You are standing outside a burning building. The flames and smoke are getting denser, but there is still one way to enter the building. Trapped inside it are the following beings: Your beloved mother. A Nobel-prize-winning scientist that is close to discovering a cure for cancer. A highly intelligent ape that may unlock the secrets of the missing link.

The latest findings of Dr. Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor both funny and smart, derived from assiduous research into (human) happiness, have revealed to him an important truth that will already be familiar to students of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

1966 May 30: "Ekadasi: In the evening there was meeting. About 10 students attended. Myke brought his tanpura and it added to the tune of Samkirtan. Mr. Goldsmith has agreed to join the International Association for Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1968 May 30: "So I am leaving for Montreal and the second chapter for trying for visa will begin. I do not know what is in the future, but I have desired that I may go to London, and try to establish a center there for European activities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 May 30: "Standard practices for initiated devotees are: Must attend evening and morning classes, Should not extensively mix with non-devotees, Should not eat food cooked by non-devotees, Should not waste time in idle talks, Should not become engaged in frivolous sports, and Should always chant and sing the Lord's Holy Names."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 May 30: "So long we are individual souls, there must be disagreement. But not when one is surrendered unto Krishna. There cannot be any disagreement in discharge of duties in Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1971 May 30: "Please go on preaching. There is no necessity of attending a university. Utilize what talents you have already in Krishna's service and He will give you the intelligence to increase more and more."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1975 May 30: "On May 18th we opened very large headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. Many outsiders came. I installed two very large Gaura Nitai deities. Things are going on very nicely in the Western countries."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 May 30: "If we accept the Varnashrama principle, surely everyone will be engaged in their occupation and unemployment will be finished. Propagate this movement on the principles of Bhagavad-gita and all problems of human society will be solved."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 May 30: "In the Kuruksetra University a class should be opened for studying Krishna Consciousness offering BA, MA, PhD. I can arrange for many foreign students to come there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1966 May 30: "Ekadasi: In the evening there was meeting. About 10 students attended. Myke brought his tanpura and it added to the tune of Samkirtan. Mr. Goldsmith has agreed to join the International Association for Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1968 May 30: "So I am leaving for Montreal and the second chapter for trying for visa will begin. I do not know what is in the future, but I have desired that I may go to London, and try to establish a center there for European activities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 May 30: "Standard practices for initiated devotees are: Must attend evening and morning classes, Should not extensively mix with non-devotees, Should not eat food cooked by non-devotees, Should not waste time in idle talks, Should not become engaged in frivolous sports, and Should always chant and sing the Lord's Holy Names."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 May 30: "So long we are individual souls, there must be disagreement. But not when one is surrendered unto Krishna. There cannot be any disagreement in discharge of duties in Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1971 May 30: "Please go on preaching. There is no necessity of attending a university. Utilize what talents you have already in Krishna's service and He will give you the intelligence to increase more and more."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1975 May 30: "On May 18th we opened very large headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. Many outsiders came. I installed two very large Gaura Nitai deities. Things are going on very nicely in the Western countries."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 May 30: "In the Kuruksetra University a class should be opened for studying Krishna Consciousness offering BA, MA, PhD. I can arrange for many foreign students to come there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1975 May 30: "If we accept the Varnashrama principle, surely everyone will be engaged in their occupation and unemployment will be finished. Propagate this movement on the principles of Bhagavad-gita and all problems of human society will be solved."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Part two of this video can be viewed here.

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 appointment of renowned "anti-cultists" and controversial scholars of Islam to a Russian government body allocated sweeping powers to investigate religious organisations may prove the heaviest blow to religious freedom in a decade, Forum 18 News Service notes.

In the purport to BGAII, 4.1, Srila Prabhupada writes "Human life is meant for cultivation of spiritual knowledge, in eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the executive heads of all states and all planets are obliged to impart this lesson to the citizens by education, CULTURE (my emphasis) and devotion."

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

The in a room conversation on July 10, 1976, New York, this exchange too place:

read more

Nrsimha Caturdasi Simhachalam 2009

Marc Ellis, with the TV show How The Other Half Lives, in his latest show joins the Hare Krishnas. Here are the videos.

PART 1:

PART 2:

California pastor David Jones and his wife Mary Jones were questioned by San Diego County officials and threatened with fines over a weekly Bible study in their residence in Bonita, California, according to several news reports and televised interviews. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has offered to assist the couple or others facing the same situation in California or elsewhere in the U.S.

Rama Vigraha das (acbsp): On Saturday June 13th a new Deity of Srila Prabhupada will be installed on the altar at Murari Sevaka. It’s a beautiful Deity made with fine detail and craftsmanship at Iskcon, Ujjain.

Religious groups are to be forced to accept homosexual youth workers, secretaries and other staff, even if their faith holds same-sex relationships to be sinful. Christian organisations fear that the tightened legislation, which is due to come into force next year, will undermine the integrity of churches and dilute their moral message.

29 May 2009--After over seventeen hours of travel time we have arrived now in Kuala Lumpur. We were in chilly South Africa, and now we are in hot and humid Malaysia. Next week we will back in the cold again in Australia. Thus we have a golden opportunity to apply the teachings of Lord Krishna, who has ..................... ================================================================== Thought...

The recording of the Sankirtan Seminar conducted by HG Vaisesika das can be found by clicking the image below.

As a reminder, the recordings from our weekly Sunday live web broadcasts are stored on our ISKCON Toronto Video Archive Blog. We hope to have more recordings of seminars and workshops in the future!

Manorama das from New Vraja Dhama in Hungary visited New Vrindaban for the Festival of Inspiration and posted videos to his blog about his visit.  We have already posted a link to the first one here, these are the links to 3 more.

New Vrindaban videó 2.

New Vrindaban videó 3.

New Vrindaban videó 4

As a special treat, the Sankirtan Seminar with HG Vaisesika das will be streamed live on our blog. Simply log onto the blog on Friday, May 29, from 6:30pm to 9:00pm and Saturday May 30, from 7:45am to 9:00am to virtually attend the course.

Of course, we encourage you to come out and attend the course in person to gain the full benefit of group work, on-field book distribution and more!

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami - May 29, 3:15 A.M.

I slept all right but got up once in the middle of the night. Woke up at 3:00 A.M. and woke Narayana. I started my chanting at 3:30 A.M. with a clear head. It’s nice to be near Radha-Govinda, who have new flowers now. Narayana was very kind to wake Them out of bed and put them on the altar, where They are now shining effulgently, looking at me, or I look at Them. Let’s go champ, chant your rounds.

4:33 A.M.

