By Matsya Avatara Dasa

From the Introduction of the book:

THE TWENTY-SIX QUALITIES OF THE SPIRITUAL RESEARCHER

When starting any type of journey we need to get the adequate equipment so that the journey will be as comfortable as possible and we will also have some basic guarantee that we will eventually be able to attain our desired goal. This also applies to the journey towards self-realization, but in this case the equipment is very special. In fact the spiritual researcher does not venture into the exploration of the external world but into the inner universe, and in order to proceed safely and successfully, he needs to develop all the noblest and most elevated qualities of his personality, many of which lie in a dormant state.

Thus the principles we will explain are not simply to be considered on the theoretical platform, but they need to be demonstrated in practical everyday life. What we are going to discuss is not a scholarly and academic elaboration but a concrete and real search, because only consistency between theoretical assumptions and practical application can bring a quick evolutionary process. This process offers innumerable benefits: on the metaphysical level it facilitates the understanding of truths that would otherwise remain dogmatic or only accessible from the nominal point of view; on the intellectual platform it creates the manifestation of discernment between what is good and what is bad. This discernment enables us to avoid many obstacles and sufferings that are often generated also in circumstances that appear very ordinary. On the mental platform one attains that serenity that, as explained by Krishna in Bhagavad-gita¹, cannot be separated from the journey of self-realization, and finally on the physical platform, the body gets the benefits of health and well-being.

If the dangers we will have to face were indicated by a clearly visible luminous sign it would be easy to avoid them, but the great dangers of life are not advertised in this way. However, these signals appear on other channels to those who possess the qualities we are going to study. Such virtues should be therefore studied and developed not in order to increase our ego but to become mature, solid and consistent persons that can offer help and a good example to themselves and to many others.

We should be able to measure someone's maturity or immaturity according to objective parameters; thus the evaluation of a particular individual should not be determined by personal liking or disliking, but by the presence or absence of specific qualities.

The virtues that we are going to consider are twenty-six in number, and they are mentioned and explained in several parts of Vedic literature; in this context I will utilize mainly two extremely prestigious texts: one, universally recognized for its authoritativeness, is Bhagavad-gita², the other, equally authoritative within the Gaudiya Vaishnava³ tradition, is Caitanya-Caritamrita⁴.

Because of their greatness and majesty these two texts have been able, in the course of the centuries, to shape the life of a great number of individuals and they place the teaching of the twenty-six qualities within a wider elaboration on the subject of perfection, so that perfection will be not considered as something abstract, theoretical and utopistic, but will be substantiated so that it can be concretely perceived through such virtues. As true mind scientists, veritable psychologists and sociologists, the special authors of such works did not stop at beautiful but abstract philosophical speculation, they have connected these qualities, veritable jewels of a character, to precise behaviors, because values that are not practiced cannot be worth much, they do not produce effects and they evaporate like snow in the sunshine.

Gita and Caitanya Caritamrita, the texts examining the virtues we are going to study, are known as religious scriptures that support and canonize a system of values contained in a particular tradition; this however does not mean that their value is merely religious, because their psychological and sociological value, too, is undoubtedly great.

Those who want to keep a clear-cut separation between science and religion are victims of a prejudiced vision that has taken roots in the western tradition, but unexpectedly help has come from quantum physics itself, a very pragmatic branch of knowledge that confirmed that a scientist's vision of the world is not different from a mystic's.

The value of texts such as the Puranas, Vedas, Upanishads, and Brahamanas is extraordinary, not simply from the merely theological-ritualistic point of view, but also because they offer a system of values that enables us to organize our lives in a happy, healthy, consistent and harmonious way.

What do the great texts of Tradition tell us? That we are happy, vigorous, intelligent, creative and willing to live when the microcosm of our body is in harmony with the macrocosm. There is no difference between systems of different size because there are laws of a supreme order, a system of values that relate and connect everything that exists. The same laws that govern the orbits of planets and galaxies also apply to the growth of a blade of grass or a cell, to the communication between synapses, to the development of neurons, to the division of the cell by which the fetus gradually develops. Inspired, constant research, determined to get into harmony with these laws, shapes intelligence that takes us to self-healing, capable of solving problems that otherwise would be delegated to pharmaceutical industry with scarce success.

It has now been scientifically proven that serene and inspired persons, who are dedicated to things they believe in, remarkably improve the level of their immune system. On the other hand when we are depressed, sad, filled with resentment, jealousy and envy, we cause a drop in our immune system.

We need to realize the importance of living happily in the company of persons who practice virtues and believe in them. We must be interested in values that have universal scope, accepted by Catholicism, Buddhism or any other system that contemplates a rise in consciousness and self-realization. Of course we will also include the secular systems because there are no more barricades between religion and social life. It is absurd to think that values can only be contained within so-called religious currents: even if it is clear that the priority of religious life is precisely the application of such values, many non-religious persons also welcome and practice them. Cleanliness, truthfulness, compassion, generosity, sobriety and ecology are not just religious but rather universal values.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Federation of the Indian Republics at the University of Milan, I have stated that it was the Vedas themselves that supported India's independence from the British Administration. It was a special feeling to speak about Vedic civilization in those places that, in 1968, witnessed hot, vehement, and sometimes violent protest affirming values that society did not accept.

Specifically, the values mentioned and explained in the Vedas have enabled the constitution of States within a society with so many languages, races, ethnic groups and religions.

A student-professor was commenting how people are in the grip of prejudice in relation to whatever is different, and I said that such prejudice is generated by fear, because one who carries prejudice is weak and fragile by definition; an authoritarian person is weak, and this is why he needs to use force to impose himself, while one who controls his senses and has inner strength is not authoritarian but authoritative, he is not angry but serene. No matter what comes before him, he finds the correct key for its interpretation and answers adequately to the stimulation that derives from it.

What is different scares us because it jeopardizes our certainties and some clichés we have grown accustomed to. Fear generates hostility. This is why "different" people such as Jesus, Socrates, or in more recent times Martin Luther King, have been murdered. This makes us understand that the intention of affirming a universal system of values must be based on a commonly known language that should not be too exotic, exoteric or mysterious, because this would create suspicions, fears and persecution mania. We need to relate to others as if in a pleasurable game, so that prejudice will automatically fall away.

Everyone needs a model for their own development; without a model we cannot achieve anything. As long as he had Seneca to look up to, Nero was not the madman described by history. He became crazy when he changed his model, taking his inspiration from Tigellinus.

For a spiritual researcher, an excellent model is one who has complete control over passions and impulses, or vegam. Vegam means "impulse", or a discharge of energy. In a person who is afflicted by manic syndromes, the "discharges" he feels contain a great energy, but immediately afterwards he falls into a state of depression. This is typical of the dystics, those who have a two-phase behavior: in the first stage there is courage, strength, brilliance, wit, humor and a typically manic frenzy, but because this manifestation of energy is not based on reality, it is followed by a vertical fall into depression, the good mood disappears and euphoria gives way to disappointment. Then melancholy steps in, and in the most serious phases it contains even suicidal ideas, or a dark vision that affects the surrounding people, too.

Speaking of virtue implies referring to very precise and real models that are certainly not utopistic. Today like in ancient times, these qualities can be developed by the modern sages. These values are beyond time and space, they are eternal... do you want evidence? The fact they have been experienced by traditions that did not know each other, and by persons who lived at the opposite ends of the planet, who have expressed the very same realizations.

First of all, the twenty-six qualities or virtues must been explained and shown not as abstractions, but as the fruit of a series of coordinated and conscientious efforts. They are real wealth, much more valuable than any material asset that attract thieves, tax officers, false friends, and feed pernicious desires aggravating the attachment to mundane life, that makes leaving the body even more painful. The assets constituted by virtues, on the contrary, are not lost with the body. Even recent discoveries on DNA confirm this reality and determine the environment, including the psychological environment that a being finds in his next birth.

Thus we can reveal the mystery, the enigma of why there are so many other species besides the humans; it is really conceivable that chicken only exist to be roasted and eaten? Or that lambs exist to be slaughtered at Easter? This kind of idea is pure folly. Actually all these life forms search for perfection, but their nervous system is not completely developed to harmonize with the universe. This is a fascinating subject that should deserve adequate exploration. Man is racing madly after super-technology, artificial intelligence, and certainly he deserves the credit for extraordinary discoveries, but during this search he has often forgotten the inner world, becoming alienated and confused, losing the awareness of ourselves, of the world and of life.

Attaining our goal requires a constant attention, but if we begin this journey with the proper attitude it will be enthusing and give us such satisfaction and benefits that we will feel their effects for the rest of our life. Spiritual teachings that are luminous and potentially accessible to everyone will be understood and applied by each person as much as the evolutionary level of each individual will allow. In any case, no matter from which level he starts, if the spiritual researcher is sincere and dedicated, he will be able to gradually attain perfection with patience and determination, under the guidance of a genuine Master, an acarya. Acarya is a significant term in the Tradition we are talking about: it comes from the Sanskrit acara, ‘proper behavior’, and indicates a person whose behavior is immaculate and consistent with what he teaches in words. In fact teachings become effective as much as the person that transmits them is the first to apply them in his own life. In the long run, mere theoretical teachings become boring, sometimes impossible to understand, and incapable of producing fruits. On the other hand, one who respects some principles and applies them in his own life he will be able to transmit them effectively even without enunciating them verbally, because example is much more powerful than precept.

Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu⁵ summarized this concept as follows: “Some behave well but do not teach, others teach but do not behave well. Perfection consists in both teaching and behaving well”.

In any environment such knowledge is constantly and practically useful: when we acquire the proper know-how we can become conscious of the atmosphere we find in an office, in a family, in a factory, in a church. We can immediately understand which psychological type our interlocutor is, but above all, these twenty-six qualities we are going to study are an exceptionally effective parameter to measure and evaluate ourselves.

This evaluation is meant to understand our shortcomings, because only by understanding them we can add what we lack, in the language of modern psychology, we can integrate our personality.

Only by understanding which qualities we should develop most we can prepare a serious work on ourselves: this is why the acquisition of knowledge is a primary factor. By analyzing these virtues everyone will be able to examine himself and discover where the deepest shortcomings lie and also where the picture looks encouraging. We will understand why in the course of the millennia the great Vedic sages, the great Masters, have explained that such qualities are characteristic of the people of a divine nature, while those who are devoid of them are characterized as darkened, dull people who generate sufferings for themselves and for all those who stay around them; sometimes even for entire communities or nations.

Behind each virtue we can get a glimpse of a world, a dimension where we need to enter to acquire that particular quality. Mere remembrance is not sufficient, what we need to do is to practice that quality, live it and integrate it in our behavior, in our intra-psychic and inter-psychic dynamics.

We can compare an individual to a tree: a burning tree risks propagating the fire to an entire forest, and similarly a burning individual risks spreading the fire to a family, a community, a project. Luckily, also the contrary is true: a strong and sweetly scented tree can expand its fragrance in all the forest, and a healthy, stable and virtuous individual can do the same thing.

The virtues of which we will discuss are the basis of all types of relationships in society as in spiritual life, in economics, in family and sentiments; they enrich life for anyone, in any circumstance. Maybe they cannot be applied simultaneously, all the twenty-six of them, but the more the awareness grows, the wider the application field becomes. Practice is very helpful: we start maybe by applying one quality only, then by a chain reaction the others will gradually manifest, too, and we can joyfully experience that they come one by one, sometimes in couples, of by the threes... and sometimes, in moments of confusion, all the twenty-six disappear.

Practice is perfected by constantly living in the company of these twenty-six qualities that can become a garland of sweet scented flowers we can always carry with us.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu indicated these virtues to one of his important disciples, Sanatana Gosvami, and also in Bhagavad-gita, at the beginning of the sixteenth chapter, we find a list of twenty-six virtues that is very similar. By comparing the two lists we find that any difference is only a variation of rasa⁶, or taste, emotion, sentiment.

We will introduce the subject with a description of the twenty-six qualities by Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura⁷: “Like twenty-six pearls or sweet-scented flowers, they constitute a necklace representing the character of a practically perfect person. The state of perfection is characterized by the presence of these twenty-six qualities”.

In the Scriptures the perfect, evolved, liberated beings such as great sages and saints are sometimes described with some of such virtues and sometimes with others, but when we make a careful analysis of their character we find that all twenty-six are present. Such virtues are certainly an attainment, not a starting point. By knowing them we become able to make an assessment of our life, to understand who we are, where we are, and in which direction we are walking.

It is rare for an individual to be able to make a deep and honest analysis of oneself, and this is why the spiritual Master is necessary. TModern men are more and more inclined towards psycho-therapists and analysts that often are not even aware of the spiritual reality of the soul, and therefore they only analyze on the basis of temporary characteristics. Within Tradition such analysis is made by the guru, who is able to see the shortcomings in a personality and proposes a therapy by engaging the disciple in devotional service, which leads to catharsis and purification⁸.

We cannot heal by ourselves alone; today we live in the "do it yourself" age and the figure of the Master has become obsolete, rejected by the majority of people. Individuals are left to themselves, everyone is master of himself and the effects are under our eyes: violence spreads, phobias and panic attacks are more and more frequent, and depression is now the fourth more common disease in the world. The "do it yourself" mentality is therefore an illusion, but when we have understood this fact it is not sufficient for us to passively cling to a Master. One who wants to have the guidance of a spiritual Master must activate himself and serve in his mission; this has been true for millennia and the sacred Texts offer dozens of examples.

We need a dynamic approach, the deliberation of submitting ourselves to the cure, a therapeutic pact in which Master and disciple take a role and respect it.

Krishna explains in Bhagavad-gita: “Go to a Master who possesses this knowledge, be humble, ask him questions and serve him”⁹.

Service and humility psychologically prepare us to understanding, in fact if our state of mind is not appropriate we will not be able to perceive the answers, no matter how deeply wise they can be.

