"Planet ISKCON" - 42 new articles
ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Sunday Feast Recording - June 13, 2010The Sunday Feast (Pani Hati Festival) recording of can be viewed by clicking the image below. As a reminder, the recordings from our weekly live web broadcasts are stored on our ISKCON Toronto Video Archive Blog.   Japa Group: One Good Mantra Can Save You
We've been reading how even one good mantra can save you, and I've been searching for that. Paying attention to the single mantras, even if they are not surrounded by other good ones. From Bhajan Kutir #466  ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Deity Darshan: Sunday, June 13, 2010     ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Stoka Krsna PrabhuSrimad Bhagavatam 11.21.20 - Think of yourself as a servant of Krsna, not as an enjoyer of this material world. Kurma dasa, AU: Death is a Horizon
"Life is eternal, love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - Rossiter W. Raymond Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1966 June 13 :  Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1968 June 13 : "I have sent one letter to Miss Rose, try to keep friendship with her. Everyone has dormant love for Krishna and we have to give one possible chance to awaken it. I think if you flatter her a little more, she will come."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1970 June 13: "Your chanting may not be stopped; it does not matter where you chant. For chanting there are no hard and fast rules, so if you are absent for chanting Hare Krsna somewhere else, it is as good as chanting in the temple."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 June 13 : "We are only able to perform tapasya if we have got knowledge. So first thing is to become knowledgeable in Krishna Consciousness, then the tapasya or voluntary life of austerity will result automatically."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 June 13 : "The children should always be instructed by taking advantage of their playful mood and teaching them to play Krsna games like become cowherd boys, cows, or peacocks, and always think of Krsna by playing."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1973 June 13 : "The difficulty is, unless we have legal possession of the land, how can we get municipal sanction for the construction? But if he gives us legal right to construct the temple, we can then immediately get sanction."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1974 June 13: "He said you are not following the regulative principles. I do not know why you should do like that. Anyway, if there are any discrepancies in that way I hope you will rectify it. If you so desire you can see me."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 June 13: "If our books are translated into Japanese, it will be a great help to us and to you also because it will be another opportunity for printing books. So, if you can arrange for this then it will give me great pleasure."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1966 June 12:  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1968 June 12: "From India this paper has been brought to America, with this hope. I am waiting for the day when Back to Godhead will take the shape of Life Magazine in the matter of its popularity."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1969 June 12: "You write to say you are too much strained in various ways, but by your such activities, Krishna will be very much pleased. I think because Krishna is pleased, therefore you have got at last a very nice place."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1971 June 12: "So we have to adjust things. Everything is important. Not that we have to do something at the expense of something else. I cannot say from here what is to be given preference. That depends on your management capacity."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1972 June 12: "I want that the GBC leave the management of the centers to the local presidents and concentrate themselves upon preaching work. They should be constantly traveling to see how the students are learning."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1972 June 12: "In addition, the GBC men will open new centers, distribute literature, and they should always be traveling with a sankirtana party to accompany them. There is no difference between the Sannyasi duty and the GBC duty."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1973 June 12: "So, everything is going on so nicely there. So many books are being distributed. There are good prospects for a new temple. You are going to introduce three Rathas this year. This is all very pleasing to me."  Srila Prabhupada's Letters1974 June 12: "It is better to stop. You say you plan to run for U.S. Congress. But for this, you can draw no money from the society. So your plan is utopian. Better concentrate on developing the brahminical qualities in the devotees there."  