Prime Minister Theresa May’s message to mark Diwali.

“I am delighted to send my very best wishes to everyone celebrating Diwali, a festival which holds such significance for so many people.

Indeed, right across the world, lights decorate the streets, flowers adorn homes, treats are served and presents exchanged – all marking the triumph of light over darkness.

But the festival of lights isn’t just relevant for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. It is relevant to all of us, those of all faiths and none. We can all learn from the example set by Lord Rama, whose return from exile is marked by these 5 holy days.

That epic story teaches us about building strong families and communities, shunning wrongdoing and evil, and choosing the right path. It promotes the values of service, responsibility, unity and tolerance.

We need those values more than ever as we build a country that works for everyone – a country where no matter what your faith, your beliefs or your background, you can reach your full potential.

In Britain’s Indian communities, we can see the good that can be done when people’s talents are unleashed.

I think of all those running their own businesses, taking risks and working hard so that they can provide for their families and take on staff.

I think of all those public servants whose hard work and dedication makes our hospitals, schools, police forces and armed forces what they are today.

I think of the volunteers who give up their own time to look after elderly neighbours or help provide food for families who are less well off. These people are the backbone of our communities.

And I will be so proud to highlight the achievements of British Indians next month when I make my first official visit to India as Prime Minister at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, celebrating the relations between our countries and our shared ambitions for the future.

As we start the Hindu New Year, it is an occasion for people to reflect on the 12 months that have passed and look to the opportunities ahead.

So as friends and families come together, in reflection and celebration, let me wish you all a Shubh Deepawali, and send my good wishes to Sikhs celebrating Bandi Chhor Diwas too.”

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32926

I am currently reading the latest book by Hari Sauri Prabhu. It describes how Srila Prabhupada received so many letters. But when he got letters with information about how book distribution is increasing in this country or that country, or in this temple or that temple, it gave him so much pleasure. Although he was ill, this made him feel healthier, just by hearing about the results of book distribution. So it is something that is very important.

There is so much ignorance in the world now. People are so bewildered, and are becoming more and more bewildered, through the internet, and on television. For example one can get five hundred channels on television nowadays. This is insane. This is completely bewildering people’s minds.

But Krsna Consciousness is a positive alternative. In Australia, in the early days, the devotees had a traveling sankirtan bus, and on the side of the bus it said, “The positive alternative: Krsna Consciousness.”

Book distribution is an adventure. We never know what is going to happen. Amazing things happen. Just like yesterday I heard an amazing story. A friend of mine, Tara Prabhu, was distributing books in the Miami airport. He distributed some books to one boy from Columbia. The boy went home and put the books on his bookshelf. The books remained there for five years, sitting there, waiting. A friend of his one day saw these books and asked him if he could borrow them during his upcoming trip to California. He read the books, and he was so inspired by reading them that he became a devotee. He looked in the back of the book and found the address of the L.A temple. He joined the temple. He began doing harinam everyday. At one point, his friend who had lent him the books decided to go on a vacation to Los Angeles. He was surfing, and when he came back to the beach, he heard some chanting, some karatals, mrdanga, and he found the sound attractive. He approached the harinam party and was looking at the devotees’ faces. Then he saw his friend, his best friend, the one who had borrowed the book from him. He saw him in the crowd of devotees, chanting. He asked, “Hey, what happened?” His friend preached to him and invited him to the temple. Then that boy also started reading the books, and he also became a devotee. He is sitting here now, as a matter of fact, this brahmacari there. [applause.]

So Tara Prabhu didn’t know. Ten years later he found out. You can imagine how much happiness he must have felt. He distributed books to one person, and Phalguna Prabhu was his best friend who became a devotee. Phalguna Prabhu is a very adventurous devotee; he preaches in Africa. You never know what is going to happen.

There is another amazing incident which I just heard recently. There was a young man from Baltimore, Maryland. He was going through some difficulties in this material world, as many people do, as practically everybody does. Some people just struggle and struggle, and patch things up, trying to make them nice, but some people ask, ‘there must be something more than what I’ve experience here.’

So he asked his mother, “Who is God? Can you tell me something about God? Maybe it could help me.”

The mother replied, “Well, I don’t know much; maybe you could read the Bible.”

He said, “I’ve read the Bible. I don’t get much out of it.”

Then she went to her library and pulled out one book, “Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

She had received this book thirty years ago. Thirty years ago! She took it and put it in her bookshelf thirty years ago. That’s a long time. She pulled it out and said, ‘Here, maybe this will answer some of your questions.”

So he read it, and he became convinced that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This boy is now living in the Chowpatti temple under the very nice guidance of the Chowpatti devotees and Radhanatha Swami.

So it is so nice. You never know. You could distribute a book, and it could even be one hundred years later that someone reads it and becomes a devotee. The book could be in someone’s house, and the person who bought the book dies, and the book is still there. The child inherits the house, and the book is still there. It can go on. Books last a very long time, and books are very patient. They’ll wait and wait and wait. Therefore we should understand how important this book distribution is.

Sometimes book distribution can be a little difficult. Anybody agree? It can be a little difficult. But this difficulty is the price we have to pay for pure devotional service. It is called the “Fire of ordeal.” It purifies us. So the difficulty is very good; it is purifying. When there is difficulty, what do you do? You take shelter of Krsna. Just like in America there is a saying, “There is no atheist in a foxhole.” v When a war is going on, they have these ditches where soldiers go to avoid bullets flying over their heads. They are all praying to God because it is very dangerous. So difficulty is good. Queen Kunti, she prayed, “PLEASE, give me difficulty.”

Why? In present society, people could think that she should go see a psychiatrist or something. She is praying for difficulty. But the reason is because that gives an opportunity to take shelter of Krsna, to cry out to Krsna. So it is good.

