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- H.G. Sankarshan das Adhikari, USA: Wednesday 13 October 2010--Last Full Day In Vrindavana--and--Will I Go to Hell?
- Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: The Monsters are due on Maple Street
- Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Tomato chutney
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Kadamba Kanana Swami in Melbourne
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Janmastami 2010 Video
- Book Distribution News: Govinda's Bhakta
- Japa Group: Increases His Love For Kṛṣṇa
- Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA: Happy Meal always happy!
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Gopa-Vrndesa Dasa
- Sutapa das, BV Manor, UK: Food for the Soul
- Kurma dasa, AU: Another Fun Weekend in Cookery Land
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: AS IF
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 99
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: One Hundred Prabhupada Poems
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Good Life
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: If He Likes…
- Maddy Jean-claude Durr, New Govardhana, AU: Sankirtana Saturday (Belgium/Beyond)
- Dandavats.com: Calling All Senior Devotees!
- Dandavats.com: Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Caitanya Sankirtan!
- Dandavats.com: Raghava's Reincarnation Myth
- Dandavats.com: ISKCON representative HG Krishna kirtan Das in the International Summit on HIV & AIDS
- Dandavats.com: Warm food was distributed by the Food For Life Foundation's voluntary helpers
- Dandavats.com: Introducing Dr. Best's "Learn to Read with Krsna"
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Pictures of the excavation of Gulal-kunda
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
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- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
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- Srila Prabhupada's Letters
- Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Here Comes The Sun: White House To Go Solar
- Australian News: New Web Site for ISKCON seminars and lectures
- Akrura das, Gita Coaching: SIMPLE
- Australian News: The Wheels of Progress roll on at Hare Krishna Valley
- Australian News: Fill up on MP3′s at Hare Krishna Canberra.com
- Japa Group: Please Join The Japa Group
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Describing the rose garden my mother is sponsiring for Radhe Syama
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Thursday, September 30th, 2010
- H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Saturday, October 9th, 2010
- Gouranga TV: Purushatraya Swami – 12 Hour Kirtan at ISKCON Lisbon Temple
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Duty calls. Srila Prabhupada was called to depart from the sublime Krishna conscious atmosphere of Vrindavan to spread Krishna consciousness to every nook and corner of the world. Now I am also obliged to follow his order to give Krishna consciousness to the suffering people of this world. He instructed, "Become guru and deliver the whole world." Therefore... After watching a classic Twilight Zone episode about what happens to the residents of quaint and quiet Maple Street, we discussed for our weekly Reflections the nature of our inner selves and what comes out in times of fear, pressure, and anxiety. The monsters lurking within can be quite scary to confront and perhaps our own greatest enemy. Who are the Monsters on Maple Street? Well, we are......
Tomato Chutney
Serves 3-4/prep & cook time: 30 min.
3 tbsp ghee or oil ½ tsp black mustard seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds
3-4 whole dried red chilies, broken ½ tsp turmeric 3 ½ cups firm ripe tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cups sugar ½ cup raisins ½ tsp salt
1 (5 cm) cinnamon stick
• Heat ghee or oil in medium saucepan over moderate heat
• Saute mustard seeds in the hot ghee until they begin to crackle.
• Add the cumin and cinnamon.
• When the cinnamon darkens, add the chili bits and the turmeric.
• Immediately add the chopped tomatoes and, stirring to mix, cook over moderate heat - 10 min.
• Add sugar, raisins, & the salt.
• For moist chutney cook for another 5 min./For thick jam-like chutney, cook for another 15 min.
• Serve warm or cold.
Here are some more photos from Maharaja's latest visit:
- Rockbank Commuinity Centre Bhakti Vrksa slideshow
- Krishna Fest slideshow
Here is a video made by Russell Prabhu on this year's Krishna Janmastami.
A girl would regularly eat at Govinda's in Burleigh Heads, Australia. One day devotees sold her a Bhagavad-gita. On her way to the university she was approached by another devotee, who suggested she visit Mayapur, as she was already scheduled to go to India for her studies. A couple of months later an unidentified lady walked into Govinda's saying "Haribol!" and wearing neck beads. Madireksana Dasi somewhat recognized the lady but couldn't remember where she'd seen her before. After some discussion it became clear that she was the girl who had eaten regularly at Govinda's, bought the Gita, and gone to Mayapur. She had now become a full-fledged devotee! Your servant, Ajita dasa
The chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is recommended even for persons who commit offenses, because if they continue chanting they will gradually chant offenselessly. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without offenses, one increases his love for Kṛṣṇa.
