The entire TOVP Team wishes to publicly take this opportunity to recognize and thank the managers and devotees of the worldwide BBT/BBTI for their cooperation and service to the TOVP project since its beginnings in 2009. To date over $1.7 million has been given by the BBT/BBTI to the project, a most significant amount.

Many devotees are unaware of the financial commitment made by the BBT/BBTI to fund the construction of the TOVP. This is in accordance with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions that the BBT utilize the profits from the sales of his books to fund temple construction and other projects throughout the world. It is most laudable that this directive of Srila Prabhupada has been maintained and such a large financial commitment has been directed to the TOVP year after year. We could not have come to the point of our current construction without these funds. And based on future financial projections we feel we will realize our common goal to together celebrate the Grand Opening of the TOVP during Gaur Purnima 2022.

But none of this would have been possible without the blood, sweat and tears of the dedicated book distributors worldwide who made these funds possible in the first place by the distribution of millions of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Without their sacrifices there would be no lakshmi to disburse. Their service is most glorious and integral to the purpose of the TOVP. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

It is this mood of cooperation and unity to serve Srila Prabhupada which is pleasing to him and which strengthens our purpose and resolve as an Institution and also gives us each individually a taste of the nectar for which we are always anxious. Let us all continue to increasingly move forward in this single-minded fashion and become instruments for the glory of Sridhama Mayapur and the TOVP and the subsequent re-spiritualization of humanity, liberating one and all in the glorious sankirtan movement.

“You must allow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to rise more and more so that this sun, moonshine, may be distributed all over the world. That is wanted. Therefore this temple is situated. Of course, we shall try to construct a very nice temple for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This morning we were thinking of this. So from this place, this moon, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, will distribute. Sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam. The Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Hare Krsna movement… Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. This is spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

Srila Prabhupada – Lecture on Sri CC Adi 1.6 — March 30, 1975, Mayapur

Source:https://tovp.org/fundraising/recognizing-bbtbbti-service-tovp/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recognizing-bbtbbti-service-tovp

Very few souls take to the path of pure unmotivated loving devotional service to God. This is because the gross or subtle egoistic disposition of the typical soul of this world prevents him/her from whole heartedly serving someone whom he/she considers "someone else". The typical soul wants to serve himself or those closely related to him materially.

This false ego is the fundamental reason for souls being averse to God. Once one understands that God is actually his most intimate relation, the path of pure devotional service to Him opens up. This understanding is the defining characteristic of the true ego, or in other words, the soul's true identify and relationship.

Thus, it is not surprising that most people serve something other than God. They see things as related to themselves, rather than seeing themselves as related to God. So much so, that even other spiritual paths focus on one's own liberation from matter, than on reviving one's relationship with God. This is the extent to which the egoistic disposition denies the soul it's true glory of being a loving servant of God.

The heart yearns for love, and true love is not found in this world of limits. To escape this fact, other spiritualists seek to reach a state of oneness or nothingness wherein the yearning for love stops. This is akin to the desperate suicide attempt of a heart-broken lover, and is born out of ignorance of the complete nature of spiritual nature.

God is our eternal friend and the worthy object of the heart's yearning for eternal love. Break your internal ego barriers - grossest to the subtlest, and fall in love. Are you the one in a million?

---

http://www.vedabase.com/en/bg/7/3

Bg 7.3

I ran across this interesting compilation of quotes this morning on the Prabhupada News website, by Vidura Prabhu. This is a nice reminder that Krsna is present today, through His spoken words on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, and by chanting his holy names. And that Srila Prabhupada is also present today, through his words and instructions. I have done some slight editing (highlighting), and have included the full text and purports to SB 1.15.27-31 at bottom of post. -Vyasasan das

Arjuna Teaches Us How to Serve the Spiritual Master in His Absence
by: Vidura dasa

Oct 23 2011, USA — “The Lord left behind Him the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita not for the benefit of Arjuna alone, but also for all time and in all lands(1). […]The problem which arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra was solved by the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. […]The merciful Lord left behind Him the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gita so that one can take the instructions of the Lord even when He is not visible to material eyesight(2). […] Thus the Bhagavad-gita, or any authentic scriptural sound representation of the Lord, is also the incarnation of the Lord. There is no difference between the sound representation of the Lord and the Lord Himself. One can derive the same benefit from the Bhagavad-gita as Arjuna did in the personal presence of the Lord.” (SB 1.15.27)

“Arjuna began to think of the Lord’s instructions to him on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Only those instructions began to eliminate the tinges of material contamination(3) in the mind of Arjuna.” (SB 1.15.28)

“As soon as Arjuna turned his attention towards the instructions of the Lord, as they are inculcated in the Bhagavad-gita, his true color of eternal association with the Lord became manifest, and thus he felt freed from all material contaminations.” (SB 1.15.29)

“As soon as Arjuna took up the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, expert as he was, he could at once eradicate the material conception of Lord Krishna, his eternal friend. He could realize that the Lord was still present before him by His instruction(4), by His form, by His pastimes, by His qualities and everything else related to Him. […] One is not able to feel the presence of the Lord in all circumstances until one is endowed with the required transcendental vision made possible by devotional service prescribed in the revealed scriptures. Arjuna had attained this stage long before on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, and when he apparently felt the absence of the Lord, he at once took shelter of the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita(5), and thus again he was placed in his original position*.” (SB 1.15.31)

(1) Can everyone and anyone take shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions?

(2) Does this depend on any physical presence?

(3) What is the result of following the instructions?*

(4) Is Srila Prabhupada really present before us by His instructions?

(5) So in Srila Prabhupada’s absence we only need to take shelter of His instructions?

(6) Is it fair to draw these conclusions i.e. can they be applied to Srila Prabhupada? See quotes below:

“As soon as we chant Hare Krishna or chant Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavata,so He is present immediately by His vibration. He’s absolute. Therefore try to remember His words of instruction; you’ll not feel separation. You’ll feel that He is with you. Soweshould associate by thevibration, and not by the physical presence. That is real association. Sabdad anavritti. By sound. Just like we are touching Krishna immediately by sound. Soundvibration. So we should give more stress on the sound vibration, either of Krishna or of the spiritual master. Then we‘ll feel happy and no separation. When Krishna departed from this world, at that time Arjuna was overwhelmed with sorrow and he began to remember the instruction of Bhagavad-gita. You’ll find in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Then he was pacified. He immediately began to remember the teachings which was taught to him in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and he was pacified. He was his constant friend, so when Krishna went to His abode he was feeling overwhelmed, but he began to remember His teaching. So whenever we shall feel separation, the best thing is to remember the teachings. Then it will be very nice. Is that clear?” (Lecture | Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.12 | Montreal, August 18, 1968)

“Krishna and his representative are the same. Similarly, the spiritual master can be present wherever the disciple wants. A spiritual master is the principle, not the body. Just like a television can be seen in thousands of place by the principle of relay monitoring.” (SP – 28/5/68)

“When one receives the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru and Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one’s real life begins. If one abides by the orders of the spiritual master, by the grace of Krishna he is freed from service to the mind.” (SB 5.11.17 | Purport)

“One may argue that ‘Where is Krishna?’ No, you have got Krishna’s representative, guru. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado. The representative is there. If you act according to his instruction, if you want to please him, then Krishna is pleased.” (Lectures | Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.15 | Denver, June 28, 1975)

“So if you want to be anxiety-less, without any anxiety, then you must take shelter of the guru, or the spiritual master, and the test is that by the instruction of guru, by following the instruction of guru, you will be anxiety-less. This is the test.” (Lecture | Stockholm, September 9, 1973)

“If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual masters instructions and the spiritual master himself. In the absence therefore, his words of direction should be pride of the disciple.” (C.c. Adi 1.35, purport)

“The disciple and Spiritual Master are never separated because the Spiritual Master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the Spiritual Master. This is called the association of Vani. Physical presence is called Vapuh. As long as the Spiritual Master is physically present, the disciple should serve the physical body of the Spiritual Master, and when the Spiritual Master is no longer physically existing, the disciple should serve the instructions of the Spiritual Master.” (S.B. 4:28:47, purport)

“The Spiritual Master is present wherever his sincere disciple is trying to serve his instructions. This is possible by the Mercy of Krishna. In your attempts to serve me and in all your sincere devotional sentiments I am with you as My Guru Maharaja is with me. Remember this always.“ (Letter to Bhakta Don, Dec. 1, 1973)

Full Text and Purport

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto One, Chapter 15, Text 25-31

TEXTS 25–26

jalaukasāṁ jale yadvan
mahānto ’danty aṇīyasaḥ
durbalān balino rājan
mahānto balino mithaḥ

evaṁ baliṣṭhair yadubhir
mahadbhir itarān vibhuḥ
yadūn yadubhir anyonyaṁ
bhū-bhārān sañjahāra ha

jalaukasām—of the aquatics; jale—in the water; yadvat—as it is; mahāntaḥ—the larger one; adanti—swallows; aṇīyasaḥ—smaller ones; durbalān—the weak; balinaḥ—the stronger; rājan—O King; mahāntaḥ—the strongest; balinaḥ—less strong; mithaḥ—in a duel; evam—thus; baliṣṭhaiḥ—by the strongest; yadubhiḥ—by the descendants of Yadu; mahadbhiḥ—one who has greater strength; itarān—the common ones; vibhuḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yadūn—all the Yadus; yadubhiḥ—by the Yadus; anyonyam—among one another; bhū-bhārān—the burden of the world; sañjahāra—has unloaded; ha—in the past.

