From out the door of PP, I have only to turn a corner to meet Sukhi, my self appointed guide and interpreter, and fount of information for the area: He knows where to change money for the best rates, where the best internet, best place to get masal dosa without onion,who gives the best prices for apparel, where the gyms are located, you name it.

By Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami

Please accept my sincere Obeisances at your beautiful yet Paraliyzed Lotus Feet! I hope that other god-brothers and also some old book distributors who's lives were touched by your sincerity will also make the pilgrimage to visit you in Mayapura!

Shrinivas: hi, my name is shri. i am a 30 yr old working man in australia, sprititually inclined but you can say not fully motivated as yet. I wish to chat with some iskcon devotees online and make some friends.

By Friends of Vrindavan

The endeavors of Friends of Vrindavan in waste management have started to bear fruits as people watching it closely is contributing to strengthen its hands to serve the holy abode of the Lord. The Sheetal Group of industries, manufacturers of the plastic items has specially designed a plastic molded rickshaw and donated it to FoV, for segregated waste collection.

This is an amazing idea from Parsharam who runs Food for All in London, to build a boat and sail down mother Ganga and share love of Krsna.

He bought two inflatable Banana Boats and tied them together total cost under £20, sea trials were done off Brighton and down the Thames I belive with some devotees testing how cold the sea at Brighton was, although some how they forgot to make sure HH Maha Visnu Swami got onboard so he watched the whole procedings on the safety of Brighton Beach

Lookly this did not dampen the enthusiasum of any of the devotees and this time I see they remembered to HH Maha Visnu Swami

These are the first pictures I have seen posted on the net by Ila devi dasi her article can be found at http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4491 Mayapur and I am looking forward to hearing more about this amazing vogage.

And I am sure these pictures will be a relife to some of the devotees in London who were getting a bit worried as they had not heard from HH Maha Visnu Swami or his crew for a while.

But the question should be are we looking at ways of spreading KC that will attract many people?

In this world everyone is looking for happiness, but practically no one understands how to attain it. The difficulty is that they seek happiness in the wrong way. They try find happiness on the only platform that they know of, the material platform. Although we can certainly get quick pleasure on the material platform, such happiness is fleeting....

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down
by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Caitanya Ananda Prabhu faced the challenge of his life last December. Doctors concluded that he had an incurable cancer, melanoma. Nothing could prevent the disease from spreading; neither the best western or ayurvedic remedies, nor natural herbs. This interview took place in June, on a train from Mumbai to Mathura, when Caitanya Ananda Prabhu was already under terminal treatment.

"I got my first Prabhupada-book in 1994 in London," explains Caitanya Ananda on an express train through Gujarat. "One friend of mine had heard about the Hare Krishna mantra and wanted to prove that this mantra did not work. We went to sing the maha-mantra on the campus area of the University of Technology. Some years passed after that, and in 1999 I made a new year's promise to follow the principles of bhakti-yoga. I noticed that this process worked really well."

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1971 October 7 : "Young boys and girls are sometimes agitated in mind but if we follow the regulative principles and chant Hare Krishna mantra regularly the onslaught of material nature can be checked."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1970 October 7 : "I understand you have left and it is a thunderbolt for me. How is that? If there is any severe misunderstanding, I request you to come to India and live with me. I await your reply with great anxiety."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1967 October 7 : "By the Grace of Lord Krishna I am now 90% well; even nowadays I can type letters. I am eating also more than what I was eating in the States. On the whole I am now fit to go back to your country."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 October 7 : "I have not heard for a long time from you. Previously I received so many letters from you but nowadays I am not receiving but I am always thinking of you and your good husband. I hope you are all doing well."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 October 7 : "So far Srimad-Bhagavatam is concerned, the present three volumes shall only be revised to see the spelling mistakes or if there is any grammatical discrepancy, otherwise there is nothing to be added or subtracted."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 October 7 : "Actually there are no problems. Krsna has provided everything sufficiently. Only the blind leaders are misguiding and making the whole world entangled more and more in problems."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 October 7 : "Best thing is you find out yourself who you think is the right person. So if a man loves God more than anything else, he is the perfect man. I wish that you may follow this principle and be happy."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 October 7 : "I am coming to India and will stay at the Radha-Damodara temple. It will be a pleasure if you come and stay with us at Vrindavan during the urja-vrata period."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

A year ago, a shooter entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pa., dismissed all but 10 girls, and fired at them execution-style, killing five before shooting himself. Within hours, the Amish community forgave the killer and his family. News of the instant forgiveness stunned the outside world – almost as much as the incident itself did.

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It is now time to make my final departure for Vrindavan, and then on to Govardhan. It has been a little difficult the past few days because I have been too excited to sleep, my mind is just racing a million miles an hour. The lack of sleep and the jet lag has made it really difficult to stay awake during Maharaj's classes, but I guess that is a major part of the purification. And I've also been feeling like I should have already been at Govardhan so it has been a little difficult to enjoy the association of all my wonderful senior god brothers here.

This morning just after Maharaj finished breakfast I went into his quarters just to inform him that I would be leaving today. He had this very surprised look, and exclaimed, "Already." The way he responded totally put me at ease and just made me feel that he would be happy if I did nothing other than just be with him. It was a very sweet and sincere gesture on his part.

Then he asked me when I was leaving, I told him that I would leave tonight at 8:00 pm, and he told me to come and see him before I leave.

The time to leave was approaching, I was getting nervous, everything was packed but I still needed to meet with Maharaj. As soon as I walked out of my room I see Maharaj walking towards me on the way to his room. You never know when you will get a darshan will Maharaj, sometimes you try so hard and it doesn't work out and sometimes it is just meant to be.

Maharaj motions to me and we walk together to his room. He sits down behind his low desk, reclining against the circular pillow. Maharaj is very approachable yet at the same time very grave and thoughtful.

He blessed me with some very kind words that were way beyond what I deserved but it was just amazing to see the genuineness with which he spoke them and how he views his disciples.

I thanked him for allowing me to travel with him out and in his natural humility he replied, "It was wonderful to have your association."

I asked him if he had any final instructions and he said,
"Be Submissive. Have a good service attitude. Have nice Sadhana. Do these three things and don't make offenses and Giriraj will fulfill all your desires."

Then Maharaj reached out his hand to embrace me, I crawled over to him and as he embraced me and pulled me close to him I grasped his foot and placed my head on his foot.

What more could I possibly ask for. Now I just pray that I may be able to take full advantage of this incredible opportunity that is being giving to me.

Here a few pictures from the weekend.

Thier Lordships Shri Shri Radha Gopinath, and the newest editions to the altar, the elephants, they were a special Radhastami decoration but Maharaj liked them so much that they are a permanent addition to the altar.


Swami Radhanath and Radhanath. Maharaj personally named him Radhanath, he is a very special child.

Radhanath and Govinda. He loves kirtan, and like everyone else he loves Govinda Prabhu.


I took advantage of the opportunity to pay a visit to our local neighborhood devotee dentist Murlidhar Prabhu, he is a true transcendentist. It is actually quite embarrassing excepting such a menial service from such a great vaishnava. I am sure there is a special hell reserved for people like me, or maybe just leprosy for ten thousand births.



