Dear Devoteees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin on February
9, 2017. Following the ISKCON GBC Society's Rules of Order, the GBC
Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by TWO GBC members, to be
submitted by December 31, 2016. This will allow adequate time for the GBC
Deputies to prepare the proposals for presentation at the meeting.
Please follow the new format for GBC Proposals, attached as a fillable PDF.
Plain text submissions are also acceptable (details at the end of this
email).
Once ready, kindly email your proposals to proposals@pamho.net.
You can also submit any queries to this address.
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
Ananda Tirtha Das
(GBC Corresponding Secretary)
____________________________________________________________________________
GBC Proposal Application (below and attached as fillable PDF)
GBC Proposals are serious submissions. Please give appropriate time and
consideration to your proposal.
Every proposal will be reviewed by the GBC Deputies for suitability, content
and compliance to ISKCON Law before presentation to the International GBC
Body.
• GBC Proposals should be international in scope, realistic, relevant and
achievable.
• GBC Proposals must be written clearly and concisely.
• The three required steps listed below must be completed.
Proposals that do not meet these criteria or that are incomplete will be
returned to the proposer with an explanation.
Proposals must be submitted before December 31st to be considered.
Submit proposals by email to: proposals@pamho.net
____________________________________________________________________________
GBC Proposal Application:
Proposer Contact Information:
Name:
Country of residence:
Local ISKCON temple or centre:
E mail:
Phone:
Date Proposal Submitted:
The below three required steps must be completed before submitting a GBC
Proposal:
Step 1: Does this proposal fall under the mandate of any GBC Ministries or
Committees? See website for list and contacts: http://gbc.iskcon.org. (For
example if your proposal has anything to do with Deity Worship you must
contact the Deity Worship Minister. )
• If yes, you must discuss your proposal with the appropriate Minister or
Chairperson or their designated representative.
The Minister or Chairperson or designate must confirm that they have had
this discussion with you.
Name of Minister or Chairperson:
Ministry or Committee:
Date of discussion:
Step 2: Two GBC Members must sponsor your GBC Proposal Application:
Name: Date:
Name: Date:
Step 3: Please complete all 4 sections of the Proposal Application.
1) PROPOSAL TITLE:
2) BRIEF SUMMARY OF YOUR PROPOSAL: (300 words or less)
3) FORMAL PRESENTATION: Distinct, clear statements beginning with “Whereas”.
Give a detailed explanation of your proposal, how it will benefit ISKCON,
long and short term consequences, challenges of implementation,
international relevance etc.
4) FURTHER INFORMATION: If this proposal becomes a GBC Resolution will it
require funding, manpower, and infrastructure, or technical support like
website or graphic work? Please explain.
Thank you for your valuable service to Srila Prabhupada.
ISKCON Desire Tree's Posts (20222)
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On November 7th, US Ambassador to India, Mr. Richard Verma, visited Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi temple in Delhi.
Mr. Verma has previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State, Member of the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board and a member of the Commission on the prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism.
After offering pushpanjali to Srila Prabhupada and an arati to Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Partha-sarati, he was taken on a guided tour of the museum by Gopal Krishna Goswami.
The Ambassador was very keen on knowing the full story of Srila Prabhupada and how he established ISKCON. He appreciated the work of ISKCON and the Food For Life program while recalling his visit to New Vrindavan in the early 80's.
During the friendly and informal conversation Gopal Krishna Goswami briefed the Ambassador on ISKCON's history, its activities and stressed the need for people to genuinely become God-conscious. As a token of appreciation he presented the Ambassador with a Bhagavad Gita and a Krishna Art Book for his family.
The Ambassador later participated in distributing prasadam to children, which he seemed to like very much.
Source:http://iskconnews.org/us-ambassador-visits-delhi-temple-distributes-prasada-to-children,5915/
An Infallible Justice!
Chaitanya Caran das: Why me! What did I do to deserve this?“ The outraged cry that comes from a person who feels he has been unfairly singled out for suffering by cruel providence.
"Why do bad things happen to good people?” The perplexing question that haunts the minds of many when they see pious people victimized by painful reverses in life.
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
“The problem of evil” has been the bane of Western theologians and thinkers for centuries together. In simple terms, the problem is: Why does evil exist in the world despite the presence of an almighty God?
The Vedic scriptures give a clear understanding of the problem of evil. They explain that evil is not God’s creation; evil comes upon us due to our own bad karma. When we succumb to our lower nature, we exploit the resources of mother nature in an unlawful way and / or cause suffering to other living beings just for the fulfillment of our base desires. By such actions, we fix up appointments with suffering in the future. (And all living beings share a remarkable memory quirk - they forget their own wrongdoings very quickly) So when our due suffering reaches us, we have conveniently forgotten the wrongs that we did in the past. And so the indignant outburst, “Why me?”
KARMA - NOT-SO-UNFAMILIAR
John walks into his house and sees an ugly burn scar on the right hand of his father. Shocked, he cries out, “Father, what happened?”
Mr. Adams calls his family physician early morning, “Doctor I am having a sever stomach upset.” The doctor promptly asks, “What did you have for dinner last night?”
Mr. Dull is having respiratory problems. After examining him, the doctor asks him, “At what age did you start smoking?”
These are simple, everyday incidents, but all of them involve implicit acceptance of the concept of karma. On seeing a particular effect, the person involved desires to know its cause. This is what the law of karma actually is: to every action there is a reaction. (Newton’s third law, which deals with only the gross physical level, is a subset of this general law of karma) Thus karma is not a sentimental religious concept; its implicit acceptance forms the basis of practically everything done by everyone from every walk of life. Just try to imagine life without any cause-effect relationship! Chaos would reign supreme.
THE MYSTERY OF THE WORLD
Karma is a simple, logical and satisfactory explanation for suffering, but the problem is observations of the world around don’t seem to confirm it. Corrupt politicians amass fortunes without being punished; criminal rogues live in style as underworld dons; shady businessmen, who earn millions illegally, are considered the success stories of the times. On the other hand, the upright crusaders of truth are sidelined; the innocent is punished and the honest languish in poverty. The question then begs itself: where is justice?
The renowned thinker Harold W Percival answers this question in his book Thinking and Destiny, “Law and justice do prevail in human affairs. But effect does not always immediately follow cause. Sowing is not immediately followed by harvesting. The results of an act or a thought may not appear until after a long, intervening period. The mystery of the world is created by the separation of cause and effect.”
REINCARNATION - THE BASIS OF AN INFALLIBLE JUSTICE
Reincarnation forms an integral part of the explanation of the Vedic scriptures for the seeming contradictions in karma. They assert the eternality of our existence; our life doesn’t begin with birth or end with death. Each one of us is an irreducible, infinitesimal particle of anti-matter - spirit. It is this spark which animates the material body that we currently reside in. The body is merely an external covering like a dress. And just as we give up old and worn out clothes and accept new ones, the soul similarly gives up old and worn out bodies and accepts new ones at the time of death. This is what we call reincarnation.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the greatest thinkers of USA, states in his journals, “The soul comes from without into the human body as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew.. it passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal.”
The soul is the active principle in the body. He is the doer of all actions - good and bad and thus it is he who has to reap the fruits of his actions, either in the same life or in a subsequent life. So we can understand that an apparently pious person who is suffering greatly is reaping the effects of impious activities performed in this or previous lives. Conversely an impious person may enjoy temporary prosperity now due to his past pious credits. Of course, irrespective of their present condition, the nature of their present activities is certainly going to have its effect - the pious will reap benefits and the impious will suffer, in due course of time.
An analogy will make the workings of the law of karma clear.
In villages, foodgrains are often stored in huge vertical containers; fresh grains are poured in from the top and old stored grains are taken out from the top. A farmer may have produced poor quality grains of say brand Z for the past 4 years and stocked them in his container. This year he produces high quality grains of say brand A and stores them from the top. Yet he finds to his exasperation that from the bottom grains of brand Z come out. This is how “bad things happen to good people”.
Thus the principles of reincarnation allow us to view life with a much broader perspective - not from the standpoint of one brief lifetime which is nothing more than a flash in time, but from the standpoint of eternity. With this broader vision, we can understand how each individual soul is alone responsible for his own karma. Understanding of this universal and infallible system of justice is the basis of lasting peace and real happiness.
