Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 8
By Krishna-kripa das
(April 2009, part two)
Jacksonville, London, Radhadesh, Amsterdam
(Sent from Simhacalam, Germany, on 5/8/09)

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

For three months I had practically no time to write this journal or answer questions for Krishna.com. What did I do? I lived in at the Gainesville Krishna House, where a number of students, both American and Indian, are beginning to take the practice of Krishna consciousness very seriously, several studying Prabhupada's books together both morning and evening. We had evening programs that always went late three nights a week, a two-hour harinama Wednesday at the Farmer's Market and a harinama in the downtown Friday night where the bars and restaurants are. I thought of eliminating the late night harinama, but three people had come to visit the temple as a result and had good experiences, some coming back, so I was reluctant to stop it. Two weekends and one weekday a month I went to Tallahassee to assist in the outreach there, mostly by doing harinama and giving lectures. I couldn't write with my laptop enroute as it was so flaky I was unwilling to invest in a new battery for it. When I didn't spend the weekend in Tallahassee, I spent hours in Alachua with a fellow assistant of Sadaputa Prabhu's, Sthita-dhi Muni, in looking through Sadaputa's materials to preserve and ultimately share them. We came across a script for a video called "The End of Physics" and a partial manuscript for a book called The Roots of Genius. It was spooky to see my handwriting on some of the documents in the files. There were whole articles I had typeset for him, and then forgotten about. It seemed so long ago, like another life. Reviewing the material, I was reminded of his genius, his talent, and his hard work. I have no regrets about that service, other than I really did not take advantage enough of his association. Both Drutakarma and Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhus became scholars as a result of his association, and I remained but a proofreader of publications. The good thing is that it doesn't matter what you do for Krishna, as long as you work for Him. That is my only solace.

Now by the grace of Brahmatirtha Prabhu and Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, I have a computer so I can write while traveling. I shall try to share the high points of the last three months, going into detail on other journal entries.

The happiest thing for me is to see young people taking the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy name more and more seriously, especially with a little or no encouragement. One time Bhakta Tim had explained how he had too much schoolwork to come on harinama. He walked with us to the car, to wish us well as we were leaving. As the door between us closed, I smiled, and said, "See you there!" Amazingly enough, despite his previous protestations of being too busy, he came out and had a great time.

Once I spent half an hour trying to encourage Bhaktin Jena to go chant with us at the Tallahassee Rainbow Gathering. At least a couple times during the conversation, she even said she would not go. As it turned out, she did finally go, bringing her guitar and ukulele to play along. She had a great time and was glad she came. I see in these examples the power of the holy name to attract people out of their humdrum material life and give them a higher taste. Now that many of the old-timers are leaving their bodies for new ones, it is heartening to see the young people are becoming more and more attracted, and so the movement will go on. Our Gainesville evening programs have such lively kirtanas that once when the lecture went an hour and twenty minutes, the lecturer tried to forgo the kirtana and go straight to prasadam, but the congregation refused to agree. The lecturer offered a ten minute kirtana, but the devotees kept going twenty minutes or more. Once in Tallahassee I had a party of five to chant at the local downtown park, Lake Ella. All were uninitiated devotees who had a taste to chant. During spring break, Tim and Kelly each drove me two hours to Jacksonville to chant at the campus there, and on the weekend they and some college-aged friends went to the beach in St. Augustine and chanted bhajans much of the time. This all reminds me that the interest in the Hare Krishna mantra among the youth is not just a 1960s phenomenon but the spiritual inclination of the soul shining through his/her coverings of ignorant darkness and thus we should give people all facility to gain such attraction.

Enroute to Europe

Enroute to Europe, while waiting in Jacksonville airport for Jet Blue's afternoon flight, having missed the morning one at an expense of $40, I had the good fortune of meeting Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami who was just arriving, and who in his usual jovial mood firmly embraced me with affection. He told me about his latest innovative outreach strategy—to enthuse householder devotees to grow vegetables and fruits for Krishna. It gives them something practical to do that gives a good result, and can inspire them further in Vedic culture and Krishna consciousness. Every little bit of land can be utilized for such gardening, even the roof of buildings. You can grow potatoes in the rings of old tires, stacked one above the other, and at the end of the growing season harvest the potatoes simply by removing the tires.

The Jet Blue flight to JFK was an hour late, and I arrived at the gate designated for my Delta London flight twenty minutes after it was scheduled to depart. I was the last person to board, and I apologized but the stewardesses said not to worry.

London

When I arrived in London, my customs officer turned out to be a Brahmin who got a masters degree in Sanskrit from Punjab University. I told him I was here to give a few lectures on Bhagavad-gita, and then go on to Amsterdam. He asked if I knew Sanskrit. I said I knew a few words and quoted Bhagavad-gita 4.9. He chants the Hanuman Chalisa and other prayers at 3:30 a.m. every morning. I suggested that he become a preacher as he was a Brahmin but he did not reply. He was aware of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and when I said I would speak on Gadadhara Pandit, he said that he was not a mortal. I replied affirmatively saying, "All the principle associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were liberated souls." I invited him to come to our temple at 10 Soho Street. He said he rarely comes but that his wife comes there almost every day. Because of my inviting him, he said he might come. It is nice to connect with people who have a connection with Krishna.

Harinama in London was great as usual. The day I arrived we had a party of nine devotees and Krishna blessed us with a rare sunny afternoon. One girl joined us midday, dancing as enthusiastically as the other devotees for at least half the harinama. Turns out she had seen the devotees in her homeland of Poland and she does Indian dance professionally so for her to join us and participate was natural.

On Saturday, I joined the "weekend warrior" party who went to Kensington and set up with sit down kirtana, prasadam, and book distribution. They were mostly new devotees, so I got lots of opportunity to play my harmonium tunes. After that, we stopped half an hour from the temple on the way home, and chanted harinama the rest of the way. Later to top of the day, we had the famous Saturday night downtown harinama. Many people danced with us. I distributed invitations to those who smiled, danced, or took pictures of our party. Once I gave a flyer to three teenaged girls who were approaching our party with great curiosity. I told them, "Don't repress your natural urge to dance." Two of them gave their belongings to the third for safekeeping and joined the female kirtana dancers with great delight. Another time I encouraged a couple in their thirties who were dancing with each other, amidst the kirtana dancers. I praised their dancing, and they continued another ten minutes before remembering their planned evening engagement, and leaving with invitation in hand. My realization is that a few positive words can really increase a person's participation in devotional service.

In London I was reminded of the smallness of our Hare Krishna world when, one day, four different devotees came up to me and reminded me of my previous connection with them—one girl from Finland, one boy from Slovakia, and two boys who visited Alachua.

On the flight from London to Amsterdam, I happened to sit with an Indian student who is just becoming interested in Hare Krishna. He had read Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers and was beginning Science of Self-Realization. He was going to Amsterdam to visit some friend who had invited him for Queen's Day. I gave him a copy of my BTG with the article on last year's devotee participation in the event, and he was grateful. I hoped to see him there, but I think his association with friends that were not devotionally inclined kept him from meeting up with the devotees during his brief visit to Amsterdam.

Wise Words

Kadambda Kanana Swami's Vyasa Puja was a nice event. He gave a couple of lectures that day that I attended. Here are some of his realizations:

The secret of Krishna consciousness is to remain always inspired. We must fix our mind on Krishna, not just for some time, but at every moment. We must create a culture where this constant remembrance of Krishna goes on.

It is said a pure devotee of Lord Caitanya can deliver the universe. In Srila Prabhupada, we can see how it is possible. We are here by the devotees' mercy.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura said that the kirtanas of Lord Caitanya and His associates are still going on at Srivasa Angam and some can hear while others cannot. Those who cannot can hear them through the scripture, and then there is no different between the two groups.

This movement is compared to waves. Different groups appear from time to time and play key roles.

Always make sure our roots are strong. See what Srila Prabhupada valued and make sure we are doing that.

This movement is flooding the entire world, and yet it is simply moving from one person to another.

Q: How can I not be proud of what you [as my guru] have been able to do through me?

A: Just look at how much more devotees like Vishnujana Swami and Jayananda Prabhu were able to do. And look at Srila Prabhupada himself.

The spiritual master is always present, even if he doesn't always answer our emails.

It makes me feel like a failure as a guru that a disciple wound up in jail. As far as disciples disobeying the order of the guru is concerned, I simply ask that they are honest with me. In this way, things will not get completely out of hand.

Suhotra Swami would practically never argue on the basis of his being a GBC or temple president. He would argue philosophically. Suhotra Swami could not tolerate compromise. He was a sadhu, a man of truth.

To think we are mercy cases is actually good, especially if we aspire to repay the guru, but still, the chanting of the daily sixteen rounds and following the four principles is good enough.

I want you to utilize your nature and capacity in Krishna's service. I look for maturity, sadhana [spiritual practice], and doing something for the mission. If you need ideas, I have them.

As a youth, I vowed never to follow any authority, other than my own. I was depressed, and encountering Srila Prabhupada, I agreed to surrender to him, but to surrender to the different leaders of his movement, was another thing. But I was able to because I was not willing to let temporary, insignificant things, get in the way of attaining Srila Prabhupada's mercy.

Everything is parampara [the line of spiritual predecessors]. That is the essence. I am simply trying to follow the parampara.

Lord Caitanya promised his followers who chanted 64 rounds they would attain Krishna. Srila Prabhupada reduced it to 16 rounds and four rules. Can those who recommend four rounds really promise their followers that they will go back to Godhead?

Spiritual life is more than choosing a service or accepting one chosen by the spiritual master. Our natural inclinations will become obvious in the course of time. Anyone who is a natural book distributor should try to do it as long as possible without being disturbed by asrama or other external considerations.

I will tolerate all kicks from any cow that gives milk.

Do something special in acara [behavior] and pracara [enlightening others] and get some special mercy.

Notes on Vyasa Puja offerings:

Mayapur Chandrodaya Prabhu mentioned that although he played the role of his guru's personal servant and that others were also eager to serve him, his guru always made sure there were proper accommodations for his personal servant.

One lady, I didn't know, mentioned how hearing the realizations of the other disciples brings us closer to the guru.

The feast was so extensive that if you took all you felt like, your body could not handle it, so it was a test of my self-control. There were several desserts including the treasured gulabjamons.

Queen's Day

Queen's Day was bigger both in terms of participation by the general populace and by the devotees. Apparently there was an attack on the royal family which prompted the government to cancel all the festivities in cities other than Amsterdam, so everyone went to Amsterdam to celebrate. Kadamba Kanana Swami had his Vyasa Puja festival at Radhadesh, just under four hours away, so he would get more people to participate, and the strategy worked. There must have been at least a hundred and fifty devotees taking part, at least seventy more than last year. Maharaja thanked me for the BTG [March/April 2009] article on last year's event, saying that now half the devotees in South Africa want to come to Amsterdam for Queen's Day!

Our chanting party lasted seven and a half hours, two hours sitting at our booth, and the rest during two harinamas through the streets, before and after our lunch and rest break. In the beginning at least twenty people joined in dancing with us, becoming part of a 'snake' of dancers winding through the crowd, and they all appeared very happy to take part. [Click here for video.] While at our booth, I would dance at the side of the entrance, offering invitations to those who took pictures, smiled, or stopped to look. [Click here for video.] One pair of college girls watched for a while, and taking an invitation, one began chanting the mantra along with us. I informed her about the prasadam, the books, and the temple nearest her. She was interested in other cultures and had a special interest in India. For more videos on the Hare Krishna participation in Queen's Day 2009, click here.

naham tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam hridayesu va
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah
tatra tisthami narada

"Lord Krishna told Narada, 'I am not situated in the spiritual world Vaikuntha, nor am I in the hearts of the yogis, but you will find me, O Narada, wherever My devotees are chanting my glories.'" --Padma Purana

Next on to Antwerp, Munich, the German Nrsimha farm (Simhacalam), and more.

