"Planet ISKCON" - 56 new articles
Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1970 July 18 : "The most important thing for spiritual realization is the company of realized souls or pure devotees of the Lord."  • Email to a friend •  •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1970 July 18: "World Sankirtana Party does not mean that we have to cover immediately the whole world. The program is that everywhere this Sankirtana Movement should be introduced."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1970 July 18: "If the temples are not properly maintained, then we should simply concentrate on Sankirtana outside. Temple opening is secondary, but we should concentrate on the outside Sankirtana."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1970 July 18 : "Since the publication of the book in 1968, which is now in its third printing, I desire to publish the Gita according to the original manuscript. This expanded version would be a 800-900 page book."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1970 July 18 : "Many verses in the shortened volume lack any purport and I am confident the original manuscript will make a more successful book. Please inform me whether MacMillan wants to publish this expanded version of the Gita."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 July 18: "You should go see Swami Bon Maharaja and ask if he has replied to my last letter to him, a copy of which is enclosed. You should take a copy of his reply and send it to me c/o Los Angeles address."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 July 18: "Chant Hare Krishna and read our books very carefully. Do not waste your time with this study of monkeys. What will you learn by this? Better to hear from Lord Krishna Himself in Bhagavad-gita."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 July 18: "Somehow or other they must be induced to take interest in spiritual life. Then it will be successful. You will get money and they will get spiritual profit. Both will be benefited by the grace of Krishna Balarama."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1968 July 17: "I am informed about your Kirtana activities in San Francisco and its success. I think Krishna is dictating us to adopt this method for propagating the Sankirtana movement all over the different cities, towns and villages on the surface of the globe."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1969 July 17: "Thank you for Krishna Tape #13 and I am enclosing herewith Tape #16. Now I shall expedite work on the Krishna book, as I have completed The Nectar of Devotion. Please let me know how far you have finished the Bhagavatam."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1969 July 17: "There are many Vaisnava temples there, if any big temple is in difficulty financially, we can take charge of this temple and improve it and maintain it nicely. So if you know of any prospective temples where this could be arranged, please inform us."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1973 July 17: "If you wish to live separately you have to earn your livelihood by business, by taking some employment to maintain your home and family. But you cannot go into the streets and hold sankirtana and sell our books as a means of maintenance."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1974 July 17: "All our sannyasis will be present there. You also come there as a regular sannyasi and take part. That is my desire. So long I am living I wish you all be strictly under my guidance without any fratricidal disagreement."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1974 July 17: "Yes, it will be very nice if the Chinese boys come there to the Hong Kong center. That is our mission - that local boys take up interest in our movement."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 July 17: "We are selling 30-40 lakhs around the world so we shall expect at least sales in India of one lakh of Rupees per month. Did the Oberoi-Sheraton Hotel purchase our books? The hotels must purchase our books for putting in their rooms."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 July 17: "Expenditure must be stabilized and scrutinized. Nothing should be spent extravagantly. That you have to see. Do not bother my brain how to do it. I have put you in charge how to do it."  • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: In memory of HG Aindra PrabhuIn memory and honor of world-famous kirtaniya and beloved Krishna devotee • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Jagannatha Ram PrabhuSrimad Bhagavatam 11.22.26 - The soul appears to be within nature and nature within the soul. • Email to a friend • •Japa Group: Japa Room Special Reading
 • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Klang, Malaysia: Understanding HG Aindra Prabhu's Sudden DepartureFROM SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM 1.6.27 evam krsna-mater brahman nasaktasyamalatmanah kalah pradurabhut kale tadit saudamani yatha TRANSLATION And so, O Brahmana Vyasadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully absorbed in thinking of Krsna and who therefore had no attachments, being completely freed from all material taints, met with death, as lightning and illumination occur [...] • Email to a friend • •Gaura Nitai das, Mayapura, IN: Aindra
In mid May of 2010 I was in Vrindavan. It was a difficult day for me. My health was bad, I was trying to deal with visa issues and there were a multitude of other things that seemed to be like problems at the time. Vrindavan is a place where you either take complete shelter of Krishna or suffer. Even if you suffer in Vrindavan if you are wholeheartedly taking shelter of Krishna it is not really like the suffering that one is accustomed to. In Vrindavan suffering there is actually great hope and happiness in the thought that one is actually at home where he or she belongs. Krishna was very merciful to me later that day by giving me an experience and realization that I will never forget. Every day Aindra would perform his worship in the form of bhajan an hour before the Gaura aratika. (In fact in Vrindavan the Gaura aratika often seemed to get off to a slow start as everyone was so mesmerized by the magical kirtan that they had just experienced. ) I walked into the temple room about ten minutes after he began singing. At that time I had a realization that I will forever cherish. Real meaningful and substantial happiness occurs in the association of devotees who are taking complete shelter of the Holy Name. That realization was cemented that night. What was more, however, was the importance of the influence of the pure devotee chanting the Holy Names. When I walked into the temple room of Krishna and Balarama I felt that I was experiencing a festival like I had never experienced before. Everyone was utterly absorbed in taking shelter of the holy names of Krishna. Aindra's devotional influence on the devotees in the temple room and upon my own consciousness was the most moving experience I ever had. The Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy is supremely convincing, but what really attracts peoples minds' and hearts' is the collective experience of taking shelter of Krishna in the association of a pure devotee. There is nothing in the universe that can compare with the good fortune of such an experience. Aindra regularly offered this experience to the community of vaisnavas either personally in Vrindavan or through his recorded bhajans. The sadhus from all over Vrindavan would regularly come and blissfully dance in Aindra's kirtans. Knowing that the experience of his vapu is no longer available is truly devastating. He was truly able to reveal the to the assembled devotees the glories of the deities of Gaura-Nitai, Krishna-Balarama, and Radha Shyamasundara. He did this by showing us how They will fully reveal Themselves through Their holy name if, as he did, one properly takes advantage of Their offer. He truly embodied the mood and teachings of the sacred Siksastakam. All glories to His Grace Aindra Prabhu!
