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"Planet ISKCON" - 28 new articles
- H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Monday 6 June 2011--On Behalf of My Guru Maharaja--and--Religious Meat Eaters Get Salvation?
- Mukunda Charan das, SA: Sri Mayapur Dhama
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
- Japa Group: Why Do We Have To Chant?
- Vraja Kishor, JP: Suffering brings Happiness?
- Vraja Kishor, JP: ¿El sufrimiento trae felicidad?
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: BUILDING SPIRITUAL COMMUNITIES
- Kurma dasa, AU: Thanks! Have a cupcake!
- Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Sankirtan Experiences: Every outing is not a resounding success.
- Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: The Book attracts the chosen person
- H.H. Sivarama Swami
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: FOOD
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: WHAT IS FIRST CLASS?
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: AN OBSTACLE
- Sastra Dana, San Diego, USA: 16Rounds – June 2011
- Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: 10 Hindu Environmental Teachings
- Madhava Ghosh dasa: El Despertar de la Conciencia y de la Ecología de Krishna: 10 Enseñanzas Ambientales Hindues
- Por Pankaj Jain, Ph.D., Huffpost
- H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 3.4.28 A Comment On Commentaries
- H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – BG 4.34 Free From Fanaticism & Speculation
- H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 4.31.21 Bogus Govinda Bhog
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 332—Poem for June 5
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): OLD FRIENDS
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Installation of Sri-Sri Radha-Damodara, Sigatoka Fiji 2010
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: In my humble opion Aruddha dd is doing the preaching of ten sannyasis
- Sita-pati dasa, AU: Back Home, Back to Godhead!
- David Haslam, UK: There is more to temple life than doing a paid job
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Vraja Krsna Prabhu
- Book Distribution News: Malawi, Africa, Discovers Prabhupada's books
- Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group
- Gouranga TV: Birmingham 24h kirtan 2011, Sacinandana Swami
- More Recent Articles
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H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Monday 6 June 2011--On Behalf of My Guru Maharaja--and--Religious Meat Eaters Get Salvation?
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Monday 6 June 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. (Click on photo to see a larger image.) 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: On Behalf of My Guru Maharaja Uploaded from Mauritius Upon our arrival in Mauritius on 4 June 2011 we were first driven by my disciple, Prahlada Das, to the Hare Krishna temple in Phoenix where we offered our respectful obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, who was fully present in his deity form and to the most beautiful deities, Sri Sri Radha Golokananda. After I feelingly prayed to Srila Prabhupada and Radha Golokananda for their merciful blessings the devotees requested if they could offer me guru puja, a traditional worship ceremony offered to the spiritual master. Of course, I do not consider myself to be qualified to accept such worship, but as a spiritual master it is my duty to accept such worship on behalf of my Guru Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada. As they began the arati ceremony I was most happy to see that my sitting place offered me an unobstructed view of Srila Prabhupada sitting regally on his Vyasasana. So as they worshipped me I mentally transferred all of their loving, affectionate worship to my spiritual master. It was such a pure, wonderful feeling to offer the worship of a whole room full of devotees to Srila Prabhupada. This is our system. The spiritual master never accepts worship on his behalf. He only accepts it on behalf of his spiritual master, who accepts it on behalf of his spiritual master, etc., etc., all they way back to Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Splendorous Radha-Golokananda The Deities of Phoenix, Mauritius http://www.spiritual-revolutionary.com/images/Deities/Radha-Golokananda.jpg Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Religious Meat Eaters Get Salvation? Dear Gurudeva, I read this in yesterday's Thought for the Day, Since the real meaning of Islam is submission to the will of God and obedience to His law, global Islamization and Krishna conscious globalization are exactly the same thing. Questions: Why not follow one of the Abrahamic religions where one can eat meat (Halal or Kosher for example) if they are the same as Krishna consciousness? So do followers of these faiths not suffer any Karmic reactions as they are within the law of their God? Please guide me. S.K. Answer: They Wouldn't Want It. I was speaking of the pure form of religion, not the polluted form that is masquerading nowadays as real religion. Every religious system, including even the Vedic system, gives concessions for meat eaters in order to restrict them, not to encourage them. Just like the government allows cigarette smoking, but under many restrictions. It knows that it cannot stop cigarette smoking altogether, so it allows it under restriction to discourage it. In a similar way the scriptures allow flesh eating under restriction to discourage it. But this does not mean that such flesh and blood eaters are qualified to enter the kingdom of God. They are not because in that supreme abode nobody eats meat. As long as one has a taste for flesh and flood he would be miserable in the kingdom of God and is therefore not allowed to enter there. He will take birth again in that place where meat eating is allowed, this material world. 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 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 Sankarshan Das Adhikari on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SDASITE Thought for the Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Self.Realization Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. 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We chant because our soul needs the purification of Krsna's association - we are trapped here in this body, thinking we are this person or that person....an American, Indian, Australian etc. By associating with Krsna through serious Japa - concentrated and precise - then we can feel His spiritual energy and we see a clear path ahead of us on our way back to Godhead. Pensemos en esto cuidadosamente por algunos momentos. Ciertamente el sufrimiento es horrible, y ciertamente hay mejores maneras de aprender las lecciones de la vida que a través del sufrimiento. Convengo con usted en el 100%. Sin embargo la lógica me dice que estos dos puntos nos ayudan verdaderamente y nos hacen sacar la conclusión de que el sufrimiento no tiene ningún valor meritorio. Haré esta lógica más clara con un simil paralelo: Armas… Los armas son repugnantes - simplemente repugnante. Y hay ciertamente mejores maneras de hacer cumplir el orden social y la seguridad personal que usando armas. Sin embargo estos dos puntos muy verdaderos no significan que las armas no tienen absolutamente ningún valor ni ningún propósito cualesquiera. Esto sigue siendo un ejemplo emotivo, así que déjeme ilustrar la lógica con un simil menos polémico: Dinero… un penique es bastante inútil, y ciertamente hay monedas y cuentas más valiosas que un penique. Sin embargo estas dos verdades no significan que un penique no tiene ningún valor en absoluto. El sufrimiento es terrible, y hay muchas mejores maneras de aprender lo que necesitamos aprender que para aprenderlo tengamos que sufrir. Estos dos puntos son válidos - pero no cambian la validez de la verdad adicional, de que aunque sea repugnante y tan bueno como los demás métodos, todavía sufriendo son una herramienta valiosa para la mejora del uno mismo. Aprendemos de dos maneras: cuando experimentamos placer y cuando experimentamos dolor. Cuando experimentamos placer aprendemos que debemos guardar el hacer las cosas que nos trajeron ese placer. Cuando experimentamos dolor y sufrimiento, aprendemos que debemos parar el hacer las cosas que trajeron ese dolor y sufrimiento. Por ejemplo, una noche vamos a dormir en el otoño con las ventanas abiertas y ningunas mantas encima. Al día siguiente sufrimos una congestión y tenemos que guardar cama por caer enfermos. ¿Es este un sufrimiento terrible? Sí. ¿Desafortunado? Sí. ¿Inútil? No, porque nos ayuda a aprender que debemos pensar a continuación y tener una práctica combinada, mantener las ventanas menos abiertas, que dejarlas abiertas de par en par, etc. La noche próxima intentamos esto y despertamos con la sensación restauradora y feliz. ¿Es esta una felicidad maravillosa? Sí. ¿Afortunado? Sí. ¿Inútil? No, es útil porque nos enseña a cuidarnos de nosotros mismos. Así los