TRANSLATION

O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger aquatics swallow up the smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the stronger Yadu to kill the weaker, and the bigger Yadu to kill the smaller.

PURPORT

In the material world the struggle for existence and survival of the fittest are laws because in the material world there is disparity between conditioned souls due to everyone’s desire to lord it over the material resources. This very mentality of lording it over the material nature is the root cause of conditioned life. And to give facility to such imitation lords, the illusory energy of the Lord has created a disparity between conditioned living beings by creating the stronger and the weaker in every species of life. The mentality of lording it over the material nature and the creation has naturally created a disparity and therefore the law of struggle for existence. In the spiritual world there is no such disparity, nor is there such a struggle for existence. In the spiritual world there is no struggle for existence because everyone there exists eternally. There is no disparity because everyone wants to render service to the Supreme Lord, and no one wants to imitate the Lord in becoming the beneficiary. The Lord, being creator of everything, including the living beings, factually is the proprietor and enjoyer of everything that be, but in the material world, by the spell of māyā, or illusion, this eternal relation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is forgotten, and so the living being is conditioned under the law of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest.

TEXT 27

deśa-kālārtha-yuktāni
hṛt-tāpopaśamāni ca
haranti smarataś cittaṁ
govindābhihitāni me

deśa—space; kāla—time; artha—importance; yuktāni—impregnated with; hṛt—the heart; tāpa—burning; upaśamāni—extinguishing; ca—and; haranti—are attracting; smarataḥ—by remembering; cittam—mind; govinda—the Supreme Personality of pleasure; abhihitāni—narrated by; me—unto me.

TRANSLATION

Now I am attracted to those instructions imparted to me by the Personality of Godhead [Govinda] because they are impregnated with instructions for relieving the burning heart in all circumstances of time and space.

PURPORT

Herein Arjuna refers to the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, which was imparted to him by the Lord on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. The Lord left behind Him the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā not for the benefit of Arjuna alone, but also for all time and in all lands. The Bhagavad-gītā, being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the essence of all Vedic wisdom. It is nicely presented by the Lord Himself for all who have very little time to go through the vast Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Vedānta-sūtras. It is put within the study of the great historical epic Mahābhārata, which was especially prepared for the less intelligent class, namely the women, the laborers and those who are worthless descendants of the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and higher sections of the vaiśyas. The problem which arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra was solved by the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā. Again, after the departure of the Lord from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face to face with being vanquished in his acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to remember the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā just to teach all concerned that the Bhagavad-gītā can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour.

The merciful Lord left behind Him the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā so that one can take the instructions of the Lord even when He is not visible to material eyesight. Material senses cannot have any estimation of the Supreme Lord, but by His inconceivable power the Lord can incarnate Himself to the sense perception of the conditioned souls in a suitable manner through the agency of matter, which is also another form of the Lord’s manifested energy. Thus the Bhagavad-gītā, or any authentic scriptural sound representation of the Lord, is also the incarnation of the Lord. There is no difference between the sound representation of the Lord and the Lord Himself. One can derive the same benefit from the Bhagavad-gītā as Arjuna did in the personal presence of the Lord.

The faithful human being who is desirous of being liberated from the clutches of material existence can very easily take advantage of the Bhagavad-gītā, and with this in view, the Lord instructed Arjuna as if Arjuna were in need of it. In the Bhagavad-gītā, five important factors of knowledge have been delineated pertaining to (1) the Supreme Lord, (2) the living being, (3) nature, (4) time and space and (5) the process of activity. Out of these, the Supreme Lord and the living being are qualitatively one. The difference between the two has been analyzed as the difference between the whole and the part and parcel. Nature is inert matter displaying the interaction of three different modes, and eternal time and unlimited space are considered to be beyond the existence of the material nature. Activities of the living being are different varieties of aptitudes which can entrap or liberate the living being within and without material nature. All these subject matters are concisely discussed in the Bhagavad-gītā, and later the subject matters are elaborated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for further enlightenment. Out of the five subjects, the Supreme Lord, the living entity, nature, and time and space are eternal, but the living entity, nature and time are under the direction of the Supreme Lord, who is absolute and completely independent of any other control. The Supreme Lord is the supreme controller. The material activity of the living being is beginningless, but it can be rectified by transferral into the spiritual quality. Thus it can cease its material qualitative reactions. Both the Lord and the living entity are cognizant, and both have the sense of identification, of being conscious as a living force. But the living being under the condition of material nature, called mahat-tattva, misidentifies himself as being different from the Lord. The whole scheme of Vedic wisdom is targeted to the aim of eradicating such a misconception and thus liberating the living being from the illusion of material identification. When such an illusion is eradicated by knowledge and renunciation, the living beings are responsible actors and enjoyers also. The sense of enjoyment in the Lord is real, but such a sense in the living being is a sort of wishful desire only. This difference in consciousness is the distinction of the two identities, namely the Lord and the living being. Otherwise there is no difference between the Lord and the living being. The living being is therefore eternally one and different simultaneously. The whole instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā stands on this principle.

In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord and the living beings are both described as sanātana, or eternal, and the Lord’s abode, far beyond the material sky, is also described as sanātana. The living being is invited to live in the sanātana existence of the Lord, and the process which can help a living being to approach the Lord’s abode, where the liberated activity of the soul is exhibited, is called sanātana-dharma. One cannot, however, reach the eternal abode of the Lord without being free from the misconception of material identification, and the Bhagavad-gītā gives us the clue how to achieve this stage of perfection. The process of being liberated from the misconception of material identification is called, in different stages, fruitive activity, empiric philosophy and devotional service, up to transcendental realization. Such transcendental realization is made possible by dovetailing all the above items in relation with the Lord. Prescribed duties of the human being, as directed in the Vedas, can gradually purify the sinful mind of the conditioned soul and raise him to the stage of knowledge. The purified stage of acquiring knowledge becomes the basis of devotional service to the Lord. As long as one is engaged in researching the solution of the problems of life, his knowledge is called jñāna, or purified knowledge, but on realizing the actual solution of life, one becomes situated in the devotional service of the Lord. The Bhagavad-gītā begins with the problems of life by discriminating the soul from the elements of matter and proves by all reason and argument that the soul is indestructible in all circumstances and that the outer covering of matter, the body and the mind, change for another term of material existence which is full of miseries. The Bhagavad-gītā is therefore meant for terminating all different types of miseries, and Arjuna took shelter of this great knowledge, which had been imparted to him during the Kurukṣetra battle.

TEXT 28

sūta uvāca

evaṁ cintayato jiṣṇoḥ
kṛṣṇa-pāda-saroruham
sauhārdenātigāḍhena
śāntāsīd vimalā matiḥ

sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; evam—thus; cintayataḥ—while thinking of the instructions; jiṣṇoḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kṛṣṇa-pāda—the feet of Kṛṣṇa; saroruham—resembling lotuses; sauhārdena—by deep friendship; ati-gāḍhena—in great intimacy; śāntā—pacified; āsīt—it so became; vimalā—without any tinge of material contamination; matiḥ—mind.

TRANSLATION

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the instructions of the Lord, which were imparted in the great intimacy of friendship, and in thinking of His lotus feet, Arjuna’s mind became pacified and free from all material contamination.

