Shri Vaishnava Pranam

(Obeisances to fellow devotees often said after the early aratis and before doing japa)

vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha

kripa-sindubhya eva cha

patitanam pavanabhyo

vaishnavebhyo namo namaha

Translation

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas, devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

The Ten Offenses in Chanting the Holy Names

(The general order of prayers in many temples is that after the Tulasi puja, the ten offenses in Chanting Hare Krishna japa are recited, usually together with whoever is at the morning program.)

1. To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives to the propagation of the holy names of the Lord.

2. To consider the names of the demigods like lord Shiva or lord Brahma to be equal to, or independent of, the name of Lord Vishnu.

3. To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

4. To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version.

5. To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna as imagination.

6. To give mundane interpretation of the holy name of the Lord.

7. To commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy names of the Lord.

8. To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna as one of the auspicious, ritualistic activities which are offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karma-kanda).

9. To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name.

10. To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments even after understanding so many instructions on this matter. It is also offensive to be inattentive while chanting.

Anyone who claims to be a Vaishnava must carefully guard against these ten offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired success, Krishna Prema!

Now let us offer are respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas, devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

Shri Nrisimha Pranam

(Obeisances to Lord Nrisimha, sung at the end of arati)

namas te narasimhaya

prahladahlada-dayine

hiranyakashipor vakshah-

shila-tanka-nakhalaye

ito nrisimhah parato nrisimho

yato yato yami tato nrisimhah

bahir nrisimho hridaye nrisimho

nrisimham adim sharanam prapadye

tave kara-kamala-vare nakham

adbhuta-shringam

dalita-hiranyakashipu-tanu-bhrigam

keshava-dhrita-narahari-rupa jaya jagadisha hare

Translation

I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha, who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakashipu.

Lord Nrisimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nrisimha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nrisimha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge.
O Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one can easily crush a wasp between one's fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp-like demon, Hiranyakashipu, has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands. (This verse is from Shri Dasavatara-stotra, the Gita-govinda, written by Jayadeva Gosvami.)

Prema-Dhvani or Pranam Prayers

(Someone says these prayers after the arati, while everyone joins in with the "Jaya" at the end of each line. This is a very basic rendition, while additional lines and obeisances to other personalities and holy places can be said as well.)

1. Jaya-nitya-lila-pravishta om Vishnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara-shata Shri Srimad His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada ki jaya.

2. Jaya om Vishnu-pada paramahamsa parivrajakacharya ashtottara-shata Shri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada ki jaya.

3. Ananta-kotivaishnava-vrinda ki jaya.

4. Namacharya Haridasa Thakura ki jaya

5. Iskcon founder acharya Srila Prabhupada ki jaya.

6. Premse kaho Shri-Krishna-Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, jaya Advaita, Gadadhara, Shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda ki jaya.

7. Shri-Shri-Radha-Krishna Gopa-Gopinatha, Shyama Kund, Radha Kund, Girigovardhana ki jaya.

8. Vrindavana-dhama ki jaya.

9. Mathura-dhama ki jaya.

10. Navadvipa-dhama ki jaya.

11. Jagannatha-puri dhama ki jaya.

12. Ganga-mayi ki jaya

13. Yamuna-mayi ki jaya.

14. Tulasi-devi ki jaya.

15. Bhakti-devi ki jaya.

16. Sankirtana-yajna ki jaya.

17. Brihad-mridanga ki jaya.

18. Samaveta-bhakta-vrinda ki jaya.

19. Gaura-premananda Hari Hari bol,

20. All glories to the assembled devotees. (Hare Krishna) All glories to the assembled devotees. (Hare Krishna) All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

The Hare Krishna Maha-mantra

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Translation

"Oh Lord Krishna, Oh energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your devotional service." (This is a simple call to the Lord and His energies. It should be chanted exactly like a small child crying for it's mother. The transcendental sound vibration of this mantra is the essence of all the Vedas and non-different from Lord Krishna personally. In the temples, this mantra is sung during some portion of almost all kirtanas.)

Additional Prayers Sung During Mangala Arati

The Pancha-Tattva Maha Mantra

(Jaya) shri-krishna-caitanya

prabhu nityananda

shri-advaita gadadhara

shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, along with His associates, Lord Nityananda, Shri Advaita Acharya, Gadadhara, Shrivasa and all the devotees of the Lord. (This mantra is very important and is known as the Pancha-tattva Maha-mantra. In order to derive the full benefit of chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we must first take shelter of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, learn the Pancha-tattva mantra, and then chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. That will be very effective. So this mantra is sung in most kirtanas before singing Hare Krishna, as well as before chanting japa.)

Standard Songs Used in the Hare Krishna Temples

The word vegetarian, coined by the founders of the British Vegetarian Society in 1842, comes from the Latin word vegetus, meaning "whole, sound, fresh, or lively," as in homo vegetus-a mentally and physically vigorous person. The original meaning of the word implies a balanced philosophical and moral sense of life, a lot more than just a diet of vegetables and fruits.

Most vegetarians are people who have understood that to contribute towards a more peaceful society we must first solve the problem of violence in our own hearts. So it's not surprising that thousands of people from all walks of life have, in their search for truth, become vegetarian. Vegetarianism is an essential step towards a better society, and people who take the time to consider its advantages will be in the company of such thinkers as Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Clement of Alexandria, Plutarch, King Asoka, Leonardo da Vinci, Montaigne, Akbar, John Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Emanuel Swedenbourg, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Lamartine, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, and Albert Einstein.

Let's examine some of the advantages of becoming vegetarian.

Can a vegetarian diet improve or restore health? Can it prevent certain diseases?

Advocates of vegetarianism have said yes for many years, although they didn't have much support from modern science until recently. Now, medical researchers have discovered evidence of a link between meat-eating and such killers as heart disease and cancer, so they're giving vegetarianism another look.

Since the 1960s, scientists have suspected that a meat-based diet is somehow related to the development of arteriosclerosis and heart disease. As early as 1961, the Journal of the American Medical Association said: "Ninety to ninety-seven percent of heart disease can be prevented by a vegetarian diet." Since that time, several well-organized studies have scientifically shown that after tobacco and alcohol, the consumption of meat is the greatest single cause of mortality in Western Europe, the United States, Australia, and other affluent areas of the world.

The human body is unable to deal with excessive amounts of animal fat and cholesterol. A poll of 214 scientists doing research on arteriosclerosis in 23 countries showed almost total agreement that there is a link between diet, serum cholesterol levels, and heart disease. When a person eats more cholesterol than the body needs (as he usually does with a meat-centered diet), the excess cholesterol gradually becomes a problem. It accumulates on the inner walls of the arteries, constricts the flow of blood to the heart, and can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes.

On the other hand, scientists at the University of Milan and Maggiore Hospital have shown that vegetable protein may act to keep cholesterol levels low. In a report to the British medical journal The Lancet, D.C.R. Sirtori concluded that people with the type of high cholesterol associated with heart disease "may benefit from a diet in which protein comes only from vegetables."

What about cancer? Research over the past twenty years strongly suggests a link between meat-eating and cancer of the colon, rectum, breast, and uterus. These types of cancer are rare among those who eat little or no meat, such as Seventh-Day Adventists, Japanese, and Indians, but they are prevalent among meat-eating populations.

Another article in The Lancet reported, "People living in the areas with a high recorded incidence of carcinoma of the colon tend to live on diets containing large amounts of fat and animal protein; whereas those who live in areas with a low incidence live on largely vegetarian diets with little fat or animal matter."

Rollo Russell, in his Notes on the Causation of Cancer, says, "I have found of twenty-five nations eating flesh largely, nineteen had a high cancer rate and only one had a low rate, and that of thirtyfive nations eating little or no flesh, none had a high rate."

Why do meat-eaters seem more prone to these diseases? One reason given by biologists and nutritionists is that man's intestinal tract is simply not suited for digesting meat. Flesh-eating animals have short intestinal tracts (three times the length of the animal's body), to pass rapidly decaying toxin-producing meat out of the body quickly. Since plant foods decay more slowly than meat, plant-eaters have intestines at least six times the length of the body. Man has the long intestinal tract of a herbivore, so if he eats meat, toxins can overload the kidneys and lead to gout, arthritis, rheumatism, and even cancer.

And then there are the chemicals added to meat. As soon as an animal is slaughtered, its flesh begins to putrefy, and after several days it turns a sickly gray-green. The meat industry masks this discoloration by adding nitrites, nitrates, and other preservatives to give the meat a bright red color. But research has now shown many of these preservatives to be carcinogenic. And what makes the problem worse is the massive amounts of chemicals fed to livestock. Gary and Steven Null, in their book, Poisons in your Body, show us something that ought to make anyone think twice before buying another steak or ham. "The animals are kept alive and fattened by continuous administration of tranquilizers, hormones, antibiotics, and 2,700 other drugs. The process starts even before birth and continues long after death. Although these drugs will still be present in the meat when you eat it, the law does not require that they be listed on the package.

Because of findings like this, the American National Academy of Sciences reported in 1983 that "people may be able to prevent many common types of cancer by eating less fatty meats and more vegetables and grains."

But wait a minute! Weren't human beings designed to be meateaters? Don't we need animal protein?

The answer to both these questions is no. Although some historians and anthropologists say that man is historically omnivorous, our anatomical equipment-teeth, jaws, and digestive system, favors a fleshless diet. The American Dietetic Association notes that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets."

And much of the world still lives that way. Even in most industrialized countries, the love affair with meat is less than a hundred years old. It started with the refrigerator car and the twentieth-century consumer society.

But even in the twentieth century, man's body hasn't adapted to eating meat. The prominent Swedish scientist Karl von Linne states, "Man's structure, external and internal, compared with that of the other animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables constitute his natural food." The chart on the next page compares the anatomy of man with that of carnivorous and herbivorous animals.

As for the protein question, Dr. Paavo Airola, a leading authority on nutrition and natural biology, has this to say: "The official daily recommendation for protein has gone down from the 150 grams recommended twenty years ago to only 45 grams today. Why? Because reliable worldwide research has shown that we do not need so much protein, that the actual daily need is only 30 to 45 grams. Protein consumed in excess of the actual daily need is not only wasted, but actually causes serious harm to the body and is even causatively related to such killer diseases as cancer and heart disease. In order to obtain 45 grams of protein a day from your diet you do not have to eat meat; you can get it from a 100 percent vegetarian diet of a variety of grains, lentils, nuts, vegetables, and fruits."

Dairy products, grains, beans, and nuts are all concentrated sources of protein. Cheese, peanuts, and lentils, for instance, contain more protein per ounce than hamburger, pork, or porterhouse steak.

Still, nutritionists thought until recently that only meat, fish, eggs, and milk products had complete proteins (containing the eight amino acids not produced in the body), and that all vegetable proteins were incomplete (lacking one or more of these amino acids). But research at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Max Planck Institute in Germany has shown that most vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and grains are excellent sources of complete proteins. In fact, their proteins are easier to assimilate than those of meat and they don't bring with them any toxins. It's nearly impossible to lack protein if you eat enough natural unrefined food. Remember, the vegetable kingdom is the real source of all protein. Vegetarians simply eat it "direct" instead of getting it second-hand from the vegetarian animals.

