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H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Monday 8 August 2011--Religion and the Urgent Need for Messiahs--and--Krishna Consciousness Before Life's Sunset?

Japa Group: Meaning Of The Sixteen Names Pt.1

ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Bhakti Sara Dasa

Kurma dasa, AU: Happy Orange Cake Returns

Australian News: Giriraj Swami – Watering the Seed

Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: leave the false family and enter into the real family

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: READY TO OFFER RESPECT TO EVERYONE

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: MORE IMPORTANT

H.H. Sivarama Swami

Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Lifestyle of a Monk in NYC by Chris Fici

Sutapa das, BV Manor, UK: Centre of Attention

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Giridhari das, Brasilia, Brazil: Devotee Training Retreat (JIVA) in Pandavas Paradise 2011

Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: The revolution within

Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: Design or coincidence

Australian News: Sri Krsna Janmashtami at Sydney Temple

Australian News: Sri Nrsimha Kavaca

Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: It's a mad mad world

Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: Power of Krishna Book - Bhagvat Katha

H.H. Sivarama Swami: “Two minutes of Wisdom With Radhanath Swami” on The Huffington Post, one of the most popular and influential on line media outlets today

Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: Why do I still live ?

H.H. Sivarama Swami: Entering into Radha Syama’s world

ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Fancy Dress Competition 2011

H.H. Sivarama Swami: Kirtan on Sunday morning

Japa Group: Developing A Better Mood For Japa

Bhakti Lounge, NZ: Coping with Your Shadow

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: NECTAR AND AUSTERITY

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: HOW TO GIVE A SUNDAY CLASS SO THAT BOTH OLD AND NEW WILL LISTEN?

Gouranga TV: Giriraj Swami – SB 10.3.24 – God is a Person

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H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Monday 8 August 2011--Religion and the Urgent Need for Messiahs--and--Krishna Consciousness Before Life's Sunset?
A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Monday 8 August 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. Special Announcement: Connect With Other Members of this Course. Join this Conference: http://groups.google.com/group/sda_students Today's Thought: Religion and the Urgent Need for Messiahs Uploaded from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas USA Religion is the world's most misunderstood and abused word. Real religion means the science of God, the process of fully reviving one's original pure identity by reconnecting oneself with the source of his existence. But instead, without ever understanding religion's real meaning, people take it either as a fable for childlike fools or as a divisive sect for fulfilling their temporary material desires. Thus they cheat themselves and remain perpetually in the darkness of ignorance miserably misidentifying themselves with the temporary material energy. This gross ignorance of the masses is not at all surprising because the same ignorance is there in the world's leaders. When the blind lead the blind where will they end up? In the ditch of a rotting, rapidly disintegrating so-called human civilization. When highly celebrated fools declare that the universe came out of absolutely nothing and are vigorously applauded by the insane masses, it's no wonder that people are so confused and frustrated. We need many messiahs who can deliver the suffering people of the world by ideal behavior and enlightened words of transcendental Vedic wisdom. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna Consciousness Before Life's Sunset? Gurudeva, Namaste I would like to ask the following questions: I have an intense desire to awaken my original Krishna consciousness. But can it be done before the sunset of my life? Is it a natural process to awaken my original Krishna consciousness? If the original Krishna consciousness is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, why is it that most of the people are after sense gratification? Is it due their karma from past lives? What is the way-out in this life? Regards, yours in yoga Janardan V.Mali Answer: Why Wait for Sunset? Why wait for your life's sunset. Become fully Krishna conscious now. If you will fully dedicate yourself to strictly following the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, you will surely awaken your original Krishna consciousness as soon as possible. Reviving your Krishna consciousness is just as natural as waking up in the morning from a deep sleep. The majority of people are after sense gratification like cats and dogs simply because of bad association. Any one who is associated with devotees will naturally be inspired to give up a life of wanton sense gratification and take to the sublime life of devotional service. Only a fool would choose a life of suffering over a sublime life of unlimited peace, love, and happiness. The Vedic wisdom implores that the way out of this material existence is to take complete shelter of the bona fide spiritual master, who will then guide us how to regain our original, pure, transcendental identity. 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 Thought for the Day on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ultimate.Self.Realization Copyright 2005-2011 by Ultimate Self Realization.Com Distribution of this material is encouraged. 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Japa Group: Meaning Of The Sixteen Names Pt.1

Hare

sarva-ceta-harah krsnas tasya cittam haratyasau
vaidagdhi-sara-vistarair ato radha hara mata

Krsna steals the minds of everyone, yet Radha steals even His mind by Her divine expertise. Thus She is known as Hara.

Sri Jiva Gosvami

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Bhakti Sara Dasa
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.6 - The Supreme Being Krsna is the the supreme shelter because He is independent of all (...sa atma svasrayasrayah).

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Kurma dasa, AU: Happy Orange Cake Returns
Today is my father's 87th birthday. We're having a get-together next weekend and I'm planning the menu. Mmm...what to make...?

Well, here's an idea: I just received a note from a Charmaine who wrote: "Just made this cake and it is delicious. Thank you."
I'd forgotten about that one. Yep, I think it'll be on the menu again. Though this time I think I will top it with an orange cream cheese frosting. Give it a try, the recipe works. Charmaine agrees.

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Australian News: Giriraj Swami – Watering the Seed
Giriraj Swami and Nityananda Prabhu spoke about Srila Prabhupada and Watering the Seed at the Sunday program in Dallas.
“The new, expanded Watering the Seed has come from the printer, and we are making it available for the first time now, at the Sunday festival in Dallas. Upon perusing the first edition, Tamal Krishna Goswami, out of his kindness, said, ‘Get the association of Giriraj Swami. Soft heart, very soft heart, and good brain — good combination. That’s why Srila Prabhupada liked him so much.’ May Goswami Maharaja and Srila Prabhupada — and all the book’s readers — be pleased with our effort.” — Giriraj Swami
Watering the Seed has articles and anecdotes from the pastimes and teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The revised and expanded edition is hardbound, with a dust jacket, and has 361 pages, 8 chapters, 11 color photos, and a foreword by Radhanath Swami. It is published by Torchlight Publishing.