Early-morning japa log

I finished eight rounds. I think that keeping my log is helpful to me and to readers also. It shows us how I chart my course through the japa waters. I began chanting loudly. I’m not so afraid of getting exertion headaches, now that I’m taking pain-relief medicine early in the morning for my fractured shoulder. But the loud chanting slowed me down to ten minutes per round, so I switched to a low whisper. I brought my speed up to about seven minutes per round. My japa was a bit mechanical, but at least my mind was not wandering to other thoughts. I was listening to the syllables of the mantra and enjoying the time with the Hare Krishna mantra. I listened carefully to the whispers as they passed through my mouth, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare... I kept track of the accumulation of rounds with a pencil and was glad to see them increase, first up to four, and then up to eight. Now I’ll write my japa essay and then try to chant some more rounds before Narayana comes up at 5:00 A.M. I’m not sure how this helps others, but I have the belief that hearing of the struggles of a diligent chanter could be helpful.

Japa essay

I like chanting the maha-mantra. I’m familiar enough with the words “Hare,” “Krishna,” and “Rama.” They please me as they pass through my mind and lips. I’ve been doing it so long it’s become a love and a deep attachment. I could never switch to another kind of prayer of another religion, or even another mantra in the Vedic religion. This is it for me. I began in 1966, and I’ll continue it until the end. Prabhupada was so expert as to cement it to my being, and the mantra itself has the potency that once you chant it, you never want to stop. I’m like Gopa-kumara, who, no matter where he went, chanted his Gopal mantra, because it brought him more satisfaction than anything else, even when he was in the heavenly planets or Vaikuntha. He was always restless unless he was chanting his diksa mantra. The Hare Krishna mantra stays with you so that you chant it even in the dentist’s office or in the car after you’ve chanted your minimum prescribed rounds.

Yesterday I chanted eight extra rounds after my minimum sixteen and wanted to do more, but I got distracted. If there was enough time in the day and I didn’t think I had other things to do, I would chant even more. It doesn’t get boring once you’re actually sailing along in the mantras themselves. I’m chanting with my right hand now, even though it hurts a little with my shoulder. It’s more “comfortable” this way, and more natural. I’m convinced that Lord Caitanya has given us the best thing possible for this age. It’s amazing how simple it is. People think it’s too simple to be profound, and so they don’t take it up. But we need a simple thing because we’re not competent to do meditation or we’re not capable of performing Vedic yajnas or elaborate deity worship in place of the mantra. It’s a beautiful conception that He packed all His potencies in these thirty-two syllables and places Himself there too in the most merciful form. The conception is beautiful, what to speak of the actual execution. We should always be very grateful to Krishna for giving us the Hare Krishna mantra, and we should show our gratitude by chanting it as much as possible. That way, we will bond with Him, which is our heart’s greatest desire. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

A tiny chanter likes his yajna

and sits in a corner, like little Jack Horner,

thinking, “What a good boy am I.”

The mind grows peaceful then goes

beyond that

to happiness and bliss,

quiet bliss in a quiet room,

the very quietness

is part of the fun.

He prefers it to kirtana,

although that’s not standard

but each chanter is allowed his preference.

The Lord allows His devotees

to reach Him

as they like

and Haridasa Thakura

took this method all the way.

6:25 A.M.

The sky is completely overcast, but it’s not raining. The tractor with the rake is out smoothing the beach for the weekend.

The next piece of music on my CD is “Blues for Dracula,” by the drummer Philly Joe Jones. I’m going to skip it because, although the music is probably nice, Philly Joe does a monologue in which he imitates the voice of Bela Lagosi and speaks grotesque things like a vampire. Sometimes the music goes over the edge, and you can’t use it. It ruins my contention that jazz is spiritual and has a favorable connection with Krishna. I’ll reject “Dracula,” but there’s plenty more where that came from.

We were sitting in the car chanting, and I became a little drowsy while chanting. Narayana suggested we go out for a walk early, and that woke me up. But my ankle began hurting, and I could only walk two laps. Now we’re chanting in the car again, and I hope I can stay awake. I’ve finished twelve rounds. I want to chant the last four nicely and not rush them. (Narayana just ran out to catch a close-up picture of the tractor.)

I have an 11:00 A.M. appointment at the dentist today. I’ll try to remember to chant Hare Krishna mantras in my mind while they are working in my mouth. The anonymous monk who wrote the book about the Jesus Prayer said that he had reached the stage where the chanting automatically continued in his heart without any effort on his part. The Goswamis of Vrndavana also chanted like that. They were so enamoured by the Hare Krishna mantra that it filled them with love for Radha and Krishna and kept them always connected to the Divine Couple. I usually don’t remember to chant when I am in the dentist’s office because I become so distracted, but I’m going to make more of an effort today. It really should be easy to take shelter when there is possible pain. Sometimes, however, they start talking to you, and if you are chanting, you can’t pay attention to what they are saying. As the Cub Scout motto says, “Do your best.” The Boy Scout motto is even better: “Be prepared.” Set your mind in advance with resolve to chant, and you’ll be prepared for whatever obstacles arrive.

All right, let’s go back to our car chanting. “Do your best” implies you are just a little boy, and so you may fail, but try anyway. “Be prepared” is something higher than “do your best.” It implies that you should have intelligence to think in advance what may go wrong and avoid it. So “be prepared” to feel drowsy now, but avoid it with well-planned strategy. Oh well, do your best, and Krishna will make up for what you lack.

8:30 A.M.

“Wade in the Water,” by Johnny Griffin. This is a big band. It certainly swings. Krishna used to wade in the water with the gopis. Play in the Yamuna, squirt each other with squirting instruments. They could play this music in the background. It’s got lots of trumpets and saxophones, but Johnny Griffin is the leading one, the little lion. Multiple brass, four saxaphones and a double-digit quantity of musicians. Riverside went out on a limb to have so many musicians and have to pay for them. Another company recorded it and got the money for it, but they got their sense of gratification by doing it for artistic reasons. Wading in the water is done by Christians, too, when they get their baptism. It’s done by folks at Jagannatha Puri who don’t like to do surf riding so much but just go out in the water and wade. I like to wade in the water. I like it better than swimming. Just go up to your waist and move your arms around. Krishna provides the ocean and the holy riviers for wading. Brahmanas go in and say their gayatri mantras. At festivals, thousands of people go to places like Prayaga and go into the water at the confluence of the holy rivers at the exact time and get promise of liberation.

