"Planet ISKCON" - 42 new articles
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- The Loft, Auckland, NZ: Vegetarian Cooking Class
- The Loft, Auckland, NZ: Priceless Pleasure & Free Spirits
- Kurma dasa, AU: Life's a Beach, and Then You Cook
- Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Srila Prabhupada's books are better than his speeches
- ISKCON News.com: Iceland's Farmers Try to Save Herds From Toxic Ash
- Bhakti Lata, Alachua, USA: Let It Be
- HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '420' from The Yellow Submarine
- ISKCON News.com: Censoring of 'South Park' Episode Underscores Struggle to Balance Rights
- HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Playing the Gong' from The Yellow Submarine
- HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Holding on Krishna' from The Yellow Submarine
- HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'The Kirtana Dance' from The Yellow Submarine
- ISKCON News.com: Obama Wants Supreme Court Nominee Who Supports Abortion
- ISKCON News.com: Has Noah's Ark Been Discovered on a Turkish Mountain?
- ISKCON News.com: US Position Could Pose Problems For GM-Free Labeling
- ISKCON News.com: Dreams 'Can Help With Learning'
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: Powwow Dancing
- Nityananda Chandra Das, Dallas TX: my latest twitter updates 5
- Kurma dasa, AU: Getting it Right
- ISKCON Toronto, Canada: 18th Annual Astaprahar (24-Hour Kirtan)
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Vaisnava Etiquette
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Bhakta David asks
- Mukunda Charan das, SA: The Secret Of All Secrets
- Gauranga Kishore das,USA: Dawkins and Hitchens lead a campaign to arrest the Pope!
- Japa Group: Keep Going For The Quality
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Kesava Bharati Maharaja's arrival and greeting in New Vraja-dhama
- H.H. Bhakti Caitanya Swami: Visit to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, by Gauranga Das
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Monday, April 26th, 2010
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Sunday, April 25th, 2010
- Mayapur Online: Bhakti Vedanta Music School Inauguration
- Mayapur Online: Food For Life Magic-True Story
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: PROPER USE OF INTELLIGENCE
- Dandavats.com: Govindadvipa Parikrama
- Dandavats.com: Departure of a servant of the servant…….
- Gouranga TV: Bhajan – New Year's Eve 2010 – Rupa Madhurya das
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Stool Cleaner
- More Recent Articles
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The Loft, Auckland, NZ: Vegetarian Cooking Class
The Loft, Auckland, NZ: Priceless Pleasure & Free Spirits
Kurma dasa, AU: Life's a Beach, and Then You Cook
One of my attendees blogged her recent attendance at a class of mine.
Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Srila Prabhupada's books are better than his speeches
In discussing with His Divine Grace I summarized your desire to have access to all of the many tapes which Golden Avatar has for the purpose of transcribing them into rough manuscript form to be published later on as cross references or in some other form. His Divine Grace was not very enthusiastic at all about this idea. Srila Prabhupada commented, "This is not necessary. My books are sufficient. Let all of my disciples read my books. This idea is over-burden. It will mean too many readings. Let them read whatever is there and digest it. Everything I have wanted to say I have said in my books. This will only be superfluous. Tell him to concentrate on reading my books, not on studying such transcriptions. Does he think he will find something else in these transcriptions that are not in my books?"
...Actually you should know that Prabhupada's books are better than his speeches. This is because He concentrates tremendously and chooses each word when he writes these books. This is not my opinion but he himself has said this to me.
Letter from TKG, 770720
ISKCON News.com: Iceland's Farmers Try to Save Herds From Toxic Ash
Farmers across the region where the volcano erupted this month under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier have been scrambling to protect their herds from inhaling or ingesting the ash.
Bhakti Lata, Alachua, USA: Let It Be
Several nights ago I took a japa walk along the temple road. My mind was on my spiritual master, Radhanath Swami, and I wished that I could be wherever he was.
I turned a bend in the road where the trees parted, and the universe unfolded above me to glitter in breathtaking silence. I halted in my footsteps, stunned. Suddenly, a wave of helplessness washed over me:
I miss my spiritual master, I miss Radhanath Swami, but there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Nothing. He's across the world... as far as the moon... and I'm here.
So I stood there under the stars, just stood there. Then I knelt to the ground and buried my head in my hands.
