"Planet ISKCON" - 36 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Tuesday 18 January 2011--Explosion of Bliss--and--What is Bhakti?A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course(tm) Tuesday 18 January 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. Today's Thought: Explosion of Bliss Uploaded from Santiago, Chile On Sunday 16 January 2011 the city of Santiago, Chile exploded in transcendental bliss. Lord Jagannatha along with His brother and sister, Balarama and Subhadra, came of out seclusion in the temple to grace the streets of Santiago with their divine presence. Hundreds of devotees and guests chanted and danced in ecstasy in the streets of Santiago along with the help of the Santiago police department, who blocked off the streets from all traffic. The parade ended in a park in Santiago's prestigious Ñuñoa district where I gave a lecture, there was transcendental musical entertainment from the stage, and Krishna prasadam was served freely to all. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Super Ecstatic Ratha Yatra Festival Santiago, Chile--16 January 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Ratha_Yatra1.JPG http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Ratha_Yatra2.JPG http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Ratha_Yatra3.JPG Introducing the People to Krishna Consciousness http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Ratha_yatra.JPG http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Ratha_Yatra4.JPG Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What is Bhakti? Thank you for your illuminating words. Just one question for now: What is bhakti? Anna Answer: Pure Devotion for the Supreme Lord Bhakti is pure loving devotion for the Supreme Lord. One who has bhakti fully dedicates his life in the service of God without asking for anything in return. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2010-2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed: http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. Simply we request you to acknowledge where it is coming from with a link to our sign up page: http://www.backtohome.com Our records indicate that at requested to be enrolled to receive e-mails from the Ultimate Self Realization Course at: This request was made on: From the following IP address: ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Vraja Krsna PrabhuBhagavatam class given on Monday, 17th Jan 2011
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Yoga Meltdown in St. KildaThe St. Kilda Festival on Sunday February 13th. is fast approaching. Book Distribution News: Stories from the marathon in FinlandIt was the 22nd December, and I wanted to distribute 100 books. I had stayed the whole day in a freezing cold parking lot that was connected to Ideapark, a huge shopping mall. It was nine P.M. and I had distributed 91 books. I thought to myself, "I am so tired I cannot go on anymore. Tomorrow I will distribute a hundred." I got on the car and started driving to the accommodation. While in Lempaala, I thought, "Maybe I could try the local pub. I have done it sometime before; let's see." When I parked the car, I silently prayed to Lord Nityananda that I could distribute Srila Prabhupada's books in such a degraded place. I asked the waiter, whether I could sell some books to their customers. She agreed. Immediately two girls (sisters) who were at the counter, addressed me, "Are you one of the Hare Krsnas?" "Yes", I replied. They started to explain how they were university students and had visited our temple on the teacher training course with the theology group. Such a group comes for a visit every autumn. They expressed their great interest in Vedic wisdom and their doubts about Christianity. Then they told a most amazing story of how they had met a man who they thought to be a reincarnation of Christ. This man had been able to tell some very detailed information of their childhood, which no one could have known. Then they became even more excited and said, "And now you will think we are completely crazy, but we have seen a UFO." And so they went on telling their far out story. They were not drunk, nor crazy. Then they said, "And now we meet you. There is no sense to it. We never come to this place. This time we came to this pub to buy some food for the evening meal. And what are you doing in this place?" Eventually they took five books for forty euros. Some other customers of the pub bought the remaining four books. By the causeless mercy of Lord Nityananda the final result for the day was 100 books! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Transcendental book distribution ki jaya! Anantakoti Vaisnava vrnda ki jaya! Your servant, Avadhuta Chandra das Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: My Hot Water Heater Sent Me An EmailNot my hot water exactly. The technician who installed my thermal solar (hot water heater) unit had me buy a router (to the pleasure of my children with laptops who occasionally drop in). Then he ran a cable from the control panel of the unit and plugged it in. From there it sends data to an off site server and after he set me up an account, that is where I go via browser to monitor what it going on. The email was from the site notifying me it was ready to go. December 2010 was the 11th coldest on record and we never had a temperature above freezing nor a sunny day for the first 15 days after installation. Finally we got a day with some midday sun and even with subfreezing ambient temperature I got some hot water production. See the graph of the first hot water I ever got from this unit. The area in red indicates water temperature rising in the storage tank. The yellow line shows the pump circulated antifreeze through the heat exchanger.
