"Planet ISKCON" - 33 new articles
H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Saturday 7 August 2010--Kindly Help Us Save the World--and--How to Be Detached from Maya in ...As the world society continues gravitating away from natural harmony of God consciousness towards increasingly indiscriminant selfish sense gratification, the world condition is becoming more and more unbalanced and precarious. The global leaders have no power to stop this madness because they themselves are mad. In such a condition our poor planetary... • Email to a friend •  •Ekendra dasa, AU: Real RenunciationThere is a nice story from the Sri Sampradaya where Ramanuja Acarya grew tired of hearing his celibate brahmacari and sannyasa students squabble over little things like who accidentally put on someone else's cloth, who had another person's lota, etc ... They would also constantly deride Ramanuja's householder disciples as being materially bewildered and lacking in renunciation. Sri Ramanuja had a very devoted householder student who lived a simple married life. The only material wealth he possessed were two costly bangles around his wife's wrists as per south Indian tradition. Sri Ramanuja instructed that one of his brahmacari disciples should sneak into their home while they were unaware and take whatever they could find of value. One brahmacari eagerly volunteered and then began to stake out the home waiting for an opportunity to, according to his vision, reclaim some material possessions from Maya and use it in the service of the Lord. The husband left the home and soon the wife laid down to take rest. The brahmacari then carefully crept into the home but couldn't find anything of value. He tiptoed into the room where the wife was lying on her side and caught sight of the gold bangles around her thin wrists. Her body was quite frail due to an austere diet. She seemed deeply asleep so he carefully slipped the bangle from one wrist off of her hand. Her other wrist was going to be more difficult to take from because she was partly lying on it. If he were to try to slip that bangle off it would most likely wake her. Just then she stirred in her sleep and rolled over, exposing the other bangle. Despite that now the bangle was accessible, the brahmacari was already jumping out of the open window in fear that she had awoken and would catch him in the act of stealing. He ran back to the ashram where Sri Ramanuja was waiting. "Well", Ramanuja inquired, "Did you bring me anything from this householder?" "Guruji, all I could find of any value was this bangle." "I see, and where is the other one?" "Your Divine Grace, I couldn't bring that one to you because she woke up and I had to flee." Then Sri Ramanuja called all of his renunciate disciples to an assembly. He also sent someone to bring this householder couple. When everyone had arrived he asked the couple to come forward. In front of the assembly he asked, "Why are you only wearing one bangle, dear mother? Please speak clearly so all can hear." She obediently cleared her throat and, while modestly looking at the ground, explained in a clear voice: "Your Grace, I am wearing only one bangle today because one of your brahmacari students was so desperate for money that he crept into my home while I was trying to rest. I felt pity on him that he must not be getting enough food to eat or enough cloth to keep him warm so I let him take my bangle while I pretended to sleep. When I rolled over to let him take the other bangle he fled out of fear and thus I couldn't fulfill my duty as a householder and support the young student. Please forgive us, Maharaja." The entire assembly of saintly renunciates sat quietly aghast at the deeply selfless admission of this woman. Sri Ramanuja filled the silence with one statement, "That is renunciation." Then he returned to his quarters. • Email to a friend • •Kurma dasa, AU: myPodKarin from Northern Ireland asked me, last year (yes, this is a re-run; so sue me...): "I hope that you are well. I keep seeing ground cardamom in recipes, how exactly do I do this? do I remove the seeds from the pod or do I grind the pod with the seeds. Sorry if this seems like a silly question. Love and light, Karin"
My reply: No, it's a reasonable question. I sometimes grind the whole pods in a sharp spice/coffee mill then rub it through a sieve and keep the powder, tossing away the bits of skin. This is especially useful when you need the powder from a large quantity of pods, like when making carrot halava for 800 people ;) I guess it's the lazy, quick, but wasteful way. The slow, traditional and frugal way is to open the pods by hand, then grind the seeds. You can use a granite mortar and pestle for this if you like. Shop-bought cardamom powder is vastly inferior, by the way. Hope this helps, Kind regards, Kurma. As an addenda, DevaDeva Dasi asked "you can buy the cardamom *whole* but out of the pods...do you disapprove of this practice, guruji?" I never answered that question. Sorry DevaDeva. Here it is: I am generally under-impressed with the quality of cardamom seeds available out of the pods. They tend to be of an inferior quality, and stale. Having said that, I have on occasion found some excellent ones out of the pods - oily, shiny and very aromatic. They were obviously fresh. If you find cardamom seeds that appear to be of this quality, buy some in small quantity. In fact, beware of the 'buying in bulk' practice when it comes to all spices. They lose their flavour over time. Finally, my experience is that the greener the cardamom pods, the more aromatic they are. • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 August 6 : "If we are there so many months and we cannot do anything, simply eat and sleep and fight amongst ourselves, then where is our credit? Our credit will be when the people see our nice building rising daily. That is the American style."