profesores y los padres educan y crían a los niños a través un sistema dual de recompensa y de castigo. El universo material es madre naturaleza. Ella es “Mata Ji,” Ambika. Ella es nuestra madre y nuestro profesor. Ella es la que nos cría y nos educa, recompensando nuestras buenas acciones con felicidad y castigando nuestras malas acciones con sufrimiento. Esto se llama “karmas.” Es la técnica más eficaz para la educación y el desarrollo psicológico - porque utiliza el castigo y recompensa para el refuerzo y la dirección positivas y negativas. He encontrado, personalmente, que el abrigar resentimiento hacia nuestro sufrimiento es una situación muy negativa y que debemos ser pacientes y saber olvidar. Es como el niño que odia a sus padres porque él limpia su sitio y que lo ducha. ¡“Porqué me castigan por no ser limpios! ¡Los odio! ¡Son estúpidos! ¡No hay derecho a este castigo! No debo ser castigado!!!” Y considero esto: Que pensar que haya COSAS en este mundo que no tengan sentido o que sean inútil es olvidar que Dios nos AMA a cada uno de nosotros en este mundo. Sé que cuando el sufrimiento llega a ser extremo es muy dificil entender que tiene un propósito. Pero para recordarnos en tiempos de necesidad crecemos grandemente, y con sensibilidad y actuando correctamente, crecemos aún más, los sufrimientos que experimentamos más intensos son para crecer y nos hacen más razonables. Irónico, lo importante, tan pronto como adoptemos esta actitud veremos disminuir el sufrimiento. Espero que esto ayude, o por lo menos que les estimules y les haga considerar el tema desde muchos ángulos interesantes. By Janki Pandya Deep down in every human heart is a hidden, longing, impulse and ambition to do something fine and enduring, to love and to be loved. Why? Because it is the nature of the soul, “sat-cit-ananda”. Every soul is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Each and every person, in whichever corner of the universe we look in, is ultimately looking for love. Do you ever wonder why the distressed people go to the temple? When they have had enough with the material world and they just want some love and peace, they will go to the temple. The temple is one place where they feel a sense of comfort and peace, by associating with the devotees, by doing darshan (seeing with respect and devotion) of the Deities, by honouring the prasadam (respectfully eating the sanctified food), many people actually feel that life has a meaning. Our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada had said that people are not so interested in regularly attending churches, mosques, or temples. However, when people visit ISKCON temples, they are looking for that inner spiritual quest which they are not getting anywhere else, they are looking for the love and care which they have been searching for birth after birth, they are coming to receive spiritual enlightenment and inspiration from the devotees living there. Everybody is suffering from anxiety; therefore every devotee should be trained in the caring of devotees. There is no greater joy or reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life. Here are some suggestions of how devotees can develop loving and trusting relationships in devotee communities worldwide: RECEPTION Temples could have special departments specifically for greeting guests when they visit the temple. Srila Prabhupada said that “anyone who comes to the temple is personally sent by Krishna”. Therefore, devotees could welcome guests in that spirit. A trained group of devotees could be there waiting for the guests, however if there are not many guests, one or two devotees are adequate for the service. The guests could receive a warm welcome from the devotees and they could be given a brochure which explains a brief overview of our philosophy, introduction of who Srila Prabhupada is, introduction of the Deities they have at the temple and a schedule of events that take place. Srila Prabhupada has often emphasized the importance of prasadam; it will slowly melt the hard core hearts of the general mass of people and gradually re-awaken their Krishna consciousness. Therefore, every guest could be given caranamrita and prasadam (the mangal sweet, sandesh is known for converting people into serious, sincere devotees). At the end of their visit, the guests have already made friends with the devotees and they go home with a smile. The devotees then keep in touch with the guests and basically do a follow up on them and cultivate them according to the degree they reciprocate. The next time they visit the temple, they will bring their friends and tell them, “I have a friend at the temple, let me introduce you to him/her”. So in this way, everyone could be trained in the art of hospitality. I have been personally introduced in this way to ISKCON, and it makes a huge difference because now you know that somebody is personally there looking after you and cultivating you and the faith in Krishna has been established and you will never want to leave the movement. So the personal touch must be there if we want permanent devotees. COUNSELOR SYSTEM Counselor systems for existing devotees could be set up in every temple. However, it should be emphasized that a spirit of trust and confidence should be imbibed. If devotees do not develop loving relationships with each other, then there is no question of loving Krishna. How can one love Krishna without loving his devotees? Every one of us practicing bhakti is going through purification and we all have our conditioned natures, but we can look at the higher cause and surpass the small differences and arguments we have with each other. Some of the ways of doing this are: Ø Serve the devotee you do not like unknowingly or in public. Srila Prabhupada has built a house in which the whole world can live. We have opened our hearts to do this. It has already been predicted by Caitanya Mahaprabhu that this Krishna Consciousness Movement will spread to every town and village in this universe. Krishna’s mercy is already there, all we have to do is simply become instruments to carry out and execute this message, and Krishna will empower us. But we have to give it our 110%. Between what happens to us and our response is a space, in that space lays our freedom to choose our response. Ultimately, Krishna has given us free will so it is up to us to use it intelligently. * Janki Pandya lives in Nairobi, Kenya. She has been in Krishna Consciousness for the last four years. She works as a banker at Victoria Commercial Bank Ltd and she is a Relationship Officer for the Customer Service Department. Her service at the temple is cooking for the Sunday Feast at the local ISKCON Nairobi temple. If you wish to read those comments, go to my previous blog and click on COMMENTS. And, on the subject at hand, if you would like to find out anything I have ever blogged about cupcakes, go to google search and key in this: site:iskcon.net.au inurl:kurma cupcakes Also, if you wish to read any blogs I have ever written about any topic, replace the word cupcakes with the subject you require. It works well. Once again, thank you all, and enjoy the cyber cupcake. I know, it's not quite the same as receiving a real one, but in this case, it's the thought that counts. The Sastra Dana banner stand made its debut appearance at this event. It was sharp thanks to the beautiful picture of Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha as well as Srila Prabhupada. It was also informative with pictures and messaging around sankirtan outreach efforts by the ISKCON Toronto Sankirtan team. Posted by : Mahabhagavat Das Recently, for Doors Open Toronto, I was attending to the book table at the Krishna temple. A young couple, names starting with A & W, walked up to me and started asking about the books, the philosophy, the chanting. They chanted Hare Krishna Mahamantra right away. They said they were going through a rough time and that they were looking for some answers. I gave them Inspirit cards and showed them the Bhagavad Gita and talked through the entire book, but while they listened attentively, they remained non-commital. The girl's eyes were on the Krsna book all the time. In the middle of talking about Bhagavad Gita As It Is, I paused and showed her the pictures and just said that these were stories about Krishna's interactions with other living entities, that each chapter was a story from an event in Krishna's life, but that there was a lot of wisdom woven into the story, and that we could learn a lot just by reading those stories. She felt an instant fondness for the pictures, admiring Krishna and remarking how cute he looked. She then immediately pulled out her wallet, and placed the donation right on top of "her" copy of the Krsna book. They both thanked me for spending the time with them, just imagine, how decent they are, that they thanked me even as I was feeling very grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to just be there and share something about Krishna! Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. If I see food in front of me it does not mean it is my sacred obligation to eat it. It can stay where it is, and someone else can eat it. El Hinduism contiene numerosas referencias a la adoración del divino en la naturaleza en los Vedas, en los Upanishads, en los Puranas, en los Sutras y en otros textos sagrados. Millones de Hindus recitan diariamente mantras sánscritos para venerar a sus ríos, a las montañas, a los árboles, a los animales y a la tierra. Aunque el movimiento de Chipko (grandes árboles) sea el ejemplo conocido de lo más extensamente posible de la dirección ambiental hindú, existen los ejemplos de la acción hindú por el medio ambiente desde hace muchos siglos. El Hinduismo es un fenómeno religioso y cultural diverso y notable, también muy local y de manifestaciones regionales. Dentro de este universo de las creencias, varios temas importantes emergen. Las teologías diversas del Hinduismo sugieren esto: • La tierra se puede ver como la manifestación de la diosa, y se debe tratar con respecto. Los siguientes son 10 enseñanzas hindúes importantes sobre el ambiente: 1. Pancha Mahabhutas (los cinco grandes elementos) crea una tela de vida que se demuestra delante en la estructura y la interconexidad del cosmos y del cuerpo humano. El Hinduismo enseña que los cinco grandes elementos (elementos burdos o elementos groseros) (espacio o éter, aire, fuego, agua y tierra) que constituye el ambiente del que todo se derivan la prakriti, la energía principal. Cada uno de estos elementos tiene su propia vida y forma; juntos los elementos estan interconectados e interdependientes. Los Upanishads explican la interdependencia de estos elementos en lo referente a Brahman, la Realidad Suprema, de la cual surgen: “De Brahman surge el espacio, del espacio surge aire, del aire surge fuego, del fuego surge agua, y del agua surge la tierra.” El Hinduism reconoce que el cuerpo humano está compuesto de cinco elementos y relacionado con estos, y conectados con cada uno de los elementos con uno de los cinco sentidos. La nariz humana se relaciona con la tierra, la lengua se relaciona con el agua, los ojos se relaciona con el fuego, los pelos (el tacto) se relaciona con el aire y los oídos se relaciona con el espacio o éter. Este enlace entre nuestros sentidos y los elementos es la fundamento de nuestra relación humana con el mundo natural. Para el Hinduismo, la naturaleza y el ambiente no están fuera de nosotros, no es extranjero u hostil a nosotros. Son una parte inseparable de nuestra existencia, y constituyen nuestros mismos cuerpos. 2. Ishavasyam - la divinidad es omnipresente y toma formas infinitas. Los textos hindúes, tales como el Bhagavad Gita (7.19, 13.13) BG 7.9: I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics. BG 7.9: Yo soy la fragancia original de la tierra, y Yo soy el calor del fuego. Yo soy la vida de todo lo que vive, y Yo soy las penitencias de todos los ascetas. y el Bhagavad Purana (2.2.41, 2.2.45), contienen muchas referencias a la omnipresencia de la divinidad suprema, incluyendo su presencia a través y dentro de la naturaleza. La adoración y aceptación de los Hindues de la presencia de dios en la naturaleza. Por ejemplo, muchos Hindues piensan en los poderosos ríos de la India - tales como el Ganges - como si fuera una diosas. En el Mahabharata, se observa que el universo y cada objeto en él se ha creado como domicilio del Dios Supremo significado en beneficio de todos, implicando que la especie individual debe disfrutar de su papel dentro de un sistema más grande, en relación con las otras especies. 3. La protección del ambiente es parte del Dharma. Dharma, uno de los conceptos hindúes más importantes, se ha traducido a inglés como deber, virtud, orden cósmica y religión. En Hinduismo, la protección del ambiente es una expresión importante del dharma. En los últimos siglos, las comunidades indias - como otras comunidades tradicionales - no tenían una comprensión “del ambiente” como una parte de las otras esferas de las actividades en sus vidas. Un número de comunidades hindúes rurales tales como los Bishnois, los Bhils y los Swadhyaya tienen prácticas comunales fuertes mantenidas de proteger los ecosistemas locales tales como los bosques y los grandes embalses y ríos. Estas comunidades realizan estas prácticas conservacionistas orientadas no como los actos “ambientales” sino más bien como las expresiones del dharma. Cuando los Bishnois está protegiendo a los animales y a los árboles, cuando Swadhyayis edifican Vrikshamandiras (templos al árbol) y Nirmal Nirs (zonas de recogidas de agua, pantanos, lagos artificiales, pozos, albercas) y cuando los Bhils están practicando sus rituales en sagradas arboledas, están expresando simplemente su reverencia por la creación según las enseñanzas hindúes, “no restaurando el ambiente.” Estos tradicionales grupos de indios no consideran la religión, la ecología y las éticas como cosas separadas de la vida. En su lugar, la entienden por ser parte de su dharma para tratar la creación con respecto. 4. Nuestras acciones ambientales afectan a nuestras karmas El karma, es una central enseñanza hindú un punto de referencia hindu, que sostiene que cada unas de nuestras acciones crea las consecuencias - buenas o malas - que constituyen nuestros karmas y determinan nuestro destino futuro, incluyendo el lugar que asumiremos cuando vamos a ser reencarnados en la nuestra próxima vida. El comportamiento moral crea buenos karmas, y nuestro comportamiento con el ambiente tiene consecuencias kármicas. Porque tenemos opción libre (libre albedrío o libertad de actuar), aunque pudimos haber dañado el ambiente en el pasado, podemos elegir proteger el ambiente en el futuro, substituyendo ambientalmente patrones kármicos destructivos por los buenos. 5. La tierra - Devi - es una diosa y nuestra madre y merece nuestra dedicación y protección. Muchos rituales hindúes reconocen que los seres humanos se benefician de la tierra, y ofrecen su gratitud y su protección en respuesta. Mucho Hindues tocan el suelo del piso cada mañana antes de salir de la cama y piden a la Devi que los perdone por pisotear su cuerpo. Millones de Hindus crean las ilustraciones de los kolams diariamente - que consisten en pedacitos del arroz o del otro alimento colocado en sus umbrales en la mañana. Estos kolams expresan deseo hindú de ofrecer sostenimiento a la tierra, apenas pues la tierra se sostiene. El movimiento de Chipko - hecho famoso por la comisión de las mujeres de Chipko “que abraza” a los árboles en su comunidad para protegerlos contra la tala de árboles por intereses exteriores - representa una dedicación similar a la tierra. 6. Las tradiciones tántricas y yógicas del Hinduismo afirman el carácter sagrado de la realidad material y contienen enseñanzas y prácticas de unir a la gente con energía divina. La tradición Tántrica del Hinduism enseña a que el universo entero es la manifestación de la energía divina. El yoga, derivada del significado sánscrito de la palabra “unión” o “para unir,” se refiere a una serie de prácticas mentales y físicas diseñadas para conectar al individuo con esta energía divina. Ambas de estas tradiciones afirman que todos los fenómenos, objetos e individuos son expresiones de lo divino. Y porque estas dos tradiciones preven la tierra como diosa, los profesores hindúes contemporáneos han utilizado estas enseñanzas para demostrar la inexactitud de la explotación del ambiente, de las mujeres y de la gente indígena. 7. La creencia en la reencarnación apoya un sentido de la interconexidad de toda la creación. Los Hindues creen en el ciclo de nacimento y muerte (renacimiento), en donde cada ser viaja por millones de ciclos de nacimientos y muertes en diversas formas, dependiendo de sus karmas a partir de vidas anteriores. Una persona puede ser reencarnada tan como una persona, animal, pájaro u otra parte de la comunidad más ancha de vida. Debido a esto, y porque entienden a toda la gente para pasar por muchas vidas en su camino a la última liberación, la reencarnación crea un sentido de la solidaridad entre la gente y todas las cosas vivas. Con la creencia en la reencarnación, el Hinduismo enseña a que todas las especies y todas las partes de la tierra son parte de una red extendida de las relaciones conectadas durante los milenios, con cada parte de esta red que merece respecto y reverencia. 8. La No Violencia - ahimsa - es el dharma más grande. El Ahimsa a la tierra mejora tus karmas. Para el observadores Hindues, el daño o el dañar a otro ser daña aumentas el karmas y obstruye el adelanto hacia el moksha - liberación. Para prevenir la acumulación posterior de malos karmas, los Hindues dan instrucciones para evitar las actividades asociadas a violencia y para seguir una dieta vegetariana. De acuerdo con esta doctrina del ahimsa, muchos observadores Hindues se oponen a la cría y a la matanza institucionalizadas de animales, de aves y de pescados para el consumo humano. 