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Friday 15 October 2010--The Greatest Rescue Operation--and--Executing Guru's Order at a Distance Today, 14 October 2010, all over the world people are celebrating and appreciating the rescue of 33 miners, who were trapped for 69 days nearly a half-mile under the earth's surface in the San Jose Mine, a gold and copper mine in northern Chile. One by one...
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.25.23 - We develop spiritual qualities by practicing bhakti-yoga.
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"A recently published UN report has come to my attention. This report contains information that I, personally, find quite amazing and I'd like to share it with you. The report (Livestock's Long Shadow) contains one clear message; it states that the single most effective act that any individual can currently do to lessen the effects of global warming is to become vegetarian. That this message comes directly from an authoritative body such as the UN (whose member states, it should be remembered, are not generally considered vegetarian) rather than an organisation committed to vegetarianism is significant.
You may know that for over 30 years I have been interested in the promotion of vegetarianism and my own feelings were sparked by a simple compassion for animals. What I think is especially compelling, is that this report should now encourage everybody to 'do their bit' for the planet. The evidence that the report gives is, frankly, stunning. It points directly to the striking detrimental effects of excessive livestock farming on the environment. For instance:
"Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems of today" says Henning Steinfeld of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). "Urgent action is required to remedy the situation."
• "70% of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing."
• "Livestock now use 30% of the entire world's land surface."
"Cattle rearing is also a major source of land and water degradation." (FAO report Livestock's Long Shadow- Environmental Issues & Options).
"When emissions from land use and land use change are included (i.e. deforestation), the livestock sector accounts for 9% of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65% of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2."
"The livestock business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth's increasingly scarce water resources, contributing among other things to water pollution¬from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and the pesticides used to sprayed crops."
Ok, this may sound like me banging on about vegetarianism again but this time, these facts come straight from the UN and I wonder if you, like me, think that they are significant enough to be taken seriously. By simply considering altering eating habits people can strike a blow for the environment, our children and the future. Such facts and data as those listed above can't be ignored.
I hope this statement doesn't seem too heavy-handed but I think this recent news is important enough to take notice of.
Many thanks for reading this.
Cheers,
Paul McCartney, 14/01/2008"
1967 October 14: "I am very sorry he is exploiting his position. He has no right to dictate as he is without my sanction. He has cut all link with me, therefore any instruction given by him is unauthorized & should at once be rejected."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
1967 October 14: "Please therefore stop Kirtanananda from making his mental concoctions. Do not be misled by him. This is very much disturbing to me & has caused me much pain. He should not be allowed to indulge in such nonsensical activities."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
1968 October 14: "When a devotee is seriously prepared to serve Krishna, the Lord gives him both intelligence and opportunity. Please therefore utilize the opportunity of service diligently and it will be a great spiritual achievement for you and a great service to your country."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968
1971 October 14: "I consider Sivananda as one of my foremost disciples. I always remember his smiling face and when I was in Hamburg he was my constant companion and my personal attendant also. So I cannot forget Sivananda's good behavior and gentle nature."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1971 October 14: "I have noted your several complaints against the devotees but it would be better for you to set the example by your personal behavior and try to reform the others not by criticism but by your friendly behavior."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1971 October 14: "Young boys and girls sometimes commit mistakes due to age but rejection of illicit sex life is our first motto. So stop immediately all this nonsense and remain fixed up in your good character so that there may not be any more accusations against you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1971 October 14: "Regarding children, when you are married you will have children undoubtedly, but you should wait for the opportune moment when Krishna will bestow upon you all good fortune. Our line of action is enthusiasm and patience."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1973 October 14: "For transcendental writing one must be an authorized Vaisnava and should write to purify oneself, not for credit. It may or may not be published, but one who is actually sincere in writing, all his ambitions will be fulfilled."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973
>From Prabhupada:
Thank you so much for your kind appreciations. I am so much grateful that you have enjoyed studying my books. Many young intelligent persons such as yourself are studying these books in the colleges and universities all over the world. Actually anyone who tries to understand these books will become a great realized devotee of Lord Krishna gradually. The original potency of the sastra remains in these books because I have not added or opinionated anything of my own. I have simply presented the scriptures such as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam as they are. Therefore just see the effect they have on the world.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Miss Nedungadi Ñ Bombay 19 March, 1975
I remember something Prabhupada said when he visited Boston in 1968. He was speak ing in our humble lit tle store front 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 non different than Krishna.
