Why was Bharat Maharaja punished with a deer body for his compassion?
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When Krishna is in our heart and knows our desires, why do we need to pray to him?
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ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Medical Association Retreat in Gita-Nagari
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Hare KrishnaBy Preeti Sharma

It was a truly transformative experience where pioneers in healthcare and leaders of the society gave us seminars and presentations about how to bring Krishna consciousness into our daily life and everyday medical practice. It deals with transformation, leadership, and spirituality in medicine. It was an enriching experience where devotees in healthcare profession gathered and experienced enlivening fellowship. We were deeply blessed by the association of senior and sincere devotees who wanted to bring Krishna consciousness into their profession. Continue reading "ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Medical Association Retreat in Gita-Nagari
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How Rama tests Bharata – and how we can pass the test of desires
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Bhagavatam class at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK

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Lessons in life
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 September 2016, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.25)

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In this chapter, the passing away of Bhismadev, in the purport to this verse there is a list of challenges for society at large to improve their quality of life. The first challenge is, “Not to become angry!” We remember Upadesamrta, the Nectar of Instruction Verse 1, vaco vegam manasa krodha vegam, one must control the pushings of anger. So even when anger is pushing, one must somehow or other subdue it. Bhismadev also said that in order to conquer anger, one must learn to forgive because it is very difficult to judge with two types of measurements – measurement for others and different measurements for ourselves. For ourselves, there are so many explanations for our mistakes, “It wasn’t really my fault. It was just circumstances. I didn’t intend it that way…” whereas for others, “How could they do that! This is outrageous.” We judge them different and the same extenuating circumstances are not being considered so Bhismadev points out that we must learn to forgive. We have to see that others make mistakes because then we can overcome anger.  

Forgiving is not necessarily the same as forgetting. If someone has committed an abominable activity, we may forgive but it does not mean that we forget. We will remember but we will also keep a special eye – if someone puts his fingers in the money box then after that we keep him at a distance from the money box obviously. So forgiving and forgetting is not necessarily the same. Also, there may be a point when we forget, it depends on the seriousness of the offence.

Sometimes though, anger is required. Sometimes, it is necessary to send out a signal that from now it is too much. This has to stop. BANG, fist on the table! Everyone needs that also. It is not that anger per se is bad. Those who are envious sometimes deserve anger. Those who are envious of devotees, we need to sometimes check it with anger. That is also there. But Bhismadev is referring to uncontrolled anger. Controlled anger has a place. Srila Prabhupada would also get angry at times but his anger was always related to Krsna and to whatever was favourable to Krsna. When there was neglect, Prabhupada was not tolerating that. He would point it out!

Tuesday, October 25th, 2016
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Mumbai, India
  
Parting from Meetings
  
Kirtan, classes, walking, eating—these are the things that excite.  I came to Mumbai for meetings, but as meaningful as topics on the agenda can sometimes be, six-hour days, for several consecutive ones, are very draining.  It’s the above items that keep me alive.

This morning, I delivered a class from the Bhagavatam book where, the stoic sadhu (holy man) was speaking with Vedic ruler, Prahlad.  The sadhu spoke of his own past, confessing about desires pulling  and carrying him to phases of confusion, thus he struggled until he changed his lifestyle to the current one.  He reached a conclusion about life.  It must be simple.  It must be peaceful.

The waves of desires are like the wind that pushes a boat.  This is analogous to an intelligent person’s wit being derailed by “insatiable” desires.  After speaking for an hour’s length, I felt, by the mercy of guru, that I had succeeded in keeping the room of devotees perked up.  Fortunately for them, it wasn’t two three-hour sessions.

I began wrapping up, packing my meagre bags, thus terminating my stay in Mumbai.  Everyone did take care of us old boys in our sixties and soon-to-be seventies.  Succession is badly needed, by the way.  I have my strategy, my choices, my plans of action.  Personally, I feel the need to go back to walking and meeting people.

Up ahead is the western half of the U.S. and then a section of the Camino in Spain, thank God!

I thanked Pavan, a local yoga teacher, for exercises I could employ in the airport and elsewhere.

May the Source be with you!


0 km

Monday, October 24th, 2016
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Mumbai, India
  
The Cradle of Civilization Rocks
  
A few more monks in white (indicating they are novices) joined us for the beach walk.  At this rate, after a few days, we would have an army.  Strength is in numbers.

Here in India, a sense of Krishna consciousness is expanding.  Membership is on the rise.  Temples, schools, goshalas(cow sanctuaries) and restaurants are also on the rise.  Of course, India is the land of Bharat, named after the pious king.  It is the land of dharma.  People here have a soft spot for spirituality.  Some scholars postulate that notions of spiritual practice all began here.  In that regard, I would cheer the posters you sometimes see.  “Incredible India!”

