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H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Friday 3 June 2011--Obstacles Along the Path--and--How to Prove that "Me" in Gita Refers to Krishna?

H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 329–Poem for June 2nd

H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): OLD FRIENDS

H.H. Devamrita Swami: A Self-Critique

H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Bear sighting in Thunder Bay

Japa Group: Bhaktivedanta College Japa Retreat

Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Would Srila Prabhupada be pleased?

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: DEVOTEE CARE AND GUIDANCE Q-STORMING

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

ISKCON News.com: Russia's Church, Lawmakers Want to Limit Abortion

ISKCON News.com: WHO: Radiation From Cellphones Possibly Cancerous

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

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

H.H. Sivarama Swami

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Srila Prabhupada's Letters

Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Victor Victoria : My Favorite Pull

H.H. Sivarama Swami: Dr Simon Robert, husband of late Dr Puskas Ildiko speaks at yesterday’s opening about why his late wife willed her library to BHAKTI

H.H. Sivarama Swami: If we were a real community then we would have thriving farms with hundreds of devotees and thousands of cows

Akrura das, Gita Coaching: WHAT IS LIBERATION?

Japa Group: Taking Shelter

New Vrndavan, USA: Chowpatty Brahmacaris Govinda pr & Gauranga pr doing retreat in NV. Sadhu sanga – association festival

H.H. Sivarama Swami: Pictures of the official opening of the new building of the Educational and Cultural Center in Budapest

Book Distribution News: Getting a taste again

Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Imagining Detroit

Mayapur Academy, Mayapur, IN: Registration for Diploma in Arcana course 2011/12 already begun

Gouranga TV: Bhajan – 24hr Kirtan – Mukunda Datta das – Bhaja Hu Re Mana

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H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Friday 3 June 2011--Obstacles Along the Path--and--How to Prove that "Me" in Gita Refers to Krishna?

A daily broadcast of the Ultimate Self Realization Course Friday 3 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: Obstacles Along the Path Uploaded from London, UK 2 June 2011--When one takes up the all-auspicious path of Krishna consciousness one should expect that there will sometimes be obstacles. The key to handling them properly is not to become discourage or bewildered, but to instead accept them as exciting opportunities to make progress in Krishna consciousness. I faced such a challenge as I was departing from Sofia this morning. Just before getting on the airplane for London my computer software crashed. All attempts to get it to boot up failed. Now I am staying up past 2:30 am, the time I normally rise, to completely reinstall the operating system from scratch and then write and upload Thought for the Day. By Krishna's grace I did a back up this morning, so there was very little data loss. Only a few emails that I received this morning were lost. So if you emailed me recently and don't hear back from me within two days, you should send your email again. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Prove that Me in Gita Refers to Krishna? I am having problems in convincing my friends that Me in the Gita refers to Krishna and Krishna alone. Please help me with strong quotations and references that it is only Krishna. Is there evidence to show how absurd it is to say that He is not referring to Himself when He says Me? Servant of your servants, A.V. Answer: How Can it Not Refer to Krishna? How when Krishna says Me, this cannot not refer to Krishna. Their analysis is not very intelligent. Ask your friends if when they say me they are referring to someone other than themselves. To say that me refers to someone other than oneself is absurd. Just see how much Krishna is referring to Himself in the follow verse: man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam atmanam mat-parayanah SYNONYMS mat--manah--always thinking of Me; bhava--become; mat--My; bhaktah--devotee; mat--My; yaji--worshiper; mam--unto Me; namas-kuru--offer obeisances; mam--unto Me; eva--completely; esyasi--you will come; yuktva--being absorbed; evam--thus; atmanam--your soul; mat--parayanah--devoted to Me. TRANSLATION Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me. --Bhagavad-gita 9.34 To argue that Krishna is not saying to think of Him, is not saying to become His devotee, is not saying to offer obeisances to Him, is not saying to become absorbed in Him, and is not saying to come to Him is patently absurd. This is simply the ridiculous word jugglery of the impersonalists, who refuse to surrender to God because they consider themselves to be God. We are not so foolish as to believe them. 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:

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): 329–Poem for June 2nd

www.sdgonline.org.
4:58 A.M.

A Writer of Pieces
New format–I will begin with the poem written on the day of its printing. Then I will print random excerpts of books I have published over the last 35 years. I hope this variety will be pleasing.
Poem for June2^nd
I rose with only enough time
to finish my rounds and not write
a poem. The japa was centered
on numerical count. I spoke with
Narayana who encouraged me to live
a long life and make a preaching
contribution. I said, “We will see,” and
he said, “Are you thinking of leaving?”
I said, “No, I want to stay, but I
don’t want to be attached.” He said
Srila Prabhupada would let me stay
and do good in the world and that
he wanted me to stay.
We didn’t read sastra at lunch.
Muktavandya and Kirtana-rasa were
present as guests. A judge phoned
Kirtana-rasa and told him his client
was not only guilty of bouncing a
check but of charges of assault
and grand larceny. Kirtana-rasa
told us he wouldn’t take the case
unless the man paid him cash.
Muktavandya has a weak heart
and he has a fibrillator inserted
in his chest as a preventative
in case of heart attack.
(K.R. assured me that a new
writing project would open to me
and I took encouragement from that.
I’m waiting for a concept of something
to do now that the autobiog
seems finished.)
I like to address myself
to Krishna and to myself
and to readers. I like
to keep a journal. Maybe
from among these forms I
could choose something to
write on a daily basis.
I like to face myself
and be guided by the Muse
in a free write, musical
way. So my days can be
more Krishna conscious by
applying myself in writing.
It will come as Krishna
desires if He will open
a window for me for a
new kind of expression.
Improvised expressions are fun,
coming from spontaneous composition
as you dare and allow
yourself to be Krishna conscious
in a personal way. I shouldn’t
think my life is too quiet
to write about. There is the
internal life which is always
alive if you’d only reach in
there and touch it.

