Here are the latest updates for
- Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: KuliMela 2006 - Lotus Eyes - Dance - 4/14
- Sastra Dana, San Diego, USA: 6th Issue of the 16Rounds Newspaper
- ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily class - Gopa-vrndesa Prabhu
- Krishna-kripa das, Mayapura: World Holy Name Festival Harinamas
- H.H. Sivarama Swami
- Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: No airy gurus
- Dandavats.com: Announcing CHAD for Kartik 2010!
- Dandavats.com: Deepavali-damodara launch
- Dandavats.com: Ratnavali's story through the Gita's lens
- Dandavats.com: Memorial Service for Jaya Sena Das
- Dandavats.com: Introducing HARRY
- Dandavats.com: Goverdhana Puja Festival November 7, 2010
- David Haslam, UK: Welsh Language
- Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Made in the USA
- Japa Group: Make It Easier To Chant
- Dandavats.com: Kartika and Sarat-purnima: Special Mercy and the Dance of Divine Love
- Hari Sauri das, Mayapura, IN: Getting high in Dubai
- ISKCON News.com: Most American Say Lawmakers Should Be Religious
- ISKCON News.com: Flood In Vrindavan
- Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Morning meditations
- Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: KuliMela 2006 - Jagannath Suta - Song for a Friend - 3/14
- Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Bart sells his soul
- Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Methi Parathas
- Doyal Gauranga dasa & Gadadhar Pandit dasa, NYC: Coaches, guides, and, gurus
- ISKCON News.com: Prepare For Harder Times
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: When to correct a senior devotee and when not to
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 108
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: One Hundred Prabhupada Poems
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Faith
- H.H. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Free Write
- Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: Free Green Chiles
- ISKCON News.com: The Forbidden Archeologist - A New Book By Drutakarma Das
- ISKCON News.com: The Forbidden Archeologist - A New Book By Drutakarma Das
- Australian News: Musical Troup cause havoc in the material world. (See them do it this Saturday)
- ISKCON News.com: The 24th Anniversary Of The 24 Hour Kirtan
- ISKCON News.com: Reversing the Secularization of Eating
- ISKCON News.com: The Guru Grooming Russell Brand For Marriage Ahead Of His Indian Wedding
- H.H. Sivarama Swami: Ramapriya asks
- Japa Group: Chanting Produces A Taste
- Gouranga TV: 2010 Janmastami Newgoloka
- H.H. Sivarama Swami
- More Recent Articles
- Search Planet ISKCON
Lotus Eyes performing a dance at KuliMela 2006 at New Vrindavan.  Latest issue, issue 6, of the 16 Rounds To Samadhi newspaper is printed! 30,000 copies are about to hit the streets of San Diego. Additional 5,000 are going to Los Angeles and several more thousands are going to a few other places in the States. 16 Rounds is one of the very few ISKCON publications that are written, designed, and created with non-ISKCON audience in mind. BUY Buy copies of the newspaper for local distribution at $0.20 a piece + shipping. Contact us to place an order. All proceeds go towards covering the cost of printing the newspaper, nothing else. PRINT LOCALLY To print it locally and to customize some of the newspaper's content, such as contact info for example, to suit your local needs, buy the electronic file. This issue was created in Adobe's InDesign CS5 and could be viewed in InDesign CS4 as well. You will receive all images that were used in creating this issue, including the photoshop files. We ask for a minimum donation of $175. It takes 100s of hours to create this kind of a publication. $175 is totally underpriced. Contact us to order the disc. SEEKING DONATIONS Please consider making a donation towards printing of future issues of this publication. We are also seeking donations towards purchases of more newspaper racks. We are already having a powerful presence out there, but why not increase. We'd also like to make more presence at the local universities and colleges.  plastic & wire racks - Plastic outdoor racks cost $90 a piece.
- Wire racks cost $30 a piece.
- Make a DONATION
16 Rounds To Samadhi, issue 6:  Our newspaper rack in Ocean Beach, San Diego. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.26.1 - Heavenly beings are not generally attracted to human bodies, which they consider stinky and low-grade.