PURPORT

Since the Lord is absolute, deep meditation upon Him is as good as yogic trance. The Lord is nondifferent from His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and specific actions. Arjuna began to think of the Lord’s instructions to him on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Only those instructions began to eliminate the tinges of material contamination in the mind of Arjuna. The Lord is like the sun; the sun’s appearance means immediate dissipation of darkness, or ignorance, and the Lord’s appearance within the mind of the devotee can at once drive away the miserable material effects. Lord Caitanya has therefore recommended constant chanting of the name of the Lord for protection from all contamination of the material world. The feeling of separation from the Lord is undoubtedly painful to the devotee, but because it is in connection with the Lord, it has a specific transcendental effect which pacifies the heart. Feelings of separation are also sources of transcendental bliss, and they are never comparable to contaminated material feelings of separation.

TEXT 29

vāsudevāṅghry-anudhyāna-
paribṛṁhita-raṁhasā
bhaktyā nirmathitāśeṣa-
kaṣāya-dhiṣaṇo ’rjunaḥ

vāsudeva-aṅghri—the lotus feet of the Lord; anudhyāna—by constant remembrance; paribṛṁhita—expanded; raṁhasā—with great velocity; bhaktyā—in devotion; nirmathita—subsided; aśeṣa—unlimited; kaṣāya—dint; dhiṣaṇaḥ—conception; arjunaḥ—Arjuna.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna’s constant remembrance of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa rapidly increased his devotion, and as a result all the trash in his thoughts subsided.

PURPORT

Material desires in the mind are the trash of material contamination. By such contamination, the living being is faced with so many compatible and incompatible things that discourage the very existence of spiritual identity. Birth after birth the conditioned soul is entrapped with so many pleasing and displeasing elements, which are all false and temporary. They accumulate due to our reactions to material desires, but when we get in touch with the transcendental Lord in His variegated energies by devotional service, the naked forms of all material desires become manifest, and the intelligence of the living being is pacified in its true color. As soon as Arjuna turned his attention towards the instructions of the Lord, as they are inculcated in the Bhagavad-gītā, his true color of eternal association with the Lord became manifest, and thus he felt freed from all material contaminations.

TEXT 30

gītaṁ bhagavatā jñānaṁ
yat tat saṅgrāma-mūrdhani
kāla-karma-tamo-ruddhaṁ
punar adhyagamat prabhuḥ

gītam—instructed; bhagavatā—by the Personality of Godhead; jñānam—transcendental knowledge; yat—which; tat—that; saṅgrāma-mūrdhani—in the midst of battle; kāla-karma—time and actions; tamaḥ-ruddham—enwrapped by such darkness; punaḥ adhyagamat—revived them again; prabhuḥ—the lord of his senses.

TRANSLATION

Because of the Lord’s pastimes and activities and because of His absence, it appeared that Arjuna forgot the instructions left by the Personality of Godhead. But factually this was not the case, and again he became lord of his senses.

PURPORT

A conditioned soul is enwrapped in his fruitive activities by the force of eternal time. But the Supreme Lord, when He incarnates on the earth, is not influenced by kāla, or the material conception of past, present and future. The activities of the Lord are eternal, and they are manifestations of His ātma-māyā, or internal potency. All pastimes or activities of the Lord are spiritual in nature, but to the laymen they appear to be on the same level with material activities. It so appeared that Arjuna and the Lord were engaged in the Battle of Kurukṣetra as the other party was also engaged, but factually the Lord was executing His mission of incarnation and association with His eternal friend Arjuna. Therefore such apparently material activities of Arjuna did not drive him away from his transcendental position, but on the contrary revived his consciousness of the songs of the Lord, as He sang them personally. This revival of consciousness is assured by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.65) as follows:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo ’si me

One should think of the Lord always; the mind should not forget Him. One should become a devotee of the Lord and offer obeisances unto Him. One who lives in that fashion becomes undoubtedly endowed with the blessing of the Lord by achieving the shelter of His lotus feet. There is nothing to doubt about this eternal truth. Because Arjuna was His confidential friend, the secret was disclosed to him.

Arjuna had no desire to fight with his relatives, but he fought for the mission of the Lord. He was always engaged in the execution of His mission only, and therefore after the Lord’s departure he remained in the same transcendental position, even though it appeared that he forgot all the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā. One should, therefore, adjust the activities of life in pace with the mission of the Lord, and by doing this one is sure to return back home, back to Godhead. This is the highest perfection of life.

TEXT 31

viśoko brahma-sampattyā
sañchinna-dvaita-saṁśayaḥ
līna-prakṛti-nairguṇyād
aliṅgatvād asambhavaḥ

viśokaḥ—free from bereavement; brahma-sampattyā—by possession of spiritual assets; sañchinna—being completely cut off; dvaita-saṁśayaḥ—from the doubts of relativity; līna—merged in; prakṛti—material nature; nairguṇyāt—due to being in transcendence; aliṅgatvāt—because of being devoid of a material body; asambhavaḥ—free from birth and death.

TRANSLATION

Because of his possessing spiritual assets, the doubts of duality were completely cut off. Thus he was freed from the three modes of material nature and placed in transcendence. There was no longer any chance of his becoming entangled in birth and death, for he was freed from material form.

PURPORT

Doubts of duality begin from the misconception of the material body, which is accepted as the self by less intelligent persons. The most foolish part of our ignorance is our identifying this material body with the self. Everything in relation with the body is ignorantly accepted as our own. Doubts due to misconceptions of “myself” and “mine”—in other words, “my body,” “my relatives,” “my property,” “my wife,” “my children,” “my wealth,” “my country,” “my community,” and hundreds and thousands of similar illusory contemplations—cause bewilderment for the conditioned soul. By assimilating the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā, one is sure to be released from such bewilderment because real knowledge is knowledge that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is everything, including one’s self. Everything is a manifestation of His potency as part and parcel. The potency and the potent are nondifferent, so the conception of duality is at once mitigated by attainment of perfect knowledge. As soon as Arjuna took up the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā, expert as he was, he could at once eradicate the material conception of Lord Kṛṣṇa, his eternal friend. He could realize that the Lord was still present before him by His instruction, by His form, by His pastimes, by His qualities and everything else related to Him. He could realize that Lord Kṛṣṇa, his friend, was still present before him by His transcendental presence in different nondual energies, and there was no question of attainment of the association of the Lord by another change of body under the influence of time and space. By attainment of absolute knowledge, one can be in association with the Lord constantly, even in this present life, simply by hearing, chanting, thinking of and worshiping the Supreme Lord. One can see Him, one can feel His presence even in this present life simply by understanding the advaya-jñāna Lord, or the Absolute Lord, through the process of devotional service, which begins with hearing about Him. Lord Caitanya says that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can at once wash off the dust on the mirror of pure consciousness, and as soon as the dust is removed, one is at once freed from all material conditions. To become free from material conditions means to liberate the soul. As soon as one is, therefore, situated in absolute knowledge, his material conception of life is removed, or he emerges from a false conception of life. Thus the function of the pure soul is revived in spiritual realization. This practical realization of the living being is made possible due to his becoming free from the reaction of the three modes of material nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. By the grace of the Lord, a pure devotee is at once raised to the place of the Absolute, and there is no chance of the devotee’s becoming materially entangled again in conditioned life. One is not able to feel the presence of the Lord in all circumstances until one is endowed with the required transcendental vision made possible by devotional service prescribed in the revealed scriptures. Arjuna had attained this stage long before on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and when he apparently felt the absence of the Lord, he at once took shelter of the instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā, and thus again he was placed in his original position. This is the position of viśoka, or the stage of being freed from all grief and anxieties.

Some text pasted from Causeless Mercy

Source:https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/11/01/arjuna-teaches-us-how-to-serve-the-spiritual-master-in-his-absence/

This is the month of Kartik and I was asked to speak on the month of Damodar but although Damodar is so much on my mind, even more than that is the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada actually.

We will have arati in Srila Prabhupada’s room, by his bed. At the end of the arati, Srila Prabhupada’s chadar goes around, the big grey woollen chadar and it is heavy. When I felt that heavy chadar, I felt the weight of responsibility – now we have to do something; we have to do something to take up this mission!

It is up to us now. See, we have inherited it. Now what are we going to do for Srila Prabhupada’s mission to make the whole world Krsna conscious. I feel that weight on my head with that chadar. So, we do not need to look at our hearts and do deep psycho-analysis to see whether we can find a trace of the six enemies: lust, anger and greed, madness and envy – don’t worry, it is there! But somehow or other, embrace the service of Srila Prabhupada – if you do that and if we do something to make others Krsna conscious, he will surely look in our direction. He will shower us with mercy and that will save us!