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami (Ret.): OLD FRIENDS

www.sdgonline.org.

From Memory in the Service of Krishna
“‘Because you are never envious of Me’
‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I will impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.”’ (Bg. 9.1)
“I can never face the fact that I was envious of Srila Prabhupada. It seems too bad to be true. If it were true, it would mean that while I was worshiping and glorifying him along with his hundreds of other disciples, I secretly thought that he was getting too much praise. It would mean that I wanted the honor that he was getting. It would mean that my devotional life is completely false, so how could I admit such a thing?
“Sometimes I admit a little bit of it. In 1966 when we would sit together for lunch, Prabhupada would get a banana and milk in addition to what we all shared. I thought, ‘Why can’t I have that too?’
“Prabhupada used the word ‘envious’ in a broad sense to include ‘malicious.’ He said people are envious of the animals, and so they kill them unnecessarily.
“There’s no envy in the spiritual world: one gopi is happy to see another gopi pleasing Krishna. But I was envious whenever any devotee was given special attention by Srila Prabhupada. I could feel it in my body as a total dis-ease, a reeling, a burning, a bad feeling in the heart, a feeling of ‘turning green.’ Why should others go to India with him and I be left behind? Why should he have a friendly, laughing relationship with another, and why should that other disciple be so fortunate as to please Prabhupada with faithful service?
“The young gopi-manjaris are simple and openhearted, and thus they are allowed to enter into all the confidential dealings of Radha and Krishna. Radha and Krishna know that when these manjaris are present, They can feel free to act as if They were alone. The manjaris will never be envious or betray confidences or misunderstand the dealings of the Lord and Radharani. They can be trusted because they are completely pure. They are happy to keep their own place and to make arrangements for the pastimes of Radha and Krishna.
“When I think of the goppi-manjaris, it becomes clear to me how I failed. I always wanted to be included in the intimate, confidential dealings of Prabhupada—but for my own satisfaction. At least that taint was there. I wanted a special place of recognition. I preferred Prabhupada my way, not his way. The completely surrendered servant does not demand special intimate moments with his master. He does not mind if his master reminds him of his subordinate place by excluding him from certain meetings. The servant waits outside the door with a pure heart, and he goes to fetch other devotees whom the master wants to see, and he cleans up the master’s sitting room and work room and bathroom with equal relish for each task. If the pure servant is reprimanded, he does not become envious of the master, who holds the the weapon of chastisement. He doesn’t think, ‘This is unfair. I have surrendered to you, and now you are taking advantage.’
“There’s a correlation between envy and confidentiality. The disciple who is non-confidential may yearn for what he thinks of as confidential moments, but because he has his own concept of sweet, intimate times, and because he accepts and rejects what is good in relation to his guru, he misses out on the dynamics of confidential service.
“Prabhupada explains that confidential knowledge of Krishna is beyond academic knowledge and beyond the beginner’s realization that a living entity is not material. Secret wisdom, raja-guhyam, is knowledge of devotional service. The Supreme Lord says that He will reveal this knowledge to Arjuna because he is not envious. Prabhupada writes, ‘No one can explain Bhagavad-gita or give perfect knowledge of Krishna if he is envious.’ Only one who knows Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead can receive the most confidential knowledge, because only the devotee is worthy of Krishna’s love. So we should all drop our enviousness and become the servant of the pure devotee of the Lord.
“To illustrate confidentiality, Srila Prabhupada used to give the example of a man showing photos of his newborn baby. Only those who know and love the new father will have an interest in photos of an infant. The showing and enjoying of these photos is a confidential act. Similarly, only those who have developed genuine affection for Lord Krishna will be interested and pleased to hear of His mystical activities as described in the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. They are interested in the Lord’s invitation to offer their food to Him, and they are pleased to hear that the food should be in the categories of fruit, leaf and water. And they are also glad to hear that even the lowborn and sinful can reach the supreme goal. They want to do everything for Krishna, and so they are encouraged when He orders, ‘Whatever you do, whatever you give away as charity, whatever austerities you perform, do it as an offering to Me.’ (Bg. 9.27)
“The nondevotee is not interested in these secrets. When he hears Krishna say that we should offer loving service to Him,
he turns away: ‘It is not to Krishna that we have to surrender to,’ he says, ‘but to the Undying within Krishna.’ So speaks the envious man.
“Confidential means that outsiders are excluded. They are not excluded out of unfairness, but because they don’t want to come for special meetings with the Lord and the Lord’s devotees. By default, a small group is taken into confidence because they care enough to want to hear. No one else wants to take care of the Deity, and so the faithful pujari enters a confident relationship and dresses Krishna in the morning and puts Him to bed at night. Because you are not envious, the pure devotee tells you about Krishna. If you are nonenvious you are pleased to see that the pure devotee is dear to Krishna. You want to hear from him. And you are willing to serve him in a menial way. You think that he is great, because of his humble and confidential relationship with Krishna. And because you accept the confidential servant, you too are taken into confidential service.
“When we become envious of the pure devotee, or any devotee, the door is closed. You cannot enter further. You can only go as far as your sincerity allows. Impure thoughts bar the way.
“You think, ‘Why can’t I have a confidential relationship with Krishna?’ But the answer is clear. You don’t deserve it. But when you hear this, you become angry and accuse others. ‘They’re simply envious! Everyone is envious except me.’ This is the sign of a pretender-devotee. Whoever is against him is envious. He thinks that he is so topmost and fortunate that actually everyone must be secretly (or openly) jealous and envious of him. ‘Because I am so good,’ he thinks, ‘naturally I have enemies among the ill-behaved.’”