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 August 6 : "If you want to honor me, you will do like this and then I can truly be called the guru of the Americans. Otherwise, it is simply a dishonor to me."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 August 6 : "Yes, that is the sannyasi business, to travel from center to center and instruct the devotees in spiritual life. But I do not think it is necessary for you to return to your university for taking further education."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1972 August 6 : "We are not very much for owning buildings, our real business is to preach and propagate Krishna Consciousness widely. If we spend our whole time simply to pay for big buildings and decorations, what is the value?"  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters 1973 August 6 : "I heard that another Book fund account has been opened. Is this correct? If so what is the balance amount there and who is jointly signing checks? Let me know all these points in detail, this is absolutely necessary."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1974 August 6: "The Indians there have been cheated by so many rascal swamis who have come simply to collect money and then leave. So when you expect me, let me know, and I shall make my program. Our work will be done locally. "  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 August 6: "Prasad is transcendental, but one should not take too much. Sannyasis may take maha-prasada but not to overeat. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was taking, but on principle he was avoiding."  • Email to a friend • •Srila Prabhupada's Letters1975 August 6: "So much prasada is being left. This is not good. Guests should not be given so much that there is waste. You can give them a little, and then if they like you can give them more. This system should be introduced everywhere."  • Email to a friend • •Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: Book distribution lecturesHare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In order to try to inspire devotees in book distribution, we have lectures on book distribution at: http://www.iskcondesiretree.net/page/book-distribution Thank you Your servant, Vaishnava seva dasa _____o_ www.iskcondesiretree.com www.iskcondesiretree.net "Chant Hare Krishna and be happy" • Email to a friend • •Book Distribution News: Book distribution lecturesHare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In order to try to inspire devotees in book distribution, we have lectures on book distribution at: http://www.iskcondesiretree.net/page/book-distribution Thank you Your servant, Vaishnava seva dasa _____o_ www.iskcondesiretree.com www.iskcondesiretree.net "Chant Hare Krishna and be happy" • Email to a friend • •Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: PurityThere are two kinds of purity: external and internal. External purity is bodily cleanliness. Internal purity means keeping the mind always on Krishna. There are times when it is not possible to keep the body clean, due to external conditions, but external conditions need not keep the mind from being clean. We can and should always keep our internal purity, regardless of external conditions. >>> Ref. VedaBase => Notes transcribed from a lecture given September 8, 1966 from BTG #4 • Email to a friend • •David Haslam, UK: Personal thought on lessons still needing to be learntOne thing that is always hard is to admit your own limitations, failings and faults; but this is essential not only in devotional life but also in our personal and professional life. To be truthful I am just an average nurse despite all my talk this is the reality; and that I have a tendency [...] • Email to a friend • •Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Lecture - Prahladananda Swami - BG 15.5 -Receipt won't get you there
Lecture on Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 15, Text 5 - "Receipt won't get you there" by Prahladananda Swami. Dallas, TX