“Smooth as the Wind.” This features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, with strings and brass. It developed into a sumptuous ensemble arranged by Tad Dameron, who had to send in his written arrangements by mail because he was in a drug rehab hospital. “The charts literally arrived in the mail.” Blue Mitchell died young. The orchestra is conducted by Benny Golson. The wind is smooth and blows the peacock feather on Krishna’s head. Smooth as the wind means it’s not a tempest but just a nice day for playing in the cowherd fields. A nice day on this earth, too, for having a Ratha-yatra or a baseball game. Vayu is the god of the wind, and he controls it. He can make it soft and strong. On this song, it’s medium strong. Blue Mitchell is playing lyrically, and the strings behind him are not distracting. They provide the wind effect. And he’s like a bird flying through it. Everybody liked Blue Mitchell. Said he was “gloriously lyrical and tonally distinctive.” He deserved a date with a few strings, and this turned into a whole ensemble. Smooth is the wind is a nice feeling when it’s breezing through your hair and not too strong. Think of Vrndavana like that on a nice day. The cowherd boys are delightful and delighted with Krishna as they run through the woods, and life is as smooth as the wind.

“Big ‘P.’” This is the Jimmy Heath orchestra. Jimmy Heath plays tenor sax, and it’s a mid-sized jazz band. Riverside says it’s the best of its kind that they ever issued and that Jimmy Heath was the top of a handful of arrangers. Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley, and Nat Adderley didn’t ask to play on this. They said that they must play on it. Riverside says, “It stands out as the one which, over the years, musicians have most consistently remembered with pleasure and enthusiasm.” Jimmy Heath wails with pure jazz enthusiasm. I don’t know what “big P” means. Krishna is the Purusa, the Purusottama, the Supreme Person. He’s the Big P. Perhaps we can think of it that way. Krishna is the paramatma in every jazz man’s heart. Provided people prefer poetic productions, they’ll like this “Big ‘P.’” It’s got a really kicking sound to it. Not too much. Not too little. Just right. They’ve got a number of good players on it, including Cannonball Adderley and Percy Heath on bass. “Big ‘P’” has plenty to attract us. The only thing wrong with it is that it’s too short. It could have been twice as long, and we’d have enjoyed it still. Maybe they made it short for commercial reasons. But it’s smooth and enthusiastic and big.

10:15 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

What does it mean for someone like me to think of you always? I seem to remember reading once that one of the acaryas said that always means regularly. We know we are supposed to chant the gayatri mantra three times a day and say the prayers to the spiritual master three times a day. And chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is done by most devotees regularly, at a certain quota but not twenty-four hours a day. But I would like to be able to think of You more often. It is the way a lover thinks of his beloved. You are always thinking of Radharani, and Radharani is always thinking of You. Exalted pure devotees think of You in that way. They cannot get You out of their minds. The gopis said that they even try not to think of You, because to think of You gives them so much trouble, since they are in separation from You. But they cannot drive You from their minds. It is impossible. That is a stage to be desired.

For myself, I would like to be able to think of You when I’m riding in the car, when I’m at the dentist, when I’m taking prasadam, and in all those in-between minutes when I’m not doing some regular, prescribed sadhana. It takes a natural, spontaneous feeling of love. But I think it can also be done by vadhi-bhakti sadhana. One can just remember to remember. Remember the importance of thinking of You, even if it is not spontaneous. And then think of You. Make up games or make up routines in which we think of You. Give the importance of thinking of You. Our whole life is actually wasted if we do not think of You at the time of death. Our life is wasted if we do not serve You during our lifetime. “Regularly” can mean every day. When we wake up in the morning, we should think of You, and we should dedicate our activities to You. Just as a worker dedicates his five days a week to going to the workplace and doing the job, we should always be working for You. Devotees who live in the temple have a great advantage in which they’re always engaged in some kind of service, whether as pujaris or going out as book distributors or as managers in the office. Devotees who don’t live in the temple shouldn’t be at a disadvantage. If they work at jobs, they can dedicate a significant portion of their income to You, and therefore their workday is dedicated to You. They can learn the art of chanting silently to themselves. They can disassociate themselves from the prajalpa of the office and of the nondevotees, who waste their time in non-Krishna activities. It may appear a little odd to the average person if one is a fulltime devotee of You, but that is all right. Better to appear a little odd than to blend in and be a regular karmi.

I pray to You, Krishna, to increase my thinking of You. Show me ways that I can fill in the corners of my hours in meditation on You and work on Your behalf. Let me choose my friends as those with whom it will be natural for me to talk about You, our Lord. There may not be many friends or of such a standard, but we will be fortunate if we can find one or two who like to converse about You and share lives centered on You. We should seek out their fellowship.

And on our own, alone, we can read books, spend a good amount of time chanting the maha-mantra, and doing work to help others come to You. It’s a matter of arranging one’s priorities so that You will be in the forefront.

Thinking of the importance of You among all living beings will spur us to keep You in mind. How much more important You are than even our family members. How much more important service to You is than any other service or philanthropic work. And how much more dear to us should be Your dear friends, Your devotees. Serving You and Your devotees alongside other persons, we can conclude that Your interests and personality are immeasurably more important to us.

I remember when I was a very small child in the Catholic religion, the nuns used to tell us that we had a guardian angel and that we should always think of this guardian angel as being with us. We should even save room for him in the pew so that he could sit beside us. This was an imaginary exercise, yet they encouraged it. And it had its advantages, too, to keep you holy-minded. In a somewhat similar way, we can always think that You are with us and save room for You in our seat, in our mind. You are our guardian angel. You are our protector, and we should devote our lives to You.

I am not making these requests to You as farfetched proposals but as practical requests. Please fill my life with thoughts of You. I may not be able to do it as a hero, like Arjuna or a preacher like Lord Nityananda. Compared to them, I am less than feeble. But I have my own capacity, and I can fill my life to my full capacity serving You. I can improve. I must improve. I pray to You to help me improve. I want to be Your constant companion and have You always at my side and in my mind and heart. Some people think that deliberation on God is impossible because He is unknowable. But we Vaisnavas know this is different. You can be very close to us. Prabhupada used to say that You are as close to us as our jugular vein. You are beside ourselves in our hearts as the Supersoul. We can cultivate our love for You to a higher pitch, as You deserve. Please let this come about for me, Lord. I think of You as a lover thinks of the beloved. I want this, and I can do it, with Your help. This is my prayer for today, and every day.

from the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #86→

We have just received a request from the devotees in Hungary to share with you this video. Enjoy.

Like I have said before in Africa beat is in the blood. Watch this kirtan my husband sings. I got this mail today.

Hare Krishna,Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.We always knew Pretoria kirtans were world famous :) well here's the proof on YouTube ! ECSTATIC kirtans led by none other than His Grace Nrsimhananda Prabhu !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7qGyvqnAnQ&feature=related(make sure you go till the 5 min mark !)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyasUYy9LO8Word of caution: Be prepared to get 'ecstatic-fied'.. I was literally dancing out of my chair as I watched this, with my colleagues wondering what's happening ! :)All glories to the kirtaneers of Pretoria, who fire us up every week !Your servant,Aditi

A nice example is given to illustrate the different characteristics of the body and soul.

