Janmastami Kirtan
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Janmastami was the celebration that took place last Thursday, August 25th, at the temple next door to the lounge. Because of that festival, the program at the lounge was slightly different. Kirtan started at 8pm and went on till 11:30pm. Dinner was served outside of the lounge throughout the night. Here is a clip of a video recording of the kirtan that night.

50th Celebrations at the Sydney Opera House Attract Devotees from Around the World
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ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary was commemorated in style in Sydney, Australia from August 19 to 21 with a weekend of celebrations. The weekend’s events started on Friday night with Bhakti Film Fest and a patron’s dinner. The highlight of the weekend was a theatrical, musical, and multimedia performance at the iconic Sydney Opera House with 800people attending two performances.

Sri Radhastami
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By Giriraj Swami

The good news is that in this age of Kali, Sri Krsna came in the mood of Srimati Radharani. And as we read in the purport, Srimati Radharani is the tenderhearted feminine counterpart of Krsna. In The Nectar of Devotion also, Srila Prabhupada says that Srimati Radharani represents the compassionate nature of Krsna. Because Krsna is the father, He might be a little strict (which is sometimes necessary and beneficial), but the mother may be more compassionate, more understanding, more encouraging. Therefore devotees approach Krsna through Sri Radha. "Because Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is very difficult to approach Him. But the devotees, taking advantage of His compassionate nature, which is represented by Radharani, always pray to Radharani for Krsna's compassion." (NOD Ch 22) Srimati Radharani, among other qualifications, is a maha-bhagavata. She sees that everyone is a better servant of Krsna than She. So if someone approaches Her with a desire to serve Krsna, She'll very easily recommend the person to Krsna, and when Radharani recommends someone, Krsna is bound to accept, because ultimately Krsna wants to please Radharani. Transcendentally, Krsna comes under the control of Radharani. Thus in Radharani's hometown of Varsana, the devotees have a saying: "Whatever Radha does, Krsna likes. Whatever Radha likes, Krsna does." So if Radharani wants Krsna to accept us, then Krsna will accept us. Continue reading "Sri Radhastami
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Kirtan & cupcakes at Qi Yoga!
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Sri Prahlada and the Bhakti band (including a special guest flute player!) shared their magical kirtans at Qi Yoga Freshwater on Saturday 27th of August. The enthusiastic crowd danced to the great melodies celebrating the Janmashtami festival, and they were treated to some amazing cupcakes courtesy of Kate! Have a look at the video and pictures […]

Radha’s Hairstyle
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Hare KrishnaBy Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu

Embedded with various flowers here and there, tied together using jewelled strings; decorated with lines of deeply fragrant jasmines; having a spherical arrangement of jewels hanging at the back from [three] lines of excellent jewels — 0 Radhe! When will I see the excellent dhammilla hairstyle created by the hands of Sri Hari himself? Rasa-kulya Commentary: The term dhammilla means, “Hair tied together in a topknot.” This term indicates that Radha’s hair had been intricately tied in various ways. Previously [in the preceding verse], a hairstyle named kabara was described. The dhammilla style of tying hair is different from the kabara. Connoisseurs expert in conjugal mellows know the details of this hairstyle. Continue reading "Radha’s Hairstyle
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Lord Krishna’s Disappearance From The Rasa Dance
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Hare KrishnaBy Nitya Bhgavata-sevaya

Because of the special attention She received from Krishna, that gopi thought Herself to be the most fortunate woman. She told Krishna that She could walk no further and that He would have to carry Her on His shoulders. Hearing these words, Krishna consented and suddenly disappeared. Now alone in a secluded place, that gopi felt extremely anguished. She desperately began looking for Krishna everywhere. Being unsuccessful, She sat down and cried most piteously. When the gopis found Her in that state, all their hearts melted in deep sympathy. They then heard from Her what had happened. All the gopis then went out together to look for Krishna in the forest. They went as far into the forest as the moon-rays could reach. Unsuccessful in ?nding Krishna, they went back to the banks of the Yamuna river praying for His audience. There they sat and simply sang Krishna's glories in utter helplessness. Continue reading "Lord Krishna’s Disappearance From The Rasa Dance
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Janmastami 2016 at New Govardhana, San Diego (Album with…
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Janmastami 2016 at New Govardhana, San Diego (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).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/4zlYDd

Lion Beats Cinematography’s 11 min. movie about Krishna…
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Lion Beats Cinematography’s 11 min. movie about Krishna Janamastmi 2016 @ ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple of Auckland, New Zealand.
Srila Prabhupada: Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat: even a little devotional service can save one from the greatest danger. Devotional service, which begins with chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is so powerful that even if one falls down, he can be saved from all calamities if he somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord. This is the extraordinary power of the Lord’s holy name. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.63 Purport).
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/Lp4Ji1