The Bhagavatam classes Saturday and Sunday morning were wonderful, the temple room was at full capacity with 800+ devotees in attendance both days.

The Sunday feast is just an ocean of devotees. From a material perspective it can be quite an austerity but from the transcendental perspective there is nothing more beautiful than so many souls re-connecting with Krishna. The ocean of devotees here is ever expanding, you really get the feeling that soon this ocean will flood the entire planet.

After a heavy rain storm in Mayapur, India on Wednesday 3 September, devotees were surprised to see what looked like a flimsy inflatable catamaran float through the main gate. It was barely 12 feet long, open, with no covering against the sun. Onboard were five sun-burnt, tired but happy devotees arriving after a month-long journey on the Ganges river from the town of Vrindavana.

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IMPHAL, Oct 6: A 60-year old man who is in police custody for allegedly chanting "Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, Shan-na-mahoure" (beef is the best) repeatedly in front of devotees of Krishna was served prasadam (spiritualised food) Saturday by a devotee in police custody even as he was accused of blaspheming Lord Krishna.

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standing advisory council for religious education

For some of you who are aware I have been asked to join my local SACRE council commitee. It is their hope that I will have lots to offer and some new thoughts and ideas.

For some of you in education will be aware that the exploration of other faiths is a requirement in Key Stage2 and 3.

The approved curriculum for Key stage 3 looks at Christianity and Hindu faiths in regards to worship and ritual; journey of life, leaders and texts and looking for god and or stewardship. To my surprise the Hindu faith is not represented on the advisery council and it is their hope that I can do this.

I am interested in obtaining information or feed back from teachers their lesson plans and response from pupils both negative and positive

For obvious reasons I can not go into any further detail, but feel that this is a worthy endevor and am greatful for any support senior devotees can give

On a personal matter I would like to thank all those devotees and work colleges who have understood my need to reduce what I am doing at this time. I have twisted my knee so driving or standing for any time is difficult, but planty to read I’ve nearly finished the CC and Gita along with lots of goverment reports on the education of religion in the local schools, education standars reports and commitee reports.

I am due to visit HH Devamrita Swami in London during his visit and although I have been advised on medical grounds not to risk the long journey, I feel that my not attending will be viewed by some as my not committing or playing some sort of game, so please lots of prays for me as I to have huge douts as to my fitness and as explained have drastically reduced my work load and concelled lots of visits so if I make it their and back it will only be by Krsna’s mercy.

Again thanks to the commitee members and to those who recomended me to join SACRE and to those devotees who continue to support me and again appologies I have not been able to attend some of your programs but thank you for continuing to belive in me it meens a lot

Since 2003 Partha-sarathi Dasa has served active duty for the US Army in war-torn Iraq. Despite his circumstances he manages to maintain his devotion and encourage it in the hearts of others.

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www.sankirtandiary.com

We drove over to Austin (about 1 hour drive) to try distributing books there. The first 75 people told me no. Then I met some nice spanish people, who were very happy people. They were probably about 25 or so. They took a book without even having to ask them. Then the next person I met was another spanish person, who took a book without having to be convinced. Then I saw two young guys, probably college students, walking. They were wearing shirts that said "Texas State" and I walked over to them and said "Texas State, great!" One of them was nice enough to give a donation but did not take a book. Then I met another nice young white man who took a book, and he told me he was into something called kraya yoga.

I understand that this was Krishna playing a game with me. Then two more people in a row took one book each. Finally I sold the last book to a nice older lady. No results at all in the beginning, and then lots of results in a row. Krishna was playing a game tonight.

Sharing the ultimate bliss of Krishna consciousness is always the most enlivening experience wherever I travel all over the world. But sharing it in Russia is especially sweet. Srila Prabhupada one time stated that preaching in the snows of Russia was sweeter than mangos. Even though it is too early right now for snow in this part of Russia, I am...

Giriraj Swami and Narayani dasi, disciples of Srila Prabhupada who served in Boston in 1970 and later in India, along with Divyambara dasi, conducted a japa workshop in Houston from Friday to Sunday, August 24 to 26. Rtadhvaja Swami and about fifty others also participated.

Recently, Giriraj Swami held a similar workshop with Narayani dasi and some other disciples of Srila Prabhupada, in Carpinteria from September 28 to 30.

You may access the discussions and exercises from the Houston workshop at the following link. Right click ’save as’ to download or left click to play. 

Here are some photos:

 

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.66.7-8 - A demon is seen by their demoniac actions.

Breaking and Entry

“And when the spiritual master sees the devotees are taking bhagavat prasadam, he is satisfied” —Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur.

If there is any other instruction which the devotees of New Vrindaban have taken up more seriously than the one above, I have yet to run across it. In their undaunted endeavors to obtain bhagavat prasadam, devotees have crossed over the difficult ocean of contraptions, locks, chains and booby traps grouped together under the heading of maha cabinets.

According to Webster, a maha cabinet is “any device or container, usually a box, a safe, cupboard, or so forth, which is used to preserve maha prasad, i.e., to protect it from being stolen, hidden or ingested from the time of its being lawfully distributed.” A little further on down, mention is made of the fact that as of the present, there are no fool-proof models available.

Daily, huge quantities of prasadam like rice, dahl and chapatis are prepared to feed the members of our growing community. But apart from all that, there is another, totally separated program of cooking just for the pleasure of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrndavana Candra and all Their expansions. Needless to say, the maha prasadam, or those foodstuffs which are offered to the Deities, are the most delectable and sought-after preparations within the three worlds, it is only fair, then, that each devotee has a chance to sample a small portion of these other-worldly delicacies.

Maha is as Good as Gold

The difficulty lies in the fact that the Deities are offered prasadam about nine times a day whereas the devotees generally eat only twice. So all the maha prasadam is put away until the next morning when each devotee receives a small quantity of it. These “maha plates” are a medium of reward and punishment. Someone who is delinquent in the execution of his duties is fined by having his maha taken away. Similarly, it is customary to repay some favor by giving your maha plate to the person. In other words, maha is as good as gold.

Now there will always be a class of men who are not content with their own lawful share of the maha prasadam and take to illegal means for satisfying their lust and greed. As the horse thief was universally condemned throughout the Old West, the maha thief is equally despised amongst members of the Vaisnava community.

As Kirtanananda Swami succinctly put it, “Any brahmacari caught stealing maha should be severely chastised”. Local panditas have analyzed the meaning of this verse to be that one should take great care and attention to avoid being caught while he is stealing maha.

The Horrible Truth

You see, the horrible truth to the matter is that every devotee is a potential maha thief. It is hard to trust anyone, save and except the self-realized souls, to be alone in the same room with maha prasadam. That is why the maha cabinet is necessary. Without it, none of the maha prasadam would ever live to see the sun rise.

I believe that the situation is much more acute at New Vrindaban than in other temples around the world. I remember that in the first temple I stayed, there was a refrigerator full of left-over prasadam that was always open to the public. But in New Vrindaban, it is pretty hard to come up with anything in-between meals.