Dear devotees.

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We were on travelling sankirtana in a small town nearby Helsinki. Before beginning a day I always chant one round extra. After chanting I saw a fat lady walking on the street.

I opened the conversation by saying: ÒDear Madam, we are looking for aristocratic people in this town today. I must say you look exactly like the Queen.Ó (This is one of the mantras I use while distributing Teachings of Queen Kunti.)

To my surprise she replied: ÒHow did you know I am related to the Queen. My son was elected the Drag Queen if Finland 2008.Ó

I put two books (TQK and Caitanya-caritamrta) in her hands. She accepted them and started telling the story of her life. I thought her life had a little semblance to that of Queen Kunti, i.e. she had gone through many difficulties, and she was raising her children alone. She mainly spoke about the special children she had.

Her elder son was the Drag Queen, a man who dresses as a woman. He was a regular face in the TV, in charge of a late-night music program. He was earning nicely (over 100 an hour by doing that job).

Her younger son was just ten years. He had some neurological disease called the Asperger syndrome. This means he is very introverted, but still very intelligent. She told every now and then her son would become interested about something and become totally absorbed in it. In my heart I was praying to Krsna he would some day become interested about Krsna consciousness in this way.

She was an extremely softhearted lady and eventually she took both the books, although she had very little money.

Later that day she had phoned the temple. She was in happy moods and said she had already read some of the books. She was wondering how on earth I could have known she was related to the Queen. She asked whether our monks have mystic powers. Our temple president Tattvavada Prabhu replied it is not something mystical. It is a matter of understanding oneÕs relationship with God. When we know our relationship with Krsna, we can also know something about the other living entities as well.

Your servant, Avadhutacandra das (Text D:562199) --------------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

TRANSLATION

In this way, my Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being,
an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish, or a tortoise, thus maintaining
the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac
principles. According to the age, O my Lord, You protect the principles of
religion. In the age of Kali, however, You do not assert Yourself as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore You are known as Triyuga, or
the Lord who appears in three yugas.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As the Lord appeared just to maintain Lord Brahma from the attack of Madhu
and Kaitabha, He also appeared to protect the great devotee Prahlada
Maharaja. Similarly, Lord Caitanya appeared in order to protect the fallen
souls of Kali-yuga. There are four yugas, or millenniums–Satya, Treta,
Dvapara, and Kali. In all the yugas but Kali-yuga, the Lord appears in
various incarnations and asserts Himself as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, but although Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who appears in
Kali-yuga, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He never asserted Himself
as such. On the contrary, whenever Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was addressed as
being as good as Krsna, He blocked His ears with His hands, denying His
identity with Krsna, because He was playing the part of a devotee. Lord
Caitanya knew that in Kali-yuga there would be many bogus incarnations
pretending to be God, and therefore He avoided asserting Himself as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is accepted as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, in many Vedic literatures,
especially in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.32):

krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi sumedhasah

In Kali-yuga, intelligent men worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in
the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is always accompanied by His
associates such as Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, and Srivasa. The entire
Krsna consciousness movement is based on the principles of the sankirtana
movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore one who tries to
understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the medium of the
sankirtana movement knows everything perfectly. He is sumedhas, a person
with substantial intelligence.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We have gathered on the auspicious occasion of Sri Nrsimha-caturdasi to
celebrate the appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva. In his Dasavatara-stotra (4)
Srila Jayadeva Gosvami sings,

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam
dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam
kesava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

“O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of
half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp
between one’s fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasplike demon
Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your
beautiful lotus hands.” In every verse of his poem, Jayadeva glorifies
Kesava, Krsna, who appears as different avataras, including the avatara of
Nrsimhadeva. This means that Kesava, or Krsna, is the origin and that all
the other incarnations expand from Him.

In fact, Krsna is the origin of everything, as He states in the
Bhagavad-gita (10.8),
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: “I am the source of all
spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.” Spiritually, He
is the origin not only of the various expansions on the spiritual planets
but also of the Lord within the hearts of the living entities (Paramatma)
and of Brahman, the impersonal brahmajyoti, the spiritual light that
pervades the spiritual sky.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual
substance Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan.” (SB 1.2.11) Different categories
of transcendentalists aspire to realize different features of the Absolute
Truth: the jnanis try to realize the Brahman feature; the yogis, the
Paramatma feature; and the devotees, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.

Most people are not transcendentalists at all. They are materialists,
fruitive workers, called karmis, who engage in fruitive activities with the
desire to enjoy the material world. They are very attached to the body. They
identify with the body, and they work to gratify the senses of the body.
Prahlada Maharaja’s father, Hiranyakasipu, was such a materialist, very
attached to the body and to household life. His very name, Hiranyakasipu,
suggests the two goals of materialistic people. Hiranya means
“gold”–wealth. Everybody wants wealth. And kasipu means “soft cushion” or
“bed.” Everybody wants to enjoy sense gratification. That is why they work
so hard–to enjoy material comforts and sense gratification, which for them
culminates in sex enjoyment.

Most people are karmis. They want to enjoy the material world. And even if
they perform pious activities, their ultimate goal is to enjoy material
facilities, either in this life or the next. They have no idea of the actual
goal of life, as Prahlada Maharaja explained to his father: na te viduh
svartha-gatim hi visnum–people do not know that the goal of life is to
serve Visnu, or Krsna, and go back home, back to Godhead. Rather, they
pursue material happiness in what is compared to a blind well (andha-kupam).
People are trying to find happiness in the material world. In their pursuit
of happiness, they stumble and fall into a blind well where there is no
water but there are often snakes and scorpions.

And they cannot get out on their own. When Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada how
he had become Krsna conscious even though his father and teachers had raised
him to be a materialist, Prahlada replied that one cannot become Krsna
conscious by one’s own endeavor, by the endeavors of others, or by the
combined efforts of oneself and others, by having big meetings and passing
resolutions.

matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho ‘bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam

“Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic
life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which
has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Krsna are never aroused,
either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a
combination of both.” (SB 7.5.30)

We are in a most precarious position in the andha-kupam, the blind well of
material existence, and have almost no hope of deliverance. Still, there is
one hope, as Prahlada says: mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam niskincananam na
vrnita yavat–unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee
of the Lord upon his head, he cannot become freed from the unwanted miseries
of material existence.

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat

“Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a
Vaisnava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much
inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of
the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming
Krsna conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way
can one be freed from material contamination.” (SB 7.5.32)

Anartha. Artha means “that which is desired,” and anartha means “that which
is not wanted.” The basic principle of anartha is this body, which is called
asad-grahat, a temporary dwelling for the spirit soul, and as long as we
identify with the body we are filled with anxiety (samudvigna). The actual
goal of human life, of Vedic civilization, is to become free from this body
and all its concomitant miseries–janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. The Bhagavad-gita
says that these miseries–birth, death, old age, and disease–come with the
body and that we cannot escape them as long as we are confined within the
body.

In this body, this asat-grahat, this andha-kupam, we suffer. We desperately
want to enjoy, but mainly we suffer. Although there is some enjoyment–some,
but not much–there is a lot of suffering and anxiety. And the only way to
get out is to become Krsna conscious and go back home, back to Godhead. And
to become Krsna conscious, we must take the dust from the lotus feet of a
pure devotee upon our heads (mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam). That means that
we must learn the science of bhakti-yoga, Krsna consciousness, from a pure
devotee. Because the world was so much in need of this knowledge–people
were suffering so much without it (and still are suffering without it)–His
Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, at an advanced age, just before his
seventieth birthday, left India and came to New York City and began the
Krsna consciousness movement.

In the present age of Kali, there is a special process to become Krsna
conscious and go back home, back to Godhead. Each age has a specific process
suitable for the people of that age, and in Kali-yuga the recommended
process is hari-nama-sankirtana (yajnaih sankirtana-prayair). In Kali-yuga
those who are intelligent (sumedhasah) will worship the incarnation of Krsna
for the age, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by performance of the
sankirtana-yajna.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself quoted the Brhan-naradiya Purana (38.126):

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy names, chant the holy names, chant the holy names
of Lord Hari. There is no other way, no other way, no other way for success
in this age.” That one should chant is repeated three times for emphasis.
And that there is not other way is repeated three times to suggest “not by
karma, not by jnana, and not by yoga.”

When we chant we should do so with attention, with devotion, with love. Then
we can get the full benefit. There are various instructions on how to chant
the holy name, and we are advised to avoid the ten offenses against the holy
name in order to quickly achieve the desired results.

The same Lord who came out of the pillar as Nrsimhadeva to protect Prahlada
has appeared in Kali-yuga as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to protect the fallen
souls. And Prahlada, although he was only five years old when Nrsimhadeva
appeared, knew that the Lord appears in different incarnations in different
ages and that He would appear in Kali-yuga as a channa-avatara. Channa means
“covered.” In Kali-yuga the Lord does not assert Himself as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, as He does in other ages, but appears and acts as a
devotee to show us how to be devotees, practice Krsna consciousness, and
develop love for Krsna. He knew that people in Kali-yuga are so fallen that
if He were to openly express Himself as God there would be so many
pretenders who would falsely claim to be God, to be Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So
whenever He was addressed as God He would block His ears and exclaim,
“Visnu! Visnu! I am not God.” Otherwise, we can only imagine how burdened
the world would be with false incarnations. Now there is one, with a big
place in Texas, who claims to be Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but there are not
many, fortunately. The channa-avatara covers His identity as Krsna so that
only confidential devotees, who receive knowledge through parampara, from
niskincanam, will understand who the incarnation for this age is and worship
Him by performance of the sankirtana-yajna, chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna,
Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Since we can easily achieve the highest success just by chanting the holy
names of the Lord, one may question why we need temples and temple worship.
Why take so much trouble to build temples and worship Deities? The answer is
that although hari-nama is sufficient, most people cannot appreciate the
full value of the holy name of the Lord. They are do not have sufficient
intelligence or faith to appreciate the potency of hari-nama alone, and they
feel that they need some more elaborate procedure, or they want some
gorgeous ceremony. For them we construct temples, and when they come to the
temple they hear pure devotees speak about Krsna, about Krsna consciousness,
about the holy name of Krsna– and they begin to chant as well. By such
chanting, their consciousness is cleared (ceto-darpana-marjanam), and as
their consciousness becomes purified they are able to understand more and
more about Krsna and the process of Krsna consciousness.

For devotees too, especially neophytes and householders, Deity worship is
also recommended. It serves to keep them regulated and clean in their
habits. Further, householders are always busy earning and spending money
(diva carthehaya rajan
kutumba-bharanena va), and at least some of that money, which they earn by
various means, should be purified by being engaged in the service of the
Lord. Therefore householders are advised to keep Deities and spend their
money on the worship of the Deity, or to go to the temple and participate in
the worship there and support the worship in the temple. That will purify
their grhastha-asrama and enhance their Krsna consciousness.

Still, the real essence of spiritual advancement, especially in the age of
Kali, is to hear and chant the glories of the Lord. Such chanting and
hearing, especially of the holy names, should precede and follow–and if
possible accompany–the Deity worship. Prahlada Maharaja, as we see
throughout Srimad-Bhagavatam, always engaged in chanting and hearing the
glories of the Lord. Although he was born in a demonic family, his low birth
was no impediment to his Krsna consciousness. Of course, he did pray to the
Lord to purify his heart. Generally a person born in a demonic family–and
in Kali-yuga, practically everyone–is controlled by the lower modes of
nature–tamo-guna and rajo-guna–and as long as he is covered by these lower
modes, he cannot properly appreciate or glorify the Lord. Prahlada prayed to
Nrsimhadeva to enter his heart and cleanse it of all desires for fruitive
work and material enjoyment; thus he would be freed from the fears and
anxieties of embodied souls.

om namo bhagavate narasimhaya namas tejas-tejase avir-avirbhava vajra-nakha
vajra-damstra karmasayan randhaya randhaya tamo grasa grasa om svaha;
abhayam abhayam atmani bhuyistha om ksraum.