The famous author W Somerset Maugham remarks in The Razor’s Edge, “Has it occurred to you that transmigration is at once an explanation and a justification of the evil of the world? If the evils we suffer are the result of sins committed in our past lives, we can bear them with resignation and hope that if in this one we strive towards virtue our future lives will be less afflicted.”
WHY ARE THE IGNORANT NOT EXCUSED?
In the court of divine justice, a human being cannot claim innocence on the grounds of ignorance. The laws of nature are impartial and inescapable. Fire is going to burn anyone who puts his hand into it, even if he be an ignorant child. If a villager travels in a first class compartment of a local train with a second class ticket, his fine will not be waived on the grounds of ignorance. If he is using the services provided by the railways, it is his duty to be aware the rules that govern those services; the onus lies on him, not on the railways.
Once a traveler going through a forest saw a light a short distance away. When he reached there, he found to his surprise that it was a magnificent palace. As no one seemed to be around he ventured inside. He found himself in an elegant hall with furniture, cushions, fans, and several other luxuries. He also saw a dining table full of a large number of delicacies. Seeing no one around he started eating it all, relaxing on the sofa under the fan and having a good time.
One doesn’t have to be an expert moralist to figure out that the traveler was not doing the right thing. Although all the facilities were there, he had not arranged for them; they were not his. So he had no right to enjoy them. Although the owner might not be immediately visible, it is his (the traveler’s duty) to find out about the owner and act according to whatever rules the owner might have formulated for visitors. Else the owner has every right to punish a trespasser.
Similarly we are living in the world which is exactly like the palace; all our needs - air water, heat, light etc are provided for. So before availing of these gifts it is the duty of every human being to inquire about the Maker, the Owner of the world - God and the rules according to which He expects the inhabitants of the world to operate. Action without such basic common sense is simply inviting trouble.
It is like going in a private company and doing whatever one feels like - sitting on the PL’s chair, using the Director’s personal computer or barging into the CEO’s cabin. Ignorance will hardly be entertained as an excuse for such behavior.
Similarly a human being who presumptuously exploits everything around him and harms others for his own selfish interests will certainly not be protected from the law of karma by the subterfuge of ignorance.
GOOD WITHOUT GOD?
“I of course believe in karma. But I don’t bother myself with doubtful sectarian religious concepts like God. I just believe in being good and doing good to others; living honestly and not harming others.” How often have we heard this modern goodie-goodie philosophy? Lets see an analogy to understand what it actually boils down to.
Once a gang of thieves robbed a bank and fled to the forest. In the forest, the leader of the thieves turned to the others and spoke with utmost gravity, “We should all be honest principled gentlemen. So let us not try to cheat each other, but share this money equally among ourselves!”
Does this “honesty among thieves” carry any value? For the law they are all dishonest bank robbers; their mutual honesty has no legal standing whatsoever.
Similarly we have not created even one of the things in the world we reside in, not even the bodies we live in. All the things that we absolutely need for our survival - the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, the solar heat and light that sustain us - are created by Mother Nature, who acts under the direction of our Father God. The Ishopanishad, one of the most important Vedic texts, therefore asserts (mantra 1), “Everything animate and inanimate within the universe is owned and controlled by the Supreme Lord.”
So when we neglect God, claim His property as our own and decide to be “good” among ourselves without even acknowledging God, how are we better than “the honest thieves”? In the eyes of the cosmic government, we are thieves and will be penalized by the inexorable law of karma.
Thus goodness without God will not save us from the clutches of karmic reactions. It is important to understand the definition of sin in this connection. Sin is generally though to be any activity that harms others. But from the absolute standpoint, sin is the willful disobedience of the laws of God by disregarding His supreme proprietorship of everything. So even goodness without God is sinful
GO BEYOND KARMA
In order to get rid of suffering once and for all, we have to stop doing bad karma. And all karma which is not connected to God is bad karma - the difference is just a matter of degree.
The Bhagavad-Gita explains that the art of work is to “see action in inaction and inaction in action”. We cannot become karma-free by giving up karma (activity) because we cannot give up all activity. Firstly we cannot stop doing activity forever; it is against our very nature as dynamic spiritual beings. And secondly even while being supposedly inactive, we are killing so many microbes just by our breathing, bodily movements, digestion etc. So inaction cannot free us from karma. This is what it means “to see action in inaction”.
On the other hand when we are not in gross ignorance, we can understand that “Everything belongs to God, everything acts according to His laws, I depend completely on Him for my very existence and I am completely under the control of His laws.” With such preliminary knowledge, we can begin to spiritualize our work - by working for God. Then karma cannot touch us. For example, a soldier may kill hundreds of enemy soldiers on the battlefield, but the law will not touch him because he is working for the government. Far from being punished he will be given an award of bravery. Similarly when we work for God, the divine government, far from giving us karmic reactions, will award and glorify us.
The spiritualization of our work is the subject matter of spiritual education - real education. Spiritual education is simple for the simple and complicated for the complicated. But suffice it to say that for all classes of people it begins with the association of genuine spiritual scientists, who have themselves become accomplished in this science and art. In the pathetic absence of spiritual education in the present social setup, The Spiritual Scientist is a humble attempt to provide this invaluable knowledge to all genuine seekers of truth.
The death of my father and the most unprecedented Mercy of Lord Nityānanda – my story and realizations.
Gaur Kṛṣṇa Dāsī: In this lifetime, I have never met with death face to face. Finally that opportunity came to me recently, when my father got really ill and weak and finally left his body in our hands. As an aspiring devotee (who is trying to become a devotee of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa) and after much deliberation upon the recent events, I want to share my story in case of my father’s death with hope to inspire other devotees to consciously try to save their parents and relatives no matter what their current positions is. By the way, it is said in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.21.46 that the duty of the son (putra) is to deliver his father from hellish life if he falls into it.
My now deceased father had heart attack some 3-4 months ago. During the attack, in his critical state when he lost consciousness and we thought he was leaving his body, I chanted around him: “Nitāi Nitāi Nitāi…” In the meantime, emergency came, took him to hospital and somehow brought him back to life and consciousness but only to a degree, because after that he sometimes didn’t recognize us and was speaking much nonsense. Moreover, when he returned from hospital, he was unable to even sit on bed, what to speak of getting up or walking. He became completely dependent on others.
Since my brother worked, my mother is also old and in need of help, all care for father became my duty. I tried to avoid it as much as I could, but finally after much resistance I realized there was no escape; for some reason he was in my hands, and I had to take full care of him and sacrifice a lot of my time ecslusivelly for him. Of course, the bothering thing about him was that he was like a tyrant his whole life: he literally terrorized both me and whole family, and actually everyone he came in contact with! So my father and me never had any relationship at all: he could not normally talk with anyone without getting into bitter quarrel, threatening or any other violent behaviour. Therefore I was constantly afraid of him and his violence so I definitely wanted to avoid any closer interaction with him. However, it looks like Lord Nitāi literally forced me into all this, since there was no desire on my part to participate neither in helping his almost dead body or saving his soul from gliding directly into hell or lower animal species.
During those 2 months that I had to take care of him, I was forced to serve him in some very humiliating ways. I wondered what kind of good karma or sukṛti did he have and what kind of bad karma and lack of sukṛti do I have to have to do all this for a person who was terrorizing me in every way my whole life. But somehow i accepted my current low and humble position and was able to move forward forgetting about his past and myself. I took it as my duty and tried to do it the best I could, even to the point of total exhaustion.
During those two months, I gave him prasādam whenever I could, and chanted around him whenever I remembered the Name. It was very hard to remember the Holy Name around a person who was a practical atheist and who was radiating with all negative and contaminatng energy you can imagine. It was reflected in my sādhana as well: I struggled for my sādhana like crazy; it was so distracted throughout the day, all was done in a state of great distress from running here and there and being always alert to help his almost dead body and obscured mind in any way possible. Also, the question “Will he contaminate me - or - will I purify him” was also present. It turned out that none of the above was the case but simply the sweet will of the Lord manifested.
