Planet ISKCON

Fortunate People is privileged to present! First ever!! (2 min video)
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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)
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The post The mysteries of the holy name and initiation into it (Part 1) appeared first on SivaramaSwami.com.

50 years ago, our founder and acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada planted a seed. He brought into existence a society whose specific name he chose and whose specific shape he carefully formed. The original group of early followers might have been bemused to learn the name of the organisation typed up on the deeds of incorporation: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness – ISKCON. There were no assets to speak of and with only one room in a back street of New York there was no way it could be described as even the New York State Society for Krishna Consciousness, what to speak of the American Society for Krishna Consciousness. And international? What a preposterous and utopian idea! Continue reading "Learning from a Tree
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First South American Farm Conference at Goura Vrindavana (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Anything fresh, that is full of...

In the 11th century AD, emperor Majapahit, ruling from Java, spread his kingdom upto Madagascar Island. During his rule, Kediri, in East Java, was famed as the centre of vedic culture, from where all the great sages appeared who are revered till the present day all over Indonesia. Archaeological findings in 2007 revealed a rich vedic cultural heritage of the region. Detailed stone images of Lord Narasimha deva, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu; Lord Visnu Himself seated on His bird-carrier Garuda; Ganesha, Harihara and many other similar specimens takes one on a time travel into the past….giving a vivid picture of what Indonesia was like back then. All these images and statues are now kept in the local Majapahit Museum. Continue reading "First Jagannath Ratha yatra Kediri, East Java, Indonesia
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So this Ratha-yatra Festival is a mass movement for enlightening people to this Krsna consciousness movement. We have got many other festivities in Krsna consciousness movement. We have got Janmastami, Sri Rama-navami, Dola-yatra, Jhulana-yatra. So there are twelve months, but we have got twenty-four festivals as big as this Ratha-yatra Festival. So if you kindly take to them, then as advised by Lord Caitanya, kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31], you will always be in Krsna consciousness, and there will be no scope of your frustration and confusion. For this purpose especially, I came in this meeting, that you kindly accept this humble instruction that wherever you may be, in whatever position, in whatever condition, you kindly chant these sixteen names Continue reading "Festival Of India Tour
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The Red Beads

After a rather depressing day yesterday for reasons that we needn’t get into, I woke up this morning feeling much better, with the resolve that I would pray to Krishna from now on to either heal me, or kill me, physically speaking of course, since there is no death for the soul. In a way the status of my cancer, namely not getting worse or better, is a metaphor for how I see my life—mediocre, and that just isn’t acceptable any more. I am called to physically, mentally, and emotionally leave my comfort zone, and do what I must.

We are admonished in the Bible to be either hot or cold, but not half-baked. I have been half-baked, with some notable exceptions, about most things my whole life. If I am going to continue to write, speak, travel, minister and help others, than I have to really do it, and by the grace of my gurus and Gaura Nitai, excel at it, or make my best effort and prayers to that effect.

As a number of motivational speakers have discovered and shared, “Reasons come first, answers some second.” Thus I have to have the proper motivation to write, speak, and help others, and then Krishna and his agents will help me find the ways to practically manifest it. I don’t have to know how, just that I must.

Therefore I am going to spend every day chanting, praying, and doing self-healing. I have studied for years in the past and spent thousands of dollars studying healing methods, and even practicing them, but never feeling strong enough about them to really pursue them. So now I have to use them or lose my current physical self.

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The Jhulan Festival is celebrated in July – August commemorating the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna enjoying His childhood pastimes with His friends – the young cowherd boys and girls, swinging underneath the trees.

It is a festival to celebrate Radha Krishna’s pastime of swinging on a golden swing every day until Balarama-purnima.

All over the world the devotees enjoy coming to the temple or swinging Their Lordships in their own homes.

The post August 13th, 2016 – Daily Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 August 2016, New Vraja Mandala, Spain, Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.23)

The two bhagavats

This is the last verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam (12.13.23) and the final message of the Bhagavatam is that harinama sankirtan, the chanting of the holy name, is ultimately the process to be followed. This is an important point and it was introduced by Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

In the Adi Lila, chapter one, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda drove out ignorance by the two bhagavats – the book bhagavat and the person bhagavat. Mahaprabhu said that telling everyone about Krsna would liberate the world. However, this was theoretical until Prabhupada actually did it!

