Subject: [sreecgmath] Summary of Harikatha on Feb. 22, 2011
Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Srila Gurudev blessed the devotees in Kolkata and world-wide through videoconference by His Divine darsan and transcendental Harikatha on the occasion of the appearance anniversary of Srila Prabhupad on Feb 22, 2011. Those who joined the event witnessed Srila Gurudev attending arati of Srila Prabhupad and giving the garland to decorate Him.
During the Harikatha, Srila Gurudev mentioned that Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur advented to this world, being sent by Sriman Mahaprabhu. He explained how he had a practical realization of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's transcendental writings in front of His Gurudev.
Srila Prabhupad appeared in Jagannath dham accepting Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur as His father. His divine power was evident in all His activities right from His childhood. Even Lord Jagannathdev stood in front of the house of Bhaktivinode Thakur for 3 days during the Annual cart festival in Puri.
Srila Gurudev also explained how our Paramgurudev had procured that land where Srila Prabhupad appeared and established Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math there.
Dandavat Pranams to revered vaishnavas,
Hare Krishna.
Most Revered Srila Gurudev Om Vishnupad 108 Sree Sreemad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj will speak transcendental Harikatha on the holy occasion of Sri Vijaya Ekadasi on Monday, the 28th of Feb 2011 at Kolkata Math. Harikatha in Bangla (on left channel) alongwith English translation (on right channel) will be webcast on www.sreecgmath.org at 7.30 PM IST.
Sri Guru-Vaishnava-Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Sri Sri Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Summary of Harikatha:
Vijaya Ekadasi comes during the dark fortnight in the month of Phalgun. In the book `Glories of Ekadasi', (in a dialogue between Yudhistir and Sri Krishna) it is written that those who observe this Ekadasi gets the fruits of performing Bajapeya sacrifice. No good has come upon the person who had propagated evidently that pure devotee Yudhistir promoted and supported the practices of Karma-kanda. In the glories of Vijaya Ekadasi, an incomplete narration of Lord Ramchandra is also made.
In the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra, the dignity of moral codes is established. Therefore, Sri Ramacandra is known as Maryada Purushottama. She defined the duty of a chaste wife and exhibited the ideal of following the husband. Supreme Lord Sri Ramachandra was completely fascinated by the pure love of Sitadevi, which surpassed all His expectations, but in order to teach the dharma of a king who is engaged in the welfare of the citizens, and although giving pain to Himself, He asked for the ordeal by fire (Agni-pariksha) and declared the injunction of banishment of Sitadevi, who is non-different from His own self.
In the form of a crane, Yaksha had put many questions to Yudhistir Maharaj – detail narration could be found in Mahabharat. The four prime and most important questions Yudhistir answered are – (1) What is the message (news) of the world? (2) What is most surprising? (3) What is the path to be followed? (4) Who is most happy?
In reply to the last question Yudhistir replied that only he, who stays in the transcendental abode of Lord is happy - Back to Home, Back to Godhead – Lord's actual eternal highest abode. Therefore one should give up the non-eternal duties of this world and stay in the transcendental infinite blissful abode of the Lord.
Saturday, the 5rd of March 2011 is the disappearance of Our Most Revered Paramguru-padpadma Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj, Srila Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj and Srila Rasikananda Dev Goswami. Patita-pavan Srila Gurudev will speak Harikatha during the noon on that day. We will bring you the videoconference at 11.30 AM on www.sreecgmath.org. English translation will be on the right channel.
Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Sri Jagannath Das Babaji Maharaj has not only exemplified in the pastimes of solitary worship but also exhibited the pastimes of an acharya by preaching. Sri Rasbihari Goswami was his initiated disciple. He appeared about 214 years ago. He used to take pleasure in performing bhajan.
Rasikananda Deva Goswami was born in the village of Rohini in Midnapore district. His father's name is king Acyutananda and Srimati Bhavani Devi was his mother. By his extraordinary transcendental power, he has attracted many influential people. He disappeared into the Transcendental limbs of the Deity of Sri Gopinath.
Today is also the 32nd disappearance anniversary of the founder acharya of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Om 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhav Goswami Maharaj Vishnupad.
I committed offence to him. When most revered Gurudev was externally unconscious, prominent doctor said that Srila Gurudev will remain for 3-4 days surely. Having no other alternative, I left for Goverdhan over train without informing anyone. After reaching there in the early hours of next day, I took bath and performed worship with a hope of recovery of Srila Gurudev's health. Later I heard that Srila Gurudev disappeared on the day I left Kolkata. All my efforts became futile. Though I decided that I would not return, devotees from all directions had come to me and forced me to go to Mayapur on the last day of the appearance anniversary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Most Revered Sri Srimad Bhakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaj had described how Most Revered Srila Gurudev disappeared in Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math and the sorrowful state of the devotees.
Srila Gurudev and the sevaks are back in Kolkata after a 15 day Mayapur trip. Srila Gurudev spoke Harikatha on 2 occasions and gave darsan to near about 2500 devotees on two days. There was Harinam and Diksa ceremonies also conducted. Also Srila Gurudev took part in the annual general body meeting, addressed about 100 foreign devotees and inspired them by speaking Harikatha, participated in WVA meeting, took part in Nagar Sankirtan, sent representation to BVSCT meeting in ISKCON Mayapur, gave darsan on several occasions to foreign devotees and Indian devotees. Behind all these we could only witness transcendental power of Srila Gurudev. It is beyond the capacity of any ordinary human being to perform such wonderful activities at this advanced age. Srila Gurudev is again and again showing us that He is the God's Man.
Srila Gurudev will speak Harikatha on Sri Papavimocani Ekadasi on March 30, 2011 (Wednesday) at 8.00 PM. Harikatha will be webcast on www.sreecgmath.org. English translation on the right channel.
Sri Guru Vaishnava Kripa Prarthi,
Prahlad Das
Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Srila Gurudev, on the night of Sri Papa-mochani Ekadasi emphatically said that in the Math, endeavor for material fruits is not to be promoted. All the practices will be ZERO if we do not follow the pure devotional principles and teachings of our most revered Paramgurudev, Srila Prabhupad, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur and other previous acharyas. Remembering an incident of Hyderabad, Srila Gurudev said, "Our Most Revered Gurudev said that pure devotees with one-pointed devotion do not give significance to material objects in the Math. In the Math, all actions that are not in favor of the teachings of pure devotion are completely prohibited."
Later Srila Gurudev narrated the pure devotional teachings of Sri Narottam Thakur, his exemplary life and the invaluable contribution of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur to this world when darkness enveloped the Gaudiya sky.
On 14 March 2011, the devotees of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math celebrated the 50th Sannyas Anniversary of its president-acharya and Our Most Revered Srila Gurudev Om Vishnupad 108 Sree Sreemad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj in Sree Mayapur dham. We are pleased to inform you that we have uploaded two video from that event -
1. Maha-Arotika of all acharyas, mridanga performance etc. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkAK-Rjwaig)
2. Harikatha with English subtitles. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGrrjLkOmsU)
1. Maha-Arotika of all acharyas, mridanga performance etc
2. Harikatha with English subtitles
We had also released multimedia show about Srila Gurudev as a humble offering to the Vaishnavas during the mega event in Mayapur. It has also been uploaded in Youtube as three parts. The quick links are
Srila Gurudev Om Vishnupad 108 Sree Sreemad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj and His sevak team had reached New Delhi Math safely on April 05, 2011 as per schedule. The welcome was very grand here as many enthusiastic devotees danced while performing Arati of Srila Gurudev. Today evening He had again given darsan to all the devotees for more than an hour.
