martes, 21 de diciembre de 2010

H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Quote Of Guru Maharaja



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"Planet ISKCON" - 60 new articles

  1. Caitanya Mangala, CA, USA: KulimeLA 2009: Bhajan Kutir – Listen & Download Digital Recordings
  2. H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Quote Of Guru Maharaja
  3. Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: We came to see You and You left us hankering for Your Darshan
  4. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Saturday, December 18th, 2010
  5. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Friday, December 17th, 2010
  6. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Thursday, December 16th, 2010
  7. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
  8. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  9. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  10. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  11. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  12. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  13. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  14. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  15. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  16. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  17. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  18. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  19. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  20. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  21. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  22. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  23. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  24. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  25. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  26. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  27. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  28. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  29. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  30. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  31. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  32. Srila Prabhupada's Letters
  33. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Vaiyasaki Prabhu
  34. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Nanda Mandir Prabhu
  35. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana
  36. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Harinama Sankirtana!
  37. David Haslam, UK: reflecting
  38. Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: dry philosophy and sumptuous prasadam
  39. Japa Group: As We Have Been Taught
  40. H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 4.6.36 Try To Listen 2005-07-13
  41. H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 4.6.34 Not Even Our Dream
  42. Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Bhajan - Surya Summer Tour - Prayers to Lord Jagannath - 2/2
  43. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
  44. H.H. Sivarama Swami: Nadia Mani asks: To what extent do we have free will
  45. Sita-pati dasa, AU: Atma Yoga Retreat 2011 w/ Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits
  46. Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Recipe : Palak Paneer
  47. Kripamoya dasa, UK: Paedophile priests, ISKCON, and sentimentalized compassion
  48. Dandavats.com: The passing of Prahlad Nrsimha das (Paul Ignozza)
  49. Dandavats.com: Divya interviews ISKCON Swami all about Varnasrama
  50. Dandavats.com: The all Powerful and Independent Holy Name
  51. Dandavats.com: Wishing You A Merry Krishnas…
  52. Dandavats.com
  53. Dandavats.com: Bhaktivedanta Swami Goshala newsletter December 2010
  54. Dandavats.com: Sri Govindji as Lord Balaji
  55. Dandavats.com: Heavy snow brings down the Goshalla tent in Villa vrindavana - Cow Emergency!
  56. Sita-pati dasa, AU: Scheduling events
  57. Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Website and blog down
  58. Japa Group: I Stick To The Sim­ple Method
  59. Gouranga TV: 24 Hour Hare Krishna Kirtan – Sacinandana Swami – Kirtan Fiesta 2010
  60. H.H. Sivarama Swami
  61. More Recent Articles
  62. Search Planet ISKCON
  63. Prior Mailing Archive

Caitanya Mangala, CA, USA: KulimeLA 2009: Bhajan Kutir – Listen & Download Digital Recordings

KulimeLA 2009: Bhajan Kutir CDs – Volumes 1, 2 & 3 are now available for complimentary listening and downloading.

CLICK HERE to download digital copies for your playlist.

This selection of heartfelt kirtans was recorded live in the KM09 Bhajan Kutir at the ISKCON New Dwarka Temple in Los Angeles CA, USA.

These volumes are lovingly presented by the following kirtaniyas:

Volume 1: Kishori Mohan, Sudevi Dasi, Gaura Mani, Ananta Vrindavan, Vijay Krsna, Rasika Dasi & more…

Volume 2: Kalindi Dasi, Arjuna Dasa, Abhay Dasa, Visvambhar Dasa (Mayapuris), Gaura Vani (As Kindred Spirits) & more…

Volume 3: Krishna Kishora (Mayapuris), Radhanath Swami, Bada Haridas, Aniruddha Dasa, Gopal Krishna Dasa & more…

In ancient Sanskrit, “Kirtan” is “The sacred, joyful, and spontaneous congregational singing and dancing for the glorification of God.”

A “Bhajan Kutir” is a special place dedicated to Kirtans.

“Kuli” refers to a member of a “Community” and “Mela” means “Festive Gathering.” Combined, “Kuli Mela” tranforms into “A Celebration of Community.”

Additional thanks and credits to: Vrindavan Favors as Bhajan Kutir organizer * Los Angeles ISKCON New Dwarka Community as gracious hosts * Szymon Potynski & Rasikananda Fitch for graphic designs * Jaya Balarama dasa as sound engineer * Rupa Schomaker for recording, editing and mastering the tracks * Kamal Vyas & Chaits Walker as producers.