Another factor is that practically no one here cooks at home, everyone is dependent upon the temple for their maintenance. Finally, there are just a lot of people here, compared to a smaller center which still has six or eight offerings a day and only ten or twenty devotees to distribute the maha amongst. Apart from that, Maharaja remarks on occasion that the inhabitants of Vrindaban are generally lustier than everyone else. Whatever the case, stealing maha has always been as prominent in New Vrindaban as robberies and muggings are in the big cities. (more…)

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Logical refutation of Jada-Vada
The Flaws of Materialism's Ideologies        

a basic outline of arguments by Bhaktivinode Thakur and other sources.

 By Giriraj Gopal Dasa
Based on Bhaktivinode Thakur's book "Tattva Vivika."

 

1. Futile Attempt to Find a Single Underlying Pruinciple:

The philosophy of materialism searches for a single principle that is the root of all existence. This is a great folly. If one thinks the material atoms are eternal, the void is eternal, the relation between the void and the material elements is inconceivable, and the powers, qualities, and actions of the material atoms are also eternal, and all these things are eternal and beginningless, then he cannot accept that the material world was ever created. A person who accepts these ideas cannot reduce the material world to a single underlying principle. He must accept the simultaneous existence of many principles. What is time? That he has no power to say. In this way their attempt to find a single underlying principle that governs the material world is only the wild babbling of a child.

2.Unscientific:

The philosophy of Materialism is unnatural and unscientific. It is unnatural because every nature has a cause. To assume that matter is eternal and is the cause of consciousness, which appears only as a by-product of matter, is very illogical. The presence of causes and effects is natural in the world of gross matter. Without causes and effects the material world would not be as it is. The philosophy of Materialism is unscientific because consciousness has the power to manipulate and control inert matter. Therefore the idea that consciousness is merely a by-product of matter is fiercely opposed to true scientific thinking.

 

3. Fails to explain consciousness:

Consciousness is naturally superior to inert matter. Only fools say consciousness is a by-product of matter.

4. False Assumptions:

Can anyone prove that matter is eternal? Professor Tyndall has clearly shown there is evidence to prove the eternity of matter. If someone claims that he has looked eternally into the past and eternally into the future and he has seen that matter is eternal, no one should believe him. Buchner and Molescott claim that matter is eternal. That is an imagination that exists only in their heads. If in the course of time matter ceases to exist, their ideas will become lies.

7. Life never comes spontaneously form Matter:

No one has ever seen human consciousness created from dull material elements. Only fools believe this will ever happen. In the book I hold in my hand, a history book describing three thousand years of human history, no one has ever seen a human being spontaneously manifested from inert matter. If human life is manifest from the spontaneous interactions of material elements, then in the course of all those years at least one human being would have been spontaneously manifested from inert matter.

8. This World points to a Designer.

The graceful and harmonious arrangement of human beings, animals, trees, and other living entities in this world points to a creator and controller. In this way it is seen that there must be a conscious supreme creator.

 

 

 

Refutation of Comte's Positivism:

 

Comte writes:

"We should not try to discover the origin or the conclusion of the material world. That attempt is only childish curiosity." However, because the living entity is by nature conscious, he naturally curious to know these things. The living entity cannot perform a funeral rite to celebrate the death of his own natural curiosity. The search for causes and effects is the mother of all true knowledge. If Compte's idea is accepted, human intelligence will be destroyed in a few days. Of that there is no doubt. Then human beings will all become stunted, numbed, and unthinking"

 

#1: Science can never be totally objective

They say that it is transcultural and it gives specific results that are dissociated from the personality and social position of the investigator; All inferrences about what we do not directly know surmise on the basis of actual experience. This comprimizes the world of scientific method.

#2: The limitation of human perception

1.Imperfect sense perception
2. Tendency to cheat
3. Mistakes due to innattention
4. Subject to illusion

#3 : Science is baised:

Scientists disregard the possibility of a cause other than gross matter.

 

#4Materialistic Science is not progressive:

Positivism says that the progressive society is one who adopts this method of gaining knowledge. But What has techonogical application of science done, except increase the horrible statistics of a mentally distubed culture. Evidence shows that with the increase of techno-science anxiety, lack of morality, and war death tolls have increased.

 

 

Refutation of Secular Humanism:

Humanism's tenents in bold, followed by the refutation

This Life most important:

They say that religion makes people callous to the human problems of this life. But you find that the human being is always planning for the future at every stage in life, and when one understands the soul, to plan for the next life is normal. No one follows any philosophy without hope or fear for the future.

Fullfilment,Growth, Creativity:

For them growth is economically or mentally. But the soul can never be satisfied by any amount of material knowledge or possesions. Yogis in the Himalayas won't take the money or grain you offer, they have a higher pleasure than what is available from economic sense gratification.

Ethic: are judged on their ability to enhance human well being.

Basically whatever brings sense enjoyment is accept and visa versa. Also they are only concerned with a ethic within human society and which is a limited view. Theire ethic is completely subjective which defeats their own "open-minded" stance.

Vaisnava philosophy says that ethics are based on what Krsna desires. If He desires it it is ethical. Never cahnges is completely objective, transcendental to like or dislikes of a particular person, Universal for all living beings.

4. Need to test beliefs

Humanism is a belief in the tenets Jada-vada as well, and should not be exempt from all scrutiny

5. Building a better world

Who is going to define a good idea, and what constitutes a better world. It sound like they have already accepted the material paradigm as the absolute understading, without any testing of their own views.

 

To be continued....

Before you start running for cover, considering the possibility that I have revived my LJ after a full year of silence...Have no fear. These last two updates are just a once off occurrence. I just wrote a few things, which I posted elsewhere, and I felt inspired to stick them up here, as I thought some people who previously paid attention to this journal may be interested to read them also.

Now, back into hiding I go.

He’s not sure what to make of it. Now that he’s in high school, he is feeling more pressure than ever before to conform to the ways, styles and actions of his peers. He tells his parents that he needs the right shoes, he needs the right hair-cut and he needs the right taste in music. Despite fitting in with his friends’ choice of fashion, music and vocabulary, and despite the constant phone calls, text messages and MySpace messages he receives daily, he still feels more lonely, isolated and confused about his identity than any moment in his life previously. It seems like something is missing, but since he has no experience of reality he can’t distinguish truth from lies.

She’s not sure what to make of it. She spent her childhood dreaming of bringing up her own family, and watching caringly as her own children grew up and made their own marks on the world. Now, after 25 years of sacrifice her children have all but left home, and as she feels this intense and engaging life project of child-rearing entering into a stage of independent maintenance, she is finding the need to re-define her life’s purpose, mission and identity. The quietness of the house is starting to increase, as her remaining children at home spend most of their waking hours out and about, and she now has more time to allow her personal thoughts to pervade, revealing inner conflicts she had all but forgotten about. And she’s suddenly noticed that 25 years of marriage hasn’t been enough time for her husband to develop his caring side. It seems like something is missing, but since she has no experience of reality she can’t distinguish truth from lies.

