sábado, 13 de marzo de 2010

Prema-Rupa dd, USA: Queen of Vrindavan









PLANET ISKCON

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"Planet ISKCON" - 38 new articles

  1. Book Distribution News: Small Town Sankirtan
  2. Japa Group: We Should Not Do Anything Artificial
  3. Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Bhajan @ Chi Yoga - Hari das - Hari Haraye Namaha 5/5
  4. Sita-pati dasa, AU: Why give an explanation when you can use organizational pressure to silence people?
  5. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Thrusday, March 12th, 2010
  6. H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
  7. Maddy Jean-claude Durr, New Govardhana, AU: Another Aussie Journey. Brisbane Leg 08: Flicking Off the Switch at Ipswich
  8. ISKCON News.com: 2007 Waste Audit of Krishna Lunch in Florida
  9. ISKCON News.com: Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Aftermath
  10. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Sunday Feast Class - Kadamba Kanana Swami
  11. ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Adi Purusa Prabhu
  12. ISKCON News.com: Chilean Devotees Evicted From Earthquake-Damaged Temple
  13. ISKCON News.com: Guru's Students Plan to Distribute 61,000 Bhagavad Gitas to Honor Birthday
  14. ISKCON News.com: ISKCON Pakistan Visit to Hindu Shrine Nurtures Peace
  15. HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 373
  16. HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: With Prabhupada in Paris
  17. HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Before it's Too Late
  18. HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Umbrellas
  19. ISKCON News.com: Unreleased Recordings of Srila Prabhupada?
  20. ISKCON News.com: Florida Krishna Lunch Program to Compost All Waste
  21. ISKCON News.com: South African Man Murders Sister
  22. ISKCON News.com: Gas Rush Is On Around New Vrindaban
  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. Prema-Rupa dd, USA: Queen of Vrindavan
  32. ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Watch Vaisesika das' Seminar Live - Tonight!
  33. Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: This Is The Cow
  34. Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Towers In Manhattan Gather Heat From Power Generators
  35. Japa Group: Tasting Full Nectar At Every Step
  36. David Haslam, UK: My Nature in following authority (a problem?)
  37. Dandavats.com: Holi (The Colour festival) in Varsana and Nandagram - pics
  38. Gouranga TV: Harinam
  39. More Recent Articles
  40. Search Planet ISKCON

Book Distribution News: Small Town Sankirtan

Dear Devotees

We went north of Sydney to Woy Woy and Gosford to tolerate the fresh air while we distributed some mercy without discrimination.

Madhavendra Puri and I, the two reformed gurukulies, were dropped in Woy Woy. Like a pair of Special OPT Forces, S.A.S., we parachuted in to the fairly deserted town and positioned our transcendental trap, ready to free all those who entered from the grips of Maya. Hriman Krsna and Stambha Bhava prabhus continued on to Gosford.

It was so quiet in Woy Woy we didn't think we could do many books.

Eagerly we just tried anyway and we pounced on every person that set foot on the street.

To our surprise actually, many books went out that day. Both Madhavendra Puri and I finished every book we had including cookbooks. Together we sold around $800 worth of books.

So I realised that all you need is a trickle of people and Krsna willing, the day can be fruitful, for His pleasure off course. Sydney is always overflowing with monkey face sense enjoyers but some times it's good to get out of the city and be merciful to the small town folk. Actually a lot of devotees have come from the smaller towns.

Now it gets interesting.

That same day one young man, Cam is his name, pulled up in his car after driving past us.

He came running back to us and with great excitement he said,

"Hey guys. My friend told me that some of you were in Gosford handing out spiritual books. I had no time to go into Gosford but you are here also. What you're doing is great!"

As he took the hard cover Gita he told me how he lives on an Island here and keeps to himself. He likes meditation and spiritual music.

So I invited him to our 'Soul Talk' at Govindas and took his email.

Now maybe a month or to later I was distributing in Gosford this time and sure enough I stopped a young guy. It was Cam again. He hadn't been able to make it down to Sydney yet but he asked for another BG because he accidently left his in the glove box of the car he sold. He told me how he wants to travel the world as a busker (musician). I again invited him to come visit us and experience some transcendental sound vibrations.

Then he engaged himself in some ajnata sukriti. He told me I should go show Prabhupada's books to the people in the New Age shop up the road.

Doubtfully I made my way up the road trying to find this shop. Just when I thought, "This is hopeless, I'm wasting too much time here, I've never had any luck in the shops any way." Then I saw the hippie flags out the front of the shop. It was hidden up a side street. So I thought, "well I'm here now, no more excuses, I should just try."

Weak as I am at presenting SP's books I just prayed to my spiritual master. Being out of my comfort zone I was forced to be humble and that was my mood in the presentation. I didn't try to be all confidant and showman-like. I just fully depended on Guru and Krsna. I presented the books sincerely and honestly and to the best of my ability. While showing each book to the three staff present I gave a short description. I mainly focused on the books authenticity and how these books will give the peace the world is looking for.

I felt so much ecstasy relying on Krsna, especially when they expressed their interest and offered to pay a good price for a full set of books. One of the ladies wanted a copy of 'Searching for Vedic India' for herself but I only brought what I could carry so I met her later to give her a copy also.

Just go out and try to please Guru and Krsna will help us.

Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!

Jai Sri Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayate.

Aspiring to be a good book distributer,

Dhruvananda Dasa (Formerly Uddhava Dasa gurukulie)

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Japa Group: We Should Not Do Anything Artificial


Should we think of Krsna's forms and pastimes while chanting japa? We should not do anything artificial. As Prabhupada has said, the chanting is not an artificial imposition on the mind. Prabhupada has recommended that if we just hear the chanting then the time will come when simultaneously we will think of the form of Krsna. To concentrate on the sound may seem routine. Of course, that is only our neophyte stage.

From Japa Reform Notebook by SDG
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Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Bhajan @ Chi Yoga - Hari das - Hari Haraye Namaha 5/5


Rupa Madhurya das, TX, USA: Bhajan @ Chi Yoga - Hari das - Hari Haraye Namaha 5/5


Kalachandji's Kirtan Group performing at Chi Yoga. Hari das singing the bhajan "Hari Haraye Namaha". We then had everyone stand up and dance to the Hare Krishna mantra.

