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5 Things to do Everyday for Happiness.
Ananda Vrindavanesvari Divi Dasi: The ancient teachings of the Vedas say there are 5 things humans can do everyday to be happy. We would say that these are directly connected to an effective spiritual practice. If we understand that life is meant for self-realization then the following 5 support and help us achieve that goal, while being happy along the way.
Here they are:
Get up before the sun
Get clean
Worship the Lord
Give in charity
Receive guests
Get up before the sun – this sounds easy but we all know it can be oh so difficult to pull ourselves from the comfort of the comforter. Planning ahead is the key – this means early to bed, which means turning off screens, which means being determined to value the early morning hours. What’s so good about the time before sunrise? Rise early and you will see!
Get clean – this is not just about teeth and body. This is also about our space. A clean body and a clean space really help control the mind. This is a good thing as the mind, according to the bhakti teachings, is the source of all misery. If cleaning is not your thing, try setting your phone timer for 15mins and do a blitz. You will be amazed how much can be achieved and how good you will feel.
Worship the Lord – whether it’s for 5 minutes or 15 or for a few hours, the absolute best thing to do before anything else is to connect with Krishna. Of course we can do this at anytime during the day, but the tendency is to get busy and forget. Get up, get clean and get absorbed in some worship – in our practice it can be mantra meditation, or offering flowers or incense at an altar, or reading something wonderful about Krishna and His associates.
Give in charity – this is such a nice reminder. It is described that there is a difference in giving to those in need and giving to God, who is not in need. Giving donations to those in need shares our wealth; giving to Krishna acknowledges the source of our wealth and the importance of deepening our relationship with Krishna through our giving. Giving is such a core component of self-realization – giving up, giving away, giving back, but it’s also a complex and nuanced activity. We should reflect on the spiritual call to give and do so in small and big ways every day.
Receive guests – in the traditions of the Vedas, guests are to be treated as good as God. Especially unexpected guests – they are signs of good fortune. No matter if we are at home or at work, we can try to interact with others as if they are guests in our space. Treat them as guests for that moment and be happy in their company. Offer water or some refreshment and kind words. Receive at least one guest into your life every day and be blessed.

The Light of Bhakti.
Varsana Swami: Deeply cherished amongst devotional practices which Kartik inspires, it is essential to sing the beautiful Damodarastakam prayers while offering small individual candles or lamps to the Lord.
Lighting the candle depicts igniting the spirit, the inner flame, to consume the outer wax, or flesh, integrating body and soul as they unite in the luminous and purifying nature of fire.
As Kartik is a time for reaffirming our vows and increasing our service, this offering of fire kindles a spirit of dedication and inspires the heart to burn with a desire for seva. In the luster cast by hearts ablaze, we perceive life in a more wholesome perspective, being reminded again of our true spiritual nature.
In the light of eternity, our daily struggles become increasingly consumed in the burning heart of a greater love. This love never dies but forever shines forth as the light of the world, the effulgence of bhakti, which the rays of the sun represent.
We place our little candles in the sand at Damodara’s lotus feet, and as they flicker and fade, we witness how the luster of His toenails shines on like an endless series of moons glittering in the light of the countless devotees. The endless reflections symbolize the eternal nature of this simple ceremony of offering a small flame to our dear most Lord.