We might take note of Mark Twain’s statement: “This is indeed India, the land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags…”  He went on to say, “India is the cradle of civilization.”  Most things were given birth here, but I can appreciate his conclusion on the positive and objective side of things.

As mentioned yesterday, the beach is nice but there’s too much trash.  Yes, India is the land of extremes; of gods and demons—when you consider the great epics like Ramayana and Mahabarata and the tales they tell.

I once had a conversation with world-renowned Indologist, A. L. Basham, who visited and spent some time residing at our Toronto Temple.  I had simply  extended an invitation for him to come.  In his book, The Wonder That Was India,  he noted how the growth of Krishna Consciousness outside of India was a remarkable thing.  Also in his book, he attempted to correct the negative stereotypes of India.

May the Source be with you!


4 km

Sunday, October 23rd, 2016
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Mumbai, India

Surrender to the Sand
  
Some of the young monks from the area offered an invite to walk the Juhu Beach as the sun was about to arise.  I surrendered.  We took to the beach to walk and to engage in japa (bead chanting)—both, simultaneously.

During daylight hours and perhaps even at night, much Durga-puja goes on.  It is worship of the Goddess.  This entails the use of flowers, garlands and many coconuts.  Unfortunately, most worshippers are not very responsible with their paraphernalia.  The items are left to the waves, sand and water.

We do a bit of dodging of these articles for passageway.  In the course of the walk, pedestrians do greet us.  They know our clothes.

“Hare Krishna!” they say, and we reciprocate.

“There goes Guru Prasad Swami,” I point out.  The Juhu Beach is a daily trail for him.  Just about everyone and every object comes here.  Dogs who are stray love the beach.  Crows also make their appearance.  There's always foodstuff they can poke and tear at.

It’s a sweatsession, the walking part.  Humidity is in the air.  The slight breeze does little to temper the situation.  But, the association makes it also a sweet session.

We did some photos.  Iconic poses. (Check Instagram: the walking monk).

One more thing about today, after the walk, it was guru-puja time at the temple.  Cameras—both hand-held and one hooked up to a big crane—were moving about.  What a privilege it was to be asked to lead the song with cameras coming and going.

May the Source be with you!


6 km

Badrinath in Vrindavan
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It is said that all holy places in India exist in their original forms in Sri Vrindavan Dhama. Indradyumna Swami and his parikrama group visited Badrinath (Badrikasrama) a two-hour drive from Vrindavan town through the countryside. As they approached Badrinath they were surprised to see a small mountain range. A video by Ananta Vrindavan.

Trick or Sweetball: How Vaishnavas Celebrate Halloween
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As jack-o-lanterns, comedy gravestones, and zombies crop up on our neighbor’s lawns, and every kid in town shakes with excitement about their candy haul, ISKCON devotees may be wondering whether or not to take their own children out trick-or-treating. Some devotees have expressed concerns about celebrating non-Gaudiya Vaishnava holidays. Others are Krishna-izing Halloween in creative ways. 

Srila Prabhupada’s Attractive Beauty
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Srila Prabhupada’s Attractive Beauty

Satsvarupa das Goswami: Sri Krishna is “handsomeness and waves of nectar of handsomeness.” (Brhad-Bhagavatamrta). But Srila Prabhupada was seventy or eighty years old. We were all young men, so why were we attracted to this “old man”? (Srila Prabhupada used to say, “I’m an old man, I may die at any moment.” And, “I am a poor foreigner. Why are they after me?”) He had the attractive features of a sage. The way he sat, the shape of his head, the gestures of his hands. He was from the East, like Gautama Buddha. He sat on the floor or on the ground, and whatever furniture he had was at a low center of gravity, no chairs. The aura and look in his eyes was from another world. You can’t describe it, his shining eyes. His eyes signaled, “You can look in my eyes but you will not be able to understand my love of Krishna, but that’s what’s there.” He was childlike also, very sweet but very strong. You couldn’t come before him like a rogue and a rascal and still approach him. You had to accept that he was an elderly person, a guru, and you must be respectful to him, and then things could happen. Then you could begin to perceive his actual beauty; he would relax and allow himself to be taken care of by you and exchange with you.

We were certainly not turned off by the fact that he was an elderly person. We weren’t looking for youth. We knew where our youthful smart-aleckness had gotten us—into trouble and suffering. There was no question of sexual attraction, or as men sometimes do, squaring off with aggressiveness: “Can you beat me up? Can I beat him up?” With Srila Prabhupada, it was freedom from all that because he was the guru, he was old, and he knew so many things that you didn’t know.

