Here are the latest updates for
- H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Wednesday 22 September 2010--Walking Dog or Walking God--and--Our Friend Says God Does Not Exist
- New Vrindavan, USA: New Vrindaban hosts 9th Annual Vaishnavi Retreat
- New Vrindavan, USA: 24 Hours Kirtan - Kartika
- Sastra Dana, San Diego, USA: A Beautiful Contribution
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Bhurijana Prabhu
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: BE MORE CONSCIOUS
- Bharatavarsa.net: Book distribution seminar: Gujarati brahmacari attracts British Catholic to Krsna
- Kurma dasa, AU: Yamuna Devi Recipe # 5 : Nutritious Whole Grain, Split Pea and Vegetable Soup (Sabji Matar Dal)
- Book Distribution News: Gujarati brahmacari attracts British Catholic to Krsna
- Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Krsna. This is life.
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Srila Prabhupada Memorial Festival Radhadesh 2010
- Dandavats.com: Money and Varnashrama Culture
- Dandavats.com: Using Loyalty To Srila Prabhupada To deceive Others
- Dandavats.com: Addiction of Social Networking sites
- Dandavats.com: Radhastami at ISKCON Vrindavan
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Video of initiation talk
- Dandavats.com: New Vrindaban Hosts Ninth Annual Vaishnavi Retreat
- Dandavats.com: Ratha Yatra in Nashville
- Dandavats.com: Radhastami Darshan
- Dandavats.com: Gita Nagari Damodara Rati & AaC News
- Japa Group: I Pray For That Success
- New Vrndavan, USA: From Yamini and Mangalananda
- Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: Tilok For Your Home
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Disappearance Day Srila Haridasa Thakur
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 78
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Prabhupada Smaranam
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Poem from Under Dark Stars
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Silhouette Outlines
- Gaura Vani, USA: Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan – October 30 – 31, 2010
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Australian News: 'Sanskrit Pronunciation the easy and fun way'
- Australian News: HARINAMA REVOLUTION! Brisbane
- Australian News: Sri Harinama Sankirtan Sydney THURSDAY this week
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: JUST DO IT!
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: London 2010 Janmastami, Radhastami & Srila Prabhupada Memorial Festival
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Radhastami 2010 - Initiation photos
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Diwali FOLK News Online Edition
- Mayapur Online: Svananda Sukhada Kunja-Srila Bhakti Vinoda Thakur's Residence
- Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group
- Mayapur Online: Vamandeva appearance day celebrations
- Gouranga TV: Lecture – Prahladananda Swami – SB 9.13.4-5 – Vasistha vs Vishvamitra
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
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- H.H. Sivarama Swami
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: 12 Hour Kirtan - Sunday 26th September
- H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Appearance Day Celebration of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura on 20 Sept. 2010
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In this world everybody wants to love somebody, and if they cannot find anyone to give their love to, they will keep a dog and give their love to him taking him on a walk every morning. But the difficulty in the modern world is that people lack the understanding of where to repose their love so that they and everyone else becomes fully satisfied. In...
On Saturday, October 2, Praladananda devi dasi, a new York-based film producer, will be presenting a seminar in New Vrindaban on film production for amateurs. Her presentation is entitled "How to Film: Making the Best Use of Your Time and Video Equipment."
This seminar will cover a wide spectrum of topics such as how to frame or compose an image; looking at light and shadow; filming from different angles and perspectives; zooming in and out; and the art of interviewing. Praladananda will also discuss the use of sound. Students will be given time to practice what they are shown, and to bring their work back for review and discussion. Bring either a camcorder or zoom-and-shoot digital with video capacity.
Praladananda is currently producing a 60-minute documentary film on New Vrindaban's Palace of Gold. "The Palace of Gold is an architectural wonder," said Praladananda.
"The devotees who built the Palace of Gold had a dream. Very few people make their dreams into reality, but they did it," explained Praladananda. "The devotees who built the Palace of Gold were young, and in general they had no previous training or experience. But they dedicated their lives to building the Palace, and they have left their mark on the world. The Palace will be here for many years to come.
The 24 Hour Kirtan is
October 30 – 31, 2010.