Click here to see Watering the Seed at Krishna.com
Click here to see Watering the Seed at girirajswami.com
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Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: leave the false family and enter into the real family
The material world means we are running after false family. But don't think that there is no real family life. There is real family. That is Krsna's real family, eternal family, blissful family. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to train up people to be detached from this false family and to enter into the real family. That is the point. Not that if I give up this false family I will become zero. No. There is no such disappointment. The other philosophers, they simply... Just like Buddha philosophy. Their philosophy is "Finish this," nirvana. But if people are not interested to finish all this, they want it, then what is the positive gain? So generally people are attached to these Buddhist and Mayavadi philosophies; therefore they feel hopelessness. On account of future hopelessness, they become more attached to this false family. But our philosophy is not like that. Our philosophy is that you become detached to this false family and enter into the real family.
Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is to give them right knowledge and become free from all sinful life. So long there is sinful life, you cannot be allowed to enter into Krsna's family.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Arrival Lecture -- Dallas, March 3, 1975

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: READY TO OFFER RESPECT TO EVERYONE

Advanced devotee never disobey or disrespect another devotee. Disrespect to another devotee is a great offense. Vaisnava aparadha. Vaisnava aparadha is very serious offense.

Therefore we teach to address amongst the devotees, "Prabhu", "Prabhu", "Such and such Prabhu." This should not be simply spoken by the lips. It should be realized. Everyone should think other devotee as his prabhu, master. Not he should try to become master.

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena...

Manadena. We should be always ready to offer respect to all, not only devotees, but everyone. Everyone. Because every living entity is originally a devotee of Krsna. But circumstantially, being covered by the coat of maya, he's playing like demon.

But his original nature is a devotee of Krsna. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsnera dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Everyone is eternally servant of Krsna.

- Srila Prabhupada, Nectar Of devotion Lecture

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: MORE IMPORTANT

When we are further advanced, we do not see only Krsna, but we see His devotees also.

We can recognize, "Here is a pure devotee of Krsna."

But in the lower stage, a, the devotee's concerned with the Deity worship, but he does not take much care of the devotees.

But when one is advanced further, he can see Krsna and His devotees also.

Isvara tad-adhina. Tad-adhina means devotees. Devotees are always under the service of Krsna.

So anyone who is giving service to Krsna, we should take care of them also. We should offer our respect in...

You'll find in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, it is stated somewhere, that if, if a devotee is coming, then another devotee who is engaged in worship of the Deity may stop Deity worship for the time being and should go immediately to receive the devotee.

So Krsna also says, mad-bhakta-puja abhyadhika. Krsna is satisfied more when a devotee worships His devotee.

Krsna says, "If one is worshiping Me and one is worshiping My devotee, then the person who is worshiping the devotee, he's more important than the person who is worshiping Krsna."

- Srila Prabhupada, Nectar Of Devotion Lecture

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H.H. Sivarama Swami
If a person does not decorate his body with tilaka, he is not to be seen, because his body is as impure as a crematorium.
- Narada Muni

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Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Lifestyle of a Monk in NYC by Chris Fici
There is an anomaly in the middle of all the pulsating beats, sizzling woks, and careening car horns of the East Village of Manhattan. Within a humble brownstone building at First Avenue and First Street is a monastery, with simple, humble monks attempting to focus their entire being on connecting with God. The anomaly goes further: these monks are not of any known Western tradition, but instead they carry forward in the line of bhakti-yoga, the devotional expression of the monotheistic schools of the Hindu/Vedic tradition.

Many questions then arise: how do they translate and share the teachings of their tradition in the middle of a cultural mix that is, by varying degrees, wholly at odds with their choice of lifestyle? What do they do in their daily lives? How do they maintain their vows of celibacy in this midst of one of the most sexually charged environments in the world? What does it mean to be a Hindu/Vedic monk in a world that has largely left such expressions of spirituality and religion behind?

I am one of those monks. For the past two years, I have been living in the Bhaktivedanta Ashram (monastery) here in the East Village of Manhattan, and I hope to share with you in this piece some of the depth and inspiration of this life and how this tradition is thriving today in the most unusual of environments. I will share both my personal realization and experience in coming to this lifestyle, and also some of the essential theological aspects of the bhakti tradition. In this combination of the personal and singular with the universal, a sense of the vitality and joy found in our search for truth and God here in our ashram may resonate with your own search, and I pray this may inspire you to look deeper into the commitment for the spiritual in your own heart.

A Personal Path

Generally what I wanted to be when I grew up, as a young kid blooming just outside of Detroit, Michigan, depended on what local sports team was currently winning and grabbing my excited attention. I can also remember wanting to be an astronaut, fascinated as I was by the immense mystery of the final frontier of space, and the colorful mysteries of the paranormal. I had a particular quirk as well when I was young: I loved to get up in front of the local evening newscast and pretend I was the weatherman. My mom was so tickled by this that she actually called up the local news station and had them come to do the weather forecast from my own living room, where I got to read the weekly forecast live on the air in front of thousands and thousands of Detroiters. Talk about a dream come true!

With Detroit being a bastion of Catholic worship and community throughout the 20th century, both of my parents came from very strong and very traditional Catholic upbringings. From the very beginning of my life, spiritual ritual and worship was a large part of my existence, from my original baptism as a baby boy, all the way to the weekly catechism classes I would attend following my regular secular schooling. All of this created within me a sense of a very personal God, one who I could relate to, talk to, and befriend.

I can recall one lesson of my church school days which instilled in me the idea that Jesus was everywhere and with us at all times. This idea struck my young mind as something wonderful and even quite logical. Of course God and His closest associates would be able to know who I was, where I was, and what I was feeling, and that these feelings and prayers would find no hindrance in being communicated to Him in a very simple, direct, and innocent way.

Every evening before I would go to sleep, I would pray to God in a very casual and innocent way, asking for such simple requests such as the hope that the cute girl I liked at school would move in with her family to the house next to mine. Looking back at this now, of course I see a exuberant innocence and perhaps a lack of deep theological perspective, but there was always a sense of love, a free, open, and natural love that I faithfully assumed was my natural relationship with God. That faith I have carried with me in my heart and which now, as a monk, I am trying to cultivate and make more real in my life today.

