Planet ISKCON

Balarama Jayanti celebrates the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the elder brother of Lord Krishna.

Lord Balarama was born as the seventh son of Devaki and Vasudeva. After Kamsa had killed all the children of his sister Devaki, an unborn Balarama was transferred to the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva. Balarama was thus born as the son of Rohini.

All over the world special functions and prayers are offered to the Lord on this day. Lord Balarama symbolises spiritual strength and pleasure.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 August 2014, Czech, Balarama Jayanti, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.8)

Balarama carries the plough and Krsna, a flute. It is said that Balarama is ploughing the field of the heart and in that way, preparing the heart so that the seeds of bhakti can be planted. It is through service attitude that the heart is prepared. By following in the footsteps of Balarama, in the mood of service, ones becomes eligible to receive the mercy of Krsna.

In the seventh canto of Bhagavatam, it is explained that Balarama prepares the heart and then Acutya, Krsna, gives the mercy. Acutya means “the infallible” or “he who never fails to notice the smallest service”. Balarama engages the living beings in the service of Krsna and Krsna sees the smallest service and appreciates it. Today is an important day for us because it is the day when we pray for spiritual strength to serve Krsna, that is why it is one of the best days of the year!

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BBT press release

The “annotated scans” for Chapter Nine of Bhagavad-gita As It Is are now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes.

The scans for this chapter are the latest in a series that shows all the revisions done for the transliterations, word meanings, and purports of the second edition. Nearly every revision also has a note explaining why it was done, along with an image from the BBT’s oldest manuscripts, allowing you to verify the history for yourself.

Jayadvaita Swami did his revisions for the second edition on a physical copy of the first edition. The scans show that copy. (Revisions to the translations aren’t shown, because he edited them separately, not in the book itself.) Each chapter forms one downloadable pdf file.

The scans for this chapter give you much to see.

You’ll see the extensive first paragraph to 9.26 (patram puspam phalam toyam). This paragraph appeared in the 1968 abridged edition, and devotees often relished and quoted it, especially its memorable line “Who is such a fool that he does not want to be Krsna conscious by this simple method?” In the 1972 edition this paragraph was left out. In the 1983 edition it has been restored.

You’ll see twenty-six of Srila Prabhupada’s Sanskrit quotations recovered (seven in the purport to text 2 alone).

You’ll see several places where the 1972 edition includes Srila Prabhupada’s explanation for a Sanskrit word but leaves out the word he is explaining — and the second edition restores the missing word. (For example: avasam in the purport to text 8, udasinavat in text 9, and vyapasritya in text 32.)

You’ll find out about new translations the original editor pasted into the manuscript over Srila Prabhupada’s (and see examples).

You’ll also see the thirteen verses for which the original word-for-word meanings were done by a BBT Sanskrit editor, not by Srila Prabhupada himself.

Apart from images for specific changes, the scans for this chapter include thirteen complete sample pages from the original manuscripts, including four pages showing those BBT-supplied word-for-word meanings.

Whether you’re for “the changes,” against them, or neutral, here’s another opportunity to see what the changes actually are.

For devotees who have been critical of the second edition but are thoughtful and open-minded, the scans for this chapter provide ample food for thought.

See for yourself in the annotated scans for Chapter Nine, now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes.

The changes for the Preface, the Introduction, and the previous chapters are already online, on that same page.

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How can we consider adversities such as diseases or death of loved ones as good?

Brief answer: Nowhere does the Gita say that everything happens is good. Its teaching is that everything that happens can be for good – provided we make good choices in responding to it.

Detailed answer: When terrible things happen, the Gita doesn’t ask us to somehow imagine those things to be good. Consider the Gita’s repeated call to stay equipoised amidst good and bad (02.38, 05.21 and 06.07, for example). Through this call, it implicitly acknowledges the difference of good and bad. Its call for equanimity doesn’t ask us to deny the goodness or badness of happenings, but to deny such happenings excessive power over our emotions. Indeed, Gita wisdom shows the way not to emotionlessness, but to emotional empowerment – to choosing the emotional response that is the most practically helpful.

