"Planet ISKCON" - 38 new articles
Book Distribution News: Who's in Maya?One day, during our mid year marathon in Sydney, bhakta Josh, bhakta Sean and I all went to Cronulla Beach for some sandy sankirtan nectar! Unfortunately I was not distributing many books at all so I took the opportunity to just try and relish the taste of duty to the spiritual master. My weapons, my stopping lines were all futile. I tried all the different styles. Funny ones like "Are you together or just trying to keep warm?" (its winter in Sydney) or "Are you an umbrella salesman?" Serious ones like "Are you an undercover policeman?" Or even intellectual ones like "Are you a professor or a scientist?" In my desperate struggle to impress Krsna by being the doer I was stopping anyone whom entered my arms reach. But all day nothing was working. I thought to myself "hhhhhmmmm I'll bet that in this vulnerable position Maya is about to send me a knock out blow with one of her finest agents." Then suddenly...... she appeared. She had all the qualifications to bewildered a wounded soldier. I said to Josh "Look out here comes Maya Devi." As she got closer I said "Excuse me. Did Maya send you?" she looked at me perplexed and said, "What?" "Maya sent you right?" I said. She was intrigued. She stopped. She was confused. "Don't worry" I said, "We are monks. Check this out (I handed her a book), meditation, yoga, etc. etc." And..... she took a book. With full enthusiasm! I couldn't believe the only person interested taking a book about Krsna was the personification of maya. Although, to be safe I kept it very short and formal. I learnt from this experience that Maya is actually a devotee and it is I that is the deviant. Your impudent servant, Dhruvananda Dasa (Text D:2945669) ------------------------------------------- ------- End of Forwarded Message ------ H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Photos from October, 2005 Lima – Peru
H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Ayurveda 101 PolishAn article on Ayurveda in Polish is available for download. Ajurweda 101 (Polish) – Ayurveda H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Photos from UkraineH.H. Prahladananda Swami: New "Hope This Meets You in Good Health" in LithuanianA New edition of “Hope This Meets You in Good Health” is available for download in Lithuanian. Lithuanian Vol. 2 Health and Welfare Magazine 2010 H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '454' from The Yellow Submarine3:47 A.M.I woke with a headache around 9:30 P.M. and took medicine. I went back to sleep and woke with the alarm at 2:30 A.M. without a headache. I began my chanting, and it went alright. read more from SDGonline - daily updates from The Yellow Submarine: My Bhajana Kutir journal H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Appearance Day of Srila Bhakisiddhanta Sarasvati' from The Yellow SubmarinePrabhupada Smaranam
It is the occasion of the appearance day of Bhakisiddhanta Sarasvati, Srila Prabhupada's spiritual master and the grand spiritual master of Prabhupada's disciples. He is simultaneously earnestly worshipping his Guru Maharaja and setting an example for his disciples. He is demonstrating the parampara to them. They should not think he comes to them in all his sanctity unconnected to the chain of spiritual masters. He has told his disciples that his qualification is that he has one hundred percent faith in his spiritual master and that his strength comes from strictly following the orders of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. He has come to the west, to America, because his spiritual master ordered him to do so. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati requested him to speak to western people on their very first meeting and then again in a letter he received just two weeks before he passed away from the world. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati also told him, "If ever you get money, print books," and he is doing that in grand and faithful style. On the occasion of the observation of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's appearance, Prabhupada performed arati before a picture of his spiritual master and he spoke a lecture, outlining some of the highpoints and milestones in his relationship with his Guru Maharaja. Near the end of the lecture Prabhupada's voice cracked, and he was overcome with emotion as he thanked his disciples for helping him to carry out his spiritual master's orders. This demonstration, and the worship of Srila Prabhupada unto Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati drew his disciples closer to him and convinced them of his bona fide nature and his unique position. It renewed and increased their devotion to Srila Prabhupada and helped them to understand the true process of guru-parampara and Prabhupada's position as Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's most empowered preacher. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'The Struggle to Succeed' from The Yellow Submarine1.I can tell of Krishna to a world
Gradually try to lead them
There must be a person
He simply engages with
2.I'm a preacher for the Lord
From ingrained faith I
But I'm so feeble.