Unfortunately, I have not yet surrendered to organizing a full schedule of events for the World Holy Name Festival, but I do attend the existing harinamas in the places I reside during that time, and I was able, by the Lord's grace, to organize three harinamas which would otherwise not have happened, one in Lvov, Ukraine, another in London, and the final one, at Tompkins Square Park in New York, where harinama began in the West. Kharkov, Ukraine, Saturday night harinama, September 18: About twenty devotees chant together in a park in downtown Kharkov, Ukraine's second largest city, for three hours on Saturdays. Sahasra Jit Prabhu, the temple president, who has lots of devotion and a pleasant voice, led kirtana for much of the time.I am inspired when the temple leaders have a real commitment to harinama. Devotees tell me three to five new people come to their program each Sunday, most having learned about it either from the harinamas or from regular Sunday feast attendees. Five ladies danced on one side of the singers, who sat on a piece of carpet, playing harmonium, mridanga, and karatalas. A slightly larger group of men danced on the other side, also in unison with each other, except one avadhuta, who is so spontaneous we cannot follow him. Many people listened, some for quite a while. Some friends of the devotees also come just to listen. Many people took pictures. Krishna Dvaipayana Prabhu had a book table set up to one side of the party, while two other devotees distributed books to passersby, and another devotee, often Bhakta Andre, distributed prasadam and invitations. Kharkov, Ukraine, Sunday night harinama, September 19: Throughout the year, after the Kharkov Sunday feast program a party of devotees goes on harinama for two hours from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., even in their chilly winters. We had twenty devotees the week I was there, many fairly young, perhaps in their twenties and thirties. This is a walking harinama, except for when they stopped at a park near a Mc Donald's, where they chanted to fifteen people, who happily watched. I was so very inspired to see the enthusiasm of the youthful devotees there. ISKCON is alive in Ukraine.
Lvov, Ukraine, an additional harinama on Wednesday, September 22: I had a good experience doing harinama in Lvov (Lviv), Ukraine, last year, so I decided to try to organize another one this year. Usually they just do one on Saturday, but I appealed that because it was during the World Holy Name Festival and the week of both Bhaktivinoda Thakura's appearance day and Haridasa Thakura's disappearance day, that they should do an additional one on that Wednesday, the only day I could be there. They set up a rug on the sidewalk leading up to the university, and played harmonium, mridanga, and karatalas. About twelve devotees came, mostly an older group than in Kharkov. One devotee lady distributed prasadam and invitations in front of the party. I was impressed to see the interest of the public. Usually there was always at least someone looking and listening, and sometimes as many as twenty, some lingering for quite a while! A few young people enjoyed imitating our dancing. I was pleased to see that so many devotees came out considering that it was midweek, and considering that we do not have a temple anymore in that town and thus the devotees are scattered. London, England, additional harinama, Friday morning, September 24: Monday through Friday afternoons, devotees chant for an hour and a half on Oxford Street, and Saturday night as many as fifty devotees will do harinama for two hours around Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. On some mornings they also go out, but not Friday, so I begged Krishna Vidhi Prabhu, Soho's most enthusiastic harinama person, that we could go out, as I was flying to New York and would miss the afternoon one, and he agreed. He and I chanted for an hour or an hour and a half on Oxford Street, and it was rewarding, even with just the two of us. Philadelphia Ratha-yatra, Saturday, September 25: I shall describe this Philadelphia Ratha-yatra in more detail elsewhere, but as it was a harinama event during the World Holy Name Festival I mention it here. They had a special treat this year—Haryasva Prabhu's Panca-tattva deities from Govinda's riding on a chariot before Lord Jagannatha. The sound system was great, and there were at least two amplified kirtanas during the parade, one with Vishnu Gada Prabhu leading, with the musicians on their own cart, between the Pancatattva and the Jagannatha deities, and one just before Lord Jagannatha's cart as usual. Manhattan 12-hour kirtana, Saturday, October 2: Gauravani of Kindred Spirits and the devotees from the Bhakti Center have a monthly 12-hour kirtana program the first Saturday of each month, a great contribution to bhakti in NYC. A variety of people come, some devotees for many years like Dhanurdhara Swami, Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu, Rama Raya, and Mother Arundhati, other devotees more youthful like Acyuta Gopi and Ananta, and yet others coming from yoga backgrounds. This month they had the kirtana at the Broome St. temple. This proved difficult for me, as I love to dance in the kirtana so much, but their landlord does not permit dancing there! I was, however, able to invite some of the people there to chant with me at Tompkins Square Park the following day. Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan, additional harinama, Sunday, October 3:
I hoped that since Tompkins Square Park was where public chanting of Hare Krishna began in the West, I could round up more people for the event, but still twelve devotees came. Later I found it was the same day as the Queen's Ratha-yatra. We gathered at 26 2nd Avenue, the location of our original temple in Manhattan and chanted down 2nd Avenue till St. Marks and then eastward to Avenue A. We made our way to the Hare Krishna tree, where we sat and chanted for over two hours. One man, who happened to have a bag of flower petals, spontaneously offered handfuls of petals in front of the sitting kirtana party. We took turns chanting, with about five devotees getting a chance to lead. Ranga Devi, a kirtana singer from the UK was among the singers. Bhakta Dan, who is the harinama leader at the Bhakti Center, brought books for distribution. Ekayani Dasi collected emails to help organize future harinamas in New York. I talked to one man who loved watching the dancing of the devotees, staying for almost an hour and smiling the whole time. He had fond memories of attending the Hare Krishna Sunday feasts in the 1970s. A group of young ladies came by, some jokingly imitating our dance, and they eventually began dancing with the devotee ladies. Pawan Sandilya of Pune, India, who was visiting New York, took some photos personally and let other devotees take photos with his camera. He later commented, "It has been my pleasure to be with you all in the park. I don't have words to express myself, how the Lord has been so merciful to me to give such opportunity." We read from Srila Prabhupada-lilamrita about Srila Prabhupada's original kirtanas in that park. We were amazed by all the details Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami gives in his description of the park. The bicycling kids, sportive kids, and drum players are still prominent features. Gone, however, are the many hippies who were attracted by the early kirtanas.