Too much protein intake even reduces the body's energy. In a series of comparative endurance tests conducted by Dr. Irving Fisher of Yale University, vegetarians performed twice as well as meateaters. When Dr. Fisher knocked down the nonvegetarians protein consumption by twenty percent, their efficiency went up thirty-three percent. 13 Numerous other studies have shown that a proper vegetarian diet provides more nutritional energy than meat. A study by Dr. J. Iotekyo and V. Kipani at Brussels University showed that vegetarians were able to perform physical tests two to three times longer than meat-eaters before tiring out and the vegetarians fully recovered from fatigue three times more quickly than the meateaters.

Meat feeds few at the expense of many. For the sake of producing meat, grain that could feed people feeds livestock instead. According to information compiled by the United States Department of Agriculture, over ninety percent of all the grain produced in America goes to feed livestock(cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens) that wind up on dinner tables. 15 Yet the process of using grain to produce meat is incredibly wasteful. Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that for every sixteen pounds of grain fed to cattle, we get back only one pound of meat.

In Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe asks us to imagine ourselves sitting down to an eight-ounce steak. "Then imagine, the room filled with 45 to 50 people with empty bowls in front of them. For the "feed cost" of your steak, each of their bowls could be filled with a full cup of cooked cereal grains."

Affluent nations do not only waste their own grains to feed livestock. They also use protein-rich plant foods from poor nations. Dr. Georg Borgstrom, an authority on the geography of food, estimates that one-third of Africa's peanut crop (and peanuts give the same amount of protein as meat) ends up in the stomachs of cattle and poultry in Western Europe.

In underdeveloped countries, a person consumes an average of four hundred pounds of grain a year, most of it by eating it directly. In contrast, says world food authority Lester Brown, the average European or American goes through two thousand pounds a year, by first feeding almost ninety percent of it to animals for meat. The average European or American meat-eater, Brown says, uses five times the food resources of the average Colombian, Indian, or Nigerian.

Facts such as these have led food experts to point out that the world hunger problem is artificial. Even now, we are already producing more than enough food for everyone on the planet, but we are allocating it wastefully.

Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer estimates that bringing down meat production by only ten percent would release enough grain to feed sixty million people.

Another price we pay for meat-eating is degradation of the environment. The heavily contaminated runoff and sewage from slaughterhouses and feedlots are major sources of pollution of rivers and streams. It is fast becoming apparent that the fresh water resources of this planet are not only becoming contaminated but also depleted, and the meat industry is particularly wasteful. Georg Borgstrom says the production of livestock creates ten times more pollution than residential areas, and three times more than industry.

In their book Population, Resources, and Environment, Paul and Anne Ehrlich show that to grow one pound of wheat requires only sixty pounds of water, whereas production of one pound of meat requires anywhere from 2,500 to 6,000 pounds of water.

And in 1973 the New York Post uncovered a shocking misuse of this most valuable resource, one large chicken-slaughtering plant in the United States was using one hundred million gallons of water daily, an amount that could supply a city of twenty-five thousand people.

But now let's turn from the world geopolitical situation, and get right down to our own pocketbooks. A spot check of supermarkets in New York in January 1986 showed that sirloin steak cost around four dollars a pound, while ingredients for a delicious, substantial vegetarian meal average less than two dollars a pound. An eight ounce container of cottage cheese costing sixty cents provides sixty percent of the minimum daily requirement of protein. Becoming a vegetarian could potentially save you at least several thousand dollars a year, tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime. The savings to America's consumers would amount to billions of dollars annually. And the same principle applies to consumers all over the world. Considering all this, it's hard to see how anyone could afford not to become a vegetarian.

Many people consider the ethical reasons the most important of all for becoming vegetarian. The beginning of ethical vegetarianism is the knowledge that other creatures have feelings, and that their feelings are similar to ours. This knowledge encourages one to extend personal awareness to encompass the suffering of others.

In an essay titled The Ethics of Vegetarianism, from the journal of the North American Vegetarian Society, the conception of humane animal slaughter is refuted. Many people nowadays have been lulled into a sense of complacency by the thought that animals are now slaughtered "humanely", thus presumably removing any possible humanitarian objection to the eating of meat. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the actual facts of life and death.

The entire life of a captive "food animal" is an unnatural one of artificial breeding, vicious castration and/or hormone stimulation, feeding of an abnormal diet for fattening purposes, and eventually long rides in intense discomfort to the ultimate end. The holding pens, the electric prods and tail twisting, the abject terror and fright, all these are still very much a part of the most "modern" animal raising, shipping, and slaughtering. To accept all this and only oppose the callous brutality of the last few seconds of the animals life, is to distort the word "humane".

The truth of animal slaughter is not at all pleasant, commercial slaughterhouses are like visions of hell. Screaming animals are stunned by hammer blows, electric shock, or concussion guns. They are hoisted into the air by their feet and moved through the factories of death on mechanized conveyor systems. Still alive, their throats are sliced and their flesh is cut off while they bleed to death. Why isn't the mutilation and slaughter of farm animals governed by the same stipulations intended for the welfare of pets and even the laboratory rat"

Many people would no doubt take up vegetarianism if they visited a slaughterhouse, or if they themselves had to kill the animals they ate. Such visits should be compulsory for all meat eaters.

Pythagoras, famous for his contributions to geometry and mathematics, said, "Oh, my fellow men, do not defile your bodies with sinful foods. We have corn, we have apples bending down the branches with their weight, and grapes swelling on the vines. There are sweet-flavored herbs, and vegetables which can be cooked and softened over the fire, nor are you denied milk or thyme-scented honey. The earth affords a lavish supply of riches of innocent foods, and offers you banquets that involve no bloodshed or slaughter; only beasts satisfy their hunger with flesh, and not even all of those, because horses, cattle, and sheep live on grass."

In an essay titled On Eating Flesh, the Roman author Plutarch wrote: "Can you really ask what reason Pythagoras had for abstinence from flesh. For my part I rather wonder both by what accident and in what state of mind the first man touched his mouth to gore and brought his lips to the flesh of a dead creature, set forth tables of dead, stale bodies, and ventured to call food and nourishment the parts that had a little before bellowed and cried, moved and lived" It is certainly not lions or wolves that we eat out of self-defense; on the contrary, we ignore these and slaughter harmless, tame creatures without stings or teeth to harm us. For the sake of a little flesh we deprive them of sun, of light, of the duration of life they are entitled to by birth and being."

Plutarch then delivered this challenge to flesh-eaters: "If you declare that you are naturally designed for such a diet, then first kill for yourself what you want to eat. Do it, however, only through your own resources, unaided by cleaver or cudgel or any kind of axe "

The poet Shelly was a commited vegetarian. In his essay "A Vindication of Natural Diet," he wrote, "Let the advocate of animal food force himself to a decisive experiment on its fitness, and as Plutarch recommends, tear a living lamb with his teeth and, plunging his head into its vitals, slake his thirst with the steaming blood then, and then only, would he be consistent."

Leo Tolstoy wrote that by killing animals for food, "Man suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity that of sympathy and pity towards living creatures like himself and by violating his own feelings becomes cruel." He also warned, "While our bodies are the living graves of murdered animals, how can we expect any ideal conditions on earth"

When we lose respect for animal life, we lose respect for human life as well. Twenty-six hundred years ago, Pythagoras said, Those that kill animals to eat their flesh tend to massacre their own. We're fearful of enemy guns, bombs, and missiles, but can we close our eyes to the pain and fear we ourselves bring about by slaughtering, for human consumption, over 1.6 billion domestic mammals and 22.5 billion poultry a year. 24 The number of fish killed each year is in the trillions. And what to speak of the tens of millions of animals killed each year in the "torture-camps" of medical research laboratories, or slaughtered for their fur, hide, or skin, or hunted for "sport". Can we deny that this brutality makes us more brutal too?

Leonardo da Vinci wrote, "Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs. We live by the death of others. We are burial places! He added, "The time will come when men will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men."

Mahatma Gandhi felt that ethical principles are a stronger support for lifelong commitment to a vegetarian diet than reasons of health. "I do feel," he stated, "that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily wants." He also said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

All major religious scriptures enjoin man to live without killing unnecessarily. The Old Testament instructs, "Thou shal not kill." (Exodus 20:13) This is traditionally misinterpreted as referring only to murder. But the original Hebrew is lo tirtzach, which clearly translates "Thou shalt not kill." Dr. Reuben Alcalay's Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary says that the word tirtzach, especially in classical Hebrew usage, refers to "any kind of killing," and not necessarily the murder of a human being.

Although the Old Testament contains some prescriptions for meat-eating, it is clear that the ideal situation is vegetarianism. In Genesis (1:29) we find God Himself proclaiming, "Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing tree, in which the fruit of the tree yielding seed, it unto you shall be for meat." And in later books of the Bible, major prophets condemn meat-eating.

For many Christians, major stumbling blocks are the belief that Christ ate meat and the many references to meat in the New Testament. But close study of the original Greek manuscripts shows that the vast majority of the words translated as "meat" are trophe, brome, and other words that simply mean "food" or "eating" in the broadest sense. For example, in the Gospel of St. Luke (8:55) we read that Jesus raised a woman from the dead and commanded to give her meat. The original Greek word translated as "meat" is phago, which means only "to eat." The Greek word for meat is kreas ("flesh"), and it is never used in connection with Christ. Nowhere in the New Testament is there any direct reference to Jesus eating meat. This is in line with Isaiah's famous prophecy about Jesus's appearance, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good."

In Thus Spake Mohammed (the translation of the Hadith by Dr. M. Hafiz Syed), the disciples of the prophet Mohammed ask him, "Verily are there rewards for our doing good to quadrupeds, and giving them water to drink?" Mohammed answers, "There are rewards for benefiting every animal."

Lord Buddha is known particularly for His preaching against animal killing. He established ahimsa (nonviolence) and vegetarianism as fundamental steps on the path to self-awareness and spoke the following two maxims, "Do not butcher the ox that plows thy fields," and "Do not indulge a voracity that involves the slaughter of animals."

The Vedic scriptures of India, which predate Buddhism, also stress nonviolence as the ethical foundation of vegetarianism. "Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures," states the Manu-samhita, the ancient Indian code of law, "Let one therefore shun the use of meat." In another section, the Manu-samhita warns, "Having well considered the disgusting origin of flesh and the cruelty of fettering and slaying of corporeal beings, let one entirely abstain from eating flesh." In the Mahaharata (the epic poem which contains 100,000 verses and is said to be the longest poem in the world), there are many injunctions against killing animals. Some examples: "He who desires to increase the flesh of his own body by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth.";"Who can be more cruel and selfish than he who augments his flesh by eating the flesh of innocent animals?"; and "Those who desire to possess good memory, beauty, long life with perfect health, and physical, moral and spiritual strenght, should abstain from animal food."

