Planet ISKCON

Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day observed in Vrindavana’s Iskcon Krishna Balaram Mandir.
Many disciples of His Divine Grace attended and each one of them offered his homage and realizations for the glorification of Srila Prabhupada. Many concluded that although Srila Prabhupada was no longer physically present on the earth he is still very much present in this world in the form of his books and his instructions given to his followers.
Many programs were held at the Krishna Balaram temple in his honor like an Abhisek, performed to his deity, arati and pushpanjali at his Samadhi.
A huge cake weighing 150 kg was cut on this occasion by Iskcon’s GBC member and senior Vaishnava HH Gopal Krishna Goswami.

And Rasikananda asks about how pure devotees relate to the inconveniences in the dhama.

The beautiful Iskcon Farm Simhacalam in Germany (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: …article on the subject of “Krsna, the supreme scientist,” and let us publish it. That article is very nice. If he writes such articles, the conclusion, if Krsna, the supreme scientist, Krsna, the supreme economist, Krsna, the supreme philosopher, Krsna, the supreme chemist, Krsna -everything, the conclusion is Supreme, Krsna – then his activity is fulfilled. He becomes successful. The conclusion should be Krsna. That’s it. Whatever he may be. He may be a musician, he may be artist, he may be physicist, he may be chemist, he may be scientist – whatever he may be, if he writes article on the subject matter and concludes that Krsna is the Supreme, then preach, then he is successful. That’s all. Just like you are theologian. You write theology and prove, “Krsna is the Supreme Lord.” Then your attempt is successful. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk – December 15, 1973, Los Angeles
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The Purifying Waters of Door-To-Door Book Distribution.
After our taking a swim in the river along the gorge between Otaki and Napier in NZ, Ameyatma bathed me in the purifying waters of his door-to-door book distribution mission just before the sun went down. We knocked on about twenty doors and took turns doing the presentation of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
It is a bit inconceivable how sweet and gracious the people of Napier were. One lady, whose name is Storm, raced to beat us to the door and had it open before we got there. She was eager to chat with us and told us she already has all of the books we had in our hands. We then remembered Devamrita Swami’s new book, Hiding in Unnatural Happiness, and “returned fire” with “You don’t have this one! It was just published.”
She and her husband very happily gave a donation and took another book to add to her collection. They’re the couple in the attached picture. She even gave us a bag for “your ladies” that came from India, she said. Robert (in the photo with the copy of Beyond Birth and Death) was disconnected and unwilling to take a book, but Ameyatma and I just kept standing there trying to come up with new things to say.
We watched his heart completely soften while we stood there chatting with him, until he found a few coins and happily took the “Beyond Birth and Death”. Jeff, holding the Chant and Be Happy, at first said he wasn’t interested but we threw out our last chance: “You like music though?” and handed him a “Chant and Be Happy”. We told him about the Beatles and George Harrison. He immediately went through a soft-heart metamorphosis before our eyes and clutched the book, exclaiming, “I will read this.” Then he gave a generous donation.
A few Gitas also went out before I started to take photos, including one to a nice couple with a brand new baby crying the whole time we presented the Gita. –ys, Nitai-cand Dasa

Interrupt Anxiety with Gratitude.
As we were driving through West Bengal, I spotted a newly built house, with two words painted in large black letters across the entry portico – God Gift (written as spelled :). I imagined how every day the family would get this message as they arrived home and could not help but smile.

