jueves, 6 de mayo de 2010

Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: The Trees Serve Krishna









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"Planet ISKCON" - 36 new articles

  1. Japa Group: Questions and Answers
  2. Japa Group: Bhurijana dasa - Japa Retreat
  3. Sita-pati dasa, AU: Proceedings of the Brisbane Community Meeting
  4. Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: We are not in control
  5. Book Distribution News: We are not in control
  6. ISKCON News.com: Indonesian Constitutional Court Upholds Blasphemy Law
  7. ISKCON News.com: Tribes of Amazon Find an Ally Out of 'Avatar'
  8. ISKCON News.com: 'Green' Exercise Quickly 'Boosts Mental Health'
  9. Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: reading advice
  10. Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: reading advice
  11. ISKCON News.com: Man Claims To Have Had No Food or Drink for 70 Years
  12. David Haslam, UK: Care for devotees, more thoughts
  13. ISKCON News.com: Organic, Small Farmers Fret Over FDA Regulation
  14. ISKCON News.com: Did Earth's Water Come from Space?
  15. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  16. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  17. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  18. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  19. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  20. Kurma dasa, AU: Trillions of Winters
  21. Akrura das, Gita Coaching: A SPECIFIC PLAN
  22. Japa Group: Time, Place and Mind
  23. New Vrndavan, USA: Sky Bear Passes Away
  24. Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: The Trees Serve Krishna
  25. Madri dd, South Africa: HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami does BCEC Japa; kirtan and bhajan program at Iskcon Manila, Philippines
  26. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '427' from The Yellow Submarine
  27. Kaunteya das, Mayapura: From Siliguri
  28. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'In Mayapur with Prabhupada' from The Yellow Submarine
  29. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Finding the Absolute Truth' from The Yellow Submarine
  30. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Krishna consciousness in Guyana' from The Yellow Submarine
  31. H.H. Sivarama Swami: For the sake of His pastimes the Lord and His devotees are willing to accept roles
  32. Akrura das, Gita Coaching: COME TO YOUR ORIGINAL LOVER
  33. Akrura das, Gita Coaching: PURE LOVE
  34. Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: From Avatar to Amazon
  35. Gouranga TV: Lecture – Giriraj Swami – SB 9.4.29 Marriage in Spiritual Life
  36. Deva Gaura Hari, AU: eternalyouthmedia
  37. More Recent Articles
  38. Search Planet ISKCON

Japa Group: Questions and Answers

In this next part of the Japa Retreat, Bhurijana dasa discusses questions and answers from the participants.


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Japa Group: Bhurijana dasa - Japa Retreat


Here is a very nice Japa Retreat with Bhurijana dasa talking about various aspects of chanting. This recording covers the topic of Japa practice.


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Sita-pati dasa, AU: Proceedings of the Brisbane Community Meeting

Recently a proposal, developed in conjunction with a significant representation of our local Brisbane community, was submitted to the Australian GBC.

As a measure of transparency and accountability, the proposal and the GBC's response to the proposal are being published here; along with video and audio from the recent Community Meeting where the proposal and the response were presented.

Here is the text of the proposal:

Here is the text of the GBC response:

We have video and audio recordings of the presentations that were given, but audio only of the Questions and Discussion (the video camera battery ran out). The first question in the Questions and Discussion audio is the challenge, so you don't need to listen too far into that to get some controversy ;-). See below for the audio and video. Transcriptions are underway.

Here is the audio of the Community Meeting:

Here are the videos of the Community Meeting:


May '10 Community Meeting Introduction



May '10 Community Meeting Introduction
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 04/05/2010

Krishnapada das opens the Community Meeting on May 2, 2010. All members of the community were invited to this meeting, including the three co-GBCs and local ISKCON temple management. Not everyone could make it, so the proceedings of the public meeting are being made available, thanks to the wonders of modern communications media.

May '10 Community Meeting Sitapati 1/3



May '10 Community Meeting Sitapati 1/3
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 04/05/2010

Sitapati das speaks at the May 2, 2010 Community Meeting in Brisbane. All members of the local ISKCON community were invited to the meeting, and the public "Town Hall" style meeting was recorded for the benefit of those who were not able to make it on the day.

Read the proposal and the response at http://ow.ly/1H4mV.
Sita pati das


May '10 Community Meeting Sitapati 2/3



May '10 Community Meeting Sitapati 2/3
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 04/05/2010

Part Two of Sitapati's presentation at the May 2, 2010 Community Meeting in Brisbane. The proceedings of the "Town Hall" style meeting were recorded for the benefit of community members who could not attend on the day.