There is an interesting story in the Bhagavatam about a devotee King named Rantideva. He was doing some austerity; he was fasting. He had fasted forty seven days. He was just getting ready to break his fast when a brahmana came in and said, “Oh King, I am hungry. Please, can you feed me?”

The king replied, ‘Yes, yes. Please come” and he fed him sumptuously. He was again getting ready to break his fast when one sudra came and said, “O King, I am hungry; can you please feed me?”

The king replied, ‘Yes, yes. Please come” and he fed him sumptuously. Then he thought, “Well, so much for eating.” So then he prepared to drink something, but at that moment a man came and asked, “O king, I am thirsty; can you give me something to drink?” The King said “Yes,” and gave him to drink. So then the king made a very powerful statement. When I read this I thought, “Wao. That’s an amazing statement!” He said, “na kamaye ‘haà gatim ecvarat param anöarddhi-yuktam apunar-bhavaà va artià prapadye ‘khila-deha-bhajam antaù-sthito yena bhavanty aduùkhaù

When I read this, I thought, “This is a Sankirtan verse!”

He says, “I do not pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.” [Srimad Bhagavatam 9.21.12]

Is that deep? This is actually the mood of a devotee. It is difficult. But this difficulty is for a great cause, namely to deliver the conditioned souls from this deep well of material existence. So although book distribution may be difficult, it is a glorious difficulty.

We have a mission. Srila Prabhupada has left us a mission. This mission is to help others to become free of their suffering. There is another mission as well that has been given to us. That is an internal mission. It is a mission of our own purification. Srila Prabhupada said that 99% of our advancement in spiritual life is in the chanting of Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. So this maha-mantra is the internal cleansing. And chanting this mantra is also what gives us the sakti which is necessary to be successful in the external mission.

Srila Prabhupada once said, “If you want to be inspired to distribute books, you should chant the sad-goswami astakam, because it is in the mood of preaching.

kanëotkertana-gana-nartana-parau premamatambho-nidhe
dheradhera-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau püjitau
cre-caitanya-kapa-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bharavahantarakau
vande rüpa-sanatanau raghu-yugau cre-jeva-gopalakau

The first statement in this astakam speaks about very enthusiastically chanting the Holy Name. This is very important. Once a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, “Prabhupada, how can we be enthusiastic on book distribution?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “You chant 16 rounds uninterrupted.”

In other words, if you get up and chant some rounds before mangala aroti and the rest after mangala aroti, that is also uninterrupted because during mangal aroti we are chanting also. But we should not have rounds left during the day. Rounds chanted in the morning are so much better than when we chant them after breakfast or in the afternoon. This is because this brahma-muhurta is the most auspicious time of the day. Srila Prabhupada went even further and said, “It is better that you chant all your rounds before mangala aroti.”

That’s a little tough. But it is just to emphasize the point, ‘Early chanting is the best chanting.” You’ll hear your rounds best in the early morning, in this early time of the day.

Coming back to the verse, because the Goswamis are chanting so nicely, they are getting a taste for Krsna Consciousness. Therefore they are dheradhera-jana-priyau priya-karau. They are very popular among the gentle and the ruffians. Why? Because they see the soul; they see the Supersoul in everyone. This is why they are able to be so enthusiastic to preach Krsna Consciousness. When you are distributing, it may be difficult to approach everyone you see. We try to approach the gentle-looking people and avoid the ruffian-type people. But I just heard a wonderful description about one devotee, the number one book distributor in the whole world, namely Krsna Balarama Prabhu. I just heard from a devotee who distributes with him that Krsna Balarama Prabhu does not discriminate when he approaches people. He engages everybody, old ladies, old men, businessmen, everybody, one after another after another. Everybody gets an opportunity. So this is a good example, and Lord Caitanya is reciprocating with him. He has been the number one book distributor in the world for three years. Lord Caitanya is reciprocating. Sometimes we get mental, thinking, “No, this person is too fat, too old, too ugly, looks too much like a karmi.”

I remember one time in the airport, it was kind of slow at that moment. So there was one businessman coming towards me, and he had a thousand-dollar suit on. He was just a hard-core businessman, the type of person that you generally do not try to engage. I thought, “Well, he’s the only one here right now. I have to surrender.”

So I stopped him, spoke to him and showed him the Bhagavad Gita. He said, “You know, I am completely into this! It is amazing that you picked me out of the crowd!”

Actually, there was no crowd at all. He was the only person there. [laughter.] But he was completely into it. He gave a very nice donation; I got his address. It was amazing. He was a total sweetie. This is what we call the people who are nice in America, ‘sweeties.’ So you never know; you never know.

Another example is when I was at a college campus. I distribute books at universities by setting up a table. One janitor came by, an old janitor, with his trash bucket, rolling by. He saw the books and asked me, “What’s that all about?”

I replied, “Yoga, mediation, philosophy; it gives inner peace.” The man replied, “Alright; sounds good.” He gave a donation, took the Bhagavad Gita, put it in a plastic bag and stuffed it in the trash. He had to protect it by putting it in a plastic bag, and he just put it in there to carry it. He took it home with him. I would have never spoken to him. That’s the nice thing about doing a book table. Old people come up and say that they are interested in these things.

One thing that I wanted to promote, by the way, is the Bhagavad Gita. I am just curious, how many devotees here came to Krsna Consciousness because of the Bhagavad Gita? Raise your hands. Very good. I travel a lot, and so whenever I meet devotees I ask them how they came to Krsna Consciousness. About half of them came because of the Bhagavad Gita. So I thought, “Well, why not focus on the Bhagavad Gita, if this is the main reason for people coming to Krsna Consciousness?”

