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 historical value for the country. The concert, consisting of an exhibition of classical and devotional music from India, was performed by Krishna Sambandha, a band composed of members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Milan Talukdar (Subhag Swami) was a bright student during his school days. He completed his intermediate studies from the Scottish Churches’ College, Kolkata, where Srila Prabhupada had studied previously. Thereafter in November 1965, he was sent to London to study higher engineering. During the course of his studies, in 1969 he met His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He was formally initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. After serving at Bury Place, Bhaktivedanta Manor and various places around the UK, he returned to India in 1974 upon the request of the GBC to help in writing and translating Bengali literature. And he never returned again... Continue reading "Subhag Swami’s visit to UK after 42 years
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University Retreat in the UK.
170 university students attended an uplifting meditation retreat called “The Treasure Within” at Bhaktivedanta Manor. Organized by the Krishna Consciousness Societies (KCSOC), who have over 30 running weekly events, each with food, kirtan and a lot of philosophical discussions, this year’s retreat brought students from across the UK. “Young people need excitement, education, and entertainment.” said organizer Mabick Thappa. “The day consisted of seminars on ‘happiness’, cow milking and mantra meditation. The drama was also a hit showing the difference in result between serving Krishna and serving ourselves.” One student mentioned, “This was a wonderful event that provides an opportunity to anyone and everyone to experience an insight into Krishna Consciousness. The talks and Q&A sessions were very interesting and thought-provoking!”Huge congratulations to the University Retreat team of Jahnavi Raniga, Lila Sara Harbal, Nalisha Patel and Krishna Caitanya Patel, led by Mabick Thapa. The National University Team also played a huge part in making this retreat a success.

Give Now!
At the time of death everything will be taken away from you anyway BUT if you give back to Krishna while you are still alive you will get credit for this!
Rukmini Devi Dasi: “Coffee or Tea?” asked the air hostess. It’s been a full shift but she manages to smile and crack a joke whilst pouring my neighbour a decaf coffee. A mother in the seat in front of me patiently cajoles her screaming three-year-old through the eighthour flight. Finally, I reach the transit lounge and the red seats reserved for pregnant woman and the elderly strike a chord. Everyone serves. We may serve because it’s our job, out of love or because we care for our country. Whether we realise it or not, we serve. Here’s an open secret to express advancement on your spiritual path: Connect this inherent need to serve, to your spiritual practice and behold a dynamic change of heart. Active spirituality means that we serve Krishna. By uniting with the Supreme through mantra and fortifying our mind with knowledge, we must learn the practical art of giving, or risk being couch crusaders. Here are some easy to follow options for your convenience.

2016 is the year that devotees of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON will want to remember!
Vibhu Chaitanya Das: ISKCON celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. This is remarkable when you consider that we have achieved so much in such a short space of time. For me, the most amazing fact is that every five minutes, one of Srila Prabhupada’s books is distributed somewhere in the world. By the time you reach the end of this article, someone would have bought one of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
What is it about Srila Prabhupada’s books? Srila Prabhupada once described this material world as a horrible place and that he did not want to come to this world. But Lord Krishna requested him to please do so and Srila Prabhupada denied the request. Then Lord Krishna asked Srila Prabhupada to come into this world to translate scripture into the common language and only then, did Srila Prabhupada agree.

When Srila Prabhupada’s met his spiritual master, he was requested that whenever he got money, he should print books in English. Srila Prabhupada was a young college graduate but he made it his life mission to fulfill the instruction of his spiritual master. Before the establishment of a worldwide institution, Srila Prabhupada painstakingly translated the 18000 verse Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). When ISKCON became an international society and Srila Prabhupada was travelling the world, he slept for only 3-4 hours a day so that he could translate. Srila Prabhupada humbly said that Lord Krishna was dictating and he was simply transcribing.

If you read Srila Prabhupada’s commentaries, you will notice that his books are written without material motivation or for self-glorification. Every word glorifies Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He urges the reader to nourish his intellect and soul by the process of devotional service. Srila Prabhupada’s books have transformed people into better human beings.

Followers of Srila Prabhupada find much joy in distributing these priceless treasures. Scripture describes that spreading the glories of the Supreme Lord (this includes the distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books), is the highest welfare activities.