Srila Prabhupada always tried to benefit a person with transcendental knowledge. For example, instead of O’Hare airport in Chicago, he wanted it to be called O’Hare Krsna airport and he was not joking. Prabhupada tried at EVERY opportunity to spread the name of Krsna. Through the person bhagavat, Krsna consciousness is spread throughout the whole world!

The Panca Tattva

Amongst all incarnations, Krsna is the Supreme Lord. There are different manifestations, some plenary and others are partial. In the Caitanya Caritamrta, the Panca Tattva are described.

Lord Caitanya is Bhagavan, Krsna. Lord Nityananda is non-different from Lord Caitanya but in a different mood. Lord Caitanya is sevya bhagavan – the Lord in the mood of being served; and Lord Nityananda is sevak bhagavan – the Lord in the mood of a servant. This is the difference!

Advaita Acharya is an avatar (incarnation). He was worshipping another form of Lord, the Salagram Sila, to make the Lord appear. So the Lord was worshipping the Lord to make the Lord appear… How could that be?

In the Caitanya Bhagavat it says that before Mahaprabhu appeared, kirtan was already going on in the house of Srivas Thakur. The neighbours were afraid that the Muslims would be disturbed by kirtan. They planned to chop down Srivas Thakur’s house. Advaita Acharya became very upset and said, “If now the Lord does not appear, I will appear in a form with a sudarshan chakra and cut off the heads of these atheists!”

The Supreme Lord comes to establish the principles of religion and drive out the demons. This is the dharma (inherent duty) of the incarnations of the Lord. Only the Lord himself can give Krsna prema. If we offer water, a flower or a leaf then Krsna has nothing to repay in return and will give himself. In this way, Advaita Acharya wanted to make the Lord appear by offering tulasi and water. Krsna was “forced” to appear

The Lord appeared in every home of Navadvipa in the form of the holy name and from there, it spread all over whole the world by the grace of Srila Prabhupada.

The story of Radha Kund

Krsna killed Aristhasura (the bull demon) and then had to take bath in all the holy places to purify himself of the sin of killing a bull otherwise the gopis would not associate with him anymore. So Krsna made a hole in the ground where all the holy waters of the world appeared.

Then Krsna said to the gopis that actually Aristhasura was a demon and they were protecting a demon therefore they were contaminated and he could not associate with the gopis anymore, so they must bathe in all the holy places. Then the gopis scratched the ground with their bangles and made a hole. Krsna was impatient and offered water from his own pond but the gopis refused. The gopis wanted to make a human chain from Manasi Ganga and fill the hole with its waters but Krsna was thinking that this would take too long. So, he ordered all the holy waters to enter into the new pond  and thus in Vrindavan, we have Syama Kund and Radha Kund, the divine lakes of Krsna and Srimati Radharani. Such eternal places that exist in the spiritual world are manifested within the material universe by the divine arrangement of the Supreme Lord in order to make his mercy widely available.

Krsna can do everything very easily. He could make the whole world Krsna conscious without a problem if he would only desire it! The gopis had to dig with their bangles; it was so much work. Similarly to make EVERYONE Krsna conscious is SO much work!

Krsna’s arrangement

ISKCON is now 50 years in existence. Still there are so many problems. When will everyone be chanting? We think it is so much work but Prabhupada never thought like that! He took on big work. Even though he left this world, his books still make people devotees. We cannot change the world but Krsna can. If we attract Krsna then miracles can happen like how in the Soviet Union when the devotees were freed from labour camps and psychiatric clinics. Now we have so many Russian devotees. It is all Krsna’s arrangement!