In the next two days Srila Gurudev will see Dr. Ashok Seth (he had inserted 5 stents in His heart and cleared 80% of the blockage a few years ago) and others as a routine consultation.
In the evening of April 09, 2011 at 7.30 PM, He will grace the devotees in Delhi with Divine Harikatha in Hindi. We will bring it to all those outside New Delhi Math through videoconference by His Grace. The live English translation will be on the right channel. Please visit FAQ section, if you are unfamiliar with the channel tuning. Kindly visit www.sreecgmath.org to attend the videoconference.
Sri Guru Vaishnav Kripa Prarthi,
Prahlad Das
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
On the auspicious occasion of Sri Ram Navami and the auspicious appearance of our most revered Srila Gurudev, a very grand event is being organized in Sri Balaji Temple, close to Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Dehradun on April 12, 2011 (Tuesday) between 10 AM and 1.00 PM. The program will comprise of Sankirtan, Gurupuja, Arati of Srila Gurudev and Transcendental Harikatha (in Hindi) by Srila Gurudev.
Webcast of the event will begin at 10.00 AM. Harikatha translation in English will be on the right channel. Visit: www.sreecgmath.org
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams unto your feet.
The fortnight trip to North India of Most Revered Srila Gurudev comes to a conclusion tomorrow when His Divine Grace boards AI-764 that departs New Delhi at 1700hrs.
The tour was one of the most memorable ones. Srila Gurudev visited Dehradun after 6 years and more importantly for the first time on the eve of Sri Ram Navami. The local devotees got the maiden opportunity to observe Vyaspuja of Gurudev in their very land. What could be a better way to begin the Vyas Puja celebrations than the Chief Minister of the state, Sri Ramesh Pokhrial, speaking opening words about Srila Gurudev, inviting all the devotees to the land of gods (dev-bhumi) again and again, and offering lamps (perform arati) to Srila Gurudev? Those moments were heart touching. 87 devotees offered lamps to Srila Gurudev on that day (as a token of love for completing 87 selfless years on this earth). Srila Gurudev was very pleased with the efforts of the Dehradun devotees for organizing such an event attended by more than 800 devotees (even from outside Dehradun).
In New Delhi, Srila Gurudev underwent general routine medical checkups. Doctors are of the opinion that His Divine Grace is clinically good and that He could speak Harikatha, read, write or give darsan as per His health and convenience at that point of time. In general, there are no restrictions on His diet (apart from what suits His stomach and palate). Doctors were surprised seeing His superhuman activeness even at this advanced age but at the same time very mildly advised Him to take rest as much as possible.
Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Most Revered Srila Gurudev Om Vishnupad 108 Sree Sreemad Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj is in Kolkata Math and is giving darsans daily to local devotees.
On the auspicious disappearance of Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur on 27th of this month, Srila Gurudev will narrate his Transcendental glories. Videoconference will begin at 7.45 PM on www.sreecgmath.org.
English translation on the right channel. Kindly go through the FAQ section for assistance.
Sree Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Revered Vaishnavas,
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
By the grace and inspiration of Hari-Guru-Vaishnavas, we are constantly trying to improve our website (www.sreecgmath.org). We have been uploading audio regularly and along with that providing an English interpretation of Srila Gurudev's written (not the spoken) Harikatha. I hope you are liking this feature.
We are very pleased to inform that the number of visits and new visitors to our website had gone up in the last one year and the curve is upwards. We only hope and pray that this continues. If you have any suggestions to improve it further, feel free to contact us.
Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Param-ardhyatam, patit-pavan, param-karunamai, bhagavad-abhinna-prakash-vigrah, krishna-kripa-murti, bhagavad-seva-adhikar-pradhan-kari Srila Gurudev will speak Harikatha on the auspicious appearance of Sri Gadhar Pandit on May 03, 2011 in Kolkata Math.
Videoconference will begin at 7.45 PM.
Live English translation on the right channel.
Please visit: wwww.sreecgmath.org.
Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Video of 87th Vyas Puja celebrations of most revered Gurudev observed on April 12, 2011 in Dehradun is now uploaded in Youtube. Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxB_jwU-xUQ
Sri Guru Vaishnav Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Srila Gurudev said -
"She who was Radha in Krishna's pastimes became Srila Gadadhara Pandit Goswami in Gaura's lila. Other than Mahaprabhu's intimate associates, no one is able to understand the extent of Gadadhara Prabhu's devotion to Gauranga. Love on the path of spontaneous devotion is not easy to comprehend. Gadadhara was ready to abandon his vows, his service, everything for the sake of Mahaprabhu.
"Srila Gadadhara Pandit Goswami was by nature simple and affectionate. Whenever Mahaprabhu became too overcome by His ecstasies, Gadadhara would calm Him. Srila Gadadhara Pandit Goswami remained on this earth only eleven months after Mahaprabhu's disappearance.
"Mahaprabhu heard the pastimes of Dhruv and Prahlad hundreds and hundreds of times from Sri Gadadhar Prabhu. By this He is teaching the conditioned souls the importance of their teachings.
A very big event for Gaudiya Vaishnavas during the summer - 21 day Chandan Yatra begins from today (06 May) on this Akshay Tritiya. We should be reminded of Gopal's words to Madhavendra Puri.
gopala kahe, puri amara tapa nahi yaya
malayaja-candana lepa', tabe se juḍaya
malayaja ana, yana nilacala haite
anye haite nahe, tumi calaha tvarite
(CC Madhya 4.106-107)
In his dream, Madhavendra Puri saw Gopala, who said, "My bodily temperature still has not decreased. Please bring sandalwood from the Malaya province and smear the pulp over My body to cool Me. Bring sandalwood pulp from Jagannatha Puri. Kindly go quickly. Since no one else can do it, you must."
We will bring you the webcast of darsan of 1st day's Chandan Yatra of Sri Sri Radha Nayananath Jiu and later of our Most Revered Srila Gurudev between 6.30 PM and 7.30 PM today. Please accept Their mercy and get blessed by Their Divine Darsan.
Prahlad Das
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Srila Gurudev is in good health, writing articles while taking intermittent well-needed rests. He is giving darsan to devotees daily in Kolkata Math. His Divine Grace will go to Agartala to attend Nagar Sankirtan of Sri Jagannath-Baladev-Subhadra. As of now, no tours are planned before this event.
Upcoming videoconferences:
14 May 2011 - Sri Mohini Ekadasi, Darsan at 7.00 PM
16 May 2011 - Sri Nrsimhadev's appearance day, Hari-sankirtan and Katha at 5.00 PM. English translation on the right channel.