Readers inspired by the above excerpt from the Krishna conscious volume Memory in the Service of Krishna are encouraged to visit www.amazon.com
From Human at Best
“A View from the Bridge
“Here is my heart. Don’t hurt it. How unusual. Lock it in a cashbox, or better yet, don’t even keep it in your house. Who is going to break into it. It seems okay to me. Do you want to make your profusions? You could draw little pictures.
“Yeah, natural, unfettered, you can see thirty feet or more down into the sea. But what’s there? Dolphins, and death from sharks, and human drownings? Oh, hold my hand at death-time. I’ll hear the parrots and think of Krishna. I’ll pray to come back in a suitable boat. Please, amen, don’t give up.
“I seem to resist when people say we have to give up all material desires and concepts because our senses will lead us to hell. I control myself in my own way, and it’s true that we have to be willing to accept strictures, but we need our senses and feelings if we are to find any measure of surrender and renunciation. So I do what seems right. There is always risk involved. The man who crumbles under group pressure may later break away because he felt repressed rather than realized. Or worse, he may become inhuman, cool, cold. A fellow like me runs the risk of becoming proud and not consulting his brothers. We have to become humble in one way or another. Trnad api—and then chant. Chant humbly. Talk to yourself, to your God. Be guided out of the dark. Be happy. Want to please Krishna, even if you are unable to do it. Krishna promises us shelter at His lotus feet. We have to believe Him.
“I won’t simply rush through harinama thinking that the next activity is more vital or interesting. Actually Hare Krishna is most vital and personal, simple and direct. Other things aren’t better, so don’t rush through even one mantra.
“Don’t treat chanting as something to get through so I can do other things. The chanting is itself important—most important. It’s what enables me to turn all those other acts into bhakti.
“Maya is wherever we are not chanting Hare Krishna.
“Chanting japa is like sending a small bird up against the Dark Cloud of Unknowing.
“Chant and penetrate into the presence of God.
“Hare Krishna. Click it off just to get it done. Count them. One hundred and eight times sixteen and then you can stop and do preferred duties. He reasons ill who says that Vaisnavas die, the Vaisnavas live by sound and work to spread the holy name around.’ Hare Krishna.’”
Readers inspired by the above excerpt from the recent Krishna conscious volume Human at Best (2008) are encouraged to visit www.amazon.com
From Every Day, Just Write, Volume III: A Sojourn in Tapo-bhumi
“Last week here. Class went all right yesterday. Played an excerpt where Prabhupada pauses and cannot continue after saying, ‘A pure devotee never asks Krishna for anything; he simply gives to Krishna, ‘Just like the gopis, they never ask Krishna for anything . . .’ Long pause. Then, ‘All right, chant.’ I stated an appreciation that Srila Prabhupada himself was like that: he never asked Krishna for boons, but gave everything to Krishna by preaching—gave Him souls surrendered to Krishna consciousness. We think that Krishna sometimes indicated to Prabhupada that He loved him very much and Prabhupada was overcome by Krishna’s love and could not speak. I didn’t mention that when he said the word gopis he might have merged into that bhava and left the scene of lecturing to the neophytes in the Los Angeles temple.
“‘We are all neophytes,’ he said in a New Vrndavana conversation as soon as a disciple said something about, ‘a neophyte devotee.’
“Jaya Prabhupada. Thank you for allowing me to speak of you, and forgive me for making mistakes. I want to encourage the devotees to hear your tapes, even though I sometimes struggle to hear them myself. All glories to you.
“Poor bodies get malaria and dozens of other diseases. I read of it in letters from disciples, how they went to the hospital and slept on ice packs. I too . . . have one of these bodies.
“Keep a record. Nightly acupressure from Bhagavat-dasa. He said I need to drink more water. Rubbed on almond oil. Madhu watching and learning. Bhagavat says, ‘At night I hurt the devotees with my fingers’ (his description of acupressure).
“O Vrndavana, I’ll go to the mangala aratis this morning, if Krishna allows me, if my body agrees. The impressions will come through my eyes—Srila Prabhupada in his samadhi mandira, the Deities shining out from Their altars, the devotees who are truly attached to Them.
“We’re going to travel to the Caribbean with only hand luggage. I asked Madhu to put my carry-on bag in my room, and I’ll gradually decide what goes into it. Thus we have started our departure from Vrndavana.
“One disciple wrote me that she regrets leaving Vrndavana and going back to her country. I wrote her that the only reason to leave Vrndavana is to preach, and preaching is often better outside Vrndavana. She wrote back and said that in her case, she wasn’t going to preach. She had another whole life awaiting her. She’s young, and at that point in life where she’s trying to see how to live it to her best capacity.
“I answered her, ‘You have to face the fact that you’re not ready to surrender everything and live in Vrndavana. Either doing full time service at Krishna-Balarama Mandira or living under a bush chanting Hare Krishna twenty-four hours a day. By living in Vrndavana you’re avoiding the fact that you have to go back and sort out your life. Besides that, even those of us who are saying we are leaving Vrndavana to preach are leaving because we’re not qualified to live here. That includes me.’
“And it does. I surely don’t appreciate the dust of Vrndavana, the lanes for walking, the temples for darsana the parikramas, the monkeys, hogs and people. I don’t even appreciate the great devotees. But I’m also happy about leaving in this state. I wish to return to further my progress toward becoming attached to the lotus feet of Vrndavana. Vrndavana can be saved for culturing bhakti. Don’t come here to stay at the temple to teach seminars or invite disciples to be here with you. Stay outside and chant and hear and wander Vrndavana. Fulfill minimum obligations and otherwise stay focused. When will I return?”
Readers inspired by the excerpt from the Krishna conscious volume Every Day, Just Write, Volume III: A Sojourn in Tapo-bhumi are encouraged to visit www.amazon.com