The Masters can offer knowledge because they have realized it; one can only give what he has. Thus, by following the teachings of an enlightened person, gradually the anarthas crumble away and give way to virtues. In this way trust turns into faith and becomes deeply structured in the heart, because theoretical knowledge is united with practice that confirms the teachings. By seeing persons who have become healed,our faith in the therapy grows and we understand that the method is working. However, the cure must be administered adequately and the two parts, Master and disciple, must interact harmoniously.

In the West there is a widespread prejudice in regard to spiritual masters, because people still suffer from the dichotomy of religion-secularism. In the Vedas this does not exist because the rishis¹⁰

^{were at the same time secular and religious, they did not deny the central position of the spirit or the peripheral importance of material creation. The stimulation to approach the world of the spirit should not be accompanied by a denial or denigration of the world.}

^{Virtue, ethics, is a spiritual factor that can be manifested in the world through morals, through a series of behaviors that are based on ethical principles. The most genuine part of each religion in fact manifests as a concrete behavior in the world.}

^{The Illuminists' protest was against an abstract religiosity only showing a practical result in privileges and a monopoly of power; it did not oppose spirit in itself, but the way it was expressed in daily life. The determination of the liberal state to express values different from the confessional states was a legitimate freedom of expressing one's own spirituality that was called in a different way only as a reaction. Some anarchists have shown great virtues in their lives; they were just protesting against a corrupt religious world, but they opposed an evil by generating a situation that later degenerated into evil itself.}

^{Often the West moves between these extreme opposites, as it was brilliantly explained by Heraclitus with the principle of enantiodromy11};

even Plato speaks about it when he states that after a period of anarchy a tyrant comes, then after a while he is felled and anarchy returns. The Puranas state that such contrasts keep increasing in Kali-yuga¹². However, the sun is neither western nor eastern and virtues are of a spiritual nature, whether they are lived by Mazzini or St. Anthony. Nobody should think he is the sole repository of these virtues; fundamentalism originates from a monotheism that cultivates the idea of being the chosen people, the sole repository of the truth, but the truth that pervades the entire universe is inscribed into the hearts of all men.

A while back I had mentioned in one of my blogs that my Spiritual Master, His Grace Sriman Sankarshan das Adhikari said in one lecture that, “anyone who thinks he can be Krishna conscious outside of ISKCON is simply hallucinating”. If you look to other lectures given by my Guru Maharaj namely one seminar entitled, [...]

With numerous colourful pots filled with lovingly prepared chipped rice, festive flags and banana leaves, sweet kirtana sounds in the air and a large gathering of vaisnavas around Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, the Sri Mayapur International School was transformed into the village of Panihati on the banks of the Ganga.

Inspired by the wonderful “cida-dadhi-mahotsava,” the chipped rice festival as described in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Krishna-Prestaya Mataji,

read more

Japa is always coming with service, today was my day to bathe the Deities, the boys just said, "Today is your turn to put on your sari, tilaka and bathe the Lord", wow thats a lot of responsability that makes me nervous because I don't know if my service is good or not, so my lips couldn't even pronounce the mantra for bathing which they do so naturally, why with me it's hard. Everything for kids are easier to perform, maybe because we are so engaged in many others things and for them service and chanting is natural and nice to perform. Kesava picked his beads today so naturally and chanted his four rounds then he said "I am going to play soccer ok?Let me know when we can go to the market and buy the Lord's bhoga for the bathing and offering"...they are like this, it sounds natural and easy to perform. Actually it is, we make it difficult because our minds tell us it's difficult to achieve the offenseless stage and we need a lifetime or maybe lives to get there, but that's not true...we may get there easily if we have the desire for it. By following the acharyas footsteps and advice we can go further and go back home back to Godhead in this life.
There is a very nice quote I would like to share with you from this lecture I read last week, I hope you like it.

"Sri Hari-nama-cintamani indicates that the clearing stage really begins with dealing with inattentiveness. So if we find ourselves stuck--if you material desires are not decreasing; if lust, greed, and anger are not going away; if we're feeling, "I've been so long in this movement and my enthusiasm is not there"--the effect of continued offenses is being felt. The effect of maintaining offenses is described in The Nectar of Devotion: it is like a waning moon Inexplicably, for no reason, your enthusiasm for devotional service goes "pfft" and you can't figure out why. When we find ourselves in that position we can understand that somehow or other, not only are we committing offenses but we are not trying to rectify them."

Ravindra Svarupa das
October-November, 1996
Vrindavan

Let's make our week brighter by dedicating our japa time to Krsna with love and devotion.
Hope you are able to concentrate on the sound of the mantra and feel all the purifying effects of chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi

By popular demand (shout out to Pulkit), here's another track from H.H. Prabhavishnu Swami's 24 May Bhajan session.

It's a crash-mix of Sri Rupa Manjari Pada. I basically copied the settings from the last mix I did, verbatim. The last mix had a mrdanga, but I've just applied the same EQ, effects, and gain to the tabla. In future, as long as the mics stay where they are I can just do one mix, then reuse it. The only thing to do then would be to ride the faders and do some live gain adjustments while listening to the track, to make it "breathe". I don't have time for that now - if I get my free Faderport, or even better, a 16-track R-16, I'll start doing that.

On this track Arjuna really let rip on the tabla, and Sridhar on the flute/saxophone. They'd warmed up on the previous tracks and the energy in the temple was peaking. Another two other factors - I'd gotten the hang of manipulating the FOH (front of house) sound, and had also pushed the faders up. At this point we were maxing out the PA system (300W Yamaha Stagepas). From memory this was the last track of the night. Somehow it's been dumped to my hard drive as 15/17, so there are two more tracks to come.

• Sri Rupa Manjari Pada (mp3, 16:26, 23MB)

Previously we mentioned that true lasting happiness cannot be found within the limits of our temporary material activities. Although one may be convinced that an oasis exists in the desert, as he runs madly after it desperate for relief, the oasis always remains unobtainable, for it is only an hallucinatory mirage. Similarly, seeking real happiness through material means will always prove baffling and inaccessible, yet true happiness does exist just as water also does, one only has to know where to find it.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, as the eternal soul, we have a natural prerogative for eternal, ever-increasing happiness. The soul is a spiritual element characterized by being eternal, fully cognizant and full of bliss. In Sanskrit these qualities are termed sat-cit-ananda. Ananda refers to the blissful aspect of spirit, or the limitless happiness of pure love. Love is the very essence of the soul and through exchanges of love one can access deeper realms of joy. The foundation for loving exchanges is that, as individuals, we possess the ability to express our love through action. Love can be understood to be a verb, a doing word. Performing acts to please the beloved is far more substantial and fulfilling that simply giving word gestures or exploiting one another for sense gratification. There is a story of a soldier, courageously rescued by his friend during a fierce battle of WW2. For the rest of his life a day never passed without him remembering his friend, whilst at the same time he never once remembered the French prostitute he had many times slept with. Exchanges of love are far superior to exchanges of lust.

In fact, for obtaining relationships on this level some are willing to sacrifice everything else. Another story tells of a king who possessed untold wealth and facilities, yet he was the only one there to enjoy it all. One day as he was feeling morose amidst all his unsharable opulence, a tiny bird flew in and landed on his hand. Immediately the king was prepared to renounce his kingdom in exchange for friendship with the bird. Therefore, as the whole world madly rushes on in pursuit of wealth and possessions, we must check to see if we are concurrently developing our loving dealings.

But does increasing material facilities actually augment our happiness? Surveys have shown that although countries like USA are leading the world in how to enjoy materially, they also have the highest suicide and drug abuse statistics. In contrast, Bangladesh, whilst one of the poorest countries, showed that their people were deeply content and happy. Even though without the wealth of the west, still they possess a greater wealth of spiritual knowledge, a happiness born of deeper values and exchanges. One great personality, Sri Prahlada, once said that if you really want to be happy, then stop trying to be happy in this world. The intelligent therefore seek happiness through spiritual connections and spiritual engagements. Jesus also exclaimed that this life is like a bridge with which we should cross over to the spiritual side, not that we should build upon this bridge and try and enjoy.

In Sanskrit true happiness is characterized by being ever-increasingly unlimited. Ramante yogino'nante satyanande cid-atmani (click). Spiritual happiness is by nature unlimited, unrestricted and without conditions. The soul is only limited at present by this clumsy tabernacle of a body. Only in activities corresponding to our spiritual nature can we find real happiness, nityananda, eternal bliss. Therefore if we can utilize this body for our spiritual development then we will receive boundless joy. By understanding who we are and from where we have come, we will know what is our blissful heritage.

Many great teachers have explained that the soul is part and parcel of Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead (click). Krishna is the absolute truth, the origin of all, and therefore the proprietor of all. Consequently he is the supreme enjoyer. Everything else, including us, are the enjoyed. Krishna is known as the reservoir of unlimited pleasure, and if we align ourselves with Krishna's desire then we dive deeply into that reservoir. The hand is a part of the body having it's own specific functions, but if it tries to enjoy a cake independently without supplying it to the stomach, only disappointment will be felt. However, if the hand gives the cake to the stomach, then it will be happy, nourished and strong. Similarly, if we aim to bring happiness to Krishna through our thoughts, words and deeds, then we will naturally relish unlimited joy. Love means to satisfy Krishna, whereas lust means to selfishly try to satisfy only ourselves (click). One brings eternal happiness and unlimited love, the other only frustration and suffering.

We start to please Krishna by always remembering him through chanting his names and by molding our lives so that we can realize our spiritual love with Krishna. Then we naturally want to help others to also come to that blissful love. In fact, true spiritual practitioners feel great pain and unhappiness upon seeing others bereft of pure love and consequently suffering. Therefore they sacrifice for the welfare and upliftment of others. This pleases Krishna the most and brings the highest happiness to the soul. Whether in great physical pain or whilst tolerating cancerous death, a true spiritual person will never exchange their position for anything of this material world, for they are tasting a happiness known only to those who know and love Krishna.

"Of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever."
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.1(click)

50 cents at the recent Book fair at the Convention Centre in Southbank. We got 40 books for 37 bucks. Lots for Prahlad's school. I had a copy of William Gibson's Idoru in my hand, but somehow it didn't make it to the checkout and back to our house. I'm sure that Param Satya put it back, but she denies all knowledge...

I'll see if someone at work has a copy they can lend me. I'd like to read it.

This weekend we went to the Brisbane Yoga Fest.

This is the third year of the grass-roots, community event organised by Jonathan Murphy and his partner Tanya. We've participated each of those years, and watched as the festival has grown in scope.

(Apologies for the photos - I'm not such a good photographer. Sound is more my thing)

For the last two years it's been held at the Old Museum in Bowen Hills, a wonderful piece of architecture:

This year we didn't have a yoga stand, as our underground studio (aka: our house) is already at capacity with 12-16 people coming to the evening classes. Adina-lila and Prema Yogi organized a prasadam stall. The piping hot soy chai and vegan gluten-free carob muffins were a big hit with the punters after the chai tent wallahs cancelled due to sickness (Oink oink).

Here's a shot of Brian, an Atma old-timer from when we first started in 2004, helping out:

Bhakta Leonardo serving out:

I got there at 2pm, as Param and I had to teach three classes at the temple in the morning. Param taught a class at Yogafest at 3pm. This year there were three studios with classes going all day. Param had about 100 people for her class. Afterwards a bunch of people asked her where she teaches. She had to tell them: "Nowhere!". Those who know, know... ;-)

There were a number of stalls around on the grass outside the Museum:

I made an appearance at the Fusion Hot Yoga stall to sign autographs:

The Fusion Hot Yoga Posterboy ;-)

I got totally soaked and frozen riding my scooter home from the temple before coming to Yogafest, but that was a brief 30 minute shower in an otherwise clear, sunny autumn day in Brisbane:

Here's a shot of the sky at around 5pm, which is sunset here at the moment:

Here's a close up of the green bin in that picture:

Ajñata-sukrti - unconscious chanting of the Holy Name.

A beautifully clear, full moon night:

(Theologian and philosopher Connor) Cunningham is a firm believer in the theory of evolution, but he is also a Christian. He believes that the clash between Darwin and God has been hijacked by extremists - fundamentalist believers who reject evolution on one side, and fundamentalist atheists on the other. Cunningham attempts to overturn what he believes are widely held but mistaken assumptions in the debate between religion and evolution.

- from the BBC website

Please note that this program is divided into six videos on Youtube. Here are the other parts:

• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six

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

A fascinating review by ID czar Philip E. Johnson of the 1995 publication "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" by Daniel Dennett, which focuses on the larger implications of the acceptance of the Darwinist paradigm on levels such as the political, philosophical metaphysical, and cosmological. All the way to the top!

It's a challenging and even chilling picture that Prof. Johnson paints, and is well worth considering

Click here to read the whole article on our sister site The Harmonist

Here's an excerpt...

Dennett thinks that the dissenters either fail to understand the logic of Darwinism or shrink from embracing its full metaphysical implications. I prefer another explanation: Darwinism is a lot stronger as philosophy than it is as empirical science. If you aren’t willing to challenge the underlying premise of scientific materialism, you are stuck with Darwinism- in-principle as a creation story until you find something better, and it doesn’t seem that there is anything better.

Once you get past the uncontroversial examples of microevolution, however, such as finch beak variations, peppered moth coloring, and selective breeding, all certainty dissolves in speculation and controversy. Nobody really knows how life originated, where the animal phyla came from, or how natural selection could have produced the qualities of the human mind.

Ingenious hypothetical scenarios for the evolution of complex adaptations are presented to the public virtually as fact, but skeptics within science derisively call them “just-so” stories, because they can neither be tested experimentally nor supported by fossil histories.