Register Now | Accommodations | Directions | Schedule | Sponsor
Each year the 24 Hour Kirtan gets bigger and better. The first 24 Hour Kirtan in 2007 was just a group of friends coming together to celebrate the chanting of the Maha Mantra. Now in it's fourth year, the 24 Hour Kirtan has become one of the largest kirtan events on the East Coast.
Tickets are $40 per person advanced / $50 at the door.
Student tickets are (with valid ID) $20 advanced / $25 at the door.
Children under 12 are free.
In an effort to maintain the quality of the festival, facilities and meals, the organizers have carefully decided that a ticket for the kirtan is required to cover the costs and expansion of the festival.
The 24 Hour Kirtan is a not-for-profit event which means that after production costs such as travel, meals, sound systems, promotional supplies, accounting etc. are covered, any funds left over will be used towards next year's 24 Hour Kirtan. If there is a considerable amount of left over funds we will donate towards the 24 Hour Kirtan in Vridanvan which needs financial help after the passing of Sri Aindra Prabhu.
You can view our working budget (PDF) to get a sense of what it takes to put on this festival. We will post a Profit & Loss statement after the festival for full financial transparency. If you have any questions about the budget or financial structure, please email us here.
If you need help with registering or coming to the festival, call us at 304-845-9591.
Please note that your registration fees DO NOT include accommodations. To find and book accommodations click here.
The fact of the matter is that our budget is not awfully too fat. It takes about $1,000 a month, or $3,000 a quarter, to run the Sastra Dana program. About $2,500 a quarter is spent for buying books and printing the 16Rounds newspaper. Remaining $500 is spent on printing and mailing the Sastra Dana newsletter, shipping books, gasoline, vehicle maintenance, and renovating and fixing abandoned newspaper racks. Since we don’t have big enough a budget to allow us to buy new racks, we find abandoned ones, restore them, put our logo on, and use them to distribute our newspaper. A new outdoor plastic rack costs about $80 to $90. We spend $10 to $20 a rack to renovate one.
About a month ago, Mohan Shyam Prabhu, a devotee from Long Beach, saved for us two abandoned racks he found at the Trader Joe’s, the place where he works. He also told us of a newspaper company that went out of business more than six months ago and whose racks were still sitting abandoned in the streets of Long Beach. All we needed to do is to get a van, drive to Long Beach, and pick as many racks as we could fit in our vehicle.
Pavamana Prabhu, a devotee from San Diego, took a day off from work and drove us to Long Beach. After driving and searching through the streets of Long Beach we were able to find seventeen new racks. Unfortunately we were not able to fit more than thirteen racks in the van. All of the racks were beautiful, clean, and the perfect size for our 16Rounds publication. Now there are thirteen more racks engaged in Krishna’s, rather than maya’s, service.
Dear reader, if you live in Long Beach, or anywhere else in Southern California, please let us know if you find any abandoned newspaper racks. We’d be thrilled to engage them in propagating Krishna conscious messages.
This is what most abandoned racks look like.
Mohan Shyam Prabhu with his two sons.
Beautiful, newly acquired newspaper racks.
Putting racks in storage before they will get renovated.
Pavamana's van filled with newspaper racks.
Pavamana's van filled with newspaper racks.
Pavamana Prabhu
CC Antya 11 - Lila Kirtana on Disappearance of Haridas Thakore.
Start today to pay closer attention to the things you do.
Be more conscious of how you think and act.
Think about your tasks carefully before you begin.
Identify your most important tasks for a day and concentrate on them single-mindedly.
I was distributing books in Northampton (in the Midlands of England) and stopped a young man who seemed quite well-natured. He had grown up in a Catholic family, but he introduced himself as a 21-year-old searcher looking deeply into Buddhism. I showed him our new VEDA book and told him that the article on Buddhism and KC may interest him. He had heard of the Vedas and was happy to take it away, along with a couple of other books, and generously gave a £20 donation.
Two weeks later, I decided to stop in Northampton on my way back to the Manor. About midday I bumped into this young man again. He smiled when he saw me and immediately came over to say that he had read all the books. And he'd read VEDA three times. It was exactly what he was looking for.
He was hungry for more knowledge, so I took him over to my trolley, gave him another three books, and took his contact details.