Fire, which burns and illuminates, is always different from that which is burned for illumination. It may be said, however, that fire is present in an unmanifest form within wood. Similarly, in the conditioned life of ignorance, the spirit soul is present, though unmanifest, within the body. The enlightened condition of the living entity can be compared to the act of arousing fire within wood. Just as fire quickly burns wood to ashes, similarly the spirit soul, when enlightened, burns to ashes the darkness of ignorance. We are conscious of the body; therefore it may be said that the body is illuminated by consciousness, which is the energy, or symptom, of the spirit soul. Identifying the body and soul as one is just as foolish as considering fire and wood to be the same. In both cases, the intimate circumstantial connection between fire and wood or between the soul and the body does not alter the fact that fire is different from wood or that the soul is always different from the body.
Taken from Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur


Interestingly, the spirit soul is often compared to being a spark of the original fire, Krishna. A spark naturally possesses the same qualities as it's source, the roaring fire, all be it in a much reduced proportion. It can therefore burn and give some glow. Similarly, as the soul, we possess the same qualities of eternality, full consciousness and ecstatic bliss as Krishna, as well as many more of his amazing qualities, but just in a proportionate quantity. As long as the spark remains within the fire it will retain it's full manifestation of firey potency. Yet, if the spark leaps out of the fire, becoming disconnected, then it quickly loses it's power to burn and give light. Whilst we are engaged in the fire of service to please Krishna, our original flame, through chanting his names and helping others to also benefit, then we can also fully manifest our divine qualities. However, when the soul turns away from his spiritual reality and becomes engrossed in temporary pursuits, then he becomes like the spark that has separated and fallen into water. It appears that there is no soul or that the spark has become extinguished, even though Bhagavad Gita explains that the soul is eternal and indestructible (click). If though, by great fortune, one comes in contact with the original fire of Krishna, then once again the dormant flame within starts to burn, simultaneously scorching away all negativity and dirt from the heart.

For more information please click here


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

"Japa is very important. I need to keep that in mind. At every chance, think “this is important.” Press down on the accelerator of good quality and good speed. Remember what the sastras say about the holy name and the importance of it. Never think of it as something minor or as something that you have to get out of the way. It’s the centerpiece of my sadhana. Early-morning chanting is the most important part up to breakfast. But after breakfast, when I have rounds left over, I also chant with concentration. And then in the late afternoon, I chant extra rounds, beyond sixteen. Don’t forget to do those."

From Bhajan Kutir #84

Antardwip das: Special live broadcasts from this weekend ( 30-31 May ) from Soho Street and Bhaktivedanta Manor with guests Lokanath Swami and Jayapataka Swami.

Battlefield Bhajans Vol. 40

Dedicated to HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Also dedicated to HG Bhakta Antony and HG Omkara Prabhus.

Soldiers Cry

On my way back to Iskcon Silicon Valley I stopped in Los Angeles for a day. It was very nice to see Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish. Also I was able to spend time with some good friends like HG Ratna Bhusana and HG Omkara Prabhu, as well as all the brahmacaris from the temple. The Sunday feast lecture was given by HH Devamrta Swami, I was outside talking to someone before the class when I turned around and saw the man, the myth the legend…. Bhakta Antony. For those that don’t know, Bhakta Antony is a great soul, not only is he a devotee but also a Captain in the Marine Corp (we won’t hold that against him). During my time in Iraq we would email each other everyday. Once in a while we would call each other and talk about life in ISKCON, the military and how to connect both. I tried to help him through his tour, and arranged for some prasadam and other items to be sent to him. Bhakta Antony is also a preacher and took on the mission of spreading Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission seriously.
When I saw him, I almost wanted to cry. As we hugged, I felt a deep connection; a connection that goes past this material energy. We both went through a difficult service, seeing people close to us leave their bodies, being all alone with nothing and no one to depend on except guru and Krsna. Being a devotee is special, and we both have a different perspective of the need to be serious about Krsna and about spiritual life. We spent a lot of time talking and revealed our hearts to each other. As we sat in the class I looked over at him and thought, how wonderful was Krsna to protect us and give us such a unique oppurtunity to perform devotional service. How we are brothers in the battle against maya, how we have to perform spiritual first aid on the casualties of maya. Just as we had to treat sunken chest wounds, with bandages and other medical means during firefights and ambushes; our real duty is the treat the wounds in the hearts of the conditioned souls.

Prabhupäda: That is the point. Our advancement means the more we meet opposing elements, “Oh, that is alright.” Therefore preacher is the best devotee because he is a soldier. Just like government gives all importance to the fighting soldier. When there is war, all comforts for the soldier first, then the civil people. There was no butter in Germany, there was no butter. But the soldiers were profusely supplied with butter. And sometimes when the enemy attacks, they throw it away and go away and go to another shelter and still there is butter. That my Godbrother (indistinct) when he first came to India I asked him that, “I heard that you German people are very robust, stout and strong, why you are so thin and weak?” So he replied me in this way that, “In my childhood when I was eight years old weekly I was getting butter for (indistinct)”. Everything was controlled, even for children. But the soldiers, there was no control. So that is, my point is, that those who are soldiers, fighting on behalf of Kåñëa, they are brave soldiers. Na ca tasmän manuñyeñu kaçcin me priya-kåttamaù [Bg. 18.69]. Kåñëa says, “Nobody is dearer than him who is in the process of preaching this Bhagavad-gétä.”  (SP Conversation:GBC LA 1972)

Airport Lila

Off to San Jose. I look forward to my visits there, because i get so much inspiration from HG Vaisesika Prabhu and Mother Nirakula. The temple there is an example for other temples to follow.  I was waiting for my flight when an Indian man sat next to me and asked if I could explain something from the Bhagavad-Gita. I eagerly agreed, he then pulled out a copt of the Gita written by a non devotee of Krsna. He said I have read this book many times but seems something is missing. Can you please explain why I am not getting so much inspiration from it? I explained how the man that wrote it is speaking from an impersonalist view, and that actually the science of Bhakti Yoga that is spoken in a personal way. The Bhagavad-Gita is spoken between two intimate friends, and Srila Prabhupada is giving the most bone-fide translation. The translation is the most bone-fide because it is coming down from an unbroken line of teachers and students. The man sat there and kept asking questions, then at one point he looked at his watch and said oh I have to catch my flight. I thanked him for his time and asked if he would like a copy of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-Gita? He said you have one? I looked in my bag and pulled out a personal copy that I had and gave to him and he gave a nice donation. We exchanged email address and have been keeping in touch.
An announcement came over the speaker saying my flight was delayed for an unknown period of time, everyone was complaining and I sat against a wall chanting and reading. After one hour, another announcement was heard saying “sorry folks we have no idea when this flight will take off, keep checking back” I just looked back down and started reading. A nicely dressed african american approached me and said can I ask you a question. I said yes of course. The man looked surprised he said you speak? I said yeah, why not? He said your a monk, I though monks take a vow of silence. I replied, some probably would hope I took a vow of silence and he started laughing. he was with a group of passengers and I introduced myself. One of the men in the group was a flight attendant, one was a women who retired from the military. I asked the gentleman what he did, and he said oh thats not important. I though ok, fair enough. They proceeded to interrogate me with questions about why I am a monk, which tradition do I follow, oh your a Hare Krsna, wheres you temple, do you work etc. It was a rapid fire session, as soon as I answered one another question came. The others got up, and went to take a smoke break. I was left alone with the african american gentleman. He was saying how he really respected what I was doing with my life and he is about to retire in a few years from his job and he wanted to travel the world to learn about spiritual life. I encouraged him and asked if he would like a small book about the science of bhakti yoga. He agreed and took the book. He smiled and started to tell me about his job. Turned out he is one of the state troopers in charge of security to the governor of New York. As we got on the flight we exchanged info. I was thinking of the incident and realized that we should try to introduce everyone we met to Krsna and the science of bhakti yoga.

