"Planet ISKCON" - 36 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Saturday 15 January 2011--Another Day, Another Adventure--and--Have You Seen God?A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course(tm) Saturday 15 January 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. Today's Thought: Another Day, Another Adventure Uploaded from Santiago, Chile Every day is an exciting adventure in a life dedicated to pulling off a world revolution for the complete respiritualization of the human society. Our agenda is not political. We do not aspire for any sort of political power. Simply we want that all the world leaders should now become very serious about the science of self-realization. It is not due to a shortage of material resources that the human civilization is become more and more devastated by difficulties. It is rather simply due to gross ignorance of the relationship between the individual self and the Supreme Self that pandemonium is more and more breaking loose on this planet. Therefore our revolutionary attempt is to enlighten everyone in every, town, village, hamlet, and settlement in the sublime science of the self, atma tattva. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching Pure Bhakti Mendoza, Argentina--13 January 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/Teaching_Pure_Bhakti.JPG View of the Andes Mountains From New Gundica Dham Farm: Our Residence in Mendoza, Argentina http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/New_Gundica.JPG Delectable New Gundica Plums Just Suitable for Offering to Krishna http://www.backtohome.com/images/2010_Tour2/New_Gundica_Plums.JPG Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Have You Seen God? Your daily Thought for the Day emails are like a regular supply of water to the sapling of my interest and love for Krishna. I am very eager to see Krishna. I want to know if you have seen Krishna, face-to-face, eye-to-eye. I am sorry if I sound audacious but I am really very eager to see Krishna and that's the reason I want to know. Pranathi Answer: Constantly Seen in My Guru's Orders Krishna has manifested Himself before me in the form of the orders that I have received from my spiritual master to become guru and deliver the entire world. It is this vision of Krishna that sustains me through all varieties of pleasing and displeasing situations. So, my best advise to you is that if you are very eager to see Krishna, you should fully surrender yourself to the orders received from the spiritual master. In this way you will be able to see Krishna 24 hours daily. In this connection Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.39 as follows: Communion with the Lord by transmission of the transcendental sound is nondifferent from the whole spirit Lord Sri Krishna. It is a completely perfect method for approaching the Lord. By such pure contact with the Lord, without offense of material conceptions (numbering ten), the devotee can rise above the material plane to understand the inner meaning of the Vedic literatures, including the Lord's existence in the transcendental realm. The Lord reveals His identity gradually to one who has unflinching faith, both in the spiritual master and in the Lord. After this, the devotee is endowed with mystic opulences, which are eight in number. And above all, the devotee is accepted in the confidential entourage of the Lord and is entrusted with specific service of the Lord through the agency of the spiritual master. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2010-2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed: http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. Simply we request you to acknowledge where it is coming from with a link to our sign up page: http://www.backtohome.com Our records indicate that at requested to be enrolled to receive e-mails from the Ultimate Self Realization Course at: This request was made on: From the following IP address: ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Kuli Mela 2010/2011
H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 19111:43 A.M. Like he said. The green troops were not soldiers yet, because they had never gone under fire. This morning they would experience it, after months of rehearsals.
He is a war correspondent, not a fighting soldier, but he is taking part in the invasion on the beach. He is being shot at. He is writing his censored story for the Herald-Tribune. The wounded soldiers walk back to the troop ship, where they are carried on stretchers. The bug-like Italian children sidle up to him while he eats his rations. They whine for one of the hard biscuits and some of the vitamin candy. Caramela, caramela, caramela! Okay, okay, shank you, good-bye. And if he gives the candy to one, the ground will spew up more dirty, buglike children, and they will scream shrilly, “Caramela-caramela.” The correspondent will get the communiqué and will write your morning dispatch on his creaking, dust-filled portable: “General Clark’s 5th Army advanced two kilometers against heavy artillery fire yesterday.” This morning we have to go to the medical building again. They will check the shot they gave me two days ago to see whether it is negative for tuberculosis. Then Dr. Hunter will brief you on the procedure for colonoscopy, which you will take when you are strong enough. Then you will come back home. The road is icy. You have finished your sixteen rounds, and they went pretty good. Someone predicted a big snowfall for tomorrow. Nine women are coming here for the weekend. They are the group that went to India last year, and they are having a reunion here: yoga, bhajans, kirtana, prasadam and a movie. The bhajan group Sruti Ram & Ishwari will perform Saturday at 7:30 P.M. in the yoga studio. I’m invited. Bhakti-rasa and his wife Kirtida are not so keen to attend, but he said he would go on my behalf. After Krishna broke down all the walls of Bhaumasura, He blew His conch shell. The vibration of His conch shell sounded like the thunderbolt at the time of the dissolution of the whole cosmic situation. The demon Mura heard the vibration of the conch shell, awakened from his sleep and