The Kuli Mela Association is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to serving an international community by supporting and encouraging its members to come together in service, association and empowerment, with a strong emphasis on spirituality.

C + P 2009 Kuli Mela Association. All rights reserved.


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H.H. Bhakticharu Swami: Quote Of Guru Maharaja

Sent by His Grace Ganganarayana Dasa

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Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: We came to see You and You left us hankering for Your Darshan

Picture
Jaya Sri Gaura - Nitai. ISKCON Ottawa.
One week ago...
Had to go to Ottawa so we brought the kids for a weekend outing. The kids had never been to ISKCON Ottawa so looked up the website and decided to take them on the Sunday program to take darshan. On Sunday a storm hit with some freezing rain and cleared out by late afternoon. We were staying outside the city centre, so we made the trek and with a bit of slipping and sliding found some parking and walked to the temple. The kids are excited and covered from head to toe with winter gear. After some careful walking we get to the front door and to our disappointment the door is locked. We peek here and there and see no one and to our incredible disappointment do not get to take darshan of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.
So that has left us hankering...
So hopefully we will get to see Them soon on another trip...
~ Indresh
[this is the Sunday, December 19th post and refers to a visit on December 12th]
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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Saturday, December 18th, 2010

A Visit to Life

Toronto, Ontario

It is not always easy to enter a home where loved ones have been gripped by the harsh truth of impending death ready to take one of its revered family members. The doctor has said there is only a few days left to live- only a month. For someone like me who takes on a pastoral service (which goes with the territory of being a spiritual leader) or for someone who works in a hospital dealing regularly with people at the brink of passing, death is a regular feature. For some people it is standard fare. You might even think that a type of callousness can take shape.

Today I came to visit such a household whose senior member was detected with a brain tumor. The family accepted courageously the fate that came upon their mother. They showed me a good face. I was impressed with the bonding amongst the group but even more so with the spiritual shelter they had succumbed to. They were making application of the precepts taught to them.

The advantage this family had was that from birth, or by tradition the foundation was a spiritual one. The spiritual channel is always a good formula for life because it helps an individual weather the weather.

"Death is for sure." That was emphatically expressed by Vasudev, the famed father of Krishna, when speaking to Kamsa, the slayer of his sons. Now, how do we deal with this most certain of all sureties? This question we need to be prepared to answer by our actions.

When I entered the home the pervading spirit was positive even though my purpose in coming was death. The family was heroically accepting the inevitable and it showed well especially when they took to the chanting that I facilitated by the grace of Krishna. And she, with the cancer, took to it so well- with bravado.

It was a revelation once again that the use of the chanting process is the most effective means for dealing with the most difficult task.

5 KM

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Friday, December 17th, 2010

Reflections of the Day

Toronto, Ontario

It will be day #3 where I put a zero next to my registering of km's at the end of each day's blog. KM is short for kilometres also referred to as 'Krishna marks' (at least in my mind). I place the 0 next to the KM with some feeling of guilt for not having walked, and now for the third consecutive day in a row.

I'll conveniently put the blame on my doctor for the lack of execution. "You're feeling pain," he said, "and in the lower abdomen, so it's best to walk very little until I see you."

So, like a good boy, or at least a good patient, I've been tolerating the minor option, pacing from one end of the room to the other. I guess it counts to some degree. Prowling the floor back and forth is not the same as a trek along a Newfoundland river, catching optimum fresh breeze while meditating on one of the veins of the virat roop (universal form of the Creator). Pacing indoors like this does remind me of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, doing just that at the time of his japa meditation. Personally, I did not see him do this as my time with him was very limited but the video footage is there. There you can see him pace calmly going back and forth in a room.

As I finished submitting this entry of the blog, I heard a rap on the ashram door's window. I went to respond to the need for the knockers to come in. There was Keshava, one of our junior-to-me members (at 29 I can't call him a youth anymore). As usual he was smiling there at the door and also after entering. He and a group of the other juniors -to-me returned form an evening of kirtan (chanting) where new people were introduced to the dynamism of Vedic culture.

And my evening, well, I traveled (not on foot) but by wheels to one of the burbs to see a young couple to discuss the marriage arrangements for the ceremony to come.

My reflections on these things:

1. all is done in God's service
2. young adults involved are the mercy of the guru
3. walking or no walking - service can always be done
4. it's sublime to think of the guru
5. from a practical point of view, zero doesn't exist

0 KM

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Outside the Window




Conception Bay, Newfoundland

How the morning looked:

Outside our window curved colours came,
Outside our window gulls played a game.
Outside our window sprays swirled about.
And outside our window waves moved in and out.

