Veganism is considered to be holier-than-thou and vegans are sort of telling the rest of the world that we are not compassionate at all, that we are contributing to the slaughter of cows by that fact that we are so lusty and cannot control our tongues. We are so attached to milk products – pizza, ice-cream, butter, etc. and in this way, the Hare Krsnas are contributing to cow slaughter. So what do the Hare Krsnas have to say…?

Well, there are two sides to the story. One side of the story is that we say to the vegans: My dear vegans, you are toothless tigers. Do you really think that you are going to stop animal slaughter? You are dreaming. In this way, it will not happen. Why would people take to your vegan philosophy? Just by moral preaching? Don’t you know that only a small percentage of the world is moral!? The rest of the world would rather let it ‘all hang out’. My dear vegans, we respect you for your idealism but your solution is a material one and therefore it cannot succeed as it lacks the transcendental perspective.

You may not like our argument but still consider it for a moment. Do you realise that if we take milk from any cow, we will offer that milk to Krsna and when that milk gets offered to Krsna then the cow gets eternal benefit. Even if that cow is undergoing temporary suffering in a horrible situation and will be slaughtered, still it will get eternal benefit. Therefore it is better to offer the milk of the cow to Krsna than to fast from milk altogether.

It is only now, for the time being that we are in a society which is upside down, which is all gone astray. Eventually we must manage again to take care of our own cows and more cows must be protected. Cow protection is essential and then we can take the milk of these protected cows and in this way, we can change society. But in the meanwhile, we do not fast from milk because milk is such essential food and not just for bones and calcium, it is also required for finer brain tissue development.

Srila Prabhupada was very adamant about this. In the United States, once there were additives in the milk including vitamin D which generally comes from a non-vegetarian source, often from cod liver oil, and so the devotees were wondering about drinking that milk and Prabhupada said not to worry about it and have it! With the special mercy of Lord Caitanya, there will be protection somehow or other, in this state of emergency.

Nowadays, in Iskcon, veganism is on the rise – more and more Hare Krsnas are turning vegan. This is very interesting! And the vegans say that the milk coming out of the factories today is not even milk anymore; it is just reconstituted chemicals and if Prabhupada was here today, he would tell us to be vegan. I am not so convinced about that and it is a problem, in this whole debate to be vegan or not, to put words in Prabhupada’s mouth. Well, he is not here right now so let us just stick to what he said and NOT to what he would have said because if we go that way, then maybe he would have said, “Today, four regulative principles would not work so let’s have three.” Then we going to be on a slippery slide and I do not know where we are going to wind up.

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2016/11/vegans-toothless-tigers/

In the morning I was doing a japa walk, and a person told me that today is Ekadasi. He said that whatever auspicious activity we perform gives a multiplied result. This gave me the impetus to set a goal of distributing ten Bhagavatam sets. When I returned home, I saw that I had only two sets. I called the BBT to order eight more, and I planned to distribute them after work. I also
called Vinodh Prabhu and asked him to compose an email to friends and devotees and asked him to join me for book distribution in the evening. We planned to do BIG.

Set 1: After eating breakfast, I met a lady who once came to do some service. She asked about the duties of a woman, which she wanted to teach her daughter. I displayed the Bhagavatam and  showed her the Seventh Canto chapters about varnas and asramas. She agreed to buy a set.

Set 2: During the lunchtime at my office, I was chanting Gayatri. Then a friend asked me what I was doing. I soon started to explain the Bhagavatam. I suggested that his parents will be glad to read the book at their age. He took a set in Telugu.

Set 3: Also during lunch, a friend asked me about Ekadasi (which he has followed for several years without knowing its importance). After sharing with him some glories of Ekadasi, I told him about the Bhagavatam and suggested that his wife, who is now pregnant, read the prayers by Uttara about her child in the womb. He took a set.

Sets 4 & 5: A long-time devotee friend called in the afternoon and shared his difficulties with sadhana. I suggested that he try to distribute Bhagavatam sets today. He didn’t immediately agree. He said that he could not glorify Srimad Bhagavatam because he feels weak in Krsna consciousness. I said, “You simply call ten friends to ask whether they have a set of the Bhagavatams. And quote Srila Prabhupada to your friends: ‘I want that every respectable person has a set of Srimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya-caritamrita’.” Around 10 p.m., he called back with the news that he’d distributed two sets and wanted to deliver them the following day. He said he chanted his best rounds in a long time owing to the inspiration of distributing two sets on an Ekadasi.

Set 6: Returning from work, I met a colleague who was talking about cultural activities for children and opportunities to speak about stories. I immediately suggested that the Bhagavatam gives culture to the kids and asked him to take a set. Although he didn’t have the money on hand, he agreed to take the set and pay in installments.

Set 7: Feeling tired after work, we tried going door-to-door. Mahamantra Prabhu and Vinodh joined me in the evening, we read two pages of the Bhagavatam and got energized. We knocked on a neighbor’s door and prayed to Srimati Tulasi Maharani. This was the home of an elderly couple, we performed kirtan for ten minutes with them, praying that they would take a set. After the kirtana, even before we began speaking about the Bhagavatam, the lady eagerly asked us if we had the full Srimad Bhagavatamset . She had previously owned a small Bhagavatam book and wanted to have the full set. We showed them the books, which they accepted and asked us to install in their home. The elderly gentleman got us some flowers and arranged for some fruits and a lamp. With these simple offerings, we invited the Lord in the form of the Bhagavatam into the home of these simple-hearted people. Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!

Sri Rama Dasa,
Hyderbad

Recently, I had the great opportunity to help design and edit (with HH Giriraja Swami) a 4"x10" mini tri-fold brochure entitled the “MANTRA MEDITATION GUIDE.” With over 20,000 currently in print in North America, supplying LA, SD, Dallas, RVC and Tucson, I am feeling very encouraged to share the design with other yatras.
The printing cost is extremely affordable, at roughly 2.5 cents per guide, ~$160 for 5,000 copies and the design/content customization I am offering free of charge. 
Additionally, I have an account with a wholesale printing company (USA) and would be happy to get a quote to place an order on your behalf. 
If you are interested, feel free to contact me for more details.
All glories to your service! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! 
your servant,
Bhismadeva Dasa

DevotionalService@gmail.com 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33688

By Promila Chitkara

From Back to Godhead

Is Krishna the center of our ambitions and transformations ?

It was December – the month of Srila Prabhupäda’s book marathon! We were quite excited when we began book distribution. We remained excited throughout. The thought of reaching out to unlimited number of souls thrilled me.

The results we achieved were seemingly in proportion to our efforts. Actually, the mercy we received during this time was much beyond the external effort or internal state. There were times when nothing seemed to work out, but then everything worked out at once. The first time when we got zero response I had this feeling Krishna would do something just before we decided to give up. He did! He always does! (I recalled the past incidents when He intervened just when I was about to give up.)

Before I would step out of home for distribution, my long and short prayer to Krishna would be “Krishna , please don’t let any of those Bhagavad-gita copies come back home with us. Umm. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want them to be stolen. Help us distribute them all. (smiley)” Krishna always heard this prayer. There were days when I forgot to pray, but He heard it anyway – as if He printed out my prayer and pasted it on His display board so He could read and grant it every time we went out.”

One time we couldn’t distribute even a single book for an hour and then right the next moment someone took six books. It may be small thing for veteran distributors, but for us it was no less than a small miracle. Another time, we had thirty-two books in the car, and just two of them refused to part from us. So, we were going back now. We were at the stop light when I looked at my friend Rajesh Rani, my teammate in book distribution, and said “Krishna , please help us distribute these 2 books by 6.15 pm, so I could attend my nephew’s birthday party at 6.30 pm.” It was already over 6 pm. Within five minutes we reached New Delhi’s Dwarka, sector 12 market. I parked the car in a corner and asked Rajesh Rani if she would like to come along while I hit the street to distribute the remaining two books. She was quite tired and I too preferred that she stayed in the car. For her age, she had already done a lot that day. (I wonder how I efficient I would be when I cross 50. She amazes me with her energy.)
The clock hit 6.07 pm. I entered the market zone and observed people’s faces. Krishna guided me to one person who, it seemed, would value the message and our effort. She accepted the book gracefully. I thanked her and moved on. 6.09 pm. A 30-ish-looking couple was going in the opposite direction on the other side of the road. I ran toward them and said what I had to say. They had multiple copies of the Bhagavad-gita and didn’t seem to be willing to take one more. But after a little dialog, the man decided to take it and said he would gift it to someone. Last copy distributed – what a feeling of joy! Childlike joy!!! I whispered words of thanks to Krishna , I ran in the direction of my car. As I reached near the car, Rajesh Rani welcomed me with a big smile and said, “I knew you would come back victorious.” It was 6.12 pm. Krishna is our best friend.

Was it for me or for Krishna ?

During the distribution hours, my ambition to distribute more and to know how many books I distributed began to disturb the harmony within and without. Was I after self-approval and others’ appreciation?

Introspection and re-education: Greed, fear, jealously,
and anger take control of us time to time

Every time these thoughts entered my mind, I would try to fend them off helplessly. I would try to reeducate myself how greed, fear, jealously, and anger take control of us time to time. But mere psychological placebo can’t heal the samskara that the soul has accumulated life after life. Once in a while I would pray to Krishna for cleansing my heart and my senses. But mostly, I would feel guilty and disappointed at my inner progress in devotion. It saddened me to face malicious enemies who had been hiding in my heart – a place I thought I was clearing up for Krishna. My retrospection became very painful, more so because my consciousness didn’t seem to have changed despite all the retrospection gymnastic. My selfexamination reopened old wounds, or rather tore them up brutally. I began to sulk over my failures pertaining to self-transformation. Life was so beautiful since the last twelve months – since I began chanting sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna mantra. What happened now? Is this a part of purification? Is everyone as bad as I am? I began to observe others around me to justify the darkness of my heart. All of us are in the same boat, are not we? “Well, while this may be true, will I ever be willing to sink or get caught in the whirlpool with others if that boat overturns in a major rapid?” I asked myself. If my answer to this is no, then I better focus on my purification at this stage rather than comparing my vices with those of others.

Yet another day my internal turmoil took a different form, but its premise was the same: anger and fear took over me. It won’t matter much if I shared the incident with you. After all, the bone of contention in all material stories is the wellknown enemies, born out of false ego. All we need is rearrangement of characters and a different storyline, so to say. The book distribution was over, and the inner enemies were dressing up in new attire. I reacted over something; blew the matter out of proportion. The six enemies won again! They left me bruised and covered my joy and my desire to transform; and to become a channel of Krishna’s love. Some hours were more difficult than others. In one of those hours, when I had just come out of Srimad -Bhagavatam class, tears welled up my eyes, and I whispered to Radharani that I was scared I would stray from bhakti and lose the purpose of my life. I asked Her to help me. I confessed my helplessness, my inability to handle anything. I confessed how insignificant I felt. If only I could go beyond this “I”.

The next morning when I opened Srimad -Bhagavatam to resume my reading at home, the following Slokas were waiting to show me the light: “Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities.” (Srimad – Bhagavatam 11.20.27-28)

Some lines in the purport of these Slokas just hit the right chords of heart. All this time I have been attached to my detachment from external factors. And for what? To serve Krishna with love? It doesn’t look like it. The reason was me. That’s why it didn’t work.
Obviously, I was obsessed with renunciation rather than the pleasure of Krishna . My desire was not oriented toward Krishna but my own self. I murmered, “Thank you, Radha-Krishna .”
While I was reading this çloka, a senior godsister called me up to check if everything was fine. Senior devotees can sense both, growth and regression. I shared my state of mind with my her devotee and just like always I was shown the light. I was rightly advised to open my heart with devotees with whom I am comfortable. The power of devotee association is unmatchable!

Some Take-away Lessons

My learning/take-aways from this experience are:
• Realize and remember your mistakes/challenging personality traits, but don’t let them dampen your spirit of devotional service.
• Don’t assign a deadline to transformation. It will happen by Krishna ’s will. If our efforts are sincere, His “will” will happen sooner or later.
• Never be obsessed with detachment and transformation to be a better person. The center of our spirit should be Krishna and His pleasure, not our satisfaction with our progress.

Only Krishna can fulfill our desires, whether for transformation or for service. And He always does when the time is ripe. However, for some reason, if He does not, no one else can.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33706

"O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge. The result of the endeavor in that mode is like poison in the beginning but nectar in the end." (Bhagavad Gita 14.6, 18.37)

Successful people have something in common in their routine – getting up early. They strongly claim that being a morning person is an important habit to stay ahead in the competition. In fact, Bhagavad Gita recommends that one should wake up at-least an hour before the sun rise for a happy and healthy life because the morning hours are said to be in the sattva-guna, the mode of goodness.

What is a guna? The Bhagavad Gita talks at length about the concept of the gunas – the three modes of material nature. The Sanskrit term guna means rope. The Gita explains how these invisible ropes are constantly pulling us to act in various ways, just like a puppeteer makes a puppet dance, even against our better judgment. These are subtle forces pervading this creation and they influence every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional world.

The effects of sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, are seen when an atmosphere of peace, serenity, and harmony prevails both within our minds and in our environment. Rajo-guna, the mode of passion, is felt as insatiable greed for temporary things and perpetual dissatisfaction that pushes one to strive for more and more material acquisitions and sensual pleasures. Tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance, is indicated when there's laziness, depression, intoxication, and insanity.