Since then we have still had below average temps and mostly cloudy days, but if we get a few hours of midday sun we are getting some water heated by the sun. The solar crew showed up the day after the Amish crew finished the roof. It had snowed some so while two of them were working on installing the tank in the basement the third went up on the roof to clean off the snow to prepare for installing the racks that would hold the collectors. My wife was talking on the phone and all of a sudden I heard her gasp and say, “Was that human? Something just fell off the roof!” We rushed to the window and sure enough, there was the guy tentatively getting up and brushing off some snow. He said he was fine and worked the rest of the day but I am sure he was sore the next day. Here is the crew with some help from Janardhan who was here working on a different project getting one of the collectors up to the roof.
Here it is being installed on the rack.
Note the insulated flexible stainless steel pipe that the antifreeze circulates down to the tank through. Even on cloudy days after a snow, within a few hours the snow melts off the collectors, so don’t let this picture scare you off.
Just that little bit of uncovered space at the top heats it up and soon the snow is in a heap at the base.. Even on a cloudy day with temps below freezing the fluid warms up, though not enough to effect heat gain unless one were to use an inordinate amount of water and pull a lot of ground temperature water into the tank. I keep mentioning the tank which I just went down into the basement to take a picture of but although I can get to it to see the gauges my wife has the basement so stacked with boxes of gourds she is crafting that I can’t back up from it to get a decent picture. It is larger and better insulated than a normal electric hot water heater. Unlike a regular hot water heater which has two heating elements one at the top and one at the bottom, the auxiliary heater elements in this one are at the top and in the middle. That keeps about the same amount of standby hot water available stratified at the top with cooler water at the bottom. As hot water is drawn off to be used the replacement water inlet is at the bottom. The heat exchanger for the thermal collectors is in the bottom so it has a cooler water in which to work. Whenever there is a 7 deg (4 C) differential between the fluid in the collectors and the water at the bottom of the heater the pump circulates the fluid. We have the auxiliary heaters thermostat set to kick on to keep water at 120 F (49 C). Another of the features of the unit is that if the pump kicks on, the thermostat automatically rises to 135 F (57 C). This means it doesn’t turn on as quickly , allowing the solar collectors to take the lead in heating water. If the pump doesn’t run for 30 minutes, it resets to 120 F. It also appears to turn off the axillary heaters at night, coming on again at 8 Am. This helps minimize off cycle standby losses. I know it works, now all we need is some sunshine with warmer weather. We have reached the turning point of the winter. Statistically, the coldest days of the winter are January 18-20th here so the future looks bright. When the collector is (eventually) really cranking, the temperature of the water in the storage tank can get quite high. They warned about bumping into the the external brass pieces like the drain valve as one could get burned. There is a mixer valve with the unit so the faucet temperature will never exceed 120 F (49C) so that will be safe. 120 degrees is, FYI, the “green” temperature they recommend even for conventional hot water heaters in order to conserve energy so check out your tap hot water temp and adjust it accordingly if you can. It will be interesting to see how early in the spring we can start getting all our hot water from the sun. ” ‘I am the taste of water; I am the shining illumination of the sun and moon.’ Who has not seen the sunlight? Who has not seen the moonlight? Who has not tasted water? Then why do you say, ‘I have not seen God’? If you simply practice this bhakti-yoga, as soon as you taste water and feel satisfied you will think, “Oh, here is Krsna.” Immediately you will remember Krsna. As soon as you see the sunshine, you will remember, ‘Oh, here is Krsna.’ “ Journey of Self Discovery 6.3: Spiritual Advice to Businessmen Filed under: Cows and Environment         ISKCON Melbourne, AU: The Return of the Urban Mystic
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Yoga Retreat: 28th - 30th January
ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Look Out World, Here Comes a Three-Year-Old Kirtan Phenom!How's this for kirtan! Check out this little devotee from ISKCON Coventry (United Kingdom) as he brings the house down with a roaring kirtan. If you don't watch the whole thing, at least watch his service attitude during kirtan at the 2:42 mark of the second video! Enjoy! Part One:
  ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
Sita-pati dasa, AU: 3-year old leads kirtan ISKCON Toronto, Canada: A Year of Monthly Clean-Ups at the Temple!This past Saturday, devotees celebrated the one year anniversary of the Ceto Darpana Marjanam (CDM) Project. The project involves devotees from the community regularly getting together and cleaning the temple. The following a short video summarizing the fun (and clean) year that has passed!   David Haslam, UK: Celebrating RE, School visitsDuring the month of March there is a national celebration of Religious Education with in schools. So my diary is filling up very quickly to the point were overload is coming into play, with several official invites including the opening festival to a special evening for teachers and faith groups. Having worked with SACRE I’m [...] Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Prabhupada Nectar everyday this week!We got a real treat this weekend! Srila Prabhupada nectar in the form of pictures...