Inside our window we marveled at the arch.
Inside our window we pined to reach and touch.
Inside our window the bay appeared anointed.
And inside our window we suddenly were disappointed.

From the veranda we looked with some dismay.
From the veranda Ram's bow became all grey.
From the veranda the waves now set the time.
And from the veranda the sight was once sublime.

From the top window it seemed about the same.
From the top window the gulls cast no blame.
From the top window time and tide wait for none.
And from the top window I saw nature in its fleeting fun.

- Bhaktimarga Swami

The above poem was written for the neighbours at Conception Bay, Neil and Cathy, while I stayed at Ricken Patel's home on the bay. I'm grateful for the friendship of all three of them.

0 KM

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

They Hike US, We hike Them

St John's, Newfoundland

Jaya Kesava, our monk from Liberia agreed with me that the waves going constantly in sound all day long within earshot of our host's home is a very pleasing audio reality. When we stepped outside the condo and inched our way right next to the stony shoreline the receding wave dragged its water over the well worn stone to create a sound like that of an applause. Jaya concurred, "yeah it does sound like people clapping."

Since coming to Newfoundland the reception for myself and Jaya Kesava, who preceded me, has been rather positive. And if it wasn't the sound of hands clapping, it would be people with rapt attention listening to our message. We both had several opportunities to speak to grade 12 students of Gonzaga Secondary School. The buzz word around the school was " there're monks in the school." The teachers who welcomed us, Neil and Kathy, who happened to be neighbours of our host, Rikin, had given us the invite.

One former student Approached Kathy: "Miss, why didn't we have monks when I took the course last year?" One autistic pupil, a boy heard Jaya Kesava speak, ran down the hallway practically knocking people over and not explaining his behavior. He came back a few minutes later with his palms full of coins from his locker.

"Where's the monk?" He asked the teacher

"He's gone!" was the reply

" I brought my coins for the monk," he said lamenting.

Students especially liked our talks and the chanting.

The Lotus Center downtown filled up this evening. The fee was $25 per head for a mini seminar on "The Bhakti Method - 9 Devotions. No power pointing was used; we facilitated and involved people in interaction. Participants here were the best ever. I experienced the taste of Newfie warmth. My heart sends its applause to them. They were great and grateful for the transformational experience undertaken.

It used to be that to be accepted as a Newfoundlander, you had to bite into a live fish. This method has been modified to giving a kiss to a fish from the freezer. Both of us monks were welcomed without the traditional formality called "screeching." It looks like we got a lenient initiation through our presentations.

So, for the friendliest North Americans around I salute them - the Newfies. (Just to comfirm; when 911 occurred many US planes landed in Newfoundland. Residents opened their arms to the flood of unexpected guests by accommodating people into their homes. People were stunned by the warmth and hospitality of Newfoundlanders.)

