Prabhupada: Because it is a science. Religion means a kind of faith. It is not faith. It is a science. Science must be based on logic and philosophy. Science means that. And religion means sometimes sentiments. So religion without philosophy is sentiment, and philosophy without religion is mental speculation. Both must be combined. Then it is perfect. You cannot have religion without philosophy. That is sentiment, fanaticism. And if you simply take philosophy without religion, without sense of God, this is mental speculation. So religion must be on the basis of science and logic. That is first-class religion. (Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973)

Applying SP's statement here in ISKCON's present social and ideological context, I find the sentiment expressed by some that ISKCON cannot be subverted by maya to be an example of religion without philosophy. On a number of occaisions, Srila Prabhupada himself expressed apprehension that his society might be destroyed as had his own guru maharaja's mission. I don't need to quote anything here. By now everyone receiving this message is well aware of these occaisions and statements. But here is one statement worth quoting, nevertheless:

Prabhupada: My Guru Maharaja used to say, "When our men will be sahajiya, he will be more dangerous."
Satsvarupa: Our own men.
Prabhupada: Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he said that "When our men will be sahajiya, oh, they'll be more dangerous." So our men are becoming, some of them, sahajiyas. This very word he said, that "When our men will be sahajiyas he'll be more dangerous." (Room Conversation -- January 24, 1977, Bhubaneswar)

But anyway, as as to whether ISKCON itself could become something mundane and sahajiya, or whether ISKCON is in fact heading towards sahajiyaism, all I can say is make up your own minds.

Company men are always going to stay with the company, no matter what.

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Celebrating the 523rd Appearance Day Anniversary of Lord Caitanya!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Everyone is invited to celebrate Gaura Purnima at the temple starting with morning class at 8:00am and kirtans/bhajans from 9:00am - 4:30pm. 

4:30pm   Harinam parikram — start in front of the temple deities and circumambulate the small lake outside.
5:30pm   Lecture by Indradyumna Swami
6:30pm   A transcendental drama, led by Damodara das
7:00pm   Arati, Kirtan and an Abhisek for all devotees
8:00pm   Feast and Raffle Drawing Prizes will be awarded

Devotees are encouraged to present their bhoga offerings to the Lord, and bring them to the pujari room before 6:00pm.

Volunteers are needed!!  If you would like to lead a kirtan during the day, help decorate the temple with balloons, pass out raffle drawing tickets in the lobby or do anything else to help, please contact Vyapi or Rasa Priya at 845-1080.  Thank you!

namo maha-vadanyaya  krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah“O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself appearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.”

 

 

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

1966 March 3: "Today Ekadasi observed. In the evening two visitors came. Dr. Mishra wants my kirtan in his meetings. I am considering the proposal. Jones presented me a copper cup. Very nice. Thanks."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 March 3: "Do not feel any feeling of uselessness. On the transcendental plane, one service is as good as another. There is no question of higher or lower."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 3: "Responsive chanting is very nice; one good singer may lead, and the others may join in. That is the system. You may also have melodious accompaniment instruments, and amplifiers."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 3: "I have tested it definitely that melodious vibration of Sankirtana performed by serious devotees can attract from the very spiritual platform."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 3: "My mission of one God, Sri Krishna; one scripture, Bhagavad-gita; and one mantra, Hare Krishna. This idea is not manufactured by me, but it is authoritative statement in the Gita Mahatma Skanda Purana."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 March 3: "It is very encouraging that you are regularly chanting twenty rounds daily. Be careful never to decrease but increase the number and you will become more strong in Krsna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1974 March 3: "We cannot deviate even an inch. Our ideal Vedic community will attract everyone on its own merit and we shall be glad to welcome everyone without compromising in order to attract them."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 March 3: "Your plan to convince Prince Charles about Krsna Consciousness is another utopian idea. Do not work at it. Live with your Godbrothers and prosecute our standard practices."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

 

“Ganges is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta (Krishna) is the su¬preme among deities. Lord Shambhu (Shiva) is the greatest of all Vaishnavas and Shrimad Bhagavatam is the greatest of all the Puranas.” Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.16 (more…)

"Even if some one of the level of the supremely powerful devotee and gunavatara Lord Shiva blasphemes a devotee, he will soon be destroyed. This is the verdict of all the scriptures." (CB Madhya 22.56)

"What to speak of others, even the supreme mother of the Supreme Lord Himself , Gaura Simha, was not exempt from being considered an offender of a Vaisnava." (58)


Lord Gauranga Himself replied," I can give instructions on how to eliminate the aparadha (like in the case of Durvasa and Ambarish), but I Myself, even though being the Supreme Lord, am unable to destroy an offense against a Vaisnava." (32)


People have an unnatural enthusiasm for gossip. It seems to make the material world go round.
So it's always unfortunate when gossip, and that material mentality, trickles into our spiritual lives.

There are three sides to the rumor/gossip/criticism issue : the person spreading it or doing the criticising, the person listening to it, and the person who is the target. Usually the recipient of juicy gossip becomes the giver of juicy gossip (it's the way of the gossip parampara :)

If we are the ones responsible for spreading rumors or sharing gossip, we should keep a few things in mind :
- everytime we spread rumors or gossip about other devotees, we actively take away from our time with Krsna and the potency of our Krsna consciousness. There's a reason that the offense 'To blaspheme devotees who have dedicated their lives to propogating Krsna Consciousness' is top of the list and known as the 'mad elephant offense' - It destoys the creeper of bhakti within our hearts.
- everytime we spread rumors or gossip about, or criticise, other devotees, we make a conscious decision to hurt someone else, someone who is a vaisnava and, despite our own feelings about them, very dear to Krsna.
- everytime we spread rumors or gossip, our own reputations are ruined. Our intention may be to malign someone else, and chip away at their reputation, but being known as a gossip does nothing for our own.
- everytime we spread rumors or gossip, we should know that we could be potentially responsible for someone turning away from ISKCON and Krsna consciousness.

Our need to gossip stems from envy, dislike and our own shortcomings as devotees. But sometimes we feel that our criticisms are justifiable, after all "He did this, this and that 3 years ago." But it is stated that:

One should never criticize a devotee for his:

1) Social background;
2) Past sins or faults;
3) Unintentional sin or accidental falldown.