Bhagavad Gita (18.37), therefore, recommends that a lifestyle in the sattva-guna is a sure-shot way to a happier and healthier life. The first step to such a lifestyle is becoming a ‘morning person’. It may sound difficult, especially if we are attached to late nights. But once we start reaping the innumerable advantages of being an early bird, we can relish the nectar of the endeavor. Here are a few rewards that will inspire us to happily wake up before the sun catches us in the bed.

We increase our productivity

The modern trend is to be always on a rush. We are hardly in the present. Rising early gives us a distraction-free environment so that we can prepare for the day and be better time-managers. Psychology studies show that early risers are more productive than night owls. Waking up in the early hours (of course, after a good night sleep) gives a mental boost keeping us more alert and focused during the day. Oversleep and late nights, on the other hand, result in slackness and even increase the risk of mood disorders like depression.

We develop self discipline 

We snooze, we lose. Radhanath Swami, a monk and a spiritual teacher, says, “The more we feed the laziness of our mind, the more it becomes strong.” It requires will power to go against our old habits. Bhagavad Gita (6.5) states that mind is our best friend when controlled; but our worst enemy when left untamed. Just as a weight-lifter develops his muscles bit-by-bit through daily exercise, we strengthen our choice muscles and develop self discipline by waking up daily in the morning – that includes even weekends!

Good time for a daily work-out

Beat the stagnancy of the modern organizational work environments where we spend most of our time inside the air-conditioned cubicles surrounded by artificial lights. We can expose ourselves to the morning sun light by going on a walk and breathe the refreshing oxy-rich air. We can revitalize our stiff bodies with simple exercises or yoga postures that prepare us for the hustle-bustle ahead in the day.

Ideal time for meditation

We often get caught up with the rat race. Statistics show that a significant number of the people in the world today are suffering with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. We need to habituate ourselves to take out some quality time aside, each day if possible, to make that inner connection with God through spiritual practices. Bhagavad Gita says that morning hours, being in the sattva guna, are the ideal time for spiritual practices. Such practices help us to balance our lives in a holistic way – physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is somewhat like tuning ourselves to a higher frequency – that of goodness, compassion and God’s grace – through meditation.

Instead of withdrawing our minds in to nothingness during meditation, we can actively engage our mind in a spiritual way because our minds are too restless by nature. That is best possible by mantra meditation. This is much easier and practical. Mantra means a sound vibration that frees the mind of all the anxiety and negativity. When we chant the holy names of God, the sound affects our consciousness because the holy name of God puts us in direct contact with God. The best mantra recommended for this age by all the ancient scriptures is called the maha (great) mantra.

We can feel a sense of satisfaction and purity in our consciousness through the practice of mantra meditation in the morning hours. That is a good way to begin our day in a God-centered way.

How to make it happen

Becoming a morning person is a habit that is aspired by many but accomplished by very few. While some may feel that they accomplished this, many fail to understand that getting up in the morning and becoming a morning person are two different things. Today, we will look at a few ways in which we can transform our self from begrudgingly waking up in the morning, to truly enjoying waking up early.

1. Avoid eating late after 8 PM – A heavy stomach in the night results in acidity and indigestion. Even as per Ayurveda, it is recommended to have lighter meal after the sun set for better digestion.                                                                                                  

2. Avoid caffeinated drinks in the night – Caffeinated drinks activate the central nervous system, causing temporary stimulating effects. Instead, one can have a relaxation herbal tea.                                                                                                                              

3. Shut off artificial lights an hour before going to bed – Science says that our internal body clock is genetically designed to run on a circadian rhythm.  This natural biological clock is set to the 24-hour cycle of the sunrise and sunset when we have enough exposure to natural sun light. In that case, we go to bed on time and wake up early. However, exposure to electrical lights, especially in the night time, disrupts this circadian rhythm leading to later bed times.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

4. Wind down ritual – There is no end to the chattering of the mind. We need to shut off at some point. Life goes on! Why not postpone the worrying to the next day if we cannot solve it now. We can follow a routine that prepares us for a good night rest. Reading a spiritually motivating literature to remember God and expressing gratitude is a good way to end the day on a positive note. Avoid stressful conversations or watching suspense movies before going to bed as they agitate the mind further.

Apply these simple tips and reap the advantages of being a ‘morning person’. As the Gita says, the experience is like poison in the beginning but nectar in the end!

Source:http://iskconnews.org/four-advantages-of-being-a-morning-person,5946/

“Our greatest treasure here is our own culture. India has a historic opportunity in today’s times to do great things for the benefit of the country and the World”, said Radhanath Swami Maharaj, ISKCON Spiritual leader and one of the keynote speakers at Artha Forum. 
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/3Zya1Z

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33652

Friends and followers of Sadaputa Prabhu, many in Alachua County, Florida, started a branch of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in Gainesville. They decided to do a practice conference on November 13, inviting devotee scholars to speak and present papers. What follows is some notes I took on the presentations of things that were striking to me.

Brahmatirtha Prabhu:

I was at the “Life Comes From Life” conference in Vrindavan in 1977. After each day’s meeting we would report to Srila Prabhupada. He would ask, “What was their argument? What was our argument?”

What did Prabhupada want us to present? Life does not come from matter.

Prabhupada was boot in the face of atheism not boot in the face of science.

Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu’s thesis adviser, who I knew from another venue, privately told me afterwards that his thesis dissertation was the best she has ever seen defended.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged people to ask questions. I learned from him that the only foolish question is the one not asked.

Dhira Govinda Prabhu:

In the vibration of the sabda brahma itself is the transcendental realization.

In other ways of acquiring knowledge, the four human defects come into play.

There was a triple blind study showing there was a definite effect showing prayer to the Judeo-Christian God improves healing from heart disease, yet the study although published was not promoted. Had it been a new drug with the same effect, it would have become famous.

In research, the gold standard is the double blind study because it supposely eliminates the experimenter’s bias, yet there is a study shows that even in the double blind study the experimenter’s bias still comes through.

One speaker deprecated actually believing in the view you are advocating.

I was not planning to do the Ph.D., which I ultimately did on the maha-mantra study, but my advisers paid me to do it, and they said I could do any topic I desired. One said, “If you are not going to do something you are really into, I will not support it. I have seen you with your cloth bag and your mumbling, why don’t you do something on that?” I took it that Krishna was speaking through him.

Sattva means goodness in the Vedas and tove means goodness in the Bible. Thus I called my organization Satvatove Institute.

By focusing on removing the weeds and just doing a little watering, we find people had major transformations, and they become inspired to inquire “What is this watering process?”

We find from our process, people had realizations. Pratyaksa.

We have published in social science journals that chanting Hare Krishna decreases stress and depression and increases life satisfaction.

I take the responsibility of providing ways of taking those who are attracted to the chanting in order to become from of stress and depression to become involved with Srila Prabhupada’s whole program.

Gopinath Prabhu:

In cases when the physician asked the patients about their spiritual practice, a study showed the physician – patient relationship was better and healing was promoted.

Integrative medicine involves the patient’s lifestyle in addition to just the mind and body, and uses all kinds of therapeutic techniques.

Medicine used to be a drag for me.

I pray even before seeing the patient.

According to Ayurveda, “The secret to sound health of body, mind and spirit is if you can let food be your medicine and work your recreation.”

60% disease is preventable. 70–90% of chronic diseases are preventable.

2.5 trillion dollars spent each year in the USA health care, and 70% is chronic disease.

In Ayurveda, God and the living entities are always separate and Vaishnava sankyha is the philosophy behind it.

Here are the properties of the different material qualities (gunas):

Ayurveda protects and enhances the health of a healthy person and treats diseases.

The five principles in the Gita, namely the Lord, the living entities, material nature, karma, and eternal time, are there in Ayurveda.

Mantra-japa has these good effects:

1. opposes the unseen causes of past diseases
2. directly by invoking divine grace
3. indirectly by increases in sattva [goodness] and preventing excesses of tamas [ignorance] and rajas [passion].

The body is a pharmacy; you just need the key to open it. There are anti-cancer drugs within the body.

The mind is sattva [goodness] by nature.

We show kirtana expands brain blood flow.

Dhira Govinda Prabhu:

Many meditative techniques have been researched showing a real effect, but the maha-mantra had never been researched so I did that. Followers of Prabhupada are behind on doing this research.

The placebo mantra had some effect but much less than the maha-mantra and not statistically significant.

Gopinath Prabhu:

Madhvacarya was a [physical] fitness fanatic.

Amish people have the obesity genes, but have you seen a fat Amish person?

We choose our diseases.

Ayurveda says aging is inevitable, but you can age without pain.

Dairy products decrease diabetics and decrease osteoporosis.

[In an email replying to questions I had about his presentation, Gopinath Prabhu wrote:] “Research that validates that the Hare Krishna mantra (or any japa of the names of Lord Narayana) improves brain health and increases the inclination for right living [an increase of the mode of goodness which Srila Prabhupada always emphasized] is absolutely important. I am currently attempting to do such studies at big academic universities with the aim to make the Hare Krishna mantra a prescription to prevent chronic diseases. Actually I am looking for more collaborators in doing these studies.”

Gopal Hari Prabhu on Science-Based Arguments for God’s Existence and Modern Atheism:

Sometimes science based arguments for God’s existence lead to atheism.

When Prabhupada attacks science he is attacking scientific materialism.

Atheism has existed as long as theism.

There is a movement sometimes called evangelical atheism.

Many of the atheistic books are attacking the Judeo-Christian idea of God.

Comment by Janaki Rama Prabhu: Lots of these atheist books came out after 911 as a reaction to religious violence.

Nowadays atheists use science as the reason for their atheism.

Scientific materialists argue that only things that are measurable are real, and only science can give real knowledge.

Their claim that science is the only legitimate path to knowledge is not scientific.

By science you cannot prove there is God, but you also cannot prove God does not exist.

You can present that scientific materialism is a valid position but in reality it is a faith position that is not actually based on science. Once you establish that both you and the scientific materialist have faith positions, you can talk about which makes most sense.

Natural theology attempts to establish truths about God through human reason and science.

Newton wrote ten times as much on theology as science. Until age 17 he did theology, then for six years science, and then theology for the rest of his life.

Newton wrote, “Nothing can rejoice me more than the fact it [the Principia] should strength belief in God.”

Ramanuja argued:

The argument from design cannot prove that:
1. The world requires a cause
2. The intelligent cause is one and not many.
3. Whether an intelligence cause must be embodied or not.
4. The intelligent cause is good.
These, can, however be established by reason, experience, and scripture.

National theology can strengthen faith in God.

Unfortunately, Newton was not accepted so much by scientists because of his theology nor was he accepted by Christian theologians who did not like his acceptance of Christ as the merely son of God and his interest in alchemy.

Some scientists conceive the Big Bang as beyond space and time and the cause of space and time.

Early scientists saw their work as worship. Some had two tables, a worship table and a science table, and when they had difficulty at their science table they would go to their worship table.

Janaki Rama Prabhu:

I recommend reading Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives.

We should get away from the idea of warfare between science and religion. It is more complicated than that. There are scientists of all sorts of faiths.

One has to have a revisionist idea with openness to science and other knowledge disciplines.

There is a growing openness in discussion of science and religion, and you can bring your theology into the discussion if you do it in the right way.

You have to be very disciplined to be a good scientist. It is almost a yogic process.

There are people who do science for different reasons.

comment by Indian man with white shirt and vest: I come from India and there is no such word as religion. There is dharma and that is more experiential.

It surprising how many scientists believe in God.

Comment by Gopal Hari Prabhu: 70% of physicists believe in God, and 50% of biologists.

In mainstream science journals like Science and Nature if you present anything theistic it will not get published.

Evolution: a theory in crisis is the best critique of evolution.

I got an anti-Darwinism article in Biology and Philosophy.

Darwin considered animals had cognition, feelings, and appreciation of art and music, and this was against centuries of the Judeo-Christian idea that animals were nothing other than sophisticated pieces of machinery. Thus Darwin was progressive in the West in this.

Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu, “When Boot Meets Face”:

Life Comes from Life may be described as a condensed stylized revision of the original conversations with Srila Prabhupada.

The original conversations should be studied to get a full understanding of Srila Prabhupada.

It was on those walks they began recording Srila Prabhupada’s walks.

Hamsaduta and the German devotees suggested to print the conversations in a book, and Srila Prabhupada agreed, and it was published originally in German, Leben Kommt von Leben.

Srila Prabhupada, although not a scientist, was confident in presenting the Gaudiya idea that consciousness is not a product of matter.

Regarding the scientists, Srila Prabhupada said, “If you talk of God, they immediately become arrogant. That is our protest.”

“We do not deprecate their advancement in knowledge. Their defiance of God is our protest.”

Brahmatirtha Prabhu: Radhanath Swami told me recently he was on a tour at Westminster Abbey at the part where there are tombs of the different saints and scientists. He asked where they were at the moment, and the tour guide said they were in the science section, Radhanath Swami looked down, and saw he was standing on the tomb of Charles Darwin. He joked about it, saying that this is “the boot in the face.”

Dave Butcha:

Pramana: a necessarily accurate source of knowledge.

