-- Has recibido este mensaje porque estás suscrito al grupo "Pensamiento del Dia" de Grupos de Google. Para publicar una entrada en este grupo, envía un correo electrónico a pensamiento-del-dia@googlegroups.com. Para anular tu suscripción a este grupo, envía un correo electrónico a pensamiento-del-dia+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com Para tener acceso a más opciones, visita el grupo en http://groups.google.com/group/pensamiento-del-dia?hl=es.
PENSAMIENTO DEL DÍA: Vivir con Krishna en Londres Enviado desde Sofía, Bulgaria.
Nuestra breve parada en Londres en el camino a Bulgaria fue extática, una oportunidad sublime una vez más para compartir los secretos íntimos de la asombrosa y trascendental ciencia de la conciencia de Krishna. Expliqué al salón lleno de oyentes ansiosos como aun cuando un devoto puede estar externamente viviendo en Londres, el hecho real es que está viviendo en Krishna. En nuestra vida diaria alguien puede inquirir de nosotros dónde vivimos. Como un asunto de etiqueta ordinaria les decimos cortésmente nuestro lugar de residencia. Pero en el sentido más elevado el devoto del Señor no vive en este o ese lugar en este mundo material. Él objetivamente reside en Krishna y Krishna reside en él. Hasta cualquier medida que hagamos de Krishna nuestro lugar de residencia hasta ese grado Él diez veces más estará presente dentro de nosotros. En conclusión, todos tenemos una elección donde deseamos vivir. Podemos vivir en Krishna como Sus sirvientes eternos o podemos aceptar este mundo material como nuestro lugar de residencia y sufrir infinitamente la repetición del nacimiento y muerte. La elección es nuestra.
¿Puede dar una explicación larga sobre el tópico de comer carne especialmente a los no devotos y también a los devotos iluminados cómo y sobre cómo explicar a otros?
Su sirviente humilde,
N.P.
Respuesta: Argumentos sástricos y ambientales
Nuestro principio de evitar comer carne es muy simple. Krishna nos impone en elBhagavad-gita 3.13que solo podemos tomar Krishna prasadam como nuestro alimento, que si no comemos alimento que no ha sido ofrecido a Krishna solo estamos comiendo pecado. Y en elBhagavad-gita 9.26Krishna nos da una lista de qué clase de alimentos son aceptables para ser ofrecidos a Él. No solamente da una lista de alimentos vegetarianos, Él no menciona la carne. Por lo tanto, ya que la carne no puede ser ofrecida y ya que el alimento no ofrecido es pecaminoso, comer carne es pecado.
La pecaminosidad de comer carne también es confirmada en las escrituras Védicas como sigue:
na māṁsa-bhakṣaṇe doṣo na madye na ca maithune pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā
"Puede ser considerado que el comer carne, la intoxicación y el sexo ilícito son propensiones naturales de las almas condicionadas, y por lo tanto tales personas no deberían ser condenadas por tales actividades. Pero a menosque uno abandone tales actividades pecaminosas, no hay la posibilidad de alcanzar la perfección verdadera de la vida". Manu-samhita 5.56
ye tv anevaṁ-vido 'santaḥ stabdhāḥ sad-abhimāninaḥ paśūn druhyanti viśrabdhāḥ pretya khādanti te ca tān
"Aquellas personas pecaminosas que son ignorantes de los verdaderos principios religiosos, y que sin embargo se consideran a sí mismos completamente piadosos, sin remordimiento cometen violencia contra animales inocentes que están plenamente confiando en ellos. En sus próximas vidas tales personas pecaminosas serán comidos por las mismas criaturas que ellos han matado en este mundo". Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.14
Hay también muchos argumentos contra comer carne desde la perspectiva ambiental. Para alguno de estos por favor remitirse a la siguiente página Web para más información:
(durante la celebración de Nrisimha Chaturdasi) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VISITE LA SECCIÓN:Curso de la Máxima Autorrealización -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Has recibido este mensaje porque estás suscrito al grupo "Pensamiento del Dia" de Grupos de Google. Para publicar una entrada en este grupo, envía un correo electrónico a pensamiento-del-dia@googlegroups.com. Para anular tu suscripción a este grupo, envía un correo electrónico a pensamiento-del-dia+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com Para tener acceso a más opciones, visita el grupo en http://groups.google.com/group/pensamiento-del-dia?hl=es.
There are many systems of elevating the consciousness that will bring the practitioner to varying degrees of spiritual advancement. But if one is desires to achieve the topmost platform, the zenith of spiritual perfection, he should heed the words of Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. The Lord reveals in Bhagavad-gita 6:47 that of all yogis or transcendentalists...
Sent in by BCEC (Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Culture) (South Africa) Sri Vyasa Puja Message HH Bhakti Charu Swami September 2010 In Iskcon it has become a custom to celebrate a spiritual master’s birthday as Vyasa-puja, which is actually a bona fide system. Srila Prabhupada introduced it. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur also conducted that [...]