personally came out to see what had happened. He had five heads and had long been living within the water. When he came out he first of all took his trident and began to rush the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First he attacked the carrier of Krishna, Garuda, by whirling his trident and he began to vibrate sounds through his five faces like the roaring of a lion. Lord Krishna took two arrows and threw them toward the trident, and cut it to pieces. He then pierced the mouths of the demon Mura. When he saw himself outmaneuvered by the Supreme Lord, the Mura demon immediately began to strike Him in great anger with his club. But Lord Krishna, with His own club, broke the club of Mura to pieces before it could reach Him. The demon, bereft of his weapon, decided to attack Krishna with his strong arms, but by the aid of His Sudarsana-cakra, Krishna immediately separated the demon’s five heads from his body. The demon then fell into the water, just as the peak of a mountain falls into the ocean after being struck by the thunderbolt of Indra. The demon Mura had seven sons and they all attempted to retaliate for their father. They equipped themselves with weapons and came before Lord Krishna, showering Him with lances, arrows and tridents. But they did not know that the strength of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unlimited and invincible. Krishna, with His arrows, cut all the weapons of the men of Bhaumasura into pieces, like grains. Krishna then threw His weapons, and Bhaumasura’s commander-in-chief, along with his assistants, fell down, their military dress cut off and their heads, legs, arms and thighs severed. All of them were sent to the superintendent of death, Yamaraja. Bhaumasura was also known as Narakasura, for he happened to be the son of the earth personified. When he saw that all his soldiers, commanders and fighters were killed on the battlefield, he became exceedingly angry at the Lord. He came out of the city with a great number of elephants. He began to fight with the Lord, and the result of the fight was that all the soldiers and commanders of Bhaumasura fell to the ground, their arms, legs and heads separated from their trunks, and all their horses and elephants also fell with them. In this way, all the weapons released by Bhaumasura were cut to pieces by the reaction of the Lord’s arrows. Bhaumasura then attacked Garuda, but Garuda was unharmed. Bhaumasura then took a trident in his hand and tried to strike Krishna. But Krishna was so dexterous that before Bhaumasura could touch his trident, his head was cut off by the sharp Sudarsana-cakra. His head, illuminated by earrings and helmets, fell down on the battlefield. On the occasion of Bhaumasura’s being killed by Lord Krishna, all the demon’s relatives began to scream in disappointment, and the saintly persons began to glorify the chivalrous activities of the Lord. I will tell more of this later. Bhakta Chuck, CT, USA: Friday Night Oxen #39Hello Everyone,
Have a nice weekend, in service to the Oxen, ys, Chuck Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
        ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Gangesvara PrabhuSrimad Bhagavatam 11.29.6 - The spiritual master instructs us so that we can hear about Krsna with rapt attention. Krishna-kripa das, Mayapura: Travel Journal#6.23: Tallahassee and Gainesville
Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 6, No. 23
Where I Was and What I Did Encouraged by GBC Tamohara Prabhu and temple president Ramiya Prabhu, I spent twelve days at our Hare Krishna center in Tallahassee, where we have a shortage of devotees. My usual program there is to chant three hours a day each weekday on the Florida State University campus, and advertise our weekday vegetarian lunch program, Wednesday Bhagavad-gita class, and Sunday feast program, as well as distribute spiritual sweets and literature. On the weekends I chant at Lake Ella, or if alone, in front of the FSU library, and on the first Friday evening of the month, we chant at an art walk at Railroad Square. The next week I spent in the Gainesville area, chanting at the University of Florida campus during finals and at the Christmas parades in Alachua and High Springs. Bhaktimarga Swami gave a great initiation lecture in Gainesville. I share some nice pieces of ISKCON history from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami's videos and blog. Prabhupada disciples from Alachua, like Mother Nanda, and Sesa, Sunanda, Tamohara Prabhus, share some valuable realizations, both in Alachua and at our Gainesville center, as do some of the newer devotees. Upcoming Itinerary (If Krishna is Willing) Gainesville, FL: January 13-30
Experiences Chanting in Tallahassee I met some people who had recently become vegetarian. There were some people who did not know we had a vegetarian lunch program on the campus but were happy to find out. One boy went to the lunch the very day he met me, and came back thanking me and telling me how much he liked it. A few days later, he came by, on the way to the Krishna lunch, with his girlfriend who he was introducing to it. Several people asked for the recipe for my carob coconut sweet, and I sent it to them. One Sunday when I chanted on the grass in front of the FSU library, a boy who played the melodica with us for a few minutes at First Friday went to get his melodica and have his friend film us playing together. On the final day, I met a very sincere Christian lady who asked questions about our philosophy. She told me about group of Christians and skeptics who meet weekly to discuss ultimate truth, and she invited me to come. It was started by two friends, one a Christian and the other a skeptics. People from both views come to the meetings, sometimes more Christians, and sometimes more skeptics. She also said she would like to discuss more with me about the Hare Krishna philosophy. I think I will pursue it. At First Friday in December at one point we had seven devotees singing together. Other high points were having someone play a flute along with us twice, our doing a little walking harinama around Railroad Square when the traffic at our prasadam