Srila Gaura Govinda Swami gave a brilliant description of the first offense:
"Bhakti-devi completely disappears by committing Vaisnava aparddha. Vaisnava aparddha means to blaspheme, find fault, criticize or speak ill of devotees. Generally, this is done out of fear and enviousness. Vaisnava aparddha takes place where there are fear and enviousness." When Vaisnava aparddha is committed the offender will become very angry with that Vaisnava. He's afraid of that Vaisnava because he is a very powerful Vaisnava. Therefore, he thinks, 'He's making rapid advancement and I'm not making such advancement.' He becomes afraid and envious of that Vaisnava." Fear comes and therefore he criticizes, finds fault, and speaks ill of that Vaisnava. He commits Vaisnava aparddha and becomes angry with that Vaisnava. It is only because of enviousness of that Vaisnava that this hatred and criticism arises. And therefore, he speaks ill of that Vaisnava and concocts stories. The sieve is full of a thousand holes and he's criticizing the needle, 'Hey needle, there is a hole in your back.'"Are you perfect yourself? If you have some defects yourself, then why do you find fault with others? Sages say don't see bad in others, but see the bad in yourself. If you have that nature or tendency to see bad, then see what bad is there in yourself. But see the good in others. "If you find something good in some person, then just accept that. Think, 'Yes, that is good in him. Let me accept that.' Close your eyes on the bad things, and open your eyes to the good things. Paramahamsas never see anything bad. In their vision everything is related to Krsna. Speaking ill of others is a great anartha for the sadhaka who has come to the path of bhajana.

There is a wonderful quote by Srila Prabhupada that applies to this and so many other situations:
"We must know that Krsna is present, and as such we must be careful in our dealings, talking and behaviouir, as we are present before Krsna directly." May 6, 1968
So we should practice - whatever I am about to say, I should be able to say if Krsna were standing right beside me, listening.

***

And if we're listening to, or entertaining any gossip or criticism, then we're pretty much in the same boat as the person we're listening to. As devotees we have to:
- try our utmost not to listen to any gossip - for the sake of our own spiritual lives.
- even if we hear something about some other devotee, we have to be intelligent enough to know that there are always three sides to a story: what A said, what B said and what REALLY happened! And even still;
-we have to be even more intelligent and remain impartial and uninvolved. It is not our job to judge others, especially based on something that we have no actual knowledge or experience of.
-and again, when we listen to or engage in gossip, we can potentially play a part in giving someone a bad experience of the temple or ISKCON. It is our duty to be representatives of Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON, and to always act as such.

So what do we do?

The Srimad Bhagavatm states: "Anyone who fails to immediately leave the place where he hears criticism of the Supreme Lord or His faithful devotee will certainly fall down, bereft of his pious credit."SB 10.74.40

***

And finally there is the person who is the subject matter of criticism or gossip. A person in that position (and I think that we've all been there at some point in time or another) has several options:
- Retaliate with your own criticms and gossip, and become a part of that vicious, bhakti-destoying cycle.
- Defend yourself. My personal thoughts are that, again, you're taking time away from your own spiritual life because of another persons petty issues, and secondly, if people are so small-minded and unintelligent that they choose to engage in gossip and pass judgement, than does it REALLY matter what they think anyway? If anything, it should be lesson that you should choose your association wisely, and associate with those devotees who will further you in your spiritual life.


I remember reading an article some time ago. The devotees approached a gentleman who had been coming to the temple for many, many years and was chanting 16 rounds and following all the regulative principles. They asked him why he hasn't made more of a commitment and taken initiation. He replied, "I see how you treat guests and I see how you treat each other. I would rather remain a guest."

We are all trying to achieve the same thing, serve the same God, reach the same destination. We should try to to help each other out, not bring each other down, so that we all serve Krsna better.

On March 1st 2009, HH Jayapataka Swami left Sri Mayapur Dham to go Mumbai (Bombay) to continue with his treatment for a month. On his way to Kolkata airport, Gurumaharaja who is known to be addicted to preach, went to Suvarna Bihar the holy place where all the devotees of the international parikram were assembled to hear lectures from the senior devotees about the pastimes of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and his associates.

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By Praghosa das

In the last week of February 2009, Gopal Agarwal (who resides in USA) along with his son Brij spend a couple of days in Mumbai and one of their first trips in the city of Mumbai was to ISKCON Juhu to take darshan of Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari.

Inspired by my readings of "Contemplative Prayer" and "Contemplation In A World Of Action" by Thomas Merton

Living in an ashram\monastic environment is a highly revealing experience, in terms of our own self-awareness.

Here, amongst the determined and enthusiastic, we get continuous chances to apply the simple yet profound: trnad api sunicena\taror api sahisnuna\amanina manadena\kirtaniyah sada harih.

In my own experience, living with the brahmacaris of the Bhativedanta Ashram here in NYC gives me the opportunity to do two things: rise above the negative aspects of my introspective nature (too shy, too lazy, etc) and use the positive aspects of my introspective nature in application of my Krsna-given abilities of writing, preaching, and communicating.

Merton writes about the benefits and pitfalls of these introspective aspects in the monastic\spiritual atmosphere in Chapter IV of Contemplative Prayer. He writes:

"Many of the obstacles to the life of thought and love which is meditation come from the fact that people insist on walling themselves up inside themselves in order to cherish their own thoughts and their own experiences as a kind of private treasure. They misinterpret the gospel parable of the talents, and as a result they bury their talent in a napkin instead of putting it to work and increasing it. Even when we come to live a contemplative life, the love of others and openness to others remain, as in the active life, the condition for a living and fruitful inner life of thought and love. The love of others is a stimulus to interior life, not a danger to it, as some mistakenly believe."

Here in the Ashram in the Apple, there is little room to hide, at least for myself in the negative, selfish sense that always opens the door for my favorite maya to sneak and snake in.

Our mood here is contagious, and for the first time really in my life, I live in a community of people in which I'm not so much afraid to express myself, to be myself, and to try to be talented and dynamic in the service of the servants.