Today, one of the best avenues to reach out, not just to the masses, but also to the upper most class of people, is through the Press or the Print Media (Newspapers) and the Electronic Media (TV News & Entertainment Channels and Radio Channels). Reading newspapers and watching TV News Channels, is now one of the preeminent necessities of life. These days apparently oxygen seems to be of the secondary importance, as compared to the need of the Media. So much so that the preachers too, in order to keep up with the pace, sometimes are forced to surrender to this bewitching incarnation of Mayadevi. Hence, at ISKCON Ahmedabad, somewhere around 2007, we too decided to cultivate our relationship with the Media, so as to spread the Holy Name to each and every dwelling, where Mayadevi has her encroachment through them. Continue reading "How to enhance our Outreach through the Press-Media and the Luminaries
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This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the incorporation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York by our dear Srila Prabhupada. As a special offering to His Divine Grace, the ISKCON Perth Temple with the help of the congregational devotees had planned to hold one program every day on the Holy Name during the 18 day span of the celebration Continue reading "WORLD HOLY NAME WEEK 2016 – ISKCON Perth – Western Australia
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Radhanath Swami and Marci Shimoff on Finding Everlasting Happiness (Album with photos)
Silicon Valley which is a hotbed for innovation for technology, scientific developments, and entrepreneurship, hacked into spirituality for a mindset shift on July 16, 2016, with Bhakti-yoga leader Radhanath Swami and Marci Shimoff, bestselling author of several self-help books including Love for No Reason and Happy for No Reason. Marci Shimoff is also the woman’s face of Chicken Soup for the Soul and is a featured teacher in the international film and book sensation, The Secret.
Held at the Jain Center, the program was cohosted by Bay Area entrepreneurs N. Prameela, Damodar Reddy, Sushant and Namrata Patnaik as well as by Artha Forum, a community dedicated to providing healthy work/life balance and business ethics based on spiritual principles. Around 300 entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and thought leaders attended the event.
During his introduction N.Damodar Reddy, Founder, Chairman and CEO, SutiSoft Inc., shared about Radhanath Swami, “One thing that stands out with all my conversations with Swamii is that it’s all about finding love within your own heart. And that is the essence of Bhakti-yoga.”
The event began with a mesmerizing flute recital by the Director of Digital Commerce at Adobe Prasad Bhandarkar and his son Kunal. This created a mood of tranquility for the evening.
Marci Shimoff spoke briefly about finding happiness in a world plagued by sorrow and gloom. Sharing her personal story about finding happiness she said, “Since childhood, I had existential angst. In June 1998, I had three books on NYT bestseller list. I felt like an author rock star. But I burst into tears. I couldn’t convince myself to believe to be happy. After a lot of interviews with people who practice spirituality and happiness, I realized being joyful is not dependent on external circumstances.”
Radhanath Swami began his talk by explaining the aphorism “annada mayo ‘bhyasat”. “We are all seeking happiness. From the cockroach on the kitchen counter to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Everyone is trying to avoid what interferes with their happiness. This question leads to the very basis of spirituality – Who Am I?” said Swami.
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TOVP: The First Cornice is Installed (Album with photos)
Sadbhuja Das: We have reached a new level of work in our external ornamentation of the TOVP. On Saturday September 24, 2016 we installed our first decorative cornice. The cornice was installed above a pillar’s capitol.
We are decorating the outside of the temple in a systematic order. We work on one section at a time on one level that goes around the whole temple. Once the pattern is completed, we then move up vertically to the next section. We will do this until the whole outside of the temple is decorated from the top to the bottom.
Thus, the entire outer circumference of the TOVP will be decorated with cornices in a linear fashion. Once this is complete, we will then go up above the cornice to the next level of white marble and sandstone work. On that new level, then the same white marble and sandstone pattern that was applied before will be repeated in the new location.
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During my visit to Central New Jersey, Govinda Prabhu and I spoke at Princeton University on the topic of “Tragic Hero? Lessons from the life of the Mahabharata character Karna.” Addressing the Karna-Duryodhana friendship, I spoke on how a low self-esteem makes us emotionally vulnerable to be manipulated by whoever seems to offer us respect. After the talk, on seeing the intense interest throughout of a pan-Indian and a non-Indian audience, I felt reinforced in my conviction realized that sharing life lessons through epics comprises an appealing and powerful way of connecting scriptural wisdom with people’s practical concerns – a way that we bhakti teachers need to tap much more effectively. Continue reading "Setting the record straight about Mahabharata’s Karna
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Preaching program in Kiev, Ukraine (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma (Supersoul) in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.2.17)
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Glastonbury Rathayatra, UK - 25th September 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The tapasya of chanting and glorifying t...