He’s not sure what to make of it, as he analyses his current mortgage statement. It seems like he has been working his whole life, but no matter how hard he works the money disappears faster than he can earn it. And despite his hopes for the contrary, the consumeristic desires of his wife and children continue to expand more and more each year. Of course, he feels great happiness and pride being able to be the provider for his family’s desires, but he’s now working 70 hour weeks, and seldom has time to spend in a meaningful way with his children. In fact, that very house which necessitates his home loan, and his long hours, seems less familiar to him than the train station, where he seems to spend more of his waking hours when compared to his own lounge room. He’s starting to lose track of his original vision and plan for life. It’s starting to seem to him like something is missing, but since he has no experience of reality he can’t distinguish truth from lies.

Neither of them is sure of what to make of the situation. When they first started their relationship they could barely handle being in separation from each other for a whole weekend. They both enjoyed having their minds fully absorbed in thoughts of the other 24 hours a day. They joyfully walked hand in hand, sharing secrets, forming inside jokes and staring into each others eyes endlessly. Something has changed completely now. It’s not that they aren’t getting along any more; it’s just that that original spark is gone. Their minds, their eyes and their emotions are excited about the prospects of new opportunities for perpetual absorption which new relationships claim to offer. And because they feel this urge for change in themselves, they have decreased faith in the fidelity of the other. They used to say that they were in love; now it seems like something is missing, but since they have no experience of reality they can’t distinguish truth from lies.

She’s not quite sure what to make of it. She has spent the last 3 years of her life working hard at her degree; studying, cramming, and sacrificing. When she first left high school she was full of hope for the future in the career of her dreams, but having spent the last years studying hard to achieve that dream, she is starting to have her doubts. Can a career in this field really provide her with the satisfaction of all her hearts desires? Have these past years really been worth the effort? The doubt is overwhelming, but it is overshadowed by the fact that, despite her graduating with honors and her double major, she has yet to actually find a job in her chosen field. And the prospect of paying off her student loan before she hits 40 seems like an impossibility. As summer approaches, the bills keep coming and rent is needing attention, she is starting to feel like something is missing, but since she has no experience of reality she can’t distinguish truth from lies.

He’s not sure what to make of it. Although he put a lot of effort into his church in the past, and he really felt like he was getting closer to God, something seems to have changed. It now seems like he attends every weekend service more as a matter of ritual rather than as a heart felt offering. In fact, he doesn’t even know what he believes any more, so he is finding it hard to justify living up to a lifestyle and morality that he doesn’t completely identify with. It seems like he is being more of a ‘sinner’ by blindly following some faith and lifestyle than he would be if he just went along with his own thoughts, feelings and desires. Besides, does anyone else in his community seem like they have really dedicated their lives to loving and serving God with all their hearts, minds and souls? In fact, he’s getting a little bit sick of all the village talk, back-stabbing and gossip that goes on after each Sunday sermon. He used to be certain that religion plays some importance in his life; now it seems like something is missing, but since he has no experience of reality he can’t distinguish truth from lies.

She’s really not sure what to make of it. She used to have a very romantic view of getting older, of being the strong woman figure in her family, but as she reached the age of 79 her body, and her mind, started to fail on her, causing many carry on problems. Eventually her children decided it was best that she be put into a rest home, so that she could be cared for constantly by trained professionals. She didn’t like the idea of it at all, but to satisfy her children’s desires she relented. Now she is finding each day to be a source of embarrassment, as a stranger helps her go to the toilet, baths her and dresses her each morning, and her forgetful mind sometimes completely forgets why she’s in this place to begin with. She dreams of returning to her old life, and she often sheds tears thinking about it. At least her family does visit once a month, but they only stay for a few hours and it seems to her that they are making their appearance more as a matter of duty rather than out of real love. And as she watches her fellow residents pass away one by one, she fears the reality that her turn will come sooner than later and she will have to face death all by herself. She has so many unfulfilled desires left in her life, but time has run out. It seems like something is missing, in fact something must be missing, but since she has no experience of reality she can’t distinguish truth from lies.

You can’t understand the illusion until you have experience of the reality.

49% of ‘green house’ gases in New Zealand are produced by the agriculture industry,
The number one cause of water pollution is meat production,
Heart disease and cancer have been directly linked to a diet high in animal fats and protein,
World starvation could be solved if all the food grains fed to livestock were fed to humans directly,
There is a direct statistical link showing increased family violence amongst slaughterhouse workers,
Save the world, but don’t touch my diet!

The majority of ‘P’ lab raids have found young children living in these make-shift drug factories,
The number one cause of family violence and family break-ups is drug addiction,
There is no denying the fact that licit or illicit drugs permanently damage physical and mental health,
The average age at which a person begins taking intoxication is 13 but some start as young as 8,
Most people admit that their intoxication habits are an attempt to forget,
Save the world, but don’t touch my intoxication!

Teen promiscuity has been directly linked to decreased physical and mental health in adult life,
Children born our of wed-lock are statistically lower achievers at school and more likely to suffer from depression in later life,
80% of men in America admit to having cheated on their wives,
One in four women and one in eight men have been sexually assaulted at some point in their life,
50% of men admit to an addiction to pornography,
Save the world, but don’t touch my sex life!

$5.5 million is lost through gambling everyday in New Zealand,
There are 14 convictions relating to gambling addictions everyday in New Zealand,
A problem gambler can directly affect the lives of over 5 people around them,
There is statistical evidence linking gambling with increased suicide rates, drug addiction, and child negligence,
The majority of slot machines and casinos are located in low income neighbourhoods,
Save the world, but don’t touch my gaming!

There are over 1 million prescriptions for state funded anti-depressants handed out every year in New Zealand,
And 50% of adults are now expected to suffer from severe depression at some point in their lives,
Every twelve days a woman is beaten to death by her husband in New Zealand,
Mental health is expected to become the number one health problem in the world by 2012,
The average person feels less fulfilled in their lives than their counterparts 50 years ago,
Save the world, but don’t try changing my life in any way!

*the majority of the above statistics are from New Zealand newspaper articles I collected over the past year.

Matthew is a friend, and regular attendee at my Sydney classes. He sent me these extra pictures of yesterday's cooking event at Govinda's.

One of our only five male attendees out of twenty-three, Kevin (above, stirring in the anise doughnuts through the strawberry yogurt) looked after our milk as it came to the boil in preparation for it being turned into our fresh panir cheese. The cheese was especially tender and 'squeaky' due to the fact that we chose unhomogenised rather than regular off-the-supermarket-shelf milk. It really made a difference.

Here I am (with my gigantic head - oh, how I dislike photos of myself) slicing samples of the fresh cheese to be drizzled with olive oil, freshly-squeezed lemon, cracked black pepper and Maldon salt for a spontaneous group-tasting.

Our youngest attendee Zuni, (below) aged 11, is a budding chef. She received some quick poori-frying lessons from me, and soon got the hang of it. Between herself and my daughter Joelene, pictured right, (back to camera, sorry Joelene), they cooked some of the puffiest and best-looking poories I have seen in a while.