After receiving the command to preach the holy name (näm-prachär), Prabhu Nityänanda and Öhäkura Haridäsa went from village to village, house to house, and began proclaiming, “He jéva! Lord Kåñëa is verily the life of your life, and Lord Kåñëa’s name is verily the treasure of your life. All of you please deliberate incessantly on that holy name. Living thus absorbed, the only other thing of concern is to see that no sinful behavior contaminates your actions of bodily or household maintenance.” The meaning of the word anäcär is asadäcär, or activities of impious nature. There are many different types of sinful behavior that are classified as asadäcär or anäcär, such as: speaking lies, thievery, wantonness, doing harm to others, killing any living being, disrespect for superiors, and so forth. Çré Nityänanda Prabhu has personally explained the meaning of the word anäcär as follows (Çré Caitanya Bhägavata, Antya-Khaëòa 5.685-686):
çuno dvija, jateka pätaka kaili tui
är jadi nä koris, saba nimu mui
para-hiàsä, òäkä-curi, saba anäcär
chäòo giyä ihä tumi, nä koriho är
“Listen, O brähmaëa! You have performed many sinful actions. If you abstain from committing these any further, then I forgive them. Doing harm to others, committing theft-all these things constitute sinful behavior. Now give up such actions, and do them no more.” ( Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura: Gitavale, Sri Nagar-Kirtan: Song 1)

Sadhana:

Japa: Trying to keep developing my japa and my relationship with the Holy Name. This relationship with Krsna is eternal, so my chanting should not be mechanical, it should have love and devotion, after all I am having the association of my best friend, Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Seva: The Lord’s seva is the center of my preaching. I try and offer all I do unto His lotus feet.
Reading: CHAD… One chapter of BG a day… this is complete nectar. To dive deep into the sastra is wonderful and so purifying.
Verse memorization: I am relearning core verses, over time I forgot the word for word, this is very important in understanding the verse.
Book Distribution:

Maha Big: 4
Small: 10

I am finding that this new life brings many surprises, but I would not trade this service in for anything. Please bless me to develop my service and to allow it to enter my heart.

Yours in Service of Srila Prabhupada,
Partha-sarathi dasa vanacari

Here is a link to an interview in Reflections Newsletter

http://www.4shared.com/file/108020156/1f679213/Reflections_May_09.html

"The Sankirtana devotees are very dear to Lord Krishna. Because they are doing the field work of book distribution, Krishna has immediately recognized them as true servants. Just like during war time, a farm boy or ordinary clerk who goes to fight for his country on the front, immediately becomes a national hero for his sincere effort. Similarly, Lord Krishna immediately recognizes a preacher of Krishna Consciousness who takes all risks to deliver His message."
(Srila Prabhupada - Letter to Uttamasloka, December 11, 1975)

Today, our lives are decorated with many amazing jewels – loving devotees, the Holy Name of Krishna and most beautiful Deities.  Not long ago, most of us were just lost on the streets of the busy world, preoccupied with our insignificant problems and heading nowhere fast.  

1966 May 29:
"Dasami: There was no expenditure today. Karl came to dine with us. He is informed of last night's incidence. I have told him that I wish to live in separate apartment. He is trying for that."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1969 May 29: "I do not know what I can do in these legal matters. That perennial watch-dog is playing some mischief. In the church there is everything as required by the law. So best thing is to occupy the church. That is my opinion."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 May 29: "Person means not a dead stone. Person means all living entities. We cannot understand. A stone in the spiritual world; if I ask it to move, it will move automatically. In the material world it will not."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 May 29: "Increase your school and college programs and try to have a regular credited course at the University. Your proposed asrama can be located anywhere, it doesn't matter. Just wherever you can attract most people."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1974 May 29: "As for dedication, please use the following:'Presented to my friends and devotees who like to read my books and approached to request me to render the great Caitanya-caritamrta into English.'"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 May 29: "If you give the right protection to the cows, then they will give so much milk, that the ground will be muddy with milk. European and American civilization will be finished on account of this sinful activity of killing the cows."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Over the centuries, we have fought on many moral frontiers. Once upon a time, people thought it was OK to brutalise certain tribes and races. Some groups once propounded the philosophy that women had no souls and thus were inferior entities. In so many ways we have now overcome such ludicrous proposals and have recognised equality of humans regardless of gender, ethnic background, age or economic status.

The next moral frontier, however, concerns another species. People seem to think that because animals have a different type of body it’s justifiable to indiscriminately kill and enjoy them for our own pleasure. Brutal treatment of highly evolved mammals that experience complex emotions has become a common practice in modern society. It seems we are unable to link the cleanly packaged meat we find in fast food outlets and on supermarket shelves with the bloody and violent slaughterhouses from which they come.

We often treat our pets as well as our friends and families – we dress them, feed them, clothe them and even send them for manicures! If we go out and brutalise someone’s pet dog, the law will come crashing down on us for our inconsiderate and cruel acts. On the other hand, the vicious killing of millions of other animals is completely ignored. After playing with their pet dog someone just drives right over to the restaurant and orders a steak! This is the incredible moral inconsistency of the modern world.

A spiritualist tries to live in the most harmonious, natural, healthy and nonviolent way as possible. With World Vegetarian Week just gone, it may be worth considering our diet and the effect it has on the world, other living beings, and our own consciousness. George Bernard Shaw once commented, “While our bodies are the living graves of murdered animals, how can we expect any ideal conditions on earth?”

The whole world is suffering for want of knowledge. The present civilization is animal civilization. They do not know anything beyond eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. This is animal civilization. Animal does not know beyond these four principles of life: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all.