*Notes taken by Nimai during the lecture

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Volume One (San Francisco/London) of Shyamasundar’s long-awaited three-volume “Chasing Rhinos With The Swami” is about to go to press!
To find out more about the book, to read exciting excerpts, and to pre-order your copies at a heavily discounted price, go to chasingrhinos.com
Here’s what Satyaraj das (Steven Rosen) has to say about “Chasing Rhinos”:
“In ‘Chasing Rhinos with the Swami,’ Shyamasundara Das has accomplished something truly remarkable. He successfully takes his readers back in time, with descriptive language and storytelling expertise, and gives them – fully– the association of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. There have been other memoirs involving His Divine Grace, to be sure, but the attention to detail and visceral manifestation of time and place found in Shyamasundara’s book is something new. It has never before been accomplished in quite this way. His street savvy, intelligence, common sense, and love for Prabhupada all come through with a tangible freshness, allowing readers entrance into the narrative in a very real way. He seems to remember it all, and he shares it with exacting specificity. He was there! And you know it by the way he writes about it. He lived it, and now, through him, you will live it too! A must read for all students of philosophy, the 60s counterculture, cosmic consciousness, eastern thought, and life itself.”
– Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa), author of 30 books on eastern spirituality; senior editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies; and associate editor of Back to Godhead magazine

Dr. Kenneth R. Valpey (Krishna Kshetra Swami): Book endorsement: I am grateful to Prof. Francis X. Clooney, the Parkman Professor of Divinity at Harvard University and my former doctoral supervisor, who has written a very nice endorsement for our (Ravi M. Gupta & my) soon to appear *The Bhāgavata Purāṇa: Selected Readings*:
“The Bhagavata Purana is one of the most important theological and devotional texts of Hinduism. Yet, given its great length and complexity, it has rarely been read even by the wider audience of scholars and students, beyond the justly famous narratives of Krishna found in its tenth book. Most readers remain unfamiliar with the rich range of its philosophical and religious narratives, its fascinating and entertaining narrative of cosmology and myth, its teachings on religious practice and devotion, and its important articulation of a fundamental Vaishnava theology. Gupta and Valpey have put their Indological and theological skills to good use in their excellent translations of key texts judiciously selected from all twelve books, thus making the Purana truly accessible for the first time. It is also a welcome companion to the scholarly essays found in their The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (2013). Together, these volumes will quickly find a place in the classroom and on the shelves of every library collection attuned to the greater Hindu traditions.”

Vaishnava summer festival - BALTIC 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: All glories to the all-blissful holy name of Sri...

We are pleased to inform you that we have received a very encouraging and inspirational message from the President's office personally signed by Sri Pranab Mukherjee - President of India, Congratulating ISKCON for 50th Anniversary celebration 2016 being observed worldwide. Continue reading "Message of President of India for ISKCON 50
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We are pleased to inform you that we have received a very encouraging and inspirational message from the Smt. Hema Malini famous Film Actress and Member of Parliament Lok Sabha New Delhi, Congratulating ISKCON for 50th Anniversary celebration 2016 being observed worldwide. Continue reading "Message of Smt. Hema Malini famous Film Actress and MP of India
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BY TAN SIN CHOW

ORIGINAL SOURCE: THESTAR

BUTTERWORTH - Sanskrit is Greek to most people but for Bhanu Swami Maharaj (pic) the ancient language is a cinch to master.

The Canadian of Japanese descent said the sacred language of Hinduism may seem complicated but it was easier than most languages because it was phonetic-based.

“There are vowels and consonants but you only have to memorise 60. Reading it is easy. It is unlike the character-based Chinese or Japanese languages where you have to remember 6,000 to 10,000 characters,” said the scholar, 67.

However, he said that while Sanskrit words were pronounced exactly as they were written, “it can also be difficult as there are many conjugation and declension of nouns and verbs”.

He has translated 29 books from Sanskrit into English. His significant works involve the Brahma Sutras, Bhaktirasanrta Sindu, Brahma Samhita and the Srimad Bhagavatam from Volume One to 12.

Bhanu Swami, a scholar in Sanskrit and Bengali, spoke of the difficulties in translating the books due to the meaning of certain words.

“One word can have the opposite meaning sometimes. And there is scripture like Brahma Sutras which is particularly difficult because the words are in a condensed form,” he explained.