We were looking for some particular pictures and out plops an envelope with 7 pictures. I had not seen the pictures before and the pictures are in pristine condition. I do not believe these pics have ever been published! So they have been scanned and every day this week you get one picture with a title and some commentary.  DeterminedThis is Srila Prabhupada entering our home during his first visit in 1975. It is titled "Determined" since Srila Prabhupada is very focused, holding his cane and ready to do Krishna katha.
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet. Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Chaitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism. Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: Al Quran - A Recitation
 Japa Group: Japa Is Your Main Sadhana
 Bhakta Chris, New York, USA: MLK Was An Interfaith Visionary, Too
One hundred years ago, the great African-American scholar W.E.B. DuBois famously wrote, "The problem of the 20th century will be the problem of the color line." History proved DuBois correct. His century saw the struggles against, and ultimately the victory over, systems that separated and subjugated people based on race -- from colonialism in India to Jim Crow in the U.S. to apartheid in South Africa. No American did more than Martin Luther King Jr. -- whom America pauses to honor today -- to address the problem of the color line. He spearheaded the marches that revealed the brutality of segregation, made speeches that reminded Americans that the promise of their nation applied to all citizens and expertly pressured the nation's leaders in Washington to pass landmark civil rights legislation. But to confine King's role in history only to the color line -- as giant as that challenge is, and as dramatic as King's contribution was -- is to reduce his greatness. In one of his final books, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, King showed that race was one part of his broader concern with human relations at large: "This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited ... a great 'world house' in which we have to live together -- black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu ... Because we can never again live apart, we must learn somehow to live with each other in peace." This ethos, as King's examples make clear, applies not only to the question of race, but to faith as well. In the same way as the headlines of the 20th century read of conflict between races, headlines in our times are full of violence between people of different religions. Indeed, what the color line was to the 20th century, the faith line might be to the 21st. Faith as a bridge King's life has as much to say to us on the question of interfaith cooperation as it did on the matter of interracial harmony. A prince of the black church, deeply rooted in his own Baptist tradition, King viewed his faith as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. When, as a seminary student, King was introduced to the satyagraha ("love-force") philosophy of the Indian Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi, King did not reject it because it came from a different religion. Instead, he sought to find resonances between Gandhi's Hinduism and his own interpretation of Christianity. Indeed, it was Gandhi's movement in India that provided King with a 20th century version of what Jesus would do. King patterned nearly all the strategy and tactics of the civil rights movement -- from boycotts to marches to readily accepting jail time -- after Gandhi's leadership in India. King called Gandhi "the first person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force." Following Gandhi was King's first step on a long journey of learning about the shared social justice values across the world's religions, and partnering with faith leaders of all backgrounds in the struggle for civil rights. In 1959, more than a decade after the Mahatma's death, King traveled to India to meet with people continuing the work Gandhi had started. He was surprised and inspired to meet Indians of all faith backgrounds working for equality and harmony, discovering in their own traditions the same inspiration for love and peace that King found in Christianity. King's experience with religious diversity in India shaped the rest of his life. He readily formed a friendship with the Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, finding a common bond in their love of the Hebrew prophets. The two walked arm-in-arm in the famous civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Later, Heschel wrote, "Our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying." King's friendship with the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh inspired one of his most controversial moves, the decision to publicly oppose the Vietnam War. In his letter nominating Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize, King wrote, "He is a holy man. ... His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to a world brotherhood, to humanity." In his famous sermon "A Time to Break Silence," King was unequivocal about his Christian commitment and at the same time summarized his view of the powerful commonality across all faiths: "This Hindu-Muslim-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about ultimate reality" is that the force of love is "the supreme unifying principle of life." We live at a time of religious conflict abroad and religious tension at home. This would no doubt have dismayed King, who viewed faith as an inspiration to serve and connect, not to destroy and divide. During King's time, groups ranging from white supremacists to black militants believed that the races were better apart. Today, the same is said of division along the lines of faith. King insisted that we are always better together. Indeed, that pluralism is part of divine plan. To paraphrase one of his most enduring statements: The world is not divided between black and white or Christian and Muslim, but between those who would live together as brothers and those who would perish together as fools. This piece originally appeared in USA Today. Follow Eboo Patel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EbooPatel
 New Vrndavan, USA: Nama Sanga GatheringDear devotees I want to invite you to the first nama-sanga gathering, this Wed. JAN 19th AT 5 PM in PRABHUPADA’S PALACE. The program will be centered around japa and the Holy Name. The idea is to discuss/share peaks and valleys in our daily japa in order to support, encourage and inspire each other in our endeavor to meet Krishna in His holy name.Program includes:
PS Please feel free to contact me 843-0122 Akrura das, Gita Coaching: ACKNOWLEDGE KRSNA'S KINDNESSThey have taken from nature, but they are thieves because everything in nature belongs to Krsna. Isavasyam idam sarvam: "Everything is God's creation." (Iso, mantra 1)  Akrura das, Gita Coaching: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE"I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly in His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally."  Akrura das, Gita Coaching: BEING HURTOther people can hurt us to the extent we allow them to hurt us.  Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Radha Shyamasundar please keep us in Your service eternally. This is one of my all time favorite videos. Thank you Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar for letting us serve you. Every day we feel fortunate to see Your spectacular beauty and mercy! Thank you HH Bhaktimarga Swami for a remarkably estastic kirtan! Akrura das, Gita Coaching: FEARLESSNESSOne who takes shelter of the Supreme Lord has nothing to fear, even in the midst of the greatest calamity. There is no fear in transcendental realization. Fearfulness and loss of mental equilibrium take place in persons who are too affected by material conditions.