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of all
power. O my Lord who possess nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly
vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world.
Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your
mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material
world.” (SB 5.18.8)

On the auspicious occasion of Nrsimha-caturdasi, we pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva
that just as He saved Prahlada from the demon Hiranyakasipu, He will appear
in our hearts and save us from the demonlike desires for fruitive activity
in this world–and from the desire to escape the world by merging into the
existence of God, by becoming one with God. He should free us from every
desire or tendency other than to serve and please Krsna, which we can best
accomplish, especially in this age, by chanting His holy names: Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
Hare.

Are there any questions or comments?

Devotee: You mentioned mahiyasam pada-rajo-’bhisekam. How can one recognize
a pure devotee? What are the symptoms?

Giriraj Swami: How can we recognize mahiyasam, great souls? A great soul,
mahat or mahatma, is one who has served another great soul, through
parampara, and thus come under the shelter of the divine energy (mahatmanas
tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah). He is niskincanana. He has nothing
to do with this material world; he is freed from material contamination and
attachment. The real process of Krsna consciousness is to become attached to
Krsna, and the result of becoming attached to Krsna is that one becomes free
from material attachments.

Pure devotees, because their principle is to serve Krsna, follow
yukta-vairagya, which means that they use everything in Krsna’s service.
Unlike impersonalists, they do not reject so-called material things but
accept them and engage them in Krsna’s service.

anasaktasya visayan
yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe
yuktam vairagyam ucyate

prapancikataya buddhya
hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago
vairagyam phalgu kathyate

“When one is not attached to anything but at the same time accepts anything
in relation to Krsna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness. On the
other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship
to Krsna is not as complete in his renunciation.” (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu
1.2.255-6)

Prahlada is an example. Nrsimhadeva wanted him to accept the throne, and at
first Prahlada declined, because he had seen how his father had been deluded
by material opulence and attachment, and did not want the same to happen to
him. But he realized, by Nrsimhadeva’s grace, that if he were free from
material desires, he could use his position and opulence in Krsna
consciousness. He prayed,

yadi dasyasi me kaman
varams tvam varadarsabha
kamanam hrdy asamroham
bhavatas tu vrne varam

“O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow
a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within
the core of my heart there be no material desires.

indriyani manah prana
atma dharmo dhrtir matih
hrih sris tejah smrtih satyam
yasya nasyanti janmana

“O my Lord, because of lusty desires from the very beginning of one’s birth,
the functions of one’s senses, mind, life, body, religion, patience,
intelligence, shyness, opulence, strength, memory, and truthfulness are
vanquished.

vimuncati yada kaman
manavo manasi sthitan
tarhy eva pundarikaksa
bhagavattvaya kalpate

“O my Lord, when a human being is able to give up all the material desires
in his mind, he becomes eligible to possess wealth and opulence like Yours.”
(SB 7.10.7-9)

And Nrsimhadeva accepted his prayer and blessed him.

sri-bhagavan uvaca
naikantino me mayi jatv ihasisa
asasate ‘mutra ca ye bhavad-vidhah
tathapi manvantaram etad atra
daityesvaranam anubhunksva bhogan

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, a devotee like
you never desires any kind of material opulences, either in this life or in
the next. Nonetheless, I order you to enjoy the opulences of the demons in
this material world, acting as their king until the end of the duration of
time occupied by Manu.

katha madiya jusamanah priyas tvam
avesya mam atmani santam ekam
sarvesu bhutesv adhiyajnam isam
yajasva yogena ca karma hinvan

“It does not matter that you are in the material world. You should always,
continuously, hear the instructions and messages given by Me and always be
absorbed in thought of Me, for I am the Supersoul existing in the core of
everyone’s heart. Therefore, giving up fruitive activities, worship Me.” (SB
7.10.11-12)

Nrsimhadeva wanted Prahlada to accept the position of king for the benefit
of the people and at the same time remain absorbed in Krsna consciousness.

In more recent times we have the examples of Srila Prabhupada and his
followers. Srila Prabhupada expanded the conception of yukta-vairagya and
used things in devotional service that had not been used by acaryas
before–airplanes, tape recorders, Dictaphones, and, through his disciples,
computers. He used anything and everything to preach the glories of the
Lord. Using so-called material things in the service of the Lord, to
broadcast the glories of the Lord and His holy name, is also kirtana.

idam hi pumsas tapasah srutasya va
svistasya suktasya ca buddhi-dattayoh
avicyuto ‘rthah kavibhir nirupito
yad-uttamasloka-gunanuvarnanam

“Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of
the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas,
sacrifice, chanting of hymns, and charity, culminates in the transcendental
descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry.” (SB 1.5.22) In
his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada concludes, “Scientific knowledge
engaged in the service of the Lord, and all similar activities, are all
factually hari-kirtana.” In the same vein, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s guru maharaja, referred to the printing press as
the brhad-mrdanga, the great drum used in the great kirtana of glorifying
the Lord through transcendental literature.

So a sign of pure devotees who have no material attachments (mahiyasam
niskincananam) is that whatever facility they get they use in the service of
the Lord–not for sense gratification.

Devotee: Prahlada Maharaja was a devotee from childhood. He must have been a
great devotee in his previous life. Could you shed some light on his
previous life, what he did?

Giriraj Swami: It is true that Prahlada was a devotee from his previous
life, but there is another reason why he was a devotee from childhood: when
he was in the womb of his mother he was graced by the merciful instructions
of a great soul. While Hiranyakasipu was at Mandaracala Mountain executing
severe austerities, there was intense fighting between the demigods and the
demons, and when the demigods became successful, they captured Prahlada’s
mother, Kayadhu. Because she was carrying the seed of Hiranyakasipu in her
womb, the demigods, led by Indra, apprehended that the child would be
another great demon and disturb the universe. So they planned to keep her in
their custody until her child was born, at which time they would kill the
child and release her. But Narada Muni intervened and told them, “No, the
child in the womb is a great devotee.” He took Prahlada’s mother to his
asrama and instructed her–and Prahlada in the womb–in devotional service.
Within the womb Prahlada received transcendental knowledge from Narada Muni
and accepted him as his spiritual master. Thus the Bhagavatam (7.4.42) says,
sa uttama-sloka-padaravindayor nisevayakincana-sanga-labdhaya: “Because of
his association with a perfect, unalloyed devotee who has nothing to do with
anything material, Prahlada constantly engaged in the service of the Lord’s
lotus feet.”

Still, it is said that Prahlada was already advanced when he came to earth.
Thus in one sense he was nitya-siddha, eternally perfect, but at the same
time he was sadhana-siddha, because he attained perfection by executing the
instructions of his spiritual master, Narada Muni. He is considered both
nitya-siddha and sadhana-siddha.

Nitya-siddha is one who is always perfect, who was never conditioned. He
does not have to practice bhakti-yoga to become perfect. And the
sadhana-siddha becomes perfect by spiritual practice, by sadhana. Then too
there is the krpa-siddha, who becomes perfect by mercy, even without
sadhana. Of course, everyone needs mercy. Even the sadhana-siddha requires
mercy to be successful. But the krpa-suddha becomes perfect even without
sadhana–just by krpa.

When Lord Nrsimhadeva offered him material benedictions, Prahlada said to
the Lord, “Why do You want to tempt me? You have sent me to this world to
show the example of a pure devotee, so why do You want to tempt me with
material things?”

ma mam pralobhayotpattya
saktamkamesu tair varaih
tat-sanga-bhito nirvinno
mumuksus tvam upasritah

“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because I was born in an
atheistic family I am naturally attached to material enjoyment. Therefore,
kindly do not tempt me with these illusions. I am very much afraid of
material conditions, and I desire to be liberated from materialistic life.
It is for this reason that I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet.

bhrtya-laksana-jijnasur
bhaktam kamesv acodayat
bhavan samsara-bijesu
hrdaya-granthisu prabho

“O my worshipable Lord, because the seed of lusty desires, which is the root
cause of material existence, is within the core of everyone’s heart, You
have sent me to this material world to exhibit the symptoms of a pure
devotee.” (SB 7.10.2-3)

The statement that “You sent me to the material world to show the example of
a pure devotee” suggests that Prahlada was a nitya-siddha devotee, already
perfect before he took birth. Yet He also accepted a spiritual master,
Narada Muni, and followed his instructions. And he presented himself as
someone influenced by the lower modes of nature, by the demonic association
into which he was born, who could become freed by engaging in devotional
service.

tasmad aham vigata-viklava isvarasya
sarvatmana mahi grnami yatha manisam
nico ‘jaya guna-visargam anupravistah
puyeta yena hi puman anuvarnitena

“Although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer
prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows.
Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be
purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the
Lord’s glories.” (SB 7.9.12)

By sadhana, by sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam–especially by
smaranam–Prahlada achieved perfection. When Prahlada was being tortured by
his father, he had no chance to hear and chant or worship the Lord. But he
remembered the Lord always. And thus it is said that Prahlada achieved
success by smaranam. Sri-visnoh sravane pariksid abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane
prahladah smarane, krsnaptir esam para: “Pariksit Maharaja attained the
highest perfection, shelter at Lord Krsna’s lotus feet, simply by hearing,
and Sukadeva Gosvami attained perfection simply by chanting. Prahlada
Maharaja attained perfection by remembering the Lord.”
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.265)

Prahlada set a perfect example of Krsna consciousness. He showed and taught
us how to serve the Lord under the guidance of the Lord’s pure devotees. We
pray that we may serve Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu under the guidance of
Srila Prabhupada and his paramapara, without material motives, and thus
please the Lord and His pure devotees. By their mercy, param vijayate
sri-krsna-sankirtanam: “Let there be all victory for the chanting of the
holy name of Lord Krsna.”

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

Nrsimha Bhagavan ki jaya!
Prahlada Maharaja ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!

Tagged: Giriraj Swami, Nrsimha-caturdasi

Tagged: cow protection, cows, goshalla, india, vrindavan

Dear devotees.

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We were on travelling sankirtana in a small town nearby Helsinki. Before beginning a day I always chant one round extra. After chanting I saw a fat lady walking on the street.

I opened the conversation by saying: ÒDear Madam, we are looking for aristocratic people in this town today. I must say you look exactly like the Queen.Ó (This is one of the mantras I use while distributing Teachings of Queen Kunti.)

To my surprise she replied: ÒHow did you know I am related to the Queen. My son was elected the Drag Queen if Finland 2008.Ó

I put two books (TQK and Caitanya-caritamrta) in her hands. She accepted them and started telling the story of her life. I thought her life had a little semblance to that of Queen Kunti, i.e. she had gone through many difficulties, and she was raising her children alone. She mainly spoke about the special children she had.

Her elder son was the Drag Queen, a man who dresses as a woman. He was a regular face in the TV, in charge of a late-night music program. He was earning nicely (over 100 an hour by doing that job).

Her younger son was just ten years. He had some neurological disease called the Asperger syndrome. This means he is very introverted, but still very intelligent. She told every now and then her son would become interested about something and become totally absorbed in it. In my heart I was praying to Krsna he would some day become interested about Krsna consciousness in this way.

She was an extremely softhearted lady and eventually she took both the books, although she had very little money.

Later that day she had phoned the temple. She was in happy moods and said she had already read some of the books. She was wondering how on earth I could have known she was related to the Queen. She asked whether our monks have mystic powers. Our temple president Tattvavada Prabhu replied it is not something mystical. It is a matter of understanding oneÕs relationship with God. When we know our relationship with Krsna, we can also know something about the other living entities as well.