TRANSLATION Nor does the Supreme Lord assume anyone's sinful or pious activities. Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge. PURPORT The Sanskrit word vibhu means the Supreme Lord who is full of unlimited knowledge, riches, strength, fame, beauty and renunciation. He is always satisfied in Himself, undisturbed by sinful or pious activities. He does not create a particular situation for any living entity, but the living entity, bewildered by ignorance, desires to be put into certain conditions of life, and thereby his chain of action and reaction begins. A living entity is, by superior nature, full of knowledge. Nevertheless, he is prone to be influenced by ignorance due to his limited power. The Lord is omnipotent, but the living entity is not. The Lord is vibhu, or omniscient, but the living entity is anu, or atomic. Because he is a living soul, he has the capacity to desire by his free will. Such desire is fulfilled only by the omnipotent Lord. And so, when the living entity is bewildered in his desires, the Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never responsible for the actions and reactions of the particular situation which may be desired. Being in a bewildered condition, therefore, the embodied soul identifies himself with the circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary misery and happiness of life. The Lord is the constant companion of the living entity as Paramatma, or the Supersoul, and therefore He can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell the flavor of a flower by being near it. Desire is a subtle form of conditioning for the living entity. The Lord fulfills his desire as he deserves: Man proposes and God disposes. The individual is not, therefore, omnipotent in fulfilling his desires. The Lord, however, can fulfill all desires, and the Lord, being neutral to everyone, does not interfere with the desires of the minute independent living entities. However, when one desires Krsna, the Lord takes special care and encourages one to desire in such a way that one can attain to Him and be eternally happy. The Vedic hymns therefore declare, esa u hy eva sadhu karma karayati tam yam ebhyo lokebhya unninisate. esa u evasadhu karma karayati yam adho ninisate: "The Lord engages the living entity in pious activities so that he may be elevated. The Lord engages him in impious activities so that he may go to hell." (Kausitaki Upanisad 3. ajno jantur aniso 'yam "The living entity is completely dependent in his distress and happiness. By the will of the Supreme he can go to heaven or hell, as a cloud is driven by the air." Therefore the embodied soul, by his immemorial desire to avoid Krsna consciousness, causes his own bewilderment. Consequently, although he is constitutionally eternal, blissful and cognizant, due to the littleness of his existence he forgets his constitutional position of service to the Lord and is thus entrapped by nescience. And, under the spell of ignorance, the living entity claims that the Lord is responsible for his conditional existence. The Vedanta-sutras (2.1.34) also confirm this. Vaisamya-nairghrnye na sapeksatvat tatha hi darsayati: "The Lord neither hates nor likes anyone, though He appears to."
Download: 2010-07-07 - Lecture - Prahladananda Swami - BG 15.5 - Receipt won't get you there.mp3 • Email to a friend • •Maddy Jean-claude Durr, New Govardhana, AU: A Journey Across Poland: [P14] Winding Up to WoodstockMonday 26th, July 2010. Our VIP treatment was over. Today we were being moved to the Gymnasium, along with the kitchen crew. According to HH Mukunda Goswami, this was originally the sleeping arrangement for the whole of the Polish tour, when he had participated many years ago. Indeed he was shocked when I informed him that these days we all stay in different classrooms in the schools. I compensated the accommodation downgrade by finding some floating internet (contact with the outside world!). This lasted for a while before mysteriously vanishing, leaving only the option of returning to reality. I served the lunch Prasadam to the devotees with Sri Prahlada. Gurudeva was still fasting, and Sri Prahlada and Kaliyapani Prabhu were the only VIPs present so they decided to take the same Prasadam as the other devotees, asking for no special arrangements. I was left in charge of serving the devotees the sweets. Afterwards, I sat with Sri Prahlada and we talked over Prasadam about his recent ventures. It became apparent that we had only been together less than a couple months ago, although time had seemed to fly since then. I decided I would do some writing, so I began to search for a public power outlet. The VIP room had a power point but there didn't seem to be a single one in the school otherwise - it seemed like I would soon be saying goodbye to writing, Vedabase and internet if I couldn't find this simple necessity. While on my search, I passed HH Indradyumna Swami. "Maddy, we're going to make this school kid free" he said, with a crazy sarcastic tone. "Hurray!" I replied with some joking jubilation. "There's going to be no kids. I don't know where they're going to go" he replied. "Australia?" I suggested, and we all laughed. Someone had organized that the young children would stay in the VIP school but the noise was echoing around and driving the Sadhus a little mad. Off they went, to the Red school and back to sanity for the rest of us. I finally found some power in the cafeteria, which was much like the internet - magically on at one moment and then disappearing at other times. It was sufficient for now and I began writing "Raining in Rewal and Radheya's Rewards". I finished it by the end of the evening and decided that I would take the rare opportunity to have an early nigh.
