Planet ISKCON

Ratha Yatra Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: O Lord, as the small sparks of a fire cannot ...

The Book Marathon Inauguration Ceremony took place on the 24th of November at Sri Dham Mayapur. HH Jayapataka Swami, Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj, HG Jananivas prabhu ,HG Bhima Prabhu , Bhakti Purushottam Swami and other senior devotees addressed the Mayapur Sankirtan and community devotees. “So our whole community should unite to fulfill this for the […]

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What cricket can teach us about life 1
What cricket can teach us about life 2
What cricket can teach us about life 3

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Talk to aspiring brahmacharis at Abudhabi, UAE
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Talk at Sharjah, UAE
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The East Village Other Displays Swamiji Front Page and Centerfold

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The nature of the material world is change and transformation or as the Gita teaches us, the world is “endlessly mutable.” Accordingly, in physically conditioned life, which covers our soul, our body and mental states change, other people change, our life situation and the greater conditions of the material world change and go through cycles and stages. As a result of such changes we have to recommit and sometimes renegotiate our relationships to others, ourselves, and to bhakti, many times in our lifetime.

If we don’t voluntarily change or fight against conditions we have no control over, we will likely be forced to change because nothing stays the same, however much we drag our feet and resist. While this is a natural process, materially speaking, having to change can be disconcerting especially when we are set in our ways or have identified material conditions as who we are, and the underlying and foundational fact that the soul (who we are), or our animating consciousness, being eternal, wants permanence and doesn’t relate well to changing conditions which seem foreign.

While those who are Gaudiya Vaishnavas, or in fact anyone engaged in some kind of spiritual practice to realize their soul, even if they are grounded in deep spiritual philosophy of the nature of matter and spirit, will also struggle with the changing conditions within and without to the degree

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 06 September 2016, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.26)

Veganism is considered to be holier-than-thou and vegans are sort of telling the rest of the world that we are not compassionate at all, that we are contributing to the slaughter of cows by that fact that we are so lusty and cannot control our tongues; we are so attached to milk products – pizza, ice-cream, butter, etc. and in this way, the Hare Krsnas are contributing to cow slaughter. So what do the Hare Krsnas have to say…?

Well, there are two sides to the story. One side of the story is that we say to the vegans: My dear vegans, you are toothless tigers. Do you really think that you are going to stop animal slaughter? You are dreaming. In this way, it will not happen. Why would people take to your vegan philosophy? Just by moral preaching? Don’t you know that only a small percentage of the world is moral!? The rest of the world would rather let it ‘all hang out’. My dear vegans, we respect you for your idealism but your solution is a material one and therefore it cannot succeed as it lacks the transcendental perspective.

You may not like our argument but still consider it for a moment. Do you realise that if we take milk from any cow, we will offer that milk to Krsna and when that milk gets offered to Krsna then the cow gets eternal benefit. Even if that cow is undergoing temporary suffering in a horrible situation and will be slaughtered, still it will get eternal benefit. Therefore it is better to offer the milk of the cow to Krsna than to fast from milk altogether.

It is only now, for the time being that we are in a society which is upside down, which is all gone astray. Eventually we must manage again to take care of our own cows and more cows must be protected. Cow protection is essential and then we can take the milk of these protected cows and in this way, we can change society. But in the meanwhile, we do not fast from milk because milk is such essential food and not just for bones and calcium, it is also required for finer brain tissue development.

Srila Prabhupada was very adamant about this. In the United States, once there were additives in the milk including vitamin D which generally comes from a non-vegetarian source, often from cod liver oil, and so the devotees were wondering about drinking that milk and Prabhupada said not to worry about it and have it! With the special mercy of Lord Caitanya, there will be protection somehow or other, in this state of emergency.

Nowadays, in Iskcon, veganism is on the rise – more and more Hare Krsnas are turning vegan. This is very interesting! And the vegans say that the milk coming out of the factories today is not even milk anymore; it is just reconstituted chemicals and if Prabhupada was here today, he would tell us to be vegan. I am not so convinced about that and it is a problem, in this whole debate to be vegan or not, to put words in Prabhupada’s mouth. Well, he is not here right now so let us just stick to what he said and NOT to what he would have said because if we go that way, then maybe he would have said, “Today four regulative principles would not work, so let’s have three.” Then we going to be on a slippery slide and I do not know where we are going to wind up.