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2016/11/srila-prabhupadas-disappearance-day-2/

Indradyumna Swami: Vrinda Devi helps Purnamasi plan and orchestrate Radha and Krsna’s daily pastimes in Vrindavan. Our parikrama party had the good fortune to visit her kunda ( pond ) and discuss her glories and chant her holy names in that beautiful and sanctified abode.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/cpeMdb

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32950

The annual Bandung Light festival to commemorate the anniversary of Bandung city this year was celebrated on October 09, 2016. The grand festival was attended by most people in Bandung. This public festival was a chance for the devotees to introduce the Hare Krishna movement in Bandung. As Srila Prabhupada mention in his letter that “The time is fast approaching when we will have to perform such public kirtana in all the important cities of the world. Here also, in the Expo, they have performed kirtana for two days, and it is wonderfully successful.” (SPL to Yamunä, July, 1968). The devotees did ratha yatra on the festival and this was the third Jagannath Ratha-yatra held in Bandung.

When the month of October approached many devotees in Indonesia asked, “where will Ratha yatra be done this month?” because many devotees are used to participating in the ratha yatra in Indonesia at least once in every month. They have tasted the sweetness of the association of the Lord on the Jagannath Ratha-yatra. As Srila Prabhupada stated that “This Rathayäträ is one of the activities of Krishna. Therefore to take part in the Rathayäträ festival means to associate with Krishna directly. SP lecture on Ratha-yäträ;London, July 13, 1972”

A news came from Lokanath prabhu in Bandung. he informed that the light festival would be held on 9 October 2016, and it was only 5 days left. This made the devotees make express arrangements for the festival. The preparation was discussed through social media because only a handfull of devotees stayed in Bandung. The manager of Ratha-yatra Nusantara called all team to come to Bandung and many came forward to help. Garuda prabhu and his team fromJogjakarta along with Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram, and Their beloved sister Subhadra Devi also came to Bandung.

The devotees from various part of Indonesia arrived a day before the festival. They brought the necessary ingredients that were needed for the festival which were not available in Bandung. The chariot also arrived on the same day and the chariot team started to reassemble the chariot. The rain started to fall when they started to decorate the chariot. They skipped the work until the next morning. Early in the morning, the devotees started the work again. The sky was blue and even there was no any cloud hanging in the space, very peaceful. Some devotees did Harinam Sankirtan in the Gazebo field where there was car free day program. Lokanath prabhu told that the theme of the festival was “Robotic and Galaxy” and the devotees thought for a moment what would they make for this. Then the idea came that the horses of the chariot should be modified into flying horses “Pegasus”. Matsya prabhu started the work to make two pairs of the wing. Under his guidance, the devotees helped him to finish the wings.

When the preparation was ready, Indradev again gave his mercy. A heavy rain started falling and the devotees hope that the rain would stop when the festival started. This time the Lord had other plan for the devotees. Until the time of the Lords were carried to the chariot, the rain continued relentlessly . A thunderbolt also heard when the Lord was brought on the chariot. The devotees pulled the chariot under the heavy rain to the Gazebo field in front of Gedung sate.

The spirit of the devotees never faded out even under the heavy rain. The Hare Krishna Maha Mantra lead by Sridhar prabhu, filled the entire atmosphere while other participants quite without any activity were waiting for the start. At 07.00 Pm. the carnival started. One by one participants headed to the main road of Bandung. Remembering the Lord’s pastime of Govardhan Lila, the devotees cheerfully pulled the lord’s chariot under the heavy rain. A ton of oranges that was already offered to the Lord donated by Dhina darini Mataji were distributed to the people who saw the festival. The euphoria of the devotees attracted three girls from other faiths who enthusiastically sang and dance in front of Lord. They also gave a helping hand in distributing the prasadam.

When the chariot entered the Asia-Africa Street, the rain stopped. The devotees adjusted their formation of the line before entering the main stage. Entering the main stage, not like other participants who welcomed by the host, the mayor of Bandung, Mr. Ridwan Kamil personally greeted and welcomed the Lord. He said to the audience that the community of Hare Krishna always participated in the light festival and he also requested the audience to give applause to the devotees. The Lord’s chariot also gave a shock to the guests on the stage because they were worried that the doom of the chariot was higher than the advertisement board. They were puzzled how could the chariot with chariot it’s high canopy pass under the advertisement board? Suddenly the dome came down slowly and it invited the applause from the audience one more time..

“Try to make this Hare Krishna movement popular through any source that is possible. That is our business.” (SPL to Syämasundara, 29th June 1969)”

Our ever grateful obeisances are due to HH Kavichandra Swami and HH Ramai Swami, the GBCs of Indonesia, for their support and guidance to always look for new avenues for sankirtan. Our humble obeisances to HH Subhag Swami for his inspiration and always reminding us of the importance of the Sankirtan movement of Mahaprabu and for inspiring us with the dedication of Sriman Jayananda Prabhu, for bringing us closer to Srila Prabhupada and keeping us united in family of ISKCON.

For more photos: https://goo.gl/dtKzFg

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32959

For 10 days devotees from different parts of the world attended the pilot course on “Vaisnava Life Counseling: A practical framework to support individuals and communities in ISKCON”.

An assorted group of devotees, interested in developing further their counseling skills and gaining a deeper understanding on how to help devotees, gathered in Sridhama Mayapur for a “hands-on” training in counseling.

For over a year the CDM, in partnership with the Mayapur Institute (Atul Krsna Prabhu), has been working in the development of this course seeing the need for providing informed support to devotees experiencing difficulties of different kind.

Iksvaku das, an Australian Social Worker and Counseling trainer -who facilitated the course- commented, “I am impressed by the great response we got from different temples and leaders about this course. This shows that this kind of training was long overdue in ISKCON. We hope Srila Prabhupada is pleased with this endeavour to attend to the devotees’ well-being.”

The congregational ministry aims at establishing this course as a regular feature for those interested in supporting congregations and individual devotees in ISKCON. By providing formal training in the area of counseling, devotees will be better equipped with practical tools and skills to assist those in need -an essential aspect of devotional line-.

“Those who are devoted to the cause of the Personality of Godhead live only for the welfare, development and happiness of others. They do not live for any selfish interest…” (SB 1.4.12)

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32964

These videos, most probably never seen before, are from the time when the media firstly became aware of the Hare Krishna movement and started covering several Krishna conscious events like the arrival of Srila Prabhupada in Geneva, Switzerland, the devotees in France and one of the first Harinamas in Tompkins Square Park, lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. You may recognize many well known devotees in their youth and see how the movement was in its beginning. Don’t mind about the language spoken, except for the devotees’ interviews they mostly speak about new cults etc..

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32972

New Talavan’s tenth annual Cow Fest on Oct. 1 was definitely its most successful and exciting yet!!! Why? Because for once we weren’t preaching to the choir! All agreed that for the first time in years there were more festival new comers then devotees!

Over 100 guests were greeted with the beauty of New Talavan—its well-manicured grounds, lovely ponds, soaring hardwoods, varieties of flowers, and dozens of fruit bearing trees. Several guests, fantasizing aloud, were even inspired to ask, “How can I live here too?” One first time guest, a well-traveled missionary, proclaimed, “In all my journeys, I have never witnessed a place quite as beautiful and peaceful!”

Here are a few more highlights of our visitors’ impressions:

One prominent, local yoga instructor, with a bevy of her students in tow, commented that, while demonstrating their asanas, they had never experienced such tranquility and release of tension as when the transcendental sound vibrations of the Hare Krsna mantra washed over their bodies, minds, and souls!

While viewing our locally produced video, “The Vegan Reality Check,” die-hard vegans could understand that cows perform a valuable service to mankind. The result: many of them lined right up to purchase curd steaks and lassis made from the fresh milk of our beloved, protected mother cows!

Adults and children stood in line for hayrides that passed scores of happily grazing cows in their natural, pastoral habitat where they freely live out their lives—never fearing the slaughter that awaits millions of those unprotected each year.

Richard, a retired school teacher, quietly observed, “It’s obvious that the children here are valued and cherished—the community is intentionally designed for children and people of all ages.”

Richard’s wife was very curious about our six foot tall Lord Jagannath Who stood majestically, smiling His approval and acceptance of all the festivities and attendees. When told that the Lord was from Orissa, she exclaimed, “This is magical!—that’s my name!” She felt a deep connection with the Lord and all the devotees.

The entire day and evening were filled with the melodic sounds of the transcendental vibrations of the Hare Krsna mantra. There were dozens of booths featuring Krisna Consciousness art, herbal medicines, arts and crafts, jewelry, wonderful prasadam, freshly squeezed sugar cane juice and even chapatis cooked over a traditional, open fire pit fueled with cow dung. Everyone left with their bellies filled with prasadam, arms filled with books, and pockets emptied in service to the cows. Oh yes, and with a deep appreciation for the land, Krishna’s dear most animal friends, and the Hare Krsna mantra!