He said he was deeply influenced by the teachings of Srila A.C. Bhaktidedanta Swami Prahhupad, who came from a long line of spiritual masters in India.

Bhanu Swami, who joined the Hare Krishna movement in India in 1970, has travelled extensively in Europe, Russia, Australia, Malaysia and Japan.

He was a speaker at the Hindu Civilisation and Heritage Exhibition at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Kanhaiya Temple of Devotion and Under­standing in Seberang Jaya yesterday.

Talks and the exhibition will go on at the temple until Aug 14.

The exhibition highlights historical records of the Bujang Valley, Kedah Tua, Gangga Negara and Langkasuka; the Hindu history of Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Prambanan (Indonesia), and places in China, Korea, Japan, Australia, North America, South America, Russia, the Vatican and Egypt.

It is organised by the Bhaktivedanta Science Unit of International Society for Krishna Consciousness Malaysia.

The public is welcome to view the exhibition from 9am to 9.30pm on weekdays and from 8.30am to 11pm on weekends. Admission is free.

Pilgrimage to New Vraja Dhāma (Album with photos)
Here are some photos of the wonderful New Vraja Dhama as we wondered here and there loudly chanting, glorifying Rādhe Śyāma and Vraja with 20 Bhakti College students in theology. There was sweet kīrtana, lots of kṛṣṇa-kathā, spontaneous dramas of pastimes, drawing of demons, swimming in the Yamunā. One evening after a full day of parikrama the students requested us to teach them how to make flower garlands and 14 of them were patiently stringing flowers and kept calling out, “this is bliss! this is bliss!” The last day we did a quiz for them to revise what they learned which was also fun. It was an amazing 5 days in the abode of the most beautiful and merciful Rādhā-Śyāmasundara.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/VaqiC6

BY FMT REPORTERS

ORIGINAL SOURCE: FREEMALAYSIATODAY

PETALING JAYA - A “Hindu Civilisation & Heritage Exhibition” organised by the Bhaktivedanta Science Unit of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness will showcase the history of Hinduism in Malaysia and around the world.

The exhibition aims to promote an appreciation for Hindu scientific contributions in various fields of study including archaeology besides putting the spotlight on Hindu culture.

Among the attractions at the exhibition will be historical Hindu records of the Bujang Valley, Kedah Tua, Gangga Nagara and Langkasuka in Malaysia as well as that of the world famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Prambanan in Indonesia. There will also be exhibits from China, Korea, Japan and Australia as well as those further away in North America, South America, Russia, the Vatican and Egypt. 

Also on display will be exhibits of the various religious teachings that Hindus have professed and practiced through the ages.

A rather enlightening part of the exhibition centres around the many contributions and discoveries of Hindu sages as well as their scriptures in the fields of mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, metallurgy, astronomy, linguistics, architecture and culture.

Part and parcel of the “Hindu Civilisation & Heritage Exhibition” will be a series of talks by experts in various fields, held on the weekends of August 6-7 and 13-14.

Among the speakers will be Japanese Monk and Sanskrit scholar His Holiness Srila Bhanu Swami, who will talk about ‘Science & Vedas’ (Unlocking Secrets of Left Brain-Right Brain); ‘Discovering Soul – The Last Frontier of Science’; and ‘Soul – The Last Frontier of Science.’

Meanwhile Malaysia-born author, V Nadarajan will talk about the Bujang Valley.

Others speakers include Professor Dr Surabala (USM); Dr Sridevi Sriniwass (UM); Dr Suhanya Parthasarathy (UM); Dr Ranjev Hari (UM); His Grace Simheswara Prabhu (ISKCON Regional Secretary); JK Wicky (Cinematographer & Motivator).

The exhibition will be held from 6 to 14 Aug at the Janaky Ramamirtham Hall of Sri Radha Krishna Kanhaiya Temple of Devotion and Understanding, Lorong Jelawat 4, at Bandar Seberang Jaya. Admission is free.
Those wishing for more information can contact Kalesa @ Lim Kok Chye (019 – 4411 008) or Dr Surash Ramanathan (013 – 435 7649).