Hare Krishna Kare Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
http://www.24hourkirtan.com/  • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: HG Aindra Prabhu attains the spiritual realm
In the morning when Aindra prabhu didn't come to the temple to dress Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara, the devotees then could understand that something serious had happened. With difficulty they broke open the trap door, and only one devotee, Adi Kesava Das, was small enough to enter the room • Email to a friend • •Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: sure and certain methodThis is the sure and certain method of propagating Krishna Consciousness, if we simply chant Hare Krishna with karatalas and mrdanga and speak from Bhagavad-gita exactly as we hear it in disciplic succession, then automatically people become attracted. Prabhupada Letters :: 1969. • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: Departure Of Ayendra PrabhuBhakti Madhurya Govinda Goswami: The news this morning of the sudden departure of Ayendra prabhu certainly comes as a great shock, as I am stunned along with all the devotees of the movement. • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: How HG Aindra Thakur Instructed me to Perform Damodara VrataSanti Vardhana Caitanya Dasa: Then just one day before the Damodara month started, I was seated at the Bhagavatam class near Gaura Nitai Deities. Someone was giving class that day. At the end of the class, HG Aindra Prabhu appeared and sat at the pillar opposite me and looked directly at me • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. New WebsiteJusaniya dasi: You can offer a virtual ghee lamp for someone in need to a picture representation of the Deities at the Krsna Balarama Mandhir. There is also a place to leave your name so the recipient will be encouraged and inspired by seeing the offering you have made for them • Email to a friend • •Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Open For Business
I am now available to fulfill all your vegan/vegetarian personal chef/catering desires throughout the Alachua and Gainesville area. Prices are negotiable based on what level of service you require and menu choices. In addition, I am now scheduling cooking classes/parties to be held in my new fantabulous space. Shoot me an email at sabjimata@gmail.com and I will get you fed!       • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: DO YOU STILL EAT MEAT?According to Manu, the great author of civic codes and religious principles, even the killer of an animal is to be considered a murderer because animal food is never meant for the civilized man, whose prime duty is to prepare himself for going back to Godhead.  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: MosquitoesBy the arrangement of the Supreme Lord, low-grade living beings like bugs and mosquitoes suck the blood of human beings and other animals.  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Kirtan Retreat SummaryIntentionally increase the quality and quantity of your chanting of the holy names of the Lord with the help of devotees.  • Email to a friend • •Mukunda Charan das, SA: An Offering On The Disappearance Of His Divine Grace Aindra Prabhunama om visnu padaya krishna presthaya bhutale namas te saraswate deve gaura-vani-pracarine I don’t really know what to say, because I can’t really separate my experience of Krishna consciousness from you, my dear Aindra prabhu. It is like part of my spiritual experience is now gone. Yet, in a strange way, it is still here. And that ‘spiritual experience’ is you. Your Prayers To The Dust Of Vraja capture the mystery and depth of the Vrindavan experience for me. In fact, I cannot separate my experience of Vrindavan from your presence there…in the 24-hour kirtan, in front of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasudara and Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama. What will Vrindavan be without you, prabhu? I feel like one of the goswamis has left my presence. I remember asking you a question the first time I met you in 1997. ‘How can we be humble?’ You replied, ‘By serving great souls, like the six goswamis. Like Srila Prabhupada. We have to accept Krishna consciousness in parampara, disciplic succession.’ I have asked you many questions since then and your answers cut deep through the maya of conditioned thought. Aindra prahu, you are a genuine sadhu. Sadhu means ‘to cut’…the knot of material attachment in the heart. I appreciate the way you took me under your wing in Kartik 2007. You were so kind to me and gave me a lot of attention. Every time you saw me you encouraged me to get involved or initiate harinam-sankirtan, the congregational chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna. I never left your room without a rasagulla or some other delicious prashadam from your Deities. And I always left with two or three copies of each of your CD’s, especially Prayers To The Dust Of Vraja. One time, when I offered a donation you said, ‘Place Laxmi at the feet of Mahaprabhu.’ Whenever I receive donations, I place them at the feet of my Deity of Mahaprabhu. I am thankful that I was able to make a small donation last year when Arne visited Vrindavan. And, where I am able, I will continue to support the 24-hour Kirtan. Visiting your room in brahmacari ashram is something I cherish and will do so until the rest of my days. Sitting there with Govinda and several other devotees. It was like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. A sense of excitement. A glimpse into a more esoteric, off-beat space of Krishna Consciousness. You would have devotees read from Rupa Goswami’s Govinda Lilamrita and would relish detailed descriptions of Radharani’s nose-ring or similar poetic descriptions. What a treat to be there, relishing Krishna consciousness with you and your associates. Last time I was in your room you told me about your new book, Kirtan Is Bhajan: The Heart Of Book Distribution. You mentioned that book distribution is like the Krishna playing his flute; and kirtan, in the Temple, is like Krishna’s rasa dance. Then you said, ‘They are playing the flute, but there is no rasa dance.’ In other words, we are distributing the books, but there is no kirtan in the Temple. Harinam and book distribution go hand-in-hand, you taught. This was Prabhupada’s method of spreading the movement in the 1970′s. Your words make sense to me, prabhu. I remember proudly announcing to you in 2005 that we had been performing Harinam Sankirtan in Cape Town every day for three months as an extension of a collective Kartik Vrata. You replied, ‘How may of you are performing nam-kirtan?’ I said, ‘About 12.’ And you replied, ‘Why not 112? In Prabhupada’s time we would do Sankirtan with over 100 devotees.’ You also defined what is Sankirtan. First it was Harinam-Sankirtan, chanting in the streets with the accompaniment of musical instruments. Then it became book distribution. Then incense. Then paintings. You emphasized that Sankirtan meant congregational chanting of the Holy Names of Krishna. I appreciate your straightforwardness. A devotee gave me a whole lot of your lectures and, although you are considered controversial at times, everything you said made sense and was backed up by sastric references or exact quotes by Srila Prabhupada. That makes your lectures very authoritative and it is understandable that you would find detractors – since you could back up your realizations with accurate references to sadhu, sastra and guru. I remember standing next to you at Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s Pushpanjali Ceremony during His Disappearance Day in 2007. We both had those sweet-smelling red rose petals in our hands. We were quite far from the Vyasasana. Our flowers were falling way short of the Vyasasana, over the heads of the devotees in front of us. After the last pushpanjali, you turned around and looked at me, ‘Anyway, it’s the thought that counts.’ That was reassuring. I had the good fortune of being in Kartik in 2007. I was standing by the Temple entrance near Radha Shyamasundara, watching the 24-hour kirtan. You were standing next to me. I was so happy to be in Vrindavan. The atmosphere at Krishna-Balarama Mandir was electric. Every night was an ecstatic festival of chanting and dancing before the Deities. I was wondering why I had not been to Vrindavan in Kartik for so many years. I turned to you and said, ‘Vrindavan in Kartik. There is nothing higher.’ You looked at me and said, ‘Oh yes there is!’ You know of something higher. And now you must be experiencing bliss beyond our, and perhaps even your, comprehension. You were offering dandavat obeisances to your Deities while your body was been scorched by flames. What tolerance! What surrender! I am going to miss you, Aindra. Vrindavan will never be the same for me again. Your kirtans and your tunes – which are on the tongues of most devotees all around the world – are going to mean more to me now that you are departed. I will try to follow your instructions with respect to chanting and sharing the Holy Names with others. These are just some thoughts, by way of an offering on Your Disappearance Day, my dear Aindra prabhu. I see in you all the qualities of great souls described in the Vaishnava scriptures. I see in you total dedication to the process of bhakti, Prabhupada and Krishna. Please be merciful upon us. Give us the shade of your lotus feet. For your fame is spread all over the three worlds. And we take shelter at your divine lotus feet. Vrindavan will never be the same without you. Then again, you are always in Vrindavan. His Grace Aindra prabhu Ki jaya! Ki jaya! Ki jaya!       • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: Just Learn How To Love KrsnaLos Angeles 1971  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: LIBERATEDIf you associate with conditioned souls you will remain conditioned.  • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: His EyesPrabhupada SmaranamA devotee appreciated my poem "Soul Eyes." He said, however, he never saw Prabhupada's eyes, and he considered it a great loss in his life. I consoled him and told him there were many wonderful photos to meditate on Prabhupada's eyes and form, such as this stately picture of him sitting on a vyasasana with his knee bared and lotus foot exposed. There is also film footage of his moving body and expressive features. There's also an oversized book of special photos called Prabhupada Meditations, which one can spend hours with gazing over Prabhupada's beautiful body. Even when Prabhupada's health diminished and his face became emaciated, he maintained a nobility in his features, and his face was very grave. Devotees can also ease their separation by getting together and talking about his qualities and pastimes on occasions such as his appearance and disappearance days. Prabhupada personally said, "If you want to know me, read my books." So a devotee should not think he has lost out just because he was not present when Prabhupada was still alive in his physical presence. By the means available through vapuh (instruction and sound vibration), many second-generation disciples have developed relationships equal and even greater than first-generation disciples. The main factor in developing association with Prabhupada is attaining the stage of wanting to please him. He is still living and open to reciprocate with devotees who wish to serve him. This is accomplished in standard ways by accepting him as one's siksa guru, or primary guru, and obeying his instructions regarding the rules and regulations. One also pleases Srila Prabhupada by taking up the preaching spirit and working in cooperation with others in the sankirtana movement. Prabhupada's reciprocal gaze of "soul eyes" is still available to the earnest soul who yearns to please Prabhupada and comes before him in the available methods of service in separation. • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: A Fresco of KrishnaFree Write