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H.H. Devamrita Swami: A Self-Critique

Honestly admit it. Human beings crave intensity and absorption. So eager are we for it, we'll try to relish the searing flames of samsara, the forest fire of material existence, labeling the roast as happiness: "Oh, I feel fulfilled. That feels good."
Actually, reading Krishna's pastimes is the most intensely absorbing affair. Especially the five rasa-lila chapters in the Bhagavatam and Krishna Book, as well as the descriptions in Caitanya-caritamrta of Lord Caitanya's feelings in separation—so demanding these are, of utter sanctity and humility.
As I turn the pages, my mind begs Srila Prabhupada for his mercy, to enable this lowly disciple to proceed with a properly attuned mind and spiritual insight. Let spiritual intelligence crack the whip, reminding me that nothing I'm reading entails any material qualities or experiences—Krishna's pastimes are completely outside the realm of my material scope.
My desire is that the nectarean impact drives me to my knees, indeed to full dandavats on the floor, in submission, acutely acknowledging that only Krishna is the enjoyer. At some point I have to allow that time is no concern; simply may the radiance of these lilas, as much as I can presently perceive, consume my consciousness and distill it. That is one of my practical aspirations, for how my life should proceed.
Then, while chanting japa, an embarrassing thought came to me: since Krishna's name is nondifferent from His pastimes, therefore the same vigilant attitude must be present in my chanting. Otherwise I am guilty of making an offense—materially differentiating between Krishna's name, form, qualities, and pastimes.
And especially in this Age of Kali, it is the chanting of Krishna's name that drives all the other process of bhakti. At this point I realized the mouse had been apprehended: I was caught in a noose. Krishna's pastimes lovingly force attention to His name, which in turn impels eagerness to hear His pastimes. This endless loop results in our daily campaign to engage all the senses in sacrificial devotional service.

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Young Man, Sanjay

Woodbridge, Ontario

The story today is ultra simple, about a young man, Sanjay, whom I've known for about 20 years. He's not interested in monastic life, in fact, when I visited his family last January it was an engagement event. Now he's happily married. He voiced to me last night that he needed a monk's blessing in order for the relationship between himself and his new spouse, Shivi, to be a solid one.

At that time, in January, I mentioned the need to keep the spiritual centre in place and everything would be alright. I'm sure Sanjay walked into the wedding venue thinking it is an important walk exchanging vows and for uniting the couple and making the commitment.

I'm very happy for the two of them. As a belated wedding gift, I gave Sanjay a music CD, Ekalavya's "Inspiration Explosion" an excellent upbeat fusion piece. I particularly wanted Sanjay to enjoy the first track, which echoes, "Chant, chant, chant/ Chant the holy name/ your life, life, life/ Will never be the same."

I urge Sanjay to give some portion of the day to chanting. He has received Krishna Conscious literature in the past, has access to meditation beads. I certainly don't want to pressure or impose but implore, I will. What is it that will ground him in a deep way apart from wife, house and kids? Just a tiny bit of sadhana (spiritual workout) will make all the difference towards establishing a good physical and spiritual balance.