More pictures in yesterday's blog.

Hare Krishna:

One thing I really like about Krishna Consciousness is that if you are serious about spiritual inquiry, every situation could be a catalyst for a spiritual realization.

Like there is a popular book called the "4 agreements" by a new age author who writes about ancient Toltec wisdom.

One of the agreement is "Don't make assumptions."

Actually in the Srimad Bhagavatam it is described that illusion works on our mind and intelligence by working a special misconception into our perception.

Lord Kapila says that the illusioned soul thinks the impermanent to be permanent.

druvani manyate mohad...

What it means is that every thing is changing every second. Nothing is ever the same, nothing ever repeats twice. Every moment is completely unique in its self. So that saying don't make assumptions, holds true.

"You can never step in the same river twice." – Heraclitus

When we make assumptions we don't live in the moment, and we aren't really open to learning from new experiences. Basically we think we know it all, and that keeps us from learning things.
Krishna says the path to knowledge start with humility and pridelessness.

So anyways, even being at the boring old laundromat, one can have ecstatic transcendental realizations of Krishna Consciousness

Here are a few.

I heard a little girl tell her dad, "I want to be a fire fighter."
He responded by saying "You can be anything you set your mind to."

I reflected..

Actually the Vedic philosophy teaches that "Whatever you set your mind to you will become."

Krishna says in the Gita,

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail. "

So in the Vedic philosophy the mind play a very very important function in ones life and destiny, that is why there is the concept of meditation in eastern spirituality.

Meditation is to saturate you concentration on a particular object. Something that is important. Like that of the Absolute truth. Something not relative.

The idea is that by meditation on something, one aquires a nature similar to that object.

So, in layman terms if you think animalistically, thinking only of sex and eating all the time, you will get a hogs body or dog in your next reincarnation.

So this is a very dangerous position.

Desire and destiny are eternal friends.

What ever you desire and meditate on decides your destiny.

Thinking > Feeling > Willing > Action> Karmic Result > Aquire Nature in Future >

Which is a kind of body in this universe to enjoy and suffer through interactions with sense objects.

Okay next thing.

Going back to assumptions.

Americans I notice have a general fear to look at a stranger. I mean in the city , if you look at a madman in the eyes, he feels compelled to come over to you and spill his beer on you and ask you for money. I can understand that. It sucks.

But in general there is a fear, and also a selfish view that others aren't important if I don't know them kind of thing.

Plus, wearing an orange robe and washing a load of totally orange clothes trips people out, so they don't want me to start preaching some weird gospel to them.

Still, we assume to much, we aren't open to learning about new people or from new people. Its like we are totally closed off, from one another, people aren't exploring life. They are scared actually. I see it a lot.

Some people say hi to me and they aren't really sure if it's okay. They are tense and it makes me tense too.

Like I was sitting chanting and a guy walked by with a group of girls, and he said namaste in a nice way, but the girls gave him a weird look and he started laughing with a red face, playing it off as if he was doing it in jest, but he was trying to be nice to me, but under pressure he had to play like a "cool man" so he wouldn't ruin his rep with the girls



We are closed off to people in general, even the devotees of Krishna.
Because of the cultural norms that we are forced to live by in the city.

Its not cool to be different and introduce your self to a stranger, especially if you look like your not from their crowd.

That is the one advantage about Burning Man. There are no such cultural barriers, and the environment is so crazy at every step there is something new to see, everyone is in costume etc., so it is easy not to "assume" so there is an opening for exchange of new ideas and life scenarios.

Like a play ground to experiment with human nature and interaction.

It is great for devotees, because they aren't faced with dealing with the stereotypes and can actually get Krishna to people.

Most of the time in the city we are dealing with stereotypes and trying to dismantle them so people can relax and hear about Krishna Consciousness.

This society has create a crappy field for exchange of knowledge of self realization. It actually discourages it and simply encourages on the just go with the flow of consumerism and materialism.

All knowledge in our materialistic culture is actually ignorance because it is ultimately destructive.
It always ends in maikng money with is really just greed, and exploitation, and which the bigger pictures creates war and famines etc.

Maharaja shares a sankirtan story from a Bhaktin in Eger….

I admit it. I'm addicted. But it's not my fault. Really, I am innocent. I was simply asked to co-facilitate some japa retreats and workshops and I innocently accepted. And now I've become a japa retreat addict. I drop whatever I am doing and go to the next retreat or workshop. I simply can't control myself. My material life is dissolving, my attachments are fleeing left and right, I am loosing interest in material pleasure, and I just want to chant more and more. My addiction has taken control of my life!

Having the opportunity to be at three japa retreats and one japa workshop this year has been the greatest blessing. My japa has gone through some major transformations and is nourishing my Krishna consciousness in new and profound ways. Thus, I have many realizations from the retreat and I'd like to share them with you in hopes that they will be a boost to your japa.

The Holy Name is the Most Valuable Possession I Have

Without the holy name I would practically have no spiritual life, no real happiness, no intimacy with Krishna, no peace of mind, and no ability to control my senses. My entire relationship with Krishna, the most important relationship in my life, is revealed through His holy name. Without the holy name I would be lost, miserable, spiritually weak and destitute. Yet sometimes I treat this most valuable relationship as a botheration, something that gets in the way of me doing "more important" things or "more desirable" things. What helps me in these times is to remember that I get to chant, that I want to chant, that I love to chant (deep down inside). To think I have to chant reinforces the idea that chanting Krishna's lovely names is something I'd rather not be doing.

Bad Chanting Becomes the Norm

After chanting bad japa for extended periods of time, bad chanting starts to become my default setting. I then believe that due to the circumstances I am in this is the best I can do. Bad chanting thus reinforces itself with more bad chanting. And since bad chanting produces little or no nectar or realization, becoming Krishna conscious becomes more of a pie in the sky ideal than a possible reality. Chanting thus becomes totally a matter of duty and can easily become automatic, heartless, and robotic. Bad chanting reinforces the belief that my chanting can't or won't get much better. The real problem is that I believe this and I am ok with this.

Killing Some Time While Chanting

My mind derives great pleasure from thinking. So I have a problem when I chant because while I am chanting my mind goes pleasure hunting and wants to contemplate so many interesting thoughts and not listen to the holy name.. This happens most often when I am bored with chanting. It is sometimes really difficult to just hear the mantra because my mind says, "This is not interesting. Think of something interesting, like, what you are going to say in your next class, or how you are going to do this or that project in new creative ways." My mind resists just listening to me chant because it's always looking for something to ponder, something to do. And when it starts pondering some interesting thoughts, even though my lips keep moving with the mantra, I disconnect myself from my chanting and live in my little mental dream world. I realize I often do this when I am bored chanting in order to "kill some time" during japa and keep myself entertained. After all, just thinking of the mantra and nothing else can sometimes be torture for the mind.

Give It All I Got

To the degree that I give my all and all to my chanting, to that degree Krishna reciprocates and thus bhakti increases in my heart. As one popular song of the sixties said, "The love you give is equal to the love you take." What I put into my japa is what I get back. Devotion doesn't come back where devotion is not put out (garbage in, garbage out).