A week later I e-mailed him. He'd read the new books and was interested in taking up the process. I made a trip to Northampton to meet him. We decided to sit down in Costa Coffee and have a chat. I was ready to introduce him to chanting, but he was one step ahead. He explained how he had obtained some beads and was already chanting every day (he found information online). He had photocopied pictures out of the books and had made an altar at home. Now he offers some water and fruits to Krishna every day.
He recently visited the Manor and loved it. Another soul on the journey home, thanks to the potency of Srila Prabhupada's books.
Your servant Sutapa das (Text D:3582769) -------------------------------------------
------- End of Forwarded Message ------
More serialising of recipes by my cooking guru, Yamuna Devi. Before attempting to cook any of her recipes, make sure you are aware of the difference between US measures and Australian/metric measures. See below*
This is a quick pressure-cooker soup that is warming, nutritious and very welcome on cold winter days. You can vary this recipe by substituting Parsnips, green beans, zucchini or corn for any of the suggested vegetables. A nice stew can be obtained by adding large, even-sized pieces of potato or winter squash. (You will need to increase the amount of water a bit when cooking these starchy vegetables).
Try your own favourite combinations according to the season and time of day. You can get whole grains and split peas at most health food stores and co-ops, so the next time you are out shopping pick up a pound (455g) each of whole barley, wheat, rye, brown rice, millet and split peas. At the rate of only 1-2 table spoons (15-30 ml) per pot of soup, you will be able to stretch these wholesome ingredients over many meals. This soup is a meal in itself, and it is also goes especially well with buttered steamed Rice, a bowl of home made Yogurt and a tossed green salad.
Grain and dal soaking time: 2 hours, Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 5 minutes, Cooking time: 25 minutes in a pressure cooker, Serves: 6 to 8.
2 tablespoons each barley, wheat, rye, brown rice, wild rice, millet and split peas, 7 cups (1.75 liters) water, 1 medium-sized carrot scraped and cut into ¼ -inch (6 mm) rounds, 1 medium-sized celery stalk and leaves, sliced, 1 large firm ripe tomato, cut into 8 pieces 1 generous handful of spinach (about 1 ounce/30 g), washed, dried, stemmed and coarsely chopped, 1 teaspoon scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root, 1 teaspoon minced seeded hot green chili (or as desired), 1 teaspoon turmeric, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1½ teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or coarsely chopped coriander, 4 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.
Mix together the grains and split peas and soak in hot water for 2 hours.
Combine them with the remaining ingredients (except the salt, parsley or coriander, 2 tablespoons of the ghee or vegetable oil and the cumin seeds) in a 6-quart/liter pressure cooker.
Cover and cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the pressure to drop. Uncover and stir in the salt and herb.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee or vegetable oil over moderate heat in a small saucepan. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds and fry until they are brown. Pour them into the soup and cover immediately. Allow the seasonings to soak into the hot dal for 1-2 minutes. Stir and serve.
*Note that since Yamuna wrote her recipes using US measurements, the weights are in US with metric in brackets.
More importantly, her tablespoons are US (15ml) whereas Australian/metric tablespoons are 20ml. So if you follow these recipes using metric measures, your tablespoons should be scant.
Similarly, the US cup is 240ml as distinct from the Australian/metric 250ml cup. The same scant measuring should thus apply to Australian/metric cup users.
The teaspoon is a universal 5ml.
I was distributing books in Northampton (in the Midlands of England) and stopped a young man who seemed quite well-natured. He had grown up in a Catholic family, but he introduced himself as a 21-year-old searcher looking deeply into Buddhism. I showed him our new VEDA book and told him that the article on Buddhism and KC may interest him. He had heard of the Vedas and was happy to take it away, along with a couple of other books, and generously gave a £20 donation.
Two weeks later, I decided to stop in Northampton on my way back to the Manor. About midday I bumped into this young man again. He smiled when he saw me and immediately came over to say that he had read all the books. And he'd read VEDA three times. It was exactly what he was looking for.
He was hungry for more knowledge, so I took him over to my trolley, gave him another three books, and took his contact details.
A week later I e-mailed him. He'd read the new books and was interested in taking up the process. I made a trip to Northampton to meet him. We decided to sit down in Costa Coffee and have a chat. I was ready to introduce him to chanting, but he was one step ahead. He explained how he had obtained some beads and was already chanting every day (he found information online). He had photocopied pictures out of the books and had made an altar at home. Now he offers some water and fruits to Krishna every day.