Read the proposal and the response at http://ow.ly/1H4mV.
Sita pati das

May '10 Community Meeting Sitapati 3/3



May '10 Community Meeting Sitapati 3/3
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 04/05/2010

This is the video from a recent "Town Hall"-style Meeting in Brisbane, informing the community about a proposal put to the GBC, and the GBC's response.

Read the proposal and the response at http://ow.ly/1H4mV.
Sita pati das


May '10 Community Meeting Sakhi Rai



May '10 Community Meeting Sakhi Rai
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 05/05/2010

Sakhi-rai speaks at the May 2, 2010 "Town Hall"-style Community Meeting in Brisbane. The proceedings of the day were recorded for community members who could not be present.


May '10 Community Meeting Murari Hari 1/3



May '10 Community Meeting Murari Hari 1/3
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 05/05/2010

Murari Hari das speaks about a democratic constitution for the local yatra at the recent "Town Hall"-style community meeting. The proceedings of the meeting were recorded for the benefit of those who couldn't make it on the day.


May '10 Community Meeting Murari Hari 2/3



May '10 Community Meeting Murari Hari 2/3
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 05/05/2010

Part 2 of 3. Murari Hari das speaks about a democratic constitution for the local yatra at the recent "Town Hall"-style community meeting. The proceedings of the meeting were recorded for the benefit of those who couldn't make it on the day.

May '10 Community Meeting Murari Hari 3/3



May '10 Community Meeting Murari Hari 3/3
Subido por brisbaneyatra el 05/05/2010

Murari Hari das speaks about a democratic constitution for the local yatra at the recent "Town Hall"-style community meeting. The proceedings of the meeting were recorded for the benefit of those who couldn't make it on the day.

http://tinyurl.com/bnecommunitymeeting020510
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Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: We are not in control

Dear Prabhus,

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

Here is a nice realization I had.

By the mercy and grace of the Vaishnavas I've had the privilege of being able to serve on the illustrious Paramesvara Prabhu's North American Traveling Sankirtan Party for the past year and half.

As a part of my service, he told me to help expand the party by getting more sankirtan devotees.

Ever since I've struggled to recruit devotees without much success.... until recently.

Every morning at New Dwarka Dhama in Los Angeles, Svavasa Prabhu and the devotees humbly prays to Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish to help them engage in Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's glorious sankirtan movement by sending them more sankirtan devotees.

About one week ago, we started doing the same prayer every morning in our van.

Since we began one week ago we've had two devotees join our sankirtan party, one devotee made arrangements to join, and two devotees asked to join.

This is a vivid example of how we are absolutely not in control. In order to be successful in devotional service we MUST take complete shelter of the Lord and not think for a moment that we can do anything without His mercy.

Humbly praying at the lotus feet of all the Vaishnavas for successful execution of devotional service.

Your Servant, Madhukari Dasa

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Book Distribution News: We are not in control

Dear Prabhus,

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

Here is a nice realization I had.

By the mercy and grace of the Vaishnavas I've had the privilege of being able to serve on the illustrious Paramesvara Prabhu's North American Traveling Sankirtan Party for the past year and half.

As a part of my service, he told me to help expand the party by getting more sankirtan devotees.

Ever since I've struggled to recruit devotees without much success.... until recently.

Every morning at New Dwarka Dhama in Los Angeles, Svavasa Prabhu and the devotees humbly prays to Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish to help them engage in Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's glorious sankirtan movement by sending them more sankirtan devotees.

About one week ago, we started doing the same prayer every morning in our van.

Since we began one week ago we've had two devotees join our sankirtan party, one devotee made arrangements to join, and two devotees asked to join.

This is a vivid example of how we are absolutely not in control. In order to be successful in devotional service we MUST take complete shelter of the Lord and not think for a moment that we can do anything without His mercy.

Humbly praying at the lotus feet of all the Vaishnavas for successful execution of devotional service.

Your Servant, Madhukari Dasa

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ISKCON News.com: Indonesian Constitutional Court Upholds Blasphemy Law

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on 19 Apr 2010
In a major setback for Indonesia's young democracy and fundamental freedoms, the Constitutional Court in Jakarta released its 8-to-1 decision to uphold Indonesia's 1965 law against religious blasphemy.
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ISKCON News.com: Tribes of Amazon Find an Ally Out of 'Avatar'

By Alexei Barrionuevo on 5 May 2010
Stopping the Belo Monte dam in Brazil has become a fresh personal crusade for James Cameron, the director, who came here as indigenous leaders from 13 tribes held a special council to discuss their last-ditch options.
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ISKCON News.com: 'Green' Exercise Quickly 'Boosts Mental Health'

By BBC News on 5 May 2010
Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim.
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Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: reading advice

Srila Prabhupada also said that if you feel mentally tired from one book, then read a different one.