 Any difference between the two pictures...visibly NO!
This is a project done by a person for art. She bought a McDonalds Happy Meal and kept it on her kitchen counter for 6 months. She found no visible decomposition. The first picture was taken on the day of purchase and the second after 6months.
Even the micro fungi and bacteria molds reject eating McDonalds type fast-food garbage. Normally fresh foods go stale with blue and green molds growing on it if not consumed within 3 to 5 days what to speak of 180? I am simply amazed how a human can gorge on this what is called as "food". Basically, eating in McDonalds means we lower our standards below micro-organisms. Imagine how long this will sit in the intestine. No wonder meat eaters have a high probability of colon cancer.
In the name of advancement and civilization, we kill animals and consume their flesh when there is ample vegetables, grains and fruits to eat. A civilization cannot sustain on bloodshed, eventually, everything will come falling down.
This happy meal is always happy!
Hare Krishna
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.25.18-20 - The fourth state of consciousness, turiya, is transcendental beyond the three material modes.
 I find that eating alone offers a great opportunity to reflect. The Bhagavad-gita proclaims it to be an extremely sacred activity when conducted with due care, attention and spiritual consciousness. While I relished a nicely cooked meal recently a wonderful analogy came to mind. It depicts the path of the Bhagavad-gita as more than a simple gamble of faith, but rather a highly practical spiritual science. The analogy offered a means to reflect on my own spiritual progress. How do I know I am moving forward? What are the measures? What should we be experiencing?
When we sit down to eat at the end of a hard day's work, we can observe certain experiences which may be personal but nevertheless extremely real.
-
The initial feeling is one of pleasure. A well cooked meal gives an immediate sense of enjoyment to the palate. -
Secondly, we feel nourishment and revitalization of the body with each bite. -
Finally, our hunger completely subsides, and a disinterest and detachment from whatever food preparations may be on offer becomes highly apparent
In the same way the hungry spiritualist should feel three main things as he applies himself to the spiritual process with determination, enthusiasm and patience:
-
Firstly, there should be an immediate sense of pleasure, quite different to anything experienced in the mundane realm. The spiritualist feels a sudden relief from anxiety and worry. -
Secondly, there should be nourishment of the soul which comes in the form of a direct experience of God. One sees amazing opportunity and meaning everywhere, and his life becomes infused with hope, seeing divine arrangements behind everything. -
Finally, one will experience a growing disinterest and detachment towards the temporary material goals that people sacrifice and strive for. Although material desires may flow into their mind they remain unaffected, convinced that there is something beyond that.
Bon appétit!
I'm in the midst of an intense but sweet 5-week marathon of cookery classes. Last weekend was spent in Melbourne with a double feature of all things cibarious (go on, look it up in the dictionary, you know you want to). Saturday could be subtitled 'Box Hill Bliss' - a birthday party bash with a group of close friends and their relatives, as seen below: 
On Sunday, the kitchen camaraderie continued. 
One of my students (known in code as ALCvA PhD) reported on the day on his blog: "Following a short introduction, adorned by our multi-hued aprons, we all got stuck in... sharing, learning, and more... 
...chopping, stripping, frying, peeling, observing, listening, tasting, smelling and sniffing, looking and staring, reading, grating, cooking, responding, coughing and hacking and choking (Naga Jolokia chillies)... 
It was a complex dance with a deadline to meet...
"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is."