He recently visited the Manor and loved it. Another soul on the journey home, thanks to the potency of Srila Prabhupada's books.
Your servant Sutapa das (Text D:3582769) -------------------------------------------
------- End of Forwarded Message ------
So about Krsna, it is called krsna-katha, topics about Krsna. The topics or the instruction given by Krsna is the Bhagavad-gita, and the topics about the activities of Krsna is Srimad-Bhagavatam. So some way or other, let us always discuss about Krsna. That should be the life of Krsna conscious people. So this is life of Krsna, worshiping Krsna in the temple, to sell Krsna's books, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, to think of Krsna -- Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna -- to eat krsna-prasadam, to take all risk for Krsna, to do work for Krsna, as Arjuna, to fight for Krsna. He did not like to fight, but for Krsna's sake he fought. So fight for Krsna, work for Krsna, think of Krsna, eat krsna-prasadam, talk of Krsna, read for Krsna. So Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Krsna. This is life. This is Krsna consciousness.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.1-5 -- Melbourne, June 26, 1974
Dear Prabhus, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Guru Maharaja. In Radhadesh Belgium we had an attractive Srila Prabhupada Memorial Festival. With a small group of disciples, we started to read out our vyasa-puja offerings, which was followed by a guru puja. Then more devotees came to watch [...]
By Dhanesvara Das
Money, that ubiquitous substance that everyone the world over pursues to fulfill their desires, is rather young in the history of the world—a mere 2,600 years or so old. Prior to that there was no such thing as we now understand it anywhere on this planet
By Kesava Krsna Dasa
Just imagine the confusion, especially for our newcomers, well-wishers, younger devotees, and even for some senior devotees. Everybody who "loves" Srila Prabhupada, and is "loyal" to him, must be a bona-fide follower of his, or so it seems
By Dasi Sridevi
(With due respect to devotees who are on these sites for some specific sevas.) Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. are a few social networking sites which are taking its toll on the devotee community also. I've also been a patient myself
By Lakshman das
In the month of Bhadra (Hrisikesh masa), during the waxing fortnight on the eight day at noon, we observe the most auspicious appearance of Vrishabhanu Nandini Srimati Radhika, the most beloved associate of Sri Krishna.
nvcommunications: On Saturday, October 2, Praladananda devi dasi, a new York-based film producer, will be presenting a seminar in New Vrindaban on film production for amateurs. Her presentation is entitled "How to Film: Making the Best Use of Your Time and Video Equipment."
Braja-Raja-Suta Dasa: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. On behalf of the devotees of middle Tennessee, I would like to invite you to attend Nashville Tennessee's first Ratha Yatra on October 2nd, 2010
Adi Kesava Das: You can see Radhastami festival darshan pictures from ISKCON Vrindavan, Krsna Balarama Temple here http://www.vrindavandarshan.com/festivals.php
Ortrun Gates: The September edition of the Damodara Rati and AaC news has been published. Please click on the link to view the newsletter: http://homepage.mac.com/ortrung/Sep-ebook.pdf
I have been chanting with steady attention to the syllables and though I have not realized my direct relationship with the Lord as indicated in the Namamrta, I am striving for that goal. By vaidhi-bhakti the raganuga stage will evolve. I pray for that success in chanting.
From
Bhajan Kutir #77 From Yamini and Mangalananda, both former and eternal residents of New Vrindaban.
Greetings to you all !
If I’ve already told you about our New CD; please forgive me. I don’t mean to be a pest. I wear a lot of different hats as an independent music publisher, songwriter, arranger, engineer, promoter, etc. and my weakest link is sales.
If you haven’t heard about our new CD, then this is it. We were inspired working on this album for over a year and we hope you enjoy it.
iTunes link > AverageSoul ”True Love’s Reflection”
If you prefer a CD over iTunes, send $12 to our Paypal account: MantraRockMusic@msn.com
Include you address and you’ll have your CD in no time.
All the best,
AverageSoul
We recently added a small addition on our house for overflow purposes. One is the overflow when Vidya is painting birdhouses in the winter and needs a place to put them, and the other is if all 5 kids, significant others and grandkids were to visit all at one time(we wish!) it can serve as a guest bedroom.