Visit: www.sreecgmath.org
Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Most Revered Srila Gurudev will speak the glories of Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur on May 29, 2011 (Sunday) at 8.00 PM in Kolkata Math. The videoconference will begin at 7.30 PM. Live English translation on the right channel. Please go through FAQ on www.sreecgmath.org for help related to the videoconference.
Sri Guru Vaishnava Dasanudas,
Prahlad Das
Revered Vaishnavas,
Dandavat Pranams.
Srila Gurudev ki Jai!
Sri Vrindavan Das Thakur ki Jai!
Srila Gurudev during His 90 minute lecture on May 29, 2011 very strongly emphasized on the remembrance of Guru-Vaishnav-Bhagavan as invocation prayers before starting any devotional activity. Without Their mercy whatever we perform would be futile.
Mentioning that Vrindavan Das Thakur is non-different from Vedavyas, Srila Gurudev very briefly narrated the appearance of both Vedavyas and Vrindavan Das. During this He explained that it is impossible to comprehend the divine appearance of Sri Vedavyas by our mundane sense organs. He also explained the importance of Mamagachi, the birth place of Sri Vrindavan Das Thakur.
"Why do we not have strong faith in the Lord?" To explain that a devotee should not fear of anything and that the Lord is always there to protect His devotees, Srila Gurudev very emphatically quoted different incidents that happened with Sri Srivas Prabhu and Lord's special mercy on him.
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Wednesday 15 June 2011 The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and His eternal consort, Srimati Radharani are enjoying transcendental pastimes in the topmost planet of the spiritual world, Sri Goloka Vrindavan. They are beckoning us to rejoin them. (Click on photo to see a larger image.) Our Mission: To help everyone awaken their original Krishna consciousness, which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Such a global awakening will, in one stroke, solve all the problems of the world society bringing in a new era of unprecedented peace and prosperity for all. May that day, which the world so desperately needs, come very soon. We request you to participate in this mission by reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and assisting us in spreading this science all over the world. Dedicated with love to ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, our beloved spiritual master, and to you, our dear readers. Today's Thought: Breaking through to the Spiritual Plane Uploaded from Lenasia, South Africa Krishna has so kindly blessed us with this opportunity for spreading His glories in so many countries by our travelling around the globe, and to even more countries through our e-course. But the most ecstatic thing of all is diving deeply into the sweet nectarean ocean of Krishna's holy names. The two syllables krish and na when combined together contain more nectar than the entire universe can contain. And when uttered purely without offense the chanter breaks through the modes of material nature and enters into the sublime atmosphere on the other side of existence, the spiritual plane. Therefore the devotees always like to be absorbed in chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare as far as possible twenty-four hours daily. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Entering the Spiritual Plane Lenasia, South Africa--13 June 2011 http://www.backtohome.com/images/2011-Spring/Lenasia_Home_Program.JPG Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is It Possible to Be Desireless? Dear Gurudeva, Namaste. Is it possible and desirable for any man to be free from all desires? Yours in yoga, J.M. Answer: Only If All Desires Are Offered to Krishna It is not possible to become free from desire because desire is an intrinsic part of our nature. Those who aspire for desirelessness maintain their desire for desirelessness and thus never become free from desire. The only way to become completely free from the chains of desire is to desire only for the Lord's satisfaction in all of one's thoughts, words, and deeds. Only when one comes to this platform of desiring only the Lord's satisfaction does he truly become free from the chains of desire. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Transcendental Resources: Receive the Special Blessings of Krishna Now you too can render the greatest service to the suffering humanity and attract the all-auspicious blessings of Lord Sri Krishna upon yourself and your family by assisting our mission. Lectures and Kirtans in Audio and Video: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios Lecture-Travel Schedule for 2011 http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule Have Questions or Need Further Guidance? Check out the resources at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com or write Sankarshan Das Adhikari at: sda@backtohome.com Get your copy today of the world's greatest self-realization guide book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is available at:http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/store Know someone who could benefit from this? Forward it to them. Searchable archives of all of course material: http://www.sda-archives.com Receive Thought for the Day as an RSS feed: http://www.backtohome.com/rss.htm Unsubscribe or change your email address Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Daily_Thought Sankarshan Das Adhikari on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SDASITE Thought for the Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Self.Realization Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. 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:
A 3 minute video of Bhima-Karma Saragrahi‘s dramatic, uplifting and introspective rendition of his poem “Turned Around.” He delivered it during the KM09 Gala Evening at the Ford Theatre in Hollywood.
In the ancient Sanskrit language, “Kuli Mela” is “A Celebration of Community.”
The main theme for KulimeLA 2009 was to “Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present & Envision the Future.”
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles Gurukuli Reunion, the John Anson Ford Amphitheater, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, was chosen as an ideal location for Kulis to come together to acknowledge their collective history and appreciate the many accomplishments of the pioneer Gurukulis throughout the past two decades.
Dressed in formal and elegant attire, approximately one thousand Vaishnavas gathered to walk the red carpet and participate in an amazing evening that beautifully showcased “A Mosaic of Our Generations.”
CLICK HERE to check out the growing Kuli Mela video and audio selections on Krishna.com.
The Kuli Mela Association is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to connect our diverse and dynamic global community. We believe that by encouraging each other along our individual paths and by serving together in our shared goals we can make a positive difference in the world.
While absent-mindedly trawling the internet I found a link to my all-time fave food blogger Sanjana today. But somehow it was for a recipe that she posted almost two years ago and that I had never seen.
The good thing about food blogs is that they don't age. Especially if the recipes are Indian and millenia old anyway. After all, what's a few decades in the bigger scheme of universal time? The only thing that would age are the props (that's food-styling jibber jabber).
I must admit to not being a regular dal eater. I should be, because for a lacto-vegetarian, dal provides a cheap and convenient source of usable protein and iron.
This recipe on Sanjana's blog looks so appealing, especially with the amazing homemade dhokri noodles, that I am inspired to rush into the kitchen now and prepare it. I don't have oiled toor dal, just the regular. I have always wondered what the difference is in the final outcome. Sanjana, if you read this, let me know.
Anyway, here's the recipe. Happy cooking, and if you're good, I'll sing you the dal song.
In answer to your question as to why the Indian population is so slack in spiritual life: during the British rule there was a secret policy by the British to cut down the Vedic civilization in India. There was a confidential policy by the British government to kill India's original culture and everything Indian was condemned. From the very beginning they took this position. In our childhood and boyhood we had to read some book by a Mr. Ghose called, "England's Work in India''. The purport was that we are uncivilized and the British had come to make us civilized. Later on the policy became successful because in our childhood days any anglicised gentleman was considered to be advanced in civilization.
In Calcutta the Chowringhee quarters were known as the English quarters and the neighborhood places were maintained very nicely. The Indian quarters were known as native quarters therefore even in our own city there was such a division as English quarters and native quarters. Anyway this policy became successful when our leaders took them as fact. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to refute this white prestigious position but he also failed because he did not understand spiritual culture or God consciousness. During the Moslem time, although sometimes fanatically, there were some cases of breaking the temple, but there was no such policy to kill the Indian culture. On account of this during the Moslem period even during the time of Aurangazeb there were Indian Princes and political leaders like Sivaji and Jaya Singh.