Would you care to know a long-forgotten secret, not even guessed at by the greatest thinkers of the modern era? It’s a simple truth that’s been continuously shrouded by the relentless, disquieting whirlwind of madness presently sweeping over the entire world. It’s this: there is no happier lifestyle than that of a celibate monk! Or, more broadly understood, accepting a simple life, beginning with a lifestyle of celibacy, for the purpose of increasing one’s love for God leads to greater happiness. This path can be taken up by any person in any walk of life. Here, however, we will examine some of the benefits of life as a monk. Monks aren’t all quiet and distant. The typical image is that of a person living alone in the forest, or away from the commoners, and having no excitement in his expression. That is one type of monk. But there are various traditions imbued with diverse moods. For example, the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which is being carried forward by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, fosters a mood of joyful song and dance, and colorful festivity, even among its monastic order. Such a disposition reflects the basic understanding that spiritual life is vibrant and celebratory, not staid or stagnant. Continue reading "Be A Monk?
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9th EU Farm Conference in Villa Vrindavana, Florence, Italy.
The farm conferences are bringing together empowered citizens and ...

ISKCON Pakistan JAGANNATH RATH YATRA 2016 & Celebrations of ISKCON GOLDEN JUBILEE (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on ones having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness one attracts the attention of Krishna. That is the verdict of all the Vedas. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 4.71 purport).
Find them here: https://goo.gl/FLzTnx

Bliss Along The Baltic Sea (14 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Summer 2016 has been just like the spiritual world for the 300 members of our festival tour in Poland. From Vedic scriptures we learn that in the spiritual sky, every step is a dance, every word is a song and there’s a festival every day. While sharing such good fortune with others our bliss knows no bounds!
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/zgvro7

During my classes on the Ajamila pastime at the Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha in Wada, a question that expectedly came up was regarding scriptural proclamations about the glory of the holy name: Are they literal statements that will always be true? Or are they poetic hyperboles?

My understanding is that they reflect literal accounts of what happened in the past — and these extraordinary displays of Krishna’s mercy are meant to inspire our faith in and commitment to the ordinary process of bhakti for acquiring that mercy.

The second chapter of the Bhagavatam’s sixth canto concludes with the declaration that if Ajamila got so much benefit by chanting while referring to his son, how much more will we be benefitted if we chant while referring to the Lord? Vishwanath Chakravarti in his commentary adds three more factors: Ajamila chanted just once, at the time of death and without all that much faith. If we chant daily and chant lifelong and chant faithfully, how much more sure we can be of being benefitted?

That hearers shouldn’t expect the exact event to recur for them is evident from Parikshit Maharaja’s response: After hearing the Ajamila pastime, he didn’t tell Shukadeva Goswami: “No need for me to hear krishna-katha for seven days continuously; I will just chant Narayana when I am about to die.”

During my practice of sadhana-bhakti, we get hope to struggle on through examples of extraordinary mercy such as that bestowed on Ajamila, but we focus on seeking shelter in the ordinary process of bhakti centered on hearing and chanting. And that ordinary-seeming practice will eventually reward the same extraordinary result that Ajamila and other recipients of extraordinary mercy got: elevation, purification and liberation.

The post Get hope from the extraordinary, seek shelter in the ordinary appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The whole Ecovillage is in a beautiful rustic setting which is natural and comfortable. While being close to nature, amidst greenery that had become all the more verdant due to the profuse rains – it was natural to think of the other nature that is much closer to us all the time – our human nature. And the narrative of Ajamila that appears in the Bhagavatam’s sixth canto is one of the most evocative explorations of the potentials and pitfalls of human nature.

While the story of an upright young man falling to degradation on being exposed to a temptation is sobering, the story’s finale in his being elevated and liberated by the power of the holy name is uplifting.
And that ultimately is the message of supreme hope that bhakti offers us — human nature, despite its many weaknesses, is reformable by the power of God’s grace, a grace that manifests most munificently in the path of bhakti-yoga centered around the chanting of his holy name.