Mahattama (“especially great person”) — A mahattama sees whatever good qualities others have and magnifies them, not seeing even the smallest fault. Viswanath describes their attitude, “This person has stolen my cloth because he is cold, and though he has a weapon, he doesn’t attack me because he is merciful. He is virtuous.” Ati-mahattama (“extremely great person”) — An ati-mahattama sees good qualities in others even where there are none. Their attitude is, “In this world there are no bad people. Everyone is good.” Continue reading "Of Saints and Critics
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We sometimes think of ourselves as being good adjudicators of who is serious in Krishna consciousness, and who is not. Who is pure, or not. Expecting that “More people will leave Krishna consciousness than stay,” we easily become proud of being one of the “privileged few” to remain. Being of the surprising few and rationalising this way is certainly premature, and signals immediate complacency. The adage, “It is how you finish that counts; not how you start,” usually escapes our attention when we think of how and why so many devotees leave Krishna consciousness. Are all of those who left insincere? Is sincerity easily measured? Though many of us are active in service now, how many of us think of the combined sacrifices of the thousands of devotees in the past that somehow helped shape the Iskcon we know today, but who are presently inactive? Many fell from high positions, and others left through weakness, and yet more are presently experiencing Krishna’s testing kindness. Do we think again about how many of those thousands who left, would sincerely love to come back, but are unable to, due to shame, embarrassment, inadequacy, and general anarthas. How many of them can redeem themselves to become pure devotees even in this lifetime? Is a fall from grace an impediment for pure devotion? While so many devotees are being tested on the “outside,” the relatively advantaged few on the “inside,” can be less fortunate than they. For instance, when a devotee becomes senior, many preaching opportunities await him or her. Wherever they go they will be honoured and feted. This is a very comfortable situation to be in. Continue reading "Silent Tears of Remorse
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At the time that Srila Prabhupada and his disciples acquired New Dvaraka, I was in Boston, and there we heard the news that Srila Prabhupada had gotten a wonderful property that had been a church. Srila Prabhupada made New Dvaraka his Western world headquarters and spent months on end here--at one stage he stayed for eight months--and established it as the model center. And he personally trained the devotees. A devotee named Silavati was the head pujari, and under Prabhupada's guidance she and others devotees established an exemplary standard of Deity worship. Then if any temple wanted to learn the proper standard of Deity worship, they would write or send a devotee here to learn. The activities and standards in New Dvaraka became the model for the other temples in ISKCON. The sankirtana, public chanting and dancing, was also exemplary. Visnujana was the lead singer, and all the devotees were eager to go out and chant with him. And Tamal Krishna was the main organizer. He made sure that all the brahmacaris had nicely colored matching cloth and that all the ladies had bright saris and that all the devotees danced in step. It was a wonderful performance, and people were attracted. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada’s Western World Headquarters
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Lord Jagannath Ratha Yatra, 05-11-2016 ISKCON-Delhi (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: So this process of hari-kirtana is very simple: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Actually there are only three words: Hare, Krsna, and Rama. But they are very nicely arranged for chanting so that everyone can take the mantra and chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Since we have started this movement in the Western countries, Europeans, Americans, Africans, Egyptians, and Japanese are all chanting. There is no difficulty. They are chanting very gladly, and they are getting the results. What is the difficulty? We are distributing this chanting free of charge, and it is very simple. Simply by chanting, one can have self-realization, God realization, and when there is God realization, then nature realization is included also. For example, if one learns one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and zero, then he has studied the entirety of mathematics, because mathematics means simply changing the places of these ten figures. That’s all. Similarly, if one simply studies Krsna, then all his knowledge is perfect. And Krsna is easily understood simply by chanting this mantra, Hare Krsna. So why not take this opportunity? >>> Ref. VedaBase => SSR 5b: The Appearance of Lord Caitanya
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Govardhan Puja celebration in Kiev, Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: So Krsna understanding is also very difficult. Krsna is personally explaining Himself, His devotees are presenting Krsna consciousness movement, and right manner. But people are unfortunate. It will take some… But it is our duty to canvass. That is our business. Either they may accept or not accept, it is our duty. Bg Lecture, June 13, 1968 Montreal.
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Govardhan Puja, New Varshana in Auckland, New Zealand, 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Whereas an impersonalist tries to avoid good eatables, a devotee knows that Krsna is the supreme enjoyer and that He eats all that is offered to Him in devotion. So, after offering good eatables to the Lord, the devotee takes the remnants, called prasadam. Thus everything becomes spiritualized, and there is no danger of a downfall. The devotee takes prasadam in Krsna consciousness, whereas the nondevotee rejects it as material. The impersonalist, therefore, cannot enjoy life, due to his artificial renunciation; and for this reason, a slight agitation of the mind pulls him down again into the pool of material existence. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bg 2.63
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Slow Down and Read What the Swami Has Said

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 May 2012, Melbourne, Australia, Seminar: Mahajans Part 2)

Originally, the living being was with Krsna in the spiritual world and the living being, upon eternity, came to understand that he also had independence, that he did not have to serve Krsna and that rather he could be served too! At this point, he was not yet envious but when he made the choice to be served, then envy came. 

It is said that this state of consciousness where one is contemplating the possibility of not being engaged in the service of Krsna is a neutral state – one is neither absorbed in the service of Krsna nor is one absorbed in the material energy. Therefore, it is a neutral state or a marginal state of being in between, called taṭasthā. Therefore in this taṭasthā consciousness, the living being can choose to come down or to go back to Krsna. When he comes down, then envy in competition with Krsna begins immediately.