I remember once he was very upset and angry and didn’t want to calm down. I didn’t know what to do and was freaking out. Then I started shouting very loudly in his room: “Nityānanda! Nityānanda! Nityānanda!”- many times, so that even neighbours could have heard it very clearly (actually several building blocks, LOL!). After a while both he and my mother became peaceful and gave up their nervousness. Incredible!
Note: my family is against my ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa religion’ so I don’t mention the name Kṛṣṇa because they go nuts! But still I have many other Holy Names at my disposition, haha!
Also while I was escorting him to hospital on different examinations, I was mentally chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra all the time. The last time we were in hospital was on Rādhāṣṭamī. We spent 7 hours in the hospital that day! I was chanting by him almost all the time. It was 5 days before he left his body. He was very weak and I was on a verge of total exhaustion.
Also, just to mention it here: few years ago, I gave up all merits that I got from my observing of Ekādaśī - and offered it on my father’s behalf. I was inspired to do this for all members of my family and many others (one by one, of course). I don’t say this to show off, but to inspire other devotees to do the same because it really works!
So then came the day of his departure. It was Sunday, the auspicious day of appearance of our beloved Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and also an auspicious day of Śrī Ananta Caturdaśī. Now I want to say that even on his last day, he was cursing and calling us ill names (us-family members). Actually he was a person just like Jagāi & Madai, there was no sin he didn’t commit. Without going into details of his past sins, there are actually 2 reasons why his sins should be known, at least general ones: 1) to point out at the unprecedented mercy of Lord Nityānanda who erases all sins whatsoever even for a person who never showed any desire or interest for spiritual life and who actually persecuted religious or spiritual people, 2) to show the proof of my sinful past lives because in this life I was forced into association of such a sinful person for such a long time and couldn’t escape this torture.
So on the day he had to leave his body, he was extremely angry and defiant. Again I had to find a way to calm him down and make him eat something and take his medicines. Later on, I was inspired to offer an incense stick to Lord Gaurāṅga and was chanting in front of Lord Gaurāṅga’s picture. I usually chant in front of Nitai-Gaur Nam writing visualisation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIBgp1c-4S0
So I went into my father’s room with incense stick while silently chanting Tulasī devī mantras and he inhaled the fragrance through his nose; I could hear how he smelled it even though he was in half-sleep state. Then he opened eyes and saw me there with stick and looked at me. I asked him: “Does it smell nice?” He said: “Yes.” This calmed him down completely. He left his body on our hands in the afternoon that Sunday while he was breathing heavily his last breaths (due to insufficient lungs function and very weak heart). Again I was chanting “Nitāi Nitāi Nitāi”… Just Nitāi! I knew that only Nitāi will have mercy for such a fallen soul and I knew He would certainly save him from his bad destiny in the future. Of course, the privilege of chanting during leaving body often even devotees can’t afford many times, so I wondered why in a world this sinful man has this great privilege?!?
At his funeral ceremony I chanted “Nitāi Nitāi Nitāi” again, and when the procession on the way to the cemetery started, I was inspired to take a candle lamp and walk right behind his corpse in a coffin, thus being at the head of the funeral procession. There were approximately 80 souls in the procession. While we were walking slowly, I chanted (mentally/silently) “Nityānanda Nityānanda Nityānanda”… I also chanted “Gaurāṅga” and “Hare Kṛṣṇa” mantra. At one moment, while chanting “Nityānanda” I felt spiritual ecstacy and wanted to throw away my lamp and umbrella (it was raining slowly) and wanted to loudly chant and dance in ecstacy! Can you imagine?!? O Lord!!! But I sobered up quickly and continued to act 'normally’ ie. according to time & circumstances. This was the most impressive moment for me. Some other people who were in procession, told me they felt something special in that procession. They thought it was very touching to see me walking first in a procession (as a youngest child of my late father) but they actually felt something else on a subtle level, because this funeral procession turned into a subtle kīrtan procession!
I can’t tell you how endlessly happy I was for everything that Lord Nitāi arranged through my father’s illness and death even against my will and against my desire to do something for his poor soul. To be completely honest, I actually wanted that my father suffer in hell for a while for all disgusting sins he committed in his life. I thought it was just! Just see how cruel and merciless I am! But alas! All this was actually for me! It was me who had to see who Nitāi really is!!! It is me who should become humble, merciful and compassionate like Lord Nitāi when seeing Him being forgiving and merciful to the most sinful souls!
Now the most interesting part: the same day I informed my Vedic Jyotish śāstrī friend, about the day and time of death of my late father. She informed me that he attained mercy of Lord Balarāma, that all his sins and offenses are pardoned, and that he attained heavenly planets!!!!! She also was surprised with what she saw in his death chart (puṇya chakra-chart of merits). I thought she made some mistake in calculations, because it was impossible for a person such as my late father to attain such a reward after living the most abominable sinful life until the day he left his body! She wrote me back and assured me that it is truth.
Note: Previously while he was still alive, she also advised me to chant around him and serve him till he leaves his body, because for some reason he became dependent on me, so I should use a chance and try to save him somehow. She also advised me to keep on chanting and fasting on Ekādaśī for his further promotion after death.
But still I couldn’t believe her, so I took time to personally study the basics for interpretation of death chart (puṇya chakra). And lo and behold, the puṇya chakra of my father looks like a puṇya chakra of a pious saint person who is now forced to enjoy results of 'his’ pious deeds in the heavenly planets!!!!
Mind-blowing! I still can’t come to my senses and hardly believe all these things. However, before he left his body, I asked Lord Nitāi to show me some sign about the destiny of my father after he departs from this planet. And He did! First through his puṇya chakra, then the day after his funeral there was a rainbow at the cemetery.
In any case, I don’t think this is just an 'ordinary case’ but very extraordinary. In a way, the justice that is being held by law of karma is broken in his case. How can one be rewarded with life in heaven and take a body of deva with predominant sattva-guṇa, after he spent his whole life deeply in tamo and rajo-guṇa until his very last breath? But his anger is shown in his puṇya chakra anyway – his Mars is there in his 12th house which among other things signifies the state of mind (what he/she was thinkig of) during person’s last breath. If he was not angry, he could have even become liberated because he has some positons for that and the merciful aspect of Jupiter on his 12th house. Jupiter signifies mercy of God and His will/desire to show mercy to someone.
Note: I’ve seen many puṇya chakras so far, and this 'merciful glance of God’ or auspicious placement of Jupiter in puṇya chakra could not found in many charts of those who were held saints or great benefactors during their life – and vice versa. :) So through all this I learned to withold any judgemental attitude toward anyone because I have no idea what is actually in another person and what kind of plan Kṛṣṇa has with that person. It is said: if God decides to forgive the most sinful person, who are we to recall his/her sins after they are pardoned by God?
So now, my late father must enjoy in heavenly planets for some time and depending on what direction he takes there, he may come back to Earth again. As per myself, I don’t care where in a material world he must incarnate again: if he doesn’t become a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, all is in vain.
What to say?… I still can hardly believe what I wrote here as a sort of testimony, but it seems to be true no matter how crazy I sound even to myself because I am a rational person who wants to understand everything and I want proofs for everything before I accept something as a fact. I pray that Lord Nitāi purifies my faith and confidence in Him because He proved His power and mercy many times already and I am still faithless. In this regard, I refuse to take any credit for my father’s auspicius death or to be called 'putra’ – the one who saves father from hellish life, because I am unqulified to do that or anything good. Also it must be known that the chart at the time of death is not a reflection of just the last moment; it is being formed through long time, or actually whole life. We know nothing about life of other people or will of God. It was simply the will of the Lord to deliver my father for reasons known only to Him and therefore He used me to accomplish His plan through chanting His Holy Names, taking some prasādam, inhaling some incense, or offering the results of Ekādaśī on his behalf. All glories to the most merciful Lord Nityānanda Rāma! Nitāi Gaur Haribol!