stand trailed off, and our meeting a older man who went to a festival at New Vrindavan many years ago and had “the most spiritually powerful experience” of his life. One Saturday we chanted a Lake Ella with Nama-kirtana Prabhu and three uninitiated devotees and everyone took turns singing, and distributing the sweets and invitations, and I was pleased to see their participation. Nama-kirtana met a high school girl who was really attracted by our chanting party. Chanting at the Alachua and High Springs Christmas Parades Both Christmas parades were on the same beautiful day, December 11, which was sunny and warm. Many devotees, perhaps even a hundred, attended the afternoon parade in the Alachua. Many spectators were very happy to see the devotees and take the prasadam and literature they were distributing. Many onlookers smiled and moved with the music. We had a cart in which many children rode. The announcer mentioned that the Hare Krishnas have steadily attended the parade every year since coming there. A group of us chanted the opposite way down the parade route after the parade to return to our cars, encountering other onlookers also gradually returning home. The High Springs parade is in the evening, and we had only twenty or thirty devotees. It is more of an austerity as it is dark and cooler. Kesava Prabhu suggested I lead the dancing of the men. The dancing looks more organized when the devotees follow a leader, so that was an improvement. At the end of the parade, the chanting became very ecstatic and a lot of the onlookers were really enlivened by it. I was especially happy that my Gainesville friends, who I encouraged to come, were a nice addition to the High Springs parade which was less attended. After the parade, we chanted in our parade cart though High Springs to Mother Vaishnavi's school for autistic children where she had refreshments for us. We chanted there for an hour. After returning to Gainesville, eight friends and I squeezed into Tim's car and drove to downtown, where we did harinama for an hour that night so it was a great day, with six kirtanas, including five public chanting sessions: the Alachua parade, the harinama back to the cars, the High Springs parade, the harinama to Mother Vaishnavi's school, and the final harinama in Gainesville. Now that's the real way to celebrate Christmas! Chanting at UF After Classes Ended Devotees in Gainesville still serve their Krishna Lunch to people after classes end and during finals, but at their Krishna House instead of the campus. During that period, for four days, we went to Turlington, a popular campus crossroads, and chanted, with a book table, advertising our programs and reminding people they could still get Krishna lunch at our place. I was inspired by the fact that several devotees, all young people, would happily come out with me each day and share the holy name with others. One day the police told us someone complained, and suggested we relocate to the plaza, our usual place of serving the lunch. There we ended up selling a Gita to an Indian student, so it was a blessing. Notes on UF Krishna Lunch Christmas Dinner Hanan, manager of Krishna Lunch for many years: By serving others we get empowered ourselves. Sacinandana Swami tells a story about a king who was looking for a successor. He called the senior persons in the kingdom. He said he would serve them a feast, but they had to eat it with their arms straight. If they bent their arms, his servant would cut them off, as they were unqualified. The main leaders could not figure it out and made a mess of themselves. But one of the servants figured it out. You have to feed each other. Thus the king found him to be most qualified. Gopala Dasa said the secret of his serving for over fifteen years at Krishna Lunch by chopping vegetables is he does not take his service for granted. He always thinks he could lose his service, so he must do it carefully. People appreciate how Vallabha Sena and Caitanya Prabhus enjoy being devotees and become inspired. Stacy, who is famous on the campus as “the blond from Krishna lunch,” from serving prasadam for years, was at the bar with a friend, just after the Festival of India came through. One guy said to her, “Hey! Aren’t you the blond from Krishna lunch.” She said, “Yes, I am the blond from Krishna Lunch!” And the guy started singing, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.” And the entire bar sang along. Sagar shared a poem with a line that really struck me, “Srila Prabhupada, you are our ultimate spiritual doctor.” Insights from Lectures Bhaktimarga Swami (initiation lecture): We have had many lives and made many commitments. Initiation means making a commitment of this one life to Krishna. It is a strong commitment like a marriage. Initiation means making a commitment to ISKCON and its seven purposes. We also commit to chant sixteen rounds. The mantra can be interpreted to mean I am sorry. I am sorry I am in this material world. I am sorry I have no love for you. It also can mean I am thankful. I am thankful for the association. I am thankful for the appearance of the deity form of the Lord. While traveling someone asked me, “Can you pray for me?” I said, “Why? Is something wrong?” “No,” he replied, “Just in case something does happen.” At initiation, we make a commitment to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, as well as our initiating guru. I am here to help. I am your servant. If I can help anyone in Krishna consciousness, I am willing to do so. The commitment of initiation is binding. I say this since people in this age do not take their promises seriously. But why not make a commitment of the rest of this life? We have made so many commitments in our previous lives. If we just follow our mind, we will simply get ourselves in hot water sooner or later. Mostly in Krishna consciousness, we are engaged according to our propensity. Of course, life in this world is a mixture of happiness and distress, but we aspire to become transcendental to this material nature. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be perfect ladies and gentleman. “If you cannot be a sadhu, at least be a gentleman,” he would say. If you want to sum up Krishna consciousness in one word, that word could be kindness. Kindness to others. Kindness to the guru. Stop flirting with the material energy. Wrap it up. We have to be nice to people if you expect to go back to Krishna. It cannot be just you and Krishna. In additional to the four rules, I would like to you to give up gossiping. I know it is hard, even for devotees. Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, from a recent video: I did not feel I was delayed not going to India until I was a devotee for seven years. I had Srila Prabhupada’s personal association many times in 1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, etc., and that was better than going to India. When I went to India, I was also in Srila Prabhupada’s association, and the India trip was just like a cherry on top. I found the devotees already living in the dhama of Mayapur were very friendly and made my stay in the dhama as nice as possible. On the library party, I found the scholars knew of the Caitanya-caritamrita and the significance of it being translated from Bengali, and they were happy to order it. Still they considered it belonged to a sect, and I told Srila Prabhupada. He said, “It is a sect. But it is a sect of the Absolute Truth.” I would say Srila Prabhupada did not preach more about Lord Caitanya in Mayapur or more Krishna-lila in Vrindavana. He spoke the Srimad-Bhagavatam and its purports. Q: What is the mentality of one coming to visit his guru?
Both in personal service and service in separation, intimacy must be earned by service. Srila Prabhupada spontaneously told his disciple some pastimes from his childhood during a conversation about his biography, indicating he wanted them in the biography. He did not give detailed instructions about how he wanted the biography done. I just prayed to him and prayed to Krishna, and I think it has come out alright. Many people say they have come to Krishna consciousness from reading the biography. from Viraha Bhavan, #165 “One woman spoke up and said she was seven years old and standing on a queue at the Lenin mausoleum when Prabhupada was there. She said he looked very old. Everyone on the line turned and looked at him, and she did too. She remembers it. She is now a disciple of Indradyumna Swami. How wonderful! I was thrilled to hear it.” The best hearer of Srimad-Bhagavatam is the fishlike hearer, who hears without blinking his eyes. It is significant Rama came as a human as humans are subject to dharma. Because Rama did dharma perfectly His capital city Ayodhya was full of opulence. Because Krishna is fatherly, he is happy to provide for his children as just a father does not resent his young children's inability to reciprocate. from a lecture in Alachua: It is a wonder that even the incarnations of Lord Krishna, although also God, take pleasure in serving Krishna. Other religious systems worship God in the mood of reverence where as in the Gaudiya Vaishnava system we learn that you can joke with the Lord. The devotees of the Lord act for the purpose of pleasing the Lord and distribute the Lord’s mercy in the mood of humbleness. There are the three kinds of prasadam: prasadam, maha-prasadam, and maha-maha prasdam. Simply by touching the maha-maha-prasadam thrown by Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Acarya felt himself purified. The goal of the devotee is to appreciate the pastimes of the Lord and to ultimately enter into them. The practice of Krishna consciousness is for the purification of the conditioned souls. There is a special taste in distributing Krishna prasadam. Sometimes when Indradyumna Swami visits our Krishna Lunch program, he takes pleasure in distributing prasadam to the students. Some of the students also volunteer to distribute prasadam because they enjoy it. Even Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself used to distribute prasadam to the devotees. Mother Sukhada said, “One student was lamenting his girlfriend broke up with him but then reflected, 'I don’t need a girlfriend I have Krishna Lunch!'” In one case, the prisoners did not want to leave the prison because they were getting prasadam and other prisoners want to transferred to that prison. from a lecture in Gainesville: In Krishna consciousness, even authorities consult authorities. In this age, although people do accept the process of hearing from authority, they do not think there are absolute authorities. In Krishna consciousness, we are experimenting on our own consciousness, not the external world, as in other sciences. While we are chanting Hare Krishna, we are entering into the pastimes of the Lord, for the form, qualities, and pastimes are contained within the holy name. Evil is the misuse of Krishna’s energy. If we perform devotional service with knowledge and attention, we will attain success faster. There is an idea, that is becoming popular now, that being connected to the ground enhances your life. According to a Dec. 2008 Gallup Poll in the USA, 38% of the people describe themselves as thriving while 58% say they are struggling, and 4% consider they are suffering. 48% have a major mental illness in their lifetime while 24% have a mental illness in a year. In 2005 college students described themselves in this way:
Association between income and happiness tapers off once people have enough for basic needs. Americans can now buy three times as much stuff as 50 years ago, but their happiness has not changed. Happiness in careers is unrelated to income. Clergyman have the highest happiness (67%), much higher than other occupations. What about faith and happiness? The National Opinion Research Center found 23% of those never attending religious services to be happy, but 47% of those at least weekly attending a religious service to be happy. The Positive Psychology movement found six virtues valued in all cultures:
Even from research, we can understand happiness is based on a change in consciousness. The true path of happiness is thus:
God may sanction the suffering in the material world, but He does not want it. Comment: Caffeine is a stimulant for the body but a depressant for the mind.