Hare Krishna. The following is information on a device commonly installed in motor homes and campers to detect natural gas leaks. Given what just happened to Aindra prabhu and to the temple in Leicester in the UK and also in Nepal recently, devotees that use propane tanks in their sankirtan vehicles should purchase these devices right away.
Thanks to Malati mataji for researching the links below.
Your servant, Badrinarayan dasa
Here are a few sites I pulled from the internet: a.. Propane Gas Detectors | Propane Information | Propane ... Propane gas detectors are special equipment that is designed to sound an alarm if they sense the presence of propane in the air.
www.propanedetectors.com/ - Similar
b.. Propane Detectors - Camping World RV Propane Accessories > Propane Detectors. Refine your search by. Brand. Mr Heater Corp (1). Mti Industries Inc (1). Price Range ...
www.campingworld.com/category/propane-detectors/152 - Similar
c.. Propane Detectors LP Gas Propane Gas Increase Home Safety. Propane Detectors for LP Gas and Propane Gas Increase Home Safety. Gas Alarms Sound Alerts for Dangerous Gas Leaks.
www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/sm/propanedetectors.asp... - Similar
a.. Amazon.com: Safety Siren HS80504 Propane and Natural Gas ... Natural Gas and Propane Gas Detector Have you lost your sense of smell? Are the gas fumes you smell dangerous? Do you sense a natural gas smell? ...
www.amazon.com/HS80504-Propane-Natural-M... - 3 hours ago - Similar
b.. Propane Detector - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag ... Sep 6, 2010 ... Propane Detector - 29 results like the Global Industrial Combustible Gas Leak Detector, Safe-T-Alert 03-0272 Propane Detector, Safe-T-Alert ...
www.nextag.com/propane-detector/shop-html - Similar
c.. Safe T Alert Propane Detector on Sale Safe T Alert Propane Detectors. Great Prices on Safe-T-Alert Carbon Monoxide & Propane Dectectors and Alarms. Most ship same day. Safe-T-Alert Superstore.
www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/lp-gas/safe-t-alert-propa... - Similar (Text D:3551156) -------------------------------------------
Hare Krishna. The following is information on a device commonly installed in motor homes and campers to detect natural gas leaks. Given what just happened to Aindra prabhu and to the temple in Leicester in the UK and also in Nepal recently, devotees that use propane tanks in their sankirtan vehicles should purchase these devices right away.
Thanks to Malati mataji for researching the links below.
Your servant, Badrinarayan dasa
Here are a few sites I pulled from the internet: a.. Propane Gas Detectors | Propane Information | Propane ... Propane gas detectors are special equipment that is designed to sound an alarm if they sense the presence of propane in the air.
www.propanedetectors.com/ - Similar
b.. Propane Detectors - Camping World RV Propane Accessories > Propane Detectors. Refine your search by. Brand. Mr Heater Corp (1). Mti Industries Inc (1). Price Range ...
www.campingworld.com/category/propane-detectors/152 - Similar
c.. Propane Detectors LP Gas Propane Gas Increase Home Safety. Propane Detectors for LP Gas and Propane Gas Increase Home Safety. Gas Alarms Sound Alerts for Dangerous Gas Leaks.
www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/sm/propanedetectors.asp... - Similar
a.. Amazon.com: Safety Siren HS80504 Propane and Natural Gas ... Natural Gas and Propane Gas Detector Have you lost your sense of smell? Are the gas fumes you smell dangerous? Do you sense a natural gas smell? ...
www.amazon.com/HS80504-Propane-Natural-M... - 3 hours ago - Similar
b.. Propane Detector - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag ... Sep 6, 2010 ... Propane Detector - 29 results like the Global Industrial Combustible Gas Leak Detector, Safe-T-Alert 03-0272 Propane Detector, Safe-T-Alert ...
www.nextag.com/propane-detector/shop-html - Similar
c.. Safe T Alert Propane Detector on Sale Safe T Alert Propane Detectors. Great Prices on Safe-T-Alert Carbon Monoxide & Propane Dectectors and Alarms. Most ship same day. Safe-T-Alert Superstore.
www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/lp-gas/safe-t-alert-propa... - Similar (Text D:3551156) -------------------------------------------
The 16th Asian Games will provide a religious service centre at the Athletes' Village in the Asian Games Town and designated 28 religious spots throughout the city and two Christian youth associations as principal religious service spots to provide private areas of worship for Asian Games participants.
Chezi K. Ganesan looks every inch the high-tech entrepreneur, dressed in the Silicon Valley uniform of denim shirt and khaki trousers, slick smartphone close at hand. He splits his time between San Jose and this booming coastal metropolis, running his $6 million a year computer chip-making company.
Faced with ever-more harrowing revelations of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergymen, Belgians are turning in record numbers to apostasy — formally breaking with their religion through a process of "de-baptism."