From Viraha Bhavan #99 www.sdgonline.org. 
3:38 A.M.
From Namamrta by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
"The offenseless chanting of a pure devotee can purify hundreds and thousands of other people:
"When someone heard the chanting of the holy name from the mouth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and someone else heard this chanting from that second person, and someone again heard this chanting from the third person, everyone in all countries became a Vaisnava through disciplic succession. Thus everyone chanted the holy name of Krishna and Hari, and they danced, cried and smiled.
"The transcendendental power or potency of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is herein explained. First the holy name is vibrated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When someone hears from Him directly, he is purified. When another person hears from that person, he is also purified. In this way the purification process is advanced among pure devotees. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one can claim His potency. Nonetheless, if one is a pure devotee, hundreds and thousands of men can be purified by his vibration. This potency is within every living being, provided he chants the Hare Krishna maha-mantra offenselessly, without material motives. When a pure devotee chants offenselessly, another person will become a Vaisnava, and from him another Vaisnava will emerge. This is the parampara system." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 1.17.48-49)
No one can be a pure devotee on the level of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But persons who heard from Him also became pure devotees. And when they chanted, persons who heard from them also became pure devotees. Therefore there are many pure devotees, provided they receive the chanting from a pure devotee and chant without offenses. Everyone has within himself the dormant ability to become a pure devotee. If we are not a pure devotee yet, we can gradually become one by sincere chanting and service to the pure devotees and the spiritual master. We should not think it is impossible for us to become a pure devotee; rather it is the natural evolution once we come in contact with someone who has been in contact with a genuine pure devotee. It is like the touchstone process, whatever the touchstone touches becomes gold. The Hare Krishna movement is meant to be a congregation of all pure devotees.
It is not that only sannyasis can be pure devotees. It is open to householders also and people of any caste or nationality. Hare Krishna chanting is a universal church. When the numbers of pure devotees increase by the parampara system the world becomes auspicious.
I woke this morning at 1:00 A.M. and got up to chant. My chanting was slow, which is not an indication of good chanting. My first round took a long time. By 3:30 I had not completed sixteen rounds but still had a few more to go. I was not completely awake but persisted and did not actually fall to drowsy chanting. My mind was not wandering all over the place but was fixed on the individual mantras strung together round after round.
read more from SDGonline - daily updates Viraha Bhavan journal
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#58
We say those born in India are more fortunate because
by birth they honor the guru.
But we ex-mlecchas are also fortunate.
We are completely dependent on Prabhupada.
We can't claim to go on our own
straight to the sastra and say
Raghunatha Gosvamî is now my guru.
We know it's Prabhupåda
who picked us up and keeps up
in spiritual life.
I didn't love you enough and all that.
In your last days I didn't come close enough,
you know all that. I did hold your
foot and pat it with the white powder
your mother used on you when you were a boy.
I treasure and recite your
words all my life.
Nowadays I'm aware I'm failing in bolder acts.
I take solace that
I'm close to you in inward acts
like reading your books.
I am one of many many. What father
has so many sons and daughters, how can he
keep track of them?
I have a claim.
I am mentioned in his day book
for January–June 1966.
I gave a donation.
I typed for him.
Say my name to him, and I bet
he remembers me.
He'll call me to him and laugh a little.
Then he'll get serious.
I'll feel bad about the writing I've done
just as I did that night he called me to him
in Detroit at 10 P.M. and
said "Write another book."
www.sdgonline.org.
Sounds before 4:00 A.M.:
The soprano trebling of
an owl; the distant
mournful hoot
of a train warning cows
and idiotic human beings;
the hiss of complete silence
as I sit in my room and
chant Hare Krishna mantras
in my mind.
He said pure devotees don't talk
of worldly topics, just krsna-
katha and his instructions.
That's a hard one to swallow.
The world is so alluring
and dangerous, it's hard to
put it out of your mind
and speech. (Kirtana-rasa
said, "The Republicans say it's
every man for himself, and the
Democrats cave in and don't
keep their liberal base, seeking
to go bipartisan.") Actually
the sadhu is right, the current
events will go their own way and it's all cheating
and lies, and hopeless
efforts to stem the
tide of mortality and
find peace in this place
of unrest.