This is one reason that I have changed the point system. The Bhagavad Gita used to be one point and a half. Now it is two points. So for those of you who like to get your score up, with the Bhagavad Gita you’ll do that. Srila Prabhupada liked competition, transcendental competition. So now it is two points. [“haribol.”]

Devotees sometimes ask how I distribute books. Srila Prabhupada once said that the artists are the real preachers because people like art. There are a few places where Srila Prabhupada said this. That’s why I like to focus on the artwork in the books by showing the people the pictures inside the book. I show them the artwork. For example, with this painting [the picture of a sober man looking over at the death of a young man surrounded by his family], I tell everyone, “A wise person does not lament for death because he sees that the soul is everywhere.”

With the painting of reincarnation, I tell people, “You see, we used to have a baby body, a child’s body, a old body, but the soul is just cruising through.”

With the picture depicting the brahmana seeing the soul and the supersoul in every body, I say, “A wise person sees within everyone the soul, and so therefore he has got great respect for all species of life.” With the picture of the yogi, I jokingly tell them, “He’s been there a while!” v There is one picture that people especially like, namely the picture of the five horses pulling the chariot. I tell them, “the chariot is the body, the reins is the mind, the driver is the intelligence, and the passenger is the soul, and the soul is saying, “Okay everybody, slow down! Take it easy!!” When you show people that picture, it blows them away. People come back to buy the book just for that picture. I even had one student who cut out the picture and taped it on the wall next to his bed. He said, “As soon as I wake up in the morning, I understand this is the situation.” [laughter.]

That picture is amazing. It is incredible. Another picture people like is the one with the puppets being controlled by the three modes of material nature. I show them the picture and I say, “These persons here are controlled by goodness, passion and ignorance.” I ask them, “So, which one are you controlled by? Goodness, passion or ignorance?”

A lot of them are honest and they reply, “By ignorance.” They like that.

The Bhagavad Gita is a very, very powerful presentation. And it is very famous.

Regarding getting donations, if people honestly tell you that they only have, for example, one dollar in their wallet, then just let the book go. But if you see that they have a fair amount of cash and they give you one dollar anyway, you can ask them, “Look; we have a smaller book. Can I give you a smaller book instead? Would that be okay?” Usually they say, “Sure” because they are not so interested anyway. Otherwise they would give more than a dollar for a big book like that. But still if they insist, “No, no. I want the big one,” just let it go. It is important that they have a good impression. Even if they have no money at all but really want it, let them have it. Krsna will make up for it. This happens all the time. Krsna makes up for it. And anyway, temples nowadays are not struggling so much financially. In the past, back in the seventies and eighties, the temples were pretty much depending on book distributors. But now it is not so much the case. Therefore let the books go. Of course we should try to get what Srila Prabhupada wanted, namely double the BBT, and we should not take the books cheaply. They are very valuable books, and we should try to get as much as we can for them. If we let them go very cheaply and we become satisfied with getting very small donations, then we start thinking of the books as being cheap. Srila Prabhupada also liked profit. For example, Pragosh Prabhu, who was probably the best book distributor in history, came back to the temple one day and told Srila Prabhupada that he gave 8 books to one man. Srila Prabhupada said, “Oh, very good. And how much did he give?” Pragosh Prabhu replied, “Srila Prabhupada, he gave one hundred dollars.” Srila Prabhupada said, “Oh, good profit!” So Srila Prabhupada liked that.

Any question anyone may have?

Question: Can you explain about the book tables?

Reply: Book tables are very nice if you have a good spot to distribute. In America we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion. So pretty much we can go to any public university and set up a table on campus. Most of the times I don’t even ask permission and it is not a problem. But most countries don’t have that advantage. On the other hand, in most countries outside of America they have walking streets. That is very nice. We don’t have any of that in America, practically. That is a disadvantage that we have. I don’t know if they allow tables to be set up in walking streets in Europe and other countries. It is a very nice way to distribute. People actually come up to you. It is nice, because most of the time we are approaching the people, but here the people see the books and walk up to you. It is a very nice way to distribute. Of course, we don’t reach as many people, but it is a very powerful presentation. And the way to actually get people to the table is to have a free leaflet. That is the transcendental trick. You have a leaflet in your hand, and as people walk by you call them over, handing them the leaflet, “Here you go!” That gets them to the table. And then you start speaking to them. If you just have a table, then everybody is just going to walk by you. You need something that will get them to come to the table. Then you speak to them. The leaflet has quotes by famous people about the Bhagavad Gita. Or you can have quotes from the book itself. Sometimes people just take a leaflet and walk away. Then they read the leaflet and come back and say, “Alright; yeah, I’ll take one.”

Question: Sometimes we are in circumstances, such as padayatra, when we are forced to take rest late at night and therefore we cannot wake up so early and chant attentive rounds during brahma muhurta.

Reply: Regarding regulation, you cannot always have a regulated program due to circumstance. But do the best you can. You have to get enough sleep, at least six hours. And if you have to stay up late to distribute more books, then do you best. Krsna has put you in that situation, and chant the best rounds in the situation that you are in.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32821

The Stars and Us.

In a recent conversation, I heard about a person’s struggle with life, and having the ‘it never rains but it pours’ experience. “What did I do to deserve this?” he mused.

“Something”, I replied.

That was almost as painful for him to hear as his present situation. And he couldn’t accept it. “Are you telling me,” he ventured, “that I have caused as much pain to another that I am experiencing now?”

Yes, no one makes our bad karma that causes us pain. It may appear that others are doing it to us, or life itself is doing it and I’m just an innocent player. Such innocence is not true.