Dallas, TX
2009-12-19

Download: 2009-12-19 - Kalachandji's Kirtan Group - 5 - Chi Yoga - Hari das - Hari Haraye Namaha.mp3
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Sita-pati dasa, AU: Why give an explanation when you can use organizational pressure to silence people?

Someone wrote to me a couple of times about Pandu's recent posts on Planet ISKCON, typecasting them as "ritvik stuff". Here is my reply to them:

"You know the truth of religion, and you are speaking according to the principle that the destination intended for the perpetrator of irreligious acts is also intended for one who identifies the perpetrator."

- Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.22

It is a mistake to identify with any -ism. When someone has personal difficulties in their relationships with other persons or with an organisation, sometimes they may take shelter of a pre-packaged philosophical position. All -isms are fossilized thought. Although they may identify with that, we do not help them by identifying with it ourselves.

How many times have you been on sankirtan and you start to describe something, and a Christian says: "Oh, I know what that is, it's 'idol worship'", or some other stereotypical conception.

It would be a mistake for him to identify with an -ism such as ritvikism, and it would be a mistake for others to draw up battlelines by saying: "Oh, I know what this is - this is that", and casting Pandu in that role.

Pandu is having difficulty integrating his personal experience, his expectations, and his understanding of the ideals of the organisation.

If someone wants to address this situation, then my suggestion is that the "anti-ritvikism" people, whoever they may be, need to start by explaining exactly what happened with H.H. Bhakti Tirtha Swami's disappearance, the participation of H.G. Vakresvara Pandit, and the Child Protection Office ruling against him.

Instead of giving a public, reasoned explanation of that, "the organisation" responded to Pandu by using coercive methods. Everything has followed from there.

Call me a heretic, but I think that the issues around H.H. Bhakti Tirtha's disappearance pastimes and the participation of HG Vakresvara Pandit should by explained. I have not seen an explanation. What is the difficulty? Where is the brahminical response?

What are you advocating to me now? That I should also respond to Pandu with censorship, threats, ostracism? I think that someone should step into the obvious leadership vacuum around this issue and explore the issues around what happened at Gita Nagari, and the way it was handled.

Along with Pandu, I also think that an explanation is due. However, I'm not going to take shelter of any -ism as a result, and I'm not sure if that is what he is doing. But he has to maintain his integrity somehow in the face of the reaction to his requests for explanation...

Lock step conformity with the prevailing organisational mindset leads to Nazi Germany and 80's ISKCON. Sorry, but Planet ISKCON is not a propaganda piece - it's about real people having a real experience of Krishna Consciousness.

"Why give an explanation when you can use organizational pressure and name-calling to silence people" is an extremely dangerous position to adopt. If someone blows a whistle and there really is nothing to see, then just explain the situation transparently. When the response appears to be a massive shutdown of all dialog, it creates the impression that actually there is something wrong.

And Pandu, just be careful about how you present things, because "ritvik" is the new "commie", and the issue risks transforming away from what happened at Gita Nagari to how you are becoming a public exponent of a particular organizational ideology.

Oh yeah, and if you want to know why ritvikism arose as an ideology, you're looking at a microcosm of its birth right here. It's a reaction to this organizational dynamic.

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Thrusday, March 12th, 2010

Again the Friend

Toronto, Ontario


As she pulled out of the driveway at dusk on Cottingham St. I happened to be there.

"Is this the big chief himself?" she remarked after rolling down the window.

I couldn't make out who it was at first. It was dusk as I said but I responded, "well I'm just a servant of everyone." As I inched forward I could make out her image. It was a nurse of a year ago who made a daily visit over a foot infection I contracted from a dead-catfish. It was she who mentioned on one visit that she had a friend who took to the famous Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. "That friend came out a different person", she said validating the practice of sacred walking.

In any event it was a friendly exchange. She always came to visit me with a pleasant demeanor which is a great qualification for a care-giver. Her remark about the "big Chief" referring to my "Maharaja-ness" (an honorific address given to a senior monk) was her way of breaking the ice). She is expert with people. For me she reaffirmed the need to give warmth to others.

You can learn something from anyone. Everyone whose path you cross has something to offer you. Even the lesson of detachment comes from meeting someone who is obnoxious, for example.

By providence I met my friend as she came out of a driveway (not hers but a patients) to be reminded how kind a human should be. She deals with a lot. When she pokes a needle into someone's arm the patient says, "Ouch" and sometimes a much stronger four-letter word. So she told me. She has to smile through it all.

My friend admired my new pair of Crocs (a gift).

"Oh, fleece-lined Crocs, how nifty!"

"please come to our centre for some vegetarian food", was my invitation.

"I drive by your temple all the time and I think about your food."

I encouraged this friend to come eat food and not just think food.

I hope to meet her again because she's kind.


10 KM

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H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami: Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Let's Get On with it

Toronto, Ontario

For sure it's a rare person who will take to Monasticism. I had a serious talk with two people from our community, one in his sixties and the other in her seventies. It was with concern and the verge of alarm that we looked at a list of our youth, now in their late twenties and some entering into their thirties who are not getting married. It has been a red flag flapping for a while in the wind of current trends.

Unmarried folks in our community in North America, are taking their time to tie the knot. There has got to be reasons for the singles to drag their feet and money is not necessarily the object. In general their careers are set and so are their salaries. Then why the long wait? Mistrust? Fear of sharing? Fear of Heartbreak? Fear of responsibility, kids, diapers Etc?

One thing the three of us (elders if you will) realized is something has got to give. Souls are waiting to be born in good families. We need a new generation to teach and to look after and they in turn will look after us. There are the biological pushings of procreation which is natural and needs to be met. After all a full cycle needs to rotate here, otherwise be celibate, be a monk or a nun.

What the three of us were wishing to do was to grab some of our flowers by the shoulders and give a little shake." Go through the experience!" It won't all be gloom. Allay some of the fears and take some preparatory courses for marriage. We are not saying to couples to have a dozen kids either and not to be disappointed at a first try with a date. Continue to forge ahead but please, please do something. Dear treasures of youthful beauty and energy. Let's get on with it and prosper with God-centric families.

There will be rollercoaster rides, no doubt! We thought they were supposed to be fun and adventurous.

This morning I walked through neighbourhoods that were predominately for singles and then those that were predominantly for families. I trekked as far as a children's playground and then ventured back to the ashram contemplating this dilemma after our discussion. I was also hoping to see the snow melt more quickly if I might use such an analogy.