All living entities possess a soul. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna describes the soul as the source of consciousness and the active principle that activates the body of every living being. According to the Vedas, a soul in a form lower than human automatically evolves to the next higher species, ultimately arriving at the human form. Only in the human form of life can the soul turn its consciousness towards God and at the time of death be transferred back to the spiritual world. In both the social order and the universal order, a human being must obey laws.

In his Srimad-Bhagavatam purports, Srila Prabhupada says, "All living entities have to fulfill a certain duration for being encaged in a particular type of material body. They have to finish the duration allotted in a particular body before being promoted or evolved to another body. Killing an animal or any other living being simply places an impediment in the way of his completing his term of imprisonment in a certain body. One should therefore not kill bodies for one's sense gratification, for this will implicate one in sinful activity." In short, killing an animal interrupts its progressive evolution through the species, and the killer will invariably suffer the reaction for this sinful behavior.

In the Bhagavad-Gita (5.18), Krishna explains that spiritual perfection begins when one can see the equality of all living beings, "The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana (a priest), a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater (outcaste)." Krishna also instructs us to adopt the principles of spiritual vegetarianism when He states, "Offer Me with love and devotion a fruit, a flower, a leaf, or water, and I will accept it."

The Sanskrit word karma means "action", or more specifically, any material action that brings a reaction that binds us to the material world. Although the idea of karma is generally associated with Eastern philosophy, many people in the West are also coming to understand that karma is a natural principle, like time or gravity, and no less inescapable. For every action there is a reaction. According to the law of karma, if we cause pain and suffering to other living beings, we must endure pain and suffering in return, both individually and collectively. We reap what we sow, in this life and the next, for nature has her own justice. No one can escape the law of karma, except those who understand how it works.

To understand how karma can cause war, for example, let's take an illustration from the Vedas. Sometimes a fire starts in a bamboo forest when the trees rub together. The real cause of the fire, however, is not the trees but the wind that moves them. The trees are only the instruments. In the same way, the principle of karma tells us that the United States and the Soviet Union are not the real causes of the friction that exists between them, the friction that may well set off the forest fire of nuclear war. The real cause is the imperceptible wind of karma generated by the world's supposedly innocent citizens.

According to the law of karma, the neighborhood supermarket or hamburger stand (the local abortion clinic too, but that could be the subject for another book) has more to do with the threat of nuclear war than the White House or the Kremlin. We recoil with horror at the prospects of nuclear war while we permit equally horrifying massacres every day inside the world's automated slaughterhouses.

The person who eats an animal may say that he hasn't killed anything, but when he buys his neatly packaged meat at the supermarket he is paying someone else to kill for him, and both of them bring upon themselves the reactions of karma. Can it be anything but hypocritical to march for peace and then go to McDonald's for a hamburger or go home to grill a steak? This is the very duplicity that George Bernard Shaw condemned:

We pray on Sundays that we may have light

To guide our footsteps on the path we tread;

We are sick of war, we don't want to fight,

And yet we gorge ourselves upon the dead.

As Srila Prabhupada says in his explanations of Bhagavad-Gita, "Those who kill animals and give them unnecessary pain as people do in slaughterhouses will be killed in a similar way in the next life and in many lives to come" In the Judeo-Christian scriptures, it is stated clearly "Thou shalt not kill." Nonetheless, giving all kinds of excuses, even the heads of religion indulge in killing animals and, at the same time, try to pass as saintly persons. This mockery and hypocrisy in human society brings about unlimited calamities such as great wars, where masses of people go out onto the battlefields and kill each other. Presently they have discovered the nuclear bomb, which is simply waiting to be used for wholesale destruction." Such are the effects of karma.

Those who understand the laws of karma, know that peace will not come from marches and petitions, but rather from a campaign to educate people about the consequences of murdering innocent animals (and unborn children). That will go a long way toward preventing any increase in the world's enormous burden of karma. To solve the world's problems we need people with purified consciousness to perceive that the real problem is a spiritual one. Sinful people will always exist, but they shouldn't occupy positions of leadership.

One of the most common objections non-vegetarians raise against vegetarianism is that vegetarians still have to kill plants, and that this is also violence. In response it may be pointed out that vegetarian foods such as ripe fruits and many vegetables, nuts, grains, and milk do not require any killing. But even in those cases where a plant's life is taken, because plants have a less evolved consciousness than animals, we can presume that the pain involved is much less than when an animal is slaughtered, what to speak ot the suffering a food-animal experiences throughout its life.

It's true vegetarians have to kill some plants, and that is also violence, but we do have to eat something, and the Vedas say, jivo jivasya jivanam: one living entity is food for another in the struggle for existence. So the problem is not how to avoid killing altogether an impossible proposal but how to cause the least suffering to other creatures while meeting the nutritional needs of the body.

The taking of any life, even that of a plant, is certainly sinful, but Krishna, the supreme controller, frees us from sin by accepting what we offer. Eating food first offered to the Lord is something like a soldier's killing during wartime. In a war, when the commander orders a man to attack, the obedient soldier who kills the enemy will get a medal. But if the same soldier kills someone on his own, he will be punished. Similarly, when we eat only prasada, we do not commit any sin. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-Gita (3.13) "The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, eat only sin." This brings us to the central theme of this book: vegetarianism, although essential, is not an end in itself.

Beyond concerns of health, economics, ethics, religion, and even karma, vegetarianism has a higher, spiritual dimension that can help us develop our natural appreciation and love of God. Srila Prabhupada tells us in his explanations of Srimad-Bhagavatam, "The human being is meant for self-realization, and for that purpose he is not to eat anything that is not first offered to the Lord. The Lord accepts from His devotee all kinds of food preparations made from vegetables, fruits, milk products, and grains. Different varieties of fruits, vegetables, and milk products can be offered to the Lord, and after the Lord accepts the foodstuffs, the devotee can partake of the prasad, by which all suffering in the struggle for existence will be gradually mitigated."

Krishna Himself confirmed the divinity of prasada when He appeared in this world as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago: "Everyone has tasted these material substances before, but now, these same ingredients have taken on extraordinary flavors and uncommon fragrances. Just taste them and see the difference. Not to mention the taste, the fragrance alone pleases the mind and makes one forget all other sweetnesses. It is to be understood therefore, that these ordinary ingredients have been touched by the transcendental nectar of Krishna's lips and imbued with all of Krishna's qualities."

Offered food, traditionally called prasad, "the mercy of God," offers not only the healthy life of a vegetarian, but also God realization; not just food for the starving masses, but spiritual nourishment for everyone. When Krishna accepts an offering, He infuses His own divine nature into it. Prasada, therefore, is not different from Krishna Himself. Out of His unbounded compassion for the souls entrapped in the material world, Krishna comes in the form of prasad, so that simply by eating, we can come to know Him.

Eating prasada nourishes the body spiritually. By eating prasad not only are past sinful reactions in the body vanquished, but the body becomes immunized to the contamination of materialism. Just as an antiseptic vaccine can protect us against an epidemic, eating prasad protects us from the illusion and influence of the materialistic conception of life. Therefore, a person who eats only food offered to Krishna, can counteract all the reactions of one's past material activities, and readily progresses in self-realization. Because Krishna frees us from the reactions of karma, or material activities, we can easily transcend illusion and serve Him in devotion. One who acts without karma can dovetail his consciousness with God's and become constantly aware of His personal presence. This is the true benefit of prasad.

One who eats prasad is actually rendering devotional service to the Lord and is sure to receive His blessings. Srila Prabhupada often said that by eating prasad even once we can escape from the cycle of birth and death, and by eating only prasada even the most sinful person can become a saint. The Vedic scriptures speak of many people whose lives were transformed by eating prasad, and any Hare Krishna devotee will vouch for the spiritual potency of prasada and the effect it has had on his life. Eating only food offered to Krishna is the ultimate perfection of a vegetarian diet. After all, pigeons and monkeys are also vegetarian, so becoming a vegetarian is not in itself the greatest of accomplishments. The Vedas inform us that the purpose of human life is to reawaken the soul to its relationship with God, and only when we go beyond vegetarianism to prasad can our eating be helpful in achieving this goal.

Timetable

Every weekend we hold a Saturday and Sunday feast. Come and join us for an evening of chanting, dancing, music, talks and a delicious vegetarian feast.

"Cow protection is the most important business of the human society ...human civilization will advance only on the basis of brahminical culture and cow protection….the cow is your mother…. He (bull) is your father…..the protection of the lives of both the human beings and the animals is the first and foremost duty of a government….."
-(Srila Prabhupada Lecture Los Angeles, December 4, 1968)

According to Indian way of thought, everyone is advised to do good to others namely not only to the human society but also to living beings other than human beings. The Indians are not cow worshippers as others wrongly interpret it, but the Indians are grateful to the species of cow for supplying milk to the human babies and the sentiment is so fine that simply for supplying milk the cow is accepted as one of the seven mothers. That is called Indian cultural mission. 
-(Letter to: Harbanslal August 2, 1958 Bombay)

The protection of the lives of both the human beings and the animals is the first and foremost duty of a government. A government must not discriminate in such principles. It is simply horrible for a pure-hearted soul to see organized animal-killing by the state in this age of Kali. Mahäräja Pariksit was lamenting for the tears in the eyes of the bull, and he was astonished to see such an unprecedented thing in his good kingdom. Men and animals were equally protected as far as life was concerned. That is the way in God’s kingdom. 
-(Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.17.8 Purport)

In the beginning of January, my wife Veda Priya and I moved to the Hare Krishna farm on a permanent basis. Our goal was to establish a bed and breakfast facility and to run a retreat center. Over the last six months we have upgraded the guest facilities to make them more comfortable for our visitors. The bed and breakfast facilities are now ready for people to enjoy, and we warmly welcome all of our members and friends to take advantage of the country atmosphere.
Our facilities include a peaceful Temple room - enjoyed by our Deities Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai - and an extensive Vedic library. Outside there is a children's playground and a games room. We are surrounded by State Forest, so there are many beautiful bush walks to explore. You can also visit our cows, and enjoy watching native animals like kangaroos and echidnas that live around us.
We have renamed the farm Hare Krishna Valley. We will soon have a new sign at the front of the farm, so that everyone who drives past will know where the Hare Krishnas are. People we meet locally ask us, 'Do you still have that farm in Bambra?' And we have been replying, 'Yes. Things have been a little quiet there for a while, but there is a fresh momentum beginning to manifest!'
Recently Manigriva and his wife Sudevi also moved to Hare Krishna Valley. They are busy renovating their house and looking after their one-year-old daughter Vedasara. Manigriva plans to begin bio-dynamic farming here in the near future. Bio-dynamic farming is a method of farming which works in harmony with nature. It avoids the use of harmful chemicals, thereby protecting the environment. On the eight acres which we have set aside for agriculture we plan to produce enough vegetables to supply the Melbourne Temple, Crossways and Gopals Vegetarian Restaurant. 
Since the beginning of the year, we have been holding a regular Sunday feast on the second Sunday of the month. The program begins at 12 noon with a kirtan and spiritual discussion, followed by a sumptuous vegetarian feast. The attendance at the program has continued to grow each month, with the guests enjoying the opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation in a country environment. Children are able to play peacefully while parents attend the spiritual discussion. After feasting, everyone relaxes and enjoys wandering around the farm and forest. Please feel welcome to come and join us some Sunday! Remember to ring us a few days before to confirm numbers so that we can cook enough for everyone!
Srila Prabhupada desired that ISKCON's rural communities would flourish and become an ideal example of natural living and high thinking to the rest of the world. Modern society is currently too passionate for material pursuits. In order to check this imbalance in the world, Hare Krishna Valley is attempting to demonstrate a positive alternative where people can live a natural life on the land, and pursue spiritual enlightenment in Krishna consciousness. This is a great challenge for the two couples currently residing here, but with the support of our members and friends and Lord Krishna’s blessing, success is guaranteed. 
If you would like to become more involved in developing Hare Krishna Valley, then please contact Keshava on 5288 7383 or keshava.tkg@pamho.net. There are many opportunities for service available for anyone who would like to spend some time in the country uplifting themselves spiritually. If you would like to contribute financially towards improving the facilities here we have many projects for you to choose from, such as cow protection, crop and machinery maintenance, and development of the children’s playground, just to name a few. 
We look forward to seeing you at Hare Krishna Valley soon!
Your servant,