9. Sanyasa (ascetismo) representa una trayectoria a la liberación y es bueno para la tierra. El Hinduismo enseña que el ascetismo - austeridad en el consumo y simplicidad en la vida - representa un camino hacia el moksha (liberación), que trata la tierra con respecto. Se ha traducido una enseñanza hindú bien conocida - Tain tyakten bhunjitha -, “toma lo que usted necesita para su sostenimiento sin un sentido del derecho o de la propiedad.” Uno de los líderes ambientales hindúes más prominentes, Sunderlal Bahuguna, ha inspirado a mucho Hindues por su forma de vida ascética. Sus repetidos ayunos y las caminatas a pies vigorosas, emprendidas para apoyar y para propagar el mensaje del Chipko, distinguiéndole como el asceta más notable de nuestro tiempo. En su capacidad para sufrir y su espíritu de auto-sacrificio, los Hindues lo ven como un ejemplo vivo de la renuncia de la ambición mundana suplicada por escrituras hindúes. 10. Gandhi es un modelo para la vida simple. La vida entera de Gandhi se puede considerar como un tratado ecológico. Ésta es una vida en la cual cada acto, emoción o pensamiento minuciosamente funcionaron como un ecosistema: sus pequeñas comidas de nueces y frutas, sus abluciones matutinas por la mañana y las prácticas corporales diarias, sus observancias periódicas del silencio, sus caminatas al amanecer, su cultivación de lo pequeño y de lo grande, su rueca de hilar, su aborrecimiento a la basura, la que recurre a los valores hindúes y Jainas básicos de la verdad, la no violencia, del celibato y del ayuno. Los moralistas, activistas no violentos, feministas, periodistas, reformadores sociales, líderes del sindicato, campesinos, prohibicionistas, los amantes de la medicina natural, los renunciantes y los ecologistas todos toman sus inspiraciones de la vida y de las escrituras de Gandhi. (Reconocimiento: Adaptado de los ensayos por Christopher K. Chapple, O.P. Dwivedi, K.L. Seshagiri Rao, Vinay Lal, y George A. James in Hinduism and Ecology en Hinduismo y Ecología: La intersección de la tierra, cielo, y agua y el jainismo y la ecología: La No violencia en la Web de la vida, ambos publicados por la prensa de la Universidad de Harvard. Gracias también a los ensayos de Harold Coward y de Rita Das Gupta Sherma en Purificando el Cuerpo Terrenal de Dios: Religión y Ecología en la India Hindú, publicada por la prensa de SUNY. Estoy también endeudado por los comentarios buenos del Reverendo Fletcher Harper y para que su invitación escriba este artículo.) SB 3.4.28: The King inquired: At the end of the pastimes of the Lord of the three worlds, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and after the disappearance of the members of the Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja dynasties, who were the best of the great commanders, why did Uddhava alone remain? SB 3.4.28: Le roi demanda: Pourquoi Uddhava demeura-t-il seul lorsque Śrī Kṛṣṇa, le Seigneur des trois mondes, eut achevé Ses Divertissements, après la disparition des membres des dynasties Vṛṣṇi et Bhoja, les plus grands chefs d'armée? SB 3.4.28: El rey preguntó: ¿Por qué sólo permaneció Uddhava al final de los pasatiempos del Señor de los tres mundos, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, y después de la desaparición de los miembros de las dinastías Vṛṣṇi y Bhoja, quienes eran los mejores entre los grandes comandantes? SB 03.04.28 A Comment On Commentaries 2005 BG 4.34: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. BG 4.34: Cherche à connaître la vérité en approchant un maître spirituel; enquiers toi d'elle auprès de lui avec soumission, et tout en le servant. L'âme réalisée peut te révéler le savoir, car elle a vu la vérité. BG 4.34: Tan sólo trata de aprender la verdad acudiendo a un maestro espiritual. Hazle preguntas de un modo sumiso y préstale servicio. Las almas autorrealizadas pueden impartirte conocimiento, porque han visto la verdad. BG 04.34 Free From Fanaticism & Speculation 2005 SB 4.31.21: The Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes very dear to those devotees who have no material possessions but are fully happy in possessing the devotional service of the Lord. Indeed, the Lord relishes the devotional activities of such devotees. Those who are puffed up with material education, wealth, aristocracy and fruitive activity are very proud of possessing material things, and they often deride the devotees. Even if such people offer the Lord worship, the Lord never accepts them. SB 4.31.21: La Suprema Personalidad de Dios les es muy querido a los devotos que, aun careciendo de posesiones materiales, se sienten completamente felices debido a que poseen el servicio devocional del Señor. En verdad, el Señor saborea las actividades devocionales de esos devotos. Aquellos que están envanecidos con la educación material, la riqueza, la aristocracia y las actividades fruitivas, están muy orgullosos de sus posesiones materiales, y a menudo ridiculizan a los devotos. Aunque esas personas adoren al Señor, Él nunca las acepta. SB 04.31.21 Bogus Govinda Bhog 2005-03-27 In 2009 I had the great good fortune to be able to paint Sri-Sri Radha-Damodara in preparation for Their installation 2010. Someone asked the other day: "Why do Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada Swami and, following him, ISKCON members say "Back home, back to Godhead", when the nitya-baddha jivas have been tatastha-shakti predominated by maha-maya eternally?"
•Mukunda Charan das, SA: Sri Mayapur Dhama
17 March 2001
I was happy to be in Mayapur in the wake of the Gaura Purnima Festival. Although it is wonderfully auspicious to observe Gaura Purnima – the Appearance Day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – in the Holy Dhama, I was happy that all the crowds had left. Only a handful of western pilgrims remained, a little burnt out after all the Festivities. Padmanabha prabhu and I both savoured the transcendental atmosphere of the Dhama.
We walked out from the brahmacari ashram into the car-park wearing only gamchas and capalas (tongs). Padmanabha led the way to a pier on the bank of the Ganges where devotees liked to bathe. We took off our capalas, and offered obeisances to Mother Ganga on her smooth banks. Padmanabha covered himself in Ganges mud and lay in the shallows. I entered the river reverentially and swum a little in her soothing waters. I felt all the deep-seated burdens of my heart fly away like birds in the sky. I had the distinct realization that Ganga is my Mother and that she cares for me and wishes me well. We dried ourselves, and returned to the Temple.
•
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
Indeed, the dream team "Bhakti and Bhakta" is back! As you can tell from the exquisite dressing of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sri Radha Ballabha.
Have you noticed the delicate tulips in Gauranga's and Nityananda's hands? And the elegant allure of Srimati Radhika and Her beloved?
Well, relish today's darsana. •Japa Group: Why Do We Have To Chant?
A good question and one that sometimes remains lodged in our subconcious mind - lingering with us like a dark cloud when we wake up in the early morning.
•Vraja Kishor, JP: Suffering brings Happiness?
Let’s think about this carefully for a few moments. Certainly suffering is horrible, and certainly there are better ways to learn life’s lessons than through suffering. I agree with you 100%. However logic tells me that these two true points do *not* support the conclusion that suffering has no worthwhile value whatsoever.
I’ll make this logic more clear by a parallel: Guns… Guns are nasty – just plain nasty. And there are certainly better ways to enforce social order and personal safety than by using Guns. However these two *very true* points do not mean that Guns have absolutely no value or purpose whatsoever.
That is still an emotionally charged example, so let me illustrate the logic with a less controversial parallel: Money… 1 Penny is pretty useless, and certainly there are more valuable coins and bills than 1 penny. However these two truths do not mean that a penny has no worth at all.
Suffering is terrible, and there are so many better ways to learn what we need to learn than to learn it as a result of suffering. These two points are valid – but they do not change the validity of the additional truth, that although it is nasty and not as good as other methods, suffering still is a valuable tool for self improvement.
We learn in two ways: when we experience pleasure and when we experience pain. When we experience pleasure we learn that we should keep doing the things that brought us that pleasure. When we experience pain and suffering, we learn that we should stop doing the things that brought that pain and suffering.
For example, one night we go to sleep in the autumn with the windows open and no blankets on. The next day we suffer congestion and sickness. Is that suffering horrible? Yes. Unfortunate? Yes. Useless? No, because it helps us learn that we should think ahead and have a blanket handy, keep the windows less wide open, etc. The next night we try this and wake up feeling refreshed and happy. Is this happiness wonderful? Yes. Fortunate? Yes. Useless? No, it is useful because it teaches us how to take care of ourselves.