Distributing these books is also described to be higher than any fast or sacrifice we can make to the Supreme Lord and by doing so, we quickly make advancement in spiritual life.

One of the main lessons we learn from Srila Prabhupada’s books, and his example, is that we need to become selfless. In this mood, devotees voluntarily try their utmost to share these treasures.

Going out on book distribution can be humbling and it’s not easy to stop people who are caught up in their own lives. After much endeavour, a book distributor meets a person who is kind enough to stop and listen, they may read the synopsis on the back cover, and then take a book. I have noticed how that simple exchange brings a person immediate joy and I know that there is so much more joy in store for him when he reads the rest.

So if you have read Srila Prabhupada’s books, then try distributing one of your favorite books and see for yourself how it will change someone’s life. This is “the season to be jolly,” so why not be part of the joy of distributing happiness? Join the Temple on the Weekly Marathon Sankirtan Festival, every Saturday, to help you get into the mood.

And if you have not yet had the privilege of reading one of Srila Prabhupada’s books then the next time a devotee stops you, buy a book.

Ground-breaking ceremony for Avanti House Secondary School in UK.
After years of effort, support and hard work, the ground-breaking ceremony for Avanti House Secondary School’s permanent site of 20 acres took place. The event saw the first spade being dug into the ground by special guest, Radhanath Swami, who spoke about the need for education based on moral and spiritual principles in his keynote address. The mayor for Harrow, Rekha Shah, Bob Blackman MP, Navin Shah GLA Member, Sachin Shah Head of Harrow Council and other Local councilors were present, along with students from year 10 and year 11 and members of staff. The Avanti Trust now has a total of 8 schools with a capacity to educate over 7000 children.

The post Daily Darshan: December5,2016 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Seva Day at Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK.
The Veda London and Food for the Mind, Body and Soul teams came together at Bhaktivedanta Manor for this year’s Seva Day initiative. The project has grown significantly and this year’s team consisted of a wide range of 100 volunteers, with the youngest aged just two! The day included cooking for nine homeless shelters across Watford, spending time at three Dementia Care homes, raking leaves at the Manor, making care packages for the homeless at Matchless Gifts in Kings Cross, assisting in an abandoned animals sanctuary, helping to maintain the grounds at the Learning Through Horses charity and raising funds for the Sandipani Muni School in Vrindavan.

The King of Knowledge by Srila Prabhupada came to me at a pivotal time. I got the book without wanting it. My friend wanted to share it with me after he perused it. I had no idea - I was “book distributed!” I was skeptical but on my friend’s recommendation, I studied the book for at least a month. The King of Knowledge held ample flawless arguments. At the time I was busy trying recklessly to fill my life with mind altering substances and such. The “mind altering substances and such” did not fill the void but grew it to an expansive darkness. Continue reading "J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League (Just Uniquely Spread The Instructions of Caitanyadeva Everywhere)
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ISKCON’s achievements over the last 50 years have been largely due to the influence of Srila Prabhupada and his direct disciples. We have been standing on the shoulders of giants. However, in the relatively near future, there will not be anyone present who personally associated with Srila Prabhupada. How will ISKCON continue to grow then? This movement will progress with our cooperative spirit to please Srila Prabhupada: “Now, we have by Krishna's grace built up something significant in the shape of this ISKCON and we are all one family. Sometimes there may be disagreement and quarrel but we should not go away. These inebriates can be adjusted by the cooperative spirit, tolerance and maturity so I request you to kindly remain in the association of our devotees and work together. The test of our actual dedication and sincerity to serve the Spiritual Master will be in this mutual cooperative spirit to push on this Movement and not make factions and deviate.” Continue reading "Beyond 50
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Remembrance Sunday.
Bhaktivedanta Manor’s president Srutidharma prabhu laid a wreath and recited prayers of Remembrance at the annual Remembrance Day service at Letchmore Heath War Memorial in UK. The service was particularly poignant because it marked exactly 100 years since the Battle of the Somme.

ISKCON Auckland NZ: Rathayatra festival 2016 (Album with photos)
Sunday afternoon Rathayatra, the 3rd wonderful Rathayatra for...