Srila Prabhupada kept spelling everything out: He was a representative of Krishna, and Krishna is there in His name, Krishna is there in so many ways, and we can serve Krishna and go to Krishna. Aside from Srila Prabhupada, nobody was going to tell you about Krishna —that Krishna is God and that Krishna is a cowherd boy. Krishna was so “far out” we couldn’t believe it, but every time we went in front of Srila Prabhupada, we had to believe it. He kept up the reality of Krishna. And in the books that he gave out—there was Krishna. He made such a powerful presentation that you said, “Let’s go up and hear the Swami talk about Krishna.” You would come to him with your concoctions, “What about this? And what about that?” But Srila Prabhupada would bring it right back to Krishna and you would accept it. And so, gradually in his presence, hearing about Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and devotional service to Krishna, you started becoming Krishna-ized and you realized that Srila Prabhupada had knowledge and influence to do this to people—to create faith in them, for Krishna. But you had to go back regularly to him and get it charged up.

He had unshakeable faith in Krishna, and he could see Krishna. We sometimes imagined how he saw Krishna. We couldn’t quite understand it. When did he talk with Him, in sleep? Srila Prabhupada would say, “Yes, you can talk with Krishna, but He only talks with intimate persons.” We may not have known exactly how, but we did know that we were attracted to him because he had such conviction about Krishna. I remember once in that room he said, “People can talk philosophy about Krishna, but what is their realization?” Then I realized that’s what he’s got—full realization of Krishna. Exactly how he realized, we didn’t know, but we had faith that he was experiencing a huge amount that we were not.

Those who were not his disciples thought he was pretty much like everybody else: an old man with Hindu knowledge, probably the same motives and drives as everybody else. But we disciples believed in him and sensed that his perception of everything was very different from ours. He was in touch with Krishna, and fascinating, attractive and lovable. We could sense his mystic potency. Even Allen Ginsberg saw it: “I would disagree with him and even suspect ego exchanges, but no matter how much I disagreed, I was always glad to be with him because of the aura of sweetness due to his complete dedication.” Nicely put. Even he, although not a disciple, when coming into Srila Prabhupada’s presence, was able to see, “Here is a man who is totally dedicated and in love with Krishna.” That made Srila Prabhupada beautiful; although he appeared to be an old man, he was beautiful because of his love for Krishna.

Parikrama at Vrinda Kunda (Album with photos) Indradyumna…
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Parikrama at Vrinda Kunda (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Vrinda Devi helps Purnamasi plan and orchestrates Radha and Krsna’s daily pastimes in Vrindavan. Our parikrama party had the good fortune to visit her Kunda ( pond ) and discuss her glories and chant her holy names in that beautiful and sanctified place.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/MQhGIs

Srila Prabhupada’s blessing to Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute
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Hare KrishnaBy Kiranbala Lakhmania

H. G. Brindaban Chandra De, the youngest son of Srila Prabhupada, had a blockage in the Left Coronary Artery of his heart which resulted in chest pain. After undergoing Angiography in Kolkata he entrusted Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute with the responsibility of caring for his heart and restoring him to health. Accompanied by his wife H. G. Chhobi De and their son H. G. Shashank De, he travelled all the way from Kolkata to Mumbai to undergo treatment by our team of expert medical professionals. On 1st October 2016 the De family arrived at the Hospital and were welcomed with garlands by Dr. V. G. Shanbhag, Deputy Director – Spiritual Care Training & Education. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada’s blessing to Bhaktivedanta Hospital & Research Institute
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Month of Damodara in Iskcon Mumbai (Album with photos)
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Month of Damodara in Iskcon Mumbai (Album with photos)
Ramai Swami: Every night at our ISKCON Juhu temple during Karttika month, thousands of people offer lamps to Their Lordships. It is said in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa: O tiger of sages, a person who during the month of Karttika eagerly hears the topics of Lord Krishna delivers a hundred generations of his family. Lord Krishna explains to Satyabhama: They who during the month of Karttika bathe, keep an all-night vigil, offer lamps, and protect a tulasi forest, attain spiritual forms like Lord Vishnus. Lord Krishna is pleased by the offering of a single lamp during the month of Karttika. Lord Krishna glorifies anyone who lights a lamp for someone else to offer. Find them here: https://goo.gl/jMfM9b

Govinda’s Vegetarian and Vegan Taco Truck. Devotee artist:…
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Govinda’s Vegetarian and Vegan Taco Truck.
Devotee artist: After Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate Mike Pence said in a speech that we had to stop illegal entry into the country otherwise ‘we’ll have taco trucks on every corner’, a Los Angeles curator invited me to participate in a new art exhibit called 'A Taco Truck on Every Corner’, the theme being, of course, taco trucks.
Remembering Srila Prabhupada’s directions, I dovetailed my abilities with the show’s theme and created a piece called 'Govinda’s Vegetarian and Vegan Taco Truck’.
It turned out to be a popular art piece in both the show and on social media.