7 KM

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Maddy Jean-claude Durr, New Govardhana, AU: Another Aussie Journey. Brisbane Leg 08: Flicking Off the Switch at Ipswich

Saturday 13th, February 2010. Today my alarm clock was Gaura Hari, over the phone. I was systematically being woken up by different calls, which happened to tie up with a perfect waking time in the morning. I was quickly over at Sakhi Rai's, to drop off a vehicle. I loitered on the couch, talking with Alanath Prabhu and engaging in some solo study. Today was supposed to be a big celebration for Daniele's birthday. It was also going to be a surprise birthday.

Most of the devotees were hidden upstairs, while a small, core group had a diversion birthday lunch with Daniele. Vraja-Kumari came up to us, with a big bag of presents and handed all of us one to give to Daniele. We all snuck out the front door and circled around the back. Tribi had an accordion and was leading the song. We came in, just as they were about to bring in the cake. The cake was made by Rajesvari Seva Mataji (if you would like a cake made Raja, she is a professional cake maker [this diary may or may not have been sponsored by Rajesvari's cakes and therefore I must add this mention] ).

It was spectacular and spontaneous event. Daniele's mother received a copy of Maharaja's diaries while Daniele received a wonderful well wishing letter from Maharaja and a badge, painted by his Russian disciples, depicting the Govardhana lila. I leaned over someone's shoulder, just to have a closer look at this intricate work of Bhakti. We waved our goodbyes to Gitanjali and Jahnava Mata also. They were flying back to Sydney, unfortunately missing the last show of the tour. We were going to miss them and hoped to see them in the near future. We all made our way back to our dens, to ready ourselves for the final day.

Sunday 14th, February 2010. People had been waking me up with phone calls, over the last couple of days, but today Dominik personally came and woke us up. We made our way to Sakhi Rai's for one of the most memorable and intimate parts of the tours. Indradyumna Swami had asked us all to think up some memories so we could share them with everyone today. Maharaja had also asked us to focus on the present events of tour so my tired, tour brain found the two orders contradictory and I decided to opt for improvisation inspired by the Supersoul, as apposed to actually consciously analyzing my memories.

Maharaja started by sharing his highlights and statistics. He talked about all our new embellishments and other things on those lines. He asked the devotees to raise their hands if they were committed to going to Brazil and South America. I was sad to be reluctant, as last year, when he asked the same question, my hand flew up. I was surprised to see almost ninety percent of the hands very quickly rise. Everyone seemed pretty worn out because of the tour, despite the incessant flow of bliss, and I was encouraged to see that they would dedicate themselves for another wild and mystical adventure, after feeling the weight of the current endeavour.

Sri Prahlada added his part. He talked about all our breakthroughs, how we learned all sorts of new ways to improve the show and make it more viable for many years to come. Gaura added a few heart felt memories after that. Rajesvari and Sri Gandarvika shared similar experiences, struggling with the social life of the tour and then remembering the inner essence of what we were doing, giving them amazing personal realizations.

Only a few speakers went before Maharaja said "and now Maddy…oops, I mean the Mind." I was trying to think up some memories, while the other spoke but now I was totally caught off guard. I slipped back to plan A and just let the Supersoul take the ropes. I tried to talk as thoroughly and humorously as possible, and I think for the most of it, it came out well. None of what I said was what I planned to say but Krsna let me say what was appropriate.

I was touched when Tulsi gave me a personal mention. The young, Ninja Brahmana, Manipuri was striding through life, with great blessings from Guru and Krsna so I was happy to have been a humble part of his undertakings for pleasing the Lord. If he again mentioned my name, at the gates of Vaikuntha, then maybe all my endeavours in life will be fruitful. It wasn't soon after Tulsi spoke that the tears began to flow. It was like the stories in the Caitanya Caritamrta. Almost all the troupe were crying or glinting in the eyes. It was one heartfelt testimony after the next. On our last year's memories it was a light, joking yet still intimate dealing but this was much more formal and direct - ripping at the core. Everyone was sharing their inner feelings from the tour, their loves and losses so to speak.

From the gurukuli girls, who were very fresh out of Mayapur, we saw a heart felt desire to be back in the Dham. They truly missed the holy place and considered Australia, Mleccha Desh, like hell on earth. For them, to live anywhere else other than the Dham, was merely a compromise and was only really worth it if it was for preaching. They felt unfortunate to be in a place so many others would see as a great opportunity.

There was a great sense of family from the tour group. The Australian tour really was like a big family. We were the approximate size of a single sankirtana party, in the days of yore, and there was so much spiritual emotion poring forth. The group was totally unique and the experiences that we shared were not on the mundane level. There was no need to ask anyone for forgiveness or talk out any problems because all envy was washed away. We were together to do this service and we had the common goal of pleasing Krsna and his great devotees. This was Prabhupada's family and his gift to us all, in these fallen lands of outcasts. He scooped us up and gave us life. He made us red hot, like iron in the fire.

Alanath Prabhu gave a touching addition for the devotees of Australia. He had been there from the start, when there were barely even centres and devotees were harassed. Now, he was so happy that we had enough facility that, out of all places, Maharaja and his troupe would grace our country's surfaces. Australia went from being a sinful place to a holy Tirtha, merely by Maharaja walking on the pavement, while conducting the harinam yajna. Thousands of people attended our shows, which Maharaja duly noted in his general statistics. Thousands took Prasadam and hundreds took books. They all heard Maharaja talk about the essential spiritual teachings and so many people were reached by our street kirtanas.

We finished off the whole thing, with a triple birthday. Dhira Mata, Mahavana and a local devotee, Rancor Prabhu, all shared candles on another of Rajesvari's mystical cakes. We were all moving around as if in a dream. After all the love, gratitude and sharing, we still had to put it out again in a spectacular festival. It was difficult for us to follow Maharaja's order and "focus".

The whole function had taken far longer than it was scheduled for so we had to rush for our cars now. We jumped in one car, then someone told us to go to another and then I had to hop out of that one so I could drive another car. I looked at my gauges, and noticed a fuel light. Everyone was so frazzled, trying to wind back into reality, that I didn't know how much they were observing. I told them, more than enough times, that I needed to fill up, just to make sure they wouldn't forget it. We made our way, stopping at the first petrol station we could find. It was such a long distance away and when we arrived, the petrol station was closed. I was increasingly worried that the last show would end in the disaster of us running out of fuel on the side of the freeway. We came to the next petrol station, just on the outskirts of Ipswich, the town we were going to do the show in. It felt like the car was heaving now, as the last droplets of fuel were being sucked up. The petrol station was open and the scare was over.