And I realized that that was a glimpse of how I will feel when my spiritual master leaves this world.Subscribe
HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '420' from The Yellow Submarine
4.10 AM
I woke up at 2 AM and spoke with Narayana for awhile. My chanting was sleepy. My eyeballs were heavy. But I pushed on and didn't stop chanting. But with sleepy eyes you can't keep focused attention on Hare and Krishna. You're in a kind of daze. I stopped and took a break and washed my face. I pushed on through the jungle, keeping a good numerical pace. I've chanted fourteen rounds. But they weren't fervent rounds. I chanted the best I could but was hampered by heavy eyes. Of course it counts in my favor that I've chanted almost sixteen rounds, but if I could have been thinking of Krishna and Radha, it would have counted much more. I will try to do better.
Heavy eyeballs in japa,
he doesn't know the reason
why. It's purely physical,
an impediment of drowse.
But if you were a little kid
at the circus, you would have
been wide awake. You have
no good excuse.
You only hope you'll
do better when you
chant again. You have
to do better or you
will die in your chair.
Try harder, you can
do it, make a
better effort.
ISKCON News.com: Censoring of 'South Park' Episode Underscores Struggle to Balance Rights
HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Playing the Gong' from The Yellow Submarine
Prabhupada Smaranam
You are playing the gong. It has a high tinny sound, not as melodious as the karatalas. But it crashes loudly for the leading of the entire kirtana group. Prabhupada played it with the steady rhythm. The wooden mallet strokes resound on the lower part of the gong and make it heard throughout the hall. Prabhupada leads the kirtana of Jaya Radha Madhava Kunjabihari. He refreshes our memory to the time when Sukadeva Goswami spoke to Maharaja Pariksit when the king had only seven days to live. The king had insulted the yogi, and his son cursed the king that he should die in seven days. Prabhupada leads the singing and then gives the lecture. He speaks on all the sections of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is in Vrindavana which Prabhupada said was his residence. It is Vrindavana where he lived after he took sannyasa in the early years and where he printed the first three volumes of the Srimad-Bhagavatam comprising the First Canto. Now he lectures in many different sections of the Bhagavatam and his disciples come to see him from different parts of the world. Prabhupada is always in Vrindavana. He plays the gong like this all over the world. He withdraws within himself and meditates on Radha and Krishna as he sings Jaya Radha Madhava Kunjabihari. And he lectures on all the sections of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lecturing and singing in Vrindavana is special, but he is universal and carries this mood with him wherever he goes. He is the founder acarya of ISKCON. He plays the gong.
His mouth is shut. His eyes are shut. He is deep within. The two lions astride the vyasasana attack and kill the mayavadi impersonalists. He is not silent. He rings the gong.
HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Holding on Krishna' from The Yellow Submarine
It's possible to make this material
kingdom a kind of Vaikuntha
if we all act in service
to Krishna, but it doesn't seem
likely in Kali-yuga.
The only yajna possible is sankirtana,
the widespread chanting of His holy
names and acting in accord
with His rules and regulations.Krishna, Lord, please save
us from calamity. Give us
the intelligence to work
for Your cause. If only ten percent
can take up the chanting the
nightmare can be changed to
a decent place to live.I pray to be with You in all
the places You send me
and let me take shelter
of You and extend that
shelter to others. Today
is another crucial day,
and I don't know what
may happen. But I
pray to stay close to You
reciting the mantras in
my mind when
I'm in the CAT scan and
when I have to meet
destiny as you have arranged it.Let me do my part. Let me not
fall away. I want to keep
the strong rhythm of the
heart, fingers like
Charlie Mingus's bass
pulsing for You without
hesitation or fear.
Let me be Yours.That I am older should
not slow me down but
make me grip tighter
to Your hand.
read more from SDGonline - daily updates from The Yellow Submarine: My Bhajana Kutir journal
HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'The Kirtana Dance' from The Yellow Submarine
Free write
In the strict religious-social system of India boys and girls are not allowed to participate together in spiritual functions. When Prabhupada came to America in 1966 he found that many boys and girls were coupled up. They attended his programs together, especially in California. Prabhupada made a revolutionary move. He told his students that they should not live together as boyfriends and girlfriends, but they should get married. It was unorthodox for a bona fide spiritual master to perform marriages, but Prabhupada went ahead and did it for the purpose of spreading Lord Caitanya's movement. But he told his married couples they should engage in sexual intercourse only for the purpose of conceiving children.