In the human response to adversity, feeling shattered, ranting at fate and grieving are natural phases. But just as life doesn’t stop because of any adversity, we too can’t stop at these phases in our emotional coping and healing. To help us move forward, the Gita offers several uplifting insights:

1. Knowing that we are eternal souls means that we are bigger than any reversal that life may send our way; it means that we have weathered many storms in our past, in this life and in previous lives; and it means that we have a destiny far brighter than the worst darkness of this world.
2. Knowing that Krishna is an omni-benevolent God means that he is not somewhere up there, causing the problem; he is in here, next to us in our own hearts, wanting to help us deal with it. The Gita (13.23) indicates that he is the overseer and sanctioner. He is not the reason for the problem; he is the refuge from it – the source of our strength to live with it and the source of our intelligence to find a solution to it.
3. In the Mahabharata (of which the Gita is a part), after Draupadi is dishonored during the gambling match, Krishna meets her later in the forest. While consoling her, he doesn’t say whatever happened was good; he doesn’t blame her for questioning why he didn’t stop the calamity; he doesn’t make her emotional reaction a barometer of the depth of her faith. Gently and lovingly, he encourages her to persevere in her dharma. Krishna’s expertise is that he can bring good out of the bad, just as a good musician can produce good music even with a poor instrument. But unlike instruments that are insentient, we human beings have consciousness and free will. So, to bring good out of a bad situation, he needs our cooperation, our service attitude, our determination to stick to our dharma.

4. To get such determination, we need to change the question we ask ourselves. The question “Why this?” is often a most disempowering question – answers that resort to past karma offer little solace when the karma is unknown and the problem seems unbearable. A far more empowering question is, “How now? How can I best respond to this reversal?” By asking, “How can I best serve in this situation?” we find a release for our emotional energy that has been choked by feelings of resentment, lamentation and helplessness. We see avenues for action opening where earlier we had seen only the doors closing on our plans. Of course, some avenues may take time to open; during that time, we need to stop glaring at the closed doors and take one step forward at a time, whatever is possible for us. The step we can always take is to seek shelter of Krishna by absorbing ourselves in his prayerful remembrance. Such absorption helps us gain the calmness and clarity to shift our vision from the doors that block our way to the steps that beckon us.

Pertinently, Vyasadeva tells a disconsolate Yudhisthira shattered by Abhimanyu’s death: “The inscrutable will of the Lord is surely for the good of all living beings. If you do his will, you will in due course of time understand how it is for good.”

 

 

The post Does the Bhagavad-gita teach that everything that happens is good? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Dear Reader,

(Fasting until noon)

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Anadi Radha dasi

One time I used the word “dogmatic” and a young boy asked me what does “dogmatic” mean? Interestingly, I did not have a convincing answer. This made me think a little bit. The dictionary definition is “a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true”. From a cultural perspective, any phenomenon that does not have supportive evidence can be deemed dogmatic. By both accounts, one may argue that the tenets of Krishna consciousness is dogmatic. Because it is laid down by an authority as absolute truth and there is little physical evidence on the earth plane to validate Krishna or His activities like for example Him lifting the Govardhan Hill.

As devotees of Krishna, when rational thinkers debate with us, it is important to present Krishna consciousness in a way that is “not” dogmatic. If the opposite of dogma equals presentation of evidence, then we are in a tough spot because we do not have physical evidence to categorically talk about Krishna. How then can we present Krishna in a “non-dogmatic” light?

Srila Prabhupada denied that man landed on the moon despite live tv coverage. Once in a public meeting, when he was asked, he countered by asking “how do you know man landed on the moon?”. The man replied “I know because the American scientists say so”. Srila Prabhupada simply said “well, you believe Americans, we believe Shastra” Now, this may sound like a simple answer. But what Prabhupada pointed out to the rational thinker is that they also “believe” someone just as we “believe” someone. By tacitly implying you are no less dogmatic than me, why is your statement superior to mine? They may argue on the strength of the evidence cited, but still since they are not experts in that field themselves, still they have to "believe" an expert.

But scientists are not against belief, they are against non-testable beliefs. For example, scientists claim that dark matter and dark energy pretty much constitutes 96% of mass in the universe. This is a widely held “truth” within the physicist world. If I want to be a physicist, I have to agree to this premise. It is a mathematically derived premise from sample data. So this presupposition has to be accepted on “belief” by eminent scholars in the field. This method of accepting a principle by an authority as truth is also practiced extensively in all fields of science. Are then all students of science, scientists and rational thinkers dogmatic? The answer is no. The reason being, they do not accept it as incontrovertible truth. In other words, the truths or presuppositions such as dark matter constituting 96% of mass can be falsified or tested or changed if we can find evidence controverting the original theory. So in that sense, scientists claim an upper hand to religious super-naturalism. Although in reality rarely one will go against established science (thus making them equally dogmatic), still that theoretical option is available for one who is interested even if that means one's career can be put in jeopardy.