Her Grace Kalindi devi dasi Dear devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Guru Maharaja! Happy Radhastami for all of you. May Srimate Radharani bless you all with Her loving care and service. She is the queen of Vrindavan, the most beloved of Krishna, and Her mercy is what we [...]
His Grace Prabha Visnu Prabhu Dear Spiritual family Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Guru Maharaja. The eagerly awaited day of Sri Gurudeva’s Vyasapuja has dawned, bringing to a crescendo our desires to honour our beloved spiritual master on this most auspicious occasion. True to his nature, Guru [...]
According to the varnasrama principle, it is compulsory that one retire after the age of fifty, without considering other circumstances. Business offices close at a fixed hour no matter what balance of work remains. Similarly, after the age of fifty one must retire from the active, external life and devote oneself to the introspective cultivation of the human spirit. This retirement must be compulsory, so that foolish old men will no longer disturb the peaceful progress of spiritual culture. In the modern democratic government, no one should be elected after the age of fifty. Otherwise the storm of the ocean of nescience cannot be stopped to allow the ships and boats to sail back to Godhead. The greatest enemies of progressive spiritual culture in human society are the old fossils of political parties who are blind themselves and who try to lead other blind men. They bring about disaster in a peaceful human society. The members of the younger generation are not as stupid as the old politicians, and therefore by state law the foolish old politicians must retire from active life at the age of fifty.
Prabhupada: ...People should clearly understand that we don't encourage laziness. We never encourage. According to your capacity, guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13], you must work. Sarira yatrapi te na prasiddhyed akarmanah, Krsna says, "By not working, even if you cannot put on your body and soul together." Krsna says like that.
Dayananda: Isn't laziness one of the demonic qualities, Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada: It is less than demonic. Demonic qualities, they have some activity and laziness is ignorance, darkness. Therefore too much sleeping is very, very bad. That is another part of laziness. Nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau, one has to conquer over this sleeping and laziness. Eating, nidra, ahara, vihara, sense gratification, vihara means sense gratification. One has to minimize these things up to the point of nil, that is perfect. When there is no more sleeping, no more eating, no more mating, and no more fearing, that is perfection of spiritual life. And that is not possible, but as much as possible.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- February 12, 1976, Mayapura
On September 18, 1965, His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada stepped off the ship Jaladutta onto American soil in Boston. The rest is history!
After Srila Prabhupada came to the US, within 12 years he was able to establish over a hundred temples and inspire thousands of followers and share with them the strength of the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra! Today, ISKCON has grown to a world wide confederation of over 400 centres around the world!
Starting this Friday, Sep 17th, ISKCON centres all over the world will celebrate the arrival of Srila Prabhupada in the West 45 years ago, the day that changed the life trajectory of millions all over the globe. The celebrations this year in ISKCON Toronto will be marked by 15 days of non-stop activity. We encourage you to make the most of this occassion, participate in the numerous activities, help organize them and most importantly - spread the word around!
Daily Highlights:- * Morning Conference Call readings from Sri Namamrta (book of the month) about the glories of the Holy Name - the perfect way to start your day!
Daily from 7:15-7:25am
Toll-free dial-in: 1-800-617-7801
Conference code: 6833446
(You don't need a security pin. Please press 1 after entering the Conference code)
* Japathon challenge to chant 45,000 rounds collectively
Enter the number of rounds you've chanted daily! Our collective target is to chant 45,000 rounds to celebrate the arrival of Srila Prabhupada in the West 45 years ago!
* Srila Prabhupada Movie Nights - Thursday Movie nights about Srila Prabhupada with popcorn and juice!
Sept 23 and Sept 30 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm
* Monthly Sankirtan Festival - Chance to share books, the holy name, cookies and a smile with Downtown Toronto! Sep 25th (Sat) - 9:00am - 2:00pm
* Double Decker Bus Harinama - For the second time in a row, the popular bus harinama is back! Enjoy the chance to do kirtan aboard a double decker bus as we drive around Toronto! With a modest fee of $25 for the upper level and $10 for the lower level, get your tickets fast!
Sept 25th (Sat) - 4:00pm - 8:00pm - Pre Registration is Required - Limited Seating!
* 12-hour Kirtan - An extremely grand way to cap off 15 days of fun and bliss with a 12-hour kirtan at the Hare Krishna Temple!
Oct. 2 (Sat) - 9:00am - 9:00pm
It is going to be busy 15 days but we hope to see you at these events! For more information please feel free to contact:
A high alert has been sounded across Mumbai on suspicion that two foreign terrorists have arrived in the city prior to the festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi that began on Sept. 11.
The pastor of a Florida church says his congregation has decided to call off the burning of the Quran that was to be held Saturday -- the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States by the al Qaeda terror network.
His Grace Sunil Mohan Prabhu Dear Devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. All Glories to Guru Maharaj. Please find below a link where you may view the photographs that were taken at the Vedic Lifestyle EXPO that was held at the Durban ICC on 21and 22 August 2010. Click here [...]
