Planet ISKCON

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 August, 2012, New Vraja Mandala, Spain, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.31)

We have doubts sometimes and we think, ‘Chanting doesn’t work! I’m trying to be a devotee for such a long time and I have been chanting for many years, almost every day but I feel that I am still the same fallen person that I always was…’

But Srila Prabhupada said, ‘By chanting the Holy Name once, it can purify more sins than one can commit in an entire lifetime!’

So, my only explanation is that it takes a little longer for us to become completely purified since we have been in this material world for unlimited lifetimes, engaging in unlimited sinful activities and now we are being purified like anything!

About Chaitnya Charan Prabhu : Chaitanya Charan is a monk and spiritual author. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Pune. He subsequently served as a software engineer in a prominent multinational software corporation.

Seeing the prevalent problems of stress, depression, addiction and overall misdirection – all caused by a lack of spirituality – he felt inspired to dedicate his life to the cause of sharing the spiritual wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita under the aegis of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna consciousness). He is a member of ISKCON’s leading intellectual body, the Shastric Advisory Council, and is the associate-editor of ISKCON’s global magazine, Back to Godhead. He is the author of the world’s only Gita-daily feature, wherein he writes daily a 300-word inspirational reflection on a verse from the Bhagavad- Gita. He has written over seventeen hundred Gita meditations that are posted on www.gitadaily.com and are read through daily feeds by thousands from all over the world.

He also answers questions by seekers on his site www.thespiritualscientist.com, where his over three thousand five hundred audio answers and several hundred articles are available.

He travels all over the world from Australia to America, giving talks on spiritual subjects in temples, universities and companies. His articles have been published in many national newspapers including Indian Express, Economic Times and Times of India in the Speaking Tree column. His writings in English have been translated into several foreign languages including German, Chinese and Romanian and several Indian languages including Kannada, Telgu, Bengali, Hindi and Marathi. He is the author of sixteen books.

The Beginning of My Journey.
Stevie Rojas:
I have always been attracted to religion and spirituality. I grew up as a Catholic, because it is the dominant religion in my country (Philippines), but when I became a teenager, I began exploring different religions and philosophies.

“Buy the car and enjoy the envy in your neighbours’ eyes”. With this tagline a car company hopes to lure more people to buy their brand. And what’s wrong with the message if today people prefer buying products not because of their needs but because of their desire to flaunt their wealth to prove their worth. 

Everyday, we are being bombarded by tens of thousands of impressions. All of these impressions can clutter the mind. When we get a better understanding of where most of our stress is coming from, we will be able to reduce or eliminate it. A video by Gadadhara Pandit.

A recent article published by Scientific American suggests, “Meditation can decrease stress, lower blood pressure, and lift one’s mood.” With increasing competition and demands in the workplace, mindfulness is more relevant than ever.

Toronto's Hare Krishna Centre (ISKCON Toronto), has always been the hub of a rich, vibrant and enthusiastic community. Whether it be grand festivals, programs at local universities and yoga studios, philosophical discussions, cooking sessions, or singing and dancing on the streets, there are events taking place for everyone's interest. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shared a congratulatory message for the Canadian Hare Krishna communities for ISKCON's 50th Anniversary.

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By Purushottam Nitai Das

Recently I underwent oral surgery and realized what it means not having the ability to speak. The surgery which lasted for more than 2 hours was quite complicated and very painful. After surgery my mouth and gums were swollen and it was almost impossible for me to open my mouth and speak. Now as per the vow taken during initiation we are supposed to chant 16 rounds of Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily irrespective of any circumstances and so I tried to comply with the vow. But chanting became a herculean task. With great difficulty I was able to pronounce each syllable of the maha – mantra and in spite of the efforts I was not able to utter the holy names with clarity. Continue reading "When it became difficult to call Krishna’s name
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By Niranjana Swami