The stars, destiny, others – they all play a part in the unfolding drama of our lives, but we wrote the script. We brought it all down upon ourselves. Yep. That is a hard pill to swallow. It is not the fault in our stars, it is our fault. We own it.

We are conditioned to blame others. We like to play the victim. And externally it may be so – we are a victim. But not by chance, not by some arbitrary choice of God, not by some mean spirited universe or unfairness game.

We have to step back, take a deep breath, and say to ourselves: yes, how I lived then is how I live now. And how I live now determines my future. I make my own destiny, literally.

That’s a lot of power and control in our hands. We would be wise to consider it a reality and if so we can turn our life around in seconds. We can at once free ourselves from suffering, forgive those around us, let go, let God. We can say, yes, there is no one to blame but myself. Once we hold it, we can let it go.

Once we take the responsibility on ourselves, suddenly everything gets lighter. It’s not the world against me, out to get me. It’s just me being me! I can forgive myself, face the future, and change everything for the better.

Which begs the final question: Even if we live a great life and create a great karmic destiny, we still have to die. How can we stop death? That, my dear readers, is a question for you to contemplate. 
Ananda Vrindavanesvari Dasi

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32824

The renowned International Society for Krishna Consciousness(ISKCON) celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding by revered spiritual leader A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada with an elaborate black-tie gala in Washington DC late last month. The event brought together scores of religious, academic and political leaders from across the country to celebrate the life of Swami Prabhupada and the influential, global organization his work inspired.

Founded in 1966 in New York, ISKCON boasts more than 600 centers and millions of adherents worldwide who worship the Hindu deity Krishna, a central figure in the Hindu religion. Swami Prabhupada played a major role in introducing the western world to teachings of Krishna by translating major Hindu works, including the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, into English and spreading their message across the United States.

Over 300 guests attended the gala, which took place just blocks away from the White House. Highlighting the interfaith support ISKCON enjoys in the United States since its inception, the guest roster included Catholic and Protestant priests, Jewish rabbis and the new chaplain of Hindu life at Georgetown University, amongst other religious leaders.

Reflecting on the significance of the event, an attendee of the gala, Hrishikesh Hari, observed “At a moment in history influenced by deep internal and external division, the Gala left a deep and healing impression because it united people of all faiths.”

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronakdesai/2016/10/27/iskcon-celebrates-50-years-since-its-founding/#2670dc315f49

Source:http://iskconnews.org/forbes-magazine-covers-iskcon50-gala-in-washington-dc,5892/

Divya Alter noticed there weren’t many places to sit down and enjoy a meal based on Ayurvedic principles in New York City. Enter Divya’s Kitchen.

Her new vegetarian restaurant, opening Wednesday in the East Village at 25 First Ave., is located in the same building as Alter’s Ayurvedic culinary school, Bhagavat Life, which she runs with her husband.

The menu items have been pulled from those classes, 100 of which will be published in April 2017 in Alter’s cookbook, “What to Eat for How You Feel.”

Divya’s Kitchen is open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, with dishes that range from Italian to Indian to Mediterranean to Asian (breakfast and lunch are slated to follow in a few months). The connecting thread are items that taste good, and are good for you, Alter said.

“I care about people, I care about their health,” Alter said. “It’s not just a meal you enjoy. You feel good afterwards.”

What does it mean to be an Ayurvedic restaurant? The chef walked us through the core aspects of the menu.

 Read more: http://www.amny.com/eat-and-drink/divya-s-kitchen-ayurvedic-restaurant-opens-in-nyc-s-east-village-1.12505671

Source:http://iskconnews.org/divyas-kitchen-ayurvedic-restaurant-opens-in-nycs-east-village,5893/

I began my service with the Mail Order Department in September of 1969 and although two and a half years had gone by since that ad not much had changed nor was there much growth. The address had changed from 26 Second Avenue to 61 Second Avenue and two more books, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya and the abridged edition of Bhagavad-gita had become available.

The fledgling order dept. operated out of the “office” on East 10th Street where Brahmananda and previously Rayarama had worked. The very first morning I went there Gadadhara Das (Joel Chalson) was opening the few pieces of mail that had arrived with orders as well as requests for information. I was there to type Brahmananda’s letters but it was quickly decided that I would be taking over Gadadhara’s responsibilities which was fine with him since he didn’t like office work one bit.

A few months later, when Brahmananda and I relocated to the Boston center, the Mail Order Department came with us and became linked with ISKCON Press. By the end of 1970 the Movement had grown significantly. Part of the reason was what I call the “Trifecta of 1970.” Three major events took place toward the end of that year. The first is that the KRSNA Book was printed and began being distributed to the public. The second is that the London Radha Krishna Album was produced by George Harrison on Apple Label with some of the cuts making the pop charts in England and around Europe and the third was George Harrison’s song “My Sweet Lord” being played constantly on the radio in the U.S. To his credit George played a major part in not only the album and of course his “My Sweet Lord” but he also donated $19,000 to Srila Prabhupada for the first printing of the KRSNA Book.

As a result of the “Trifecta” the mail started pouring in like crazy. Given the hours I was spending on the composing machine in Boston in 1970 I could hardly keep up with the mail arriving daily. I put together an efficient system for handling the BTG subscriptions and orders for books and I found myself answering a lot of letters from people who just wanted “more information” or had specific questions about Krishna consciousness. Whenever I answered a personal letter I used carbon paper and then stapled their letter to the copy of my response and filed it away alphabetically. I began to establish ongoing correspondences with many people throughout the world. In each and every book and magazine an invitation was given to write to the secretary of ISKCON for more information and I was that secretary. The more books and magazines in circulation, the more letters were coming.