Your servant, Avadhutacandra das (Text D:562199) --------------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

In his purport to "nitai-pada-kamala" by Narottama Dasa Thakura, Srila Prabhupada tells us, "Without being eternal, nobody can serve the eternal. That is the Vedic injunction. Without becoming Brahman, one cannot approach the Supreme Brahman. Just like without being fire, nobody can enter into the fire. Without being water, nobody can enter into the water. Similarly, without being fully spiritualized, nobody can enter into the spiritual kingdom. If you catch the lotus feet of Nityananda, then you become immediately spiritualized.

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Lovers of maple syrup beware: "The trees were also given one fourth of the sinful reactions, and therefore they drip sap, which is prohibited for drinking." (Summary to Srimad Bhagavatam sixth canto, ninth chapter). And, "In return for Indra's benediction that their branches and twigs would grow back when trimmed, the trees accepted one fourth of the reactions for killing a brahmana. These reactions are visible in the flowing of sap from trees. [Therefore one is forbidden to drink this sap.]" (Srimad Bhagavatam 6.9.8).

1969 May 8: "You should try for the church by all means, and if need be I shall see that the funds will be loaned to you. Such a nice church will be a tremendous boon to our propaganda activities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 May 8: "Regarding your future, Krishna will save you; don't bother yourself about it. There is great possibility of pushing our movement there, so it is a great advantage for you to be there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 May 8: "If anyone faces difficulties, it is considered as blessings, because without tapasya nobody can realize the Transcendence."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 May 8: "I am pleased how you are carrying out our Sankirtana program amidst the demonstrations. This Sankirtana Movement is most practical and authorized."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1973 May 8: "Preach Krsna Consciousness very strongly. The modern scientists are confusing everyone with their false propaganda and it is our duty to expose them and kill the demoniac tendency to forget Krsna."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 May 8: "If we can construct a temple and building without permission of the landlord that will be our greatest triumph. If such a law is inaugurated then it is to be supposed that it is Krsna's plan."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 May 8: "Therefore this rumor is completely bogus. Whoever told you that is a rascal, saying it in my name. I never said that."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 May 8: "This sankirtana movement will expand and continue so long we are sincere. There is no question of it stopping. There is no cessation. This movement is eternal."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1969 May 8: "You should try for the church by all means, and if need be I shall see that the funds will be loaned to you. Such a nice church will be a tremendous boon to our propaganda activities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 May 8: "If anyone faces difficulties, it is considered as blessings, because without tapasya nobody can realize the Transcendence."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 May 8: "Regarding your future, Krishna will save you; don't bother yourself about it. There is great possibility of pushing our movement there, so it is a great advantage for you to be there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 May 8: "I am pleased how you are carrying out our Sankirtana program amidst the demonstrations. This Sankirtana Movement is most practical and authorized."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1973 May 8: "Preach Krsna Consciousness very strongly. The modern scientists are confusing everyone with their false propaganda and it is our duty to expose them and kill the demoniac tendency to forget Krsna."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 May 8: "If we can construct a temple and building without permission of the landlord that will be our greatest triumph. If such a law is inaugurated then it is to be supposed that it is Krsna's plan."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 May 8: "This sankirtana movement will expand and continue so long we are sincere. There is no question of it stopping. There is no cessation. This movement is eternal."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 May 8: "Therefore this rumor is completely bogus. Whoever told you that is a rascal, saying it in my name. I never said that."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

From the Think Again blog by Stanley Fish from the New York Times

In the opening sentence of the last chapter of his new book, “Reason, Faith and Revolution,” the British critic Terry Eagleton asks, “Why are the most unlikely people, including myself, suddenly talking about God?” His answer, elaborated in prose that is alternately witty, scabrous and angry, is that the other candidates for guidance — science, reason, liberalism, capitalism — just don’t deliver what is ultimately needed. “What other symbolic form,” he queries, “has managed to forge such direct links between the most universal and absolute of truths and the everyday practices of countless millions of men and women?”

Eagleton acknowledges that the links forged are not always benign — many terrible things have been done in religion’s name — but at least religion is trying for something more than local satisfactions, for its “subject is nothing less than the nature and destiny of humanity itself, in relation to what it takes to be its transcendent source of life.” And it is only that great subject, and the aspirations it generates, that can lead, Eagleton insists, to “a radical transformation of what we say and do.”

The other projects, he concedes, provide various comforts and pleasures, but they are finally superficial and tend to the perpetuation of the status quo rather than to meaningful change: “A society of packaged fulfillment, administered desire, managerialized politics and consumerist economics is unlikely to cut to the depth where theological questions can ever be properly raised.”

By theological questions, Eagleton means questions like, “Why is there anything in the first place?”, “Why what we do have is actually intelligible to us?” and “Where do our notions of explanation, regularity and intelligibility come from?”

The fact that science, liberal rationalism and economic calculation can not ask — never mind answer — such questions should not be held against them, for that is not what they do.

And, conversely, the fact that religion and theology cannot provide a technology for explaining how the material world works should not be held against them, either, for that is not what they do. When Christopher Hitchens declares that given the emergence of “the telescope and the microscope” religion “no longer offers an explanation of anything important,” Eagleton replies, “But Christianity was never meant to be an explanation of anything in the first place. It’s rather like saying that thanks to the electric toaster we can forget about Chekhov.”

Eagleton likes this turn of speech, and he has recourse to it often when making the same point: “[B]elieving that religion is a botched attempt to explain the world . . . is like seeing ballet as a botched attempt to run for a bus.” Running for a bus is a focused empirical act and the steps you take are instrumental to its end. The positions one assumes in ballet have no such end; they are after something else, and that something doesn’t yield to the usual forms of measurement. Religion, Eagleton is saying, is like ballet (and Chekhov); it’s after something else.

After what? Eagleton, of course, does not tell us, except in the most general terms: “The coming kingdom of God, a condition of justice, fellowship, and self-fulfillment far beyond anything that might normally be considered possible or even desirable in the more well-heeled quarters of Oxford and Washington.” Such a condition would not be desirable in Oxford and Washington because, according to Eagleton, the inhabitants of those places are complacently in bondage to the false idols of wealth, power and progress. That is, they feel little of the tragedy and pain of the human condition, but instead “adopt some bright-eyed superstition such as the dream of untrammeled human progress” and put their baseless “trust in the efficacy of a spot of social engineering here and a dose of liberal enlightenment there.”

Progress, liberalism and enlightenment — these are the watchwords of those, like Hitchens, who believe that in a modern world, religion has nothing to offer us. Don’t we discover cures for diseases every day? Doesn’t technology continually extend our powers and offer the promise of mastering nature? Who needs an outmoded, left-over medieval superstition?

Eagleton punctures the complacency of these questions when he turns the tables and applies the label of “superstition” to the idea of progress. It is a superstition — an idol or “a belief not logically related to a course of events” (American Heritage Dictionary) — because it is blind to what is now done in its name: “The language of enlightenment has been hijacked in the name of corporate greed, the police state, a politically compromised science, and a permanent war economy,” all in the service, Eagleton contends, of an empty suburbanism that produces ever more things without any care as to whether or not the things produced have true value.

And as for the vaunted triumph of liberalism, what about “the misery wreaked by racism and sexism, the sordid history of colonialism and imperialism, the generation of poverty and famine”? Only by ignoring all this and much more can the claim of human progress at the end of history be maintained: “If ever there was a pious myth and a piece of credulous superstition, it is the liberal-rationalist belief that, a few hiccups apart, we are all steadily en route to a finer world.”

That kind of belief will have little use for a creed that has at its center “one who spoke up for love and justice and was done to death for his pains.” No wonder “Ditchkins” — Eagleton’s contemptuous amalgam of Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, perhaps with a sidelong glance at Luke 6:39, “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?” — seems incapable of responding to “the kind of commitment made manifest by a human being at the end of his tether, foundering in darkness, pain, and bewilderment, who nevertheless remains faithful to the promise of a transformative love.”

You won’t be interested in any such promise, you won’t see the point of clinging to it, if you think that “apart from the odd, stubbornly lingering spot of barbarism here and there, history on the whole is still steadily on the up,” if you think that “not only is the salvation of the human species possible but that contrary to all we read in the newspapers, it has in principle already taken place.” How, Eagleton asks, can a civilization “which regards itself as pretty well self-sufficient” see any point in or need of “faith or hope”?

“Self-sufficient” gets to the heart of what Eagleton sees as wrong with the “brittle triumphalism” of liberal rationalism and its ideology of science. From the perspective of a theistic religion, the cardinal error is the claim of the creature to be “self-originating”: “Self-authorship,” Eagleton proclaims, “is the bourgeois fantasy par excellence,” and he could have cited in support the words of that great bourgeois villain, Milton’s Satan, who, upon being reminded that he was created by another, retorts , “[W]ho saw/ When this creation was…?/ We know no time when we were not as now/Know none before us, self-begot, self-raised” (Paradise Lost, V, 856-860).That is, we created ourselves (although how there can be agency before there is being and therefore an agent is not explained), and if we are able to do that, why can’t we just keep on going and pull progress and eventual perfection out of our own entrails?

That is where science and reason come in. Science, says Eagleton, “does not start far back enough”; it can run its operations, but it can’t tell you what they ultimately mean or provide a corrective to its own excesses. Likewise, reason is “too skin deep a creed to tackle what is at stake”; its laws — the laws of entailment and evidence — cannot get going without some substantive proposition from which they proceed but which they cannot contain; reason is a non-starter in the absence of an a prior specification of what is real and important, and where is that going to come from? Only from some kind of faith.

“Ditchkins,” Eagleton observes, cannot ground his belief “in the value of individual freedom” in scientific observation. It is for him an article of faith, and once in place, it generates facts and reasons and judgments of right and wrong. “Faith and knowledge,” Eagleton concludes, are not antithetical but “interwoven.” You can’t have one without the other, despite the Satanic claim that you can go it alone by applying your own independent intellect to an unmediated reality: “All reasoning is conducted within the ambit of some sort of faith, attraction, inclination, orientation, predisposition, or prior commitment.” Meaning, value and truth are not “reducible to the facts themselves, in the sense of being ineluctably motivated by a bare account of them.” Which is to say that there is no such thing as a bare account of them. (Here, as many have noted, is where religion and postmodernism meet.)

If this is so, the basis for what Eagleton calls “the rejection of religion on the cheap” by contrasting its unsupported (except by faith) assertions with the scientifically grounded assertions of atheism collapses; and we are where we always were, confronted with a choice between a flawed but aspiring religious faith or a spectacularly hubristic faith in the power of unaided reason and a progress that has no content but, like the capitalism it reflects and extends, just makes its valueless way into every nook and cranny.

For Eagleton the choice is obvious, although he does not have complete faith in the faith he prefers. “There are no guarantees,” he concedes that a “transfigured future will ever be born.” But we can be sure that it will never be born, he says in his last sentence, “if liberal dogmatists, doctrinaire flag-wavers for Progress, and Islamophobic intellectuals . . . continue to stand in its way.”

One more point. The book starts out witty and then gets angrier and angrier. (There is the possibility, of course, that the later chapters were written first; I’m just talking about the temporal experience of reading it.) I spent some time trying to figure out why the anger was there and I came up with two explanations.

One is given by Eagleton, and it is personal. Christianity may or may not be the faith he holds to (he doesn’t tell us), but he speaks, he says, “partly in defense of my own forbearers, against the charge that the creed to which they dedicated their lives is worthless and void.”

The other source of his anger is implied but never quite made explicit. He is angry, I think, at having to expend so much mental and emotional energy refuting the shallow arguments of school-yard atheists like Hitchens and Dawkins. I know just how he feels.

Amala Kirtan singing a bhajan at the start of Jayapataka Swami's Vyas Puja celebration.