 Matsyavatara das (ACBSP), Italy: Family Matters (Part Two) - By Matsya Avatara Dasa (Marco Ferrini)
Dealing with Illicit Sex Question: In ISKCON we are taught to follow the four regulative principles, among which avoiding illicit sex is often the most crucial one. However, there are situations where one member of the couple doesn’t agree on practicing sexual restraint, and this could lead to the drastic break-up of the marriage. What can be done in such cases? This is a burning issue, which requires an honest and urgent clarification. It is not the first time I talk about it, but so far I have done it only with very intimate students. According to my understanding of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, I distinguish between two categories of illicit sex: the first is pre-marital and outside marriage―they belong to the same category―and the second is within wedlock, between a regular couple united before God, with the authorization and blessing of the spiritual master, who sanctifies the marriage. Both categories are classified as illicit sex―to use the classic terminology, but for me there is no comparison between the consequences of extra-conjugal illicit sex and those from illicit sex within a religiously constituted couple. The term “illicit sex” is used to point out that sexual organs are not toys and, for both men and women, their proper function is procreation. Sexual organs are parts of the body with a precise function, and every other function is improper or “illicit.” Having said this, the embodied being experiences many conditionings, arriving to this body with a huge karmic load of samskara (1) and vasana (2). For some people, therefore, the urges could be so strong that, despite all good intentions, there could be some lapses. But one thing is the lapse occurring within the married couple, and quite another thing is the lapse outside marriage. Outside the regular couple the failure is disastrous, both personally and socially, whereas within the regularly constituted couple the damage is contained, but I am still talking of damage, don't misunderstand. There is no comparison between the two damages. By the mercy of the divine grace, I have always strongly stressed the importance of following the regulative principles, and I am not talking like this to promote a different behavior, a different standard. I do believe that those who seek spiritual realization and aspire to develop pure love of God should strictly follow the regulative principles, and therefore should not engage in illicit sexual activities. At the same time, in my many years of experience counseling people, I have witnessed a lot of suffering caused by the uncritical, uncompromising application of the law. People live on different planes of consciousness: it is exceptional to find two people on the same level, even if they both sincerely desire to become devotees at the same time. In a couple, there is often a partner who makes quick advancement, while the other might remain stationary for some time. This usually generates a gap. I have been advising couples for more than twenty years to help each other, be patient and tolerant. If one of the two needs help, the other should offer it generously. Perhaps I have not stressed this enough… I consider that one should rigorously follow the regulative principles, but I am now talking of cases that could lead to serious turmoil in a family and usually leading to betrayal. I don't want to suggest that anyone should abandon the principle of purity, but it should be understood that people can be cured through constant love and affection. If between husband and wife there is real sincerity and friendship, in some measure there will also be real love and affection; if there is the willingness to overcome one's limitations, some careful concessions can be excused, thus avoiding very big, serious and irreparable havoc. In my answer I limit myself to saying that we shouldn't put extra-conjugal illicit sex on the same level as the occasional weaknesses in married life. Considering them the same would show a lack of spiritual comprehension and maturity and a misunderstanding of the function of controlling sexual energies. To rectify a person, to rectify the character, to cure a disease, we need to follow the path of recovery. An expert doctor always knows how to administer the medicine. I am not surprised or astonished if a young couple of my students once in a while indulge in effusions that go beyond the limit. Of course, I absolutely don't encourage such things because they dissipate emotional resources and increase bodily identification, distracting the devotee from the real purpose of life: Krishna-bhakti. At the same time, I am in my late fifties and I have some knowledge and experience of psychology, I have seen people who have rigidly negated their impulses for a long time and later, even in the guise of renouncers, have abandoned their religious vows. Repression and Sublimation Whoever represses his sexual instincts without