All ISKCON devotees worldwide are undoubtedly inspired and enthused by the rapid progress of the TOVP construction over the last five years. The temple superstructure is complete, the finished domes and chatris await their kalashes and chakras, external embellishments are being added, murtis of the parampara and assorted sculptures are in various stages of production, various artisan work forges ahead, electric and plumbing work continues, marble laying has begun, an elaborate Lightning Arrester system is being installed, and much more is all going on simultaneously. As we enter the year 2017 internal finishing work will commence and the gigantic altar of our worshipable Lords will see significant progress. This is all due to the mood of cooperation between all ISKCON members and the subsequent blessings of Gaur Nitai, Srila Prabhupada, and all our acharyas as They look down upon our efforts with Their merciful glances. Continue reading "TOVP End of the Year Message
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The 26 Second Avenue Summer of 1966

IMPOSSIBLE DREAM? Some people think that the existence of the soul and God, what to speak of a relationship between them, is delusional and unproductive. Others may doubt that one can have a spiritual practice to understand them, or that the Ultimate Unlimited Absolute is personal in its highest aspect, what to speak of being Krishna. Or those on the path of bhakti for many decades may doubt that they can make much advancement in this lifetime, but hope against hope for a miracle at the time of death. We find in the world so many opinions, some well-reasoned, others full of emotionalism, negative, positive, regretful, or so many combinations that may dissuade one from spiritual practice or the determination to give one’s whole being, heart and soul.

Sometimes well-meaning friends, family, or those brothers and sisters on our bhakti path who are disillusioned with fallen leaders or their guru, can be our worst advisors or critics. Some people never heal from their painful past traumas, betrayal, or disappointments, and remain looking backward, and not to true empowering possibilities. As the saying goes, misery enjoys company. How much such opinions affect us depends on our mind’s orientation to react or respond based on how much spiritual experience or faith in our path we have, or haven’t.

As I have shared before, despite appearances to some, I am one of those devotees who has lived as a casual, or “religious” devotee (which means just doing the basics and not really fully applying oneself to the process both internally and externally), for most of my decades of practice, and in fact I have this as my general default setting—which I would wager is true for many older devotees. I share this as a warning for younger devotees and a possible wake-up call for those devotees in old or pre-old age.

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Seven years ago, the Bali Klungkung area devotees bought some land and constructed a beautiful temple and asrama. Sometime later they installed Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Sri Radha Kunjabihari.

I had the privilege of attending the seventh anniversary of that opening, which started in the afternoon and went late into the night. Many hundreds of devotees and guests came for a wonderful celebration.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 November 2007, Mayapur, Lecture)
It is one thing to take up devotional service but it is another thing to become absorbed in devotional service. Many people do find some taste, some satisfaction in the philosophy and in principles of moral behaviour but it is not so easy to become absorbed…

We see that somewhere along the line, devotees go an independent course. They start very serious but sooner or later, one gets confronted with oneself.

Sooner or later one must find real happiness in Krsna consciousness. It may not be enough that it offers morality and a secure society. It may not be enough to just get taste out of kirtan. One has to really make Krsna everything. One has to become absorbed. To be absorbed means to make Krsna everything. It cannot be that we ‘like’ Krsna consciousness amongst other things.

We may find Krsna consciousness to be good and inspiring but we may not be completely convinced. It has not captured us to the point where Krsna is everything. Why is that? Because we have not made service everything. As long as we still have personal desire, still wanting to fulfill many personal ambitions, then Krsna consciousness will only partially capture us and then all these other agenda items may grow and one day we take them up again.

Therefore the question is, “What service are we doing?” In the beginning it is natural that we are more concerned with what we are getting – what taste am I getting… what inspiration am I getting!?

But service is the turning point. So in the beginning, it is about what we are getting. We may find someone to be so inspiring but it is not the person who is so inspiring, it is their serviced that is so inspiring. Ultimately it is devotional service that is inspiring because we must become inspired to serve otherwise what is the point!? Inspiration is not a matter of excitement. Inspiration must go deep and bring about seriousness also. Inspiration means that now I will give my life to it. This is needed!