Congregation Program at Sharjah, UAE
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Man reading part of a Gita.
While listening to a nice lecture about book distribution by Vaisesika Prabhu, I was reminded of an interesting encounter I had years ago with a man in Southern California. I was distributing books when I saw a man sitting at table in front of a restaurant. He was reading a section of a book that had been torn out of a book. The section looked about forty pages long. I looked closer; it was part of the Bhagavad-gita.
So I said to the man, “Excuse me, but where did you get that torn-out section of the Bhagavad-gita?”
“I found it on the street a few days ago, and it contains some of the most profound philosophy I’ve ever read, I’ve read it twice. I wish I had the whole book.”
“Well, today is your lucky day. Your wish has come through. I have the whole book with me, and I’m distributing it for a donation.”
“You’re not serious?”
He gave a nice donation and was one of the happiest receivers of the Gita I have ever met.
Evidently someone was uninterested, had torn it up, and thrown it on the street. Just see the power of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Torn up and thrown on the street – one would think that’s the end of that book. But no, Krsna still had a plan for it to touch the man’s heart.
Your servant,
Vijaya Dasa

Devotees of Krishna meditate about things they can be grateful for. They avoid thinking about all those things that they do not have, nor all those arrangements that have not worked out. Instead they focus on what has been given to them – all the opportunities that arrive each day upon their doorsteps, all the relationships that have encouraged them and last but not least, the human form of life, which offers them a unique opportunity for self-realization. Thus, they cover themselves each new morning in the warming mantle of gratitude and feel empowered. Continue reading "The Magic Of Gratitude
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Reading Ramananda Raya and Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s conversation (Part 8) – Niranjana and Sivarama Swamis.

The ISKCON GBC is pleased to announce 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. We thank Champakalata Prabhu for her many years of dedicated service to child protection in the ISKCON Society. Prior to joining ISKCON Kamlesh Krishna Prabhu worked with the Ministry of Defence in London for a number of years, covering roles in various departments such as defence public relations, personnel management and procurement, attached to the army as a civilian officer. He was introduced to ISKCON by family members and joined the Brahmacari ashrama at Bhaktivedanta Manor in 1985. He is a disciple of H H Bhakti Charu Swami. In 1990 he pursued a career in financial services. He has held various senior posts in the banking and financial services industry over his career, as well as establishing his own corporate financial advisory company. Academically he holds a BSc in computer science and is a chartered corporate financial planner. Continue reading "New CPO Director
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“Inside Out”
Vaisesika das: Recently, while walking through the airport in Irvine, California, I saw an advertisement for a movie by Pixar entitled, Inside Out.
The sub-titles were:
“Meet the Little Voices Inside Your Head. A major emotion picture.”
The advertisement features pictures of some of the characters that will be in the film: cartoon caricatures of various qualities such as sincerity, arrogance, greed, and so on. These personified emotions live inside the heads of the main characters of the film and influence their lives, each in their own way.

Most people will relate to the idea behind this movie, even if they never plan to see it. The reason? People really do hear voices inside their heads (even mentally healthy people) and often times these voices are contradictory. One voice might say, “Throw caution to the wind and enjoy your senses.” While another voice intervenes and says, “Don’t do it. It’s not good for you.”

In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna give us an idea of where these unseen influences come from. For example, Krishna depicts lust as an enemy who takes up a sitting place in our senses, mind or intelligence; and from these strategic places, Krishna says, lust covers our knowledge and bewilders us. (Bg. 3.40)

In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada writes: “The enemy has captured different strategic positions in the body of the conditioned soul, and therefore Lord Krishna is giving hints of those places, so that one who wants to conquer the enemy may know where he can be found.”

We can be sure that Pixar has created a character representing lust.

By the practice of devotional service bhakti yogis not only come to know the voices – like lust – in their heads, but they also learn how to tame and transform them.

Srila Prabhupada writes: “Krishna consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Krishna consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead–the highest perfectional stage of life.” (Bg. 3.41; purport)

Pixar’s new movie title, Inside Out, marks a need that most people feel: the need for inner purification, integrity, and self-discipline.

One who recognizes this need to improve oneself can take to devotional service, beginning with the regular chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra.

Om Tat Sat

ISKCON Auckland NZ: Rathyatra festival 2016 (Album with photos)
Kalasamvara Das: Thousands got the mercy of Lord Jagannath on ...

Festival of the Holy Name in New Raman Reti, Alachua, Florida (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: To chant the holy name and ...

Thanksgiving at Govinda’s Tucson
Dana-Keli Devi Dasi: Thanksgiving on Govinda’s patio (Tucson, Az.) with music by Gangamantri and Dhiro Datta Prabhu was a heart warming and splendid affair. I arrived shortly before noon when the event began and already there was a long line of enthusiastic folks waiting for the doors to open. The buffet, set with a colorful and healthy array of vegetarian and vegan delights, was an excellent offering from Sandamini devi who has created and managed these great events for over 25 years. A seasoned old Tom turkey roamed freely on the patio, while the musicians warmed to their craft and began to play the songs we loved the most. The bird, Tom, who had been a cherished guest at Govinda’s stood stark still when the diners realized what an excellent photo opportunity they could have. How inspiring to see on Facebook or other news feeds people enjoying a vegetarian Thanksgiving feast while associating with a live Turkey!
On the patio that perfect afternoon, when Gangamantri and Dhiro Datta played George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord, a few of us ladies could not resist raising our arms in the loving glory of the Lord and expressing our gratitude at that moment when happiness, faith, and vision simultaneously occur.
I had a conversation with a man, who was a professional musician and had been coming to Govinda’s Cruelty-Free Thanksgiving festivals for many years. He gave thanks to Sandamini Devi for her dedication to the community and her ability to orchestrate the event with so much dignity. We both agreed that the patio of Govinda’s held the most elevated Thanksgiving in Tucson or perhaps anyplace in America. HARE KRISHNA