 Tompkins Square Park is a special place. It was first place where devotees would regularly chant in public, each Sunday for three hours, beginning in October 1966, forty-four years ago. Srila Prabhupada himself came and chanted there, and so it is a like a place of pilgrimage. Last year an old man sitting of a park bench reading a book said to me, "Thank you for cleaning the air by your singing." This year a man offered flower petals to our party, and another praised our dancing. Although this place is far away from Sridham Mayapur, where Lord Caitanya started his sankirtana movement, the spiritual energy of the Lord is also manifest here, causing people to appreciate bhakti, devotion to the Lord. My great hope is that each year we can do harinama here during the World Holy Name Festival, and that it may increase each year, without limit. In addition, we could plan for something especially wonderful for the 50th anniversary in October 2016. If you want to help make that happen, let me know. You can write me at Krsna-krpa.SDG at Pamho.net. Also if you have any pictures of the harinamas I describe above, let me know so I can include them. Thanks. All glories to the Sri Krishna Nama Sankirtana!
The duty of a brahmana is to culture the quality of forgiveness, which is illuminating like the sun. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is pleased with those who are forgiving. - Jamadagni
Indian lady: How does one contact the spiritual master? Through a book can you contact the spiritual master? Prabhupada: No, you have to associate. Syamasundara: "Can you associate through a book?" she asked. Prabhupada: Yes, through books, and also personal. Because when you make a spiritual master you have got personal touch. Not that in air you make a spiritual master. You make a spiritual master concrete. >>> Ref. VedaBase => His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971
By Gandharvika Radha Devi Dasi Rediscover the joy of reading with Bhagavad-Gita with the Chapter-A-Day (CHAD) program ,a worldwide alliance of devotees who chant at least one chapter of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. This program officially inaugurated by His Grace Vaisheshika Prabhu has been a huge success amongst both the exalted devotees and the neophytes at ISKCON of Silicon Valley
 By Srivas Caitanya
The launch of the Deepavali Damodara Festival for 2010 was unique in that it was enthusiastically participated by devotees from ISKCON Centers from many other states in Malaysia
Suresvara dasa: On October 15th, I gave a Skype class to an international audience of devotees about seeing Srimati Ratnavali Mataji's reincarnation story through the lens of the Bhagavad-gita
The Murari Sevakas: The devotees at Murari Sevaka will be holding a memorial service, glorification & feast for Jaya Sena Das, ACBSP, who left his body yesterday, October 20, 2010. The service will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2010 and will start at 11:00am. Please join us!
Gopal Lila das: HARRY was created to produce clothing and lifestyle products for members of ISKCON. We aim to make products that reflect the teachings of ISKCON in a contemporary manner
Murari Sevaka: We want this Goverdhana Puja festival to initiate the rejuvenation of a brilliant future for Murari…a future of acceptance, tolerance and loving relationships with all devotees
There is little awareness by either the BBT or ISKCON that inadvertently they may be breaking a law indoctrinated here in the UK that could end in a law suit and possible temporary if not permanent stopping of book distribution in one area of the UK. This lack of awareness of the Welsh language act [...]
New blog post over at Horton Brasses. Check out all the American made options for your kitchen remodel and pretty pics of lights and shades from Schoolhouse Electric. XO 
A devotee can very peacefully chant the holy name of the Lord by behaving more humbly than the grass, being tolerant like a tree and offering respects to everyone, without expecting honor from anyone else. Such qualifications make it easier to chant the holy name of the Lord.