So it is a long process how Indians, especially educated Indians, have become victimized by the slowly deteriorating position of Indian culture, but there is no use tracing out the history but generally we have lost our own culture and our leaders are not very serious to revive our own culture to the point. But still the mass of people, not being very much advanced in education, stick to the Indian culture. For example, lakhs of people still visit Jagannatha Puri during the Rathayatra Festival, lakhs still visit the Kumbha mela, and lakhs still visit the holy places of India, but there is no encouragement by the leaders. It is only a continuation of the original culture.
So there is no hopelessness; if we revive Krishna consciousness in a systematic way, within a very short time we can revive our original Indian culture on the basis of the teachings of Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad-gita. So we have to work very hard for this purpose and if you follow the path of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it will be very easily done.
Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Gaura Govinda — Vrindaban 18 September, 1976
Right now is the perfect time to visit the Palace Rose Garden, whether you are a home gardener or simply a lover of roses. The garden is in its first bloom until the end of June.
While most rose gardens have only one or two blooms each year, this year the Palace Rose Garden will have four blooms. This is a testament to both the exceptional quality of the rose varieties and to the expertise of Betty Hickey, the Palace rosarian since 1985.
This current first bloom will last until the end of June. The second bloom will be from mid-July until the end of July. The third bloom will be from mid-August until mid-September. The fourth bloom will be from mid-October until the first frost.
The Palace Rose Garden boasts over 100 different varieties of roses and over 850 plants. The Palace of Gold Rose Garden has been accredited by the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) since 1987. The standards for AARS accreditation are very high. There is a two-year probationary period before being accepted, and annual surprise inspections after acceptance. There are only around 130 accredited gardens in North America.
“The AARS requires that I maintain the overall appearance of the rose garden, so I usually do not pick flowers from the garden,” said Hickey. “But I make exceptions for special occasions. I pick flowers for Janmastami and I pick flowers for Prabhupada’s Appearance Day.”
Sunday, August 21, is Janmastami, or the day on which Lord Krishna descended from the spiritual world to this planet. New Vrindaban will host a special midnight darshan and feast to celebrate Janmastami. Janmastami celebrations will also be held on three other days as well, for those who are unable to visit the holy dham of New Vrindaban on the actual day of Janmastami. The four Janmastami celebrations will be on the following dates:
Saturday, August 20
Sunday, August 21
Saturday, September 3
Sunday, September 4
On Monday, August 22, there will be a special celebration at the Palace of Gold to commemorate the Appearance Day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of New Vrindaban. The Palace of Gold was originally intended to be a home for Prabhupada, who left this world in November 1977, just a few months before the completion of the Palace. The Palace was then converted into Prabhupada’s mausoleum.
Even if you have visited the Palace of Gold before, please come back and visit the Palace Rose Garden. “These are colors that only God can create,” said Hickey with awe.
May was a miracle in many ways; it was another unforgettable time in my life. HH Kadamba Kanana Swami was still drifting around at the start of the month, just after his Vyasapuja and the Queensday harinam. All the masses of people who had come far and wide to see their gurudeva were leaving. Dina Dayal, the great ninja-brahmana, was also still floating about. He did a performance on the lawns of Radhadesh. I took my default position as his sound man for the event, as well as his silly photographer.
I found a new forest to wonder in, although I only visited it once, but it was a needed change of scene to unwind the mind.I elaborated on the nature of Jiva and Brahman and then dispatched myself from the study stress.Finally, after all these distractions, I spat out the last of my Vaisnava Vedanta Essay.
It was one of those funny, silly services that you simply do for the sake of spiritual satisfaction, no matter what the result is.I made the first take, then Hilary had a stab and finally they opted for another outsider, due to problems with our recording device.Through Vijaya Baladeva, she asked me to do a voice over for an advert on Indradyumna Swami’s recent Brazilian tour.I was given a surprise task by Mangala Vati Mataji (an Indradyumna Swami disciple in France who I had toured with for years).
My MIDI keyboard remained idle as I awaited decent software, and thus my musical satiation had to wait until another week.It was all a timely affair, before the next coming courses and the closing of the term.I ordered myself a MIDI keyboard (a keyboard that operates through a computer) and also dropped the saffron garb (though no one could tell the difference between my faded yellow and the natural colour of silk).
I had a calling for musical satisfaction this month and a change of scene.
It was fun to work in a group for a change and an interesting showdown.We had an interesting group – the Aussies, English and Russian – for a kick-butt team, representing Cultural Relativism (social norms as a source of morality).We had a short course called Introduction to Ethics, culminating in a scheduled debate.
It was all a very amusing mix for some mid-May madness.Back in the Desh (Radhadesh) I was going into new phases; I was on a strange but beneficial schedule, up in the super early hours, tying up mrdanga skills and even having a dab at hand stands.It seemed that love birds were in the air and there was some familial excitement in that regard.I soon heard word from my brother in Australia, who had proposed to his girlfriend Anukula.
Lord Nrsimhadeva was gentle and merciful, and I felt like my spiritual life had been saved and redeemed.It was a magical few days that I will never forget.Sunday we drove to the farm and I quickly took up my allocated service.The place was swarming with Swamis and senior devotees.Fourteen hours of cheap trains later, we were in Munich.Praying like anything, wondering what to do, it was made so.I really wanted to go to Simhacelam for Nrsimha Caturdasi but it seemed like there was no possibilities.I awoke and was chanting japa in the Bhakti Sastri room.I wrote a little something, which I hoped to publish the coming day.
It was a Friday night when I finished reading the Caitanya Caritamrta.
I also quickly jumped onto acquiring software for my MIDI keyboard and sweet, celebratory music flowed yet again.Nonetheless, Krsna helped me get them out of the way in the allocated tie.Unfortunately, for me, spiritual energy was not the most practical energy required for the essays that were now grossly overdue my attention.I returned exhausted materially but spiritually energized.The trip back was a speeding car ride to Cologne and then five hours of trains.On the way to Simhacelam I was writing essays in the train cabins.
Many devotees said that it was the best thing ISKCON had produced to date, thus the College was pleased, and we were pleased to be of some small assistance in the overall scheme of things.The video was released officially in the month of May and it was such a beautiful piece of work.All our work in April, around the japa retreat, on our promotional video finally paid off.
The event splintered off halfway through into movies and memories, finishing off with a feast with all of Hrdaya Caitanya Prabhu’s favourite dishes.It was also a secret surprise party to celebrate twenty five years of management under HG Hrdaya Caitanya Prabhu.It was a festive event and the whole community squeezed their way in.One of the first for this month was the engagement party of Visvambara and Kumari Kunti.It’s never a month in Radhadesh without a party or two.
It seemed to be one of the most magical festivals that I’d ever gazed my eyes on and there was some nostalgic burning in my heart for missing yet another outstanding Aussie event.I could hardly believe my eyes, watching clips and scoping out photos.My brother (Nitai) and father were also there, participating in the biggest harinam Sydney had seen to date.It was the Fortieth year of the installation of Radha Gopinatha and flocks of devotees made their way to Sydney to honour the event.In Australia there was another anniversary party going on.