A Vaisnava who introduces this conception of surrender, sometimes he may do it in a cutting way and a person may not even realize how much mercy he has received. But there will be some point in time, by the mercy of that Vaisnava that he didn’t compromise presenting Krsna’s teachings, there will be some point in time when that living entity will remember that exposure to Krsna. That is the value of presenting pure devotional service. And we see that our previous Acaryas would not compromise in presenting anything other then “surrender to the Lord”. Continue reading "Teachings from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami
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Rare and beautiful photo of Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada taught:
nama-cintamaṇe krsna
caitanya-rasa-vigraha
purnna suddha nitya mukta-
bhinnatman karunnamaya
TRANSLATION
1) O Lord whose holy name is a cintamani jewel! O All-attractive Lord Krsna whose form is spiritual nectar! You are Perfect and pure Lord, Eternal Lord! Liberated Lord! Lord not different from Your holy name! Merciful Lord!
To read the rest of this beautiful transcendental Krsna Namavali Stotram poem: https://goo.gl/X2d6H0

Devotees from ISKCON Auckland, NZ, distribute the Holy Name, Srila Prabhupada’s books and …serious prasadam! The perfect program!(Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “If one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda, then very quickly he is cleansed of all offences. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.31)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/J2uIQj

Dear Guru Maharaja
Please accept my humble obeisance
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
All glories to your steadfastness in seva to your beloved Guru Maharaja

Each and every day I wake up surprised, surprised that one remembers Sri Krishna and have another opportunity to connect by chanting and sharing the holy names.

I sat today and read the following verse:

mūkam karoti vācālamṁ pangumṁ langhayate girim yat-krpā tam ahamṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāranam

By the mercy of the guru, even a dumb man can become the greatest orator, and even a lame man can cross mountains. As advised by Lord Brahmā, one should remember this śāstric injunction if one desires success in his life.

It reminded me that by the mercy of Guru one can achieve the unachievable, if one simply follows the instructions carefully.

I still remember clearly the challenge you gave me so many years ago, it’s so clear as if you only just had spoken it even though many years have passed.

We see in your own example you remain firm in your own determination to fulfil the wish of your own Guru Maharaja to spread the love and happiness of pure bhakti of real knowledge and understanding of the power of chanting the holy names of Sri Krishna; but more to understand the pastimes and how we can learn so much from them.

So today on your appearance day I am reminded of how extra ordinary your life is as you have given the perfect example of dedicating it in service, to save even one like me from the clutches of material nature.

And pray that somehow ones own appreciation can grow and somehow follow in your great example

Yours Humble
Dhirabhakta Das

Video from devotees chanting in Tel Aviv, Israel, goes viral and gets more than 1 million 300 thousand views (6 min video)
Sril...

Diplomats and Academics Show Support for ISKCON at European 50th Anniversary Event.
During Europe’s main official event celebrating ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary and Srila Prabhupada’s achievements, diplomats, academics and religious and human rights advocates showed their support for an increasingly respected Hare Krishna Movement.
The European event follows similarly prestigious 50th anniversary celebrations around the world, including one attended by former UK Prime Minister David Cameron at Bhaktivedanta Manor; a Washington D.C. gala celebration attended by US congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard; and a mega event in Kolkata with West Bengal Governor Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi.
Around 200 people attended the European event at the prestigious Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels on Tuesday September 27th.
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/o7Sxuk

Devotees chant Hare Krishna at the Italian parliament in Rome for the 50th anniversary of ISKCON (8 min video)
Srila Prabhupada...