The Bhagavata is the highest pramana, and thus it must therefore be sruti.

The Supreme Lord is the vaco, and om is the vacaka.
The Veda is another mode of being of that same Lord.
Apparently the Veda has authors but not really, according to Baladeva.

The Vedas are a compilation of the statements of the omniscient Lord.

Vyasa is just revealing the Vedas.

The authority of the sruti cannot be rejected. With smrti, you can choose to follow one and reject another.

Every reading of an infallible text by a fallible person is alway fallible.

That status of the infallibility of text implies an absolute reality.

I cannot attribute the same infallibility to an interpretation of the infallible text or my understanding of that interpretation of it.

Sometimes we say that ‘the scientists used to say this but now they say that’ and therefore we cannot take them seriously, whereas ‘the guru parampara [spiritual lineage] is always saying the same thing,’ but that is not actually true.

A saragrahi is someone who grasps [grahi] the essense [sara]. The existence of a saragrahi implies there is a mixture of essential and not essential things that one can grasp the essence from.

Murali Gopal on astronomical issues:

The problem arises when the description of earth does not match what we see.

I see people now having faith crises like when the Fifth Canto came out because of the flat earth conspiracy theories that are becoming popular.

Sadaputa Prabhu found four possible interpretations of Bhu-mandala, none of which is a flat earth, thank God.

There are actually people who consider that the six seasons listed in the Surya-siddhanta are absolute, even though in the southern hemisphere they are reversed.

[Murali Gopal made a lot more nice points, but I did not write them down as I am familiar with Sadaputa Prabhu’s book Mysteries of the Sacred Universe, and so they were old news to me.]

Krishna-kripa Das on “A Personal Appreciation of the Life and Works
of Richard L. Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa)”:

Abstract:

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was known for saying that the material scientists were cheaters. As someone who received a degree in computer science from Brown University, that was hard to hear. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that what Prabhupada was aiming at, was that since there is a God, and that since numerous material scientists were allegedly attempting to explain everything without God, it was in that sense that they were cheating. Later, while I was Sadaputa’s assistant for nearly twenty years, I came to appreciate since scientists were also conditioned souls, even according to everyday definitions of cheating such things were going on in professional science as well.

Sadaputa would point out different limitations inherent to atheistic philosophies, as well as various credible tactics for utilizing empirical evidence favorably in support of Vedic perspectives.

He did not feel disturbed by superficial analyses of Puranic cosmology that suggested a mythological interpretation. Based on his frank confidence in Bhaktivedanta Swami’s faith in the scriptural tradition of Fifth Canto material, Sadaputa used his professional background as a mathematician to illustrate the relevancy of advanced astronomical insight present during ancient times.

Though Sadaputa may not have always felt fully appreciated during his lifetime, and that with additional support likely could have accomplished much more, he kept diligently at work all the same. That, I feel, was one of his greatest qualities.

Presentation:

[I was the last speaker, and we were two hours behind, thus I skipped a few examples I meant to include.]

Scientists are proud of having objective knowledge because they follow their scientific method whereas they see religionists as merely having blind faith in some scripture.

The scientific method involves making a hypothesis based on observation and collecting evidence, modifying the hypothesis as needed in light of the new evidence. Thus ultimately the hypothesis accounts for all the evidence, and becomes an accepted theory.

The first project I worked on with Sadaputa Prabhu was the book Forbidden Archeology and the video derived from it. I learned the first few decades after Darwin came up with his theory, scientists found artifacts and skeletal remains indicating advanced hominids in rock dated 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and even 50 million years ago. However, in 1894 when Dubois discovered Homo erectus in Java (Java Man) in strata around 700,000 years old, scientists took that as the missing link they had hoped for, and the dozens of artifacts of advanced tool making man in rock 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and even 50 million years ago were discredited or ignored, and disappeared from view. By not modifying their hypothesis to include all the evidence, the scientists were not only failing to attain objective knowledge but were demonstrating blind faith in a theory with evidence against it. If God does exist and is omniscient and the revealed literature is complied by Him, it is rational to place faith in it, and thus it is a possibility that a religionist could have real knowledge. But when scientists have blind faith in an imperfect theory, so much so that they cast away evidence against it, they have only ignorance. Thus I learned from working with Sadaputa Prabhu on that project that there is real cheating going on in science.

The scientists were so fixed in their conception that humans came from the Old World (Asia) to the New World (the Americas) at most 20,000 or 30,000 years ago, that even Louis Leakey, practically the father of archeology, could not get his many artifacts in 200,000 year old rock in Calico, California, accepted.

There are other examples of problems with atheistic ideas, which I learned from Sadaputa Prabhu.

In his video, “Models of Natural Selection” Sadaputa makes a model of a virus that eats bacteria and analyzes what it would take to mutate it so it could eat bacteria with a thicker cell wall. This part would have to be longer, and if this part were longer, then that other part would have to also be longer, etc. It turned out it would be 1 in 10 to the 54th power chance that it would evolve in that very limited way. At the end of the video, he challenges the scientists: “Without explicit models of biological systems, the theory of evolution becomes simply an exercise in imaginative story telling and not a proper scientific theory.”

Sadaputa Prabhu told how in 1967 mathematicians presented a paper to the biologists showing them how in terms of probabilities that evolution was not possible. The biologists replied, “We know evolution happened, and thus you must have made some mistake in your calculations.” The mathematicians, realizing the nature of the people they were dealing with, did not make further attempts to push the point.

Alfred Russel Wallace also came up with an evolutionary theory the same time as Darwin, but with natural selection alone, he could not account for people having advanced mathematical abilities existing in primitive cultures that did not utilize them. Thus he considered intelligent beings may guide the evolutionary process, an idea that outraged Darwin.

Other problems with atheistic theories Sadaputa Prabhu mentioned in his books:

“Darwinian evolution calls for a self-reproducing system of molecules. Indeed, one of the main tasks of origin-of-life theories is to explain how the first self-reproducing system arose. In living organisms, self-reproduction is a dauntingly complex process involving proteins, deoxyribonucleic-acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). If Darwinian evolution can’t take place until such a complex system is operating, scientists are at a loss to explain how that complex system has come about.” (“Primordial Alphabet Soup” in God and Science)

“Today, of course, scientists explain the succession of life forms in the fossil record by the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution. In this theory, evolutionary developments are attributed to random variation sifted by natural selection. This theory can create plausible explanations of many observed features of the biological world, and it is reasonable to suppose that the Darwinian mechanism of evolution does function in nature. However, it is far from clear that this mechanism is the last word. Organs of high perfection and complexity, such as the eagle’s eye or the human speech center, are notoriously difficult to explain by mutation and natural selection. In addition, many features of the fossil record can be placed in the Darwinian framework only by an act of faith.” (Maya: The World As Virtual Reality)

“To account for one universe with life, this [multiverse] scheme requires us to posit a vast number of universes without life, as well as an underlying process that endlessly spawns universes. One could ask which theory carries more metaphysical baggage, this one, or the traditional idea of a cosmic designer.” (Maya: The World As Virtual Reality)

I also learned from Sadaputa Prabhu that using information theory you can argue that the simple laws of physics do not contain sufficient information to produce the complex biological structures that we see in nature, and thus there must be another source of that information.

While working with Sadaputa Prabhu, I came to learn about empirical evidence supportive of Vedic ideas such as out-of-body experiences and past-life memories. One scientist he mentioned, Kenneth Ring, did studies on people who were blind from birth but who had visual experiences in an out-of-body state. We learn in the Vaishnava sankhya philosophy that the body is composed of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and the organs of the body responsible for sight would be made of these elements. Yet according to sankhya, the senses, including that of sight, are completely distinct elements from those composing the body, and that out-of-body study gives evidence consistent with that idea.

Murali Gopal Prabhu explained how the planisphere model of Bhu-mandala explains the passage of day and night and the seasons, so I will mention some of Sadaputa Prabhu’s other cosmological and astronomical achievements.

Traditionally the start of Kali-yuga is a time when the planets are all in alignment. Using a modern astronomy program and running it for each day in the last 6,000 years, Sadaputa Prabhu was able to show that one of the three best alignments occurred on the day Kali-yuga started, February 18, 3102 B.C. at midnight.

Sadaputa Prabhu showed that the size of yojana is based on a degree of latitude at the equator and that implies scholars of Vedic times knew the earth was round and how big it was.

Sadaputa Prabhu observed that the Bhagavatam distance from the center of Bhu-mandala to the sun’s orbit is within 10% of the modern earth-sun distance and is much more accurate a value than the Greek astronomers had a similar time in history.

Indupati Prabhu, who did most of the 3-D graphics for Sadaputa Prabhu’s videos, especially those on cosmology, once asked Sadaputa Prabhu, “The Vedas describe so many far out things. How can you accept them?”
Sadaputa Prabhu replied, “Because the Vedic world view can explain so many things.” When he said that I thought about all kinds of human experience throughout the millennia like consciousness, out-of-body experiences, past life memories, mystic powers, levitation, extraterrestrials, UFOs, worship of a personal God, worship of the impersonal absolute, worship of demigods, origin of species, etc., and how the Vedic world view can describe them all in a consistent system, whereas science has to reject so many things it has no explanation for.

[This final quote in which Sadaputa Prabhu explains bhakti, in the language of a scientist, as a way of acquiring additional knowledge of reality, is very powerful, and the devotees appreciated it as just suitable for ending a conference of Bhaktivedanta Institute:]

“The theory of creation by sound vibration involves transcendental levels of reality not accessible to the mundane senses, and thus in one way it is more unverifiable than the purely physical Darwinian theory. However, if a purely physical theory turns out to be empirically unverifiable, then there is nothing further one can do to be sure about it. In contrast, a theory that posits a supreme intelligent being opens up the possibility that further knowledge may be gained by internal and external revelation brought about by the will of that being. Of course, the dynamics of obtaining such knowledge are different from those of empirical, experimental science and mathematical analysis. Instead of forcing nature to disclose its secrets, one surrenders to the Supreme Lord in a humble spirit and pursues a path of spiritual discipline and divine service.

“This approach to knowledge and to life also constitutes one of the great perennial philosophies of mankind, but it has tended to be eclipsed in this age of scientific empiricism. To obtain the fruits of this path to knowledge, one must be willing to follow it, and one will be inclined to do this only if one thinks the worldview on which it is based might possibly be true. Establishing this possibility constitutes the ultimate justification for constructing theories, such as the one considered here, linking physics and metaphysics.” (“High Technology and the Ground of Being” in God and Science)

Tulasi-Priya Dasi of Alachua made a video of the entire conference, in case these notes inspire you to learn more

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33654

Srila Prabhupada:

Letter to Hamsaduta and Himavati written in Los Angeles on March 3, 1968:

“The more one feels imperfect in Krishna’s service, the more he is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Even the topmost devotees feel they are inadequate in their service to the Lord. So it is good to feel inadequate, and to try harder to please Krishna with better service. But one should never feel, oh, I have seen Krishna, and so I am reached perfection—this is not Krishna Consciousness.”

Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura:

Quoted in Vaishnava Compassion:

“The world is in no need of any reformer. The world has a very competent person for guiding its minutest happenings. The person who finds that there is scope for reform of the world himself stands in need of reform. The world goes on in its own perfect way. No person can deflect it by the breadth of a hair from the course chalked out for it by providence. . . . What is necessary is to change our outlook to this very world. . . . The scriptures declare that it is only necessary to listen with an open mind to the name of Krishna from the lips of a bona fide devotee. As soon as Krishna enters the listening ear, He clears up the vision of the listener so that he no lon­ger has any ambition of ever-acting the part of a reformer of any other person, because he finds that nobody is left with­out the very highest guidance. It is therefore his own reform by the grace of God, whose supreme necessity and nature he is increasingly able to realize by the eternally continuing mercy of the Supreme Lord.”

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:

From Vaishnava Compassion:

“To be truly compassionate requires faith. When we distribute the holy name, we are not just trying to help people hear krishna-nama but to awaken faith in their hearts. If we are faithless, how can we plant the seed of faith in others? The holy name itself is like fire—it will act on the heart of the hearer as He chooses—but Krishna has arranged for the holy name to be delivered through the devotees. Receiving the holy name is meant to be an exchange between devotees and anyone who will hear.”

“Someone will always ask the question, ‘Why should there be any creation in the first place? Creation only means suffering. If Krishna is compassionate, why doesn’t He simply bring everyone back to Godhead by arranging for us jivas to be in agreement with Him?’ But that is not how Krishna chooses to show His compassion. Rather, He wants the living entities to maintain their free will. This is because Krishna is interested in love. Love is voluntary; there is no question of forcing love. Therefore, His compassion is not to remove our free will but to allow us our choice while never abandoning us regardless of where we wander.”

“ALL DEVOTEES WILL AGREE THAT Krishna RESPONDS with compassion when a devotee prays. What is it, then, that blocks us from being aware of His response? This question has a simple answer. We cannot hear Krishna because we have already de­cided what He should say.”

From Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name:

“Bhaktivinode Thakura recommends chanting in a sacred place, in the association of Vaisnavas who have already developed a taste for chanting. Also, constant chanting will help us to develop a taste. He also recommends chanting in the presence of Tulasi-devi. And for those who try all other measures and don’t get success, he suggests extreme methods like sitting in a closed room alone, covering the head and face with a cloth, ‘ . . . and concentrating on the holy name. Slowly, one develops attraction for the holy name.’ When Lord Krishna sees a devotee sincerely and enthusiastically attempting to chant, He will reciprocate by removing the neophyte’s mental inertia with the power of His name, and bring him into the association of advanced devotees.”

“‘The devotee should make it a regular practice to spend a little time alone in a quiet place and concentrate deeply on the holy name.’ (Harinama-cintamani, p. 84)”

Prahladananda Swami:

We have fifty qualities of Krishna, but in conditioned life we are covered by the material modes of nature. In goodness some of these good qualities are temporarily manifest. In passion there are some good qualities, but they are misused. In ignorance, one has the opposite of the good qualities needed for liberation.

Just pick up the newspaper. There are plenty of asuras [demoniac people] mentioned.

Good desires are Krishna’s desires.

Our only problem is we do not want to be with Krishna. We desire to take Krishna’s place. Krishna is in the center, and we are trying to be in the center.

Are we going to worship our dead material body or are we going to worship Krishna?

The beginning of devotion is to understand there is a God and He is not us, and He never will be us.

By absorbing ourselves in Krishna we are absorbing ourselves in transcendence and illumination.

In reality everything is already Krishna’s, so we are cannot actually offer anything to Krishna, but we can have the right desires. By hearing from Krishna’s representatives, we can learn the right desires.

Krishna is controlling everything here except our desires.

When a man asked why she chanted Hare Krishna, Sarasvati slapped him across the face with her five-year-old hand. Srila Prabhupada said, “That is nistha [steady faith].”

As the spark loses its glow when away from the fire, we lose our illumination when removed from Krishna.

Our principal relationship with others is to help them advance in Krishna consciousness. That is Lord Caitanya’s instruction. By doing that we will achieve the service of Lord Krishna’s devotees in Vrindavan.

Krishna will directly inspire us from within the heart if we act according to Bhagavad-gita 9.14: “Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.”

The devotee sees his enemy is not his enemy. He sees, “Because my enemies are inspiring me to take shelter of Krishna, they are not my enemies. My friends, because we are doing sense gratification together, are helping me to forget Krishna, and thus they are actually my enemies.”

We can start serving Krishna by chanting a regulated number of rounds daily and doing some service to the sankirtana movement, like maybe giving some donation.

The books allow people to think of Krishna instead of so many other things. Thus Srila Prabhupada judged the success of a program by the number of books distributed.

How to be successful at distributing books? “Tell people how nice they are. People are looking to be recognized. If you love their shoes, you love them, and they become enlivened.”

Generally the conditioned soul does not know he is a conditioned soul. Sometimes a conditioned soul thinks he is a liberated soul, whereas a liberated soul thinks he is fallen.

Adau sraddha [in the beginning is faith]. We have a little tendency to hear about Krishna. This sraddha means I think, “If I do this, I will become happy.”

The attitude is that we want to absorb our mind in Krishna consciousness and withdraw it from various material conceptions.

In the stage called utsaha-mayi, we are very enthusiastic. We think we are pure devotees but others haven’t realized it. We know it within our heart, and Krishna knows.

At anartha-nivrtti one is not bewildered by attachments or aversions.

At nistha one can feel the presence of Krishna, and one can see Krishna in one’s mind.

I understand I am the eternal servant of Krishna, and my business is to engage everyone and everything in helping people become Krishna consciousness.

At ruci everything become tasteful and gives one pleasure.

At bhava we have some genuine feeling for Krishna. Bhava is one ray of the sunlight of prema.

Prema is only the beginning. There are sneha, raga, anuraga, etc.

Bhava is the beginning of uttama-adhikara, the topmost level of devotion.

This pastime is put here not for us to criticize Bharata Maharaja but to show how careful we must be not to fall down.

In 1969, Srila Prabhupada told his servant, Purusottama, “I pray every night to Krishna to please protect me from maya.”

Our spiritual advancement is indicated by our desire for Krishna’s protection.

Mother Yashoda is not peaceful, but she is in ecstasy because she is Krishna conscious.

When we think of Krishna as an employer not as object of love, the devotees as competitors not as objects of service, the association of those averse to Krishna as valuable, and preaching to the innocent as troublesome or useless, we fall down from the vision of a madhyama.

Just chanting our rounds to get them done is like if Krishna walks in and we wonder, “How long is He going to be here for?”

When we chant with offenses we fall into material conceptions. If we have
knowledge, we can perceive this and do something about it.

By chanting Hare Krishna without offenses we can attain nistha, steadiness.

What we think about during the day, we think about during japa. So if we serve Krishna during the day, we will think of Krishna when we chant.

If Bharata took in the deer, fed it Krishna prasadam, and did not let it distract him from his spiritual life, he would have been all right.

People are suffering because they are changing their bodies. They are changing their bodies because they are forgetting Krishna. So by enlightening them about Krishna, we save them from suffering.

Q: On book distribution how do you keep people from taking too much of your time, if they do not want a book?
A: That is easy. Just say, “Thank you very much. It was nice meeting you. I do not want to waste your valuable time.” If they still want to talk, say “I’d love to talk, but they asked me to distribute these books.” Give the person a card to the temple, and invite him to come there to talk with you.

In the beginning, when I would go on book distribution, I would stand off to the side and pray for Krishna to send people. From time to time people would come over, and I would sell them a BTG. I learned from this how I was dependent on Krishna.

Once in the Philly Airport during the marathon I was doing 120 big books a day. I would do two books at a time. During the end of the marathon, I was so tired, I would just show people the two books and would not say anything, and people would open up their wallets and give me money.

Everything depends on desire, steady desire. Rely on Krishna. Enthusiasm, confidence, and patience: these qualities sell books. Our success is in developing these qualities.

Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to read or hear lectures an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

When I was treasurer, my temple president wanted me to get a job. I found that other temples were going on harinama and distributing BTGs and collecting enough to maintain the temple, so I decided to do that. It requires organization but it works.

Adi Purusha Prabhu [New York City Food for Life]:

When the householders get a deity, they do not think, “the deity is coming into our home.” Rather they consider, “The home belongs to Krishna, and we are living in the servant’s quarters and paying the rent.”

Adam and Eve stepped out of their innocence when they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Each year some of the people who enjoyed the association of the devotees and liked their kirtana and prasadam at the National Rainbow Gathering would come to New Vrindavan and stay for a week or so. Once some of them asked Radhanath Swami if they could be naked at New Vrindavan. Radhanath Swami replied gravely, “At New Vrindavan you have to strip all the way down to the soul.”

One rabbi told a story about a Jewish guy who followed strictly and made it to heaven. God congratulated him but saw he wasn’t completely happy, even though he was in heaven. God asked him what was wrong. The man said he had one son who was a nice Jewish boy but at the end of his life he became a Christian. God replied, “I had a son who did the same thing. It’s no big deal.”

Bhaktivinoda Prabhu:

From a car conversation:

Comment by me: Thank you for your dedication to harinama. It is inspiring when the senior devotees are enthusiastic about it to inspire us newer people.
Bhaktivinoda Prabhu: I just know it is Mahaprabhu’s program, and Srila Prabhupada wanted us to make it our life and soul.

Ramesvara Prabhu:

From a lecture on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day at The Bhakti Center:

I learned from Srila Prabhupada’s books that it is actually possible to know the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotee.

When Srila Prabhupada disappeared, for the devotees it was somewhat akin to a cosmic annihilation. They felt that everything they based their life on had been ripped apart from them. That feeling went on for days, and then we remembered there is no difference spiritually in the appearance and disappearance of the spiritual master.

As ecstatic as it is to serve the pure devotee in his personal presence, it is more ecstatic to serve the pure devotee in separation. Srila Prabhupada personified this in his relationship with his guru.

Comparing Srila Prabhupada’s contributions to those of his godbrothers and other followers, the difference is so great they cannot be compared.

We are accustomed celebrating a birth and mourning a death, so celebrating a disappearance is a foreign idea to us.

Srila Prabhupada understood his guru’s mission was to make the name of Lord Caitanya known in every town and village of the world. That was why his guru had appeared in this world.

Srila Prabhupada was not only a pure devotee, nor even only a saktyavesa-avatara, but he is that person who fulfilled whatever Lord Caitanya predicted and whatever Lord Caitanya desired.

Usually authors producing a series of books put out one book every three or four years. To put out one book every year is considered amazing. Srila Prabhupada produced almost one book a month for the last seven years he was present. Even more amazing was that while he was doing this, he traveled around the world, and he organized a worldwide movement.

Srila Prabhupada came at a time when drug and sex culture were highly glorified, meat eating was widespread, and gambling was promoted, and yet he convinced thousands of students all over the world to give up these activities.

Practically every temple in this movement during Srila Prabhupada’s time got a loan from their guru for construction.

He also created a school of art. The early ISKCON artists were very primitive in their skills, but in a very short time they became expert and produced many beautiful paintings.

Comment by Adi Purusha Prabhu: All these paintings in this room were present during Srila Prabhupada’s time.

Any one of these things, the book publishing, training students, worldwide lecturing, or temple management could have been a full time job, and yet Srila Prabhupada did them all at once.

If you think of what Srila Prabhupada did in comparison to any other person in history, where is the comparison?

We cannot comprehend extent of our karmic reactions from millions of births and the meaning of our guru freeing us from our karma.

The beauty of deity worship frees us from sex desire.

The verses of “Gurvastakam” reveal the complete program Srila Prabhupada had for a spiritual culture to save people from materialistic life.

Srila Prabhupada was sent to this world to give the highest knowledge of the Supreme Lord.

The ecstasy people experienced distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books was greater than anything they remembered from their days of intoxication.

After all the devotees returned from sankirtana, no matter how late it was, I would send the report to Srila Prabhupada. One day after reviewing it, he sent me a handwritten note:

“My dear boys and girls, you are working so hard for broadcasting the glories of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet and thus my Guru Maharaj will be so pleased upon you. Certainly my Guru Maharaj will bestow His blessings thousand times more than me and that is my satisfaction. All Glories to the assembled devotees.

“N.B. Every one should go with the Sankirtan Party as soon as possible.

“A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami”

The blessings you get from Srila Prabhupada are thousands of times more, perhaps millions times more, than from your guru.

Everyone should go with the sankirtana party as soon as possible.

I will be happy to return and give a class on book distribution. I will try my best to explain the spiritual dimension of book distribution

Gopal Hari Prabhu:

From a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua:

For new devotees, Krishna fulfills their material desires to encourage them, and for advanced devotees, Krishna takes away everything to facilitate them.

Q (by Sesa Prabhu): Is there a way to understand in the beginning if we are receiving a gift of the holy name or the result of our karma?
A: It may be difficult to understand, but if it takes one closer to Krishna you can see it is a gift of the holy name. Ultimately, in any case, the devotee is determined to accept only things that he can engage in Krishna’s service.

Comment by a devotee: When we approach Krishna even for material things we become purified and advance toward Krishna.

The state of love cannot be without happiness because in all circumstances the devotee is happy by giving pleasure to Krishna.

Murali Gopal Prabhu:

In medieval times, the king’s eldest son inherited everything, and the younger sons got nothing. The younger sons had two options, to join the monastery or to join the military. Thus often the second son would assassinate the first to get the inheritance. The disenfranchised princes in Europe would come to the West and pillage Latin America and take the goods back to Europe to live the life they wanted.

There is a place in New York City where you can get ice cream coated with gold for $1,000.

One industrialist wants to build a state in space. They are doing background checks on the people who want to live there.

Thus we are creating artificial needs.

Greed and lust blind us to others’ needs.

All divisions of society are recommended to decrease their needs to be self-satisfied in all circumstances.

Austerities help us keep our needs low.

When there are not enough resources, it creates conflict.

Ananda Bihari Prabhu:

Sukadeva Goswami describes Bharata Maharaja as a madman for forgetting his devotional practice because of affection for a baby deer. Calling someone a madman is very strong language.

You have to analyze what you do between the different services you perform to understand where you are at.

Maya is like an intruder. The best way to deal with an intruder is to keep him out because that is easier than kicking him out once he has entered.

I asked Adi Purusha Prabhu if he was going to vote. He replied, “I vote every day. I vote for Srila Prabhupada.”

I have attended seminars and read articles about raising a child, but none mentions that changing your own character is the best way to develop character in the child.

One strategy is to give the child a false choice. Are you washing your face with cold water or warm water? In this way, you get the child to do what you want.

The election is a false choice in a sense. Whether you vote from Clinton or Trump, so many difficulties will still be there.

If I do not chant my rounds every day, if I do not hear the class every day, then my work will become completely mundane.

You have to be steady in your service. Your happiness and distress are already determined.

Comment by Adi Purusha Prabhu: Keeping the connection with the spiritual master keeps us from drifting off course and doing mundane welfare without a spiritual objective. When you know you are doing what your guru wants, then you can be confident.

Mahotsaha Prabhu:

When we move our hand, we do not know how to move the different atoms. We have the desire, and Krishna, as the Supersoul in the heart, moves the material energy accordingly.

If just by knowing about Krishna, you do not have to take birth again, you can understand Krishna is transcendental.

The entire Srimad-Bhagavatam is a commentary on the Gayatri mantra.