Everything is possible. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Trees of Childhood' from The Yellow SubmarineFree write  Trees remind me of childhood. You used to lie on your back in the grass and look up at the tall trees above you. These tree trunks are very thick. If they weren't too thick and you were very limber and athletic you could hug onto the trunk and shimmy your way up to the first thick branch. Then you could climb out onto that branch and sit on it. If you were daring you could climb up to the next branch but you have to be careful or you could slip and fall and break your neck and back. Aborigine human beings climb up tree trunks as easily as monkeys do. Sometimes boys or their fathers build tree huts on thick branches and they serve as confidential club houses for "boys only". In the material world Srila Prabhupada has written that trees should not be cut down except for printing ISKCON books. And sometimes they maybe cleared to make space for agricultural development. In his Siksastakam verse Lord Caitanya advises that a devotee should be "as tolerant as a tree". Prabhupada explains that people cut their initials in trees or cut of branches and the tree never complains. A devotee who always chants the Hare Krishna mantra may meet many obstacles—people may complain or arrest him for disturbing the peace, but he has to go on chanting and be as tolerant as a tree. The trees' non-complaining attitude is a virtue but it is also a sign of lower consciousness. Trees are low on the scale of living species. A person who is very lusty may be forced to take his next birth as a tree where he can indulge in standing naked. But standing naked in the freezing weather is a form of punishment. (The demigod brothers Nalakuvara and Manigriva were punished for their drunken nakedness by having to take birth as trees) Trees have long lives. Some giant trees like the Sequoias live thousands of years. But Srimad-Bhagavatam states it is better to have a moment of full consciousness, than to live a long life like that of a tree in which there is no opportunity for self realization. The trees in the spiritual world are liberated and can live eternally and have blissful exchanges and service to Krishna and His friends. Krishna and the gopas like to pick fruits from the trees and use them as balls in games or eat them and find them wonderfully delicious. There is a great difference between spiritual and material trees but even material trees should be respected and for the most part allowed to live out their duration of live so that they may evolve in the progressive process of transmigration. Krishna-kripa das, Mayapura: Travel Journal#6.9b: Belgium and HollandDiary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 6, No. 9b (Sent from Munich, Germany, on June 1, 2010) Highlights Unexpected Adventure in Den Haag and Delft Insights from Prahladananda Swami, Dhananjaya Prabhu, Lilasuka Prabhu, and Others Where I Was and What I Did While at Sacinandana Swami's wonderful holy name retreat at Radhadesh, which I described in a previous issue, I met Janmastami Prabhu, who I had done harinama with Belgium and Holland, and Krishna Vidhi Prabhu, who I had done harinama with in London. By Krishna's mercy, I was able to schedule two harinamas with their help. These were in Namur and Leuven, Belgium, new cities for me, on the last day of the retreat and the day after, respectively. Then I stayed with Janmastami at our Antwerp temple, doing three harinamas, and the Tuesday nama-hatta program at Krishna-priya's house. In Antwerp, Sunday morning is market day and many, many shoppers heard the holy name, some quite happily. There were just a few grumbling vendors in the beginning. Next I went to Amsterdam, and did harinama there three days, and on to Den Haag for the Sunday feast, where I did harinama there after the feast with three feast goers, and the next day in Delft, both new cities for me in Holland. The whole visit to Den Haag and Delft was just dreamed up at the last minute, and it was an unexpected success for me. I spent another day doing harinama at Amsterdam, and went to Germany for the upcoming Munich Ratha-yatra and Nrsimha festival at our Bavarian farm, Simhachalam. The afternoon after Sacinandana Swami's Holy Name retreat, twelve devotees chanted in Namur, a city of about 100,000 about 60 km from Radhadesh in the French-speaking part of Belgium. It seemed at first like the people were unfamiliar with the devotees, and some were even afraid to look at them. We walked through the city to a busy street corner, just across from the main train station and near a bus stop, where we chanted most of the time. I let a variety of devotees lead the chanting, because I like to encourage people in chanting, only reminding them, from time to time, to focus on the Hare Krishna mantra. One devotee lady complained I should just let the best singers chant. Of course, if only the best singers chant, then the others do not get any practice and consequently do not improve, and sometimes they even feel discouraged. It is a case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Although in the beginning it looked like there was very little interest in Namur, as time passed, the devotees became more and more enthusiastic, and the onlookers became more attracted. We even distributed all our invitations in one hour of the two-hour event. After all, we just spent a week glorifying the holy name, and so we really believed in what we were doing, and we were really fired up. It was a very positive experience for me, and I was happy to see that so many devotees wanted to take part. Leuven is a college town a little more than midway between Radhadesh and Antwerp, in the Flemish part of Belgium. We had five devotees initially, and then a party of three book distributor joined. Many tourists took pictures of our party, including a man from Egpyt, a lady from Spain, and a girl scout from another part of Belgium. The girls scouts had a great time dancing with us. I asked the three photographers to send me their pictures, but none of them did. It is not such a surprise. Only 10 to 20% of the time do people send me pictures when I ask them to. Once a man did, and one of his pictures was ultimately used on the mantra page of Back to Godhead. Thus I often ask when I do not have a camera or see any devotees with a camera. I like to do three hours of harinama a day, but Janmastami Prabhu was so enthusiastic we stayed out another hour. The devotees in Amsterdam headed by temple president, Dhananjaya Prabhu, go on harinama in the crowded area between the Amsterdam Centraal railway station and Dam Square, each Thursday and Saturday. One devotee couple, Sandor and Laksmi, comes from Rotterdam each week to join. Sandor likes to take videos of the party. So here we have the Thursday harinama led by Dhananjaya Prabhu: http://www.youtube.com/user/harekrishnarotterdam#p/u/18/LdVW9q3x4yw And the Saturday harinama led by me: http://www.youtube.com/user/harekrishnarotterdam#p/a/u/0/XNuj3-JX_l4 For unscheduled harinamas on Friday and Tuesday, we took the bike with its box on the front, filled