>From ISKCON in the 1970's by SDG

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Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: reading advice

Srila Prabhupada also said that if you feel mentally tired from one book, then read a different one.

>From ISKCON in the 1970's by SDG

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ISKCON News.com: Man Claims To Have Had No Food or Drink for 70 Years

By Dean Nelson for The Telegraph (UK) on 28 Apr 2010
Indian military scientists are studying an 82-year-old who claims he has not had any food or drink for 70 years.
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David Haslam, UK: Care for devotees, more thoughts

Continuing onto the theme of caring for devotees who are unable to come to the temple due to health, or admission to a mental health unit or hospital; I was reminded of the length other groups and organizations go to provide for the needs both spiritually, physically and emotionally. As previously pointed out it would be [...]

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ISKCON News.com: Organic, Small Farmers Fret Over FDA Regulation

By Carolyn Lochhead for The San Francisco Chronicle on 27 Apr 2010
Small farmers in California who have led a national movement away from industrial agriculture face a looming crackdown on food safety that they say is geared to big corporate farms and will make it harder for them to survive.
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ISKCON News.com: Did Earth's Water Come from Space?

CBS News/Discover on 29 Apr 2010
Researchers find evidence suggesting that water arrived as cargo on board asteroids.
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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1967 May 5: "We have to popularize this movement everywhere. If there are three or four mrdangas played at the park and there are about 20 pairs of cymbals then the kirtana will be more beautiful."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967:

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1967 May 5: "If you can organize the sales of my books then there is no question of scarcity of money. I can go on printing so many books. But because the books are not selling nicely, neither there is sufficient money, so I am handicapped."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967:

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 May 5: "So you have got good intelligence, you are born of a great nation, and good family; just utilize this opportunity to finish the business of Krishna Consciousness, without waiting for further incarnation."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968:

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 May 5: "Always there will be obstacles placed in our path by the demons and atheists, but if we can remain pure, nothing will be able to stop this great transcendental movement from spreading God consciousness all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972:

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 May 5: "We have given these houses with the purpose that they should execute devotional service exactly like the Brahmacaris and sannyasis. Otherwise, why purchase houses near the temple?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974:

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Kurma dasa, AU: Trillions of Winters

I awoke very cold this morning; there's a chill in the air in Sydney. Tomorrow I head to the national capital Canberra for a cookery class weekend. I heard it was 1 degree C there a few nights ago. But all this is temporary, and as far as weather talk, well - we've done it so many, many times before...

walt witman:

I know I am deathless ... We have thus far exhausted trillions of winters and summers, There are trillions ahead, And trillions ahead of them.

Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself" from Leaves of Grass, 1st (1855) edition, editor, Malcolm Cowley. New York: Viking, 1959.

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: A SPECIFIC PLAN

There is a specific plan being carried out in this material world. What is this plan?

This cosmic manifestation is a chance for the conditioned souls to go back to Godhead, back to home. As long as they have the domineering mentality which makes them try to lord it over material nature, they are conditioned. But anyone who can understand the plan of the Supreme Lord and cultivate Krsna consciousness is most intelligent.

The creation and destruction of the cosmic manifestation are under the superior guidance of God. Thus the Battle of Kuruksetra was fought according to the plan of God. Arjuna was refusing to fight, but he was told that he should fight in accordance with the desire of the Supreme Lord. Then he would be happy.

If one is in full Krsna consciousness and his life is devoted to the Lord's transcendental service, he is perfect.

Bg 11.33 Purport

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Japa Group: Time, Place and Mind


Start chanting very early in the morning, either with devotees, Tulasi-devi, Thakurji, or in a place free from disturbance. Sit before your Deities or Tulasi-devi and chant prayers to Sri Guru and the parampara, the six Gosvamis and the Panca-tattva. Remember Thakura Haridasa and pray for his mercy. Pray to the holy name to help you chant with full attention, purely, and free from offenses.If the mind starts "jumping," calm it down by prayer, pranayama, or loud chanting.