Krishna did not want to accept shoes from His mother unless all of His 900,000 cows had them, because as a servant of the cows, He should not be in a superior position.

The father of Srinivasa Acarya, Ganga Narayana, longed to meet Lord Caitanya, and in 1510, he could not bear it, and he journeyed to Navadvipa. It was about the time Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. After seeing Lord Caitanya he became transformed in spiritual ecstasy, and people called him Caitanya dasa. Later both parents visited Lord Caitanya in Puri, and Lord Caitanya predicted a great devotee would take birth as their son and be named Srinivasa Acarya.

Narahari Sakara Prabhu was the only one of Lord Caitanya’s associates who Lord Caitanya let glorify Him unrestrictedly in His presence.

Srinivasa Acarya decided to go to Puri himself to see Lord Caitanya, but unfortunately during his journey he learned Lord Caitanya left this world unexpectedly.

Srinivasa Acarya is said to be a partial expansion of Lord Caitanya’s ecstasy.

When Gadadhara Pandit would give class on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda and the other members of the Pancatattva would come and listen.

Srinivasa Acarya appeared to enter into a deep meditation for several days while chanting japa. His wives and the king he was the guru of were in great anxiety, but he was not in danger. In meditation he had entered into his original spiritual form and was assisting Radharani’s servants in looking for Her nose ring.

Bhakta Cesar:

Srila Prabhupada explains that only our sadhana is protecting us from falling into material life.

My Guru Maharaja [Vaisesika Prabhu] says, “Your seva [service] will save yah.”

On these appearance and disappearance days, Srila Prabhupada advised us to pray for the mercy of the personality who we are honoring.

Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaj had no interest but chanting the holy names of the Lord continuously and associating with the few devotees he recognized to be genuine.

Whatever the pure devotee uses becomes transcendental and is therefore worshipable.

In January of 1900 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura took initiation.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura considered that Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja ignored all his good qualities because he had superior qualities himself.

Bhakti Vikasa Swami said of the U.S. election, “You are either voting for Putana or Ravana.”

Comments by Adi Purusha Prabhu:

In the different 12-step programs for recovering from drugs and alcohol, the former addicts always consider themselves still addicted, even after many years. Similarly we should always consider ourselves addicted to sense gratification and carefully follow the practice our guru has given to become elevated.

There are devotees who still think and act like karmis [those who work for their own enjoyment]. As long as we are thinking in terms of “what I like” and “what I do not like,” we are like karmis, although we have a guru and dress like a devotee.

Yama Niyama Das Brahmacari:

From an after lunch performance at the Bhaktivedanta Institute (Gainesville) conference:

Srila Prabhupada did not ask to kick in the face with the flip-flop.

You say the universe began with an explosion when there was no explosive matter out there.

You think are great because you know how to procreate, but it’s simply monkey business.

Lavanga Devi Dasi from Krishna House:

Comments on a class I gave at Krishna House on hearing talks of Krishna:

I see the value of the studying in twos, which you mentioned in the class. I have been reading for twenty minutes a day from one of Srila Prabhupada’s books to my roommate, Hari Priya, and it has really enhanced our relationship. While I read she listens, and we do not even discuss, but somehow we feel much closer as a result of the experience. [Hari Priya joyfully expressed agreement.]

—–

The gopis are famous for their advanced love of Krishna, and it is powerful to hear their appreciation of the power of narrations about Him:

tava kathamritam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmashapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad atatam
bhuvi grinanti ye bhuri-da janah

“[The gopis say to Krishna, in the ecstasy of separation from Him:] ‘The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.’” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.31.9)

When Maharaj Prataparudra recited this verse to Lord Caitanya, the Lord embraced him, and said, “You are most munificent! You are most munificent!”

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33657

Recently I attended the yearly conference, “The Science of Consciousness”, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Sponsored for the past 23 years by the University of Arizona and the University of Michigan, and dedicated to “broad and rigorous approaches to conscious awareness, the nature of existence and our place in the universe”, this unique forum attracted over 1000 participants from 60 countries. Of the 500 submitted abstracts, mine was one of the 200 included in the poster session.
Here is the Abstract from my presentation:

Modes of Material Nature: A Mathematical Model of Consciousness Based on Eastern Philosophical Traditions Mauricio Garrido (Columbia University, Professional Studies; Bhaktivedanta Institute, Gainesville, New York, NY )

Consciousness is postulated by some to be a fundamental entity (Chalmers, 1996). As such, how is it affected by and how does it affect the world around us? Eastern philosophies such as Vedanta and Sankhya hold that consciousness is fundamental and explain its interactions with matter in terms of the modes of material nature, or gunas, which act as both consciousness filters and the make-up of
matter itself. Dasgupta (1961) describes the gunas as ?the universal characteristics of all kinds of mental tendencies? (p. 468). According to the Bhagavat Purana, on one hand all material elements are infused with the gunas. And on the other hand, our psycho-physical disposition consists of mixtures of the gunas (Prabhupada, 1976). Thus, more than just a personality indicator to describe an individual’s behavior - such as the Myers-Briggs Indicator (Langton & Robbins, 2007) - or perceptual sets that are created by motivation (Coon & Mitterer, 2008), the gunas have an important ontological status in the metaphysics of Vedanta and Sankhya. Although there have been studies on inter-guna correlations (Das, 1991 and Pathak et al., 1992), only until recently has a fully statistically-validated, quantitative tool been developed to assess them individually (Wolf, 1999 and Stempel et al., 2006). This tool has been used in meditation studies (Schmidt & Walach, 2014) and speech rehabilitation (Caturvedi, 2000). We now present a mathematical model of the gunas that aims at understanding the results of some of these studies, which use the tool developed by Wolf to quantify the gunas. A delineation of the different characteristics that make up the different mental faculties according to the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavat Purana is presented to create interacting modules. The states of this machinery are then linked to the gunas and dynamics are included in this state-space. Finally, the results from some of the studies that involve guna theory are explained using this model

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33660

Tivon and Cheyenne are an African American couple in their mid-twenties. She works in a steakhouse, and he’s in marketing. Cybil, in her fifties, is a real estate agent. Jorge is a student. Lauren is a professor of music at Towson University. Maria is retired from her government agency job. Ravi is doing his postdoc in medicine at John Hopkins. Kate is a nurse and a Buddhist. And Henna works on a horse farm.  

They’re as diverse a group as possible, but they all have one thing in common: they’re all regular attendees at the recently re-opened Bhakti Lounge in Baltimore. 

Lokadhyaksha Das and his wife Vidarbha Suta Dasi, who run the Lounge, are genuinely interested in people. And people are interested in them.

They meet people at the many vegetarian and street festivals where they sell prasadam and books – including D.C. VegFest, Baltimore Vegan SoulFest, LatinoFest, and Columbia Street Festival.

“At VegFest, there was a continuous line of 25 or 30 people throughout the day for our vegan ‘hot dogs’ and samosas,” says Vidarbha-Suta, whose booths also sell Srila Prabhupada’s books. “Many want to know more, so we take their information and send them invitations to our programs.”

At Vegan SoulFest, Vidarbha recalls, while one person was writing down their information, two or three others would appear to do the same. “We told one lady, ‘We have never seen the kind of enthusiasm for spiritual knowledge that we see here in the Baltimore area.’ She replied, ‘It’s the only way we can survive.’”

From these interactions, Lokadhyaksha and Vidarbha have built a pool of 750 people on their page at Meetup.com, a website where people can find weekly gatherings for things they’re interested in.

Newcomers respond positively to Srila Prabhupada's purports

Originally the gatherings were held in a tiny space – barely more than a shed. Since being restarted in October, however, the Bhakti Lounge’s home has been a handsome, two-storey residential house with a wrap-around porch and comfortable furnishings, located near the ISKCON Baltimore temple in Catonsville, Maryland.

“We wanted to create a really welcoming space where people would feel at home,” Vidarbha says.

Many people who come to the Bhakti Lounge previously purchased either Prabhupada’s books or his biography at Lokadhyaksha and Vidarbha’s booth and asked questions. The Lounge meetings every Sunday are a chance for them to delve deeper. 

To guide group members, the couple have come up with a system they call “Sutra to Samadhi.” Taking various sutras often used by Srila Prabhupada – such as “raso vai sah” (Krishna is the reservoir of pleasure); “aham brahmasmi” (I am spirit soul); and “athato brahma jijnasa” (now is the time to enquire about the absolute truth) – they use them as launching pads into sections of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Isopanisad or Bhagavad-gita where Prabhupada discusses them.

This creates dynamic focus points to study Prabhupada’s books through. “It’s really, really exciting,” Vidarbha says. “People are really liking it.”

At each meeting, members also have a kirtan, chant one round of japa together, and then chat while tucking into delicious prasadam.

“It’s so powerful to see the impact reading Prabhupada’s purports has on people,” says Vidarbha. “One lady told us, ‘At first, just the word Krishna made me so uncomfortable. I really fought the idea of a personal God. But it’s just so freaking true that I cannot fight it anymore!’ Another girl said, ‘When I hear all of this, nothing comes to me as a surprise. It all seems so obvious. But then I look outside and realize, ‘Wow, so many people don’t even think about these things!’” 

The Bhakti Lounge uses philosophical sutras as launching pads into Prabhupada's purports

Some people do struggle with different philosophical concepts or statements in Prabhupada’s books. But, Vidarbha says, there’s almost always something that connects with their hearts. And sometimes statements the devotees think will be problematic are not.

“In one passage, Prabhupada compares modern education to a dead body that’s covered with decorations, as they are in Indian funeral processions,” recalls Vidarbha. “But people didn’t seem to think it was too heavy a comparison. They actually resonated with it!” 

Next, Bhakti Lounge will release a ‘Sutra to Samadhi’ book, with a different sutra on each page. Decorated with elaborate borders and handpainted sketches, it will be made available to everyone who wants to study at the Bhakti Lounge.

In the future, Lokadhyaksha and Vidarbha-Suta hope to encourage members to start sangas in their own neighborhoods with the people in their circles. 

“Already, some of them have attended festivals at our ISKCON Baltimore temple and engaged in distributing books and prasadam,” Lokadhyaksha says. “They’ve also helped cook prasadam at the temple which we then distribute at homeless shelters – that’s something we hope to increase too.” 

Vidarbha is convinced that it is Prabhupada’s words that have touched people’s hearts and inspired them to do this service.

“I remember how when we restarted the Bhakti Lounge after a long time, there were tears in people’s eyes,” she says. “It’s amazing for us to see how powerful the knowledge that Prabhupada has given us is.”

Source:http://iskconnews.org/diverse-newcomers-delve-into-prabhupadas-books-at-baltimore-bhakti-lounge,5930/

“The more one reads Bhagavad-gītā the more he gets the appetite to read and understand it, and each time he gets new enlightenment. That is the nature of the transcendental message. Similarly, we find that transcendental happiness in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The more we hear and chant the glories of the Lord, the more we become happy.” – S.B. 3.25.2 Purport
Srila Prabhupada wanted every one of us to study his books systematically for our own benefit. It is evident in many of his writings, letters and lectures. To fulfill this vision of Srila Prabhupada, Mayapur Institute manifested.
In order to reach out to students who are not able to travel to India to study the Sastric Courses, Mayapur Institute holds courses in various locations around the world upon request. 35 Students successfully completed their Nectar of Instruction unit of Bhakti Sastri Graduation Program at Gauranga Desh.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33667

Eight years after celebrated ISKCON scientist Richard L. Thompson’s (Sadaputa Dasa’s) passing, his former colleagues and some rising young Vaishnava scientists are relaunching the Bhaktivedanta Institute of Gainesville.

Their inaugural seminar, held at the Alachua Learning Center in North Central Florida on November 13th, was dubbed “Bhakti Yoga & Science in the 21st Century.”

It explored Srila Prabhupada’s vision for his Bhaktivedanta Institute – a research branch he established in 1976 to address scientific issues from a Krishna conscious perspective. It flipped on their heads some paradigms ISKCON devotees hold about Prabhupada’s attitude towards science. And it highlighted new developments from devotees at the forefront of the encounter between Krishna consciousness and the sciences today.

“The issues in front of scientists change as time goes on,” says Brahma Tirtha Dasa, who has worked with the B.I. since its beginnings. “When Srila Prabhupada wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets in 1960, the Sputnik had recently been launched, so he wrote about that. In the 1970s, the thrust of science was creating life from matter, or primordial soup – so he commented on that.”

Brahmatirtha Das introduces the conference

Today, Brahma Tirtha says, quantum physicists are discussing multiple universes and the difference between consciousness and matter. “Prabhupada remained relevant with fidelity to essential Vaishnava principles, and expected the same from us. So our goal is to present what sastra has to offer in a relevant way for the times – following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada, and building off of Sadaputa Prabhu’s work.”

This November’s conference was essentially a practice run to get feedback and explore what issues seemed relevant, before presenting to an external audience – so the crowd was largely made up of ISKCON devotees and friends.

Proceedings began in the morning with Dr. David Wolf (Dhira Govinda Das) speaking about his PhD thesis on how mantra meditation affects the modes of nature. Dr. Wolf also discussed how he is implementing his findings in his social work, by using the maha-mantra to improve people’s social difficulties. 