But even as I was expressing these youthful devotions, the idea of a priestly life never entered my mind. A generational shift had already taken place, as the pious Detroit my grandfather once knew, one in which the church community included plenty of association and retreats with priests, Franciscan monks, and nuns, had changed into something beaten down and withered by the harsh economic and social realities of the once-booming “Motor City.”

This faltering of the “American Dream” became prominent in my consciousness as I began my study at the University of Michigan. I began to see that the story of the society I was raised in, and the secular values I had been raised to believe in with great faith, were based on a series of illusions, falsities, and cruelties, going back to the genocidal razing of the Native Americans as European settlers entered into the “New World.” All of this knowledge compelled within me to looker for a deeper and more actual sense of the truth, which took me into arenas from activist to psychedelic, eventually taking me back to where I had started as a child, to the presence of God.

With my worldview broadened by experiences and intuition, I began to look towards the wisdom traditions of the East to help me define the deeper reality that I felt was hovering so close to my grasp. Stories and documentaries of great yogis from the Buddhist and Hindu traditions dazzled my seeker’s sense of the extra-ordinary and desire for direct experience beyond the realm of intoxication and magic spells. I began to call out within me the desire to find a process of meditation, to be linked to up to a natural method of understanding the Divine within me, and while God may not have answered my prayers of having my cute potential girlfriend move in next door when I was a kid, He answered my call for a deeper practice in a way that would change my life in the most profound way.

A Connection with Krishna

While walking one day on the University of Michigan campus, I met a young man named Jim who offered me a flyer for a mantra meditation program. When I attended the program and talked further with Jim, he told me was a monk. All I knew of monks up to that point were the powerful, mythical, and otherworldly figures I had encountered in my study of the Eastern traditions (as well as dedicated Saturday-night viewings of classic martial arts films). To meet this unassuming, humble gentleman and to see in his personality that this lifestyle was still a living and breathing vitality drew me further into the theology and practice of bhakti-yoga.

Jim and his fellow monk associate Prentiss informed and revealed to me that the tradition of bhakti-yoga, a yoga of heart-felt and living devotion to God, or Krishna, the all-attractive Divine Supreme Person, was and is a central and essential part of one of the oldest and strongest spiritual traditions known to antiquity, the Vedic tradition. This tradition was brought to the West in 1965 by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a renounced scholar, author, and priest of the bhakti tradition who had been compelled by his own teacher, or guru, to bring these teachings to the West. Swami Prabhupada’s calling and mission expanded from his humble beginnings in New York City in the late 1960s to become a worldwide movement under the auspices of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which now has temples and spiritual centers from Africa to Australia and most everywhere in between.

All of this spiritual culture and history piqued my interest, and the heartfelt and inspirational discussions we shared, along with the excellent vegetarian dinners, helped me to find a new sense of belonging that I had struggled to find in the over-competitive and over-charged social atmospheres of this major university. Above all, the practice of mantra meditation that Jim and Prentiss shared struck me quite deeply on the experiential level This began to fulfill my desire for a direct and profound spiritual experience, leading me onto the road to the monastic life I lead today. Before I continue with my personal story, let me share a little of the theological base behind this mantra meditation and its importance and vitality as a spiritual practice specifically meant and designed to be of great benefit for us in our fractured and chaotic contemporary age.

The Chanting of The Holy Name (Maha-Mantra)

At the heart of the practice of bhakti-yoga is the system of mantra meditation, which enables the practitioner to connect directly to the presence and reality of God by sound vibration. Mantra meditation is offered to the spiritualist of today as the most essential and practical way of connecting to God. In the bhakti tradition, this chanting of the holy names of God is known as the maha-mantra. The term mantra means to deliver or liberate the mind from materially based conditioning that impede clarity of self-realization for spiritual advancement, and the term maha means “great” or “supreme.”

The maha-mantra consists of the three most prominent names of God as known and worshiped in the bhakti line: Hare (the feminine aspect of God), Krishna (the masculine aspect of God ), and Rama (the internal pleasure potency of God). Together these three names make up the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna/Hare Krishna/Krishna Krishna/Hare Hare/Hare Rama/Hare Rama/Rama Rama/Hare Hare.

The bhakti practitioner chants the maha-mantra daily on beads (japa) or musically in a congregation (kirtan), and this chanting forms the essential foundation of their spiritual practice. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the bhakti saint of sixteenth-century India, inaugurated this chanting of the maha-mantra amongst his followers, with the intention of spreading it to every town and village in the world. In his Siksastaka, or series of eight verses he wrote to establish the essential mood for the practice ofbhakti, he states that the chanting of the maha-mantra cleanses the heart of the dust of illusion and material conditioning that has accumulated over the course of our life and previous lives. The chanter of the maha-mantra understands that without this internal cleansing process, any attempt to focus one’s consciousness on God will remain clouded and frustrated.

The different names of God abound across the spectrum of religious and spiritual expression and tradition. When one approaches these names in a mood of humility one is able to take great advantage of the direct connection being offered by God, and the door opens to the highest spiritual understanding. The names of God are not different from the original form and substance of God. By chanting these names, one comes into direct contact with the actual reality of God, and this contact bears the fruit of realization and revelation that propels the aspirant forward on the spiritual path. The bhakti tradition, through its foundations in antiquity and contemporary practice, offers one of the clearest and most accessible paths to this kind of direct connection with God through the chanting of His holy names.

A Different Path

Looking back on the moods of my life, I can see that I was never wired to follow the paths of life considered to be normal and accepted. Some of this has to do with undeveloped personality and character traits, but a lot of it has to do with the sense of a deeper calling. In the association of my two new bhakti monk friends Jim and Prentiss, I began to study more about the bhakti tradition, diving deeper into the practice of mantra meditation and the study of the classic Eastern text at the heart of the bhakti faith, the Bhagavad-Gita.

Through Swami Prabhupada’s translation of the Gita I began to grasp the immensity but also the immediacy of this tradition, and most importantly, I began to understand a deep and thorough theological foundation to the questioning and truth-seeking I had been undertaking now for some years prior. Oddly and sweetly enough, I discovered in the words and personage of Krishna the loving, knowing, and befriending God that had been the object of my childhood affections.