The option to test and refute is not available to religionists because it is either true or false, end of story! This non-testable, non-falsifiable attitude towards truth is the reason rational thinkers consider religion as dogma.

In conclusion, we can present Krishna in a "non-dogmatic" light by addressing two points (1) to point out that not everything of this world that is accepted as common or mainstream has categorical evidence thus there are shades of dogma involved among rationalists (2) the science of Krishna can be tested and if necessary falsified.

As Srila Prabhupada endearingly asks many times to total strangers about the process of Krishna consciousness - “what is the loss?”

Hare Krishna

Verses and Praises of Lord Balarama.
“O Kesava! O Lord of the Universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Lord Balarama, the wielder of the plow! All glories to You! On Your brilliant white body You wear garments the color of a fresh blue rain cloud. These garments are the color of the River Yamuna, who feels great fear due to the striking of Your plowshare.”
“All glories to Rama-ghata, where Lord Balarama performed His rasa dance. All glories to Lord Balarama, the son of Rohini. All glories, all glories to the residents of Vrndavana.”
“Powerful Lord Balarama is sixteen years old, full of the luster of youth and has a fair complexion the color of crystal. Balarama wears blue garments and a garland of forest flowers. Balarama’s handsome hair is tied in a graceful topknot. Splendid earrings adorn Balarama’s ears. Sri Baladeva’s neck is splendidly decorated with garlands of flowers and strings of jewels. Splendid armlets and bracelets ornament Douji’s graceful and very strong arms. Balarama’s feet are decorated with splendid jeweled anklets. Sri Baladeva is Sri Krsna’s dearest friend. Baladeva is a great reservoir of the nectar mellows of many kinds of transcendental pastimes.”

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This stage play was a production of 34 cast and crew for the pleasure of the Lordships on Sri Ram Navami 2016, by ISKCON Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, directed by S...

Sri Rama Navami 2016

For most of the Croatian people (or as they call themselves, Hrvati) when it comes to defining their origins and tracing their ancient roots they turn towards the land of Iran and Persia. According to academia the name Hrvat comes from Hrovat which comes from the Slavic Horvat which originates from the Indo/Slavic Harvat and which is ultimately traced to Persia and the name Harahvaiti.

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By Radhanath Swami

Krishna has no father, He has no mother. But He appears in this world with a father and with a mother in almost every incarnation as a wonderful pastime to exchange love with His devotees and to attract our hearts to Him. So Krishna, the original personality of Godhead in the spiritual world expands Himself as Balaram, His first expansion. And Balaram is non-different than Krishna Himself. There is absolutely no difference. But as Balaram, Krishna assists Himself in His loving pastimes. So when we speak of expansion, this is inconceivable to the mind. Because in the spiritual world, Balaram is always existing and Krishna is always existing. Neither One exists before the other. Continue reading "Lecture on Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day
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Janmastami Lila
We all like a good story. It makes our day, inspires our heart, and we experience a gamut of emotions. When it comes to Krishna’s birth story He doesn’t disappoint. In Sanskrit, stories about God are called Lila. This is to remind us that His stories are not of the world, although sometimes taking place in the world.

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ISKCON-Delhi - Srila Rupa Goswami Disappearance (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: In the Padma Purana, Krishna says, mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tisthami narada: “O Narada, I am present wherever My devotees are chanting.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, 17.132 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/mG5waH

Sadbhuja Das: Comprehensive View of the TOVP (Album with photos)
On this bright and sunny day in Sri Mayapur Dham we took roof...