Sri Jagannatha Mandir, ISKCON Malaysia - Harinam Sankirtan @ China town (Petaling street) on 24/09/16 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “For one who wants liberation from the fruitive reactions of material activities, the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, or glorification of the name, fame and pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting eradicates the dirt from one’s heart completely.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.2.12).
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Why Announce It?

Why not? This is an immensely significant part of my life, which I would certainly want my friends and the people I interact with to know about.

“But announcing your departure from a guru and institution insinuates insult towards that guru and institution.”

Announcement or not, I am a public person, and people would soon learn of it anyway. Would it have been better if I was secretive about it? Then I would have to answer a different complaint, “Why are you so devious and deceptive?” So I thought it would be better to openly tell everyone, but do it in a way that does not disclose too many personal details and tries to avoid insult by expressing my appreciation and respect for ISKCON and my previous guru there.

It turns out the announcement was poorly timed, being made on the day my former guru held his yearly Vyāsa Pūjā celebration. Since my relationship with him had been dissolved for at least a month prior to this announcement, no one had sent me any information about Vyāsa Pūjā, and I wrongly assumed it had already passed a few weeks ago – or just didn’t have it on my mind. I apologize for this strange coincidence.

Another lack was that my original announcement wasn’t sufficiently clear about how things happened. It may have seemed that I was rejecting my former guru without his permission, or on the other extreme it may have seemed that he was handing me over directly to Satyanārāyana dās Bābājī. The fact is that he had agreed to release me from the relationship, and a few weeks after that, being without a dīkṣā guru, I requested dīkṣā from Satyanārāyana dās Bābājī of the JĪVA Institute in Vṛndāvana.

I understand that many of you may want more details than I am giving. I’m sorry, THAT is the private part. Out of respect for my former guru I am not going to publicly discuss details of what created the conditions that caused me to request him to end the relationship. If it was something urgent and unknown, which I thought would make him unfit to be a guru for others, then I would definitely share it with you loud and clear.

Vraja Kishor das

www.vrajakishor.com

During my visit to Central New Jersey, on 18th September, 2016, Govinda Prabhu and I spoke at Princeton University on the topic of “Tragic Hero? Lessons from the life of the Mahabharata character Karna.”

Vineet Chander (Venkat Bhatta Prabhu) serves as the Director of Hindu Affairs at Pinceton University; and he had invited me to speak on this topic. Later, it turned out that Govinda P was also there in Central New Jersey at the time of my program. So, both of us were asked to speak together.

I found it striking that while I have spoken at many colleges in India, I have never spoken on a directly scriptural topic in an Indian college. And yet here I was in an American college – and one of the world’s top colleges at that – speaking on an openly scriptural topic. What was even more intriguing was that nearly 50% of the audience was non-Indians – professors and students of South Asian religions.

Addressing the negativities that befell Karna, Govinda P spoke on how we all need to look for opportunity more than for sympathy. Addressing the Karna-Duryodhana friendship, I spoke on how a low self-esteem makes us emotionally vulnerable to be manipulated by whoever seems to offer us respect. I largely spoke on the points I have written in

my question-answers on Karna available here:

The audio-video of the talk is available here.

After the talk, on seeing the intense interest throughout of a pan-Indian and a non-Indian audience, I felt reinforced in my conviction realized that sharing life lessons through epics comprises an appealing and powerful way of connecting scriptural wisdom with people’s practical concerns – a way that we bhakti teachers need to tap much more effectively.