with instruments, books, and one time, prasadam. On Friday, Bhaktas Alexander and Ric joined me. A group of girls visited our book table, and one of them convinced her friends to buy two books, because she liked them herself. One homeless guy joined and played the tambourine for half an hour. Later a man came by with a stringed instrument that you pluck, and played with us for twenty minutes quite happily. On Tuesday, I made some fried potato balls with ingredients left over from the Sunday feast, which we served with chutney, also from the feast. One lady offered to sell us a new unused harmonium for 130 euros. One young man, who had several books, wanted aBhagavad-gita, but the devotee in charge of bringing books only had Srimad-Bhagavatams. I hope he learned from the incident that one should always bring out Bhagavad-gita. If I had brought the books out, I would have included the Gita because it is our main book for the general populace. It is also the most famous of our books. Unexpected Adventure in Den Haag and Delft I was hoping to give the Sunday Feast lecture in Amsterdam, but I lost track of the temple president's email address and couldn't inform him of my visit in time, and so he advertised another speaker and did not want to change. I am familiar with the idea of not wanting to change an advertised speaker, as I generally feel the same way. Since Bhakta Ric was very familiar with Den Hagg, having lived there, and was even asked to give the lecture himself, I asked if he could arrange that I speak there. So he did, and we both went to Den Haag for the Sunday feast. I had given a lecture in Amsterdam and Rotterdam but never Den Haag, so I saw it as a good opportunity. I gave different references from Bhagavad-gita about the existence of a higher transcendental pleasure. I explained the difference between material consciousness and spiritual consciousness and between material pleasure and spiritual pleasure and told how to attain spiritual pleasure through c connecting the Lord by practicing bhakti-yoga. After the class, I mentioned I would like to go on harinama the next day. By the end of the evening, six devotees told me they wanted to go on the harinama. We settled on Delft, a small city nearby, where one of the devotees lived. Except for me, all the devotees were relatively new, and I was impressed to see their enthusiasm. One couple, Tim and Rose, even stayed after the Sunday feast to do more chanting for forty minutes, and then when I suggested we do a harinama around the block, Rose joyfully and immediately agreed, and so we did. Delft is a pretty town with lots of historic buildings and some waterways. The cobblestone streets reminded me of Albany, NY, where I lived in my youth, also originally founded by the Dutch. All six devotees who promised they would come on harinama did, which was itself rare. Beyond that even Sandor and Laksmi from Rotterdam came as well. http://www.youtube.com/user/harekrishnarotterdam#p/u/14/NNezq87zVUo Many of us took turns leading the chanting, and we all were in a joyful mood, although we did not experience many especially positive interactions with people. One young man I talked was not at all interested in religion; he just liked to see people singing in the streets. Nonetheless, one devotee, Jeanette, talked to several people and ended up selling a book. We chanted a little over two hours, and I encouraged the devotees to do harinama more regularly in the Den Haag/Delft area. Although Amsterdam has two days of harinama each week and Rotterdam has one, the Den Haag devotees do not have a regular weekly harinama despite the fact that many of them love to chant. Insights from Lectures Here we find a glorification of old age. This is rare. Why is this? It is an impetus for spiritual life. Some say reason comes with old age, but for some, old age comes by itself. As new devotees we thought we were transcendental, so we did not worry what we ate or how much we ate. Then at age forty, we realized the importance of our body, and we started taking care of our health, and for some, it became a fulltime service. On the way back from a doctor's appointment, Srila Prabhupada saw a movie theatre with a film entitled, "Is There Sex After Death?" Srila Prabhupada spoke about it in his morning class. "Tell them they do not have to worry. There is sex in 8,400,000 species of life. If they know that, they would not have to worry." Researchers fed rats a breakfast cereal to test its nutrition value. The rats, however, ate the box and not the cereal. People are eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, and in the past, they were eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, and I can predict, as an ISKCON astrologer, that in five billion years, people will be eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Srila Prabhupada said, "Do you see that tree?" I said, "Yes." Srila Prabhupada replied, "Do you see the bird in the tree?" I didn't, but I took his word for it. He then continued, "The bird knows tomorrow there will be worms to eat, and he has his female bird, so he has no anxiety. He knows everything will be taken care of. Why then are you in anxiety?" Old age makes us more serious. Srila Prabhupada said that there is a television in our heart whereby we can see the activities of the spiritual world. But unfortunately it is broken. Our movement is a transcendental TV repair movement. Q (by Sacinandana Swami): I am intrigued by how Srila Prabhupada says the bird was carefree. I find as I age, I have more anxiety. Tell me about how the devotee is free from anxiety. A: We are confident that we are going back to Godhead, so for us there is no anxiety. Without that transcendental realization, we can try to be peaceful, but that will not be substantial. One vending machine, which accepts credit cards, located in a seven star hotel in a Gulf state sells bars of gold. American Express has a black card above the platinum card, which you can use to buy an airplane or a yacht. But the heavenly planets offer thousands of times the sense enjoyment than the rich people on earth can experience. Still all this is a phantasmagoria for the liberated souls. When someone gave Srila Prabhupada a piece of clothing as a gift, Srila Prabhupada would give some of his clothing to that person. My name means winner of wealth. Srila Prabhupada said better than wealth is devotees, and he assigned me the task of making devotees the day after my initiation. When I was in London we gave Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, maha garlands from Radha-Londonesvara in Great Children's Party in Hyde Park in 1979. We also engaged one young girl named Yamuna, who was dressed up as Krishna to be in a play, to give a garland to Margaret Thatcher, the first lady prime minister. Srila Prabhupada said objects like comets, asteroids, and meteor were debris from the fights between the demons and demigods. The metallic meteorites were debris from objects like Salva's amazing flying city of iron, which had many paranormal abilities. Maha-Vishnu Goswami told us in Vrndavana that one must study each verse of the Bhagavatam