I had also managed to catch a cold on top of this (which didn’t last much the weekend mind you).The weekend was also tied in with HH Prahladananda Swami’s Vyasapuja and the finishing of essays (for Introduction to Ethics).It was a daily affair, for one extended weekend, to drive into town with the friends.I found out another interesting fact this month; I can drive in Europe!
We had a load of fun and the assessments were quite breezy (because it was mostly a practical course).I decked out the Bhakti Sastri room with floor cushions and we had our class from against the floorboards.Krsna Dasa wanted to participate via skype (from New Vrndavana) so we had to make some interesting arrangements.The final course for the year was Introduction to Sanskrit.
It was only a few days from here that our study year was officially over and that the holiday adventures were starting up.In this way we never really noticed the passing of the month to the next, feeling relieved of all our year’s work and struggles.We spent some time with the cows, milking them on a few occasions and also searched for wild life, having many very close encounters with some young deer.We took the swarming crowds of Radhadesh as an invitation to lay low and escape the Castle atmosphere.The students had a nice end of year sanga and Maharaja came to answer any burning questions.Soon there was a Russian invasion, as hundreds of devotees came for a seminar by HH Bhakti Vijnana Maharaja.
CDM (Ceto Darpana Marjanam) is a project which entails the organized cleaning of the temple as a group that will start this Saturday, June 18th at 10:00am! Please join as as we clean our temple and our thus our very hearts as well in a fun way together!
The schedule will be as follows: 10:00am to 1:30pm - Maha clean-up 1:30pm to 3:00pm - Special pizza party in the park, activity and nectar-filled conversations
An inspirational quote by Srila Prabhupada:
"Everything within the temple should be kept very, very neat and clean. And the more you keep the temple neat and clean, you will be neat and clean within your heart. And then your understanding will be very easy. We cannot understand Krsna because our heart is piled up with many garbages. That we have to cleanse." -- Srila Prabhupada Melbourne, May 22, 1975
Please come out and bring your family and friends for this unforgettable experience!
I have a really terrible relationship with labels. Me and them, we just don’t stick.
It’s not the labels’ fault. Really. No, no. It’s me.
I just have a hard time with all the wast labels generate. You know…the peel off part. For every label you use, there is at least that much shiny paper discarded.
Sure. I use an RO filter. With a guilty conscience. Every glass of water I drink, I’m thinking about the people in Haiti. Honest.
My husband wants the RO and I do think it is sort of a good idea since we are on city water. I just wish we didn’t dump our RO waste water into the sewer line.
But I digress. This post is about labels. For your jam. So your jars look cute. For your friends. And your enemies.
Here are some links from around the web. Only the cute ones. As you can see, there’s not that many.
Much of the cuteness comes from the clever use of color. Another issue for me. Those printer cartridges are expensive.
But I don’t mean to rain on your free downloadable jam label parade. Honest.
Kristen Magee of Paper Crave wins my heart with her canning party guest post @ Cottage Industrialist.
Let’s save the best for first.
Cottage Industrialst not only has a great blog name, but also has the best graphic for your canning, so sayeth I. Honestly, I think this is the only one I love. Because I love jars. Because it is navy on white. Because because because because. The post has some good canning links as well as downloadable templates for labels, recipe cards (oh, I am so going to use them!) and tags.
Okay. I lied. I really like this set of printables from Domestifluff.
Domestifluff has round labels that fit perfectly on a small canning lid. She also has very cute tags. I like her graphic. I like her typeface. I like her use of craft paper and unbleached fabric. Well done, Fluff! And she has designs for practically every fruit. Love that.
How About Orange can do no wrong in my book and her labels/hang tags are just darling identifying this jar of apricot butter. Alright. I think I have yet another hands down favorite. Why do these look so cute to me now that I am posting them?
Wendolonia's simple fruit I.D. kind of makes me pucker up for a kiss.
I’m also digging Wendolonia’s citrus tags/labels. I like that they are simple. Graphic. And color coded. I do. The templates are solely for citrus, which it is not really the prime season for right now. But if you don’t live in Florida or California, that is probably a non-issue for you.
I couldn’t have a post about downloadable jam label templates without including something from Martha Stewart. This template has a blank and 3 other labels with jam flavors you may be very likely not to make. But you never know.
I’m sort of feeling this no-nonsense label from Sweet Preservation. Even if you think it is too bare bones numeric for you, do check out the link. There are other templates and the site has lots to look at, including canning recipes.
Giverslog will help you fill in the gap when jam just won’t do. Spice is nice and these hand drawn designs clearly show that you’re an artisan at heart.
Poppytalk offers a sheet of labels that can be used in a variety of applications. Jam jars, envelopes, storage bins. Make it look nice. Make it look neat. Make it off your own computer at home!
Frugal Living also has a sheet of labels that can be used for canning, gift boxes, whatever. Not exactly my style, but still, I think there are folks out there who would appreciate it. Definitely working the cute. Looks like something Target would sell.
These would be too much work for me and I am sure I would make them look like oooper doooper crap. But I do think it is well executed and makes the jam all romancey.
Eat Drink Chic has a super cute heart label for your jam. Have fun cutting that one out!
1968 June 14: "Whatever I am trying to bestow upon you all is the gift of Sri Krishna directly - I am just doing the work of a bearer. There is nothing of my personal contribution and I ask your mercy that I may do it without deviation." Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1970 June 14: "Spiritual life is just like handling a sharpened razor. Handle it nicely we become clean shaven, but a little inattention causes bloodstain. So always remember this and depend on Krsna and make your life progressive." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1972 June 14: "So far attending pujas at the houses of the Hindus, we can hold our kirtana but we should not take prasadam there. If they insist then we can take fruits and milk and offer them to Krishna." Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1967 June 14 : "I think we can continue our centers in rented houses without endeavoring more for our own house. Rather we may train up boys for preaching work and send them back to all the parts of the world to preach this gospel." Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
1969 June 14 : "Many of the American girls and boys are very qualified to take up this sublime movement. We simply have to instruct them nicely, and surely many will understand that here is such a nice thing - they must take to it." Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
1973 June 14 : "So we must be prepared to fight. We cannot stop this movement. It is a fight against Maya. So Maya may sometimes cause casualties in our camp. We must only thank Krsna and seriously dedicate everything for Him." Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1974 June 14: "We have to be patient. Like a woman who becomes married; if she immediately desires to have a child, that is not possible. But after due time, because she is with her husband, she will have child." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1975 June 14: "Because you are my very intimate friend from college life, I wish that you may retire from family life and live in one of our so many centers wherever you like, and preach the cult of Krishna Consciousness." Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
Have you ever wanted to dive into the deep, timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita but didn't know where to start? Have you been reading the Gita for a long time, but wouldn't mind a brush-up seminar? Well, Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple is presenting a Bhagavad-Gita "Crash Course" tomorrow evening, conducted by Uttama Sloka das from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
A disciple of HH Indradyumna Swami, Uttama Sloka das serves part time as his traveling assistant, secretary and translator. Apart from his personal services to Indradyumna Swami, he spends his time conducting educational and training courses covering 20 countries on four continents. He is qualified as a Bhakti Sastri teacher, mediator and counsellor.