Veda: Secrets from the East.
Published by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Review By Byron Kyle: I first met the devotees in 2012 in my first year of study and I couldn’t have been more uncomfortable in their association. “Veda: Secrets from the East” was the first book I received from the devotees and it has been a springboard and an invaluable resource on my journey to discovering Krishna and myself. I had a very staunch Catholic upbringing and so my faith in Catholicism was steadfast and my mind unhinging. I was discerning a vocation to the priesthood at the time but I was beginning to inquire into other faiths before committing my life to my chosen beliefs.
This book has held such great appeal for me because not only does it make a great and easy to digest introduction into the beliefs of Krishna Conscious devotees but it succinctly answers all life’s FAQs like, “Who am I?” and “Why do bad things happen to good people?” My mind has been put at ease since reading this book by immersing myself in the timeless wisdom of the Vedas. This is a book not only for those who are just beginning to awaken their spiritual consciousness, but a book for those who have doubts about the Krishna Consciousness movement. It is a book for seekers and for thinkers, and as a scholar of philosophy, I particularly enjoyed the East-West dialogues of Chapter 7, where Srila Prabhupada (the founder of the movement) engages in conversations about famous Western philosophers like Plato, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx.
This powerful book has forever changed the way I see the world, myself and the Supreme. I recommend that every beginner in the movement read this book and every skeptic outside the movement do the same. Thank you to the devotees who gave me this precious gift and to the readers of this article, may Krishna shower you with manifold blessings. Jay Sri Krishna!

Cultural program in Ponrepo, Prague (Album with photos)
December 1, 2016, cinema Ponrepo, Prague 1. The cultural program on the occasion of this year’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Hare Krishna movement (1966-2016). During the evening, the audience could listen to traditional mantras and bhajans performed by musical groups Venu Gopal, to appreciate the beauty of traditional temple dance Bharata Nátjam performed Rasabihari Devi Dasi, watch the documentary “50 years of enjoyment out of loyalty,” taste the specialties of Indian vegetarian cuisine and take a some of the books the ancient Vedic blueness. The program was attended by more than eighty visitors, including several prominent people from politics and culture. Each guest received a small gift in the form of magazine “50 Years of the Hare Krishna movement” and a large jar of honey from our beekeepers Loka Saranga. Thank you to everyone who participated in the program and helped in the making of this event. Thank you to everyone who actively helping and remain favorably disposed towards the activities of the Hare Krishna movement. We look forward to meeting with you at other events and festivals. Hare Krishna! For the organizers Priya Kirti das —- photo: Kirticandra Dasa Nitya Lila dasi.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/DYAcge

San Diego Hare Krishna Community’s Weekly Newsletter - December 4, 2016.
Newsletter Sections: Upcoming Festivals | Special Events | Weekly Home Gatherings Temple Events Weekly Spotlight | Classifieds
Read more: https://goo.gl/8pbv98

Heritage of the Soul Myth Buster By Ananta Gauranga Das.
Do you have a friend who asks, “How are you, you ok?” In one fell swoop. Or maybe a mother who tires incessantly to hook you up with anything that remotely resembles a spouse (a pulse being the sole requirement). Are you acquainted with a vocabulary littered with the phrase “this thing” coupled with “and all.” Prepare to be astounded by the versatility of “this thing.” “This thing” can be used as a noun, verb, adjective, conjunction and even a person’s name. Should this resonant with you like the gongs of Big Ben, then you have accurately assimilated the social idiosyncrasies of South Africans of Indian decent.

Do I simply enjoy needling colloquial stereotypical prose or do I have a point? Indeed, I do. Every society consists of a complex myriad of psychosomatic dynamics which program individual and group consciousness. This heritage is hilarious bearing in mind such nuances of linguistics and culture are so alien to our true ancestry. Our family tree stems from the spiritual realm and our Father is begging and pleading for us to return home. Isn’t it unfortunate that we turn a blind eye and deaf ear?

It’s 4 :30am and you under covers on a wintery Monday, you close your eyes for 5 minutes and suddenly it’s 7:45am. Yet at 1:30pm at work, you shut your eyes for 5 minutes and it’s 1:31pm. We endure the daily grind not because we want to, rather we have to, for fear of starvation. We slave away for a boss we loath and a company in which we are but a number. I’ll share with you a secret, an open secret, openly spoken by those who know, to those who wish to hear. We have discovered a superior satisfaction, some say, a soothing of the soul. We hold the key to eternal ecstasy, that elusive commodity, which every being from an ant to Angelina Jolie, yearns for. You see, this is the eternal nature of the soul and it yearns for bliss. Spiritual life is the highest form of indulgence because it’s a decadence consummated in conjunction with God.

