This is Bhakta Franky’s short story how he journied to the shelter of Krishna’s lotus feet.

A devotee once told me,
" We offer so many services to Krishna......we offer him garlands, we make prasad and offer it, we offer our kirtans, our bhajans yet in the process of offering him all these services, we forget to offer him ourselves! "
Krishna accepts anything offered with love but all he is really looking for is YOU. And that is the hardest thing to offer. The false ego of me, mine never lets us actually do this. Every activity we do, each and every step and action we take in our lives, from bathing, eating, studying.....everything is geared towards one goal......satisfy the self.

We can classify every action as geared towards
1) Sense pleasure
2) Intelligence & Mind pleasure
3) False ego pleasure

Think about it....every small thing we do can be classified under these things. Even devotional service. When I make garlands, it satisfies my senses to see the beautiful flowers, satisfies my intelligence to arrange it in a pattern, and finally satisfies my ego when somebody says, 'oh what a beautiful garland you've made!'. Even though, I'm making it for Krishna, this tinge of ego pleasure never goes away. I would say that ego pleasure is the hardest to overcome. Whatever service we do, the sense of the self doing it hardly goes away....
(I am of course talking about common neophyte devotees like me and not elevated souls where can see actual 'selfless service')

Now you can argue that if even devotional service is performed to satisfy the material senses and ego then why do it? Well.....the only answer I have for this is to ask you to actually spend a day doing service. Yes, my ego is being satisfied, my intelligence is being satisfied when I listen to a good lecture or read sound philosophy, my senses are being satisfied when I listen to beautiful, heartmoving kirtans and bhajans.......yet, at the end of the day, when I go home....when I get a moment to ponder on my pleasure and enjoyment, I realize, this pleasure is something much much deeper.......it is the pleasure of the satisfaction of the soul....:)

1966 May 10 :
"Sasthi. Today also did not go out. Letter received from Robert Nelson who tried Harper Row for publication. Two letters written; one to Brindaban De and the other to Captain Pandya. Both Brindaban and Captain Pandya written about khola, kartal and harmonium."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1967 May 10 : "Here new youngsters are coming more and more to take interest. We require a bigger place and there is a nice building in this area. We are negotiating but do not know what is Krishna's plan. "
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 May 10 : "I am so pleased to learn that you are constantly trying to follow my instructions. Of course, I have no particular instructions, save and except the instructions which I have heard from my Spiritual Master."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 May 10 : "Why do the leaders of this movement fight amongst themselves for supremacy? If the Prabhus have surrendered to the Prabhupada, why there shall be such mentality of occupying the superior position?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1973 May 10 : "Most people cannot approach Krsna Consciousness. Like a rare gem, only a few can purchase, only a few may be capable of grasping it's importance."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1973 May 10 : "If just 1% of the world's population becomes Krsna Conscious, the whole situation on the earth will change. Just see what has happened. I started alone and in just seven years it is growing more and more."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 May 10: "Everyone has some potency. You have special potency. Do not waste it in the service of maya. Although there is inconvenience, we must endure it with a vow to finish our business in Krishna conscious service."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 May 10: "Mahatma Gandhi wanted this village organization. The people should give their labor for their own food and clothing, and then chant Hare Krishna Maha-mantra and cultivate Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Hare krishna

Dandavat Pranams

Please click below link to download recording.

download (Downloads 6)

Click here for the full text.

Servant of Servants.

Japa is a blessing. You bless yourself, as when taking caritamrta. It’s like when you take the flame which is offered by the pujari, or when he sprinkles you with water or offers you the flower to smell. It is like honoring prasadam. Only it is better. It is directly Radha and Krishna. You are nourished by your tongue and your ears. Japa is even more merciful than the saksad darsana of the Lord’s form. I am a japa chanter. I do not chant at the perfect stage (suddha nama), but I am very fortunate. I chant sixteen rounds a day and try to avoid offenses. I am bathed in Krishna’s mercy, Harinama. It is the best way to approach Radha and Krishna and ask for seva.

From Bhajana Kutir #65

Pankajanghri prabhu: On 18th March, Sri Maheshbhai Dhokia, congregation member from London called me and told me that His wife, Srimati Jayshree Dhokia is suffering from acute uterine cancer and she is being flown to Frankfurt for the last time...

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 8.5 - The obstacles to practice of spiritual life that you face will always be there and must be tolerated.

The following is a lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 9 May 2009 in Hillsborough, 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 9 May 2009 in Hillsborough, 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 lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 8 May 2009 in Hillsborough, 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 8 May 2009 in Hillsborough, 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 lecture given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 7 May 2009 in Hillsborough, 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 Hillsborough, USA. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo;

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)

Highlights:
Links to Great Videos on Queen's Day Harinamas
Wise Words from Kadamba Kanana Swami

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.

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

In the final piece of Contemplation In A World Of Action, Thomas Merton, never one to shy away from the provocative, from the push, asks "Is The Contemplative Life Finished?"

We can easily infer, having absorbed Merton's own strongly positive views, and from his own personal example, that a life of spiritual absorption is indeed more important than ever. But what are the essentials to take in, to meditate upon, and to put into practice, in our own personal and communal lives, to insure a continuous renewal of devotional absorption and action?

Merton, from the core of his heart and realization, begins with the root and foundation of freedom. The very same freedom millions strive, suffer, and die for, which has stained the pages of history with the blood of the sincere and righteous, and which also binds those pages into a narrative of the eternal nature of the soul seeping through into the hills and valleys of human aspiration.

Merton is clear enough that those of us in the monastic order have a duty to reach deep into ourselves to find this freedom in its purest form, to cultivate it and to share it. He writes:

"We monks should be able to reassure modern man that God is the source and the guarantee of our freedom and not simply a force standing over us to limit our freedom. Our encounter with God should be, at the same time, the discovery of our own deepest freedom. If we never encounter Him, our freedom never fully develops...Every man at some point in his life encounters God, and many who are not Christians have responded to God better than Christians. Our encounter with Him, our response to His Word, is the drawing forth and calling out of our deepest freedom, our true identity."

It has been said in these pages before, and it will be said again, that the best thing we can offer to the progressive countercultures striving to better serve the human situation on this Mama Earth is knowledge of the very source and fountain of the most invincible freedom, the sweet loving shakti of Govinda.

Of course, for Merton and for us, the key to this freedom is our own fervent, constant prayer. He writes:

"Prayer is the flowering of our inmost freedom, in response to the Word of God. Prayer is not only dialogue with God: it is the communion of our freedom with his ultimate freedom, his infinite spirit. It is the elevation of our limited freedom into the infinite freedom of the divine spirit, and of the divine love. Prayer is the encounter of our freedom with the all-embracing charity which knows no limit and knows no obstacle."

As spiritual aspirants and potential guides for others, it is absolutely essential to live a life of prayer. I cannot stress this enough, and I am trying to re-focus my own sadhana around strong, serious, feeling, daily prayer, and even in the earliest of stages, I can sense some positive changes and effects.

All personal and communal renewal revolves this hob of the wheel: real prayer. Not the prayer of favor-asker. Not the prayer of the order-giver. Prayer of the heart, humble as a blade of grass, asking to serve and to know how to really serve. Merton writes:

"We have to try to say to modern man something about the fact that authentic prayer enables us to emerge from our servility into freedom in God because it no longer strives to manipulate Him by superstitious deals."

Our prayer, leading to the fountain of freedom that is Krsna's spiritual energy, should lift us out of our mundane need for security, our "comfort zone" as we like to say here in the Bhaktivedanta Ashram.

To go beyond our comforts which keep us bound to the vines and weeds of our lower self, we need to avoid criticizing others for their own mostly unavoidable shortcomings and begin with our own. Again, this has been said before again and again, but it can't be said enough. Merton writes of himself:

"My work for renewal takes place strictly in my own situation here, not as a struggle with the institution but in an effort to renew my life of prayer in a whole new context, with a whole new understanding of what the contemplative life means and demands."