If you ever wanted to learn the essentials of the Bhagavad-gita in one power-packed session, then you won't want to miss out on this seminar! The cost for the seminar will be $15 and will include dinner (prasadam).
In honour of Sri Rama, our April kirtan began with a very ancient chant to Sita and Rama - heroes of the great epic the Ramayana, whose feast day was celebrated that week. Since kirtan has been introduced in the West, Sita-Rama chants have been particularly popular; theirs is a universally loved story and these chants have been sung for many thousands of years.
One of our kirtaniyas for April was Dr Rembert Lutjeharms, Sanskrit scholar, who kindly elaborated on the inner meaning of the chants and on the word kirtan itself.
As chanting and dancing often go hand in hand, I thought you might be interested in this beautiful depiction of part of the Ramayana in classical Thai dance.
Dear Devotees, please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Recently on Queen Street central in Auckland New Zealand came a familiar face. A regular experience on Sankirtan, now to work out who he is?!
As we talked our conversation three months back became again clear in my mind.
Sarav a young Nepalese business teacher was smart and thoughtful. When we'd met we had discussed deeply, but realising he wasn't going to take a Gita this day I gave him a flyer to our center and asked if we could continue our discussion over dinner.
Moments into our meeting today he said, "Ah Bhagavad Gita... I want one."
We walked across the road to the money machine. He explained to me since our meeting three months ago, he had changed, he'd been reading a copy of the Gita which he'd withdrawn from the Library. When he handed me a generous $50 for the book I became more interested to know what had made him change.... his story is magical.
"After I met you, my great Grandfather, who I've never seen nor met came into my dream and told me our family is becoming spiritually deprived, and it's your duty to do something about it, read Bhagavad Gita and go once a week to the ISKCON temple."
Upon relaying his dream to his mother he became convinced he had to follow the instruction as the description of his great Grandfather fit him exactly.
Dear Devotees, please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Recently on Queen Street central in Auckland New Zealand came a familiar face. A regular experience on Sankirtan, now to work out who he is?!
As we talked our conversation three months back became again clear in my mind.
Sarav a young Nepalese business teacher was smart and thoughtful. When we'd met we had discussed deeply, but realising he wasn't going to take a Gita this day I gave him a flyer to our center and asked if we could continue our discussion over dinner.
Moments into our meeting today he said, "Ah Bhagavad Gita... I want one."
We walked across the road to the money machine. He explained to me since our meeting three months ago, he had changed, he'd been reading a copy of the Gita which he'd withdrawn from the Library. When he handed me a generous $50 for the book I became more interested to know what had made him change.... his story is magical.
"After I met you, my great Grandfather, who I've never seen nor met came into my dream and told me our family is becoming spiritually deprived, and it's your duty to do something about it, read Bhagavad Gita and go once a week to the ISKCON temple."
Upon relaying his dream to his mother he became convinced he had to follow the instruction as the description of his great Grandfather fit him exactly.
Today our students of the SMIS (Mayapur international School) had their yearly Panihati Festival. The children have all painted a pots with very beautiful designs. During the festival the students gave wonderful singing and drama performances, afterwards they also prepared a beautiful feast along with the help of a few parents, all while nice bhajans and singing were going on.
Yoga Dev has been spending some time in New Vrindaban helping in the garden. He also wanted to build an inipi, a sweat lodge, to help with the health of some of the devotees. A sweat lodge is like a sauna but beyond just being a sweat bath there is a lot of prayer involved so it purifies the body, mind and helps cleanse the dust from soul.
It is a low structure constructed from saplings and then covered with blankets and black plastic so it holds the steam and is in complete darkness so the energy of the participants can be focused on prayer.
While the Vaisnava version naturally includes chanting the maha mantra, it also tends towards respecting the Nrshimhadev incarnation.
As saplings are scarce in the forest here due to the overpopulation of deer, Yoga Dev brought in the necessary saplings from his home in Maryland. He had the 20 footers strapped to the roof of his Ford Escape as he stopped at my house on the way in to discuss some details.
Unfortunately, when he went to leave his vehicle wouldn’t start. We hooked up the jumper cables and tried to jump start it but we were unsuccessful. Maybe it was fortunate because if the Air Conditioning compressor was going to fail and make turning over the engine hard which, coupled with a weak starter on the verge of failure, made even jump starting it impossible, the fact it happened at my house rather at a gas station in the middle of nowhere was fortunate. Still, we had to reload the saplings and all his paraphernalia into my van to get them to the site, and now he didn’t have a vehicle to run around in when building the inipi.
The next day Tulasi went with and him helped to build it but it wasn’t a good day. It was about as hot as is tolerable for us Northern Hemisphere guys, very humid and no breeze, so it was austere weather conditions for digging the fire pit, leveling the site along with stripping the bark from and bending the saplings into place. Yoga Dev was having one of those days that was physically uncomfortable working outside and all the little things that can go wrong were going wrong, nothing major but at the end of the day he was feeling like it hadn’t been a good one.
As the saplings need to be fully hydrated in order to be bent into shape without splintering as the sunlight faded Yoga Dev decided to take the ones that hadn’t been installed yet and put them into the ghat submerged in water so they wouldn’t dry out any further than they already had and maybe even soak up a little water to replace any lost during the day.
The ghat is the lake by the temple where the Swan Boat Ceremony occurs. There has also been water collected from sacred ghats and rivers in India, including the Ganges and Yamuna, poured into it so it is considered to be linked to those holy waters.
As they were easing the the saplings into the ghat Yoga Dev noticed something covered with aquatic weeds laying there. He picked it up, washed it off and found it to be a Ganesha deity carved out of stone. Not metal or other material but stone. The sweat lodge uses stones heated in a large open fire that are carried into the lodge for water to be poured onto to generate the steam. The stones that do this are honored as being representatives of the oldest living entities on the earth, the Stone People
So for a stone carved into the form of Ganesha to arrive for the sweat lodge was exhilarating for Yoga Dev. It took it as a sign of great auspiciousness. The next day he placed the deity in the honor position at the site and every thing went as smooth as silk. Which isn’t hard to believe as Ganesha is the the Remover of Obstacles.
Hare Krishna devotees don’t worship demigods for material success, as the thought is to focus on the Supreme, Krishna and his direct incarnations. Just as when the roots of a tree are watered, there is no need to water the leaves, if Krishna is satisfied, all the demigods are also satisfied.
Still, as Ganesha showed up unbidden he was welcomed as a devotee of Krishna and will be an honored guest thanked for blessing the ceremony with his presence. Where else but in a Holy Dhama like New Vrindaban would something like this happen. New Vrindaban Dhama ki jaya!
Oh, Little Rabbitis an Etsy shop I discovered last year while Christmas shopping. I loved it so much, I spent most of my gift money there.
Tea towels, that’s what I’m talking about. Hand screened and ootsy-cute! Napkins, too. Something for everyone. And by everyone I mean YOU!
Cara & Jason Hibbs have been kind enough to kick off the Sabjimata Summer of GiveAway Love (okay, I’m not really calling it that) with a $10 store credit.