10KM

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1967 December 23: "Our Kirtana movement is genuine, so we don't want cheap popularity. Let us convert one person in Krishna consciousness, that is our success of life. We don't want many cheap rascal followers."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1967 December 23: "I do not like too much editorial work. There is no need of editing the final manuscripts - I have already written to him. One man should edit it and be sufficient. Not that it should be edited again and typed again and waste time. That is my desire."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 23: "I thought Krishna Consciousness is the most important idea in the world, so let me go to the most important city in the world, New York City. I thought even at the fag-end of my life, if I am able to do anything for my Spiritual Master, let me try for it there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 23: "I was alone, I was thinking, who will listen to me? I shall stay little longer, at least I can distribute a few books. But Krishna was all along preparing something I could not see. Now I can see that it is a miracle."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 23: "Keep yourself always above suspicion and if you simply instruct as I have taught you - that will act with great force. I am doing that. And I wanted to make some sannyasis to do what I am doing. That is our perfect Krishna Consciousness program."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 December 23: "I want to know what has happened there. Please keep me fully informed and I will give you further instructions. They must return the property otherwise we will take action immediately."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 December 23: "As one of my elder disciples you must set a nice example. You must become ideal in all respects, rising early, chanting sixteen rounds, attending classes, eating only Krsna prasadam, etc. This is very much wanted. This will make everything perfect."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 December 23: "I was also grhastha now I am sannyasi. So I recommend you also take up this life. So many great kings and saintly persons all finished the last part of their lives living as mendicants, sannyasis."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1971 December 22 : "Yes, it is a very good proposal that you should run for Mayor. I very much approve of this plan. We should always set the perfect example in all fields of activities, why not in politics?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1971 December 22 : "Do not deviate from our high standard. That will mean great dishonor to me. Push on in your preaching as I have shown you, remain pure, enthusiastic, and optimistic, and Krishna will favor you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "I am little observing now that our men are losing their enthusiasm for spreading our programmes. Otherwise, why so many letters of problems are coming, dissatisfied? That is not a very good sign."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "There is symptom of missing the point. Regulative principles must be followed by everyone. Otherwise enthusiasm dwindles and they again think of sex and become restless, and so many problems are there."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "I do not think the leaders are themselves following, nor they are seeing the others are following strictly. That must be rectified at once. Everyone must understand nicely why this tapasya is necessary."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "There must be always tapasya. We should not be after comforts and become complacent. Now you big managers train up more and more competent managers like yourselves. Forget this centralizing bureaucracy."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "Do not think in this way of big corporation, centralization - these are all nonsense proposals. Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent, not for making bureaucracy. There must always be competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate the other."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 22 : "Our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is spontaneous and voluntary. To draw out spontaneous, loving spirit - that is the art of management. But where are so many expert managers?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1967 December 21: "Be careful about your health. Not only you but all my noble sons. I am an old man. I may live or die it does not matter. But you must live for long time to push on this Krishna Consciousness movement."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 December 21: "Accelerate these school engagements and I am sure you will be very successful. When Krishna sees that we are trying very sincerely to preach His message He becomes very pleased and showers all blessings upon us. So please continue in this spirit."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 December 21: "Mr. Harrison must join this Krishna Consciousness movement without hesitation. If Mr. George Harrison takes the lead in organizing a huge Sankirtana Party consisting of the Beatles and our boys surely we shall change the face of the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 21: "Yes, spiritual activities, even mentally performed, are beneficial. No, mental sinful activities do not cause a bad reaction. We do not suffer for thinking something sinful. Not in this age. That is a special concession for Kali-yuga."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 December 21: "You are the pioneer preachers, you are paving the way. You will not stand by idly and listen to any nonsense ideas or Mayavadis. That is very nice. My Guru Maharaja was also inclined toward his bolder preachers."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 December 21: "Print thousands of books and distribute everywhere, all over the world at the same speed. If we can get the masses of people in the Western countries to become Krsna Conscious, then the rest of the world will follow. That is a fact."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 December 21: "By injecting our movement into the masses of people all over the world, especially in the Western countries, we can literally turn whole areas into Krsna Conscious nations. I am very glad to hear you have printed 100,000 copies. Now give them to everyone."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1974 December 21: "I am very anxious to get that building in New York City. I like it very much, so I want you to take it immediately. Now keep the atmosphere very pure by holding regular classes and kirtan, morning and evening arati and ensuring that everyone chants their 16 rounds and follows the regulative principles without fail."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Vaiyasaki Prabhu

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.28.17 - Before saying or doing anything, think whether it is going to be pleasing to guru & Krsna. While chanting if you think, you cannot hear.

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Nanda Mandir Prabhu

Bhagavatam class given on Monday, 20th December 2010

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.28.16 - The living entity, under the strict control of supreme time, is forced to run here and there within material existence. By mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu all arragements are made for book distribution.

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Today's Darsana

21/12/10
We have an improved lighting system for the altar hence the denser ambiance of the pictures.

It is very similar to the moonlit effect of the Janmastami midnight darsana.

Now we have our own 'Christmas' by candle-light at Melbourne Mahaprabhu Mandir since we are in this festive season.
What more is that the celebration is daily as opposed to a one-off.

So come uphold the tradition and sing your heart out on the melody of some "Krishna's" carols!

Here's the
slideshow.

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Harinama Sankirtana!

fired
In preparation and anticipation of this afternoon's harinama, here is a very good
video montage by Bhakta Harry to inspire all of us to go out there and perform the yuga dharma.

And remember: "You've got to get  FIRED...UP!"

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David Haslam, UK: reflecting

The one thing that is important is that we try to make each and every interaction with the people we meet one that is beneficial, even if there is a need for correction some thought has to be put into how we do it and why. So do we take time to reflect and analyze [...]