It is a fine line, a razor's edge as always. The mood of the ashram, of monastic life, asks us to go deep, but we cannot hide inside ourselves any longer. We reveal to ourselves and then we we reveal to others, sharing our insights, our deepest thoughts, in order to grow and to preach. Merton writes:

"Many serious and good monks, idealists, desire to make of their lives a work of art according to an approved pattern. This brings with it an instinct to study themselves, to shape their lives, to remodel themselves, to tune and re-tune all their inner dispositions-and this results in full-time meditation and contemplation of themselves. They may unfortunately find this so delightful and absorbing that they lose all interest in the invisble and unpredictable action of grace. In a word, they seek to build their own security, to avoid the risk and dread implied by submission to the unknown mystery of God's will"

As HH Radhanath Swami has said, there is nothing more valuable that our relationships with our fellow Vaisnavas. The loving example of these relationships is one of the most valuable things we can give to people through our preaching.

Living in an ashram, in close brotherhood and association, gives us the most valuable chance to use our inner development to create and enhance these relationships, in a mood of aspiring surrender to the full will of Krsna.

But it is our constant struggle and choice, especially for those in an introspective mood, to give up our attachments to the mood of selfish individualism and the desire to be respected. These can only ruin us on the path of real self-realization, of our never-ending dependency on the shelter of the devotees to keep us safe and keep us dynamic and active in Prabhupada's mission.

We would like to invite devotees to the Vyasa Puja celebration of the great personality Sri Srimad Bhakti -Tirtha Swami Maharaja, on Wednesday 4th March 2009

Tuesday,3rd March 2009

3.00 pm to 6.00 pm: Harinam with picture of Sri Srimad Bhakti -Tirtha Swami Maharaja

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Karnamrita das: The naked form of matter giving misery, heartbreak false promises from good advertising birth potential smiles rising up through youth education, training, titles desires to earn only for a few years...

Radhikakrpa: FICCI Ladies Explore ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (Federation of Indian Chambers Of Commerce and Industry) FICCI Ladies Organization kept their date with ISKCON Food Relief Foundation on the February 28th afternoon.

Jaya Radhe dasi: Kishori Yatra girls’ tour is an all-inclusive, spiritual adventure tour bringing girls, ages 11-15, to different temples and communities around the US during the summer.

By Patita Pavana das Adhikary

Once Prabhupada noted, "When Krishna was here, few could understand that he was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Maybe a few hundred people, that's all."

By Jagabandhu das

It was recently announced in the news about how an 18 year old autistic boy from Ohio/USA is being charged for murder after his university professor mother (who was apparently very dedicated to his care-giving) died from injuries received from her son during a violent outburst.

These beautiful Lordships are Sri Sri Nitai-Gaura Hari from Johannesburg, South Africa. "Sangopangastra-parsadam further indicates that Lord Caitanya is Lord Krsna. His body is always decorated with ornaments of sandalwood and with sandalwood paste. By His superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of the age. In other descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to defeat the demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His all-attractive figure as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that His beauty is His astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons. Because He is all-attractive, it is to be understood that all the demigods lived with Him as His companions."
[ SB 11.5.32]

with Akrura prabhu in manchester

My husband once told me that when flying a plane the pilots have a special diet. It has to be nutritious and light. Hence a preacher, in his opinion should also eat light nutritious meals. I agree that it is very difficult to focus nicely when the belly is too full.

















Taking the above into consideration i made: Zucchini, celery, chickpeas in tomato gravy and garnished with small blocks of cheese and home made bread.

Subji Ingredients:

3 stalks of celery
1 small try of zucchinis
1 cup of boiled chickpeas
2 tomatoes blended into puree
pinch of hing
salt to taste
1/2tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp tumeric powder
fresh crushed ginger to taste
1tsp ghee/olive oil

Method: Chaunce spices ie. hing, cumin seeds, ginger and tumeric powder. Add all vegetables and salt and slow cook until vegetables are tender. Offer to Krishna and serve!

Bread:

2 and half cups of brown bread flour
2 and half cups of white flour
1tsp salt
2 tbl sp brown sugar
1 sachet instant yeast
1/3 cup oil
500mls of luke warm water

Method: Mix salt, sugar and yeast together. Add both flours. Make a well in the centre and add oil. Mix and add water gradually to make soft pliable dough. Leave to stand for 1 hr. Turn on oven. Reknead the dough and form into loaf in loaf tin that is greased. Bake at 180 degrees for exactly40 mins. Remove from pan and cool then store in airtight container. Offer and serve!

Sometimes in Krishna consciousness the going gets tough. That's when those who are tough really get going. It's a fact that perseverance furthers. When everything seems hopeless this is when we have strengthen our faith in Krishna and push onward through the fog. The times when things are difficult are the times that we can make the quickest advancement...

Though she has been around from a long time, she looked no older than a little girl with shiny black eyes and a cheery smile. Wearing a white gown dotted with flowers and with the Mahaprasadam flowers tucked in her hair, she polished off the vadas with gusto and then narrated the following story of how she had the chance to obtain the dust of Srila Prabhupada on her head and how she was humbled by this pure devotee of the Lord, in a conversation with his disciples.

In conversation with a devotee of science the other day I pointed out that science does not have a good grasp on consciousness.

(The conversation was carried out in a semi-public forum (viewable if you are on the proprietary platform Facebook). I am thinking to ask him if I can paste it here to share it with a wider audience. I think it is very illustrative of the concerns that those of a scientific persuasion have.)

My conversation fellow responded that science does have a good handle on consciousness and recommended I read "On Intelligence" by Jeff Hawkins [wikipedia]. Wikipedia revealed that Jeff Hawkins is the founder of Palm Computing, and the inventor of the Palm Pilot and Treo handheld computers. He is also a neuroscientist and author.

Praise be to the Lord who works in mysterious ways, and I had the audio book and a pdf of "On Intelligence" in short order.

I am still working my way through it (you can't have a real discussion if you don't actually understand the perspective that you are "arguing against"). My initial realization is that there is a distinction between cognition, which is what this book describes in a brilliant way, and consciousness.