Please know when you stagger unceremoniously to your place of residence from a club at 4:30am, our party is only getting started and it’s not just on the weekends and or public holidays. We have come to learn that God is a DJ and we dance to His bhakti beat. This thing, dear friends, is ecstasy – the real heritage of the soul. It’s that which can’t be found at the bottom of a Johnnie Walker Blue or being first in line at a 75% off Louis Vuitton sale. The natural tendency of the soul is to crave pleasure. This euphoria is achieved via the medium of a spiritual practice, as it awakens the dormant love for the Supreme.

Bhakti Yoga is the process of reconnection of the soul to it’s Source. Allow me to pierce your perception of pleasure: there’s more to existence than running the rat race of life on the wheel of impermanence, all the while becoming consumed by that which we consume. Don’t be bewitched by the shimmering broken glass. Insanity will be bequeathed to successive generations if we do not shed the falsity of false identification. Let’s examine the alternative. Cultivate your eternally unique relationship with God and realize your birthright. Our true inheritance is a legacy of an eternal loving relationship to the Supreme.

Selfishness is closely related to the inability to hear, as our preoccupation with our self makes us deaf to another's voice. To overcome this, we can learn to consider all matters thoughtfully with due respect to our spouse’s point of view. This honest approach, which avoids manipulation and partiality to one’s own insights, facilitates finding a better conclusion than one person could have attained alone. It is unlikely that the best possible decision will be made if one person imposes his or her will on the other. After all, our will, our deep conviction of what is undoubtedly “right” and Krishna conscious, may actually be the zeal experienced by neophyte devotees, who, in the words of Krishnadas Kaviraja Gosvami are “ expert in arguing though they have no sense of advanced devotional service.” (Cc Madhya 2.93) In other words, without being aware of it, our dearly held opinion may cloak selfishness. Continue reading "Selfishness
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On a Friday, September 23rd our team embarked on a second padayatra in Bolivia in honour of ISKCON’s 50th anniversary. This time our route followed the ancient Inca roads found in the Andes Mountains. We walked for three-days along a road known as ‘El Chorro’ which starts in the mountains and ends in the rainforest 52 kilometres away. This road is between 500 and 1000 years old and was built by the Tiahuanaco (Tiwanku) and sometime after it was improved upon and used by the Incas. Later, the Spanish conquerors used it and even up until recently it was used to connect the Bolivian highlands with the Amazon region. This road formed part of the Inca highway system known as the Qhapaq Nan (the Great Road) that spanned across six South American countries. Today it is recognized as a UNESCO heritage site. The idea for this padayatra was to spread the holy names to the remote mountain villages of this area. Continue reading "Bolivia’s 2nd Padayatra in the Andes Mountains
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Climbing the bhakti ladder.
Question: What if I can only chant Hare Krsna right now, but I can’t do much service?
Answer: Chanting Hare Krsna is service. However, when you are chanting “Hare Krsna,” you are also requesting service. After chanting, don’t be surprised when you are awarded more service.
And then when Krsna gives you service, there may be a question about how much service you should take.
On the one hand, Krsna advises in the Gita (18.66) that we simply surrender to Him. And this is actually the main business of a devotee. On the other hand, Krsna tells Uddhava in the Srimad-bhagavatam, sve sve adhikari ya nistah … “It is a good quality to take service according to one’s adhikari, or current capacity.” (SB 11.21.2)

All ISKCON devotees worldwide are undoubtedly inspired and enthused by the rapid progress of the TOVP construction over the last five years. The temple superstructure is complete, the finished domes and chatris await their kalashes and chakras, external embellishments are being added, assorted murtis are in different stages of production, various artisan work forges ahead, electric and plumbing work continues, marble laying has begun, an elaborate Lightning Arrester system is being installed, and much more is all going on simultaneously.

As we enter the year 2017 internal finishing work will commence and the gigantic altar of our worshipable Lords will see significant progress. This is all due to the mood of cooperation between all ISKCON members and the subsequent blessings of Gaur Nitai, Srila Prabhupada, and all our acharyas as They look down upon our efforts with Their merciful glances.