Eventually Brahmananda informed Srila Prabhupada that I was answering the letters and Prabhupada told him to have me forward a few copies of my replies to him so that he could see whether or not I was understanding and explaining the philosophy properly. After all, I was representing him and all of ISKCON. I sent Srila Prabhupada some samples of my letters and he was satisfied. That made it official. From then on I would sign the letters “Swarup Das Brahmacary, Secretary ISKCON.”

Writing to people was the perfect engagement for me. When I was a kid I had a fascination with the whole idea of having pen pals around the world and I joined some clubs that hooked people up for that reason. Growing up without a father (he died when I was 10) I suppose I looked to my mother as a role model. I was very impressed watching her type on an old Royal typewriter, her fingers flying up and down the keyboard with her cigarette dangling out of her mouth. She sometimes did volunteer work for the Zionist Organization of New York.

At the age of 12 I asked my mother to buy me a typewriter for my birthday and that portable Smith Corona became my favorite possession. I taught myself how to type and would often write satirical poems and articles in the style of MAD Magazine. My friend David would do the same and we’d compare our writings to see whose stuff was funnier. Just before dropping out of High School to join the temple I had taken a typing class. I figured since just like already knowing how to drive when I took Drivers Education it would be the same walk down easy street taking a typing course when I already knew how to type. My typing teacher, Mrs. Fischer had the longest fingernails I had ever seen and I wondered how it was even possible for her to type but type she did at well over 100 wpm. She was impressed with my skills and got me typing faster than ever — getting me up to 112 words per minute which was even faster than her. I had no idea at the time that I’d eventually be using my typing skill to help put Srila Prabhupada’s books into print and write to people about Krishna consciousness.

By the time ISKCON Press moved to Brooklyn I was no longer engaged in typesetting. Many devotees were joining and arriving from other centers to serve with the Press and some were being trained to typeset so I was free to focus fully on developing the Mail Order Department. I had already established ongoing correspondences with many people and orders for books, records and BTG subscriptions continued to increase daily. For typing letters I was using an IBM Selectric typewriter at the time. IBM had introduced the Selectric in 1961 and by ’71 the Selectric II came on the market. It used typing fonts just like our composing machine but I still had to make corrections using white out. The self-correcting Selectric didn’t hit the marketplace until ’73 when Mail Order was in Los Angeles and boy oh boy did I love that self correcting feature. In fact, the whole concept of “self correction” appealed to me.

And so each and every morning I’d perform the ritual of opening all the mail that came. The orders were processed and money deposited and the letters of inquiry were put aside for answering. Even if someone simply wrote that they were interested in Hare Krishna or Krishna Consciousness and only requested information I’d send them a personal reply inviting and encouraging them to read Prabhupada’s books, chant Hare Krishna and write to me with any questions they might have. This personal touch was reinforced by Srila Prabhupada a few years later in L.A. We were giving him a tour of the BBT offices and warehouse facility and he was asking me how many letters we were getting every day. I told him and he then said, “I was doing when I was Dr. Bose’s manager. Any inquiry coming from outside, I must continue correspondence with him unless he becomes a customer.”

When mailing out BTG subscriptions we used a religious non profit bulk rate system which came with very specific rules for mailing according to the U.S. Post Office. I had to sort out the bundles by zip code and tie each one up with string and label the top envelope with its destination. When all the envelopes were stuffed with BTGs, all the labels affixed and everything bundled and tied I took them to our home Post Office which, during the time we were working out of Tiffany Place in Brooklyn, was the same post office used by Jehovah Witnesses for mailing out their two publications: Awake and Watchtower. When I would see the tens of thousands of parcels they brought in by the truckloads I would become very envious and hoped that someday our BTG subscriptions would match or even exceed their volume.

By ’73 ISKCON Press had been reborn as The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and moved to Los Angeles which by then had become the world headquarters of ISKCON and where Srila Prabhupada was spending much of his time. When we first got to Los Angeles we shared office and warehouse space with Spiritual Sky Incense on Landmark Street in Culver City. After that we leased a building on Washington Blvd. and finally the BBT along with our order department moved into a brand new built-to-spec facility on Higuera Street in Culver City. By that time the BBT Order Dept. really began to rock n’ roll.

It was only natural that the more the Movement expanded and the more books and magazines were put into circulation, the more mail we received. Book distribution had become the main focus of ISKCON and there were plenty of books to distribute. New volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam continued to appear and the seventeen volumes of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta had become available.

We set up the storage and shipping facility for the BBT Order Dept. in a corner of the Higuera Street warehouse. We enclosed it with fencing material and began calling it the “mailorder cage.” All the books and other paraphernalia that we sold through the mail were stocked on shelves. The orders would be processed upstairs by me and then they would go down to the cage where someone would pick each order, package and put a shipping label on it and then, using a Pitney Bowes combination scale and postage machine, calculate the amount needed to ship it out to whatever destination in the world it was going.

Ranadhira and Kirtiraja had come aboard to help manage the rapidly expanding BBT Order Dept. and like myself they also had offices on the upper second floor of the BBT warehouse. Ranadhira became our business manager in charge of marketing while I concentrated on processing the daily stacks of mail that arrived. Every morning I went to the post office on Motor Avenue to pick up the canvas bag containing all the mail addressed to 3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90034. Some of the mail was meant for the temple and most of it was for the Order Dept. I sorted it out and then came to the office to open all the envelopes.

Ranadhira designed a beautiful color catalog and along with all the books, magazines and pamphlets he included in our inventory japa beads and bead bags, neck beads, mrdangas and kartals, and an assortment of artik paraphernalia as well as the beautiful Balarama Mrdanga. Thus we became a fully stocked and diverse mail order house.