in light of its catur-sloki (SB 2.9.33–36), the four verses that summarize the text. Similarly, one must study each verse of the Bhagavad-gita in light of its catur-sloki (Bg. 10.8–11). From the point of view of Krishna, all his energies are spiritual. Material does not exist for Him. For us, the material vision exists in our consciousness when we see things separately from Krishna, and we imagine things being for our own enjoyment. Krishna explains to Uddhava that the liberated soul sees the material world as a dream. The Buddhists say everything is zero, the Sankarites say everything is one, and then Madhvacarya said everything is two. Lord Caitanya later explained how we and our Lord are one and two simultaneously. This knowledge of sambandha removes the covering of our consciousness in the form of lust, greed, and anger, the doors to hell, which led to degradation of the soul. Krishna is the embodiment of rasa, or happiness, but we are looking to enjoy the rasa of the material world. We are doing guru puja. That is the most important part of the morning program because by the mercy of the guru one gets Krishna. If we have a slump in our spiritual life, it is due lack of hearing properly. Either we do not hear, or we do not hear with attention. During the British rule in India, two Britishers had an argument, and one brahmana witnessed the whole thing and so he was brought before the judge. He did not know English, so he had to have a translator. The judge asked if he had heard the argument, and he replied that he heard every word. The judge found it hard to believe because the brahmana did not know English, so he asked thebrahmana to speak what he heard. The brahmana recited both side of the argument that he had heard. That is hearing with attention! Hearing from Srila Prabhupada personally, Prahladananda Swami realized that what Srila Prabhupada spoke and what he wrote in his books is the same. In the beginning of spiritual life, we must reject our identity with the mind. We are an eternal part of Krishna. That is our identity. Because of our conditioning, this is hard to understand. Once a reporter asked Srila Prabhupada to summarize his philosophy, and Srila Prabhupada explained that a human being without religion is an animal, and our mission is to bring everyone to the human platform. This sounds like strong language, but when we analyze we can see the animal is simply concerned his sense gratification, and therefore a human being who has that same mentality is not better than an animal. We can explain spiritual ideas to an animal very nicely, but it is of no use, for the animal cannot understand. Chanting on the daily harinama is important because it gives people a chance to hear the holy name and thus be purified. Here old age (jara) is called Kalakanya, the daughter (kanya) of time (kala). Krishna identifies Himself with time at least three places in Bhagavad-gita: 10.30 kalah kalayatam aham–Of subduers I am time. 10.33 aham evaksayah kala–I am inexhaustible time. 11.32 kalo 'smi …–Time, I am, … I see the influence of time and old age in my life. Since 2000, I knew one devotee who left his or her body each year, four in 2007, and five in 2008. So many, Gopa-gopisvara Prabhu, Sunita Prabhu, Param Brahma Prabhu, Tapana Misra HDG Prabhu, even Nirguna Prabhu, who taught yoga, and Sadaputa Prabhu, who I worked with for seventeen years. When you are young your friends are young and rarely die. So now I see all these people ten years older than me leaving their bodies one after another. I see symptoms of old age in my own body. I saw when I ran up the library stairs, two at a time, after two flights, I felt like I would have a heart attack, so I had to add an exercise program to my life. I couldn't see a combination on lock at night without getting bifocals. My hair is become gray. I can't eat so much. In Lvov, Ukraine, while running to catch a train, I blacked out and hit my head on the steps of the train station. What should to do? Increase my bhakti (devotion) so I am sure to attain Krishna at the end of life. When asked by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami about how to take spiritual life more seriously, Srila Prabhupada told him to keep death in front in his mind. It is our final exam. Sacinandana Swami told us he increased by chanting one more round each year. Each year, I chant one more on each Ekadasi. Before we find out about Krishna consciousness, we are doing 0% devotional service and 100% material activities, and now our goal is 100% devotional service and 0% material activities, and so we must always be increasing our devotional service and decreasing our material activities. In chapter eight of Bhagavad-gita, when Krishna talks about remembering Him at the time of death in the verse, Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport to chant Hare Krishna. In the purport to verse five, he puts the entire Hare Krishna mantra twice just, emphasize it. Vasudeva KKS Prabhu: By service, our knowledge matures from theoretical knowledge to realized knowledge. When we go to the morning program and try our best to pay attention, even if it is difficult, we feel pleased because Krishna is pleased with our austerity. Unless we read Srila Prabhupada's books regularly, we will not have the vision to motivate us to perform the austerities that will purify us from the material conception of life. In Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.28–29, Srila Prabhupada says in the purport that both the workers in the prison and the prisoners are controlled by the laws of the king, but if the king enters the prison he is not subjected to any such control. Krishna's position is like that. We can only really preach if we are absorbed in devotional service, just like Srila Prabhupada's analogy of the iron rod in the fire. If the iron rod is steadily in the fire, it will become burning hot, and other things can become hot by its association. The Dutch have a saying, "Mopping while the tap is open." It refers to the same kind of foolishness as "starting a fire while pouring water on it." ----- keha gadagadi yaya, keha ta' hunkara dekhi' anandita hana hase malakara "When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the great gardener [of the tree of love of God], sees that people are chanting, dancing and laughing and that some of them are rolling on the floor and some are making loud humming sounds, He smiles with great pleasure." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 9.50)  Kurma dasa, AU: Jesus in IndiaStories of Jesus in India date back to the 19th century, and today find mention in a plethora of texts by scholars of varied persuasions — Islamic, Buddhist and Christian. Hints of this subject came to me during my late teenage years, around the ages of 16 or 17. A friend of my mother, a clairvoyant Dutch lady named Lha (who had lived for years in Tibet) introduced me to many concepts and ideas of things paranormal, mystical, and spiritual. She proclaimed to my parents that their son was a gifted soul that would soon have his real spiritual path revealed to him. I recall this very clearly.