- Albert Camus
www.sdgonline.org.  3:53 A.M. Namamrta by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: 'By chanting offenselessly one comes to realize that the Lord and His name are nondifferent. "One must come to the understanding that the holy name of the Lord and the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are identical. One cannot reach this conclusion unless one is offenseless in chanting the holy name. By our material calculation we see a difference between the name and the substance, but in the spiritual world the absolute is always absolute; the name, form, quality and pastimes of the absolute are all as good as the absolute Himself. As such, one is understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he considers himself an eternal servant of the holy name and in this spirit distributes the holy name to the world. One who chants in that spirit, without offenses, is certainly elevated to the platform of understanding that the holy name and the Personality of Godhead are identical." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 8.16) I remember something Prabhupada said when he visited Boston in 1968. He was speaking in our humble little storefront and he said, "Just imagine how special it would be if Krishna entered this storefront. How much attention you would give Him." So similarly, one should be attentive to the holy names which are nondifferent than Krishna. In Prabhupada's presence I naively imagined Krishna actually walking in the front door, and how we would all make obeisances and offer Him whatever we could. It was a very impressionable analogy. And that is the spiritual fact, that the names of Krishna are the same as the person Krishna. But this can be realized only when one chants offenselessly. Prabhupada adds the point that the name should be distributed to the world. That service will help one to reach the platform of offenseless chanting. And then one can chant in oneness with the person. Unless one is advanced in love of Krishna he cannot see or understand. By the blunt material senses we cannot even understand the name of Krishna. People are always asking, "Why are these people chanting Hare Krishna?" They cannot understand, although Krishna realization begins with the name. The name of Krishna and Krishna are nondifferent, but we cannot realize this intellectually. We have to practice chanting Hare Krishna to realize it. When we actually advance in devotional service and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra offenslessly, we will realize that Krishna and His name are nondifferent. Yesterday was a very difficult day for me regarding headaches. I had a migraine that couldn't be subdued by medicine until I treated it repeatedly. But in the afternoon I cleared up and over night there was no headache. I woke at 1:30 A.M. with a clear head and began my chanting. I chanted without interruption and completed sixteen rounds. My meditation was not so deep, but I was wide awake and counting diligently. The Lord and His names
are nondifferent.
I quietly and quickly
chant and sit with
Krishna passing through
my mind. But my
mind focuses on thoughts
away from the sound
vibration, and I don't
realize the full presence
of Radha and Krishna.
My practice is not yet
mature. Still, I
maintain a meditation
of counting the mantras,
and Krishna is with
me in the
clearing stage.
www.sdgonline.org. 
# 56 Prabhupada, I was out talking about japa.
At 10 a.m. I'll go to the schoolhouse
and talk some more, about myself and
about their rural project. Our
opening topic is privacy and
centralization versus decentralization.
You, dear master, are in the background
of all this. You are always the rest and the premise.
We should see you more central and in
the forefront, but…at least we always
assume to follow you.
Your word is authority. Last night I dreamt I was part of your
personal traveling party, along with Hari Sauri.
You acknowledged me,
I helped Hari Sauri who was having a problem.
You were going somewhere and I ran after you.
I left my danda behind so
I went back to get it and got
endlessly detained, as happens in dreams.
One person after another advised me
where to get a new danda,
and I never made it back to you.
I felt grief of separation.
Woke grateful for such a dream.
As I say, you are always in the background,
like a brush fire that's ready to break out.
You are always ready to acknowledge me
if I can just get the right dream or
right action when awake.
www.sdgonline.org. I want to write a poem
about Krishna, and He is
standing before me, just inches
away in His Deity form
with Radha beside Him.
It's a photo of little Radha-
Kalacandji, now in the
temple in Houston. I think back to the picture
of child Jesus I used to
keep as a boy when I was His age
or younger. He is teaching
the elders in the temple.
I wrote under the picture
"Love" and under that
"True" as boys used to
write about their girlfriends. Pictures of the Deity.
As I write this I'm
listening to Beethoven's
late string quartets,
just escaped another headache,
just bathed,
waiting on my muse. What can I say?
That I chanted with
forbearance this morning
feeling the virtue of
sustained constancy.
Over the long haul,
my imperfect practice
will be counted in my favor.
I may attain love of
Krishna someday. It
is possible. What can I say?
That I like the way
Krishna's foot is arched
and the way Radharani's hair
is braided and the
way Her right hand is
extended to Her lover? I like Their jewelry,
ornaments and the dots
upon Their faces.
They stand for me to worship. Krishna holds the flute
and tucks a walking stick
under His elbow. Radha
carries a wicker basket
of flowers. They wear
flower garlands, and Krishna
has a big turban with
peacock feather and Radha a candrika
and red lips. They stand for me to
gaze upon. Twenty thousand or some
say thirty thousand people
attended the Ratha-yatra
in Nashville. It was a
great success, with no negative
comments. The Mayor swept
the path with a broom and
the devotees from Atlanta
sold tons of prasadam
all day long. New devotees are moving
into our New York neighborhood.