6 Km

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Have a vision

Toronto Ontario

Back in the city again and the world of passion play. People have forsaken jumpers and jackets in response to a record heat for this day, 41 Celsius or more is the reported high. The question is, "who isn't outside this evening, walking or cycling?" People are finding a new gravity in parks and green spaces. Condo dwellers abandon their boxes. Shade is truly appreciated. All races, genders and ages are out and about. For a time (from 7pm-11pm) I did not feel alone, rather I was surrounded by people everywhere. I hate to use the analogy but humans are like mosquitoes. When hot weather hits we wake up from our slumber and go out doing our business. Some people in fact do suck blood.

Anthony took to walking with me. He's in his early twenties and is serious about his spiritual life. He has some vision and sees himself playing a major role in advancing Krishna Consciousness for himself and others.

Anthony and I walked through Queens Park. A young Buddhist monk cycling and wearing shades gave a nod of respect. We reciprocated. I guess he has some vision for himself and sees beyond his sunglasses.

We bumped into a friend. He shared a story. "You can use it if you want." He said.

"Two men were walking. One was blind, the other not. The one who could see said to the blind man, 'There is something worse - going on in life without a vision.'"

11 Km

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Bear sighting in Thunder Bay

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Japa Group: Bhaktivedanta College Japa Retreat

A very nice interactive Japa Retreat where devotees give responses to Sacinandana's question on Japa.

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Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Would Srila Prabhupada be pleased?

For the last couple of days there has been no post and we were pleasantly suprised by a couple of enquiries about the daily post. It has been a hectic start to the week for the family and of course sadana must come first. Also sometimes there is communication that gives you pause. So before starting this post we want to pay obeisances to Sri Nrsimha and pray to Him. So we have chose 1 paragraph from the Sri Nrsimha Kavaca.

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.

This magnificent and ferocious prayer is firstly offered for all the devotees struggling to serve Srila Prabhupada and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu the world over in difficult circumstances, especially in Islamic regions. Our obeisances at the dust of your lotus feet. Here is an example of devotees that are doing so much to please Srila Prabhupada in cirmcumstances that we cannot totally comprehend.

On the other hand, in the last couple of days we have also recieved articles and video from India showing devotees argue on TV and the media. This blog is about the positive and to glorify Srila Prabhupada. Many months ago when we started this blog one of the questions we promised to always ask when posting articles is "What would please Srila Prabhupada?". After seeing some of this public media coverage that is now being rebroadcasted all over the world via the internet, it is clear that some individuals have forgotten to ask themselves if this public behaviour "would please Srila Prabhupada". A total loss of decorum and vaishnava etiquette as the name of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada is tossed back and forth cannot please our Spirtual Master. Thus this prayer is for everyone to come to their senses and through dialogue and cooperation take shelter of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Nrsimha.

Jai Nrsimha
Jai Srila Prabhupada

And now back to our regular blog....

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: DEVOTEE CARE AND GUIDANCE Q-STORMING

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Recently, during our coaching skills training workshop for Ljubljana Spiritual Guides, to practice questioning skills I asked the devotees to ask me questions that will help me achieve my goal. We did a process called Q-Storming - finding the best questions that will help to achieve the goal. Here is the goal and excellent questions by my students:

GOAL: Devotee Care And Guidance System in 400 ISKCON centers

QUESTIONS
Why do you want this?
How will you achieve it?
What do need in order to achieve it?
What impact would this have on ISKCON devotees?
What are the internal and external obstacles?
How would you overcome internal obstacles?
Have you started working on achieving it?
Who can help you?
What is your first step?
Do you have a plan?
What is your deadline?
Have you broken it to sub-goals?
Do devotees understand you?
Are there any doubts?
What you can do to achieve your goal faster?
Who is supportive or opposed to your goal?
What is the price you have to pay?
Is this goal realistic?
How can you get the blessings of devotees?
How can you find help within ISKCON?
What personal qualities do you need to develop in order to achieve it?
What would you like devotees to say about this project after you leave the body?
What Bhagavad Gita verses can help you?

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

To determine your purpose and mission get a clear sense of what is important to you and what gives your life meaning and significance by answering these questions:

WHAT DO I WANT TO BE?
- What kind of person do I want to be?
- What kind of devotee, spouse, friend, parent, co-worker?
- What roles do I want to play in life or in society?

WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?
- What is it that I love doing?
- What am I good at doing?
- What needs can I serve in the society?
- What does my conscience tell me to do?
- What is life asking of me?

WHAT DO I WANT TO HAVE?
- What do I want to have within (thoughts, feelings, desires, attitudes, qualities, health, etc.)?
- What do I want to have without (resources, finances, conditions, reputation, influence, time, experiences, etc.)?

You may also use an online Mission Statement Builder here:
www.franklincovey.com/msb

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ISKCON News.com: Russia's Church, Lawmakers Want to Limit Abortion

By Mansur Mirovalev for news.yahoo.com on 2 Jun 2011

Russia's Orthodox Church teamed with Conservative parliamentarians Monday to push legislation that would radically restrict abortions in a nation struggling to cope with one of the world's lowest birthrates.

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ISKCON News.com: WHO: Radiation From Cellphones Possibly Cancerous

By Aarti Dhar for The Hindu on 2 Jun 2011

Confirming the worst fears of mobile phone users, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that radiation from cellphones is possibly cancerous.