As I wrote recently, Prabhupada can be considered the "supreme activist." We understand how much he stepped out of his own possible zones of comfort and security to do something so radical and revolutionary: bring Krsna Consciousness to the streets of the West.

In the multitude of ways that we can serve Prabhupada's mission, we must always keep at the core this mood of his, which is to respect the necessary boundaries to go well beyond the unnecessary ones. To create the Golden Age by actually getting out of our sleeping bags and connecting with the dynamic progressive peoples of this planet. Merton writes:

"What each one of us has to do, what I have to do, is to buckle down and really start investigating new possibilities in our own life; and if the new possibilities mean radical changes, all right. Maybe we need radical changes for which we may have to struggle and sweat some blood. Above all we must be more attentive to God's way and God's time, and give everything when it is really demanded."

***

Here in the Bhaktivedanta Ashram, we are now trying to serve and understand the words of HH Radhanath Maharaja, as he said that the result of last weekend's sweet success with the Radha-Muralidhara Reunion Festival was the "blooming of the lotus flower of the spiritual renaissance of New York City."

In this moment of great transition and possibility, the reality of renewal is our everyday meditation, and our chance to bring forth fully the best of our contemplative and active natures. Merton relates in this regard:

"Our new life will emerge from authenticity now. This is not merely an empty moment of transition...Transition is also fullness. We can have a certain personal fullness even when the changing institution is provisional, and we have to learn to be able to be contemplatives in the midst of the dynamic, in the midst of movement."

To move and shake, but to still do so with depth of heart, is one of the great opportunities we have here in New York City. But as Maharaja carefully warns, with success will come greater attempts by maya, who knows how to turn off the gas when something is cooking nicely, to thwart any attempt at renewal.

To combat this, we need as well as sense of toughness, so that we can refine ourselves to be and do our best. Merton says:

"I think we should aim for...the most and the best in ourselves. Here I think we need a great deal of subtlety and flexibility in recognizing the real vital possibilities of each individual in the contemplative life.

Contemplative discipline is both hard and flexible...There has to be a real challenge. It's got to be a rough life...But the contemplative life has to be tough in such a way that it's also flexible. The toughness of the contemplative life should not be that restricting toughness which arbitrarily rules out good possibilities. It should be a toughness that tones us up to meet new possibilities, the unexpected, that for which we have not been previously capable, for which we have not been previously ready."

All these essentials, and more we'll discuss next week, give us all hope that the renewal we need as spiritual and as a human community is close at hand, if we want it.

You might have noticed a few articles on this blog about water fluoridation.

In the course of reading about this I came across a common meme that "the Nazis used fluoridation in water to dull [the population|concentration camp internees]". (Check out a wikipedia search of "Nazis fluoridation" to get an idea)

It's a common theme repeated in many places. A common version is that either the Nazis, or the Soviets in the gulags, or both, used "sodium fluoride" in the water.

It's just interesting to see people repeating this thing over and over again uncritically, and without either asking for or supplying any kind of reference.

I used my Google-fu to trace it back to something with a reference. The only cited reference for this that I could find was a book called "The Crime and Punishment of IG Farben". The citation included a page number. (I can't be bothered going through the exercise again to find this citation - I leave it as an exercise for the interested reader).

I got the book. I checked the page (from memory is was 43, or thereabouts). There was no mention of fluoride there. I read the entire book. There was no mention in the whole book.

So in this case, you have the story being widely repeated without citation. In a few rare cases there is a citation, which kind of looks authoritative, but when you actually chase it down, it's completely bogus.

There are a lot of things out there like that. "The Internet" is not a source, it's a medium. To say that you read something on the Internet neither makes it unbelievable, nor credible.

Critical reading is important. Every "fact" has two aspects - the information that it presents, and its strength as evidence. It is important to be able to describe not only what you say, but also where it comes from, how reliable it is, what other supporting evidence reinforces it, counter arguments and opposing evidence, and what other caveats may exist.

It's always convenient to present things in black and white, but reality is multi-coloured.

"Chanakya Pandita has analyzed how in the family we can become enemies of one another. Chanakya Pandita says, rna-karta pita satruh: 'A father in debts to others is enemy.' " (Srila Prabhupada lecturing on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.32-33 on 27 September 1976 in Vrindavana.)

Pancha-tattva maha abhisekha in Mayapur - showers

What I like about Wikipedia is its scientific approach to pramana, or epistemology ("how we know something", or valid evidence).

Wikipedia is not allowed to contain original research. In other words, everything in Wikipedia must be supported by evidence elsewhere that is referenced in footnotes in the Wikipedia article.

When a reader spots a statement that is not backed up by a reference, they add a "Citation Needed" flag to that statement.

Wkipedia's policy on citing sources is found here: Wikipedia:Citing Sources. Valid sources of evidence are discussed in Wikipedia:Verifiability.

Periodic hysteria about errors and deliberately false information inserted into Wikipedia articles is misguided. Wikipedia by policy does not contain original research. This means that anything that you read there is for convenience only - Wikipedia is an aggregator. The actual proof for anything there is found elsewhere, and it's up to the reader to use Wikipedia as a starting point and check the references.

The policy of citing sources is important in law, science, religion, and media reporting. In fact, in any discipline that has a basis in philosophy.

Whenever I read anything on the Internet that does not quote authoritative sources (that actually back up what is being said), I immediately think to myself: "Citation needed." Wikipedia has raised my expectation of pramana on the Internet. Of course, Srila Prabhupada always stressed that his disciples should be able to quote scriptures to back up their points, chapter and verse, like a lawyer. This provides a check and balance against incorrect speculation. Wikipedia has shown how that principle of solid pramana, or valid evidence, is universally useful in cutting through the BS.

My sister and her family visited us en route, on a tour of America. When relatives visit it is always bittersweet. My sister (who is a good eight years older than me), or for that matter no one from my family can relate to the fact that I am no longer the person that I used to be. In the high school years of my sister, my parents received a complaint from the teachers that she was not paying

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.8.14 -  Gaurakishore das Babaji instructed that to avoid problems in spiritual life male devotees should treat one's wife as a servant of Krsna.

Devotional Rehearsals

Toronto, Ontario

So much green vegetation sprouts out of the soil at this time of year. When the saffron sun of the morning peeks, the energy explosion of green becomes obvious. Black squirrels scurry everywhere. This morning a baby raccoon clung to his tree, holding on for dear life, not sure what to make of us strange creatures. It has nothing to do with our robes. It has to do with the fact that we are homosapiens. We are nothing to be feared.

For the evening, our acting cast for “The Eighth Boy” partook in an intense seven hour rehearsal. Being volunteers, it can be a real trying time getting everyone together but, our crew understood the urgency in preparing for the “Festival of Inspiration”. It ended up being a super tight team experience. At times like these, you can say that magic is real. When co-operation reaches optimum levels like this, it is practically not the material world anymore.

When attempting anything in this existence there is prone to be problems. During our practice, there were two intense moments where things were rolling on very well when suddenly, in the dark, someone accidentally tripped over the cable that ran our sound and lights. It was an occurrence that could have engendered cursing. But “No!” The level of synergy, harmony was such that we were determined to start again.

I admire the group that I worked with. They came at some level of inconvenience. They came without signing a contract. They came without receiving a salary or stipend. The fact is all members of the acting cast and technical crew have a heart. They have something special called bhakti, devotion.

It just so happened that a professional actor walked in to see me right at the moment that we started our first rehearsal run through of the play. It was a bit rough, as the group was “rusty”. From his perspective, everyone was doing just fine. Frankly he said, “You’ve got a good thing going here.”

“If that’s so, then it’s because of the intense desire to ‘give’. “I’ve got all these devotional people to work with,” I said.

3 Km

An Interview

Toronto, Ontario

Because I know I will be spending a considerable time of the day in a sedentary fashion, I consciously plan some mobile time on my feet. There’s that need for balance. So that’s covered in the morning.