Cognition is the physical chain of events involved in perception of the physical environment. Consciousness, on the other hand, is awareness of cognition. Cognition is physical. Consciousness is metaphysical. It's a subtle distinction, and one that those in the scientific paradigm may not wish to pursue, especially since it means abandoning all of their empirical tools. In a metaphysical conversation with another scientific friend he confided in me that this was his situation - he didn't want to consider the question because it went beyond his methodology, and he was uncomfortable with that.

I respected that, and he didn't feel the need to invade my space in defense of himself. Live and let live. Empirical science works.

In terms of demonstrating the value of the Vedic metaphysical toolkit to persons such as this, the best approach is to put it this way: "Let us see where this takes us, and if it can produce useful outputs and insights in the world of empirical measurement."

That's actually a scientific approach: one of open-mindedness, healthy doubt, and a willingness to see where the data takes you. Good scientists approach problems in this way.

Srila Prabhupada explains this in the Introduction to Bhagavad-gita (given as a lecture):

So according to the statements of Bhagavad-gita or the statements of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gita, we should at least theoretically accept Sri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and with that submissive spirit we can understand the Bhagavad-gita

It is not that someone has to dogmatically accept, or "believe", or "take it on faith" at all. All that is necessary is to investigate with an open mind and see where it takes you. Can a metaphysical system give useful insights and outputs in the empirical world? Srila Prabhupada obviously thought that Bhagavad-gita's metaphysic could stand on its merits, and invited readers to investigate and see for themselves.

Religious Fundamentalists:

• Don't have a superior scientific model to supplant evolutionary theory.
• Insist on attacking scientists and characterizing anyone who accepts evolutionary theory as the current best fit model on a material level as being unintelligent and ill-motivated.

Scientific Fundamentalists:

• Don't have a superior metaphysic to explain ultimate causality.
• Insist on attacking religionists and characterizing anyone with a metaphysical approach as being unintelligent and ill-motivated.

Hmmm... who's going to put down their guns first, and stop feeding ammunition to the other side?

Don't bother accusing me of seeking popularity. I refuse to compromise with either one. Currently I'm the guy being attacked from both sides — the one who is happy to work with evolutionary theory and open to considering things from a metaphysical perspective.

Word up evolution-haters!

The Theory of Evolution is a model. The way that science works is that it approximates the universe through theoretical models. Models are deemed useful when they provide a framework to explain observable phenomena, and make predictions which can be tested and (verified or falsified).

Evolution as a theory has widespread scientific support because it fulfills this role better than any current alternative.

You do not "defeat" the theory of evolution by raising objections one-by-one to different details, trying to poke holes in it. All this does is establish that it requires further investigation and more explanation. You can only defeat it by supplanting it with a theory which proves to be more powerful in explanation, prediction, and for the approval of the masses - production of concrete technologies.

Here is a comment I recently wrote to Shiva das, who through his comments has expressed a desire to supplant evolution as the dominant paradigm in modern biological science.

You have two problems that you need to overcome:

1. The fossil record shows billions of years of life, with many different species that we no longer see. We also see a clear gradation from more primitive forms to more sophisticated forms of life. There are clearly different species, and a different set of species at different historical periods.

You need to advance a model that can explain this. One is not explicit in your scripture, so you need to advance one on the basis of material science.

2. Your model, if it involves the direct action of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or aliens (extraterrestrials like "Lord Brahma" or "demigods"), will represent a break from the otherwise seamless and automated systems that we observe in physics, chemistry, and the biological processes that give rise to "variation", as you call it.

In order to establish something like that you are going to need a large amount of evidence.

Over the past 150 years science, including genetics, has served to strengthen the case of evolution through natural selection. It has made testable predictions, explained observable phenomena, and generated technologies that are in use today.

Your model will have to do the same, to a superior level.

As for me, I'm happy with the current model. It doesn't conflict with a theistic conclusion, nor does it fundamentally violate the metaphysics of the Veda, which remain metaphysics.

I'm happy to work with any prevailing material science which can be harmonized with the Vedic siddhanta. if you can establish yours I'll not complain.

-----------------------------------------------------

Areas where evolutionary theory reaches its limits are:

"What is life?"
"How does life begin?"

Like other contemporary sciences it is an analysis of intermediate manifestation, and does not address ultimate causality, which is a metaphysical issue. In these areas the Vedas have a concrete and clearly superior contribution to make.

In the area of the intermediate steps, see the above two points.

1969 March 2: "Never mind if one is Christian, Jew, or Moslem, most people are Godless and don't care for God. They simply take an official stand. They have no idea what is God."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 March 2: "One should be very careful to estimate how every moment of his life is being utilized. Save more time from this materialistic business and utilize it for Krsna's service."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1969 March 2: "We should train our disciples in such a spirit that even if the whole world is against us the Sankirtana Movement must be pushed on."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.48-49 -  Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself in the mood & complexion of Radharani

Bhagavatam class given on Monday, 2nd March, 2009

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.47 - Performing severe penances is not the way for self realization in this age.

Bhagavatam class given on Sunsay 1st March, 2009

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.46 - The key to conquer material energy is to understand that Krsna is the primary enjoyer & we are secondary.