It is going to be an unheated space though it was built so it could be insulated later if some successor owner were to desire to do so. We got the windows at a local nonprofit that accepts donations from window companies and then distributes them to locals at their cost making them very cheap, cheaper even then the builder’s surplus type places, so we went nuts and got lots of windows for it, including the two shown which would have otherwise been prohibitively expensive.
When they were installed, they made me think of eyes and in devotee culture between the eyes is tilok, a marking representing God, so on a whim I had Vyasasana, the builder, put tilok on the wall.
You gotta have some fun!
Filed under:
News, Ramblings or Whatever 
(Note : click on the picture for the enlarged view) Read in Vanipedia about Srila Haridasa Thakur : Click here
www.sdgonline.org. 
3:00 A.M.
Namamrta by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
'Understanding God begins with understanding His name:
"Although this material world is nothing but darkness, people are very proud of their eyes. They are always saying, "Can you show me God?" The answer to that is: "Have you the eyes to see God?" Why is the emphasis placed on seeing? Certainly, God can be seen, as stated in Brahma-samhita 5.38, premanjana-curita-bhakti-vilocanena: "Govinda [Krishna] is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed by the pulp of love."
"If we are devotees, lovers of God, the anointment of love will clear our eyes. In order to see God we have to cleanse our eyes by wiping away the cataracts of material contamination. Although we may be eager to see God, we cannot see Him with these material eyes. Not only can we not see Him, but we cannot understand Him, although His name is there. Understanding God means first of all understanding His name. Therefore from the beginning we should chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. God is not different from His name. Krishna's name and Krishna's person are the same." (Teachings of Lord Kapila the Son of Devahuti)
The dictionary meaning of the word understand is "to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of: I understand you. The second meaning is "to realize or grasp something." So God is a very vast subject and He cannot be totally understood. But we can understand the principle and the preliminary nature of God only by the process of chanting His holy names. You cannot expect to see Him right away. You have to clean your mind and heart and become sober and understand the Lord. It's done by devotional service, beginning with chanting the holy name. As stated, God's name is not different than God Himself. Therefore to chant is to understand. I want to understand Krishna, I don't want Him to be something completely incomprehensible to me. Many people think God as beyond understanding. But He is understandable and by chanting His holy names we can begin the path of understanding. Chanting is the first and, especially in this age, the foremost way to understand God.
Last night I woke up at 10:30 with a headache. I took headache medicine and sleep medicine but I could not get back to sleep. I got up from bed at 12:30 and began my chanting. Fortunately as I began I did not feel sleepy. I chanted twelve rounds by 2:30. They were clear utterances without distraction. I am trying to understand Krishna by chanting. I am trying to love Him, to invoke my dormant love by the process of chanting. My early morning japa sessions are a great opportunity and I must take them with all seriousness and concentration. Prabhupada gave us the japa as the prime means to come to Krishna. It is Lord Caitanya's introduction: He used to chant a numerical count of names on a knotted string and He used to loudly chant in sankirtana. Both kinds of chanting are valid and help us to understand the Lord.
An almost sleepless
night but fortunately
I'm able to rise and
chant my mantras. The
many years of practice
enable me to stay awake
and make my numerical
count. Gradually and slowly
I'll come to understand
the nature of the Supreme.
I'm duty bound and have
faith in the process.
Even if I do not notice
the change I believe
it works. Without it
I'd be bereft. In other
words I am understanding
Krishna a little bit by
regularly chanting His names.
It is a fact concluded
by the sastras and acaryas
and I follow with simple
faith and actual change.
www.sdgonline.org.
One Hundred Prabhupada Poems # 35
Prabhupada was preaching and I am
like a cricket by the hearth,
listening 20 years later.
He's talking to a professor in LA .
The door squeaks and more guests come
into his room. "Hare Krishna" he greets.
He's telling them all, though facing the professor—
even a little God consciousness is so valuable.
His disciples were drug addicted but gave it
up at once when he asked them. "Your government
is spending millions of dollars to stop
the drug habit, but it is all failure."
God consciousness … he makes it sound universal.
He makes it sound easy,
which it is when you are with him.
God consciousness, he skillfully explains
that Krishna is the God of gods
as told in Bhagavad-gita and by
sages of ancient past and "most recently"
Lord Caitanya.
Prabhupada says, "I'm a Hindu so I may accept
Krishna as superstition, you may think.