I continued to spend a lot of time with Jim and Prentiss as my college career wound on, including spending time with them on retreats to the Detroit ISKCON temple where they lived, as well as one of the more prominent ISKCON cultural centers in West Virginia, where I got a first-hand taste and experience of monastic life in the bhaktitradition. Prentiss even moved to the University of Michigan campus to open a cultural center, and the personal time he spent with me training me in the art of chanting the maha-mantra, as well as his warm and intelligent friendship, were invaluable touchstones to my spiritual development.

Upon my graduation from the University of Michigan, with a degree from the film school, I found myself at the familiar crossroads of the post-graduate. It became clear enough to me that I didn’t want to follow some of the paths of my fellow film-school friends, as they schlepped West to the hallowed hills of Hollywood to fetch coffee 24/7 for over-indulged television producers. I dabbled a bit in the business of producing radio, doing freeform musical shows for local public and internet stations, but career opportunities never seemed to match up with my strange sense of idealism and ambition. Increasingly I felt like I was floating around and treading water, certainly not a unique circumstance for someone of my age at that time, but I had within me a spiritual wealth, from my time with Jim and Prentiss and their fellow monks, that began to grab my attention more and more.

The questions of my search still lingered: What is real? What is truth? How can I have access to this truth? This was now combined with a fervent search to become responsible for myself as I entered into my adult life, to find a meaning and a calling. I continued to chant and study the Bhagavad-Gita, but my association with devotees of the bhakti tradition had become limited, as Jim and Prentiss had moved away from Michigan and on to other stages in their lives. Still, what they had given me remained the deepest part of my life and of my being, and I could not forget it, and by 2006, two years after I had graduated from school, the shelter of the bhakti tradition, and particularly the monastic life within, loomed into the front of my mind as the best course to find the meaning and happiness that I was seeking.

Chris Fici is a writer/teacher/monk of the bhakti-yoga tradition. He has been practicing at the Bhaktivedanta Ashram in New York City since 2009. After receiving a degree in film/video studies at the University of Michigan, Chris began his exploration and study of the bhakti tradition. He currently teaches classes on the culture and art of vegetarian cooking, as well as the living philosophy of the Bhagavad-Gita, at New York University.

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Sutapa das, BV Manor, UK: Centre of Attention
As a traveling monk you have to keep your philosophical boxing gloves at the ready. Recently, someone quite bluntly told me they had serious issues with Krishna’s personality! I was slightly taken aback, but tried to dig a little deeper. “First God creates us for His enjoyment” they exclaimed, “Then, when we decide to leave Him, He sends us to the material world to cyclically suffer disease, old age and death. After repeated disappointment and frustration we are forced to surrender, at which time we resume our position as an eternal slave in God’s life of pleasure.” Interestingly, they then referred me to a famous Bhagavad-gita verse. There, Krishna implores Arjuna "Engage your mind in always thinking of ME, become MY devotee, offer obeisances to ME and worship ME. Being completely absorbed in ME, surely you will come to ME." There were some serious doubts here - the person had painted a picture of God as an attention-seeking ego-maniac!

I could have given a philosophical rebuttal, but instead I tried to take them on a journey to the spiritual world. As the sun rises, Krishna wakes up, frolics with the villagers, and plays a few cheeky tricks on his parents which gives them great delight. While the cows happily run around in the luscious pasturing grounds, Krishna has wrestling fights with His cowherd friends, drawing emotions of laughter, joy and loving competition. Today Krishna loses and the penalty is to carry his friend all the way home on His shoulders. Returning home later than normal, His mother is waiting in eager anticipation. Externally she rebukes him for not being on time to eat, but internally her heart is jumping for joy at the sight of her charming son. With overflowing motherly love she feeds Him a sumptuous meal till He is completely full. As everyone tucks into bed, Krishna sneaks out to the forest for a secret rendezvous with the cowherd maidens. They excitedly leave their homes and husbands, readying themselves for the amorous pastimes in the dark night. This is the moment they have been waiting for all day. After hours of intimate association, they quietly return in the early morning hours as if they had never left. As the sun rises for another day, nobody suspects anything.

Clearly, the pastimes of love in the spiritual world are bringing ecstatic pleasure to everyone involved. The nature of a loving relationship is that each side tries to please the other with no expectation of return. Their happiness is in giving happiness to others. A further twist in the tale is the fact that God actually wants to quit His occupation! The cooperation of lover and beloved in the spiritual world doesn’t simply bring equal happiness to both parties. Interestingly, it is said that the devotees of Krishna actually experience more happiness than Him! Thus, Krishna comes to this world as Sri Caitanya - God in the form of His own devotee. Feeling an intense desire to experience this happiness, He wanders the land relishing the transcendental taste of devotion to Krishna in a state of intoxicated love of God. Reentering the spiritual dimension is about elevating oneself to an ecstatic life of pure consciousness where the heart is being melted by transcendental emotions at every step. It’s not at all a dull one-sided affair.

