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"Planet ISKCON" - 26 new articles
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Aniruddha Prabhu
- Japa Group: As You Associate With Krsna’s Name
- Dandavats.com: Knowledge Vs Nescience
- Dandavats.com: “Simplicity Diet”
- Dandavats.com: Apartments In Vrindavan
- Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Honest brahmacari or honest grhastha
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 3. Ch.24. T.11, ‘Renunciation of Kardama Muni’.
- ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Deity Darshan: Sunday April 24, 2011
- H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Great lecture – Cow Protection Solves All Economic Problems
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 291—Poem for April 25
- ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Slides from Yesterday's Sunday Feast Class - "Sunday Program at the Temple - Part One"
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): OLD FRIENDS
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Pictures from our residece in Pecs, the Saturday Program, and the Sunday Program in Kecskemet
- Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: In the News: Govinda's Vegetarian Dining Club Offers Lunch in a Peaceful Setting
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Sunday kirtana at Kecskemet program
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: If the governments of this world don’t erect statues in Srila Prabhupada’s honor, perhaps Krsna will do so in Goloka…
- Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Recipe : Vegetarian Italian Easter Brunch Menu
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Mahaprabhu Prabhu
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Sunday, April 24th, 2011
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Saturday, April 23rd, 2011
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Friday, April 22nd, 2011
- Gaura-shakti Kirtan, Toronto, CA: What a Kirtan!
- David Haslam, UK: The fine art of criticizing others, especially you!
- Gouranga TV: H.H. Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami speaks on S.B.4.14.2-4
- Japa Group: My Journey Into Japa
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
- More Recent Articles
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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Aniruddha Prabhu
Srimad Bhagavatam 12.4.41-43 - There is no other literature which can eclipse the glory of Srimad Bhagavatam (srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah...).
•Japa Group: As You Associate With Krsna’s Name
By chanting carefully, you get the strength to follow the orders of your spiritual master, as you associate with Krsna’s name. But we know that if you associate without offense, it is much more effective. Following the four rules and living in devotional service assures you of avoiding the ten offenses.
From Japa Reform Notebook
by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami
•
Dandavats.com: Knowledge Vs Nescience
By Tripti Madhavi Devi Dasi
Eighteen items in culturing knowledge. One result is derived from the culture of knowledge and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience
•Dandavats.com: “Simplicity Diet”
By Bharat Chandra das
Few months back I was in Rajasthan and I was inspired to write this small article dedicating to all those following simplicity diet. I am sure those who visit villages in Rajasthan get the same feeling. In comparison to villages in other parts of India, Rajasthani villages are special. Rajasthani men and women are semblem of simplicity. And it starts with their diet
•Dandavats.com: Apartments In Vrindavan
Rupa-raghunath das: Food for Life Vrindavan will soon start construction on a new block of offices to accommodate their operations. As part of this new development, we are pleased to offer an opportunity to friends and donors to purchase apartments within the office building.
•Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Honest brahmacari or honest grhastha
Laksmi Nrimhadev das:
So when Srila Prabhupada was sitting there in his inimitable way, he was very very relaxed and sometimes he would put his arm on his head and lift his leg up and he was just sitting there very relaxed and he was talking to us and the one thing I remember he was glorifying brahmacari. He said "So, this brahmacari life, this is ideal for spiritual advancement. It is a simple life." He said "You have your cloth, one or two sets of cloth, you have your chaddar, when you want to sleep you wrap your chaddar around you, when you want your pillow, you put your arm out and you sleep with your chaddar and your pillow," and he was going on about the simplicity of brahmacari life and how conducive it was to spiritual life and of course we were all, Prabhupada was just pumping us up, we were all brahmacari and we thought we were all pukka brahmacaris and then Prabhupada stopped right in the middle of that and he got this look on his face like compassion look and he said "But you must be honest brahmacari." He said "If you are not honest brahmacari then you must become honest grhasta," and that rang a bell in my head so loud because just the way he, he wasn't really concerned, he didn't really care whether we were brahmacaris or sannyasis or grhastas, he wanted us to be honest in our asrama and honest in the practice of our devotional service. So that instruction rang so true to me it still reverberates in my head. Whatever I do whatever asrama whatever station in life I must do it honestly.
Memories of Srila Prabhupada, DVD 51. (Available from www.prabhupadamemories.com)
•H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 3. Ch.24. T.11, ‘Renunciation of Kardama Muni’.
Following is a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam. Third Canto. Chapter Twenty Four, ‘Renunciation of Kardama Muni’. Text Eleven, on 6th August 2010 in ISKCON Ujjain. Transcription : Her Grace Ranga Radhika Dasi & Rishma Mohanlal-Jaggan Dasi Editing : Her Grace Hemavati Radhika Dasi Audio Reference : http://audio.iskcondesiretree.info/index.php?q=f&f=%2F02_-_ISKCON_Swamis%2FISKCON_Swamis_-_A_to_C%2FHis_Holiness_Bhakti_Caru_Swami%2FSrimad_Bhagavatam sabhajayan [...]
•ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Deity Darshan: Sunday April 24, 2011
•H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Great lecture – Cow Protection Solves All Economic Problems
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Great lecture – Cow Protection Solves All Economic Problems
SB 8.24.4: Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Parīkṣit Mahārāja thus inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that most powerful saintly person began describing the pastimes of the Lord's incarnation as a fish.
SB 8.24.5: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, for the sake of protecting the cows, brāhmaṇas, demigods, devotees, the Vedic literature, religious principles, and principles to fulfill the purpose of life, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts the forms of incarnations.
SB 8.24.4: Sūta Gosvāmī dit: Parīkṣit Mahārāja l'ayant ainsi interrogé, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, ce très saint et très puissant personnage, commença le récit des Divertissements de l'avatara-Poisson.
SB 8.24.5: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī dit: O roi, afin de protéger les vaches, les brāhmaṇas, les devas, les bhaktas, les Ecritures védiques, les principes religieux et les principes à suivre pour atteindre le but de la vie, Dieu, la Personne Suprême, Se manifeste sous diverses formes d'avataras.
SB 8.24.4: Sūta Gosvāmī dijo: Cuando Parīkṣit Mahārāja hizo esta pregunta a Śukadeva Gosvāmī, aquella muy poderosa persona santa comenzó a narrar los pasatiempos de la encarnación del Señor en forma de pez.
SB 8.24.5: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī dijo: ¡Oh, rey!, la Suprema Personalidad de Dios Se encarna en diversas formas a fin de proteger a las vacas, a los brāhmaṇas, a los semidioses, a los devotos, las Escrituras védicas, los principios religiosos y los principios destinados a satisfacer el objetivo de la vida.
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| Sita-pati das |
Submitted by sitapati on Wed, 2006-12-27 19:28 posted here
I usually test whether or not I’m “on track” with my Krishna Consciousness by comparing my preaching and thinking with the topics that my spiritual master covers when he visits. Generally in the weeks or months before his visit I’ll be talking about the same things that he touches on when he comes. This time I wasn’t so in sync with his thinking, but I was completely blown away by the class that His Holiness Prahladananda Swami gave when he arrived in Brisbane. It’s almost like he has been listening to the Red Hill Conversations Podcast.
Afterwards I spoke with Maharaja and told him: “It’s uncanny – these are exactly the topics we’ve been discussing over these past months”. And he replied: “Well, we’re reading the same books, so you’d hope so…”
As the saying goes – “Confirmed”.
Here it is in all its smack down on vaccination, fluoride, and modern medicine / pharmaceutical industry glory:
Lecture – SB 8.24.4-5 Cow Protection Solves All Economic Issues (mp3, 62 mins, 56 MB)
•H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 291—Poem for April 25
4:27 A.M.
A Writer of Pieces
New format—I will begin with a 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 April 25
Eyes strain through
sixteen rounds you did
enough kept your attention
fixed during the count
alone in your chair.
I spoke with Haridasa, he
had stories from his week.
He’s memorized some of my
poems and recites them to
others. They say it touches the
heart better than reading them.
Two hours yesterday with
Radhanatha Swami, he wore
me out but it was gracious
talk. He told me the story
how he was the black sheep
of New Vrndavana because
he kept postponing his initiation
until Lord Caitanya spoke to
him and said, ‘Give Me your
hair’ He shaved up and
surrendered. His appreciation
for my writing buoyed me up.
He sold 2,500 books
on his U.S. book tour.
He’s a wonderful, modest
preacher.
I couldn’t go on my
walk yesterday because
of headache, stayed indoors
and watched the ballgame.
My body feeling weak but
today I must do yoga.
Going to the well I
lower my bucket for
personal writing of the
autobiog. It’s a daily
test whether I can fill
my bucket. So far
it’s still coming when
I entered a surrendered mood
and accept what’s coming.
I can conceivably
continue.
Saci keeps coming
upstairs faithfully
every morning to read
to me from Krishna book
while I have breakfast.
He reads how
devotees of Lord Siva
get riches easily
but Lord Vishnu’s devotees
don’t receive that which
would delay them in the material
world. They receive
the gift of devotional service.
He reads and I imbibe
it every day and ask
him what he is doing.
He is generous and kind
to me and everyone,
an outstanding man
in a stingy world.
I hope to always
satisfy him with
my steady service
which he accepts
my quiet contribution.
Radhanatha Swami
also liked the idea
of my Prabhupada Smaranam
and autobiog. I
continue trying as
best I can in
measured days.
•ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Slides from Yesterday's Sunday Feast Class - "Sunday Program at the Temple - Part One"
•H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): OLD FRIENDS
From Vandanam: A Krishna Conscious Handbook on Prayer
Prayers Asking Forgiveness
“Arjuna asked Krishna to forgive him for acting in a too-familiar way. Lord Brahma asked to be excused for his impudence in trying to play a trick on Krishna. The wives of Kaliya asked that the Lord please forgive their serpent husband, and Prahlada prayed to please forgive Hiranyakasipu for his sinful activities.
How to Apply Sastric Prayers
“We may ask how these sastric prayers are relevant to the lives of we ordinary devotees who haven’t seen the Universal Form as Arjuna did and who haven’t performed Dhruva’s austerities in order to gain the darsana of the Lord.