From the Art of Chanting Hare Krsna by Mahanidhi Swami

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New Vrndavan, USA: Sky Bear Passes Away

Notice to Everyone:

Sky Bear passed away May 2nd at 12:15 AM in the hospice in Orlando, FL.

I don’t have any information on a funeral in FL, but we will be having a memorial for him in 2 weeks, on Sat. May 15 somewhere near Friendsville, MD (about 2 hours from NV).

More details to come or call Lilasuka at 724-926-3032 or email lilasooka@msn.com

Thank you to all who responded to my notices about your fond memories and association with Sky Bear and to those who were able to take the time to visit him and to those who have prayed for him. We told Sky Bear how much everyone in NV was sending love his way and I know he appreciated that.

I have attached a photo of Sky Bear from June 2009.

Hare Krsna.
Lilasuka dasi

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Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: The Trees Serve Krishna

“So we are preaching not any particular type of religion. Religion is described in the English dictionary as “a kind of faith.” Actually, religion does not mean. The Sanskrit word dharma, that dharma means characteristic. It is not a kind of faith — characteristic, or occupational duty. Generally it means characteristic. The characteristic is that every living being, whether it is animal or human being or tree or plants or insect…  Every living being has a particular characteristic that is visible in all kinds of forms of living being. That is service. Everyone is rendering service. “

Bhagavad-gita 7.1 — Sydney, February 16, 1973

“A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be
it is obeying Him. It “consents,” so to speak, to His creative love. It is expressing
an idea which is in God and which is not distinct from the essence of God, and therefore a tree imitates God by being a tree.”

Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation. (New York: New Directions Books, 1961).
p. 29.


Filed under: News, Ramblings or Whatever, Thomas Merton
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Madri dd, South Africa: HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami does BCEC Japa; kirtan and bhajan program at Iskcon Manila, Philippines

Over the last few years HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami has made frequent visits to Iskcon Manila, Philippines where he held various structured courses based on the teachings and books of Iskcon's founder acarya His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. As the founder and Co-international director of Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture (BCEC) he travels extensively to various countries doing such courses thus inspiring the attendees to delve deeper into the studies and practice of the teaching of  His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
 
Maharaj serves prasad to the devotees.

The devotees attending the last Japa, kirtan and bhajan program with HH Bhakti Brhat Bhagavata Swami recently at Iskcon Manilla were blissed out chanting and dancing. The exuberant devotees could hardly stay on the ground.
The presiding Deities at Iskcon Manila are seen in the above picture.
Above the devotee attending the program were inspired to continuously come together and chant in each others association. Many remarked that their japa will never be the same again.
The program continued over four days during which the devotees formed a great bond absorbing themselves in hearing and chanting.

Above the group picture shows that Srila Prabhupada did what no other could do. His teachings continue to make followers in this remote part of the world. Had it not been for him the sublime teachings of the Vedas would have been confined to India.
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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '427' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

4:03 A.M.

I've been getting so many headaches over night that I took preventative medicine on going to bed. I had no head pain during the night, but I woke at twelve and one and two. I finally got up at 2:30 and began chanting. But my mind became filled with worries about our dear friends Nitai Gaurasundara's family in Tennessee. There is emergency flooding there and three hundred people have died. We saw it last night on the weather channel. We should have phoned them immediately, but somehow we thought everything must be alright with them. But it's not their responsibility to call us, it's our responsibility to call them to find out if they're alright. Now we'll have to wait until breakfast time when they are up to call and see what happened. Famous buildings in Nashville were flooded, and we saw a footage of police going down a suburban streets in boats. Last year there was a tornado right in the neighborhood of Nitai Gaurasundara's house and buildings to the left and right of his were damaged and trees were felled but his house was untouched. My chanting was completely distracted with worrying about them. Otherwise I was awake and chanting speedily. After twelve rounds my eyes began to burn, and I stopped chanting.

Japa distracted by worries
for our friends. You
should not have dwelled on
their possible danger but
prayed for their welfare,
chanted evenly in the time of
distress. It does no good
to imagine scenarios of flooding,
but to call on the names for
ultimate protection as they would
have been doing. Pay attention
to harinama, and stay alert
to your practice. That's the
best help you can offer in
a time of suspense.

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Kaunteya das, Mayapura: From Siliguri

Siliguri, North Bengal... perhaps I don't exaggerate if I say that the
ISKCON temple here is the most remarkable structure around.

Siliguri is a peculiar locality; not a great city, but situated at the foot
of the Himalayas (visible on clear days) and as a natural doorway to
Darjeeling, Sikkim and Assam (all in India) and located short distance from
the borders of Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan (which explains the robust
military presence in the area).