being able to sublimate them, which means increasing his sadhana and connection to guru and Krishna, won't be able to resist long enough, and will inevitably head for a falldown. These falldowns could be so serious that the individual thrown in such a state of moral and spiritual prostration, might not be able to rise again, at least in that lifetime. As the Vaisnava scriptures explain, only a few people in this age are already so elevated that they can immediately and completely abstain from sexual activity. The majority of people need gradual distancing, protected by the institution of marriage and regulated by the four principles, the necessary groundwork for ethical life and the pursuit of spiritual realization. The management of emotions requires great competence and maturity, both cultural and spiritual. The guidance and direct assistance of the spiritual master is therefore essential, especially in crucial moments of life, when one is called to make fundamental choices (e.g.: choice of ashrama) that, if wrongly handled, could jeopardize or stop spiritual advancement. Both repression of instincts and indiscriminate indulgence can produce neurosis and serious personality disorders. Our Vaishnava literature explains that psycho-physical energies, indispensable for the journey towards transcendence, should be neither negated or repressed, nor indiscriminately dispersed; they should be correctly used, beneficially and propaedeutically to the development of personality. In other words, they should be sublimated by engaging in devotional service. Hari-nama japa and nama sankirtana, Deity worship and spiritual association are the best means to overcome problems of lust. Experience teaches us that through the discipline of bhakti-yoga it is not only possible to sublimate impulses, by the elimination of their self-destructive unconscious charge, but also to re-integrate them on the plane of pure consciousness, as divine rasa. Otherwise, when one gives in to such impulses without discrimination, they obnubilate and obscure the consciousness, provoking confusion, frustration and suffering; they enslave the subject in ephemeral conceptions and bodily identities, in destructive tendencies and instincts. The science of bhakti aims at the exact opposite: making the person fully conscious of his divine nature, his own relationship with God and an instrument for everybody’s well being, including his own. The second and third chapter of the Bhagavad-gita teach us that whoever represses certain impulses but keeps cultivating attachment for the sense objects in the mind, persisting in their contemplation and internally longing for them, won't succeed in the path of yoga (3). We need to learn how to dissociate from the sense objects also psychologically, transcending the problem, and for this there is a discipline or a route to follow, with arrangements and methods that partially differ from person to person, according to the various states of consciousness and psychological conditioning. Such different arrangements are obviously all finalized to reach the same objective: overcome bodily identification and selfish gratification, and develop pure bhakti. Krishna says that discovering a higher taste is necessary to abandon the inferior, conditioned and conditioning taste, source of multiple sufferings, and to reorient physical and mental dynamics. "The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects [the desire for them] remains. By experiencing a higher taste and ceasing such engagements, he becomes fixed in [Krishna] consciousness." (1) Traces or engrams in the memory that determine the conformation of the deep psyche or unconscious, and which are the origin of mental tendencies and automatisms. (2) Latent tendencies that condition the individual character and behavior. (3) "While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from [frustrated] lust anger arises. From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool." Bhagavad-gita 2.62-63.  Mayapur Academy, Mayapur, IN: And, the conches blew…
Today, HG Jananivasa Prabhu was teaching students the meaning and performance of the arati.
Auspicious blowing of the conches resounded throughout the Mayapur Academy, as the students continued practicing.
Hoping this meets you well- thankfully, your servant Syamesvari dasi         Gauranga Kishore das,USA: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (To Serve)
 Giridhari das, Brasilia, Brazil: New Year Retreat in Pandavas Paradise
From December 26 to January 1st, we had our first New Year retreat in Pandavas Paradise (Chapada dos Veadeiros, Brazil).
The guests had practically no previous contact with Krishna devotees. Some came seeking just a quiet, peaceful way to bring the year to a close, others were actively seeking to learn more about the spirituality of yoga. One of the things they learnt was mantra meditation (japa), and every day we had a 30 minute practice session.
We also had aratiks twice per day and by the end they were chanting along very nicely.