Last month, I was able to have a morning audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. As Vaishnavas we feel unity with the Pope and his mission, even as we recognize the divergence of theology and approach.
His Grace Mukunda Prabhu In this material world everything that begins must end. We had that practical example yesterday. At mangal arati Guru Maharaj offered arati to Sri Sri Radha MadanMohan in the presence of devotees from all over the world. The morning class was simply the glorification of Srimati Radharani and to describe her [...]
In Western philosophy it seems like a strange idea that God could be limited or controlled by something else. But in the devotional religious traditions of India where Krishna is worshiped as God, the idea that God is controlled by love is what makes Him so glorious.
The other day I received a letter from the Manor stating that they had failed to deliver a parcel to me and that no further attempts would be made and that if I required the gift being sent than could I go to the Manor reception and pick it up. Well a bit of me [...]
Your Annual Retreat occurs Oct. 1,2, & 3 in New Vrindaban. There are quality presenters who will offer much guidance and inspiration towards your spiritual journey. You will find gentle satsang and friendship.both old and new. There will be topics of interest for all minds and hearts to engage in, wonderful prasad and fresh country air and it is cost effective! Check vaishnaviretreat.org. It is a simple information site or call 304-845-9591 or servingkrishna@aol.com.
Some of the presenters include direct disciples of Srila Prabhupada, such as: Laxmimini devi dasi, Vishaka devi dasi, Nidra devi dasi, Nanda devi dasi, Gopimata devi dasi, Krishnanandini devi dasi. Along with them will be senior Vaishanavi’s: Vraja Lila devi dasi, Tualsi Priya devi dasi, Radha devi dasi, Praladananda devi dasi, Vani devi dasi, Shatendriya devi dasi, Tirtha devi dasi and Archana devi dasi.
Some of the “practical to KC” Topics include include putting Bhakti into pranyama, Writing for Krishna, Vedic Women: Then and Now; Auryvedic Massage Workshop; Bharatnatyam Dance Workshop; Krishna Consciousness Parenting; Practicing Forgiveness; Quickly Cooked Snack/Meals; Shooting a perfect video with your own camera; The Magic of Hearing about Krishna; Every Soul Loves Book Distribution; Experience the Happiness. There will be realized discussions on Shastra and chanting the holy name.
Ladies, Please get some friends together and head for New Vrindaban, your home away from home (Husbands and family members are also welcome to accompany you.)! (Please forgive any typho’s!)
I took a few more photos of the TOVP site just before I set out from Mayapur to come to Dubai. Work is progressing at a rapid pace and is in fact ahead of schedule. Nealry 1,800 piles have been made and by September 20 we should hit the 2,000 mark. If it doesn’t flood this year the entire 2,600 pilings will all be finished by mid-October.
The western boundary of the new temple comes right up alongside Srila Prabhupada’s bhajan kutir
close up of the pile driver
the 20+ meter steel tubes are placed on a steel plate and hammered into the ground
Once the tube is banged into its full depth, a stainless steel tubular cage is lowered down its core (seen here lying on the ground just behind the workman)
When the reinforcing cage is in place, the tube is then filled with concrete.
All the concrete is made to strict quality control in our own concrete making plant:
When the tube is filled, it is extracted, leaving the concrete and stainless steel pile in the ground, and moved to its next location and the process repeated–in our case 2,600 times.
Surface construction is going ahead with form work for the concrete appearing rapidly:
view from Long Building looking south
views from the Samadhi east towards the present temple
From Namamrta by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: "To always remember Krishna and never forget Him is possible by chanting the holy name:
"Krishna is the origin of Lord Visnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and regulations of the sastras should be the servants of these two principles."
"This verse is a quotation from the Padma Purana. There are many regulative principles in the sastras and directions given by the spiritual master. These regulative principles should act as servants of the basic principle—that is, to always remember Krishna and never forget Him. This is possible when one chants the Hare Krishna mantra. Therefore one must strictly chant the Hare Krishna mantra twenty-four hours daily (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 22.113)
"While chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, one is reminded of the Lord’s activities:
"A devotee always thinks of the Lord continuously. While chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, the words immediately remind him of all the Lord’s activities. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.1.6)
The point here is by chanting Hare Krishna we will always remember Krishna. It is the most important principle, and all other points in the sastras are servants to this principle. The Bhagavatam says also that by chanting Hare Krishna we will remember Krishna’s pastimes. This is an advanced stage, and in the preliminary stage we simply hear the mantra and relish the syllables. But the time comes when the words Krishna and Hare bring us into the realm of Radha and Krishna’s pastimes. Chanting Hare Krishna is not just the preliminary or introductory stage of Krishna consciousness. It is done by the most advanced devotees like Rupa Goswami, Haridasa Thakura and Lord Caitanya Himself. The great souls go on chanting Hare Krishna and helping others around the world to take up the chanting because it is by chanting, more than any other practice, that one will be able to remember Krishna. And when we remember Krishna, we have achieved the goal of life. Remembering Krishna at the time of death assures one to join Him in the spiritual world. Forgetting Krishna is the greatest dilemma.