Thus teachers and parents educate and raise children by a dual system of reward and punishment. The material universe is mother nature. She is “Mata Ji,” Ambika. She is our mother and our teacher. She is raising and educating us by rewarding our good actions with happiness and punishing our bad actions with suffering. This is called “karma.” It is the most effective technique for education and psychological development – because it utilizes both punishment and reward for positive and negative reinforcement and direction.
I have found, personally, that harboring resentment towards our suffering is a very negative situation that we should be eager to let go of. It is like the child who hates his parents for making him clean his room and take showers. “Why are they punishing me for not being clean! I hate them! They are stupid! There is no point to this punishment! I shouldn’t get punished!!!”
And consider this: To think that there is ANYTHING in this world which is meaningless or useless is to forget that God is full of love for everyone in this world.
I know that when suffering becomes extreme it is very challenging to understand that it has a purpose. But as we remember how extremely in need we are of growing up, and how extremely out of touch with good deeds we are, the more intense sufferings we experience start to seem more reasonable. Ironically, importantly, as soon as we adopt this attitude our suffering decreases.
I hope this helps, or at least stimulates you and us to consider the subject from many interesting angles.
Vraja Kishor, JP: ¿El sufrimiento trae felicidad?
•Akrura das, Gita Coaching: BUILDING SPIRITUAL COMMUNITIES
Ø Associate more with the person you have offended or don’t like.
Ø Pray to Krishna to help you or pray to the devotee.
Ø Glorify the devotee.
Ø Approach a common friend of the devotee who is in good terms with you.
Ø Invite the devotees for prasadam at your house, make their favorite dish.
Ø Offer them gifts on special occasions, e.g., birthdays, wedding anniversaries, etc.
Ø Help the devotees during their difficult times, be there for them, they should not feel isolated
Ø Do service with the devotee together, the service will melt everyone’s heart and whatever disputes they have had in the past will be forgotten.
Ø Dedicate or sponsor something in their name
Ø Don’t judge devotees on their past, it is one of the worst things a devotee can do, and it will be neither pleasing to Krishna nor guru.
Ø Attend a Bhagavatam class of the devotee you don’t like, and if possible ask a question. It will make the speaker happy and slowly melt his/her heart. •Kurma dasa, AU: Thanks! Have a cupcake!
I baked these cupcakes yesterday. I am offering one to each of the kind souls who took the time to reply to my request for guidance last week. The overwhelming advice was to keep blogging, so I will. The letters were very heartfelt, and they moved me tremendously.
•Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Sankirtan Experiences: Every outing is not a resounding success.
On a couple of previous sankirtan experiences I wrote about youth wanting the books and parents being stingy and not wanting to purchase the books. However last week the case was reverse...a father was insisting that his daughter should take one book and she refused. I tried...Kishori tried...she still refused. She did not want a book. So it dawned on Kishori to send her to a table set up by ISKCON Brampton accross the hall where they had pictures, japa malas and other boutique items. She told me later on that I had not been listening to my dad's lectures where he says leave them with something...anything. Books are the basis but perhaps in her case attraction has to start with a picture of Krishna.
Later on there was an older gentleman. He had already told Kishori that he wants to browse through the books on his own but I had not heard that part...so in typical style tried to "distribute" the book to be met by a critical scowl and on top of that a slap on the arm from wife telling me that he wants to be left alone. A few minutes later he has a couple of books in his hands and starts asking questions...I answer the questions but this requires other books...so 2 $2 books turns into 5 books but he only has a $20 for $25 worth of books....but we are not selling books....we are distributing books. And "don't judge a book by its cover" applies here since we felt this guy was a critical older man...but he turned out to be a insightful open minded gentleman.
There were not many people left to preach to so we wrapped up. After stacking about 10 boxes of books in the back of the mini-van we came back in and a lady tells Kishori that she wanted a Bengali Bhagavad Gita. So Kishori asks me to get one...and I am not very enthused to dig through 10 boxes to find 1 particular title. So I open the trunk and open the first box. Sitting right on top of the very first box is the Bengali Bhagavad Gita! She was meant to get this book. I bring the Bhagavad Gita in and Kishori gives it to the lady and she is panicked since she cannot find her hudband and only has $5 (for a title that is listed as $10). This again serves as a reminder that we are not selling books but distributing them. I never mind "topping off" the laxmi count from my own pocket. It is obvious that she values the book more than you can put a dollar value on the book.
So these experiences reminded us that we are not "selling" books but distributing them. We have a long way to go to purify our consciousness so we do not judge a book by its cover but rather distribute this mercy without discrimination. And Sankirtan can only be done with the mercy of Guru and Gauranga since we are mere instruments.
And perhaps the title of this post is wrong...every book distributed is a resounding success for the mercy it delivers to the recipient.
Thank you Srila Prabhupada for the opportunity to distribute your books and be of menial service in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's sankirtan movement.
~ Your insignificant servant,
Indresh •Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: The Book attracts the chosen person
So, it is not that I am doing anything, the Book on Krishna, being non-different from Krishna, has already chosen the person who will be showered with unlimited grace, and I am there just to give me an opportunity to participate somehow and get some purification that way, otherwise Krishna is capable of going to anyone by Himself without needing me in the least. And even if I sometimes get in Krishna's way by saying/doing/showing the wrong thing, He makes it right always by making miracles happen. •H.H. Sivarama Swami
- Will Rogers •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: FOOD
•Akrura das, Gita Coaching: WHAT IS FIRST CLASS?
"You should" is third class.
"We should" is second class.
"I will" is first class. •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: AN OBSTACLE
When we see an obstacle to achieving our goal or destination, that obsctacle is usually much bigger in our mind then in reality. •Sastra Dana, San Diego, USA: 16Rounds – June 2011
June issue of the 16 Rounds To Samadhi newspaper is out. Please have a look and if you like what we do, consider making a donation. We are a group of volunteers and absolutely all proceeds go towards the printing and distribution of this publication.
To make a donation, click here.
•Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: 10 Hindu Environmental Teachings
Hinduism contains numerous references to the worship of the divine in nature in its Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Sutras and its other sacred texts. Millions of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals and the earth. Although the Chipko (tree-hugging) Movement is the most widely known example of Hindu environmental leadership, there are examples of Hindu action for the environment that are centuries old.
Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural phenomenon, with many local and regional manifestations. Within this universe of beliefs, several important themes emerge. The diverse theologies of Hinduism suggest that:
• The earth can be seen as a manifestation of the goddess, and must be treated with respect.
• The five elements — space, air, fire, water and earth — are the foundation of an interconnected web of life.
• Dharma — often translated as “duty” — can be reinterpreted to include our responsibility to care for the earth.
• Simple living is a model for the development of sustainable economies.
• Our treatment of nature directly affects our karma.
Gandhi exemplified many of these teachings, and his example continues to inspire contemporary social, religious and environmental leaders in their efforts to protect the planet.
The following are 10 important Hindu teachings on the environment:
1. Pancha Mahabhutas (The five great elements) create a web of life that is shown forth in the structure and interconnectedness of the cosmos and the human body. Hinduism teaches that the five great elements (space, air, fire, water and earth) that constitute the environment are all derived from prakriti, the primal energy. Each of these elements has its own life and form; together the elements are interconnected and interdependent. The Upanishads explains the interdependence of these elements in relation to Brahman, the supreme reality, from which they arise: “From Brahman arises space, from space arises air, from air arises fire, from fire arises water, and from water arises earth.”
Hinduism recognizes that the human body is composed of and related to these five elements, and connects each of the elements to one of the five senses. The human nose is related to earth, tongue to water, eyes to fire, skin to air and ears to space. This bond between our senses and the elements is the foundation of our human relationship with the natural world. For Hinduism, nature and the environment are not outside us, not alien or hostile to us. They are an inseparable part of our existence, and they constitute our very bodies.