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Bharatavarsa.net: Bhakti Vikasa Swami: dry philosophy and sumptuous prasadam

Ours is not a dry philosophy -- simply talk and go away. No. We distribute prasadam, very sumptuous prasadam. In every temple, we offer prasadam to anyone who comes... If you eat bhagavat-prasadam, then gradually you become spiritualized; it has this potency.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => JSD 4.2: The Bona Fide Spiritual Master

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Japa Group: As We Have Been Taught


As long as we chant as we have been taught we will not com­mit the first type of disrupion, varna-vyvadhana. But a sub­tle form of this dis­rup­tion occurs when we don’t pro­nounce the mantra prop­erly. Srila Prab­hu­pada refers to a “hiss­ing sound” that is some­times pro­duced by a poor chanter and in a lec­ture he made a car­i­ca­ture of slurred chant­ing, and said “hurkr­ish hurkr­ish krishkr­ish” and said “Not like that. But with priti, with love.”
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H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 4.6.36 Try To Listen 2005-07-13

SB 04.06.36 Try To Listen 2005-07-13 Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 4.6.36 Try To Listen 2005-07-13 Los Angeles

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H.H. Prahladananda Swami: Lecture – SB 4.6.34 Not Even Our Dream

SB 04.06.34 Not Even Our Dream 2005-07-11 Lecture – Srimad Bhagavatam 4.6.34 Not Even Our Dream 2005-07-11 Los Angeles

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Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Bhajan - Surya Summer Tour - Prayers to Lord Jagannath - 2/2

The boys from the Surya Summer Tour sang a wonderful bhajan in glorification of Lord Jagannath.

Dallas, TX
2010-07-18 

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

The Gita And What It Does

St. John's, Newfoundland

On the eve of the Gita Jayanti, the time which strikes the anniversary of the Bhagavad Gita being spoken, Rikin had lined up a talk for me at the local Hindu Temple - a talk entitled "Kirtan Within the Gita." It was not an astounding turn out yet it's the quality that counts. Professor Patricia Dold attended and participated sharing one of her favourite verses, 9.26 reads, "If one offers to Me with love and devotion a leaf, flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." Nitin chose "whenever there is severe trouble in the world, I descend." (4.7) Jaya Kesava expressed one of his favourites, "Out of many who endeavours only one my know Me in Truth." (7.3) I offered one of my choice verses " O greatest of archers, be but an instrument in the fight."

The thrust of the talk though was to establish the reference of kirtan (giving praise) in the Gita. The word kirtan appears in Chapter 9 wherein it is said "great souls are always "satatam" engaged in kirtan." (9.14). From a broad perspective the entire seven hundred verse Gita is a kirtan in itself - a glorification

We singled out important chapters to consider such as chapters 9, 10, 11 all to do with the glory of His manifestations. We also singled out the key verses 10.8-11 which offer some rationale behind the glorification. The final chapter, a summary for the most part, underscores service in humility, love and bhakti and the great return that comes to us for doing so-- achieving moksha (freedom).

This gathering of thoughtful people brought to light the richness of the Gita's message. But the one thing that stuck out in my head for the day came from the previous evening at the Lotus Centre. A young woman came to me at the end of our Nine devotions seminar and said of the Gita and Kirtan, "You came to my high school in 2003 during the time of your cross Canada walk. It was a very low period in my life and you said some things (based on the Gita) that gave so much encouragement and hope. I really wanted to thank you for that. It got me through." That was very gratifying to hear.

Perhaps readers would like yo present their favourite verse of empowerment from the Gita. Let me know which one resonates for you.

0 KM

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H.H. Sivarama Swami: Nadia Mani asks: To what extent do we have free will

We are always told that not a blade of grass moves without Krsna’s sanction. At the same time Krsna also gives our own free will. I was wondering how these two things are related, are all of our decisions, good or bad, ultimately made by Krsna? To what extent do we have free will? If it does all come from Krsna then why are all of our bad choices sanctioned by Krsna? Is he sanctioning our free will?

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Sita-pati dasa, AU: Atma Yoga Retreat 2011 w/ Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits

Atma Yoga Retreat 2011 with Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits brochure

Seriously, this is the chance of a lifetime if you live in Australia. A yoga/kirtan retreat with Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits from January 26 - January 30, 2011. That's four nights of kirtan, plus kirtan workshops during the day.

As well there is wonderful organic vegetarian cuisine daily, and yoga classes and workshops each day.

If you want to come, get in touch with me, and I'll help hook you up.

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Devadeva Mirel, Alachua, USA: Recipe : Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer : Traditional Indian Cuisine

Yesterday I made palak paneer for my girlie. We can’t subsist on cookies and brownies alone over here.

Palak paneer is a very traditional Indian sabji (vegetable dish) that can be found at practically every Indian restaurant, wedding and frozen food aisle. Basically, it is a creamy spinach dish with homemade fresh cheese, spiced with the warming flavors of garam masala. Make it at home and you can adjust the heat, making it suitable for the spicy tongues of adults or the mild palates of young children. This recipe is mild in heat (I don’t use chili) but high in flavor (ginger and cumin take the lead). Serve with rice, chapatis, quinoa, etc.