Dallas, TX
2009-04-05

Download: 2009-04-05 - Jayapataka Swami Vyas Puja - 1 - Bhajan by Amala Kirtan.mp3

Caru Das gave this opening prayer at the National Day of Prayer services, held at the historic Provo Tabernacle, coincidentally on the Day of Narsimha Caturdasi. At the end the crowd very nicely chanted with him, "Om Shantihi, Shantihi Shantihi."

There’s nothing to say except, “Please help me.” Other than that, I’m saying to myself, “Here are some ideas on how to help yourself.” And I’m saying, “Here are some obstacles.”...."Bhajana Kutir #63

This is a small but grainy clip of my spiritual master, it’s one I watch most and helps inspire me when I’m struggling: HH Devamrita Swamu Also included is this nice thought on identity: identity HH Devamrita Swami Just thought I would share it

Gaura Purnima, Hungary

Please take darshan of Sri Nrsimhadeva in Mayapur. We have posted today’s darshan pictures here. Sri Nrsimha Maha Abhisheka will be telecasted LIVE from 4 p.m. onwards at www.mayapur.tv. Stay connected to join the devotees in Mayapur in celebrating the appearance day of Sri Nrsimhadeva. There was also a pleasant surprise in Sri Radha-Madhava altar. It was Nrsimha Vesha and Gurukulis have made ornte pillar and beautiful Nrsimhadeva appearing on the pillar.

read more

Although falling on a Thursday evening, Nrsimha Caturdasi celebrations at Toronto's Hare Krishna Temple brought over 100 devotees as an evening dazzled with kirtan, class and ancient tradition awaited all.
View Photo Gallery of Festival Below:

A Croatian bakery has a unique way of keeping away burglars - Chuck Norris.

The bakery suffered from regular break-ins until it put up a life-sized photo of the Hollywood tough-guy, well-known for B-movie action classics like Delta Force and Invasion USA, news.com.au reported.

The photo also has a sign, saying the shop is "under the protection of Chuck Norris".

Since putting up the photo one month ago, the bakery in the city of Split has had no burglaries.

A sales assistant at the bakery said the Chuck Norris photo started as a joke but "people seem to respect him", news.com.au reported.

"Thieves haven't been anywhere near us for ages."

Burglars aren't the only ones fooled either - several customers have asked whether they can get Norris' autograph, the assistant told media.

"They really believe he is sitting in our storeroom out the back ready to pounce on any burglars."

via Stuff.co.nz

On the Auspicious Appearance Day of Lord Nrsimhadeva, we are happy to inform you that our little weblog is changing into a full website! Due to the suggestions and encouragement of many of you out there we have, by your mercy, managed to open the following website:

The earth civilization has degraded to its lowest ebb in eons. Whatever degree of piety was previously holding it together is now being degraded more and more by atheistic philosophy and gross hedonism. This is evidenced by innumerable symptoms such as the wanton slaughter of innocent animals and babies all over the world and by the ever-increasing...

Every morning is most Hare Krishna temples, we sing the Nrsmha Prayers (Nri-sim-ha). The bhajan is pretty mellow usually, but I came across a wonderful version of it awhile back. It’s done by Visnujana Swami and was recorded in the mid 70’s.

Here are the lyrics and the translation:

namas te narasimhaya
prahladahlada-dayine
hiranyakasipor vaksah-
sila-tanka-nakhalaye

I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja
and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu.

ito nrsimhah parato nrsimho
yato yato yami tato nrsimhah
bahir nrsimho hrdaye nrsimho
nrsimham adim saranam prapadye

Lord Nrsimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nrsimha is there.
He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nrsimha,
the origin of all things and the supreme refuge.

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-srngam
dalita-hiranyakasipu-tanu-bhrngam
kesava dhrta-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

O Kesava! O Lord of the universe!
O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion!
All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one’s fingernails,
so in the same way the body of the wasplike demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart
by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands.

And here is the song:

From KT-08

Suddha Bhakata by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Srimad Bhagavatam 7.4.36 - Krsna came as Lord Nrsimhadev because He likes a good fight.

When Insults Had Class

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.." - Andrew Lang

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

May 7, 3:00 A.M.

Last night I fell back into my sleep and wake mode, having dreams and waking up in the middle of the night. I finally got up at 3:00 A.M. I began my japa as soon as possible.

When Baladeva came up at 5:00 A.M., I had only finished four rounds, due to drowsiness. It was pouring rain and winy outside, so we decided not to go to the beach. I went back to bed and slept. Today we’re going to Mahahari’s to celebrate Lord Nrsimhadeva’s appearance day. I’m worried whether I’ll have time to do my japa and writing before we go there.

From Forgetting the Audience (1993): “Soon we'll be living in the van again and not spread luxuriously through two rooms. And without the feeling of physical security I get living and sleeping in houses. Staying parked at a temple is more secure, but then P-rest stops on the highway. . . It’s coming up, so get ready for it. I can’t expect the peace and ease of my present routine. See the good and advantage in what I’ll be doing.

“Write and be detached, even if something gets lost. Be prepared. In his list of most essentials, Jack Kerouac has ‘accept loss forever.’ We don’t lose because any service done for Krishna never suffers loss or diminution. So I request that you always write in devotional service. Don’t get carried away with the concept or identity of yourself as a writer, but always a devotee who is writing.”

9:00 A.M.

“Focus on Sanity.” Oh! This is Ornette Coleman on plastic alto sax and Don Cherry on toy trumpet. Charlie Haden plays bass and Billy Higgins is on drums. This is the early 1960s. What is the connection to Krishna? They are avant-garde. It was very beautiful, exciting music, a wonderful time when they appeared on the scene. Just like when Swamiji came to New York City. Coleman departed from so many standard elements of jazz that some people couldn’t understand him, but many people know he was the new cutting edge. What is the connectio to Krishna? Focus on sanity. Swami spoke from the floor, and then from an improvised vyasasana and told us to focus on sanity. Who is crazy? The man who thinks that this material body will last forever and that he is meant to enjoy it—he is crazy. Ornette Coleman neighing like a horse is not crazy. He knows what he’s doing. He’s telling us it’s the spirit soul, not the body. It’s not the cover but the soul within. They are saying we are crazy, and we are saying they are crazy. So you have to go to the judge. The judge is Lord Caitanya. That’s how Prabhupada expressed it in a lecture. This is nice music. You can relax to it and at the same time know you’re being taken into outer space. Just don’t resist it. Swamiji came into a place of madness. Chips of glass sprinkled on the sidewalks, Bowery bums bumping into passersby, sitting on his front steps. His own “students” asking if a red light appeared when we offered food to Krishna. He said it’s Krishna, there’s no need for a red light. Focus on sanity.

“Chronology.” Everything comes in a chronological order. First came the invitation to go to America. Then came the P form, then came the passport, then came the free ticket from Mrs. Murarji. Then came the actual trip and the heart attacks, the arrival in New York, the transfer to Pennsylvania, back to New York, down to the Bowery, 26 Second Ave. That’s the chronology. Don Cherry on a toy trumpet. Imagine. This was the chronology of jazz from the early days of Louis Armstrong up to Don Cherry. He plays such nice riffs. Charlie Haden, solid behind him. Solid, and yet esoteric. Jazz has its chronology, and the Ornette Coleman Quartet is part of it. And that little storefront, which anyone hardly noticed and which still had the “Matchless Gifts” sign over it, but now it had arrived in New York City and the “new religion” that gets you higher than LSD had arrived. No more coming down. The Swami is in New York, 1966. He went on to San Francisco in 1967. Even more chronology, even more avant-garde, and Ornette Coleman would continue to play. Ornette Coleman is a product of all those who went before him, including Charlie Parker, and yet he emerges on his own, like a chick out of the egg. But it’s chronology, jazz history. And Prabhupada comes from Lord Caitanya, the Six Goswamis, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Krsnadasa Kaviraja, Jagannatha dasa Babaji, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura—they come in chronology. It’s called parampara, with no change in the message, and yet it is change. It’s old wine in new bottles. Prabhupada is a new bottle, relaxed among the hippies. Some of the jazz musicians even started to play the Hare Krishna mantra tune in their riffs. We were very welcome there.

“Peace.” Ah, and didn’t we want peace? We pretended we wanted madness, LSD madness—jumping out windows, winding up in hospitals. Not just one person but many. Crazy cases all over New York City. An increase in LSD crazies. People were unhappy. Running in the streets, uptown gangs. The Swami brought peace. You don’t have to run around so crazily, looking for happiness, looking out there, trying to agitate your mind and your consciousness, as if that would bring spirituality. Just relax and chant Hare Krishna. The big red beads from Tandy’s bead store strung with a knot in between each bead, 108 beads. Swamiji chants on them and you’re initiated. Sixteen rounds a day brings peace. You don’t have to worry about your coworkers at the welfare office. You’re apart from them now. You’re not entangled in their agitation when they go on strike. You have peace in your chest. Ornette plays peacefully. Strange tunes. He’s offbeat, onbeat, new music. Things have progressed to such a stage now that Ornette could play in a kirtana group. People listen to him, open-eyed and open-mouthed. They’ve never heard such sounds before. This is something new, like the kirtanas in the storefront. They make you feel peaceful. Don Cherry sounds a little lonely out there by himself, but he’s actually at peace. He’s playing with his group. They’re just quiet for now, giving him a chance to play. Everyone likes their own turn. Let me hear your peace, brother, and then I’ll play you mine. Charlie Haden ends it by bowing the bass.

“Congeniality.” There were good feelings among the young Americans on the Lower East Side. Swami’s little band, and Swami himself. They liked him, the old spiritual master. He didn’t seem old, though, he was so virile and powerful. People came to see him and talk with him. When we went into the park, we were received congenially. Even Allan Ginsberg came and sang with us. We weren’t so congenial with the Puerto Ricans or the Ukrainians in the neighborhood. There was no violence. Congeniality among the twelve members of the Hare Krishna movement. Some little disagreements, but we had the basic cause of Swamiji, and that made us get along. And you felt congenial with the whole universe. The buildings used to intimidate you. They were so tall and so close-knit, surrounding you. The Empire State, New York City. But now it didn’t seem so threatening. Even the Bowery bums—everything seemed congenial. The universe was congenial because of the Hare Krishna mantra and what Swamiji was teaching. A congenial world. He said it could be like that if we just followed Krishna and the Bhagavad-gita. Peace for everyone. Focus on sanity. Don Cherry is a friend. There’s definitely congeniality among the members of Ornette Coleman’s group. They used to live and eat together. They were the best of friends, making their own music. They even called one of their albums, This Is Our Music. They had a congenial message for the world, just as Swamiji did.

“Lonely Woman.” This is a crying song. It reminds you of Srimati Radharani crying out for the absent Krishna. Ornette cries on his horn. The lonely woman has no one in the world to turn to. She cries tears down her face. She’s restless and doesn’t know what to do with herself. At least Srimati Radharani had lots of sakhis to console Her. But they couldn’t reach Her, not Her loneliness, and She cried out, “Where has Krishna gone? When will He come back? He promised He will return. Will He ever return? Will I ever feel the touch of His aguru-scented hand again?” Ornette’s horn sounds like a woman in distress. Don Cherry cries with him, and Charlie Haden rounds out the Greek chorus. Despite the sadness, it’s a lovely tune. Going into the upper registers for cries, and down to lower registers for sighs.