I was here ten years or more ago; at that time the ISKCON temple was
basically a big shack on an undeveloped piece of land; the area surrounding
the temple was similarly undeveloped.

But then, we would say surprisingly, a project sprang up with two large
altars (Panca-Tattva and Sri Sri Radha-Madhava-sundara, Lalita and Visakha)
a massive dome (and twelve smaller domes dedicated to the twelve
Maha-janas), a compound with, besides the main temple, 4 other smaller
temples (Sita Rama Lakshmana Hanuman; Jagannatha Subhadra Baladeva and
Sudarsana Chakra -- with Durga/Bimala Devi; Sri Sri Laksmi-Nrisimhadeva;
Lord Siva), a Govinda restaurant (in Chinese Pagoda style) plus a
residential building and guest-house.

There are 45 resident devotees, who mostly have joined locally. The Temple
President, Ananda Bardhana Prabhu, came back a couple of days ago from a
pilgrimage of Vrindavana and Hardwar with 100 members of the devotee
community.

The West Bengal government recently formally allowed the temple to spread
the message of Srimad Bhagavad-gita in eight prisons in the area.

The temple focus on outreach to the local colleges and creating
Bhakti-vriksha groups in town.

So, in this encouraging context, I am going to start, tomorrow morning, the
course "Building Vibrant Vaisnava Communities," with some 33 devotees in
attendance; some having travelled from as far as Agartala (in Tripura) or
Brahmapur (in Orissa). These are the leaders and future leaders of the
ISKCON India Eastern Division. This will be the second course of the
seventeen that the educational program named "ISKCON LEADS" is planning to
organize -- within the umbrella of the GBC Succession Committee initiatives.
The internal sense is one of great responsibility: I am duty-bound to
deliver/facilitate an experience that will prove fruitful, stimulating and
productive in the long-turn. With chief organizer Acaryaratna Prabhu
(Vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata) we are planning some follow-up activities
so as to see at least some of the ideas translated in the realm of action.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'In Mayapur with Prabhupada' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

Prabhupada smaranam

It was raining during a morning in Mayapur, and I held a fancy umbrella over my spiritual master's head. But eventually the rains stopped, and the sky lightened blue. He walked at his customary brisk pace, and the devotees had to hustle to keep up with him. He would start a conversation on his own or be prompted by a question from one of his disciples. He liked to take part in debate, to sharpen our minds and to smash the opposition. "What do they say?" he would ask. "You sometimes take their side. What do they say?" And one of us would come up with an argument which might even be a personal doubt of our own. "They say there is no need for God. Everything happens by chance."  "This is a ludicrous theory," he would say. "What is an example of something happening by chance?" We would either plunge ahead and try to take the asura's role or we would remain quiet and hear Prabhupada argue that the beautiful complex arrangement of material nature could not take place by an accident. There is a brain behind it. We strove to keep up to him, stumbling over the clay clumps in the agriculture field and jockeying to keep a close place beside him so we could hear. Life comes from life was one of his favorite themes. He pointed to a clump of earth in the field and said it would be there tomorrow. It would not move, because it had no life. He compared the agriculture field to the Mayavada realization of oneness without variety. If you had to stay in the field with no activity and no variety, you would prefer to go to Calcutta where there is some life and variety. He was a walking teacher, training his disciples and exercising his agile mind. He would talk on philosophical topics, mostly polemical, for forty minutes to an hour and then return to the temple to give his Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture after guru-puja. It was the best time of the day, as he sharpened our wits and filled us with transcendental nectar from his lecture.

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Finding the Absolute Truth' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

Most people don't accept
Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the
Lord of all the worlds. But
Krishnadasa Kaviraja wrote, "If you
are fond of logic and argument
just apply it to Caitanya.
You will find He is something
wondrous." We invite the world
to investigate this philosophy
in a coolheaded way.

But they have to do so
with submission. Things
which are beyond the scope
of reason have to be
accepted on authority,
with faith. It may
sound contradictory, but
it is the way.

Krishna can be known only
by brahma-sabda, hearing
the transcendental sound vibration.
He is beyond mundane investigation.
He is beyond the stars.
The sun is but the emanation
of His rays. There is such
a person who is the
Supreme. All the spiritual
and material energies emanate
from Him. He is told
as such in all the Vedic
scriptures and supported by
the sages like Vyasa and
Narada.