OBEISANCES TO THE TOLERANT – From Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vrindavan-mahimamrtam.
Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati: “To those who tolerate thousands of abusive words, millions of the humiliating insults of ruffians, millions of [bodily] miseries caused due to lack of proper food, clothing or shelter, and also tolerate extreme mental despair caused due to the anguish inflicted by lust, etc. — to those who stay in this sporting ground of Krishna, tolerating all these, I offer my obeisances.”
Excerpt from the new issue of Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu.
CONTENTS INCLUDE:

* MAYA’S TRICKS – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada offers some words of caution for devotees.

* IMPOSSIBLE TO SATISFY EVERYONE – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja speaks of the futility of trying to satisfy others in this world and how our only hope is to try to satisfy the Lord.

* HANKERING IS THE ONLY SATISFACTION – A first time translation done especially for this issue of Bindu from a little known medieval Gaudiya text called Prema-pattanam by Sri Rasikottamsa a grand disciple of Sri Raghunath Bhatta.

* OBEISANCES TO THE TOLERANT – Another fresh translation from Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vrindavan-mahimamrtam.

This issue can be downloaded at the following link:

https://archive.org/details/bindu388

The Vanaprastha Ashram - What Is It All About?
Madhusudan Hari Das: During the last days of Kartik we had the opportunity to welcome HG Devaki Mataji at the Jagannath Temple in Sesadripuram/Bangalore to launch the course entitled “The Vanaprastha Ashram”. It was well attended by around seventy devotees, who participated over several days in the 15-hour course. Each participant received well composed course materials with powerful quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s purports to selected verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Devaki Mataji very skillfully extracted the universal principles of the Vanaprastha Ashram and presented them with realization and conviction, clearly illustrating how we can apply these principles in our modern days. Her presentations were to the point and thought provoking, shaking us up to the facts of reality that this last phase of life is not meant to be lived in comfort, leisure and opulence, surrounded by sweet grand-children charming our hearts with broken language. Rather are we meant to increase austerities, and by simplifying our surroundings, our eating and our externals we can gradually give up more and more the bodily concept of life and deepen our focus on sravanam kirtanam to ultimately prepare for death - our final challenge. In SB 1.15.44. Prabhupada declares that no respectable gentleman would remain in family life until death, because that was considered suicidal and against the interest of the perfection of human life. Such quotes shook up the audience – it was indeed a wake-up call for many of us. It reset the trajectory of life to the most important goal of remembering Krishna at the time of death and going back to Godhead. Our entire lifestyle should be molded around chanting Hare Krishna – something we easily tend to forget when having been lulled into a sense of complacency, with life’s priorities revolving around wife and kids, and earning one’s livelihood. Then Krishna easily moves into the background rather than being in the very center of our lives. Krishna and Srila Prabhupada’s mission are pushed to the back burner while more ‘urgent’ business grabs our mind’s attention. This course urged us to introspect and re-set our priorities with a never experienced intensity. It is a “must” for all age groups - it could just make the difference between making it back to Goloka Vrindavan or having to do another round in this material world. For recordings please see www.therootsofspiritualculture.net

I am happy to introduce the 4 th issue this year of the ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry newsletter. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada explained that an advanced devotee and preacher out of humility takes the vows and dress of a tridandi sannyasi. Previous to the reintroduction of tridandi sannyasa by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada, advanced Vaishnavas who were renounced, often became paramahamsa sannyasis and wore the white dress of a babaji. To keep himself in a position of a servant of his paramahamsa guru, a disciple keeps himself in the formal 3rd stage of sannyasa (parivrajakacarya) rather than the 4th and final stage of a self-realized paramahamsa. In the paramahamsa stage, the sannyasi retires from preaching. However, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers in disciplic succession desire to widely spread Krishna consciousness. For this reason, Srila Prabhupada indicated that many of his advanced male students should take the role of paravrajakacaryas, and try to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in all parts of the world. Continue reading "ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry newsletter
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Prabhupada Makes Headlines in The New York Times

​Friday feast program at Dubai, UAE

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