A student of mine, Ana Paula, came from Rio to act as the yoga teacher for the retreat. The guests loved her classes – they liked it so much they had 6 hours of yoga class one day, and they wanted her to move to São Paulo to open a yoga studio there.
Manjari DD, a disciple of Bhakti Chaitanya Swami, has come from Russia to spend some time here helping us out in the retreats.
It rained a lot, but we did manage to walk twice and enjoy our paradisic watefalls!
We also inaugurated our reconstructed Shanti Guest House, which had burnt down in late september due to raging forest fires in the region. It’s now bigger and better than before and the guests told us how much they appreciated them. Here are comments made by some of our guests from this retreat:
You can see more pictures from the retreat here.         H.H. Sivarama Swami: Introduction and first kirtan by Sivarama Swami at holy name festival at the Manor on Jan 16thH.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 1937:02 A.M.Just list the record. You want to be able to say Sarah Palin is not popular but it’s not so. She made a map of the places that voted against her agenda and she drew rifle crows hairs over those towns. Still, people like her. I should not be entangled in the politics, the vox populis. I should be calling Krishna’s holy names. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said a pujari ringing the bell in the temple is more effective than all the humanitarian work in the world. Distributing prasadam widely, books given out by the millions. Harinama sankirtana, Lord Caitanya’s festival…The beautiful arca-vigraha and the gorgeous temple. The seminars and the retreats. The yoga class, the bhajana-kirtana, the drummer poet, the ladies yoga retreat reunion in the yoga studio, I won’t be there for the kirtana programs because it is too late. I woke up at 1 A.M. and chanted very slowly. By 3:16 A.M. I was getting close to sixteen rounds. No new snow. I am worried there will be big snowstorms (as predicted) and I may be prevented from going for my colonoscopy on Thursday. It would be terrible if I went through the laxative treatment on Wednesday and then the colonoscopy was postponed on Thursday. These are the kind of things I worry about. I also worry I will be criticized for not attending the late kirtana at the yoga studio last night. Baladeva said community life is all a matter of collecting points. He collected lots of points yesterday for cooking for the women’s yoga retreat, giving a car ride to Kaulini’s friend and attending the late kirtana last night. I mostly stay home and don’t collect points, but Baladeva collects them on my behalf. We are starting to read the quarrel that Krishna had with Rukmini. It was not really a quarrel but just Krishna teasing Rukmini and saying He wasn’t worthy of her and she should get another husband. He was only joking but Rukmini is so sober and submissive that she took Him seriously and thought He wanted a divorce. He pointed out His faults, why He wasn’t a suitable match for her. His cast was unknown, He was just a cowherd boy whereas she was an aristocratic princess. His followers were vagabonds and homeless and poor. Sisupala had wanted to marry her, and he was as worthy as Krishna. Krishna said He was inferior to the princes who sought Rukmini’s hand. Krishna said He was not polished, even in social etiquette. He should have been satisfied with one wife, but He married more than 16,000 wives. He would not be able to satisfy them all. Any woman who follows Me, Krishna said, is ultimately left to cry for the rest of her life. In Vrndavana the gopis were attracted to Him, but now He has left them, and they are crying in separation. But better late than never. Rukmini could leave Him and select a better prince. Each of Krishna’s proposals appeared to Rukmini to be crazy, and she was surprised that Krishna could say such things. Rukmini was so adversely affected by Krishna’s words that she fell down straight, like a banana tree cut down by a whirlwind. I will tell you more of this later. Taking so long to chant my rounds, and I shall still be at 4 A.M. I should take a nap, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do so. I may be getting a headache. I am getting into the habit of waking up early again and not resting like in my recovery period. I shall try to take a nap. When I was in the navy, the Saratoga ported in Naples, Italy, and we were allowed to take a two-day pass to the isle of Capri. I wore my white bellbottomed trousers. Another sailor wore a dress suit and he jived me, “When is the next whaleboat sailing?” I shot back to him, “When is the next ball dance being held?” I got drunk and wandered about Capri at night. They had many small chapels there, and I went inside them and prayed. In Once There Was a War there are two stories about Capri. It is a beautiful little island like a jungle, and there are many bars to go for a drink. Bhakti Lata, Alachua, USA: Timeless MomentI sit in the corridor of a thousand pillars in the Ramanatha temple in Rameshvaram, South India. I overlook a great pond which is filled with lotus pads and lotuses. A platform extends out over the pond, and high up on the ledge men toss down metal buckets into the water over and over and over again and reel them up expertly. Then they splash that holy water onto the heads of swarms of eager pilgrims.