My daughter is learning to play violin and to inspire her we watched a virtuoso eleven year old violinist on You Tube. This eleven year old was so good we couldn't believe it. As I watched in disbelief I thought, "If I took my japa as seriously as this kid takes her violin, I would be completely Krishna conscious by now. The reality is that if I only give 50% of my energy to my japa, then 50% is going somewhere else. If I want to properly chant and hear the holy names and reap the results that the holy name can offer, I need to give all my energy to my japa (both physical and mental). If I really value my relationship with Krishna, I will do this. And doing this shows Krishna how important that relationship is to me.

I Have No Time to Chant

Most of us who are raising families are challenged to find two undisturbed hours a day to solely focus on our rounds. Yet many of the activities that take our time away from chanting are activities that we specifically have chosen to do. Afer the second retreat I thought that the reason I have so much on my plate that takes me away from chanting is simply because I don't like chanting enough. It's what Prabhupada calls the "self created burden." If I am finding it difficult to finish my rounds because of a lack of time, I am ultimately the one who chose to do all the activities that are getting in the way of my chanting. Even when I can't really avoid all the work and responsibilities, still I am the one who is organizing those activities in a way that chanting often takes a back seat to the other things I do.

The Mind is Like a Loud Truck

While I was chanting the other day, a truck drove by that was so loud that I couldn't even hear myself chant. As it got further away I could again hear the mantra coming out of my mouth. As this was happening I immediately thought that the truck is exactly like the mind. Sometimes the mind is so loud that I can't even hear myself chant. It just takes over and the maha mantra gets drowned out by the volume of my mind. When I think of controlling my mind, I think of turning down the volume on all of its chatter. Once that chatter stops, I can hear the maha mantra. When I constantly work on turning the volume down, eventually my mind starts to peacefully listen to the chanting.

The Acarya of Multi-Tasking Japa

Too often I chant like a robot. Maybe someday things will get so bad that we'll have japa robots and we can just put our beads in their hands and they will chant to a recording of our japa.

Although that sounds far fetched, I am like that robot. I have chanted Hare Krishna for so many years that I can do it my sleep, I can do it while driving, I can even do it while reading. I can do it while shopping, talking, sight seeing - you name it and I can do it and chant simultaneously. I am the acarya of multi-tasking japa. Chanting is so programmed into my cells that I can do it without even thinking about it. Someone might say, "Well that's good." No, it's horrible because I can do it without even being aware that I am doing it, what to speak of being aware that I am associating with Radha and Krishna. It's like someone shot Novocain in my heart and my heart has become numb and thus I am not feeling a thing while I chant.. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta said the name is not lip deep, it is heart deep.

Chanting is Boring

When I commit offences to the Holy Name, chanting becomes boring. In this consciousness chanting is tasteless, troublesome, and outright uninteresting, and it's the last thing I want to do. Thus I do it only out of duty while my mind is totally disengaged from chanting. My mood is simply to get my rounds finished as soon as possible. This is a sign to me that my spiritual life is lacking. When I don't do something to correct this, the bad chanting creates a domino reaction of less Krishna consciousness in my life, which then produces more bad chanting, which continues to produce less Krishna consciousness, which produces more bad chanting. And this could lead to something even worse than bad chanting. It could lead to no chanting.

Give Yourself A Gift

Prabhupada said the highest realization is to save yourself. I have so often neglected to chant well that I sometimes feel like I am dying of thirst for the nectar of the name. On the 64 rounds day (at the retreat, one day is reserved for 64 rounds and a vow of silence) I was finally taking the time to give myself the nectar that I so desperately needed. But because I had dried up so much over the years and thus was so thirsty, no matter how much I drank the name I still was thirsting for more. By the 64th round my thirst was just starting to become satisfied. 64 rounds is the most wonderful gift I have ever given myself. At least I should give myself the gift of 16 good rounds every day.

Does the Holy Name Really Work?

Yes, the holy name does really work. Well, let me restate that: The holy name does really work if I chant the holy name the way the holy name is meant to be chanted. If I don't properly chant the holy name, then I start thinking the chanting can't really uproot my deepest anarthas. Because I am not experiencing Krishna while I chant, I lose faith in the value and power of the holy name. Going to the retreat and being facilitated to chant some really good rounds was a major faith builder. The holy name began to work on me more deeply than ever. It was real, vibrant, active, and dynamic, as compared to the usual dead mantras I chant. Dead mantras were producing a dead Mahatma Das. But the maha mantra is a living thing and when I chant a living mantra I get life.

It's All About a Relationship

Although chanting revives our relationship with Krishna, chanting is also our relationship with Krishna. We are there with Radha and Krishna while we chant. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta said to welcome the holy name. Radha and Krishna come to me when I chant. Do I realize this when I chant? Do I welcome them and take care of them when they come? Do I worship them when they come? Or do I think, "Oh no, I still have six rounds left?" If I think this way, I simply take chanting as a process, a process that often I can't wait to end so I can get on to "more important" things.

Watering the Weeds Japa

Poor chanting can actually produce misery, guilt, unhappiness, frustration, boredom, lack of energy and a host of other negative emotions and experiences. When I chant bad japa it doesn't make me feel like I am a blissful spiritual being; it makes me feel defeated for not applying myself. It also makes me both upset with myself for failing to come closer to Krishna and guilty because I know my guru expects more of me and I could do better. It leaves me entering my day on a failed note. Wow! The very thing that is supposed to make me so happy when done properly has the potency to make me feel awful if not done well. Hopefully I can take this misery as a kick in the rear end and let it push me into chanting better rounds.

First Become Conscious, Then Become Krishna Conscious

It's amazing how many bad japa habits I have not confronted even though I know how much these habits hurt me. They exist, I see them destroying my good japa, yet I ignore them. They have a tendency to somehow camouflage themselves in a way that says, "I am here but don't worry about me." And I believe them and think, "Ok, I won't confront you. Why? Am I afraid it will be too difficult or too much work to change? I must think it's less painful to change than to suffer the consequences of bad japa? I was forced to become fully conscious of these habits, confront them and deal with them at the retreat. This was one of the best things I've ever done. If I didn't do this, I don't know how long these habits would have continued to undermine my potential for better japa.

What I Do Today Affects My Chanting Tomorrow

What I do when I am not chanting affects the quality of my rounds. For example, if I am critical of devotees (or even of non-devotees), it will be more difficult to chant good rounds. If my mind is engaged in activities from morning to night that have nothing to do with Krishna, my attraction to chanting the next day will diminish. However, if I make an effort to be as Krishna conscious as possible during the day, my rounds the next day are easier to chant and more relishable. My activities today are linked to the quality of my japa tomorrow. One devotee told me that if he goes out and gives people the maha mantra, his rounds are always better the next day.