“Our application, as advised in The Nectar of Devotion, is to recite prayers when we go before the Deity. Prayers should be regularly recited. Regarding the ‘Hymns of Lord Brahma’ in the Brahma-samhita, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati writes, ‘Readers are requested to study and try to enter into the spirit of this hymn with care and attention as a regular daily function.’ The key here is to enter the spirit. As the great devotees prayed, we may pray. We may pray with them. This is done not by imagining we are Lord Brahma, but by empathizing with him and with the pastime in which he made his prayer.
“Although we are not as great as those whose prayers are contained in Srimad-Bhagavatam, we are the same in quality, as spirit souls. We are also servants of God, and we have the need to worship Him and to thank Him. If we slowly and carefully recite their prayers, we will benefit. We cannot simply rattle them off with no attempt to make them our own.
“Certain prayers seem to be meant for us, addressed to our needs, or they say what we would say to Krishna if we could express ourselves. Each of us should find our own favorites and enter their spirit.
“Practice them, memorize them, live with them, use them in real situations. Surrender to them. When we enter the spirit of a sastric prayer, it is as if we are saying, ‘O great devotee, you please pray for me. You know the Lord far better than I do. As you ask for forgiveness, let me do that also, praying with you in your stotra.’
“As for expressing higher sentiments of devotion, such as the love of Radha-Krishna, it would not be possible for us to pray without having these uttama-slokas so kindly given to us in the scriptures. By reciting these prayers, we can associate with Lord Krishna in vandanam.
“Vandanam is one of the nine items of bhakti, and any one item, if practiced to perfection, can bring one to the stage of pure devotional service. Therefore, if one learns the art of serving Krishna through scriptural prayers, he can go back to Godhead.”
From Dear Sky: Letters from a Sannyasi
“Dear Death,
“I call you Death, but I don’t mean Yamaraja.
“Recently a devotee wrote me a letter and asked me many intricate questions about Yamaraja. I said I didn’t know the answers. He wanted to know if Yamaraja only treats sinful persons and Krishna treats the others. And who judges persons who are not demons, but not devotees? I replied that all I knew is what I had read in the Sixth Canto: Yamaraja tells his messengers that they should leave the devotees alone and go only after people who are averse to the lotus feet of Krishna. I owned up and said I can only answer simple questions, but I have faith that everything happens by Krishna’s arrangement. I don’t know how my food is digested, how many hairs I have on my head, and how the leaves sprout green in the spring. I don’t know practically anything, but I know everything is happening by Krishna’s arrangement. However, Krishna does quickly say that Yamaraja does not come for the devotees.
“Then what kind of death do we contemplate as sadhakas? If Krishna does not take us on a chariot to Vaikuntha (or to Vraja) at the end of this life because we’re not yet pure, how do we get to the next place? And who takes us? I don’t think this detail is so important. But still the question remains: Who am I talking about when I say, ‘Dear Death’?
“It’s a fact I am thinking of you, Death. Thinking about death brings anxiety. We have our present plans, and they may extend a year or two into the future. Sometimes we even dare to plan further ahead. If we do not think about death, we usually plan to have warning and then go to Vrndavana to spend our last six months. But it may not be like that at all. The next time I go downstairs to the bathroom, it may be all over, even though I’m not thinking the final thoughts I’ve planned to think, even while my chanting is poor. It’s that fear that you, dear Death, may come at an unexpected time, especially in an awkward place where there are no devotees, or before I am prepared.
“Prabhupada tells us that death comes to a devotee like a cat who picks up her kittens. The cat takes the kittens in her mouth, holding them gently by the skin on their necks. It doesn’t hurt the kittens; for them it is a pleasure. But when death comes for the nondevotee or sinful man, it’s like the cat who catches the rat by the throat. We know that we will be helpless at the time of death; we will not be in control. We will try to think of Krishna, and then death will handle us accordingly. So Death, you have your own date with me. I can’t say I’m waiting for you eagerly. I do love this life of travel and writing, and I am eager to spend more of this lifetime hearing from the acaryas and reading about Radha and Krishna. I’m just beginning.
“I’m on the verge of asking you to please give me more time, but I should not pray like that. My prayer is to the all-living, eternal blissful Krishna and His parisads. My prayer is to Srila Prabhupada: ‘Please prepare me for death by allowing me to live as fully as possible in surrender to you.’”
From In Praise of the Mahajanas and Other Poems (1983)
Radhastami at Gita-nagari
“1.
“Prabhupada put it so simply:
‘She is the best devotee of Krishna.’
We believed him with no material tinge;
simply on his order we were allowed
to transcend all jnana and tapasya.
Beholding the oval painting in the storefront,
Radha and Krishna in Vrndavana,
we heard from him why She is the best:
‘Because no one loves Krishna as much as She.’
Prabhupada, like Radha, was the compassionate side of
Krishna;
and he told us of Radha’s compassion:
‘The chanting is exactly like the cry
of a child for its mother.
Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve
the Lord Father’s grace.’
“2.
“An ordinary devotee cannot understand
how She approaches Krishna in a conjugal mood,
But we must follow in the footsteps of the gopis,
without fear, by unalloyed service,
without expectation of reward.