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1975 August 7: "I think we met sometime in 1958 and I am anxious to meet you again. Please come to our Vrindaban temple and live there for some time with me. I require the help of respectable, learned scholars like yourself for spreading this movement."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1968 August 7: "Your eagerness is very rare. You must have been engaged in Krishna's service in your previous life. To be eager to serve Krishna is the greatest achievement after many many duration of pious lives. So I entrust you to begin this work immediately."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1974 August 7: "It is very encouraging that professors are purchasing books and ordering them for their students. I very much like this program of standing orders. Try to increase up to 50,000 such orders from the libraries."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1974 August 7: "Yes, it is a good idea to bring Gaura Nitai with you. That is how Indian sadhus carry their Deity. They have one chest, and they use it on which to put the Deity by opening the doors of the chest."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1974 August 7: "Yes, the advanced men can distribute the big books, and the new men can distribute the smaller ones. Your entire program is approved by me. Teach others also at the temples to distribute books, perform Deity worship, and distribute prasadam. You do this work with my full sanction."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1973 August 7: "Yes, certainly I shall come to your Festival next year. If we introduce these Festivals in all big cities of the world along side book distribution, then in no time we will conquer the whole world. Help me in this way and Krishna will bless you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1972 August 7: "I am not at all pleased that you want to leave. Do not be disturbed by the other devotees. I am coming very soon so you please wait for me. Or if you cannot wait, you can come and live with me immediately. You will have nothing to do you can simply chant and take prasadam."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1968 August 7: "The Spiritual Master must be a bona fide representative of Krishna, by disciplic succession, receiving orders from the superior, and the disciple must abide by the orders of the Spiritual Master. This is the secret of Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Giridhari das, Brasilia, Brazil: Devotee Training Retreat (JIVA) in Pandavas Paradise 2011
For the fourth year running, we held our one week intensive bhakta training retreat at Pandavas Paradise. We call the retreat “JIVA” (Jornada Intensiva de Vaishnavismo).
This retreat is probably one of the most rewarding for us. Seeing enthusiastic devotees take to Krishna consciousness with determination, getting a deeper grasp of the philosophy and practices, gives great pleasure to any follower of Srila Prabhupada.
This year we had a slightly more advanced group than the previous year, including an already initiated devotee lady. This meant the participants got more hands-on training, including leading the kirtans and helping with the aratiks.
We strive to instill in the participants the importance of having a solid sadhana as well as a desire to serve the mission, be it in direct preaching engagements, or be it in the form of helping out their local administration.
All the classes were taught by me or my wife, with the exception of a Vaishnava songs class taught by our visiting guest teacher, Sadhu Sanga Prabhu.
We emphasize the importance of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, especially the Srimad Bhagavatam. Every year just about all the participants walk out of the JIVA retreat owning a Srimad Bhagavatam. This year we sold three full 12 Canto collections, as well as large Gitas and other books. Alas, these are the last Portuguese Srimad Bhagavatam collections in Brazil! The Brazilian BBT has run out of them and it may take a while before they manage to print another full set.
JIVA isn’t just about studying and austerities though. We also make sure everyone has a really good time. The rooms are very comfortable, the prasadam quite opulent (but still healthy!) and we take them on walks and for swims in the waterfalls and natural pools.
Here are some comments we received from this year’s group:
“This experience was an important milestone in my spiritual life. I feel I have made great progress and many concepts which before were vague and unclear to me I now understand well.” – Alessandra, Brasília – DF
“I had rich unforgettable moments in this retreat, full of intense devotion. I left there with more love, wisdom, understanding and friendship.” – Rasa-lila Devi Dasi (CMS), Brasília – DF
“By Krishna’s mercy my family and I spent a week in a true paradise with sublime people. We had eight very important days for our spiritual lives. We returned home renewed.” – Gustavo, Márcia and Hillary, Belém – AM
“Many of the questions I had about Srila Prabhupada’s mission were answered and I had the chance to learn various key practices for my spiritual progress… Beyond that, I was able to understand more clearly the importance of passing this transcendental knowledge to others who are in need of true peace and happiness… Pandavas Paradise is a holy place that is completely favourable to our search for a spiritual life.” - Raphael, Brasília – DF
You can see more picture of the retreat here!

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Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: The revolution within
I met a young man at University of Toronto. His hair had several braids and his skin had cuts – it looked like he was under the influence. I also noticed wounds on his arms and I didn’t think he would take a book. Krishna proved me wrong and this man took a book and I asked him if he could join us at our centre tonight for a special event with a travelling Swami. He said he would but I did not think he would. Then around 10 minutes before the event he called me that evening as he could not find our place. I started to give him directions and he went from one location to the other for over an hour trying to find us. Finally he arrived almost close to the end but he was surprisingly calm. He went and sat in the front and started to listen. He had several questions and was very revolutionary in his approach. He could see the emptiness of the material life but did not have a constructive way out. He sat next to Maharaj until 10 pm asking a series of question that Maharaj patiently answered. Then he got up towards the end and left. Later next morning he sent me this text “I have decided I like all of you a lot. Next Friday the Swami is in?? I will make sure I check the net next time so I don’t get lost. Thanks”

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Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: Design or coincidence
I was walking back towards the street car and hoping to get to Bhakti lounge in time for the special event with BB Bhagvat Swami but both Rashmi and I were stopping everyone and giving out fliers as we walked. Going down the street I met a young man and started to show him the flier and he showed me the same flier in his hands. His friend had met me some time ago and taken a flier from me that he gave to this guy. While his friend did not take a book, he was very interested. He appreciated the Sanskrit and the philosophy and readily took a book giving a small donation. He said he would talk to his friend and try to come but I did not have much hope. To my great surprise, less than 2 hours later they were both a Bhakti Lounge and sat with us listening intently near Maharaj's feet until 10 PM (2 hours after the event was over) they seemed enlivened by the conversation and said they would keep in touch.

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Australian News: Sri Krsna Janmashtami at Sydney Temple

Sri Krsna Janmastami ay Sri Sri Radha-Gopinatha Mandir
180 Falcon St, Sydney, Australia·
Phone (02) 9959 4558
21 August at 15:00 – until 21 August
When Krishna appears all the planets were in very auspicious
combination. The sky, even though it was a monsoon season the sky
suddenly became cloudless. It was night time so therefore the stars appeared
in the sky. Everything was very very peaceful. That was monsoon season and the rivers are generally filled with mud. The rivers became very clear. The
lakes became very clear. And suddenly all the lotuses began to bloom and the
water lily it all began to bloom in lakes and ponds and even though it was
night time the flowers began to open, different flowers began to open and
the birds began to sing in the middle of the night. Generally they go to
sleep at night; they began to sing along with the breeze. And a breeze was
blowing so generally of course the wind which is mild is very very pleasant.
So there was a pleasant breeze bringing the aroma of flowers and also at
this time the Brahmans began to light fire and began sacrifices. Even though
they had stopped sacrifices because of the prosecution of Kamsa. So, one
could hear the chanting of the brahmanas at this time also. Generally they
don’t do it at night times but generally they began lighting the fire at the
night time and chanting. So in this way the Lord appeared and it is
described here in the present verses that He appeared but He did not
appeared as a normal child because the Supreme Lord is not born, for one
thing, so therefore if He born in this material world then it is rather His
appearance. The peculiar thing is that appearance is also not false.
Generally if we say it is appearance, it is false but its also not false
because Lord’s lila are true.
(Janmashtami Morning lecture by HH Bhanu Swami on 7th sept 2004 )
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Australian News: Sri Nrsimha Kavaca
One of the most notable prayers for protection is the Sri Nrsimha Kavaca. There are two known Nrsimha Kavacas. One is from the Trailokya Vijay, between Narada Muni and Lord Brahma. And the other is this one, from Prahlada Maharaja (in the Brahmananda Purana).