Death is the final exam of our whole life and the final test of our devotion. For example, from this experience I realized how death comes quickly and surprisingly and when death approaches, it is a very confusing moment, you cannot function properly mentally or in any way. In my case, even though I was sober and could clearly see death was approaching my father, because his breathing was decreasing through 1-2 minutes before he actually stopped breathing, but still I couldn’t chant all the time. I chanted, then stopped… like remembering, forgetting… My mind was struggling between rememberance and forgetfullness. Plus, as I already mentioned, it is very hard to remember Kṛṣṇa in a non-devotee atmosphere, and vice versa. And interestingly, I can’t recall if I chanted at the very last breath of his, even though I was fully aware that death was there and he was certainly leaving that time. I can’t remember, actually I don’t think I chanted at that particular moment. Maybe that’s because he was not allowed to go to spiritual world just like that - without becoming a conscious and pure devotee of the Lord. But nevertheless, he amassed enough sukṛti and got enough of purification for attaining better and brighter future; he actually got the most he could get from the mercy of the Lord.
I was reflecting upon this and remembered some statements from śāstra that from Paramātmā comes both rememberance and forgetfullness (which means that no mistake can be made by Paramātmā), and that it is actually very hard to remember the Holy Name at your last breath due to many aggravating factors. It is also said that unless one is 100% pure, they won’t remember Kṛṣṇa at that crucial point. In other words, unless we chant all the time, and unless we remember Kṛṣṇa & His Name (one & the same) all the time, it is very hard to remember Him at the moment of death when we suffer in body and when our mind is confused and obscured. Yes, of course, there is no rule for independent causeless Mercy of the Lord and we all count on that anyway, and we SHOULD count on it because if we don’t beg for Mercy, how can it be given to us? Only a humble and sincere soul, aware of his fallen status can beg for the Mercy of the Lord. And this Mercy is readily invoked and given by our dearmost Lord Nityānanda, the saviour and unconditional purifier of poor souls fallen in this material pool of endless suffering.
Is today the end or beginning of Kartika?
Today is the last day of Kartika. Different devotees would have had different experiences and realizations in this Kartika. But for some fortunate devotees it will be the beginning of a full year of Kartika! Yes, it is indeed very rare and only some fortunate souls receive the mercy and inspiration to observe it properly for one full year (or a life time).
In one of the verses in Stavamala, Srila Rupa Gosvami, describes Srimati Radharani as Kartiki-devi. She is the presiding deity of this month. In Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, he describes Kartika Vrata as the Urja vrata. Urja means power, strength and empowerment. Who is the source of this urja, power and spiritual strength? Urjesvari, Srimati Radharani. So this is the month we can receive spiritual strength, empowerment to increase our qualification for service and power to make rapid progress in bhakti. So most devotees observe Kartik vrata to somehow please Srimati Radharani.
Does this mercy departs on the last day of Kartika?
Let us hear what Srila Prabhupada has to say on it:
You have asked about the specialness of the month of Karttika, and the answer is that it is a special inducement for persons who are not in Krsna consciousness to perform some devotional service. For persons who are doing nothing in Krsna consciousness, it is an indirect inducement to take to devotional service in earnest seriousness, every moment is Karttika. In this connection, there is a good example that sometimes a store gives a special concession to attract new customers. But for those who are already customers there is no need of a special sale. They will purchase at any cost if they know the important value of the goods. Similarly, those who are pure devotees do not aspire for any concession, and out of spontaneous love try to engage themselves in devotional service twenty-four hours each day, three hundred and sixty five days every year, without any stoppage.”
(SPL to HH Jayapataka Swami, 30th January, 1969)
For pure devotees every day of the year is Kartika. But what about us? Those who are yet to develop, and bestowed upon, a spontaneous love for Radhe Shyam. What if we did not/ could not keep any vow this Kartika or what if we feel disheartened because somehow we failed to keep our vows. Not everything is lost for us. We still have a ray of hope and a very bright ray, mercy of Srimati Radharani. It would not end on the last day of Kartika, provided we take some last minute action, today.
We are aware that mercy of Srimati Radharani is readily available in Kartika. Today being the last day, we can take a vow to improve upon any of the areas where we are spiritually weak and/or continue to keep what we started in Kartika. We should earnestly pray to Srimati Radharani to please help us in that area and we take a vow to continue our vow till the beginning of next Kartika. So that it finally becomes part of my daily service. We will show our sincerity and seriousness by trying to keep that vow for Her pleasure, not to collect some pious credits or flaunt some numbers. This will please Her. This would be a proper cultivation and utilisation of Kartika. We are not looking at Kartika as some quick fix solution. Our goal should be to cultivate bhakti, spontaneous love for Radhe Shyam.
I repeat what I quoted few weeks back that the temple will be packed all through the Kartika but it is practically empty a day after Kartika, that should not be the condition of our heart. Whatever mercy we received this month should propel us ahead in bhakti. Not that Kartika is gone and we are back to the same old routine, not the best of the attitude to please Srimati Radharani.
Also at our stage it is best to keep austerities away and take vows which are based on direct limbs of bhakti.
sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam (SB 7.5.23)
Some suggestions I am thinking for myself:
Endeavoring to carefully hear the Holy Name during my japa.
Daily read one chapter of Bhagavad Gita (takes 10-12 minutes)
Daily read Srimad Bhagavatam (HG Vasisesika Prabhu recently shared that it takes reading just 41 pages daily to complete Srimad Bhagavatam in one year! I could not believe it.)
Daily offer lamp to Tulasi Devi
Daily read the translation of Tulasi Arti after singing it.
Daily read the translation of any of the mantras ( pranam mantras, prasadam prayer, …)
Start daily Guru Puja at home
The list is endless and we can pick wherever we think we need improvement: our hearing, reading, improving relationship with Holy Name/ devotees/ guru.
Let us pray to the lotus feet of Radha Shyamsundar, beg Srimati Radharani and take our vow to continue what we started in Kartika, or start afresh today with a new vow, to please Her lotus feet. Today is the last day of Kartika to show Srimati Radharani that we indeed have some desire to please Her and are willing to walk the talk.
Radharani’s mercy doesn’t end on the last day of Kartika. It’s ongoing!Let us aspire for it.
All glories to Kartika month.
All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Your servant,
Giriraj dasa
Dear Devoteees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
The Annual General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society will begin on February 9, 2017. Following the ISKCON GBC Society’s Rules of Order, the GBC Secretariat requests proposals, duly sponsored by TWO GBC members, to be submitted by December 31, 2016. This will allow adequate time for the GBC Deputies to prepare the proposals for presentation at the meeting.
Please follow the new format for GBC Proposals, attached as a fillable PDF. Plain text submissions are also acceptable (details at the end of this email).
Once ready, kindly email your proposals to proposals@pamho.net.
You can also submit any queries to this address.
Hare Krishna.
Your servant,
Ananda Tirtha Das
(GBC Corresponding Secretary)
____________________________________________________________________________
GBC Proposal Application (below and attached as fillable PDF)
GBC Proposals are serious submissions. Please give appropriate time and consideration to your proposal.
Every proposal will be reviewed by the GBC Deputies for suitability, content and compliance to ISKCON Law before presentation to the International GBC Body.
GBC Proposals should be international in scope, realistic, relevant and achievable. GBC Proposals must be written clearly and concisely. The three required steps listed below must be completed.
Proposals that do not meet these criteria or that are incomplete will be returned to the proposer with an explanation.
Proposals must be submitted before December 31st to be considered.
Submit proposals by email to: proposals@pamho.net ____________________________________________________________________________
GBC Proposal Application:
Proposer Contact Information:
Name:
Country of residence:
Local ISKCON temple or centre:
E mail:
Phone:
Date Proposal Submitted:
The below three required steps must be completed before submitting a GBC Proposal:
Step 1: Does this proposal fall under the mandate of any GBC Ministries or Committees? See website for list and contacts: http://gbc.iskcon.org. (For example if your proposal has anything to do with Deity Worship you must contact the Deity Worship Minister. )
If yes, you must discuss your proposal with the appropriate Minister or Chairperson or their designated representative.
The Minister or Chairperson or designate must confirm that they have had this discussion with you.
Name of Minister or Chairperson:
Ministry or Committee:
Date of discussion:
Step 2: Two GBC Members must sponsor your GBC Proposal Application:
Name: Date:
Name: Date:
Step 3: Please complete all 4 sections of the Proposal Application.