Like now, we are living in this world of competition where we are competing with each other and ultimately competing with God. Ultimately, we want to be God! We want to be worshiped… we want to be recognized…  we want to be famous… we want to be rich… we want to be powerful and the whole world is filled with people who are competing with each other and all these things.

During my stay at New Jersey, I was asked to speak at a psychiatric hospital, Carrier Clinic, in Belle Mead to the caregivers on the topic of “Discover your inner power.” While I had spoken on this topic several times during this trip to the West, in this case, I customized the content according to the occasion, focusing on the theme of “Spirituality for Caregivers.”

The program was organized by Devakinandan Prabhu, the resourceful vice-Temple President of ISKCON, Central New Jersey, and Prema Chaitanya Prabhu (Dr Puneet Kumar), a versatile devotee-doctor who coordinates such events for the Global Foundation For Ethics And Spiritual Health. Those who attended included psychotherapists, physiotherapists, de-addiction counselors, nurses and other caregivers. The hospital President and CEO, Donald Parker, explained that the purpose of the talk was to help heal the healers.

I spoke on how spiritual knowledge and practices can empower us to change the three P’s that shape our response to situations:

· Perceive: How we perceive events,
· Process: How we process our emotions and
· Pursue: What we pursue in that situation and in life at large.

After the talk, some of the participants had a heart-to-heart discussion about their inspirations for caregiving and about how the talk helped them. Several of them appreciated the three P-paradigm as a way to choosing healthier responses amidst difficult situations.
While I have spoken frequently on how mental health is such a huge challenge, hearing about it firsthand from these on-field professionals deepened my conviction about the need to present bhakti wisdom in a way that it speaks to thoughtful, caring individuals engaged in causes that concern today’s world.

The talk audio and ppt are here: http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2016/10/spirituality-for-caregivers/

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Harinama in Titicaca Lake (in the border between Peru and Bolivia) (Album with photos)
Harikesa: Syamasundara told me that he wanted to make millions of dollars for you so that he could…
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. [chuckles] And I am thinking when making millions of dollars, he may not be lost. …millions of dollars, what shall I do with? I have got money. I want one soul saved. That is more than millions of dollars. Morning Walk – December 14, 1975, New Delhi
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Bhaktimarga Swami wants to …brainwash you :-) (3 min video)
So especially you must encourage the students to read our books throughout the day as much as possible, and give them all good advice how to understand the books, and inspire them to study the things from every point of view. Better to boil the milk very vigorously and make it thick and sweet–that is the best progress. So let us concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krsna consciousness from our books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in the right propositions. (From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hamsaduta, June 22, 1972)
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/jsZRea

The central question explored at the event revolved around what wisdom from the Vedic philosophical tradition can be used to provoke thought in the workplace to positively impact the life of millions. In doing so, the event focused on the topic ‘Being At Our Best.’ While lamps are used in the festival to encourage one on a journey of darkness to light, ‘Being At Your Best’ is central to achieving this virtue. The story of Diwali illustrates the need to be inwardly and outwardly balanced to enable satisfaction of the self. While Diwali is an epic of trials and tribulations, the pastimes of Sita & Rama demonstrates how to remain peaceful amidst the volatility of life, and in doing so become healthy, wealthy and wise. Diwali prompts respect and responsibility towards both others and oneself in carrying out prescribed duties at work and in wider life. Continue reading "HSBC Global Headquarters, London, hosts Bhakti Charu Swami
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Two Drunks and a Book Distributor…..
One evening a drunk came to our stall and picked up a Gita and told me that it is an incomplete Bhagavat-gita. He said that by reading the first page, he understood that it is not complete.
Instead of arguing, I was trying to avoid him & looking for an interested person. But the drunk stayed at our stall arguing with me.
Suddenly another drunkard showed up and told the first drunk, ”You cannot take the Bhagavad-gita, because you are not a Hindu.“
The first drunk said, “No, I am Hindu.”
The second drunk then challenged him: "If you’re a Hindu, then take a copy.”
So the first drunk took a copy. Then I showed him the Krishna book, and the second drunk said to the first, "If you are Hindu, take this book also.”
To my surprise, he immediately bought that book, too.
Then the first drunk told the second drunkard, "What about you? You also buy a copy.”
Then the second drunk also bought a Gita. They shook hands and put their arms over each other’s shoulders and proceeded to another destination.
Bhakta Chetan