Tuesday 27th, July 2010. The early bedtime wasn't the best idea. People talked all night, rather boisterously, and I couldn't sleep for hours. When the yelling stopped, the snoring started. The snoring took over the whole Gymnasium, like a hurricane, and I could do nothing but pray. Indeed it had woken up all other devotees around me, who decided to talk and giggle about it all the way into the early hours. I couldn't exactly see what state I was in, after the rough night, because there were no mirrors in the whole school. I had also lost my tilak mirror so I was simply applying with the guidance of the Supersoul (some days better than others). Daily my beard grew to a decent babaji length and I hardly noticed the change, never having a chance to inspect it. It was a little freedom from the bodily concept but it could not be posed as convenient. I took advantage of the less crowded base and engaged my mind in some solid sadhana. In the middle of the day, as I walked around the school, I passed HH Indradyumna Swami. "Maddy, do you want to go to the Woodstock field?" he said. I was startled; did he want me to go with him or was he checking if I wanted to go because he knew of a bus going? Maybe he meant that he wanted me to help build the site? I left him to fill in the gap - he was driving to the field and seemed to want me to come with him. We sat in the car and he joked, "are you writing this down in your blog?" Now that he reminded me, I pulled out a notepad to jot everything down. "I just published a diary" he said, sharing some writing sanga with me. He began to tell me about North American tour next year. I expressed some interest, suggesting maybe me and my brother, Nitai, might come. We picked up a couple more devotees and we were soon off on our way, Maharaja at the helm. The site was similar to the previous years. The location was the same and the tents were in the exact same positions. The atmosphere was nice now, before the rush that would envelope this place in only a few days. Maharaja had a little meeting with Dominik, while we looked around, and then we were off again. "Who wants to go to Red school?" asked Maharaja, just as we jumped in the car. He had a big grin on his face and an enthusiastic tone. Off we went. The Red school was bustling with a little bhajana when we came in. I humbly trotted alongside Maharaja as we entered the building. We found Village of Peace practicing downstairs and Indradyumna Swami joyfully listened to them practice. It reminded me of our younger days, with our rock band made up of a bunch of Gurukuli boys. I was aware that this might have been what we were working towards, playing at Krsna's Village of Peace at Polish Woodstock. Maharaja continued to check out the school, finding Nandini and Jayatam so they could have yet another meeting. I nicked off to the room that I had been in last year so I could visit the boys and give them a good stir. The boys informed me that they were sleeping soundly and we confirmed that our Nrsimha yantra, that we drew on the blackboard, last year, had cleared the whole school of all paranormal activities. We continued to joke and laugh about the whole thing. After some time, Sri Prahlada cut my conversation short and we were off again. The kirtana at the gate had increased tremendously in participants and I giggled, suspecting they were doing it to please their Gurudeva. We arrived back to serve lunch Prasadam to the VIPs. Caturatma Prabhu and Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu had arrived from the States. Laksmi Nrsimha's luggage had been left at the opposite end of the journey so he was little distraught, but both of them still managed to laugh about it. Caturatma Prabhu caught a glimpse of me serving and asked who I was. I introduced myself and he said that he was pleased to meet me. I had seen him in the last two Woodstock festivals but this was the first chance that I had to actually meet him. I slipped into the cafeteria in the evening so I could finish editing my last diary (after publishing the last festival on the coast I knew I would probably have no time to write so I was making haste). Indradyumna Swami entered, "Maddy, what are you doing?" he asked, in a comical demand. "Writing, Maharaja" I replied. "Are you keeping engaged?" he asked, in a sort a prodding way. I answered obviously: "yes" but I wondered if he considered my diaries as much of an engagement as I liked to consider them. Maharaja helped himself to a plate of the Prasadam (the Prasadam that was for the other devotees on tour). Indradyumna Swami was trying out the Prasadam and he turned his attention back to me. "Maddy, what's your service?" he asked. I thought it was a trick question but I told him. "Serving you and the VIPs, Maharaja" I replied. "Oh…" he