1) PROPOSAL TITLE:
2) BRIEF SUMMARY OF YOUR PROPOSAL: (300 words or less)
3) FORMAL PRESENTATION: Distinct, clear statements beginning with “Whereas”. Give a detailed explanation of your proposal, how it will benefit ISKCON, long and short term consequences, challenges of implementation, international relevance etc.
4) FURTHER INFORMATION: If this proposal becomes a GBC Resolution will it require funding, manpower, and infrastructure, or technical support like website or graphic work? Please explain.
Thank you for your valuable service to Srila Prabhupada.
When Krsna walks in Vrindavan as Madhava, carrying his flute tucked in his belt, then the trees which have branches laden with fruits and flowers, are trying to touch Krsna’s feet. The bees are just singing the glories of Krsna. Bhagavatam says that these bees must have been great devotee sages in their last life.
The trees are thinking, ‘We are so unfortunate. It is due to our sinful activities that we have taken birth as trees and therefore we cannot follow Krsna on his pastimes in the forest.’
Of course, Bhagavatam points out that Lord Brahma is praying to become a tree in Vrindavan so how can it be that they have committed sinful activities and offenses rather, these trees are the most fortunate because, after all, one moment of association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one moment of devotional service to the Supreme Lord, is such great fortune!
Even if Krsna walks past these trees only sometimes still they are in the forest of Vrindavan! They may not be able to walk behind him but they can hear him. It is stated in the Mahabharat that trees have eyes and ears. It is said that trees can see and hear. So these trees are hearing and seeing Krsna! Quite auspicious, actually!
Source: https://www.kksblog.com/2016/11/association-of-krsna/
By Guru Prasad Swami
Dear devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Jagajivan Prabhu was the main person instrumental in opening Peru and Chile. He was a pioneer in some of, especially at that time, the most difficult countries in Latin America; extreme poverty and lack of education amongst the population in general. Even to travel around those areas is a great austerity. In the early and mid-seventies, he would travel by Morales Moralitos; buses full of people who bathed maybe once a month or less, packed in with some animals, sometimes hot, sometimes freezing cold in the passes that reach up to 15,000 feet altitude, with broken windows, winding through endless mountain curves. This was the norm for those who preached in those countries at that time.
I first met Jagajivan Prabhu in New York, and then throughout Latin America, although we usually saw each other in passing. He was always jovial, and took the hardships with pleasure. He helped and served in practically every South American country at some point in time.
Such sacrifices to further the sankirtan movement have endeared him to Srila Prabhupada and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who certainly have reserved a special place for him in Krsna seva. Jagajivan Prabhu ki jaya!
Your servant,
Guru Prasad Swami
Take the high road!
Sometimes we find things when we least expect them, and it can remind us of the way to find the “ultimate” good things.
I drove to the garden to get some Tulsi leaves, and saw the exit I usually use blocked. Instead of grumbling and blaming, I decided to get on with it and take the long road around. As I turned the corner I came across a whole garden of blooming tube roses ready for the picking. I jumped out of the car, delighted with my surprise discovery. I would not have found them had I not taken the longer road.
The higher road, the road less travelled, the longer road - all are proven ways to find good things. If we don’t take them we can miss out on a ton of beauty, a treasure of experiences, and opportunities for deep growth and change. The long road is never easy because good things are not cheap.
Arjuna learned this on the battlefield where the Bhagavad-gita was spoken. He wanted an out, an easy way to walk away from the terrifying war. Krishna blocked his path. Take the high road, He urged him. Take the road to ultimate success - whether you win or lose the battle, serve under my direction and you will find good things.
And he did. Besides the extraordinary vision of the universal form (in the Gita’s 11th chapter), he also understood his friend Krishna in a completely different way. The long road didn’t make the battle easier, but all the way Krishna was there to help Him. The long road to Krishna is not about finding peace, it’s about finding our relationship with Him. That pure, spiritual, original relationship of love becomes revealed as we turn corners in our life, especially corners where we have decided to surrender and trust the detour.
Good things are only found when we can step beyond the ordinary course of ‘me’ first. By giving up this attachment to indulgence in and protection of our false worldly ego we find the most surprisingly good thing of all - a sense of who we actually are–a spiritual person. That’s really when life starts to live itself on a whole other level.
When Srila Prabhupada was asked one time what was the goal of the practice of Krishna Consciousness, he answered, “To become a servant of the servant of Krishna”. That’s the long road. When we take some trouble to serve Krishna and Krishna’s devotees, when we think more of others and less about ourselves - that’s the high road.
A genuine spiritual path, if done correctly, is the road less traveled. There is abundant goodness to be found there. Let the obstacles in your life open up splendid detours and then move down them with great joy. There are good things hidden around every corner.
Ananda Vrindavesvari Devi Dasi
This morning I awoke to the news that Donald Trump has been elected as President on the United States of America. For some Americans this is frightening news. Others are rejoicing. I think we can all agree that the world is a dangerous place. This post by Padmapani Prabhu is really quite timely.
Safety in a Dangerous World
by Padmapani das
Ever since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the world has been faced with unprecedented danger and uncertainty. Recent headlines suggest that the threat of terrorism has reached critical proportions. News of another possible attack in the U.S. has been circulating in the press and the rhetoric of war has dominated world politics for quite some time. Once again we are forced to contemplate our fragility and mortality in this material world. Anything can happen now and we know it.
For those of us old enough to remember, these recent events may conjure up memories of the Great Northeast Blackout in 1965. As a resident of Canada, I remember it well. Although quite young at the time, I distinctly recall the sense of fear and vulnerability that arose in my heart. I realized for the first time that our civilization wasn’t as strong and secure as we had been led to believe.
“At 5:27 p.m., November 9, 1965, the entire Northeast area of the United States and large parts of Canada went dark. From Buffalo to the eastern border of New Hampshire and from New York City to Ontario, a massive power outage struck without warning. Trains were stuck between subway stops. People were trapped in elevators. Failed traffic signals stopped traffic dead. And, at the height of the Cold War, many thought Armageddon had arrived. One pilot flying over a darkened New York City stated, ‘I thought it was another Pearl Harbor!’ By 5:40 p.m. that evening, 80,000 square miles of the Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada, were without power, leaving 30 million people in the dark. New York City was particularly hit by this blackout, due to its reliance on electricity for nearly all aspects of city life.” (The Blackout History Project)
At the time, Srila Prabhupada was staying in New York at Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio on Riverside Drive. He had recently arrived from Butler, Pennsylvania where he had been a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Agarwal for a month after arriving in the U.S. from India. Describing the blackout in a letter to Sally Agarwal, Srila Prabhupada wrote the following words:
“Yes there was all darkness in New York on the 10th instant and it was not a happy incident. I learn that many people remained in the elevators and in the subway trains for more than seven to eight hours in darkness. I do not read newspapers but there must have been some mishaps also which we do not know. That is the way of material civilisation too much depending on machine. At any time the whole thing may collapse and therefore we may not be self complacent depending so much on artificial life. The modern life of civilisation depends wholly on electricity and petrol and both of them are artificial for man.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 13, 1965)
More than forty years later, the world is even more dependent on electricity and petrol. The Internet (on which this website is being published) has become the preferred method of communication. We now have satellites orbiting the earth which allow us to communicate across the globe in seconds. Our methods of warfare are now laser-guided and accurate to the Nth degree. Yet are we any safer as a result?
Intelligence reports suggest that the Internet is now being used by terrorists and others of ill intent who communicate freely with each other. In fact, the World Wide Web itself may be attacked and brought down at a moment’s notice. The very fabric and infrastructure of our society could unravel without warning. The situation is perilous. Therefore Srila Prabhupada continually warned us that there is danger at every step in this material world (padam padam yad vipadam), and he urged us to immediately take to Krishna consciousness for the solution to all problems:
“As long as we are in this material world, there must be calamities because this is the place of calamity. But even with calamities our business should be to develop our Krishna consciousness, so that after giving up this body we may go back home, back to Krishna.” (Teachings of Queen Kunti, Chapter 8)
Not only has Srila Prabhupada helped us to identify the source of our miseries in this temporary world (duhkhalayam asasvatam), but he has meticulously provided the means of relief in his voluminous books and instructions. Despite that we are now in the midst of troubled times in a perpetually troubled world, we are still very fortunate to have Srila Prabhupada as our eternal spiritual preceptor. Although he has physically departed from this world, Srila Prabhupada so mercifully continues to guide us. The only qualification is that we hear from him sincerely and faithfully.