We have guests for lunch
almost every day. But
non of this interrupts
my alone time and
chances for Writing
Sessions throughout
the day. Life is good although
the world is bad and
full of suffering. Prabhupada
has given us an island
of safety and a higher
purpose to life. I celebrate it with
this meandering poem.
www.sdgonline.org. Free Write 
"Sukadeva Goswami said: Oh Maharaja Pariksit, when King Rahugana chastised the exalted devotee Jada Bharata with harsh words, that peaceful, saintly person tolerated it all and replied properly. Nescience is due to the bodily conception, and Jada Bharata was not affected by this false conception. Out of his natural humility, he never considered himself a great devotee and he agreed to suffer the results of his past karma. Like an ordinary man, he thought that by carrying the palanquin he was destroying the reactions of his past misdeeds. Thinking in this way, he began to carry the palanquin as before." This verse was spoken by Jada Bharata when he was chastised by the king for carrying the palanquin improperly. Jada Bharata was actually a highly advanced, self-realized person but he was acting like a dumb person so the worldly persons would not disturb his meditation. When the king chastised him, he took it humbly. An exalted devotee never thinks he is a paramahamsa, a liberated person. He remains a humble servant of the Lord. In all circumstances, he agrees to suffer the results of his past life. He never resents the Lord's treatment of him. He thinks he is suffering just a little token reaction for the many sins he has committed in the past. He continues performing his devotional service. Such a person is guaranteed promotion back home back to Godhead. A verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam states: "My dear Lord, one who constantly waits for Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him and who goes on suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.8) Saci read to me from Caitanya Caritamrta about Lord Caitanya's ecstatic transformations. He escaped from the gambhira at night and when they found Him He was lying unconscious with the joints of His body elongated. They brought Him back to normal only by chanting the holy names loudly for a long time. Krishnadasa Kaviraja says there is no record in the sastras of anyone attaining these states and when people hear them they disbelieve. But he heard of it from Raghunatha dasa Gosvami who was an eyewitness and he believes it completely. Another time the Lord was walking on the beach with His devotees and when He saw the sand dunes called carvaka-parvat, He mistook them for Govardhana Hill and ran quickly toward them. His body manifested the eight symptoms of transcendental ecstasy. He fell unconscious and again the devotees brought Him back to life by chanting. He said He saw Govardhana Hill and entered Krishna's pastimes. He had seen Krishna, the cows and Radha and the gopis. Some of the gopis asked Him to pick flowers, and He was doing that when the devotees brought Him back to external consciousness. These are all wonderful events, and it is good to hear them again and have them impressed on my mind. When the Lord woke He quoted a verse from the 10th Canto, chapter 21 where the gopis describe Govardhana Hill as the best of the Lord's servants. I had a nice experience in japa where I perceived my constancy in chanting and felt it was auspicious. If you keep on chanting, even if it's offensive, it will gradually become offenseless. Hare Krishna comes straight from Krishna-loka and I do have a connection. In this dark world I am seeking to make the correction. Haribol artists and practitioners are appreciated by the Lord. He likes to hear people chanting His names, just as an ordinary person would like to hear their name spoken of favorably. You keep doing it. As you do it you gradually change from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Krishna recognizes you. If He likes, He will take you back to Godhead.