Not long after this pronouncement, I met the Hare Krishna devotees, through a number of encounters that defied co-incidence. My mother, working in an Indian handicrafts boutique in late 1970, sold a shaven-headed man whom she described as 'a saffron clad monk' a set of enamel-inlaid brass vases. This was Upananda, and the altar-ware was for the very first tiny Hare Krishna Temple in Sydney's inner-city Potts Point. Not long after, another early missionary named Upendra stopped my father in rush-hour after-work pedestrian traffic and sold him a pamphlet describing the ancient science of Bhakti that had just taken root in Sydney. My father came home and handed the single-sided document to me. The rest is history. But I digress. Scholar and prolific author Steven Knapp has published a fascinating account of the missing years of Jesus. Have a read... Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: a prayer of the four KumarasO Lord, we pray that You let us be born in any hellish condition of life, just as long as our hearts and minds are always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet, our words are made beautiful [by speaking of Your activities] just as tulasi leaves are beautified when offered unto Your lotus feet, and as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities. SB 3.15.49 text Kripamoya dasa, UK: Cheerful Festival in England's North
No, its not Sydney harbour in Australia, even though there’s an Opera House there too, its Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north of England. (Picture by Matthew Roberts) I spent a few days in Newcastle-upon-Tyne last week. Its a city in England’s north-east where the inhabitants have a unique and immediately recognizable dialect, historic connections with monasteries, mining and industry, and a fondness for racing pigeons and thin greyhound-like dogs known as whippets They also like growing leeks. Alright, so the last three are stereotypes belonging to my father’s generation, but you’ll still find old men in Newcastle who fit that description. My father grew up in Forest Hall, a district out towards the coast, some ten miles from the city. I was there to join the local Krishna devotees in their celebration of the Narasimha festival. The temple is inside a former bank, and is of a very strong construction. The maha-mantra has been chiselled in the stone of the building by a local stonemason who is also a devotee. Nicely decorated inside, it is a warm and bright place, with a group of friendly devotees to welcome visitors. The day before the festival saw me out on harinam sankirtan for a couple of hours. The Saturday shoppers seemed very friendly and many of them waved or came to speak with the devotees. We have had a presence in Newcastle for more than 20 years now, so people have grown to accept the Krishna consciousness people as a part of the local scene. Sunday was the day of the weekly Feast and Festival and this week’s theme was the Appearance of Lord Narasimhadeva. Two dances were followed by a very enjoyable 50-minute play with dramatic ending. Narasimha made His appearance from an unexpected part of the temple ‘wall.’ I gave a talk and led the arati kirtan afterwards, and the whole event was topped by a feast, the like of which I had not seen since the early days of ISKCON in England. Dhananjaya das was the chief cook. The altar was beautiful with the five flower-decorated forms of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates. If you are ever in the north of England, please do go and visit this gem of a temple. Here are some pictures taken by local photographer Trevor Smith:
      H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Bacteria Found in Cow Dung Can Make You SmarterResearchers from the Sage Colleges in Troy, NY, reported today their findings that specific bacteria common to our environment may increase learning behavior. Dorothy Matthews and Susan Jenks, who conducted the study, shared their findings with those in attendance at the meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego. The bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, is [...] Japa Group: Chanted At A Regular Pace
I felt a bit sleepy but chanted at a regular pace. I have now done eight rounds. I took shelter of the holy names as I passed the words quietly through my mind. From Bhajan Kutir #452  H.H. Sivarama Swami: Sivarama Swami and Niranjana SwamiNew Vrndavan, USA: One Mile of Bliss: New Vrindaban Country Style Rathyatra Festival
This is your invitation to experience a sweet time with Lord Jagannath in the hills of West Virginia New Vrindaban’s Annual Rathyatra A MILE OF BLISS! Saturday July 10 Begins 12:00 Noon (Across from brown artificial log house–one mile before the temple) Sri Sri Garua- Nitai will lead the procession Continuous Kirtans His Holiness Candramauli Swami will dance into your hearts Fabulous American Picnic Style Prasad Vendors of devotional goods welcomed! Special Evening Feature: Jagannath Swan Boat & Fireworks Dedicated to His Divine Grace, A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ISKCON Founder Acharya Contact: 304-845-9591 for information Accommodation: 304-843-1600 ext. 111
H.H. Sivarama Swami: This is 4 hours of kirtan from Govinda Swami, Sivarama Swami and Madhava PrabhuGauranga Kishore das,USA: Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Installation in New Ramen Reti, Alachua Florida (pictures)      Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Ki Jaya!!! The cowherd girls said: O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Mahārāja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vṛndāvana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision. Dressed in a charming variety of garments, upon which Their garlands rest, and decorating Themselves with peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They sing. (SB 10.21.7-8)  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1962 June 1: "Yesterday evening I have come to Vrindaban for a flying visit and shall return to Delhi on Monday to attend the Jayal meeting on Tuesday morning. I am glad to see that my Thursday lectures have brought some changes in the mind of the young offenders. If the lectures are continued I am sure to turn these offenders into saintly characters."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1966 June 1: "Trayodasi. Today Immigration and Naturalization Office gave me one extension up to 17th September 1966. In the evening there was meeting about 16 heads. Bob came with some flour. I required some flour and Krishna sent it.  