This is a fresco wall painting of Krishna standing alone about to play His flute. There's a big crack in the wall, and the painting may not last very long. Srila Prabhupada has said, "Krishna is never alone," but here there are no Brijbasis in sight, and especially Srimati Radharani is not by His side. But Krishna is casting a sidelong glance to the right, and He is just about to blow His flute, so we can expect that many gopis and even cows will soon appear under the influence of His mind-enchanting musical vibration. In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis gather and talk about the nature of Krishna's flute-playing. They wonder what kind of pious activities the flute executed that it is now engaged in enjoying the nectar of Krishna's lips. As conjugal lovers of Krishna, the gopis are used to tasting Krishna's lips in kissing, but they are envious of the flute for taking their place and not leaving any nectar for the gopis. The gopis were also envious of the deer, who were attracted to Krishna's flute and coming close to Him along with their husbands. The gopis thought themselves not so fortunate because when they wanted to go to Krishna, their husbands were not very happy. The gopis noted that the cows were also charmed as soon as they heard the transcendental sound of the flute of Krishna. They spread their long ears just to catch the liquid nectar of the flute. As for the calves, they were seen with the nipples of their mothers pressed into their mouths, but they cannot suck the milk. They remain struck with devotion, and tears glided down their eyes. A younger gopi told her mother to look at the behavior of the birds. They were all looking at Krishna playing His flute, and from their features it appeared that they had forgotten everything and were engaged only in hearing Krishna's flute. This proved they were not ordinary birds but great sages and devotees, and just to hear Krishna's flute they had appeared in Vrndavana forest as birds. Even the river Yamuna, being desirous to embrace the lotus feet of Krishna after hearing the transcendental vibration of His flute, broke her fierce waves to flow very nicely with lotus flowers in her hands, just to present flowers to Mukunda with deep feeling. By looking at this lovely fresco of Krishna playing His flute, we can imagine the gopis conversing about Krishna, and we can consider how wonderful and miraculous it must be to actually hear the sound of Syamasundara's flute. • Email to a friend • •New Vrndavan, USA: NV Memorial Service for HG Aindra Prabhu HG Aindra Das Dear Devotees, On behalf of Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu, we are announcing a gathering to honour the passing of His Grace Aindra Prabhu of Vrindavan. Please come to the temple at 6:00 pm today for kirtan, puspanjali, and remembrances of the life of this great soul and kirtan inspiration. Hare Krishna. • Email to a friend • •Nityananda Chandra Das, Dallas TX: Pictures that I took of Aindra Prabhu's room                   I spent few days visiting him up in his room. So much nectar, I can share some later. He wanted the harmonium to be sold only if it was going to be used for harinam sankirtan and not home use. 
• Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 123:43 A.M.I slept peacefully last night, then woke up early at 1:00 A.M. without a headache. I got up and began my chanting. I've chanted 14 rounds so far. The rounds were at a good pace but not deeply praying to Nama Prabhu, "Please let me serve you." It was more a mechanical exercise of counting up the names. But at least I was wide awake and concentrating on the syllables and not distracting my mind to other subjects. You struggle at a certain platform and cannot seem to improve beyond it. But I'm thankful for the gift of japa and the fact that I rise early and say the mantras swiftly. I can only hope for improvement and the quality of calling out to Radha and Krishna in a plaintive way. Chanting Hare Krishna in one • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Peaceful PlaceKrishna will never die. Now you've got old age, and I've decided not to go to I call it the house These are my sunset years. It will get cold here in the winter. Nothing much to say. I don't complain, • Email to a friend • •Nityananda Chandra Das, Dallas TX: TODAY: 24 Hour Kirtan, Maha Harinam &Feast in Honor of Passing of HG Aindra Prabhu
In Honor of the auspicious passing of His Grace Aindra Prabhu 9am 24 hour kirtan begins LIVE www.RadhaKalachandji.com 7pm Feast 8pm Maha Harinam 
• Email to a friend • •Gaura Vani, USA: Sri Aindra Prabhu
With extreme anguish we inform the world of the disappearance of His Grace Aindra Prabhu on the night of July 16, 2010 in Vrindavan India. Sri Aindra Prabhu was the leader of the 24 Hour Kirtan in Vrindavan since 1986 which constantly chants the Maha Mantra 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Sri Aindra Prabhu was a inspiration to thousands of kirtaniyas and a spiritual guide to many. His importance and contribution to the kirtan movement will become more and more recognized and appreciated in the time to come. At this time we ask everyone to try and attend a kirtan within the next 48 hours to remember Sri Aindra Prabhu and appreciate his departure from this world. He reasons ill who says that Vaisnavas die, -Bhaktivinode ThakurListen to a few Aindra Prabhu kirtans below. More can be downloaded from the 24 Hour Kirtan recordings page.