It was the first morning back in the Castle since our Antwerp Adventures. Posters were flooding the Castle walls - "Sankirtana Saturday". That morning's announcements echoed the same response - "Sankirtana Saturday" - as Partha Sarathi Prabhu told us what we were all up for. I sat with Partha at lunch, as we usually do, and Partha gave me the briefing. "We're going to go out in teams, you and me will be team Alpha" he said, with a glint of transcendental insanity in his eye. On Friday, Partha gave the morning Bhagavatam class, juiced full of Sankirtana sanitations for the soul. He brought the Sankirtana strength out again, by finishing off the Friday evening with a Sankirtana seminar. We all caught some good rest, ready for the coming morning's operation. The morning announcements were the final call - "Sankirtana Saturday…is today". We met outside the Castle, around the back. "Bring your flute" Partha had said, so it was in my arsenal. We waited, as the troopers arrived, one at a time. I was happy to see a couple of ISKCON youth who were also inspired to come - Manoj and Lalita; Srila Prabhupada's mission was gradually passing hands. There was a final minute run around and then we were off. We had seventeen devotees, and a boot full of books and baked goods - just enough to get ourselves into trouble. We crossed the boarder to the land of the Dutch (ie Holland). We found a sizable mall in the middle of Maastricht (some random Dutch town) and parked our two vans in the underground parking. We split ourselves into teams. Partha and I already had our team, and we also had our books, so we virtually ran off the scene. The other devotees caught up and we all packed into the elevator, a little worried that we might overload it. We looked like a bunch of crazy Hare Krsnas… It was a beautiful sunny day and the church bells were ringing. Partha and I wandered around and stopped all the stray young people. Partha jumped in with the potent Sankirtana lines. Mostly he capitalized on the "stress" of the material world. It's normally difficult for people to admit they are suffering but it is a very powerful thing indeed. Partha humbly requested donations and I slipped in any smart aleck comments I could think up all the while. I handed Partha my card (yes, I have a business card) - he instantly presumed it was a mantra card and begun teaching them the Maha Mantra. As he went through each line, I played along with my venu (flute). (Now that's what I call spiritual sound!) We constantly swept through the area, checking on the other book distributors. We made sure that they were focused and having fun, also checking that none of the Matajis snuck off to go shopping. Everyone was having a great time and many books were going out. Seeing that everyone was doing well, we jumped back into distributing. We took Bhakta Guy with us, who was out for one of his first times on the streets. We stopped a man in black, packed with piercings and dreadlocks to suit. "Are you the lead singer or the bassist?" I asked him. It turned out that he was into making electronic music. Partha showed him some of our Dutch books. The boy was not originally from Holland but he pulled out a nice donation; "I need to learn Dutch so I will take these books and I can use them to help me learn Dutch." We kept on distributing throughout the day. Finally we gathered around the entrance of the mall, and waited for the rest of the devotees to arrive. While we waited, everyone continued to distribute books. Partha stopped a cancer patient; he was in his early twenties and seemed to be a nice guy. He wasn't inclined to take the book but Partha insisted, "just take it as a gift". Partha Sarathi's compassion touched the boy's heart. He was so enthusiastic to have the book that he gave both of us a hug. This young boy's material fate, due to terminal illness, might have been sealed but Krsna was not going to let his life go in vain, coming to him through the hands of the selfless book distributor. At one point, all the distributors had returned and we were just sorting out logistics. Books were still going out. Partha stopped one lady, but he had already distributed all his books. "Does anyone have a book?" he called; a dozen hands held out books in response to his call and the lady was nearly frightened off. The devotees were on the level of ecstasy and were expressing all abandon of the external world. Partha acted as a medium and then the lady enthusiastically conversed with all devotees, books in her hands. We took a photo at this point, now that we had the group altogether, still distributing books. We made our slow and confused route back to the cars. When we returned to the vehicles, Pati Prana Mataji rewarded us with scrolls that she had taken from the Radhadesh bakery. We were giving out the mercy (Prasadam) to the fallen Kaliyugites and now we were receiving Prasadam (mercy) as a reward. We jumped in the car, content in mind and bellies. We stopped at a service station; something was wrong. Bhakta Rick informed us that the clutch was dying. We knew that driving would be risky but we didn't exactly have the option to stay around all night and have the clutch repaired. I could see that Bhakta Rick was thinking hard, knowing that being stranded on the highway was worse than our current situation. His decision was going to weigh heavily on an overloaded van full of Prabhus. Finally we decided to try make it back to the Castle. "Crunch" - the clutch died. We tried to go further but the car could not even make it into gear. We were only ten kilometres from the Castle so the Matajis' van went ahead and dropped off those who had urgent services. We waited in the back of the Prabhus' van, snacking and reflecting on the nectar of sankirtana. The other van returned with some rope (which to me looked like yarn). We all hopped in the other van, as the devotees wrapped the yarn/rope three times around our original van. We began to drive - "snap". We waited as they tied it again, in a similar fashion. Bhakta Rick started to drive and - "snap" - the second time broke. Bhakta Rick continued to drive, leaving the our van behind, taking us back to the Castle. He dropped us off so we could take Prasadam while he returned to the scene, along with Partha, with a more efficient tow rope. It was dark by the time that they returned. I passed them as I returned from the library, tooting my flute all the while. I helped Rick with some boxes and then found Partha in the Castle. He took me to his pad for some sabji and then he was off to bed. I returned to my room for a long night of study, still buzzing with the sensational energy of Sankirtana. What a Sankirtana Saturday! Read original post: [http://maddmonk.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/sankirtana-saturday] Subscribe: [http://maddmonk.wordpress.com/subscribe]