It is Radha we must follow.
All servants, from the first to the last,
must follow in the footsteps of the gopis.
“As we work in the kitchen, or distribute books,
as we work with the lawyers,
as we fight with the demons,
all servants follow Radha
and keep Her on their minds
by chanting Hare Krishna.
“3.
“Walking in the japa garden
I begin to understand
how by Her mercy
we develop love of God.
“And on the appearance day of Radharani,
I offered this prayer:
‘Please give me the blessings
of engagement in Your service
as given by Your pure devotee.
I really don’t want
material enjoyment any more.
Please help me
to drive away unwanted lust
and let me worship You,
O personification of the best
devotion to Lord Krishna.’”
From Living with the Scriptures
Removing the Material Veil
“‘When one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krishna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness. On the other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship to Krishna is not complete in his renunciation.’ (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu)
“It was a summer afternoon in 1966. Srila Prabhupada sat behind his little trunk, which doubled as his desk in his apartment at 26 Second Avenue. ‘Actually,’ Srila Prabhupada was saying, ‘everything is spiritual if used in Krishna’s service.’ With his hand he indicated a nearby black telephone as an object of potential spirituality. This amazed me at once. Srila Prabhupada’s words changed everything. I had thought of the ‘spiritual’ as an inconceivable, imperceptible realm, but Srila Prabhupada showed me that in the dynamism of Krishna consciousness the pure devotee sees the whole world in relation to Krishna, as His energy. And he uses everything in His service. Although I could not falsely adopt Srila Prabhupada’s pure expansive consciousness, on first hearing his explanation I could nevertheless foresee an exciting future, and I could appreciate with a fresh wonder that Srila Prabhupada did not see the same old tired world of matter that everyone else saw.
“Once on a New York television show, a panel member asked Srila Prabhupada, ‘If you have renounced material things, why do you mark your forehead with clay and play brass cymbals when you sing?’ Prabhupada replied that clay used for Vaisnava markings and musical instruments used to chant the Hare Krishna mantra were not material things but spiritual. He said it is a question of one’s consciousness, and that, factually speaking, everything comes from Krishna, who is all-spiritual. Prabhupada’s answer met with a stunned, appreciative response. It defeated the idea that the spiritual world is made up only of air or non-corporeal light. The transformation of the whole material world into spirit suddenly loomed as practical reality when revealed by the words of Krishna’s pure devotee.
“As Srila Prabhupada explains in a Bhagavad-gita purport, ‘The material veil can be removed at once by Krishna consciousness . . . The Absolute Truth covered by maya is called matter. Matter dovetailed for the cause of the Absolute Truth regains its spiritual quality.’ (Bg. 4.24, purport) The die-hard materialist rejects this transformation process by challenging that the devotee is simply exploiting matter for his own material enjoyment like everyone else. Srila Prabhupada refutes the materialist’s point of view in The Nectar of Devotion where he explains ‘a secret of devotional service:’
“‘Sometimes people ask us, “Why are you using material products if you condemn the advancement of material civilization?’ But actually we do not condemn. We simply ask people to do whatever they are doing in Krishna consciousness. This is the same principle on which, in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna advised Arjuna to utilize his fighting abilities in devotional service. Similarly, we are utilizing these machines for Krishna’s service. With such sentiment for Krishna or Krishna consciousness, we can accept everything. If the typewriter can be utilized for advancing our Krishna consciousness movement, we must accept it. Similarly, the dictating machine or any other machine must be used. Our vision is that Krishna is everything. Krishna is the cause and effect, and nothing belongs to us. Krishna’s things must be used in the service of Krishna. That is our vision.’ (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 115)
“Once the devotees took Srila Prabhupada on a tour of the factory which produced incense for ISKCON’s newly-prospering Spiritual Sky incense business. While looking through an office window down into a spacious warehouse, Srila Prabhupada quoted this anasaktasya visayan verse of Rupa Gosvami. At that time none of the devotees knew the meaning of the Sanskrit, but they wrote it down as he spoke it and followed his advice to frame the verse and hang it on the office wall. Later when Spiritual Sky produced a colorful advertising brochure, a disciple wrote to Srila Prabhupada, asking, ‘Isn’t this maya?’ Prabhupada replied that anything that makes a million dollars for Krishna is not maya. Srila Prabhupada challenged the skeptic, saying, ‘When will you learn this important point? Your idea is maya, because you do not understand that everything may be used—including business and money—in the service of Krishna.’
“Although the first dawning of this realization inspired me, I sometimes fail to appreciate how auspicious it actually is to use everything in Krishna’s service. In 1971, while attempting to purchase a large building complex in Dallas, Texas for use as ISKCON’s gurukula, I faltered and thought I was becoming materially motivated. For half a year the purchase negotiations dragged on, during which time I became more and more involved in arranging for a down payment, studying the mortgage and interest rates, obtaining property assessments, title clearances, and so on. ‘Is this really spiritual life?’ I asked myself. Maybe I was trying so hard to succeed just so I could become famous for purchasing the biggest building in our movement. Maybe it was not good for my spiritual life to be involved in the real estate game. I conveyed some of this doubt and anxiety in a letter to Srila Prabhupada. His reply set me back on the right course:
“‘There is no question of personal desires. You are a sincere boy, so I give you all my blessings to go ahead with this project. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that, ‘Externally we may behave like ordinary men, but internally we remain fixed in the service of Radha-Krishna.’ The Mayavadi cannot accept this fact, and they take devotional service to be maya; therefore we call them Mayavadis. You should never, however, accept the Mayavadi philosophy at any time.’