Kesava dasa

When Srila Prabhupada first registered ISKCON as a legal entity in New York in 1966, he gave seven purposes as its aim. The sixth aim is directly in relation to ISKCON‘s farm communities, and reads as follows: ‘To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.‘ Therefore at Hare Krishna Valley we have chosen as our motto, ‘Natural living, high thinking,‘ based upon Srila Prabhupada‘s vision for our farm communities.
ISKCON‘s first farm was purchased by several of Srila Prabhupada‘s followers in West Virginia in the United States in 1967. Srila Prabhupada named the property ‘New Vrndavana.‘ He wanted the farms of our movement to demonstrate a lifestyle that replicated the rural atmosphere that Krsna and Balarama enjoyed as cowherd boys in Vrndavana. This was an important part of Srila Prabhupada‘s strategy for spreading Krsna consciousness throughout the world: to practically demonstrate a simplified way of life.
If we analyze Srila Prabhupada‘s purpose for our farm communities, the first line states, ‘To bring the members closer together‘ As we all know from personal experience, it is becoming increasingly difficult to successfully bring people together in a cooperative spirit. This is because the Age of Kali - where we currently reside - is known as the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Therefore we require a practical solution to this difficulty. Srila Prabhupada taught us that in order for people to live harmoniously together, it is necessary that they place Krsna in the center of their relationships. At Hare Krishna Valley we are regularly holding kirtana and Srimad Bhagavatam classes in the temple for the pleasure of our presiding Deities Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai. In this way we are able to constantly remind ourselves that we are performing our duties for Krsna‘s pleasure, and we naturally feel close to each other on the spiritual platform.
The next part of our farms purpose reads, ‘for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.‘ As we are currently experiencing, the world has become an extremely complicated place. Life in modern cities is more hectic and stressful than ever before. People‘s lives are becoming less satisfying as they are being forced to live under increasing pressure at an ever-quickening pace. 
Hare Krishna Valley, on the other hand, is demonstrating a positive alternative to modern, industrialized life. In the mornings, the devotees at Hare Krishna Valley rise early, chant Hare Krishna, worship the Deity and hear Srimad Bhagavatam in a relaxed fashion, without the pressure of having to rush off to some other engagement. They then engage in their daily activities surrounded by the peaceful, country environment. Srila Prabhupada pointed out that the cities, which are created by man, are in the mode of passion; whereas the country, which is created by Krishna, is in the mode of goodness. Hare Krishna Valley is therefore conducive to practicing Krsna consciousness. We thus encourage other devotees who are interested to practice a simple, Krsna conscious lifestyle in a natural environment to contact us if they are interested in making a change to country life. No doubt this is a challenge, but with appropriate planning, this dream can manifest into a reality.
Srila Prabhupada mentioned that ISKCON‘s farms should develop ‘cottage industries.‘ In other words, the economy of those residing around the farm should be generated from the natural resources provided by the farm. This is now one of the essential focuses of those residing at Hare Krishna Valley. We have developed several strategies to create an income to maintain the resident devotees. These include accommodation for guests, retreats, bio-dynamic farming and a nursery.
If you are interested in investing your time or money for developing this important project, we would be happy to discuss our plans with you. Please feel free to take advantage of our excellent guest facilities at your leisure. We look forward to seeing you at Hare Krishna Valley soon.

Please contact Keshava on 0405 577 453 or keshava.tkig@pamho.net for more details.

Recently we erected a new sign at the front of the property. The sign is attractive and colorful, and promotes Hare Krishna Valley as a positive alternative to modern, materialistic society. Many local people have told us that the sign has invoked their curiosity to visit the farm, as they have always wondered what it is that we do there. So, what do the residents of Hare Krishna Valley do on a daily basis?
As our sign says, Hare Krishna Valley is a Bhakti-yoga ashram. The word ashram in Sanskrit literally means 'a place of shelter.' Everyone in this world is looking for shelter. As the old saying goes, 'There is no place like home.' Hare Krishna Valley is a place of shelter for those who are looking for respite from the modern, materialistic way of life.
As the ancient Vedic literatures of India - such as the Bhagavad-gita - teach us, our real shelter is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. When we connect to Krishna through the process of bhakti-yoga, our soul feels that is has finally reached the shelter that is has been searching for. The word yoga means to 'unite' or 'connect,' and bhakti means 'with devotion.' At Hare Krishna Valley we therefore connect everything that we do for the pleasure of Krishna in a spirit of devotion.
This means that each day we rise early in the morning and perform sadhana. Sadhana refers to spiritual practices that allow us to develop a higher state of consciousness. Our primary practice is the chanting of the Maha-mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Because the names of Krishna are non-different from Him, by chanting the Maha-mantra we purify our consciousness of material desires, and invoke remembrance of Krishna within our minds. This in turn allows us to remember Krishna while performing our various activities throughout the day.
Another aspect of our daily sadhana is the study of Srila Prabhupada's books. Srila Prabhupada instructed his followers to read his books every day, in order to develop spiritually strong intelligence. Therefore after purifying our consciousness by chanting, we attend a class on Srimad Bhagavatam, or engage in private reading. This allows us to become fixed in remembering the purpose behind our daily activities, which is to give pleasure to Krishna.
All of these spiritual practices are done for the pleasure of our Deities, Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai, who mercifully preside over the farm. By worshiping the Lord in His personal Deity form, we develop the understanding that our lives are meant to bring satisfaction to Krishna. Most people in the world are absorbed in trying to satisfy themselves, but by worshiping the Deity, that selfish propensity is transformed into a selfless service attitude.
We then begin to perform our practical daily activities, which at this point in time includes a great deal of renovation work. Hare Krishna Valley is a 200 acre property with six main buildings, all of which require a lot of maintenance. One of our main objectives in improving the facilities here is so we can host members of our congregation in our newly renovated guest rooms. If you are interested in enjoying the tranquil atmosphere at Hare Krishna Valley, please contact us to arrange for your accommodation.
The other reason for improving the facilities here is so that we can organize more retreats for 2009. We are preparing to host three retreats with Devamrta Swami, and one each with Kadamba Kanana Swami and Bhurijana Prabhu. We are also planning to hold several yoga retreats in conjunction with our Urban Yoga Centre in Swanston Street, as well as several more alternative lifestyle retreats. If you are interested in attending any of these retreats, please book early, as places are limited.
We recently purchased a water filter to purify the spring water at Hare Krishna Valley. The spring water is high in iron and salt, and needs to be filtered so that we can use the water to nourish Bio-dynamic crops that we will plant in 2009. Manigriva Prabhu has been conditioning eight acres of soil here over the last two years with the aim of growing vegetables for use at Melbourne Temple, Crossways, and Gopal's.
If you are interested in becoming more involved in developing Hare Krishna Valley, in visiting, or in staying for some time, please contact me on 0405-577-453 or <keshava.tkg@pamho.net>.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

In 2009 Hare Krishna Valley is seeing a lot of activity. We are working hard to finish renovating the two residential buildings that Vedasara, Sudevi and Manigriva, and Veda Priya and I will live in. With the main work almost completed, we can begin to focus on other important projects. This includes renovating the temple building and the second guest ashram to enable us to increase the frequency of retreats. 
So far this year we have hosted two successful reteats. As usual Devamrta Maharaja's retreat attracted a large group of young Indian people, who were treated to seminars on the Vedic perspective of life.
Prahladananda Swami delivered an enlivening presentation of Hatha Yoga and Ayurveda, which was well received by a group of fifteen guests. Between classes everyone relaxed and enjoyed bushwalks. At the end of the day, Maharaja gave a basic Bhagavad-gita lesson to tie together the material and spiritual sides of Vedic philosophy. Then guests and devotees alike enjoyed a melodic kirtana Maharaja led while playing harmonium. 
As I write, we are arranging a retreat for the Queen's birthday long weekend in June. It will be led by Mother Jagattarini and Bhurijana Prabhu. Such sadhana retreats provide perfect opportunities for devotees to improve their ability to hear and chant about Krishna. Since Melbourne's congregational devotees are always eager to associate with advanced vaisnavas, no doubt by the time you read this, the retreat has changed your life.
Later in 2009 we are planning to hold an all-women's retreat led by Jagattarini and Lasksmimoni Matajis. It will give the vaisnavis an opportunity to come together for a weekend of Krishna conscious association. Because family life is often very demanding, it is a challenge to stay focused in spiritual life. Retreating to Hare Krishna Valley allows us to absorb ourselves in Krishna consciousness, free from everyday distractions.
In the second half of the year we are planning several outreach retreats for the general public. Over the last ten years, we have received extremely positive responses to such retreats. Our approach is to present Krishna consciousness to people as a complete culture. Srila Prabhupada says that our movement will spread by ’cultural revolution.’ So instead of directly preaching to people about the Absolute Truth, we invite them to stay with us for a few days and experience a lifestyle based on natural living and high thinking. The result is that people become attracted to our peaceful way of life just by example.
Once the renovations are finished, we will install an agricultural grade water filter to purify spring water for use on our crops. Then Manigriva Prabhu will begin to grow vegetables in the market garden. Srila Prabhupada desires that our farms produce enough food to supply the farm communities. Our goal is also to supply vegetables to Melbourne temple, Gopal's and Crossways. We pray to Prabhupada that we will please him by achieving this goal.
Hare Krishna Valley's self-contained accommodation facilities continue to be popular. We hosted guests almost every weekend of January, and have been fully booked for every public holiday this year. The Valley is close to some of the State's most popular tourist destinations, such as the Great Ocean Road and Erskine Falls. While guests enjoy a relaxing holiday, they can relish the spiritual association offered by devotees.
Hare Krishna Valley is an exciting project. We are attempting to realise Srila Prabhupada's desire that ISKCON develops rural communities to demonstrate natural living and high thinking to others. In order to succeed, we need more devotees to join us in our commitment. So anyone who feels inspired to help develop Hare Krishna Valley into a model spiritual community is most welcome to contact me on 0405-577-453, or at keshava@pamho.net.