"Prabhupada presence" was felt, a power impact at the Kunda to the amazement of many Brajavasi on lookers. Even one baba at the top wall asked ³When will you all come back again? Great public relations in service to His Divine Grace!

All Glories to Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga

South India Preaching Report, May 2009

 

Prepared by Sushen Krsna Das

 

Dear Devotees and Friends:

 

Kindly accept our humble dandavats.

 

You can see this report in proper format with embedded videos at

http://mahaprabhu.net/satsanga/reports/May_2009.htm

 

By the will and instructions of Srila Gurudev, His Divine Grace Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaj (Sripad Maharaj), Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj became the president of the Bhaktivedanta Institute (BI) Managing Council after disappearance of Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaj, who is the international director by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s order. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada established BI to educate people about science of the soul and science of God by scientific presentation of Krsna consciousness. You can download a copy of Srila Prabhupada’s vision for the BI here.

 

His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada with his dear most disciple His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaj.

 

His Divine Grace Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaj sacrificed his life in carrying out this order of Srila Prabhupada, and met with so much success that the enemies of truth felt threatened that he would take from them the illusions that they so eagerly cherished. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became as enraged as Lord Narasimha Dev when Nityananda Prabhu was attacked by Jagai and Madhai, but Lord Nityananda magnanimously reminded Mahaprabhu that his mission in Kali Yuga was not to kill the demons but to mercifully save them, for all are fallen in this age. The followers of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Maharaj are many, and although, by the Will of Krsna, Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Maharaj has been withdrawn to his eternal pastimes, there is an army of his followers willing to sacrifice their lives to carry on his mission in this world. With the blessings of all the Vaisnavas, in a spirit of unified and firm resolve and dedication, we pray that those who are willing and able to take up the service of Bhaktivedanta Institute may become glorious in fulfilling the desires of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Sripad Maharaj.

 

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (Dr. T. D. Singh) with Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj, Ph.D. and other international delegates during the “International Seminar on The Living State ” at Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium, New Delhi , 13^th December 1981.

 

Srila Gurudev Sripad Maharaj wanted us to take spiritual guidance from Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj to carryout the scientific preaching services under the banner of BI. Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj is one of the original founding members of BI and direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Sridhar Maharaj. As disciples of Sripad Maharaj we have taken shelter of him and he has kindly agreed to give us spiritual guidance, which we appreciate greatly and want to share with others. We are doing scientific preaching under his guidance, publishing literature and engaging scientists in the service of the mission of BI.

 

Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj has been showering unlimited mercy on many fallen souls by organizing and rendering preaching services for the satisfaction of our Guru Varga. Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj is the senior most devotee scientist of Bhaktivedanta Institute. Many sincere souls of scholarly and intellectual background are getting inspired by Maharaj’s scientific presentation on Krsna consciousness and they are applying Krsna consciousness in their day to day life to achieve the real goal of human form of life.

 

Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj recently encouraged the South India preaching program on May 2009, under the auspicious guidance of Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj is the president Acharya deva of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (www.scsmath.com), which was established in 1941 by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, who is the respected Godbrother and Siksa Guru of His Divine Grace, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You can see the video of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanata Swami Prabhupada with his Siksha Guru Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and his dear Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj during ISKCON Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir Inauguration on 17th March 1973 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBaDkJyWZXM .

 

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada sharing the vyasasana. Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj here leads kirttan at opening of ISKCON’s World Headquarters, Sri Chandradoya Mandir, 17th March 1973

 

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada and Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

 

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Navadwip - I

 

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Navadwip - II

 

Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj Prabhupada in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Navadwip - III

 

  An excerpt of the transcendental relationship between Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad can be found here. Download full book in pdf format on transcendental relationship between Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Maharaj and Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad entitled Guardian of Devotion here.

 

Srila Gurudev His Divine Grace Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj

 

After attending the Mangal Arotik and taking the blessings of Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and five devotees under the auspicious leadership of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj, we started from Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math on 6th May (Dwadasi) 2006, towards South India . The other four devotees who attended were Sripad Jagadananda Prabhu from USA , Sripad Anandavardhan Prabhu from Hungary , Sripad Ram See Prabhu from West Bengal , and Sushen Krsna Das from Orissa. For the pleasure of Gurudev, Sripad Anandavardhan Prabhu took all the photos and videos of this South India preaching seva.

 

Srila Gurudev His Divine Grace Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (Sripad Maharaj)

 

Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj

 

Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj

 

Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj has great appreciation for Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj, who is a senior disciple of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, and has taken sannyas from Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. He has been serving Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj for many years, and Gurudev also has a lot of appreciation for his sincere services to the Gaudiya Guru Parampara. Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj is born and brought up from Assam , the neighboring state of Manipur, which is the birth place of our dear Gurudev, Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (Sripad Maharaj). His ancestors are originally from East Bengal which is at present in Sri Hata district of Bangladesh.

 

The train started from Kolkata Railway station at 7:10AM in the morning, and the devotees reached Kharagpur station at 9AM. Devotees met our dear godbrother, Sripad Purushottama Jagannatha Prabhu on the train. Taking the darshan of a very dear disciple of Srila Gurudev, Sripad Maharaj, devotees were certain that the yatra would be a great success.

 

The train reached Bhubaneswar station around 2PM, where our very dear godbother Sripad Trustiman Prabhu from IYF, Bhubaneswar , mercifully arranged maha prasadam for all the devotees on the train. Devotees felt this was special mercy and the blessings of Srila Sripad Maharaja. All these auspicious events on the way gave the devotees an abundance of spiritual happiness.  

 

Family members (mother, grand mother, younger sister and aunt) of Sushen Krsna Das taking blessing from Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj

 

The train reached Berhampur station in Orissa at 5PM. Sushen Krsna das’ family members, along with his mother, younger sister, grandmother, uncle, aunt and their daughter; received the blessings from Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj. Maharaja gave a lot of spiritual nourishment by delivering Krsna Katha at the Berhampur station. They also arranged evening maha prasadam for devotees on the train.

 

The devotees reached their first destination station, Vijayawada in South Indian, around 3AM on 7th May, 2009. At the station, our dear godbrothers, Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu, Sripad Braja Gopal Prabhu, Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu, Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu and Sripad Vaisanava Das Prabhu from Vijayawada met the devotees and offered prasadi mala (offered garlands to deities and Guru varga) to Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj and devotees.

 

Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu

 

Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu is a senior-most disciple of Gurudev and is the first devotee who helped Srila Sripad Maharaj start the preaching program in Vijayawada . By Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu’s sincere and dedicated service to Srila Sripad Maharaj, he brought many sincere souls to Gurudev. He has successfully preached both outside and inside his family. Sometimes, we find that it is easy to preach outside, but very difficult to preach inside the family. Due to his sincerity and dedication to Srila Sripad Maharaj, Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu got special empowerment from Srila Gurudev. He inspired many devotees to seriously take up Krsna consciousness under the shelter of sadhus, Gurudev and the vaisnavas. Devotees felt very fortunate to have the association of such a wonderful servant of Srila Gurudev and his big devotee family. Devotees also were very happy to see the special motor cycle of Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu. The Hare Krsna kirtan of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Narasimha kirtan and many more auspicious kirtans start playing automatically when Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu’s motor cycle starts running. He has been preaching throughout Vijayawada for many years on this special vehicle.

 

Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu and Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu

 

Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu arranged for stay of devotees in the house of Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu. Devotees were very inspired to see the service attitude of Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu and the devotees of Vijayawada . Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu arranged for a special air conditioning in the room of his house for the stay of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj, as it was the hot Indian summer.

 

 

Harinam Maha Sankirtan on 7th May 2009 in Vijayawada

 

After the Mangal Aratik on 7th May 2009 in the house of Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu, devotees reached the house of Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu along with Nagar Sankirtan. Devotees performed kirtan, and offered prayers to Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Gandharva Govinda Sundar Jiu in the house of Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu. The devotees’ hearts were fully satisfied by hearing the nectarine Krsna katha from the lotus lips of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj. You can find this nectar here.

 

Srila Gurudev His Divine Grace Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (Sripad Maharaj) taking mahaprasadam

 

Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu and the Vijayawada devotees served many varieties of South Indian maha prasadam to the devotees. One time when Srila Gurudev, Srila Sripad Maharaj was on a south India tour and Gurudev asked a South Indian devotee who was traveling with him, he asked “Do you like to have Matrubhasa maha prasadam,” means “do you like to have the mahaprasdam of your home state.” The devotees were remembering this pastime of Gurudev during maha prasadam seva in South India .

 

View of Sri Laxmi Narasimha Temple from Mangal Giri

 

 

Laxmi Narasimha Temple from Mangal Giri

 

Devotees climbing the Mangal Giri hill

 

Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu then guided the devotees towards Mangal Giri for the darshan of Sri Sri Laxmi Narasimha and Lord Pana Narasimha. Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj was leading the kirtan (download mp3), and in his holy association, devotees were chanting the glories of Sripad Prahlad Maharaj and Lord Narasimha Dev in ecstasy, as they were heading towards Mangal Giri. On the way, devotees offered their prayers to the holy Krishna River in Vijayawada . In Mangal Giri, the devotees first took the blessing of Narasimha Dev in the Laxmi Narasimha temple. Then, the devotees started climbing the Mangal Giri hill, performing kirtan on the way to take darshan of Lord Pana Narasimha (download mp3).

 

Padapita of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on the way to Pana Narasimha temple established by Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakur prabhupada

 

The devotees took darshan of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Padapeet (divine lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu), which were established by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, to commemorate Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s visit to Pana Narasimha temple during His South India tirtha. An elaborate detail of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s visit to South India is described in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. The devotees who were present were constantly remembering the ecstatic ocean of love of Mahaprabhu by hearing the divine glories of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s visit to South India from the lotus lips of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj. You can found this nectar here.  

 

Upon reaching Pana Narasimha temple, the devotees offered their prayers to Lord Narasimha Dev by chanting and dancing. Sripad Nama sankirtan Prabhu arranged 108 pots of pana (juice prepared from gur (Jaggery, a product which comes from boiling sugar cane juice), karpura, and black pepper) to offer to Lord Narasimha Dev. Lord Narasimha Dev exhibited many divine pastimes at this place. To this day, we can see that when anyone offers a pot of pana to Lord Narasimha Dev, He only takes one half of it and returns the other half as His maha prasad. The priest in the Pana Narasimha temple offered in front of devotees one after another 108 pots of pana by chanting purusha sukta (download mp3) and each time only half the pana will not go in to the mouth of Lord Narasimha Dev from the sankh conch with which the priest offers the pana to Lord Narasimha Deva.

 

Devotees interacting with a few IIT-Bhubeneswar students in Mangal Giri 

 

Thus lots of pana mahaprasadam in Pana Narasimha temple got everyone spiritually surcharged to chant more and more the glories of Sripad Prahlad Maharaj and Lord Narasimha Dev under the guidance of Sadhus, Gurudev and Vaisnavas. In the Pana Narasimha temple, devotees met a few engineering students from IIT-Bhubaneswar. The devotees presented them with the teaching of Guru Parampara in scientific language, and they felt very much inspired. They received a lot of association from devotees and also took a few books written by Srila Gurudev.

 

Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj giving kanti mala to the son of Shanti Mataji (Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu’s brother’s wife)

 

The devotees came back to the house of Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu at around 2PM, after having darsan of Lord Pana Narasimha Dev and honored maha prasadam. There was a big feast of South Indian maha prasadam in the house of Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu, and the Vijayawada devotees were constantly chanting the glories of the holy name in the association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in great ecstasy (download mp3). Sadhu sange Krsna nama ei matra chai samsara jinite ar kano vastu nai. Shanti Mataji (Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu’s brother’s wife) requested Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj to give kanti mala to her son, and Maharaj accepted her request happily and gave many blessings to her son.

 

Sadhu Sanga in the house of Sripad Krsna Prema prada Prabhu in Vijayawada on 7th May 2009 evening under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj

 

In the evening, devotees gathered in the house of Sripad Krsna Prema Prada Prabhu’s house to hear nectarine Krsna katha from lotus lips of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj. Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj was constantly chanting the glories of Mahaprabhu’s visit to the South India from the famous Sri Sri Prema Dhama Deva Stotram (condensed version of the Chaitanya Charitamrita), composed by Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj (download). The devotees were completely absorbed in hearing the sweet nectarine pastimes of Lord Gaura Hari. Download nectar here. After hearing the Sri Sri Prema Dham Deva Stotram, Sripad Nama Sankirtan Prabhu was so ecstatic, that he translated a few verses of Prema Dham Deva Stotram into Telugu on Narasimha Chaturdasi day, 8^th May 2009. He was constantly explaining to all devotees the glories of Prema Dham Deva Stotram in great ecstasy.

 

Sripad Murli Purushottama Prabhu received all the devotees and Maharaj with great love and respect 

 

After taking the evening maha prasadam in the house of Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu, the devotees started for Ahobalam by the night train, via Vijayawada station. Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu assisted the devotees from Vijayawada to Ahobalam. We reached Nandyal station in the early morning on 8th May 2009, and caught a bus to Allagadda, where our dear godbrother and disciple of Srila Sripad Maharaj, Sripad Murli Purushottama Prabhu, has begun organizing a Bhaktivedanta Institute center. Sripad Murli Purushottama Prabhu received all the devotees and Maharaj with great love and respect.

 

The broken pillar from which Lord Narasimha appeared after the demon Hiranyakashyapu broken it. Lord Narasimha Dev’s divine foot prints are still here

 

By the divine arrangement of the Lord, the devotees reached Ahobalam on Narasimha Chaturdasi (8th May 2009), where Lord Narasimha Dev appeared from a pillar and killed the great atheistic demon, Hiranyakashyapu to give protection to His dear most devotee, Sripad Prahlad Maharaj. Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj constantly engaged devotees in chanting the divine glories of Sripad Prahlad Maharaj and Lord Narasimha Dev (download mp3).

