5 be allright, I never carry much money when I travel.”

I often met the Turtles. They had read our books before and were not interested but they were friendly and would joke and play around with me.

I met John Denver in the baggage claim and he said he liked out literature and he gave $4 for a couple of magazines.

I recognized Clint Eastwood in the baggage claim, old and tired looking in a dark suit but when I approached him I was driven away by a young lady who gave me a good tongue lashing, poking my chest with her finger nail. Mr. Eastwood looked apologetic.

When I saw Ronald Reagan, then Governor of California and Presidential candidate coming up the hall, surrounded by reporters and photographers, I went right up and pinned a flower on his lapel and asked for a donation. He just said, “thank you, this is very lovely indeed.” He shook my hand hard and asked me to vote for him.

A few of us met the rock group called the Mothers of Invention at the Denver airport, they were very amusing. Frank Zappa was wearing a T-shirt with his own picture on it and he gave us his baggage claim stub, saying “you ought to be able to get $5 for this,” and he gave us his comb, saying “ you ought to be able to get $20 for this!”

I met comedian Jerry Lewis several times, although he was willing to discuss, he wasn’t interested in Krishna Consciousness and never took a book. One day I saw him walking up the concourse with elegant young ladies on each arm and when he got to the limo pick up area he was yelling “Where’s my bags? I brought 20 bags and I want to see them all right here!”

At the Las Vegas airport I distributed literature to many celebrities including golf pro Jack Armstrong, comedian Red Foxx, Elvis impersonator Big El and the actor who starred in the TV show “Palladin.”

I met comedian Danny Thomas at the Las Vegas airport and offerred him a small Krsna Book. He said, “ No thank you son, I have that book at home. I’ve read it.” He gave $5.

I had a long talk one day with singer Rod Stewart. He said he didn’t like devotees, our philosophy or the pushy way we distribute books but a couple of weeks later I saw sitting with book distributor Bopadev dasa talking quite warmly.

One day, in Las Vegas I saw Leader of the Opposition Tip O'Neil coming down the concourse, very drunk. I pinned a flower on him and asked for a donation. He said, “Son, I’m a U.S. congressman,” he gave me his card,“I don’t give to the people, I steal from them! HA HA HA.”

I met the Zoo Director of the Denver Zoo while distributing there. He drove up and told me how much he disliked the prescence of preachers, such as myself, at his facility. I asked him what his philosophy was and he said, “ I believe man is a carnivore, and my greatest happiness in life is to eat every species!” He then told me of his travels in the four directions’ such as “I’ve been to the North and eaten walrus and bear.” And then he said, “I realize that some animals are going extinct, therefore I want to eat them first! I don’t want to miss anything.” Actually there’s a club in America that has large charity funding dinners where members pay thousands of dollars to dine on dinners of rare Endangered Species prepared by hotel chefs.

There were others, but that’s all I remember right now.

Appreciation.
Voltaire wrote: “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
And in her prayer about the power of bhakti, Queen Kunti uses the word, “grnanti” (“appreciating”) to say that those who appreciate other’s devotional service are themselves performing high grade devotional service, just by deeply appreciating how others are doing their service. Queen Kunti says, these “appreciators” will come to see the Lord directly.
As we become purified, our ability to appreciate Krsna and His devotees increases more and more.

Really, the soul is naturally and eternally an appreciator. The Vedas say: eko bahu-syam: “The one Lord has become many.” Why? Vedanta Sutra answers: Anandamayo bhyasat, “For enjoyment.” In other words, the soul, Krsna’s part and parcel, exists for Krsna’s pleasure and has the eternal privilege of appreciating Krsna, Krsna’s devotees, and the process of devotional service.

Krsna is an ocean of attractiveness, but what makes His attractiveness forever increase is the dynamic relationship between Him and His devotees. “A pure devotee does not want anything from Krsna; he simply wants to serve Him. And Krsna also looks for the opportunity to serve His devotee. Krsna is always as anxious to please His devotee as the devotee is to please Him … This is spiritual competition.” SSR 8

Seeing Radharani (Krsna’s supreme appreciator) Krsna thinks: “There is constant competition between My sweetness and the mirror of Radha’s love. They both go on increasing, but neither knows defeat.” (Cc Adi 4.142) “Whatever pleasure I get from tasting My love for Srimati Radharani, She tastes ten million times more than Me by Her love.” (Cc Adi 4.126)

Appreciation for Krsna moves the devotee to smile, to dance and to serve. In his Samhita, Brahma describes how in Goloka, “every word is a song, every gait is a dance.” There the residents move out of a joy driven by their overflowing appreciation for Krsna, Krsna’s devotees and devotional service.

To this end, one evening during our hari nama sankirtana performance in Palo Alto, CA, I watched as an elderly women smiled broadly upon beholding our devotees chanting blissfully on the sidewalk. Soon the force of her appreciation moved her to clap her hands to the beat of the kirtana; soon after that she swayed with obvious happiness, waving her hands in the air.

People spend their whole lives looking for things and people to appreciate. They flock to natural scenes like the Grand Canyon, eulogize talented or famous singers, writers and athletes, and gaze at beauty in all its forms …

Bhakti yoga is the simple act of connecting all such appreciations to Krsna and His devotees. Watering these seeds of appreciation brings forth the beautiful creeper of prema, pure love for the Supreme Person, the only true satisfaction of the soul.

Humbly in service and with deep appreciation of your association,
Vaisesika Das

By Indradyumna Swami

I was remembering this evening one incident about how merciful Lord Caitanya is to even the most fallen, sinful rascals. As Prabhupada mentions, Jagai and Madhai--they were not comical characters; they were deeply sinful criminals. I remembered how once we were doing a Christmas marathon in Paris and we would send our devotees to the train stations. The girls particularly would go on the trains and distribute books to the people just before the train left. As the train started to go, they would jump off. One young French girl, small girl, very pretty girl, very delicate girl, I remember she was a very good book distributor, and she happened to approach a man on the train in a compartment. She walked into the compartment and gave him a Krsna book. He looked at her for a moment, then he took the Krsna book, and he was so strong that he tore it almost in half. Then he threw it on the ground, stood up, and began stomping on it. She broke down in tears. And he was such a demon that he grabbed her and dragged her by her hair through the compartment and literally threw her off the train. The train had just started, and he threw her off the train. She dislocated her shoulder, and she had blood coming from her hair down her neck. She landed on her face. She had this bruise for weeks. I think she fractured a bone there. I was somewhere nearby, and someone came to get me. So I came, and we had to carry her back to the temple. And we were cursing that man. We were cursing him. Still, it was the marathon, and she was back on the marathon four days later. Continue reading "The unlimited kindness of Krsna
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