2. Ishavasyam — Divinity is omnipresent and takes infinite forms. Hindu texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita (7.19, 13.13) and the Bhagavad Purana (2.2.41, 2.2.45), contain many references to the omnipresence of the Supreme divinity, including its presence throughout and within nature. Hindus worship and accept the presence of God in nature. For example, many Hindus think of India’s mighty rivers — such as the Ganges — as goddesses. In the Mahabharata, it is noted that the universe and every object in it has been created as an abode of the Supreme God meant for the benefit of all, implying that individual species should enjoy their role within a larger system, in relationship with other species.
3. Protecting the environment is part of Dharma. Dharma, one of the most important Hindu concepts, has been translated into English as duty, virtue, cosmic order and religion. In Hinduism, protecting the environment is an important expression of dharma.
In past centuries, Indian communities — like other traditional communities — did not have an understanding of “the environment” as separate from the other spheres of activity in their lives.
A number of rural Hindu communities such as the Bishnois, Bhils and Swadhyaya have
maintained strong communal practices to protect local ecosystems such as forests and water sources. These communities carry out these conservation-oriented practices not as “environmental” acts but rather as expressions of dharma. When Bishnois are protecting animals and trees, when Swadhyayis are building Vrikshamandiras (tree temples) and Nirmal Nirs (water harvesting sites) and when Bhils are practicing their rituals in sacred groves, they are simply expressing their reverence for creation according to Hindu teachings, not “restoring the environment.” These traditional Indian groups do not see religion, ecology and ethics as separate arenas of life. Instead, they understand it to be part of their dharma to treat creation with respect.
4. Our environmental actions affect our karma. Karma, a central Hindu teaching, holds that each of our actions creates consequences — good and bad — which constitute our karma and determine our future fate, including the place we will assume when we are reincarnated in our next life. Moral behavior creates good karma, and our behavior toward the environment has karmic consequences. Because we have free choice, even though we may have harmed the environment in the past, we can choose to protect the environment in the future, replacing environmentally destructive karmic patterns with good ones.
5. The earth — Devi — is a goddess and our mother and deserves our devotion and protection. Many Hindu rituals recognize that human beings benefit from the earth, and offer gratitude and protection in response. Many Hindus touch the floor before getting out of bed every morning and ask Devi to forgive them for trampling on her body. Millions of Hindus create kolams daily — artwork consisting of bits of rice or other food placed at their doorways in the morning. These kolams express Hindu’s desire to offer sustenance to the earth, just as the earth sustains themselves. The Chipko movement — made famous by Chipko women’s commitment to “hugging” trees in their community to protect them from clear-cutting by outside interests — represents a similar devotion to the earth.
6. Hinduism’s tantric and yogic traditions affirm the sacredness of material reality and contain teachings and practices to unite people with divine energy. Hinduism’s Tantric tradition teaches that the entire universe is the manifestation of divine energy. Yoga, derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “to yoke” or “to unite,” refers to a series of mental and physical practices designed to connect the individual with this divine energy. Both these traditions affirm that all phenomena, objects and individuals are expressions of the divine. And because these traditions both envision the earth as a goddess, contemporary Hindu teachers have used these teachings to demonstrate the wrongness of the exploitation of the environment, women and indigenous peoples.
7. Belief in reincarnation supports a sense of interconnectedness of all creation. Hindus believe in the cycle of rebirth, wherein every being travels through millions of cycles of birth and rebirth in different forms, depending on their karma from previous lives. So a person may be reincarnated as a person, animal, bird or another part of the wider community of life. Because of this, and because all people are understood to pass through many lives on their pathway to ultimate liberation, reincarnation creates a sense of solidarity between people and all living things.
Through belief in reincarnation, Hinduism teaches that all species and all parts of the earth are part of an extended network of relationships connected over the millennia, with each part of this network deserving respect and reverence.
8. Non-violence — ahimsa — is the greatest dharma. Ahimsa to the earth improves one’s karma. For observant Hindus, hurting or harming another being damages one’s karma and obstructs advancement toward moksha — liberation. To prevent the further accrual of bad karma, Hindus are instructed to avoid activities associated with violence and to follow a vegetarian diet.
Based on this doctrine of ahimsa, many observant Hindus oppose the institutionalized breeding and killing of animals, birds and fish for human consumption.
9. Sanyasa (asceticism) represents a path to liberation and is good for the earth. Hinduism teaches that asceticism — restraint in consumption and simplicity in living — represents a pathway toward moksha (liberation), which treats the earth with respect. A well-known Hindu teaching — Tain tyakten bhunjitha — has been translated, “Take what you need for your sustenance without a sense of entitlement or ownership.”
One of the most prominent Hindu environmental leaders, Sunderlal Bahuguna, inspired many Hindus by his ascetic lifestyle. His repeated fasts and strenuous foot marches, undertaken to support and spread the message of the Chipko, distinguished him as a notable ascetic in our own time. In his capacity for suffering and his spirit of self-sacrifice, Hindus saw a living example of the renunciation of worldly ambition exhorted by Hindu scriptures.
10. Gandhi is a role model for simple living. Gandhi’s entire life can be seen as an ecological treatise. This is one life in which every minute act, emotion or thought functioned much like an ecosystem: his small meals of nuts and fruits, his morning ablutions and everyday bodily practices, his periodic observances of silence, his morning walks, his cultivation of the small as much as of the big, his spinning wheel, his abhorrence of waste, his resorting to basic Hindu and Jain values of truth, nonviolence, celibacy and fasting. The moralists, nonviolent activists, feminists, journalists, social reformers, trade union leaders, peasants, prohibitionists, nature-cure lovers, renouncers and environmentalists all take their inspirations from Gandhi’s life and writings.
(Acknowledgement: Adapted from the essays by Christopher K. Chapple, O. P. Dwivedi, K. L. Seshagiri Rao, Vinay Lal, and George A. James in Hinduism and Ecology: The Intersection of Earth, Sky, and Water and Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life, both published by Harvard University Press. Thanks also to the essays by Harold Coward and Rita DasGupta Sherma in Purifying the Earthly Body of God: Religion and Ecology in Hindu India, published by SUNY Press. I am also indebted to
kind comments by Reverend Fletcher Harper and for his invitation to write this article.)
El Despertar de la Conciencia y de la Ecología de Krishna: 10 Enseñanzas Ambientales Hindues
Por Pankaj Jain, Ph.D., Huffpost
• Los cinco elementos - espacio, aire, fuego, agua y tierra - son la fundación (el fundamento) de una tela interconectada a la vida.
• Dharma - traducido a menudo como “deber” - puede ser reinterpretado para incluir nuestra responsabilidad de cuidar por la tierra.
• La vida simple es un modelo para el desarrollo de economías sostenibles.
• Nuestro tratamiento de la naturaleza afecta directamente a nuestras karmas. Gandhi ejemplificó muchas de estas enseñanzas, y su ejemplo continúa inspirando a líderes sociales, religiosos y ambientales contemporáneos en sus esfuerzos para proteger el planeta.
•H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 3.4.28 A Comment On Commentaries
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.28 A Comment On Commentaries 2005 Sydney
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.28 A Comment On Commentaries 2005 Sydney
Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.28 A Comment On Commentaries 2005 Sydney •H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – BG 4.34 Free From Fanaticism & Speculation
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – Bhagavad Gita 4.34 Free From Fanaticism & Speculation 2005
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – Bhagavad Gita 4.34 Free From Fanaticism & Speculation 2005
Lecture – Bhagavad Gita 4.34 Free From Fanaticism & Speculation 2005 •H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 4.31.21 Bogus Govinda Bhog
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 4.31.21 Bogus Govinda Bhog 2005-03-27 Hartford
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 4.31.21 Bogus Govinda Bhog 2005-03-27 Hartford
Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 4.31.21 Bogus Govinda Bhog 2005-03-27 Hartford •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 332—Poem for June 5
4:28 A.M.