Interestingly, Dr. Wolf’s research is also being quoted in academic literature, and has even made it into popular culture, with Oprah Winfrey quoting it in her own editorial promoting mantra meditation.

Krsna Krpa Das gives a heartfelt appreciation for Sadaputa Das

Next Dr. Venugopal Damerla, MD (Gopinath Das) explained how he is following up on Dr. Wolf’s work. Dr. Damerla has just received a grant from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and will be doing MRI scans of subjects after chanting the maha-mantra to track changes in their brains.

Dr. Gopal Gupta (Gopal Hari Das), a professor of philosophy at Florida Gulf Coast University, then presented a fascinating take on movements such as Intelligent Design. He spoke about how science-based arguments for the existence of God – using human reason and scientific observation of the natural world – have in fact backfired and bolstered the rise of modern atheism. In contrast with these arguments, he said, Vaishnava traditions receive knowledge of God through sastra pramana – scripture – and through the Guru.

Dr. Jonathan Edelmann (Janaki-Rama Das), a professor in religious studies at the University of Florida, then posited that the notion that science and religion are in conflict is based on inaccurate understandings. The relationship is more complex and multifaceted than that, he said. He also pointed out that in fact most of the arguments used against religion by scientists are against Christianity, and that from our Bhagavata Purana perspective, science and religion have more in common than they have in disagreement.

“Rather than see religion and science as adversaries,” he concluded, “We should look at science, take it a little bit seriously, and see what can be brought out of science that the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition can add to it and give it more meaning.”

Gopal Hari Das talks about science-based arguments for the existence of God

Resting their brains from such lofty topics, the assembled devotees then took a lunch break during which they enjoyed a beautiful kirtan performance by the children of Bhaktivedanta Academy North America. They also laughed uproariously at satirical songs by musician Ekendra Dasa and his alter ego Yama Niyama Das Brahmachari.

After lunch, Stitha-dhi-muni Das, who holds a PhD in the history of western science, gave a key presentation on an intriguing historical discovery. According to his research, the book Life Comes From Life, which presents conversations with Srila Prabhupada on science and religion, contains “hardly a phrase that matches the original audio recordings and transcriptions.”

Reportedly, well-intentioned devotees translated the conversations for the German edition inaccurately, misunderstanding Prabhupada’s words. Then the American BBT translated it back into English from the German, a game of telephone that left only a small percentage of Prabhupada’s original words intact.

Thus the book, Life Comes From Life – with over a million copies in print – inaccurately presented Prabhupada’s arguments in a manner that can sound simplistically hard line on science/religion debates, and often with considerable errors as found in the misquotation, “The more we kick out Darwin’s philosophy, the more we advance in spiritual consciousness.”

However in the 1990s, when the Bhaktivedanta Archives made the original recordings and transcripts available, they revealed a much more nuanced account of Prabhupada’s views on science and religion, which according to Stitha-dhi-muni were consistent with the central themes found throughout his teachings.

Dr. David Buchta speaks about the difference between smriti and sruti

“When you look at the real transcripts, Prabhupada said repeatedly in many different ways that we respect the scientists and what they do,” says Prishni Dasi, a Bhaktivedanta Institute member who holds a B.A. in math and is a longtime follower of Sadaputa’s work. “He even stated that we give them all credit. His only issue with the scientists is the atheistic conclusion that they draw from their study.”

Sometimes, Prishni explains, this can get lost when reading simplistic accounts that are all too often promoted as accurate – and devotees spread inflammatory anti-science ideas.

“But that’s not what Prabhupada had in mind when he set up the Bhaktivedanta Institute,” she says. “It was actually to have friendly and interesting dialogue with scientists, and with their research, and then to add the devotional element into it -- though he did not suffer the idea that life comes matter.”

Following Stitha-dhi-muni, Dr. David Buchta, a lecturer on Sanskrit at Brown University, spoke about the difference between smriti (Vedic texts that are attributed to an author) and sruti (Revealed knowledge passed down without change). In his talk Buchta explained that although the Srimad-Bhagavatam is technically in the smriti category, because of its particular relevance, it is considered sruti by followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Next, Dr. Mauricio Garrido (Murali Gopal Das), who holds a PhD in quantum physics, discussed Sadaputa Dasa’s approach for analyzing cosmographical perspectives of the Bhagavatam that seem to severely conflict with modern science. Drawing from Sadaputa’s book Mysteries of the Sacred Universe, he corrected misunderstandings such as the currently popular idea amongst some devotees that the fifth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam propounds a flat earth theory.

Murali Gopal Das discusses Sadaputa's approach to explaining Bhagavatam cosmography

Concluding his presentation, Dr. Garrido stated that Sadaputa left a lot of work still to be done when he passed away. “We hope that Dr. Garrido, a rising star in the world of Vaishnava scientists who is now with the Bhaktivedanta Institute, is inspired to continue Sadaputa’s work,” Prishni says.

Finally, Christopher Beetle (Krishna-Kripa Das), who served as Sadaputa’s assistant for seventeen years, gave a heartfelt appreciation of Sadaputa, speaking about what he had learned from him. “Though Sadaputa may not have always felt fully appreciated during his lifetime, and that with additional support likely could have accomplished much more, he kept diligently at work all the same,” said Krishna-Kripa. “That, I feel, was one of his greatest qualities.”

Diligently keeping on with Sadaputa’s work, members of Gainesville’s Bhaktivedanta Institute now plan to hold a larger scale conference a year from now in conjunction with a university.

Beyond that, they plan to continue exploring their theme of taking Prabhupada’s vision for the B.I. into the 21stcentury, with regular future conferences, as well as work with the next generation of devotee scientists.

They’re feeling pleased about the response to their efforts so far. “Everyone felt very refreshed and enlivened by the conference, and want us to do more,” says B.I. member Tamraparni Das. “They loved that we were able to discuss topics that don’t normally get addressed.”

Source:http://iskconnews.org/bhakti-yoga-and-science-conference-takes-bhaktivedanta-institute-into-the-21st-century,5942/

Giriraj Swami: Reading Srila Prabhupada’s Light of the Bhagavata, I was struck by text 12 and his commentary on it:
“The mountains, although being struck by torrents of rain during the rainy season, are not shaken, just as those whose hearts are dedicated to the transcendental Personality of Godhead are never disturbed, even when harassed by great misfortune.” (LOB 12)
“Because a person who is spiritually advanced accepts any adverse condition of life as the mercy of the Lord, he is completely eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Even though a person takes to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he may sometimes become diseased, impoverished, or disappointed by life’s events. A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.” (LOB 12 purport)
Hare Krishna.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33622

The word, responsibility, derives from Old French, respondre, “to answer.”

In other words, responsibility, can be literally taken as, “one’s ability to respond.”

The way we respond to what happens to us in life directly indicates the degree to which we have developed our consciousness.

As one practices devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting about Krishna, one develops the ability to respond mindfully to the events and circumstances in one’s life.

For example, Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 12.15 about the way in which a Krishna conscious person interacts with others:

“Since a devotee is kind to everyone, he does not act in such a way as to put others into anxiety. At the same time, if others try to put a devotee into anxiety, he is not disturbed. It is by the grace of the Lord that he is so practiced that he is not disturbed by any outward disturbance.”

Those who wish to increase their ability to respond thoughtfully to the anxieties, changes, and provocations in their lives can daily practice chanting the maha-mantra with care and attention.

Vaisesika Dasa

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33637

It was Ford and Reuther, and the ceremony was covered by Time magazine, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press!
Udayananda: We had kirtan competitions. Devotees from the Chicago temple would do their thing, the L.A. devotees would do their thing, the Radha-Damodar party would do their thing and the London devotees would do their thing, like that.
Everyone was fired up about chanting. But one of our God-brothers didn’t like it.
He was in Prabhupada’s room with the Radha-Damodar boys and he said, “Prabhupada, it’s getting completely crazy out there, all the dancing like wildmen.”
Prabhupada stopped him and said, “Yes. When you become a lover of Krishna, you dance just like a madman.” All the Radha-Damodar boys went, “Haribol!”
Bhakti-caru Swami came in early 1977 and Prabhupada immediately gave him first and second initiation and said, “He is not a new man in this movement.”
Then a couple weeks later, Prabhupada was walking on the roof of the Lotus Building with Bhakti-caru Swami when Prabhupada said to him,
“You have had billions of births. All of us have had billions of births, and we have always given those lives simply to sense gratification. If you give one birth to Krishna you will not be the loser. Just give one to Krishna. And if you’re not satisfied, you still get more births.”
Prabhupada spoke matter-of-factly, just like saying the sun rises every day. He was considering transmigration, “Don’t worry, you can get billions of more births. But give one to Krishna and see what happens.”
A week later Bhakti-caru Swami took sannyas, and he’s maintained his sannyas vows ever since.
He’s given this one birth to Krishna. At any point in time we can also give our life to Krishna and that’s what I’m hoping to do.
Once, not long before Prabhupada left his body, he called Bhakti-caru Swami over.
Maharaj went to Prabhupada with a humble service mood and Prabhupada talked to him in Bengali.
Bhakti-caru Swami smiled sweetly and laughed and Prabhupada smiled and laughed, enjoying this rasa with him. I was completely envious.
They were sharing an intimate Bengali moment and I thought, “He’s so fortunate, he can talk to Prabhupada in his native tongue. I wonder what that joke was about.”
Finally Prabhupada said, “Look at this body, it’s completely useless. I am practically proving that life does not come from a bag of bones.”
We half chuckled and were half stunned in amazement. Srila Prabhupada transcended the whole situation.
He defied the “logic” of science by saying, “I am practically proving that life does not come from a bag of bones.”
Govardhan das and I arrived in Vrindavan and checked into a room in the Krishna-Balaram guesthouse.
Three minutes later Upendra knocked on the door and said, “Prabhupada wants to see you right away.”
Prabhupada had asked for Govardhan because in Detroit, where he was temple president, they’d just had a magnificent wedding for Lekhasravanti, Walter Reuther’s daughter. Ambarish was the best man.
So it was Ford and Reuther, and the ceremony was covered by Time magazine, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press— there was tremendous publicity throughout the country and it was a magnificent preaching opportunity.
We were on our way to Prabhupada’s room when Tamal Krishna Maharaj stopped us and said,
“You’ve never seen Srila Prabhupada look the way he does now. He’s not robust and healthy and it might be a shocking and painful sight for you. But don’t cry and don’t say anything negative. Just say encouraging things.”
Maharaj didn’t want Prabhupada to be anxious. He said, “We’re trying to encourage Prabhupada, to uplift his spirits, to make him enthused to go on preaching for at least another 10 years. So don’t look shocked, don’t be sad.”
We thought, “Okay, we’re prepared to do this.”
Prabhupada was lying in his bed and we offered our obeisances. Then we stood at Prabhupada’s feet and saw him. We were shocked.
Govardhan immediately lost it and quietly sobbed, covering his mouth with his chaddar.
Prabhupada smiled and said, “Who has come?” Tamal said, “It’s Govardhan and Udayananda from Detroit, Prabhupada.”
Prabhupada said, “Are your accommodations in the Krishna-Balaram guesthouse okay? Did you get prasadam? Are you comfortable? Is everything all right?”
Govardhan, who was saddened by Srila Prabhupada’s condition, couldn’t talk, so I said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada, it’s first class. Thank you for taking such good care of us.”
Prabhupada said, “Are the devotees in Detroit happy in Krishna consciousness? And how are Lekhasravanti and Ambarish? How is the temple and how is the Deity worship? Are you preaching in the neighborhood?”
Prabhupada went on talking about everyone else’s well-being.
The kaviraj who was treating Srila Prabhupada had treated thousands of people with the same condition and he had said,
“This disease is so painful that others have writhed in pain—they can barely tolerate the pain—and they become incoherent, delirious.”
But Prabhupada’s consciousness was crystal clear and he was simply concerned about the well-being of others.
Never once did he say, “Look at my condition. Look at how I am suffering.” I was trying to wrap my mind around how a person in such a condition could be so selfless.
My God-brother Praghosa Prabhu went to Washington, D.C. to distribute books at the airport and when he came back from sankirtan one day, Srila Prabhupada saw him and said, “Where have you been?”
Praghosa offered his obeisances and said, “I’ve been distributing books, Srila Prabhupada.”
Prabhupada said, “Come with me,” and together they went into Prabhupada’s room.
Prabhupada said, “Where are you doing your service these days?” Praghosa said, “I’m in New York, Prabhupada, in the 55th Street temple.”
Prabhupada said, “Oh, you’re in New York? I also started in New York” as if every single devotee in the movement did not know everything about Prabhupada, especially where he started.
In his last days, Prabhupada talked about going on parikrama around Govardhan, but he wasn’t focused only on Govardhan.
When news and letters arrived about the preaching and the book distribution that was going on, Prabhupada became inspired and once he said,
“I should give up lying here in Vrindavan and go out and preach. You should take me to the New York temple. And if I die, put my tomb on top of the Radha-Govinda temple on 55th Street. I want to die preaching with my New York preachers.”
—Udayananda
Excerpt from “Memories-Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint” 
by Siddhanta das

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33641

From Back to Godhead

By Urmila Devi Dasi

Because sexual desire has a spiritual origin, the practices of bhakti-yogacan recover its pure eternal purpose.