I tackled it freestyle, since that’s how I usually roll on non-scientific preps, but my knowledge of palak paneer was not innately born into my soul. Rather, I’ve read some recipes along the way, cooking from them, internalizing them and ultimately tattooing their flavors onto my tongue.

Traditional Palak Paneer (variations listed)


Equipment

  • hand blender (optional)
  • 5 qt pot w/lid
  • medium sized bowl (stainless steel or glass)
  • stirring spoon
  • measuring spoons
  • cheesecloth
  • colander

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon whole milk
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 pound baby spinach
  • 1/2 inch ginger, chopped/grated
  • 1-2 minced green chilies (optional)
  • 3/4 tspn paprika
  • 1 tspn cumin seed
  • 1/2 tspn turmeric powder
  • 3/4 tspn garam masala
  • 1/2 tspn hing (optional)
  • pinch of ground black pepper
  • 1.5 tspn salt
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or cream cheese or sour cream)
  • 2-3 tablespoons ghee (or quality cooking oil)


Directions

  • To prevent milk from burning, rub bottom of pot with ghee or high quality cooking oil.
  • Pour milk into pot, set to boil on medium heat.
  • When milk boils, remove from heat and gradually stir in lemon juice one tablespoon at a time, stirring, until curds and whey form. When whey is a clear yellow, stop.
  • Leave curds to firm 5 minutes in the whey.
  • Transfer contents of pot to cheesecloth lined colander set above bowl. Catch a few cups of whey in bowl. Wrap paneer securely in cheesecloth
  • Fill empty pot with water to soak and use it as a weight atop the draining paneer. You can modify the weight set-up. Just make sure the paneer is allowed to drain and firm so that it can be sliced later on.
  • Wash milk pot, dry and place on stove over medium high heat.
  • Add 2 tablespoons ghee or quality cooking oil
  • Allow to heat, then add ginger (and chili if you are using). Next, add cumin seed to brown. Finally, drop in powdered spice and briefly saute a few seconds until aromatic.
  • Dump in your spinach. You may have to do this in batches, allowing the lower layer to wilt before adding more.
  • Add 1 cup of whey, cream, salt.
  • Cover and cook a few minutes until spinach is soft.
  • Remove from stove, puree with hand blender. *Or* don’t.
  • Cut paneer into 1/2-1″ cubes (depending on your jaw size). Stir into spinach and cook, covered, on medium low heat about 5 minutes so paneer can absorb flavors. Alternatively, you may want to fry your paneer before adding to spinach.

Variations On A Traditional Dish

  • Add fresh tomato and or eggplant to dish at beginning. Cook until mush
  • Substitute tofu for paneer. Either fry or boil in pot with spinach.
  • Substitute chickpeas for paneer. Khala chana (black chickpeas) are especially good.
  • Omit cream and follow one of the above suggestions to veganize.
  • Substitute boiled or fried potatoes for paneer.
  • Add a squirt of lemon at end of cooking for optimal iron absorption.
  • On other greens: Mustard, kale and collards will not cook up as tender as spinach. However, de-veined and finely chopped, they make a healthy substitute. Lambs quarter is an excellent stand in for spinach and will produce lovely results.  A touch of sorrel added to the greens will add a fresh, lemony taste to this dish.
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Kripamoya dasa, UK: Paedophile priests, ISKCON, and sentimentalized compassion

A Catholic blog caught my eye this morning: Here

The writer suggests that the scandals in the Irish church could be partially attributed to the fact that Catholic priests were dealt with as ‘victims of their impulses’ and therefore deserving compassionate treatment. For this reason none of them were handed over to civil authorities.

Compassion is an extremely important quality, especially for those involved in cultivating a more spiritual life. And it’s true that, in general, we all tend to judge each other harshly, and with prejudice, so the general instruction for all aspiring spiritualists of any religious tradition might be: ‘Be more compassionate – and don’t judge others prematurely.’

But the ancient Greeks said that even virtues, when overly applied (and in the wrong circumstances) can become vices, and do a lot of harm. Compassion is one of the virtues, and its a great virtue; indeed, the great Pandava, Maharaja Yudhisthira, said that applied compassion – mercy – is the king of all the virtues. However, there is a time for compassionate action to become transformed to measures of discipline, so that a person may ultimately improve themselves, and that others may be protected. Not everyone in a group or society can be the recipient of compassion at all times and in all circumstances. Any society – even one based primarily on compassionate dealings – can only properly function when there is justice and discipline. If there is no discipline then continued compassion itself will serve to unbalance that society.