The post Exploring human nature near divine nature appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Praying to the Giver of the Holy Name

The post August 12th, 2016 – Daily Darshan appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi has congratulated ISKCON on its 50th anniversary, praising its accomplishments in a way that shows a strong understanding of ISKCON's  core message and efforts. We hope its Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada, who always tried to reach the leaders of society, is pleased.

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

A verse from the Mahabharat points out that logic alone remains inconclusive. One philosopher has one interpretation while another philosopher has another interpretation and sometimes there is no end to an argument. It just goes on and on and on, if one tries to establish the truth on basis of argument.

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya said, tarka-śāstre jaḍa āmi, yaiche lauha-piṇḍa (CC Madhya 6.214) that, “As a result of preoccupying myself with the study of these arguments of logic from various scriptures, my heart became hard like an iron bar.” So this is the result, when everything is based on logic there is no room for the heart.

Later when Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya became a vaisnava, he is quoted in the Padyavali, in the book which is compiled by Srila Rupa Goswami, “We are not logicians. We are not great philosphers who have crossed the ocean of Vedanta. We are not expert debaters. We are simply the servants of a rascal cowherd boy.” 

So the whole spirit had changed. It is not that the vaisnavas are NOT expert in philosophy but their main interest is not only tattva (philosophy) but there is also rasa (relationship). Without the combination of tattva and rasa, how can transcendental knowledge ever be complete!? If there is only tattva, only philosophy, then where is the heart? Just like it says in the Caitanya Caritamrta, “What is the use of the words of a poet? What is the use of the arrow of a hunter, if it does not pierce the heart and make the head spin?”

So in this way, what is the use of the truth if ultimately the heart is not involved…

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Two weeks ago at Bhaktivedanta Manor, a new garden was dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and his disciples. Since it was the week in which we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the formal establishment of ISKCON, I gave the following speech:

If you would please look up and cast your eyes behind me towards this sequoia tree. It’s at least 100 feet high. It was planted here in the 1880s by a gardener who never got to see it the way we can see it today. This tree is one of 183 trees here at the Bhaktivedanta Manor. I’d like to think it has its own personality. Certainly it has heard more kirtan than most sequoias.

At sometimes 200 – 300 feet high, the sequoia tree is one of the largest living things in the world and can live for more than three thousand years.  A tree like this can produce 250 seeds from every cone. And a mature tree can produce thousands of cones.

Now, the seed of the sequoia is tiny – only 5 millimetres long. Yet inside a tiny seed is everything needed to grow an entire tree. Think of that for a while. An entire tree inside a tiny seed. Something that will live for three thousand years, inside a tiny seed. Inside the cone is a special chemical which only allows the seeds to fall when the moisture level is just right. Inside the seeds there are so many working parts with wonderful names: vacuoles, ribosomes, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. And inside them there is intricate coding – every single detail of the future tree is there.

So within the seed is both the essence of the sequoia tree – the essence that will make it different from all other trees – as well as the specific coding that will form the trunk, branches, twigs and cones, coding that will help the tree to grow, stand tall, and endure for centuries. The essence and the structure – both are needed.

In any area of human life, when someone begins an endeavour  – especially one they hope will endure for a long time, they are, in effect, planting a seed. By their aspirations, their vision of the final result, and by their determination, they plant a seed. And, provided the conditions are right, it will grow.

The growth of a spiritual movement, such as ours, depends on the flow of grace from the divine source and the aspirations and channelled energy of the spiritual seeker. It is said that God reaches down to the soul and the soul reaches upwards to God. And where they meet is called the guru.

The interplay between guru and disciple allows for the transmission of intricate spiritual coding. By sincere enquiry and service, by following the compassionate guidance of the guru and making himself a vessel for the guru’s wisdom and grace, the disciple can begin to grow upwards. But through the disciples the guru also grows. His ability to help the world grows as his disciples reach out to others. They multiply his ability to give Krishna. Guru and disciple together make a spiritual movement.