Human life is meant for something else: "What I am? What is God? What is my relation with God? What is this material world? Why I am here? Where I have to go next?" So many things one has to learn. Athato brahma-jijnasa. This is human life. Not that eat and sleep and have sex life and die someday like cats and dogs. Therefore, there is need of acaryas, teachers, for propagating spiritual knowledge, Krsna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada speaking on the occasion of the appearance of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, September 23, 1969

1966 May 29:
"Dasami: There was no expenditure today. Karl came to dine with us. He is informed of last night's incidence. I have told him that I wish to live in separate apartment. He is trying for that."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1969 May 29: "I do not know what I can do in these legal matters. That perennial watch-dog is playing some mischief. In the church there is everything as required by the law. So best thing is to occupy the church. That is my opinion."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 May 29: "Person means not a dead stone. Person means all living entities. We cannot understand. A stone in the spiritual world; if I ask it to move, it will move automatically. In the material world it will not."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1971 May 29: "Increase your school and college programs and try to have a regular credited course at the University. Your proposed asrama can be located anywhere, it doesn't matter. Just wherever you can attract most people."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1974 May 29: "As for dedication, please use the following:'Presented to my friends and devotees who like to read my books and approached to request me to render the great Caitanya-caritamrta into English.'"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 May 29: "If you give the right protection to the cows, then they will give so much milk, that the ground will be muddy with milk. European and American civilization will be finished on account of this sinful activity of killing the cows."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Posted these onto my facebook account but felt that it should be shared with as many people as possible these are two great video’s and I am sure it will inspire and move you to move your feet and dance: Bhakti Tirtha & Sacinandana Swami\'s Lead Kirtana Bhakti Tirtha & Sacinandana Swami\'s Lead Kirtana Hope you all enjoy [...]

The key question, in our humble opinion, to ask any warm-blooded environmentalist (from Al Gore down to the Greenpeace haggler on 3rd Ave), whether or not they are a vegetarian. If not, you gotta give them the straight dope.

After all, the facts are clear. The corporate agriculture industry that provides the t-bone steak and other meat products on your (well, not yours) dinner plate is the #1 cause of harmful emissions contributing to climate change and all-around nasty pollution.

Time magazine recently offered their survival guide to global warming. Here is tip #22, entitled "Skip The Steak"

Which is responsible for more global warming: your BMW or your Big Mac? Believe it or not, it's the burger. The international meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions—even more than transportation—according to a report last year from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

Much of that comes from the nitrous oxide in manure and the methane that is, as the New York Times delicately put it, "the natural result of bovine digestion." Methane has a warming effect that is 23 times as great as that of carbon, while nitrous oxide is 296 times as great.

There are 1.5 billion cattle and buffalo on the planet, along with 1.7 billion sheep and goats. Their populations are rising fast, especially in the developing world. Global meat production is expected to double between 2001 and 2050. Given the amount of energy consumed raising, shipping and selling livestock, a 16-oz.T-bone is like a Hummer on a plate.

If you switch to vegetarianism, you can shrink your carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to research by the University of Chicago. Trading a standard car for a hybrid cuts only about one ton—and isn't as tasty.

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.45.33 says: "That best of brahmanas, the spiritual master Sandipani, was satisfied with Their submissive behavior, and thus he taught Them the entire Vedas, together with their six corollaries and the Upanisads."

read more

We were invited to perform at the Unity Church of Dallas for a “Global Sacred Music Celebration”. This was quite an event. We were honored to be the first performance. 0:00:00 - Introduction 0…

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 29 May 2009 at ISKCON Ujjain.

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

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 3: The Status Quo - Chapter 12: Creation of the Kumāras and Others The Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa - Verse 34

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 29 May 2009 at ISKCON Ujjain. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo; Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 3: The Status Quo - Chapter 12: Creation of the Kumāras and Others The Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa - Verse 34

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami - May 28, 7:30 A.M.

Japa essay

When you are actually chanting, it’s not laborious. Sometimes thinking about chanting and how many rounds you have to chant gets laborious or worrisome. Procrastination or panic become negative factors. But actual chanting is smooth riding, and it’s actually fun and enjoyable. You just have to keep moving along and take the responsibility for the larger number of rounds still to do. As you chant, they always gradually diminish, and quickly, too. The absolute necessary of chanting should not be a burden but just a given factor. I actually like to chant and shouldn’t forget that. I just get bothered when I run into conflict with other things on my schedule and the quality of the chanting is disturbed. On days when you are behind your schedule, you may have to sacrifice other activities, and you should do that willingly. Quality chanting always comes first.

Chanting behind,

I control my mind

and assure myself

there is nothing to fret.

You’ll reach the goal

before the day is out,

so what’s to worry?

You have to do it

so you might as well enjoy

the easiest practice

of the day.

Oh well, let’s admit

it’s not always so easy

and you are not always so willing

but it’s do or die

so rest with that.

from the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #85→

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami on 28 May 2009 at ISKCON Ujjain.

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

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 3: The Status Quo - Chapter 12: Creation of the Kumāras and Others The Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa

28 May 2009--Last night we arrived here in Johannesburg, South Africa for an overnight stop in transit from Mauritius to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some South African devotees who are subscribers to our e-course had expressed via email a desire to meet us. So I expected to meet one or two devotees here. Much to my amazement when we came through customs...

The 37th Annual Festival of India (Ratha-Yatra) is fast approaching! This grand festival provides countless opportunities to serve Lord Jagannatha (Lord Krishna)!  Click here to find out more about volunteer opportunities and to sign up online to help make this festival a huge sucess!  Please enjoy the following quote by Srila Prabhupada:

Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Mandir is our local DC temple that we attend while not traveling around the world. You can usually find us there Sunday evenings after the free feast doing kirtans late into the night. Mandir kirtans are a little different then ’sangha’ kirtans as they are sung directly towards the personal form of Krishna. So the focus is on the deity and not on the singer.

This night was a little different as we asked to hold a ’sangha’ kirtan in the temple. We were graced with the heavenly voice of Sarbani Bardhan who sings Mira’s Song and Worship the Golden Lord on the Ten Million Moons album. Check out the live recording of Worship the Golden Lord below.

Listen to the entire Kirtan!

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

• 01 Gaura Vani - Radhe Govinda (66)
• 02 Gaura Vani - Guru Gauranga Jayate (41)
• 03 Gaura Vani - Hare Krishna (105)
• 04 Sarbani Bardhan - Bhaja Gauranga (86)

Thursday 28th May, 2009.

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.9.1 - Devotional service is easier if we give up material attachments.

1974 May 28: "My only idea was to point out to the public the need for purified leaders. I had no idea to spend money and energy of our society in a way which is not our real spiritual life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 May 28: "My only idea was to point out to the public the need for purified leaders. I had no idea to spend money and energy of our society in a way which is not our real spiritual life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

OK, this one is a bit experimental.