Ekendra dasa, AU: Be Satisfied With What You HaveBali Mahārāja said to Lord Vāmanadeva: O son of a brāhmaṇa, Your instructions are as good as those of learned and elderly persons. Nonetheless, You are a boy, and Your intelligence is insufficient. Thus You are not very prudent in regard to Your self-interest. I am able to give You an entire island because I am the proprietor of the three divisions of the universe. You have come to take something from me and have pleased me by Your sweet words, but You are asking only three paces of land. Therefore You are not very intelligent. O small boy, one who approaches me to beg something should not have to ask anything more, anywhere. Therefore, if You wish, You may ask from me as much land as will suffice to maintain You according to Your needs. The Personality of Godhead said: O my dear King, even the entirety of whatever there may be within the three worlds to satisfy one's senses cannot satisfy a person whose senses are uncontrolled. If I were not satisfied with three paces of land, then surely I would not be satisfied even with possessing one of the seven islands, consisting of nine varṣas. Even if I possessed one island, I would hope to get others. We have heard that although powerful kings like Mahārāja Pṛthu and Mahārāja Gaya achieved proprietorship over the seven dvīpas, they could not achieve satisfaction or find the end of their ambitions. One should be satisfied with whatever he achieves by his previous destiny, for discontent can never bring happiness. A person who is not self-controlled will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds. Material existence causes discontent in regard to fulfilling one's lusty desires and achieving more and more money. This is the cause for the continuation of material life, which is full of repeated birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that which is obtained by destiny is fit for liberation from this material existence. A brāhmaṇa who is satisfied with whatever is providentially obtained is increasingly enlightened with spiritual power, but the spiritual potency of a dissatisfied brāhmaṇa decreases, as fire diminishes in potency when water is sprinkled upon it. Therefore, O King, from you, the best of those who give charity, I ask only three paces of land. By such a gift I shall be very pleased, for the way of happiness is to be fully satisfied to receive that which is absolutely needed. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead had thus spoken to Bali Mahārāja, Bali smiled and told Him, "All right. Take whatever You like." To confirm his promise to give Vāmanadeva the desired land, he then took up his waterpot. Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: equality possible only on the spiritual platformPeople say everyone is equal. How you can say equal? Even in the bird society there is no equality, in the animal society there is no equality. Then how you can make equality? On the material platform it is not possible. You have to come to the spiritual platform; then equality is possible. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968 Dandavats.comDandavats.com: London's Ancient Festival of ChariotsRadha Mohan Das: London's 'Ratha-yatra' Festival of Chariots returns to the streets of the capital on Sunday 20th June 2010. London will be illuminated by the wonderful colours and sounds of the annual Hare Krishna festival, a vibrant celebration of Indian culture and spirituality in our city H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: '466' from The Yellow Submarine3:57 A.M.I woke with a mild headache at 9 P.M. but subdued it. I had a very vivid dream around 12:30 which was like a nightmare. A gang of people invaded my ashram and threatened and abused me. They were not Prabhupada followers and spoke against me. I had a strong sensation that I was not in my own room but had been transported somewhere else. When Baladeva came up at 3:30, he said he also woke at 12:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. So we thought maybe "ghosts" were wandering in the house. My chanting was mechanical, but steady and at a rapid pace. I've chanted over nine rounds so far. I've chanted them quietly and without deep meditation but with dedication to the vow. I'll try to do the balance of the rounds even better. We've been reading how even one good mantra can save you, and I've been searching for that. Paying attention to the single mantras, even if they are not surrounded by other good ones. Waking from bad H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'His Images' from The Yellow SubmarinePrabhupada Smaranam
There are two pictures taken of Prabhupada, the side-view profile, and the full face where we can see the photographer Gurudasa with his camera. But Prabhupada is posing for neither. He's clapping his hands and trying to engage the people in kirtana. There are hundreds of photos of Prabhupada, but in almost none of them is he posing. He is not in the attitude of a subject for photography, a public relations personality or picture star. In this picture he looks very handsome, but he is not aware or self conscious of that. One meaning of this is that when people see a picture of Prabhupada they do not fully see him because he is not fully present; he is somewhere else. Even in his passport photo, which was deliberately posed, the devotees misunderstood his mood and said he looked sad, whereas he told them, "It was a moment of