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1967 June 1: "I came here with a great mission to execute my Spiritual Master's order. I'm not afraid of Maya, I know Maya cannot touch me, but still if I die in this condition, my mission will remain unfulfilled. Please pray to Prabhu Lord Caitanya and Vrindaban Bihar. I wish to live for a few days more."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1968 June 1: "Your humbleness is very much appreciated by me. A Krishna Conscious person is never puffed-up. A Krishna Consciousness person thinks always about himself as the lowest and the more one thinks like that the more one becomes elevated."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1969 June 1: "This Krishna Consciousness Movement is actually an attempt to make all people happy and become liberated in this life from material contamination so they'll be eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God after quitting this body."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1969 June 1: "As soon as one's service is recognized by Krishna, one is immediately called, 'Please come here.' So we should work in such a nice way that we can draw the attention of Krishna to call us. Live for hundred years and execute this Krishna consciousness Movement so that in this very life you shall enter into the abode of Krishna."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1972 June 1: "Push on vigorously distributing our literatures widely and showing always a good example of real Krishna Consciousness way of life. I am making many Sannyasis here in America and I am convinced our movement must run on this extensive traveling and preaching system."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1973 June 1: "The demolition of our temple by the municipality has strengthened our position. Immediately reconstruct the Deity shed and put up barbed wire fencing. And in front of the Deity shed, a temporary pandal should immediately be constructed. This is my desire."  H.H. Sivarama Swami: Govinda Maharaja’s class on Nrsimha-caturdasiDandavats.com: Hare Krishna" chants Park Ranger in Grand CanyonDr Prayag Narayan Misra: To quote from Wikipedia," the Vishnu Schist was named by geologist Charles Walcott in the 1880s after Vishnu Temple, a prominent rock formation on the north side of the canyon near Cape Royale Dandavats.com: Launch of Gap Year 2011 in MayapurSukanti Radha dasi: Are you tired of mundane studying? Thinking of taking a gap year? Don't know where to go! Well no need to think further as Mayapur Worldwide and Mayapur Institute of Higher Education (MIHET) has just launched a brand new "Gap Year 2011" programme during Nrsingadev Caturdasi. H.H. Sivarama Swami: Completing reading from chapter 27 of Nava-vraja Mahima
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Initiation photosfrom Nrsimha Caturdasi in New Vraja Dhama Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: The Evolution of Cartoon Science  Image: Rex May aka Baloo. Evolution: Sophisticated science, or child's play? National Geographic Society recently devoted an entire issue to Charles Darwin and his speculations regarding the origin of species. Their agenda was to show how Darwin's ideas are now widely accepted by scientists and researchers while most religious leaders reject Darwin due to their blind faith in scriptures. They quoted Srila Prabhupada briefly, and out of context, saying, "Darwin's ideas are nonsense." The entire issue was aimed at showing how modern science is confirming the fundamentals of Darwin's ideas regarding the evolution of species; yet instead of providing substantial evidence, they simply glorified Darwin and offered imaginative narratives on how species might have transformed themselves through mysterious mutations. Evolutionists claim that most leading scientists now support Darwin's hypothesis that all life has evolved from simple compounds and that every species has improved itself automatically through chance mutations and the process of natural selection. National Geographic Society, Discovery Channel, Science Channel and most of the academic community, apparently, have suspended scientific thinking when it comes to the topic of evolution and the origin of species. Before I began studying the Darwinist teachings, I expected to encounter at least a 2-star sci-fi script ramped up a few notches, perhaps, with elaborately devised academia speak. Instead of compelling mock science, however, I've found only Disney-style cartoon tales of amoebas learning to be fish, fish sprouting wings, learning to fly and breathe air, monkeys learning to make tools, build condos, wear pants, grow corn, and so on. All this is possible, the evolutionists say, by the power of innumerable, successive, genetic mutations. They believe these mutations have continuously improved millions of species over millions of years due to the principle of survival of the fittest, or natural selection. In truth, no real evidence supports the Darwinian idea that species transform themselves into new species through mutations. Rather, modern biology has discovered the vast complexity of even primitive animals, whose life functions are perfectly controlled by genetic codes in millions of cells working in symbiotic interrelationships of unfathomable complexity. Much of the inner working of even a relatively simple organism, like a virus, are unfathomable for modern science. Similarly, modern biological sciences have barely glimpsed the highly complex symbiotic relationships between species. If not for the influence of wholesale indoctrination, discoveries regarding the mind boggling complexities of life on Earth would surely have caused most sober and intelligent people to reject Darwin's ideas immediately. Darwin's idea of evolution is unfounded by any biological science and flies in the face of fundamental laws of physics. The belief that complex order and function comes automatically or accidentally out of chaos is not supported by any science or logic. By every known natural process, complex organizations, whether organic or inorganic, tend to degrade or become reduced to simpler forms. Nowhere has anyone found evidence that dull matter magically becomes conscious and endowed with the will to live, multiply and evolve. Instead, we see everywhere that complex living organisms are created by other living things, and when dead, devolve to simple forms of matter. Similarly complex structures, both manmade and natural, if left alone, will dissolve--not evolve. Drop billions by highly sophisticated computers in the sea, along with billions of land creatures and plants, and none will evolve into an aquatic animal. Rather, all will degrade into simple minerals and compounds. Everywhere we see that life comes from life, as does matter. Never do we see that dull matter creates