Bg. 2.14: Tolerance 1. To discharge duties properly one must tolerate happiness and distress.
2. Examples of tolerance.
Madhava Prabhu: Not only are the hearers of the Bhagavatam purified, but the speaker is purified as well. Braja Hari Prabhu: Hearing from an authority is the best way to attain knowledge. But we should not go to lawyer for medical advice. Our seeing is imperfect in that a very small range of the entire electromagnetic spectrum is visible. We cannot see gamma rays, X-rays, radar, TV, FM, or AM waves. Seeing the visual representation of this is impressive: http://groups.csail.mit.edu/graphics/classes/6.837/F01/Lecture02/spectrum.gif There is a great visual illusion of a small black cross in the middle of a circle which is surrounded by pink disks positioned in a circle, one of which disappears, and then reappears, with the next one clockwise disappearing and then reappearing. If one stares at the black cross, all the pink disks disappear and are replaced with a green disk moving clockwise around the black cross. You can see this at different web sites such as: http://puzzles.about.com/library/weekly/blpinkdots.htm Can the scientists give us perfect knowledge? Consider this statement by Steven Hawking: “Either we have failed to see 99% of the universe, or we are wrong about how the universe begins.” Srila Prabhupada says that our sincerity of purpose in desiring to go back to Godhead is the cause of Krishna sending us a bona fide guru. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.19.36) Comment by me: The loud chanting of the holy name increases faith. Jagannath Puri Prabhu: We have bodies composed of ignorance, passion, and goodness. But in this age, the goodness is like a little twist of lemon garnishing the top of a preparation. Most people remember Krishna when they stub their toes, but the rest of the time they think only about themselves. By studying Srimad-Bhagavatam we realize we are lacking, but it should not stop there. We must decide what we are going to do about it. It is not necessarily that practice makes perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect. Whatever the variegated circumstances we are in, as long as we are engaged in devotional service, we are being purified at every moment. We can either accept it or not accept it.
Comment by Brahma-tirtha Prabhu: Srila Prabhupada both encourages the mode of goodness and warns of becoming self-satisfied by it and neglecting to progress spiritually. Amrita-keli dd (Report on Her India Trip): My experience was that I couldn’t even begin to appreciate Vrindavan dhama without Prabhupada’s books and the association advanced devotees. I saw people with long dredlocks and backpacks who did not know about Krishna, who were chanting Hare Krishna when they left. Vrindavan has that effect. When the river Yamuna flooded during the monsoons of 2010, the Kaliya tree that Krishna jumped off was in the Yamuna making the pastime more realistic. At the Indian Ratha-yatras you can go up on the carts and see the deities, and the priests give you lots of maha-prasadam, and you can go up again and again. Jaya Sita dd got to offer flowers on Lord Jagannath from a helicopter at a Ratha-yatra organized by a rich Hindu family. There was a temporary bridge used to build the permanent bridge over the river Yamuna, but the Vrajavasi’s hated it and dismantled it. Our tour guide said, “In Vrindavan, there is sweetness and mercy, but sweetness is prominent. In Mayapur, there is sweetness and mercy, but mercy is prominent.” ----- Inspired by remembering the mercy of Mayapur and Navadvipa-dhama, I share these words of Bhaktivinoda Thakura: “As Sri Gauracandra [Lord Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu] appeared in Navadvipa, it is therefore the crest jewel of all holy places. Offenders are the object of punishment at other holy pilgrimage places, but in Navadvipa-dhama they are purified. The example is the two brothers Jagai and Madhai, who committed great offenses yet still received Nitai and Gaura. What to speak of other places, at Vrindavan the offenders are punished. But a person who has committed hundreds of offenses can easily receive the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu and overcome those offenses in Navadvipa-dhama. For this reason, sages endlessly praise Navadvipa of Gaura-mandala. “He who lives in Navadvipa-dhama is very fortunate, for he achieves attraction for Krishna. He who happens to go there becomes freed from all offenses. What one attains by traveling to all the holy places is attained just by remembering Navadvipa. In this way the scriptures sing. He who sees Navadvipa-dhama gets ecstatic love of Krsna birth after birth. Even one who goes to Navadvipa desiring to gain material comforts through pious activities will not take another birth. The Sastras say that one who walks around Navadvipa attains the fruit of millions of asvamedha yajnas at every step. And