• Email to a friend • •Krishna-kripa das, Mayapura: Aindra Prabhu--Words of AppreciationKadamba Kanana Swami shocked me today, telling me just after I finished japa, that Aindra Prabhu had just left his body in Vrindavana. How unexpected! How sad for the devotees who love his kirtanas and his association! I had just been thinking of my association with him this week when I was in Zurich. I met one harinama enthusiast there, who aspired to become his disciple, and so I was recalling my brief exchanges with him. In 2005, I was part of Aindra Prabhu's 24-hour kirtana party in Vrindavana for three weeks of Karttika. I am not a musician, and unfortunately I have little desire to become a musician, so I am of little value on such a party, but Aindra Prabhu was kind enough to let me join anyway. He was affectionate to his kirtana men, always making sure they had what they needed, including all the maha-prasadam they wanted from his many salagrama-silas. While in his association, Aindra Prabhu explained to me how he got involved in the 24-hour kirtana. Once one of his godbrothers came up to Aindra saying he had a dream of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada, in the dream, had tears in his eyes and was expressing dismay at the inability of his disciples to organize a 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavan. When Aindra Prabhu heard that, then and there, he decided to make the establishment of the 24-hour kirtana his personal mission. Aindra Prabhu explained that Srila Prabhupada stressed both book distribution and harinama sankirtana, but that while many people remember the importance of book distribution, there is less awareness of the importance of harinama sankirtana, and therefore, he wanted to focus on that. During my three-week stay in Vrindavana, Indradyumna Swami invited me to Jaipur on pilgrimage for a couple days, but I told him I did not want to break my promise to Aindra Prabhu to do kirtana for these three weeks. Indradyumna Swami, knowing that Aindra Prabhu likes salagrama-silas very much, decided to give Aindra two silas in exchange for permission for me to go to Jaipur for two days. When Aindra Prabhu received Them from the small cloth bag I carried, he smiled, and after observing Them, he told me, "There is nothing equal to a salagrama-sila. Nothing except the maha-prasadam tulasi leaves offered to a salagrama-sila." And so he carefully put some maha-tulasi leaves in the cloth bag for me to give to Indradyumna Swami in exchange, and I got to go to Jaipur on parikrama. One year I came to Vrindavana during Karttika without having made a prior arrangement for accommodation. I knew some people there and was hoping I could stay with them, at least until I found a place. Instead, they teased me for coming to Vrindavana without prearranging a place to stay, and so I had to look for shelter. I knew Aindra Prabhu from previously being part of the kirtana party, so I talked to him, and he let me stay for the night. I gratefully appreciated his compassion as a divine quality. Similarly Umapati Swami gave me a place to stay the next night. It addition to Aindra Prabhu's kirtana for which he is famous, Aindra would also do practical services like repairing and remodeling the brahmacari bathroom for the service of the Vaishnavas, which I saw both as an expression of his humility and his love for the devotees. When I was thanking him for letting me stay the night with his kirtana party, he was reminding me of how Srila Prabhupada considered Vrindavana to be his home, and said that we should consider it our home also. For me, Vrindavana has always been austere. It is the place where the monkeys stole my glasses, the people stole my shoes, where it is too cold in the winter, and where I could not find a place to say. Thus I told Aindra Prabhu, "I appreciate what you are saying, but I feel more at home in Mayapur." He looked at me and smiled, and said, assuming a countenance of reverence, "Srila Prabhupada said, 'Mayapur is our place of worship.'" Then, leaning back as if to relax, he continued, "But in Vrindavana, you can just kick back." I smiled and thought, but did not say, "Maybe for him it is that way, but not for me." Perhaps someday, by the mercy of Mayapur dhama and by Aindra Prabhu's good wishes, I too will realize Vrindavana to be my home. So inexplicably, Krishna decided it was time to take Aindra back his home in the original Vrindavana, to give us impetus to glorify and remember him, and to remind us that our stay in this body can end in a moment, and therefore, we have to remember Krishna at every moment from now on, in order to be prepared. I pleaded with Kadamba Kanana Swami to speak about Aindra Prabhu in the morning lecture. "The people here in Prague," I said, "are unlikely to meet anyone who had as much association with Aindra Prabhu as you did, living in Vrindavana for so many years." And perhaps for this and reasons of his own, he did. What follows are my notes on his class. I shall try to someday include a link to the lecture itself, if it becomes available. Notes on Morning Class by Kadamba Kanana Swami, Prague, July 17 We received news Aindra Prabhu unexpected suddenly left his body in Vrindavana. In Vrindavana, what happens is Krishna's plan. Of course, the ideal way to leave one's body is surrounded by loving devotees chanting the holy name, but that is not always the case. I was thinking of Lord Rsabhadeva, the divine incarnation who appeared to establish religious principles. After he became a mendicant, his body burned in a forest fire. It is not our Vaishnava practice to enter into the cause of death so much. Sometimes people speculate, like when Tamal Krishna Goswami left his body, that it must be some negative reaction. But that is not true, as with Rsabhadeva. Instead, we look at the positive. Aindra Prabhu was allowed to do service in Vrindavana. When Krishna-Balarama temple was started in Vrindavana, Srila Prabhupada expressed a desire that 24-hour kirtana be organized. He wrote to Hamsaduta Prabhu suggesting how it could be done. I was part of the management from 1978 to 1984. We tried many times to establish it but did not have enough people. Practically from his first days in Krishna consciousness, Aindra was doing kirtana as his service. In New York City he would chant with other devotees on a flatbed truck. In 1986 he started the akhandita [uninterrupted] kirtana in Vrindavana. Before that, in ISKCON, we did not have a culture of just sitting down and chanting Hare Krishna for hours. It was not a particular kirtana style so much as a kirtana culture that he inspired. [Later Maharaja elaborated: Madhava Prabhu, from Switzerland, was inspired, then Sivarama Swami, B. B. Govinda Swami, and Sacinandana