The hall was sizable and nice, like most of the recent venues. We sat in the funny scented changing rooms and tried to reinitiate sanity into our minds. Everyone was off in fairy land and not much sense was coming of things. Maharaja entered the room in a bit of a rush. He was apparently meeting the Mayor of Ipswich and wanted to give him some signed books. He dabbed away many words of praise and thanks to the prestigious man, struggling to learn his name so he could write it down. He then dashed off, with his arsenal of gifts, enthused at the chance to preach the message of Bhakti to such a high society man.

Our Gita performance wasn't the best that night. The venue's stage sound was very quiet, not giving us our much needed mental impact and our minds were off in the clouds. I remembered Leichardt, our finale in Sydney, which had a similar mood but this was tenfold. I didn't really feel awake until the kirtana. It was then that it half hit me; this was the last day of our tour. I reminisced all sorts of things, thinking them ever so significant at the time. I remembered from my childhood and all the way through my life, all the little things Krsna had arranged to keep me engaged and keep me on the path back home. It was an overwhelming feeling, brought on by the mercy of the tour, that I could clearly see Krsna, in my own life, pulling me away from the nasty world and setting me sail in the right direction. It was the nicest thing for me to receive from tour, that extended moment of reflection. After all the preaching we do, the best preaching is done on ourselves.

We came out to the lobby, for our last ecstatic goodbye. We stayed out late, trying to say long, heartfelt goodbyes to all our comrades but it was practically impossible. So much needed to be said and there were so many people who needed to hear it first. HH Indradyumna Swami subtly slipped off to his car. He said a few words to some devotees, closed the door and drove off. "His Holiness Indradyumna Swami, ki! JAI!" Everyone hit the deck, paying our obeisances on the open bitumen. We rarely had the opportunity to pay our proper respects in public to Indradyumna Swami, trying not to confuse the public, but now we were alone (but I don't think anyone was really conscious of that at the time anyway).

We lost the group and took shelter of our GPS. We drove home, in the dark night. Over the next couple of days, most of the devotees would be going their separate ways. A large group would be flying, together, to India; some would be staying in Australia, making their way back to their different towns and cities; others back to Europe and Moscow; and HH Indradyumna Swami was continuing on, heading to America for another adventure, forever being the travelling preacher.

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ISKCON News.com: 2007 Waste Audit of Krishna Lunch in Florida


ISKCON News.com: 2007 Waste Audit of Krishna Lunch in Florida


If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.
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ISKCON News.com: Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Aftermath


ISKCON News.com: Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Aftermath




If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.
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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Sunday Feast Class - Kadamba Kanana Swami


ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Sunday Feast Class - Kadamba Kanana Swami



9.1MB

Sunday Feast class given on 07-03-2010

Who am I?

Posted by Jayendra at 13/3/10; 8:33:26 AM to the Daily Class dept


ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Sunday Feast Class - Kadamba Kanana Swami

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ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Adi Purusa Prabhu


ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Adi Purusa Prabhu



13.5MB

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.18.22 - The revival of relationship (rasa) with the Supreme Lord will keep ones faith strong in the process of bhakti.

Posted by Jayendra at 13/3/10; 8:28:07 AM to the Daily Class dept


ISKCON Melbourne, AU: Daily Class - Adi Purusa Prabhu


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ISKCON News.com: Chilean Devotees Evicted From Earthquake-Damaged Temple

By Madhava Smullen on 12 Mar 2010
Aftershocks on Gaura Purnima critically damage the Santiago center.
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ISKCON News.com: Guru's Students Plan to Distribute 61,000 Bhagavad Gitas to Honor Birthday

By Madhava Smullen on 12 Mar 2010
The worldwide effort on behalf of Jayapataka Swami augments Mayapur's standard monthly goal of 10,000 books.
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ISKCON News.com: ISKCON Pakistan Visit to Hindu Shrine Nurtures Peace

By Sandeep Kumar on 12 Mar 2010
As negative media and public reaction greet the first formal talks between Pakistan and India since the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008, could spirituality prove a more effective healing process?
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HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: 373

4:04 A.M.

It was another bad night. I woke up at 9:30 from a dream in which I had lost my identity as a devotee. I was a student at Brooklyn College. My courses were all mixed up, and I had to go see the registrar. I was so upset from the change of identity that it took me while to remember that I was safe as a devotee and that my main service was writing the journal and chanting Hare Krishna and serving Prabhupada. I had moved my body to a different position in the bed, and I had to readjust myself. But I couldn't get back to sleep. For the rest of the night I had short dreams and insomnia. But no headache. However, I got up from bed at 2:30 and at that time a pain came in my right eye, and I had to take medicine. Narayana came up and he gave me solace and we spoke, but I had to take more medicine. Then the headache went down. I've been chanting my rounds quickly but mechanically like moving the beads on an abacus. I feel it's not my fault, it's the fault of the pain, and I can't control it. But at least I am moving my rounds speedily and paying attention to the sounds of the syllables. My mind is not drifting to other subjects. Quickly, quickly. The names are as good as Radha and Krishna themselves, and I take reassurance in that, but I can do much better. I will try to improve on my last four, but I don't have high hopes. If only I could go deeper and meditate on the Divine Couple in earnest.

Your eye pain and
restless night present
troubles for japa.
You don't blame yourself.
It's a physical malady.
If your heart were free
you would swim in the
mantras and concentrate
more deeply. I know this
about you and so does
Krishna. The malady has
crippled you, but you
are still responsible to
say harinama from
the bottom of your heart.
Sickness is no excuse.
Brave soldiers fight
on through the thick of
the battle, carrying
the banner of victory.
As long as I can utter
the names I will
do so, and not beg
off in defeat.

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HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: With Prabhupada in Paris

Prabhupada Smaranam

Prabhupada on the vyasasana and a mataji standing and translating with the microphone.

A view from the stage.

A view from the stage.