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 2: "I an enclosing an idea for a painting of Krishna showing Mother Yasoda the universe within His mouth. I have so many ideas for paintings. In our Krishna Book we are showing the Western World what is God for the first time. So please be very serious to do this work nicely. It is no unimportant task."
1969 June 2

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 2: "Please take nice care of this boy who has become attracted to our movement. There are so many good souls we must contact and when another man is sent by Krishna to help us it is our great duty to help them understand Krishna Consciousness to the best of our ability."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 2: "This is the sure and certain method of propagating Krishna Consciousness, if we simply chant Hare Krishna with karatalas and mrdanga and speak from Bhagavad-gita exactly as we hear it in disciplic succession, then automatically people become attracted."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1970 June 2: "It is now definitely ascertained that there will be no difficulty to maintain a center anywhere. The only thing required is to create some nice devotees. So together help me open at least 108 centers - that will satisfy me."
1970 June 2

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1970 June 2: "When there are many letters I think how I shall reply, but if I do not get letters from you I become still more uncomfortable. So you please send me a letter at least once in a week, that will give me a great pleasure."
1970 June 2

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 June 2: "I am appointing you regular GBC representative with full standing. I have instructed the temple presidents to send new initiates beads to you for chanting. Discharge these duties with full responsibility especially seeing that the spiritual life in the temples is not neglected."
1974 June 2

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1975 June 2: "There are many examples of persons who are physically disabled but are determined to practice Krishna Consciousness to their best ability. So, you should also do like that. If you require medical help, take as much as is needed."
1975 June 2

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1975 June 2: "Regarding registration with the Endowments dept., we're not going to be controlled by them. That is not good. They are all worldly men. Why should we be controlled by them? Regarding your preaching, what is the use of criticizing Sai Baba and creating some enemies? Do not do this in public meetings."
1975 June 2

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1962 June 1: "Yesterday evening I have come to Vrindaban for a flying visit and shall return to Delhi on Monday to attend the Jayal meeting on Tuesday morning. I am glad to see that my Thursday lectures have brought some changes in the mind of the young offenders. If the lectures are continued I am sure to turn these offenders into saintly characters."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1966 June 1: "Trayodasi. Today Immigration and Naturalization Office gave me one extension up to 17th September 1966. In the evening there was meeting about 16 heads. Bob came with some flour. I required some flour and Krishna sent it.
N.B. Today's lecture was very interesting."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1967 June 1: "I came here with a great mission to execute my Spiritual Master's order. I'm not afraid of Maya, I know Maya cannot touch me, but still if I die in this condition, my mission will remain unfulfilled. Please pray to Prabhu Lord Caitanya and Vrindaban Bihar. I wish to live for a few days more."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 June 1: "Your humbleness is very much appreciated by me. A Krishna Conscious person is never puffed-up. A Krishna Consciousness person thinks always about himself as the lowest and the more one thinks like that the more one becomes elevated."
1968 June 1

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H.H. Sivarama Swami

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
— Gandhi

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 1: "This Krishna Consciousness Movement is actually an attempt to make all people happy and become liberated in this life from material contamination so they'll be eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God after quitting this body."
1969 June 1

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1969 June 1: "As soon as one's service is recognized by Krishna, one is immediately called, 'Please come here.' So we should work in such a nice way that we can draw the attention of Krishna to call us. Live for hundred years and execute this Krishna consciousness Movement so that in this very life you shall enter into the abode of Krishna."
1969 June 1

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 June 1: "Push on vigorously distributing our literatures widely and showing always a good example of real Krishna Consciousness way of life. I am making many Sannyasis here in America and I am convinced our movement must run on this extensive traveling and preaching system."
1972 June 1

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1973 June 1: "The demolition of our temple by the municipality has strengthened our position. Immediately reconstruct the Deity shed and put up barbed wire fencing. And in front of the Deity shed, a temporary pandal should immediately be constructed. This is my desire."
1973 June 1

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Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Victor Victoria : My Favorite Pull

When I remodeled my kitchen, I knew from the start that I was going to use this Victorian bin pull on some drawer banks. Recently I spotted another kitchen online with the same pulls, different finish. Read all about that clever Victorian restoration and the victorious bin pull that takes on a new shine depending on the finish. Check it out.
print

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Dr Simon Robert, husband of late Dr Puskas Ildiko speaks at yesterday’s opening about why his late wife willed her library to BHAKTI

Dr Simon Robert, husband of late Dr Puskas Ildiko speaks at yesterday’s opening about why his late wife willed her library to BHAKTI

June 2nd, 2011

H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – BG 5.18 Understanding Reality

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: If we were a real community then we would have thriving farms with hundreds of devotees and thousands of cows

If we were a real community then we would have thriving farms with hundreds of devotees and thousands of cows

June 2nd, 2011

If we were a real community then we would have thriving farms with hundreds of devotees and thousands of cows

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: WHAT IS LIBERATION?

One who wants to become free or liberated must first learn that he is not his material body.

Liberation means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this material world and situation in pure consciousness.

Purified consciousness means acting in accordance with the instructions of the Lord.

This is the sum and substance of purified consciousness.

And His instructions are given in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is:

http://vedabase.net/bg/en1

Your consciousness can be purified by chanting the holy name of the Lord in private meditation - japa (see picture) and in kirtana - congregational chanting.