Around 1976, after looking through The National Enquirer and another smaller publication called FATE, Ranadhira decided it might be lucrative to take advantage of the “weirdo” market and aside from the possibility of making some extra money it could be a good way to bring people around to Krishna consciousness. He came up with the idea of selling a simple inexpensive amulet on a necklace. He recruited Amala Bhakta to help write copy for the ad and together they came up with “The Amulet of Tarani.” The story they conjured up was about some demigoddess type personality from somewhere in the outer universe who came to Earth to dispense blessings and good fortune. Anyone who wore the amulet would be showered with all sorts of auspiciousness including good health, sudden wealth, love, beauty and knowledge.

A half page ad in the weekly Enquirer went for $5000 and sure enough … within two weeks of placing it we made back the original investment of advertising as well as the cost of the jewelry. After that it was all profit. Of course, along with the amulet the buyer also received one of our standard information packets and an invitation to write to us. Also included was an “On Chanting Hare Krsna” pamphlet and a short letter explaining that if they chanted this Hare Krishna mantra while wearing the amulet the effects would be that much greater. I got some very strange letters from some very strange people and began to feel like the Ann Landers for crazies but hey, every living being is part and parcel of Lord Sri Krishna and so where there’s life there is the possibility to preach Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada taught us that by example and precept. After all, all living beings conditioned by the illusory energy are considered to be crazy — haunted by the ghost of maya.

By the mid 70’s ISKCON had grown into an international institution with temples throughout the world, farm communities, restaurants and the books were being distributed in record numbers. As such the BBT Order Dept. became a beehive of activity. We added more devotees to our staff of full time workers and there were others who would come to help out part-time. The amount of letters had become so voluminous that I could no longer keep up with them and I began seeking assistance in answering them. We received letters from people who were curious about Krishna consciousness and wanted some more information; letters from people who said that George Harrison’s music inspired them to learn more; letters from folks who had developed a strong attraction and interest and who had serious philosophical questions. Sometimes a person would write to complain about being accosted (that word was used a lot) or harassed at some airport or shopping mall and I would do my best to turn their negative impression into a positive one. Then there were those who would tell how they found one of our books in a trash can and felt it was an act of God since the book changed their life and gave them knowledge and hope beyond their wildest dreams. Sometimes when a particularly interesting letter arrived I’d read it to everyone who came by my office. It became a daily ritual for me to be asked, “Hey Swarup — any really interesting letters arrive lately?”

Yes, I was putting a lot of miles on my IBM Selectric typewriter and I continued the process of keeping the letters and the replies together in a growing file but no more using carbon paper since we had a nice modern photocopy machine. We had come a long way from the days of operating out of a basement apartment on East 10th Street in New York’s East Village. To name some of the devotees who joined the BBT Order Dept. either full or part time — there was Anavadyangi Devi Dasi who became a valuable and dedicated addition to our staff along with Daruka who dovetailed his bookkeeping skills for us, my sister Manmohini would come by and help out especially during a crunch such as the monthly Back to Godhead subscription mailings. My wife Chitta would sometimes help with filing and mailings and in the shipping cage we had Janananda and Chuck. Amala Bhakta’s mother Sally would show up a few days a week to help out as well. It was always a delight when she’d come into my office in the morning saying, “Okay, Swarup, I’m here … so put me to work.” She became very proficient at making buttons with the apparatus I picked up along the way.

Every evening I got all the outgoing parcels and letters together and drove them to the Los Angeles airport post office. In that way they were sure to get going to their destinations quickly. It was my favorite part of the day. I would often take my firstborn son, Krishna Kumar. After getting all the packages and letters up onto the loading dock and into a gurney I’d drive over to a spot near one of the runways to watch the airplanes take off and land. Kumar loved that part of it.

Before long I had established ongoing correspondences with scores of people throughout the world. Some of the “regulars” would write pages and pages telling me about their lives, their families, their schools or jobs, and some expressed a desire to eventually become full time devotees. I always encouraged them to buy japa beads and begin the practice of mantra meditation and to purchase and study Srila Prabhupada’s books. Eventually cassette tapes from Golden Avatar Productions as well as several record albums became available. As they became more and more familiar with the philosophy they began asking very relevant and intelligent questions. I liked seeing that because it was a sign that they were advancing in Krishna consciousness nicely. In order to best respond to the letters I was constantly referring to Srila Prabhupada’s books. Very often my desk would be covered completely with books open to different pages with bookmarks and notations. Srila Prabhupada was spending so much time in L.A. in those days and so I got to listen to his Srimad-Bhagavatam classes every morning and often accompany him on his morning walks. That personal association afforded me a great advantage as far as my being able to emulate his mood and preaching style.

We were also getting many letters from people incarcerated in jails and prisons. I compiled a list of their names and addresses of their institutions and sent it around so that they could also contact one another. A little community of prison pen pals arose and began to rapidly grow. It wasn’t too long before so many people were writing to us each day that I had to begin recruiting some godbrothers and sisters to help me answer all the letters. That helped a lot but unless the devotee writing the reply had access to a typewriter or at least had good penmanship — and unless their spelling and grammar were okay I ended up having to retype what they wrote.

Things were running smoothly but I felt something was missing. I needed to find a way to further engage these folks in Krishna consciousness. They were reading, chanting, listening to records and tapes and some were even turning fellow students or co-workers on to Krishna consciousness. I could tell, however, that many of them were hankering to engage in some kind of service. and so around 1975 it dawned on me to establish a membership program by mail.