said, seeming a bit taken aback. He went back to his Prasadam for a moment before asking, "Maddy, can you butter me some bread?" I jumped up. "That's your job isn't it?" he said, making fun of me. Soon enough the other VIPs were at the table and I was buttering up more and more bread for them all. Braja Kishore came in; Caturatma Prabhu leaped up to greet him, embracing like old friends. Braja gave Caturatma a big case of ice-cream. I was instantly serving this case to the assembled Vaisnavas. There was some leftover and no one was taking so Caturatma told me to take it. I hesitated. " I don't know anyone who has to be told twice to have ice-cream" he said, stirring. I tried to offer a little around. "No, there is only enough for one there, the rest is yours" said Caturatma, again insisting I take. I gratefully took the ice cream, sitting with the VIPs - eating what they were eating and soaking in their association. The party soon dispatched. I cleaned up, collected myself and finished the editing process. I published the final diary for a good week or so and was off to bed before it was too late. Woodstock mood was winding up. Now, on the cafeteria door was the cooking roster. Tomorrow was going to be the first Food For Life day, having our first six hour shift of serving Prasadam, and there would be a harinam on the Woodstock field. The following day would be a full eighteen hours of Prasadam distribution and Rathayatra. Woodstock didn't start until the thirtieth but we were going to slip in two days early, to purify the battlefield. [http://maddmonk.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/p14-winding-up-to-woodstock-2010] • Email to a friend • •H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.24.11The following lecture was given by H.H. Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaja on August 06th, 2010, in ISKCON Ujjain. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Canto 3: The Status Quondash; Chapter 24: The Renunciation of Kardama Munindash; Text 11 • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 323:13 A.M.I slept peacefully and woke up at 1:00 A.M. On Nara's advice, I took preventative medicine to avoid an early morning headache. No headache came, and I chanted my rounds. Like a big snake uncurling, I did all 16 rounds without interruption. Yesterday I had lunch with Syam Das and six of the devotees here from Stuyvesant Falls. Syam Das is a very charismatic sadhu from the Pusti-marg sampradaya. They are Vaisnavas and very much like us, but with some very significant differences. They don't accept Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and they don't accept Srimati Radharani. Syam Das did 90% of the talking for all of the six persons gathered. He's a very high-wired personality and is constantly going to engagements in different parts of the world, where he lectures in various languages and holds bhajanas. There was the implication that since he lives so nearby here I would meet him on further occasions and go out with him on some of his engagements, but at the end of the lunch I told him that I suffer from migraines and don't go out. He ignored what I said and said he would take me out to see different places. I want to protect my viraha bhavan life and rise early in the morning. Dhanurdhara Swami admires my strict schedule. I chant and write, and then there is a little spare time in the day for a walk later in the day. Last night I read poetry with Nara. I'm sticking to the third person of Rupa Swami instead of writing about "I," but in the japa reflections I'll write about "I." Today's chanting was good. I rattled the rounds off like an express train. I paid attention to the syllables, and my mind didn't wander too much (except a little bit about Syam Das). Earlier while I was chanting Nara came up and woke up the Deities without speaking, just so that I could see Them while I chanted. He's very considerate. He put his finger over his lips and just put the Deities out for my benefit. He will be up again at 3:30. I've been here at Viraha Bhavan for over a month now, and I'm pretty well settled in. I don't need to go out to all the various engagements in the "Bhajana Belt." I'm a little antisocial, but I want them to accept me as I am, a quiet person who broadcasts every day on the Web. Yesterday I wrote in poem saying that I would like to return to my old "wilder" sort of poetry that I used to insert in my books. I'll see if I can do that. You said you chanted like But he wasn't really But we don't worship "Swamini" • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Germany 1974Prabhupada Smaranam