That is the main instruction of the Lord.

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Japa Group: Taking Shelter

Hare Krsna dear devotees, I noticed today how important is praying and how we can try to manage our thoughts and relate them to Krsna any time of the day. We may often face struggle and difficulties but these situations are only here to remind us of how important is to depend on the Lord and on chanting. I saw a quote from Srila Prabhupada today saying that if we read his books and chant the Holy Names our lives will be sublime.

So we should always be engaged in following his intructions and even when things do not go well in our lives that is actually the Lord`s mercy to get advanced and move foward, taking shelter of the holy names and the vaisnavas.

your servant,

Aruna devi

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New Vrndavan, USA: Chowpatty Brahmacaris Govinda pr & Gauranga pr doing retreat in NV. Sadhu sanga – association festival

Please accept my obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We are celebrating sadhusanga: Association Festival on 25th and 26th of June in New Vrindavan.
During this festival, two illustrious Brahmacaris of Chowpatty Temple India, Govinda prabhu and Gauranga prabhu, will conduct various seminars covering various aspects of Krishna Bhakti, to help devotees progress in devotional service.
26th Sunday afternoon is snan-yatra for Jagannath.
In order to attend the festival and snan-yatra Festival of Jagannath, all interested devotees should book their accommodations at the Palace Guest Lodge by calling 304-843-1600 x 111 .
There is no fee for this festival and it is open for every one.
Your servant,
Yugal Kishore Das

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Pictures of the official opening of the new building of the Educational and Cultural Center in Budapest

Photographs taken by Attila Jeney

Photographs taken by Nama Ruci dasa

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Book Distribution News: Getting a taste again

Yesterday, for the first time in two years, I went out for book distribution with the harinama party. While we were proceeding, I started praying to Srila Prabhupada for His mercy and blessings so I could distribute some books, as I had lost the taste for door-to-door distribution, and to revive myself I took shelter of the harinama party.
Since it was going to be only a one-hour harinama, I decided not to take many books. There were two matajis who took only smalls books, which were easier to distribute, whereas I took a mixture of large and small books, since I used to love distributing bigger books.
I started to move ahead of the harinama party so I could distribute books and then join with them easily. To my surprise, I managed to distribute books to the local Fijian ladies and also a Muslim guy, as well as many local Indians.
The native Fijians were easy: I just gave them some halva and then talked a little about helping with some charity for the temple, so they easily took a book. But the Muslim guy was a bit hesitant, so at first I gave him "The Science of Self-Realization" and then explained that it was a very scientific book and would help his children at school. I kept gently pushing him, and finally he gave in but took a "Beyond Birth & Death" instead.
As I was running from door to door distributing Srila Prabhupada's books, I felt so much ecstasy, so I approached my temple president and told him that this was what was missing in my life.
Finally I was left with only two big books. People were hesitant to spend that much, so I helped the other two matajis distribute their small books, which we sold out before the harinama was finished.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Book distribution and harinama sankirtana ki jai! . . .
Nityananda Das
ISKCON Suva, Fiji Islands.
PS: We received another donation for the Nigerian sankirtan van. Bhavana dd gave $100. She is a devotee in Taiwan who distributes books and at the same time has two daughters and a husband to take care of. Thank you, Bhavana. Now we have $1,500 -- only $18,500 more to go. Actually it's less, because some devotees have sent laxmi to my mailing address but I won't be there for another month, so we won't know tell then.
your servant, Vijaya das

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Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Imagining Detroit

From Mark Bittman's blog at the New York Times

Detroit was once called the Paris of the West, but at this point it’s more reminiscent of Venice. Like Venice, its demise has been imminent for some time, as crucial businesses and huge chunks of the population flee.
And, like Venice, it has a singular look. Not everyone will find Detroit beautiful, but with its wide, often empty boulevards, its abandoned, ghost-like train station and high-rises, its semi-deserted neighborhoods and its once-celebrated downtown now jumbled by shuttered storefronts — and the hideous Renaissance Center — it creates a sense of disbelief bordering on fantasy. It’s either a vision of the future or, like Venice, an impossibly strange anomaly, its best days over.
But after spending some time here, I saw an alternative view of Detroit: a model for self-reliance and growth. Because while the lifeblood of Venice comes from outsiders, Detroit residents are looking within. They’d welcome help, but they’re not counting on it. Rather, to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, they’re turning from seeing things as they are and asking, “Why?” to dreaming how they might be and wondering, “Why not?”
Food is central. Justice, security, a sense of community, and more intelligent land use have become integral to the food system. Here, local food isn’t just hip, it’s a unifying factor not only among African-Americans and whites but between them. Food is an issue on which it seems everyone can agree, and this is a lesson for all of us.