These are pictures taken in a very big theatre hall in Paris. Prabhupada lectured for free admission and the place was packed. His French disciple Jyotir Mayi Devi Dasi is standing and doing the translating into French. This turned out to be an unruly affair. Some people even brought spray-can paints with the intention of spraying Prabhupada. At first the audience was quiet for his lecture except for a few hoots. Prabhupada based his lecture not on a Vedic scripture but on the first line from Saint John's gospel of the Bible, "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God." The lecture was eloquent and ecumenical and the audience was quiet. He spoke on brahma-sabda, the authority of hearing from the scriptures as the absolute truth. Prabhupada went on explaining the pramanas, or proofs, for truth as he spoke with the analogy of the statement in Saint John. But in the question and answer period, agitators started yelling. One man yelled out that Prabhupada was sitting on a raised seat above everyone else, and he shouted "Get down! Get down!" Prabhupada replied that the seat was reserved for one who spoke the absolute truth and he invited the man to come up and sit on the vyasasana and speak from the platform of the absolute. The man was baffled and couldn't think of an answer. But a portion of the audience took up the chant "Get down! Get down!" Things were getting out of hand.

An African man mounted the stage and started addressing the audience. At first he seemed to be supporting Prabhupada's right to speak, but then he contradicted himself and said Prabhupada shouldn't speak. People shouted in agreement. The crowd was basically not interested in Prabhupada's transcendental talk, and they wanted to talk on topics of nationalism and radicalism, and they interrupted Prabhupada's speech. Prabhupada saw that further discussion was useless, and he called for another kirtana. The harinama with karatalas and mrdangaskirtana and closed the program. Some of the devotees were concerned for Prabhupada's physical safety, and they formed a tight ring around him and escorted him off the stage to his car. In the car back to the temple, he said he said he would not sit on the vyasasana in public again. pacified the crowd. But after a while they became unruly again and Prabhupada ended the

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HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Before it's Too Late

We're back to write of Krishna
the one Lord of violence and peace,
the Supreme Lord of all creation.
Yet inconceivably He is a cowherd
boy. I can't understand it, but I
like it.

Our God is bucolic, He plays in
fields in His original form and
in His expansions He commissions
the work of gigantic cosmic
creation, maintenance, and destruction.

How can He be both? It's the power
of His yoga-maya which makes
everything possible. He prefers
the Vraja scenes and says the
opulence of being almighty cripples
His ability to love intimately
His dearmost friends.

So you should acknowledge God
as great and pray to Him for
protection and be in awe of
His power, and even fear
His omnipotence.

But more so, you should
learn how to love Him
intimately as a friend.
It is not easy. And
yet Lord Caitanya has
made it relatively easy
by the chanting of His names.

The names bring you close
to Krishna in Vrndavana if
you follow a pure devotee
and attach yourself to a
particular service.

This is obvious but
not attainable in an
ordinary religious lifetime.
It takes rare mercy
and determined sadhana.

As you grow older you should
get better at it, but you
feel physically tired and
can't do the vigorous
preaching you did as a youth
when you went to the local
newspaper office and
demanded they do
a story on your temple's kirtana

and you went to the Boston
Commons and got hit on the
head by a bottle thrown
by a thug.

What can you do better in
your old age? Can you chant
better? I don't think so.
I remember those vigorous
rounds pacing and sitting
up straight loudly jawing
and shaking your head.

What can you do now? You
can try to give a shortened lecture
but you remember less. You reach
for the heart. I remember a
priest said he lectured wanting to
convey his love to the audience.
That's more than scholarship.
But do I have the love?

It is scary, growing older and
seeing the light diminish. You
seek comforts, but you want
assurance that you'll attain
the Supreme. How can you dare?
Can you count on your earlier
investments? Be good,
be peaceful, be kind, speak
your mind. I don't know how
to make you better at this
age. But you shouldn't fade.

Search and find a way to go out
singing and serving others. Demonstrate
faith, speak faith, be
faithful. You must
think with nonspeculative intellect.

Tell about the time Lord Caitanya
chased after the sand dune,
and how He merged into the
Tota-gopinatha deity. Tell the
things you know. Don't waste
your time watching movies.
I need to sleep but don't
overdo it. Prepare for
death by living. But don't wait

around for it. Be telling someone
about Krishna when it comes.

Excuse me sir, but you
have to go now. It's too
late for anything additional.
You should have done it already.

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HH. Satsvarupa das Goswami: Umbrellas

Free write

Here are some people in the rain. The umbrella was a great invention. It took some ingenuity to figure out how to make it shaped like a cane so you could carry it around conveniently until it actually rained and then you opened it up. Maybe some early versions of the umbrella weren't folded up, and you had to carry them always opened up. The real invention came when someone figured how to make it with ribs that can be folded up and conveniently carried. The one remaining defect of an umbrella is that when the wind blows too hard the umbrella will collapse inside out. But I saw on the weather TV channel that strong umbrellas can withstand gusts up to forty-five miles per hour before they tear or turn inside out.

The world's greatest feat of umbrella making was done by Krishna when He was only seven years old. He lifted up the Govardhana Mountain (which was considerably bigger 5,000 years ago than it is today) and held it on the pinky of His left hand, turning it into an umbrella for the entire population of Vrindavana against a hurricane force torrent sent by King Indra. Everyone, all people and animals, fit under the umbrella and were dry and safe for seven days. By yoga-mayasamvartaka clouds and stopped the rains. The people of Vrndavana have such an intimate relationship with their beloved Krishna that they couldn't even believe it was He who lifted the hill. They thought Lord Vishnu did it as well as their own sticks. Another feature of the Govardhana umbrella was that everyone assembled informally and cozily together and the gopis were able to stand close to Him and intimately behold His beautiful features. Actually the cowherd men didn't take it as a routine thing. When it was over they interrogated Nanda Maharaja as to Krishna's identity. They said sometimes He acts like a little mischievous boy, but sometimes He kills a great demon and now we have just seen Him lift this great mountain. So who is He? Nanda referred them to the boy's horoscope that Gargamuni had read at His birth. Gargamuni said He would be "as good as Narayana" in His power, so just accept that as your explanation for who my son is. And there will be plenty more wonders you will see. And yet He is just my son. And He can protect all of us. It is the wonderful feature of Vrndavana that Krishna lives with us and plays sometimes as a child and sometimes as the yoga-isvara. The men were satisfied with this explanation and by the grace of yoga-maya Krishna supplied the people with food and drink for those seven days. Indra was so frightened by the reversal to his attack that he called off the they mostly considered Krishna not as a demigod or God but as their dear most relative.