one who lives in Navadvipa and chants mantras obtains the sound of Caitanya as his mantra and easily gets free from maya. What yogis obtain after ten years at other tirthas [holy places] is obtained in three nights at Navadvipa. “That liberation attained by Brahman realization at other holy places is obtained simply by bathing in the Ganges at Navadvipa. Thus, all types of liberation—salokya, sarupya, sarsti, samipya, and nirvana can be obtained in Navadvipa without speculative practice. Falling at the feet of the pure devotees in Navadvipa, Bhukti and Mukti (personified material enjoyment and liberation) remain there as obedient servants. Not caring for their blessings, the devotees kick them away, but still they do not leave the devotee's feet. The fruits obtained by staying one hundred years at the seven holy cities can be attained by staying one night in Navadvipa-dhama. “In conclusion, Navadvipa is the topmost tirtha. Taking shelter of it, the living entities can cross over Kali-yuga. At this place, taraka, the name of Rama, which gives liberation, and paraka, the name of Krishna, which gives prema [love of God], always serve the residents of the dhama.” (Sri Navadvipa Mahatmya)  ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Flashback Photo: Harinama Party at Yonge and Dundas in 1995!So, we were recently on BlogTO, a blog which covers local news in Toronto and came upon a blog post of theirs which profiled what Toronto looked like in the 1990s. Of the many pictures posted, one of them shows a shot of Yonge and Dundas (this is before the days of Yonge-Dundas Square). Check out the group of devotees out on harinama! 
Click Here to see the original picture on Flickr.  Kripamoya dasa, UK: Meat-Free Mondays: Tell your other friendsHere’s a little viral vid to share with your other friends, you know, the ones who aren’t already vegetarian. Taking one day of the week to eat only vegetarian food will benefit the body, the mind, the pocket, and the planet. Somebody had the idea of making that one day Monday – and who am I to disagree with that. Please send this to as many as you can.
        Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: What is the value of such chanting?Once Udayananda Dasa offered obeisances to Srila Prabhupada when Srila Prabhupada arrived by car, but Srila Prabhupada did not see him. Shortly thereafter, Srila Prabhupada walked past, Udayananda Prabhu, who was by then chanting Gayatri. Srila Prabhupada asked his accompanying devotees, "Why is he not offering obeisances?" A devotee replied, "Because he is chanting Gayatri." To which Srila Prabhupada retorted, "What is the value of such chanting when the spiritual master comes and you do not offer obeisances?" Udayananda Dasa, Memories of Srila Prabhupada, DVD # 44. (Available from www.prabhupadamemories.com) Japa Group: Engage Me In Your Service
"One is immediately freed from the clutches of maya if he seriously and sincerely says, ‘My dear Lord Krishna, although I have forgotten You for so many long years in the material world, today I am surrendering unto You. I am Your sincere and serious servant. Please engage me in Your service." The last sentence is in the meaning of the maha mantra, Please engage me in your devotional service. We all have to chant with this thought so we can move on to offenseless chanting which is our goal and see the Lord face to face. Wishing you have a wonderful week of chanting. your servant, Aruna devi  David Haslam, UK: Social devotee stigma and mental healthSo R U OK? It’s interesting that there remains a social stigma to say well NO, I’m not coping with Even more so if we then add I’m suffering from this form of mental health illness. But the figures of those who have or do suffer from some form of mental illness is surprisingly high, [...] Kurma dasa, AU: New Season Chilies
Some of my chili plants are reaching their twilight years. Actually, I wasn't expecting any of them to come back into fruition after their first planting in 2008. But after they died back, I pruned them and they generously sprang back to fruit the following season. Three plants are still in the business, and here's the 2011 bounty so far. There's Yellow Habaneros, Red Habaneros and Red Savinas - all mighty vicious in the heat scale, especially the Savinas. Kurma dasa, AU: Red SavinasFreddy from Santa Fe, New Mexico writes: "Hey there Kurma, love your chili story! Have been following it from when those were little seedlings. I love growing chilies, and New Mexico is a great place to do it. Red Savinas rock!" Nice for a little feedback. You may be wondering what I am planning to do with all those magnificent chilies, being that no-one else in the house can eat much chili, and even if they could, I reckon one Red Savina could spice up a dish for 100 people. Remember, Red Savinas are 65 times hotter than jalapenos. Well, the four I picked and halved the other day have been recycled for spare parts.