Srila Prabhupada tells the true story of a young man who was never disciplined throughout his childhood and who grew up a quite wayward fellow. He fell into bad company, was arrested by the police for a serious crime, and was about to be sentenced to a term in prison. He was asked if he had anything further to say, and motioned that he would like to speak to his aunt who had raised him. When he leaned over to whisper in her ear, instead of speaking to her he bit off a piece of her ear lobe. As she screamed and the blood ran down her cheek, he called out: “That’s for never disciplining me when I was a child! Now look at the result of your kindness!”

A Catholic priest applies God’s compassionate nature in his dealings with others, and particularly in the Rite of Reconciliation, where the confessions of the supplicant must be dealt with by his representation of the divine compassion of God. Its natural that within the very social institution of compassionate priesthood, that the dealing between priests should reflect the nature of the service they extend to others.

But there does come a time for discipline; which is only compassion applied in a different way. Forgiveness must be there, but that is never a substitute in any society for social discipline.

The whole affair becomes further complicated and problematic due to a Christian theological point which is often used to explain bad behaviour in the lives of otherwise good people: ‘evil influences’. Whether the individual actually believes in the Devil – and many priests these days do not – the notion that bad behaviour arises from forces external to the person can easily turn a perpetrator into a ‘victim’ of outside evil influences. Evil then becomes objectified and externalized.

For the Vaishnavas it is theologically impossible, in the ultimate sense, to talk of a Devil. We don’t have one, at least one that makes it his duty to force good people to commit evil deeds. External influences – yes; and demonic universal forces – yes. But ultimately the responsibility for the action lies with the actor. And the karma-phala - the fruit of actions – will accrue to the actor. Vaishnava theology puts any blame fairly and squarely with the individual, with the family, friends and mental disposition a product of former actions.

ISKCON has seen evil committed within its ranks, and unfortunately is no stranger to the pestilence of paedophile priests. And we, also like the Catholic Church, did not respond to the problem fast enough or in the appropriate way. We also tended to treat our priestly perpetrators as the ‘victims’ and preferred that their rectification be made in private, before God, without the involvement of civil authority. We, like the Catholic Church, could not countenance the embarrassment that the very people put on Earth to represent the Godhead were guilty of such heinous actions. We concluded that any localized incident of child abuse was a temporary aberration that could never – would never – possibly occur again. So nobody talked about it – and nobody saw certain patterns emerging. We will be paying for the consequences of those errors for years to come.

But we don’t have a Devil to blame, so how did we have so much compassion for our own priests that went astray? One reason might be that we are not entirely free from the sentimentalization of western society that has been growing for some decades now. It is quite fashionable in our ‘post-modern’ world to describe someone who resorts to criminal behaviour as a ‘victim’ of their upbringing; or of the educational system; or of their poor mental health; or that they were ‘victimized’ by falling into the wrong company at a crucial point in their life. Now all they need is love and understanding – and compassion – to reverse the process. It makes for everyone in western society understanding themselves as being a victim of someone or something else; and that there is always somebody to blame for their inadequacies.

Our theological loophole – the one that is most often misunderstood and regularly misused – is the verse in the Bhagavad-gita (9.30) where Shri Krishna says that: “Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly….” In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada quotes a verse from the Nrsimha Purana (bhagavati ca harav ananya-ceta..) which explains that just as the spots on the moon do not impede the moonlight, similarly occasional accidental falls from the path of a saintly character do not make a devotee abominable.

But I have also personally sat before Srila Prabhupada when he used a comparable illustration in another way. He was perturbed by an illegality committed by his disciples and wanted to convey to us that we should not break the law in the name of Krishna. He said that if you have a white sheet with some black spots on it, everyone will look at the spots; and that if an ordinary man does something wrong then people may not talk, but that if a man who is supposed to be saintly does something wrong – then everyone will notice and talk about it.

So Bhagavad-gita 9.30 does not mean that a devotee of Krishna can do no wrong. In anticipation of our misuse of this verse Srila Prabhupada concludes: “…No one should take advantage of this verse and commit nonsense and think that he is still a devotee…”

ISKCON is a Society, but it is not separate from society in general. We have our internal rules but we do not have a process of law which runs separate from civil law. We don’t have our Vaishnava equivalent of the Islamic sharia. We are a branch of society, not something apart. If a devotee breaks the law then he must accept the consequences, the same as any member of society. God will forgive him, of course, but along with that state of grace may come social disgrace – and that’s good for the soul too.