P.S. Please be informed that during the weekend of Nov. 19-21, H. G. Siddhanta Prabhu, who produces the Prabhupada Memory videos, will be attending New Orleans and New Talavan’s Rathayatra and Prabhupada Disciples Festival where he will be filming new interviews for the series. It will be one of the last opportunities to recount your recollections, as he is starting to wind up this vital project. Contact Yogindra prabhu at newtalavana@gmail.com for details.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32979

His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami speaks on Vedic Knowledge and his book - “Ocean of Mercy” at the House of Lords on the occasion of 50 years of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32983

Vrajendranandan Das: Recently we met Shri Najeeb Jung, Honorable Lt Governer of NCT Delhi. H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja presented Bhagavad Gita As it Is in English language and briefed him about ISKCON’s Golden Jubilee celebrations around the world.

H.H. Gopal Krishna Maharaja appraised him about ISKCON’s spreading Vedic culture for benefit of humanity, through ISKCON’s 650 centers around the world. Maharaja invited Lt. Governor for Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Delhi on 05/Nov/2016.

Honorable Lt Governor was very impressed after patiently listening about ISKCON. He is interested to visit our New Delhi Temple in December 2016.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32985

The first aspect of the Krishna consciousness movement is that one hears about Krishna in the association of devotees and chants Krishna’s Names and within that process, of hearing and chanting, one will taste something extraordinary.
In fact by hearing and chanting about Krishna if one can taste even one drop of the happiness of the spiritual internal potency, one has enough to distribute to the whole world. if you get one just one drop, just one time. One should try for this. So we spend our time trying to get this one drop, and if one tastes that then it’s natural that will want to tell others, because the individual living entity has a very special role to play. The jiva is an appreciator and Krishna is the Supreme appreciated and that’s our job, that’s all we have to do, to appreciate Krishna and all Krishna has to do is be Krishna because He’s completely appreciable.
Everything about Him is sweet, in fact there are songs about that. Just take some of that sweetness, the devotees will taste it and then we go out and distribute it and give it to others.
There’s an old saying that whatever you appreciate appreciates, just as when you put money in the bank you’re looking for how much appreciation will get, what return will receive from my investment. This is called appreciation on your investment, so there’s an old saying whatever you appreciate appreciates.
You’ll notice that in your life the things that you give your attention to, out of gratitude and appreciation, they will grow in you.Voltaire said that whatever we appreciate in others, the good qualities, we will assume ourselves, they’ll enter into our hearts and we will be able to take those on.This is something Queen Kunti talks about, to appreciate the devotional service of others, to appreciate Krishna and so forth. So by that one takes on those qualities and one’s capacity to appreciate expands. Every living entity has an appreciating capacity. Some living entity’s appreciating capacity is very small, but when we come to the human form of life we can expand our appreciating capacity unlimitedly. What blocks it? Matsarya, envy! Matsarya means the inability to tolerate the eminence of another.But devotees have freedom from matsarya and the ability to appreciate. And they expand their appreciating capacity, and as they do, they have so much overflow that they go out to distribute to others. This is the process of Krishna consciousness.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32988

Karma marks upon my skin

like a story growing old

Like the rings to count on a felled tree

I am lined and scarred

Memories from the cuts and bruises

on the outside me

The one that hits against the earth

and wind and fire and others.

Karma marks upon my heart

of things I want but don’t get

and things I get but don’t desire

The  marks on a heart broken by pain

stretched by sadness, lost in loneliness.

The marks on a bursting heart of happiness

that has everything and

yet still feels dissatisfied.

Karma marks upon my life

Remind me of where I’ve been and where I am

Like marks upon the prison wall

I am counting the days

To when I shall walk out a free man

From this earth and body

Which is sometimes heaven

But mostly hell

Karma marks upon my skin

Speak to me your words of wisdom

Push me to the right shelter

So the work of pain bears the sweet fruits

of transcendence.

Source:http://iskconofdc.org/karma-marks/

Sri Garga Samhita,
Canto Three, Chapter One

The Worship of Sri Giriraj
(Sri Giriraj-puja-vidhi)

Text 1 Sri Bahulasva asked Narada: Why did Lord Krishna lift Govardhan
Hill as a child playfully lifts a mushroom.

Text 2 O best of sages, please tell that wonderful and glorious transcendental pastime of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Text 3 Sri Narada said: As citizens pay an annual tax to their king, so the gopas, farmers all, at the end of each monsoon season offered a tribute to Indra.

Text 4 Noticing the arrangements for the indra-yajna, as the gopas listened, Krishna asked a question of King Nanda.

Text 5 Sri Krishna said: What is the result of this worship of Indra?
Do they say it brings a material result or a spiritual result?

Text 6 Sri Nanda said: Worship of Indra brings both sense gratification
and liberation. Without it a person cannot be happy in this world.

Text 7 Sri Krishna said: Indra and the other demigods enjoy living in
Svargaloka because of their past karma. When their good karma is exhausted they
again enter the world of humans. Please understand that worshiping them does
not bring liberation.

Text 8 Even the demigod Brahma is afraid of that, so what may be said
of fruitive workers on the earth? They are are actually wise say that endless
time is the most powerful, the supreme.

Text 9 With all their heart renouncing all material pious results, the
wise take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and worship Him with
the best of pious deeds. They, and not others, attain final liberation.

Text 10 The cows, saintly persons, fire-gods, demigods, Vedas, and principles
of religion are all potencies of Lord Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
They who, instead of worshiping the demigods, worship Lord Hari, attain happiness
in this life and the next.

Text 11 The hill named Govardhan is the king of the kings of the kings
of mountains. It was born from Lord Hari’s own chest. It has come here
by the power of Pulastya Muni. By seeing it one becomes free from having to
take birth again in this world.

Text 12 First worship the cows, brahmanas, and demigods, and then make
a great offering to Govardhan Hill. That offering is the king of yajnas and
it is very dear to Me. If you do not desire to make that offering, then do whatever
you wish.

Text 13 Sri Narada said: Among them the elderly gopa Sannanda, who throughly
knew the real principles of religion, became very pleased. As bewildered Nanda
listened, Sannanda spoke to Lord Krishna.

Text 14 Sri Sannanda said: Dear son of Nanda, You are wealthy with a
great treasury of transcendental knowledge. How should the hill be worshiped?
Please truthfully tell.

Text 15 Sri Krishna said: A person who controls his senses and engages
in devotional service should collect the ingredients for the worship, anoint
Govardhan Hill with cow-dung, . . .

Text 16 . . . and, as he chants the mantras for the thousand-headed Purusa,
with other brahmanas bathe the hill with Ganga water and Yamuna water.

Text 17 Then he should bathe the hill with streams of white milk, panamrta,
fragrant flowers, and then Yamuna water again.

Text 18 Then he should offer splendid garments, food, a great throne,
many garlands and ornaments, and many lamps.

Text 19 Then he should circumambulate the hill, offer obeisances, and
with folded hands recite this mantra:

Text 20 namo vrndavanakaya tubhyam goloka-mauline purna-brahmatapatraya
namo govardhanaya ca
Obeisances to you, who are Goloka’s crown and the lap where Vrndavana forest
grows! Obeisances to Govardhan Hill, the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s
parasol!

Text 21 Then he should offer a handful of flowers and then, as mrdangas,
karatalas and other musical instruments make sweet sounds, he should offer arati
to Govardhan Hill.

Text 22 Then he should chant the mantra that begins with “vedaham”,
and then he should throw a shower of grains. In this way he should worship the
hill. Then with great faith he should place a hill of food near Govardhan Hill.
Note: The mantra here is Sri Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.8:
vedaham etam purusam mahantam aditya-varnam tamasah purastat
tam eva viditvati-mrtyum eti nanyah pantha vidyate ‘yanaya
“I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all
material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds
of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than this knowledge
of the Supreme Person.”

Text 23 Then he should offer four, six, and five cups of Ganga and Yamuna
water mixed with tulasi leaves.

Text 24 Then, with a peaceful heart, he should serve Govardhan Hill by
offering it a feast of fifty-six kinds of food. Then with fragrant flowers he
should worship the fire-gods, brahmanas, cows, and demigods.

Text 25 After feeding the exalted brahmanas with fragrant and delicious
foods, he should also give excellent foods to the others, even down to the dogeaters.