I went to sleep on time after a busy day of Radhastami but could not sleep after 12:00 A.M. I got up and began chanting, but by 1:00 I had a bad headache. I took multiple medicines but could not quell the headache. My chanting session was marred by significant pain. The pain presses down on the head where you have the sensation that the chanting is taking place, so it is a serious obstruction. I went on chanting, but could not stay aware of Hare and Krishna because of the obstruction. Narayana Kavaca came up at 2:30 and gave me some more strong medicine. I chanted 16 rounds. Toward the end of my chanting I got a little relief, but I do not have a good report to give today. When I felt a little relief, I thought of the word "cozy." I felt cozy. Chanting Hare Krishna is the greatest comfort, like curling up in a relaxed position, like finding peace and comfort. When you are cozy, you are with Krishna, your greatest protector, and you feel warm and secure. It is the nicest feeling. Without remembering Krishna, we are insecure and our mind is prone to wandering and flitting all over the universe. Staying in the comfort and proximity of the holy names is the ultimate coziness, like a cat curled up near a fireplace on a cold winter day. I felt a little of this, and especially relief from the headache, toward the end of my chanting.
Chanting in physical pain is a predicament, and there is no real relief. It is, however, a test of your persistence. Even without the luxury of a high, attentive performance, you go on chanting and count your quota. The pain prevents you from meditating on Radha and Krishna— it is like a big log in the middle of the roadway. But you do not stop your yajna.You have the strength of purpose to continue uttering the names, and despite your pain you say a prayer to Nama Prabhu to please accept you and allow you to chant another time in a painless state. When relief comes, you thank Him and embrace the coziness.
One time Prabhpada called Hari Sauri to his room in Mayapur and for half an hour told him to become a guru, take thousands of disciples, he said, qualify yourselves first but all of you do this and expand. Then he called in the GBC and asked Hari Sauri to tell them what he had just said. Hari Sauri was hesitant, and so Prabhupada said they all had to become Krishna conscious, become spiritual masters. It seemed to his servant that Prabhupada had in mind that they should not be embroiled in controversies such as who is better— the saffron-dressed people or the ones in the white dhotis.
His servant told of another time when he had to massage Prabhupada for two straight hours under the mosquito net, starting at 10 P.M. while Srila Prabhupada softly snored and the room was thick with frankincense smoke. So hard to stay awake but the servant | quoted slokas in his mind and caught himself a few times sleeping and prayed to the Gudakesa who doesn’t sleep. "It’s very demanding," he reflected, "to be the servant of Srila Prabhupada, but very satisfying to the heart." Well said and well done, Hari Sauri, you’re a better man than I am.
When I got my chance to speak on Radharani, I went to the wonderful section in the Introduction of Teachings of Lord Caitanya. There Prabhupada says, "In every country and religion there is some hint of love of Godhead, but no one knows what love of Godhead actually is." The Vedic scriptures define what and who the Godhead actually is. Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives a practical demonstration of how to love God in a conjugal relationship. He took the part of Radhanrani and tried to love Krishna as Radharani loved Him. This brings up the question of who Radharani is and what Radha-Krishna is. Actually, Radha-Krishna is the exchange of love. Krishna has a pleasure-seeking potency just as we do, and it is called hladini-sakti: when we try to enjoy pleasure we do it through material sense objects. But Krishna, who is always spiritual, doesn’t seek pleasure in matter. His pleasure is beyond the material conception.
To learn how Krishna’s pleasure can be obtained we must read the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, in which His pleasure pastimes are described with Radharani and the gopis. But because these involve Krishna’s embracing and dancing with the gopis, people misunderstand it and think it is mundane lust. They think Krishna is like themselves, and when He embraces a gopi it is like an ordinary man embracing a young girl. Some people become interested in Krishna because they think His religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not Krishna-bhakti but prakrta-sahajiya.
We have to know what Radharani actually is. Krishna expands His energy as Radharani and enjoys in loving affairs with Her. Radharani is not separate from Krishna, because there is no meaning to the energy without the energetic. Without Radharani there is no meaning to Krishna, and without Krishna there is no meaning to Radha. In Vaisnava philosophy we first address the internal potency of Krishna. When Krishna wanted to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested as Radharani. We say "when," but it is eternal. We say "when" because we think in terms of something having a beginning. Actually, They are eternally two. But when Krishna wanted to understand Himself through the agency of Radharani, He unified, and that unification is known as Lord Caitanya. It is not improper to speak of Lord Caitanya on Radhastami because He and His sankirtana movement are the means to understand Radharani.