Subscribe  H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Pleasing PrabhupadaKrishna is the dear most,
It’s all there. The verses and
He is spread all over the universe,
I know Him from the
“Krishna” is my favorite word.
Krishna will rescue me
Prabhupada, please take me.
H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 10:49 A.M.When Lord Krishna saw that Rukmini took His words seriously His heart became immediately softened, and He became merciful to her. He got down from the bedstead and embraced her to His chest. He pacified her by His sweet words so that she could understand what He had formerly spoken to her was spoken just to evoke some joking pleasure between themselves. Rukmini gradually became free of all fearfulness of separation from Him and she began to look on His face cheerfully. She then began to interpret all His words in way that was favorable to their relationship. She said so many things I cannot repeat them all, but I will just repeat a few. Rukmini said, “You said we are not a fit match and that is true. You are the reservoir of all qualities, the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can I be a fit match for You, I am a pradaksina of the three modes of nature. “You have described Yourself as penniless, but this condition is not poverty. Since there is nothing in the existence but Yourself, You do not require to possess anything—You Yourself are everything. Unlike others, You do not require to purchase anything extraneously. With You all contrary things can be adjusted because You are absolute. You do not possess anything, but no one is richer than You. “My dear Lord, You have also stated that the richest section of the human society does not worship You. This is also correct, because persons who are puffed up by material possessions think of utilizing their property for sense gratification. When a poverty stricken man becomes rich he makes a program for sense gratification. This is due to his ignorance of how to utilize his hard earned money. My dear Lord, You have stated that persons who possess nothing are very dear to You; renouncing everything, Your devotee wants to possess You only. I see therefore that a great sage like Narada Muni who does not possess any material property is still very dear to You. And such persons do not care for anything but Your Lordship. “My Lord, You have stated that only beggars praise You glories, and that is also perfectly correct. But who are those beggars? Those beggars are all exalted devotees, liberated personalities and those in the renounced order of life. They are all great souls and devotees who have no other business than to glorify You. Such great souls forgive even the worst offender. My dear husband, do not think that out of my inexperience I accepted You as my husband; actually I followed all these great souls. I followed the path of these great beggars and decided to surrender my life unto Your lotus feet. “My dear all powerful son of Vasudeva, Your statement that You have taken shelter within the water of the ocean, being afraid of all the great princes, is quite suitable, but my experience with You contradicts this. I have actually seen that You kidnapped me forcibly in the presence of all these princes. At the time of my marriage ceremony, simply by giving a jerk to the string of Your bow, You very easily drove the others away and kindly gave me shelter at Your lotus feet. I still remember vividly that You kidnapped me in the same way as a lion forcibly takes his share of hunted booty, driving away all other small animals within a twinkling of an eye.” Rukmini said that Krishna asked her to select one of the other princes, “but what is their position in this world? Anyone who is sensible will not accept anyone besides Yourself as her husband. A man within this material world is just a dead body. In fact, superficially the living entity is covered by this body which is nothing but a bag of skin decorated with beards and moustaches, hairs on the body, nails on the fingers and hairs on the head. Within this decorated bag there are bunches of muscles, bundles of bones and pools of blood always mixed up with stool, urine, mucus, bile and polluted air and enjoyed by different kinds of insects and germs. A foolish woman accepts such a dead body as her husband and in sheer misunderstanding loves him as her dear companion. This is possible because such a woman has never tasted the ever blissful flavor of Your lotus feet.” Lord Krishna was very satisfied with the words of Rukmini. He said He had tested her and on the basis of the strict chastity her love for Him passed the examination most successfully. He had purposely agitated her by speaking many words which were not applicable to her character but not a pinch of devotion to Him had been deviated from its fixed position. Lord Krishna said that Rukmini had purchased Him for all time, and He had become eternally under her control. Her great and exalted love for Him will always remain within His soul. “As far as I am concerned, it is not within My power to repay you for your unalloyed devotion to Me.” In this way Lord Krishna played as an ideal householder not only with Rukmini but with all of His 16,108 wives. Thus the Lord, although one, exhibited Himself as 16,108 ideal householders. Kirtida struck up a lunch time conversation of those who have been assassinated in the U.S.A. and elsewhere. It got too much for me. Kirtana-rasa is coming over for a visit today. Baladeva says Kirtana-rasa keeps me healthy, wealthy and wise—by bringing me a donation, a weekly news magazine and vitamins. The Hare Krishna movement has its method of remembering those who just died with a “memorium” picture (in Back To Godhead magazine) and write up for more prominent members. Why not have an obituary for every citizen? Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am a particle of dust at His lotus feet. I am meant to serve Him in knowledge and bliss forever. Krishna is meant to take the leadership of all places. He’s already doing it, but He’s not being acknowledged. He’s spending the day at Barnes & Noble, sitting in a comfortable chair reading a book. I haven’t recovered from getting up so early and not being able to take a nap today. I’m tired and don’t have inspiration to write something. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Saturday, January 15th, 2011To Clear
 H.H. Sivarama Swami: Pure faith is the path to Krsna (Part 2)
Vraja Kishor, JP: A Prayer for True Happiness Image via Wikipedia It disturbs me really, how we are so materialistic and self-absorbed that even when we touch philosophy, spiritual ideas and Sanskrit mantras we make them so petty and materialistic. Recently I was sent a “Krsna mantra” with such a disturbing translation I had to take the time out to give my opinion on what the real meaning of the mantra is. The mantra is as follows: Krishna Krishna Mahayogin
Krishna Krishna MahayoginFirst of all the name Krsna is repeated twice. You never do that unless you are very emotional. This is indicating that the mantra cannot be chanted correctly by a person without loving emotions for Krsna. Those who want powers and glories for themselves only love themselves, therefore the first words indicate that this mantra is locked and barred from them. Krishna is then addressed as Maha-Yogin becaue he is the greatest “yogi” – a yogi is one with self-control and completely into touch with the self. There is no need to mention this about Krsna because it is obvious. Therefore the actual meaning of Maha-Yogin as it relates to Krsna is deeper. It addresses him as the personality who is the source of both maha-maya and yoga-maya. Maya is the power of “magic” – which means the ability to do amazing things. Mahamaya is the magic which creates the material universe and binds the souls to illusions. Yogamaya is the magic that creates the spiritual universe and binds the soul to blissful loving intimate relationships with Krsna. Both of these powers emenate from Krsna. This the first line emphatically calls to Krsna asking him to subside the mahamaya and apply the yogamaya so that we will lose our bondage to illusion and attain a bond with him. Bhaktanam AbhayamkaraThis does not mean “Make me fearless.” The first word is Bhaktanam which means all the bhaktas, all the devotees. The second word is a compound, Abhayam-kara – to make fearless. Krsna makes all the devotees fearless. He will not make a selfish egoistic person seeing power and enjoyment fearless! He will make fearless those people who love him! The mahamaya of material illusion is fearsome by constitution. Those who say “Krsna Krsna! Free me from illusion and bind me to you” those people and those people alone will become fearless. This is the undeniable import of this mantra! Why do they become fearless? Fear occurs when something negative impends beyond our control. Since nothing can impeed spiritual devotion to Krsna, there is nothing to be afraid of. Thus those who seek a relationship with Krsna and attain it become absolutely fearless. Govinda ParamanandaTo say this means “O blissful lord” is an understatement and probably not particularly correct on Sanskrit grammar either. Govinda is another name for Krsna. Go means the senses and vinda means pleasure. Krsna is the only true source of pleasure. When we are in the grips of mahamaya and material illusion we think that sense objects stripped of their intrinsic relationship to God can bring us pleasure – chocolate, strawberries, genitals, etc. etc. However these things only bring misery sooner or later. Only a person who has taken shelter of yogamaya, seeking a bond with Krsna in selfless love, only they can realize true sensual happiness. This is the import of the word Govinda. Paramananda means the paramount-bliss. This qualifies the type of “vinda” or pleasure given to the “go” (senses) by Govinda. It is not normal paltry sense gratification. It is something categorically superior to material sense gratification – an incalculable state of pleasureable bliss is given by Govinda to those who simply place themselves in a bond of loving relationship to him. this is what the mantra is trying to tell you. Sarvam Me VashamanayaThis does not mean “let me control all things that concern me.” It means, let everything that i posses become yours, even take me, take my heart! Full Translation/ MeaningKrsna Krsna! Please free me from the bonds of illusion and bind me to you!
        Japa Group: Prayer For Chanting Better Japa
“Oh my dear Lord Krsna, I will always chant my rounds in a mood of surrender. Krsna please help me to chant this way in a mood of complete dependence and surrender to the holy name.” From The Process of Improving Habits by Mahanidhi Swami  Gouranga TV: Janmastami Bhajan – Karnamrita – MadhuramJanmastami Bhajan – Karnamrita – Madhuram More Recent Articles
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Talk at the home of the Mulji family
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