“This letter made me happy, but it startled me too. Prabhupada said I was becoming a Mayavadi! With renewed zeal, I plunged back into the complex financial and legal exchange with the lawyers and real estate agents, and by Krishna’s and Prabhupada’s grace we eventually secured the purchase.”
•H.H. Sivarama Swami: Pictures from our residece in Pecs, the Saturday Program, and the Sunday Program in Kecskemet
•Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: In the News: Govinda's Vegetarian Dining Club Offers Lunch in a Peaceful Setting
Govinda's Vegetarian Dining Club Offers Lunch in a Peaceful Setting
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•H.H. Sivarama Swami: Sunday kirtana at Kecskemet program
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Sunday kirtana at Kecskemet program
Sunday kirtana at Kecskemet programApril 25th, 2011
[ 32:54 ]
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Sunday kirtana at Kecskemet program
•H.H. Sivarama Swami: If the governments of this world don’t erect statues in Srila Prabhupada’s honor, perhaps Krsna will do so in Goloka…
H.H. Sivarama Swami: If the governments of this world don’t erect statues in Srila Prabhupada’s honor, perhaps Krsna will do so in Goloka…
If the governments of this world don’t erect statues in Srila Prabhupada’s honor, perhaps Krsna will do so in Goloka…
April 25th, 2011
No, I have no, I mean to say, grudge against. If Krsna wants… In old age I was living a retired life in Vrndavana. He asked me “Get out, go to America.” So I came. At the age of seventy years, actually nobody goes out of home. But Krsna asked me, “Get out and go.” So I came. And although I have got the best temple in Vrndavana, I cannot live there. But a fighting soldier is honored by the government. He maybe dies, he is recognized by the government, “Here is a soldier, laid down his life by fighting.” So we prefer that life. We shall die fighting with maya. (Evening Darsana — July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.)
[ 10:13 ]
One Response to “If the governments of this world don’t erect statues in Srila Prabhupada’s honor, perhaps Krsna will do so in Goloka…”
Pradeep says:
Sunday kirtana at Kecskemet program
April 26, 2011 at 9:46 am
Do we really want the government to erect statues of our Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada used to sarcastically remark how the government erects statues of famous people and once a year they scrape the pigeon stool off and garland them.
Also, with respect, I doubt that Krsna will erect a statue of Prabhupada in Goloka – at least not in his sadhaka-deha that we are familiar with in this world.
H.H. Sivarama Swami: If the governments of this world don’t erect statues in Srila Prabhupada’s honor, perhaps Krsna will do so in Goloka…
No, I have no, I mean to say, grudge against. If Krsna wants… In old age I was living a retired life in Vrndavana. He asked me “Get out, go to America.” So I came. At the age of seventy years, actually nobody goes out of home. But Krsna asked me, “Get out and go.” So I came. And although I have got the best temple in Vrndavana, I cannot live there. But a fighting soldier is honored by the government. He maybe dies, he is recognized by the government, “Here is a soldier, laid down his life by fighting.” So we prefer that life. We shall die fighting with maya. (Evening Darsana — July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.)
•Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Recipe : Vegetarian Italian Easter Brunch Menu
Budino di Riso : agave sweetened brown rice pudding w/ Tahitian vanilla bean
Those of you who have been reading along for the past three years will surely remember my favorite yenta, The Client. If you are late to the program, click here to find the old posts (blog has been through some changes since then so the picture sizing is off, sorry). In a pignole shell, The Client was someone I did twice a week personal cheffing for 3 years back when we first moved to Florida. He’s a gem of a soul, but to tell about his food specifics makes him sound like a demanding lunatic. His essence is difficult to capture without turning it into parody. I had a blast cooking for The Client so when he rang me up a week ago to cater his house warming on Easter, I didn’t have to think twice. I knew what I was in for. Everything would have to be organic. And brown. The Client is a whole foods devotee.
“Who does a house warming party on Easter Sunday?” you may ask. The obvious answer is: The Client. The Client is also a devotee of Vedic astrology, so basically the stars dictate whether he turns left or turns right. I’m not sure if he’s ever checked my astrological compatibility with his but I am not volunteering my birth info. Who knows if we’re a good match according to the stars. But I sure do have fun rising to the challenge of his crazy dietary restrictions. Keep reading to see what I prepared, along with the recipes so you can recreate this Vegetarian Italian Easter Brunch Menu in your very own home.
Many chefs cherish working with fresh ingredients, cooking simply and letting the natural flavors express themselves in a dish. In that sense, it is a pleasure cooking for The Client because he demands only the best ingredients and he is willing to spare no expense. He knows the value of fresh, organic local produce. His taste in olive oil is serious. His palate is refined yet simple. He is, after all, Italian.