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nrisimha-kavacham vakshye
prahladenoditam puraa
sarva-raksha-karam punyam
sarvopadrava-naashanam
I shall now recite the Narasimha-kavacha, formerly spoken by Prahlada Maharaja. It is most pious, vanquishes all kinds of impediments, and provides one all protection.
sarva-sampat-karam chaiva
svarga-moksha-pradaayakam
dhyaatva nrisimham devesham
hema-sinhaasana sthitamah
It bestows upon one all opulences and can give one elevation to the heavenly planets or liberation. One should meditate on Lord Narasimha, Lord of the universe, seated upon a golden throne.
vivritasyam tri-nayanam
sharad-indu-sama-prabham
lakshmyaalingita-vaamaangam
vibhuutibhi rupaashritam
His mouth is wide open, He has three eyes, and He is as radiant as the autumn moon. He is embraced by Lakshmi devi on his left side, and His form is the shelter of all opulences, both material and spiritual.
chatur-bhujam komalaangam
svarna-kundala-shobhitam
saroja-shobitoraskam
ratna-keyuura-mudritam
The Lord has four arms, and His limbs are very soft. He is decorated with golden earrings. His chest is resplendent like the lotus flower, and His arms are decorated with jewel-studded ornaments.
tapta-kaanchana-sankasham
pita-nirmala-vasasam
indradi-sura-maulishthaha
sphuran manikya-diptibhih
He is dressed in a spotless yellow garment, which exactly resembles molten gold. He is the original cause of existence, beyond the mundane sphere, for the great demigods headed by Indra. He appears bedecked with rubies which are blazingly effulgent.
virajita-pada-dvandvam
shankha-chakradi-hetibhihi
garutmata cha vinayat
stuyamanam mudanvitam
His two feet are very attractive, and He is armed with various weapons such as the conch, disc, etc. Garuda joyfully offers prayers with great reverence.
sva-hrit-kamalasamvaasam
kritvaa tu kavacham pathet
nrisimho me shirah patu
loka-rakshartha-sambhavaha
Having seated Lord Narasimhadeva upon the lotus of one’s heart, one should recite the following mantra: “May Lord Nrisimha, who protects all the planetary systems, protect my head.”
sarvago ‘pi stambha vasaha
phalam me rakshatu dhvanim
nrisimho me drishau paatu
soma-suryagni-lochanaha
Although the Lord is all-pervading, He hid Himself within a pillar. May He protect my speech and the results of my activities. May Lord Narasimha, whose eyes are the sun, and fire, protect my eyes.
smritam me patu nriharih
muni-vaarya-stuti-priyaha
nasam me simha-nasas tu
mukham lakshmi-mukha-priyaha
May Lord Nrihari, who is pleased by the prayers offered by the best of sages, protect my memory. May He who has the nose of a lion protect my nose, and may He whose face is very dear to the goddess of fortune protect my mouth.
sarva-vidyadhipaha patu
nrisimho rasanam mama
vaktram patv indu-vadanam
sada prahlaada-vanditaha
May Lord Narasimha, who is the knower of all sciences, protect my sense of taste. May He whose face is beautiful as the full moon and who is offered prayers by Prahlada Maharaja protect my face.
Nrisimha patu me kantham
skandhau bhu-bhrid ananta krit
divyastra-shobhita-bhujaha
nrisimhah patu me bhujaha
May Lord Narasimha protect my throat. He is the sustainer of the earth and the performer of unlimitedly wonderful activities. May He protect my shoulders. His arms are resplendent with transcendental weapons. May He protect my shoulders.
karau me deva-varado
nrisimhah patu sarvataha
hridayam yogi-sadhyash cha
nivasam patu me harih
May the Lord, who bestows benedictions upon the demigods, protect my hands, and may He protect me from all sides. May He who is achieved by the perfect yogis protect my heart, and may Lord Hari protect my dwelling place.
madhyam patu hiranyaksha
vaksha-kukshi-vidaranaha
nabhim me patu nriharihi
sva-nabhi-brahma-samstutaha
May He who ripped apart the chest and abdomen of the great demon HiraNyaaksha protect my waist, and may Lord Nrihari protect my navel. He is offered prayers by Lord Brahmaa, who has sprung from his own navel.
brahmanda-kotayah katyam
yasyasau patu me katim
guhyam me patu guhyanam
mantranam guhya-rupa-drik
May He on whose hips rest all the universes protect my hips. May the Lord protect my private parts. He is the knower of all mantras and all mysteries, but He Himself is not visible.
uru manobhavah patu
januni nara-ruupa-drik
janghe patu dhara-dhara
harta yo ‘sau nri-keshari
May He who is the original Cupid protect my thighs. May He who exhibits a human-like form protect my knees. May the remover of the burden of the earth, who appears in a form which is half-man and half-lion, protect my calves.
sura-rajya-pradah patu
padau me nriharishvarah
sahasra-shirsha-purushaha
patu me sarvashas tanum
May the bestower of heavenly opulence protect my feet. He is the Supreme Controller in the form of a man and lion combined. May the thousand-headed Supreme enjoyer protect my body from all sides and in all respects.
mahograh purvatah patu
maha-viragrajo ‘ghnitaha
maha-vishnur dakshine tu
maha-jvalas tu nairritaha
May that most ferocious personality protect me from the east. May He who is superior to the greatest heroes protect me from the southeast, which is presided over by Agni. May the Supreme Vishnu protect me from the south, and may that person of blazing luster protect me from the southwest.
pashchime patu sarvesho
dishi me sarvatomukhaha
nrisimhah patu vayavyam
saumyam bhushana-vigrahaha
May the Lord of everything protect me from the west. His faces are everywhere, so please may He protect me from this direction. May Lord Narasimha protect me from the northwest, which is predominated by Vaayu, and may He whose form is in itself the supreme ornament protect me from the north, where Soma resides.
ishanyam patu bhadro me
sarva-mangala-dayakaha
samsara-bhayatah patu
mrityor mrityur nrikeshari
May the all-auspicious Lord, who Himself bestows all-auspiciousness, protect from the northeast, the direction of the sun-god, and may He who is death personified protect me from fear of the rotation of birth and death in this material world.
idam nrisimha-kavacham
prahlada-mukha-manditam
bhaktiman yah pathenaityam
sarva-papaih pramuchyate
This Narasimha-kavacha has been ornamented by issuing from the mouth of Prahlada Maharaja. A devotee who reads this becomes freed from all sins.
putravan dhanavan loke
dirghayur upajayate
kamayate yam yam kamam
tam tam prapnoty asamshayam
Whatever one desires in this world he can attain without doubt. One can have wealth, many sons, and a long life.
sarvatra jayam apnoti
sarvatra vijayii bhavet
bhumyantariksha-divyanam
grahanam vini varanam
He becomes victorious who desires victory, and indeed becomes a conqueror. He wards off the influence of all planets, earthly, heavenly, and everything in between.
vrishchikoraga-sambhuta
vishhapaharanam param
brahma-rakshasa-yakshanam
durotsarana-karanam
This is the supreme remedy for the poisonous effects of serpents and scorpions, and Brahma-raakshasa ghosts and Yakshas are driven far away.
bhuje va tala-patre va
kavacham likhitam shubham
kara-mule dhritam yena
sidhyeyuh karma-siddhayaha
One may write this most auspicious prayer on his arm, or inscribe it on a palm-leaf and attach it to his wrist, and all his activities will become perfect.
devasura-manushyeshhu
svam svam eva jayam labhet
eka-sandhyam tri-sandhyam va
yah pathen niyato naraha
One who regularly chants this prayer, whether once or thrice (daily), he becomes victorious whether among demigods, demons, or human beings.
sarva-mangala-mangalyam
bhuktim muktim cha vindati
dva-trimshati-sahasrani
pathet shuddhatmanam nrinam
One who with purified heart recites this prayer 32,000 times attains the most auspicious of all auspicious things, and material enjoyment and liberation are already understood to be available to such a person.
kavachasyasya mantrasya
mantra-siddhih-prajayate
anena mantra-rajena
kritva bhasmabhir mantranam
This Kavacha-mantra is the king of all mantras. One attains by it what would be attained by anointing oneself with ashes and chanting all other mantras.
tilakam vinyased yas tu
tasya graha-bhayam haret
tri-varam japamanas tu
dattam varyabhimantrya cha
Having marked ones body with tilaka, taking achamana with water, and reciting this mantra three times, one will find that the fear of all inauspicious planets is removed.
prasayed yo naro mantram
nrisimha-dhyanam acharet
tasya rogah pranashyanti
ye cha syuh kukshi-sambhavaha
That person who recites this mantra, meditating upon Lord Narasimhadeva, has all of his diseases vanquished, including those of the abdomen.
garjantam garjayantam nija-bhuja-patalam sphotayantam hatantam
rupyantam tapayantam divi bhuvi ditiyam kshepayantam kshipantam
krandantam roshayantam dishi dishi satantam samharantam bharantam
vikshantam purnayantam kara-nikara-shatair divya-simham namami
Lord Narasimha roars loudly and causes others to roar. With His multitudes of arms He tears the demons asunder and kills them in this way. He is always seeking out and tormenting the demonic descendants of Diti, both on this earth planet and in the higher planets, and He throws them down and scatters them. He cries with great anger as He destroys the demons in all directions, yet with His unlimited hands He sustains, protects, and nourishes the cosmic manifestation. I offer my respectful obeisances to the Lord, who has assumed the form of a transcendental lion.
iti shri brahmanda-purane prahladoktam
shri nrisimha-kavacham sampurnam
Thus ends the Narasimha-kavacha as it is described by Prahlada Maharaja in the Brahmanda Purana.