 

Sripad Murli Purushottama Prabhu guided the devotees one by one on a tour of the Narasimha temples in Ahobalam 

 

Jawala Narashima Dev in Upper Ahobalam

 

Hari Nama Sankirtan in Kharanja Narashima Temple in Ahobalam

 

Sripad Murli Purushottama Prabhu guided the devotees one by one on a tour of the Narashima temples in Ahobalam, while explaining the glories of each temple. Some of the audio recordings of the same can be found here. Devotees went to Vedari Hills to take darsan of Ahobalm with Sripad Murli Purushottama Prabhu on 9th May 2009. In the evening on 9th May 2009 devotees caught the train to return to Vijayawada .

 

Nagarsankirtan near Sripad Brajagopal Prabhu’s house

 

Sripad Brajagopal Prabhu (left) and Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu (right) with the grand motoher of Sripad Brajagopal Prabhu (center)

 

Sadhu Sanga under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu’s house in Vijayawada - I 

Sadhu Sanga under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu’s house in Vijayawada - II 

Divine books of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj displayed during the Sadhu Sanga under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu’s house in Vijayawada. All Books can also be found here.

 

On the morning of 10th May 2009, the devotees reached Vijayawada and everyone went to the house of Sripad Brajagopal Prabhu along with Nagar Sankirtan. Devotees were blessed by sadhu sanga in the house of Sripad Brajagopal Prabhu in the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj. The family members of Brajagopal Prabhu served South Indian style maha prasadam to all the devotees. In the afternoon, there was a house program organized by Sripad Namasankirtan Prabhu, at the home of Sripad Krsna Prema Pada Prabhu. Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj blessed the devotees with nectarine Krsna katha. You can download the nectar here. Divine books of Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj and Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj displayed during the Sadhu Sanga.

 

Devotees showed a great interest in all the books and especially in Subjective Evolution of Consciousness which is written by Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. In Subjective Evolution of Consciousness  Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj is answering the questions of many scientist devotees including Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (Sripad Maharaj) and Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj. A few months back Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj discussed the teaching of Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj from Subjective Evolution of Consciousness in weekly online Satsanga. Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj’s discussions on Subjective Evolution of Consciousness can be found in mp3 format here.

 

Krsna katha distributed by Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Balaji Temple in the village of Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu in Madaram, Khammam

 

On 11th May 2009, in the early morning, the devotees started for Madaram, a village near Khammam. Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu (received Hari Nam during Gaura Purnima 2009 from Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj). Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu stays in Madaram and has organized a preaching program in the village. Also devotees from Hyderabad (Sripad Radhikapati Prabhu and his family) joined the sadhu sanga in the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in the house of Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu. On the evening of 11th May 2009, there was Nagar sankirtan in Madaram village (download mp3).  Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj, Sripad Jagadananda Prabhu, Sripad Radhikapati Prabhu, Sushen Krsna Das blessed the village residents with nectarine Bhagavat katha in a Balajai temple in Madaram village. You can download the nectar here. 

 

Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj explaining divine pastime of Lord Ram and His associates in Bhadrachalam

 

On the 12th May 2009, Sripad Venkata Krsna Prabhu took all the devotees to Bhadrachalam to take darsan of Lord Sita Ram Laxman Hanuman temple on the bank of the holy Godavari River . You can download the divine pastime of Lord Ram and His associates explained by Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Bhadrachalam at here.

 

Devotees taking the blessings of holy Godavari River

 

Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj explained to the devotees about the divine pastime of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu which occurred here. This was a discussion between Mahaprabhu and Raya Ramananda, that took place on the banks of Godavari river in Kovvur. All the devotees took the blessings of the holy Godavari River , all the while remembering the divine pastime of Mahaprabhu and Raya Ramananda.

 

Sadhu Sanga under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Sripad Asit Krsna Prabhu’s house in Hydrabad

 

On the 12th May 2009, the devotees started out for Hyderabad . The devotees spent the 13th and 14th of May 2009 in Secunderabad, and Hyderabad . There was a wonderful gathering of sadhu sanga in the house of Sripad Krsnananda Prabhu and Sripad Asit Krsna Prabhu in Secunderabad and Hyderabad . The devotees also visited the ISKCON temples in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Devotees started out for Bangalore on the evening of 14th May, 2009.

 

 

Sripad Ramesh Prabhu and his mother  

Sripad Ramesh Prabhu received the devotees in Bangalore on the morning of 15th May 2009. Sripad Ramesh Prabhu is a software engineer and has been friends with Sripad Gaurachandra Prabhu, Sripad Purushottama Jagannatah Prabhu and Sushen Krsna Das since 2006 in IIT, Kharagpur. Sripad Ramesh Prabhu was present at the B.I. in Kolkata when Sripad Maharaj exhibited his divine disappearance pastime in 2006. Sripad Maharaj loved Ramesh Prabhu greatly, and gave him many valuable instructions to carry out.

 

Books distribution in Bangalore

  

Sadhu Sanga in the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj in Sripad Ramesh Prabhu’s house

 

On the 15th May 2009, there was a Nagar Sankirtan performed in Bangalore , near Sripad Ramesh Prabhu’s house (download Mp3). On the morning of the 16th, devotees went out on Nagar Sankirtan to carry out book distribution in Bangalore , under the order of our Guru Parampara. In the evening there was sadhu sanga in the house of Sripad Ramesh Prabhu in the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj. In the satsanga, many friends of Sripad Ramesh Prabhu and Sushen Krsna Das joined. All the participants were highly educated (M.Techs and Ph.D.s from the Premier Institute of India; such as IITs and IISc). Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj and Sripad Jagadananda Prabhu blessed everyone present with nectarine Hari katha. Sushen Krsna Das gave a scientific presentation on the Vedantic conception of life (Download Mp3).

 

Sripad Namasankirtan Prabhu and Vijayawada devotees came to Vijayawada station on 19th moning to have blessings of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj

 

Devotees started from Bangalore to Bhubaneswar on 17th May 2009. When the train reached Vijayawada , many of the welcoming devotees came to take blessings from Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj and offered him a garland and maha prasadam was distributed to the devotees. In Rajamandri station, our dear godbrother Sripad Tripad Prabhu’s father came to take the blessings of Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj and he offered many mangoes and banana maha prasadam to the devotees.

 

Devotees taking the blessings of Bindu Sarovar near Anantavasudev Temple in Bhubaneswar

 

Devotees in Srila Haridas Thakur’s Samadhi Mandir

 

On the evening of 17th May 2009, the devotees reached Bhubaneswar . Our dear god brother, Sripad Trustiman Prabhu received the devotees at the station and arranged accommodations for them in the ISKCON Bhubaneswar temple. On the morning of 18th May 2009, Sripad Trustiman Prabhu arranged a vehicle for the devotees to visit the Anantavasudev temple, Lingaraj, Dandabhanga, Sakhi Gopal and Jagannath Puri Dham. The devotees took rest in the evening at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Puri, after nagar Sankirtan in Jagannath Puri Dham. On the evening of 17th May 2009, the devotees took the train to Kolkata. After reaching Kolkata, the devotees gave a detailed report about their South India preaching seva to Gurudev Srila Bhakti Sundara Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj. Gurudev became very happy upon hearing the report.

 

You can see all the videos, photos and audios at:

 

Photos:

(1)   http://picasaweb.google.com/BMPPreaching/SouthIndiaPreaching2009I

 

(2)   http://picasaweb.google.com/BMPPreaching/SouthIndiaPreaching2009II

 

Vidoes:

            http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4054C31AE0F307CA

 

Audios:

            http://www.archive.org/details/SouthIndiaPreaching2009

 

We are very happy to share the special mercy of Guru Varga, which we received from Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj, Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami, Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj, Sripad Bhakti Prapanna Tirtha Maharaj and numerous vaishnavas. We also pray for the blessings of all the devotees, so that we can happily progress on our spiritual journey; going back home, back to Godhead.

 

We are holding regular online Science/Spirituality Satsangas under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj.

 

1. Online Satsanga on Srimad Bhagavatam will be held on Tuesday at 9 PM NYT = Wednesday at 6:30 AM India Time (November-March) and 7:30 AM India Time (March-October).

 

2. Online Satsanga on Chaitanya Charitamrita will be held on Thursdays at 9 PM NYT = Friday at 6:30 AM India Time (November-March) and 7:30 AM India Time (March-October).

 

3. Weekly Sunday satsanga on Science/Spirituality will be held at 6:00 PM India Time = Sunday at 7.30 AM NYT (November-March) and 8.30 AM NYT (March-October).

 

To participate in the online Sadhu Sanga please follow the details provided at http://mahaprabhu.net/satsanga/about . 

 

Sadhu Sanga (on every Saturday and Sunday) at Princeton , USA under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj

 

There is also weekly Sadhu Sanga (on every Saturday and Sunday) at Princeton , USA under the holy association of Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaj. You can see a few photos of the same at

http://picasaweb.google.com/BMPPreaching/SadhuSanga_in_Princeton  

 

Sadhu-Sange Krsna-nama ei matra cai

samsara jinite ar kono vastu nai

(Jagadananda Pandit – Prema-Vaivarta).

 

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj “To chant Krsna-Nama without the association of the sadhus means also to have to proceed with difficulty. Therefore in one word the solution is in sadhu sanga. We are to secure the company of a standard realized soul, then everything will fall into place, and the king of the sadhus is Sri Guru.”

 

We are very much thankful to the Supreme personality of Godhead Sri Krsna for His unlimited causeless blessings which is coming to us in the form of the divine association of His agents. We pray that we may be blessed so that we will eternally serve the agents of Sri Gaura Hari life after life.

 

Thanking you.

 

Your humble servant

Sushen Krsna Das

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Part of these "Thoughts for Today" is to remind us of our mission. The principle of using material things in the devotional service of the Lord and thereby purifying them has not only been underscored by Rupa Gosvami, but is expounded in the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. Bhagavad-gita As It Is (3.9) and Srimad Bhagavatam (1.15.34) both establish this principle.

Srimad bhagavatam Class H.G Lilasuka prabhu giving class in panchatattva hall in mayapur.Srimad bhagavatam Class

1975 June 8: "Yes, preach as much as possible. Preaching is our life. Travel, here and there, holding kirtana, distributing prasadam and books and speak our philosophy very nicely."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

1964 June 8: "My dear Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastryji, I thank you for your granting me an interview yesterday but I was not successful in my mission because your dealing with me was more official than hearty."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

1966 June 8: "Panchami. A letter received from Harvey. There was meeting in the evening about 16 persons attended one of which was a Chinese woman who became very much interested."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1968 June 8: "I am anxious to know when our Back To Godhead will be again published, even on our mimeograph machine. It is too much important that it must be distributed regularly, as it is the backbone of our mission."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 June 8: "We have to work very intelligently to prove our advancement in Krishna Consciousness. There is a Sanskrit proverb - if somebody is cunning, we must also become cunning. To a cunning person we must not be a simpleton."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 June 8: "We require at least 100 of our American boys to make propaganda all over India. So if you can arrange to send 50 or 60 men here to Calcutta and Bombay, that will be very nice. They need not be important men. Assistant men will do nicely."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1973 June 8: "Regarding your taking sannyasa, I think you are already a sannyasi although not in saffron colored cloth. So, I know you'll take sannyasa sooner or later but wait for the time when Krsna will decide for this action."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 June 8: "I have asked you to stop the political program because t is not so easy to do politics, moreover it is a filthy atmosphere. So do not indulge in it. I am glad to hear all the participants have stopped."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1964 June 8: "My dear Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastryji, I thank you for your granting me an interview yesterday but I was not successful in my mission because your dealing with me was more official than hearty."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64

1966 June 8: "Panchami. A letter received from Harvey. There was meeting in the evening about 16 persons attended one of which was a Chinese woman who became very much interested."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1968 June 8: "I am anxious to know when our Back To Godhead will be again published, even on our mimeograph machine. It is too much important that it must be distributed regularly, as it is the backbone of our mission."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 June 8: "We have to work very intelligently to prove our advancement in Krishna Consciousness. There is a Sanskrit proverb - if somebody is cunning, we must also become cunning. To a cunning person we must not be a simpleton."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 June 8: "We require at least 100 of our American boys to make propaganda all over India. So if you can arrange to send 50 or 60 men here to Calcutta and Bombay, that will be very nice. They need not be important men. Assistant men will do nicely."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1973 June 8: "Regarding your taking sannyasa, I think you are already a sannyasi although not in saffron colored cloth. So, I know you'll take sannyasa sooner or later but wait for the time when Krsna will decide for this action."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 June 8: "I have asked you to stop the political program because t is not so easy to do politics, moreover it is a filthy atmosphere. So do not indulge in it. I am glad to hear all the participants have stopped."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1975 June 8: "Yes, preach as much as possible. Preaching is our life. Travel, here and there, holding kirtana, distributing prasadam and books and speak our philosophy very nicely."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

Shyam Kishor das singing a Hare Krishna bhajan. 

Dallas, TX
2009-04-04

Download: 2009-04-04 - 1 - Shyam Kishor das - Hare Krishna.mp3

Solidarity

Toronto, Ontario

A brahmacari (monk) junior to me asked me the previous day if I would offer him some blessings to bow out of the morning sadhana, a standard ashram regimen, in order to concentrate on doing extra chanting on japa beads. Since the day was recognized as a day when one has an option to fast entirely including the abstinence of drinking water, this well-intentioned monk asked to be granted his special program. The fasting of grain is compulsory.

I had to frankly admit to him that although a complete fast is good, what was more important was adhering to the regular morning program in the good company of the other monastics. "This was the mood of our guru and we have an obligation to fulfil it." There is always a danger within the boundries of an ashram when individuals take too much independence. Solidarity is key in the smooth operation of a successful ashram. In many respects it is much like bootcamp. We are a unit. We eat together, work together, play together. Unity should be the theme.