By Giriraj Swami Often when a new store opens they will have a sale, and a customer can get a very valuable item by paying a very small amount. So, the month of Kartika is like a sale, a transcendental sale. By a little investment in terms of spiritual practice and service, you can get a great benefit
Saturday 25 September proved interesting with my one bit of sightseeing taking us to the tallest building in the world. I am sure everyone has heard of the Burj Kalifa (formerly Burj Dubai). At 828 meters (2,717 feet) it is the tallest man-made structure ever built. It cost $1.5 billion and was opened in January this year. 
this was taken from the car on the approach road. I couldn't fit it all into the picture  
Dubai Downtown, a $4 billion development It was a true international project with the architecture/engineering being devised by a company from Chicago and the primary construction being done by a South Korean company. The glass covered needle point tower is a very impressive combination of hotel, business offices and accomodations, dominating Dubai Downtown and is the central feature of a $4 billion development. When I read about hotels costing hundreds of millions to build I can never figure out how they manage to recoup the money. Somebody has to be making something somewhere. What could we do with that kind of money in Mayapur? Of course, even Dubai was hit by the recent world recession and ran out of funds. They had to be bailed out by Abu Dhabi. That's why it was renamed Burj Kalifa, after the current president of the UAE, Emir Kalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Anyway, its open and its fantastic. Atul Krsna, Naru-gopal and myself went with one of the local devotees. You have to pay to go up but if you book in advance it costs 75% less. Our tickets were $25 each. We got there on time at 5.30PM and wasted no time in going up.  
I was surprised to find that out of 57 elevators in the building, only two are dedicated to sight-seeing visitors. 'Only two' though doesn't do justice. They are possibly the fastest elevators in the world. You can't go up to the top floors, but the observation level is still plenty high at 452 m. (1,483 ft.). The elevators zip you up to the 124th floor in just under one minute. At their fastest they seem to do about 3-4 floors per second. Top speed is 64 kms/hr. My ears were actually popping, something like going up in an airplane for the first time. The viewing deck itself was enclosed on one half of the building and open air on the other. I was surprised at how narrow the deck was in some places. A guide (most of who seemed to be Filipino girls) told us that an average of 3000 people per day go up (that's about $75,000 per day just for the sightseers-probably just covers the electric bill!) We had a good view all around, although Dubai seems to suffer the same problems of air pollution of many of the other big cities of the world. Looking up from the ob. deck at the rest of the building was like looking up at a skyscraper from the ground. 
I thought that 5.30PM was going to be too late for us to see anything interesting but it is actually the best time to go. You get half an hour of day light, see the sun going down, and then see everything again all lit up for the night. The most spectacular sight though was the Dubai Fountains. Looking down on the Dubai Mall there is a large man made lake with a pattern of water nozzles running most of its length. When evening sets in they turn on the fountain and accompanying lights and it goes through a brilliantly thought out display to music. 
I don't think I have seen a more impressive fountain anywhere in the world (and more expensive – $217 million!). The 6,600 lights and nozzles came on in fast sequence, giving the impression of a train racing 275 meters from one end of the water park to the other, rushing round in circles and back and forth for 10 mins. After we descended we took the opportunity to see it again from ground level, and it was even more impressive. The water shoots up and out from the nozzles in elegant streams, waving from side to side, up and down, cutting graceful arcs in the sky, like a fluid ballet. Water shoots 150 meters in the air to classical and Arab music. Must buy one for Mayapur – anyone got a spare couple hundred million? Some good displays lined the exit areas providing information about the construction, such as this presentation about the scale model wind tunnel testing 
and an illuminated wall panel showing all the principle figures involved in the project 
That was all we had time for since Atul Krsna had to get back to teach his Bhakti Shastri course. Reflections on the experience? After half an hour up in the air it was boring. This is yet another material high that you have to come back down from. But Krsna consciousness means 'stay high forever.' I had one last program on Sunday evening, and then I bid adieu to Dubai the following day. It was a wonderful Middle East tour and I am looking forward to visiting again in the near future.
By The Pew Research Center for Pew Forum on 19 Oct 2010  | According to a research recently conducted in the United States, though the public expresses reservations about churches' involvement in politics, there is widespread agreement that politicians should be religious.
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This year, there was the biggest flood in Vrindavan since 1978. This is a short video taken by Shyam Gopal Das and Vijay Radhika Dasi, as part of B. B. Govinda Swami`s film project about Vrindavan. If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.
"Through meditation and by giving full attention to one thing at a time, we can learn to direct attention where we choose."
Indeed, to control the restless mind is no easy task, but at 7am, what else do you have going on? (other than sleep)
Jagannath Suta performing "Song for a Friend" at KuliMela 2006 held in New Vrindavan. 
For our evening Reflections this week, we took our cue from America's favorite family, The Simpsons. When Bart decided to sell his soul to his friend Millhouse, a spiral of philosophical and spiritual questions arise as, suddenly, he begins to receive attitude from his pets, becomes unable to laugh or appreciate humor, and even gets rejected by the automatic opening doors at the Kwiki-Mart. Obsessed to retrieve his soul, Bart finds himself praying to a God he was never quite sure existed and eventually, by the grace of his sister Lisa, is able to repurchase his soul from the local comic-book store owner (to whom Millhouse traded Bart's soul for a collection of Alf pogs). Humorous and thought-provoking, we were left to wonder and discuss "what is the soul?" "Does it even matter?" Regardless of belief, we could all agree that there is definitely a deeper aspect to our existence as individuals. To seek out, understand, and experience that deeper aspect can be our greatest source of happiness and fulfillment in life, whatever cultural or religious background a person may be from. As C.S. Lewis put it, "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."