Then I referred to the confidential reasons Lord Caitanya appeared. Then I read the "aradhitah" verse and told the pastime of Krishna taking Radha from the rasa dance. Then I turned the talk over to Raya-rama.
Radhastami 2010 is the 44th anniversary of my harinama initiation by Srila Prabhupada. I vividly remember the circumstances of my not taking initiation at ISKCON’s first initiation on Janmastami, 1966. The initiation was open to any of the young men who were attending classes, so I was eligible, although I was not personally invited. It was understood that I could and would take it. I attended the morning services at the storefront and stayed all morning and afternoon at Prabhupada’s request, fasting and hearing him read from his Bhagavad-gita manuscript. I remember Janaki leaving and saying she had to take care of her cat. Swamiji invited us to take fruit from his refrigerator if we felt hungry or tired. The initiation would be held in the evening. I left in the later afternoon and distinctly remember walking through the streets deciding I would not come back for initiation. I realized initiation was a total surrender of your will to the spiritual master, and I just didn’t feel ready for it. I wanted my independence—that which I had left my parents’ home and a Navy ship to obtain. Maybe later I would do it, but not today. I went to my apartment and spent the evening typing one of Prabhupada’s manuscripts. The next morning I went to Swamiji’s apartment to deliver the completed typing task. He was alone in the apartment and he let me in. Right away he mentioned that I did not attend the initiation. All I said was that I stayed home typing. He said, "That’s all right," and looked over the typed pages. He said they were well done, and he handed me a few grapes. I remember thinking a few grapes were a small reward for all the typing I had done. He gave me another stack of manuscripts to type, and I got up to leave. As I was going out the door he said to me, "Don’t think that this process is mechanical. If you love me then I will love you." Those words really struck me. I realized that I had been holding back in giving my love to the Swami for reasons such as he was an old man, an Indian and other superficial considerations. I felt that on a deeper level I really loved him and wanted to be his disciple. Just by those words of his I felt a surge of affection from him to me and I felt joyful. Within a couple of days, another favorable thing happened. I was in his room when the telephone rang. He answered it, spoke a few moments and then hung up. Then he turned to me and said he was arranging to hold a marriage ceremony between two of his disciples, Mukunda and Janaki, and he invited me to attend the wedding. I was touched by the personal invitation—it was just what I needed. When I attended the wedding I saw all the devotees wearing their big red japa beads around their necks, and they had sanskrit names. I wanted to be like them, initiated. The next day I went up to Prabhupada’s room after his morning class, and I asked if I could be initiated. He said, "You’ll have to be a vegetarian." I said, "I already am." Then he said he was holding another initiation on an auspicious day, Radhastami, and I could take it then. Two other men got initiated along with me. In his lecture he said the disciple incurred a debt to the spiritual master and it was called "guru daksine." Our guru daksine was to tell others about Krishna consciousness. I also remember an emotional-mystical experience during the ceremony. Swamiji asked me to bow before him and repeat after him his guru-pranam mantra. As I said the word "bhakti," in Bhaktivedanta Swami, I felt myself diving down in space.
1955 September 16: "My dear Sripada Gosvami Maharaja, We must have our own press with good equipments to broadcast the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in all the important languages. Hindi is for all India propaganda while English is for world wide propaganda." Prabhupada Letters :: 1947-64
1965 September 16: "Today is the 35th day of our journey. The Lord has Himself taken charge of the ship. In expansion the Lord is rowing the oars. We shall certainly reach to America port safely. The whole night was non-disturbing and today on the 36th day of our journey we reached safely the Boston Port." Jaladuta Diary :: 1965
1967 September 16: "Krishna is very kind to all but He is especially kind to his sincere devotee. I know you are a sincere devotee. When you drive your car you always chant Hare Krishna and when I was by your side I could understand how heartily you have accepted this Krishna Consciousness." Prabhupada Letters :: 1967
1970 September 16: "We have come here eight strong. I am trying to establish a branch and we are getting encouragement. Books and magazines worth $60,000 are coming very shortly, then we will have vigorous preaching work." Prabhupada Letters :: 1970
1971 September 16: "Ours is the policy of the bumblebee, madhukari. The bumblebee does not eat all the honey in one flower. It goes from flower to flower and takes little. Not that one man gives everything and we become idle. This is material policy." Prabhupada Letters :: 1971
1974 September 16: "I understand you received the vote in the election for Temple President. So you should be the president. I am putting my casting vote for you. I have informed the GBC of this by post." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1974 September 16: "There are so many Hindu centers but no life. Here is life. Make the center attractive to all kinds of men. Krishna is the most intelligent. So if Krishna gives the intelligence who can compete with you?" Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
1974 September 16: "There is great potency for developing there. You should purchase the entire village. If they do not like the noise of our kirtana, we shall make it more noisy. They shall get out, not us. So go on performing Hari kirtana." Prabhupada Letters :: 1974
September 14. I arrived just after midnight on an Emirates flight direct from Kolkata. It took 4 hours 15 mins. Emirates have a good reputation and lived up to it. I still wouldn’t rate them against Singapore Airlines though. The seats were a bit too hard for my liking. Plus they have their own airfield in Dubai, and it takes 15 minutes for them to transport you over to the airport proper for immigration, customs and baggage collections.