The Walking Monk Comes to Whitehorse.
Finding peace and making friends one step at a time.
Selene Vakharia: I am on the phone with Bhaktimarga Swami, a 63-year-old monk in Toronto. We are talking about the visit to Whitehorse he has planned for late September.
Better known as The Walking Monk, at 63 he has already walked across Canada four times, as well as across the United States, Ireland, Israel, Fiji Islands, Mauritius, Trinidad and Guyana.
He walks as a way to meditate and to slow down. He uses mantras – repetitive phrases with spiritual meaning – when he walks, to instill introspection and mindfulness into his treks.
During his cross-country walks, he often walks eight hours and 33 km a day. One day along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, he walked over 90 km.
“When you’re walking, you take some time,” says Bhaktimarga Swami. “It’s introspective walking, meaning you do some meditation when walking.”
Bhaktimarga Swami believes in the power of walking for health and for community. He sees walking as an act that takes us away from our technological devices and puts us into contact with our neighbours.
He refers to his long walking expeditions as “friend-raising” for their ability to introduce him to new people. The marathon walks are a traditional monastic practice that is about inspiring and being inspired by those who come into your path. Like everything that Bhaktimarga Swami does, the walks are meant to “share the joy of life and that’s what you want to give out.”
“What makes walking so nice,” he says, “is you’re doing something physically while also doing something on the spiritual side.”
Through the relationships built with others and through the physical benefits, Bhaktimarga Swami finds that the walks keep him in prime condition to take care of and serve others.
“Many issues are overcome by walking because you allow the time to process thoughts, plans and dreams. Introspective or mindful trekking is like therapy.”
In 1973, at the age of 21, he joined the monastic lifestyle. Bhaktimarga Swami always had a spiritual inclination. He visited an ashram in Montreal, settled at one in Toronto, and found the whole lifestyle came easily and naturally. The whole practice for him “ignited that spark from previous existence.”
Bhaktimarga Swami is a practitioner of Bhakti Yoga – a spiritual practice focused on the cultivation of love and devotion. Within Bhakti Yoga, everything is done in devotion and in gratitude – everything is done from the heart, says Bhaktimarga Swami. He extends this practice to his walking, to daily life, and even to the work he is currently doing on a friend’s tomato farm.
“Whatever you’re doing,” he says, “when you redirect it, channel it more, whatever you’re doing is an offering to the divine… it changes your mindset. You begin to appreciate your work.”
He dubs this mindset an “attitude of gratitude” and credits it with bringing joy into the everyday, no matter what it brings his way – chores, work, and even walking.
Having had a longstanding desire to visit the North, Bhaktimarga Swami says he is excited to visit and walk in Whitehorse. He is looking forward to meeting the community and sharing his experiences and lessons on meditative walking. While in town, he will be leading workshops and the mantra meditation at the free weekly Sunday kirtan and vegetarian feast at the United Church, on the end of Main Street in downtown Whitehorse.
Source: https://goo.gl/zwHmpY

Здоровье мое в теплом климате и духовной атмосфере Шри Вриндаван-дхамы идет на поправку. Правда, вчера вечером приуныл: я здесь, а Бада Харидас прабху с командой проповедуют в Монголии. Зато мне приснился удивительнейший сон. Мне снилось, что я с группой преданных сижу перед Шрилой Прабхупадой, а он собирается давать даршан в каком-то храме. Не спеша оглядев аудиторию и заметив меня, Шрила Прабхупада говорит:

– А, Индрадьюмна Свами. Я знаю, ты поклоняешься Господу Нрисимхадеву и нескольким шалаграма-шилам. Как там пуджа?

Удивленный его вниманием, я секунду помедлил, чтобы собраться, и говорю:

– Очень хорошо, Шрила Прабхупада. Спасибо.

– А твоя джапа? – продолжает он с интересом.

– Отлично, Шрила Прабхупада, по вашей милости, – отвечаю я.

– А служение? – спрашивает он.

– Я прервался ненадолго, – отвечаю я робко.

– Знаю. Понимаю, – говорит он.

– Шрила Прабхупада, – спрашиваю, – откуда это вы знаете?

Чуть помолчав, он улыбнулся и затем с любовью так говорит:

– Я за тобой приглядываю.

By Romapada Swami

Amish - A demonstration of a different social order sustaining over time in modern America and Canada. Oh My God - We are going to talk about Varnasrama! Did Srila Prabhupada want Varnasrama and what did he mean by it. "American Vedic". Why devotees need to adopt it and the first steps to do so. Paroxysms Paralaxes and Paradoxes. A strategy for Varnasrama connected to the NYC Harinama Asrama. Speakers and participants: HH Romapada Swami, HH Sivarama Swami, HH Jayadvaita Swami, HH Devamrita Swami, HG Abhirama Prabhu, HG Pancaratna Prabhu, HG Vraj Vihari Prabhu and others Continue reading "Exploring Varnasrama – Gita Nagari Labor Day Weekend Retreat 2016
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The Fear of Prabhupada’s Presence

After a class on Chapter Six of the Gita (which is all about meditation), someone asked…

Q: Besides a few poor attemps, I haven’t really started meditating. I am kind of unsure if and how to begin. I wouldn’t say that I am already very advanced on my karma-yoga path. So, should I try to start on meditation at an beginner-level right now or do I need to wait until I reached a higher step on karma-yoga?