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ISKCON News.com: Unreleased Recordings of Srila Prabhupada?

By Navina-Shyama Dasa on 12 Mar 2010
The painstaking work goes on in North Carolina, but it doesn't move fast enough for some.
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ISKCON News.com: Florida Krishna Lunch Program to Compost All Waste

By Kelly Sweet on 12 Mar 2010
The program switched to biodegradable serving ware two years ago, and now wants to take sustainability one step further.
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ISKCON News.com: South African Man Murders Sister

By Yogas Nair for Independent Online on 10 Mar 2010

The clinically depressed Baruthwaj had reportedly been attending services at ISKCON Phoenix.
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ISKCON News.com: Gas Rush Is On Around New Vrindaban

By Casey Junkins for The Intelligencer on 7 Mar 2010
The Marcellus Shale formation underneath Marshall County is believed to hold enough natural gas to fuel the nation for decades.
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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 March 12: "I am very pleased to hear about Krishna's new throne. I am anxious to come there and see it as well as you and all my students there who are carrying on so nicely even in my absence. Always remember I am always with you all so long you are executing Krishna Consciousness."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 March 12: "Householders may wear dhotis in the Temple. Outside the Temple they may wear American gentleman's dress, with Tilaka, flag, and beads. If they so desire, for ceremony, they can dress in dhotis for Kirtana."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1968 March 12: "This is willful violation of our rules and regulations. She cannot take charge. She may execute nicely wherever she is, I have all blessings for her, the door of Krishna Consciousness is always open. But to be in charge one must be completely above suspicion."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1970 March 12: "By the Divine Will of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura we are now combined together, although born in different parts of the world, unknown to one another. This is the way of Krsna transaction. So follow the path chalked out by our predecessors, and success is sure."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1970 March 12: "Krishna will give you timely a suitable place, don't worry. Our leader, Sanatana Goswami, was living underneath a tree, keeping His Deity hanging on the branch of a tree and still He was always engaged in the service of the Lord. So place or no place, we must go on with our preaching work."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 March 12: "If self-realized souls write something song about Krishna, that is perfectly from the transcendental platform, without any tinge of mundane influence or nonsense imagination. Unless someone comes from this category, his manufacturing some songs about Krishna will be misleading to himself and others."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1972 March 12: "Become determined to fix all your attention for seeing Krishna face to face by the Krishna Consciousness process and chant always this Hare Krishna mantra - than you shall qualify yourself for writing songs about Krishna."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

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Srila Prabhupada's Letters

1975 March 12: "Yes, you are right - all qualifications come if you simply surrender to the bona fide Spiritual Master. To take shelter of the Spiritual Master means to follow his instructions. So, you should be very careful to not deviate even a little bit from the order of the Spiritual Master."

Prabhupada Letters :: 1975

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Prema-Rupa dd, USA: Queen of Vrindavan

http://kishoriservant.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/dsc00448.jpg

Sri-Sri Radha Shyamasundar on Janamastmi Day

“O Queen of Vrndavana, O Radharani, Your complexion is like molten gold, Your doe-like eyes are captivatingly restless, a million full and brilliant moons wane before Your lustrous countenance, and a blue sari, having stolen the hue of a fresh rain-laden cloud, has enwrapped Your exquisite form. O Radha, You are the crest-jewel of all the dallying damsels of Vrndavana, fragrant and pristine like a budding jasmine flower. Your sublime form is adorned with priceless jewelry, and you are the best of all the charming and intelligent gopis. You are decorated with all wonderful excellences and surrounded by eight dedicated and beloved cowherd girls known as the asta-sakhis.

“The ambrosia of Your beautiful lips, red as the bimba fruit, is life-giving syrup to Krsna. O Radha, I am rolling on the banks of the Yamuna, my poor heart filled with anticipation, praying to You with all humility. I am guilty of being an offender, a rascal, a useless wretch–yet I beg You to kindly engage me in even the smallest service to Your lotus feet. O most merciful Lady, it will not become You to ignore this most distressed soul, for Your heart is always overflowing with compassion and love.”
-Srila Rupa Goswami Sri Prarthana-Paddhati

I don't know what I was thinking. We went to Vrindavan during Janamastmi but didn't book a hotel room. Its not that I didn't try, I sent emails to book a room in the guesthouse or at least have someone suggest a hotel for us to try contacting but I never got a response. I thought that maybe I had lucked out like I did in Kolkata. I had emailed them, they didn't email back but had a room booked for us anyway. No such luck. I remembered that a common belief among devotees is that if you get the mercy of Radharani, the Queen of Vrindavan, then you will have the privilege of staying in Vrindavan for more than three days. We weren't even there one day, barely an hour and it seemed hopeless.

After some time my family, composed of my husband, father-in-law, Mom, Dad and my younger sister, lugged our bags to a hotel that said that they could only take us for one night as someone had the two rooms for the next day. Not even one day. Radharani wouldn't let us stay for one day. My husband, sister an I walked around Vrindavan for an hour going from hotel to hotel asking if they could possibly give us two rooms for a week, or even one room for a couple days but we got turned down everywhere we went. People from all over India booked months in advance and it was painful seeing them just walk right past us, ask about their room and then disappear into the hotel. I felt bad for my sister. It was her third day in India and she was wandering around the dirty streets of Vrindavan in the heat and no sign of relief.

My younger sister is very pretty and what some might consider high maintenance, unlike me- a walking mess- she makes sure to be well-dressed and made-up before leaving the house. In our family she was always the one that stayed out of trouble, and I remember her always being very thoughtful of others. After all, she could have stayed with my parents instead of wander through the streets with us. Eventually she went back to the hotel and my husband and I search for an hour more. I considered taking my family to Agra and putting them up in a hotel there and I would stay in Vrindavan, even if I had to sleep in the streets. Even if I would have to sleep in the mucky gutters that line the roadside, I wouldn't skip out on this adventure. We stopped at the Krishna-Balaram temple,
"Prema-Rupa, I need you to stay here while I continue looking."
"No! I want to stay with you, why are you leaving me here?"
"Im going with my friend to keep looking and I need you to stay here and pray to Radharani."
I sighed, "Are you sure?"
"Positive, I'll be right back."