ecstasy." Devotees sometimes ask how they will recognize Prabhupada when they leave their bodies and take a next life. Will he look like he did when we saw him in this life or like he looks in his photo? But the question is not so easy to answer, since we didn't even recognize him in this life or in his photos. He was other-worldly, not exactly captured in the lens. You have to be looking to Krishna to recognize His pure devotee. It is said in the scriptures that when the pure devotee is in the world we do not recognize him, just as we don't see the moon behind the clouds. This does not mean that the photos have no value. They are important, worshipable images of Prabhupada. But we must acknowledge that he can actually be seen only by eyes of devotion. Otherwise you will see an elderly, good looking man, but you will not see the spirit-soul, the actual intimate servant of Krishna who moved among us yet was not fully recognizable to us. We will see him when we are pure. H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Krishna Is Far Away But Near As Well' from The Yellow SubmarineI am down on the ground
In the next place I hope to take
So Krishna's in the sky and
We read about the
They asked Him how can we
If he chants just one mantra They had significant parting
I'm way down here, and Krishna is
Dear Krishna, please induce
I don't like it that You H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 'Lightning strikes' from The Yellow SubmarineFree write
Lightning from the sky shoots downward seeking the lowest point. Many golfers get struck with lightning bolts because they refuse to abandon the course when lightning appears. Their upheld clubs prove to be the lowest-highest points where the lightning strikes. Often after a thunderstorm you hear the fire sirens because some house has been hit and set on fire. If you have a lightning rod on the roof of your house with a wire leading down and grounded into the earth, it can prevent damage. The Eiffel Tower must have such a lighting rod system, and that's how it was able to take this direct hit and not be damaged. Lightning is a battle between God's unleashed material nature and man and nature's defense. People are advised not to stand under trees during a storm because the lighting bolt might hit it as the tallest nearby object in its descent, looking for a high object. Poetically, this sensational picture reminds one of the relationship of Radha and Krishna. Krishna is symbolized by the vast blue field of the firmament. The golden, streaky, jagged lines are like the dancing of Srimati Radharani. They play dangerously in the air over Paris. New Vrndavan, USA: June 19th: 24 Hour Kirtan &A Day In New VrindabanOn June 19, New Vrindaban will host a 24-hour kirtan, and will offer discounted admission to Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold for participants of West Virginia Day. New Vrindaban’s fourth annual 24-hour kirtan will begin at noon on Saturday, June 19, and ending at noon on Sunday, June 20. Kirtaniyas include Sivarama Swami, Madhava (Switzerland), Gaura Vani, Ananta Govinda, Acyuta Gopi, and Amala Kirtan. For more information about the 24-hour kirtan, contact (304) 843-1600 or mail@newvrindaban.com. Also on June 19, the Palace of Gold will be one of eleven tourist attractions participating in the Marshall County West Virginia Day Tour. The West Virginia Day Tour offers free and discounted admission to tourist attractions throughout Marshall County. People who visit at least five attractions are eligible to win a 32″ flat-screen TV, Apple iPad, and two four-day passes to Jamboree in the Hills. West Virginia Day is an opportunity for Marshall County to showcase its local tourist attractions, restaurants, and shops. “The Palace of Gold is excited to be part of Marshall County’s tourism committee,” said Malati Dasi, one of New Vrindaban’s GBCs. “With eleven tourist attractions participating in West Virginia Day, Marshall County is set to become a destination of interest in North America.” “The Palace of Gold Rose Garden will be in full bloom for West Virginia Day,” said Malati. “People can visit the rose garden anytime and walk around the Palace exterior, free of charge. There is an admission fee, however, for a tour of the Palace interior. But during “The West Virginia Day”, we will offer discounted admission for tours of the Palace interior.” The Palace interior is decorated with thirty-one hand-made stained-glass windows. Fifty-two varieties of marble and onyx were imported from Europe, Asia and Africa to create the marble floors and walls. All the furniture is carved teakwood from India. Under the thirty-ton main dome is a 4,200 piece crystal ceiling. “The Palace is the ‘Taj Mahal of the West.’ You do not have to visit India – India has come to Marshall County. The Palace is drawing visitors from all across North America.” For participants of West Virginia Day, admission to the Palace of Gold will be discounted to $5 for adults and $2 for children. For more information about the Palace of Gold, contact (304) 843-1812 or www.PalaceOfGold.com Maddy Jean-claude Durr, New Govardhana, AU: As On BDN: There no such things as coincidences...We were in Town Hall, Sydney, Australia. There was a big parade honoring the war veterans. Soon it died down and so did the flow on the streets. We now had several book distributors and not enough people to stop between us. Bhakta Sean wasn't feeling the vibe of the whole ordeal so we decided to go for a wonder down to Martin Place (another good sankirtana spot). I wasn't distributing many books at the time so I decided I would follow along and see if Krsna's mercy was available there. I had to push the trolley and keep up pace and this was distracting me from doing any books. I started to doubt the whole idea of walking all this distance. "Oh Krsna, Where are you taking me? What is the point of coming here?" I said within my mind, appealing to the almighty. Sure enough, as soon as I stopped my book trolley on the wall, an Indian gentleman in a suit arrived. "What have you got there?" he asked, in a curious but very firm tone. I wasn't sure whether he was going to ridicule or if he was genuinely interested. I didn't really care at this point whether he was going to spit on me or insult me, any chance I had to distribute a book was worth the try. I showed him the books, gave him a quick talk over the subject matter, even though he seemed to know what it was. Then it came to the crunch, "we just ask for a donation" I said. He looked at me, fumbled through his wallet super casually, whimsically thrust $40 dollars towards me and took my whole stack. Before I could say anymore, he was gone. Surely Krsna arranged this whole meeting. I was confident Krsna wasn't done yet. I bumped into another boy in Martin Place. I captured his familiarity when I found out that he was a stone mason (which is what my younger brother is training to be). I begged for some of my brother's piety as I tried to distribute a book to this boy. I wasn't sure how he was going to relate to a book on yoga, being a hands-on, working class man. I told him, "It's about how to understand the connection between the body, mind and soul." He said, "This is exactly what I have been trying to look into. What a coincidence." "There are no such things as coincidence" I replied, "If you honestly hanker for these things then the knowledge will come." Your servant, Madhavendra Puri Dasa. David Haslam, UK: Going around Naked is alright; for realAs many of you know I write here not only to express myself but also in a way of questioning myself, my precepts and understanding but at times what I see as a firm understanding is challenged, or at least some doubt enters the mind. Such thing happened today and so this may be a little [...] Dandavats.com: The Gurukula Project: from 1968 to 2010 and beyondBy the Gurukula Project Team As far back as 1968, Srila Prabhupada was encouraging his disciples to open gurukulas to educate children in spiritual and academic matters. In various letters to his disciples, Prabhupada addressed philosophical as well as practical issues regarding the administration of such centers. Maddy Jean-claude Durr, New Govardhana, AU: Original Aussie Journey: Day 2Friday 21st, December 2007. I woke up early and chanted a few rounds before mangala arati. I think, at that time of my life, this kind of occurrence was a first. It felt very surreal and rather mystical. I already had ambitions to see many more days like this and experiencing it made it ever more tasteful. I chanted around the slowly trickling fountain and watched as devotees started to manifest from every entrance of the courtyard. I moved into the temple room and was amazed by the three pujaris lining up with a conch in each of their hands. The doors were shut tight and the three conch shells melodiously bellowed through the temple, producing some wonderful acoustics. The auspicious arati began. I quickly found Aniruddha Prabhu's watchful eyes in the japa period. He beckoned me over and we met for the first time face to face. I was in contact with him due to some enquiries into courses available in Radhadesh, Belgium. My email was passed around the transcendental cyberspace of ISKCON before HG Aniruddha Prabhu contacted me. Needless to say, when it was time to arrange accommodation in Melbourne for the trip, I was graced with a good contact. The kirtana at Gurupuja was ecstatic. We were graced by the presence of HH Indradyumna Swami and his merry men. I played kartalas so hard that I made and popped a blister. We wisped down for an ever-increasing nectar class from the blissful Swami. After class, by pure guidance of my Supersoul, I found my way to the Prasadam hall (or maybe someone showed me). It was a first for me in experiencing Melbourne's well reputed breakfast. I found my way into the ranks of the local bhaktas and enjoyed some Krsna katha and Prasadam seva. After juicing up with a wonderful morning of sadhana, it was time to grab hold of some seva. I quickly found Uddhava and joined him in his daily endeavours. We started in the kitchen, with buckets of Prasadam and then loaded them up into the van for a restaurant named Crossways. For me, this was the first I had ever heard of such a restaurant but apparently it was doing some amazing preaching. I was eager to investigate this mysterious operation. We loaded into the van and were off like