Methi/fenugreek Parathas
Ingredients: (makes 4 medium size parathas)
1. 1 cup wheat flour
2. 1/4th cup dry/fresh/fresh frozen methi (washed and patted dry)
3. 1 tablespoon oil (canola/peanut/olive oil)
4. ½ cup yogurt
5. ¼ teaspoon asafetida
6. 1 teaspoon chili powder
7. ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
8. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
9. Salt to taste
10. Water to make the dough
11. Oil for cooking the parathas
• Put the flour, methi leaves, oil, asafetida, chili powder, turmeric, coriander and salt into a large mixing bowl (order does not matter).
• Add yogurt, a little at a time to this mixture, and knead to form a medium-soft, smooth dough. If you run out of yogurt or don't have enough, you could use water also. Keep aside for 30 minutes (optional).
• Divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.
• Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a circle of 7-8" diameter (5-6mm thick). For convenience roll out as many parathas as you like, stacking them, ready to cook with a layer of cling film between each paratha.
• Heat a griddle and fry the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of the remaining oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
• Serve with your favorite pickle/chutney.
In last week's Bhagavad Gita-In Your Life discussion, we explored the idea of having a spiritual mentor, teacher, guide, or guru. So many of us have begun to question the fabric of our reality, to look for something deeper, perhaps even to live with a spiritual consciousness, as a soul, as the Gita suggests. We discussed that having a teacher and guide is certainly not something out of the ordinary for us. Our lives are full of people of wisdom and knowledge who guide us in our academic, social, athletic, and just-plain-common-sense realms of reality. We couldn't do without them, for they have walked the path we are trying to walk, and they can show us the way to move forward, and to avoid the pitfalls and potholes that may be in the road ahead. So it's not a stretch to say we need some similar guidance in our spiritual life.
Of course there are many doubts and questions of trust and qualification, but if we are sincere and really seeking the kind of person/people who can give us real, lasting, personal, and intimate guidance to traverse the spiritual road, we will find them, but we must be patient, and we must be willing to serve, and we must be inquisitive as well. These are all facets of the teacher/student relationship Krishna is describing to Arjuna, and which they are showing to us through the dialogue and wisdom of the Gita.
 | Not many of us can abandon our earthly lot and go to the forests clad in tree bark, as was the practise in ancient days. A lifetime of Tesco and central heating leaves one ill-prepared for such agonies. But any of us can sit down peacefully in Vrindavan or some other sacred site and chant Krishna's names. A lifestyle that even the meagre state pension could stretch to.
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Skype conference (English/Russian) Oct 20th
www.sdgonline.org.  3:30 A.M. From Namamrta by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: "To derive the full benefit of chanting the maha-mantra, one should first chant the Panca-tattva maha-mantra:
"As preachers of the Krishna consciousness movement, we first offer our obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting this Panca-tattva mantra; then we say, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There are ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but these are not considered in the chanting of the Païca-tattva mantra, namely, sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is known as maha-vadabtavatara, the most magnanimous incarnation, for He does not consider the offenses of the fallen souls. Thus to derive the full benefit of the chanting of the maha-mantra (Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), we must first take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learn the Panca-tattva mantra, and then chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. That will be very effective." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-Lila 7.4)
Some devotees chant the Panca-tattva mantra at the end of each round of japa, but Prabhupada didn't teach this. He taught us to chant 108 beads of Hare Krishna mantra and then stop short of the head bead without touching it. We should then start back in the opposite direction by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. In kirtana, however, he led by first chanting, lead and response, Panca-tattva mantra three times before chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. This fulfills the advice to first chant the Panca-tattva mantra before chanting Hare Krishna. As stated in the purport, there is no offense in chanting the Panca-tattva mantra, whereas there are ten offenses in chanting of Hare Krishna. Lord Caitanya is known as audarya, lenient or magnanimous, and the Panca-tattva mantra chanted before Hare Krishna mantra leads us properly into the mood of chanting the names of Radha and Krishna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation, and his mercy is very easily achieved. Therefore we take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting sri-krishna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda. I got up at 1:00 A.M. and began chanting my rounds without pain and in an alert state of mind. I paid attention to the mantras without distraction. I chanted all sixteen rounds by 3:30. It was a pleasure and satisfaction to be able to chant in this way, without drowsiness, and to complete the vow early in the morning. The Panca-tattva mantra
should be chanted first
before singing in a Hare
Krishna kirtana. Lord
Caitanya's lenient mercy
introduces us into the Hare
Krishna mantra without
fear of offense.