Laksmi Nrisimha at Satsvarupa Maharaja's ashrama. Photo: Nrsimha-caturdasi 2009

10:30 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

Today we are celebrating the appearance day of Yourself in the form of the half-lion, half-man Deity, Nrsimhadeva. You appear in this form to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu and protect You devotee Prahlada. We recently read in the Brhad-Bhagavatamrta that Hanuman declared that Prahlada Maharaja was the supreme object of Your mercy. But when Narada went to see Prahlada, he denied that he was the greatest object of Your mercy. He said he never gets to see You except for the occasion when you come to save him. He recommended to Narada that Yudhisthira and the Pandavas were greater devotees than he was. Narada went to see the Pandavas, but they denied that they were the greatest objects of Your mercy. Yudhisthira said You never come to see him now that he is established on the throne. He said the real object of Your mercy were the Yadus, who live with You in Dvaraka. He said You stay with them constantly and enjoy with them as a loving family member. Their whole lives are focused on their daily meetings with You. This is as far as we have read in the Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, but I read it years ago and vaguely remember the rest of the story. When Narada goes to visit the Yadus, he meets the best of them, Sri Uddhava. You once sent Sri Uddhava to Vrndavana to give the gopis solace in Your absence. Uddhava was astonished at the high level of prema that the gopis held for You, and he considered his own devotion nothing compared to the love in separation, vipralambha, exhibited by the cowherd girls in Goloka. Uddhava prayed that in a future birth, he might be born as a plant or blade of grass in Vrndavana so that the gopis might by chance step on him and brush him with their lotus foot dust. Thus, the conclusion of Volume I of Brhad-Bhagavatamrta is that the gopis are the greatest objects of Your mercy.

I like this conclusion because for me, my favorite form is Your form as Govinda, the cowherd boy and lover of the gopis. This is not just my opinion. It is the opinion of Sanatana Goswami and all the other Gaudiya Vaisnava acharyas, including their Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As Govinda or Gopal, carrying a flute in Your two hands, You are the most attractive form of Godhead. You share the greatest form of intimacy with Your devotees, and they reciprocate with You by giving You the greatest pleasure of all Your bhaktas. Nrsimhadeva is Your expansion and a lila avatara and, unlike Hiranyakasipu, many worshippers find Him handsome, heroic and kind. He demostrates Your greatest quality, bhakta-vatsala, Your kindness and protection You show to Your devotees. Devotees pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva for the removal of anarthas from their heart. Today, Baladeva is going to bathe his Nrsimha Deity and decorate Him with His best paraphernalia. Because of my shoulder, I cannot bathe Radha-Govinda, but Baladeva will bathe Them, and we will dress Them in new outfits giving by Surabhi dasi. You, Govinda, are my istha-devata, my favorite Deity, and even on Nrsimhadeva’s appearance day, we want to give You a special bath. I like Your charming, slender, three-bending form. You are the Deity I hope to join in the spiritual world in one of these lifetimes. Your play with the gopis is considered by Lord Caitanya to be the highest form of worship. Your mixing with all of the residents of Vrndavana is your topmost expression of love. The Vrajabhasis are Your favorite devotees, and their land is Your favorite land. I pray to You that I may gain attraction to bhauma Vrndavana and that when I am not there, I may constantly think of Goloka Vrndavana and Your pastimes. My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, has directed me toward this goal and to live with You and dance with You in Vraja. I am fortunate that he has allowed me to worship Your Deity forms of Radha-Govinda, and I look forward to seeing Them every day in new dresses and ornaments. I pray that my heart may become a suitable throne for Radha-Govinda and that I can meditate on You in my heart as well as in Your Deity form. And when I chant the Hare Krishna mantra, I want to join with Radha-Govinda—Hare Krishna—begging them, “Please let me serve You.”

I know I am speaking words of high aspiration beyond my actual state of realization. But I trust you will accept these aspirations as my hopes for actual realization some day. Even today, I can honestly say that I find Your form most attractive, and that I worship You as God in this way. Now let us sing the prayers to Nrsimhadeva, never forgetting that He is Your expansion and that You are the original form of the avataras of Godhead. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami. I worship Govinda, who is the Supreme Enjoyer. May You one day accept me as Your intimate servant in the blessed land of Vraja.

the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #64→

By Hari-sauri dasa

An exciting new ISKCON project is taking birth in Kolkata, the city of Srila Prabhupada’s birth. The location is four-story building in the heart of Kolkata.

Hari-sauri dasa: The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) situated at 110A Motilal Nehru Road, Kolkata 700029 is seeking a creative and enthusiastic librarian.

The following is a lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 7 May 2009 in Towaco, USA.

To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either “Save link as” or “Save target as”

The following is a lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 7 May 2009 in Towaco, USA. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo;

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 6 May 2009 at Towaca, USA.

To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either “Save link as” or “Save target as”

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.2.35 - Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 6 May 2009 at Towaca, USA. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo; Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.2.35 - Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb

The following is the second speech H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami gave at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, NY, USA for the Panel Discussion on “Forgiveness: a pathway to human transformation”.

The following is the second speech H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami gave at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, NY, USA for the Panel Discussion on ldquo;Forgiveness: a pathway to human transformationrdquo;.

In this material world, to render service to the lotus feet of Govinda, the cause of all causes, and to see Him everywhere, is the only goal of life. This much alone is the ultimate goal of human life, as explained by all the revealed scriptures.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 7.7.55

One of our distinguished teachers explains that there are three major temptations in this world – temptations that can allure anyone at any stage of their spiritual evolution. In Sanskrit they are termed kanaka, kamini & pratistha. In English, these translate to wealth, the opposite sex, and position & prestige. All negative qualities like anger, greed, envy, criticism, pride, harshness and so on, generally have their roots in one of these desires.

A modern day spiritualist, however, will find it incredibly difficult to refrain from interacting with these three things. It is difficult even within a spiritual community, what to speak of the day-to-day world. However, when we are dealing with matters of money, interacting with the opposite sex and exercising power, influence and control over others, there must be great vigilance and caution. The moment we develop a mood of exploitation and enjoyment of these things, at that time our spirituality is lost, and we descend again into the material realm. Thus, spiritual life is like a tight rope - one must tread very carefully.

It is not that as one advances on the spiritual path, one can feel more security from these allurements. As one’s tree of spirituality grows, the roots of humility, gratitude and feeling of spiritual dependence must also grow deep, lest the tree may extend so big that it topples over. The real spiritualist is not a shooting star, but a pole star. I force myself to reflect on this again and again as I make some feeble attempt to remain on this wonderful and exciting path of spirituality.

I first met Jeff Greene with John Kruth a little while back and we went out to a funky musical instrument store in the Village. There were instruments from all over the world hanging off the walls. When we saw Jeff again at the East West Living fundraiser he invited us over to his apartment to look at his own collection of musical instruments.

Ananta, Caitanya, Rasa and I. You wouldn’t believe it. He has instruments from all over the place - a hurdy gurdy, and a rubab, and a dutar, and a nickelharpa, tonic tamorbourine or something like that…man. Drums from all over. Frame drums and tambourines and kanjeeras and all kinds of stuff. The coolest thing is that Jeff can play them all really well. And his apartment is beautiful. What a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Listen to some of the jam!

To listen, click on the links below then press play. To download, Right Click on the word “Download” and select “Save As…” from the menu. Having trouble downloading? Read our Help Section.

• Jeff Greene, Gaura Vani, Ananta Govinda, Caitanya Nitai - Jam (224)

Ila devi dasi: On the auspicious Appearance Day of Lord Nrsimhadeva we wish to announce the launching of the new official website of HH Mahavishnu Swami.

Sridevi dasi: His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami will be in New Talavana, MS, USA over the weekend from May 22nd until May 24th, 2009 and will offer a seminar on "Varnasrama."

Karunika dasi: In 2008, His Grace Sarvabhauma Prabhu was invited to Mauritius to speak on Rama Katha during the Sri Rama Nawmi celebrations at Hare Krishna Land, Phoenix.

Isvara dasa: It is our pleasure to announce the reprint of “The Uddhava Gita”. Our first print run of this great book, known simply as “The Book”, has long been exhausted, after the initial release.

Jeevanmukta Das: I picked up a deep concern that Srila Prabhupada had often voiced. The issue I am referring to is ‘science and its stealth battle against religion’ the same, which the BI was instituted to combat.

Antardwip das: Watch Nrsimha Chaturdasi live on www.mayapur.tv this Friday! Featuring extra live cameras, interviews with devotees, and much, much more!

Gour Gopal Das: All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! We at Varnasrama Media Productions (VMP) are happy to bring the copies of two documentaries: 1. 'Save Our Cows-Save Our Villages' and 2. 'Varnasrama Shikshalaya'

By Rita Gupta

The widely popular DVD series, “Memories of Srila Prabhupada,” now has three volumes, with an incredible total of 48 DVDs.

By Padmapani das

Mother Shyama Priya was obviously very devoted to Srila Prabhupada and his great mission of spreading Krishna Consciousness, especially in her chosen service to the ISKCON Prison Ministry.

By Omkara devi dasi

I feel very much blessed to have the shelter and ability to take darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadisha in New Dwaraka. I have lived in and outside of the temple community for over 33 years and throughout the years have had various spiritual realizations.

1957 May 7: "The whole Hindu Muslim conflict, the whole struggle of Gandhi and Jinnah and the whole question of Kashmir problem have arisen from this petty difference of bones only."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

1957 May 7: "In this age of quarrel and fight everything has to be done by combined force to achieve ready success. We have to combine the different forces of men, money, intelligence and field work to make the spiritual movement a grand success."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

1966 May 7:
"In the afternoon there was again meeting for teaching Sanskrit. Tonight Keertan in the Ananda Ashram was very much appreciated by all. Mr. Bill has kept my office copy of Back to Godhead for reading. I came back to 92 Bowery in the car of George."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1975 May 7: "Regarding your physical malady, you should do whatever is required to treat it properly. Whatever is most practical. The names for the new child are approved by me. Circumcision is not important."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 May 7: "I went to attend the meeting and how I appreciated the grand place of Kuruksetra. I wish to organize this holy spot for spreading Krishna Consciousness all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1957 May 7: "In this age of quarrel and fight everything has to be done by combined force to achieve ready success. We have to combine the different forces of men, money, intelligence and field work to make the spiritual movement a grand success."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

1975 May 7: "Regarding your physical malady, you should do whatever is required to treat it properly. Whatever is most practical. The names for the new child are approved by me. Circumcision is not important."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1966 May 7:
"In the afternoon there was again meeting for teaching Sanskrit. Tonight Keertan in the Ananda Ashram was very much appreciated by all. Mr. Bill has kept my office copy of Back to Godhead for reading. I came back to 92 Bowery in the car of George."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1975 May 7: "I went to attend the meeting and how I appreciated the grand place of Kuruksetra. I wish to organize this holy spot for spreading Krishna Consciousness all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1957 May 7: "The whole Hindu Muslim conflict, the whole struggle of Gandhi and Jinnah and the whole question of Kashmir problem have arisen from this petty difference of bones only."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

Video of Nrisimha Deva adhivas ceremony (welcome the night before Appearance Day)
H.H. Umapati Swami and H.H.Gopal Krishna Goswami were conducting the adhivas, offering auspicious items to the Lord.

With just one more day to go, we invite all devotees throughout the world make an offering for the worship of Sri Nrisimhadeva in Sri Mayapur on Nrisimha Chaturdasi. Your offering will be made on your behalf and the prasadam sent to you by post.Offerings will be accepted up till 12 noon Indian time on 8th May.

All the festival sevas have already been taken up, still prasada seva slots are available. Following are updated list of details of services available that you could offer to Sri Nrsimhadeva.

read more

For the benefit of devotees, who could not be physically present in Mayapur, Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi Maha abhisheka and other programs will be available LIVE from Sri Mayapur dhama. Devotees from various temples, congregations have assembled in Mayapur to take part in the celebrations. Special series of lectures are continuing for past three days on Nrsimhadeva pastimes and teachings of Prahlad maharaj. Devotees will go on Jala Yatra by today evening to fetch water from Ganges for bathing the Lord.

read more

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written five beautiful prayers in “Sri Navadvipa Bhava Taranga” for receiving the mercy of Lord Narasimha. These prayers are certainly assurance to all sincere devotees that the worship of Lord Narasimha is purely in the line of aspiring love and devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Those prayers are as follows.