So better to turn to
Krishna. Keep engaged
in His service and
glorification from 4:00 A.M. in
the morning until 10:00 P.M. at
night. You'll be
thought crazy and
otherworldly, irrelevant
and irresponsible,
but that's not the truth.
At death you are not a
Democrat or Republican,
the ironic twist of karma may
make you lack parties
in your next birth and
even deny you the
dignity of a human life –
so you can't run the internet
or watch TV.
We should live for the interest
of the soul, which is to be
the servant of God. Read the
scriptures, not the newspapers.
It's not escapist or it's
escaping from the big illusion
that "I" am this body
or the nation I was
born in is worshipable.
I'm actually a spirit eternal
wandering in the different
species of life birth after death,
and I'm never satisfied.
I want to go the way of
pure devotional service,
trying to serve the world
by telling people of their
higher nature and their need
to abandon folly and injustice.
That's the way to dovetail
passion for humanity—
to spiritualize,
to broadcast Krishna's fame
and purpose.
www.sdgonline.org.
I turned at random to Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto Five, Chapter 12, Verse 13:
"Who are the pure devotees mentioned here? In an assembly of pure devotees, there is no question of discussing material subjects like politics and sociology. In an assembly of pure devotees, there is discussion only of the qualities, forms and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is praised and worshiped with full attention. In the association of pure devotees, by constantly hearing such topics respectfully, even a person who wants merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth abandons this idea and gradually becomes attracted to the service of Vasudeva."
These are the symptoms of a pure devotee: he is not interested in worldly affairs and never engages in gramya-katha, worldly topics. Prabhupada writes in his purport that the Krishna consciousness movement was started to engage people twenty-four hours a day in the service of the Lord and His glorification. The students in the institution have no opportunity to waste their time by discussing politics, sociology and current events. "These will go their own way." I must admit that I am not completely free of interest in the tidings of the material world. Of course, a devotee may keep abreast of worldly events if he dovetails it in the service of the Lord, such as in making relevant preaching with awareness of what people are concerned with, but he should not become overwhelmed by this or think that solutions to worldly problems are to be found by making material adjustments. If he stays absorbed in krishna-upadesa (Krishna's instructions) for amelioration of all problems and krishna-katha (topics of the transcendental activities of the Lord in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, etc.), he will be making the best use of his time and the best contribution to the welfare of the world.
Saci read to me and finished the chapter "The Transcendental Madness of Lord Caitanya." Lord Caitanya has Ramananda Raya read to Him verses of the gopis searching for Krishna in the forests of Vrndavan. They inquire from the trees, creepers, and female deer whether they have seen Krishna pass by. The gopis guess that the trees are male and so are in league with Krishna, and therefore they won't reveal His whereabouts. They guess that the creepers, headed by Tulasi, are female and so may be more sympathetic to the cowherd girls. But then they guess that the creepers have all become maidservants of Krishna and won't reveal where He is. As for the does, they are near unconscious after just having the darsana of Krishna, and they cannot speak. Lord Caitanya elaborates on the verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam and Govinda-lilamrta . Then He sees Krishna appearing to the gopis and He falls unconscious. His friends bring Him back to consciousness by sustained chanting of the holy names. All day and night Caitanya Mahaprabhu passes through states of ecstasy where He talks to Krishna, has visions of Him, feels painful separation from Him, and sometimes falls unconscious. His friends, especially Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, stay with Him and temper or increase the moods.