Text 26 Then he should have the gopas and gopis dance among the cows
and call out “Victory!” In this way he should perform a festival to
worship Govardhan Hill.

Text 27 Now please hear how this worship should be performed when one
is not near Govardhan Hill. One should make from cow-dung a model of Govardhan
Hill.

Text 28 Human beings on this earth should decorate thet model with many
flowers, blades of grass, and a network of vines, and regularly offer worship
to it.

Text 29 A person who has a mountain of gold but does not use it to worship
a stone he has taken from Govardhan Hill, goes to a terrible hell.

Text 30 A person who regularly worships the Lord’s form as Salagrama-sila
is not touched by hell as a lotus leaf is not touched by water.

Text 31 An exalted brahmana who reularly serves a stone from Govardhan
Hill attains the result of having bathed in all the holy rivers and lakes in
the seven worlds.

Text 32 A person who year after year elaborately worships Govardhan Hill
attains all happiness in this life and liberation in the next.

Canto Three, Chapter Two
The Great Festival of Sri Giriraj
(Sri Giriraj-mahotsava)

Text 1 Sri Narada said: Hearing Sri Krishna’s words, Nanda, Sannanda, and
the other rulers of Vraja were filled with wonder. Abandoning what they had
done, they performed the worship of Govardhan Hill.

Text 2 O king of Mithila, taking many offerings, King Nanda, Yasoda, their two
sons Krishna and Balarama, and Garga Muni, all eager and joyful, went to worship
Govardhan Hill.

Text 3 Quickly climbing on a wonderfully decorated great elephant chained with
golden shackles, Nanda went, with the many cows and with the wealth of the autumn
harvest, to the edge of Govardhan Hill. He looked like Indra Himself, accompanied
by his beloved.

Text 4 Bringing the ingredients for the performing the yajna, the Nandas, Upanandas,
and Vrsabhanus, along with their wives, children, and grandchildren, went to
Govardhan Hill.

Text 5 Dressed in splendid garments and jewel ornaments, and eager as a cakori
bird or a bumblebee, as She rode in a palanquin with Her friends, Radha looked
like Saci herself.

Text 6 O king, nicely decorated, gracefully moving two beautiful camaras, accompanied
by millions of gopi friends, and their faces splendid as two moons, Radha’s
best friends, Lalita and Visakha, gloriously stood by Her side.

Text 7 Then Rama, Viraja, Madhavi, Maya, Yamuna, and Ganga, accompanied by thirty-two,
eight, and sixteen groups of gopis, arrived.

Text 8 In their previous births these gopis had been the women of Mithila, the
women of Kosala, the personified Vedas, the great sages, the women of Ayodhya,
the Yajna-Sitas, the women of the forest, . . .

Text 9 . . . the women of Vaikuntha, who have Rama as their leader, the women
of the highest Vaikuntha realm, the women of various effulgent realms, the women
of Dhruvaloka and Lokacala, . . .

Text 10 . . . Laksmi’s friends splendid with three transcendental virtues,
the women riding in airplanes, vines and plants, jalandharis, the daughters
of the ocean, the daughters of King Barhismati, the women of Sutalaloka, . .
.

Text 11 . . . the apsaras, and all the serpent king’s daughters. Now, as
girls of Vraja, nicely decorated, and their hands splendid with many offerings,
they approached Govardhan Hill.

Text 12 Then the gopa men, adolescents, and boys, dressed in yellow garments,
wearing turbans crowned with peacock feathers, decorated with beautiful necklaces,
gunja, and forest garlands, and holding new flutes and sticks, came.

Text 13 Hearing of the Govardhan festival from my mouth, carrying the Ganga
in his matted locks, wearing a necklace of skulls, his body anointed with the
powder of bones, decorated with a necklace and bracelets of many snakes, . .
.

Text 14 . . . reeling from having drunk dhattura poison, acompanied by Parvati
and his many associates, and riding on his carrier Nandi, Lord Siva came to
the circle of Govardhan Hill.

Text 15 Many thousands of rajarsis, viprarsis, surarsis, siddhesas, yogesvaras,
paramahamsas, and brahmanas came to see Govardhan Hill.

Text 16 O king, its stones jewels, its many peaks golden, and its form splendid
with intoxicated bees, beautiful caves,and swiftly-flowing streams, Govardhan
Hill was like a great elephant.

Text 17 Then, manifesting humanlike forms and bearing auspicious gifts in their
hands, the mountain kings, headed by Mount Meru and Mount Himalaya, offered
their respectful obeisances, bowing down to the humanlike form of Govardhan
Hill.

Text 18 Following Krishna’s instruction, Nanda, the king of Vraja, had
many brahmanas worship Govardhan Hill. Then Nanda worshiped the brahmanas, fire-gods,
and cows, and then gave a very opulent offering to Govardhan Hill.

Text 19 Pleased by the earnestly singing Nandas, Upanandas, Vrsabhanus, gopas,
and gopis, Lord Krishna circumambulated Govardhan Hill, the king of mountains.

Text 20 As the demigods showered flowers and the Vrajavasis showered grains,
Govardhan Hill, the great king of the kings of the kings of mountains, glistened
with great glory, as if it were a great monarch in the midst of a yajna.

Text 21 Manifesting a gigantic form different from His own, Lord Krishna appeared
from the midst of Govardhan Hill. Declaring, I am this hill,” He ate the
entire hill of food that was offered.

Text 22 Seeing Govardhan Hill’s great power and opulence, and their hearts
full of joy and wonder, the gopas and gopis asked the hill to grant them a benediction.

Text 23 They said, “The gopas know that You are the Deity worshiped by
the kings of mountains. Nanda’s son Krishna has shown Your true nature
to us. Please grant that day after day our relatives, friends, and cows may
prosper.”

Text 24 Manifesting a handsome divine form decorated with crown and armlets,
Govardhan Hill, the king of the kings of mountains, said, “So be it,”
and suddenly disappeared.

Texts 25/26 The Nandas, Upanandas, Vrsabhanus, Balarama, Sucandra, King Vrsabhanu,
King Nanda, Krishna, all the gopas, gopis, and cows, the brahmanas, the siddhas
and yogesvaras headed by Lord Siva, as well as everyone else bowed down and
worshiped Govardhan Hill. Then, happy at heart, and all their desires fulfilled,
they returned to their own homes.

Text 27 In this way I have described to you Sri Krishnacandra’s transcendental
pastime of offering a great festival to worship Govardhan Hill, the king of
the kings of mountains. This wonderful and purifying narration frees the people
from the greatest sins.

Canto Three, Chapter Three

The Lifting of Sri Govardhan
(Sri Govardhanoddharana)

Text 1 Sri Narada said: When from my mouth he heard that his sacrifice had been
stopped and a festival for Govardhan Hill performed in its place, Indra became
furious.

Text 2 Unleashing the samvartaka clouds used at the time of cosmic destruction,
Indra sent them to destroy Vraja.

Text 3 The clouds thundered with anger. They were many wonderful colors, some
black, some yellow, some green, . . .

Text 4 . . . some the color of an indragopa insect, some the color of camphor,
and some the color of blue lotuses.

Text 5 Furious, they showered raindrops as big as elephants and thunderbolts
as big as elephants’ trunks.

Text 6 Big as mountain peaks, millions of rocks fell. The wind threw away many
trees and houses.

Text 7 O king of Mithila, the earth was filled with ferocious, terrifying, and
devastating sounds of thunder.

Text 8 The entire universe, with the seven planetary systems and the expanses
of outer space, echoed with the sounds of thunder. The elephants holding the
directions trembled. The stars fell to the circle of the earth.

Text 9 Wishing to save themselves, the gopas and their families, with the children
in front, ran to Nanda’s palace.

Text 10 Terrified, the people of Vraja bowed down before the two Supreme Lords,
Krishna and Balarama, surrendered to Them, and took shelter of Them.

Text 11 The gopas said: Balarama! Balarama! O mighty-armed! Krishna! Krishna!
O master of Vraja! Save, save Your people from these calamities brought by Indra!

Text 12 By Your word we stopped the indra-yajna and offered a festival for Govardhan
Hill. Now Indra is angry. What should we do? Please tell us!

Text 13 Seeing the gopas, gopis, cows, calves, and all of Gokula very upset,
calm and peaceful Krishna spoke to the gopas.

Text 14 Sri Krishna said: Don’t be afraid. With your dependents go to Govardhan
Hill. He accepted our worship. He will protect us.

Text 15 Sri Narada said: After speaking these words, Lord Krishna went, with
His own people, to Govardhan Hill. Lifting the hill, Krishna playfully held
it aloft with one hand.