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Dressed by: Sachimata dd., Chaitanya Lila das & Gaurangui Radharani. Video and Anthem music produced by: Dj. Prada Khan Dedicated to: Gaurangui Radharani, Sachimata dd., and my spiritual an…

A drama by the ISKCON Swansea players on Gaura Purnima 2009, depicting one of the pastimes of the young, naughty Nimai. Bhatka Steve - Narrator Bhakta Andy - Nimai Bhakta Adam - Puppy Mother Kilim…

May 6, 3:35 A.M.

I slept the whole night through. I’m up now at a late hour for chanting japa.

Japa essay

Enough for now. Go and chant and pray to Krishna. This writing requires humility, and japa does also. All arts require humility and honesty. I am begging for attraction to the holy name.

There’s nothing to say except, “Please help me.” Other than that, I’m saying to myself, “Here are some ideas on how to help yourself.” And I’m saying, “Here are some obstacles.” And I’m saying, “This is what is happening” (when I write as a reporter on reality).

From Forgetting the Audience (1993): “Today is Rama-navami, appearance day of Lord Rama. We are not in a temple, and we will have no formal observance except to fast from breakfast. I here offer my humble obeisances to Lord Krishna in His form as Rama, ramadi murtisu. I remember reading the Ramayana in 1967 and liking it so much that I wrote “The Glories of Ramacandra” for BTG. I used to sing to Hanuman at night in my perch in the Boston storefront. I wanted to be a brahmacarî and to be brave against the demons in my world—to be strong and yet an obedient servitor of Lord Rama. Hear the exploits of Hanuman, hear the ideal leadership and responsibility of Ramacandra. Everyone would like to be guided by an ideal Rama-raja government, but it’s not possible without Krishna consciousness.

Bow down to Him. My ‘bhava’ is to worship Krishna in Vraja, but I see how Rama is attractive to His followers. I will not have occasion to enter rama-lila today, except maybe we will have a reading. That would be nice. Don’t just fast and feast.

Coming to the end of this notepad and this session.

Krishna is the proprietor. All work and its results should be offered for His pleasure. You are so careful to always tell us how you feel. Please also tell us how Krishna feels.”

8:30 A.M.

“Frantic Fancies.” This is Bud at his most rapid, his famous, long fingers dancing up and down the piano, on the beat. Why does he have to be frantic? Because he’s driven, like artists and musicians are. A devotee has something frantic about him, too. He’s sober, of course, and composed. But when the kirtana starts or when he hears the sweet pastimes of Krishna, he feels frantic, and he perspires. His hairs stand on end. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was often frantic, dancing with His devotees, especially at Ratha-yatra. His eyes poured tears like a syringe, wetting everyone around Him, He jumped high in the air, and Lord Nityananda had to stand by to catch Him. I would call that frantic. Wouldn’t you? As for the word “fancies,” they’re not something whimsical. They’re just the delights, the tasty pastimes, the qualities. The beauty of Radharani’s decorations and dress and natural features. They create frantic fancies in Krishna’s heart. And vice versa, when She sees the Lord. The demigod drummers beat their dum-dum drums, and everyone is happy in all the worlds. This is the kirtana of the liberated souls. One man is doing it on his piano in the material world, but there’s a resemblance to the spiritual because he’s so sincere and talented and swinging.

“Bud on Bach.” This is a rare thing. It’s the jazz pianist Bud Powell playing in the style of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was very religious, played songs to God. And here’s Bud, playing like Bach. You can have so many mixtures in this world when talented people are involved. Bud playing like Bach. But still, it’s jazz. I wonder what Krishna thinks of it. I wonder what Bach would think of it. And how does Bud feel? He likes Bach, and that’s why he plays this way—rapid, Bach-like notes. Takes you to the spiritual world.

“Idaho.” Here, Bud is accompanied by the trombone of Curtis Fuller. As much as Idaho is identified with potatoes, America is identified with jazz. I don’t know why exactly this state is chosen. It’s just a song someone wrote to celebrate Idaho, and the jazz men have picked it up for their own purposes. They can do that. They can take honey out of poison. They can take a cliché and turn it into a rare thing. They can make you feel so good, just like the feelings you get when you’re God conscious. Prabhupada said the artistry of philosophers and musicians and painters was God conscious in that they were sincere. Their sincerity was their God consciousness. Prabhupada said the potato is the king of vegetables. When they’re served mashed or French fried in ghee—now that’s something special. This “Idaho” is rolling, upbeat, with lots of improvisation. But it’s got a basic tune. Something about Idaho.

“Don’t Blame Me.” Don’t blame me. Blame the stars in your eyes. Don’t blame me for falling in love with you. It wasn’t the night, it wasn’t the dress you were wearing, it wasn’t some special maya I was in. It was just you, so it’s not my fault. That’s what this song’s lyrics are about. The tune is like it, too. It’s soft and gentle. He’s saying that he’s honest. He didn’t have the wrong motivation. Radha and Krishna are not at fault. They naturally love one another. Don’t blame Krishna for trying to trick the gopis. He loves them because they’re so devoted to Him. They shouldn’t blame Him for His tricks. There’s no one at fault. It’s all natural. It’s all pure love. Don’t blame Him. Don’t blame her. When love is as pure as this, no one’s at fault. There’s no wrong motivation. There are no dirty tricks. He didn’t do it “on purpose.” He’s not a “wolf.” He’s not a seducer. And she’s not playing a coquette. It’s all as pure as the purest water, as the purest sky. It just happened because pure love happens. Don’t blame me for falling in love with you. You can blame the stars in your eyes and the beauty of your face and the charm of your ways, but I wasn’t up to anything. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you. It’s your loveliness. I didn’t do it on purpose. They just fell in love because they were meant to be in love eternally, and anyone who follows them is also not to blame.

9:00 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

Yesterday, when I submitted “My Dear Lord Krishna” prayer to my editor, he suggested I call it an essay. His reasoning was that my writing talked about prayer but that I did not directly address You. He said this was the first time I had written this way. I submitted to his suggestion to call it an essay, but I was disappointed. I don’t want to write about praying to You, Krishna, but I want to write to you directly. The other day, I received a letter that encouraged me in this regard: “I must say that I am grateful for one one who might put into words the feelings born of the yearning to be fully with Krishna, as Prabhupada is, yet still encased in flesh and blood and mind, as we are, for the purpose of showing to those in different stages of faith and hope (or despairing thereof...) that this tangible existence, this consciousness of our Lord is right here, right now. And by this practical example, one may live on in Him, whatever the condition may be, with and for Him, through thick and thin and for better or worse, and we may see and hope to know and love Him, even as we are now.”

I thought the person who wrote the letter hit the nail on the head as to what I am trying to achieve. Even a lowly person can speak directly to You; it’s not only for one who knows You intimately. You are the best friend of all living entities, and they have a right and a responsibility to communicate with You. I have love for You, and I have feelings in my relationship with You. As my dearmost friend and master, I confide these things to You. And I try to break through my dullness.

I assert my worship and affection for You, but ultimately, I have to ask You to help in praying. Please enable me to find my heart and open it to You.

As for my failings, I can only weep for them. Why don’t I chant Your holy names in ecstasy? Why do I waste my time in frivolous thoughts which are not directed to You? Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati said we must “soak our couch with tears.” But I am dry-eyed. I ask You to move me toward remorse for failing You. Today I am way behind in my japa quota, and I will probably chant them mechanically to catch up. This is not good. I have nothing more important to do than chant with attention and devotion. I should never have the mentality of chanting to “get them out of the way.”

I am praying for a more personal relationship with You. When I write “My Dear Lord Krishna,” I do not want to write an essay about the nature of prayer and the varieties of prayer. No. I want to speak with You personally and come into Your presence, even if it means failure. I want to fail in the attempt to address You and not succeed in doing something else.

You are my sweet Lord. I really want to see You. But it takes a long, long time. I have to be clear of all material dirt and filled with desire to serve You and Your associates in Goloka Vrndavana. I have to gain the qualification to hear Your flute and to see Your sat-cid-ananda form by the bank of the Yamuna. I can do this by yearning for You and crying Your names with quality. I do not deserve any special favor, yet I pray to You for a benediction. I know You are kind to Your devotees if they are sincere. My spiritual master used to say that I was sincere, and I pray that I have not lost that quality over the years and while making blunders on the path of devotional service. Please remember my service to Srila Prabhupada and see some good in the activities I continue to carry out in his name.

the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #63→

There is an mp3 file of my first ever production in Logic Studio 8 down toward the end of this post.

It didn't take me much study to realize that the Boss BR-1600CD that I've been using for the past few years, while a great workhorse for live kirtan recording sessions, was not going to cut the mustard for the serious audio production that will be necessary for an album.

When I got to reading about the Haas effect I checked the ability to configure the delays in the BR-1600 (you need to have different delay times on the left and right channels), and found that it's not possible.

That's just one of a million other things, like not being able to view waveforms or see automation graphically represented through time.

After that I decided to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). I had read an article in Recording World about Ragani and the home recording setup she uses to produce her albums, and thought: "OK, so it's possible, and that's how you do it."

She uses Protools, but after discussing it with a friend I decided to go with Apple's Logic Pro, which is natively developed for the Mac.

Recommendation: Start with Garageband and go to Logic Pro when you hit the wall

Like magic, Allans Music ran a seminar on Garageband and Logic Pro on Monday. I booked a spot and rocked up. A guy from Apple in Sydney was there giving a demo and sharing his knowledge and experience. I twittered the whole thing, if you were paying attention. [Note to self: use hashtags in future.]

His advice? Use Garageband until you reach its limitations, then switch to Logic Pro. The file formats are compatible, and the interface is similar, although Logic's exposes more complexity.

Rather than buying Garageband and then the Jam Packs, he advised buying Garageband, then Logic, which includes all the Jam Packs. Even if you buy Logic Express, then upgrade to Logic Studio, you'll only be penalised $20 over buying Studio outright.

Two years ago Logic Pro 7 alone cost $1500. Today you can get Logic Studio 8, which includes Logic Pro 8 and a whole swag load of other stuff, including 30,000 loops - 45GB in total, for only $649.

Logic Studio 8 was used to compose and produce the soundtrack to Slum Dog Millionaire, so it's not just a toy.

I try, and fail, to follow this recommendation

When I got home I fired up my 2005 G4 ibook and reinstalled Garageband from my OS installation CDs. It only has an 80GB hard drive (1.33GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM), so I'd wiped a lot of utilities, applications, and operating system components that I didn't use to make room for photos and music. After installing, Garageband turned out to be Garageband version 2, a far cry from the Garageband '09 he had been demoing.

After mucking around for a few moments and digging the overdriven harmonic distortion of the one of the Synth Leads (I think it was called Synth Nice), I decided to see if I could install the Jam Packs that come with Logic Studio to try out some ethnic loops and instruments in Garageband.

It turns out that you can only install the Logic Jam Packs if you install the whole Logic Studio. So I tried that. I didn't expect Logic Pro to work, but I figured that since the Jam Packs would be installed, I could play with them in Garageband.

After brutally eliminating practically everything on the hard drive to make space to install, and 4 hours of transferring data from the 6 DVDs to the hard drive, I had Logic installed.

However, Garageband didn't work anymore. The newer file formats used in Logic 8 are not compatible with Garageband 2. So I fired up Logic Pro 8 - and it worked.

I needed to get a larger monitor to make it useable - 1024x768 was too small. I went to 1280x1024 on an external monitor and started to play.

Here's a shot of my little setup:

I started working my way through the small "Getting Started Guide" that comes with Logic. Logic Studio ships with a huge amount of documentation, and it's quite well written too (speaking as someone who does software documentation for a living).

In one evening (last night) I produced this:

• First cut with Logic Studio 8

With this I used some of the 30,000 included loops, three synths tracks with some basic riffs I recorded, some piano roll editing to tidy up the timing of the recording, fader automation to change levels on the fly, and the looping and arranging tools. I'm just getting the hang of the environment and the toolset at this point. Recording actual audio instruments will come later. It's another level of complexity that I'll tackle when I'm proficient and comfortable with the first.