A Writer of Pieces
New format—I will begin with the poem written on the day of its printing. Then I will print random excerpts of books I have printed over the last 35 years. I hope this variety will be pleasing.
Poem for June 5
I was up early and chanted
my full quota before 3:00 A.M.
It was mostly counting numbers, but
I take solace that Krishna is non-
different from the names, and I am
spending time with Him, even
in my mechanical state. I
earnestly say them all and
hear the syllables in my mind.
Lord Caitanya taught Rupa Goswami
the essential practices of devotional
service in brief. The first
five are all about the relationship
with the spiritual master.
One must accept a bona fide
guru and receive initiation from
him. One must serve him.
One must receive instructions from
him and make inquiries. One
must follow in the footsteps of
the previous acaryas and follow
the directions of the spiritual master.
Just see how much emphasis is
given to the guru. Further items
are one should give up everything
for Krishna’s satisfaction and accept
everything for His satisfaction.
The first ten items are direct “dos” and
the next ten are indirect
“do nots,” like don’t commit
offenses to devotional service
or to the holy name.
There are sixty-four items
of devotional service, and the
five limbs which are the
best of all are association
with devotees, chant the
holy name, hear Srimad-Bhagavatam,
reside at Mathura and worship
the Deity with faith and
veneration. Even a slight
performance of these five
awakens love for Krishna.
Yesterday I began speaking on
the books I’ve written as
an addition to the autobiog.
I summarized the four volumes of Nimai, Gurudeva and
the mouse, Chota. It was
fun and I will next talk
about some of my other
fiction books. I sit
with Baladeva and speak
into the Dictaphone.
In this way I’ve overcome
my writing block and
gained a life-extension
on the autobiog.
The poem gleans from
my life and sings in
improvised measures.
Narayana likes them,
and I read some to him
every day. His
encouragement drives me
confidently to do more.
Although they are similar,
each one is a new day.
I bring it back to Krishna
placing Him in the center
and offering prayers
and praise as I’ve
heard them from the sastras or as I feel it in my heart.
Krishna is the soul of souls,
the raison d’être of the poem. •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): OLD FRIENDS
“From Srila Prabhupada Samadhi Diary
“Prabhupada’s Room, 5:00 A.M.
“Srila Prabhupada, while seated in this room, you noticed and criticized Nitai dasa’s hatchet-motion of pranamas to you. You said he was doing it without love or respect. From this room you walked into the servant’s quarters and found them sleeping. That was an earlier year. 1977 was different. You withdrew from us gradually until most of the day you lay quietly on your bed, not talking or communicating.
“Today you are still with us. If I cannot understand it, that doesn’t mean it’s not true. I also don’t realize how Krishna is with the gopis in vipralambha, even after He left Vrndavana.
“This morning, Srila Prabhupada, you showed the young Indian woman dancing extravagantly in front of your golden murti at mangala-aroti. She was escorted out, but again showed up in the temple room. In both places she made full dandavats before Your Divine Grace. Crazy woman?
“If a disciple is pure and full of yearning, you can be with him. As Krishna can talk with us, so can His pure devotee. This is possible due to the internal energy, which can make the impossible possible.
“Your finger is pointing out of the hole in your bead bag. Your gaze is fixed a a point on the table. You might be thinking of what to say next in a purport. Your body is tanned, your cloth saffron, brown eyes, light limbs, and you have great determination and powerful, grave realization. Your methods are expert. You cared. You saved souls. You left India and did the best work and got the most mercy from Lord Caitanya. Preaching is not material. Who can do it except the empowered servant?
“I worship you and beg for a drop of your preaching sakti. I am embarrassed to even admit it. People might wonder, ‘Why is he asking that, how is he going to preach. That’s not his nature.’ But something impels me to say it. Being near you and thinking of you, if one wants to please you, if one wants to catch Krishna’s attention, this is what you recommended. Srila Prabhupada, never leave me for a moment.
“Samadhi Mandira, 4:00 P.M.
“Prabhupada, I cannot center important themes in my life. My viewpoint keeps changing according to the hour of the day. I want to be steady-minded like you. Envy and distaste for sadhu-sanga—these are not good signs. Anyway, I come to be with you. Earlier today when I sensed I was confused, I looked forward to coming here. It’s an act that is clear in its purpose and outcome—centering on you and coming close to you.
“When all the doors are shut in the mandira, there’s still so much open lattice that the sunlight fills the hall. Air circulates. It’s an open hall even when it’s locked shut. The emptiness makes it silent. There’s no temple like it. No pictures on the wall, no inscriptions. Everything waits until the doors open and his golden form shines out, dressed as a sannyasi with garlands and a bead bag. We sit and wait.
“The way it is decorated with marble bas-relief—a column of elephants is marching left, and another one is marching right. They meet in the center with two elephants touching trunks. I hear an arati bell ringing somewhere.
“Dear Srila Prabhupada, I can’t think of myself all alone with you. You have thousands of followers, and you yourself are with the associates of Radha and Krishna in your nitya-lila. You are also with Lord Caitanya and His many devotees. Yet here I am with Madhumangala, alone in your temple. Aloneness is also a spiritual truth, or let us say, individuality. Each gopi thinks that Krishna is only with her. Each cowherd boy thinks that Krishna is looking only at him. In the miraculous kirtanas at Jagannatha Puri, each group thinks Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is with them alone. Aloneness with the guru is not simply maya.
“He opens the side doors to let a worker out, then closes them again. If we want a peaceful circumambulation, maybe now is the time. Please make it clear to me, my Lord, how I should pursue my plan and desire to be chaste and dedicated to You. How can I attain Your service best in this life and the next?
“At the end of a lecture in Nairobi, a disciple asked, ‘Lord Krishna advises we think of him at the time of death. What if we think of the spiritual master, is that good?’
“‘Yes,’ you replied, ‘because the spiritual master is with Krishna.’ That’s my hope. And who else am I likely to think of at the end. I know that you gave me so much, and I can never repay you. I want to fill my consciousness with you as long as I can. Let me remind myself about death. You said it’s not chance what we think of at death. Something odd from many years ago may come to mind. Let me think of you, sincere love crosses all barriers.
“Prabhupada’s Room, 4:35 P.M.
“It was dark in here when we entered. We are the first to come after your afternoon rest. I hope you are not unhappy to see us. We sit in a corner so as not to disturb you.
“The letter on your desk is to Sudama, January 1972. You say to him, ‘You have always served me very faithfully.’ You pray that Krishna blesses him with a long life to open many temples, ‘and that in this lifetime you may return back home, back to Godhead.’
“Srila Prabhupada, you asked Sudama to arrange a pandal in Tokyo and speaking engagements in universities where English is understood. You said that his learning Japanese was of first importance. ‘If you remain patient and determined . . . ’ Good advice for all of us. To have an order like that from Srila Prabhupada!
“Srila Prabhupada, you liked it cool and dark like this. Soon you would ask that we let the guests in. Some of them would not be important people. You got into management, temple construction, restaurant, guesthouse, book printing . . . Your mail would be read to you by a secretary. It wasn’t easy to be the head of a worldwide organization and always have to hear cases, like a judge on the bench, but you were eka-nistha, Srila Prabhupada, always serving guru and Krishna without deviation. I want to hear from you.
“You installed Deities all over the world. Then you traveled all over the world to preach and keep company with your disciples. Do you remember all that, Srila Prabhupada? The whole world was your preaching field. And still this world has value for your devotees because you taught us how to preach your message and to encourage each other. Radha-Gokulananda, Radha-Rasavihari, Radha-Londonisvara, Radha-Damodara. I think of you on airplanes and in waiting rooms, in temple rooms and in your quarters around the world, where you were offered a low desk, a water pitcher, a Dictaphone. You walked in those rooms with your bare feet. Some of those temple rooms were only rented houses, but you were always interested in the facility and how the preaching was going. And you always gave ambitious suggestions like the one to Sudama to organize a pandal in Tokyo for thousands.