On the same note I was invited to attend an evening dinner with a family of three- two parents and their teenager. Our talk over a great meal, centered on improving the communication amongst them. There was a ittle bit of "airing out" but it was all done with a view to increase understanding and listening. And as in all cases of even slight provocation, humility is always an ingredient to provide an excellent recipe for living peacefully.

7 Km

Superior Yogafest

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Insomnia clutched me once again so I hit the streets of the town to chant the maha-mantra and get that early start on the days prescribed number of rounds on the beads. By physically moving I would get a little fatigued and then eventually fall asleep.

A van pulled over. I was feeling a bit uncertain with a late Saturday night/overlap Sunday morning exchange with someone. The driver rolled down his window. I stopped.

"Whenever I see a monk I'm inspired to want to help. Do you need a lift somewhere?" asked the man with sincere intent. I explained my insomnia and my chanting. I would say he was appeased to have just met one of us "guys with the cloth."

Thunder Bay is not a big city but it does have a Casino. I ended up walking near it. People were clustered outside together talking in louder than normal volume, a symptom of drinking. Some of the talkers went on pause upon seeing me but then quickly resumed nocturnal wrangles.

Daylight sent all of our troupe on their feet and onto today's engagement- more practice and then the performance of "The Witness" held at Bora Laskin Theater. The drama was preceded by a presentation on Laughter Yoga and one chanting session by a hypnosis therapist. Thunder Bay's Yogafest had a line-up of unique presentors.

6 Km

Not Welcome

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Boulevard Lake is a very popular body of water, spring fed, then dammed before its waters reach Lake Superior. The locals boat in it and runners and walkers circumambulate it. Our visiting troupe of actors and singers walked the hour trek while taking in the maha-mantra which is a commitment we have all made for life. I have been doubting the global warming theory for some time and today, like other recent days, are just below average temperature. Our Israeli members with us have come to understand the need to walk with some gusto.

The balance of our day was indoors at Lakehead University practicing for the drama "The Witness" the story of a walking stone deity. How fast this sacred image moved on foot is unknown to me but the lake does most definately express the power of a deity. We can draw no limits to the various ways in which the Divine can be manifest. This deity now stationary has His home in a town in Orissa, India. I had every intention of viewing this famous deity back in the ninties. Unfortunately there are limitations to viewing by the public! Because I was classified as "gauri" (white) I was not permitted to have darshan (a viewing). It was a bit disappointing after taking a 22 kilometer trek from Puri to get to the temple of the Shakshi Gopal deity and to be refused entry because of skin color.

You will find traces of racial discrimination in parts of India even if you are a full-fledged monk and you have the robes and the life-style to prove it.

If our guru, Srila Prabhupada, demonstrated such prejudice when he initiated his soceity in the sixties then people like me would not have stood the chance to develop and spread the consciousness of Krishna. He was open-hearted about those who were seeking. He gave people a chance.

6 Km

Thunder Bay, Ontario

It was Dustin's birthday. He's one of our Halifax boys. He was employed serving drinks in a bar. He knew how to mix drinks but know he found out about mixing Krishna into his life. He shaved off his hair to be a monk. When you are Twenty one and still single you still have time to take in adventure. Since joining several months ago he has traveled with another young monk to certain regions of the States stopping at temples. In many ways he was becoming a man for all seasons by learning various devotional arts, the songs, philosophy, musical instruments.

When as a boy Krishna attended His school and learned sixty-four arts. For Him such skills began early in His life. In the case of Dustin it takes a greater amount of time to learn due to the compounded karma accumulated over lifetimes. Our desires bury us into dullness of consciousness. Like Dustin we are all ensnared by the illusions of the world.

At least Dustin was smart enough to pull out of the shadowy pursuits of this world. He is a bright young man and we are fortunate to have him in our troupe of performers at this weekends Yogafest. He is a great actor and dancer and picks up on things quickly especially in the area of co-operation and willingness to serve.

In the Gita it is said "yesam tu anta gatam papam..." If you have done something virtuous in the previous existence then that will bear fruit for the next existence especially in the conviction to move on in your spiritual life.

I believe this applies to Dustin.

Happy Birthday Dustin.

9 Km

A Troupe and a TripThurs

Baby lake, Ontario

Wherever I could squeeze in a jaunt I would, when our driver would gas up the rented van or he would stop at a store for juice and washroom break before proceeding the long journey. It took us seventeen hours to reach Thunder Bay.

Our group of eight were destined to this city to contribute to the cultural presentation of drama and kirtan at Sunday's Yoga Fest. It was a congenial group. We read the signs of places along the way and adored some of the names "Mom Lake," "Baby Lake" and then "Dad Lake" all three bodies of water come one after the other.

We caught a great glimpse of a bear. He stood in a frozen stare at us. A fox was more fidgety. It looked to be a half-bred with color grey and red. We treated ourselves to that coldest of all lakes, Lake Superior. A dip and bold swim strokes got lazy passengers blood moving. The vistas were stunning and 'new' for everyone but myself. Central Canada is a best kept secret and away from the world. So pristine it is. Half of our crew came from Israel. They now live in Toronto.

I guess you could say that all my passions are becoming fulfilled. I'm traveling. I'm with a group. We sing, dance, do drama and all of this on the platform of spiritual pursuit. It's about the most perfect set-up.

3 Km

Follow Policy

Toronto, Ontario

Recently four women came to join us in the ashram. Of course, the ladies have their own quarters on the west side of our building while the men ccupy the east side. There is no reason for one generation facing a particular direction other than male population being greater, with the count of 14 and the east side offering more accomodations. The women did not all come come to our door at the same time but showed interest all around the same time.

It is good news to have this addition to our membership. It does indeed enhance that family spirit. My woe is that there is not always sufficient personnell to train newcomers. Two of them work ouside and offer a donation as rent. They are taking advantage of the morning sadana before dashing off to their employment.

In this case also not much attention is given to the single fellow who resides now with us day.

It's lively when all residents are punctual for the early bird service at 4:30 am. Some deliquency is there and recently chronic slackness has been warned. Shape up or ship out. Ashram life means fun life, enriching life, but discipline must be a component here or otherwise the experience of some healthy transformation does not fructify.

It is a blessing to have the company of the new people as well as the 'were new people' (I don't want to say "old") relish the morning classes. Naturally not all ride the same level of enthusisam. It's all very individual.

I had contemplated the problem of lack of superiorism for new candidates. Some interested men who want to give monastic life a try are encouraged to go to our Halifax ashram where more personal attention is given. But what to do for those in toronto. When you think about it, it's the nicest problem to have. People wish to experience. We are not fully prepare!

Jarvis sreet was the route I chose to walk on, and the venue for my thoughts. The city councilers decided today that one lane on this heritage street will be marked as a place for trees, a wider sidewalk, pedestrian sidewalk and a section reserved for cyclists.

The city percieved that there was a problem and so they discussed, decided and made a poling rule firm. Not all people like the decision, especially motorists, but the decision was passed and everyone will have to follow. Rules in the ashram need to be better enforced. In the same way that city council's decision is final and all must follow.

8 Km

NPR.org, June 5, 2009 · I have a prediction: Sooner than you might think, this will be a vegetarian world. Future generations will find the idea of eating meat both morally absurd and logistically impossible. Of course, one need only look at the booming meat industry, the climbing rates of meat consumption in the developing world, and the menu of just about any restaurant to call me crazy. But already, most people know that eating red meat is bad for their health and harmful for the planet. It’s getting them to actually change their diet that’s the hard part — and that’s exactly why it won’t happen by choice.

Going by the numbers, eating meat is pretty hard to justify for the even moderately health-conscious. A National Cancer Institute report released last March found that people who ate the most red meat were, as the New York Times put it, “most likely to die from cancer, heart disease and other causes.” The biggest abstainers “were least likely to die.” Those who eat five ounces of meat daily, (the equivalent of one and a half Quarter Pounders or Big Macs) increase their risk from cancer or heart disease by 30 percent compared to those who eat two-thirds of an ounce daily — a stark difference.

The environmental impact is also crystal clear — and similarly appalling. “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” a 2006 report by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organzation (FAO), found that livestock is a major player in climate change, accounting for 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions (measured in carbon dioxide equivalents), or more than the entire global transportation system.

The obvious solution to both health and environmental disasters is to stop eating meat altogether. But this is easier said than done. Even the studies addressing the impact of meat on the planet downplay vegetarianism, as if the authors are nervous to press it on people. Going veggie is not even proposed as one of the FAO’s “mitigation options” (which instead include conservation tillage, organic farming, and better nutrition for livestock to reduce methane gas production). Nor is it emphasized in “Happier Meals: Rethinking the Global Meat Industry,” a report by Danielle Nierenberg at the Worldwatch Institute. The study’s author is herself a vegan, but she told me, “Food choices are a very personal decision for most people. We are only now convincing them that this is a tool at their disposal if they care about the environment.”

She has a point: Giving up meat is tough, and arguing people into it is probably a losing proposition. Even with all the statistics out there about the dangers of meat, there are fewer vegetarians in the world than you’d think. A Harris poll conducted in 2006 for the Vegetarian Resource Group found that only 2.3 percent of American adults 18 or older claim never to eat meat, fish, or fowl. A larger group, 6.7 percent, say they “never eat meat,” but often that means they only avoid the red kind. Worldwide, local vegetarian societies report high participation in just a few places – for example, 40 percent in India, 10 percent in Italy, 9 percent in Germany, 8.5. percent in Israel, and 6 percent in Britain.

So how will we become a vegetarian planet? The numbers suggest that we won’t stop eating meat simply because it’s “the right thing to do.” People love it too much. Instead, we’ll be forced to stop. By 2025, we simply won’t have the resources to keep up the habit. According to the FAO report, 33 percent of the world’s arable land is devoted to growing crops for animal feed, and grazing is a major factor in deforestation around the world. It’s also incredibly water-intensive. The average U.S. diet requires twice the daily amount of water as does an equally nutritious vegetarian diet, reports the Worldwatch Institute. Meanwhile, there will be more than 8 billion people on this earth, and two-thirds of the world’s population will live in water-stressed regions.

Sounds like a mess — and one that doesn’t bode well for our cattle cravings. Meat will disappear — except as a luxury available to few — and the ethical issues will evolve, too. In the way that slavery, once a broad social norm, later became an unthinkable crime, we can expect to see a similar shift once meat-eating disappears from our planet. Perhaps, some day, the very idea of eating animal flesh will seem as remote as the idea of owning humans does now. So if you’re a carnivore, enjoy now — before the inevitable vegetarian revolution begins.

Taken From: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104995789

Tagged: meat, vegan

"Although I’ve had headaches for over thirty years, I’m grateful I don’t have a worse, more debilitating disease. I’m also grateful for the company I keep in this house. Daily posting of The Yellow Submarine: My Bhajana-Kutir is a deep satisfaction to my life. My daily japa efforts are my “juice.” For all these things and many more, I thank You, Lord."

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami - June 7, 2:28 A.M.

I had a peaceful night and woke up around 2:15 A.M. My head is clear. I just called Narayana and began my chanting.

3:24 A.M.

Early-morning japa log

I don’t know whether I finished my eighth or ninth round. During the first four rounds, I was distracted. My mind was reviewing the Belmont Stakes horserace, which I watched on television. The favorite horse, Mine That Bird, ridden by Calvin Borel, was in last place but just near the end burst forward into first place. It looked like he was going to win, but at the last moment, a horse named Summer Bird came from the outside and won the race. The jockey on Summer Bird said that Calvin Borel was naive about the Belmont Stakes track, since he had never ridden on it, and did not ride the race properly. They said Calvin Borel began to make his move to the front too soon. The owners of Summer Bird were Indians—a cardiologist named Kalarikkal Jayaraman and his wife, Vilasini who is also a doctor—appeared in the winner’s circle. They were typical Indians and spoke with heavy accents. Dr. Jayaraman held the silver winner’s cup for a few moments, but then found it too heavy and placed it back on the table. They spoke only a few words but were very happy. It was a disappointment that the great favorite, Mine That Bird, and the favorite jockey, Calvin Borel, did not win but came in third place. Unfortunately, I thought of all this instead of paying attention to Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare during the first four rounds. Narayana-kavaca came up to my room late. He was in the room when I was chanting those first four rounds, so it disrupted my concentration. The second four rounds were better. I chanted speedily but got a little confused about whether I chanted four or five rounds. My chanting was mostly in my mind, with barely audible sound vibrations. It was not one of my better performances. But it’s still early, and I have time for another four rounds before Narayana comes up at 5:00 A.M. for our morning duties and going to the beach. I’ll try to improve. This is the second day in a row that worldly events have intruded into my japa and that I have not concentrated strictly on the sound vibrations of the syllables of the names. I must stop delving into outside events so this doesn’t happen. Or if I delve into outside events, or they intrude on me, I should put them aside during the period of chanting if I have a clear head.