The seeds: I put on double rubber gloves, scraped out their innards (the seeds + placental tissue) and popped that on an uncovered saucer in the fridge. Refrigerators do a great job of drying out things. In a week or so I'll be able to rub off the seeds, wrap them in paper towel, dessicate them a little more before placing them in a sealed labelled envelope, ready for planting next season. The chili flesh: After taking out the insides of the chilies, I placed the flesh on some foil on a pizza tray in a 100 degree C oven and held them there for 8 hours. The results, as you can see, were pretty perfect. Still good colour, dry crisp flesh and - wow - so much concentrated heat! I tried the smallest possible little crumb I could physically cut off with a knife (pinhead amount) and it was mouth numbing. I'll dry them in batches, as they come to ripeness, and nothing will be wasted. I was also thinking of making some chili oil. I'll give pepper spray a miss. ISKCON News.com: Bali School Makes Sustainability a Way of Life
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Some beautiful pictures of Krsna Valley from Abhinanda
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Short kirtan from Thursday eveningH.H. Sivarama Swami: Account of Caru-candra dd’s departure from this world and pastimes relating to Makara-saikranti, todayISKCON News.com: Upcoming Bhakti Shastri Courses in Brazil
Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: End Subsidies For Dirty EnergyThe new Congress roared into Washington this week with what it sees as a mandate to cut government spending. Required reading for all its new members should be Washington Monthly’s excellent new piece, “Get the Energy Sector off the Dole.” And, if you work in, invest in, or support scaling the clean economy, this important piece is worth your time to read as well. America’s clean energy advancements are under a concerted propaganda and lobbying attack, underwritten by the dirty energy lobby, which wants Americans to think that clean energy is too “expensive,” or “dependent on subsidies.” Cleantech needs your help to get the laugh track going on such claims, and this article can equip with you the foundation for doing that. Some highlights from the Washington Monthly piece:
Dirty energy’s increasingly aggressive effort to negatively define cleantech pushes not just the idea that clean energy is too “expensive,” but also that its “dependence” on smart government support somehow means that cleantech isn’t “ready.” What to say, then, about the dirty energy lobby’s decades of dependence? It’s run up a $72 billion tab at the taxpayer’s bar from 2002 to 2008 alone. Some pro-dirty energy libertarian mouthpieces, such as the New York Times’ John Tierney and Newsweek’s George Will skip right over that inconvenient problem, relying on the size of their media platform to move the anti-clean energy rhetoric. When pressed, however, about the best that apologists for this ridiculous system can offer is that taxpayers get a better “return” on our money than they would from investing in clean energy – more BtUs per dollar, they say. But the reality is that the return on U.S. taxpayers’ money politicians have handed to fossil energy hasn’t just been weak, it’s been terrible: ruined fisheries, mountaintops, and water tables; a money train to foreign dictators who hate us; and a competitive edge in clean energy technology that is drifting to other nations. Fatih Birol, the chief economist at the International Energy Administration,has named fossil fuel subsidies as one of the biggest impediments to global economic recovery – “the appendicitis of the global energy system which needs to be removed for a healthy, sustainable development future.” For America, these subsidies aren’t just reckless and stupid, they aren’t even what people want. In fact, only 8 percent of Americans prefer their tax money be given to highly profitable, mature industries such as ExxonMobil and Massey Energy. The new, (supposedly) fiscally conservative Congress could do what it has committed itself to doing — cutting wasteful spending — by starting with arguably the most wasteful spending of all: corporate welfare checks for the highly profitable, highly polluting oil and coal industries. Filed under: Cows and Environment         ISKCON News.com: A 421-Course Meal for Krishna
ISKCON News.com: New ISKCON Center At A South Indian Holy Place
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Dino reincarnation
ISKCON News.com: ISKCON Back In Bogotá
ISKCON News.com: Daiva Varnashrama Ministry to Inaugurate Mayapur Regional Office on January 20
Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: New Hastinapura - Sri Radha Madan Mohan presides over the U.S. Capital, Washington, D.C. [A reminder note that this article series is being written by Indresh, so references make sense].