On the second song of the night (and from memory the third) Arjuna didn't play tabla - Janardana played the white Balarama mrdanga in the picture.

The sound of an untuned Balarama mrdanga is truly that of a plastic drum. If you tune it up you can get something half-way decent out of it. However, this was untuned, and to boot, unmiked to begin with. I noticed after the first few moments of the kirtan, which were spent trimming input gain and setting up the live sound, then turned around and adjusted the mics. As a result initially the sound level of the mrdanga is low.

However, this kind of works, as it allows the dynamics to build. Speaking of dynamics, I got a free Faderport - I'm just waiting for it to arrive. Now if I can use that, then I can (relatively) easily do the same thing with a recorded mix that I did on the night, riding the fader and recording it with automation. At least until I get the Zed R16, at which time the whole thing becomes a no-brainer. In the meantime you get a mix where the flute wanders all over the top of the whole kirtan - on the night I raised the volume during the response and lowered it while Maharaja sang.

I boosted the 760Hz on the top end of the mrdanga, and tried something I read about in Owsinski's book "Recording Engineers Handbook" [read online at Google Books].

In the book Owsinski explains that R&B producers put a 32Hz tone through a channel and trigger it from the kick drum. This gives you a real deep sub bass feel. I tried that with the wimpy plastic mrdanga to give it more oomph.

I put an test oscillator on a channel and set it to 66.910Hz. Then I put a noisegate on the channel and set the sidechain to the channel with the mrdanga. The noisegate settings are: Threshold (-17db) | Attack (3ms) | Hold (40ms) | Release (1824.6ms).

What this does is gate the oscillator until the bottom end of the mrdanga is hit hard, at which point the gate opens and the test oscillator's tone comes through. The effect, at least in the small amount of listening I've been able to do, is like a deep djembe playing in the kirtan.

In this mix I also played around with stereo positioning of elements, to make them closer to the actual layout of the room as captured in the stereo room mic. On the night I tried to position people to avoid leakage between mics. Next time I'll also take stereo balance into account.

OK, here's the track. Let me know how it sounds / what you think.

• Nitai Pada Kamala (mp3, 11:27, 16MB)

Oh yeah, at the end, in the last few minutes, Janardana and Rohan go to double time in 6/8 time. This song is in 3/4 (waltz) time. The feel changes going to 6/8, but the timing works. Maharaja was not used to that change but he quickly fell into the groove. The chimpta really helps in a situation like to keep the beat anchored.

As an aspiring bhakti yogi, what would you say is the most important thing in your spiritual practice? Would you pick service, the association of like minded bhakti yogis, the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, prasadam, kirtan or something else?

As I was chanting the maha-mantra today, I realized how far I am from being a true bhakti yogi. The essence of bhakti yoga is to always remember the Supreme, Krishna, and to never forget Him. The prescribed method to do this, is to chant the Holy Names of the Lord.

I chant the maha-mantra everyday, but the quality of my chanting is far from desirable. My tendency is to focus on service, associating with other bhakti yogis, eating prasadam or joining in a great kirtan. But....if one seriously thinks about it, the practice of all these other spiritual activities can be deepened and more fully experienced when we become fully dependent upon the chanting of the Holy Name.

How does that happen, you ask? Because the Holy Name is non-different than Krishna. By developing our relationship with Krishna, by chanting the Holy Name in a mood of separation and longing, all our other activities become even more spiritually surcharged.

One of my spiritual mentors, HG Brhat-mrdanga prabhu, once said, "It is hypocritical to think that we are doing service if we do not chant our rounds. Chanting our rounds is our service."

I beg and pray to the Holy Name to please give me the desire to chant with more sincerity, with love and with a great desire to re-establish my eternal relationship with Him.

I recently got into Pizza making. I don't know why (I think its because I free'd up a lot of time from being off of facebook :) ) I researched a bunch of recipes online and here is the finished result. I originally was so passionate to make it for myself but then calmed down after i remembered I should make it for Krishna. It was a great experience. I'm so happy with the outcome (with a borrowed pizza stone from my sister) that i needed to show these pictures to everyone. Please come over for pizza prasadam! :)

Here are the recipes I used (Minus the O-G). The crust is partially semolina, which is very nice:

http://www.recipepizza.com/sauces/uncooked_pizza_sauce.htm

Crust

Nama Rasa das

There is a statement by Lord Siva in the Padma Purana:

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmad parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam
[SB 11.2.45]

"O Devi, the most exalted system of worship is the worship of Lord Visnu. Greater than that is the worship of tadiya, or anything belonging to Visnu." [SB 11.2.45]

On May 16th, 2009, Iskcon Soweto hosted a festival of love celebrating the birth of a very dear devotee of Lord Sri Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, HH Bhakti Nrsimha Swami(GRS). Maharaj has always been a well-wisher, close confidant, counsellor, friend and mentor to the devotees. A disciple of HH Giriraj Swami Maharaj, he is the first second generation sannyasi from the South African yatra having been initiated into sannyasa in Easter 2008 at Ratha Yatra, Durban South Africa. Below is a picture of him during the festival celebrating his birth. His attire being a blend of Africa and Vaisnava generally attracts the local native African people and does not make him appear too foreign in robes.
He joined at Iskcon Durban in the 1980's, served in the Food for Life department, helped translate the first of Srila Prabhupada's books into Zulu. He was instrumental together with other devotees in arranging the huge Festival of Rainbow Children in a stadium in Durban in 1996 which was attended by Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela publicly announced that that was the happiest day of his life during his address at the festival. Maharaj travels through small towns in South African preaching and mentoring devotees. He aslo travels to Poland, Mauritius, Russia, Scotland, Europe, America, India, East Africa, Nairobi, (where he served as Temple President for six months) India and Swaziland(where he pioneers the preaching and establishment of an Iskcon centre.)

He was born a Seventh Day Adventist Christian and was thus vegetarian from birth. His father was a priest. Maharaja's insightful lectures in English and various other languages are known to inspire many individuals. His kirtans are also very melodious.

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Guru Maharaja.

Guru Maharaja will be present for His Vyasa Puja which will be celebrated at ISKCON Lenasia in South Africa on 22 August 2009.

All written offerings must please be submitted to caitanya@iafrica.com no later than Saturday, 1 August 2009.  Please include your province where applicable & country, as well as indicate clearly whether you are a well-wisher, aspiring disciple, 1^st initiated disciple or 2^nd initiated disciple.

Let us grab this opportunity to glorify our dearest and most glorious Guru Maharaja!!! All written offerings received by 1 August, will be included in the compilation and presented to Guru Maharaja on Vyasa Puja.