Narayana made a Mex-Tex lunch and served it to me while he read from Caitanya-Bhagavata. We heard of Lord Caitanya's punishment of Advaita Acarya for preaching impersonalism. Lord Caitanya was very angry. He asked Advaita Acarya, "What is best, impersonalism or devotional service?" Advaita Acarya defiantly replied, "Impersonalism is best. Without impersonalism, you can't enter devotional service." Caitanya Mahaprabhu became enraged and began physically beating Advaita. Advaita's wife screamed, "Please spare the old brahmana!" but the Lord didn't hear her. Advaita Acarya blissfully received His punishment and danced, then bowed at Lord Caitanya's feet and said, "Where is Your respectful treatment of me now?" Advaita got what He wanted: to be treated as a servant. Lord Caitanya knew everything about Advaita Acarya's tricks. He embraced Him, and Advaita Acarya cried profuse tears. Lord Nityananda, Haridasa Thakura, Advaita's wife and son and servants—everyone in the house cried in the ecstasy of love for Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya then declared a boon for Advaita Acarya. He said that whoever received the mercy of Advaita Acarya, even an insect or a great sinner, would be blessed with love of God. Advaita Acarya then stated his own vow: "If anyone worships Me but doesn't worship You, I will kill him." While punishing Advaita Acarya, Lord Caitanya declared His identity as the slayer of Kamsa, Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, etc., and Advaita Acarya swam in bliss to hear it. "You are my Lord." Advaita said. "You are my mother and father and master." Who can understand the wonderful relationship between Advaita and Lord Caitanya? While He was punishing Advaita, Lord Caitanya cried, "Nara! I was sleeping in the milk ocean and Your cries made Me come to the material world. You asked Me to come and teach devotional service, and now You are teaching impersonalism?" It is a wonderful pastime.
Narayana sat and talked about many things. We shared our opinions, which are alike. I had a migraine headache before lunch and took medicine for it. After eating, it went away. But he advised me to relax the remainder of the day. I am doing the Writing Session, but I won't do much else. Prepare yourself for going back to Godhead. Wear a sweatshirt and hat in your chilly room.
Just read some poetry with Narayana K. Two by me, two by him, and about fifteen minutes of Charles Reznikoff, whom we both like. Now winding-down time, relaxing before going to bed and sleep. I usually don't write at this time. Narayana's poem was meditative and philosophical, addressing himself to God, and saying he wanted to offer Him his love. He liked my poems, one had a lot of description of Radha-Kalachandji and a photo, and meanderings, saying Srila Prabhupada created an island of safety for us to live. I'll sleep and rise early and chant my rounds. The yogurt was nice tonight with just a hint of fruit flavor. A cup was offered to Radha-Govinda. Narayana has not put Them to bed and put Prabhupada in his night cadar. Peaceful and solitary life shared with my two friends. We like our home and a quiet life. Narayana is doing the duties so Baladeva can write his medical questionnaire. He ought to be done by now. Peace, peace, peace. Om shanti om. Krishna is kind to me. I didn't have many headaches today. Even with headaches, He is kind, giving me this life with a chance to broadcast my writings in various ways. All glories to Prabhupada.
Vedic culture is perfect for human society, perfect culture. You have to adopt it. Then you become happy. The whole human society becomes happy, never mind where it is. It is a science, how to live just like human beings, not like cats and dogs. That is Vedic culture. Everyone is happy. Still, those who are following Vedic principles, they are more happy than others.
- Srila Prabhupada
Conversation with B Ankur.
From Kent Hayden at The Huffington Post
At the end of a journeyman's summer, I lay in an unfamiliar wood, watching the stars assert themselves upon a deepening night. My wanderlust faded into a gentle homesickness, and I dreamt of cookies, warm chocolate chip cookies and coffee, the deepest of comforts from my Christmases and homecomings. I flipped through the remembered textures and smells of soft dough and chocolate, and I was struck by the centrality of food to my story. Eating has marked my celebrations and my tragedies. Its rituals surround and define the points of reference by which I know my life, and from which I collect hints of life's meaning.
I imagine that such an association with eating is, or has been, the norm for most of us. Across cultures and traditions, the cycles of gathering, preparing, and consuming food have been occasions of ritual and storytelling. They have led to a series of practices and beliefs that ground people in their social, environmental, and existential contexts. But these connections are fading as our eating loses its grasp upon what sacred moments we have left.
Our ancestors indwelled a world flush with the sacrosanct. Hunters connected with their prey as a part of a single chain. They spoke to the spirit of the slain animal and respected its sacrifice. Farmers tended an order that both depended upon and sustained them. They danced and sang for the rain and acknowledged their place in the cycles of nature. Cooking was sanctified as communities grew and defined themselves in terms of their diets. Laws and rituals were developed to bind people together through food. And the final act of eating was sanctified as sustenance was passed between the work-rough hands that contributed to its production. Prayers were spoken and bread was broken as friends and families fed their living with a sense of gratitude.