Beautiful morning program in Jaipur’s famous Govinda dev…
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Beautiful morning program in Jaipur’s famous Govinda dev temple (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: We can begin to experience this bliss by following the prescribed methods of devotional service. When we see the deity we can gradually realize how Krsna is smiling, playing on His flute, and enjoying the company of Srimati Radharani. Then we also have to hear about Krsna. These two processes will increase in such a way that we will automatically become great devotees, anicchato me gatim anvim prayunkte. This is actually a scientific method. It is not imagination.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/TAe3gg

Successful preaching program in Bologna, Italy (Album with…
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Successful preaching program in Bologna, Italy (Album with photos)
The event took place recently at Bologna’s Hotel Tower with the participation of more than 450 persons. They remained so pleased by the presentation of HH Radhanath Swami that, in the end, they offered a standing ovation, applauding for an incredibly long time!
Find them here: https://goo.gl/ezSeGh

‘What to Pray for at Govardhana’ Tamal Krishna…
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‘What to Pray for at Govardhana’

Tamal Krishna Goswami: “This Braj is in prakad and aprakad, prakad means manifest and aprakad unmanifest. So, we cannot see the Braj without getting the eyes to see Braj, and Giriraj Govardhana has the power to bless us to be able to see. We can pray that 'You have seen everything, you have arranged everything, all of the pastimes happened on your own slope, on your lap.’ Just like if a child is sitting on the lap, you can see very nicely that child. So Krishna and Krishna’s associates, they’re performing their activities right on the lap of Giriraj Govardhana, he has seen everything. So we ask him to bless us with the vision to be able to see in the same way.
At the same time we also want another blessing, and that is the blessing which actually preceeds…comes first. 'Please give us the blessing to somehow be pleasing to our spiritual master,’ because without pleasing the devotee guru, how can one expect to please Krishna. So what is that service or activity which gives pleasure to guru? It is to help the guru in his service to his guru. And what is the guru’s or the guru parampara’s service? To reclaim the fallen conditioned souls. So the first prayer we can also make here is 'Give me some compassion my dear Giriraj Govardhana, give me some determination, give me the qualities by which I can assist my spiritual master and the other devotees of the Lord in the mission of spreading Krishna conciousness. At the same time give me that purity of heart by which one day I will qualify to be able to absorb myself in constantly remembering Your transcendental pastimes.’
This is the goal of our Krishna conciousness movement, to always remember Krishna, never forgetting Krishna.”

​Learning to manage our desires – Gita 02.64-72
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​Brahmachari class at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, London, UK

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​Did Karna ever feel that he had made a wrong choice by fighting for Duryodhana?
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​When did Kunti reveal to Karna that he was her son – why?
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​When Krishna descends to destroy the miscreants, why does he try for peace with the miscreant Kauravas?
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Does Krishna ask Karna for his punya when Karna is about to die?
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​How to share bhakti with our relatives who are addicted to materialism?
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​How to deal with the conflict of feeling like giving charity and fearing that it may be misused?
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​What to do if the association of some devotees makes us negative and agitated?
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​​​​How can we use our intellectual faculty to elevate ourselves and others spiritually?
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Month of Damodara
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img_1931img_1933

Every night at our ISKCON Juhu temple during Karttika month, thousands of people offer lamps to Their Lordships.

It is said in the Hari Bhakti Vilasa:

“O tiger of sages, a person who during the month of Karttika eagerly hears the topics of Lord Krishna delivers a hundred generations of his family.”

Lord Krishna explains to Satyabhama: “They who during the month of Karttika bathe, keep an all-night vigil, offer lamps, and protect a tulasi forest, attain spiritual forms like Lord Vishnu’s.”

“Lord Krishna is pleased by the offering of a single lamp during the month of Karttika. Lord Krishna glorifies anyone who lights a lamp for someone else to offer.”

img_1929img_1932

New TOVP Newsletter October – December, 2016
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Hare KrishnaBy the TOVP team

Dear Devotees, Donors, and Well-wishers, Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I want to share with you the latest news from the TOVP project in Sridham Mayapur. Construction continues to move forward with emphasis on the completion of the kalash and finishing work on the domes by the end of the year. The design and execution continue to be refined, and pink sandstone and sky blue tiles enhance their beauty as work progresses daily. Once finished and the domes are capped we will begin the interior finishing work . Fundraising continues unabated worldwide and the new office in the United States is now fully operational and meeting with enthusiastic response. Continue reading "New TOVP Newsletter October – December, 2016
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