A big outdoor initiation ceremony in Germany in the summer of 1974. Srila Prabhupada was taking on many disciples. They each made the lifelong vows to follow the four regulative principles against sinful activities and to chant 16 rounds daily. A large number were initiated, and no doubt at least a few of them have failed to keep the promise. Prabhupada was liberal and took the risk. There is no way of knowing for sure whether a shaven headed brahmacari will remain straight and loyal all the days of his life. Prabhupada accepted the temple president's recommendation and the individual's word. Many of them would make their best effort not to be ensnared by Maya but to stay as true as they were on this day of their initiation. A few would become later entrapped by illusion. Prabhupada did not suffer if a disciple went astray. He was protected because his only motive was to increase the number of Lord Caitanya's followers, and he was a mighty preacher. Initiation forms a permanent bond, but if the disciple breaks it, the spiritual master is no longer obliged. He does not have to come back for a disciple who has left him. But he wil protect all those who are loyal to him and who continue to follow his instructions. The initiation ceremony, he used to say, is not the culmination. It is the beginning. The promise is made on this auspicious day, and the disciples' karma is lifted. But it remains the responsibility of the disciples not to enact new karma, not to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting. If the disciple slips accidently, he can rectify simply by re-engaging in devotional service. But if he repeatedly, constantly breaks the rules, he is not a high kind of disciple. • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Those Poems in Prose Books1 The poems in Soul Eyes
Like this one, from Under Dark
"Oh Nellie was happy to see a Krishna picture
"But you can walk through the daffodils
2. Where did they come from?
I would like to do like that • Email to a friend • •H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Running OutHealing House
Ollie was scheduled to leave in the late afternoon. He would drop Yadunandana Swami off in New York City and then head to Delaware, where he had a week's appointments with various doctors. All the doctors expenses were covered by his Medicaid plan registered in Delaware. Swami Rupa had asked him to come up to his room to brainstorm on some ideas for episodes of Healing House. Ollie said, "Do you have a sheet of paper? I want you to write down some figures." • Email to a friend • •Dandavats.com: Pujari Wanted In BelfastKrsna Sundari dd: A great opportunity to make a difference. Come and experience the sweetness of Sri Sri Radha Madhava and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and the peaceful atmosphere at our temple in Northern Ireland • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: FROM FAILURE TO SUCCESSThis is a conversation I recently had with a devotee. You might find in it something useful or interesting for you.  • Email to a friend • •Japa Group: Japa Poem
Chanting at a rapid From Bhajan Kutir #30  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: KNOWLEDGE HELPSKnowledge about the holy name helps us to develop a greater faith in the name and chant more enthusiastically.  • Email to a friend • •Akrura das, Gita Coaching: The Holy Name Revives One's Dormant, Eternal Krsna ConsciousnessAs a snake-bitten man is brought back to consciousness by the chanting of certain mantras, so one in the unconscious state of material life can be revived by hearing the maha-mantra:  • Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: “Offering” Campaka and Rasa-lila’s first grain ceremonyJuly 20, 2010 Budapest • Email to a friend • •ISKCON News.com: Kirtana Prevails At Krsna's Village of Peace
• Email to a friend • •H.H. Sivarama Swami: Moles Béla asks whether the people to whom he gives prasadam who may throw away what they don’t eat get sinful reaction that may obstruct their coming to Krsna
• Email to a friend • •Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Our Beaker Is Starting To Boil
David Breashears is one of America's legendary mountain climbers, a man who has climbed Mount Everest five times and led the Everest IMAX film team in 1996. These days, Mr. Breashears is still climbing the Himalayas, but he is lugging more than pitons and ice axes. He's also carrying special cameras to document stunning declines in glaciers on the roof of the world. Mr. Breashears first reached the top of Everest in 1983, and in many subsequent trips to the region he noticed the topography changing, the glaciers shrinking. So he dug out archive photos from early Himalayan expeditions, and then journeyed across ridges and crevasses to photograph from the exact same spots. The pairs of matched photographs, old and new, are staggering. Time and again, the same glaciers have shrunk drastically