Japa essay

Japa is like a horserace. It requires complete concentration, running your race without any distraction from the other horses or from the condition of the track or from anything. The jockeys have to bear down on their horses and get the most out of them. The horses are the ones who actually run the race. The winning jockey said he was riding in easy chair for a while, meaning that there were other horses in front of him and there was nothing he could do but sit back and wait for an opportunity to make a move. The jockey did a lot at the last stretch to get the most out of his horse and put him into first place. So it’s a combination of jockey and horse and track that wins the race. I have to put all my elements of concentration to bear and take advantage of all the conditions, such as the state of my health, the utterance of the mantras, and the most important of all, the attention of the mind on the syllables of the holy name. You cannot be daydreaming of something else and expect to win the race. Some of the favorite jockeys did not do well. What was their fault? Their horses just were not able to put in the effort, and the jockeys were not able to get into position. In horseracing, can have all kinds of mishaps and bad luck. With chanting japa, it is not a matter of luck but dedication and devotion. You have to realize you’re doing the most important thing, and all other things have to be put aside. The horserace is only a few minutes long. The japa stretch is much longer than that. To keep up your meditation, you have to be an athlete in good condition—alert, intelligent and strong. You have to take advantage of the breaks and opportunities that take place as your horse moves among the others. Mine That Bird took his usual place along the rail and made his usual late burst of incredible speed to come to the front of the pack, but he just didn’t have what it took to last to the end of the mile-and-a-half-long stretch at Belmont. I failed today from the beginning with my lack of attention and my reminiscence of yesterday’s exciting event. I did not adjust my priorities. If I wanted to think of the race, I could have thought if it later in the day, not at this crucial morning hour. I was helpless and let my ind run away with me without serious purpose. Now let me try to recover my remaining rounds in good fashion without horseraces or baseball games, just the sound of the names and the hearing of the syllables, the famous “just hear” formula recommended by our spiritual master.

At the moment the gates opened and the horses were let out, in other words, from the moment I began my chanting,

my horses stumbled and the race was already lost.

I lost my sobriety,

and devotional service

flew to a land of illusion.

I thought of thundering hooves and brilliant jockeys’ colors

and rooted for my favorite,

replaying it all in my mind,

chewing the chewed.

I will not get endless chances

to run the right race.

Wasted time cannot be regained,

and you have to make up for it with remorse.

Fortunately, Krishna gives you another opportunity [...]

from #95→

It was with some surprise that I received a text message about an initiation, one as I knew the individual and his struggles especially when it comes to follow the four regulative principles and his belief that they are not too important. But then I heard who he had been initiated by, yes by another Sampradaya, [...]

Here it is...

I was just thinking how lucky we are to have the holy names, we maybe don't give the real and necessary value to Harinam sankirtan but this is so necessary nowadays. There are always some catastrophes happening around us and we, as devotees, feel compassionate towards other people, but we can't do much....maybe the level of our advancement is not so high that every living entity we see we talk about Krsna and preach His glories, if we could do it then maybe we could help relieve the distress some people feel in this material world.
We have the holy names and we are happy just to know we depend on these names, we can take shelter anytime and we will always see our relationship with the Lord increasing. Each day we take our beads we give the first step to this connection and if we insist on making this relationship serious by avoiding offenses...we easily can come into the namabhasa stage and by constant practice, our taste for japa will go deeper and offenseless stage can be achieved.
The Lord is there waiting for us and He is eager to establish this connection with us, He is ready to share His love and have a heart to heart association with us.
One day someone asked me what love is and how can we perceive when we feel love, then I said that love is when we have the great desire to serve the other, so we become humble towards that person and we just want to please through our activities - just like mother Yasoda, Srimate Radharani, and even Srila Prabhupada who dedicated his time to serve us all by giving us Krsna consciouness, what can we do to pay this debit to him...maybe just by following his instructions of chanting the holy names, following the 4 regulative principles and being in association of devotees. Krsna is our only shelter and He can come from Vrindavan to your room just to give you His association, the only thing you have to do is to welcome Him with love and devotion, by opening the door of your heart and letting Him enter to stay....paying attention on every syllable of His name and by doing this He will never leave and will remain in your place.

I wish you a very nice weekend and hope that you can establish your connection with Krsna through chanting today and that you can be able to feel Him at your side. He is attracted by your devotion, always remember that.

your servant,

Aruna devi

ISKCON Mayapur celebrated Cida Dahi Mahotsav at Panihati, where this special festival took place 500 years ago.From Mayapur, devotees started early in the morning by buses to Panihati. Around 1 ton and 12 Kg of Chipped rice, 412 kg of Yoghurt, 10 kgof Milk, 8000 pomegrantes furits, 550 Kg mangoes, 27 big jack fruits, 101 kg of sugar, 250 kg of molasses or gur and bananas were used to make special Cida Dahi preparation and offered to Sri Sri Gaura- Nitai.

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We know Nahdi from the Bhakti Immersion Retreat with Sharon Gannon, and she invited us to play some soothing instrumental music during one of her yoga classes at Jivamukti Yoga in NYC.  Before the performance, Nahdi was kind enough to run some of us up to the Jivamukti Cafe for a tasty lunch, while the rest of us set up the equipment in “The Krishna Room.” Then, a nice slow, soothing kirtan during an hour and a half long yoga class.

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 - Siksastakam (71)
• 02 Gaura Vani - Sita Ram (64)
• 03 Gaura Vani and Ray Ippolito (50)
• Acyuta Gopi - Hare Krishna (130)

"Gradually it has become clear to me what every great philosophy so far has been: namely, the personal confession of its author and a kind of involuntary and unconscious memoir; also that the moral (or immoral) intentions in every philosophy constituted the real germ of life from which the whole plant has grown."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 5, No. 10
By Krishna-kripa das
(May 2009, part two)
Paris, New Mayapur, Orleans
(Sent from Amsterdam, Holland, on 6/7/09)

Highlights
Insights from Lokanatha Swami
Harinamas in France

Where I Am and What I Am Doing

I met Param Gati Swami in Gainesville in February, and told him I spent a week last year in Paris doing metroyoga, congregational chanting of the holy name on the Paris metros. As GBC for France, He encouraged me to come for two weeks this year, and so I did.

Amidst my journey there from Zurich, I played accordion and chanted on the train station platform in Mulhouse, France. I wondered what the customs officers, who had let me into the country, were thinking as they walked passed me, but they did not protest. I did harinama in Paris for a week. Then Gadadhara Priya Prabhu, our Paris harinama leader, became Lokanath Swami’s driver to New Mayapur, where Maharaja was going to work on a book on padayatra, so our party also went there for several days, adding three new cities to the list of places I have done harinama. While in New Mayapur Lokanath Swami gave a great class on cow protection and narrated a slideshow on the Aravade temple opening.

Harinamas in France

I described the metroyoga program in this journal last year (click here for the description, which appears near the bottom of the page). This year it changed a little in that Gadadhara Priya Prabhu speaks when Chandrashekhara Acarya Prabhu is traveling and his style is a little different. One thing he does is asks the people if they believe in reincarnation. Most say “No.” or “I don't know.” but some say “Yes.” Then Gadadhara Priya continues, saying that hearing the chanting is beneficial in any case.

Last year a Paris TV news station did a story on the program. (If you don't speak French, it is helpful to watch the video below with a French interpreter.)

This year, the first day I went on metroyoga, two masters degree students filmed our Paris harinama party for their final project.

In Paris, especially at the Eiffel tower, where the devotees chant on Saturday night, but also elsewhere, people enjoyed interacting with the devotees on harinama.

A couple of young ladies, one decorated like a clown, as well as a couple little black girls with a lot of energy, danced with our party underneath the Eiffel Tower. The little girls must have danced for at least half an hour.

At the Bastille, a couple musicians joined our party for ten or fifteen minutes. One played his own guitar, and the other, with his guitar strapped to his back, played the mrdanga in time.

After visiting New Mayapur, we stopped midway to Paris at Orleans, home of the famed Joan of Arc (depicted in the statue above), where we did harinama for two and a half hours. There I met a man from Kolkata, who told me his relatives play mrdanga and do kirtana, when I advised him “Pratidin Krishna kirtan korun!" [Every day chant Krishna kirtana!] I invited him to the Paris Ratha-yatra and he said he would come. One of the devotees in our party distributed 40 euros of books during the harinama. Gadadhara Priya realized from the experience that he should always break up his monthly trips between Paris and New Mayapur with a harinama in the middle and thus not let a day go by without the public chanting of the holy name!

Insights from Lectures

Lokanath Swami:

You have so many flowers here, you should do puspa-abhiseka [bathing of the Deity with flowers].

Krishna’s beauty [as the Deity] is increasing every day. Our beauty is not increasing every day, at least as far as the body is concerned, but our beauty as souls does not diminish.

As man has a form like the Lord similarly the cows of this material world have a form like that of the surabhi cows of the spiritual world.

Cow protection is part of the peace formula.

Lokanath Swami very much appreciated the bulls and bullock cart that came to greet him when he arrived in New Mayapur.

Raja (the king) takes care of his praja (citizens) like they are his children as Lord Rama demonstrated. It is not that the cows should not be protected because they have no passport. Prabhupada said the government should prohibit the cutting of trees unless the paper was used for spiritual publications.

It was brought to the attention of the Indian parliament the blades on the devices for slaughtering animals caused them unnecessary suffering. No one thought of proposing the closing of the slaughterhouses, instead they decided to import more modern equipment from the West.

Now the Middle East supplies petrol to India in exchange for Indian meat. It is hard to imagine that India has become so degraded. Even in Indian media you hear that milk is bad for your heart and wine is good for it.

One famous personality was going to speak on American TV in favor of vegetarianism, but the meat industry was powerful enough to keep him from speaking, worried that their sales would go down.

In Prague, there was an ecology fair where chemical fertilizer was condemned for destroying the natural fertility of the earth. Cow dung has been used for thousands of years but no negative side effects have been reported.

A global survey concluded that America is the most unhealthy country. This is no surprise to me. From bhoga [sense enjoyment] comes roga [disease], and America is famous for teaching the world how to enjoy.

If you deal with the cow and bulls who have feelings, it is good for you. By dealing with machines you become machinelike, and your heart becomes like steel.

Factories cannot solve our basic needs. We cannot eat deep-fried nuts and bolts or rubber tube salad.

If use bullock carts, there will be no accidents. Beyond that, the bulls know well the way home, so the driver can sleep on the cart and wake up when he arrives.

The economic problems existing now are because we have more of an industrial economy and did not exist when there was an agrarian economy.

When the cow stops giving milk, she is not useless. Cow urine is always curative for many diseases. Cow dung is always good for fertilizer.

The cow is so dear to Krishna. It’s not that He hired someone to take care of the cows, He did it Himself. Not that just spoke about cows in the microphone. Less speaking, more service. Krishna cared more for the cows than Himself. His mother wanted to give Krishna shoes, but He would not accept him unless the cows all had shoes too. The same was true with an umbrella. Krishna had names for all his cows, and He counted them. Two of the eight daily pastimes periods, Krishna focused on caring for the cows.

One devotee lady said she read of an island off of Africa where there is a country where the cows and bulls are protected. The people eat vegetables and fish. One who kills cows there can even get the death penalty.

The vegetation is like the clothing of Mother Earth, and the demoniac, who are attempting to disrobe her by their deforestration programs, will be subject to their own destruction. Forests benefit by providing oxygen and preventing both drought and flooding.

Lokanath Swami picnic at Govardhan Hill replica:

Govardhan Hill was sixteen miles (two yojanas) high during Krishna’s time but is slowing sinking according to a curse. It is expected to completely flatten in 10,000 years.

Lokanath Swami, Slideshow on the Aravade temple opening

In the villages, people would name their animals. There is a group of devotees traveling around to Indian villages and doing name-giving ceremonies for villagers’ animals. The idea being to change the attitude they have toward the animals by making them more a part of the family.

Several countries have padayatras. It is a useful thing for the bulls to do.

Aravade, Lokanath Swami’s place of appearance and one of 500,000 villages in India, has a population 4,000, but they hosted 100,000 for their temple opening, including 10,000 ISKCON devotees. They used to get 100 visitors on Sundays and now they have 4,000 at the new temple. The senior guests were offered turbans at the opening ceremony. The fireworks were so extensive they impressed the American and European devotees. They had a horse dancing on its hind legs. There was one devotee from Africa who balanced a chair on one leg on a stick he held in his mouth. Pune devotees did an expert one-and-a-half hour Ramayana. In addition to the Radha Gopala Deities, were Garuda, Jaya Vijaya, Sita Rama Laksmana Hanuman, and Vitthala Rukmini. They had a rasa dance diorama with mirrors to show many Krishnas and gopis.

Lokanath Swami, 5/28, SB 1.17.12, New Mayapur

When the king sees even one citizen unhappy, he becomes unhappy.

By promising to follow the four rules we help the Lord establish the principles of religion. By not eating meat, we help establish mercy. Eating meat makes us very hard hearted and without higher sentiments. By not taking intoxication we help establish austerity. By not engaging in illicit sex, we establish purity. By not gambling, we help to establish truthfulness.

During Prabhupada’s time, one woman was upset wondering why her son was killed in Vietnam, but Prabhupada was not sympathetic. He observed that so many cows are mercilessly killed in America that it is only natural some Americans might be killed.

The pastime of Mrgari the hunter shows how the most merciless person can become the most merciful simply by chanting the glories of God.

When we perform austerity, by the mercy of the Lord, we attain an inner happiness, and this happiness is not contaminated by distress. This differs from the material happiness, which is mixed with inevitable distress. Better to enjoy less in this world in terms of material pleasure, for then you will experience less suffering.

“Daiva netrena” literally means the “by the eyes of the Supreme.”

Lust sits in the senses, mind, and intelligence. If the lust is just in the senses, it is not so bad as when the lust is in the mind, and when the lust is in the mind, it is not as bad as when the lust affects the intelligence, because then you are finished.

These principles of religion are for the whole world to follow. They are not just for “Hindus.” There is one group who is trying to convert followers from Hinduism to their own group, arguing that then they will not have to worry about the law of karma.

To encourage the devotees, he reminded them that at Kurukshetra on the winning side there were just the five brothers, while on the other side there were a hundred.

Devotee whose name I did not know:

Those who are not punished for killing on the spot will have to suffer greatly in the next life. We can understand this by hearing submissively from scripture.

When a human being gives in to lust, envy, etc. , he becomes worse than a beast, as Jagai and Madhai exemplify. But harinama we can purify people from their lower motives.

Prasadam has six benefits:

1) one is not in anxiety because he is not stealing from God, the source of all foodstuffs.