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By Romapada Das,

The Mayor of Surat, Mrs. Asmitaben Shiroya planted a tree on 14th August in the Trikam Nagar Chowpathy Park in Surat and unveiled a marble plaque with Srila Prabhupada’s name to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s first public Harinama procession in New York, exactly 50 years ago to the day in August 1966. The event which was organized by the Hare Krishna Dham preaching centre in the city of Surat attracted 500 devotees who sang the Hare Krisha mantra while walking down the city centre to arrive at the public venue where the Mayor delivered a rousing speech. Continue reading "Surat Mayor unveils Prabhupada plaque in a public park and plants a tree for the 50th anniversary
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Reunion Island: One Day Padayatra In The City Of St Paul.
August 16, 2016
By Dayalu Radha Dasi
On Saturday July 23rd, only one week after a 3 day padayatra in the island of La Reunion, another group of devotees headed by Rama Gopal Dasa and his wife Radhika Dasi organised another padayatra in honour of ISKCON’s 50th anniversary. This one took place in the city of Saint Paul on the West Coast of the island. A few days before I advertised the event by speaking on bhakti yoga on two local radio stations; I also encouraged people to join our padayatra.
We started at the City Centre where about 40-50 people joined the procession, walking and joyfully chanting the holy names. We then walked to a local market on the beach front which is open every Saturday. Everyone was so happy to see us, especially all the ladies dancing in their colourful saris. People enjoyed the kirtana –the beating of the mrdanga and the sound of the conch shell. While there we also distributed 473 small packets of delicious halava sweets and banana pakoras made by Bhaktin Bernadette and Rama Gopal Dasa.
We were very fortunate to have a local television station filming our padayatra. The station aired a short report on padayatra during the midday and evening news. The procession went on for two hours and ended with kirtana in front of City Hall. Afterwards we distributed 275 plates of prasadam consisting of koftas balls and fried rice with vegetables lovingly cooked by Radhika Dasi, Bhakta Raynaulds and his wife Patricia. I distributed 15 books and many leaflets inviting people to attend our regular house programs since La Reunion Island does not have an ISKCON temple yet. We regularly organize programs in St Denis, the island’s capital, at either my home or Rama Gopal Dasa’s place on the west side of the island.
Later that afternoon the kirtana was still going strong with all the devotees singing ‘Jay Prabhupada!’ We felt very thankful to ISKCON’s founder-acarya, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, for the many wonderful things he has given the world. Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya!

Mayapur Jhulan Yatra celebration (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Regarding Jhulanayatra Ceremony, during these five days the Deities’ clothing should be changed everyday, and there should be nice Prasadam distribution and Sankirtana as far as possible.

By Beige Luciano-Adams

Temple president Svavasa Das, who has overseen the event in Los Angeles for 30 years, described a network of consecutive festivals throughout the U.S. connected by a caravan of devotees who truck the collapsible chariots from city to city. “Ours is the largest in the West,” he says, meaning outside India. “Around the world everyone knows about this one. People come from all over.” Here the festival plays to its mixed audience with a mélange of ancient ritual and contemporary festival atmosphere, with chanting, yoga and cultural music and dance blending with children’s activities and vendor booths during the free feast. The continuation of a centuries-old Hindu sect, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded in the U.S. in 1966. Today the organization includes hundreds of centers and affiliated vegetarian restaurants — like Govinda’s Natural Foods, the one attached to the temple in Culver City. To celebrate its silver anniversary, ISKCON is extending the festival this year, starting Thursday with chanting and seminars at the temple, which organizers expect will draw thousands of participants. Continue reading "A Caravan of Blessings
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Dear TOVP Donors and Well-Wishers,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We at the TOVP would like to extend to you our warmest wishes on Sri Krsna Janmastami, the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Krsna. When the world was in chaos, Krsna personally came to annihilate the demons and to deliver his devotees. He displayed the sweetness and grandeur of his pastimes, gave us the Bhagavad-Gita, and established His devotee Yudhisthira as the emperor of the world. He famously promised:

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

BG 4.9

Whenever Srila Prabhupada spoke on Janmastami he would begin with this verse, and throughout his books and lectures he quoted it over 730 times. He made it his life’s mission to preach about Krsna. He taught us that Krsna is the Absolute Truth, the original source of creation and the cause of all causes. He is eternally young, all-knowing, and always blissful. All truth, opulence, fame, strength, wisdom and beauty emanate from Him.

“The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement is to inform everyone that no one is superior to Krsna, God.”

Teachings of Lord Kapila 1

In 1966, Srila Prabhupada celebrated Janmastami in New York with only a small band of fledgling devotees, but today on ISKCON’s 50th anniversary year, millions of people all over the world attend our festivals and hear Krsna’s message. Janmastami marks the beginning of an eternal life of loving devotional service. It’s an opportunity to bring Krsna into the center of our lives by hearing, remembering and discussing His nature and pastimes. By molding our lives in this way, and by engaging our words, activities and resources as much as possible in Krsna’s service, we will surely receive the unlimited mercy that Krsna came to this world to give us.

“With the appearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa within our heart, we become cleansed of the impurities of material contact, much as the morning appears new and fresh with the appearance of the sun.”