Challenge: I was given freshly ground wheat by The Client to use for bread and cupcakes. Pictured above is the bread flour. As you can see, it is the consistency of corn meal. The whole wheat pastry flour was not much finer. To be honest, the flour frightened me. It looked like something suited for poor people in the 1800's. How would I ever get this stuff to come together and form a loaf? I added a generous helping of gluten flour to the bread dough as a prophylactic measure.
Pane Rustico : So excited the dough came together, rose, and baked up beautifully.
Recipe : Pane Rustico
Begin bread dough 2 days before baking.
Ingredients
- 5 cups freshly ground unsifted wheat flour
- 1/2 cup gluten flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 + cups filtered water, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
Directions
- Combine ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook for 10 minutes, adding water slowly until a wet dough is formed.
- Set dough aside, covered, to rise for 20 minutes.
- Place dough in a covered and sealed plastic container to rest for 2 days in fridge.
- The day you are baking the bread, remove from refrigerator and allow dough to rise 3-5 hours at room temperature.
- When you are ready to bake the bread, place a 6 or 7 quart Dutch oven an oven. Turn heat to 500 degrees.
- Form dough into a round loaf and place on floured sheet of parchment paper. Flour top of bread. Score with a cross on top by slicing into dough with knife at 45 degree angle.
- After heating oven for 1.5 hours, remove Dutch oven and place on stove top. Pick up bread loaf by grabbing sides of parchment paper. Put dough and parchment paper into Dutch oven.
- Pull back side of parchment paper and pour approximately 1 cup of water into Dutch oven, below parchment. This will bubble and steam. Replace lid and return to oven.
- Bake in oven for 40 minutes. Remove Dutch oven, uncover and pull out loaf by the parchment (will be very brittle at this point). Set on a slab of butcher block to cool.
- Slice when bread is fully cooled.
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Delicious. Simple. Tapenade was the far and away scene stealer of the brunch.
Recipe : Tapenade
A French spread with Italian roots, tapenade delights spread on fresh bread or served with crudites. Since this dish is served in the raw, use the best possible quality olive oil to let the flavor shine.
Ingredients
- 4 cups pitted Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup capers
- 1 large eggplant
- handfull of fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil
Directions
- Slice eggplant, brush lightly with olive oil and bake in oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove and scrape. Discard skin.
- Combine all ingredients in food processor, pulsing while slowly adding olive oil.
- This is a great make ahead recipe. Transfer to covered container and refrigerate for a day before serving.
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Roasting pepper at home is easy if you have a gas stove. Just hold them over the flame. Don't forget to turn them!
The menu consisted of 4 different salads (green salad not pictured here). The challenge was to give each cold dish its own distinctive taste while using very simple (and similar) ingredients in each dish. Thank Easter for fresh herbs!
Recipe : Asparagus & Fingerling Potato Salad
Vibrant and full of fresh spring flavor, this dish makes a lovely presentation on any seasonal buffet.
Ingredients
- 6 cups of asparagus spears–mixed green and white
- 4 cups fingerling potatoes–golden and red
- 1 cup fresh tarragon
- 4 limes
- 2 teaspoons course fresh ground black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 3/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
Directions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Off the heat and plunge the asparagus spears into the hot water for 2 minutes. Remove from hot water and immediately place in a cold water bath.
- Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Toss lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Bake in oven at 400 degrees approximately 30 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on counter 1/2 hour then refrigerate.
- Mince tarragon. Combine with freshly squeezed lime juice. agave. olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Toss with vegetables. Cover and refrigerate. Allow flavors to develop overnight. Serve chilled or at room temp.
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Recipe : Creamy White Bean Salad
Take the time to soak and boil your beans. The taste and texture is superior to canned.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked cannellini beans
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup organic heavy cream
- 2 cups green beans cut into 1 inch lengths
- 1/2 cup minced freh dill
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons white rice wine vinegar
- optional: 1/4 cup minced scallions + 1 clove crushed garlic
Directions
- Bring pot of water to boil. Off heat. Plunge cut green beans into hot water for 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to cold water bath.
- Drain green beans. Combine with cannellinis and chickpeas.
- Add remaining ingredients. Allow to marinate overnight, covered in fridge, to allow flavors to develop.
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Recipe : Orzo Salad
My friend Sara was the inspiration for this monumental twist on the typical pasta salad. She served a similar dish to me recently at her home. I knew right away The Client would like it. A pound of dried orzo looks deceptively scant. Once boiled, it is enough to serve 8-10.
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat orzo
- 2 cups pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 cup green pimento olives
- 2 cups water packed artichoke hearts
- 1 lb. mozzarella, cubed
- 1 cup toasted pine nuts
- 4 cups of pretty eggplant, such as Listada de Gandia, cut into 1″ cubes
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 2 cups sliced roasted peppers
- 3/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoon course ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons yellow hing powder or onion powder
- optional: clove of crushed garlic
- 1 cup fresh minced purple and green basil
Directions
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, cool, toss with bit of olive oil and refrigerate until cold.
- Coat eggplant lightly w/ olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Bake eggplant at 400 degrees, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.
- Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours before serving to allow flavors to develop.
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Color is the theme of this pared down salad.
Recipe : Red & Green Salad w/ Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- arugala
- red leaf lettuce
- organic spring mix
- rainbow radishes
- beets
- 2 cups pecans
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup sucanat
- 2 cups cold pressed olive oil
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup agave
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions
- Cube beets. Toss lightly with olive oil and salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool. Refigerate.
- Thinly slice radishes into rounds.
- Tear lettuces.
- To candy pecans, heat pan with butter, add pecans, sucanat and pinch of salt. Stir and toast over medium flame 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a baking sheet to cool.
- Once all ingredients are cooled, place on top of bowl of lettuces.
- Combine remaining ingredients for dressing by whisking together.
- Toss salad with dressing right before serving.
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Whole Foods Rice Pudding
Recipe : Whole Foods Budino di Riso
This whole foods take on Italian rice pudding uses chewy short grain brown rice and floral noted Tahitian vanilla bean.
Ingredients
1 gallon whole organic milk
1 cup short grained brown rice
3/4 cup agave
1 long Tahitian vanilla bean
coconut oil
Directions
Coat the bottom of the pot with coconut oil to prevent burning.
Bring 1 gallon of milk to a boil.
Add rinsed rice, agave and split and scraped vanilla beans (+ pod).
Stir frequently until pot comes to a boil.
Reduce heat and bring pot to a slow boil.
Continue to cook rice pudding until thickened and reduced Your rice pudding will cook for approximately 45-1 hour.
Remove from heat, cool. Refrigerate. Serve with fresh fruit.
For a white rice pudding recipe, click here.
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All natural, even the color! Beets keep it real.
Recipe : Black Velvet Cupcakes
The recipe for this cake is here. To make it into cupcakes, fill cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes at 350. The recipe works just fine with 100% whole wheat pastry flour.
•ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Mahaprabhu Prabhu
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Mahaprabhu Prabhu - Srimad Bhagavatam 12.4.38-40
Srimad Bhagavatam 12.4.38-40 - The false gurus, babas and incarnations who do not believe in Supreme Personality of Godhead are the greatest terrorists who create havoc in the whole world (avajananti mam mudha...)
16.0MB
Posted by Bhakti Sara Dasa at 25/4/11; 7:51:57 PM to the Daily Class dept
SB 12.4.38: In this way the progress of time is described in terms of the four kinds of annihilation — continuous, occasional, elemental and final.
SB 12.4.39: O best of the Kurus, I have related to you these narrations of the pastimes of Lord Nārāyaṇa, the creator of this world and the ultimate reservoir of all existence, presenting them to you only in brief summary. Even Lord Brahmā himself would be incapable of describing them entirely.
SB 12.4.40: For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless miseries and who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except that of cultivating devotion to the transcendental taste for the narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's pastimes.
SB 12.4.38: De esta manera el progreso del tiempo se describe en términos de cuatro clases de aniquilación - continua, ocasional, elemental y final.
SB 12.4.39: ¡Oh, el Mejor de los Kurus, le he relacionado a usted estas narraciones de los pasatiempos de señor Nārāyaṇa, el creador de este mundo y el último depósito de toda la existencia, presentándoles a usted solamente en resumen del resumen. Incluso el señor Brahmā mismo sería incapaz de describirlos enteramente.
SB 12.4.40: Para una persona que esté sufriendo en el fuego de las incontables miserias y que desee cruzar el océano insuperable de la existencia material, no hay barco conveniente salvo que cultive con dedicación el gusto trascendental por las narraciones de los pasatiempos de la Suprema Personalidad de Dios.
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Mahaprabhu Prabhu - Srimad Bhagavatam 12.4.38-40Guna Mani Nitai · Álbumes
 | 25/04/11 |
Srimad Bhagavatam 12.4.38-40 - The false gurus, babas and incarnations who do not believe in Supreme Personality of Godhead are the greatest terrorists who create havoc in the whole world (avajananti mam mudha...)
•H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Sunday, April 24th, 2011
Good news from the Island
Durban, South Africa
“Wow!” I say.
I picked up off the internet a poster welcoming Mauritian
Islanders to a Saturday and Sunday Walk for Spiritual
Awareness. Departure on Saturday is 5:15 AM and Sunday at
3.30 AM with an attached itinerary and including a
spiritual program on the road as you trek.
“These guys are on fire,” is my response. I’m impressed.
They are really taking off. Of all places in the world,
this tiny it-takes-less- than-two hours-to-drive-across
island might be the right place for regular walkathons.
Where would you find a place when there is some foot travelers on
the main secondary roads where motorist are so kind and
virtuous. They do not honk their horns, and veer around
the pedestrians. They don’t seem inconvenienced. No swear
words are hurled. It’s quite an amazing place I’ve found.
And here they are organizing themselves for such a unique
kind of weekend fun. I wish them all blessings, and luck. Team leaders are Sukadev
and Ram Vijay. I say to them “May your flames be
contagious. And may the enthusiasm be sustained.”