As these relationships and connections began to be displaced by considerations of utility and efficiency, the sacred was squeezed out of our food system from the outside in. Scanning cartoon-faced packages and dropping cold-cuts into a basket is rarely occasioned with reflection upon one's place in the universe. The commodification of our eating eliminated the empathy between consumers and consumed. Chemically nurtured and internationally distributed monocropping robbed farmers of their connection with the rhythms
of the soil and their relationship with their customers. Mass-produced and nutritionally bankrupt diets broke the social ties of traditional cuisine. And the subjugation of meal-time to our commutes and our sitcoms eliminated the occasion for reflection upon and gratitude for the simple good of enjoying our food.
Our eating has been secularized. It has been robbed of its poetry and beaten into the staccato uniformity of packaged snacks. We have insisted upon efficiency as the only criterion of our culinary aesthetic. As a direct result, our prey suffer needlessly, our planet is wilting under the pressures of our demands, our neighbors are strangers, we are unhealthy, and our place in the order of things is lost behind the incessant pace of our living.
We are in desperate need of reconnecting our eating with the sacred. This needn't mean a return to the perspectives and practices of the past. It does necessarily mean a reevaluation of the fundamental principles by which we relate to our eating. It means including considerations of beauty and meaning in the design of our food systems.
Conveniently, our religious traditions are equipped with tools and traditions for just such a reconsideration. Ramadan, Yom Kippur, the Sabbath, and the Eucharist -- all opportunities for exploring and restoring connections between the sacred and our eating.
But to take advantage of this shared concern for sacred eating, we must be willing to crack open the shells that have formed around our rituals and allow them to inform our everyday living. They must be set loose on our reality so that our memories of warm cookies and coffee continue to bind together not only our own narratives, but our communities, our planet, and the thousand little relationships out of which the sacred emerges.
Photos by Harsha Ravi
By Antony Brennan for Brihadmrdanga.com: In Melbourne on Tuesday last a fireball Harinama Sankirtan crew destroyed all the Maya in their way as they faced off with the three modes of material nature at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Melbourne, which for the duration of the Harinama became the spiritual world, shook and shuddered, as the crown roared and as the Holy Names were spilled into the atmoshpere infiltrating every molecule and particle in earshot.
No-one in the mundane world survived intact from the onslought and all who percieved the sound were changed forever beyond their wildest dreams.
These photos are the evidence that the structures of the current Yuga are creaking under the pressure of Harinam. There is no other way, there is no other way THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.
Join a Harinam party now. It is up to you.
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Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are all His servants.
At heart we all want to serve somebody, to feel the pleasure of making someone else happy. This finds its expression in service to our family or pets, country or humanity. But this type of service cannot satisfy our eternal soul, because this service is temporary, ending with the end of this body.
In contrast, service to Krishna is eternal and ever expanding, giving unlimited scope for exchanges of love; and because Krishna is the Supreme soul, only He has the potential to completely reciprocate with our offering of love, and totally satisfy our heart's desire.
Seekers through the ages have performed penances to know God, and many have recorded their revelations in the holy books of the world. Among all holy books, the Vedas - sacred texts from ancient India, give a clear and precise definition of who God actually is and what He does.
Not an old man sitting on a cloud, or a formless 'nothingness' with less attributes than ourselves, the Vedas describe the Supreme as an eternal youth: full of vigour, vitality and personality.
The Vedas teach that the essence of all religions is to know God and to love Him, and any religion that teaches one to know and love God is a bona fide relgious process.
Bhakti-yoga, or the process whereby one directly links with the Supreme through devotion, is described by the Vedas as the most direct method to know God. This process is very practical to perform, and centers around the singing or chanting of the holy names of the Lord, which is described by Vedic authorities as the principal means of attaining God realization in this age.
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September 22 sightseeing: after visiting the Grand Mosque we headed out to a small Madan Mohan Krsna temple.
Surprising in a strictly Moslem country. It was built only 23 years ago as a favor to the Gujarati community, who have roots going back many generations in Oman. The leaders of the Gujaratis have strong ties with the Sultan and he allowed them to establish a small but nice center for their worship.
The main Deity is a brass 18″ high murti of Lord Krsna as Murali Mohan. He has an unusual pose. Instead of having his arms bent upwards to hold His flute, He has them pointed outwards from the waist, and His flute is placed across his upturned palms.