Your servant of the servant

Kaishori dd

Siddhanta das (ACBSP): Illumination Television is proud to announce the production of another “Memories of Srila Prabhupada” DVD Part 49! Devotees included in this inspirational video are Gargamuni das, Jayapataka Swami, Srutakirti das, Hari das, Rupa-vilasa das, Narayani dasi, Nrsimhananda das, Madhavananda das and Ranjit das.

In the material world perfect cannot be more perfect or most perfect. In the spiritual world perfection knows no such limits.

I'm going to the data center with Tirtharaj tonight to try upgrading the Planet ISKCON / Atmayogi.com server.

So it will go down for some time. Hopefully not for too long.

Global Sacred Music Celebration - Kalindi Dasi - Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna.

I’m feeling pretty discouraged with devotees lately. As I wrote in my last post here, I’ve been calling for peace between fighting groups of devotees, but it really seems that almost no one wants it, or they they think it’s impossible. I can’t even get my letter out. I wrote it for the “Prabhupada Disciples” PAMHO conference, but the moderator rejected it. Then I sent it to the Sampradaya Sun, where it was also rejected. In both cases I was surprised.

I’ve heard so many times that Vaisnava association is essential. Krishna even told me when He got me started on the bhakti path, “Get some association of My devotees,” but I can’t see what’s the use. I had more faith in the process before I ever met devotees than I have at any point since. At first I thought that everyone who chants Hare Krishna knew Krishna personally, and any devotee I met would immediately bestow their mercy on me to help repair my relationship with Krishna after I had offended Him. Within a few years I started wondering if most devotees even believed in Krishna for real, or if they were doing devotee-looking things for some other reason. Gradually it’s seemed increasingly superficial, and sometimes it seems that way with me too. I’ve heard it said that for every step we take toward Krishna, He takes ten or a hundred or a thousand; but He seems so far away that I can’t imagine how many steps I’ll have to take. I never expected Krishna to have left me for so long.

I’m too depressed to write.

Hare Krishna.

Here's a rough mix of H.H. Prabhavishnu Maharaja's first song from Sunday, Ei Baro Koruna Koro.

With this I tried a technique from Stav's Book "Mixing with Your Mind" designed to give "Maximum Illusion with Minimum Voltage", a fundamental principle in audio engineering.

You want to get a big sound, but at the same time you don't want to inflate your output to Dragonforce levels. So you strive to get Maximum Illusion (the biggest sound) with Minimum Voltage (the lowest output).

Prabhavishnu Maharaja's voice lends itself to this particular technique. He has a very powerful voice, and a wide dynamic range. When he cuts loose, it gets pretty powerful, and I had to several times adjust the trim (input gain) control on his channel.

To bring that under control in the mix I used a compressor. I set the compressor threshold to -16dB. This means that when the Swami's voice hits -16db the compressor will kick in. The Attack is set to 6.0ms, which is very fast. This means that 6 milliseconds after the compressor detects that the Swami's voice has hit -16dB it starts compressing the signal. The compression ratio is set to 7.1:1. This means that 6 milliseconds after the Swami's voice hits -16dB for every 7dB of increase in volume in his voice, the sound in the mix goes up 1dB. That's compression. The effect is to put a ceiling on his voice, so that it doesn't go from too quiet to hear to blowing up your speakers.

Now, to preserve the power of his vocal performance I did this:

I put his uncompressed vocal on Track 1. I then routed the output of Track 1 to the input of Track 2. I turned up the reverb send on Track 1. This means that the only thing you hear directly from Track 1 in the final mix is the reverb send. Then I put the compressor on Track 2, and routed its output to the final mix.

The result of doing this is that when the Swami cuts loose his vocal track is compressed - it's squashed down to keep it at an even level. However, the reverb that you hear increases in relation to the uncompressed vocal. The effect of this is to make it sound big. You can really hear this in the final, classic Hare Krishna portion of the track. His voice doesn't get much louder, but it sounds bigger, because the reverb does get louder, and it is bigger.

Maximum Illusion, Minimum Voltage.

I still haven't listened to this a wide variety of systems, so I'm not sure about the relative levels. I might cut some bass from the flute and raise its volume, and boost the sax when it kicks in later in the piece.

Here's the rough mix:

• E Baro Koruna Koro - Rough Mix 1

The latest findings of Dr. Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor both funny and smart, derived from assiduous research into (human) happiness, have revealed to him an important truth that will already be familiar to students of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. That venerable text recounts (in Chapter 82 of Canto 10) a discussion among certain learned personages—doctors in [...]

1966 May 28:
"N.B. There was an incidence extraordinary. At 10 night when I was typewriting Paul became too much irritated and I stopped typewriting. It was unusual due to his abnormal condition. Better to take precaution in future."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 May 28: "Don't wait for next life for finishing up the business of Krishna Consciousness; try to finish up in this life. And pray if it is unfinished, Krishna may give you chance to take birth in a family where the father and mother are in Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 May 28: "We have to maintain two lines parallel; namely the path of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the path of Pancaratriki. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the path for Paramahamsas, and Pancaratra path is for the neophytes."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

26 May 2009--After attending the mangal arati at 4:30 am in the Phoenix ISKCON temple we traveled to ISKCON's farm temple where I gave the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class and took breakfast. From there we traveled across the island of Mauritius where I took advantage of the peaceful atmosphere of a mountain creek to work on my emails and take lunch...

1971 May 28: "You whave introduced Tulasi in the Western countries and Tulasi is now growing very luxuriantly. May Tulasi be kind upon you and introduce you to Krishna, to be one of the assistant maid-servant gopis in Vrindaban."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 May 28: "We want to give the citizens the positive value of Krishna consciousness way of life, so we must always be preaching very strongly in the public. Therefore I approve your plan to run for public office."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1974 May 28: "Studying your letter thoroughly I have come to the conclusion you may stop the political program. It will not benefit our real spiritual position. I am not interested to divert attention from spiritual progress for political propaganda."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1966 May 28:
"N.B. There was an incidence extraordinary. At 10 night when I was typewriting Paul became too much irritated and I stopped typewriting. It was unusual due to his abnormal condition. Better to take precaution in future."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1968 May 28: "Don't wait for next life for finishing up the business of Krishna Consciousness; try to finish up in this life. And pray if it is unfinished, Krishna may give you chance to take birth in a family where the father and mother are in Krishna Consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1970 May 28: "We have to maintain two lines parallel; namely the path of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the path of Pancaratriki. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the path for Paramahamsas, and Pancaratra path is for the neophytes."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 May 28: "You whave introduced Tulasi in the Western countries and Tulasi is now growing very luxuriantly. May Tulasi be kind upon you and introduce you to Krishna, to be one of the assistant maid-servant gopis in Vrindaban."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971