“The idea,” says Malik Yakini, a school principal who runs the two-acre D-Town Farm, “is to help black people stand up, to demonstrate that creating reality is not the exclusive domain of white people — without pointing fingers at white people.” The farm, located in Rouge Park — the city’s biggest — will soon double in size.
Yakini, the chairman of the Detroit Food Policy Council, which is holding its first conference this week, gave me a tour on the eve of spring planting while a dozen African-American volunteers steadily raked a sizable plot. “The farm can empower, drive the economy, reduce our carbon footprint and give us better food,” he said. “And we’re influencing young white people too, because they can see that.”
And how. During the 48 hours I spent in Detroit, I met enthusiastic black, white and Asian people, from age 10 to over 60, almost all of whom agreed that food is the key to the new Detroit.
I was driven around the city by Dan Carmody, director of the 120-year-old Eastern Market, whose huge sheds are crammed with vendors on Saturdays, when as many as 50,000 shoppers buy everything from Grown in Detroit vegetables to Michigan asparagus to flats of flowers to hydroponic tomatoes. In other words, a typical big-city covered market mash-up.
But if the market is familiar, the rest of Detroit is anything but. Read the paper, and you see a wasted landscape; go there, and you see the sprouts emerging from the soil.
Imagine blocks that once boasted 30 houses, now with three; imagine hundreds of such blocks. Imagine the green space created by the city’s heartbreaking but intelligent policy of removing burnt-out or fallen-down houses. Now look at the corner of one such street, where a young man who has used the city’s “adopt-a-lot” program (it costs nothing) to establish an orchard, a garden and a would-be community center on three lots, one with a standing house. (The land, like many of the gardens, belongs to the city and is “leased” for a year at a time. But no one seems especially concerned about the city repossessing.) A young man who adopts eight lots and has bought another three has an operation that grows every year and trains eager young people. A Capuchin monastery operates gardens spanning 24 lots, five of which they own; at one of them, I meet Patrick Crouch, who’s supervising 10 gardeners-in-training and reminds me that “community gardens are not just about ‘gardens’ but ‘community.’”
The gardens are everywhere, and you almost can’t drive anywhere without seeing one — a corporation named Compuware is establishing one downtown — but it goes beyond that. Carmody has plans to expand, modernize and re-unify the Public Market, which was split in half by a freeway in the heyday of urban renewal. Gary Wozniak, whom I meet over breakfast at the Russell Street Deli and who runs a program for recovering addicts, has plans to start an indoor tilapia and shrimp farm near the market, using a combination of investment money, loans and grants.
Back in the neighborhoods, I talk with Lisa Johanson, who, with the aid of a church group, started Peaches and Greens, a small fruit and vegetable store in a neighborhood that boasts 23 liquor stores and one grocery. Daily, Peaches and Greens sends out a truck that sells to residents in a two-mile radius, providing produce to a neighborhood in which only half the households own cars. The truck also sells wholesale to five of the liquor stores.
And so on. Over good, old-fashioned lasagne at Giovanni’s, Betti Wiggins, who runs the food services department for the public school system, talks about using more and more local food; Phil Jones, a chef who’s on the Food Policy Council, talks about training kids to cook; Mike Score talks about plans for greening 300 acres, including forests, tree farms, a demonstration center and gardens.
As Jackie Victor, co-owner of the Avalon Bakery, an unofficial meeting place for the Detroit food movement, says to me, “Imagine a city, rebuilt block by block, with a gorgeous riverfront, world class museums and fantastic local food. Everyone who wants one has a quarter-acre garden, and every kid lives within bike distance of a farm.”
Imagine. If the journey is as important as the destination, Detroit is already succeeding. And we can all learn from what seems to be the city’s unofficial slogan: “We can do better than this.”
Visit my blog, where you can find out more about my columns, or what I just cooked. You can also join me on Facebook or Twitter.

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Mayapur Academy, Mayapur, IN: Registration for Diploma in Arcana course 2011/12 already begun

Hare Krsna dear devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

If you are interested in studying the art of deity worship and becoming a
qualified pujari, capable of preserving and propagating this extremely vital
aspect of devotional life, then come to the Mayapur Academy.

Our next diploma course starts on the 24th of October 2011 and will run for
approximately four months. Registration has already begun so please make
your applications as soon as possible.

Successful candidates will receive training in all aspects of Deity worship
and learn how to offer service that is genuinely pleasing to the Lord, while
at the same time assist in establishing the standard of worship that Srila
Prabhupada wanted for ISKCON temples around the world.

Our teachers are among the most talented and experienced in the world in
their respective fields, headed of course by H.G. Jananivasa Prabhu, we
therefore urge you to seize this rare opportunity to study with the best.

“When a devotee with all his heart and soul serves Krsna, dresses Him in
nice garments and gives Him a flower, Krsna smiles. If you can get Krsna to
smile upon you just once, your life’s goal is fulfilled.”

(Lecture SB 3.25.12, 12 November 1974)

Please contact us: Mayapur.Academy@pamho.net
Visit our website: www.mayapuracademy.org
Call us: +91 03472 245480
Mobile: +91 993 2866739

Thank you
Your servant
Gauranga Simha Das

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Gouranga TV: Bhajan – 24hr Kirtan – Mukunda Datta das – Bhaja Hu Re Mana

Bhajan – 24hr Kirtan – Mukunda Datta das – Bhaja Hu Re Mana

Subido por rupagopi el 27/05/2011
Mukunda Datta das singing the bhajan "Bhaja Hu Re Mana" for Dallas' New Year's 24hr Kirtan.

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