The post Speaking on the Mahabharata outside Bharata – at Princeton appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Prabhupada’s Emphasis on Guru

Наша команда из 13 преданных успешно завершила 53-километровое паломничество вокруг священного Кайласа в западном Тибете. Из-за экстремальной высоты и сурового климата мы столкнулись с многочисленными препятствиями и помехами, но желание благословений лучшего преданного Господа Кришны, Господа Шивы, не оставило никого.

“О страж Вриндавана, о Сома – слава Тебе! Твою главу венчает месяц, возглавляемые Санакой, Сананданой, Санатаной и Нарадой риши поклоняются Тебе. О, Гопишвара! Жажду дарования любви к лотосным стопам Радхи-Мадхавы, счастливо играющим во Вриндаване – и потому мое почтение Тебе, и вновь, и вновь”.

[ Санкалпа Калпадрума, текст 103, Вишванатх Чакраварти Тхакур ]

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Our team of 13 devotees has successfully completed the 53 kilometer pilgrimage around sacred Mount Kailash in western Tibet. We encountered numerous obstacles and setbacks due to the extreme high altitude and harsh climate, but all of us persevered desiring the blessings of Lord Krsna’s best devotee, Lord Siva.

“O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon and who is worshipable for the sages headed by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Narada! O Gopiswara! Desiring that you bestow upon me love for the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, who perform joyous pastimes in Vrindavan, I offer my respects unto you again and again!”

[ Sankalpa Kalpadruma, text 103, by Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur ]

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya caritamrta Madhya-lila 14.228 in Dallas.

“Although superficially Vrindavan is just a cowherd village, the opulence of Vrindavan far exceeds the opulence of Vaikuntha. But, because the mood of sweeteness (madhurya) prevails, it covers the mood of opulence (aisvarya) even though the opulence of Vrindavan is greater than that of Dwaraka or Vaikuntha. For example, say there is a mixture of 100 gallons of lime juice and 100 pounds of sugar. Then there is another container with 10 gallons of lime juice and 1 pound of sugar. The lime is like the opulence  and the sugar is like the sweetness. Vrindavan is like the 100 gallons of juice which has more opulence than Vaikuntha and yet is still sweeter to the taste than the 10 gallons of lime juice with 1 pound of sugar.”

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Kirtan
Caitanya caritamrta Madhya 14.228

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 September 2016, Midrand, South Africa, Sunday Feast Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 9.9)

Continued from Elusive Krsna…

Our Yogendra Maharaj is a very powerful preacher and he was giving a lecture in India. At one point, he asked the crowd, “Who is ready to give his life to Krsna.” There was no response. Are YOU ready to give your life to Krsna? (Audience: yes) Some are hesitating. Some are smelling a rat. Are you ready? (Audience: yes) ARE YOU READY? (Audience: loud yes) This Christian thing (laughter), I knew it would get much result, it is amazing.

Anyway, Yogendra Maharaj did something like that and he carried on and then he made the audience offer all their jewellery and their watches and everything. They sent baskets around and people put it all in there. It was a big collection! It was a large program; big pandal program. So he cleaned up. I do not know if it was the Ratha Yatra or the new temple extension but something was covered by this collection. We can try it at a big function.

Then you give it all that and Krsna keeps his neutrality, still neutral. So much we have done already and… Where is Krsna now? I mean, have you seen him yet? Did he give you a darshan? Does he speak to you? Did he appear in your dreams? Some will say, “Yes, yes, yes. He appeared in my dream.” Lucky you! I’ve never had dreams of Krsna, only mundane dreams.

Krsna maintains that neutrality. He is not just going to make himself available. He wants to see that we really come to that point of eagerness where we really want it and where we really say, “Okay, I had enough. I had enough of this material world. It is just enough.” I mean look at it. We try and squeeze some enjoyment out of the material energy and when it does not work. Then we think, “Krsna is the supreme controller! So he is the one who is responsible for all my suffering!” No, he is not because he did not desire it. 