Bhakti-yoga gives us the key to the origin of sexuality and its means of total fulfillment. Yoga literally means “union.” Bhakti means loving service.Bhakti-yoga, therefore, means the loving union of the soul with the Supreme Soul. The soul’s deepest desire is for this loving union.

Whenever the Lord is pleased in any way, He and His pleasure energy reciprocate. Krishna is the ultimate masculine, and His pleasure energy is His feminine counterpart, Radharani. When there is yoga, or union, of the Supreme Soul with His pleasure energy, this yoga also gives full enjoyment to all the minute spiritual parts (us) who facilitate it. The sacred sound om shows this process, as it is a blend of the Sanskrit letters a(pronounced like the u in but), u (pronounced like the u in push) and m (a resonant nasal sound like in the French word bon). The a indicates the Supreme Soul, the u His pleasure energy, and the m individual souls like us. As illustration, the great devotee Hanuman aids the union of Rama and Sita, and in doing so feels continuously expanding pleasure himself.

The souls who refuse to exult in the Lord’s pleasure pastimes envy His central position. The utmost expression of that foolish rebellion twists the natural and intrinsic pleasure seeking of the soul into what we know in the world as sexual desire. Mundane sexuality is, therefore, a perversion of a desire that exists in our original, spiritual bodies. For this reason, all attempts to abolish sexuality result in failure. We cannot kill desires that are part of our very self.

When males and females touch each other’s bodies, their lusty desires naturally awaken. It appears from this verse that there are similar sensations in spiritual bodies. Both Lord Ananta and the women giving Him pleasure had spiritual bodies. Thus all sensations originally exist in the spiritual body. This is confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra: janmady asya yatah. Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura has commented in this connection that the word adi means adi-rasa, the original lusty feeling, which is born from the Supreme. However, spiritual lust and material lust are as completely different as gold and iron. (Srimad-Bhagavatam5.25.5, Purport)

The desire for enjoyment is present both in Krishna and in His parts and parcels, the living entities. In the spiritual world, such desires are also spiritual. No one should mistakenly consider such desires to be material. In the material world, if one is sexually inclined and enjoys sex life, he enjoys something temporary. His enjoyment vanishes after a few minutes. However, in the spiritual world the same enjoyment may be there, but it never vanishes. It is continuously enjoyed. In the spiritual world such sex pleasure appears to the enjoyer to be more and more relishable with each new feature. In the material world, however, sex enjoyment becomes distasteful after a few minutes only, and it is never permanent. (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 8.138, Purport)

The only ultimate cure for mundane sexuality – which entices us, embarrasses us, drives us, frustrates us, and provides us at best with fleeting, temporary, and decreasing pleasure – is to regain the original form of that pleasure through a union of love and service with our source, Krishna. The process to achieve that is bhakti-yoga, which includes a variety of practices, the chief of which is to chant the names of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama and Their pleasure energy, Hare. Because the names of the Lord and His energy are identical with them, the total yoga between the soul, the Lord, and the pleasure energy is accomplished as soon as a soul is immersed in that sound with a mood of dependent love and service.

Therefore, when chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, one feels great happiness on a platform higher than that of the mind and senses. As a practitioner gradually deepens in bhakti-yoga, all mundane sexual desires are transformed back into genuine spiritual love, krishna-prema.

However, achieving the full purification necessary to return our original state of utmost bliss is generally a gradual process. Therefore, material sexual desires demand some outlet until they are fully back in their primal spiritual condition. The scriptures prescribe two righteous outlets that give the student of bhakti-yoga support along the route to transcendence.

Two Supports for Bhakti-yogis

The astonishing beauty of each of these supports is how Krishna uses the epitome of the soul’s rebellion against Him – mundane sexuality – to bring that soul back to the spiritual bliss of yoga. Because Krishna has linked material sexuality with reproduction, a human being who allows that link to remain intact is pulled to the path of sacrifice and dharma from which spiritual life is natural. In the Gita’s third and twelfth chapters, therefore, Krishna recommends dutiful sacrifice and charity, even for those not yet conscious of their relationship with God. As the “all-pervading transcendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice” (Gita 3.15), sacrifice directed by the scriptures gives a satisfaction beyond selfishness. Such satisfaction may lead a soul to search out the supreme object of sacrifice, Krishna.

The link between sex and reproduction requires one of two sacrifices – the sacrifice of celibacy, or the sacrifice of marriage and parenting. Each of these types of support for material sexuality involves unique pleasures and austerities. Because of the soul’s past deeds, each person in this material world has a predestined amount of pleasure and austerity in this life, which is mostly fixed. However, we can usually change the type. People can, therefore, choose the way of dealing with mundane sexuality that is in harmony with their nature, age, and circumstance. When one is getting the pleasures suited for one’s own nature and time of life, the concomitant austerities are bearable and often even joyful. As Krishna explains in the third chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, only one who accepts the austerities of a position has a right to enjoy the pleasures of that position. Indeed, one who tries to take the pleasures without the austerities will find those pleasures to be an empty shell only. “One who does not follow in human life the cycle of sacrifice thus established by the Vedas certainly leads a life full of sin. Living only for the satisfaction of the senses, such a person lives in vain.” (Gita 3.16)

The Sacrifice of Celibacy

The first support system for those aspiring for perfection through bhakti is celibacy. This support is appropriate for those who feel energized without sex, even in subtle emotional forms. The Supreme Lord, who when He descends sets the example for how to live, lives as a celibate in His incarnation of Nara-Narayana Ṛshi. Celibacy is often prescribed in the scripture as a great help for various types of yoga. Therefore, everyone should embrace the celibate life before marriage and, after the time of reproduction is passed, even within marriage. For a few people, lifetime celibacy without marriage is the most suitable support.

The celibate uses sexual energy – which includes creativity, enthusiasm, expansion, attraction to beauty, and the urge to connect with life – to accept all living beings as family and work innovatively for the ultimate good of others. Indeed, the saffron-colored clothing worn by celibates in Vedic culture is of the same hue as the sacred fire, agni-paricchadan(Bhagavatam 7.12.21). Freedom is one of the primary pleasures of a celibate life lived according to shastric guidelines. Celibacy also makes it easy to live shastrically according to one’s tastes without having to be overly concerned with pleasing family members. Other pleasures are simplicity and a satisfaction in the accomplishment of sense control. Without the need to impress potential mates, there is peacefulness and satisfaction. Less time and energy are needed for basic maintenance, and so one can more easily choose work for personal fulfillment and meaning rather than necessity.

The austerities of the celibate life involve not only sexual abstinence, but also the renunciation of subtle, emotional, quasi-sexual exchanges such as flirting and frivolous talks. A celibate should limit wealth, food, and possessions to basic needs.

The dharma of a celibate includes a focus on scripture study, prayer, and purification of existence. The youthful celibate focuses on spiritual study; the older celibate on producing literary works and holding learned discourses. (Bhagavatam 2.2.5, Purport)

Because the pleasures of channeling sexuality into a celibate life are sweet and enticing, a parody of it exists in modern society. Unfortunately the imitation, which seeks the pleasures without the austerity and is not based on the sacred, aggrieves individuals and society, harming rather than helping spiritual life. This modern “single life” is a parody of the celibate life, as it advertises the celibates’ freedom and simplicity – but without the celibacy that makes such pleasures possible. This parody consists either of no marriage or of delaying marriage and childbearing well past the time of desire and peak fertility. During this time, people may have one or more sexual partners, using contraception and even abortion to keep their so-called single status. Even those who abstain from sex often absorb their minds and hearts in the romance prevalent in various forms of media.

The Sacrifice of Marriage

The second support is marriage. Most people cannot live a scripturally directed celibate life during their youth and require the support of marriage. The incarnation of the Lord who sets the example of monogamous marriage is Lord Ramachandra and His wife, Sita, who remained faithful through many trials. The married couple use their sexual energy to produce children they raise in spiritual consciousness. Family members help each other and work as a team to meet material demands, have a pleasing emotional connection, and encourage each other in spiritual life. Companionship, stability, and security are some of the primary pleasures of married life guided by scripture. Regulated sexual life and home-cooked food please the senses, as does a home filled with comfortable furniture, art, and music. Married persons seek freedom through social status and wealth, which allow them a wide range of choices. Growing children fascinate and amuse the parents, while offering scope for a variety of affectionate exchanges. In marriage one attempts to accumulate enough wealth to have the pleasure of giving in charity to worthy causes, which gives a deep sense of meaning and of contributing to society. The austerities of marriage include limiting one’s sexual relationship to one person for life regardless of changing circumstances, working for income, tolerating the personality differences and conflicts within the family, dealing with envy and competition from neighbors, friends, and co-workers, arranging for children’s education, maintaining a home, and so forth. The dharma of marriage focuses on charity, honesty, and sense control.

The pious and stable sexual gratifications of family life have induced a parody in modern society, as married couples seek to separate sex from reproduction. Through contraceptives and abortion, they seek to capture the pleasures without the austerity. The result in many countries, such as Italy, is birthrates so low that the government has become concerned that the whole culture will collapse. In these parodies of family life, people buy more than they can afford through irresponsible debt, and spend far more on the family than on charity. For example, Americans – residents of the most generous country in the world in terms of donations of time and money – give an average of only 3% of their income to charity. With an entertainment center as the home “altar,” their family life becomes an entangling snare of materialism. Another parody is cohabitation without marriage, which sometimes produces children, and generally ends in a breakup. Northern Europe seems to favor unmarried temporary families, with 28% of children in Sweden in 2010 born to cohabiting unmarried parents. In America 40% of children are now born out of wedlock, compared to 4% in 1960.

The Need for Honesty

In considering which support system to use at what point in our lives, we need to be very honest. One of the most damaging tendencies to our spiritual advancement is deceit, according to Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, an associate of Lord Chaitanya. A deceitful person tries to take the pleasures from one or more support systems, with none of the austerities. Honest people admit what kind of pleasures they want and then take up the corresponding austerities. A gift-giving exchange of love can then occur between the soul and Supreme Soul. One offers the austerities to Krishna as a way to express loving gratitude and responsibility. And one accepts the concomitant pleasures as His loving gift, using them to glorify Him further.

The system of ashrama given in the scriptures prescribes celibacy until marriage, family life until around age fifty, and celibacy again until leaving this world. In the latter period of celibacy, married couples may opt to stay together but retire from occupations and from sex both physical and subtle. This ashrama system, while not possible for everyone today, works in synergy with the natural life cycle to engage mundane sexuality in ways appropriate to biology and psychology. Those who can engage their sexuality in this ashrama system generally find the practice of bhakti-yogamuch easier.

A Loving Exchange with Krishna

Whether as a celibate or a married person, the bhakti-yogi acts in the way Prabhupada’s guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, describes here: “If whatever is accepted be received as favor vouchsafed by the Supreme Lord, the worldly activity will cease to be such and will turn into service of Godhead (bhakti).” (Brahma-samhita 5.61, Purport)

Prabhupada explains the same principle:

Whatever Krishna gives us . . . Just like a master. A master allots something to the servant. “You can enjoy this.” That prasadam. You understand. “Everything belongs to Krishna, even my hands and legs. They also belong to Krishna, all the parts of my body. They belong to Krishna. Then they should be used for Krishna.” That is called bhakti. (Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.9–10, Delhi, November 14, 1973)

When one acts on this principle, then “matter dovetailed for the cause of the Absolute Truth regains its spiritual quality.” (Gita 4.24, Purport).

When people live in this mood of a loving exchange with Krishna, the intrinsically spiritual processes of bhakti-yoga such as hearing and chanting about Krishna, along with an individually appropriate support system for mundane sexuality, unify in transcendence, as explained in theGita (4.24): “A person who is fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature.”

As bhakti-yogis mature, gradually material sexuality becomes as unattractive as someone’s spit-out chewing gum lying on the ground. There is no hatred for sex per se, which is simply a biological function. Nor is there hatred for those who may be objects of sexual attraction, as they are simply other embodied souls. However, there is repulsion from lust, which is the drive to gain happiness for one’s senses and mind by using the energy of the Lord and other beings. Mundane sexual lust gradually and proportionally transforms back into its original nature and becomes love of God. Then the need for a support system of a celibate or marriedashrama starts to pale. One may still live in one of those ashramas, but as a service to Krishna and an example to others, not because of a personal need to do so.

The enlightened devotee’s detachment derives from the superior satisfaction of spiritual love. The rising tide of spiritual love gradually increases to a flood. This love, real love, means giving rather than taking. It means giving oneself for the pleasure of God. It means being an agent to unite the Lord and His energy of pleasure – Krishna with Radha, Narayana with Lakshmi, Rama with Sita. Of course, the Lord and His eternal consort do not depend on a tiny soul to aid their union. It is the kindness of the Lord that He engages the expanded living beings in this way so as to share His bliss. The finite soul, thus linked with the infinite through loving service, eternally experiences ever-expanding ecstasy. Such is our natural, constitutional, inherent nature. Let us take daily steps toward regaining our nature and letting go of its pale reflection.