In this picture the boy and girl are not embracing but they are enjoying spiritual ecstasy by taking part in the vigorous kirtana. In this way they are associating together but not engaged in sense gratification. At first Prabhupada was proud of his householder couples. He saw them as double power, two preachers serving together in his movement. They made the mission more accessible to other couples, and they satisfied their natural desire for a man-woman relationship but within spiritual restrictions. When sporadic divorces started occurring and couples became lax in their spiritual behavior, Prabhupada grew somewhat disillusioned with his matchmaking. He stopped personally performing the marriage ceremonies, but he never stopped allowing them. The majority of Hare Krishna members are married couples with children and the predominant way of life is for couples to live outside of temple asramas in apartments or houses of their own with the spouses earning money in outside jobs. The celibates, the brahmacaris and sannyasis, who live in the asrama constitute the minority of the membership. According to a questionnaire taken of Hare Krishna members in the 1990s, the householders perform their sadhana or spiritual practices on a level equal to those who live in the temples. A devotee is not judged as inferior or superior according to his or her sex or marriage status. Narottama das Thakura composed a song with a line "Whether he be a householder or a sannyasi I want to associate with that person who chants the name of Gauranga."
ISKCON News.com: Obama Wants Supreme Court Nominee Who Supports Abortion
ISKCON News.com: Has Noah's Ark Been Discovered on a Turkish Mountain?
Seeing definitely is believing for a group of 15 religious explorers who claim to have uncovered a jaw-dropping glimpse into biblical times.
ISKCON News.com: US Position Could Pose Problems For GM-Free Labeling
More than 80 food processing, farming and consumer organizations have called on officials to revise the US position on draft Codex food labeling guidance, saying it could cause problems for labeling food as GM-free.
ISKCON News.com: Dreams 'Can Help With Learning'
Napping after learning something new could help you commit it to memory - as long as you dream, scientists say.
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1966 April 28:
"Navami. Expenses Paul paid $1.00. Today I brought all things from 72nd Street to Paul's loft."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1966 April 28: "Last month there was a theft in my room, my typewriter and tape recorder and some books were stolen. The American people have every thing in ample and still there are thieves for want of character. That is the way of material nature."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1969 April 28: "Develop the house into a students residence. At a fixed up time there should be lectures and kirtana. If the students take part, they will take Krishna consciousness up and if our prasadam program is also introduced, that will also be great impetus."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1970 April 28: "Regarding their dogmatic insistence, everyone thinks like that, so if one is not prepared to advance more, it is better to avoid them. If one is limited by formulas only, he is described as an animal bound up by the master and unable to move beyond the length of the chain. So we are concerned only with people who are not chained by anything."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1974 April 28: "Those who pretend they have already attained perfection are sahajiya, simply imitation. This early rising, holding classes, going out regularly for sankirtana, worshiping the deity, they are the very substance of our devotional life."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1974 April 28: "I am very very proud of you both as you have given up everything and gone to a far away part of the world just on my order to carry out the will of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that the chanting of the Holy Name be heard in every town and village."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
Srila Prabhupada's Letters
1974 April 28: "As for political speaking, our main message is that people should elect pure God Conscious leaders. If anywhere they will take seriously the principles of Bhagavad gita As It Is, that will be America. We are getting good response and there is every prospect that we may capture some political post."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: Powwow Dancing
Back when I was growing up I loved to dance but white guys weren't part of Native American culture then so I joined the Hare Krishnas instead for the dancing.
Here are some powwow videos. FYI, in competition dancing if any part of your costume falls off you are disqualified. If you don't stop completely on the final beat you are disqualified.
When we lived free on the prairies first the Grass Dancers would come out and smooth the arena:
Men's Traditional:
The younger guys like Fancy Dancing:
The women also like to dance. Here is a Fancy Shawl Dance:
Filed under: News, Ramblings or Whatever
Nityananda Chandra Das, Dallas TX: my latest twitter updates 5
"I hate it when you are with MC Hammer and he wont let you touch anything!!" RT from Katelyn [05:07:47]
Kurma dasa, AU: Getting it Right
M from India writes:
"Kurma, I often wonder why you recommend yellow asafoetida? Is it better quality?"