This comes down in aural
succession since time immemorial.
Five thousand years ago Krishna
spoke it again in Bhagavad-gita.

Those who accept Him
become enlightened about
the workings of the illusory
nature. They learn that
the mind and body are
double prisons and
within the body is the
real self, the atma.

The atma is eternal and
was never born and
never dies. It can't be
killed by weapons.
When you die of
old age your atma
takes on another gross body,
a fresh life and you live
out your karma from the
past.

All these teachings are spoken
by Bhagavan Himself in Bhagavad–
gita
and a sober person will
accept it. He won't think
his self dies with the death
of the body.

You can't get these truths
at the academic university
or by individual speculation
with the mind. You have to
approach a realized spiritual
master who has seen the
truth and learn from him.

Then you will know that
all things are in Krishna and
He is everything. The
teachings won't be merely
theoretical if you practice
the process of bhakti,
loving service to the Lord.

He will reveal to you
in your heart that
you are His, and
He belongs to you and
that you have an
eternal fortune
awaiting you in the
spiritual world.

It can be as real
to you as your
breath and heartbeat
if you just start
practicing chanting Hare
Krishna and hearing from
the perfect sages.
All that I have
said is true, and you
can test it for your self
and realize the
self and the Supreme
in a very short time.

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H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Krishna consciousness in Guyana' from The Yellow Submarine

www.sdgonline.org. SDGonline Daily updates

Free write

These are memories of my visit to Guyana. I stayed at the house of the grihasta couple Harish and Dolly, who are students of Paramatma. Paramatma has a group of about thirty students whom he teaches every weekend, classes in Prabhupada's books, vaishnava etiquette and related topics. Everyday for lunch a small group of devotees gathered and afterwards I gave a class. In the evening about fifty people gathered and I gave another class. From the beginning they asked me to speak about my first experience with Prabhupada in the 1960's, so every night I read from With Prabhupada in the Early Days, which is volume 1 of my three volume series on Letters from Srila Prabhupada. After giving the class I would sign books and distribute them.

Krishna consciousness has been active in Guyana since the early 1970's. There are four ISKCON temples in the country and they are active in preaching to the Hindu descendents who form sixty percent of the population of the country. (Fourty percent are African descent, most of which are Christian.) They hold Sunday feasts, frequent pada-yatras and ratha-yatras. Many initiated devotees have joined in Guyana and a number have emmigrated to the United States where they live in locations like Queens, New York City, where there is a temple that caters mostly to Trinidadian and Guyanese people of that neighborhood. The Guyanese are naturally pious and inclined to take up the chanting of Hare Krishna. ISKCON devotees from Trinidad often visit Guyana and both Trinidad and Guyanese devotees visit and preach in nearby Suriname which has a sizable Hindu population.

My visit to Guyana was relaxed but very busy with giving classes. Paramatma and his wife Nrisimha (who is a good cook) took good care of me in Harish's house. It was difficult to post our journal from the Caribbean due to the slow internet. The devotees are all simple and affectionate and loyal. Although the travel there is long and difficult, I proposed to return but I don't know when.

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: For the sake of His pastimes the Lord and His devotees are willing to accept roles

that apparently compromise their eternal identities. (Varga Theresa/Romania)

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: COME TO YOUR ORIGINAL LOVER

... because I am living within this body, I want to give protection. This is the fact. Just like one protects his country because he lives there. Protects his house, protects his property because he has utilization. Similarly, because we have got utility for this body, we give protection. But when the living entity is no longer there within this body, there is no question of protection. It is thrown away. Even his father, mother or relatives, they take the body and throw away. In a different way, the body is thrown away. It has no more importance.

So, then ultimately it comes that you love yourself. And you love yourself, but the self is the part and parcel of the Supreme Self. Therefore you love yourself because you love the Supreme Self. So therefore, atmanam mat-parayanah. Actually, everyone has got the loving propensity because he loves Krsna. That is natural. So Krsna says that simply by following this process, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji. Mam evaisyasi, you are trying to find out the supreme loveable object. So mam evaisyasi, come and let us live, loving one another. This is the goal of life.

Every one of us, we love Krsna, but we are missing Him. Therefore we are placing our loving propensity wrongly, here, there, here, there, here, there, and we are becoming frustrated. Krsna says that "If you simply follow this process, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah, you come to Me, come to your original lover." So where is the difficulty? To attain the highest perfection of life, where is the difficulty?

- Prabhupada lecture, Bhagavad-gita 9.34 - August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm)

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Akrura das, Gita Coaching: PURE LOVE

Pure love is unmotivated and interrupted.