Dubai airport is a huge modern structure like most of the rest of the city. Dubai reminds me of Singapore-a small city state, leaping out of the backwoods to the forefront of tourist destinations in the last 30-40 years. Wide clean streets, big modern buildings, shoppers paradise and a tourist mecca. It is the second largest of the seven United Arab Emirates and is famous around the world nowadays for its grandiose building developments.
There were several thousand other passengers queuing at the terminal, a large percentage of them western tourists, so it took quite a while to go through.
I have to say I found the immigration officials a bit intimidating. They were all decked out in their starched white keffiyahs or ghutra (traditional headdress) and immaculate ankle length smocks. I didn’t see a single one of them smile at anyone. But at least they were fairly efficient and I had no problems going through. Its still pretty hot here, 94 deg. F at 2.00AM! But I find it easier than India because its not nearly as humid.
The only hiccup was that the devotees got my arrival time wrong and I hung out for over an hour before finally managing to make a phone call on a mobile that a resident British lady lent me because I couldn’t figure out how to operate the public phones (they don’t take credit cards).
I ended up taking a taxi, which, despite my joining the very long line at about number 150 or so, I was able to get within a few minutes. There are literally hundreds of modern, airconditioned taxis flitting through the airport with expert efficiency. The first taxi I approached had a woman driver. She asked me if I was travelling with a woman, and when I said no, she directed me to a taxi driven by a man–they are not allowed to be alone with a strange man. Rather odd for a taxi driver but them’s the rules in Dubai.
My driver was probably typical for the place: a Pakistani fellow who had been in Dubai for about 5 years. He was from the Punjab, and a pleasant enough fellow. There are a huge number of Indians, Pakistanis, and other foreigners and they practically keep the place running.
I finally got to the large flat the devotees use for visitors in Bur Dubai at about 2.30 AM. Fortunately I didn’t have any programs till late evening so I got a good rest and a chance to settle in.
In the afternoon one of the devotees took time out from his job to run me over to a devotee run Govinda’s restaurant. Nice place, clean, attractive and good food and with its own ice cream parlour adjoining.
In the evening we went out to one devotee’s home for a pre-Radhastami program. It was nice and intimate with just a few families gathered, eager to hear something about Srila Prabhupada and Srimati Radharani.
In Dubai we have no official temple and all the devotees are ‘congregational’ members who work in the day and meet at night in each other’s homes. Most of them are disciples of HH Jayapataka Swami, with a smattering of other guru disciples. Maharaja’s bhakti-vrksa program has been tremendously successful in recruiting new devotees in the Gulf states and you couldn’t hope to meet a more enthusiastic and dedicated group.
The program ran for an hour and we got back to the flat about 11.00PM.
ISKCON temples around the world will be celebrating Holy Name Festivals during September 17 – October 3, this year. ISKCON Canberra has decided to hold this festival on 18th September 2010.
Viraj Krsna Prabhu from Sydney will be our special guest during that weekend.
Blasting off mountaintops to reach coal in Appalachia or churning out millions of tons of carbon dioxide to extract oil from sand in Alberta are among environmentalists' biggest industrial irritants. But they are also legal and lucrative.
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
A Massey Energy mountaintop site. Some lenders that previously extended credit have eliminated ties to the company.
For a growing number of banks, however, that does not seem to matter.
After years of legal entanglements arising from environmental messes and increased scrutiny of banks that finance the dirtiest industries, several large commercial lenders are taking a stand on industry practices that they regard as risky to their reputations and bottom lines.
In the most recent example, the banking giant Wells Fargonoted last month what it called "considerable attention and controversy" surrounding mountaintop removal mining, and said that its involvement with companies engaged in it was "limited and declining."
The bank was a small player in the sector, representing about $78 million in bonds and loan financing for such companies from 2008 to April of this year, according to data compiled by the Rainforest Action Network, an environmental group tracking the issue.
But the policy shift by Wells Fargo follows others over the last two years, including moves by Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citibank, to increase scrutiny of lending to companies involved in mountaintop removal — or to end the lending altogether.
HSBC, which is based in London, has curtailed its relationships with some producers of palm oil, which is often linked to deforestation in developing countries. The Dutch lender Rabobank has applied a nine-point checklist of conditions for would-be oil and gas borrowers that includes commitments to improve environmental performance and protect water quality.
In some cases, the changing policies represent an attempt to burnish green credentials in areas where the banks had little interest, and there is no indication that companies engaged in the objectionable practices cannot find financing elsewhere.
Still, banking analysts and others suggest that heated debate over climate change, water quality and other environmental considerations is forcing lenders to take a much harder — and often uncomfortable — look at where they extend credit, and to whom.