But then why these boys and girls of Europe
and America, why they have accepted Krishna?"
Even the Christian priest was amazed, he said
"These were our boys but they didn't care for God.
Now they are mad after God."
read more from SDGonline - daily updates Viraha Bhavan journal
www.sdgonline.org.
1.
This is a poem defending
my writing poetry as a
form of devotional service.
Poems nowadays are not
so mainstream and when
they are written they are quite
conventional. So I had to
defend my own.
2.
Here is the poem from Under Dark Stars:
"That was a putdown of my love
and I don't like it. It's sweet and
inventive each one. And keeps
me alive.
It's my church. My Gaura-Nitai,
best friend. Doesn't bore me like
some accomplished preacher telling
all the places he's gone.
It's fresh and creative and lifts
you. For a fellow like me that's
saying a lot. It's not like that
nightmare with the horrible creatures.
To say so is right wing propaganda.
Race is not the issue,
"religion" is not either.
Krishna consciousness exists
separately? No, it's flowing through
me in this way, maybe I cultivated it
but that's the way it is.
The cowherd boys stand
with this flute and dress
their hair and turbans as
Srimad-Bhagavatam says.
I'm just trying to taste it
with my perception
and I've found the joy here so admit
it happily to you.
Krishna is a dancer and player
sweet, isn't He?
You don't think so?
Well I do, and you're not with me
but I am praying to the Lord in
this form of devotional service.
read more from SDGonline - daily updates Viraha Bhavan journal
www.sdgonline.org.
Free Write
I turned at random to Srimad-Bhagavatam 1st Canto, chapter 15, "The Pandavas Retire Timely", verse 5. "Arjuna said: Oh king! The Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari, who treated me exactly like an intimate friend, has left me alone. Thus my astounding power, which astonished even the demigods, is no longer with me."
At the end of the 10th chapter of Bhagavad-gita, after mentioning a list of empowered beings whenever Krishna is present, the Lord says to Arjuna, you should know that anyone powerful and opulent is just a spark of my whole energy. No one can therefore be considered independently powerful without being endowed by the Lord. When the Lord descends on the earth He not only displays His own divine energy but He empowers His associate devotees with energy to execute His mission. The power bestowed on Arjuna was required for the Lord's mission, but when His mission was fulfilled, the astounding powers of Arjuna were no longer required. If endowment and withdrawal of powers are possible for a great devotee like Arjuna, or even the great demigods, what to speak of the ordinary living beings who are tiny compared to such great souls. The lesson is, therefore, that no one should be puffed up by prowess borrowed from the Lord. We should be obliged for whatever powers we receive and use them for the service of the Lord. The powers can be withdrawn at any time and so the best use of them is to engage them in the service of the Lord. Considering the history of the world so many empowered artists, intellectuals, military leaders and talented individuals have not used their opulences in the service of God. They have come into power, created some sensation, fame or disrepute and then passed on leaving the world no better for their presence. Unless they have helped people to become God conscious they have misused the power that was given to them as a result of past pious activities. Nowadays engagement in the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya is the best use of a person's invested powers.
You are calmly living through old age aware that death may come soon. I figure I'll live until I'm eighty years old and I think I'll have the courage and faith to die peacefully. I chant my rounds every day but I don't get into deep spiritual emotions. I don't expect that to change before I die. I would like to die with a few disciples and friends nearby and ability to hear Prabhupada chanting. I don't know were I'll go in my next life and don't expect to have intimations of it when the time comes. I'll just try to surrender to His will. When the time of death comes my consciousness will probably change. It' usually a time of physical pain and suffering so it's not good for your consciousness. I remember Bhakti-tirtha Swami saying the pain and bodily condition was terrible and he wanted to "get out of here", wanted his suffering to stop. Yet he said he felt very close to Prabhupada. So he had dual feelings. And in his case he said he had definite, specific feelings of where he was going to reside in the spiritual world.
So I don't expect it to be an easy transition, not like having a temporary, one-hour headache and then taking Excedrin and becoming painless again. But it may be an opportunity for increased spiritual feelings. You have to give up your attachment to your material body. You have to let go. Anyway, it's not here right now, but perhaps there are ways I should prepare myself for it.