Pure love is selfless and unconditional.

Pure love is based on the spiritual beauty not bodily beauty.

Pure love never stops.

Pure love between jivas is possible if they love God purely.

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Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: From Avatar to Amazon

From the New York Times

VOLTA GRANDE DO XINGU, Brazil — They came from the far reaches of the Amazon, traveling in small boats and canoes for up to three days to discuss their fate. James Cameron, the Hollywood titan, stood before them with orange warrior streaks painted on his face, comparing the threats on their lands to a snake eating its prey.

André Vieira for The New York Times

The Arara tribe, who live along the Xingu River in Brazil, are among the indigenous peoples who oppose a proposed dam.

The New York Times

The Belo Monte dam could dry up part of the Xingu River.

"The snake kills by squeezing very slowly," Mr. Cameron said to more than 70 indigenous people, some holding spears and bows and arrows, under a tree here along the Xingu River. "This is how the civilized world slowly, slowly pushes into the forest and takes away the world that used to be," he added.

As if to underscore the point, seconds later a poisonous green snake fell out of a tree, just feet from where Mr. Cameron's wife sat on a log. Screams rang out. Villagers scattered. The snake was killed. Then indigenous leaders set off on a dance of appreciation, ending at the boat that took Mr. Cameron away. All the while, Mr. Cameron danced haltingly, shaking a spear, a chief's feathery yellow and white headdress atop his head.

In the 15 years since he wrote the script for "Avatar," his epic tale of greed versus nature, Mr. Cameron said, he had become an avid environmentalist. But he said that until his trip to the Brazilian Amazon last month, his advocacy was mostly limited to the environmentally responsible way he tried to live his life: solar and wind energy power his Santa Barbara home, he said, and he and his wife drive hybrid vehicles and do their own organic gardening.

"Avatar" — and its nearly $2.7 billion in global tickets sales — has changed all that, flooding Mr. Cameron with kudos for helping to "emotionalize" environmental issues and pleas to get more involved.

Now, Mr. Cameron said, he has been spurred to action, to speak out against the looming environmental destruction endangering indigenous groups around the world — a cause that is fueling his inner rage and inspiring his work on an "Avatar" sequel.

"Any direct experience that I have with indigenous peoples and their plights may feed into the nature of the story I choose to tell," he said. "In fact, it almost certainly will." Referring to his Amazon trip, he added, "It just makes me madder."

Mr. Cameron is so fired up, in fact, that he said he was planning to go back to the Amazon this week, this time with Sigourney Weaver and at least another member of the "Avatar" cast in tow.

The focus is the huge Belo Monte dam planned by the Brazilian government. It would be the third largest in the world, and environmentalists say it would flood hundreds of square miles of the Amazon and dry up a 60-mile stretch of the Xingu River, devastating the indigenous communities that live along it. For years the project was on the shelf, but the government now plans to hold an April 20 auction to award contracts for its construction.

Stopping the dam has become a fresh personal crusade for the director, who came here as indigenous leaders from 13 tribes held a special council to discuss their last-ditch options. It was Mr. Cameron's first visit to the Amazon, he said, even though he based the fictional planet in "Avatar" on Amazon rain forests. Still, he found the real-life similarities to the themes in his movie undeniable.

The dam is a "quintessential example of the type of thing we are showing in 'Avatar' — the collision of a technological civilization's vision for progress at the expense of the natural world and the cultures of the indigenous people that live there," he said.

Mr. Cameron said that he was writing a letter to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urging him to reconsider the dam and that he would press for a meeting with the president. "They need to listen to these people here," he said.

Mr. Cameron, 55, first encountered the cause in February, after being presented with a letter from advocacy organizations and Native American groups saying they wanted Mr. Cameron to highlight "the real Pandoras in the world," referring to the lush world under assault in his movie.

Atossa Soltani, executive director of Amazon Watch, who accompanied him on his trip last month, said Mr. Cameron lit up at the idea of learning more, saying he had grown up in the Canadian woods and had even logged thousands of hours underwater exploring the world's oceans.

As for Mr. Cameron's Amazon adventure, it got off to a rocky start. The boat he traveled to the village in flooded when a hose became disconnected. Mr. Cameron chipped in, grabbing a plastic bucket to help bail for a few hours in the searing midday heat, he and others on the boat said.

Many of the indigenous leaders he was planning to meet with had never heard of him before, much less seen his movie. All they knew was that "a powerful ally" would be attending their gathering, Ms. Soltani said.