When in Mauritius a week ago I heard from several people
that morning sadhana (service) were a little laid back at
the three island temples. Perhaps the early morning
marriage of physical and spiritual exercise will change
the perspective on “morning sadhana”. Let the road be the
weekend temple. Why not?
10 KM
•H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Saturday, April 23rd, 2011
Furry Felines and People
Durban, South Africa
I’m no cat expert but I certainly see them prowling about,
on the hunt, of course. In my reeling about the Chatsworth
temple chanting on my japa meditation, I see some feline
regulars. You might call it cat hour, pre-dawn.
There’s this white and grey patterned one and is rather
oblivious to my chanting. Another one who hangs out near
the moat of the temple is a tabby cat. He shows off his
blond stripes. Near the kitchen you find this loyal one
who’s patterned like a Holstein cow, an impressive black
and white. I don’t know any of the names to these half
domesticated pusses, yet they are my early morning
friends. They provide a break from the hectic nature of
these days.
The Durban “Festival of chariots” is a big one. There’s
lots of people. You are surrounded by them all day. Just
yesterday 22,000 plates of biryani (a South African
favorite), dhal soup, farina halwa and a fruit base drink
were served. And that was gratis. Somehow I manage more
solo moments before the flood of youths puts its tide in.
I was requested to facilitate an interactive dance session
at the tent called the Youth Café. My God, talke about
being crammed and swimming in the shared sweat of the
young. The djembes were rolling and popping their sound.
The mantra was put out in gutsiness. Then at body make up
time my crew of youth for the production “Gods and Demons”
was my company. Agny, the god of fire, was painted up, so
was Indra, the god of rain; Varuna, the god of water;
Bhumi, the earth deity; Vayu, god of air; and even one of
the Maruts representing the either. We also had the girls
all in white portraying the milk ocean.
Anyway the environment was one of controlled rowdiness, a
devotional chaos. The performance was marvelous. We even
featured a ten feet tall elephant. What a crowd pleaser
that was. It’s all good energy for the day. It started
with a cat and ended with an elephant. Of course,
elephants. I’m in Africa, what do you expect.
OM TAT SAT were the signing off words of the play “Gods
and Demons”. They are words from the Gita.
8 KM
•H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Friday, April 22nd, 2011
What Students Said
Durban, South Africa
I received some messages of appreciation from students at
Notre Dame Secondary school in Brampton, Canada.
Irresistible for me to share just four of them for brevity
sake I also left out the names.
“Hi, how are you? I am a student at Notre Dame and I would
like to thank you for coming to our school. I would like
to say Thank you because you took time from your life to
come and talk to us and answer a lot of questions I didn’t
know the answer to. I didn’t really know about the clothes
you wear and that you can use your clothes for preaching
but now I understand. I love your song that you taught us
and have a great day”.
“Namaste Bhaktimarga Swami,
Your visit in our school was a great privilege that our
school had. Yoga was a very good exercise that you taught
us. It seemed to have fixed my back problem. Overall,
doing yoga made me feel rejuvenated which I thank you for
teaching. You have taught us a great deal of how to become
spiritual and how to enjoy being spiritual. I had so much
fun dancing and chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra with you.
You were very good at drum playing even you stated that
you weren’t. I feel very humbled when you shared your
experiences with us and about your life. It was very
interesting that you walked for countless miles of
distance in a variety of countries. Thank you for taking the
time to visit our school and I wish you safe and happy
travel and pilgrimage”
“Dear Bhaktimarga Swami,
I had a great time when you came by Notre Dame. Your
chanting and dances where so interesting. Your way of life
is inspiring, it makes you think more about your spiritual
self and makes you search deeper within. It helped open my
eyes and show me that being a monk look quite fun.”
…and just one more….”
“Hi Bhaktimarga Swami,
It was a great pleasure to learn about your religion and
your everyday lifestyle as a monk. Before you visited, I
never actually knew what a monk did or what their purpose
was I think it’s wonderful how inspired you guys are in
keeping the world a more peaceful place. “
Comment: after receiving these letters and more, it
increased my love for my life.
8 KM
•Gaura-shakti Kirtan, Toronto, CA: What a Kirtan!
Check out this amazing video that represents the perfect kirtan. A kirtan wherein everyone attentively listens to the chanter and then participates in the kirtan by clapping enthusiastically and responding soulfully to the chanting!
http://gaura-shakti.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-kirtan.html
Gaura-shakti Kirtan, Toronto, CA: What a Kirtan!
•David Haslam, UK: The fine art of criticizing others, especially you!
There is one certainty in this age of Kali that where ever you get a group of people either socially or in a work setting that at some point there will be some criticism; those who will know better or how things should be done. How we deal with questions and criticism is always interesting, [...]
•Gouranga TV: H.H. Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami speaks on S.B.4.14.2-4
H.H. Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami speaks on S.B.4.14.2-4
•Japa Group: My Journey Into Japa
Giriraj Swami gives a personal insight into his experiences with chanting the Holy names.
•ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
"The day I cherish these activities of intimate association with the devotees of Sri Krsna, that very day the high goddess of devotion will take her seat upon the throne of my heart..."
(Bhajana-Lalasa in Saranagati by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur)
Today's darsana, we pray, will help us to attain that goal also.
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