Text 16 As a child effortlessly holds a mushroom, or as an elephant holds a
lotus in its tongue, so Sri Krishna, the prince of Vraja, the kind Supreme Personality
of Godhead, held Govardhan Hill.

Text 17 Lord Krishna said to the gopas: Father, mother, kings of the gopas,
take your relatives, associates, household paraphernalia, wealth, and cows,
and go beneath the hill. There you need not fear Indra.

Text 18 When they heard Lord Krishna word’s, the gopas took their families,
cows, and household paraphernalia, and went under the hill.

Text 19 O king, when Krishna asked, Balarama and all the boys His age steadied
the the hill with their sticks.

Text 20 Seeing a great flood of water coming, in His mind Lord Krishna ordered
Lord Sesa and the Sudarsana-cakra to come under the hill.

Text 21 Brilliant as ten million suns, the Sudarsana-cakra hovered above the
hill and drank up the falling streams of water as Agastya Muni drank up the
ocean.

Text 22 Coiling Himself around the hill, Sesa stopped the incoming flood as
a shoreline stops the waters of an ocean.

Text 23 For seven days Lord Krishna steadily held Govardhan Hill. As if they
had become cakora birds, the stunned gopas gazed at Lord Krishnacandra.

Text 24 Mounting his maddened elephant Airavata, and accompanied by his armies,
furious Indra went to the circle of Vraja.

Text 25 Wishing to destroy Nanda’s village, Indra threw his thunderbolt
from far away. Krishna suddenly paralyzed both the thunderbolt and the arm that
threw it.

Text 26 Terrified, Indra fled with the demigods and samvartaka clouds as if
he were an elephant wounded by a lion.

Text 27 Suddenly the sun rose. The clouds were gone, the winds stopped, and
the streams carried very little water.

Text 28 The ground dried up, the sky became clear, and the animals and birds
became happy.

Text 29 By Krishna’s order the gopas, taking their wealth and cows with
them, slowly emerged from under the hill.

Text 30 Then Krishna, the lifter of Govardhan Hill, said to His friends, “Go
out.” They said to Him, “You go first. We will hold the hill with
our own strength.”

Text 31 Then Lord Krishna, the lifter of Govardhan Hill, shifted half of the
hill’s weight to the talkative gopa boys.

Text 32 That burden made the gopa boys fall, devastated, to the ground.

Text 33 With one hand Krishna picked them all up. Then, as everyone watched,
with a playful flourish Krishna set the hill down where it was before.

Text 34 O king, the gopas and gopis, now understanding that Nanda’s son
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, worshiped Him, showered Him with
unbroken grains of rice, offered Him many foods made with milk and yogurt, and
humbly bowed down before Him.

Text 35 O king, then Nanda, Yasoda, Rohini, and the gopa elders headed by Sannanda,
embraced Krishna, gave Him great wealth, and, filled with kindness and love,
spoke many benedictions blessing Him.

Text 36 O king, singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, the people
of Vraja approached Lord Krishna and worshiped Him. In this way all their desires
were fulfilled.

Text 37 Then the jubilant demigods showered beautiful flowers grown in the beautiful
Nandana gardens, and the Gandharvas and Siddhas in the higher planets sang the
glories of Sri Krishna, the lifter of Govardhan Hill.

Canto Three, Chapter Four
The Coronation-Bathing of Sri Krishna
(Sri Krishnabhiseka)

Text 1 Sri Narada said: Then, accompanied by the demigods, Indra went
to a secluded place on Govardhan Hill and bowed down before Lord Krishna.

Text 2 Sri Indra said: You are the master of the demigods, the supreme controller,
the Lord who is perfect and complete, the oldest, the supreme person greater
than the greatest and above the material energy, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Lord Hari. O master of the spiritual sky, O master of the universes,
please save me! Please save me!

Text 3 You are the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, perfect and complete,
who descends as the ten avataras. Desiring to protect the Vedic scriptures and
the cows of piety, and desiring also to kill the demons headed by Kamsa, You
have taken birth in this world.

Text 4 O master of the spiritual sky, as a father forgives his son, please forgive
me, a proud fool bewildered by Your illusory potency, a fool who has become
a great reservoir of offenses to You. O master of the demigods, O home where
the universes dwell, please be kind to me.

Text 5
om namo govardhanoddharanaya govindaya gokula-nivasaya gopalaya gopala-pataye
gopi-jana-bhartre giri-gajoddhartre karuna-nidhaye jagad-vidhaye jagan-mangalaya
jagan-nivasaya jagan-mohanaya koti-manmatha-manmathaya vrsabhanu-suta-varaya
sri-nanda-raja-kula-pradipaya sri-Krishnaya paripurnatamaya te ’sankhya-brahmanda-pataye
goloka-dhama-dhisanadhipataye svayam-bhagavate sa-balaya namas te namas te.
Om. Obeisances! Obeisances to You! Obeisances to You, the lifter of Govardhan
Hill, the pleasure of the cows, land, and senses, the Lord who resides in Gokula
as the protector of the cows, the master of the gopas, the husband of the gopis,
the lifter of the elephant among mountains, an ocean of mercy, the creator of
the universes, the auspiciousness of the universes, the home where the universes
dwell, the enchanter of the universes, the enchanter of many millions of Kamadevas,
the lover of King Vrsabhanu’s daughter, a lamp shining in King Nanda’s
family, all-attractive Sri Krishna, the perfect and complete original Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the master of countless universes, the master of the
transcendental abode of Goloka, the companion of Balarama!

Text 6 Sri Narada said: A person who, rising in the morning, recites these prayers
of Indra attains all perfections. Dangers will not make him fear.

Text 7 After offering these prayers, Indra folded his hands and, accompanied
by all the demigods, bowed down before Lord Krishna.

Text 8 Then, on beautiful Govardhan Hill, the surabhi cow born from the milk-ocean
bathed the gopa-king Krishna with great streams of milk.

Text 9 Its four trunks filled with celestial Ganga water, the intoxicated elephant
Airavata bathed Lord Krishna.

Text 10 Then the joyful devas, kinnaras, gandharvas, rsis, and personified Vedas
offered prayers to Lord Krishna and showered HIm with flowers.

Text 11 When the coronation bathing of Sri Krishna was completed noble Govardhan
Hill became to melt with joy.

Text 12 Pleased, the Lord left the mark of His lotus hand on the melting hill.
O king, even today that handprint can be seen on Govardhan Hill.

Text 13 O king of Mithila, know that the footprints Krishna left there are a
great holy place that destroys the people’s sins.

Text 14 O king of Mithila, next to Lord Krishna footprints were the surabhi
cow’s hoofprints.

Text 15 O king of Mithila, the celestial Ganga water that bathed Lord Krishna
on Govardhan Hill became the Manasa-ganga lake, which destroys all sins.

Text 16 O king, the streams of the surabhi cow’s milk that bathed Lord
Krishna on Govardhan Hill became the Govinda-kunda lake, which destroys the
greatest sins.

Text 17 Sometimes the water in that lake tastes like delicious milk. One who
bathes there attains Lord Krishna’s feet.

Text 18 Circumambulating Lord Krishna, bowing down, making many offerings, calling
out, “All glories!” and showering Him with flowers, the happy demigods
returned to their celestial abode.

Text 19 A person who hears this narration of Sri Krishna’s ceremonial bathing
attains a result much greater than the result of ten asvamedha-yajnas. He attains
the supreme creator’s transcendental abode

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1823

Origin of Govardhan:

In the western coast of India, in the island of Salmali, lived Dronachala, the king of the mountains. Once a sage by the name of Pulastya Muni, came to him to take his son Giriraja with him to Kashi (Varanasi). After offering some initial resistance, Giriraja, somehow agreed to go with him only on condition that he should not put him down on the earth in between. If he does so, he would stay there forever.

When they were flying over the Vraja bhumi, Giriraja increased his weight to the extent that Pulastya had no option but to put him down. Pulastya understood the mischief of Giriraja. He became furious and cursed him that he would decrease by a grain everyday. But then repenting on the curse he gave to Giriraja, he assured him that he would be blessed in the Dvapara Yuga and everybody would start worshipping him since then.

This happened in the Satya yuga. Brahmaji wished to create the Dvapara Yuga but because of the portentous phenomenon of Ravana, he had to create the Treta Yuga. In this yuga, Hanumanaji on the instructions of Lord Rama, came to take Giriraja for the cause of constructing a pull on the ocean.