Swami. You can trace it all back to Aindra Prabhu.] As many with musicians, Aindra was eccentric. His room had Vrindavana clay on the floor, 108 silas, Gaura-Nitai, depiction of rasa-lila, tamala tree remnants, etc. Every two months I would come from Mayapur to Vrindavana, and I would see him. At 1990 I became temple president in Vrindavana. The GBC asked me to ask him what his asrama is, and when I did, he looked at me with his piercing eyes, and said, "I am a brahmastha vannyasi." His dress was also eccentric and some people complained. Many artists are eccentric, and I took it like that. But there was a very serious side to Aindra Prabhu, chanting many rounds of the holy name and studying Prabhupada's books and the books of the Goswamis. He would ask questions after Srimad-Bhagavatam class that were penetrating. He had a lot of inner strength and could live a life of great austerity. Although people complained about his personal dress, he excelled at dressing the Deities. Especially for the festivals, he would dress Them. He had a deep connection, which was a real thing. Imagine Aindra would have come to Prague. He would draw huge crowds. Wherever he would go, he would attract many people. But he did not want to leave Vrindavana. He was disturbed by once having to go to Nepal for visa issues. Thus he applied for citizenship, which was hard to get for one from the Vrindavana area. But he got it. The Deities were pleased with him because he sang for Them, and so They let him become a resident. Once I was chanting my remaining rounds in the temple, and one Bengali devotee was making a lot of noise, so I advised him to be quiet, saying "The deities are resting." Aindra Prabhu, who was also there, said, "No, He is not. That is what Mother Yasoda thinks." As a temple president, sometimes it gets tough. Sometimes you are on top of the elephant, and sometimes the elephant is on top of you. Once I had one of those intense days. I took rest, only to be awakened at 11:00 p.m. at night by Aindra, who said, "Come on. It is rasa purnima. Come let's celebrate." I came to his room, and in addition to other festivities, they had this incredible feast served at 11:00 p.m. at night. Because he was serious about serious things, we took him seriously. He was serious about his chanting, japa and kirtana, and about his renunciation. He was not after fame. His dedication to the Deities was transcendental, day in, day out, year after year. That is perseverance. Srila Prabhupada says perseverance is source of faith. There is no doubt that Aindra sang for the pleasure of the Personality of Godhead, and there he stands out. Some imitated him, the same dress, the same style of bhajana, etc., but few showed the seriousness he showed in his dedication to Krishna consciousness. His contribution to ISKCON is a lasting one. Before, kirtana was something wild. Ayodhya-pati Prabhu used to play the whompers on the ground and grab devotees by the kurta and swing them around. Srila Prabhupada had started with sitting and doing the swami step. But when one saintly lady from Vrindavana led kirtana, and Srila Prabhupada began jumping in the kirtana, from that day, kirtana was wild and full of enthusiasm, and that spread all over the world. And even when it was sitting down with the harmonium, it still had the rocking nature. But from Aindra Prabhu we learn to deeply meditate and an element of peaceful chanting. I say "an element" because he could also get wild. We learned something from Aindra about chanting the holy name and meditating on Krishna, and he has greatly contributed to the maturing process, because he taught so many along the way. His leaving us was unexpected, but it is also a manifestation of grace, because he left this world in Vrindavana. It is not an ordinary departure but one earned by devotional service. The externals are insignificant. We are looking at how he pleased Radha-Shyamasundara. When such news reaches us, there is shock, and for those who know him, there is sadness. But from the spiritual point of a view, it is a success story—that someone from New York took the devotional service seriously, and he fulfilled Srila Prabhupada's desire to establish 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavana. "He reasons ill that Vaishnavas die when thou art living still in sound. The Vaishnava dies to live, and living spreads the holy name around." Through his recordings, he will remain with us. Srila Prabhupada explained that if one lives the life of devotee in Vrindavana, he will go back to Godhead. However, if one lives a materialistic life in Vrindavana, he will become an animal in Vrindavana for one life, and then go back to Godhead. Q: How can one be fixed like Aindra, disregarding external circumstances? A: That one is so different as Aindra, but yet so fixed, indicates a benediction from the previous life. Those who can fix themselves on the eternal platform are highly advanced, and we take shelter of them. One may show great enthusiasm in service, but when it gets difficult, things change. That means the connection with Krishna is not so strong. I have one young doctor disciple in South Africa. She has to see people dying every day. In this world, when things get serious, we say it is a matter of life or death. But for us, it is Krishna or maya. That is more important than life or death. Those who have fully accepted this are leaders, regardless of their position, because of their firm faith. We see that these people found some service for Krishna, and they did it. We may not be so advanced. But by their association, we can gain strength to do some service seriously for Krishna. Aindra Prabhu's most significant contribution is that he took a desire of Srila Prabhupada [to have 24-hour kirtana in Vrindavana] and he really developed it.  • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: And a poem from Braja-Sevaki dd on the passing of VaisnavasThere’s a hole left in the kirtan cloud that hovers up above One day Gour Govinda that golden path did take The rain falls from that sweet, sweet cloud, and showers us below They look constantly upon us and see our hearts break in pain And so we come together, looking for that bhakti rain We long to fill the earth with our collective kirtan song And there we find each other always, nothing is amiss • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: A Great LossSRS: This was what Niranjana Maharaja wrote on his blog about Aindra Prabhu: A Great Loss Just minutes ago I read the shocking news that my godbrother, Aindra dasa, unexpectedly left this world last night in Sri Vrndavana Dhama. I’m too devastated to write anything long in this connection. The constant tears flowing from my eyes make it too hard to write and even as I write these few words, my thoughts of him only increase their flow. The world will suffer this tremendous loss of a great soul whose heart and soul was to expand the full glories of Sri Nama. My only solace at this moment is the memory I have of him last year when he came to see me while I was staying in Giriraja Maharaja’s house in Vrndavana. Aindra Prabhu heard that I had injured my back but came anyway to request me to try and come to Krsna Balarama Mandir to chant during the boat festival on Gaura Purnima. Due to the intensity of his appeal, I did not want to disappoint him by telling him that it was impossible for me to attend. Rather than immediately telling him this, I simply looked at him right in the eyes and said to him, “Aindra Prabhu, from the core of my heart I wish to thank you for your complete dedication to the Holy Name. Not only myself, but I can see that the whole world is influenced by your dedication to Sri Nama.” Aindra Prabhu was completely taken aback by my interuption to his appeal. He looked back at me, also right into my eyes, but stumbled in his attempt to accept my appreciation. He thanked me for my kind words, but he looked so humble and child-like at that moment, that I sensed he was momentarily displaying another identity—possibly the one for which he constantly hankered for in the core of his heart. I have no doubt in my heart that he is now serving Radha and Krsna in this fully manifested form. Devotees throughout the world should celebrate the life of this great soul by gathering together to chant Hare Krsna and by appreciating what Aindra Prabhu has done for anyone and everyone who has ever come in contact with him. Hare Krsna • Email to a friend • •Jaya Kesava Das, USA: Aindra Prabhu Please Accept My Most Humble Obeisances All Glories To Srila Prabhupada Today I feel empty, no emotions, just numb. But tears are flowing, so I guess a Vaisnava like yourself can penetrate deep- to the soul. I feel like the music died. But Kirtan is forever. Whenever I arrive in Vrindavan, there are a few things that help me place my foot firmly on the soil of the holy dahm: 1. I take a nap and always wake up to the Vrindavan breeze, I go outside and look at the neem trees and monkeys and parrots. 2. I go to the temple and see Srila Prabhupada, Krishna and Balaram, Radhe Syam and Sri Sri Goura Nitai. 3. I wait for that moment when, as you sing, you look up at me standing there and then you nod your head with a welcome to Vrindavan gesture and smile. 4. I go to bed gratefully, having fufilled all my required entry rituals :) Who can replace your friendly nod and smile? My ritual is broken. Who will I bring honey from America for now, who can I suggest to others to bring honey for? Today I feel empty. your servant Jaya Kesava das  • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: Srila Prabhupada explains how we should see the unexpected departure of devotees like Aindra PrabhuŚrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.6.27evaḿ kṛṣṇa-mater brahman evam — thus; kṛṣṇa-mateḥ — one who is fully absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa; brahman — O Vyāsadeva; na — not; āsaktasya — of one who is attached; amala-ātmanaḥ — of one who is completely free from all material dirt; kālaḥ — death; prādurabhūt — become visible; kāle — in the course of time; taḍit — lightning; saudāmanī — illuminating; yathā — as it is. And so, O Brāhmaṇa Vyāsadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa and who therefore had no attachments, being completely freed from all material taints, met with death, as lightning and illumination occur simultaneously. To be fully absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa means clearance of material dirts or hankerings. As a very rich man has no hankerings for small petty things, so also a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is guaranteed to pass on to the kingdom of God, where life is eternal, fully cognizant and blissful, naturally has no hankerings for petty material things, which are like dolls or shadows of the reality and are without permanent value. That is the sign of spiritually enriched persons. And in due course of time, when a pure devotee is completely prepared, all of a sudden the change of body occurs which is commonly called death. And for the pure devotee such a change takes place exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously. That is to say a devotee simultaneously changes his material body and develops a spiritual body by the will of the Supreme. Even before death, a pure devotee has no material affection, due to his body's being spiritualized like a red-hot iron in contact with fire.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Sixteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the Sages." • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Klang, Malaysia: How HG Aindra Thakur Instructed me to Perform Damodara VrataBY SANTI VARDHANA CAITANYA DASA PENANG, MALAYSIA – When I was studying in Vrndavana VIHE in 2001, everyday I used to pray to Lord on how to make spiritual progress quickly. I wanted lots of mercy because I knew I am very fallen and in need of great mercy. Then just one day before the [...] • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: Offering our respects and remembering Aindra Prabhu who left this world last night in Vrndavana
• Email to a friend • •H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, July14th, 2010I Got My Satisfaction  • Email to a friend • •H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, July 13th, 2010Some Impressions  • Email to a friend • •Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Trees, Images, and ISKCON A hundred years ago Poet Joyce Kilmer gave us a vision of life. His poem Trees is one of the most familiar in the English language. The poem's imagery evokes feelings of beauty, sustenance, forbearance, and humility. I think that I shall never see Fast forward to the year 2010, what kind of images dominate our consciousness today? Remember the scene in the film Avatar when the gigantic bulldozers and flame-throwing robot/men cut down the Hometree of the Na'vi clan on Pandora. That's the image of trees that's stuck in my mind. I know it's just a film, and I know that at least one of the film's objectives is a protest against this type of environmental devastation, but still this image is so striking that it's the one that lingers in my mind. In a hundred years we have gone from enriching our existence through a refined reflection upon and appreciation of nature, to a kind of shock treatment aimed at opening our eyes to the rampant abuse of nature. Is this progress? I think not. We seem to be losing our sense of love for nature. Man and