Message of Godhead 2

In this spirit of remembering Krsna’s nature and appearance, and to increase your appreciation for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, we would like to present the many meanings of the name Madhava, which reflects both the sweetness of Lord Krsna in Vrindavana and the supreme opulence of Lord Vishnu. We will also describe the most prominent Radha-Madhava deities that have been worshipped in our history.

The many meanings of Madhava

The name Madhava is a very prominent name for both Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has translated Madhava in his Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam in many ways: “Husband of the goddess of fortune,” “Master of all energies,” and “He who appears in the Madhu dynasty.” As a name of Vishnu, “Ma” refers to Laksmi and “Dhava” means husband or consort. In reference to Krsna, Madhava is usually explained as coming from the root “Madhu”.

“Srila Sanatana Gosvami has explained the various meanings of the word Madhava as follows: Madhava normally indicates Krsna to be “the Lord, who is the consort of the goddess of fortune, Laksmi.” This name also implies that Lord Krsna descended in the dynasty of Madhu. Since the spring season is also known as Madhava, it is understood that as soon as Lord Krsna entered the Vrndavana forest, it automatically exhibited all the opulences of spring, becoming filled with flowers, breezes and a celestial atmosphere. Another reason Lord Krsna is known as Madhava is that He enjoys His pastimes in madhu, the taste of conjugal love.”

SB 10.15.2

Jayadeva Goswami’s Radha-Madhava

In our Vaishnava history, many important Radha-Madhava deities have been worshipped by famous devotees. The oldest we know about belonged to Jayadeva Goswami, who lived in Navadvipa about 700 years before Lord Caitanya. Jayadeva is described by Srila Prabhupada as a pure devotee and a mahajana, and his Gita-Govinda was relished by Lord Caitanya Himself.

One day as Jayadeva was worshipping Radha-Madhava in Campahati, They appeared before him in a vision and transformed into Lord Gauranga, who is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta as being the same golden color as the campaka flower. Lord Gauranga told him to move to Puri. Many years later Jayadeva Goswami moved to Vrindavana and his deities are still there today in the Radha-Damodara Temple. Srila Prabhupada lived there for six years before coming to the west, and he was trying to organize the construction of a temple for them in 1965.

Bhaktivinode Thakura’s Radha-Madhava

Another important set of Radha-Madhava deities are the family deities of Bhaktivinode Thakur. They were originally worshipped in Bengal by Krsnananda Dutta, who was a disciple of Lord Nityananda and the father of Sri Narottama Dasa Thakur. When Krsnananda retired he moved to Puri, and then settled in the nearby village of Choti. The worship was passed down generation to generation until it came to Bhaktivinode Thakur and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur.

Unfortunately, after Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s disappearance the worship became neglected. In about 1950, a neighboring family wanted to claim the land which was in the name of the deities. They stole the deities and buried Them, telling everyone that the deities had become broken and thus had to be submerged in the river.

Although lost for many decades, They were re-discovered in the year 2000 and are now being worshipped in Kendrapara until their new temple can be built in Choti. Every Kartik They travel to Vrindavana to sit on the altar with Radha-Syamasundara in the Krsna Balaram Mandir.

Jaya Radha-Madhava – “This is original Krsna”

Bhaktivinode Thakur published a collection of songs and prayers in 1893 called Gitavali, which included the bhajana we know as “Jaya Radha Madhava”. Srila Prabhupada had a very deep connection with this song, which he introduced after naming the Radha-Madhava deities who are currently worshipped in Mayapur.

While Srila Prabhupada was traveling in India in 1971, he received three sets of Radha-Krsna deities from a gentleman named Mr. Dalmia. Prabhupada sent one set to the ISKCON center in Boston (Radha-Gopivallabha), one to the center in Berkeley (Radha-Gokulananda), and one set (Radha-Madhava) he kept with him. On the 11th of February, 1971, in Gorakhpur, Srila Prabhupada organized an installation ceremony for Sri Radha-Madhava, and introduced the song ‘Jaya Radha-Madhava’ to the devotees. From this time forward, Srila Prabhupada began regularly singing Jaya Radha-Madhava before his lectures.

Over the next three days he elaborated on its meaning. He explained that this song describes the “Original Krsna” in Vrindavana.