Krishna Kshetra Swami: Yesterday I gave a 2-hour lecture at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Faculty of Religion) here in Beijing. My lecture title: “Translating 'Dharma’ and the Dharma of Translation” (focusing on the Bhāgavatam). Nice, bright group of students and scholars, some of whom I met last year.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33620

“The mountains, although being struck by torrents of rain during the rainy season, are not shaken, just as those whose hearts are dedicated to the transcendental Personality of Godhead are never disturbed, even when harassed by great misfortune.” (LOB 12)

“Because a person who is spiritually advanced accepts any adverse condition of life as the mercy of the Lord, he is completely eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Even though a person takes to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he may sometimes become diseased, impoverished, or disappointed by life’s events. A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.” (LOB 12 purport)

—Giriraj Swami

Source: http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=11501

Important temples in and around Kanchipuram:

1. Sri Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple (or Thiruthanka)

2. Sri Ashtabujam Perumal Temple (or Sri Aadhikesava)

3. Sri Azhagiya Singar Perumal Temple (or Thiru Velukkai)

4. Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple (or Thiru Kanchi)

5. Sri Yatoktakari Temple (or Thiru Vekka)

6. Sri Ulagalantha Perumal Temple (or Thiru Ooragam) and Sri Thirukkaar Vaanar Temple (or Thirukkaar Vaanam)

7. Sri Vaikunda Perumal Temple (or Thiruparameshwara Vinnagaram)

8. Sri Pandava Dhootha Temple (or Thiru Paadagam)

9. Sri Pachai Vannar Temple and Sri Pavalai Vannar Temple (or Thiru Pavala Vannan)

10. Sri Ekambaranathar Temple and Sri Nilathingal Thundathan Perumal Temple

11. Sri Kamakshi Temple and Sri Aadhi Varaha Perumal Temple

12. Sri Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple (or Thiruputkuzhi)

13. Sri Koorathazhwan Temple at Kooram

14. Sriperumbudur (birthplace of Sripad Ramanujacarya, 32km from Kanchipuram)

15. Sri Veeraraghava Perumal Temple (or Tiruvallore)

16. Sri Bhatavatsala Perumal Temple (or Thiru Nindravoor)

17. Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Chennai Temple - Sri Sri Radha-Krishna Temple

18. Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Elanagar

19. Ramanujar Sannidhi at Sevilimedu

20. Ranganathar Temple at Nathamedu

21. Sri Lakshmi Narayana Perumal at Pulikkundram

22. Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple at Kazhiyur

Other temples: Sri Muktheeswarar temple, Sri Kachapeswarar temple, Sri Kumarakottam temple, Sri Kailasanathar temple

Kanchipuram, also known as Benares of Southern India or The City of Temples, is one of the most ancient and sacred cities of India. Kanchipuram is an eternally holy place and has some of the most magnificent temples. The Garuda Puranaenumerates seven sacred cities (sapta-moksha puri) as giver of moksha. They are Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kasi, Kanchipuram, Avantika (Ujjain) and Dwarka. Kanchipuram is one of among such holy place. It is 75km from Chennai, 130km from Tirupati and 32km from Sriperumbudur (birthplace of Sripad Ramanujacarya). 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Kanchipuram in year 1511 A.D. during His South India tour as mentioned in Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya lila 9.68-70. Lord Balarama visited Kanchipuram as mentioned Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 79 verses 11-15. Lord Nityananda Prabhu also visited Kanchipuram during His pilgrimage to holy places. Great Vaishnava acarya, Sripad Ramanujacarya, spent a number of years in Kanchipuram in practising and preaching Vaishnava philosophy and rendering loving devotional services to Lord Sri Varadaraja Swamy (the principal Deity of Kanchipuram) and the Vaishnavas. Many great devotees like Kanchipurna and others also spent most of their life at Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram city is divided into two parts: the Little Kanchi (or Vishnu Kanchi) surrounding Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, and the Big Kanchi (or Siva Kanchi) surrounding Sri Ekambaranathar Temple. Kanchipuram is also prominently known for silk industry. Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya lila 9.68-70 mentions: Arriving at Siva-kanci, Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the deity of Lord Siva. By His influence, He converted all the devotees of Lord Siva into Vaishnavas. The Lord then visited a holy place known as Visnu-kanci. There He saw Laksmi-Narayana deities, and He offered His respects and many prayers to please Them. Visnu-kanci is situated about 5 miles away from Kanchipuram. It is here that Lord Varadaraja, another form of Lord Visnu, resides. There is also a big lake known as Ananta-sarovara. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Visnu-kanci for 2 days, He danced and performed kirtana in ecstasy. When all the people saw Him, they were converted into devotees of Lord Krishna.

Lord Brahma’s penance and Appearance of Sri Varadaraja Perumal

[Reference: His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s South India Yatra 2005]

It is only by the causeless infinite mercy of our beloved Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and our most merciful previous acaryas that today, we are blessed with the benediction of being in this eternally holy place, Kanchipuram. In the Sri Sampradaya, there are three most holy and important deities; 

o   Sri Ranganatha Swamy in Srirangam, Sri Varadaraja Perumal in Kanchipuram and Sri Venkateswara Balaji in Tirupati.

In the histories of the Azhwars, there are profuse prayers glorifying these forms of the Lord, especially in the life of Sripad Ramanujacarya. The more we dive deeply into these most illuminating pastimes, the more our hearts over flood with gratitude, to have the opportunity to be here in this holy place and have the darshan of the Lord in this form.

In the Satya Yuga, Lord Brahma wanted to have the darshan of Lord Narayana and worship him with love and devotion. He performed penance for this purpose, and the Lord appeared in the form of the forest of Naimisharanya. Brahma wanted to see the personal form of the Lord. He carried on with his tapasya. In reciprocation, the Lord appeared in the form of water, the holy place Pushkar. Still, Brahma wanted to see the form of the Lord. The original, transcendental form of the Lord.This is not something easy to achieve. Brahma was told that he would have to perform 1000 Ashvamedha yajnas, in order to receive this benediction. Lord Brahma, he pleaded, he begged. "This will take a very long time, and it's very difficult." He was given a benediction. "Go to Kanchipuram, where any spiritual act of devotion is multiplied by 1000 times over other places. If, there you do one Ashvamedha yajna, you will have the darshan of Lord Narayana." Lord Brahma came here. He invited Saraswati Devi, his consort, but her inconceivable pastimes regarding the Lord's pastimes, she was not accessible. 

Lord Brahma began the yajna. Like any yajna, impediments will come. It is the mercy of the Lord. In the age of Kali, there was only one yajna that is recommended in the Vedas, to achieve the ultimate goal of life. It is not the fire yajna, it is the yajna of the chanting of the holy names. In fact, Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavana, he had the high priests, monks, the Brijwasis to perform days and days of yajnas. In the meanwhile, the devotees were off to the side doing Nama Sankirtana. Prabhupada writes and purport that, "The real installation that invited the deities to come, was the sincere devotional chanting of the holy names of the devotees."

Krishna-varnam tvisa Krishnam  sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair  yajanti hi su-medhasah 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 11 chapter 5 verse 32)

In this age of Kali, the Yuga avatar appears to teach the Yuga Dharma: Harinama Sankirtana.

We all have experienced that, when we perform Harinama Sankirtana, do our Japa,many impediments will come, to try to stop our progress. The impediments come from within, impediments come from without. Those impediments are coming by the will of the Lord because in the face of those impediments, we either have to perish, remain lukewarm neophytes, or we have to surrender to the Lord. There is no other alternative. We have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told His devotees that, "Obstacles are the servants of the Lord. Obstacles in the path of devotion are necessary, because human nature is to be complacent. Human nature is to be ritualistic." Even in a spiritual life, it is a strong tendency and none of us are exempt. We all have this human nature, that we take sacred things to be ordinary. And even when we perform our religious duties, they become routine, they become ritualistic. We chant the names of the Lord just to get the number done, without really taking shelter. We come before the deity in a lackadaisical way.

vipadah santu tah sasvat tatra tatra jagad-guro

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 8 verse 25)

This was Kunti Devi's prayer. That, "Let calamities, let unbearable obstacles come in my life, because then I have no other alternative but to really take shelter of you in great need." When everything is going very nicely, it is an opportunity to sincerely surrender. When things go against the grain of our plan or expectations, when there's crisis, disaster, great impediments, a sincere devotee does not lose faith, does not lose enthusiasm. A sincere devotee understand, this is a benediction. Now I have no alternative, but to take shelter, to surrender.

Factually, that is what Bhakti is about, taking shelter of the Lord Krishna. I am not the doer, Lord Krishna is the doer. To acknowledge that fact is very difficult for a conditioned soul. We can do it verbally and mentally, but from the heart, our tendency is to complain, our tendency is to find fault in others. Our tendency is to blame, either the environment or people around us for the inadequacies we have. Yes, you can complain and you can convince the whole world of the truth that justifies your dilemma, but there is a problem. You make Zero spiritual advancement by doing so. Why should we try to convince people of this world, how we are right and how the difficulties I am going through, are not my fault? We get nowhere. 

tat te ’nukampam su-samiksamano  bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam

hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te  jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.” 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 chapter 14 verse 8)

This was spoken by Lord Brahma. He knows, when difficulties come, we have to, with folded palms, thank God, thank Krishna. Now for difficulties to actually be difficulties. It cannot be the difficulties that we select. "Krishna, I will surrender to you with this difficulty or that difficulty. I have a whole list of difficulties, and which will help me surrender." The problem is this. If it is on your list, it is not really a difficulty. The real difficulties are things that come, that really we don't want, really we didn't expect. Even if we did expect it, it was what we were praying not to happen.

Getting stripped naked in the assembly of gurus was not on Draupadi's list, but it was worse than death. She took shelter of Krishna. Being bereft off all of his wealth, his reputation. Be rejected by his family members and all of his friends, was not on the list of the Avanti Brahmana. It was just the medicine that the doctor ordered, for him to surrender to Krishna wholeheartedly. Follow in the footsteps of the great souls. Today, it is very hot in this very beautiful mandap. There is not much circulation of air. Are any of you suffering? This might not be what you travelled all across the world for, to come to South India, to be under the cool ocean breezes, under the palm trees. It is a perfect arrangement, to take shelter of hearing the glories of the Lord.

Many obstacles came in Lord Brahma's execution of his yajna. First, the great river came, the massive river, massive river that was just going to wash away the entire yajyashala. Then Brahma took shelter of the Lord, and Lord Narayana appeared as Vega Sethu. The Lord appeared as a deity sleeping on Ananta-Sesa. He was like a dam that stopped the flow of the river, Meghavati River.

Then, demons created complete darkness. How do you perform yajna in complete darkness? Lord Brahma took shelter of the Lord, and the Lord appeared in another form, Deepak Prakash, and created wonderful light. Then the demons sent a ferocious beast, Sharabha (snake) and the Lord appeared with eight arms (Ashtabhuja) and killed the demon in the form of Ashtabhuja. Then all the other demons were just gathered around, just harassing Brahma, trying to do everything possible to stop this yajna. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared on the call of Brahma. These are self-manifesting deities, of all of these forms of the Lord, here in Kanchipuram. With Lord Krishna's grace, we will visit some of these temples. 

Most importantly, Brahma continued performing his yajna. At the successful conclusion of the yajna in which he prayed with pure devotion for Lord Vishnu to appear, because please understand, it is not just the ritual of the yajna that invokes the presence of the Lord. It is the feeling, the intention in which it is being offered. That is why yajnas by Brahmans who really don't care anything about you, are just doing it for money, the affect is very minimal. Brahmanas who are performing in a spirit of compassion, to help you. Who are doing it with great faith and devotion,their offerings are very pleasingly accepted by the Lord. 

Srila Prabhupada says that "Lord Krishna does not accept what you offer Him. Krishna accepts the purpose in which something is offered. Krishna accepts the intention of your heart." Therefore it is very important to have very pure-hearted priests and very pure-hearted pujaris, because the intentions and the purpose and the purity of their offerings is very much, what the Lord is accepting.

Lord Brahma completed his yajna, and from the fire came a magnificent Vimana. Within that Vimana, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His beautiful four-arm form. Because He came to the world to be the king of all bestowers of blessings, His name is Varadaraja.

It is this Varadaraja Swamy who is the predominating deity of Vishnu Kanchi. Everyone, please be sure you do go for the darshan and offer your prayers of love and devotion because Lord Varadaraja will bestow blessings upon us. What should we ask for? We should not ask the absolute truth for mundane things of this world. We should ask the absolute truth Sri Varadaraja, for the highest blessing. The blessing of eternal service to His devotees, the blessing of pure, unalloyed love, unconditional in all circumstances. From that time of Satya Yuga, Lord Sri Varadaraja Swamy is one of the most prominent deities on earth, worshiped by great acaryas. Sri Ramanujacarya resided, here in Kanchipuram. He daily worshiped Sri Varadaraja with great love and devotion. 

Kanchipuram was the historical capital of the Pallavas. It was under Pallavas from 6th to 8th century A.D. and later became the citadel of Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. During the 6th and 7th centuries, the Pallavas built some of the best temples in the city. Kanchipuram was also a great seat of learning. many scholars both in Sanskrit and Tamil flourished here. Yuan Chwang, a famous Chinese traveller visited the city in the 7th century and said that this city was 6 miles in circumference and famous for piety and veneration for spiritual learning. Kanchipuram is the birthplace of Canakya Pandita, author of Niti-sastra (civic laws) and minister of the Maurya empire.

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