Once you are
chanting Hare Krishna, your
mind should be fixed
on the transcendental
sound vibration without
wandering to something else.
Mantra meditation is very
easy, but it must be
seriously performed. The
Panca-tattva mantra
is like a river that
leads us into the sea
of Hare Krishna mantras,
where we endlessly float in bliss.
www.sdgonline.org. 
#65 So the photos aren't going to work for poems?
Not so easy, not "poems, a penny each."
Gaining Srila Prabhupada's love is not
as simple as spelling C-A-T.
I'm in the photo, an American boy in a swami hat.
It's humorous how I took to Krishna consciousness, and
he gave me a danda. Sharon Olds could write a poem
saying, "I hate you for giving me
the danda and consigning me to a life
of no more sex at 32 years old."
But I think it was great, and I thank you
for getting me free from my wife.
In one stroke you did it.
You put me in league with saints.
"There need be no anxiety over attaining perfection
because if one follows the instructions given
by the spiritual master, he is sure
to attain perfection."
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.71, purport)
www.sdgonline.org. I believe Lord Caitanya
gathered a following of millions
and that they held millions
of torches and that they
all blissfully leapt into
the air following the indications
of Mahaprabhu. I have faith in the acaryas
when they ask me to put aside
my doubts and mundane
speculation. I believe a
demon can have a thousand
arms, and Krishna can cut
them all off with His
chakra or even His bare hand. I believe Radharani spoke
like a madwoman to a
bumblebee and told him
he had better go flatter
the women of Mathura
because Krishna was no longer
interested in the gopis of Vrndavana. My faith is not blind,
it is enlightened and
supported by the scriptures
and the spiritual masters.
Krishna Himself has attested
to His powers and
pastimes. I celebrate
my faith, and I'm
happy not to doubt
it like a cynic. Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill
on the pinkie of His left hand
when He was just a child,
and we will observe the occasion
in two weeks with a
big feast of vegetarian delicacies
just as Krishna ate in
Vrndavana when He ordered
the cowherd people
to feed Him more. We will
eat His sacred remnants. We will hear how Indra
became angry and thought
Krishna was just a talkative child
and how he tried to punish Him
and how he was humbled by the
superior force of Govinda. His pastimes with the gopis
are the most wonderful, but
I won't indulge in them.
If you and I have material
taints we'll misunderstand so
it's best to talk about
the gopis only to the confidential bhaktas. But I believe it all. I am coming
to relish everything He does,
and I counter doubts.
My faith is flowing and supported.
I believe in Krishna and the pastimes.
I have faith in the Supreme.
www.sdgonline.org. 
A devotee asked me to turn to Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Three, Chapter 22, Verse 7: "I have fortunately been instructed by you, and thus great favor has been bestowed upon me. I thank God that I have listened with open ears to your pure words." The reciprocal service between the guru and disciple is that the disciple is very eager to receive instructions from the spiritual master, and he executes them. The bona-fide spiritual master is one who always desires to invoke Krishna consciousness in every forgetful common person. One should receive the transcendental message by aural reception. This does not meant the spiritual master gives a mantra through the ears for some dollars, and if he meditates on it he will become God in six months. The process is wonderfully described in the purport by Srila Prabhupada: "The real fact is that a bona fide spiritual master knows the nature of a particular man and what sort of duties he can perform in Krishna consciousness, and he instructs him in that way. He instructs him through the ear, not privately, but publicly. 'You are fit for such and such work in Krishna consciousness. You can act in this way.' One person is advised to act in Krishna consciousness by working in the Deities' room, another is advised to act in Kṛiṣhṇa consciousness by performing editorial work, another is advised to do preaching work, and another is advised to carry out Krishna consciousness in the cooking department. There are different departments of activity in Krishna consciousness, and a spiritual master, knowing the particular ability of a particular man, trains him in such a way that by his tendency to act he becomes perfect. Bhagavad-gītā makes it clear that one can attain the highest perfection of spiritual life simply by offering service according to his ability, just as Arjuna served Krishna by his ability