Whether you come as a guest, on retreat, or to help, we look forward to meeting you at Hare Krishna Valley soon!

At this point in time a great deal of emphasis is being placed on the need for humanity to respond to the earth's environmental crisis.
According to Vedic literatures, mankind has seven mothers: one's natural mother, the wife of the guru, the wife of a brahmana, the wife of the king, a nurse, a cow, and - last but not least - mother earth. The natural duty of each of these mothers is to nourish and protect their dependents. In reciprocation, each of us is meant to respect and serve their seven mothers.
It is the responsibility of every human being to lower their environmental impact on mother earth. Modern society has developed unsustainable habits in its use of the earth's natural resources. The pattern that has developed in recent history has been one of expansion as opposed to moderation. In the last hundred years we have witnessed an industrial explosion that has not been properly managed in terms of its impact on the earth's ecology. Now we are experiencing the results in the form of global warming, rising costs of food and fuel, a global economic crisis, etc.
At Hare Krishna Valley, our motto is 'natural living, high thinking.' We are committed to setting an example of a sustainable lifestyle for the rest of the planet. 
In the past we have invested in solar energy. One of the buildings on the property is fully solar powered, and our goal is to increase our use of solar energy in the future. We have also recently invested in several new water tanks to harvest the rainwater collected from the roofs. We are recycling our rubbish and aim to gradually reduce our rubbish waste as we become less dependent on the industrial world.
Srila Prabhupada desired that ISKCON's farms become self-sufficient. In order to become fully self sufficient, we would require a community of around fifty people working in co-operation to fulfill the community needs. This would include growing much of our own food, making our own clothes, building our own buildings and producing our own oils for burning in lanterns. Any excess necessities could be traded with farmers from the local region. We are gradually working in this direction to fulfill Srila Prabhupada's dream. 
At Hare Krishna Valley we are using wood as the primary means for heating our houses. In winter, Veda Priya cooks on top of our wood-fired stove. The wood fire simultaneously heats our hot water system, warms our home and provides the heat for our cooking. In this way we save on costly electricity and gas bills, and simultaneously lower our greenhouse gas emissions. And I can honestly say that prasadam tastes better when cooked using natural fuels such as wood or cow dung.
And most importantly, we are close to beginning our bio-dynamic farming. After four years of conditioning the soil to provide enough nutrients to grow vegetables, Manigriva Prabhu is ready to plant many varieties, beginning with broccoli and cauliflower. Srila Prabhupada pointed out that the real necessities of life are food and shelter. If we can provide these things for ourselves, then we have solved the problems of life. We can then use our valuable time to study the Srimad Bhagavatam and chant Hare Krishna. 
Srila Prabhupada desired that ISKCON farms provide an example of the rural atmosphere enjoyed by Krishna and Balarama in Vrndavana. At Hare Krishna Valley we are attempting to fulfill this vision. In order to make this project a success, we require the help of many individuals. If you feel inspired to serve Lord Krishna in a rural environment, please contact Keshava das on 0405-577-453, orkeshava.tkg@pamho.net.

We look forward to seeing you at Hare Krishna Valley soon!

In the last issue we highlighted the need to offer respect to the seven types of mothers mentioned in the Vedic literatures.  In this article we will focus on the importance of giving respect to mother cow.  
At Hare Krishna Valley we currently have seven older cows and bulls.  They have spent most (if not all) of their lives here.  They are grazing happily and spending their final years peacefully without fear of being slaughtered by those who protect them.  We give them the same respect that we offer to our own parents: that is, we maintain and protect them in a spirit of love.
When Krishna and Balarama were on Earth, They practically displayed the importance of goods of protecting the cow and bull in Their pastimes.  Every day They would take the cows into the pastures of Vrndavana and allow them to chew on the soft green grasses, especially on the side of Govardhana Hill.  At the end of the day They would bring the cows back to Nandagrama, where Krishna and Balarama would personally milk them by hand.  Thus The Lords demonstrated the special significance of displaying affection to the cows and bulls.  Srila Prabhupada relentlessly attacked the modern civilization for opening and maintaining animal slaughterhouses.  At this point in time, humanity is needlessly slaughtering seven billion animals annually.  As all the ancient teachings of the world tell us, those who commit unnecessary violence toward the innocent creatures of the earth will receive the same violent reactions themselves.  Srila Prabhupada pointed out that the wholesale slaughter of humanity in wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. can be directly attributed to the organized killing of animals.
At Hare Krishna Valley we receive the benefit of protecting the cows and bulls.  Their presence invokes auspiciousness, and we receive the blessing of our presiding Deities Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai for looking after the cows and bulls nicely.  Our agricultural manager, Manigriva Prabhu, daily inspects the herd and attends to any requirements they might have.  It is said that that all of the 33 million demigods reside in the body of the cow, so simply by engaging in the service to the cows one receives unlimited benefit and the profuse blessings of Sri-Sri Krishna-Balarama.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam we are taught that the cow and bull are the personification of dharma, or religion.  The cow is considered our mother because she supplies us with the most valuable of all foods - milk.  Srila Prabhupada explains that by drinking warm milk, the finer tissue in the brain is nourished and one then develops the capacity to understand the intricacies of spiritual knowledge.  From the cow we also receive pure products such as urine and stool which are considered to be antiseptic.  Cow urine and stool are commonly used all over India to purify the house; and when dried, cow stool is a first class fuel for cooking.
The bull is considered to be our father because traditionally he was used to plough the fields and produce vegetables and grains.  Srila Prabhupada states that the actual necessities of life are food and shelter.  Therefore the bull is our father because he supplies humanity with the most precious commodity - food.  Srila Prabhupada also pointed out that if we do not engage the bull in agriculture, people will consider him redundant and begin to eat him.  Unfortunately this is what we're seeing on the earth today.
At Hare Krishna Valley our mission is to work towards engaging the cow and bull in their traditional roles.  In order for this to happen, we need like-minded people who are willing to give the time and energy to help us achieve this goal.  Or if you would like to receive the benefit of maintaining our cows and bulls, you can help to financially sponsor the upkeep of a member of our herd.  For more information on how to get involved, please contact Keshava dasa on 0405-577-453 orkeshava.tkg@pamho.net.

We look forward to seeing you at Hare Krishna Valley soon.

In 1967 the Founder of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila Prabhupada, established the first of ISKCON's rural communities in West Virginia USA. He desired that the members of his community live a life based upon the example set by Lord Krishna 5,000 years ago in Vrindavana. Lord Krishna enjoyed village life as a cowherd boy, and the wealth of His village was measured by their stock of milk and grains. Everyone lived happily with Krishna, relying on mother earth and mother cow for their necessities.
One of Srila Prabhupada's mottos is 'simple living, high thinking'. As his followers we all choose to simplify our lives to make more time for thinking about Krishna. Srila Prabhupada teaches us that the necessities of life are food and shelter, so at Hare Krishna Valley we attempt to provide these necessities for our visitors and residents. 
We spent much of the past several years renovating the existing buildings to create comfortable living spaces. For example, the building that my wife Veda Priya and I are living in is made of mud brick. This means it remains cool in summer and retains the heat in winter. It also uses solar passive design. This means that most of the windows are situated to the north, allowing light from the low-lying winter sun to enter and warm the house. Our lights are powered by solar panels, and in winter we cook on atop our wood heater. The heater includes a 'wet back' where water for the house is simultaneously heated. The result is that we enjoy an eco-lifestyle without electricity bills and only a small need of bottled gas.
The other important necessity is food. At Hare Krishna Valley devotees living both on the property and nearby grow many of their own vegetables. The cost of living in cities is rising rapidly, and food prices are at an all-time high. So in order to relieve Melbourne temple, Gopal's and Crossways of some of their expense, Manigriva Prabhu is planting crops of vegetables that we regularly supply to the city yatra. At the moment we have over 1,000 newly planted broccoli and cauliflower seedlings that we will begin to harvest in August.
Our farming method is called bio-dynamic farming. It is based upon planting in harmony with nature and using natural fertilizers to nourish the soil. The result is that all of our produce is certified as organic. We are learning to plant according to the phases of the moon and at times governed by particular astronomical constellations. This bio-dynamic method increases the flavor of vegetables. We are using natural items such as cow and chicken manures and lime as fertilizers. The result is that the soil becomes rich in nutrients without concentrating harmful chemicals within it over the long term.
In the future we would like to grow our own grains. All of this is dependent upon receiving sufficient rain. Srila Prabhupada explains that sufficient rain comes by performing yajna, and in Kali Yuga the recommended process is sankirtana-yajna. We have practical experience of this fact. Over the past three years that we have lived at Hare Krishna Valley, we have regularly chanted Hare Krishna congregationally for the pleasure of our presiding Deities Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai. We see that rainfall at Hare Krishna Valley has been timely and plentiful.
Srila Prabhupada writes, 'With good rains, the farmer's business in agriculture flourishes. Agriculture is the noblest profession. It makes society happy, wealthy, healthy, honest, and spiritually advanced for a better life after death.' So this is Srila Prabhupada's formula for forming our communities: grow your own food, offer it to the Deities with devotion, eat sumptuously, live a simple life, and concentrate on perfectly chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
In order for us to fulfil Srila Prabhupada's desire that ISKCON should exemplify the culture of daivi-varnasrama-dharma to the world, we need to develop a team of devotees who are committed to assisting - either full or part-time - in establishing a successful farm community at Hare Krishna Valley. If you are interested in rising to meet this challenge, please contact Keshava dasa on keshava.tkg@pamho.net or 0405-577-453.

We look forward to seeing you at Hare Krishna Valley soon!