Anyway, what to do? Krsna, he knows that the living being is independent and wants to do these things so what can he do? He can only remain neutral. He cannot force. Say well, “He can, he is the Supreme Lord.” Yes, but then the spiritual world becomes a concentration camp. Force! Gopis with boots and cowherd boys with whips, “Everyone serve, Krsna!” That will not quite make it. It has to be voluntary. So Krsna is neutral because he waiting for us to voluntarily come. It is very important that we understand this. But in his heart, Krsna is not at all neutral. Krsna is seeing, “Oh no, not again! Already in the last birth you did all these things. Not again!”

Varnasrama Series.

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The work on the Dome Kalashes is progressing very successfully. Currently, one of the engineers from Moscow, Russia, Yurii Tereshkov, is here to assist us with perfecting the measurements and dimensions of our TOVP Kalashes.

Each of the side Domes Kalash frames are layered in 3 sections. On Sunday September 25, 2016 we installed the topmost section (Layer 3) of the Kalash frame onto the Planetarium Wing Dome. The stainless steel section was lifted with a crane to the top of the Dome.

Next, we will lift and install the topmost section (Layer 3) of the Kalash Frame onto Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Dome. Then Yurii and other TOVP engineers will personally climb into the Kalash frames to measure the dimensions. From those measurements they will perfect and finalize the dimensions that will be required to construct the titanium nitrate coverings in Moscow.

After the measurements are finalized here in Mayapur, the engineers in Moscow then may begin the official construction of the Kalash outer shell coverings. We are now moving full speed into this wonderful construction project.

[See image gallery at tovp.org]

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By Madhava Smullen

A new Yoga Pavilion currently being built by ISKCON New Vrindaban’s own devotee construction crew, and aiming to be open next year, is expected to draw a large Western audience.

“We have been highly focused on reaching out to Indians living in the USA,” says temple president Jaya Krsna Das. “But Srila Prabhupada came to preach to Westerners, so we want to now make a major concerted effort to reach them too.”

Yoga, of course, is an interest that both Indian and Western people share. According to a 2012 study by Yoga Journal magazine, more than twenty million people practice yoga in the U.S. And of current non-practitioners, 44.5% of Americans call themselves “aspirational yogis” – people who are interested in trying yoga.

ISKCON around the world has had major success in connecting with yoga practitioners, who already have an interest in spirituality, Eastern philosophy, and kirtan. Many yoga groups visit temples such as Radhadesh in Belgium, Govardhana Eco-Village in India and more, and a sizeable number of yoga practitioners and teachers have become Krishna devotees, finding Bhakti-yoga to be the natural next step in their practice.

ISKCON New Vrindaban’s new Yoga Pavilion aims to be a big draw to this audience. Set on the waterfront at Kusum Sarovara Lake, it’s the perfect serene setting, with swans gliding by, and views of the stunning emerald Appalachian mountains as well as New Vrindaban’s exotic peacocks and local wildlife.

The yoga studio or “Yoga Pavilion” will be a 1,850 square foot space – large enough for fifty people to practice yoga at once. It will be surrounded by three-quarter length sliding glass windows that will let in the light and surrounding nature; have a finished hardwood floor; and be well insulated with electricity and heating so it can be used even in the winter time.

Already, there is a lot of interest from yoga teachers and practitioners around the country, and even from local people who are delighted to hear that yoga will be offered soon near them.

Meanwhile, staff are starting to market by advertising in yoga magazines, spreading the word through contacts at the Astanga Yoga headquarters in Karnataka, South India, and registering as a teacher-training center with the Yoga Alliance.

When it gets underway, the Yoga Pavilion will have several different teachers. First of all, there will be two in-house experienced devotee yoga teachers, who will teach ashtanga yoga classes from a Krishna conscious perspective every day from spring to fall.

“Just like the yoga vacation program at Shivananda yoga, people will come, spend a few days learning yoga, and go,” says one of the teachers, Gaurnatraj Das. “Others will sign up for special study programs like our one-month teacher-training program, which will cover the Bhagavad-gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Hatha Yoga Pradipika. We will also offer yoga classes to our own community residents and congregation as a healthcare option.”