1966 March 2 :
"Dr. Mishra gave me a pot for drinking milk. Robert brought some whole wheat flour. Cohen brought one cotton jersey for me. Thanks."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1969 March 2: "We have nothing to do with compromising with Christians or Buddhists. Our principle should be to preach Krishna Consciousness as it is spoken in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 March 2: "There are many things to criticize in any faith, and if we want to criticize we can, but it will simply increase our enemies. Better let us try to invoke the dormant transcendental emotion by chanting and dancing."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 March 2: "Maya is covering all the material energies, therefore one who is materially advanced, covered with riches, covered with learning, covered with fame or any material opulence, he is understood to be covered with Maya."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 March 2: "She may be trained to assist, but she may not conduct Arcana without being dvija. Only one who is qualified with Gayatri initiation may directly worship the Deities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1969 March 2: "We should train our disciples in such a spirit that even if the whole world is against us the Sankirtana Movement must be pushed on."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 March 2: "Never mind if one is Christian, Jew, or Moslem, most people are Godless and don't care for God. They simply take an official stand. They have no idea what is God."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 March 2: "One should be very careful to estimate how every moment of his life is being utilized. Save more time from this materialistic business and utilize it for Krsna's service."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

A devotee is not afraid of going to hell if he has the opportunity to hear the glories of the Lord constantly. This is the advantage of chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. One may be put in any condition, but God gives him the prerogative to chant Hare Krsna. In any condition of life, if one goes on chanting he will never be unhappy.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 3.15.49

The first time I went away from home was when I went to Radhadesh in 2004. At that time I had set myself a goal before leaving: I wanted that trip to be a life transforming experience for me. Due to the unlimited mercy of Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha (who will always have such a special place in my heart) and the Radhadeshvasis, that trip indeed transformed my life in a very significant way.

See, I have been lucky enough to grow up in a Krsna Consciousness family ever since I was born. But like any person who has things handed to them, I never really valued or appreciated the true gem of KC. So that trip in 2004 allowed me the greatest opportunity: to make a personal choice. Getting the opportunity to take the Bhakti sastri course, associate with devotees 24 hours a day and clarify all my doubts allowed me to "choose Krsna consciousness" for myself.

Krsna consciousness was not just a way of life anymore, it was MY way of life and the biggest priority in my life.

Similarly, before I came to Mayapur I had a goal. I wanted to take these few precious months where Krsna was allowing me to reside in his holy dham to surrender. I wanted to simply surrender to Krsna's plan. I didn't want to make my own plans, become attached to my plans or fight whatever Krsna's plan was (which is normally what I do). Instead I wanted to tell Krsna, "Krsna whatever you think is best for my spiritual life, please let it be."

As my time in Mayapur is coming to an end, I am so grateful. Krsna gave me ample opportunities to surrender. Most of the time I didn't take the opportunities but I am happy to say that I did a few times. The result of those small attempts of surrender have a left a deep impression in my heart. Krsna is there, he's listening and he's arranging things for me so expertly that I don't need to worry about anything. It is clear to me now that I don't know what is best for me. Krsna knows what is best for me.

Something a very wise devotee once said in a lecture comes to mind. "We should not be attached to the form in which things come, but the substance that is behind that form." What does this mean? We should be attached to whatever is best for our advancement in Krsna consciousness, irregardless of the form it comes in.

Years back I made the choice to make KC my way of life. But as I've come to realize, it is not a choice that you make once; it's a conscious choice that I continue to make EVERYDAY. I have only begun my attempts to surrender to Krsna's plan, but the beautiful thing about this process is that as we make the right choices and try to surrender, the process becomes sweeter and more personal.

I beg that blessings of the Vaisnavas that I can ever surrender to Krsna's plan for me.

How to live a traumatic event as an opportunity

for growth and evolution (from the preface of Psychology of the Life Cycle book)

By Matsyavatara Dasa

The three key words in psychological help to terminal patients and their family members are: Welcoming, Assisting, Accompanying.

Welcoming means to make oneself available to the person, by opening one’s arms as well as one’s heart and mind.

Assisting means to operate gently, remaining always open to empathy, listening to the needs and the mentality of the person.

Accompanying means to walk by the person’s side rather than in front, sometimes even walking behind in humility and love, to encourage his or her progress. Accompanying is to gently coax the person towards his destination, with kindness and warmth, empathy, compassion and generosity.

In this book we will not discuss the case of patients who can recover to a state of physical health. We will rather focus on the assistance to patients in their terminal stage, from the perspective of the Bhakti-Vedanta psychology¹ that is certainly extremely valuable for the Western world, too. Our approach is holistic, free from the defect of fragmentation between medicine, psychology and spirituality.

I have been studying psychology for over 30 years, achieving specializations and exploring various Schools of thought, with particular attention to the classical Indian civilization, that created a very advanced Science of health (Ayurveda) and an important School of psychology (Upanishads, Vedanta, Bhagavad gita, Yogasutra and Puranas), very likely the first in the history of mankind.

This civilization, considered by many as the original culture of the world, is based on the Vedas, the most ancient texts known to mankind, universally appreciated and recognized by many as an authoritative source of physical and metaphysical knowledge, unifying the sciences of matter and spirit. This ancient knowledge, several thousands of years old, has been preserved, transmitted and renewed in time through the exegetic work of the various traditional Schools, and today it is highly respected in the West, too, amid a growing academic and scientific interest. It expresses a mature vision, characterized by advanced discoveries in the various fields such as medicine, philosophy, psychology, sociology, astronomy, mathematics, etc. It also offers surprisingly modern information and therapies that integrate the most cutting edge discoveries of contemporary science.

The Bhakti-Vedanta tradition offers information and methods that heal the individual on a global level, in all his/her anthropological aspects: physical, psychological and spiritual, substantially and effectively helping the development and the harmonious integration of personality, the tuning of the subconscious elements with the ego and the self. It offers an integrated, profitable and totally satisfying connection between sentiments and thoughts, intuition and reason, deep subconscious issues and operative rationality, up to the concrete and global experience of the visualization of the higher levels of reality (the self consciousness).

We will study the issue of terminal disease by considering not only the physical instrument (the body) but especially the psychological instrument, and the emotional blockages, guilt complexes and depressive states that often afflict those who are facing such an important step. We will also study the spiritual aspect not in an abstract, but with applications in the immanent reality of the individual.

Thus we will approach the person on an integrated way, in a wide and global perspective, including the rituals of physical and spiritual preparation to the transition, and the psychological needs of the patient to prepare for the “journey” of the soul after death.

The phenomena of birth and death have been analyzed by some great minds of the ancient and modern Western civilization:

“So-called birth is merely an old thing that takes a new form and clothing... The soul is always the same, only the form is lost”.

Ovid

"The doctrine of metempsychosis is neither absurd nor useless... Being born twice is not more astounding than only once".

Voltaire (1694-1778)

“Not the flesh is real – it is the soul that is real. The flesh is but ashes. The soul is the flame.”