Today I was set for a documentary interview on the topic of “The Last Rites.” Keith, an independent film-maker, with assistant Dana, penetrated rather deeply with questions relating to the closure of life. But even more so, their questions diverted to all realms of Krishna Conscious activities. It was stimulating for me and for them.

After a three hour sit down for a glorious session, including a meal of bitter melon and veggie curry, it was time to stretch our legs and exchange appreciations. Naturally I’m content for the exposure and opportunity to speak on an old tradition that believes in a soul’s migration from one life form to another; when, at the time of expiry, the body is either cremated or left for burial.

Spiritual leaders have always taken the responsibility to care for this most critical stage in life, to see to a relatively peaceful exit from this world. When you think about it, it is such an important task. Methinks the rule of the priest is underrated these days.

6 Km

Royal Decision

Toronto, Ontario

Monday is the day at the ashram where the residents sit down and, as attentively as possible, hears a recording of our founder speaking some message of truth. Today we were hearing a selected class Srila Prabhupada gave on Oct. 1/76. The topic dealt with a warrior’s option to kill or spare the life of a captured foe. Today’s story dealt with Arjuna, waiting for the consent to end the life of Asvattama, the son of Arjuna’s martial arts guru. Arjuna had held down Asvattama while making his decision after due consultation with his wife, brothers and Krishna himself. The final verdict was; the murderer of the Pandavas children, Asvattama, would live, considering how his mother would be distraught if she lost him.

These are the sensitivities that arise amongst the ksatriya or warrior class in the times of ancient India. Prabhupada went on to discuss the heinous acts of intrigue amongst royal members in the not so distant times in the family of Shah Johan, Auranzeb during the period of the Taj Mahal’s construction. Royal blood is often regarded as rival blood by someone from another kingdom. It becomes a different dynamic when an ambitious prince, for instance, extinguishes his own brothers and even holds hostage his father, feeling under threat of not gaining the throne.

Our guru expressed that so much mistrust exists in the world. On various occasions he explained that because of our bodily identity there is mistrust. There is always the fear of when will my life be taken or, for animals, when will I be eaten. Fear is pervasive in a world where one concludes, “I am this body.” This is, of course, a mistaken notion.

My walking today remained within the neighbourhood of bursting buds and blossoms that flair like royal egos.

5 Km

May 9, 2:00 A.M.

It was a pretty good night. I woke up at about 10:00 P.M. but didn’t stay up long. I think I got about six hours’ sleep. I got up from bed at about 2:00 A.M. I did not force myself to get up at 2:00 A.M. but woke naturally and felt like getting up. Baladeva came up and fixed me up, and I began japa at 2:36 A.M.

3:18 A.M.

Japa essay

Japa can be compared to championship golf. Sometimes you use the heavy driver, sometimes you use the iron, sometimes you use the putter, sometimes you make a birdy or an eagle, or you make a lot of bogies, or you make par. Sometimes you wind up in the water. Sometimes you wind up in a sand trap. Sometimes you do real well and move up in the competition.

Japa cannot be compared to anything. You pray from the heart. You play it carefully and measure your shots. You don’t have to wear special shoes or shirts. There are no hard and fast rules. You can even chant in your pajamas. The main thing is to keep trying sincerely and stay awake. This morning, I’ve been alert for eight rounds so far, and I’m hoping to keep it going. I’m chanting mostly sub-par in audibility. But I’m paying attention. I love japa. It’s my favorite sport. But I’m not a champion. I’m just an amateur. I’ve been working at it for a long time, and yet I remain an amateur. Sometimes I have to cry out, “Fore!,” as my ball sails into the crowd. You wouldn’t expect that from me after all these years. But I keep trying. I honestly keep trying. Japa is the easiest form of spiritual meditation. Many people enter the competition, and many people improve over the years. They attend seminars. They go on japa retreats. They study books. They get down on their knees and pray. They get frustrated and throw the club down. It’s done on beads or clickers. You don’t use a caddy. You do it on your own. Japa, please let me perform you to the end of my days. Don’t let me break my legs or need surgery so that I have to lose a year of japa. I’m already chanting less because of my shoulder. I’ll get better, though. You’ll see me. I’ll get better. Japa is my favorite sport. Japa is my most serious meditation. Japa has been given to use by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Prabhupada says the order of the spiritual master to chant at least sixteen rounds daily is the most essential one. So I’m working at it. I pray to Krishna to bless me.

A japa poem

without a pen or typewriter

is very hard to do.

You do it from your tongue,

you do it from your mind.

You’re happy when it’s going well.

Birds chirp in the air. You’re depressed

when you hit a drowse

or inattention comes.

Japa is a daily challenge,

and so is a poem in praise of it.

I make this poem today.

I hope it will be accepted

by the japa master in the sky

by the japa master on the earth

by the japa masters in parampara.

They’re like golf champions

making holes in one, making birdies.

Today I’m not doing so bad,

and so I hope this poem will serve

to cheer me on to better things.

From Forgetting the Audience (1993): “While keeping steady in this vrata, I take some notes in writing sessions.

“Stuck. Sermon in a high pulpit. Everyone knows what he’s talking about. Or no one knows God by direct experience, not to the degree the great saints know Him. We listen to the sermon. When there’s new material, that doesn’t satisfy us much either. We find fault in it. The true devotees are those who are able to hear these lectures without fault-finding and take them as Krishna’s messages and Prabhupada speaking in parampara. Srîla Prabhupada said he was not speaking. He said it was Krishna’s message and Krishna was speaking through him. He said he was simply the mouthpiece. This was Srîla Prabhupada’s powerful and humble assertion. He actually did it—served Krishna’s message without adding his own. This made him potent and pure.

“Can I do that? Do I think it’s not enough? Do I think I am doing that in my own way? Despite my upbringing in speculation, I’m doing my best to remain truthful to the words of the Gaudîya-Madhva sampradaya, whatever Prabhupada says.

“And why these daily notes written wherever I am? What is my compulsion? What is my plan?

“I told you. I told you.”

6:45 A.M.

It’s a beautiful spring day. The sun is filtering through some clouds, but the beach and sand and sea are bright. There is no vegetation at the seaside, but it has its own calm beauty. A woman is walking at the sea’s edge, talking into her cell phone. What news does she have from the seaside? I’m dragging my feet and feeling shoulder pain but enjoying the warm sun. It’s too early for people to gather at the beach. I’m sure they will be here during the day. At this hour, Krishna has cast a calm atmosphere. The water is hardly moving, and the beach is empty. The sky is blue with heavy streaks of white. Fishermen are going out to sea in their little boats. Early in the morning, you sometimes see deer and a venerable fox, but they are gone with the sunshine and the people. Black gnats cluster on our windshield. A fishing boat honks its last blast before leaving, just in case anyone is out in the parking lot or getting coffee. The temperature is getting too warm for my layers of clothes. Soon summer will be here. Krishna’s favorite season is coming to an end.

8:30 A.M.

“The Face of the Bass.” The double bass is an ungainly but beautiful instrument. It is round and jocund. Charlie Haden is the bass player for Ornette Coleman. In Krishna pieces of music, we also sometimes hear the double bass. It plucks deeply and specifically. It’s a deep melody. It can express sadness. Of course, it can keep a beat. “The Face of the Bass” is a pretty upbeat tune. It reminds me of Krishna playing with the cowherd boys. The bass is the rhythm. It’s such a big instrument. It takes a tall man to stand and play it. He has to have fingers of iron to pluck the steel strings. This comes from lots of practice. But once he masters it, it’s very comfortable to hear. As I said, I think it’s the beat of the boys romping in playful measures, steadily. And Ornette and Don Cherry play around it. The face of the bass is big and round. He’s playing rhythm, but a melody also, and they gather around him.