I sat amongst a group of devotees in front of Sri-Sri Radha-Syamasundars altar, lively kirtan was being sung while we waited for the altar doors to open. I prayed to Radharani while chanting on my japa beads. Certainly She must know Im here, She wouldn't neglet me, would She? Since my husband gave me Sri-Sri Radha Madanmohan in 2004, She has always been the one I turn to, the one I felt understood me best, the one I could depend on. I came all the way here just for Her. The altar doors open, the chanting exploded and people pushed their way to the front with their offerings of money, garlands and vegetables, eager to receive a little mercy. I slowly made my way to the front, my eyes focused on Her, oblivious to my surrounding. "Give me a sign," I prayed, "a flower to fall, anything at all. I want to know you are listening." I pleaded to Her my case. How I loved Her and wanted to serve Her. I told Her that having a hotel is not important to me, for Her, I could sleep in the streets but its my family's first time here.

Nothing.

I told Her that I was willing to give up fancy saris for simple cotton ones if we could stay. That's a big deal, I love sari's. Im attached to every single one of them, even the rattiest dirtiest sari I hang on to until its completely shredded to pieces.

Nothing.

I begged and pleaded and bargained with no reply, "even if the pujari gave me a maha-flower, I'll take that to mean something." I held my hand out with the other devotees while the pujari handed out the flowers and tossed them into the crowd. My hand turned up empty. Slowly, people started to meander away. I pleaded with Visakha-Sakhi to convince Radharani to give me a little mercy, just a little. Radharani would listen to Visakha, right? They're BFF's She's got to listen.

Nothing.

Then I got angry, "Okay Radharani, that's how You want to be? Fine. I give you my attention, my love. I always make sure You get everything first. You get the fanciest dressing, my husband fusses at me about how long You take to get dressed and I always take up for You. I spent hundreds of dollars on You year after year, trying to give You the nicest, the best and I come to Your home and this is my treatment? Maybe I wont come back, is that what you want? Fine, be like that."

Nothing.

Brokenhearted. I continued to silently pray, fingering my beads, still hoping for that sign. It had been four hours from when my husband left until he came back. He shook his head solemnly and we walked back to our hotel room without saying a word. We knew what this meant for us.

We got back to the hotel, my family was in their room, and my father-in-law was asleep on his bed. "This devotee is very well-known here in Vrindavan, he thought that if he came with me he could pull a few strings and get us a room, we walked by foot everywhere for four hours but everyone turned us down." We lay in bed, my head on my husbands shoulder. I imagined my good-hearted husband walking around in the hot hot sun, "I know you prayed very hard for us, but maybe this is Krishna's desire. My friend said that if he hears anything he will call me. But he doubts he'll hear anything" We stared at the phone expectantly, the only sound was the whirring of the fan above us. We waited and waited but no one ever called. Maybe I didn't pray hard enough, maybe I wasn't sincere enough. Maybe God doesn't care about what we want, about our desires, even if it is to serve Him. "Here is what I think we should do," I whispered, "I think you should take our family to Agra and find a hotel for them there. They can stay there for the rest of the week….and I'll stay here."
"And what will you do here?"
"I just have to stay. Even if I have nowhere to stay, I just need to be here. I am determined to be here." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. The thought of my family and I not getting the mercy of Radharani was unbearable. I prayed one more time, I begged Her to not neglect me. I wanted the mercy so badly. Hot tears poured down my face as my husband tried to console me.

And then the phone rang.


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ISKCON Toronto, Canada: Watch Vaisesika das' Seminar Live - Tonight!



Tonight, the ISKCON Toronto Blog will be broadcasting Vaisesika prabhu's first seminar live! Be sure to log on at 6:30pm EST to watch the seminar entitled, "Going the Distance in Your Krsna Consciousness: Dreams, Visions and Goals".


The Special series of Bhagvatam Classes "Overcoming Anarthas - Obstacles in Devotional Life" will also be brodcast live! The classes run from March 12 - March 15 at 7:45 - 9:00 am.
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Madhava Ghosh dasa, New Vrndavan, USA: This Is The Cow

CALCUTTA’s Telegraph has got hold of an answer paper of a candidate at the recent UPSC examinations. The candidate has written an essay on the Indian cow:

“The cow is a successful animal. Also he is quadrupud, and because he is female, he give milk,but will do so when he is got child.He is same like God,sacred to Hindus and useful to man.But he has got four legs together. Two are forward and two are afterwards.

“His whole body can be utilised for use. More so the milk. What can it do? Various ghee, butter,cream, curd, why and the condensed milk and so forth. Also he is useful to cobbler, watermans and mankind generally.

“His motion is slow only because he is of asitudinious species. Also his other motion is much useful to trees, plants as well as making flat cakes in hand and drying in the sun. Cow is the only animal that extricates his feeding after eating. Then afterwards she chew with his teeth whom are situated in the inside of the mouth. He is incessantly in the meadows in the grass.

“His only attacking and defending organ is the horn, specially so when he is got child. This is done by knowing his head whereby he causes the weapons to be paralleled to the ground of the earth and instantly proceed with great velocity forwards.

“He has got tails also, but not like similar animals. It has hairs on the other end of the other side. This is done to frighten away the flies which alight on his cohoa body whereupon he gives hit with it.

The palms of his feet are soft unto the touch. So the grasses head is not crushed. At night time have poses by looking down on the ground and he shouts his eyes like his relatives, the horse does not do so.

“This is the cow.”

P.S.: We are informed that the candidate passed the exam.


Filed under: Cows and Environment, Jokes
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Yoga of Ecology, Bhakta Chris, USA: Towers In Manhattan Gather Heat From Power Generators

From our friend Madhava Ghosh's blog "View From A New Vrindaban Ridge"

Later this year, a double-rigged crane will hoist a giant power turbine part way up One Penn Plaza, a black monolithic skyscraper next to Madison Square Garden. When the natural gas-powered generator on the 12th floor starts, it will not only produce some 6.2 megawatts of electricity — enough to power up to half the 57-floor building on a busy day — but it will also siphon off wasted heat and use it to help heat and cool the 37-year-old skyscraper.

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Gruzen Samton Architects

A rendering of the room that will house a cogeneration plant on top of Cooper Union's landmark Foundation Building.

With tenants defaulting and lenders withholding credit, this might not seem the opportune time for landlords to be getting into energy recycling. But Vornado Realty Trust, which owns One Penn Plaza and 27 other office buildings in New York City, is among the small but growing number of commercial landlords in the area that are installing the energy-efficient power stations known as cogeneration plants, or cogens for short.