In the case of a tree, in the beginning there is but a small stirring in the soil. But as the years pass the small sapling grows into a magnificent, tall tree with many branches and hundreds of twigs on every branch. In the case of a spiritual movement, inspired followers attract more followers and a small band of disciples grows into a movement. It takes time, and the growth may not always be apparent, but it grows.

From this small seed comes a tree that can grow to three hundred feet and last for thousands of years. With the establishment of ISKCON Srila Prabhupada planted a seed for centuries to come.

50 years ago, our founder and acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada planted a seed. He brought into existence a society whose specific name he chose and whose specific shape he carefully formed. The original group of early followers might have been bemused to learn the name of the organisation typed up on the deeds of incorporation: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness – ISKCON. There were no assets to speak of and with only one room in a back street of New York there was no way it could be described as even the New York State Society for Krishna Consciousness, what to speak of the American Society for Krishna Consciousness. And international? What a preposterous and utopian idea!

Yet with the signing of that document – the planting of the seed for his future organisation – Srila Prabhupada gave all the natural coding for the growth that was to come. The love and gratitude of his disciples, their enthusiasm to do his bidding, and his daily teaching and careful guidance, all formed the perfect setting for growth to take place.

There is an old Irish story of a farmer who looks up from his field towards the nearby road and sees a saintly man walking. “Where are you going, sir?” he asks. “Oh, I’m going to start a religious movement,” replies the saint. Then the farmer sees the devil walking some yards behind and asks him: “Why are you following the saint?” “Oh, I’m going to help him organise his religious movement,” he replies with a grin.

We don’t trust organisations. They can be very tricky things. It’s not always easy for human beings to work together as an organisation – we are all independent and we are needy in so many ways. Yet an organisation is, in effect, nothing more than a living organism- like this tree – but made up of humans. An organism is something alive that contains organs – parts that perform certain functions for the welfare of the whole body. An organisation is an organism where those organs are made up of teams of humans working together.

Now, it is true that sequoia trees, or anthills, or beehives, function much better as living systems than humans do when they try to work together. We just don’t get along like ants or bees, or like the living organism of the tree. A survey conducted by Yale University found that in the 20^th century the lifespan of the average S&P Index listed American company fell from 67 years to just 15. So at 50 years old, ISKCON is already bucking the odds by a factor of three.

Our company, ISKCON, is by ordinary calculation a company that should either be struggling or have gone out of business already. Consider the fragility of an organisation that promotes education in spiritual values, pays its members no dividends and depends mainly on voluntary contributions; that extols virtues that most of the world considers vices, and that runs counter to many of the intellectual notions held sacred by the world. Surely such an organisation should have collapsed by now.

Yet against all the odds, and despite some irregularities, Srila Prabhupada’s movement has endured, grown and prospered – and has reached its half century. This is something to be applauded. The secret of ISKCON’s success so far is an open secret: Srila Prabhupada planted the seed and the information content of that seed was very high. Not only the Sanskrit texts and teachings of ancient wisdom, but the careful guidance of how the structure was to grow, flourish and expand. How the members of his movement should work together, and how the resulting movement would spread and sweep up many more people in its embrace.

At the heart of it is the relationship of those early disciples with their master; a special friendship grounded in the sincere exchange of enquiry and revelation. From the master came wisdom so encouraging that it changed their young lives, and they offered grateful service to a person who they knew loved them. It was the oldest of all relationships, the guru-sisya sambandha.

Disciples gave their entire youth to Srila Prabhupada. The years normally spent in learning and making a home were sacrificed so that the seed of his divine tree, ISKCON, could be planted. We who enjoy membership of ISKCON today know that without those early disciples and their love for their spiritual master, we would not be here. So today we salute them and we thank them for their life of service. Some of them are gathered here today. We thank you and applaud your gift to us. This garden, this guru-sisya udyana, is dedicated to you and your relationship with Srila Prabhupada. Let this garden always remind us of how you served him, of the divine exchange between guru and disciple, and of the efforts you took to bring us all to Srila Prabhupada, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Los Angeles Rathayatra 2016 (Album with photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.51 Purport)
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