For the most part, we were finding hotels as we drove. However we had the bright idea to book through Expedia before arriving into Washington. When we arrived we found a hotel in the middle of construction and after multiple room changes we got a room with light fixtures missing in the bathroom. So between the hotel and Washington traffic we made it to the temple in Potomac about an hour later then we were planning but just in time for aratik. There is something very tranquil about this temple and over the years we have popped in for quick deity darshan but the last time we spent significant time there was during the ISKCON Foundation and Srila Prabupada Centennial planning meetings in Autumn of 1993. I remember it fondly since I had the great fortune to sit with His Holiness Sridhar Swami and Jolly Swami is an understatement. He was always laughing and bringing humour and inspiration in so so many ways, especially on how to glorify Srila Prabhupada. I was humbled to present to so many of Srila Prabhupada's "noble sons" and thier loyalty to Srila Prabhupada can only inspire us to strive to serve more. So we took darshan of Srila Prabhupada on his original Vyasasana which he sat on when he was physically present with us. We then paid obeisances to the beautiful Gaura-Nitai, Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan and Ram-Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman. Chaitanya Nitai Prabhu graciously arranged for an intimate evening with devotees to share nectar. After the talk some devotees wanted more and more stories about Srila Prabhupada and my dad shared a few that were sweeter than the raas that falls off a raasgulla. One devotee from New Goloka made it just in time for these stories. My dad was really touched by Saci Suta Prabhu from Detroit who came all the way for sravanam kirtanam. After some nice piping hot prasadam it was time to leave Vaikuntha to go the hotel I branded "Yam-loka" :) dasanudas, Indresh       ISKCON News.com: Social Engineering
ISKCON News.com: ISKCON and the Internet
H.H. Sivarama SwamiThere are two kinds of purity: external and internal. External purity is bodily cleanliness. Internal purity means keeping the mind always on Krishna. There are times when it is not possible to keep the body clean, due to external conditions, but external conditions need not keep the mind from being clean. We can and should always keep our internal purity, egardless of external conditions. - Srila Prabhupada ISKCON News.com: Christians Learn ISKCON Views
Akrura das, Gita Coaching: THE VALUE OF QUESTIONSEffective questions helps us think productively rather than reactively, and to choose wisely rather than simply react. Building such a reliable capacity for thinking is central to the skills required for intentional and sustainable change, whether that change is sought in our professional or personal lives.
 H.H. Jayadvaita Swami: The passing of Srila B.V. Narayana MaharajaOn the passing of Srila B.V. Narayana Maharaja, I sent the message below to his disciples and followers.
Offering my respects at the feet of all the Vaishnavas, I express my condolences at the loss to this world of Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacharya 108 Sri Srimad B.V. Narayana Maharaja. I first met Srila Narayana Maharaja more than thirty years ago, before he became world famous. Perhaps I first saw him in Srila Prabhupada’s last days, when he came to visit Srila Prabhupada in Vrindaban. And then from time to time I met him in Vrindaban and Sridham Mayapur. Sometimes I visited him in Mathura at his humble room in Sri Keshavaji Gaudiya Matha, and once I also had the coincidental good fortune of traveling with him on the same train from Mathura to Delhi. He was kind to me. I respected him. And I always felt benefited by his association. I have seen that many of my godbrothers and godsisters, as well as others, received inspiration and guidance from him for their devotional lives, and some he rescued from the very clutches of maya. He made substantial literary contributions. And he spread the sankirtana movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. I remember him with fondness and respect. I pray that in his physical absence those who took shelter of him and felt inspired by him will continue in their devotional lives with full spiritual strength, as he would desire, and in this way honor his memory. ISKCON News.com: Shikshastakam: The Moods of Kirtan
Footage from Sri Dham Mayapur of the Pancha Tattva, Lord Nrsimhadeva, Sri Sri Radha Madhava and the Ratha Yatra festival, plus Radha & Krsna's boat festival at Kesi Ghat, Vrndavan. Features Aindra Prabhu. Filmed by Prananatha Das in Feb - March 2009. The music track "Moods of Kirtan" is from the album "Ten Million Moons" by Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits. If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: CorrectionThe last letter I sent out "Real love" was sent by Avadhutachandra das from Finland. He's the sankirtan leader there and very dedicated to distributing books and giving real love "Krsna bhakti" to the condictioned souls. your servant, Vijaya das Book Distribution News: CorrectionThe last letter I sent out "Real love" was sent by Avadhutachandra das from Finland. He's the sankirtan leader there and very dedicated to distributing books and giving real love "Krsna bhakti" to the condictioned souls. your servant, Vijaya das Gouranga TV: Janmastami Bhajan – Amala Kirtan das – Hare KrishnaJanmastami Bhajan – Amala Kirtan das – Hare Krishna More Recent Articles
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