in every direction, often losing hundreds of feet in height. "I was just incredulous," he told me. "We took measurements with laser rangefinders to measure the loss of height of the glaciers. The drop was often the equivalent of a 35- or 40-story building." Mr. Breashears led me through a display of these paired photographs at the Asia Society in New York. One 1921 photo by George Mallory, the famous mountaineer who died near the summit of Everest three years later, shows the Main Rongbuk Glacier. Mr. Breashears located the very spot from which Mallory had snapped that photo and took another — only it is a different scene, because the glacier has lost 330 feet of vertical ice. Some research in social psychology suggests that our brains are not well adapted to protect ourselves from gradually encroaching harms. We evolved to be wary of saber-toothed tigers and blizzards, but not of climate change — and maybe that's also why we in the news media tend to cover weather but not climate. The upshot is that we're horrifyingly nonchalant at the prospect that rising carbon emissions may devastate our favorite planet. NASA says that the January-through-June period this year was the hottest globally since measurements began in 1880. The Web site ClimateProgress.org, which calls for more action on climate change, suggests that 2010 is likely to be the warmest year on record. Likewise, the Global Snow Lab at Rutgers University says that the months of May and June had the lowest snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere since the lab began satellite observations in 1967. So signs of danger abound, but like the proverbial slow-boiling frog, we seem unable to rouse ourselves. (Actually, it seems that frogs will not remain in a beaker that is slowly heated. Snopes.com quotes a distinguished zoologist as saying that frogs become agitated as the temperature slowly rises and struggle to escape, although it does not specify how the zoologist knows this.) From our own beaker, we've watched with glazed eyes as glaciers have retreated worldwide. Glacier National Park now has only about 25 glaciers, compared with around 150 a century ago. In the Himalayas, the shrinkage seems to be accelerating, with Chinese scientific measurements suggesting that some glaciers are now losing up to 26 feet in height per year. Orville Schell, who runs China programs at the Asia Society, described passing a series of pagodas as he approached the Mingyong Glacier on the Tibetan plateau. The pagodas were viewing platforms, and had to be rebuilt as the glacier retreated: this monumental, almost eternal force of nature seemed mortally wounded. "A glacier is a giant part of the alpine landscape, something we always saw as immortal," Mr. Schell said. "But now this glacier is dying before our eyes." An Indian glaciologist, Syed Iqbal Hasnain, now at the Stimson Center in Washington, told me that most Himalayan glaciers are in retreat for three reasons. First is the overall warming tied to carbon emissions. Second, rain and snow patterns are changing, so that less new snow is added to replace what melts. Third, pollution from trucks and smoke covers glaciers with carbon soot so that their surfaces become darker and less reflective — causing them to melt more quickly. The retreat of the glaciers threatens agriculture downstream. A study published last month in Science magazine indicated that glacier melt is essential for the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers, while less important a component of the Ganges, Yellow and Yangtze rivers. The potential disappearance of the glaciers, the report said, is "threatening the food security of an estimated 60 million people" in the Indus and Brahmaputra basins. We Americans have been galvanized by the oil spill on our gulf coast, because we see tar balls and dead sea birds as visceral reminders of our hubris in deep sea drilling. The melting glaciers should be a similar warning of our hubris — and of the consequences that the earth will face for centuries unless we address carbon emissions today.  • Email to a friend • •Gouranga TV: Aindra Prabhu – Hare Krishna kirtan – ISKCON Vrindavan – October 26, 2009 – 1/2Aindra Prabhu – Hare Krishna kirtan – ISKCON Vrindavan – October 26, 2009 – 1/2 • Email to a friend • •ISKCON Klang, Malaysia: Crookedness in Devotional ServiceBY SRILA JIVA GOSVAMI Source: Krishna Katha-mrita Bindu (Gopal-Jiu publications) Due to the presence of many offenses, the Lord does not accept service from the crooked, even if they offer him many valuable items. This was seen when Krishna went to the capital of Duryodhan as a messenger on behalf of the Pandavas. Although Duryodhan [...] • Email to a friend • •More Recent Articles
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