Now, maybe you are thinking that $10 isn’t that much. Well, you are wrong. Because with $10, you have a selection of about 60 tea towels to choose from. SIXTY! That’s just nuts! How do they do it? I mean, that’s a lot of tea towels.
Let me tell you a little something about these tea towels. These tea towels were NOT the only tea towels I bought at Christmas time off of Etsy. Oh no they weren’t.
BUT, these tea towels were the ones that had my friends coming to me saying THAT WAS THE BEST TEA TOWEL EVER!!! Yes, it’s true.
So let me give it to you straight. Not only have I reviewed this product, so have many a friend. And not only do I endorse Oh, Little Rabbit and their screen printing awesomeness, but I wish I could enter this contest too.
Speaking of entering….
HOW TO ENTER
Leave a comment on this post! This is how you enter! Gain extra entries by:
Retweet: Win a store credit to Oh Little Rabbit @Sabjimata. Adore the hand printed tea towel loveliness! (Or something like that.) Don’t forget to include a link to the contest.
Leave a comment on this post for every extra entry.
Deadline for entries is Monday, June 20, 2011 @ 10 am.
A winner will be selected at random from the comments section and will be announced on the blog later that day.
Henri Matisse once said, "when you're out of willpower, you can call on stubbornness."
Willpower came out of the older couple seated behind me on the drive to Montreal in a Megabus.
They were determined to travel the six hour distance to see the Grand Prix car races. I overheard the man say, "I wonder if the races are going to go on despite the rain." This was said as water was beating against the bus wind shield.
Indeed the race car organizers had the conviction to carry the mood that the show must go on because as I arrived at the bus depot and was taken to Montreal's ashram on Pie-IX Blvd I could hear the vibration of the cars - a constant hum, a little shy of the vibration ommmmm. Only the 'O' was missing. It went on for hours - this buzz sound seeping in through my window. "God, what willpower!"
I had recently received a phone call from an earnest devotee from British Columbia asking about developing the strength to stay committed on the vow of chanting. I very much felt the urgency in the caller's voice, "How can I get determined?"
I had to quickly respond and for that had to think. Let's try this. Determination is preceded by desire. If that is strong then our conviction should be strong.
"How can the desire be strong?" you might ask. To achieve that we must understand the need. You raise the conviction through the power of need. You must believe, "I can't survive without this. I need the spiritual protection from illusion's toll."
Analyze and rationalize that if I don't have my defenses up I will become vulnerable.
Think like a warrior, a spiritual warrior and be determined to kick the enemy known as MR STUBBORN and succeed.
In religion, India is the only millionaire – the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.
Merton writes of the essential foundation of self-realization:
“Since I am a man, my destiny depends on my human behavior: that is to say upon my decisions. I must first of all appreciate this fact, and weigh the risks and difficulties it entails. I must therefore know myself, and know both the good and the evil that are in me.
“It will not do to know only one and not the other...I must then be able to love the life God has given me, living it fully and fruitfully, and making good use even of the evil that is in it. Why should I love an ideal good in such a way that my life becomes more deeply embedded in misery and evil?
If I can understand something of myself and something of others, I can begin to share with them the work of building the foundations for spiritual unity. But first we must work together at dissipating the more absurd fictions which make unity impossible.”1
For many, God is identified as part of the problem, as an agent of the oppressor. For these people, the evolution of human society means to move past the idea of a God who watches over all, over whom we must serve out of obligation and out of love. Social justice remains solely an earthly concern, devoid of the supernatural presence. It depends solely on human endeavor, human wit, human emotion, and human ability, but to the committed spiritual activist this hope on mere humanity itself is a pipe-dream.
Humanity without a sense and connection to God's presence is not a fully capable or realized humanity. Its revolutions, even if they temporarily succeed, will then only dissolve back into the systems, structures, and injustices that the revolutionaries originally fought against.
I may still find myself rooting on green-shirted protesters in Iran of black-shirted anarchists smashing Burger King windows at the latest meeting of the World Bank, but a deeper calling comes through my conditioning. Standing as someone who is trying to reconcile my spirituality with my yearning for justice I feel as an outsider yet again looking in. Can I convince others of God's place in this discussion? Can I help to show them He is the real friend and the one who empowers the oppressed, rather than the lord and overseer of the oppressor?
A great courage and resolve is needed to remain firm to God's message in the realm of social justice, to not be convinced and swept up in actions devoid of any supernatural motivation. One has to remain in a sense above the fray, while not becoming aloof. Merton comments:
“People are constantly trying to use you to help them create the particular illusions by which they live. This is particularly true of the collective illusions which sometimes are accepted as ideologies. You must renounce and sacrifice the approval that is only a bribe enlisting your support of a collective illusion.
You must not allow yourself to be represented as someone in whom a few of the favorite daydreams of the public have come true. You must be willing, if necessary, to become a disturbing and therefore an undesired person, one who is not wanted because he upsets the general dream. But be careful that you do not do this in the service of some other dream that is only a little less general and therefore seems to you to be more real because it is more exclusive!”2
The spiritual activist committed to social justice must use his most developed and sincere intelligence to tread a careful path: first, to understand and imbibe the presence of God's desire for his/her life and to act constantly upon that desire, then, to apply that desire in the fields of justice without letting it become diluted into mere politics, and finally to learn the art of disturbance as mentioned above.
This art of disturbance requires a tender balance, between being forceful enough to shed the light and message of God through in the realm of justice with enough strength to convince others, even the doubtful, of the need for God's presence, and at the same time being tender enough, astute enough, not to completely alienate the intended audience and also any potential new recruits to the cause.
This mixture is so potent, and it allows the committed spiritual activist to bridge gaps in a way that make history. We can look to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr as one of the most clear examples of someone who came as close as possible to perfecting this art of disturbance, but we shouldn't feel that his lofty example can't be emulated in our own way, in our own lives, and in our own particular set of circumstances.
Even if we try to ignore the potency of God and His love, we will have to acknowledge His absence, even unconsciously, in our failure to reflect it in our duties of justice and compassion. We cannot complete our own humanity, and any attempt to restore the humanity of others, without the touch of the kingdom of God, and this kingdom is so wonderful, life-affirming, and redemptive that it lays bare the faults and emptiness of the “kingdom” we call our attempted civilization. It is our duty and our struggle to make this contrast unavoidable to look at.
Thirty devotees from ISKCON farms all over Europe attended the fourth annual ISKCON European Farm Conference from May 10th through 12th this year, hoping to gain inspiration as well as practical advice for their various rural projects.
Devotees hailed from farms in England, Sweden, Czech, Slovakia, New Mayapur in France, and Hungary. Some wanted to establish ox programs, some were developing businesses based on selling vegetables and other natural products, and some simply wanted to learn more about the principles of agriculture and sustainable living.
While previous farm conferences were held in Prabhupadadesa, Northeast Italy, and New Vraja Dhama, Hungary, this year’s was hosted by Bhaktivedanta Manor, England.
“The Manor has probably the second most active farm in ISKCON, after New Vraja Dhama,” says conference organizer Shyamasundara Dasa, who also serves as ISKCON’s European Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture, and has overseen cow protection at the Manor since 1992.