“Forerunner.” Krishna runs ahead of all the other boys. He’s the forerunner. They cry out, “I will be the first one to go and catch Krishna.” Another boy challenges: “No, I will be the first to catch Krishna,” and they dash after Him. Sometimes Krishna runs so fast none of them catch Him, and He runs and joins the gopis for their midday pastimes. The forerunner is the one who is ahead of his times, like Ornette Coleman. Krishna was ahead of His times also. He did things that no one else did, that no one else imagined could be done. He broke the rules of etiquette, but everything He did was right. He was ahead of His time. Ornette played that way too, playing melodies and nonmelodies long before others caught up with him. They didn’t know what he was doing. They couldn’t understand it. They didn’t appreciate it. But eventually they caught up with him. People misunderstand Krishna, too. They think He’s a debauch, but gradually, if they read carefully and come to understand what pure prema is, then they will understand. He is ahead of everyone, but there’s nothing wrong in what he’s doing. He doesn’t conform to an old-fashioned concept of God. He’s God as the lover of the gopis. He’s God as the subordinate of His friends, who wrestle Him to the ground. He’s even a child who’s afraid of His parents when they chastise Him. How’s that for a new concept of God? Many people nowadays still do not understand Krishna and how He can be the Supreme and at the same time the playful enjoyer. It’ll be up to the devotees to make a nice presentation so that people will understand Krishna and appreciate Him as chaste and pure. It will be up to the devotees to catch up to Krishna.

“Free.” So wonderful to be free and not bound in an institution, not imprisoned, not tied up in laws and regulations. Ornette Coleman’s band is free. They don’t play standard jazz. They play their own way. I”m not a musicologist, so I can’t tell you what they leave out, but I know it’s free and that he does what he wants. Some people get puzzled with this freedom. They think the music should be more regulated. The same with Krishna’s freedom. He doesn’t follow the laws of matrimony. He dances with other men’s wives. He is free to kill any demons He likes, even if they’re cows or bulls. He never does anything that’s wrong or improper because He’s free. He’s free from the laws of varnasrama dharma. When He does something, it’s right because He does it. How delightful to be free and to play with Krishna in the free kingdom of God, where there are no laws and no policemen, just love. Krishna’s free from time and pain and all sorts of misery, and so are His devotees. They’re ultimately free. Nothing binds them. But they like to remain bound by the love of their devotees. In that sense, they are not free. But it’s a higher kind of freedom. Free is also sweet. A nice little tune. It changes into anything it likes. It can assume any shape or form, but it’s always good-looking. Ornette’s alto shakes and stretches, contracts and expands. Goes up and down the scales in freedom. You like it.

9:45 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

I want to live with You. Is that possible? I know there are different ways of living with You. I can live with You by fervently chanting Your holy name. I have heard that that is just as good as living with You in person. I can live with You by constantly hearing Your pastimes. That is also as good as living with You in person. I can’t help but think that if I can live with You in Your spiritual abode and serve You as a menial servant, that would be the best of all. But I would be happy to live with You in any way and be satisfied with that. You have an abode called Goloka Vrndavana. You live there for the pleasure of Your devotees. You never leave there, not even a step. Sometimes in the scriptures, it appears that You do leave Goloka Vrndavana. Then we are told that You remain there in your vibhava form of feelings of separation from You. The devotees who love You with all their hearts live in separation from You, enjoying Your company just as much as if they had Your personal company daily in Your court, in Your cowherd fields. This is difficult to understand, even theoretically. Because when You are gone from the devotees, they appear to suffer very much, and they cry constantly in Your absence. But this feeling is called vipralambha, or being with You in separation, and it is said to be as good—or better—than being with You personally.

The main thing is to love You and to serve You always. Once that is accomplished, then a devotee is with You in sambhoga (union) or vipralambha (separation). We were recently reading in Brhad Bhagavatamrta that Uddhava prefers to go out on an errand for You rather than to be with You in Your court. And in Your form of Lord Caitanya, You demonstrated that the highest ecstasy was to have feelings of separation from You. In this state, Lord Caitanya’s body used to transform itself into odd shapes, and He would fall into ecstasies, dive into the ocean thinking it was the Yamuna, run after the sand dunes thinking they were Govardhana Hill and do extraordinary things which no one had ever done before, all out of intense love for You.

My own position is different. I don’t feel intense desire to be with You in person, nor do I feel the ecstasies of separation from You. I am relatively weak in my bond of attachment to You. I don’t deny that I love You and want to be with You, but my emotions are not constant and overwhelming. I am ashamed to admit this. I have other things on my mind, like my bodily pains and pleasures. I do want to increase my love for You more than anything else. But there are obstacles on my path of devotional service. Srila Rupa Goswami says the two most favorable items in devotional service are enthusiasm and patience, and I’m lacking these. I also lack a deep taste for chanting Your holy names and for hearing Your pastimes in Srimad-Bhagavatam. I lack in my desire to associate with Your devotees and in other important aspects of devotional service.

I know I can improve. I want to do this, but I need Your help. So I am making a prayer. I’m asking You to increase my devotion to You and speed me on the path. I know it is not a casual thing for me to ask You to help me. It requires that I also make efforts to improve myself. But even the necessary effort on my part cannot come about unless You help me. I don’t think I am making a one-sided appeal by asking for this. I think it is the actual situation. Nothing good can happen unless You instigate it. I am weak and prone to cheat. But I want to promise You that if You do give me help, I will do my part according to my capacity and try to improve. Please help me to live up to my side of the bargain and perform the necessary austerities to become a better devotee. This is my prayer.

the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #66→

I am not a pet-owner. But I often speak with vegetarian pet-owners who struggle with the issues discussed below. After years of blogging, I pretty much know which topics will stimulate loads of letters; this is one of them, I am sure. Anyway, here goes:

Friederike from Australia writes:

"We have two dogs and a cat. I feed them tinned meat and kangaroo bones, because the kangaroos are killed anyway in Australia. But I do not like it. Do you think it is OK to feed meat to pet animals? I know that dogs can live without meat, but cats are said to die without it. What are the alternatives, apart from very expensive special vegetarian pet food?"

My reply: Big subject! The animals do not incur any karma for eating flesh. It is their natural condition. In fact, animals incur no karmic result for anything they do. Humans however do. So if you feed your pets meat (which involves buying it and thus supporting the meat industry) you do incur involvement in the complex and strict karmic chain of killing.

I know many vegan/veg pet-owners who have so-called vegetarian dogs. And yes, the concept of a vegetarian cat is indeed a challenge. Best I can suggest is that you visit the numerous discussion groups and internet sites for vegan/veg pet owners. There are many. Or wait and read the readers' letters this blog generates.

If I had a cat (never have, never will) I would feed it veg food and if it wants meat it will go and kill some itself. Hence I would incur no part in the nasty business of mass slaughter of animals for food.

Ok all you vegetarian pet-owners out there, tell me what you do (click on 'comments' below). And please, dear vegans, no roasting me for using dairy products today, please. Keep to the topic.

1974 May 9: "Make political propagation on the basis of reforming the whole human society. The leaders must be an ideal class of men, with ideal character. They should chant the names of God. This is essential for leaders."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 May 9: "I cannot close my eyes when there are big management difficulties, so when I see things going wrong, money mispent, things not used properly, then I have to take part."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 May 9: "Do not be discouraged. Simply follow all of the rules and regulations very carefully. This is most important. Without these things, there is no spiritual life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1966 May 9:
"Panchami. The whole day I did not go out. In the evening there was meeting the attendance was large, 14 ladies and gentlemen attended. But the collection poor only $5.00 Never mind it is growing."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1974 May 9: "I received one rumor that the Sankirtana parties in the US would soon be stopped by political repression. Assure all your men that I have great hope for Krishna Consciousness in America, more than any other place."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1972 May 9: "So Syamasundara is just like my younger brother, we call him by nickname Gabu. His elder brother was Siddhesvar Mali and his nickname was Subida, an he was calling me Moti, so we were very intimate friends from the perambulator."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 May 9: "So inhabitants can be engaged in such a small manufacturing enterprise as well as farming to become self sufficient. But we should not be business minded. Our main business is to develop our dormant Krsna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1972 May 9: "Now I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees Krishna conscious and ourselves becoming Krishna conscious, and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes thicker and sweeter."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1970 May 9: "All these things do not sound very nice. So I am very much anxious to know what is the actual situation because I can sense that he wants to introduce something in my absence which is completely against Krsna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

Once in the early 1970s I was present when the press interviewed Prabhupada after his arrival at a New York airport. A reporter asked, ‘Why have you come to the West?' ‘I have come', Prabhupada replied, ‘to give you a brain. Your society', he continued, ‘is headless.'