So, the night before Mr. Cameron and his wife, Suzy Amis, arrived with three bodyguards, a dozen or so villagers gathered in the house of José Carlos Arara, the chief of the Arara tribe here, to watch a DVD of "Avatar."

"What happens in the film is what is happening here," said Chief Arara, 30.

The morning after Mr. Cameron's party arrived in the village, Chief Arara led them on a walk through the rain forest. Mr. Cameron, almost mirroring the enraptured scientists in his movie, was calm but wide-eyed, peppering the chief with questions about the local fauna and flora and traditional indigenous ways. In seconds, the chief showed how he could fashion ankle braces from leaves to help him scale an açaí tree.

The leaders then invited Mr. Cameron to participate in their meeting. He sat at a small wooden school desk as they made speeches condemning the impending dam and the Brazilian government. Mr. Cameron seemed to tear up when some leaders said they would be willing to die to stop the dam.

Finally, Mr. Cameron was asked to speak. He stood and complimented the leaders on their unity, saying they needed to fight off efforts by the government to divide them and weaken their resistance.

"That is what can stop the snake; that is what can stop the dam," he said.

A rush of applause swept through the crowd. When the real snake fell from the tree, the director seemed unfazed. After clearing it away, indigenous leaders thanked him with gifts. One gave him a spear, another a black and red necklace of seeds. A third, Chief Jaguar from the Kaiapo nation, one of Brazil's most respected, gave him his headdress before the dances in Mr. Cameron's honor began.

"It's not like there is any pressure on me or anything," he said, half-joking, moments before boarding the boat. "These people really are looking for me to do something about their situation. We have to try to stop this dam. Their whole way of life, their society as they know it, depends on it."

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Gouranga TV: Lecture – Giriraj Swami – SB 9.4.29 Marriage in Spiritual Life


Lecture - Giriraj Swami - SB 9.4.29 Marriage in Spiritual Life



Lecture - Giriraj Swami - SB 9.4.29 Marriage in Spiritual Life

TRANSLATION

To worship Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, along with his queen, who was equally qualified, observed the vow of Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī for one year.

PURPORT

To observe Ekādaśī-vrata and Dvādaśī-vrata means to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those interested in advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness must observe Ekādaśī-vrata regularly. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa's queen was equally as qualified as the King. Therefore it was possible for Mahārāja Ambarīṣa to engage his life in household affairs. In this regard, the word tulya-śīlayā is very significant. Unless a wife is equally as qualified as her husband, household affairs are very difficult to continue. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita advises that a person in such a situation should immediately give up household life and become a vānaprastha or sannyāsī:

mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti
bhāryā cāpriya-vādinī
araṇyaḿ tena gantavyaḿ
yathāraṇyaḿ tathā gṛham

A person who has no mother at home and whose wife is not agreeable with him should immediately go away to the forest. Because human life is meant for spiritual advancement only, one's wife must be helpful in this endeavor. Otherwise there is no need of household life.

TRADUCCIÓN

Para adorar al Señor Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa y su reina, que era tan cualificada como él, observaron el voto de Ekādaśī y Dvādaśī durante un año.

SIGNIFICADO

Observar Ekādaśī-vrata y Dvādaśī-vrata significa complacer a la Suprema Personalidad de Dios. Quienes deseen avanzar en el cultivo de conciencia de Kṛṣṇa deben observar regularmente el Ekādaśī-vrata. La reina de Mahārāja Ambarīṣa era tan cualificada como él. Por esa razón, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa podía ocupar su vida en asuntos domésticos. En relación con esto, es muy significativa la palabra tulya-śīlayā. Si la esposa no es tan cualificada como su marido, es muy difícil que la vida doméstica pueda sostenerse. A la persona en esa situación, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita le aconseja que abandone la vida familiar y entre en la vida de vānaprastha o de sannyāsī:

mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti
bhāryā cāpriya-vādinī
araṇyaḿ tena gantavyaḿ
yathāraṇyaḿ tathā gṛham

Una persona que no vive con su madre, y cuya esposa no congenia con él, debe irse inmediatamente al bosque. Puesto que el único objetivo de la vida humana es el avance espiritual, la esposa debe ayudar en ese esfuerzo. De lo contrario, no hay necesidad de continuar en la vida de casado.


Lecture – Giriraj Swami – SB 9.4.29 Marriage in Spiritual Life

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Deva Gaura Hari, AU: eternalyouthmedia

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