Start the winter off with 24 Hours of non-stop Mahamantra chanting in the hills of West Virginia. In the same mood and manner as the big summer kirtan, Mantralogy is happy to help produce the Kartik 24 Hour Kirtan.
This event is in memorial of Sri Aindra Prabhu, the leader of the 24 Hour Kirtan in Vrindavan India, who recently left this world unexpectedly. Profits after expenses will be donated towards the 24 Hour Kirtan in Vrindavan.
Tickets are $40 per person advanced / $50 at the door.
Student tickets are (with valid ID) $20 advanced / $25 at the door.
Children under 12 are free.
Buy Tickets Now
1970 September 21: "Be fully engaged in Krishna's service. It does not matter what engagement; Krishna accepts equally the service of a little calf and that of Srimati Radharani. So always be very much appreciative of each other's service."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1970 September 21: "Our movement should be taken as being a family based upon love and trust, so as the father becomes unhappy when one of his children wishes to break family connections so please do not consider leaving as you are spiritual children of mine."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1970 September 21: "In my books I have tried to explain clearly this philosophy but it so happens that this philosophy is given a self-interested interpretation. As soon as personal motivation comes in it is not possible for one to understand our Krishna Consciousness philosophy."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1971 September 21: "My Dear Daughters, so now you are in the line of Krishna Consciousness. Please strictly follow and try to serve the Deity. Even there are some inconveniences, please try and tolerate. If in this one life I try and become a little tolerant, there will be tremendous spiritual benefit."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1972 September 21: "Yes, that is a good program holding classes, having kirtana in the street, and recruiting devotees. Do not worry. You are my disciple and I am your spiritual master, as long as you follow my instructions, then I shall never leave you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972
1974 September 21: "So if it will be better than Birla Mandir, then your labor and expenditure is a success. My only request is we must spend money very cautiously and not to waste. For improvement we can spend. I am simply afraid that money may not be wasted."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1975 September 21: "You have invited me to come and yes, I will certainly come. Your idea for bullock cart sankirtana is very good. So now do it. And your program for distributing literature, charity and prasadam, this is all very nice. And that you will do it personally, that I thank you very much."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
1975 September 21: "A sannyasi must not go back to his own village. You are doing substantial work there so there is no necessity for immediate change. I am going now on tour of Africa and when I return I shall see you and we shall do the needful."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1975
Sanskrit Pronunciation the easy and fun way' at ISKCON Canberra Temple with Dina-Anukampana Das
* PART1: Thursday 630-830pm
* PART2: Friday 630-830pm
* PART3 :Sunday 1000am-1200pm, (30min break), 1230-230pm
* All are welcome, no RSVP required.
Also there is SPECIAL ONE-DAY WORKSHOP at ANU
'Sanskrit Pronunciation the easy and fun way'
With visiting pandit, Dina-Anukampana Das
9.20 AM -5.30 PM
SATURDAY, 25TH SEPTEMBER
BALDESSIN PRECINT BUILDING, A.N.U
RSVP: mccomas.taylor@anu.edu.au
Program:
Part 1 9.30 am – 11 am followed by a tea break (30 mins)
Part 2 11.30 – 1.00 pm followed by a lunch break (1 hr)
Part 3 2.00 pm – 3.30 break (30 mins)
Part 4 4.00 – 5.30
Read more at the web site: Hare Krishna Canberra
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Every Friday
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Harinama Party will leave from Govinda’s Restaurant – Friday Night @ 7pm
99 Elizabeth Street Brisbane, Australia
Please put this in your diary, you are the revolution.
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Sri Harinama Sankirtan is on in Sydney this Thursday 23 September · 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
580 George Street, Sydney. Across the road from the movies
Please join us to bring the holy names to every town and village
Check out the Facebook page and let us know you will be there
Hare Krishna
Share this story your way:
Don't complain. Don't blame.
Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are.
His Grace Krishna Govinda Dasa Dear ALL Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Guru Maharaj Please find attached photos of Gurudevs Vyasapuja celebration on the 17th Sept kindly hosted at the house of our dear new Godbrother and Sister Vijayadhvaja Prabhu (Vijaybhai) and Bhanu-Tanaya devi dasi (Bhartiben) in Harrow, London. [...]
Here is a slideshow of the initiation ceremony held by Vedavyasa Priya Maharaja last Wednesday, on the most auspicious occasion of Srimati Radharani's appearance day.