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Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: It's a mad mad world

Submitted by : Bhakta Sam
One memorable interaction from today's book distribution was with a man who recognized the picture of John Lennon on the cover of 'Chant and Be Happy'. Mangal-Aarti was talking to him, but looked uncomfortable so I came over and starting chatting with him. Rolling up his sleeve, he pointed out a tattoo and said that John Lennon was his hero. He said he was a musician from a famous band in Manchester, although I forgot to ask which band it was. He was also somewhat puffed-up, claiming to have millions of dollars and being very proud of his position. Unfortunately, he was totally intoxicated and also somewhat belligerent on the subject of John Lennon and after his
initial curiousity, not very interested in taking a copy. He started quoting Lennon's famous song "God": "I don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe in Gita... I just believe in me" and saying that he had heard every interview John ever gave. I tried to stay positive and pointed out that John was the kind of person who only believed something he could experience and that the book was also not about belief, but
rather about how to have a genuine experience. I talked about other songs John Lennon and pointed out that he had never read his words from Chant and Be Happy. Turning to page 45, I read him something from John's interview and tried to stay focused on just getting a copy into his hands, trusting that Krishna would work his magic if this man just give him a chance. At one point I remember him trying to impress me by
telling me he had $30 million dollars and that I should know him - just replied by saying that one quarter would be sufficient to support printing costs and so please take a copy. I'm not sure what made the difference and we weren't talking for all that long (although it felt like longer!), but eventually he just stopped and said "Yes, man. Okay, I can respect that" and moved to give me a big, fragrant hug. In
the moment, I was just so happy that he chose to connect by taking a copy that I returned the hug, despite the smell! He pulled out a loonie, gave it to me and moved on. It was a great lesson in staying positive and remembering to remind the reluctant that the benefits of chanting do NOT come from belief at all. We can feel them with just a little sincerity and an honest curiousity. I think John Lennon would
agree.