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

“The actions in previous lifetimes give the direction to the present lifetime.”

“The dreams of our present existence are the environment where we elaborate the impressions, the thoughts and sentiments of a previous lifetime...”

Lev Tolstoy (1828-1910)

“And calculating your life, you are the residue of many deaths....”

Walt Whitman (New York 1819-1892)

“I have no difficulty imagining that I have already lived through past centuries, and pondered over questions I was unable to answer. Therefore I had to be reborn because I had not been able to complete the task I had received”.

C. G. Jung (1875-1961)

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Ph. D. in medicine and specialized in psychiatry, wrote several books about her experiences with terminal patients in hospitals. As we see in some of her most intense and moving pages, death is nothing but a sublime and sweet passage, and everyone of us can experience it in that way, leaving behind all regrets for this earthly life, the fear of detachment from loved ones, and the unknown that is waiting for us Beyond.

Brian Weiss, American psychiatrist, he is famous for his accounts of the amazing stories of his patients’ previous lifetimes, reconstructed by regression therapy. He uses techniques of spiritual psychotherapy to help the healing at physical, emotional and spiritual levels.

Raymond A. Moody, jr., American philosopher, physician and psychiatrist, studied Philosophy at the Virginia University, where he graduated in 1969. After teaching Ethics, Logics and Philosophy for three years at the North Carolina University, he started to study medicine and graduated at the Georgia Medical College. In 1975 he wrote a very famous book, “Life After Life”. Before him only Elizabeth Kubler Ross had presented the topic is a similarly rigorous way, sticking to simple experience as much as possible.

In the Bhakti-Vedanta tradition each science is considered as closely interconnected with all the other disciplines in an organic project of training and therapy. In this context, it aims at a larger vision of man and the world, necessary to develop a balanced and deeply conscious life.

Our discussion will not be a mere abstract description, detached from the personal character of the expounder and of those who may be using it. Above all, we want to offer a concrete perspective on life, and the best effect will be obtained when our suggestions will be received in the spirit of broadening one’s awareness through theoretical and practical learning.

We will discuss Bhakti-Vedanta psychology with comparisons and connections to Western psychology, and propose instruments for a better awareness which can help our daily practice and as well as the cure, assistance and accompanying of terminal patients. Not only for the patients’ benefit, but also for our own benefit: amazingly, the lessons on the subject of death are extraordinarily useful for personal development at large. In our case, success is death in a state of psychological well-being.

It is rightly said that, when teaching is done seriously, with competence and love, the teacher will learn and grow as much as the student. Similarly, one who assists and accompanies a dying person will have the opportunity to live an extraordinary experience of personal growth. Indeed, we cannot understand or plan life if we have not understood death.

Mrdanga Presentation.  Check out the competition at the end.

Houston, TX
2009-01-03

(…continued from Part 1)

Pandavas Paradise is a 400 hectare (almost 1000 acres) retreat centre/nature reserve/temple situated in the Cerrado, the vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil. The Cerrado is known as the world´s most biodiverse savanna with about 10,000 different species of vascular plants, over 160 mammal species, 867 bird species, thousands of species of butterfly, and much more. Of course, the Cerrado covers a huge area (about 2 million square kilometers) and not all of those species of plant and animal species exist in Pandavas Paradise, but the huge biodiversity is obvious. It is estimated that in each hectare of Cerrado you will find about 400 different species of plants. Every time I visit I find so many new plants and animals that I hadn´t seen before. Everywhere I look I see so many different species living side by side. It gives me great opportunity to wonder at Krishna´s creation, and remember that this is just a spark of his splendor.

In Pandavas Paradise we have a lot of field arnica (the Cerrado endemic, Lychnophora ericoides, not the other arnica):

We pick some and use it to make tea. It is used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory. The bees like it too when it is in bloom:

Here are just a few of the other interesting species I photographed during a recent visit as I walked around the various trails:

This frog was sitting on the deck outside our chalet:

“…the most alluring illusory material energy is His smile. This great ocean of material creation is but the casting of His glance over us.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.31)

Pandavas Paradise has only been operational for three years and, for now, it is mainly used for retreats and festivals . I will write more later about how we plan to develop its other aspects – a bigger temple and a devotional community.

Listen to my croissants shatter.

There were some good questions also... a devotee asked if it's ok to chant even if you are commiting sinful activities or should we stop chanting japa. The answer was that we can never stop chanting and try our best to avoid unfavourable things in spiritual life. The most important advice is to continue chanting with attention, hearing the mantra and the purifying effects will certainly come and we will easily lose attraction for the lower taste...its simple and easy, but one needs to take it seriously.
A great inspiration for me was the question Advaita made in the Japa room - he asked how can he inspire others to chant the holy names... what can he do. The reply was the if he shows by example being a nice devotee and also making advancement others will for sure be interested in japa.
I have to tell you a secret...watching today the Maha abhiseka video of the Pancha Tattva Deities in Mayapur made me cry- I have never seen such wonderful Deities. Their standard is so high and I felt like being there...wow so blessed are the devotees who were bathing them. Gauura Purnima is coming and also this month my Gaura Nitai Deities are coming from Mayapur.

If one is serious about going back home, back to Godhead, he must consider the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead the summum bonum and chief aim of life. If he is a father instructing his sons, a spiritual master instructing his disciples, or a king instructing his citizens, he must instruct them. Without being angry, he should continue giving instructions, even if his disciple, son or citizen is sometimes unable to follow his order. Ignorant people who engage in pious and impious activities should be engaged in devotional service by all means. They should always avoid fruitive activity. If one puts into the bondage of karmic activity his disciple, son or citizen who is bereft of transcendental vision, how will one profit? It is like leading a blind man to a dark well and causing him to fall in.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 5 Chapter 5 Verse 14

Krishna Priya dd was born and grew up in the doomed village Schmiegl in eastern Poland. There had been a hospital where thousands of people had left their bodies, infesting the village with ghosts. In the neighboring house to where Krishna Priya lived, a woman was constantly calling them up. As a result, her mother became haunted, her father was an alcohol addict. As a result, Krishna Priya from the early age of 7 started maintaining the family and doing the household at the same time. On the way to school children often threw stones at her. But she always took shelter of Mother Mary and Lord Jesus, spending hours in the local church, and was blessed with Their reciprocation.