“We have fifty-six cows, milk thirteen of them a day by hand, and produce about 42,000 litres of milk a year,” he continues. “We also have a very active ox-working program, with ten working oxen that logged in about 3,000 ‘ox hours’ last year—as a comparison, New Vraja Dhama, which has a similar-sized herd, logged in 4,200 ox hours, while the next largest farm in ISKCON Europe, New Mayapur, logged in about 480 ox hours.”
Eight of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s 100 acres of farming land—mainly grazing pastures—are ploughed by oxen, and yield enough vegetables for the Deity’s kitchen. While the farm has a long way to go to provide all the vegetables needed by the temple—which feeds 2,000 people each week—it’s still an impressive effort. And there are future plans to harness the strength of the ox in another way, with an ox-powered mill expected to start providing energy to the community within the next few months.
It was in the setting of this inspired agricultural community that devotees from all over Europe attempted to learn new skills and get encouragement to boost their own efforts.
“On each of the three days of the conference, we’d start at 10am, and have four or five different presentations before lunch,” says Shyamasundara. “Some related to different projects going on around Europe, but many were concerned with the Manor, since there’s a lot going on here.”
Japa Yajna Dasa gave a presentation about the Manor’s care farm program, established with the Lotus Trust, a parallel charity to ISKCON. Created in connection with government care organizations, it arranges for people with special needs to get exercise, fresh air, good company and fulfilling work by coming to the Manor and working on its farm.
Japa Yajna also spoke about a recently established program wherein people serving a non-custodial sentence can do the community service required of them at the Manor’s farm and Goshala. He also explained how other farms around Europe could set up similar programs if they wished.
“Another program that can be set up to draw volunteer workers to our farms is WWOOF—or Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms,” says Shyamasundara. “Prabhupada-Prana, the temple president of Karuna Bhavan in Scotland, which has had quite a lot of success with the program, gave a presentation on it.”
WWOOF doesn’t provide financial compensation for work, but instead gives volunteers—often traveling students—food and accommodation in return for learning and an experience of the organic, sustainable lifestyle. As well as explaining how devotees could set this program up at their own farms, Prabhupada- Prana gave another presentation on natural energy technologies being used at Karuna Bhavan, such as wind turbines and biomass burners.
Meanwhile on the subject of cow protection, Sita Rama Dasa, one of the senior managers at Bhaktivedanta Manor, described the Ahimsa Milk Initiative, another project executed along with the Lotus Trust charity.
“It’s a very bold initiative, considered controversial by some,” Shayamasundara says. “He has created a partnership with a conventional farmer who has agreed to enter a certain number of his cows into a protected system, so that they’ll be taken care of by the Ahimsa project once they’re finished milking. In the meantime, their milk will be sold as Ahimsa milk. Sita-Rama has also created partnerships with a production company and a delivery company, so that the cruelty-free milk can be delivered weekly by subscription to devotees and cow-lovers around North London. It’s a program that takes some compromises, but saves a lot of cows.”
Presentations were also given on a community-centered lifestyle and the use of oxen by devotees from New Mayapur and Hungary. Dhanesvara Dasa, a popular speaker on the Varnashrama lifestyle and author of Spritiual Economics, gave a thought-provoking talk about Vedic culture and the importance of living on the land.
Afternoons during the conference were devoted to practical learning on the Manor’s farm, an extremely important element.
“On the first day, I gave a tour of the Goshala, explaining in great detail how we run the farm and take care of the cows and calves,” says Shyamasundara. “I explained how the cows are milked, and how the milk is tested and properly sterilized according to local health regulations. I also described how the calves are cared for duing the different cycles of their lives. For the first two weeks, the calf stays with its mother and drinks her milk, and we take the surplus. After that, the cow and calf are put in separate pens, but the calf still has access to its mother at milking times until it’s about six months old.”
Shyamasundara also showed the conference attendees the cow ‘sick bay,’ equipped with a crane for lifting old cows or oxen that needed medical attention. He demonstrated an Amish-invented contraption that enabled five oxen to pull one load by harnessing them all to one unit. And he explained how the roof of the Goshala building collected rain water which was then used to wash the cows down and to provide them with drinking water.
The next afternoon, workshops were given on how to run a dairy, how to make a yoke, and how to drive oxen.
“A lot of the participants had never driven oxen before, so they were given an apportunity to actually drive the ox carts and use the plows, and to see how simple it is,” Shyamasundara says. “We also showed them the Manor’s technique of harnessing the bulls by the nose, and explained the benefits of it.”
The day concluded with a tour of the polytunnels where vegetables were grown, wherein Krishna Chaitanya Dasa showed attendees the various crops, the tools, and the facilities used for special needs groups in the “care farm” project.
“On the final afternoon, Uddhava and Janakula gave us a tour of both the formal flower gardens and those in which we grow flowers for the Deities, and explained how we grow them,” says Shyamasundara. “We then concluded the conference, with everyone expressing their appreciation for it, and the enthusiasm it gave them. They were all chomping at the bit to get back on their farms!”
Shyamasundara explains that the annual Farm Conference is very practical—it gives devotees a chance to see what people on other farms are doing, and the knowledge to implement new initiatives on their own farms. But it’s also a very important event for rejuvenating devotee farmers, for leaving them feeling that their project is important and an essential part of the ISKCON mission. For, unfortunately, it seems that they don’t get that inspiration much elsewhere.
“Recently, when I did a tour of all the European farms, it became clear that temples are not supporting agriculture or cow protection—and ISKCON leaders are not talking about their importance anymore,” Shyamasundara says.
He explains that this is because of an unrealistic expectation of farms, which also stunts the growth of farm projects in ISKCON.
“Leaders are not getting behind farms because they’re trapped in the idea of farmers living in mud huts and not earning anything from their work,” he says.
“Even though you can’t have farming in today’s times unless people can make a living from it. And temples are not buying the food that ISKCON farms produce, because it’s double or triple the price they’d pay in supermarkets, and comes with some dirt and insects on it, some natural elements. The same goes for milk from protected cows—it has a naturally higher cost.
“So farms can be very successful, and do wonderful preaching as they are in Hungary—but only if ISKCON leaders accept the naturally higher prices of protected-cow milk and homegrown food, and tell the temples to buy it. It would also help if they spoke more about farms during their regular preaching tours, which would support and energize the farmers.”
Until then, the ISKCON European Farm Conference will continue in its job of inspiring and providing practical advice for farmers.
Next year, the Conference will be held in New Vraja Mandala, Spain. Shyamasundara hopes that gradually it will catch on beyond Europe as well.
“North America and India should have their own, too,” he says. “This principle of farmers coming together and getting practical experience and enthusiasm for their service is very important.”
“I was wondering why we have to perform mangal arti in the morning, specifically, if we are grihastas living at home, and have limited time before work. Would it not be better just to focus on doing our chanting?”
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hirty devotees from ISKCON farms all over Europe attended the fourth annual ISKCON European Farm Conference from May 10th through 12th this year, hoping to gain inspiration as well as practical advice for their various rural projects.