I replied:
Not necessarily. But it is of a standard mildness. Therefore if people want to follow my recipes and duplicate what I got in my test kitchen (and hence get as perfect an outcome as possible) I have specified the yellow asafetida, which tends to be fairly mild, despite the brand.
If I just said '1/2 teaspoon asafetida' some people might have cooked recipes with too much asafetida since they select a stronger grey variety or even a very pure asafetida crystal (where only a pinch is required) and ruin the dish. It's all about me transmitting the best recipe instructions over time and space under as many variant possibilities as possible via a cookbook.
Just like if I said "a cup of rice", one inexperienced cook may choose a tiny coffee cup, another a giant mug, but if I say a 'metric cup (250ml)' we're all on the same page. Hope this clarifies.
ISKCON Toronto, Canada: 18th Annual Astaprahar (24-Hour Kirtan)
This weekend, devotees from ISKCON Toronto as well as visiting devotees from ISKCON Montreal will be participating in the 18th Annual Astaprahar: 24-hour non-stop chanting of the maha mantra. The program is being held at the Tagore Center, 140 Millwick Drive, Toronto (Islington and Steels Ave West), Phone: 416-740-7222. The program begins at 9:00am on Saturday May 1st, and the kirtan will be kicked off by our very own Bhaktimarga Swami at 10:00am and will continue till 10:00am on Sunday.
Click HERE for the event flyer.
Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Vaisnava Etiquette
Here is how the Hari-bhakti-vilasa defines Vaisnava etiquette, its philosophy, and some basic Vaisnava principles.
"Since nothing can be successful without sadacara or etiquette, every action should be performed with proper etiquette." We must act according to proper etiquette. The heart of a saintly person is free from contamination. The way a saintly person acts is known as proper etiquette. A way a saintly person acts is know as sadacara.
"If a person reads the six branches of the Vedas without practicing proper etiquette, he does not get purified, just as a bird flies away from the nest as soon as it grows wings, the Vedas leave him at the time of his death.
"Although one may have acquired the knowledge of all of the Vedas, but if one is not practicing the proper etiquette or if he did not become a Vaisnava, then all of this knowledge which he has acquired, will be lost at the time of death.
"Proper etiquette increases fame, opulence, longevity and destroys all inauspiciousness.
"O king, proper etiquette gives the results of dharma, artha and kama. Therefore a wise man very carefully performs the proper etiquette described in the scriptures.
"Thus one can understand that Vaisnava etiquette purifies the heart and the consciousness."
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Bhakta David asks
whether there is some minimum standard for receiving and accommodating sannyasis and guests in temples?
Mukunda Charan das, SA: The Secret Of All Secrets
'The ideal yogi concentrates his attention on Krsna, who is called Syamasundara, who is as beautifully coloured as a cloud, whose lotuslike face is as effulgent as the sun, whose dress is brilliant with jewels and whose body is flower-garlanded. Illuminating all sides is His gorgeous luster, which is called the brahmajyoti. He incarnates in different forms such as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha and Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He descends like a human being, as the son of mother Yasoda, and He is known as Krsna, Govinda and Vasudeva. He is the perfect child, husband, friend and master, and He is full with all opulences and transcendental qualities. If one remains fully conscious of these features of the Lord, he is called the highest yogi'.
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 6.47 purport)
Gauranga Kishore das,USA: Dawkins and Hitchens lead a campaign to arrest the Pope!
The latest publicity stunt of the dynamic duo, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, is their call for the arrest of Pope Benedict for his "crimes against humanity."
My initial response is revulsion because I have a visceral dislike for the two of them and find them to be obnoxious and intellectually dishonest, but there could actually be a good case for pressing criminal charges against him if he has been involved in the covering up the crimes of priests. And if he has been involved in criminal activity it would only be fair that he stand trial for those crimes.
But why just go after the pope, I think we should go after Tony Blair and George Bush and a host of other politicians and capitalists for their crimes agains humanity.
So why just go after the pope? In the name of justice we find Dawkins and Hitchens attacking religion but their attacks have nothing to with justice and everything to do with their hatred for religion. In a similar way their books attack religion in the name of science and truth but really have nothing to do with science and everything to do with their hatred for God.
I'm sure the charges will not really come to anything but if nothing else this is a very interesting new escalation in the battle between "religion" and atheism.