Overall, we are on budget and on track to realize our common goal of celebrating together the most momentous occasion in Gaudiya Vaishnava history: the Grand Opening of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium on Gaur Purnima, 2022.

To bring 2016 to an auspicious close we would like to make a humble appeal. If you have not yet contributed to the TOVP, please make a donation, large or small, by going to this website address: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/. To donors who are making monthly payments towards their pledge, please make a larger payment for your installment this month, or even consider paying off the entire balance. And those donors who have stopped their monthly payments due to personal circumstances or, if you live in India, due to the demonetization of the rupee, please consider restarting your pledge payments this month. The Lord will certainly bless you for your sacrifice to the higher cause of the important missionary work of the sankirtan movement.

Once again, thank you to one and all. We are grateful for your support, financial or otherwise, and look forward to another highly productive and inspiring year ahead. Please keep your TOVP seva in your New Year’s resolutions and we wish you all a happy and Krishna conscious New Year.

“I have named this temple Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, the Rising Moon of Mayapur. Now make it rise, bigger and bigger until it becomes the full moon. And this moonshine will be spread all over the world. All over India they will come to see. From all over the world they will come.”

Srila Prabhupada; Letter to Ramesvara, 25 October, 1974

The TOVP Team

The post TOVP End of the Year Message appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Iskcon’s Bhaktivedanta Manor and several Hindu temples in UK joined a vegetarian cafe in BANNING new £5 note because it contains animal fat - as singer Morrissey says people who use them should donate their OWN bodies!
Satish Sharma from the National Council of Hindu Temples UK told BBC Asian Network he’s aware of three temples which aren’t allowing the new fivers, including Bhaktivedanta Manor in Aldenham, Hertfordshire.
Rainbow Cafe in Cambridge is also refusing to accept the notes as its owner said they were “repulsive”.
Speaking more about the issue, the outspoken singer Morrissey said: ‘If it had been revealed by the Bank of England that the new British Five Pound note contained slices of cat or dog, the country would be in an uproar.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/wsYGuP

The Time Of The Sages - Bhagavata Purana: India’s Jewel of Wisdom.
“HH Krishna Ksetra Swami (Dr Kenneth R. Valpey) of the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies and a team of professional filmmakers are preparing to embark upon a quest to uncover the secrets of the jewel of Indian transcendental literature, Bhagavata Purana in a feature documentary. HH Krishna Kshetra Swami says that "I would like to make a documentary on this great literature to make it more widely known in the West. The Bhagavata Purana invites us to participate in a nontemporal, ever-expanding reality. It’s an engaging nourishment for the soul. I hope we’ll treasure with others through this film.”

As a Manipuri Vaishnava and a studious scientist student from the prestigious University of California - Irvine, USA, Sripada maharaj won the heart of his spiritual master H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in their very first meeting. It was Sripada Maharaj's scientist colleague Ramananda Raya (Dr. Ravindra Rao) who introduced maharaj to Srila Prabhupada. As maharaj recalls, Srila Prabhupada and maharaj looked intently at each other's eyes for a few moments and then Prabhupada spoke. In their first meeting, while appreciating the temples built by the King of Manipur in Nabadwip, Radha-Kund and Vrndavan, Srila Prabhupada asked maharaj "Being born in a Vaishnava family, why did you come here, crossing the ocean?" Continue reading "The Scientist-Saint who sowed the seed for ‘Life comes from Life’ conversations
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Prabhupada, the Life of Our Spiritual Archives

After studying the 14th chapter of Gita someone very feelingly asked, “I see people take to bhakti or other yogas very unnaturally, fanatically, and they wind up extremely depressed and stressed out. How can we follow bhakti or any spiritual path more naturally – not full of repression and artificial stuff?”

What is Natural for Conditioned Souls?

Natural is an adjective from the noun, nature, which is from the root, nat- which means “inherent.” Natural action is not forced. It is an automatic result of what is inherent in us. Natural things exist inherently, they doesn’t have to be manufactured artificially.

Our inherent nature is full of desire to enjoy the external field of perception. So our practices cannot be completely natural; there will have to be effort involved.

The key is to practice at a level we can sustain, and to gradually increase what we can sustain.