lightning. Uddhava, followed closely behind by myself, brought up buckets of potent Prasadam. We loaded up the stations and took our leave with the excuse of sampling the product. The restaurant was an awesome venue. It was cheap and delicious Prasadam, with two levels of seating and stacks of costumers. People were packing in daily to absorb Lord Caitanya's mercy and there were a variety of programs advertised to capture their interest and eventually capture their souls. Uddhava and I handed out some flyers, out the front, to help digest the Bhagavat Prasadam. Uddhava showed me all his flyer moves, which I mentally took down with great care and attention. Uddhava took me upstairs and I officially met Triyuga Prabhu. Triyuga was sitting around stacks and stacks of audio and lighting equipment. After the blissful seva of Crossways, it looked like we would be making our ways across the street to the town hall, carting with us loads of the audio and lighting equipment. Le Carnaval Spirituel was going to be playing for the next three evenings in this town hall and this was where my mission was supposed to take place. After moving all the technical equipment, I helped a group of devotees move large pieces of the stage. Devotees from the tour troupe were all about but were quick on their toes, either busy on the stage floor or quickly jetting off behind closed doors. I found myself a seat at the back and waited out until the show. The evening began with an amazing bhajana, before HG Candrasekara Prabhu stepped out onto the stage. He introduced the show and led us through as it all unfolded. I was mesmerized in my seat. The explosion of colour, dexterity, light and music captivated me from start to finish. Amazing dancers, insane martial arts and an amusing drama turned time into gold. HH Indradyumna Swami came on, near the end, and gave a really soul touching class, which uplifted everyone in the audience. He ended the evening by leading an amazing kirtana, which one couldn't help but step out of his seat and dance to. The devotees were dancing in crowds at the front and running in chains down the aisles. It was difficult to contain the ecstasy and indeed it exploded seemingly without restriction. H.H. Sivarama Swami: Holy places around VarsanaNava Vraja Mandala Parikrama 2009.
H.H. Sivarama Swami: Srimad Bhagavatam class from Villagio Hare Krsna on Lord Kapila’s teachings on the balance of free will and destiny
Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Why A Big Mac Costs Less Than A SaladFrom Catherine Rampall at the New York Time Economix blog The Consumerist recently linked to this remarkable chart: The chart was put together by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, but its figures still, alas, look quite relevant. Thanks to lobbying, Congress chooses to subsidize foods that we're supposed to eat less of. Of course, there are surely other reasons why burgers are cheaper than salads. These might include production costs, since harvesting apples is probably more naturally seasonal than slaughtering cows (even though both are in demand year-round). Transportation and storage costs might also play a role, as it's probably easier to keep ground beef fresh and edible for extended periods of time, by freezing it, than cucumbers. Whatever the cause of the pricing change, there is little doubt that many healthful foods have gotten much more expensive relative to unhealthful ones. David Leonhardt showed this in another remarkable chart, published here last year, that displays how the prices of different food groups have changed relative to their pricing 30 years ago:  You can find his commentary on this chart here. For more on the relationship between food pricing and obesity, go here.  David Haslam, UK: LOVEThere is one universal truth that applies to almost everyone, either overtly or subtly we all wish or desire to be loved. We use the term a lot "I’m in love"; "I love my job"; "I love my partner", "I love my friends" but love is fleeting we move from one love to another what was [...] H.H. Sivarama SwamiThe highest goal of life can be achieved as long as one's body is stout and strong. We should therefore live in such a way that we keep ourselves always healthy and strong in mind and intelligence so that we can distinguish the goal of life from a life full of problems. - Srila Prabhupada Gouranga TV: Aindra Hare Krishna Kirtan – Vrindavan – 1-11-2009 Part 5/6Aindra Hare Krishna Kirtan – Vrindavan – 1-11-2009 Part 5/6 Dandavats.com: Barak Obama gets Bhagavata Gita!By Dhruvananda Dasa She told me that her family grew up on the same street as Barak Obama. Her brother has been a friend of his ever since. When they where all teenagers they would go to the local Hare Krsna Temple and Barak came a few times and really enjoyed the kirtan and Prasadam Japa Group: Controlling The Mind?
What is the use of controlling the mind? You have to chant and hear, that's all. You have to chant with your tongue, and the sound you hear, that's all. What is the question of mind? Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk 3/2/75 From the Art Of Chanting Hare Krsna by Mahanidhi Swami  More Recent Articles
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