Even more unusual is the story how He entered the country. Although permission to have a temple was given, it was doubtful that any Deity would be allowed to enter through Customs. He was shipped out from India, and sure enough, the Customs demanded that the box be opened and it looked as if they would refuse His entry. When the lid was prized open, no Deity was seen but a large snake reared up. Shocked, the officials immediately shut the lid back down on the snake and permitted entry. When the box was opened at the temple, no snake was found, only Murali Mohan Krsna.
Our devotees have weekly programs in a hall at the back of the temple, and even an indoor Rathayatra. This event draws 7,000+ and the temple is swamped to over-capacity.
We meet a nice pujari who sings bhajans during the day whenever the Deities open, and I was pleased to discover he was born and raised in Mathura. He was surprised to hear that I attended the opening our Vrndavan Krsna Balarama mandira because it was two years before he was born, a fact that engendered some instant respect. Being older has its advantages.
We had some rest and prasadam in the afternoon at the house of Sriman Braja Pran prabhu and his wife
and in the early evening we headed out to Muttrah. Sounds exactly the same way as the Brajvasis pronounce Mathura and I speculated that perhaps it was a corruption originating from that, but apparently it is an Arabic word. One thing I did note it had in common with India though was the four different ways I saw it spelt on official signs – Muttrah, Mutrah, Muttra and Mutra.
Its an interesting and ancient area of the city, the main features being the market or souq and the bay.
The partly covered market reminded me a lot of Nutan Bazaar (New Market) in Kolkata except that it is newer and cleaner and less crowded. Many shops specialize in perfumes and frankincense, which was one of its traditional local products and major export item.
Lots of shops were selling varieties of burqas which all the local women wear, although I did wonder why they were so colorful if the whole point of a burqa was to make the wearer less attractive.
We found a small interesting antique store with traditional daggers in ornamental scabbards
and other hand made items such as water pots and jewelry
There was a box full of old coins from all over the world. I randomly picked one out, a substantial item which turned out, ironically, to be a 1919 Indian rupee.
Going through the souq we went out to the bay side, which has recently been renovated with granite paving and walls. Cleaners work 27/7 to keep it clean and many tourists and locals come there in the evening for a promenade in the pleasant evening breeze.
Etched marble plaques along the harbor walls depict traditional arts and crafts
and a snappy red Porche Boxster parked outside the market entrance brought home the contrast between the old and the new
The economic influence of the Gujarati community was in evidence in this sign of the Purshottam Kanji Exchange and next to it the Bank of Baroda
But the sign I liked the best was this one
Maybe they are not so far off the real Mathura dhama now that our devotees are there.
Our last stop before the evening's program was the ancient and recently rebuilt Shiva temple. Its at least 100 years old and some say it dates back 300 years. A previous Sultan took shelter there during some political turmoil and since he came out on top, since then there has been a very good relationship between the Indian community and the rulers.
Our devotees hold a weekly program here in a small hall, and I was happy to find a shrine inside dedicated to Sita Rama and Hanuman
It turned out that the pujari for Sita Rama was originally from Dvaraka-bet. We had a nice chat about the recent archaeological findings there indicating the ancient capital of Krsna's kingdom. He was happy to pose for a photo although, as with the Madan Mohan Krsna temple, we were not allowed to photo the Deities.
Our final agenda was the reason for my visit-an excellent hall program with several hundred devotees in attendance, eagerly lapping up the continuation of my seminar on 'association'.
I got a chance to show my powerpoint presentation on the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre
and we wrapped up the program by about 10.30PM.
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are all His servants. At heart we all want to serve somebody else, to feel the pleasure of making someone else happy. This finds its expression in service to our family or pets, country or humanity. But this type of service cannot our soul, because this service is temporary, ending with the end of this body.
In contrast, service to Krishna is eternal and ever expanding, giving unlimited scope for exchanges of love; and because Krishna is the Supreme soul, only He has the potential to completely reciprocate with our gift of love.
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FESTIVAL OF INDIA 1992-2000 POLAND
By Her Grace Citrangada Dasi Hare Krishna Dear Readers, Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada All Glories to Guru Maharaja All Glories to Sri Dhama Avantipura. By the dint of Srila Gurudev's mercy, I attempt to write some of my experiences in Ujjain this year and hope I manage to refect [...]
You must be very careful. Test. If we cannot rise early in the morning, that means we are under the clutches of maya. This is the test.
- Sríla Prabhupáda
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