“This is actual picture of Krsna, Radha-Madhava giri-vara-dhari. Original Krsna this is. Radha-Madhava giri-vara-dhari. Vraja-jana-vallabha. His business is to please the inhabitants of Vrndavana. That’s all. He has no other business. And the vraja-jana also, they have no other business than to please Krsna. That’s all. This is original Krsna.”

Purport to Jaya Radha-Madhava, February 14, 1971, Gorakhpur

As Satsvarupa recalled in his Prabhupada Lilamrta,

On the third morning after introducing Jaya Radha-Madhava, Prabhupada again sang it with the devotees responding. Then he began to explain it further. Radha-Madhava, he said, have Their eternal loving pastimes in the groves of Vrndavana.

He stopped speaking. His closed eyes flooded with tears, and he began gently rocking his head. His body trembled. Several minutes passed, and everyone in the room remained completely silent. Finally, he returned to external consciousness and said, “Now, just chant Hare Krsna.”

After this, the Radha-Krsna Deities of Gorakhpur became known as Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.

After Srila Prabhupada’s tour concluded, Radha-Madhava were worshipped in Calcutta for a year. In 1972, Srila Prabhupada brought the deities to Mayapur for the first International Gaura-Purnima festival, and told the devotees that They should stay in Mayapur.

Prabhupada Lilamrta

Mayapur Radha-Madhava with Astasakhis

Srila Prabhupada wanted big deities for the Mayapur temple: Madhava should be 5′ 10″ and black marble; Radharani should be 5′ 81/2″ and white marble. He said their pose should be like that of the small Deities. Although They did not appear during his lifetime, he nevertheless set their arrival in motion.

In 1978, Prabhupada came in a dream to a wealthy industrialist and ISKCON devotee named Radhapada Dasa. Srila Prabhupada asked him to help the Mayapur devotees, which inspired him to sponsor the carving of the large Radha-Madhava deities. They were carved in Jaipur, and installed in Mayapur during the 1980 Gaura Purnima festival. Four of the gopis were installed in 1986, and four in 1992. So the small Radha-Madhava deities have been in Mayapur for 44 years, and the large deities for 36 years.

Radha-Madhava’s new home

Krsna’s position as the most worshipable Person in the Universe was clearly established at the Rajasuya sacrifice. The Pandavas conquered the entire planet and collected tribute from everyone in order to accomplish this. Yudhisthira was not motivated by personal fame, ambition or ego. He simply desired that Krsna should be exalted and worshipped in front of all the important kings, sages and demigods of the universe.

As the Pandavas engaged the wealth of the planet in worshipping Krsna by honoring Him at the Rajasuya Yajna, we at the TOVP are trying to follow in their footsteps by raising funds from all directions to build a grand temple for Sri Sri Radha-Madhava that will spread Their name and fame throughout the world.

Construction is pushing ahead steadily and the concrete layers on the three domes are nearly complete. Our monthly construction budget is about half a million US Dollars. We have already made many of the stainless steel supports for the kalashas, which will be the prominent gold-plated peaks of the TOVP. This unique monument will attract millions of souls to come and learn about Krsna. 2016 is the auspicious year of ISKCON’s fiftieth anniversary, and Krsna’s appearance day is the perfect time for us all to do our best, according to our capacity, to complete His new home in Mayapur.

We are grateful for the help of all our donors, both large and small, in this regard. This month, please consider giving a larger portion of your pledge than the usual monthly payment. This will go a long way towards helping us complete the domes so we can thereafter begin the interior finishing work. As Srila Prabhupada used to say with regard to the nightly dictations he made to write his many books, ‘Little drops of water wear away a stone.” Let us all do what we can to assure that Krishna’s glories are known and celebrated for hundreds of years.

Yours in the Service of Sridham Mayapur,

Braja Vilas das
Global Fundraising Director
*protected email*

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Offering Prabhupada Your Love

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The post Jhulan Yatra 2016 – Day Two appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Special class on Jhulan Yatra So in India this Jhulan Yatra is a very important festival. It is done in the rainy season. In India it is the rainy season. So here in the rainy season it is a bit humid and sticky. At that time we like to have a little breeze. So the […]

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A special class on these great Gaudiya Vaisnava Leaders. I just told Gauridas and Rupa Goswami’s disappearance day, tirobhava mahotsava. Gauridas was a friend of Krishna from Krsnalila. He had come down to this earth to participate with Lord Krishna as Gauranga. So he had an asrama in Ambika Kalna. There he asked Gaura Nitai […]

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

The all blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally young and not plagued by any imperfections, not plagued by an old cranky body and not ugly either. Some incarnations of God are certainly not the most beautiful. It is said that various incarnations of the Lord have different qualities of the Lord. Maharaj Pritu had the pālana-śakti, he was empowered with the power to protect the earth. Mohini-murti and Balarama represent the beauty of the Lord. Nrsimhadev is the protector of the devotees. So different incarnations represent different features of the Lord. 