Suresvara Dasa: Like to help ISKCON develop into all that Prabhupada wants it to be? Be part of the changes you would like to see! For the last 12 years, the Mayapur Institute (MI) has been educating mostly younger devotees in Prabhupada's mood and mission as found in his books
By Yadavendra Das For the purpose of book distribution, I follow my yearly itinerary. And there is Dorothy, a caravan park owner and manager, who regularly allows me to stay at her park for the duration of my missionary activities in town
By Jeevanmukta Das Reincarnation is a subject the world needs to be taught in a hurry. However, using sensational 'x' reincarnated as 'y,' read-it-and-weep stories will only hurt us. (See: The Diary of Ratnavali Devi Das)
Lakshman Das: A high level summit of religious leaders was recently held at Bagaluru on 27 & 28th September 2010 to reduce the stigma on the discrimination against the people affected by HIV & AIDS
Bh. Tibor: An area struck with a catastrophe. video with a Hungarian language
Urmila devi dasi: If one goes to http://www.illuminationeducation.com/ there is a video and all information. If there are no children among your family and friends, you can sponsor books for schools in India
1971 October 12: "I am so much pleased you have got a nice place. I shall try to visit at my first opportunity. All these yogis are mostly bluffers. They have no substance, you can openly declare. Distribute my books very widely and these bogus yogis and swamis will vanish."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1971 October 12: "I have also apprehended a scandalous situation; so do things nicely and in consultation with others rectify the situation. All new matters should be consulted with all the members and a vote taken."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1973 October 12: "Wherever there are Deities there must be first class care, arati, bhoga, cleanliness, dressing, regular classes. If this is not possible, then better to travel. Just like I am an old man, but I am always traveling."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 October 12: "I am very satisfied on you and your good wife, so go on serving Krishna with greater enthusiasm. That will make me happy. Actually everyone one of you my disciples are good, and my task is to find out the fault in you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 October 12: "The German devotees have impressed me by their enthusiasm so train them nicely. The Germans are very intelligent, and they will be the future preachers. So give them nice translations of my books and you will have tremendous success."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1973 October 12: "I am glad to hear of the success of Tripurari. Some say dhoti is an impediment. So if he can distribute 105 Gitas and 105 Sri Isopanisad in one day in dhoti, why not try for this in other places as well?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
1974 October 12: "Although Krishna consciousness is a simple process, the application may sometimes be difficult. Now you are one of my older disciples, so please try to follow the devotional practices I have given you. This is the simple formula for victory in our struggle against maya."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1974 October 12: "Before saving others we must first see that we ourselves are safe. Therefore associate with my disciples in one of our Krishna Consciousness centers. Krishna will give you the proper idea of how to spread Krishna consciousness."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
From Dina Cappiello at the Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Solar power is coming to President Barack Obama's house. The most famous residence in America, which has already boosted its green credentials by planting a garden, plans to install solar panels atop the White House's living quarters. The solar panels are to be installed by spring 2011, and will heat water for the first family and supply some electricity. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the plans Tuesday in Washington at a conference of local, state, academic and nonprofit leaders aimed at identifying how the federal government can improve its environmental performance. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both tapped the sun during their days in the White House. Carter in the late 1970s spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices. Bush's solar systems powered a maintenance building and some of the mansion, and heated water for the pool. Obama, who has championed renewable energy, has been under increasing pressure by the solar industry and environmental activists to lead by example by installing solar at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, something White House officials said has been under consideration since he first took office. The decision perhaps has more import now after legislation to reduce global warming pollution died in the Senate, despite the White House's support. Obama has vowed to try again on a smaller scale. Last month, global warming activists with 350.org carried one of Carter's solar panels — which were removed in 1986 — from Unity