“In my books the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything which you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 22, 1974)
In whatever condition of life we may now find ourselves, it is to our eternal benefit to arrange our lives in such a way that we can follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions to the best of our ability. Although we can never fully repay him for the tremendous gift that he has given us all, at the very least we can be loyal to Srila Prabhupada and stick tightly to his lotus feet. After all, there is no safer place to be.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Pd
Text pasted from; Prabhupada Connection
Source:https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/11/09/safety-in-a-dangerous-world/
Question: Can you define lust?
If we serve our own senses, then it is called lust but if we serve the senses of Krsna, then it is called love. So love is about giving and satisfying others and lust is about satisfying ourselves.
So, when we are the centre in every situation… we are the centre of the universe… we are the main person here and everybody must be pleasing to us and if somebody is not pleasing to us causes a disturbance – that is all lust.
But if we are trying to be pleasing to others – if others are more important and we are trying to act in such a way that they will become pleased and happy, then we are free from lust. As soon as we think that others are there to please us then we are LUSTY. And from one level of lust comes intense lust and then we want to enjoy on the bodily platform. Therefore, we have to serve the senses of Krsna and his devotees. Everyone is a devotee of Krsna, only some know it and others do not.
The Devotee Care Committee, has been researching and working on creating awareness about embedding care in our communities, projects and yatras. After years of consultation and the study of the diverse needs of the various sections of the community, the committee had engaged
HG Rasamandala prabhu to work on structured courses to systematically educate care givers and leaders. With his great expertise in curriculum writing and help from other committee members, the Committee has developed two courses and is piloting them to further enhance the quality and practical application of the course.
It was piloted at GEV, Wada in the last week of October and from 2nd to 5th Nov 2016, at ISKCON Tirupati.
We would like to thank ISKCON Tirupati and specially HG Revati Raman Prabhu for hosting the four day Course (DCC 2) for South Indian leaders and managers at Tirupati.
HG Rasamandala prabhu, compiled the course material and expertly conducted the interactive workshop and obtained inputs and feedback on the course from the assembled leaders.
Inspite of the Kartik celebrations and Srila Prabhupada`s Disappearance day festival, several leaders and managers from different parts of South India attended the course and gave their valuable inputs. All their inputs have been recorded and would be appropriately included in the next version of the hand books. We would like to thank the leaders who evinced keen interest in the need for Devotee Care in their communities and took time out to participate. It shows that they really care!
At the end of the course leaders from South India went with renewed energy and commitment that the DCC will be of great help for them to offer care to the various sections of their community, with an equal hope that the leaders would also be cared for by their seniors. Unless the leaders are cared for, they wouldn`t be able to “care for” effectively.
The entire course was well organized by the enthusiastic devotees of ISKCON Sri Radha Govinda Lotus Temple.
The Committee is also working with helping professionals, on more specialised courses to teach the various skills required for care giving.
After being vetted by the GBC these courses would be offered at the institutes at Mayapur, Vrindavan etc.
Those leaders and care givers who missed this opportunity and would like to be informed of the future offering may send an email to <iskcondevoteecare@gmail.com>.
H.G. Jaga Jivana Prabhu was from New York. He joined ISKCON in 1970. Jaga Jivan Prabhu was initiated by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada in 1972. He was a GBC member. Thank you, dear devotees for all your heartfelt prayers, but my husband left his body at 7:30pm today, November 10th, 2016, in Bhaktivedanta hospital while Srila Prabhupada`s kirtan was playing
When Srila Prabhupada was visiting Detroit in 1976, he met with two clergymen. First he asked them if they believed that God is a person. “Yes,” they agreed. Then he asked, “Aren’t we also eternal persons meant to love God?” They agreed again. “And isn’t the only thing separating us from enjoying ecstatic life with God sin?” Once again they agreed. Like a pouncing lion, Srila Prabhupada challenged, “Then why don’t you teach people how to lead a sinless life!” Srila Prabhupada went on to show that meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxicants, and gambling pollute people’s consciousness, and that if the clergymen rose above these things, others would follow their example. Mundane welfare work or political agitation would be simply a waste of time. As they left with flower garlands around their necks, packages of Bengali sweets in their hands, and Bhagavad-gitas under their arms, one of them turned to Srila Prabhupada. “Why, I feel like we’ve become your disciples.” Srila Prabhupada chuckled. After they’d gone he quoted a Sanskrit verse which confirmed that only a gosvami–someone who has gained complete control over his bodily senses–can give real spiritual life to his disciples. And we knew we had a gosvami for our spiritual master.
Badarinarayana Swami, from a 1978 BTG
Suvarna Manjari dasi: This is the response to a question that was asked to Kurma Rupa Prabhu about the sustainablity of Cow Protection. This was published in the May Care for Cows newsletter
By Kurma Rupa Das
If a family keeps a cow and calf and has a few acres of land, a vegetarian diet is easily sustainable. I know a family in Colorado whose cow gives nine gallons of milk a day and she lactates for four to five years. They have enough land for the cow and her offspring to graze on and even with several months of winter they can easily maintain their cow. (see CFC News July 2010).
If you mean to ask will protecting a family cow produce enough income to maintain herself and provide for a family of five people with urban habits, then no, it won’t.
In an agrarian setting cows actually give more than they take.
However, when one tries to produce milk for commercial purposes and requires expensive farming equipment (tractors, bailers, combines, silos etc.) has to pay outrageous prices for veterinary aid, purchase homogenization and pasteurization equipment, conveyances to transport the milk to urban areas and so on, sustainability becomes a problem. In short, what makes cow protection unsustainable today is urbanization and consumerism.
Remove these two from the picture and you have the formula for a peaceful existence.
A large herd is sustainable in an agrarian community with common pasturing grounds and bordering forests, not otherwise.
I have visited village communities in India which still resemble the ancient Vedic model where every household hosts a few cows and a few cowherd men or women take the collective herd out to pasture daily leaving the calves behind. At the end of each day there is a celebration when the cows return with their stomachs full and many with udders full as well. The only investment is the time it takes for a few people to accompany the cows in their daily wanderings.
The cows are milked; the calves are fed; the milk boiled on a cow dung fire; hot milk is served; the remainder left overnight to become yoghurt; which is later churned to make butter; and the nourishing buttermilk is offered to unexpected guests and whoever else. I have never witnessed a more joyous existence. But the villagers I have examined pay their bills by farming, not selling dairy products.
“Excess males and unproductive females” are terms used by commercial dairy farmers that have nothing to do with cow protection but everything to do with cow exploitation. Urbanization and mechanization have rendered bulls unemployed whereas in the Vedic model the bull calves are valued more than the females as there is always ploughing and draught work to be done.
Since their dung and urine have numerous practical uses in agrarian life, and since Vedantists consider tending cows and pleasing them to be an activity which pleases God, real cow protectors always consider cows and bulls productive even when dry, retired or diseased.
We do not encourage commercial dairy farming or any type of attempt to make living from selling cow products. A profit orientation invariably leads to decisions which sell the cow short.
The term “humane culling” is an oxymoron at best or a euphemism at worst. If you are humane, how can you take the life of a creature who has not agreed to give it up?
Why not call it what it is?- – killing to increase profit. People who coin such terms do so to minimize the guilt resulting from acting against their conscience.
Other examples are “terminating the pregnancy” instead of saying “killing the child in the womb”; or “pacifying the enemy” instead of bombing the hell out of them; and so on. When the sinister want to manipulate others to perform horrible and unbeneficial acts which may disturb their conscience, they employ such devices to facilitate the phenomenon of self-deception.
Creation and employment of such devices indicates malignant narcissism.
In an agrarian society cows have a wonderful effect on the ecology. Their dung is known to be the best fertilizer and their hooves and horns have a nourishing effect on the earth.
You may find Rudolf Steiner’s (the founder of biodynamics) work interesting. A Google search will yield much on his work. Since in the Vedic formula, ahimsa is the first principle, I think a vegan diet is better than one including commercial dairy products obtained by violence. But the best and most wholesome diet is one which includes milk obtained from a loving cow who is treated like one’s own mother.