Told by Ravindra Svarupa Dasa

1972 May 9: "So Syamasundara is just like my younger brother, we call him by nickname Gabu. His elder brother was Siddhesvar Mali and his nickname was Subida, an he was calling me Moti, so we were very intimate friends from the perambulator."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1974 May 9: "I cannot close my eyes when there are big management difficulties, so when I see things going wrong, money mispent, things not used properly, then I have to take part."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1966 May 9:
"Panchami. The whole day I did not go out. In the evening there was meeting the attendance was large, 14 ladies and gentlemen attended. But the collection poor only $5.00 Never mind it is growing."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1970 May 9: "All these things do not sound very nice. So I am very much anxious to know what is the actual situation because I can sense that he wants to introduce something in my absence which is completely against Krsna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1972 May 9: "Now I want that we shall concentrate on making our devotees Krishna conscious and ourselves becoming Krishna conscious, and not be so much concerned with expanding ourselves widely but without any spiritual content. Just like boiling the milk, it becomes thicker and sweeter."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 May 9: "So inhabitants can be engaged in such a small manufacturing enterprise as well as farming to become self sufficient. But we should not be business minded. Our main business is to develop our dormant Krsna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 May 9: "I received one rumor that the Sankirtana parties in the US would soon be stopped by political repression. Assure all your men that I have great hope for Krishna Consciousness in America, more than any other place."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Sri Lalita dasi: In this very moment not all the houses are inhabitated by devotees (about 25 % of the houses are owned by non-devotees) and some have just been built and are for sale.

1974 May 9: "Make political propagation on the basis of reforming the whole human society. The leaders must be an ideal class of men, with ideal character. They should chant the names of God. This is essential for leaders."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 May 9: "Do not be discouraged. Simply follow all of the rules and regulations very carefully. This is most important. Without these things, there is no spiritual life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

By Parsada devi dasi

The Amar Ujala, a daily Indian newspaper ranked 34th in the world in circulation, has selected ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School in Vrindavan (BGIS) as the top school in the Mathura district and the second best school in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Above is the first part of a series of lectures given by Terry Eagleton at Yale, you can see the rest of them here. Or you can find them on youtube.

Here is a review of one of his recent books, by New York Times columnist Stanley Fish.

I was really excited to find out about Terry Eagleton (yes I am that much a geek). He does a great job of putting Ditchkins (His term for Dawkins and Hitchens) in their place. The scope and breadth of his lectures is really impressive, he really does a good job of covering the God religion debate. His erudite tone makes Ditchkins seem ignorant, bigoted, and silly.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, he is not as vile as they are so he probably won't get the same publicity they will, but you never know.

In 2010 he'll be giving a gifford, that should be interesting.

Out of all the people that have stood up to Ditchkins I think he is the best able to do it. Dinesh D'Souza is a good debater, and fun to watch, but he doesn't have the intellectual firepower that Eagleton does, and Eagleton is not limited by a bias towards a fundamentalist version of Christianity. He is also really funny.

It would be great to see him debate Dawkins or Hitchens, but I don't think they would be willing to accept such a challenge.

"Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work."

- Peter Drucker

Humble request for all who have set feeds for my blog Following a recent e-mail sent by the head of congregational development with my comments regarding my personal feelings around the use of Sadhana forms and exams, it appears my spiritual life has been checked and the small glimmer of hope that one day there could [...]

I have been giving some thought on initiation, as several devotees pointed out that if you feel so strongly about it what alternatives have you personally come up with? Firstly there needs to be a rational as to why there is some objection, is it mental concoction, do I as the class this week highlighted have [...]

Offerings to Jayapataka Swami on his Vyas Puja.

Dallas, TX
2008-04-05

Download: 2009-04-05 - Jayapataka Swami Vyas Puja - 2 - Offerings.mp3

I would like to share with you some topics on chanting that he mentioned which inspired me a lot and may have the same effect on you for sure.

"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 rajankutumba-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 theLord. 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 inthe 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.

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nrsimhadeva, the source of allpower. O my Lord who possess nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demon like 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.

Devotees in Karlovac, Croatia, installed Sri Sri Nitai Gaurachandra, their first deities, earlier this month. The Karlovac ISKCON temple was established eight years ago, when devotees began holding spiritual programs in the Croatian towns of Križevci, Kalnik, and Lička Jesenica. They also prepared for the monumentous event years ahead of them by travelling to the USA and India to learn how to conduct traditional rites and care for deities.

Krishna lunch at the University of Florida means more than just grabbing a quick bite to eat; for some students, it has become a tradition. The Krishnas have been there, in the same spot at the plaza, for more than 38 years. Every day, rain or shine, students can enjoy a healthy vegetarian, all- you- can- eat buffet, for a donation of $4. Students can also buy lunch cards, which drop the price to a mere $3.33.

As part of an ongoing effort to maintain Vraja, the holy land in India where Lord Krishna is said to have been born, the adjacent sacred lakes Radha-Kunda and Shyama Kunda are being cleaned for the first time since 1987. ISKCON devotee Devaki Prana Dasa, who has lived and served at Radha-Kunda for many years, says, “The water is over twenty-two steps down at present, and the full cleaning will take about a month and a half to complete.”

The Amar Ujala, a daily Indian newspaper ranked 34th in the world in circulation, has selected ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Gurukula and International School in Vrindavan (BGIS) as the top school in the Mathura district and the second best school in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Every year at the ISKCON Center in Mayapur, India a festival is held where the presiding deities are covered in sacred sandalwood paste (candana) and decorated beautifully.

The year was 1997. In the midst of a frantic search for material enjoyment, Vasudeva Datta reluctantly agreed to go along to a Hare Krishna meeting with one of his friends. There he bought Life Comes from Life and a set of japa beads—and within two weeks he found himself chanting sixteen rounds a day and devouring Prabhupada’s books.

It is the summer of 1983. A jury in Orange County, California—that bastion of “traditional American values,” that home to Disneyland and the pioneering mega-church Crystal Cathedral—a jury stares at a large poster. Faces register shock and awe. They behold the astonishing Narasiṁha, the avatāra with the body of a man and the head of a lion, sitting before a shattered pillar.

6th Street and 23th Avenue, it’s clearly the most patriotic intersection in town. A star-spangled red, white, and blue painted building on one corner, and diagonally opposite an intrusively large signboard that continually boasts inspirational sayings. The latest edition of the signboard reads, “America 3, Pirates 0.”

In the evening, we had a transcendental two hours ecstatic abhisheka to Lord Nrsimhadeva. On the day before Nrsimha Chaturdasi, oil abhisheka was offered. Usually it is done on the day of Nrsimha Chaturdasi. So, it was surprising for devotees to have darshan of the Lord without chandan during adhivas. HH Gopalkrsna Goswami and Lilasukha prabhu gave English Srimad Bhagavatam class while HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami delivered a series of five days lectures on Nrsimha katha. Students of Sri Mayapur International School had put up a fancy dress show.

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If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

The Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) situated at 110A Motilal Nehru Road, Kolkata 700029 is seeking a creative and enthusiastic librarian. The successful applicant should ideally hold an MLS or B. Lib. Sci or have on-site experience of information management and be able and willing to lead a variety of services in the development of the BRC library.