life. Life, however, produces all kinds of matter, including complex devices like cars and computers. Real scientists can easily prove that something superior, like a human being, can create inferior things like factories, computers, cars and sewage. No machine or computer, however, no matter how advanced, can become conscious or replicate itself. Even the most sophisticated device needs the human hand to turn it on. Highly complex living entities such as humans and animals must be maintained constantly by intelligence or intelligent instincts and by intricately organized biological actions and interactions such as digestion, breathing and sexual reproduction. There is nothing left to chance anywhere in the natural world. Every species requires intelligence or intelligent instincts at every stage -- for its maintenance, for its survival, for its interactions with other living things. Yet the Darwinists believe the vast matrix of life began from a mythical chemical soup and evolved accidentally by an infinite series of random yet perfectly sequential magical mutations. Don't ask how inert matter became conscious in the first place, or became a living one cell animal with a will to live and multiply. They have no explanation at all. Nor can they create even the simplest one cell ameoba with all their advanced knowledge and equipment, so we will need to skip over this problem and jump ahead--way ahead--to species. They believe that improvements in each species come about due to genetic mutations and the process of natural selection. Although they offer no explanation why these mutations occur, or how genetic codes were created, their idea is that once in a blue moon, an organism will mutate in a way that is beneficial for its survival. Since the superior mutated being survives better than its non mutant kin, it passes on its tendency for a particular genetic mutation to future generations, thus enabling other animals within the species to inherit a beneficial abnormal trait. Finally, after a long time, this trait is assimilated by the species as a normal inherited capability. For example, the bugs that learned to flap their mutated appendages and fly survived better than their crawling ancestors and thus created a lineage of superior flying insects. For an insect or animal to go from crawling to flying, however, takes far more than a long series of external mutations. It would require innumerable perfectly orchestrated, internal and external mutations or, in other words, a metamorphous of the entire organism. This change would need to be perfect and complete almost immediately, as in comic book fiction. Otherwise, the initial mutations in the organism, mutations not yet functional, would hamper rather than help its ability to survive. Thus the organisms with the tendency to mutate would die off quickly by the process of natural selection. This is common sense. The way a bumblebee, housefly, or hummingbird flies is so complex that even the best minds in science are unable to grasp it fully, to say of duplicate it. Is it logical to think these amazing flying abilities are the result of a long series of lucky accidents? To go from a walking animal to a flying one requires many changes in brain function, instincts, digestion, nervous system, muscles, eating habits, bone structure, reproductive processes and a plethora of other highly complex biological features and functions. All bodily functions would need to change perfectly, in perfect coordination of interrelationships, to accommodate new survival habits and instincts based on flying. Otherwise, even with a pair of perfectly designed, matched and fitted wings fastened to its back, the poor crawler would never get off the ground. (It is easier to build an airplane from scratch than to modify a Chevy to fly.) To imagine an aquatic species changing from breathing in water to breathing in air through a series of accidental mutations is still more fantastic. Unless each successive mutation is immediately perfect and complete in itself, such as happens only in comic book land, the organism would be a freak with decreased rather than increased capabilities for survival. What would happen to the fish that are only half way between breathing water and breathing air? How would they survive to pass on their genetic abnormalities? Imagine a fish that somehow learns to breathe on land but not how to run fast or hide or hunt. How would it survive? The evolutionists offer no explanation why or how such mutations happen and why a tendency to mutate causes a species to evolve into an improved species. They offer no explanation how animals survive in the intermediate stages when their mutations are not functional. They have no explanation regarding why some species have thrived abundantly in primitive, relatively simple forms, never feeling the need to improve themselves by evolving into more complex life forms. Many insects, like red ants, still crawl on the ground and are thriving without flying. Monkeys and chimps, also, are content to survive in their own way, without computers and cars, as are alligators, birds, bees and sharks. Every amazing instinct and ability in every animal is inconceivable in its biological complexity and the complexity of its relationships with other highly complex living beings. The belief that all these perfect functions and interrelationships have developed by chance through beneficial mutations is an anachronism in the 21st century. One hundred and fifty years ago people could be forgiven for believing in Darwin. Their idea of biology was extremely narrow and simplistic: a bag of blood and bile and bone tied together with bunches of nerves, muscle and tendons. Many educators in those days were eager to overthrow the influence of religious thinking, which they felt infringed on scientific advancement. Ironically, in their eagerness to discredit or transcend traditional thinking, which they considered unfounded, they embraced Darwin's belief system without critical analysis. Today, in light of sophisticated scientific research, educated and thoughtful persons should regard the Darwinian idea of evolution to be no better than comic book fantasy. Darwin's proponents, however, have effectively created a cult of blind followers within the academic community, robbing educators and students of their ability to think critically on this topic. The evolutionist mission offers a loose system of beliefs based on superficial observations of biological similarities between species, some of which are supposedly extinct. Although it's a fact that each species shares biological traits with other species and has limited abilities to adapt in various environments, this fact provides no evidence