in the military art. Arjuna offered his service fully as a military man, and he became perfect. Similarly, an artist can attain perfection simply by performing artistic work under the direction of the spiritual master. If one is a literary man, he can write articles and poetry for the service of the Lord under the direction of the spiritual master. One has to receive the message of the spiritual master regarding how to act in one's capacity, for the spiritual master is expert in giving such instructions." Vrndavana dasa Thakura writes a tour de force in describing Lord Caitanya's leading all the people of Navadvipa on a harinama dance procession to the Kazi's house. He says there were millions and millions of people, and they had millions of torches. Lord Caitanya wore a flower garland that hung down to His knees, and tears streamed from His eyes. His leading associates danced before Him and led the singing and dancing in different groups. Several times the author warns us not to take any of it as exaggeration. After all, he points out, Lord Krishna turned the salt water ocean into nectar during His water sports with the Yadus in Dvaraka. He can do anything. The people had no awareness of any fear or where they were going or who they were. They were swept up in ecstatic madness. All the houses emptied, and the people, including women and children, joined the Lord. At first the thieves thought this was a good opportunity to steal from the houses, but then they got caught up in the chanting and forgot about stealing. The demigods took human bodies and came down to witness Lord Caitanya and to sing with Him. The people were riled up. Some shouted threats at the Kazi, who had forbidden them to chant. Lord Caitanya had usually chanted in private, but this was the first time He was chanting in public and everyone could see. Large numbers of people danced through the streets and headed for the Kazi's house. They surrounded Lord Caitanya. They had assumed four arms, although they were not aware of it. They were amazed at the beauty of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Vrndavana dasa Thakura keeps piling it on. Narayana was reading it, and he said by standards of reason it was hard to believe. How could there be millions of torches? But his devotee-self asserted, "Please believe." He said you have to make a leap of faith. Lord Caitanya is leaping in Navadvipa. Lord Caitanya leaped high and roared loudly. His neck was as beautiful as a lion's. The people were unafraid of the Muslims. Some people shouted the names of blasphemers and hit their fists on the ground. Some people slapped their arms. Some people found themselves singing for the first time. The torches were like moonlight in the night. The chanting could be heard in the upper planets and in Vaikuntha. They thought of nothing else but Lord Caitanya. He led them through the night. It is meant to change your life. The ladies made auspicious sounds. How could so many people have gathered from so many places and converged to Navadvipa? Lord Caitanya was openly displaying His munificence for the first time in public. Lord Caitanya talks in the madness of Radharani talking to the bumblebee. He quotes from the brahmara-gita of the Tenth Canto and adds speech of His own. His mind is identical to Radharani, who is speaking against the bee, taking it to be a messenger of Krishna. She says Krishna is now interested in the women of Mathura and not in the gopis of Vrndavana. So she would rather not even talk about Krishna, but she cannot keep from doing so. She criticizes Krishna in His former incarnations. In His avatar as Lord Rama, He shot Vali in the back, which was unbecoming of a ksatriya. He also was so lusty in His attachment to Sita that He cut off the nose of Ravana's sister. In His incarnation as Vamana, He cheated Bali Maharaja, tied him up like a crow and took all his possessions from him. The bee flies away and then returns to Radha. In her madness she imagines the bee has flown to Krishna and told Him all the bad things she has said. She says Krishna is so lusty He cannot give up intentions toward the gopis. She apologizes to the bee and asks him not to tell Krishna what she has said. She asks the bee if it is possible, could he take her to Krishna, but then she says that is not possible. So Lord Caitanya's mood in the Gambhira was just like Radha when Uddhava visited the gopis and She spoke crazily to the bee. The Caitanya-caritamrta chapter ends there, and the next chapter is the Siksastakam. The author begins by saying Lord Caitanya had verses read to him by Ramananda Raya, and He composed some of His own. In this chapter we will hear His own composition of the Siksastakam verses.