Also, here is a very nice video of the kirtans lead by Gangesvara Prabhu and Vedavyasa Priya Swami in the evening; courtesy of Russell Sara Prabhu.
Here is your online edition of our Diwali FOLK News . This issue gives you advance notice of the major festivals from October 2010 to January 2011. I hope you find it an enjoyable read.
Your hard-copy version should also be arriving in your letterbox around now.
If you have any comments or contributions, please contact Rasanandini dasi at eleanor@stretch.com.au.
Hare Krishna!
Today is the auspicious Appearance Day of a great Vaishnava acarya His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Srila Bhaktivinoda was an unalloyed devotee of Lord Sri Krishna and a pioneer of the program to bless the entire world with Krishna consciousness.Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya and his eternal spiritual form is Kamala Manjari.His name was Kedarnatha Datta.He later became a District Magistrate (High Court judge) under the British Government.
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Please share your realisations with other devotees from around the world...simply send me an introduction email and I will be happy to make you a member:
rasa108@gmail.com
ys
Rasa Rasika dasa
On the day of Sri Vamanadeva’s appearance, Vamana dwadasi, a small boy from Gurukula represented Lord Vamanadeva and accepted the offering,arti & pushpanjali. Concerning this festival Srila Prabhupada has said, “Decorate a (little boy), give him a special raised seat, offer him the best prasada. Everyone should offer their respects by touching his feet.”
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Lecture – Prahladananda Swami – SB 9.13.4-5 – Vasistha vs Vishvamitra
1968 September 20: "You have very frankly inquired about sex relationship. A sannyasi is not supposed to be asked anything sexual. But still, because you are so much dependent, I must give you information as far as possible."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 September 20: "A householder is allowed to have sex once in a month, just after the menstrual period provided he desires to get a child. And as soon as the wife is pregnant, no more sex life, until the child is born."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 September 20: "It is not necessary that because one has got wife, therefore you must have sex life. The whole scheme is to avoid sex life. And if one can avoid it completely then it is a great victory for him."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 September 20: "You should not imitate great personalities like Bhaktivinoda Thakura but you must follow Their footprints. In all circumstances try to follow - but never try to imitate."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 September 20: "Just like a flock of birds - although very intimately related, everyone of them has to fly in the sky by individual strength. If one is less strong, the other cannot keep him in the sky. That is the law of nature."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1968 September 20: "So long everyone of us is strong in Krishna Consciousness, there is no doubt, you can fly in the spiritual sky and meet together without failure. But if somebody lags behind, one may not meet the other at our destination."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1974 September 20: "The festival success is very encouraging. So go on with your festivals. You have captured the essence, and therefore you are successful in being able to distribute it. I am very glad that I have got such good disciples as you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1974 September 20: "This is the duty of all my initiated disciples, whether they are big or they are small. Actually there is no such thing as big or small. Everyone is devotee. So everyone is expected to follow the devotional practices."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1974 September 20: "Do not be paramahamsa that now I haven't got to hear Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad gita. Don't be a better paramahamsa than your Guru Maharaja. So as I am doing, you must also do."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
As soon as there is restriction, they do not like. Because we put so many restriction, I am called in the western world, “Swamiji, you are very conservative.” So we have to become conservative, follow the rules. Not that we give liberty, that “Whatever you like, you do, and at the same time you make progress, spiritual life.” That is not possible.
- Srila Prabhupada
You are all invited to participate in this weekend's 12 Hour Kirtan organised by Kanapathy Prabhu.
He can be contacted on 0476 409 130 for those who want to lead a slot on this coming Sunday. It will held from 10am to 10pm.
"Please come and help us make this maha sankirtan-yajna a success".
In the meantime, you can all warm-up for the this Sunday's event by joining the Harinama party tonight at 5pm in front of Crossways!
Harinama Sankirtan Yajna ki, Jaya!
Article by His Grace Dvarkadish Prabhu "SVANANDA SUKHADA KUNJA" SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA’S HOUSE AT "SRI GODRUMADVIPA" ISLAND OF NAVADVIPA-MAYAPUR DHAM Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya and his eternal spiritual form is Kamala Manjari. His name was Kedamatha Datta. He later became a District Magistrate (High Court judge) under the British [...]
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