College in Maine to Washington to urge Obama to put solar panels on his roof. It was part of a global campaign to persuade world leaders to install solar on their homes. After a meeting with White House officials, they left Washington without a commitment. Bill McKibben, the founder of the 350.org group, said Tuesday the administration did the right thing. "If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world," McKibben said in a statement. What was unclear Tuesday was how much the White House solar project will cost, and how much fossil fuel-based electricity it would displace, since the system is not yet designed and the White House will not disclose how much energy is needed to keep the president's lights turned on. Based on available roof space, administration officials expect the photovoltaic system will include between 25 to 75 panels and will convert sunlight into 19,700 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. That would save a typical household $2,300 on its electricity bill, based on commercial rates in Washington. The solar hot water heating system, based on government estimates, could save an additional $1,000 a year. But the White House is far from a typical house, noted Danny Kennedy, the founder of California-based solar energy provider Sungevity, which offered to put solar panels on the White House for free earlier this year as part of a campaign called SolarontheWhiteHouse. Kennedy estimates that outfitting Obama's pad with solar would cost about $100,000 if paid out of pocket. But the money would be earned back with savings on the electric bill in the first five years, he said in an interview from the Maldives, where he is installing 48 solar panels on President Mohammed Nasheed's private residence. Kennedy said his calculations were based on a 5,000 square-foot California home, which uses 60,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. "They use a lot more electricity than that," Kennedy said. "We had to make a few assumptions about what electricity cost was in the White House." Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
There are lectures and seminars ocurring all over the ISKCON World. If you are not present it's unlikely you will know about the contents. Even when you are present the memory does not serve as well as you would like. ISKCON Transcriptions is a new web site which brings transcriptions of seminars and lectures to a computer near you. The material on the ISKCON Transcription website can be used for research and education purposes. It is fully searchable and constantly updated with new transcriptions. Click here to visit ISKCON Transcriptions Share this story your way:          
Life is simple: you either love or fear.
When you love you are bold.
When you fear you are blocked.
This week at Hare Krishna Valley there was a lot happening. The house which my wife and I are living in is off the grid, not being connected to mains electricity or gas. In order to generate more power to run a 12 volt fridge, four more solar panels were installed on the roof to supply the necessary energy. This keeps in line with our philosophy at Hare Krishna Valley to explore and employ alternative energy resources. 
Work was also begun on our water bore, which is being dug to supply high quality water for our agricultural pursuits and domestic uses. The people who were digging the bore found water between 31-37 meters underground, and they feel that there will be a sufficient supply for our needs. 
On the weekend we were the main caterers at the Birregurra Festival, which attracts over 10,000 people. Hundreds of people enjoyed the taste of Krishna prasadam, food offered to Krishna with love and devotion. Some people told us that they had waited the whole year to come and taste the halva (sweet semolina pudding) which we were serving. We look forward to speaking to you again next week.
Until then, I remain yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada. Keshava Dasa. Find out even more at Hare Krishna Valley web site Share this story your way:
Dear friends, looking for lectures of kirtans to download? Look no further. Click on the link at the bottom and your Internet browser will fly over to Harekrishnacanberra.com, the web site of the devotees of Krishna in Canberra where you can download to your hearts content, (and your souls content). There are lectures by Srila Prabhupada, Subhaga Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami. There are kirtans by sitapati Dasa and Krishnapada Dasa and there is the enitire 24 Kirtan recently held in Canberra. But wait, there's more: You will also find an uncut Kirtan with Amala Kirtan Das & crash hot Aussie Kirtaniyas. Get to the web site and fill up your hard drive now! Click here to start your Canberra collection at Harekrishnacanberra.com Share this story your way:
 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
 and an outline of Hungary's new political situation and how its likely to affect us.
The Innocent Chanter
Toronto,Ontario
I find the story of Ajamil very interesting. His tale is very typical. Here's a man who came from a very decent background; his parents were proper Brahman. He had a loyal wife. His set up was near to perfect. Then one day he came upon the wrong person, the wrong crowd and fell away from decency to succumb to tamas (ignorance) and take to the dark side of life.
In our Bhagavatam discussions for the morning. I asked our small group of monks if they know anyone who "fell from grace" like Ajamil in their personal lives. Its apparent that everyone knows someone who slipped from Satya (goodness) to tamas (ignorance).One of our monks, Hara Kumar, relayed about a doctor in his home town who took to the bottle which eventually led to homelessness except for a tent on the mud flats of a river.
Ajamil led a deplorable life but he did have one saving grace which was his chanting of the name Narayan, a name for the creator. He named his son "Narayan" and that's what protected him from the god of punishment, Yamaraj.
Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, wrote about Ajamil qualifying him as an innocent chanter of this most spiritually potent name. Although Ajamil knew well about right and wrong he evidentially plummeted to a disposition of ignorance. Over time ignorance could be converted to innocence as one forgets and loses the sense of moral over immoral activities.
I have found in my numerous walks through city streets that it's the downtrodden that often times have the easiest, spontaneous and most expressive ways of saying "Hare Krishna". In other words often the elites dare say the name of God. It makes you consider that there is this childishness and even innocence about the down-and-out.
With the passage of time and even the turn over of a new body karma can improve the life of those who try and make an effort-devotionally. Because Ajamil called for his son, the name being auspicious, at his deathbed things began to look up for him.
Ajamil's story is an account of hope. Hope often arises from faith. He had an honest approach to faith merely because his shelter was Narayan while thinking his shield was his son.
12KM
AGM, Fire
Wakefield, Quebec
As owner Todd stoked the fire by the rustic mantel, I asked him which wood is the best.
"The most dense is oak, then maple. Beech is good, and birch- although it looks nice, gives less of a long lasting flame," he said confidently.
I asked him that having known that the soft woods consume quickly. The warmth was emanating from the fire place on this damp night as fellow devotees watched with delight the magic of dancing flames. We were revving up by chilling out for our very own AGM for Canada.
In a figure of speaking, there would be no serious fires to put out at the meetings, which is a calming relief. We can reserve time for visionary and strategic work. I guess you could say that we were relishing the calm before the brainstorms of tomorrow by the fire. It will be the largest anticipated attendance (30 plus people) since our inception of national regional get-togethers.
Our location this year is a homey place in the countryside and as you enter the ponderosa-like property you see the signs RB and BB. Hmmm! BB stands for Bed and Breakfast, maybe. RB could be Rhythm and Blues. No, of course not! Consequently, we will chant each morning together for the coming three days and we will primarily discuss hoping to implement good action plans.
On further inspection, I realized I read the sign wrong. It was P and R, and R and R. This confirms the imperfect senses. How deficient we are. I presume that's why our guru, Srila Prabhupada, wanted us to produce with collective intelligence. It's a better check and balance.
I'm looking forward to the next day for the collaboration as we sip away the evening on tea (Subuddhi's home brew), and as the dancing fire crackles away the fatigue hits from the five hour drive here. I did fit in some walking through a valley, cemetery and busy street before embarking on the drive to Wakefield. On the way up we spoke about the bed bug epidemic in North America. So the night ended with the mantra "Good night! Sleep tight! And hopefully there's none of them that bite!"
8 KM
Starts and Stops
The Soo/Orillia/Scarborough
Two really curious young men made a u-turn once they saw me. It was approximately 6am and it was still dark when they spotted me on Trunk road in the Soo (short for Sault Ste.Marie). They tolled their van windows down and said a mantra all too common to my ears.
"Are you a monk?'
"Yes, I am!", I answered them.
"In the Soo?"
"I'm visiting, "I said and introduced myself. Reciprocally these two clean-cut guys, one a film maker, and the other an employee with the knights of Columbus, just wanted to know. They were sober. It was my chance to utter the word "Krishna" and tell them I was his monk. Our dialogue continued for some time.
Young men, I've found, have this fascination for the monastic. It's occasions like this one that spurs me on day after day to hit a trail and expect to meet someone. I always try to leave the new friend with the maha mantra card. Before long my three companions came to pick me up for a car journey to Orillia.
What's so special about Orillia? Here lives a Patel family and they own two motels. Yes, common in the U.S. and Canada are Patel motels. But we are here to break up the journey and honor some prasadam. How delicious is this prasadam (food that's blessed)! And how devotional are the Patels! They run on a high level of Bhakti (devotion). It inspires us, the travelers.
Our last stop for the day was in Scarborough. After a 9 hour zip by car from the Soo we landed ourselves at the birthday celebration of a 50 year old devotee. Satya, is honoring her half –a –century stay on this planet. I spoke and "Gaura Shakti" the mantra band played their mini concert. Everyone was enjoying the chanting so much. People of this Guyanese community sprang to their feet to dance, which always makes an event like this one so complete.
7 KM
Purushatraya Swami – 12 Hour Kirtan at ISKCON Lisbon Temple
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