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Dandavats.com: The passing of Prahlad Nrsimha das (Paul Ignozza)

Nartaka Gopala dasi: Sriman Prahlad Nrsimha das passed away on Saturday, December11, 2010 at about 2:10 PM in Port Charlotte, FL. He was a disciple of HH Hanumatpresaka Swami, and most of his devotional life was spent at the Miami Temple

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Dandavats.com: Divya interviews ISKCON Swami all about Varnasrama

By Bharat Chandra das

A famous Indian newspaper "Divya Bhaskar" reporter interviewed Minister for ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry - India, His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami, on Daiva Varnasrama Dharma.

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Dandavats.com: The all Powerful and Independent Holy Name

By Varun Gogna

Chanting the holy names of the lord is the most profound method in this age of Kali to rise above the influences of Maya. To engage in Harinama Sankirtana is definitely the only viable process of freeing ourselves from this precarious position we have implicated ourselves in within this material world.

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Dandavats.com: Wishing You A Merry Krishnas…

By Niscala Dasi

It struck me the other day the astonishing similarity between the words Christmas and Krishna- Prabhupada once pointed out the similarity between the words Christ and Krishna, but when “mas” is added, and the “i” is shortened, the similarity becomes much stronger- one could even say to someone “krsnas tu bhagavan swayam” and they might respond “What was that about Christmas?”

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Dandavats.com

By Madhava- nanda das

If Jesus Christ was a jagad-guru and his instructions are capable of bringing us deliverance, why do we need a spiritual master?

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Dandavats.com: Bhaktivedanta Swami Goshala newsletter December 2010

Vrajaraj kumar das: Please visit our http://www.goshala.com/newsletter.html site to read our latest Bhaktivedanta Swami Goshala Newsletter. Please accept this as Our Humble attempt to propagate the Service of Cows in Society

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Dandavats.com: Sri Govindji as Lord Balaji

Madhugopal Hari Das: Please visit http://www.iskcontirupati.net/main/home.html to have ekadasi darshan of Sri Govindji as Lord Balaji and Srimati Radharani as Godadevi or Andal. This decoration is done once in a year, around 100,000 devotees visit to darshan of their Lordships

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Dandavats.com: Heavy snow brings down the Goshalla tent in Villa vrindavana - Cow Emergency!

Parabhakti das - President Villa Vrindavana: The violent snowfall that happened in the Florence area on Friday, December 17 has not only paralyzed Villa Vrindavana but completely destroyed the tent-shelter where the cows were housed

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Sita-pati dasa, AU: Scheduling events

A schedule in theory:
|....|....|....|....|....|....|....|....|....|

and the reality:
|....|....|.....|......|.......|........|.........|..........|...........|

When constructing a schedule, do two things to take this into account:

1. Build in breathing space that can compress when you need to realign.

If it's a continuous stage show, put 15 mins downtime between acts, over and above what you need for the change over. Leave the time there if you don't need it, suck it up when you're running behind.

If it's a multi-week tour, put days in with nothing scheduled. If your energy is low you can sleep. If you need to travel to catch up time, you can.

2. Use a logarithmic time scale, not a linear one.

Plan for fatigue, flagging spirits, and the inevitable slowing down that comes after continuous execution. Things can be fast and furious in the beginning, but as time goes on things will slow down. Count on it, by building it into the schedule.

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Subhavilasa das ACBSP, Toronto, CA: Website and blog down

Picture
Apologize for website and blog being down for quite a few hours. Apparently hosting company had some technical difficluties that also affected our site and then specifically the blogs.
Anyhow, all posts are now up and feel free to also look at the blog archives. 
Also the main site, www.radhashyamasundar.com is back online.
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Japa Group: I Stick To The Sim­ple Method


I stick to the sim­ple method taught by Lord Cai­tanya and passed on by Srila Prab­hu­pada. The name of Krishna is not dif­fer­ent than Krishna Him­self. Some­times the Lord delib­er­ately taught false philoso­phies, but in any case they are not to be fol­lowed per­pet­u­ally. Only devo­tional ser­vice is the means by which to chant the holy name and ben­e­fit from its eter­nal proposition.

From
Viraha Bhavan #166

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Gouranga TV: 24 Hour Hare Krishna Kirtan – Sacinandana Swami – Kirtan Fiesta 2010

24 Hour Hare Krishna Kirtan – Sacinandana Swami – Kirtan Fiesta 2010

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H.H. Sivarama Swami

When faults in others misguide and delude you – have patience, introspect, find faults in yourself. Know that others cannot harm you unless you harm yourself.

- Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

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