All I Want

When it comes down to it, all I want is to chant well, feel Krishna's presence while I chant, relish the nectar of the name, and be a servant of the name. Bhaktivinoda Thakura says there is nothing else in the three worlds but the holy name. Krishna has shown this to me by allowing me to observe other devotees' transformations (at the retreats) through good chanting. As their chanting improved, their desires changed. As they relished the sweetness of Krishna, they wanted more of it and realized this is all they really want. When Krishna is kind enough to give a drop of the taste of the nectar for which we are always anxious, we realize how much we have in our life that is not giving us this nectar (amrita—deathless) and how much we have in our life that is actually producing death.

Talks With Dad

I once read a book in which a woman said that the walks she took with her dad when she was young were the most valuable moments in her life because she learned so much from him during those walks. I have always felt the same way about japa. My time with the holy name is the most valuable time of my day. Good chanting always gives me realization, strength, determination, and taste. Those two hours with the holy name is the most valuable time of my day, and to waste those two hours on bad japa is the greatest loss. Once I blow those two hours with bad rounds, that's it; I can't buy them back. Thus, I miss the opportunity to have Dad really and enlighten me that morning.

Krishna Enchants Me

When I chant well and am relishing Krishna's name, then Krishna's form, words, and pastimes all become more attractive to me. On the evening of the 64 rounds day, Dravida Prabhu recited poems while showing slides of Krishna. Those pictures, one's I've seen many times before, all of a sudden were especially attractive and alluring to me. And those poems, although I've read them before, enchanted my mind like never before. My senses became purified and thus everything about Krishna became more attractive. And the wonderful consequence of this is that everything not related to Krishna became less attracted to me.

That's Unacceptable

Bad chanting is unacceptable to me. I now have set the bar higher and when I go below the acceptable level, red flags go off in my mind. Poor chanting is not making me Krishna conscious, so I reject it. The consequences of poor chanting are so undesirable that simply being aware of those consequences gets me back on track. I have accepted unacceptable japa too often—and that's simply not acceptable any longer. If it is acceptable to me it means I am satisfied with poor chanting and not overly concerned about doing anything to improve. And if I am not concerned about improving my japa, it won't get better on its own.

Good Chanting Produces More Good Chanting

How do I know I have chanted good rounds? One of the best indicators for me is that when I finish my rounds I want to keep chanting because I am getting such a nice taste. If I am relieved to put my bead bag down after my last round, that's an indicator that my chanting is not being done properly. Good chanting always produces a taste to chant more. Prabhupada said sixteen rounds is the minimum; that constant chanting is the goal.

Exercise

Offer a prayer to the holy name that describes your aspirations to best serve the holy name, to go deeper into your relationship with the holy name. In order to help you with this exercise, I am including a prayer I wrote at the end of one of the retreats.

My Dear Holy Name,

Please allow me to taste Your nectar, to fully experience Your presence, to feel joy and enthusiasm when I meet You. Please allow me to become attracted to You, to always hanker for your association, and to never become tired of spending time with you. And please reveal how You are non-different from your form, qualities and pastimes—how You are fully present in your name.

I pray that someday I will have as much attraction to chanting Your name as I now have for material things. And I pray that this attraction will be such that others want to chant and relish Your name just by being in my presence.

I have two special last requests:

* Please allow me to feel affection for You when I chant Your name.
* Please allow my heart to melt (at least one time in my life) when I chant Your name.

For more information on japa Retreats (five days) and Workshops (weekends), the dates for upcoming events, or how to bring a retreat or workshop to your area, please contact me at mahat@aol.com.

by Mahatma dasa

www.sankirtandiary.com

I wrote a post a while ago about one time me and Trikalajna were distributing books in the Denver airport, and how I saw him distribute a hard book to some young kids, and then I saw them throw it into the trash can after walking away from him, out of his sight. I went over to the trash can and took the book out of it, and within about 5 minutes I had sold the book to someone else. I used this as an example that someone will always take the book, even if someone else didn't want it. I have another recent example of this:

A few book distributors from Los Angeles came out to Austin to distribute books. We were at the UT campus in Austin, in the "free speech" area at the very front of the campus, in front of the water fountain, across the street from the big Co-Op. This area is open for anyone to come and try to sell their religious stuff. It is a good area, lots of traffic. Also, you can go across the street and distribute books on the street side too, in front of the Co-Op area, and that area is good too. The one drawback is that a lot of the students do not have any money. Otherwise, this would be a perfect area.

So I saw Paramesvara distribute a soft cover Bhagavad-Gita, a hard book, and one small book to a couple of students. They were walking away, and then they looked towards me and asked if they could give the books back, because they did not want to read them, even though they had just paid 20 dollars for the books (lack of self-control, I guess). I took back the books and then a minute later Paramesvara was walking over to his backpack to get a Bhagavad-Gita for a student who wanted to buy one and I handed him the Bhagavad-Gita the students had given back. He looked a little confused, asking did I get the Gita out of his backpack and I said no, the two students who just bought it gave it back. So I gave him the Gita and the student he was presently talking to purchased it.

More proof that the book will always go into someone's hand.

Guru puja and kirtan from Turkey.

A talk given at the Atma Yoga centre in Turkey…

A Bg.2. fejezet magyarázatának folytatása.

www.sankirtandiary.com

Madhumangala distributes a book to Albert Einstein


And a book to the famous Rev. Jesse Jackson. (just joking)

Documentary about the ISKCON Kazakhstan farm. BB Govinda Maharaj showed this to us at the Laguna Beach temple in June 2004.

Ratha Yatra Madrid 2007

By Ila devi dasi

After a heavy rain storm in Mayapur on Wednesday 3 September, devotees were surprised to see what looked like a flimsy inflatable catamaran – barely 12 feet long, open, with no covering against the sun – and five sun-burnt, tired but ecstatic happy devotees float through the main gate, having arrived after a month-long journey on Mother Ganga from Vrindavana.

By Mahadevi dasi

I don't know if you have ever had the great fortune of meeting Ragatmika devi and Karnapur das, two very old and dear disciples of our Srila Prabhupada. Karnapur was the first TP of New Jersey ISKCON temple back in 1971, and has faithfully served as Prabhupada's accountant in several temples, mainly in Los Angeles.

1967 October 6 : "I am now 90% alright and I think I can return now safely. This typewriting work is done by me. For two days I am alone and doing everything myself as experiment. This proves that I am now well."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 October 6: "Any foodstuff when it is paid for, it becomes purified. As you will pay for the dinner, you can offer to Krishna within your mind, then eat as Krishna prasadam."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 October 6 : "I am so glad to learn that the devotees are all feeling my separation and you are feeling also; this is very blissful. On the transcendental platform, separation is more relishable than meeting."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 October 6: "It is all Krishna's Grace that we have got a center in the United Nations. And you shall be in charge of the office and if possible, I may be living with you for conducting this office specifically."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 October 6: "My Dear Allen Ginsberg, I thank you very much for your sympathy for this Krishna Consciousness movement. I pray that you will live long for chanting Hare Krishna continuously."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 October 6 : "Religion without philosophy is sentimentalism or fanaticism. Simply performing empty ritual without understanding is condemned by Srila Rupa Goswami."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1972 October 6 : "He is in trouble. He is a child in these worldly dealings so immediately go to help him. Things appear very hazy; we must not become the victim to their tactics."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 October 6 : "In Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Movement, everyone is preacher. I do not know why he is encouraging our woman devotees not to go out on Sankirtana for book distribution. Everyone should go out."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

Dr. Philip Weeks told me about the B12 crisis on my last visit to him. He had noticed that almost every devotee (practitioner of Krishna consciousness) who came to see him had a low level of the vitamin. An abrupt change in diet is probably to blame. Krishna consciousness automatically leads one to become vegetarian (as a pleasant positive side effect of the practice, not as an end in itself). However, if someone has been eating copious amounts of meat for generations and then suddenly stops their self-degrading practice, the body’s B12 supply may run dry.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that B12 is stored in the body for a long time. So, a person may be fine for 2-years of not getting enough of the vitamin and then they suddenly start getting really sick for seemingly no reason. Symptoms of B12 deficiency are listed on the following websites:

http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/sympt
http://www.b12patch.com/about-b12deficiency.html

The most common initial symptom is fatigue and depression (which indeed seems to be a common issues affecting many, many devotees).