that creatures change completely into a new species through a series of mutations. Yet, in the name of science, "evolutionary theory" has been vigorously promoted by misguided educators everywhere for nearly a century. Although the Darwin hypothesis can't be demonstrated on any level, many students blindly accept it at a young age because it's promoted in classrooms and textbooks across the nation and in various media groups, such as the ones cited above. I remember thinking my fifth-grade teacher was an upstart or a fanatic when she dared to question the evolutionary hypothesis being promoted as "likely fact" in our biology textbooks. Some people accept Darwin's ideas for the sake of neglecting nagging questions regarding the meaning and purpose of life. Darwin's ideas offer atheists a weak excuse for denying God but fall way short of actual science. Darwin's speculations form the basis of a modern mythology that fuels dangerous cults of atheism in the academic community and the world at large. The Vedas, a vast compendium of scriptures from ancient India, offer a more reasonable and consistent explanation regarding the origin of species. According to Vedic scriptures, such as Srimad-Bhagavatam, God, the supreme living being, creates superior living beings, known as prajapatis, and empowers them to populate various planets with various grades of species. It's logical to accept that superior beings can create progeny of equal or inferior nature through sex or other powers. It's scientific fact that living things create other living things. Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic scriptures teach that God, the original and supreme person, has endowed each species with amazing abilities to survive and adapt in varieties of changing conditions on Earth. Vedic evidence never suggests that species evolve from chemicals and morph into new and better species through a series of mutations. Great sages from every culture and every age have concluded that God is the designer and creator of all that exists. He is known as the cause of all causes (sarva-karana-karanam) and the basis of all reality. It is reasonable to accept the consensus of scriptural conclusions that the wonders of life and the cosmos were created by the omnipotent, omniscient and wonderful God. It is reasonable to accept that a living organism is animated by the consciousness of a spiritual soul, the living force. It is illogical to believe that matter and chemical reactions produce life and consciousness when in fact all practical evidence points to the opposite: matter and complex chemical reactions are created by living beings. Nonetheless, modern academia usually prefer to deny the wisdom of age-old spiritual traditions. They feel more comfortable believing that the majestic, infinitely complex and beautiful cosmos, with its millions of species of life, evolved accidentally, after planets and galaxies were formed by an exploding chunk of dead matter, which came from nothing. Like the Big Bangers, the Darwinites recruit dishonest scientists to trumpet their cause. Such scientists are unable to repair even one broken seed or egg, to say nothing of create one. Yet they wax eloquently about the origin of life on Earth. Due to false indoctrination and a bias against God and religion, many people today have come to reject common sense and timeless wisdom for a belief in cartoon fantasy. No one, not even a child, should accept comic book teachings as a substitute for common sense and real knowledge. [Note: By way of compromise, some Christian scientists have suggested that God creates all the species of animals and plants slowly, through gradual evolution. When asked about this idea, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world's leading exponent of Vedic science, replied, "A chicken can create another chicken in a few weeks, but it takes God millions of years? This idea is not very good; it is not supported in the Vedas or the Bible."]      Related Stories: Gouranga TV: Kirtan – New Year's Eve 2010 – Mukunda Datta das – Midnight AratiKirtan – New Year’s Eve 2010 – Mukunda Datta das – Midnight Arati Gaura Yoga, NZ: Special Event: Film ScreeningComing up on Sunday the 13th of June from 5pm. The first ever Gaura Yoga Special Event: A film screening – the quest for environmental enlightenment (followed by kirtan music and a vegan dinner). The Special Events is a new series of events that will be held approximately every two months. They will offer new and interesting experience that is very different from the usual Sunday program. Please come a tell us what you think.
Japa Group: The Method Of Chanting
The method of chanting refers to physical considerations such as sitting straight on an asana, chanting during the peaceful predawn hours, and associating with lovers of nama. It also includes using tulasi beads; clear pronunciation; concentrating on the meaning of the mantra; reviewing and avoiding the ten offenses, and repentance for transgressions. From The Art Of Chanting Hare Krsna by Mahanidhi Swami  Krishna Dharma dasa, UK: Dover Beach The sea is calm to-night. Sophocles long ago The Sea of Faith Ah, love, let us be true Matthew Arnold Bhakti Centre, Gold Coast, AU: GreetingsHare Krsna! Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga. Welcome to the BHAKTI CENTRE GOLD COAST Blogsite. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was established in 1966 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The “Hare Krsna Movement” has Temples or Centres all over the world today. The mission of this nonsectarian, monotheistic movement is to promote the well being of society by teaching the science of Krishna Consciousness according to Bhagavad-Gita and other Ancient Scriptures. The sanskrit word “Bhakti” means intense love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna or, as Srila Prabhupada would often translate the word, pure devotional service to Krishna. Bhakti is the essence of the eternal spiritual relationship we have with Krishna. As “Gold Coast” is a small Town, hence we currently have a “Centre” where the local community can gather and participate in the practice of Bhakti Yoga. Please preview our Video Lectures, News & Updates and other Pages at your convenience and feel free to post your comments or feedback on the “Contact us” Page. We also hearty welcome you to our Bhakti Centre Gold Coast. Hope to see you soon. Chant Hare Krsna and Be Happy….. Haribol! All ISKCON Pictures and Logos used on this web site remain the property of their registered respective owners. Copyright © Bhakti Centre Gold Coast 2007-2010. All rights reserved. More Recent Articles |
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