The operative word in Krishna Consciousness is “faith”. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna uses the word “shraddha” at least ten times in different places in His conversation with Arjuna. In these places, Krishna clearly stresses the importance of faith in knowing Him. In chapter six text 47, there is a clear indication to this point. Srila Rupa Goswami, the leader for Gaudiya Vaishnavas, explains that “shraddha” or “faith” is the preliminary ingredient to understand and love God. Having said that, Srila Prabhupada in his introduction to Bhagavad Gita explains the difference in faith within sanatana dharma and faith in sectarian religion. Below is his quote;

The English word religion is a little different from sanātana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanātana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed…Those belonging to some sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanātana-dharma is also sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in the light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that sanātana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world – nay, of all the living entities of the universe. Non-sanātana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of sanātana-dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities…Yet man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to particular time and circumstance and thus claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or an adherent of any other sect. Such designations are non–sanātana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu, or a Christian may change his faith and so on. But in all circumstances the change of religious faith does not affect the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu, Muslim or Christian in all circumstances is a servant of someone. Thus, to profess a particular type of faith is not to profess one’s sanātana-dharma.

“Faith” or “belief” is a common word and has to be understood properly. When it is used purely on a sentimental platform fully dependent on the words of the speaker or a book such as the Bible or Koran or Gita etc, then it is considered “sentimental faith”. But that “faith” which motivates the soul to express his or her inherent nature of selfless and timeless service to God and all beings is considered “realized faith”.

When one’s faith is enriched with realization versus mere sentiment, there is harmony within and without followed by peace and inner joy!

Hare Krishna.

I would like to offer my condolences to all the many followers and disciples of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaja, who passed from this world on Saturday, 13th August at the age of 95. His contribution to their lives is immeasurable, and I know this will be a time of great pain for them.

Pramukh Swami Maharaja took the vision and mission of his own gurus, Shastriji Maharaja and Yogiji Maharaja and developed it into a worldwide network of more than one thousand temples and hundreds of thousands of followers. He carried the message of Lord Swaminarayana and gave countless talks, wrote thousands of letters, and inspired his devotees to perform great educational and humanitarian endeavours.

I had a memorable lunch with Pramukh Swami in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1980, and visited him again just a few years ago at the magnificent white marble temple in Neasden, London. He was always gracious with his visitors and seemed to have time for everyone. I feel blessed to have had his company for a few moments and although I am saddened by his passing, I know that he is now, as always, in supremely blissful company.

 

 

By Bhanu Swami

Free Will: The individual can activate or deactivate his samskaras and vasanas by his choice of association and place. He can use his intelligence to control feeling (samskara and vasana) for attaining his chosen goal. Then he can act according to choice, not feeling. By intelligent acts he can alter his present and future karma. Purpose of Karma: Karma is not a punishment but a chance to recognize the responsibility we have for our acts. It is learning through material experience. If we commit violence we suffer violence. The condition of suffering is a message for us to rectify our exploitative mentality, and act according to compassion rather than passion. We must learn to change our actions from service to self to service to other. This is the first step in purification of the jiva. Continue reading "Matter and Karma
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The science of speech. From The Mahabharata, Santi Parva.
King Janaka (the one mentioned in Bhagavad-gita by Lord Krishna): Whe...

Bhagavatam class in Tirupati

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By Sadaputa dasa

Srila Prabhupada wanted us to challenge the scientists and scholars. He was quite uncompromising about this, as we can see from his conversation with the physicist Gregory Benford. However, it might be argued that we are not in a position to challenge the scientists. Their position is strongly supported by evidence and arguments, and we have practically nothing to offer in opposition to it. If we oppose the scientists simply on the basis of religious scriptures, then we will become known as foolish, ignorant creationists. Therefore, we should follow a policy of appeasing the scientists, recognizing our own helplessness, and simply depend on Krsna to change their hearts. Actually, it is possible to challenge the scientists, as Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do. There exists a vast amount of evidence that supports the Vedic world view and contradicts the modern scientific world view. All we have to do is systematically gather this evidence and present it in a scholarly way. Continue reading "On Preaching to Scientists and Scholars
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By Braja Vilas das