Hare Krishna Valley has been buzzing with activity as 2010 ended. During September's Sunday Feast program we offered a new hand-carved altar to our presiding Deities Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai. Their new altar was carved personally by Bhaktin Ronnie. Ronnie is a talented Irish devotee-sculptor who has carved in England's Windsor Palace for Queen Elizabeth II. Because Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai's new altar is so exceptionally beauti-ful, we feel always it is a transcendental stimulant (uddipaka) to Their regular daily worship.
Besides that, many exalted vaishnavas - including Aniruddha, Acintya Rupa Matiji, Narasimha Kavacha, Gangesh-vara and Mathura Manohara Prabhus - graced our celebration. The assembled devotees glorified Their Lordships, bathed Them elaborately in a traditional abhiseka, and offered Them a sumptuous feast of bhoga cooked by Vaishnava Charana Prabhu. Then - accompanied by a sweet kirtana - we offered our first arati to Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai on Their new altar. Afterwards we served a delicious feast of the Lords' maha-prasadam to all our guests. 
Our ongoing service at the farm is continuously enthused by warm memories of The Lords' delightful celebration. Factually we can feel  as Srila Prabhupada explains to us  that in order to make our lives successful, we need to place Krishna in the centre. As we continue to ensure that Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai preside over all of the activities in Hare Krishna Valley and dedicate all our services to pleasing Them, The Lords free us from suffering material miseries and restore us to blissful transcendental relationships engaged in Their loving devotional service.
The farm community is currently liaising with the local council in an attempt to construct more buildings on the farm, so that more devotees can come and join us in living with Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai in the future. 
When more devotees live in the valley, the productivity of The Lords' farm will increase. In this way we can drive an economy and employ even more of the devotees who wish to live at Hare Krishna Valley permanently. 
For example, we intend to increase the productivity of our market garden, which regularly supplies vegetables not only to Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai and Their servants, but to Melbourne temple, and Crossways and Gopal's restaurants. Since we sell our excess vegetables at Footscray market, and soon we'll achieve bio-dynamic certification for the property, this will mean our vegetables will be able to attract higher market prices.
Due to popular demand, in October we held a second Bhakti Yoga Cooking Retreat with Kurma Prabhu. Twentytwo new guests from the local area and beyond enjoyed a weekend experience of wonderful Vedic culture and cuisine! In 2011 we will host even more of such popular retreats at Hare Krishna Valley. So we will really need more devotees serving here to care for the increasing numbers of guests enjoying our improved facilities. Watch out for the retreat programs as they are advertised at http://www.harekrishnavalley.com.au,  http://www.iskcon.net.au, at Melbourne temple, and at the farm. 
So you can see that a strong momentum is developing at Hare Krishna Valley. We warmly invite all of you to visit, participate, and to lend a hand with your various talents and abilities. There are so many things to do to that will please Srila Prabhupada and Sri-Sri Gaura-Nitai, and it is extremely fulfilling working in a peaceful country environment. If you are interested in becoming more involved, please contact Keshava on 0405-577-453 or keshava.tkg@pamho.net.

We look forward to seeing you at Hare Krishna Valley soon!

Does the Spiritual Master Have A Material Body? Is He Omniscient?

Some devotees have said to me that Srila Prabhupada’s form is spiritual. Now with my physical senses I perceive that Srila Prabhupada has a physical body. So how can it be possible that I can perceive a spirtual body? One can notice that Srila Prabhupada’s body was changing from youth to old age as do material bodies…

Hare KRSNA Madhudvisa dasa

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I have had an issue disturbing me for some time now and wish that you could help. It mainly concerns Srila Prabhupadas form as we perceive it. I understand that to see Krishna’s body it would be impossible with material eyes. Though as I understand, it is possible to see Krishna with spiritual eyes annointed with pure love of God. Some devotees have said to me that Srila Prabhupada’s form is also spiritual. Now with my physical senses I perceive that Srila Prabhupada has a physical body. So how can it be possible that I can perceive a spirtual body? Or is this form Krishna’s and Lord Caitanya’s given grace for us(in material contamination,unable to perceive spiritual forms) to be able to worship as Guru? One can notice that Srila Prabhupada’s body was changing from youth to old age as do material bodies. What is your opinion or knowledge on the matter?

I don’t mean to spoil your devotion in anyway with what I am about to speak upon next. I noticed by reading the latter portion of converstions in the Folio that Srila Prabhupada was very weakened, ill in bed in the last few months of his life. And some of his devotees would be very close to him as to be checking his urine and stool for medical purposes, and bathing and cleansing him. I have read somewhere in Parbhupadas books that it is dangerous to get too close(i assume physically) to King,woman, fire and spiritual master. Would you if you had been part of the movement then have got that close to him?? I think one devotee I have spoken to went as far as to say that even the stool of Srila Prabhupada was fragrant. I have certainly read that in the spiritual activities of one of the inacarnations of Sri Krishna passed stool and rolled around in it. But this stool was spiritual and fragrant. What is your knowledge in this regard?

What I am asking is whether the body I perceive of His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada physical but his purpose and instructions spiritual?

Hare Krishna
Khan

Dear Khan Prabhu

Haribol! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you very much for the wonderful questions. I appreciate it very much. It gives me a chance to think about these things and get them clearer in my mind also.

SB 8.19.40 P Lord Vamanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Maharaja
“One who rejects things without knowledge of their relationship to Krsna is incomplete in his renunciation.” (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.66) When the body is engaged in the service of the Lord, one should not consider the body material. Sometimes the spiritual body of the spiritual master is misunderstood. But Srila Rupa Gosvami instructs, prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah. The body fully engaged in Krsna’s service should not be neglected as material. One who does neglect it is false in his renunciation. If the body is not properly maintained, it falls down and dries up like an uprooted tree, from which flowers and fruit can no longer be obtained.

Sometimes devotees sentimentally say so many things without any real realization of the actual situation. The real point is there is nothing material in this world at all. Everything is the energy of Krishna and everything is spiritual. Things only take on the material qualities if they are not engaged in the service of Krishna. So anything at all, including our bodies and what to speak of the spiritual master’s body is actually spiritual. The only reason they act materially is because they are not engaged in the service of Krishna.

JSD 3.3 Krsna, Enchanter of the Soul
Of course, ultimately nothing is material. Thinking something is material is simply an illusion. Actually, there is nothing but spirit. How can there be anything material? The Supreme Lord is the Supreme Spirit, and since everything is coming from Him, what we call the material energy is also coming from Him and is thus ultimately spiritual.

But the difficulty is that in this material world, Krsna’s inferior energy, there is the possibility of forgetting Krsna. People are engaged in so many activities–we can see this very clearly in the Western countries–and they are inventing so many modern facilities, but the result is that they are forgetting Krsna. That is material–this forgetfulness of Krsna.

69-12-04 Letter: Bhadra Bardhan
Regarding your question about items being used in Krishna’s service becoming spiritual, you should understand it that anything which will remind one of Krishna is spiritual, and anything which will make one forget Krishna is material. Actually, everything is of spiritual nature because everything is coming from the Ultimate Source, Krishna. But when something is offered to the Lord or when it is used in His service, then it resumes its spiritual quality because it will remind one of Krishna. Therefore, even though such object may not have consciousness, it will act as spiritual. It is just like when an iron rod is put into the fire: the rod has not actually become fire, but it will act in just the same way as fire.

SB 10.4.20 P The Atrocities of King Kamsa
“A person acting in the service of Krsna with his body, mind and words is a liberated person, even within the material world.” (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.187) Therefore, one is forbidden to regard the guru as an ordinary human being (gurusu nara-matir… naraki sah). The spiritual master, or acarya, is always situated in the spiritual status of life. Birth, death, old age and disease do not affect him. According to the Hari-bhakti-vilasa, therefore, after the disappearance of an acarya, his body is never burnt to ashes, for it is a spiritual body. The spiritual body is always unaffected by material conditions.

The example Srila Prabhupada gives to illustrate this point is the iron rod in the association of fire. If you place an iron rod in a fire gradually, by the association of the fire, the rod becomes hotter and hotter and finally when it is red hot the iron rod actually acts as fire. One could say it has become fire because anything you touch with the red-hot iron rod immediately bursts into flames. So the iron rod is acting as fire, but it is also still an iron rod.

70-01-23 Letter: Hamsaduta
The next question: the body of a pure devotee is all spiritual and He is not different from His body. That is also a fact. The bodies of all living entities, even though they are not pure devotees, are not actually the bodies of the spirit soul. It is always separate from the spiritual body. The Vedic mantra confirm it by the sound vibration that this spirit soul is always nonattached with the material body. Therefore, we do not see the actual spiritual body of a pure devotee; but what we see, that is matter.

Just like the example is given of the shining moon covered by the cloud. When the cloud moves along with the peeping moonshine, it appears that the moon is moving. Anyone who has seen such movement of cloud in the sky must have this experience.

So, the moving of the cloud may appear to the layman’s eyes as moving of the moon, but that is not a fact. Similarly, the moving of the body of a pure devotee is not the moving of the pure devotee. After all these are facts for the process of realization, but we can try to understand them as far as possible from the statement of authorized Scriptures through the version of the Spiritual Master or saintly person.

So, as we can not see the spiritual body of the spiritual master, the body we see is material. Therefore one cannot expect the stool of the spiritual master to be fragrant and so many other nonsense ideas devotees sometimes come up with. As Srila Prabhupada says these matters have to be realized to really understand them but we can discuss them to help in the realization process.

The spiritual master is not different from Krishna, but at the same time he is not Krishna. We cannot expect the spiritual master to exhibit all the qualities of Krishna. Krishna is omniscient and some so-called devotees try to attribute this omniscient quality to the spiritual master as well. But that is Mayavadi philosophy. That is claiming the jiva and Krishna can be on the same level. But it is not a fact at all.

 750408mw.may Conversations
Jayadvaita: …they know everything and they’re perfect in everything. But sometimes, from our material viewpoint, we see some discrepancies. Just like we think that…
Prabhupada: Because material viewpoint. The viewpoint is wrong; therefore you find discrepancies.
Jayadvaita: So we should think that we have the defect.
Prabhupada: Yes. Acarya is explained, bhakti-samsanah: “One who’s preaching the cult of devotional service, he’s acarya.” Then why should you find any discrepancy?
Jayadvaita: Because we see… For instance, sometimes the acarya may seem to forget something or not to know something, so from our point of view, if someone has forgotten, that is…
Prabhupada: No, no, no. Then…
Jayadvaita: …an imperfection.
Prabhupada: That is not the… Then you do not understand. Acarya is not God, omniscient. He is servant of God. His business is to preach bhakti cult. That is acarya.
Jayadvaita: And that is the perfection.
Prabhupada: That is the perfection. Hare Krsna.
Jayadvaita: So we have a misunderstanding about what perfection is?
Prabhupada: Yes. Perfection is here, how he is preaching bhakti cult. That’s all.

The devotees who claim the spiritual master is omniscient are so foolish that they cannot even see the best devotee, even according to Krishna’s own opinion in theBhagavad-gita, Arjuna, was not omniscient. So if the best devotee, Arjuna, was not omniscient, how can we expect the spiritual master to be omniscient?

750309BG.LON Lectures
We have no knowledge immediately what is beyond this wall. If you ask me what is beyond this wall, then I will have to ask some of my disciples, “What is there beyond this wall?” Therefore it is not cit, not full of knowledge. But Krsna knows, He says in the Bha…, vedaham samatitani: “I know everything past, present, and future.” When Arjuna enquired… Krsna, Arjuna, he is also playing just like Krsna’s friend. So he enquired for dissipation of the ignorance that “My dear Krsna, You are saying that You spoke this philosophy, Bhagavad-gita,formerly to the sun-god.” Without asking Him, “How did You go? How did You return?” he simply asked that “Krsna, I know that You are my contemporary. We are of the same age. And how can I believe that millions and trillions of years ago You spoke to sun-god?” So the answer was that “My dear Arjuna, at that time because you are My friend, you were also there, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten.” Therefore He is full of knowledge. We cannot say what we did in our childhood. We have forgotten. This is one of our qualification, forgetfulness. But Krsna says that “You have forgotten. Because you are living being, your nature is to forget. But because I am the Supreme Lord, I have not forgotten.” Therefore His knowledge is perfect.