You should focus on your actions. Focus on making your actions more beneficial to others, and less motivated by a desire to separately benefit yourself. Dedicate yourself more fully to the service of others.

You won’t be able to succeed in this, however, without wisdom and knowledge about who you are and why typical selfishness isn’t really your own best interest. This is why, prior to discussing karma-yoga, Krishna first gives an initial seed of jñāna in 2.12-30. Only after we comprehend who and what we really are, and what our relationship to the world is, only then can we see that separatist selfishness isn’t really relevant to us, isn’t really our true best interest. And only then can we seriously pursue karma-yoga, which is the dedication of our energy and action to benefiting others.

You will also notice that Krishna’s discussion of karma-yoga mainly spans chapters 3 through 5, and that as it moves from three to five it becomes progressively more philosophical, and regularly refers back to the need of having jñāna to be able to do karma-yoga. In fact one of the most strongly stated and often repeated points Krishna makes in the first third of the Gītā is that knowledge (jñāna) and right-action (karma) are two inseparable parts of a single endeavor for spiritual evolution.

So although you ashould focus on your actions, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore the cultivation of knowledge. If you ignore the cultivation of knowledge you will not be abe to continually decrease the selfishness in your actions, and thus you will not be able to succeed in karma-yoga. So, even a person who does karma-yoga must devote some significant time to study and meditation.

When karma-yoga becomes very mature, the impulse to be active goes away. Then one can devote most of one’s time to study and meditation. That is when one crosses into being a jñana-yogī. As Krishna explains at the beginning of Chapter Six (3rd text), jñāna-yoga is not a different path from karma-yoga, they are actually a beginning and advanced way of doing the same yoga. Jñāna-yoga is simply the more advanced form of karma-yoga, and only a person who has really graduated from karma-yoga can successfully apply themselves to jñāna-yoga. 

In jñāna-yoga meditation is the primary activity. In karma-yoga duty is the primary activity, but this does not mean duty/action is absent from jñāna yoga, or that meditation is absent from karma-yoga.

Meditation should be done by everyone, but not everyone should expect to do it for long stretches of time day after day – that is for jñāna-yoga.

Pātāñjalī reccomends mantra meditation the most highly. Mantra is a set of words that encapsulates deep knowledge, which becomes revealed to a person who carefully contemplates the words (“meditates” on the words). So, every yogi, even the beginner karma-yogi should practice at least a few minutes of mantra-meditation every day.

It should be done as advised in Chapter Six, not while riding a train or bike, or walking around doing housework. It should be done in a peaceful place, seated properly, breathing deliberatly, and with a mind clearly focused on the words of the mantra, allowing their meanings to unfold through the meditation.

The mantra should not be a mundane mantra, since Krishna defines in chapter six that the purpose of meditation is to redirect the flow of thoughts so that they can contemplate consciousness itself, rather than only flowing towards the objects of consciousness. So the mantra should be a verbal form of advaya-jñana (the absolute consciousness). There are many suitable mantras, and different specific schools prescribe different mantra to their students.

In the Gauḍīya school we especially prescribe mantra of Bhagavān Śrī Krishna, such as the gopāl and kāmadeva mantra. We also highly reccomend meditation upon the hare krishna mahāmantra. Everyone in the Gauḍīya school should meditate on these mantra even if they are beginners – though naturally the advanced students will meditate on them much more deeply and abundantly. Still we should all spend a few minutes every day at least in really careful and deep meditation on them.

We should undertake the study of the texts that explain the concepts encapsulated in the mantra. This is an extension of the meditation.

With this study and contemplation/meditation of activities proceed quickly to become purified and we progress towards uttama-bhakti yoga.

Vraja Kishor www.vrajakishor.com

Tagged: Mantra, Mantra Meditation, mantra-japa, Meditation

Giriraj Swami’s Vyasa-puja celebration was a festive opportunity for the devotees to chant, dance, feast and glorify Lord Krishna’s devotees.

“My experience with His Holiness Giriraj Swami is that he is a clear representative, or as Srila Prabhupada said, a transparent via medium. So, through Giriraj Swami we see our Founder Acharya His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This quality of Giriraj Swami is very important to me because ISKCON is a growing society that has to prevail for a long time. That depends on the clarity with which we see Srila Prabhupada’s vision for what ISKCON should be which in turn depends on the clarity of vision the senior devotees have. From my daily exchanges with Giriraj Swami I find he has a strong desire to understand exactly what is being said and meant by Srila Prabhupada.” — Rtadhvaja Swami

——————————
Many thanks to Bhismadeva dasa for the beautiful photos.