"It's one thing if your potential borrower is dumping cyanide in a river," said Karina Litvack, the head of governance and sustainable investment with F&C Investments, an investment management firm based in London. "But if they're dumping carbon dioxide into the air, which is not exactly illegal — what do you do? Banks are in kind of a quandary, because they are competing for business, and if they get holier-than-thou and start to play policeman, they risk allowing other banks to take that business."
Environmental risk has been on the radar for lenders since the 1980s and early 1990s, when courts began forcing some measure of responsibility on banks for the polluting factories, superfund sites and other environmental problems that had, to one degree or another, been facilitated by their financing.
Congress passed a law in 1996 that limited the exposure of lenders on this front, but since then, most major banks have developed environmental risk management divisions as part of their commercial banking due diligence efforts.
Now, the rise of murkier issues like global warming, along with increasing scrutiny by environmental groups of banks' investments in many other industries — like oil and gas development, nuclear power, coal-fired electricity generation, oil sands, fuel pipeline construction, dam building, forestry and even certain types of agriculture — are nudging lenders into new territory.
"We're taking a much closer look at a much broader variety of issues, not all of which are captured under state and local laws," said Stephanie Rico, a spokeswoman for the environmental affairs group at Wells Fargo.
Ms. Litvack, of F&C Investments, pointed to large protests last week by many climate activists outside the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. At least a dozen protesters have been arrested in demonstrations against the bank's financing of oil sands development in Canada.
The Royal Bank of Canada, meanwhile, responding to intense pressure from environmental advocates denouncing the bank's financing of oil sands projects, hosted 18 international banks in Toronto in February for "a day of learning" on the "regulatory, social and environmental issues" surrounding the oil sands.
Globally, banks and environmental advocates are seeking to make things easier by developing best practices and other voluntary standards. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley helped initiate the Carbon Principles, which aim to standardize the assessment of "carbon risks in the financing of electric power projects" in the United States. Several international financial institutions — including HSBC, Munich Re and others — have formed the Climate Principles, which aim to encourage the management of climate change "across the full range of financial products and services," according to the compact's Web site.
In the United States, mountaintop removal mining has become both increasingly common and contentious, as coal companies vie to feed the nation's appetite for inexpensive electricity. An expeditious and disruptive form of surface mining, it involves blasting off the tops of mountains and dumping the debris in valleys and streams below.
A report published in May by the Sierra Club and the Rainforest Action Network estimated that nine banks were the primary lenders for companies engaged in mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia, and that they had provided nearly $4 billion in loans and bond underwriting to those companies — chiefly Massey Energy, Patriot Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources — since 2008.
The Rainforest Action Network, which has headed a campaign to highlight financial institutions with connections to the mining, said this month that the policy shifts were chipping away at the financing.
Citing Bloomberg data, for example, the group noted that Bank of America — listed as recently as 2008 as one of the "syndication agents" on a $175 million revolving line of credit to Massey Energy — has eliminated that and all other connections to the company. The group also pointed to JPMorgan, which had previously underwritten $180 million in debt securities to Massey, but no longer has any financial ties to that company. In May, the bank said it would be subjecting all future engagements with companies involved in mountaintop removal mining to "enhanced review."
Some environmental groups have criticized that and other policies as providing too much wiggle room — and whether any of it has any real impact is an open question. Mining industry representatives say such policies often fail to consider laws already in place requiring coal companies to limit their environmental impact, and to restore former mine sites when they are finished.
Carol Raulston, a spokeswoman for the National Mining Association, an industry group, said that most of the policies in question position the banks to phase out lending over time — and only to companies that primarily engage in mountaintop removal mining. "Companies are still getting financing for their projects," she said.
Roger S. Hendriksen, the vice president for investor relations for Massey Energy, suggested that environmentalists were overstating things, and that his company was having no trouble securing financing.
"While some banks no longer provide financing for companies conducting surface mining, there are many who will," Mr. Hendriksen said. "We have and will continue to replace their services with alternate bank providers with little difficulty."
But Rebecca Tarbotton, the executive director of the Rainforest Action Network, said in a published statement that the banks' moves nonetheless send "a clear signal that these companies have a high risk profile and that other banks should beware."
"Bottom line," she added, "as access to capital becomes more constrained it will be harder for mining companies to finance the blowing up of America's mountains."
A version of this article appeared in print on August 31, 2010, on page A1 of the New York edition.
The slideshow for yesterday's grand festival, Radhastami, is still work in progress.
In the meantime here is a slideshow of this year's Janmastami and Srila Prabhupada's Appearance Day.
Pictures taken by Radhacaran Prabhu. They have already been published on Facebook; now posted for a bigger audience, those who might not be on Facebook... yet!
Enjoy by recalling the joy and fun of these two days of bliss.
How we can know whether our inner dissatisfaction with something is the dissatisfaction of our false ego or that of Krsna.