To produce this track took me about 5 hours from a cold start (I did go to the 2 hour seminar, and read the first two chapters of the Logic User Manual before installing).

In contrast, I spent two weeks trying to get my Linux machine into a state where I could run the open source DAW Ardour and get it to produce sound without clicking. At the end of those two weeks I still hadn't succeeded - which lead to my surrender to Apple.

I have to say that I don't regret it. Free (as in speech) software is only free (as in beer) if your time is worth nothing. I don't have a lot of time, I need things that just work, and Apple's gear - both hardware and software - does that.

"Where's that cooking dude?" I hear you say. Still here, too busy to blog.

What have I been up to? Well, my son went back to school, and I've held four classes in one week: two in Perth, one in country Victoria, and one in downtown Melbourne.

Warm and friendly vegetarians Lyn and Michael Sykes run a vineyard and a cellar-door cafe at Bickley in Western Australia's Perth Hills. I was invited over (a five-hour flight across the continent) to hold two classes. That's our first Perth crew above.

Cool-headed and efficient Michael presents our Syrian Pomegranate and Walnut Muhammara & Vegetable Platter, gorgeously decorated by some of the ladies in the class.

Our crew engage in some synchronised herb cutting. A seriously enthusiastic group, I might add.

Lunch is served in the warm Perth hills. That's Lyn, mid-bite far right.

The next day we did it all again, new menu, and concluded with an evening class. When the sun set, the temperature dropped considerably, so we were all happy to indulge in the warm vegetarian delights that we had lovingly prepared.

The following weekend I flew off to Melbourne, spending the night in my all-time favourite abode, the beautiful Melbourne Hare Krishna Temple in Albert Park.

On a chilly Saturday morning, my son and I set off to Flinder's Street Station for a train to Ringwood and a taxi to Warrandyte and the home of Alison (above, right) for an ebullient return cookery event.

The final class of the series was at Gopals Restaurant in Swanston Street, downtown Melbourne.

Gopals is where it all started for me, way back in 1979 and my very first cookery class. Three thousand classes later, it's all still loads of fun.

'Strange Encounters of the Cauliflower Kind'. After inserting a probe to test for signs of life, the specimen is carefully dissected. Don't stand too close...

Evie, donning her surgical gloves, peels a juicy rhizome of fresh turmeric.

When you have a crew of 27 you have enough manpower to bifurcate cashews. Lucky I didn't ask them to peel the peas.

Never too many hands when it comes to poories. I think they were hungry.

The perfect end to a perfect weekend - the Feast!

Want to indulge in a cookery class with Kurma. Find out more...

May 6 2009

“A priceless treasure house of Vaisnava lore…” – Srila Prabhupada 1972

An exciting new ISKCON project is taking birth in Kolkata, the city of Srila Prabhupada’s birth.

The location is four-story building in the heart of Kolkata.

The building was donated to ISKCON in 2000 by Sri Madan Chanda Shamsukha and his wife Srimati Geeta Mukherjee Shamsukha.

Praharana dasi, Ravindra Svarupa dasa, Mr. MC Shamsukha, Hari-sauri dasa, Mrs. Geeta Mukherjee Shamsukha.

Mr. Shamsukha getting the blessings of HH Jayapataka Swami for the project.

Known as “Gita Bhavan” the building is being transformed into a major research centre and guest house. The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) is an exciting new facility aimed at providing a ‘one-stop’ resource for the world-wide academic and Vaisnava community concerned with Vedic studies and in particular, Gaudiya Vaisnavism.

The library has five main sections:

•    Vedic library, containing the Vedic literature and the commentaries of the leading acaryas along with all Srila Prabhupada’s books.

•    Gaudiya Vaisnava original literature and commentaries

•    Vedic cosmology

•    Old manuscripts and rare books identification and preservation

•    Bhagavad Gita library with all language translations of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, plus the commentaries of the previous acaryas.

HH Bhakti Charu Swami visited the work in progress on the library on April 2 2009—seen here with Acyuta dasa (center) and Mr. Shamsukha.

As well as the library there is a temple cum meeting hall for seminars etc.

and three other floors are dedicated to a guest house for visiting scholars to stay.

Srila Prabhupada’s desire

Vedic Library

The inspiration to establish the BRC was born out of the direct desire of Srila Prabhupada. In August of 1976 Srila Prabhupada met with the temple president of Bombay, Giriraja dasa Brahmacari, and his former servant Nitai dasa, to discuss the establishment of a library in the new Bombay Juhu temple:

Hari-sauri dasa recorded this meeting in Volume 4 of his Transcendental Diary series:
August 15 1976 – Bombay

“There was no darshana this afternoon, although Srila Prabhupada did go up onto the roof to sit for a while with a few devotees. Then it began to rain so he returned to his sitting room. There he met with Giriraja and Nitai prabhus to discuss requirements for a library for the new building. Nitai has been given Rs. 4,000 by the temple to purchase books for it. Srila Prabhupada said the library should contain all his own books, those of all the acaryas, as well as the Upanisads and other bona fide Vedic texts. He said even those of Sripad Sankaracarya could be included — but not anything from Gandhi, Vivekananda or Rama-tirtha. “They are all rascals,” he said. “The Vedas instruct us that we should not even look at their faces.”
I was puzzled. “Doesn’t Caitanya Mahaprabhu instruct that if anyone read’s Sankaracarya’s books he is doomed?”
“Not if he reads with proper understanding,” Prabhupada said. “We can read to know what is their philosophy.”
[end quote]

Later in 1976 in a meeting with Dr. Theodore Kneupper, professor of oriental philosophy at Slippery Rock University, Arkansas, the idea of this Vedic library was again mentioned:

November 6 1976 - Vrndavana
[Srila Prabhupada’s secretary Jagadisa dasa is reading a news article about ISKCON to Srila Prabhupada and Dr. Kneupper]

“In fact, many Westerners come here to discover the real India for themselves, (indistinct) life experience. For this reason we are building a model Vedic community at our Juhu center in Bombay, providing all the modern amenities for scholars, students, and sophisticated inquirers from abroad as well as from India who can study the original Indian culture and practice. The center will include a Vedic library, theater, prasadam restaurant, gurukula school, an international guesthouse, as well as a temple and asrama.’
[end quote]

Unfortunately for various reasons the work was never completed. To this day ISKCON has no such library facility and this will be a major provision of the BRC.

Vedic Cosmology

The necessity for a library dedicated to Vedic cosmology became apparent as soon as Srila Prabhupada started talking about building the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) in Mayapur. Ravindra Svarupa prabhu recalls discussing the planetarium concept with Srila Prabhupada in Mayapur and then going into Calcutta to study the idea further. He had the realization that unless we have a library of all materials dealing with Vedic cosmology, the TOVP would not be taken seriously by the very people it was meant to attract–scholars and cosmologists from around the world. The history of delay in the building of the TOVP need not be dwelt upon here, but after many years, the realization of Srila Prabhupada’s dream seems immanent and the need to establish the library is imperative.

Purchase of cosmology books has already begun

Several years ago a cosmology team was formed to begin the research for the TOVP. With funding from Ambarish prabhu the team began talking seriously about establishing a library and last year in February 2008 the cosmology team were given the facility of a large 1100 sq. ft. hall in the building in Kolkata.

Gaudiya Vaisnava studies

Another aspect of the center was developed in conversation with Sriman Pranava dasa from Gothenburg Sweden who is completing his dissertation on the life of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura this summer (2009). He has had a long held ambition to establish a center for studies related to Lord Caitanya and the Gaudiya Vaisnava movement. In cooperation with the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS)

    

Pranava prabhu has proposed the following:

“To initiate an ongoing and long term project in cooperation with the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) for the mapping, collection, digitization, translation and study of literature belonging to or dealing with the Vaishnava tradition that developed from Caitanya (1486-1534) from the 16th century up to the present.  The literature is written mainly in Bengali, Sanskrit, Hindi and English. The first aim is to collect a body of resources and bibliographies of primary and secondary literature at the OCHS. The second is to conduct research and translation of these resources. The third is to make available these materials to the larger academic community and the general public. The project may facilitate research in a number of more specific areas as theology, sociology, history of ideas, philosophy, gender studies, anthropology and science. The project may also result in closer cooperation between a properly run center such as the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre and relevant academic departments and universities in India and around the world.”

The BRC is now working with Pranava prabhu and the OCHS to make this proposal into a reality.

Manuscript preservation

The inspiration for the final component for the center came from an exchange of letters between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples in 1972 regarding some hand-written manuscripts of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura which at that time were in the hands of his son, Srila Lalita Prasada Thakura:

Srila Lalita Prasada Thakura, Acyutananda Swami, Gurudasa and Srila Prabhupada

In a letter to Acyutananda Swami dated  12 June, 1972 Srila Prabhupada told him:

(more…)

When it comes to matters of what is true and what is not true, we have got to be strong. We should not be weak and compromising. When maya or illusion is presented as the truth we have to get tough on maya and defeat it. One of the most dangerous illusions floating around is the idea that God is impersonal. But this idea does not make any sense. How...

Every Town and Village is our ongoing attempt to fulfil the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu to chant the Holy Name in every town and village. Our definition of a "town or village" is a suburb with a distinct postcode. Since 2007 we have chanted in more than 50 of Brisbane's 150 postcodes. You can read more reports here

A small group this week, just four of us. The sky was leaden and heavy with clouds, but the sun was shining at the same time. Towards the end it began to rain while the sun was shining, an event described in Pancaratra-pradipa as auspicious. In Morocco this occasion of simultaneous rain and sunshine is known as "The Wedding of the Wolf".

Camera work: Prahlad, Param Satya, and Sita-pati

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.8.12 - A saint among politicians but a politician among saints is not a real mahatma.

The following is a bhajan and lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 5 May 2009 in Towaco, USA.

To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either “Save link as” or “Save target as”

The following is a bhajan and lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 5 May 2009 in Towaco, USA. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo;

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 5 May 2009 at Towaca, USA.

To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either “Save link as” or “Save target as”

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.2.34 - Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 5 May 2009 at Towaca, USA. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo; Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.2.34 - Chapter 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb

The following is the speech H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami gave at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, NY, USA for the Panel Discussion on “Forgiveness: a pathway to human transformation”.

The following is the speech H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami gave at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, NY, USA for the Panel Discussion on ldquo;Forgiveness: a pathway to human transformationrdquo;.

The local council I work with has asked me to present to them and a number of heads of religious education Krishna Conciousness, including available resources. I have under a month to get ready for it is there any suggestions or advice from senior devotees for me?

One who is situated in devotional service is certainly the controller of his senses, and thus he is a liberated person. When such a liberated person, the pure devotee, hears of the transcendental qualities and activities of the Lord's incarnations for the performance of various pastimes, his hair stands on end on his body, tears fall from his eyes, and in his spiritual realization his voice falters. Sometimes he very openly dances, sometimes he sings loudly, and sometimes he cries. Thus he expresses his transcendental jubilation.

When a devotee becomes like a person haunted by a ghost, he laughs and very loudly chants about the qualities of the Lord. Sometimes he sits to perform meditation, and he offers respects to every living entity, considering him a devotee of the Lord. Constantly breathing very heavily, he becomes careless of social etiquette and loudly chants like a madman, "Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna! O my Lord, O master of the universe!"

The devotee is then freed from all material contamination because he constantly thinks of the Lord's pastimes and because his mind and body have been converted to spiritual qualities. Because of his intense devotional service, his ignorance, material consciousness and all kinds of material desires are completely burnt to ashes. This is the stage at which one can achieve the shelter of the Lord's lotus feet.

SB 7.7.34-36, texts