The speakers in part 1 are:
Nityananda dasa, Rtadhvaja Swami, Cakri dasa, Sucharya dasi, Visvambara dasa, Radhanatha dasa, Shyamasundara dasa, Apurva dasa, Guru Bhakti dasi, Mahahari dasa, Syamavali dasi, Radha Krishna dasa, Children from TKG Academy, Guru Priya dasi, Rasikendra dasa, Dhruva dasa, Devaprastha dasa, Arjuna Krishna dasa, Visakha Priya dasi, Vinod Bihari dasa, Nila Madhava dasa & Madhuri Radha dasi, Svapna Vilasa dasi, Ananda Lila dasi, Visnupriya dasi

Part 2
Gandharvika, Abhay Charan, Hemangi dasi, Jaya Sri Radhe dasi, Lily and Art Garcia, Arduan, Ananda Lila dasi, Vrnda Priya dasi, Indulekha dasi, Patita Pavana dasa, Varshana Rani dasi, Vijaya Bhattaru, Himanshu Tambe, Snigdha Tambe, Aashish Pandya, Dehuti Pandya, Ashesha, Gaura Hari dasa, Maria Caldwell, Gopi Gita dasi

To download, right click and choose ‘Save As’.
Vyasa-puja offerings part 1
Vyasa-puja offerings part 2
Vyasa-puja talk by Giriraj Swami

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 June 2016, Radhadesh, Belgium, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 25.57)

Question: How do we survive exploitation and abuse and at the same time not become an impersonalist who just renounces everything? We also need to continue to have a soft-heart in order to love Krsna.

Abuse is very disgusting. As I said earlier, yayedaà dhäryate jagat (Bhagavad-gita 7.5), exploitation exists among living beings in this world. It becomes even more distasteful when such exploitive mentality enters into the relationship between devotees but at the same time it can be expected that it will exist. It is inevitable because we bring it with us in our hand luggage, as part of our material conditioning. Our contamination does not go away. So in that sense, we must learn to forgive. One feature of renunciation which every vaisnava has to renounce is a sense of anger, a sense of, “I am the victim.” When there is abuse, there are two parties – there is the abuser and there is the victim. Many of us are professional victims, living a life in the conviction of, “I have been abused.” But how can we rise above that trap? How can we get out of that cage, the I-am-a-victim cage that locks us up for years? The cage that will not allow us to be free and to enjoy at Krsna’s lotus feet, in past times and in service to him? How can we get rid of that victim mentality? ONLY FORGIVENESS CAN DO IT. 

To forgive, we have to be very generous and see that the abusive mentality is also in us, whether we let it out to some extent or whether I kept it inside that tendency is there. Look at children – they are not only sweet; they are cruel to other children at times. Children have not yet learned how to edit their behaviour to conform to social norms of being a nice and civilized person. They are just the animal that we all are. So how about that?

But if you learn to forgive, it is the only way we can rise above the remnants of abuse that still is with us, and release us from the cage of the victim which is like another trap. 

The Sita's Fire Book Launch - a thematic and multi-disciplinary performance, including dance, kirtan, original songs, theater, art, and readings by the author. Check out Book One, "Shadows of the Sun Dynasty." www.SitasFire.com

Now in its fiftieth year, ISKCON continues to delve deeper and deeper into the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition members devote themselves to, finding new reservoirs of inspiration and wisdom. The latest effort is a new two-volume edition of Sri Manah Siksha (Splendid Instructions to the Mind) by Raghunath dasa Goswami. Produced by Padma, Inc. and compiled by longtime ISKCON educator Urmila Dasi, it includes commentaries by Vaishnava acharya Bhaktivinode Thakur.

On Saturday 16^th July 2016, ISKCON Laguna Beach held its first ever Gita Champions League event. It was organized as part of ISKCON’s 50 year anniversary. The program was announced in April with local core ISKCON 50 team. It was advertised using social media, stores and door to door to reach out to a wider audience.