References to cow protection abound in Vedic literatures like Mahabharata, Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavatam and other Puranas which describe an agrarian social structure and lifestyle focused on attaining spiritual rather than material goals. Frankly, I think you will be hard-pressed to find much published research today condoning cow protection since it does not serve the purpose of urbanization which is to make the citizens dependent on exploitative and manipulative oligarchs.
Modern man has lost his roots. Cow protection hasn’t lost importance but because urban man has become so successfully indoctrinated and acclimated to artificial living and consumerism he no longer understands or values the fruits of it.
The real purpose of cow protection is to please the Supreme Lord Krishna. Milk, dung, urine, ghee, yoghurt and draught are the natural by-products and are considered most essential for religious rituals and producing the necessities for a wholesome life. In the Vedic agrarian model milk is not considered the goal of cow protection and a bull calf is celebrated more than a female calf as once trained, he is productive for more years than the dairy cows.
Go-raksha (cow protection) is done properly if one takes it as a religious duty rather than a career opportunity. In the former mindset one attempts to serve cows rather than be served by them; one aspires for spritual gain rather than material gain. This is what makes it work.
One famous verse explains, “One should follow the cows, feed them sufficiently, and circumambulate them. If the cows are happy then Lord Gopala is understood to be satisfied.” (Hari Bhakti Vilas 17.244)
When the Supreme Lord is satisfied with one, He carrys what one has and provides what one lacks. Thus, cow protection, if done properly is completely sustainable from the spiritual viewpoint.
—–
Dear Lovers of Govinda
Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Guru and Gauranga.
After reading the article from Care for cows, by Kurma Rupa Prabhu, Sustainable cow protection, my plea to all devotees is to protect a cow or two.
If you live in a rural area, there is no harm to purchase one or 2 cows and keep them. My husband and I own 2 cows that have not had calves, nor do we milk them, but they are 2 cows that won’t end up being slaughtered.
If every follower of Krsna or even every animal lover owned one or two cows, people will notice and see practical cow protection in action.
More importantly, as devotees of Krsna we actually have to start LIKING cows…and I don’t mean just the random “Jai Gomata!”…We actually have to care about Gomata. Care abouth the fact that most countries are just horrible concentration camps for our Mothers. Either they are cramped up in horrible so called “farming” conditions or they live “peacefully” in lush padocks surrounded by electric fencing! Only to eventually end up being tortured when taken to slaughter.
Prabhupada has stated in His books that without cow protection, human civilization is doomed.
It’s not at all difficult to maintain a cow. If you live in the city, please try to donate a cow to someone or support those who are protecting cows.
All glories to our sacred Mother Cow.
All glories to Guru and Gauranga.
your servant
Suvarna Manjari dasi
Today is Gaura Kishor Das Babaji’s appearance day. In our line of gurus he comes after Bhaktivinode Thakur and before Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. He is a very important person because his life was an example of vairagya, or renunciation.
His life was an example of an authentic detachment from sense gratification and the utmost attraction to spiritual gratification. He lived alone most of the time, often on the bank of the Ganges river in Mayapur. He ate very little, and spent his time chanting the maha-mantra. For clothing he simply picked up discarded items, and for food he begged a little rice which he would soak in Ganges water.
When anyone came to become his disciple he would refuse. When they came to ask him questions he would reply that everything could be found in the songbook of Narottama das Thakur. When they came to him and asked for ‘secret mantras’ he said that everything would be revealed by the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, which in itself was the highest of all mantras.
When they weren’t trying to become his disciples, some of them would try to imitate him. One time a man camped just down the riverbank from him, dressing like him and trying to chant like him. At times the man would let out cries of “Oh Krishna!” as if he was experiencing spiritual ectasy. However, the Babaji could see that the man was trying to attract followers with his behaviour. His comments were typical: “Sometimes a woman cries out with all the sounds of the labour of childbirth – but she is not yet pregnant even! Similarly a man thinks he has developed love of God, but the seed of love has not yet grown within him!”
Gaura Kishor Das Babaji was leading a life that was only possible because he had factually realised the pleasure of chanting Krishna’s names, and simply could not be bothered to cater for his own eating, sleeping and comfort. It is not a life that could be imitated prematurely.
But as much as he shunned public attention, even refusing to have his photograph taken (there was only one picture ever made), he was a regular visitor to the home of Bhaktivinode Thakur. There in the garden they would discuss the Srimad Bhagavatam, and the Thakur was very impressed with his company. At the side of the house was a small brick shed, and the Babaji would sit inside there on rainy days, the holy name reverberating off the brick walls.
The Thakur insisted that his son, Bimala Prasada, take initiation from the Babaji, but he was educated and the Babaji was illiterate. But the father was so strict he told his son: “If you do not take initiation from him – don’t return to this house!” Repeatedly, Bimala Prasad asked until the Babaji simply said, “Alright, but I will have to ask Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If he says ‘yes’ then I will initiate you.” The next week, Bimala came and asked what had been the reply. “Oh, I forgot to ask,” responded the Babaji. But eventually Bimala became the one and only disciple, and went on to become, years later, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur.
However, at first he was confused. His father, Bhaktivinode, was a great preacher, writer, and publisher of books. He moved in high social circles and had a large following. But his guru lived alone, had no followers, was a renunciate and a constant chanter of the name. Who should he follow – his father, a great devotee, or his guru, a great devotee?
He decided to first chant more than 100 rounds of Hare Krishna japa every day, and lived in a simple straw hut, even though the roof leaked. After some years he received the inspiration to begin his preaching mission, the result of which, through his dear disciple Srila Prabhupada, is now in cities all over the world.
Some years ago, I learned that the original shed where the Babaji chanted had been knocked down to make way for a concrete shrine built in his memory. Such things happen in India. I was able to salvage a few chips of one of the original bricks, and still have them for inspiration. Gaura Kishor Das Babaji’s body is now interred in a Samadhi shrine in the grounds of the Chaitanya Math, the original headquarters of the Gaudiya Mission.
Source:https://deshika.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/renunciation-personified/
Sastra Dana, Anna Dana & Damodara school programs in Malaysia (Album with photos)
Simheswara Dasa: Scriptures state that the Damodara Kartika month is beneficial for performing devotional services to Lord Sri Krishna. And this is why our ISKCON Sastra Dana Anna Dana & Damodara programme at schools is done this month and which is getting bigger every year. *Since 21 October we have already visited 12 national type Tamil schools and distributed 5,240 plates of vegetarian meals, handed 1,012 free Bhagavad Gitas and 3,682 smaller literatures to 4,410 students and 380 staffs.* *Total of 4,790 participants have offered ghee lamps to Lord Damodara.*
It is also through sponsors and volunteers help are we not only sustaining but also expanding this important project. We are just doing what is possible for us, our sponsors and our volunteers. A prasadam sponsor simply needs to make a gift of RM2 for each student he or she wants to feed. A book sponsor’s gift is RM20 per Bhagavad-gita or RM3 for a smaller literature.
Hard work begins with the ISKCON K.L. temple president H.G. Kripa Sindhu Krishna prabhu. He is personally with this project and as early as 6AM is with H.G. Rasaparayana prabhu to prepare meals while expertly engaging volunteers. H.G. Gokul Damodara prabhu and his team on the other hand manage the prasadam and book distribution to students. Overall it is teamwork to serve the thousands of wonderful students while being an instrument of Lord Sri Krishna.
*Past two days we were at two big schools with 1,707 students and teachers. Our gratitude to H.G. Sulochana Bhakti mataji for assisting with RM2,000 to partially defray cost of yesterday’s programme at the Rawang Tamil school. And at Batu Caves Tamil school today we distributed 192 Bhagavad-gitas, 743 smaller literatures, served our very own New Godruma Dhama farm fresh sugar cane juice and our Nadia Bakery buns apart from the regular full lunch meal to 935 students and 83 teachers. We are indebted to the newly formed Hare Krishna Cooperative Malaysia Berhad for sponsoring RM12,500 to defray the full expenses for today’s programme.*
Find them here: https://goo.gl/RGdtCB
ISKCON Youth Ministry's Mexico bus tour between December 9, 2016 and January 3, 2017, will be an extraordinary adventure presenting Krishna culture festivals in towns, auditoriums and yoga studios, and visiting pyramids, jungle waterfalls and tropical beaches.