Japa Group: Keep Going For The Quality
The important thing is not to worry about speed but just be peaceful and keep going for the quality. You'll surely get your rounds done, there's no doubt about it.
From Bhajan Kutir #419
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Kesava Bharati Maharaja's arrival and greeting in New Vraja-dhama
H.H. Bhakti Caitanya Swami: Visit to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, by Gauranga Das
Sunday 11 April Both Gurudeva and I arrived at the Durban international airport 10 minutes earlier than our scheduled rendezvous of 06h45. Gurudev had some blisters, from his skin cancer treatment, on his head, face and neck, and one on his hand that had just burst. So we got plasters and covered it. [...]
H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Monday, April 26th, 2010
Dirty Fingers
Montreal, Quebec
The day became jam-packed with communication, not on internet or on the phone but one-on-one dialogue. How important that is to see the face of a person. It certainly beats face book. I tried to meet with individuals at a different park for each session. Sitting in the midst of green and having heart to heart communication has such extraordinary value. I was hearing of people's plans, their dreams, their reviews and opinions. They sought blessings.
I became especially satisfied to see certain individuals become well-situated, as in plans for marriage. There were even those who spoke of anticipating securing land for farming it. To this I recommended start a garden first, work it, harvest the growth and then let's see how that goes. I can help being a little sarcastic on the self-sufficient drivers. I don't see such commitment. As soon as someone talks "self-sufficient" (as important as it is) the song, "Dream, dream, dream….." From the Righteous Bros. starts brewing in the atmosphere. While I'm a great supporter of the "towards agro-centric life" I do raise a brow of skepticism as it is a strong commitment (with a capital C) that must be implemented in order to realize results.
To those who ponder living off the land I underscore start a garden and get your fingers dirty .
5 KM
H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Stepping Up
Montreal, Quebec
Jacynthe is a very strong devotional woman who is a teacher of philosophy. I asked her if she likes the philosophy of Krishna. And she said she indeed does. She was one of three people to come forward today to formally accept initiation into the membership of Krishna's family. She made sure to invite her 25 yr. old son to see the ceremony. He was very happy for her.
Another person, Jordan, from British Columbia originally, made the commitment as well. He did a very good job dealing with sound and light technical doings of the previous night's show "Natakam". Jordan was shining and he donned saffron, the monk's colour, for the first time today.
Finally Marie Jose from the area near Mont Tremblant ski district also accepted being a participant in the vow making ceremony of no meat eating, no gambling, no intoxicants and no casual sex. Marie, I found out, is great at her garden but I first got to know her years ago when she, her husband, and I took to an extended walk in the bush.
Two fine French Canadian ladies and one English Canadian monk stepped up to the occasion before and exciting group of Sunday attendees followed by an arati (an ancient rite) and a class delivered en englais by myself and a class presented en francais by a dear god-brother, Laksminath. There have been discourses in Hispanol because of the growing Spanish speaking community and so the mood is to accommodate people as much as possible making them feel comfortable to enter the spiritual abode of the temple and the great world beyond.
7 KM
Mayapur Online: Bhakti Vedanta Music School Inauguration
Bhakti Vedanta Music School- the first music school of its kind in ISKCON is inaugurated in Mayapur. HH Bhakti Charu Swami, HG Jananivasa Prabhu, HG Pankajanghri prabhu and Umapati Maharaj graced this auspicious occasion. An initiative of HG Naru Gopal das, CEO of ISKCON Mayapur, who has been working over these years to start a full fledged Music School in Sri dham Mayapur to facilitate the devotees worldwide and Mayapur community to learn to play musical instruments in a systematic manner. Pankajanghri prabhu, blessing the inauguration, said that ISKCON is an educational institution.
Mayapur Online: Food For Life Magic-True Story
Sri Manikandan Ramamoorthy, Director of Administration of Cognizant Technologies, which ranks among the top IT majors in India, visits Sri Mayapur whenever he gets an opportunity. He is very enthusiastic about Krishna Consciousness, chants Hare Krishna and has even made an inspiring video clip about Srila Prabhupada.
His last visit to Sri Mayapur was in July 2009. At this time, he had an audience with Srila Jayapataka Maharaja who inspired him to develop his Krishna Consciousness further.
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viernes, 30 de abril de 2010
Planet ISKCON - 42 new articles
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