A study of why people change religious affiliations, released this week by the Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life, found that more than half of Americans have changed faiths in their lifetime. Sixteen percent of the population is not affiliated with a religion, according to the study, but many respondents said they had not found the right religion.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.8.13 -

If you would like to contribute to our year-long "celebration" of Darwin's 200th birthday, please send your articles, editorials, or any other creative and informative pieces to nvclub108@gmail.com

From "Life Comes From Life"

Karandhara: Modern proponents of Darwinism say that the first living organism was created chemically.
Srila Prabhupäda: And I say to them, "If life originated from chemicals, and if your science is so advanced, then why can't you create life biochemically in your laboratories?"
K: They say they will create life in the future.
SP: What future? When this crucial point is raised, they reply, "We shall do it in the future." Why in the future? That is nonsense. "Trust no future, however pleasant." If they are so advanced, they must demonstrate now how life can be created from chemicals. Otherwise what is the meaning of their advancement? They are talking nonsense.
K: They say that they are right on the verge of creating life.
SP: That's only a different way of saying the same thing: "In the future." The scientists must admit that they still do not know the origin of life. Their claim that they will soon prove a chemical origin of life is something like paying someone with a postdated check. Suppose I give you a postdated check for ten thousand dollars but I actually have no money. What is the value of that check? Scientists are claiming that their science is wonderful, but when a practical example is wanted, they say they will provide it in the future.

Suppose I say that I possess millions of dollars, and when you ask me for some money I say, "Yes, I will now give you a big postdated check. Is that all right?" If you are intelligent, you will reply, "At present give me at least five dollars in cash so I can see something tangible." Similarly, the scientists cannot produce even a single blade of grass in their laboratories, yet they are claiming that life is produced from chemicals. What is this nonsense? Is no one questioning this?
K: They say that life is produced by chemical laws.
SP: As soon as there is a law, we must take into consideration that someone made the law. Despite all their so-called advancement, the scientists in their laboratories cannot produce even a blade of grass. What kind of scientists are they?
Dr. Singh. They say that in the ultimate analysis, everything came from matter. Living matter came from nonliving matter.
SP: Then where is this living matter coming from now? Do the scientists say that life came from matter in the past but does not at the present? Where is the ant coming from now—from the dirt?

Those scientific folk are still at it. Click here to read about the latest claims for a "second genesis". They're "knocking at the door!"

On 20th Oct 1972, lecturing on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.18 in Vrindavana, Srila Prabhupada said this: "Chanakya Pandita says that 'Who is happy?' He says, 'The man who does not go out of home, and who is not a debtor he is happy.' Very simple thing. Who does not go out of home, and he's not a debtor, he's happy. So now we see everyone is out of home, and everyone is a great debtor. So how you can be happy? In America the bank canvasses that 'You take money, you purchase motorcar, you purchase your house, and, as soon as you get your salary, you give me.' That's all. Finished.

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Where: Beatrice St and Lewin St, Jubilee
When: Sunday 10 May, 2 pm

This week Sridhar das is joining us with his saxophone, so come along and joyously chant the Holy Names in the streets of Jubilee. It's a festival every weekend.

Pancha-tattva maha abhisekha in Mayapur, 2009

“When we dedicate ourselves to spirituality or science, we are not doing something extra. We should not think like “let priests or scientists deal with it”. Nowadays we should go beyond this kind of mentality and we hope that the new millennium will help in this sense. For his/her own complete self-realization, each one of us primarily needs to satisfy both the rational needs of the intellect and the deep aspirations of the soul”.

Matsya Avatar Das

May 8, 3:00 A.M.

I woke at 2:30 A.M. after a night of sleeping and dreaming and waking. I began my japa after 3:00 A.M. It was not very good japa. After four rounds, I became drowsy.

Japa essay

Japa is a blessing. You bless yourself, as when taking carinamrta. It’s like when you take the flame which is offered by the pujari, or when he sprinkles you with water or offers you the flower to smell. It is like honoring prasadam. Only it is better. It is directly Radha and Krishna. You are nourished by your tongue and your ears. Japa is even more merciful than the saksad darsana of the Lord’s form. I am a japa chanter. I do not chant at the perfect stage (suddha nama), but I am very fortunate. I chant sixteen rounds a day and try to avoid offenses. I am bathed in Krishna’s mercy, harinama. It is the best way to approach Radha and Krishna and ask for seva.

Oh japa boy, I’m sorry for you,

your medicines make you drowsy

but somehow you pull through every day

and make your quota with quality.

Quality? It’s questionable.

I like your gutty spirit and your utmost determination

to do what you must.

Never fail your quota,

chanting from the heart.

6:41 A.M.

The sun is up bright in the sky, but only a few people are at the beach. The seagulls are squawking. I’m feeling drowsy and could only walk one lap. My legs are tired, and my shoulder hurts. The drowsiness comes, I think, from not enough sleep and from taking pain medicine for the shoulder. It’s hard to celebrate Krishna in this condition. I’m chanting my rounds slowly, too slowly. And I can’t seem to make them go faster.

Nevertheless, it’s a brilliant spring day, and I appreciate it. I hope I’ll be able to write and chant my quota when we get back to the house. I see a young person running on the beach, and I feel envious. But the oldsters accompanying her, with big bellies, take slow steps. Youth and age, health and injury. They make a world of difference, but not for the transcendentalists. An old saintly person limps but feels light at heart, enjoying Krishna’s springtime. I am too affected by the bodily condition, and my spirits drag along with my feet. Nothing holds the sea birds back. They chatter and fly vigorously, even though they may not be getting enough food. In that regard, they are better off than I am.

Oh Stephen, lift your spirits. Be joyful. You are near to Krishna. You are dear to Him. This dragging your heels does not befit you. Your shoulder could be worse. The Lord does not like to see you morose. It is a lack of Krishna consciousness. Please try to overcome it.

Spring has sprung, and the terns are hopping, but what is that to me? A man goes by in a speedboat, but that means nothing to me. The girl on the beach is racing, followed by her two stumbling caretakers. As Bhaktivinoda Thakura states, “Oh Lord, Your material nature is a strange place.” I am looking for freedom from this phantasmagoria. Please let me find it in the spiritual energy.

8:23 A.M.

“Monk and the Nun.” This sounds a little dangerous. The monk and the nun should not mix. Prabhupada was once asked, “What should the exchange be between a man and a woman in the temple?” He said the exchange should be limited to saying, “Please pass the salt.” Of course, when working in parallel lines, they are faultless, the monk and the nun. Monks are great, and nuns are great. But when they work too closely, then it is abominable. Anyway, Ornette is honking his way through his own melody, which has some conflict in it and lots of eeriness. He’s bouncing, and it’s nice. A monk lives with other monks. Sometimes in the Catholic Church, nuns and priests work together in a church. The nuns teach the classes, and the priests oversee them. But monastic monks don’t have much to do with nuns, do they? Sometimes you hear of monks teaching nuns. One has to be very careful, or it becomes the ordinary affairs of men and women. The monk is surrendered to Krishna, and Krishna is his only Lord. The nun worships Jesus, or she worships Radharani, and has no thought for any other man. Don Cherry is working it sweetly. He seems to understand the complexity and how to get through it. It needn’t be an impossibility, because they are both workers in the cause of God. Just don’t let corruption enter, and things will be all right. The monk and the nun are workers in the same cause. Ornette is the monk, and Don Cherry is the nun. They play apart, and sometimes come together, but always chastely. It’s a happy bebop theme.

“Just for You.” It was Krishna’s attitude toward His devotees. He comes to the earth just for them, just to rescue them from miscreants and just to give them good things. They’re playing this song very softly and gently, like sweethearts exchanging. That’s how Krishna feels toward His devotees. They feel the same way towards Him. They do everything just for Him. “Just for you” applies to them both. It’s a rare quality, when you think of it. Most people have some selfishness. They don’t do something just for someone else, but they have a motivation for themselves. But to do it “just for you” is pure love. They’re playing the music like that, just for you. Whatever I have, it’s just for you. I’m not keeping anything for myself. Krishna says that to His devotees. In exact kind, they exchange with Him, and that makes for prema.