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Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: Power of Krishna Book - Bhagvat Katha

I was at University of Toronto trying to connect with some students when I met a tall pale looking guy. It was a very hot day but he was wearing a black leather looking jacket with a woolen hat and I thought perhaps he was crazy. Still I started to speak with him and to my greatest surprise he said he had a Bhagavad Gita but he had left his copy in his old home. I asked him to take another copy and give a donation which he readily agreed to do. As we kept talking I realised that he had impersonal philosophies. He started to talk about how he doesn't believe in personal form of God and I felt it best not to argue with him and preserve my energy. But to my greatest surprise he proceeded on to quote mantras from Bhagavad Gita and how Krishna was the 'Supreme Personality of Godhead' and he did not believe it. Then he went on to describe the Brahama Vimohan lila in great details from Krishna book like he had read it yesterday. He was speaking almost verbatim about how Lord Brhama stole all the cows and Krishna expanded himself into all calves and cowherd boys. As he kept claiming to be a non-believe he kept repeating Bhagavat Katha. I started to relaise the potency of Srila Prabhupada's books and the influence of Sri Krishna's passtimes on one's consciousness. Even though he didn't believe anything, glories of the Lord were etched in his mind. Out of curiosity I asked him what he did and to my further surprise he said he was a Philosophy major at University of Toronto.

As you read Srimad Bhagvatam, the heart is naturally cleansed and the hankering to read increases.
3.25.25)

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido

bhavanti hrit-karna-rasayanah kathah

In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: “Two minutes of Wisdom With Radhanath Swami” on The Huffington Post, one of the most popular and influential on line media outlets today
http://huff.to/rifLva

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Toronto Sankirtan Team, CA: Why do I still live ?

Yesterday at Yonge and Dundas I was struggling to keep a straight face as there are a lot of people and they are very intoxicated. I had been there 15 minutes and had already been called things and seen some crazy people include a man with a snake around his neck. In this craziness I saw a girl go by who didn’t stop at first but then she turned around and came back to ask me what I had. Inspired by her desire to check what we had I started to show her the chant and be happy and she was very appreciative. She gave a donation for the book but I kept talking to probe a little deeper. She looked really young so I asked her if she had any idea what stress is. She answered in affirmative so I further probed what she wanted to do with her life. She said she wanted to be a cop and get drugs off the street. So I asked her how is it that she is 19 and yet so clean and focussed. I inquired if it was her parents who inspired her and she said no it was quiet the opposite. I insisted I wanted to know what is behind the pretty young face and then she showed me her wrist. I could see she had dried to slit it open several times and by the wounds one could tell they were recent marks. Then she started to narrate her horrifying experiences with a smile and she could not have been older than 16/17 when going through all this – I was simply in shock. As she told me she could read any amount – I handed her a Bhagavad gita and showed her the reincarnation picture. As I explained the picture and told her she needs to know who she is – she turned around and said I really need to figure out who I am and what my purpose in life is. She gave a donation for the Gita and promised to read it and come visit us. Last night she texted me that she would read it but I do not know if she will. Please give her blessings so she can make progress – I cannot imagine how such a little girl goes through so much. She was 19 with a broken relationship and parents who did not support her and she was living alone in this world – until now that she has Lord Chaitanya with her.

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Entering into Radha Syama’s world

“Two minutes of Wisdom With Radhanath Swami” on The Huffington Post, one of the most popular and influential on line media outlets today

August 7th, 2011

http://huff.to/rifLva

Lecture at Umrao.

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Fancy Dress Competition 2011

Our little Vaisnavas had an opportunity to showcase their theatrical talents yesterday evening.
Aniruddha Prabhu, Acintya Rupa Mataji and Candra Vallabhi Mataji's daughter had the hard task of acting as the judges of the performances.
Here's a slideshow.

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Kirtan on Sunday morning

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Japa Group: Developing A Better Mood For Japa

Hare Krsna dear devotees. Today I would like to share with you the great experiences I had in the Japa Room session on http://www.mayapur.tv.

We were asked to share our own prayers in order to say them before our daily Japa. Everyone in the room shared their prayers and they talked about asking the Lord to help them to chant without offenses, inattention and with a lot of love....respect for the spiritual master and with the mood of Srimate Radharani. We should always think about our behavior as well, not only ask Krsna to help but take action and improve our rounds daily.

Maybe you should think about that as well - what can you do to improve your chanting today? What prayer could you say before your chanting that reminds you of the qualities you want to acquire and develop in your spiritual path?

Hope you have a great week of chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

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Bhakti Lounge, NZ: Coping with Your Shadow

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: NECTAR AND AUSTERITY
Krsna consciousness is a combination of nectar and austerity.

When one gets practiced in austerities, he starts to like them, like getting up early or hearing our rounds of chanting very attentively.

It is a great austerity for the mind in the beginning, because the mind wants to think of so many things.

Once you develop a taste for attentive chanting, you always want to do it that way.

Advancement does not come only through suffering. Is eating prasadam suffering? Is singing and dancing suffering?

It may be an austerity to get out and distribute books, or get into the kitchen and cook. But once you start doing it, with the proper consciousness, thinking that Krsna will be pleased with this and that ultimately you will also be very happy, then it is not a suffering. It is a pleasure.

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: HOW TO GIVE A SUNDAY CLASS SO THAT BOTH OLD AND NEW WILL LISTEN?
How to give a Sunday class so both senior, more experienced and more knowledgeable devotees will be interested to hear it, as well as newcomers and younger devotees?

You may do it by choosing the topics that are relevant to all of them. For example:

- Faith in God
- Relationships
- Trust
- Self discipline
- Discovering your dharma or calling
- Etc.

Think about other topics that can interest all the devotees and guests who might attend your speech.

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Gouranga TV: Giriraj Swami – SB 10.3.24 – God is a Person
Giriraj Swami – SB 10.3.24 – God is a Person

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Australian News: This week at Hare Krishna Valley…

Australian News: Canberra Darsan

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