Secondly, ISKCON New Vrindaban will invite other devotee yoga teachers from around the country to hold their own retreats at New Vrindaban, and will assist them.

And thirdly, outside yoga groups will be invited to use New Vrindaban as a destination for their retreats.

While these groups will have their own curriculums, they will naturally be steeped in Krishna consciousness, staying in the holy dhama of New Vrindaban; eating prasadam; and associating with devotees.

Devotees will also work with them to include kirtans and temple programs in their reteats, along with karma-yoga, or service to the Lord.

As well as retreats held by outside groups, ISKCON New Vrindaban will also hold its own three-night retreats regularly with specialized side-subjects such as vegetarian cooking. And once a year, there will be a four to five night gala retreat, with yoga, ayurveda, acupressure, and other types of alternative healing.

With all this, ISKCON New Vrindaban hopes to double its visitors within the next couple of years, and make better use of its lodge and restaurant facilities during spring, fall, winter and weekdays.

“New Vrindaban has so much potential, and this is one big step towards attracting open-minded Western people from all over America, just as Srila Prabhupada wanted,” says Gaurnatraj. “Eventually, we’d love to build a huge retreat center here and see New Vrindaban become a major center for education.”

As part of the ISKCON50 program series, Vaishnavas in Hungary organized a two-day national book distribution event, taking place at different locations of the country. Devotees who had never distributed books before, or had not taken part in sankirtana for a long time were also involved. During the two days, 36 participants from the farm sold 619 books, while the 195 devotees on the streets of Budapest distributed 2,650 books. 

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Talk at Princeton University with H G Govinda Pr, Co-Temple President, ISKCON Chowpatty

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Radhanath Maharaja has requested that my godsisters and I speak something. Last night, after we left the transcendental program and before I took rest, I was thinking how incongruous it was—you know, I have been a devotee for thirty-odd years, and it’s quite rare that I am asked to speak. In fact, it’s extremely unusual, so I am not practiced at it. And as I told you yesterday, I rarely spoke when Srila Prabhupada was here. He asked various disciples to speak, but I told him clearly that I wasn’t comfortable with this, and he was a little kind upon me and only on occasion he would ask me to speak. So, anyway, I’ll fumble through as best as I can. Continue reading "Adventures in Krishna Consciousness—Chanting the Holy Names
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“In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyasa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife.” (Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Krsna-janma-khanda 185.180) Nevertheless, we see that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself accepted sannyasa and approved of the sannyasa of His elder brother, Visvarupa. It is clearly said here, bhala haila,—visvarupa sannyasa karila pita-kula, mata-kula,—dui uddharila. Therefore, should it be thought that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu made statements that are contradictory? No, actually He did not. It is recommended that one accept sannyasa to dedicate his life for the service of the Lord, and everyone must take that kind of sannyasa, for by accepting such sannyasa one renders the best service to both his paternal and maternal families. But one should not accept the sannyasa order of the Mayavada school, which has practically no meaning. We find many Mayavadi sannyasis simply loitering in the street thinking themselves Brahman or Narayana and spending all day and night begging so they can fill their hungry bellies. Mayavadi sannyasis have become so degraded that there is a section of them who eat everything, just like hogs and dogs. It is such degraded sannyasa that is prohibited in this age. Actually, Srila Sankaracaraya’s principles for the acceptance of sannyasa were very strict, but later the so-called Mayavadi sannyäsis became degraded because of their false philosophy, which propounds that by accepting sannyasa one becomes Narayana. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu rejected that kind of sannyasa. But the acceptance of sannyasa is one of the items of the varnasrama-dharma. How then can it be rejected? Continue reading "A Deeper Understanding of the Significance of Sannyasa (in Kali-yuga)
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