“Eventually.” It can’t take place at once, in a moment. It takes time. It takes millions of lifetimes. But you have to work hard and fast. This song is being played very fast, so you wonder why it’s called “Eventually.” It sounds like it should be called “Right Now.” It is called “Eventually” because even if you work hard and fast, it’s going to take some time. You have to clean out all the dirt within you, all the mountains of anarthas. Therefore, you work hard at it. It’s not just work, it’s play. They blow. This is Ornette at his best. Screaming. Rumbling. Stringing out notes so fast together you can’t separate one from the other. And Don Cherry follows him in kind. Nevertheless, it will happen eventually. This kind of speed will take us a long way fast, and we’ll reach the spiritual world before you know it. It’s got a wonderful beat. Jazz should have a beat like this, one two three, one two three, one two three four, one two three four. The drum beats faster. Eventually, we’ll get there. Not eventually like an oxcart but eventually like a jet. Because it’s so far to go. And anyway, they’re having fun going fast. Coming fast to the end.

“Una Muy Bonita.” This is a pretty, Spanish song to a bonita girl, to the bonita play of the rasa dance. They’re dancing in a circle, and it’s very pretty. The girls are the prettiest. The song is muy bonita also. The players like to play together una bonita tune. It’s about una muy bonita, maybe Radharani when She was a very young girl. Or any of the gopis. Everyone in Vrndavana is bonita. The flowers are bonita, and the does and the fawns and the mountain Govardhana. It’s all pretty. There’s nothing ugly. And the most bonita of all is Krishna, who wears a peacock feather in His helmet. Or should we say Radharani is the most bonita? Let us say They are bonita together in Their perfection. They are one very bonita couple. Don Cherry plays it soft and pretty, with a mute and a nice, swinging sound. The whole atmosphere is surcharged with loveliness. That’s Vraja. Una muy bonita place. Scott Lefaro plucks his bass like plucking flowers.

“Bird Food.” “Bird” must stand for Charlie Parker. So the music is food for him. Music styled after Bird. A tribute. They sound like a Bird band. Like Bird used to play, with his own trumpeter. “That’s for the birds” is a disparaging remark, but you can also think of it as something nice. Throwing little seeds for the pretty birds. Bird food is nice. A song made after the Bird, Charlie Parker, is also nice and not disparaging. Throw him seeds, and they will grow into beautiful plants. Feed Bird the melodies he loved. Imitate him. Follow him. Both players play as he did, yet with their own uniquette Ornette Coleman sound. Everyone’s an individual, playing to please Krishna. And they follow various greats in parampara, but with their own words. Rupa is not the same as Sanatana. And Visvanatha Cakravarti went even further. Bhaktivinoda Thakura did something unique, and so did his son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. And Prabhupada broke the mold. So it’s all really Krishna food, or Lord Caitanya food, being offered to the One and making it your own contribution.

“Change of the Century.” This sounds a little presumptuous. Ornette Coleman is claiming that he’s making a change of the century. But he does live up to it. He made a change that was as great a change as the one Charlie Parker made. Everyone gets a chance. Don’t do the same old thing. Do something new. Make a change of the century. You can’t imitate it, you can’t fake it, but if you’re fortunate, you can do something new for the pleasure of Krishna. He likes new things, but only great acharyas can do it. They had honky-tonk, then they had New Orleans jazz, then they had swing, White music. Big band music. Lots of changes within the century, not just one. The change throughout the century was enacted by many players. And within one century, many followers of Lord Caitanya came and made big changes while at the same time not changing anything at all. They kept it exactly as it was, no concoction. But each one has their own sound, their own change of the century. Do you have a favorite spiritual master who made a change of the century? I think it was Prabhupada.

“Music Always.” This is their dedication, their evocation. All they want is music always, day and night. It comes even before food and drink and sex. They live on the waves of music. That’s a musician for you. And with such dedication, it reaches heights where it can be offered to Krishna because they play with such heart. That’s what I think. And they’re so sincere and hardworking and talented. How can you deny that Krishna likes it? Music always. It’s a form of offering. Some people offer poems, some people offer philosophical tomes, some people offer money to build big temples. Ornette Coleman offers music always. It’s a kind of purity, like a pure devotee. They can’t think of anything else but music, pure music, and they definitely do make it as an offering. They’re not playing it for sense gratification. It’s not that kind of sound. It’s sound that’s offered in love to others. They hope to please, and who’s the first one you want to please? It’s the top one, the top Musician. If you please Him, then you can please all others. But to do it, you have to play music always and not be diverted. An actor will act, a painter will paint. But a musician will play music always. And that’s what’s so wonderful about the artists, their particular love and dedication. Krishna has captured them in that way and put them in that service, and they’re happy to do it for Him.

11:25 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

The first thing that comes to my mind, my Lord, is the pain in my shoulder. It seems to be getting worse rather than better, although that’s probably not a fact. It clouds my mind from making clear prayers to You. After I admitted this, I now want to clear my mind and make a regular prayer to You without complaining about my injury.

This material world is dukhalayam asasvatam, miserable and temporary. In the Bhagavad-gita, You say that having come to this miserable, material world, we should engage in devotional service and attempt to go back to You, back to Godhead. You have explicitly certified that this place is an unhappy place. When we think we are happy, it is just a time of temporary mitigation from the normal blows of unhappiness that are our lot in the material world. The normal condition is lousy. A devotee detaches himself from this material life by concentrating on the transcendental life by hearing and chanting about You. As we try to indulge our senses in material enjoyment, we only entangle ourselves more in the complexities of material life and suffer. To those who bear the bumper stickers, “Life is good,” the devotees’ viewpoint seems cynical. But when you look at the naked facts of birth, old age, disease and death, it is hard to keep an optimistic viewpoint about life. But You, Lord, offer us the opportunity for happiness despite the inherent misrey of this prison-like abode. If we bow down to You and worship You and become Your devotee, the complexion of life changes from unhappy to happy. Because by associating with You as Your servitor, we escape samsara, or the chain of repeated birth an death, and make our path clear for going to the all-happy spiritual world. Even while in these bodies, subject as they are to miseries, if we set foot on the path of liberation, then unhappiness diminishes. United with You, we learn that we cannot be happy in this material world, but that we can be happy with You. From the very first chapters of Your Bhagavad-gita, we learn that material life is temporary and that spiritual life is eternal and infinitely joyful. So with trust in You, we abandon endeavors in material life and strive for spiritual life, devotional service. You convinced me of this at the rather advanced age of twenty-six years, but I am now determined to follow Your path, and I believe in Your instructions. Unfortunately, very few people believe that Your instructions about eternal spiritual life are true, and they rot here in this material world, trying to make temporary improvements. By the grace of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, I am one of the relatively few people who understand what is what. I am very grateful for the gift I have been given. I am trying to reciprocate by helping to tell others of the truth of Your message.

I pray to You to give me more enthusiasm and empowerment to be a preacher of Your bhagavat dharma. Unless people come to know the basic facts of life in the material world and the promise of the spiritual world, no one can be happy, despite all endeavors and welfare work. Please convince me more of the actual situation and tell me how to be Your servant in the mission that Srila Prabhupada has given us. You have recently reminded me of the material miseries that his body is heir to. I ask You to combine that with the desire to instruct others on how to get out of all miseries by getting freedom from this material world. I realize that this is a clumsy prayer and that I still lack conviction, but that is why I am imploring You to help me, because I am one of Your workers, and I should do better. Please let me comprehend Your love for all living beings. Inspire me to help disentangle them from their sorry condition. Only then will I too also be free from my sorry predicament in this complicated network known as the material world.

Satsvarupa Maharaja reading My Dear Lord Krishna... during local Nrisimha Caturdasi celebrations.

the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #65→

Mrs Obama started work on the kitchen garden with a gang of schoolchildren last month. Media coverage of the first White House food plot since Eleanor Roosevelt "dug for victory" in the Second World War garnered media coverage across the world. But to the consernation of Big Ag, Mrs Obama has said the project will not use chemical products to tackle pests or give her plants a boost, the Times reports.