2) the devotee feels connected with God

3) the immediate karma of killing animals and future karma of meat industry on environment is avoided

4) prasadam frees one of previous karma

5) the devotees purify their consciousness from material effects

6) the devotees awaken love of God

Raja Dharma Prabhu:

One hospital worker shared her realization that life is just hanging on very thin string. Recently Anon, a 61-year old sitar player, who was part of the congregation, was seen by the devotees one evening, but then the next day died of a stroke. He was not so much attached to this world, and when he left his body, his son was reading Brahma-samhita to him has he looked at his home Deities.

Srila Prabhupada stresses that people do not take spiritual life seriously until they realize the life is actually full of miseries.

Without being detached, you cannot you give proper guidance. Therefore, the brahmanas were meant to be detached.

Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara Acarya were considered kanistha adhikaris or on the neophyte stage because they could not defeat the blaspheme of the Mayavadi sannyasis against Lord Caitanya.

We are grabbing toys that give us a little temporary satisfaction but when the body is diseased we come to understand that these little adjustments will not satisfy us.

Krishna, love of Krishna, and service to Krishna is real wealth.

Some say the story that Narada told Valmiki to say to “Mara” because he couldn’t say “Rama” is erroneous because “Mara” is a Bengali word not a Sanskrit one and that perhaps a Bengali translator concocted it.

Nrsimhananda IDS Prabhu:

In history, those who have been famous for centuries, all have some connection with religion.

Krishna out of kindness curbs the pride of devotees who are proud of becoming famous by putting them in a condition where they are treated as less than ordinary people.

To be enthusiastic in the material world, we have to run toward some goal. Two classes of people exist. The materialistic class, in modern times, exalt sex life as the highest enjoyment, but it is not difficult to see dedicating one’s life to chase it results in frustration. The spiritualist instead runs toward God. To discover who I am and what is my relationship with God is a lofty goal that the animal has no access to. The spiritual path is exciting to follow even before the goal is reached, just as we are excited to go on vacation, even before we get to our destination. All religions are based on scriptures which teach us how to behave properly, so we can become free from the limitations of material existence, and return to the kingdom of God. The Kali-yuga tends to drag us down and thus we must be dedicated to protecting the four pillars of religion in our own life. When we are negligent in that, we lose enthusiasm, and wander on the mental platform. It is easy to find oneself meditating on money instead of meditating on Krishna. We think we need all these different things to be Krishna conscious which are not actually necessary.

In reality we have nothing we really possess. All we have to offer Krishna is our feelings. Without meditating on Krishna, we cannot offer our feelings to Krishna. We cannot give our attention fully to two things at once. For example, if your mouth is full of food, you cannot chant Hare Krishna. Krishna can concentrate on everyone at once, but we cannot.

When we chant japa, we are not in the center. It a personal offering to one person, Krishna. Imagine you have a friend who is sick and you go to him and perform service for him for two hours a day, just think how that will enhance your relationship with them! It is like that with Krishna, when we concentrate attentively on japa.

RadhamadhavaHari das: After taking prasadam, Brahmani Jannah Scott handed over a paper towel soaked with warm water, and asked me to clean the table.

Kuli Mela Organizers: Plese see the KulimeLA 2009 posters with schedule of events, registration info etc

Nrsimhananda das: David spent occassional time with me at the Pyramid House. At first, he was reluctant to enter the house. We would meet outside. Gradually, he became comfortable enough to come in and hang out in the presence of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.

In the purport to 1.12.24 Srila Prabhupada expertly and poetically states the importance of association. He writes: "foolish people do not know that association is the cause of acquiring qualities. Association with fire makes an object hot, even in the material sense. Therefore, association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead makes one qualified like the Lord?To follow the instructions of the Lord is to associate with the Lord."

Pariksit Dasa: Please attend this auspicious event, shower your mercy on the city of Harrisburg, and make this event a very memorable beginning

By Ekalavya Das

World Holy Name Week 2009 begins on September 2nd and concludes on September 11th. This year, our theme is: “Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's Sannyasa”

By Madhava Smullen

Shyama Priya Dasi, the driving force behind ISKCON’s Prison Ministry, passed away on April 16, 2009 in Gainesville, Florida, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

1968 June 7: "Your 'SWAMIJI' book may be interesting only to admirers and disciples. There are so many tape records of my speeches, you can select some of them. I think that will be better for attracting the general public."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

By Basu Ghosh Das

Kaviraj Prabhu was a responsible grihasta. He had imbibed the philosophy of "Krishna Consciousness" and vedic culture, he was quite intelligent and intellectual, and we developed some camaraderie.

1968 June 7: "Don't mind about the visa. It is Krishna's desire and blessings; as a Sannyasin, I should not fix up at a certain place and take your service comfortably. Krishna wants me traveling throughout the whole Western world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 June 7: "We are all eternal family members of the Lord. We are all gathering together in families of Krishna. In this Krishna Consciousness Movement we are trying to establish a replica of Krishna's family in this material world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 June 7: "The ocean is the father-in-law of Visnu, because Laksmi was born by the churning of the ocean. So Laksmi, being the daughter of the ocean, the ocean will help in spreading the glories of the ocean's daughter and son-in-law."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 June 7: "So the roar of your Sankirtana in Hawaii will soon be heard in the neighboring places, including Japan and Hong Kong. Concentrate your energies now in Hawaii and in the future we shall establish a center in Japan."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1968 June 7: "Your 'SWAMIJI' book may be interesting only to admirers and disciples. There are so many tape records of my speeches, you can select some of them. I think that will be better for attracting the general public."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 June 7: "Don't mind about the visa. It is Krishna's desire and blessings; as a Sannyasin, I should not fix up at a certain place and take your service comfortably. Krishna wants me traveling throughout the whole Western world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 June 7: "We are all eternal family members of the Lord. We are all gathering together in families of Krishna. In this Krishna Consciousness Movement we are trying to establish a replica of Krishna's family in this material world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 June 7: "The ocean is the father-in-law of Visnu, because Laksmi was born by the churning of the ocean. So Laksmi, being the daughter of the ocean, the ocean will help in spreading the glories of the ocean's daughter and son-in-law."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 June 7: "So the roar of your Sankirtana in Hawaii will soon be heard in the neighboring places, including Japan and Hong Kong. Concentrate your energies now in Hawaii and in the future we shall establish a center in Japan."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971June 7: "All my senior disciples are requesting me to revive my translating work and I would like to do so for the remaining days of my life. So you have to help me to get Srimad-Bhagavatam done as quickly as possible."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1974 June 7: "Do not worry about past fall downs. There is nothing to worry about, simply yourself be ideal to all the devotees there by chanting as much as possible and following carefully all the regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 June 7: "So let him go on as he is doing; Krsna is giving him all facility and without question he is doing more than any sannyasi by his personally distributing hundreds of books day after day and inspiring others to follow."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1971June 7: "All my senior disciples are requesting me to revive my translating work and I would like to do so for the remaining days of my life. So you have to help me to get Srimad-Bhagavatam done as quickly as possible."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1974 June 7: "Do not worry about past fall downs. There is nothing to worry about, simply yourself be ideal to all the devotees there by chanting as much as possible and following carefully all the regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

1974 June 7: "So let him go on as he is doing; Krsna is giving him all facility and without question he is doing more than any sannyasi by his personally distributing hundreds of books day after day and inspiring others to follow."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Bhajan in Budapest, 30 May 2009

Another successful cookery class took place yesterday at Govinda's Restaurant in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Here's our crew all poised and ready for action.

One of the highlights of the day was cooking chapatis. These delectable, warm comfort food breads were wrapped around lashings of matar panir, lemon rice, toor dal with sweet potato and okra, spinach and yogurt raita, and a fiery "too hot to bear but too sweet to resist" apple chutney.

More photos taken by students are expected to arrive in my email in-box today, so I'll share them with you soon. In the meantime, here's the recipe for chapatis.

Tender Griddle-baked Wholewheat Flatbreads (Chapatis)

Chapatis are one of India's most popular breads. They are enjoyed especially in the northern and central regions of India. They are partially cooked on a hot griddle and finished over an open-heat source. Chapatis are made from special wholemeal flour called atta, available from Indian grocers. If unavailable, substitute sifted wholemeal flour. You can spread melted butter or ghee on the chapatis after they are cooked.

Chapatis are usually served at lunch or dinner and are great whether served with a 5-course dinner or just with a simple dal and salad. Makes 12 chapatis.

2 cups sifted atta flour ½ teaspoon salt (optional) water extra flour for dusting melted butter or ghee for serving

Combine the chapati flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add up to 2/3 cup of water, slowly pouring in just enough to form a soft, kneadable dough. Turn the dough onto a clean working surface and knead for about 8 minutes or until silky-smooth. Cover with an overturned bowl and leave for ½ - 3 hours.

Knead the dough again for 1 minute. Divide the dough into 1 dozen portions. Roll them into smooth balls and cover with a damp cloth.

Preheat a griddle or non-stick heavy frying pan over moderately low heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Flatten a ball of dough, dredge it in flour, and carefully roll out the ball into a thin, perfectly even, smooth disk of dough about 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter.

Pick up the chapati and slap it between your hands to remove the excess flour. Slip it onto the hot plate, avoiding any wrinkles. Cook for about 1 minute on the first side. The top of the chapati should start to show small bubbles. Turn the chapati over with tongs. Cook it until small brown spots appear on the underside (about minute).

Turn on a gas jet, pick up the chapati with your tongs, and hold it about 5 cm (2 inches) over the flame. It will swell into a puffy balloon. Continue to cook the chapati until it is speckled with black flecks. Place the cooked chapati in a bowl or basket, cover with a clean tea towel or cloth, and continue cooking the rest of the chapatis.

Serve: when they're all cooked and stacked, you might like to butter them. Serve chapatis hot for best results or cover and keep warm in a preheated warm oven for up to ½ hour.

I had five days with no headaches, and was ready to declare myself completely healthy and ready for a life of traveling and lecturing. That’s premature optimism. But I do want to serve You, and a way to do that is by remaining active. The way to do that is to start with an active “card.” A desire to be active and permission from our doctor or health-care specialist. Surely I can get some kind of “card.” If not a fulltime one, then a parttime one. They get issued if you just have the desire and enthusiasm. “I’d like a service card.” I just ask You, Lord, and You give me one.

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami - June 6, 2:27 A.M.

I woke up at 11:30 P.M. last night, and then woke up again at 12:30 and at 1:30. I finally got up a little after 2:00 A.M. So there were interruptions. Now I’m ready to go. I’m going to call Narayana and try to start a good morning’s japa.

3:36 A.M.

Early-morning japa log

I finished eight rounds. My mind was not fixed on the chanting of the holy names. I was diverted to thinking of a news item. I was thinking of President Obama’s change of policy in his decision not to release torture pictures of detainees. He had formerly decided to release them, but after talking with generals, he changed his policy. The paper said that this was a pragmatic decision, and they prasied him for changing his stance from his usual policy of admitting wrongs and asking forgiveness, which he has been doing. I mulled over this in my mind for four rounds. There was even a picture of the torture in one of the newsmagazines. This was unusual for me because I usually stay fixed on just the sound vibration and accumulating the numbers. I did mostly do that. I kept track of my timing and the numerical strength. I chanted at a rate of under seven rounds per minute. I was chanting in my mind with barely audible sounds. I got up early this morning, and so I’ll be able to do more than eight rounds before Narayana comes up at 5:00 A.M. I hope to do better rounds than the first eight. Get that extraneous stuff off your mind and “just hear.”

Japa essay

Japa is meant to be concentration on the syllables of the Hare Krishna mantra, hearing the words “Hare,” “Krishna,” and “Rama” and thinking of Radha and Krishna. An errant chanter allows his mind to drift off into worldly topics and to wander all over the universe. This is offensive chanting. When you chant the mantras side by side with worldly thoughts, you still get the benefit of the chanting, as Ajamila got the benefit of chanting the name of his son, Narayana. You can be cleansed from your sinful reactions even with offensive chanting. But you cannot gain love of Krishna by that kind of chanting. Love of Krishna comes in the offenseless stage when your mind is fixed on Radha and Krishna and is free of worldly dross. The more you read news magazines or watch television, the more likely you’ll be to think of those things when it’s time to chant. A good japa chanter keeps his mind chaste without indulging in worldly activities and worldly topics. But do we need to keep informed of the world we live in? Isn’t it important to know of the emergencies and catastrophes and political topics? The answer is no. Prabhupada was once browsing through a Time magazine when his servant came into the room. Prabhupada pushed the magazine aside and said, “They make the illusion seem so real.” All the pictures and expertly written articles make you think that this is the reality, whereas actually, it is not. Reality is that we are Krishna’s servants, but that by misuse of free will, we have been put into this world, which is like a prison. All the prisoners are interacting on a false platform. Nationalistic propaganda and wars are fought in the realm of maya. They have a reality, but they are temporary and therefore false. The plane of true reality is the eternal soul’s attempt to get free of temporary history, which takes place in the cycle of repeated birth and death. Freedom from the temporary “reality” is gained by turning to Krishna, our eternal master, and engaging in spiritual servitorship. In the age of Kali, the only way to do this is by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Chanting Hare Krishna while engaging in material activities is like pouring water while trying to light a fire. Pure devotees teach the world that political affairs are maya and that we should engage our energy strictly in the service of the Lord. Those who have been informed of the reality and are convinced of it from Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic texts should preach Krishna consciousness and keep aloof of material news while concentrating on their chanting.

What is real?

The daily news, as reported on TV,

or the news of the spiritual world?

Devotees avoid the temporary news

and pay attention to the eternal.

The daily news is a shifting phantasmagoria,

a world of names and Maya’s puppets.