The Green Chiles, an earthcentric environmental activist group has been unlawfully detained and needs your support to escape the clutches of the Consumer Police. Just kidding. There was an frost warning the other night so we took some precautionary measures, covering a few tomato plants that are still pretty active and ripening more tomatoes and picking the last of the green beans and a bunch of marigolds for the temple to use for garlands. We had 6 cayenne plants that had already yielded enough red cayenne for drying so I have more than I need for the next several years in case I didn't get around to drying any next year. The plants were still covered with green ones and with the shorter days of late October and the long cool nights were unlikely to ripen anymore so I pulled the plants into wheelbarrows and rolled them into the garage. Yesterday I picked off all those hot peppers and filled a couple of boxes with them, more than a bushel worth. I bagged up 9 pounds (4 kg) for the temple which should be more than they can use as even refrigerated they don't last forever and there is pretty much just a skeleton crew of devotees there now that the off season has deeply set in. So if anyone wants any free green cayenne stop by. Calling before you come by is advised because occasionally neither of us are here. Every year our goal is to make it to November before we light our first wood fire. This means we tolerate interior temperatures down to 60F (15.5 C) which is no big deal if you just wear a warm hat and a sweater or equivalent. If it gets too cold and too many consecutive cloudy days we aren't dogmatic and will start heating earlier if necessary but probably over half the years we make it to November. Having the sun come out really helps. Yesterday was a good example. The interior temperature was 59F in the morning. The warmest it got all day outside was 58F but by the end of the day the interior temperature was 62F and it was still 60 F this morning. We let the sun shine in through the southern windows during the day and then close thick curtains on them in the night. Plus we get some solar gain out of our attached greenhouse. We would have gotten more gain but I realized that the castor bean plant we had planted in front of it for summer shading was still unwilted by frost and robustly shading it so I got out my machete and hacked it down. With the late frost we still haven't had (average first killing frost here is about Oct. 7th) the maple tree in front has been clinging to its leaves and just started dropping them, so with the sun sinking each day into the South, i.e. lower on the horizon, we also got some early afternoon shading from it. I just ordered a solar thermal hot water heater. The greenhouse is an example of passive solar, the hot water heater will be an example of an active ( pump required) solar device. That will go onto the upper roof so the front yard trees won't be an issue as far as shading goes. We use an electric hot water heater so I am hoping for substantial savings in my electric bill which will reflect decreased demand for coal and all the nastiness involved in its extraction and burning. Apparently the theme for today's post was "hot" and "heating." :-)
Filed under: Cows and Environment        
 | For over twenty-seven years Michael Cremo has been "digging up" documented, credible findings that mainstream archeologists don't want us to know about — discoveries in the fossil record that tell a completely different story from Darwinian evolution.
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A new book by Drutakarma Das (Michael Cremo) entitled as the Forbidden Archeologist is scheduled to be released on November 9th 2010. If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.
The Bhajan Babas, appearing on Australias Gold Coast produce sounds that almost tear a hole in the curtain of maya. Here are the Bhajan Babas. Venogopal (lead vocal,harmonium) and Yamalarjuna (drums) with Janmastami (on bass). They played their first gig at New Govardhana end of year festival. They played a number of times at Sunday feasts at Coolangatta an they did the opening kirtan for the 24 hr kirtan. The Bhajan Babas opened for Madhava's kirtan at New Govardhana. Subhangi,Maharani,and Lila (Janmastami's daughter) recently the joined the Babas to provide back up vocals. The motivation for the band is to introduce people to the chanting of sanskrit meditational mantras through music, especially the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra or great mantra for deliverance. The Bhajan Babas encourage everyone to chant, dance and be happy. The band has will be doing an extensive tour of northern NSW and south east Qld in Dec/Jan. So watch out for them. There motto is for those about to rock… first listen to the Bhajan Babas! So get yourself ready and come along to 1st Ave Burliegh Heads at 6pm this Saturday 23rd see Bhajan Babas live along with Crystal Dolphin Bajan Band, the Natyashakti Oddissi dancers and story telling by Venu Gopal about the Lila of the appearance of Govardhana Hill in Vrindavan. There will be drum circle and firetwirling as well. Kids free admission. Here is a recording on sound cloud and further down the page there is a YouTube clip. Within you without you by Bhajan Babas 
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By Yudhisthira Krishna Das for ISKCON News on 19 Oct 2010  | Sunday marked the festival of Vijay Dasami, a festival to celebrate Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. But the devotees at ISKCON Vrindavan had one more reason to celebrate -- the 24th anniversary of inception the 24 hour kirtan program.
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 | Our eating has been secularized. It has been robbed of its poetry and beaten into the staccato uniformity of packaged snacks. 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.
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 | The bad boy of comedy – who is expected to wed Katy Perry this week in India – met in Los Angeles at the weekend with the Krishna guru Radhanatha Swami he has credited with helping him keep on the straight and narrow.
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"I notice that some devotees who are no longer practising Krsna Consciousness still use their initiated names and expect others to use it as well. I was wondering if this is bona-fide, as they no longer chant or perform devotional service, and have no active guru anymore who is part of their lives as they have rejected them."
Chanting produces a taste
for chanting. It becomes
an indispensable part of
your life, you can not
bear to go with out chanting
early in the morning. Prabhupada
said of his 1 A.M. rising
and writing his books, "This
is taste." Similarly, this is
taste which drives me to
go around the beads for sixteen
rounds with out letup,
building the strength and
relishing the sounds, and
when I am extra fortunate,
con tem plating on Radha and
Krishna who stand together
on the altar and play in
Their pastimes in my mind.
From Viraha Bhavan #106
2010 Janmastami Newgoloka
You are killing innocent cows and other animals—nature will take revenge. Just wait. As soon as the time is right, nature will gather all these rascals and slaughter them. Finished. They'll fight amongst themselves—Protestants and Catholics, Russia and America, this one and that one. It is going on. Why? That is nature's law. Tit for tat. "You have killed. Now you kill yourselves." - Srila Prabhupada
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