The name Madhava is a very prominent name for both Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. Srila Prabhupada has translated Madhava in his Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam in many ways: “Husband of the goddess of fortune,” “Master of all energies,” and “He who appears in the Madhu dynasty.” As a name of Vishnu, “Ma” refers to Laksmi and “Dhava” means husband or consort. In reference to Krsna, Madhava is usually explained as coming from the root “Madhu”. “Srila Sanatana Gosvami has explained the various meanings of the word Madhava as follows: Madhava normally indicates Krsna to be "the Lord, who is the consort of the goddess of fortune, Laksmi." This name also implies that Lord Krsna descended in the dynasty of Madhu. Since the spring season is also known as Madhava, it is understood that as soon as Lord Krsna entered the Vrndavana forest, it automatically exhibited all the opulences of spring, becoming filled with flowers, breezes and a celestial atmosphere. Another reason Lord Krsna is known as Madhava is that He enjoys His pastimes in madhu, the taste of conjugal love.” (SB 10.15.2) Continue reading "Janmastami
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Hare Krishna Festivals at Glastonbury Festival 2015 with Mahavishnu Swami, 2016 video .
No Glastonbury is complete without a visit to the Hare Krishna tent, located next to the Spirit of 71 stage
They’re extremely accommodating. And their chant is easy to pick up:
Hare kṛiṣhṇa hare kṛiṣhṇa
kṛiṣhṇa kṛiṣhṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/2tym8V

The great Sankirtan Movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a great gift to the world and a very rare event!
Gauragopala dasa: Many could take it for granted without realizing how rare Lord Caitanya’s appearance actually is as He comes once in every day and night of Brahmā. That is once every 2000th Kali-yuga in the cycle of Maha Yugas, there are 4 Yugas to a Maha Yuga, Lord Caitanya appears “once” in a Kali-yuga with His Sankirtan Movement out of every two thousand.
There are 4,320,000 human years in a Maha Yuga multiply that by 2000 (that equals 8 billion 640 million years) and you will see that Lord Caitanya’s appearance is very rare as He comes once over that enormous period of time
Krishna also comes once every 2000 Maha yugas or every 8 billion 640 million years at the end of Dvarpara-yuga just before Lord Caitanya’s appearance 4,500 years into the Kali-yuga
In this rare Kali-yuga there there is a 10,000 years Golden Age of the Sankirtan Movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu or the congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha mantra, the previous 1,999 Kali-yugas had no Lord Caitanya or Golden Age of Sankirtan.
The Four Yugas
The four yugas make up a cycle called Divya-yuga or Maha-yuga, which lasts 4,320,000 years.
One thousand of these yugas equal one day of Brahma, which is called a kalpa and another one thousand makes up a night.
Brahma’s lifespan is 100 years of his time and 311 Trillion 400 billion years of our time.
SATYA YUGA - (sometimes also called krta-yuga): The golden age lasts 1,728,000 years. The process of self-realization in this yuga is meditation on Vishnu. During this yuga the majority of the population is situated in the mode of goodness and the average life span at the beginning of the yuga is 100,000 years.
TRETA YUGA - Also called the silver age, lasts 1,296,000 years and the process of self realization is the performance of opulent yajnas(sacrifices). The average life span is 10,000 years and the godly qualities decrease one fourth compared to the Satya yuga.
DVARPARA YUGA - Or the bronze age, lasts 864,000 years and the process of self realization is the worship of the deities within temples. Godly qualities are reduced to 50% by now and the average life expectancy is only 1000 years. Krishna in His originally Form comes at the end of Dvarpara-yuga but not every Dvarpara-yuga as He only comes once in a day of Brahma which is only every 2000th Dvarpara yuga
KALI YUGA - The iron age of hypocrisy and quarrel lasts 432,000 years. Lord Krsna appeared in His original, transcendental form right before the beginning of a Kali-yuga at the end of Dvarpara-yuga in one day of Brahma which is every 2000 cycles of the four yugas. Both Krishna in His original Form and Lord Caitanya do NOT appear in every Maha-yuga. Krishna does not appear at the end of every Dvarpara-yuga and Lord Caitanya does NOT appear in every Kali-yuga as explained above

The 40th Annual Los Angeles Ratha-yatra on Venice Beach, August 7th, 2016 (Album with HR photos)
Srila Prabhupada: All glories...