"It's a life changing experience," says Manorama dasa, one of the organizers. "We get to put on Krishna Culture Festivals in exotic places, spreading the Holy Name through kirtana, dance, theater, prasadam and book distribution. We also go on Harinama and visit national parks, ancient ruins, Caribbean and Pacific Ocean beaches. The young people who travel with us get a taste for the pioneering spirit of adventure, spreading Krishna consciousness, and will make devotee friends for life."
"On the Mexico bus tour the youth get to do everything," Manorama explains. "They'll roll into a village, unload in the central square and set up a festival. While one team begins cooking a feast, another prepares the stage, sound system and lights. Dancers dress up, actors make up, kirtaniyas rehearse. Meanwhile, the village chief mobilizes his promotional campaign: an old truck with loudspeakers strapped to the roof drives up and down every street announcing 'Festival cultural de la India! Musica! Danza! Teatro! Comida!' Soon, the square fills with people. The festival begins. Kirtan, dance, theater, film, more kirtan, and finally a prasadam feast for everyone. The emcee announces, 'Everything you've seen here is from these books. Please don't leave without getting a book as a souvenir.' At the end of the evening, we pack everything and everyone back into the bus, and there's this exhilarating feeling of accomplishment among the youth, having just made their own contribution to help spread Lord Chaitanya's Sankirtana movement to another town, another village. In this way we continue across Mexico for three weeks of an incredible adventure."
At the moment, there's room for more if anyone would like to go. They'll take youth ages 16 and older, and there's no upper age limit for the young at heart! They also need a little help to sponsor deserving youth who can only afford half their tour fees. With youth flying in from all over, a dozen festivals lined up, and just a few weeks before departure, they're still short $10,500. Here's your opportunity to support a very important cause, to help train and inspire the next generation of ISKCON's preachers, teachers and missionaries.
“What the world needs in these dark times is more young devotees traveling and spreading Harinama Sankirtana, Krishna consciousness in every town and village, ” says Manorama.
* * *
Posters, photos and videos of previous tours: https://youthbustour.com/photos-videos/
Website: youthbustour.com
Email: youth@krishna.com
Source:http://iskconnews.org/iskcon-youth-bus-tour-to-mexico,5911/
Two intrepid devotee explorers are set to travel to the last frontier, and bring kirtan and Srila Prabhupada’s books to Antarctica – the southernmost and coldest continent in the world.
The continent is largely uninhabited and 98 per cent of it is covered by ice, but it does have a tourist season and many international research stations to reach out to. One thing’s for sure – venturing there is a unique offering to Prabhupada for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary.
The two devotees set to travel this November are Kesihanta Das, a Prabhupada disciple and co-director of ISKCON Alachua’s Save the Cow program; and Trivikrama Das, bass player for Vaishnava hardcore band 108.
Cow protector Kesihanta (left) and 108 bassist Trivikrama, the two intrepid explorers set for Antarctica
“During the Prabhupada arrival festival at Boston’s Commonwealth Pier last year, many devotees were giving exciting and inspiring talks about Srila Prabhupada’s achievements, saying he went to six continents,” Kesihanta says. “That got me thinking – what about the seventh continent? What about Antarctica?”
To the best of his knowledge, Kesihanta says, no devotees have yet traveled to Antarctica in a missionary capacity. “We wanted to get there first before Indradyumna Swami found out,” he jokes.
Kesihanta and Trivikrama will leave on November 13th from Ushuaia, which is the capital of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and is considered the southernmost city in the world.
From there they will take the MV Ushaia, a small 88-passenger ship originally built for the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. The journey to the Antarctic Peninsula will take two days, and will cross the Drake Passage.
“We’ve been advised to wear prescription motion sickness patches, because the seas are generally very rough – it’s called the Drake Shake,” says Kesihanta. “Especially because our ship is relatively small, we’re expecting to feel it more.”
On the voyage, the devotees will observe the Western calendar day of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance – November 14th – with a half-day fast and arati to their four-inch Prabhupada murti.
The Krishna South flag devotees will place in Antarctica, with the ISKCON 50 logo on the other side
For them the voyage, and any harsh weather or hardships on it, will be a meditation on Prabhupada’s bravery and determination through his trip to the USA on the steamship Jaladuta.
Kesihanta and Trivikrama will be arriving in Antarctica on November 15th. In winter, the continent sees four months of total darkness, weekly hurricane force winds, and unfathomable temperatures as low as 89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).
Fortunately, November is its summer. And coupled with the fact that their destination is the Antarctic Peninsula – the northernmost point with weather less extreme than the South Pole -- the devotees will find temperatures “only” reaching freezing or just below.
They will, however, be sending Krishna’s message and Srila Prabhupada’s words to the South Pole.
“We are in touch with someone who works with the three year-round U.S. research stations in Antarctica, and has agreed to place pocket editions of Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita in their libraries,” says Kesihanta. “The stations are the Amundsen–Scott Station in the South Pole; the McMurdo Station, which is the largest research station in Antarctica; and Palmer Station, on Anvers Island off the coast of the Peninsula.”
The information plate in the Bhagavad-gitas devotees will be placing at U.S. research stations in Antarctica
Kesihanta and Trivikrama will live in their ship off the coast of Antarctica between November 15th and 21st, but will go ashore in large rafts called zodiacs daily. So they also plan to personally place copies of Bhagavad-gita As It Is in the libraries of research stations like Britain’s Port Lockroy Base, Argentina’s Brown Station, and Ukraine’s Vernadsky Research Base.
“We even brought a Ukrainian Bhagavad-gita for the Ukranian station!” says Kesihanta.
The devotees also plan to hold several kirtans, with kartals and mridanga, outside on the Antarctic Peninsula. They hope that some broad-minded fellow adventurers will participate, as well as a few penguins!
At least one of their kirtans will include guru-puja with a full set of arati paraphernalia to Srila Prabhupada, who will be set up on the ice on a fold-up table and his vyasasana.
Surrounded by glaciers, Srila Prabhupada will be dressed in a saffron parka specially made for the trip by Kesihanta’s wife and Save the Cow co-director, Devaki Dasi.
The team's 'ISKCON Antarctica' t-shirt design
Kesihanta and Trivikrama will also place a Hare Krishna banner and a “Krishna South” flag in the ice to claim the final frontier for Srila Prabhupada.
Despite Antarctica’s remoteness, Kesihanta says there is further scope beyond his groundbreaking expedition to share Krishna consciousness there.
“During the summer, there are about 4,000 researchers at the different research stations,” he explains. “And the largest one, McMurdo, becomes like a whole city, with all sorts of events and concerts. So if someone like Indradyumna Swami or Radhanath Swami got inspired from our trip, they could take the effort further.”
Ultimately, Kesihanta hopes Srila Prabhupada will be pleased. “He was always very interested in devotees’ different landmark achievements, so this is my offering to him.”
Source:http://iskconnews.org/devotees-to-hold-first-kirtan-in-antarctica,5912/
Even when we are so transcendental ourselves, we still have to take people’s feelings very serious, even if they are partially motivated by false ego – it doesn’t matter, just like a child. But when you are an adult, you see it different although a father leaving home is not a small thing; that is real suffering but what can be done!?
When I was a kid, I lost my favourite toy car in a sand-pit; I never got over it. It was a big thing. I dug up the whole sand-pit and sifted through the whole thing but never found my little golden Jaguar, as it was called. What a drama it was!
Now, of course, I look at it a little bit different but my little golden Jaguar stands there to remind me that for me, that was a very important thing. So, what really counts is what is really important to people. I don’t think that we should go around and put labels on people and say, “False ego!”
I think that we should take serious what is serious to others otherwise how will they take us serious. If I am so transcendental that I don’t take anybody serious, that doesn’t make sense at all. Then I become cold and disinterested from people.
Like Prabhupada, he was very transcendental yet he could be very human with human beings. He was able to come down to what moved people although it didn’t move him in the same way.