There was a time when red meat was a luxury for ordinary Americans, or was at least something special: cooking a roast for Sunday dinner, ordering a steak at a restaurant. Not anymore. Meat consumption has more than doubled in the United States in the last 50 years. Now a new study of more than 500,000 Americans has provided the best evidence yet that our affinity for red meat has exacted a hefty price on our health and limited our longevity.

PUNE: The Pune rural police have questioned 20 people, having past record of stealing idols from temples, in connection with the theft of an idol [sic] from a temple at Bajarangwadi near Shikrapur. But even after a month of the theft taking place, the police have failed to make any headway in the case. The nearly-200-year-old idol [sic] of Krishna was stolen along with silver ornaments from the temple at Bajarangwadi, about 50 km from Pune, on April 12.

“Most people are religious because they’re raised to be. They’re indoctrinated by their parents.” So goes the rationale of my nonreligious friends. Maybe, but a study entitled “Faith in Flux” issued this week by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life questioned nearly 3,000 people and found that most children raised unaffiliated with a religion later chose to join one.

The Government of India has announced new airport screening measures at each of its international terminals in response to the outbreak of H1N1 flu in a number of countries. These measures will take effect immediately. The screening measures include requiring all travelers arriving on international flights to complete a questionnaire that will be reviewed by health care screeners upon arrival. Travelers who answer yes to any of the questions or show signs of fever or cough may be referred to a doctor and possibly detained for observation. Travelers showing signs of fever or cough during a flight may also be asked to wear a mask for the duration of the flight.

Henna, which has been playing a vital role in Hindu weddings since ancient times, is becoming popular with Hollywood and other celebrities. Also known as mehndi, it is turning into an in-thing with celebrities as a trendy alternative to traditional tattoos. Although the final result is similar to tattoo, but the mehndi experience is delightful and painless, and the images are temporary, according to acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed.

A number of disgruntled Kurmaphiles wrote and suggested that a week without my blogs was a tough call.

'Memory Lane' is a new series of reposted, archived blog entries for when there are no blog entries worth blogging. I mean, ironing, porridge-making and housework don't warrant a report, now do they?

Basically it's like repeating my favourite episodes of "The Days of Kurma's Lives". So, here's Memory Lane #1:

As the Perth rain thundered down yesterday, I cooked a perfect batch of marmalade. Kumquats are in season, so I picked up a kilo of the oval variety at the markets for $3.00. A kilo of fruit plus the sugar cost me less than $6, and I made 8 big jars. Marmalade making is very, very cost efficient.

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of returning home from primary school in England and finding the whole house perfumed with sweet citrus aromas, and seeing big pots of seville orange marmalade bubbling away on the stove, the steam misting up the cold windows of the kitchen. I am carrying on the tradition, and I think my mother would be proud of me.

Here's my recipe. It really works well.

Kumquat Marmalade

Kumquats look like miniature oranges, and although they are closely related to the citrus species, they belong to a different genus altogether.

Whereas most citrus fruits are considered sub-tropical, kumquats are very hardy and grow easily in home gardens. The round, ornamental variety of kumquats are common, but I prefer to cook the more firm, oval variety (pictured above). Nevertheless, all kumquats yield a delicious marmalade which is both refreshing and tangy. It is a favourite with those who don’t like their marmalade too sweet.

STANDING TIME: overnight (that's the fruit and water standing, not you!) PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: about 1 1/4 hours YIELD: about 4 cups

250g kumquats 3 cups (750ml) water sugar

Wash the kumquats and slice them as finely as possible. Remove the seeds, if any, and reserve them. Combine the sliced fruit and water in a bowl or jug and leave overnight.

Next day, place the fruit and water mixture in a non-stick 3-litre/quart saucepan. Gather the reserved pips and tie them in a square of muslin to form a little bag. Drop the bag into the kumquat and water mixture and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer, tightly covered, for about 1 hour. By this time the fruit will be tender. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Discard the muslin bag of pips. Pour the mixture into a bowl, measuring exactly how many cups there are. Add an equal volume of sugar and return the mixture to the saucepan.

Stir over low heat to dissolve the sugar. Return the mixture to the boil, and cook without stirring for 10–15 minutes, or until a spoon of the marmalade sets on a cold plate. You may like to keep the plate in the freezer for a quick set test.

Remove the marmalade from the heat. Skim off any scum from the surface and let the marmalade rest for 15 minutes. Spoon it into hot, sterilised jars. Cover immediately, and seal when cold.

Tomorow, and for several days to come, at 8.00AM Eastern Standard time, Guru
Maharaja will give a live video lecture, available at www.mogulus.com/krsna

New Vrindavana az amerikai West Virginia államban taláható. Ez volt az első farm, amit Srila Prabhupada, 1969-ben alapított. Itt található a híres Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold templom is. A 80-as évek elején kb 300,000 turista látogatta.

Jelenleg 30 teljes idős bhakta lakik itt, és 150 bhakta a környéken.

A Festival of Inspiration a mi Nama-hatta táborunkhoz hasonlítható. A 3 nap alatt 500-1000 bhakta gyűlik össze. Ezalatt szemináriumokat hallgathatnak, kirtanozhatnak, társulhatnak egymással. Sok Swami látogatott el a programra. Radhanatha Maharaja, Devamrta Maharaja, Varsana Maharaja, Romapada Maharaja, Satsvarupa Maharaja néhány, akinek a neve most eszembe jutott.

Érdekes tapasztalat egy ilyen régi farmot látni, elképzelve, illetve történeteket hallva, hogy miken mentek keresztül. Idén 40 éves Új Vrindaban. Ehhez képest Krisna-völgyet csak 16 évvel ezelőtt hoztuk létre. Ennek ellenére a magyarországi tapasztalatokra nagyon kíváncsiak az itteniek. Malati mataji Mayapurban találkozott Radha Krisna prabhuval, aki a GBC-nek tartott bemutatót Krisna-völgyről, az Öko-völgy projektünkről. Nagyon örült neki és ezért meghívott bennünket, hogy a prezentációinkkal színesítsük a programjukat. Radha Krisna prabhu az Öko-völgy programról beszél. Én pedig a magyar tagsági rendszerről, a csatlakozás folyamatáról, a Bhaktiról és a farmról tartok egy előadást. Emellett van egy asztalunk, ahol Sivarama Maharaja könyveit áruljuk, illetve Öko-völgy magazinokat, dvd-ket. És itt elég sokat vagyok. Ráadásul a netezés elég nehézkes. Remélem, azért lesznek videók is.

Az időjárás tűrhető. A páratartalom magas. Olyan 70%-os. De legalább nincs meleg. Így talán túlélem. (Akik ismernek, tudhatják, hogy a nagy páratartalmat nehezen viselem.)

Most kint ülök az asztalnál, és az egyik bhakta említette, hogy kedden az ista-gostin mi leszünk a téma. Szóval, készülhetünk a kérdésekre

It is said that because Krsna was constantly performing various types of sacrifices and was inviting the demigods from the higher planetary systems, the demigods were almost always absent from their consorts. Therefore the wives of the demigods, regretting the absence of their husbands, began to pray for the appearance of Lord Buddha, Krsna's ninth incarnation, who appears in the age of Kali. In other words, instead of being pleased that Lord Krsna had come, they began to pray for Lord Buddha, who is the ninth incarnation, because Lord Buddha stopped the ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices recommended in the Vedas in order to discourage animal-killing. The demigods' wives thought that if Lord Buddha appeared, all kinds of sacrifices would be stopped, and thus their husbands would not be invited to such ceremonies and would not be separated from them.

Sometimes it is inquired, "Why don't the demigods from higher planetary systems come to this earth planet nowadays?" The plain answer is that since Lord Buddha appeared and began to deprecate the performance of sacrifice in order to stop animal-killing on this planet, the process of offering sacrifices has been stopped, and the demigods do not care to come here anymore.

(from Nectar of Devotion)

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

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. - Mathew 22: 36-37The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be

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) --------------------------------------------

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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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