Unfortunately,  vidyā and bhakti are just not natural for us. Our inherent nature is full of bhukti – endeavor to enjoy the external field of perception. So our practices cannot be completely natural; there will have to be effort involved. They key, however, is the find a level of effort that our nature can sustain and support. This would be, relatively speaking, “natural practice.”

Bhakti Never Causes Stress or Depression

Rajaḥ, not bhakti, causes stress and tamaḥ, not bhakti, causes depression. But if this is true, why are many spiritual practitioners stressed out and depressed? I see two reasons: (1) they are not practicing as much as they can, (2) they are practicing more than is naturally sustainable for them.

Overzealousness occurs because we treat bhakti-yoga as another external object, trying to aquire more of it as a way to enjoy pleasures like renown, prestige, superiority, etc. These desires are raja-guṇa and cause distress.

In the first case, they are not getting rid of rajaḥ and tamaḥ as quickly as they could be. In the second case, they are brining rajaḥ and tamaḥ into their concept of sādhana. The overzealousness of the second case occurs because we treat bhakti-yoga as another external object, trying to aquire more of it as a way to enjoy pleasures like renown, prestige, superiority, etc. These desires are raja-guṇa and cause distress. And since raja-guṇa inariably invokes tamo-guṇa, that stress invariably leads to depression.

The key, then, is to practice at a level we can sustain, and to gradually increase what we can sustain.

How can we do that?

Upgrade Your Nature

All sādhana is based on śraddhā. The root of that word, śrad, literally refers to our “heart.”Śraddhā is about our nature.  If our sādhana is more intense than what our śraddhā can support, it will fall over like the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa – which falls over because the ground beneath it cannot support its weight.

The weight of our sādhana has to be supported by what we comprehend about life. We cannot expect to sustain something difficult if we don’t really understand the importance and realness of doing it. 

The most important thing is to deepen our comprehension of life. The deeper our comprehension, the more sādhana-weight we can naturally support.

The most important thing is to deepen what we comprehend about life. The deeper our comprehension, the more sādhana-weight we can naturally support. Getting rid of misconceptions about life (anartha-nivṛtti) leads to niṣṭhā – deep and steady practice, which soon brings ruci – very significant positive experiences that radically upgrade the śraddhā. 

Don’t Just “Read” or “Hear” or “Study”… THINK, SEARCH, EXPLORE, DISCOVER!

To deepen our comprehension of life, we should turn to śāstra.

Śāstra is often difficult to comprehend, so it is essential to find someone who, to the best of your estimation, seems to really comprehend it, and ask them to explain it to you. 

In many modern circles of practitioners there is a strong taboo against creative exploration and investigation of the śāstra (“speculation”), but this, sadly, is a huge impediment to spirituality.

Once you have an explanation, you have to really explore it, search the limits of how you understand it. Discover it. Don’t just “believe it” or “have faith in it” or “accept it” or even scholastically “learn it.” See it, taste it, feel it in the real world. In many modern circles of practitioners there is a strong taboo against creative exploration and investigation of the śāstra (“speculation”), but this, sadly, is a huge impediment to spirituality. In other circles śāstra is treated as an object of scholarship. This too falls short of the mark. Explore śāstra with your heart, and with your sādhana, too! Explore it until you understand it as well as you understand how to make toast, and see it as plainly as you see everything else you accept as real. You will probably make lost of mistakes, but that’s what learning is all about. Keep close to the sādhu-guru who really comprehends śāstra so that the flaws in your explorations and the misperceptions in your discoveries can gradually be ironed out. This exploration alone will make śāstra’s vidyā part of your nature, part of your heart, your śraddhā; allowing you to increase your practice in a sattvika manner.

Explore it until you understand it as well as you understand how to make toast, and see it as plainly as you see everything else you accept as real.

Very inquisitive, honest and thorough study of śāstra is absolutely essential. Understand the fundamentals of tattva, explained in summary in Bhagavad Gītā and much more elaborately in Bhāgavata Purāṇa bit by bit, step by step, patiently but thoroughly. Practice to the extent comes naturally as a result of what you have truly understood and can percieve as being true. If you keep this up, you will soon become truly advanced in bhakti-sādhana, and will attain its sublime goals.