So, what to do? First of all it is a good idea to go to a western doctor and have one’s blood tested (though watch out for the B12 analogues which might confuse a blood test - read about those here and here too). That will reveal if indeed there is a lack of B12 in the body. If this is the case the vitamin has to be replenished. However, taking supplements won’t really work, because B12 is very difficult to absorb into the body. It would take a long time of taking pills to replenish the body’s vitamin supplies. The only two options seem to be getting a B12 injection from a doctor, or using the following ingenious B12 patches:

http://www.b12patch.com/

Then, once the B12-levels are up again, they can be kept up by taking Engevita Nutritional Yeast (one of the few reliable vegan sources of B12).

One might ask how vegan cultures got their supply of B12 for thousands of years before B12 injections were invented. Well, for one, the people in those cultures are probably genetically predisposed to surviving with a less supply of B12 than us westerners. Then there is also dirt. That’s right: dirt! Surprisingly, dirt often contains some B12. Cow dung, for example, is very rich in the vitamin. Agricultural field used to be fertilized with cow dung, so a little bit of it would inevitably end up on people’s plates. Nowadays, however, with chemical fertilizers being the order of the day and food being super-clean and sterile, dirt can only rarely find its way into our digestion system. So, no B12 for us.

I recorded my conversation with Dr Phil on the topic. Please listen to it here (5 minutes):

If you remember, I mentioned that I’ve got a collection of vintage ISKCON vinyl and every Ekadasi, I’ll be posting and album for you to check out and download.

My first pick is really quite a treat. They’re from the Hare Krishna Records label (out of Germany, I believe). They feature Hamsadutta and (I think) Acyutananda Swami on some of the vocals and Himavati (I think) on others.

Hare Krishna Records also did at least four full length albums (of which I have three). I’ll post those eventually.

One think you’ve got to understand about early ISKCON records is that the vast majority of them were named “Hare Krsna Festival” making them damn near impossible to collect. The only way I was able to do it was to figure out the release numbers. The full length albums from Hare Krishna Records were 1001, 1002, etc. The 7″’s were 2001, 2002, etc.

How I’m going to do this is offer shoddy quality mp3 previews of three of the song. Take a listen to them and if you like them, download the zip file containing all of the songs and cover art. These mp3s are of much better quality.

Here we go!

Hare Krsna Festival (#2001)
1) Tulasi Prayer 3:52
2) Hare Krsna Kirtan 4:12

Both of the songs are sung by a mataji who I believe is Himavati, Hamsadutta’s wife. I could be wrong about this, but Hamsadutta had his hands in pretty much any recording released in Europe. Acyutananda did as well, of course. He’s all over the place - in Europe for the records and in the US for the cassettes. Incredible.

Tulasi Prayer is sweet and fully traditional (with addition of a harmonium). It starts slow and is steady throughout, leaving out the “yani kani ca papani…” at the end. It’s a great little song anyway and a nice introduction to the records.

Hare Krsna Kirtan, also sung by this same mataji, is a bit more upbeat. There are kartals, a mrdanga and harmonium. The song builds, faster and faster until its fade out. A splendid little record, this!

Hare Krsna Festival (#2002)
1) Vande Ham 5:00
2) Hare Krsna Kirtan 4:59

While both of the songs on #2001 were sung by a mataji, both of these are sung by male devotees. The record gives little information as to who sings what. It’s mostly a guessing game.

Vande Ham is slow and stirring. I believe it’s sung by Acyutananda Swami, but I could be mistaken. There’s a mrdanga in the left channel as kartals and a harmonium fill both. The vocals are mostly on the right. This is a really beautiful rendition of the song, which is why I think it’s Acyutananda.

Hare Krsna Kirtan sort of leaves a weird taste in my mouth. The devotee singing, who I think is Hamsadutta, really hogs up the kirtan. He’s loud and then when the assembled devotees are responding, he’s often singing “Haribol!” and “Chant the Holy Name!” over them. He does this throughout and seems to be saying “hey look at me!” Maybe this is why Srila Prabhupada told Hamsadutta to stop releasing so many records.

Hare Krsna Festival Amsterdam (#2003)
1) Vande Ham 3:55
2) Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna 3:15

If you notice, and maybe this is a coincidence, but the covers of the 7″’s get more and more focused on a certain devotee. On this one, both songs are sung by Hamsadutta, though a bit more subdued than on the last 7″.

Vande Ham is still nice and mellow. It’s not bad. But after hearing Acyutananda’s (I think) version on the last 7″, this almost seems unnecessary. I joined up in 1993 and I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard this song sung at any temple. Did they used to sing it a lot or was this an Acyutananda/Hamsadutta thing?

Jaya Radhe Jaya Krsna, also sung by Hamsadutta, is a really sweet song, no matter who is at the helm. Hamsadutta hogs it a bit, but not enough to really ruin it. Himavati’s voice fills the response. I really like her vocals. This time, the main vocals are in the left channel, while the response is in the right. I love this song. There are better versions of it out there, but this will do in a pinch. It’ll be in my head all day. Yay!

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Well folks, I hope you like my first offering. There will be more to come - I’ve got some pretty great stuff to share and I’m excited about it. If you’ve got any questions or comments or can’t figure out what to do to get these files, just let me know and I’ll try to help as much as I can.

Hare Krishna! And here’s me wishing you and yours a very Merry Ekadasi!
Haribol!

Click here to download all of the 7″’s in a zip file.(37MB)

www.sankirtandiary.com

Last night's book distribution was a bit slow. We went to a grocery store in a more upper class part of the city, and the people were nice. I remember meeting one black soldier, who seemed to be a little strange. He asked me if I could make a million dollars in one week by doing what I am doing. I said "Yea, if I had 500 other guys helping me" and he thought that was funny.

Later on at Wal-Mart, people were interested, but no one seemed to have any money. Perhaps the US economy is going through a hard time at present, I don't know. Perhaps the reader of this post can pray for us to increase book distribution. Krishna is really beginning to show us that this is not our own effort, and really the only option is to surrender to Him. What other option do we have?