At age 17 she moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where she promptly married and kept on working hard, wearing out her body. She bore a child, which was heavily invalid, especially mentally retarded. It was greatly aggressive from the beginning and often bit its own mother, as she carried her down the stairs, day by day. When it reached the age of eleven, it showed its mother the first affection. Due to the handicap, the child as it grew up continuously frequently passed liquid stool in its dipers, sometimes 4 times in a row as if to tease the mother, who had to change them and clean the child.

Krishna Priya, who was in close touch with the Lord, met the devotees of Krishna first when her child was about 13. Soon after her husband passed away. As a widow and single mother, she now dedicated herself more and more to Krsna consciousness. Upon receiving Bg she just read through the night profusely shedding tears, as all this information had been known to her since her childhood, but everybody considering her crazy she had been compelled to hide her understanding for herself.

Her first action was buying heaps of these books and rushing onto the street to distribute them to everyone in Antwerp. But the time was not ripe, Krishna made her understand, after she had come home crying, because nobody wanted a book. Soon after, however, mataji started distributing sweetballs and books on a daily basis on the street, and single-handedly run a weekly nama hatta program, besides serving countless Deities, who come to her one after another.

She has always prayed to suffer for others. Presently she is recovering from a heavy hip operation and is in constant pain. But her consciousness is with opening a big temple in Antwerp for expanding the preaching. Her courageous, complaintless suffering in itself is major preaching work to all the devotees.

Janmastami dasa, Antwerp, Belgium

It's taken a lot of energy to get everything out of the Albert St studio and bring the facility to the condition that the landlord wants. He has a $17k bond that I need to get back - I borrowed the money and need to pay it back.

In one week Param satya and Prem Yogi have gotten the place together at 40 Glenrosa Rd to continue the community. On Saturday we had our first Krishnafest. It was also a welcome back for Prem, who just got back from Mayapura, and a going away for Acyuta Bhava, who is going to help at The Loft in Auckland, New Zealand. We had 19 people for that.

Tonight we had our first yoga class. One person came - Ian, who lives in the next suburb and usually comes to atma on Mondays. Vinita came over to help out. We took prasadam and discussed Bhagavatam and science.

I took some photos of the place this evening, afterwards.

For the last three years we haven't had any chairs, now suddenly we have 16.

The dry bhoga (ingredients) used to live in a cabinet outside Govindas. Now they are in our kitchen.

Wow! This used to be my bedroom. Prahlad and I slept on the floor in here with a bookshelf and a table. Now it's a lounge for discussions and chilling out.

That's the guitar that Clemens left me. I've left it there for kirtan.

The entrance. Prem says it's "Zen".

Blankets and straps.

I shot some more, but they are still uploading from my phone.. maybe tomorrow.

Kurma Rupa dasa: Our March 2009 Care for Cows Newsletter has been posted. Please review it at your earliest convenience.

Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama started on 28th February. 1500 devotees have registered for Parikrama. On 27th February, parikrama devotees went on harinam procession to Janmastan and took a vow to perform Sri Navadwipa Mandala Parikrama.

On the first day, parikrama party set out in boats from Prabhupada Ghat to Pancanantala, Nrismhapally and halted for the day at Harihara Kshetra.

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With the blessings of Guru and Gauranga, I was able to make my maiden visit to Sridham Mayapur with my wife Santhini Swaropa DD along with other devotees of Shyamadesh.

It was an excellent, wonderful experience i underwent during our short stay of 4 days and was in full ecstatic mood throughout the period.

When most of the world leaders are talking and struggling to make one

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Yesterday was our second sleepover/ mangal arati program. The experience can be nicely summarized as: "According to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu the preaching activities of the Krsna consciousness movement are anandambudhi-vardhanam, the ever-increasing ocean of bliss.
[SB 11.3.23] When I reached the temple at 4am I was happy to see that all the ladies had voluntarily put on saries and tilak. As the pictures reveal, they looked absolutely fabulous.

After all the dancing at mangal arati, at tulasi arati the devotees could not keep their feet on the ground as the ecstasy increased. Note in the picture below that the women also danced gracefully. The sleepover brings great joy to their parents also. Bhaktin Parijata told me that her mother can't stop asking her what she learnt at the temple. Others remarked that their parents are so happy that they have choosen a drug free path. They feel that the Krishna conscious movement is protecting their children from the vices of this world. All glories to Srila Prabhupada's teachings!!!

Bhakta Nitai who is pictured below chanting in dhoti and tilak has had his entire life transformed in a week since the program last Sunday. He managed to complete his tilak in time this Sunday and wear a dhoti and be punctual for mangal arati! He chants very clearly and is so inspiring. Last Sunday was his first encounter with japa. He chants the entire japa period from 5.30am to 7am sitting in one spot! All glories to Srila Prabhupada's touchstone process that he so mercifully gave to us even here in the southern tip of Africa.

In the group photo featured below are the blissful faces of those who attended mangal arati. During the week Nrsimhananda Prabhu, my husband who is kneeling closest to Srimati Tulasi devi and has been receiving SMS's from these devotees saying that they can't wait for the next program!! How attractive Krishna consciousness is that once tasting it so much of transcendental greed developes.

Date: February 26, 2009
Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.24.12
Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami

brahmovaca tvaya me 'pacitis tata kalpita nirvyalikatah
yan me sanjagrhe vakyam bhavan manada manayan

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Krisna-völgy a lelki élet oázisa, de emellett Somogy megye egyik legfontosabb és leglátogatottabb turisztikai látványossága. A vendégek már a kezdetektől fogva elkezdtek látogatni bennünket. Később ezen a vonalon alakult ki a turisztikai osztályunk, és mostmár  évente  30 000 vendég látogat el hozzánk.