Unlike conventional power stations, which let excess heat dissipate into the air as exhaust, cogens reuse that cast-off energy for heating and cooling. Given the improved efficiency, combined with government incentives and rising electricity costs, some landlords are now finding it cost-effective to install cogens and generate their own power.

The Related Companies, a large residential developer, recently installed a cogen at ManhattanCooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is constructing one at its new academic building, a futuristic structure designed by Thom Mayne. And the Durst Organization has installed a cogen plant at One Bryant Park, a new office tower near Times Square. Plaza, a huge 1970s housing complex in Midtown.

The appeal is simple: cogens help landlords lower energy costs. "You start to see savings on monthly bills right away," said Clark Wieman, Cooper Union's planning director. He said that the new generator would cost eight cents a kilowatt-hour, roughly half the cost of buying electricity from Con Ed.

For landlords, the assurance of on-site power also provides added comfort. "Backup power is another amenity we offer to our tenants," said David R. Greenbaum, president of Vornado's New York office division.

Cogens are also considered greener, because they lighten the demand on Con Ed's older, dirtier plants and generate as-needed energy on location. Indeed, only 40 percent of each watt that Con Ed generates reaches the customer, according to Thomas W. Smith, the chief executive at Endurant Energy, the consulting firm managing the One Penn Plaza installation, mainly because much of it is lost when the electricity is generated.

By contrast, the cogen at One Penn Plaza is expected to attain efficiency levels as high as 80 percent, according to Mr. Smith. That translates roughly into 2,800 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions that are offset each year. And the captured steam will replace a fifth of the centralized steam that now controls the temperature of the building.

"This is changing how buildings generate power, and helping the city alleviate a huge problem in getting power to buildings," Mr. Smith said.

The technology behind cogenerators is straightforward. According to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a federal research center affiliated with the Department of Energy, power generators that recycle excess heat have been around since the early 20th century, mostly in giant factories. But in recent years, as high-tech Internet hubs and other power-hungry industries have strained the aging electricity grid, the demand for smaller, fuel-efficient cogens have grown.

Office buildings in Manhattan, which sit over gas lines, were a natural market. In fact, cogens were cited by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in 2007 as a key component of his ambitious blueprint to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

The Durst Organization, a prominent landlord in Midtown, leapt first. Its cogenerator at One Bryant Park, a glassy 54-story skyscraper rising at the corner of 42nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas, is scheduled to come online this summer. Durst expects the 4.6-megawatt cogen to power as much as 35 percent of the building during peak hours.

Last year, Related Companies removed nine parking spaces at Manhattan Plaza, a 1,689-unit complex on West 43rd Street, and installed two 350-kilowatt cogens, which it plans to turn on next month. Related, which pays for tenants' utilities, expects to save $350,000 a year, and recoup its costs by 2012. "There should be no impact to the tenants," said Nick Lanzillotto, an operations manager. "They won't even know it's happening."

Related also installed cogens with microturbines, smaller versions of the conventional engine, at Tribeca Green, an apartment complex in Lower Manhattan.

While New York State offers a range of incentives through its Energy Research and Development Authority (Vornado, for example received a $2.5 million package for One Penn Plaza), the upfront cost can turn many landlords pale. Vornado's plant at One Penn Plaza cost $18 million.

The steep price can make even well-endowed, green-minded places like Cooper Union hesitant. Instead of footing the bill for the cogen at its new academic building in the East Village, Cooper Union hired an outside company, Office Power, to build, own and operate the generator.

Cooper Union now wants a cogen in its landmark Foundation Building. "Earlier, the board did not want to spend on something that had not been proven," Mr. Wieman said. "But we learned that the payback made sense."

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Japa Group: Tasting Full Nectar At Every Step


Hare Krsna my dear devotees, I hope your chanting is going well and your spiritual life is being blessed by devotees association. This week my son Uddhava is coming back to Brazil, he finished his studies in Mayapur and is now starting a Seminar of Bhakti Sastri and is in the bramacari ashram. I was thinking of how he changed my life being there, how my spiritual life got even better just by having him in the Holy Dhama, so I realised how blessed I am and how important is to be always chanting the holy names and taking shelter on them. A devotee told me these days a beautiful sentence:

"If you always seek the shelter of the Lord's Name and His Devotees, you will always be protected."

I was really surprised because I have been writing about the holy names and I have said the same thing to so many people that I understood I was the only one who really needed to take shelter on the names much more than I am doing because maybe my heart is so affected by material desires that I dont take my chanting seriously, as much as I should and this makes me weak and my faith doesn't become that strong, I tend to be afraid of small things in life and my intelligence disappears.

So now I would like to share a beautiful verse from the Siksastakam that is able to bring us brightness and gives us the mood we need to have to chant nicely:

"Let there be supreme victory for the chanting of the holy name of Sri Krishna, which cleanses the mirror of the heart and exstinguishes the blazing fire of material existence. Sri Krishna sankirtana diffuses the soothing rays of bhava that cause the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities to bloom. The holy name of Krishna is the life and soul of all transcendental knowledge and increases the ocean of transcendental bliss. The holy name bathes and cools the body, mind and soul and enables one to taste full nectar at every step."
Sri Siksastakam Verse 2

I like so much this part that says that the holy name of Krsna is the life and soul of all transcendental knowledge and increases the ocean of transcendental bliss.So I will meditate on this sentence and try to chant with the mood of reverence and appreciation so one day I can become an offenseless chanter and have stronger affection to chanting.

your servant,

Aruna devi
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David Haslam, UK: My Nature in following authority (a problem?)

The other day I was listening to a class by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami who was talking about fall down and difficulty in Krishna Consciousness and that it is not that we give up but take time to reflect. As my own Guru Maharaja says it is only in Krishna Consciousness that we are actually for [...]

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Dandavats.com: Holi (The Colour festival) in Varsana and Nandagram - pics

Lakshman (das) Vrindavan (IN): Holi !The one of most prominent festival in vraj ,which is heart of each and every vrajvasi .In this day Nandagram brahmans offer a beautiful flag to their lordship Sri Sri Krishna Balaram at Nanda Bhavan. Gloriefy the lord with Holi songs throwing dry color and do parikrama of nanda's palace.

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Gouranga TV: Harinam


Harinam



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