Vraja Kishor das

www.vrajakishor.com

SB 07.13.16-17 Our Wonderful Fantastic Pastime In Maya 2016-10-13

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.13.16-17 Our Wonderful Fantastic Pastime In Maya 2016-10-13 Juhu

For some reason best known to my self I chose to live in the material world and be in the best and worst of yuga’s that of the age of Kali
It’s the best for one can return home simply by chanting the Mahamantra
It’s the worst because it’s a time of exploration and suffering, duplicate and hypocrisy

For those who don’t live in the UK you will be unaware that the bank notes issued by The Bank of England are changing the first being changed is the £5, it makes it more hard wearing and harder to counterfeit. And is very similar in nature to those issued in New Zealand and Australia.

It has now been discovered that it contains a trace of tallow, much to the outrage of vegans,vegetarians and some religious groups most notably the one misidentified as the Hindu Faith.

It brings in a quandary as sadly you need money and have little control over its production or value in real terms, so pressure is mounting to sign petitions calling for its withdrawal and that a new bank note be issued not containing tallow

Indeed an honourable cause one most who truly believe in animal welfare and understand the real nature of the spirit soul would agree with.

So a number of Hindu temples have banned and refuse to accept the £5 note within the grounds and especially in the temple room, very honourable.

But let’s make an analysis and note some observations

One of the reasons for the new bank note is that the old ones picked up and carried germs and residue very easily, indeed lab analysis showed that the old bank notes contained traces of drugs and animal fats; the trace of animal fat in the new note is far less; which raises an interesting observation notation if you are enraged by the tallow in the new £5 note than you have to be also enraged that the other notes are also contmimated.

The conclusion is that all notes should be banned

Their is also a duplicity when it comes to ISKCON UK stance we refuse the £5 note in the temple and it’s premises, but our sankirtan devotees are allowed to handle and accept the £5 note

The conclusion this is hypocrisy, you either are against and ban altogether or not make up your minds which one

An outsider observing will also note that given your outraged by this use of animal fat, but looking around one notes leather shoes, and individuals who wear leather belts and get the money out of leather wallets and bags.

Their conclusion is why is wearing of leather in the temple not banned

One interesting argument is that the shoes and accepting of the £5 note outside is alright as it’s outside of the temple and not offered to Sri Krishna, this is duplicity and hypocritical; everything a devotee does should be as an offering to Sri Krishna and of the highest standard the individual can achieve and maintain, we should not have a temple standard and well I’m not in the temple so it doesn’t matter standard.

Our business is the propagation of Krishna Consciousness and to give proper education, proper education is to inform about spirit soul and animal welfare, and show the benefits of a vegetarian diet.

Signing a petition calling for the removal of tallow from the bank note whilst turning a blind eye to the widespread use of leather products when their is many alternatives is disgraceful.

One should be looking at the cause not symptom

The symptom is the use of animal products in everyday items were it’s not needed
The cause is animal slaughter

We should be campaigning for a complete ban on animal slaughter, especially as were aware of the karmic reaction the government officials receive for allowing this, and for all those involved in meat, leather and animal byproduct production.

If you are making a stand against the small amount of animal byproduct in a bank note banning it’s use but then turning a blind eye to the wearing and use of leather which can be avoided this is duplicity and as the inventor of the £5 note stated your stupid

Over the years I’ve convinced 3 restaurants and 2 shops to remove all cow product’s one restaurant removed all meat products, not by petition but by education and by example

Srila Prabhupada said we lead by example

So my conclusion is if we are banning the £5 note we need to ban all leather from entering the temple and as individuals we conduct ourself outside the temple as we would inside

Personally I will continue to use the £5 note as it’s less contaminated than the old £5 note, otherwise no leather products I can avoid this, whilst continuing to educate those I meet on real animal welfare and the spirit soul within.

Whilst campaigning for a closure of all slaughter houses

And on an end note Hindu India has one of the largest cow slaughter programs in the world best ISKCON and the outraged devotees petition the Indian government to close these, one this is achieved I will take the let’s ban the £5 note more seriously.

And accepting the £5 note outside of the temple but not inside frankly is just hypocrisy duplicity and gives entirely the wrong message, one just looks like a fool, and devotees aren’t fools