A leghatékonyabb hirdetési módszer az, ha az emberek az ismerőseiknek adják át egy hely jóhírét, és ez nálunk elég hatékonyan működik. De ezek mellett sokféle, általánosan bevált hirdetési módszert is alkalmazunk. Ennek egyik példája az, hogy rendszeresen kint vagyunk az BNV területén évente megrendezett “Utazás” turisztikai kiállításon, ahol 65,000 látogató szokott részt venni. Az idén saját standunk van. Itt néhány kedves barátom szervezi a megjelenésünket. Mivel szívemhez közel áll a farm turizmusa (és még szerveztem is néhány éven át), ezért vasárnap kilátogattam a rendezvényre. Az erkölcsi támogatás mellett hasznomat is vették, hiszen felvettem néhány videó snittet, amit a későbbiek folyamán használhatunk.

A kiállításon továbbra is divatos a wellness, kezd jobban előtérbe kerülni a kézműves foglalkozásokat is bemutató programok. Idén komolyan hirdették a Magyarországi, belföldi turizmust: “Itthon láss csodát!” szlogennel. A kampány másik eleme pedig a kulturális turizmus volt, amely nem csak a helyek látogasát volt hivatott hirdetni, hanem a helyszíneken zajló színes, kulturális programokat is.

Összességében egy jó kiállítás volt. Reméljük sok látogatónak keltettük fel az érdeklődését és sokakat vendégeinkként láthatunk majd közülük.

God's mercy is greater than God's law. -- Bhakti-tirtha swami

“At first I couldn’t believe it,” said Rijidatma Dasa. “The books, yes. But who would ever think the BBT would start monkeying with the Vaishnava Calendar?”

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madhuram

Our entire global society is in a perilous state because we have based our economic system on cheap petroleum and ever-increasing sense gratification. With the tremendous current crisis of economic recession, water and air pollution, global warming, and gargantuan masses of garbage accumulating all over the planet both in the ocean and on the land--we...

I’ll begin this with a prayer because it is about prayer: “My dear Lord Krishna, You are the Supersoul in everyone’s heart. From you come knowledge, remembrance, and forgetfulness. You are the well-wishing friend of every living entity. Thank You for kindly engaging me in this work. Please guide me so that my writing may be [...]

Today's Sunday Feast recording can be viewed by clicking the image below.

As a reminder, the recordings from our weekly live web broadcasts are stored on our new ISKCON Toronto Video Archive Blog.

1966 March 1:
"Received letter from Secretary of Indian Prime Minister. Disappointing. Saw the India office and Mr. L. L. Mehotra for extention passport. Still hopeful."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 March 1: "This Maya will attack the body always, because the body itself is the source of all troubles. If anyone wants real happiness, he has to get out of the entanglements of this material body."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 1: "The real thing is that you are feeling alone, and because you are so to say, child, you have become nervous. Otherwise for a preacher there is no difficulty anywhere, irrespective of climate and conditions."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 1: "I was staying in Radha Damodara Temple in my room by closing the door, making it complete dark and running on the fan. I was never in trouble. So if one is determined to stay, things could be adjusted."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 1: "If we call for you and a party of nice kirtana singers, it means rupees 100,000. I am therefore training local boys and girls for kirtana and very soon we shall be out on world tour with this kirtana party."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 March 1: "Maintain to the highest standard and do not neglect for anything - rising early, cleansing, reading books, chanting, street Sankirtana, deity worship - then everything we try for will come out successful without fail."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 March 1: "Flood this famous seat of learning with our books and literatures. If we can convince the intelligent class of men of our Krishna philosophy then our success for changing the world is assured."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 March 1: "Instruct him to be always pure or suci. One's actions are not pure until the body is pure. By stressing all kinds of cleanliness habits, eventually one can become qualified to meet God face to face."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

For a change the few of us that live in the Welsh Valleys took a trip to Cardiff to the home of Yugala and Tina, here are some of the pictures           The class was given from the following verse: TRANSLATION I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, [...]

Krsna is the Absolute Truth because, unlike relative truth, He is Truth in all the three phases of eternal time. Time is divided into past, present and future. Krsna is Truth always -- past, present and future. In the material world everything is being controlled by supreme time, in the course of past, present and future. But before the creation, Krsna was existing, and when there is creation, everything is resting in Krsna, and when this creation is finished, Krsna will remain. Therefore, He is the Absolute Truth in all circumstances. If there is any truth within this material world, it emanates from the Supreme Truth, Krsna. If there is any opulence within this material world, the cause of the opulence is Krsna. If there is any reputation within this material world, the cause of the reputation is Krsna. If there is any strength within this material world, the cause of such strength is Krsna. If there is any wisdom and education within this material world, the cause of such wisdom and education is Krsna. Therefore Krsna is the source of all relative truths.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => KB 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb

Sunday 1st March, 2009.

1966 March 1:
"Received letter from Secretary of Indian Prime Minister. Disappointing. Saw the India office and Mr. L. L. Mehotra for extention passport. Still hopeful."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 March 1: "This Maya will attack the body always, because the body itself is the source of all troubles. If anyone wants real happiness, he has to get out of the entanglements of this material body."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 1: "The real thing is that you are feeling alone, and because you are so to say, child, you have become nervous. Otherwise for a preacher there is no difficulty anywhere, irrespective of climate and conditions."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 1: "I was staying in Radha Damodara Temple in my room by closing the door, making it complete dark and running on the fan. I was never in trouble. So if one is determined to stay, things could be adjusted."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 March 1: "If we call for you and a party of nice kirtana singers, it means rupees 100,000. I am therefore training local boys and girls for kirtana and very soon we shall be out on world tour with this kirtana party."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 March 1: "Maintain to the highest standard and do not neglect for anything - rising early, cleansing, reading books, chanting, street Sankirtana, deity worship - then everything we try for will come out successful without fail."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 March 1: "Flood this famous seat of learning with our books and literatures. If we can convince the intelligent class of men of our Krishna philosophy then our success for changing the world is assured."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 March 1: "Instruct him to be always pure or suci. One's actions are not pure until the body is pure. By stressing all kinds of cleanliness habits, eventually one can become qualified to meet God face to face."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

In this nice video Bada Haridas prabhu talks about the importance of using Japa beads and a bead bag.