MM 2 PMukunda-mala-stotra
Thus the body of God and the body of a living being are differently constituted. Because the Lord’s body is pure spirit, it never deteriorates, and therefore He is called avyayatma. His body is absolute, beginningless, unborn, and eternal, while the material body of the living being is relative and therefore temporary–it undergoes birth and death. The living being himself, of course, is eternal, and if He so desires he can realize his eternality by merging into the body of the Absolute Truth or being reinstated in his constitutional position as an eternal servant of the Lord. If he does not do so, then his eternality is still maintained, but he remains ignorant of it.

750309BG.LON Lectures
So Krsna spoke. These are natural, as it is, conclusion. You cannot interpret. So therefore conclusion is: Krsna’s body is different from us. One who does not know, rascal, he thinks that Krsna is like ourself. Krsna, how He can be like ourself? If He entered the sun planet and spoke to the president of the sun planet, then His body is different. Therefore Krsna says,avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam: “Because I look just like a human being, the rascal think of Me, I am an ordinary man.” Therefore the conclusion is: one who thinks of Krsna as one of us, he is a fool, he is a rascal. Krsna’s body is explained in the sastra, Vedic. What is that body? Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah.

Of course we have a spiritual body which has the same qualities as Krishna’s body, but those qualities are present in a very minute quantity whereas Krishna possesses these qualities to an unlimited degree. We will never be equal to Krishna even in our liberated condition. Krishna will always be great and we will always be small. However, our material body can become spiritual by engaging it in service of Krishna in the association of Krishna and Krishna’s devotees as the iron rod can become fire in the association of file.

SB 4.22.26 P Prthu Maharaja’ s Meeting with the Four Kumaras
Agni, or fire, comes out of wood, and by it the wood is completely destroyed. Similarly, when a living entity increases his attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is to be considered like fire. A blazing fire is visible by its exhibition of heat and light; similarly, when the living entity within the heart becomes enlightened with full spiritual knowledge and detached from the material world, he burns up his material covering of the five elements–earth, water, fire, air and sky–and becomes free from the five kinds of material attachments, namely ignorance, false egoism, attachment to the material world, envy and absorption in material consciousness. Therefore pancatmakam, as mentioned in this verse, refers to either the five elements or the five coverings of material contamination. When these are all burned into ashes by the blazing fire of knowledge and detachment, one is fixed firmly in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unless one takes shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and advances one’s attraction for Krsna by the spiritual master’s instructions, the five coverings of the living entity cannot be uncovered from the material heart. The living entity is centered within the heart, and to take him away from the heart is to liberate him. This is the process. One must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and by his instruction increase one’s knowledge in devotional service, become detached from the material world and thus become liberated. An advanced devotee, therefore, does not live within the material body but within his spiritual body, just as a dry coconut lives detached from the coconut husk, even though within the husk. The pure devotee’s body is therefore called cin-maya-sarira (“spiritualized body”). In other words, a devotee’s body is not connected with material activities, and as such, a devotee is always liberated (brahma-bhuyaya kalpate), as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.26). Srila Rupa Gosvami also confirms this:

iha yasya harer dasye
karmana manasa gira
nikhilasv apy avasthasu
jivan-muktah sa ucyate

“Whatever his condition may be, one who is engaged fully with his body, mind and speech in the service of the Lord is liberated, even within this body.”

SB 4.23.11 P Maharaja Prthu’ s Going Back Home
At present we have contacted a material body, material mind and material intelligence, but when we become free from these material conditions, our spiritual body, spiritual mind and spiritual intelligence become manifest. In that transcendental state, a devotee attains all the benefits of karma, jnana and yoga. Although he never engages in fruitive activities or empiric speculation to attain mystic powers, automatically mystic powers appear in his service. A devotee does not want any kind of material opulence, but such opulence appears before him automatically. He does not have to endeavor for it. Because of his devotional service, he automatically becomes brahma-bhuta. As stated before, this is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita(14.26):

SB 9.4.25 P Ambarisa Maharaja Offended by Durvasa Muni

prapanci-kataya buddhya
hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago
vairagyam phalgu kathyate

(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.256)

That which is not engaged in the service of the Lord is material, and nothing thus engaged should be given up. In the construction of a high skyscraper and the construction of a temple, there may be the same enthusiasm, but the endeavors are different, for one is material and the other spiritual. Spiritual activities should not be confused with material activities and given up. Nothing connected with Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is material. A devotee who considers all this is always situated in spiritual activities, and therefore he is no longer attracted by material activities (param drstva nivartate).

As for myself, if I was in ISKCON at the time Srila Prabhupada was physically present I would have done whatever service he requested of me. If he wanted me to render service to his physical body I would have been very happy to do that but if he wanted me to preach I would be just as happy doing that also.

Prabhupada often mentioned it is more important to serve the spiritual master by following his instructions, vani, rather than to serve his physical body.

SB 4.28.47 P Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life
Figuratively the queen is supposed to be the disciple of the king; thus when the mortal body of the spiritual master expires, his disciples should cry exactly as the queen cries when the king leaves his body. However, the disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called the association of vani(words). Physical presence is called vapuh. As long as the spiritual master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the spiritual master.

67-12-30 Letter: Madhusudana
Whatever allocation of duty there may be, if we try to execute such specific duty sincerely, that alone can make us much more advanced in Krishna Consciousness. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is stated that for the fixed up devotee there is one duty. This duty is understood through the transparent medium via media of the Spiritual Master. It is better service to Krishna and Spiritual Master in a feeling of separation; sometimes there is risk in the matter of direct service. For example, Kirtanananda was giving me direct service by massaging, cooking for me, and so many other things; but later on by dictation of Maya, he became puffed up, so much so that he thought his Spiritual Master a common man, and was existing only on account of his service. This mentality at once pushed him down. Of course, those who are sincere devotee, they take direct service as an opportunity, but the illusory energy is so strong that it acts on this doctrine of familiarity breeds contempt. Kirtanananda was thinking I was existing on his service, instead of realizing I was giving him opportunity to do me some service.

68-01-13 Letter: Jadurani
Yes, the ecstasy of separation of Spiritual Master is even greater ecstasy than meeting with Him.

72-02-20 Letter: Satadhanya
So far personal association with the Guru is concerned, I was only with my Guru Maharaja four or five times, but I have never left his association, not even for a moment. Because I am following his instructions, I have never felt any separation. There are some of my Godbrothers here in India who had constant personal association with Guru Maharaja, but who are neglecting his orders. This is just like the bug who is sitting on the lap of the king. He may be very puffed-up by his position, but all he can succeed in doing is biting the king. Personal association is not so important as association through service.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

He came with the message 
of the Absolute World

The following is just a very short glimpse in to the achievement of the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada’s Journey 

One candle may light many other candles, yet each candle has the same intensity as the first. Yet the first still remains the original candle.

In the same way the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands himself in unlimited forms. He yet remains the cause of all causes.

In the Vedic scriptures the supreme original cause is known as Krsna because he posses unlimited transcendental qualities which attracts all living beings.

Five hundred years ago that same supreme cause Lord Sri Krsna appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and declared that the chanting of the Lords holy names of;

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna 
Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare 
Hare Rama, Hare Rama 
Rama Rama, Hare Hare

is the only way of liberation in this age. He also declared that these names would be spread beyond India to every town and village in the world.

After hundreds of years, the faithful followers of Lord Caitanya endeavoured to expand his mission. All of the time they were wondering how Lord Caitanya’s prediction of every town and village would come true.

On August 13th 1965 days before his sixty ninth birthday A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, philosopher, scholar, saint and Swami, set out for America to see what could be done. With a free passage from a local steamship company, he travelled as the only passenger on board a small weathered cargo ship, named Jaladuta. In possession he had an umbrella, a supply of dry cereal about seven dollars worth of Indian rupees, and several boxes of books.

When the Jaladuta arrived in New York thirty-seven years later Swami Bhaktivedanta was totally alone. He had come to America knowing no one, with any clear means of support; he carried on boards the ship only a handful of possessions. He had no friends, money, followers and not his youthful age and good health. He didn’t even have a clear idea of how he could accomplish his mission – to present the spiritual knowledge of the Vedas to the western world and in turn to the entire world.

Bhaktivedanta Swami expressed the faith he had in his spiritual master and Krsna, in a Bengali poem he wrote shortly after his arrival:

"My dear Lord Krsna…How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own…I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life…"

This poem is dated 18th September 1965. Twelve years later, on 14th November 1977, Swami Bhaktivedanta passed away in Vridavana, India at the age of eighty-one. In twelve years Swami Bhaktivedanta had amazingly accomplished his huge mission.

The Society He Created 

After arriving in New York City in September 1965, Srila Prabhupada struggled alone to establish his God consciousness movement. He lived simply and talked and lectured about Krsna whenever and wherever he got the opportunity to do so and gradually there was some small interest in what he was teaching.

In July of 1966, while still working alone from an obscure storefront in the Lower East Side of New York City, Srila Prabhupada founded the society intended for the entire world’s participation. He named it the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY for KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS or ISKCON for short.

At the time of the creation of his society, Srila Prabhupada had not even got one committed follower. Undeterred he enlisted volunteers from some of the regular attendees at his evenings lectures to act as ISKCON’s first trustees. That was during the very begging of ISKCON history. Today the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has more than 300 temples, farms, schools and special projects through out the world and has a strong congregation numbering in millions.

The Purpose of ISKCON 

Krsna consciousness is more than another sectarian faith. It is a technical science of spiritual values that is described and recommended in the ancient Vedic scriptures from ancient India. The aim of the Krsna consciousness movement is to reveal to the people of the world, the principles of God and in turn Self- realization so that they may derive the highest benefits of spiritual understanding, unity and peace.

The Vedas recommend that in the present age the most effective means of achieving self-realization is to constantly hear about, glorify and remember the all-good supreme Lord, who is known by numerous names. The most important names in this age ‘Krsna’, which means ‘he who is all attractive’, another is ‘Rama’ which means ‘He who is the reservoir of all pleasure’, and ‘Hare’ indicates the inconceivable energy of the Lord.

The members of ISKCON follow the recommendation in the Vedic scriptures and are seen constantly seen chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This sublime chanting puts us in direct contact with the Supreme Lord through the transcendental sound vibration, of his holy names and gradually awakens us to our original and eternal relationship with God.

The primary mission of ISKCON is to encourage all of the members of the human society, to devote at least some portion of their time and energies to this process of hearing and chanting about God. In this way they will eventually come to the realization that all living beings are spirit souls, eternally related to the Supreme Lord in service and in Love.

The Distribution of Spiritual Food

Along with teaching the Vedic knowledge and spreading the Lords holy names, ISKCON also very freely distributes spiritual food through out the world. In the same way that the philosophy and canting is done for Krsna, Vegetarian food has first been offered to the Lord, this purifies the heart and the mind.

This helps us in the gradual process of uncovering one’s original awareness of God. ISKCON’s distribution of spirtualized food (Prasadam) though out the world is therefore known as

‘Food for Life’, which is beneficial for the body as well the soul of each and every recipient.

The Teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada considered his books to be the most valuable contribution he had made in spreading the Vedic knowledge through out the world. Actually Srila Prabhupada would say that translating and explaining the ancient Vedic scriptures was his very life and soul. IN the year of 1970, Srila Prabhupada founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, and now it has become the largest publisher of Vedic literature. Over the last twenty-five years, millions of people have read at least one of Srila Prabhupada’s books, and have genuinely felt their lives enriched.

Scholarly Appreciation of Srila Prabhupada’s Teachings

Srila Prabhupada noted often that, although universities and colleges of the modern day had many departments for understanding may things, there was no department that taught scientific knowledge of the self and God. By presenting the original Vedic science of God realization through his valuable books, Srila Prabhupada filled this large gap and met this vital educational need. Over the years, scholars who had met Srila Prabhupada or had read his works, have expressed their appreciation for both his personal quality ands the contribution his teachings have made to humanity.

Harvey Cox one such world renowned professor of religion at Harvard University, tells us how he recognized the value of Srila Prabhupada’s works ands what a contribution he had made:

‘When I first met the Hare Krishna’s, I can remember thinking how surprised I was, and I wondered what this meant. The costumes, the chanting, and the shaved heads appeared a little strange to me. But as I came to know the movement, I came to find that there was a striking similarity in the essence of what they were teaching and in the original core of Christianity-that is, living simply, not trying to accumulate worldly goods, living with compassion towards all creatures, sharing, loving, and living joyfully. I am impressed with how much the teachings of one man and the spiritual tradition he brought impacted themselves into the lives of so many people. In my view Srila Prabhupada’s contribution is a very important one and will be a lasting one.’

The Temples He Built

Srila Prabhupada built 108 temples before leaving for the spiritual world in 1977.

Now ISKCON has well over three hundred temples, farms, schools and special projects and weekly gatherings through out the world. At each center members give classes, perform chanting and ceremonies, and provide valuable instruction on the science of Krsna consciousness. Each center holds a weekly festival and vegetarian feast, as well as festive occasions throughout the year. All programs are open to the public.

The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), popularly known as the Hare Krishna Movement, was founded in 1966 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ISKCON is a worldwide association of devotees of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; its members consist of 10,000 temple devotees and 250,000 congregational devotees. Over four decades ISKCON has grown to comprise of over 350 temples, 60 rural communities, 50 schools and 60 restaurants.

One of the main objectives of ISKCON is to promote the wellbeing of society by teaching the science of Krishna consciousness according to Bhagavad-Gita and other timeless Vedic scriptures.

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was born in 1896 in Calcutta, India. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.

At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.

Recognizing Srila Prabhupada's philosophical learning and devotion, the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society honored him in 1947 with the title "Bhaktivedanta." In 1950, at the age of fifty-four, Srila Prabhupada retired from married life, and four years later he adopted the vanaprastha (retired) order to devote more time to his studies and writing. Srila Prabhupada traveled to the holy city of Vrndavana, where he lived in very humble circumstances in the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. There he engaged for several years in deep study and writing. He accepted the renounced order of life (sannyasa) in 1959. At Radha-Damodara, Srila Prabhupada began work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume translation and commentary on the 18,000-verse Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). He also wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets.

After publishing three volumes of Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States, in 1965, to fulfill the mission of his spiritual master. Since that time, His Divine Grace has written over sixty volumes of authoritative translations, commentaries and summary studies of the philosophical and religious classics of India.

In 1965, when he first arrived by freighter in New York City, Srila Prabhupada was practically penniless. It was after almost a year of great difficulty that he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in July of 1966. Under his careful guidance, the Society has grew within a decade to a worldwide confederation of almost one hundred asramas, schools, temples, institutes and farm communities.

In 1968, Srila Prabhupada created New Vrndavana, an experimental Vedic community in the hills of West Virginia. Inspired by the success of New Vrndavana, then a thriving farm community of more than one thousand acres, his students founded several similar communities in the United States and abroad.

In 1972, His Divine Grace introduced the Vedic system of primary and secondary education in the West by founding the Gurukula school in Dallas, Texas. The school began with three children in 1972, and by the beginning of 1975 the enrollment had grown to one hundred fifty.

Srila Prabhupada also inspired the construction of a large international center at Sridhama Mayapur in West Bengal, India, which is also the site for a planned Institute of Vedic Studies. A similar project is the magnificent Krsna-Balarama Temple and International Guest House in Vrndavana, India. These are centers where Westerners can live to gain firsthand experience of Vedic culture.

Srila Prabhupada's most significant contribution, however, is his books. Highly respected by the academic community for their authoritativeness, depth and clarity, they are used as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into eleven languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 exclusively to publish the works of His Divine Grace, has thus become the world's largest publisher of books in the field of Indian religion and philosophy.

In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

The Vedic scriptures state that spiritual life begins when one inquires into the nature of the absolute truth, the Supreme Godhead. Hare Krishnas are monotheists and know the personality of Godhead as Krishna, the All-attractive. But it is also recognised that the Supreme has unlimited names such as Rama, Buddha, Vishnu, Jehovah, Allah, etc. The ultimate goal of the Hare Krishna movement is to develop a loving relationship with the Supreme Godhead.

The Vedas also tell us that the understanding of the self, as being non-material or spiritual by nature, is the preliminary stage of realisation of the absolute truth. To understand knowledge of self-realisation one must approach a genuine spiritual master, just as one learns the essence of any subject from a perfected practitioner.

Devotees may accept formal initiation into the chanting of the Holy Name vowing to abstain from intoxication, gambling, illicit sexual connections and the eating of meat, fish or eggs. ISKCON members believe indulgence in the aforementioned activities disrupts physical, mental and spiritual well-being, and increases anxiety and conflict in society. At the time of initiation devotees also agree to chant a prescribed number of mantras each day.

Krishna consciousness is more than another sectarian faith. It is a technical science of spiritual values that is fully described in the Vedic literature of ancient India. The aim of the Krishna consciousness movement is to acquaint all people of the world with these universal principles of God-realization so that they may derive the highest benefits of spiritual understanding, unity, and peace.

The Vedas recommend that in the present age the most effective means for achieving self-realization is to always hear about, glorify, and remember the all-good Supreme Lord, who is known by many names. One of the names is "Krishna," which means "He, who is all attractive," another is "Rama"' which means " He who is reservoir of all pleasure," and "Hare," indicates the Lord's inconceivable energy.

Following the Vedic recommendation, the members of ISKCON are always seen chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna , Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. This sublime chanting puts us directly in touch with the Supreme Lord through the sound vibration of His holy names and gradually awakens us to our original relationship with God.

ISKCON's primary mission is thus to encourage all members of human society to devote at least a portion of their time and energies in this process of hearing and chanting about Krishna. In this way they will gradually come to realize that all living beings are spirit souls, eternally related to the Supreme Lord in service and in love. Srila Prabhupada gave a clear mission statement for ISKCON, which is outlined in the following seven points.

1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna (God), as it is revealed in the great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).
4. To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
5. To erect for the members and for society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Krishna.
6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life.
7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. It belongs to the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, a devotional tradition based on the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

The precepts and practices of ISKCON were taught and codified by the 15th century saint and religious reformer Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his principle associates, the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana.

Sri Caitanya, whom devotees revere as a direct incarnation of Krishna, gave a powerful impetus for a massive bhakti (devotional) movement throughout India. Under his direction hundreds of volumes on the philosophy of Krishna consciousness were compiled. Many devotees have followed in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu including, in the 19th century, an outstanding Vaisnava theologian, Bhaktivinoda Thakura who brought Krishna consciousness to a modern audience.

Bhaktivinoda's son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami, became the guru of Srila Prabhupada and instructed him to spread Krishna consciousness in the West.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness draws its legitimacy from its place in a long succession of spiritual teachers and disciples (parampara). There are four major disciplic successions (sampradayas), ISKCON belongs to the Brahma Sampradaya, founded by Lord Krishna Himself.

There are many branches to this sampradaya. Our society belongs to the branch founded by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the 16th century.

The principle is that Vaisnava teachings should be passed on, unchanged, from guru to disciple. The most prominent devotees in this lineage are accepted as acaryas: those who teach by example, who carry the line forward. Listed below are the acaryas s, starting from Lord Krishna Himself all the way down to the Founder Acharya of ISKCON Srila Prabhupada:

1) Krsna, 2) Brahma, 3) Narada; 4) Vyasa, 5) Madhva, 6) Padmanabha, 7) Nrhari, 8) Madhava, 9) Aksobhya, 10) Jaya Tirtha, 11) Jnanasindhu, 12) Dayanidhi, 13) Vidyanidhi, 14) Rajendra, 15) Jayadharma, 16) Purusottama, 17) Brahmanya Tirtha, 18) Vyasa Tirtha, 19) Laksmipati, 20) Madhavendra Puri, 21) Isvara Puri, (Nityananda, Advaita), 22) Lord Caitanya, 23) Rupa, (Svarupa, Sanatana), 24) Raghunatha, Jiva, 25) Krsnadasa, 26) Narottama, 27) Visvanatha, 28) (Baladeva) Jagannatha, 29) Bhaktivinoda, 30) Gaurakisora, 31) Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, 32)His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known in the West as the Hare Krishna Movement comes in a tradition that traces all the way back to Lord Krishna Himself. ISKCON was founded in New York in 1966 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), referred to as Srila Prabhupada. His spiritual teacher, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, asked him to teach Bhakti to the English-speaking world.

• At 69 years old, Srila Prabhupada arrived in Boston in 1965. By 1966 he was living in New York City and had developed a following.
• From 1966 to 1968, temples were established in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The first Ratha-yatra outside of India was held in San Francisco and began an annual ISKCON tradition in more than 20 major cities around the world.
• From 1971 to 1973, temples opened in Europe, Canada, South America, Mexico, London, Africa, and India.
• In 1970, the Governing Body Commission, ISKCON?? international managerial body, was established to oversee the Society, which had grown to close to one hundred temples, schools, restaurants, and farm communities.
• From 1970 to 1977, ISKCON built major centers at the pilgrimage sites of Mayapur and Vrindavana, India, and a large temple in Bombay.
• In 1972, Srila Prabhupada founded the publishing house Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), now the world?? largest publisher of books on Bhakti yoga. Krishna.com is sponsored and maintained by the BBT.
• In 1973, the Bhaktivedanta Institute was formed to write books and magazines and to hold conferences to present the teachings of the Vedas in scientific terms.
• From 1974 to the present, ISKCON Food for Life has run food relief programs in dozens of cities around the world.
• In November 1977, Srila Prabhupada passed from this world. ISKCON had 108 temples and more than 10,000 followers.
• In 1989, the Hare Krishna movement come out from underground in the Soviet Union, as glasnost brought an end to persecution.
• By 1991, more than one million copies of Srila Prabhupada?? Bhagavad-gita As It Is had been sold in the former Soviet Union.
• In the early 1990??, Krishna.com is launched, as well as ISKCON.com and other Hare Krishna websites.

Today, ISKCON has about 400 centers around the world, with a worldwide congregation in the tens of thousands, from all walks of life.