I invited people to pledge monthly donations in any amount and by doing so they would become a donor member of ISKCON. We made up official looking receipts and membership cards and according to the amount of money they sent we put together different “packages” that included BTG subscriptions, books, beads, tapes, etc. … and an invitation to stay free of charge at any of our centers. I modeled it after the life member program established by Srila Prabhupada in India but I scaled down the requirements and rather than a onetime donation for life membership I encouraged them to send monthly contributions — as much or as little as they wanted or could spare.

The idea immediately took off, especially when we began including invitations to join the program along with our standard information packets. Each time a new member would come aboard I would start a file for them. The first thing I would do is send them a form to fill out giving us their names, addresses, ages, where they went to school or worked, how they came in contact with K.C., etc. and I asked that they send back a photo of themselves as well. In that way it became much more personal. I began putting together a monthly membership newsletter called “Bhakti Rasa” and we even started making sweets (laddus, burfi, lugloos, etc.) and sending them in little boxes to each member once a month.

The membership program was growing bigger every day although sometimes we’d lose a monthly donor on account of them joining the Movement. Some came to join us in Los Angeles which meant that after months or even years of corresponding I got to meet them personally. Some of the people who came through the mail order and the membership program ended up becoming very dear godbrothers and sisters as well as personal friends. When I first began meeting devotees on the Internet — especially here on facebook — I’d sometimes get a message from someone telling me that I had written them some letters back in the 70’s and some even said they still had those original correspondences. Imagine how good that made me feel.

The photo above is from a tour of BBT warehouse, offices and Order Dept. that we gave Srila Prabhupada when, for a short time, we were located at 8575 Washington Blvd, around a mile from the temple on Watseka Avenue.

One day while looking over the growing list of members (at the end of the first year there were almost 150 people sending donations every month and many of them also corresponded regularly) I noticed that there was a large concentration of addresses in Southern California. I decided to write a letter to everyone who lived within a few hundred miles of Los Angeles and engage them in a special kind of service. At that time both myself and Ranadhira were renting spaces at local swap meets to make a little extra money on the weekends. We’d sell Spiritual Sky merchandise as well as Indian tapestries. Ranadhira would also take tapestries to a Mexican dressmaker downtown L.A. and have him cut a design for a woman’s “spaghetti dress” which simply meant an ankle length garment with thin shoulder straps. Sometimes we’d sell turquoise jewelry as well.

So I asked our “local” members to clean out their garages, basements, attics, utility sheds, etc. and put aside whatever they thought could possibly fetch some money at a flea market. I requested that they write us or give us a call and we’d arrange to come and pick their stuff up. I chipped in with my friend Kadamba for a pickup truck which I used to haul all the donated items back to the BBT warehouse where we sorted out and priced everything. Sure enough … letters and calls poured in and I found myself driving all over the place — from Santa Barbara to San Diego and out to San Bernardino. It was way to make some extra money for the departmentit and a great opportunity to meet these people face to face. I ended up spending an entire day with one elderly gentleman named Alan Rahm. He was born in India of an Indian father and English mother but they relocated to the U.S. when he was still a young boy.

A few weeks after spending that day talking with Alan I got a visit from a woman who looked to be in her mid 20’s. She said she was Mr. Rahm’s granddaughter. She was holding a square white box. I thought that maybe he sent her with some special item .. perhaps an heirloom or antique .. that we could add to our flea market inventory. She handed me the box and then explained that her grandfather died a few days ago. His last request was that he be cremated and his ashes be delivered to me so that I could arrange to have them sent to India and sprinkled in the Yamuna or Ganges River. In our talks I told Alan that devotees would often go to India for pilgrimage especially during Gaur Purnima when we’d have a big festival in Mayapur. I assured the young lady that I would see to it that his request was fulfilled and after a few weeks after asking around I found somebody who was on their way to India and willing to take Alan’s remains. Until that time the box remained on a shelf in my office. It became customary that whoever came into my office for whatever reason would first go over to the box and say “Hare Krishna” to Mr. Rahm’s remains.

In 1976 I decided to attend the Gaur Purnima festival in Mayapur. The flight to India was to leave from JFK in New York which meant I had to first make my way from Los Angeles to New York. Instead of flying there a day before I decided to leave ten days early and drive across the country. My idea was to stop in and visit as many people with whom I was corresponding as possible. On that first trip (I did another one the following year) my best friend Srutasrava accompanied me. We stopped in Albuquerque, New Mexico — Chicago, Illinois — Kokomo, Indiana — Marion, Virginia — and Titusville, Pennsylvania.

As a side note — that year we reserved an entire Air India 747 airplane to accommodate all the devotees going to Mayapur for the festival. The plane left JFK Airport in New York and the only nondevotees on it were the flight crew (pilot, co-pilot and attendants) .. although by the end of the flight devotional feelings in them were undoubtedly awakening. Prasadam was prepared and loaded onto the airplane and at mealtimes the flight attendants did the serving. We had rip-roaring kirtans — going up and down the aisles (some of the sannyasis occupied the first class section where an altar with Radha and Krishna was set up (I believe they were brought by the Radha Damodara Traveling Sankirtan Party). It was quite an experience.

So — back to the cross country drive from L.A. to New York the week before the flight. In Marion, Virginia we visited a young man named Allen Putnam with whom I had been exchanging letters for several years. He was incarcerated at a mental institution for the criminally insane. When he was a minor he shot and killed a guard at a railway depot. We stayed overnight at his mother’s house. She was also writing to me and ordering books to bring to Allen on her visits. She treated us like royalty. After visiting Allen she drove us to the Virginia State Penitentiary around a hundred miles away to visit another boy, Billy Kelly, who was also writing letters and who, like Allen, was in for a murder he committed when he was a minor. He and Allen met in the Virginia penal system some years back and kept in touch. At some point in time Allen began writing to Billy and telling him all about Krishna consciousness and he convinced Billy to start chanting, reading and writing letters to me with questions or just to have someone else to talk to about his life and Krishna consciousness. Some years later Billy’s story was used as the basis of a movie called “Apprentice to Murder.”