“Now a few guests are coming in. They are quiet. The four ceiling fans are rattling as they create a breeze. It’s another sweet day of routine. I didn’t know what to write before I came here, but your presence always allows me to say something.
“Gradually, I’m learning in a simple, relaxed way to think, ‘I am with Srila Prabhupada in his rooms.’ I simply state this fact and write a few notes, like ‘Straw mats on black marble floors. Curtains closed and sunlight seeping through. Memories of you here.’ I hope to be able to recapture it even when I’m not here. There is one relaxation exercise that tells you to remember a peaceful place where there is no stress. I like to remember being here in your rooms, jotting notes and looking up to see you always there, assuring me of your presence. When you were here, and I was here with you, it was sometimes tense. I was nervous that I wouldn’t do the right thing, or anxious about my own bodily or mental needs. It’s different now.” •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Installation of Sri-Sri Radha-Damodara, Sigatoka Fiji 2010
A Flickr photographer tagged Servant of all Vaishnavas has published a record of the event in his photostream. I would like to thank him and show you a slideshow of his set on The Lords' installation.
All glories to ISKCON Sigatoka. Their Facebook name is Iskcon Sigatoka Fiji. You will find more images there
•H.H. Sivarama Swami: In my humble opion Aruddha dd is doing the preaching of ten sannyasis
H.H. Sivarama Swami: In my humble opion Aruddha dd is doing the preaching of ten sannyasis
H.H. Sivarama Swami: In my humble opion Aruddha dd is doing the preaching of ten sannyasis
•Sita-pati dasa, AU: Back Home, Back to Godhead!
If that question makes no sense to you, skip this post. :-)
Otherwise, read on:
The answer to this question is very simple. Our path is raganuga-bhakti.
Raganuga bhakti is described in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu as follows:
vraja-vāsi-janādiṣu
rāgātmikām anusṛtā
yā sā rāgānugocyate
Devotional service in spontaneous love is vividly expressed and manifested by the inhabitants of Vrindavana. Devotional service that accords with their devotional service is called raganuga bhakti, or devotional service following in the wake of spontaneous loving service.
- Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.270
Following the spontaneous emotion of eternally liberated nitya-siddha residents of Goloka Vrndavan is the essence of raganuga-bhakti.
Srila Prabhupada is an eternally liberated soul, a nitya siddha. For him, "Back home, back to Godhead" is simply a statement of fact.
Even if one considers that he is not a nitya siddha, he is in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, a raganuga line descending from the Kali-yuga pavana incarnation.
In either case, the emotion that he expresses, that of "Back home, back to Godhead", is the emotion of the eternally liberated resident of Goloka Vrndavan who comes to this world to canvass amongst the nitya-baddhas. By imbibing this feeling, raga, one develops this identity - from raga to bhava, and thus one becomes one's conception:
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taḿ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.
- Bhagavad-gita 8.6
That is the reason why followers of Srila Prabhupada repeat his phrase "Back home, back to Godhead". It is a question of raga, not one of tattva. That is not to say that it has no philosophical coherence with the Vedic statements, as I have clarified above.
Back home, back to Godhead. See you there!
•David Haslam, UK: There is more to temple life than doing a paid job
Each faith has a particular set of rules, commandments and instructions that it requires or asks it’s followers to adhere too; becoming a part of the daily lives and by doing so should connect us closer to God. Each faith has it’s radicals, moderates and those so lenient that simply say well do what you [...]
•ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Vraja Krsna Prabhu
Daily Class - Vraja Krsna Prabhu: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.8.45
SB 12.8.45: O my Lord, O supreme friend of the conditioned soul, although for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this world You accept the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, which constitute Your illusory potency, You specifically employ the mode of goodness to liberate the conditioned souls. The other two modes simply bring them suffering, illusion and fear.
SB 12.8.45: ¡Oh Mi Señor!, ¡Oh! Supremo Amigo del alma condicionada, aunque para la creación, mantenimiento y aniquilación de este mundo usted acepta los modos de la bondad, pasión e ignorancia, que constituyen su potencia ilusoria, usted emplea específicamente el modo de bondad para liberar a las almas condicionadas. Los otros dos modos traen simplemente el sufrimiento, la ilusión y el miedo.
Srimad Bhagavatam 12.8.45 - The essence of goodness is to renounce selfish interest in all one's activities and thus dedicate one's entire being to the Supreme Being, Lord Krishna, who is the source of our existence.
10.7MBPosted by Jayendra at 5/6/11; 5:29:40 PM to the Daily Class dept.
Daily Class - Vraja Krsna Prabhu: Srimad Bhagavatam 12.8.45
Sriamd Bhagavatam 12.8.45 - The essence of goodness is to renounce selfish interest in all one's activities and thus dedicate one's entire being to the Supreme Being, Lord Krishna, who is the source of our existence.
•Book Distribution News: Malawi, Africa, Discovers Prabhupada's books
A ten-day international trade fair held in the nation of Malawi, in south central Africa, concluded yesterday. A well-wisher from India who is a managing director of a Malawian company had offered to hire a stall for ISKCON because he's keen to help spread Srila Prabhupada's teachings in Malawi. And so I showcased almost all of Srila Prabhupada's books to those who visited our stall, people from a diverse section of society: students, businessmen, professionals, and even an ex-minister. There were some memorable moments.
One elderly man came up to me, and as I told him about ISKCON he said, "Oh! Krsna and the gopis!" I was surprised because I hadn't told him anything about the gopis. Anyway, trying not to become diverted from my mission of putting a "Science of Self-realization" in his hands, I continued attempting to convince him to take an SSR. After some discussion, he agreed to take the book. I then asked him how he knew about Krsna and the gopis, and he said that in his college days he had studied oriental religions and had liked the part about Krsna and his pastimes with his different devotees.
A young person came by to look at the books and exclaimed, "Oh, Krsna consciousness!" I asked him where he was from and how he knew about Krsna consciousness. He said he was from Nairobi and had come to Malawi for the trade fair; his stall was on the other side of the pavilion. On the street in Nairobi he had once bought a book from someone whom he had taken to be an Indian lady. He had liked the book, so he took "Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers" from me.
Two friends came who said that they were self-employed. I decided to speak to the one who looked more serious. His friend looked a little frivolous and was always making jokes. While I was talking to the other man, explaining Krsna consciousness, his friend picked up "Beyond Birth and Death," read a section, and started laughing. He interrupted us and showed his friend how Srila Prabhupada was saying that people who concentrate on the body and material things are less intelligent since these things are temporary. He laughed and said, "How can someone write in a book that we are less intelligent?" As I continued speaking to the other man, his friend interrupted again, this time wanting to read aloud something from the SSR he found amusing: "Some people think that they are God, or that there is no God or that everyone is God, and so they refuse to actually accept God. To these people God comes in the form of cruel death." He seemed really impressed by this statement. I was thinking that this person was spoiling everything because he wouldn't let me sell a book to his friend. Finally, the man I was speaking with said that he was impressed with the knowledge but didn't want to take a book. While he was telling me this his friend interrupted once again and asked me, "How much for these two books?" I told him and he purchased both "Beyond Birth and Death" and "The Science of Self-realization."
You can never predict the outcome of any encounter on sankirtan.
To be continued...
•Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group
•Gouranga TV: Birmingham 24h kirtan 2011, Sacinandana Swami
Birmingham 24h kirtan 2011, Sacinandana Swami
Subido por meye999 el 29/05/2011
Birmingham 24h kirtan 2011, Sacinandana Swami •More Recent Articles
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SB 12.8.45: O my Lord, O supreme friend of the conditioned soul, although for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this world You accept the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, which constitute Your illusory potency, You specifically employ the mode of goodness to liberate the conditioned souls. The other two modes simply bring them suffering, illusion and fear.
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