Villaggio Hare Krishna, North Italy, Special Krishna Janmastami…
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Villaggio Hare Krishna, North Italy, Special Krishna Janmastami 2016 & Srila Prabhupada Vyas Puja (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The process of chanting the holy name of the Lord is always superbly effective, but it is especially effective in this age of Kali. All the great authorities of bhakti-yoga recommend the devotional process beginning with the chanting of the holy name of Krishna (tan-nama-grahanadibhih). (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 6.1.21 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/JqSAn0

​Can hypnosis be used to help us better focus our mind in bhakti?
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​If the husband practices bhakti, does the wife automatically get the benefit even if she doesn’t practice?
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​While doing anything, isn’t it better to have plans B and C instead of closing the doors to all options?
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In the conflict between the mind and the intelligence, who decides?
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Janmastami 2016 – Goloka Dhama Germany, Temple of Sri Sri Radha…
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Janmastami 2016 - Goloka Dhama Germany, Temple of Sri Sri Radha Madana Mohana (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “My heart is always burning in the fire of material existence, and I have made no provisions for getting out of it. The only remedy is hari-nama-sankirtana, the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, which is imported from the spiritual world, Goloka-Vrndavana. How unfortunate I am that I have no attraction for this. (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 5.1.22 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RksFBl

​How to persevere when humility feels very difficult to achieve?
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What Gets Destroyed When You Fall in Love with Transcendence?
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Continuing the amazing story of Pṛthu’s conversation with the four child-sages…

Delighted to hear the sage speak so clearly and definitely, but with such depth and breadth, the King eagerly asked, “What happens when a person falls in love with that transcendental consciousness?”

Sanāt smiled out of satisfaction with the King’s eagerness to hear more on the subject. “When we fall firmly into love with that transcendent being,” the boy said, “then, if we also have an experienced guide, that love will produce very powerful knowledge and disinterest in all other things. These weaken the power of the five things that obscure our soul, burning them away like fire destroying its own source.”

The boy did not list the five things obscuring the soul, because he knew the King was learned, and already knew them: ignorance, self-ambition, attachment, aversion, and fear.

It’s significant that an “experienced guide” (ācārya) is also required. Without that guide the love is not as likely to “burn” properly and produce the effects of knowledge and detatchment (jñāna-virāga).

Transcendent love (ratiḥ brahmaṇi) manifests within the mental and emotional coverings of the soul – just as fire (an energy) can manifest from wood (a solid), despite the fact that energy and wood are two different elements (bhūta). However, fire is a superior element to wood, therefore the fire consumes the wood. Similarly transcendent love consumes the material mind that hosts it.

“What happens,” the king asked, “when that transcendent love arises in the soul’s mental and emotional coverings and then burns them away?”

“When these things are burnt away, we become emancipated from all our external attractions. When we cease to look at external things, we instead see our inner selves with perfect clarity. The previous obstructions which prevented us from seeing the Supersoul within us are now gone, just as things in a dream disappear.”

Currently we don’t see the superself. We only see the self as the ultimate “bottom line” of importance. This is because all our attention is focused outward, creating an obstruction to seeing the Paramātma at our inner root. This will be explained more fully…

“Please explain this a little further!” the king requested.

“Our desires for sensual pleasure place a veil on our perceptions, causing us to see ourselves as the entity of primary importance. This blocks us from seeing our intimate and absolute dependence on the entity of truly ultimate importance, the Super-self. However, when desires are burned away by love for the transcendent, that veil disappears and we no longer see ourselves as being independent from the Supersoul. When the veil is in place, we see ourselves through the qualities in the veil – and therefore imagine the qualities of the veil to be integral parts of who and what we are. This gives the false impression that we are independent entities, separated from one another and from our root, the Superself.”

When transcendent love causes us to lose attraction to external pleasures, the veil obscuring the supersoul dissolves, and we see ourself as we truly are – inseparably integrated with the supersoul.

– Excerpt from an early draft of Part 4 of

Beautiful Tales of the All-Attractive

A translation of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam’s fourth canto

By Vraja Kishor

[With additional explanatory notes]

Parts 1, 2, and 3 of Beautiful Tales of the All Attractive

are available at VrajaKishor.com


Tagged: canto four, Oneness, Srimad Bhagavatam, Supersoul, transcendental love

Gita 11.20 The universal form induces awe – both wonder and fear
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​How to deal with the feeling that the class is meant for others?
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