They read the news as Srimad-Bhagavatam

where the truth personified

frees us from the shadows

Of the temporary show.

They chant God’s names

and release themselves from material bondage

by the transcendental sound of Truth. The few who know this

should stay true to the process

and tell everyone they meet the difference between the shadow and the light.

6:14 A.M.

The sky is completely overcast. We went for a walk, and there were light sprinkles of mist. A woman just pulled up on a bicycle that Narayana said cost $2,000, a Cannondale with shock absorbers. She is sitting on the white beach bench with her legs crossed, looking out at the sea. A few cars are parked with the drivers sitting inside. A policeman was here in his car drinking coffee. Chanting while walking was good, but it’s harder for me when we sit inside the car. I have just one more round to chant for my minimum quota of sixteen. It’s good to chant over sixteen, and I’ll do that later today. The woman with the $2,000 bicycle just locked the bicycle to a post and is going for a walk. She has gathered with some other friends, and they are doing exercises.

I can’t think of anything to say. I’d like to say something Krishna conscious, but the group of exercisers is distracting me. A man is demonstrating positions, but only one woman is watching him, and she is drinking a cup of coffee and not exercising. Now two little boys have come out of the man’s truck, and he has given them soccer balls to play with. They are really too small to play with the balls and are more occupied with sand pails.

I’d really like to preach. Krishna consciousness is more important than beach play or exercise. If I were bolder, I’d go out and tell the man something about Krishna. But he is so occupied with showing exercises to the women and overseeing his two little boys that I don’t think I’d make much progress. Now another woman cyclist has joined them, and about six of them are doing exercises. It’s a complete distraction, all right in front of our van. He’s leading them in deep knee bends now, and his two little boys are wandering off. It’s not a good day for me to make Krishna conscious reflections in my journal. The Saturday exercise group has stolen the show. Let’s get out of here.

8:00 A.M.

“My Funny Valentine.” The girl isn’t so pretty, but he doesn’t want her to change. He likes her the way she is. Miles Davis plays it without a mute. Our lover doesn’t have to be ideal. We like her just the way she is. This is romantic. So he’s calling her his funny valentine. In the spiritual world, the valentines are all very pretty, and so this song doesn’t apply. In the material world, you have to settle for imperfection. But if she’s a nice girl and virtuous in other ways, you love her just the way she is. Radha’s no funny valentine. When She speaks, it’s perfect. Her features are perfect. But this song is very nice, the way Miles is playing it with such style. He’s a great stylist, and the meaning of the song kind of fades away. You just think of his lyrical playing, and that’s what’s spiritual. He takes it at a mid-tempo and then slows it down. In this world, we should accept each other with our imperfections and not expect that we’re like Radha and Krishna or that we’re in the spiritual world. Take devotees as they are, with their physical lack of beauty and their lack of spiritual perfection. You can’t expect them to be like Krishna and the gopis. But there is a world where everything is perfect and the valentines are not funny. There is such a world where the beauty is unexcelled and you don’t have to settle for less. In this world, we have to be compassionate. Miles has got a great tenor saxophonist playing behind him. I think it’s Wayne Shorter, and he’s swinging, too, taking the music to perfection. The jazz piece is not a funny valentine. It’s an ideal piece of music, executed to perfection, about a girl who’s not so pretty but whom he loves just the way she is. Is that realistic? Yes, it can be. And people shouldn’t expect material perfection in the material world. They should be compassionate and love for virtuous qualities. Recognizing our homely imperfections, we can worship the all-beautiful ones in Krishna Loka.

My Funny Valentine

by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

My funny Valentine
Sweet comic Valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable, unphotographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art.

Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak, are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine, stay
Each day is Valentine's Day

“Reincarnation of a Love Bird.” Transmigration of the soul. You may be born next time as a love bird. What’s a love bird? It could be a bird in the spiritual world. One of those birds that looks down from the trees in meditation at Radha and Krishna. They close their eyes. Charlie Mingus playing, thumping on his bass, and an alto sax in lively jazz. Jazz has a bad reputation. But it’s lovely music. The word “reincarnation” is intriguing. It’s a Krishna conscious concept. And here it is in Charlie Mingus’ piece. What’s he thinking of? We’ll tell you what we’re thinking of, how we interpret it. We interpret it that it’s a spirit soul being reborn in the spiritual world as a love bird there. That’s how we want to think of it. Not as a scroungy bird in this world who drops turds on your car. But a love bird. The piano is so nice. The musicians have bad habits, but they don’t play with bad habits. They play impeccably. The spirit soul was reincarnated. It took another birth. It perfected itself and went to the spiritual world. It became a love bird. Sukadeva Goswami was Radharani’s parrot. It plays nice and smooth. The music makes you think of elevated things. Makes you want to make that interpretation about the spiritual world. That’s your Krishna conscious creativity at work. Charlie Mingus takes his bass solo, and the piano tinkles softly behind him. It makes you think nice thoughts. What more could you ask than that? They’re playing it for themselves and for us. They’re giving us a great gift.

“A Piece,” by Charlie Mingus. Here he’s playing it with his bow, and the horns are playing hauntingly behind him. The piano is lovely. All the instrumentalists are combining together to make a nice sound. There’s a trumpet, too. Charlie Mingus has nice groups. They play with a spirit of the church. Blues and roots. Get a little in your soul. They stretch out a nice ballad, and we go along with it, letting it take us to a spiritual place, where we like to meditate. For us, that means Krishna. He’s our worshipable Deity. So when we hear nice music, we think of Him. We thank the musicians for bringing us here. They may not know where they’re taking us, but in our hearts, we want to go to Krishna, and so we say they’re taking us there. That bow on the bass is like Bach. It’s like Brahms. It’s like something holy. It’s quiet and soft and makes us relax. When we relax, we think of Krishna. We chant the Hare Krishna mantra. We thank Charlie Mingus for leading us to think of Krishna in this way. We thank him for this piece of music, which he and his band play so well together. It makes us feel so happy and sublime. We sit back in our chair. The bass is thumping quietly, relaxedly, and the alto also is taking it at a relaxed pace. It makes us feel fine. It’s a transforming state. Music can do that for you, especially this music. It’s “Reincarnation of the Love Bird” again. Just relax, Prabhu, and don’t worry about matter or spirit. Just take it for what you want to take it for and don’t worry about critics or criticisms. You love it in your way, and no one can take that from you. Charles Mingus is a fine musician. He gave us this piece, and we’re grateful.

10:30 A.M.

My Dear Lord Krishna...

I’m not doing so well physically, Lord. The doctor says the shoulder may take months to heal, and I started a new pattern of headaches two days ago. Narayana warns me that I’m working too hard and spending the day with too-early japa and too much repertoire of writing without enough rest during the day. He warns me I’m fragile and can’t take the pushing. He says I’ll just push myself into headaches and fatigue.

Maybe he’s right. I had five days with no headaches, and was ready to declare myself completely healthy and ready for a life of traveling and lecturing. That’s premature optimism. But I do want to serve You, and a way to do that is by remaining active. The way to do that is to start with an active “card.” A desire to be active and permission from our doctor or health-care specialist. Surely I can get some kind of “card.” If not a fulltime one, then a parttime one. They get issued if you just have the desire and enthusiasm. “I’d like a service card.” I just ask You, Lord, and You give me one.

Now I have to use it with some restraint and discrimination. I see so many handicapped people remaining active. Some even have to do it from a wheelchair, or even a bed. They do what they can. One way You test us, Lord, is to restrict us and see if we still take on some service according to our capability. Even injured athletes with not so much religion perform exercises to get themselves back into shape, and by determination, they regain their capacity. Why shouldn’t a devotee have even more determination to return to his service?

You sometimes give us service that doesn’t really require so much physical capability. Chanting japa can be done by an invalid, even a paraplegic. Making and offering requires spirit and can be performed with limited physical abilities. One should not get depressed and give up attempts at devotional service just because one is physically limited.

And You, Lord, accept the services of the handicapped person just as happily as You accept the service of the healthy person. There is no difference whatsoever in Your good will in acceping the service of a well or sick devotee. So physically (or mentally) ill devotees should never think they are at a disadvantage in advancing in pure devotional service.

But we are naturally more glad to serve You with full health because we can work harder and longer. It is not wrong, therefore, to pray for health, as long as we add the condition to the prayer, “Please make me well, if You desire.” You are always taking care of us, in sickness or in health. You always have Your reasons for treating us as You desire, and it is always for our own good.

As I write this page (in my own handwriting), I am feeling the onset of a headache. I will take a medication and rest. I pray to You, not primarily to remove my pain but in gratitude that You keep me mentally sound to remain Your servant. You are my worshipable Lord, and my strongest emotion toward You is gratitude. Thank You for allowing me to worship You and serve You. Thank You for being who You are, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the friend and well-wisher of all living entities, especially Your devotees.

from #94→

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 6, Texts 16-19 by Guruprasad Swami.

Dallas, TX
2009-04-17

16 - TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami continued: When the Lord was thus offered prayers by the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, He understood the purpose for which they had approached Him. Therefore, in a deep voice that resembled the rumbling of clouds, the Lord replied to the demigods, who all stood there attentively with folded hands.

17 - TRANSLATION

Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of the demigods, was capable of performing the activities of the demigods by Himself, He wanted to enjoy pastimes in churning the ocean. Therefore He spoke as follows.

18 - TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and other demigods, please hear Me with great attention, for what I say will bring good fortune for all of you.

19 - TRANSLATION

As long as you are not flourishing, you should make a truce with the demons and asuras, who are now being favored by time.

PURPORT

One word in this verse has two readings -- kalena and kavyena. Kalena means "favored by time," and kavyena means "favored by Sukracarya," Sukracarya being the spiritual master of the Daityas. The demons and Daityas were favored in both ways, and therefore the demigods were advised by the Supreme Lord to execute a truce for the time being, until time favored them.

Download: 2009-04-17 - Guruprasad Swami - SB 8.6.16-19.mp3

“Vrndavana life means attachment to Krsna. So if you can create that central attachment to Krsna…then you can create Vrndavana anywhere” (Lecture, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.6,8, 10 Dec 1975) The other day I was feeling a little morose and so was trying to motivate myself which when you do not have any devotees close by can be [...]

Japa should be done in a composed way, without being frantic or losing track of your count. If you lose track of your count, then you have to arbitrarily set a new count and just go on with that. Make the best of the bad situation. Try to do your best, giving the benefit of the doubt to the count rather than to cheat. It’s always best not to cheat Krishna in your japa.

Taken from Bhajana Kutir #93

The Gospel of the Nazarenes

For more info click here

Imagine if there is someone to whom your life is so important that he or she:

- Prays for your success and protection every single day
- Listens to you for hours with a genuine interest
- Believes in your sincerity, talents and abilities
- Gives you as many material resources as he can
- Often thinks about how you can succeed in various areas
- Is always there for you as much as possible
- Will never reject you
- Is open to learn from your realizations and experience
- Is ready to do for you everything he can without expecting anything in return
- Sees you as a precious soul who is very dear to Krsna (God)

Would it be nice to have someone like this in your life?

Such people might be around you.

Sometimes people mistake the kindness of devotees to mean that they are out to get something from the persons they are preaching to. Perhaps a conversion bonus: “For every convert you bring in you will get a $20 dollar gift card or a free toaster oven or what have you” or more commonly people sometimes [...]

EDITORS NOTE: Sunday June 7th CBS will premiere “Faith, Culture and Music” which features As Kindred Spirits. Click here to find you local show time.

CBS contacted us to find out if they would include a segment about our band in their upcoming show on religious music. We invited them to follow us around on one of our typical show days, which, as usual, was atypical. We gave a kirtan workshop and performance as part of the yoga teacher training course our friends, Raghunath and Sondra, were offering in beautiful Hudson, NY. During the day, Gaura taught Raghunath and Sondra’s students the lyrics to “Krishna Murari,” while Yamuna showed them some garba steps to a rocking kirtan.

In the afternoon, the CBS crew interviewed Gaura, Acyuta, Janaki and Ananta, as sixty people stood in the tiny hall of Sandana Yoga waiting to claim a spot for the evening kirtan show. Whew! Talk about crunch time!

All the guests eventually squeezed on through, the kirtan was roaring, and CBS got some great footage for their show. The show is called “Faith, Music and Culture” and will be broadcast Sunday, June 7 on the CBS Television Network nationwide.

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 Raghunath - Hey Govinda Hari Murari (70)
• 02 Gaura Vani - Guru Gauranga Jayate (49)
• 03 Acyuta Gopi - Hare Krishna (98)

Astottara-sata Dasa (Alexander Petroff) is an American second generation devotee of Krishna who spent his childhood at the rural ISKCON farm community, Gita-nagari nestled in the beautiful countryside of Port Royal, Pennsylvania, USA. These days Astottara-sata, son of Hare Krsna Dasi, spends a lot of his time in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he is the founder and President of Working Villages International (WVI). Working Villages International is a non-profit organization dedicated to building self-sufficient, environmentally sustainable villages.

Living For Yesterday
by SriKalachandra Das

For more, click here to check out Matchless Gifts Conscious Arts (MGCA)

Her eyes seem so transparent
where have you gone
lost in a network of thoughts
thinking so long

swimming in an ocean of flaunts
the same old song
and your proclamation staunch
to budge you would be wrong

Some stay in the dark
living for yesterday

Some take movement
with direction
with great care
to make ends meet
but to reject
your reflection
and plug your ears
when eternity speaks

To what
do we give our attention
to what
do we sleep
so much gain to mention
but what do you keep
what do you keep

Some stay in the dark
living for yesterday

The time is now
use your plow
and sow them seeds
grow them trees
that reach the clouds

Its the art of allowing
a satisfied battle cry
so alive
when you're devout

And the flute will lead you to a land
where every walk is a dance
and every word is a song