In Titusville, Pennsulvania I visited another mail order member named Wendell Phillips. I noticed that when he wrote to me he used letterhead saying “Phillips Motors” and I asked him about it. It turned out that he owned a used car lot. On both that first trip cross country and the next one as well I stopped and stayed with Wendell and while there he took me to the car auction where he bought his cars to resell on his lot. He told me to pick out the car I wanted and then he bid on it. The first time around I purchased a Datsun station wagon and the second time a Mercury Comet. They were both used cars but only a few years old and in excellent condition. I only paid a few hundred for each whereas they would have sold for at least a thousand at any other used car outlet. I arranged later to have the cars driven back to L.A. and ended up giving them away to some householders in the community.

Meeting just a few of the people I was writing to was a wonderful experience. The membership program continued successfully year after year as did the BBT Order Dept. but I unfortunately left my service and moved away from the Los Angeles ISKCON community in February of 1980. Many changes had been taking place since the departure of Srila Prabhupada in 1977 and let’s just say that I was disturbed with much of what was going on at the time.

Epilogue

I’m sorry to have ended the above story on a sad note. Thirty-six years have gone by since 1980 and so much has changed in ISKCON (hopefully all for the good) as well as in my own life (hopefully most for the good). With faith in the unlimited mercy and potency of my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I remain hopeful for both the ISKCON institution and myself. I am hopeful that Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON mission will continue to be a transcendental instrument for spreading Lord Caitanya’s Sankirtana Movement to every town and village and I have hope against hope that I will somehow always have the opportunity to associate with and to serve the devotees of the Lord and never let go of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga. Hare Krishna!

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32786

Did you know about the “septic tank of Iskcon”? “Mother Yamuna’s tears made me a devotee!” Lord Chaitanya never had a chilly pepper. As devotees we are the greatest personalists hypothetically, theoretically, scripturally but how many of you are lonely? How should we treat the protective “wire-mesh” that Srila Prabhupada installed around our tender plant of devotion? I was very bewildered, every one was telling me to do everything, some would say the most important is the chanting, others, reading is the most important thing, others, offering obeisances was the most important, others, prasadam is the most important, it was going on and on and on and everything was the most important. I had no idea what to do!

For Video Click here

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32791

Kadamba Kanana Swami: Vedic culture says that nature will respond according to the behaviour of people. The behaviour of nature is directly related to the behaviour of people on the planet. This is something that I never thought of before coming to Krsna consciousness, it had never occurred to me. And the reason for this correlation is because nature has a divine origin – behind nature is the Supreme Lord and everything in this world is going on under the control of the Supreme Lord. As the Bhagavad-gita explains, ‘Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord’.

It is not that he is personally involved with every aspect of it, no, these things are simply going on by his will, by his desire. He does not need to sit in the control room and make sure that nature takes its course but still, nature is acting according to a divine plan. One does not exclude the other.

It is not that we are not in this world… we are! It is not that spiritual life means that we do not deal with this world. Of course, we deal with this world – we live in this world and we have to take care of it but it is not the all and everything.

In most traditions, whether we are looking at a more Asian traditions where Hinduism became predominant…. or even Far East Asia where Buddhist tradition is more prevalent, whatever it maybe, we find that in all these kinds of traditions, the human form of life is recognized to be in a unique position amongst all other forms of life! The human form of life stands out in that sense. In the human form of life one is held responsible for one’s actions. This is a common understanding.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32797

The microprocessor giant Intel Corporation invited Radhanath Swami to speak at their headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The event was organized and coordinated by the Intel India Association.
Speaking on the topic ‘Growing Through Adversity”, Radhanath Swami began the talk by quoting Winston Churchill, “Success means going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” He then narrated the story of Sindhutai Sapkal, a woman he had met who runs many orphanages around India and has nurtured over 1000 orphans. A village woman, she had been married at age ten to a 32-year-old man. When she was nine months pregnant, he beat her senseless and abandoned her, leaving her for dead. When she recovered, Sapkal was deeply depressed. Just as she was about to commit suicide, however, she spotted an orphan and took him under her wing. She had found her calling in life. She began an orphanage, and gradually opened much more, becoming a world-famous philanthropist. She won around 270 national and international awards. Her former husband, now eighty and having lost everything he had, came to her for shelter, and with no resentment, she took him in as her ‘oldest child.’

We have many choices in life, Radhanath Swami explained. But the best way to positively affect society is to use our lives to give love to others, find love within and transform ourselves, and ultimately love God.

He shared that Sapkal had told him, “My life was a path of thorns, but I made friends with those thorns.”

Quoting the Bhagavad-gita, Radhanath Swami said true fulfillment in life comes from within us. “When we don’t have internal fulfillment, nothing external can satisfy us,” he added. Swami stressed on building a strong internal foundation, which can withstand tumultuous storms in our life.

“A meaningful life is what we give not what we get, ” he said. Elucidating this further, he explained how the roots of red wood trees, which have lifespans of thousands of years, move horizontally, and intertwine with the roots of other redwoods and thus gain stability. As human our roots are our hearts.

Sriram Govindarajan, Hardware Design Engineer at Intel Corporation said “ After hearing the talk, I felt at ease to deal with situations around me. The key takeaway for me was having a strong connect with your inner self, makes you realize what is important in life and focus on them rather than the petty disturbances that are usually not in our control. Instead of regretting about things that we lack in life we could give to people who are less fortunate than we are.”

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32799