nature, particularly trees, have a natural mutually fulfilling relationship. Man receives the Mother Earth's bounty, and offers back respect and care. Yet, modern civilization at its worst abuses this relationship, and even at its best tends to make the relationship an economic one. The abuse is well documented, but regarding how our relationship has devolved, I found the following exchange of Yahoo! Answers to be quite interesting: Question: What is the rate of trees planted every second one is cut down? I'm not asking for a debate here. I am an 8th grader, home schooled. I'm doing an argument paper. I had no topics so I thought this was good. MY argument is that more trees need to be planted when trees are cut down. NOT trees shouldn't be cut down, not that they should. I am neutral. I think trees need to be cut down but need to be replanted quicker. SO PLEASE! Don't answer unless you know the ratio as the following, "This many trees are planted every ___, when one is cut down" etc. Thank you. Best Answer - Chosen by Voters It's one to one. Forests in America are at about the same amount as a hundred years ago. Most forest land is privately owned and managed. The logging industry is directly invested in the well-being of forests, so they are taking a leading role in preserving trees on public lands. Also, there are businesses that farm trees to use for paper pulp. Source(s): Check the references, they are logging industry websites. The purport, the real value of trees to man is an economic one. The Vedic civilization is different. In his essay Sacred Trees, Dr. Satish Kapoor of Prabhuddha Bharata writes, "Trees being nature's major processors of solar energy which is vital for our existence, and yielding flowers, fruit, wood or medicine, have been worshipped by the Hindus as a matter of gratitude...Due to their ecological value and efficacious properties, trees continue to be used in the religious and social ceremonies of the Hindus…Some trees are considered sacred due to their association with prophets and holy men." Gratitude and religion are elements of a reciprocal loving relationship, not an exploitative economic one. Man's relationship with trees is transcendental. The relationship is not limited to this material realm, but continues to exist in the spiritual world. Personally, I find one of the most fascinating aspects of the spiritual world described in the Vedic literature to be the existence of wish-fulfilling desire trees. Sri Brahma-Samhita provides this image of the spiritual world: I worship Govinda [Krishna], the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of desire trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of laksmis or gopis. Like the trees in this material world, these desire trees provide many benefits to man, but in the fully conscious existence of the spiritual world these desire trees do more. There are responsive organisms with perceptive powers and unique ability to grant benedictions, marshal resources, and provide opportunities in the service of God, Sri Krishna. Because desire trees flourish on the devotee's desire to serve Sri Krishna, they can grow anywhere such spiritual desire is found, even in the material world. The pavement of New York City's Lower East Side during the summer of 1966 was certainly an unlikely place and time to plant a desire tree from the spiritual world, but such a tree did indeed take root there due to the desire of Srila Prabhupada. On July 11, 1966 Srila Prabhupada incorporated the desire tree known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Images can be deceiving. ISKCON may appear to be an organization, a legal entity registered with the State of New York, but in actuality it is a desire tree. Don't be fooled by external appearances, for in its materially imperceptible spiritual form, its true and eternal identity, ISKCON is a desire tree from the spiritual world. How so? The answer lies in understanding how trees are important to us, what is the essence of our relationship with trees. The answer is the same thing Joyce Kilmer understood about trees: God conscious love based on reciprocal, unconditional protection and provision. The desire tree ISKCON is firmly rooted in an unbroken chain of disciplic succession dating back to the direct appearance of Sri Krishna in this world millenniums ago. Srila Prabhupada, as ISKCON's Founder-Acarya (the representative of that disciplic succession), protects ISKCON through the purity of his teachings. Srila Prabhupada also protects the service of all those who take shelter under this tree by connecting that service to Sri Krishna through disciplic succession. The desire tree ISKCON provides unlimited service opportunities. It was said about Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON that he built a house the whole world could live in. From art to building construction, solitary places of devotion to massive public festivals, agrarian life to big city temples, family life to the renounced order, and everything in between, however you desire to serve Sri Krishna can be fulfilled in ISKCON. Indeed, perhaps the best proof that ISCKON is a desire tree is the fact that many sincere souls have come under the shade of this tree. They come from every continent, every race or color, every religious background, every level of the social and financial strata, and every political orientation. They come together with a desire to share their unconditional love for Sri Krishna, their love and respect for all living entities in both the material and spiritual worlds, and their love for each other. ISKCON reciprocates by providing avenues for expression of this spiritual love. Never has such an all-embracing spiritual organization been seen in this material world. ISKCON celebrates its 44th birthday on August 4, 2010. Come under the desire tree, desire to serve, and spiritually thrive at the ISKCON center near you.      Related Stories: • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama SwamiGod grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to always tell the difference. - Reinhold Niebuhr • Email to a friend • •Gouranga TV: Lokanath Swami – Gurupuja kirtan – ISKCON Mayapur 2007 – Part 1/4Lokanath Swami – Gurupuja kirtan – ISKCON Mayapur 2007 – Part 1/4 • Email to a friend • •Japa Group: Completed The Full Quota
My chanting was not in a mood of Radha and Krishna, but it was efficient "just hear" chanting at a rapid pace. It's a satisfaction having completed the full quota so early in a morning. From Bhajan Kutir #9  • Email to a friend • •ISKCON News.com: Aindra Das Passes Away In Vrindavan
• Email to a friend • •ISKCON News.com: HarvestFest &Balarama Full Moon Feast in Canada
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