Giriraja at once agreed to go for the service of Lord Rama. But before they reached, the pull was ready and there was no need of additional stones. Giriraja was very dissappointed on not having the darshana of Lord Rama.

On knowing the sorrow of Giriraja, Lord Rama sent a message saying that, “…by the end of the Dvapara Yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna will Himself appear and play on you and will also worship you. In the kaliyuga, the devotees shall attain numerous divine supernatural powers by worshipping you.”

In Sarasvata Kalpa, i.e. the end of the Dvapara Yuga, Bhagavan Sri Krishna stopped the worship of Indra and started the Govardhana Puja by doing Himself. It was a wonderful sight. Being worshipped by Sri Krishna, Giriraja himself became like Sri Krishna. It was like He (Sri Krishna) worshipping Himself. Since then all the six seasons resided permanently on Giriraja.

Besides this, the eight gates of the Asta Sakha’s from where they entered the nitya lila, are also on the Govardhan hill. The Asta Sakha’s, who reside on the Govardhan hill are in differrent places, each of which were passionately attached to their respsctive Deities of those places.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=25170

I am Kruti Beesam. I work as a proofreader for a reputed software firm company in Hyderabad. I have Cerebral Palsy, which confines me to a wheelchair and makes me dependent on physical assistance even for my basic day-to-day needs. At the age of 13 years my disability gave me an opportunity to meet Dr. Laxma Reddy, a physio at a clinic in Hyderabad. Later, due to my condition, he agreed to pay home visits.
Dr Laxma was a simple person who knew his job well and was very friendly with his patients. With his help, my condition improved to an extent. With time, I started observing some changes in Dr Reddy. He started speaking more and more about God. To him, Krishna is the only God. One day, he came in saffron robes and told us that he had joined the Hare Krishna movement and left physiotherapy for good.
I could not understand how a person could leave everything behind and simply live to serve God. I had only seen that in movies. Dr Laxma was now Rama Lakshman das. 
He shifted to a place called Mayapur in West Bengal, a holy place greatly revered by the followers of the Chaitanya tradition from which the modern Hare Krishna movement originated.
Rama Lakshman Prabhu now visited us whenever he came to our city and helped us to understand a little bit about the Bhagavad-Gita. My confusion about his decision slowly turned to admiration, and I found myself wanting to lead a life similar to that which he had opted for. 
My limitations don’t allow me to do everything that I’d like to but I hope I will be able to do so someday.
In school, I dreaded maths. My mom tried various methods to improve my performance in the subject. Rama Lakshman Prabhu promised that he would take me to Mayapur if I passed the exam with a good score. 
The promise of such an incentive motivated me to put all my efforts into the upcoming exam. 
To my great delight, I passed! My family and I consider it nothing less than a miracle that I got through the exam. He saved me from failing into arrears that could have brought my confidence down.
But due to the difficulties associated with travelling and various other reasons, we didn’t get a chance to visit any place for years.
Eight years later, when we finally got an opportunity to go to Mayapur, I had an overwhelming experience. It is a beautiful place where the purity of nature is well-preserved. It was as if I was reading a beautiful description in a book or watching a good movie –the greenery, the cows, and the simplicity of the place are things that we cannot find in the din and bustle of cities like Hyderabad. 
In Mayapur, I witnessed the perfect implementation of the concept of simple living and high thinking. We stayed there only for three days but had the opportunity to participate in the karthika festival, which was so wonderful that it was nothing like anything I had ever seen.When I saw the Deities in the temple for the first time, I had tears in my eyes. I wondered if I was the only one in that state of mind. Later, I was told that a friend who had accompanied us also had the same experience. She said that it was as if the Lord had appeared there just to allow us to have a glimpse of Him. I used to think that this is an experience of people who completely dedicate their lives to Krishna; but I after the tear-inducing profound experience my friend and I have had, I think that any devotee who sees the Lord with a pure heart also experiences similar feelings. 
I had already started feeling the magic of Mayapur. I saw that people from different faiths had come together to celebrate Krishna. It is amazing to see how Sri Sri Radha Madhava attracts and inspires people from every part of the world to come to Mayapur and take shelter at Their lotus feet. Two pious souls who have been so attracted are Indulekha mataji and Vishnurata prabhu. They are from Russia and Indonesia respectively and are now living in Sridham Mayapur. Along with Rama Lakshman prabhu, they took us around to many places and narrated pastimes of the Lord associated with each place. Among other places, I also had the opportunity to visit and offer my prayers to the holy Ganges. It is said that the river washes away all our sins. I felt the purity of the river when I went there. I had only seen the Ganges on TV. I never thought that I would be touching the holy water. This has been possible because of all the people who came with me. I thank all of them from the bottom of my heart. As a part of preserving and promoting Indian culture, both Vishnurata prabhu and Indulekha mataji were dressed traditionally. And they willingly performed the rituals of the traditional Hindu society. For instance, Indulekha mataji insisted on serving us all lunch before sitting down herself to eat. None of them would eat without making an offering to the Lord first. It was strange to see people from different corners of the world reminding us of the customs and traditions that we have forgotten.
I also met Chaitanya, who was also a devotee of the Lord like so many others in Mayapur. But there’s something special about him. What makes him special is his enthusiasm to celebrate life despite his disability. His unshakable faith in Krishna surprised me. As we spoke, he motivated me to chant more rounds of the Hare Krishna maha mantra and gave me a couple of books that can further inspire me. It was amazing to realize the fact that God has blessed these people by allowing them to live in Mayapur and offer their services to Him. It felt like I was in a different world altogether. Neither the travel fatigue nor the humid weather could affect me while I meditated on the Lord in that beautiful heaven called Sri Dham Mayapur. I hope I get another chance to have that experience of beauty. 
Hare Krishna!

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32891

ISKCON Melbourne, as well as other Hindu Temples and organizations, had exhibitions displayed in Queens Hall for three days . Chaitanya Lila is seen here with our local member and a good friend to the Temple Minister Martin Foley. 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32899

Krishna Kirtan Devi dasi, at 15, an active Christian, first met the devotees in a public park in Paris called Jardin du Luxembourg in July 1972. She thought they were Buddhist monks and was impressed by them, although she didn’t know anything about them. The devotees told her things like, “Disciple means discipline” and “If you want fraternity and equality, join this movement!” Then it started to rain, so she cut short the conversation and left.
I felt awkward and miserable in the world, but my life changed completely once I saw the devotees chanting in the street, and I started practicing yoga and meditation and became interested in India. I felt reconnected with my soul and moved from curious to inquisitive. I also visited Buddhist centers to find the devotees again, but never experienced at those centers the same mood the devotees had. Everything felt dead in those places. I was looking for spiritual shelter. At a place called the American Center, some weird people gave me pieces of apple and a stick of incense, but I couldn’t relate to them. I joined the Transcendental Meditation TM group under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, became vegetarian, and read Bhagavad-gita. I found that even though I couldn’t understand the Gita, I loved it. Finally, a few years later, when I was at teacher training college, a friend took me to the Paris Hare Krishna temple on Rue Le Sueur.
I was 18 in 1976 and was climbing the temple stairs when I saw a large photo of Prabhupada. He looked at me through that picture. I recognized him and immediately offered obeisances. I felt he was my authority and could speak to my heart. I stayed overnight in the temple library and started reading “Questions of the Sages” from the First Canto of the Bhagavatam. I read all night, and at 3 a.m. I found myself in the shower and then at mangala-arati. Locanananda sang and I cried. I felt, “Now I’m secure; this environment is good for me.” I was where I should be and felt sheltered.
My service was to clean the bathrooms, toilets, stairs, and entryway, and when I had free moments I’d sit by Prabhupada’s vyasasana and sing the mahā-mantra. I was initiated by Prabhupada in 1977. He gave me the name Krishna Kirtana, and I felt, “O Prabhupada, you could hear me singing for you and that’s why you’ve given me this name.”
Then I started distributing Prabhupada’s books. Those books were my life and, although book distribution was intense and austere, I was inspired to know that book distribution pleased him. My whole devotional life was served in separation from Prabhupada – studying his books, preaching from his books, and traveling to distribute his books.
After Prabhupada left us, I went on with my service and knew Prabhupada was still here. Each time I had a problem, I shared it with Prabhupada and he encouraged me. Each time it got too difficult, Prabhupada made arrangements so I could continue. Prabhupada took care of me, and for this I am eternally grateful. In the Christian religion I was preparing to go to the heavenly planets, but Prabhupada hijacked my trip and gave me the great treasure of transcendental knowledge through his books, his strong disciples, his seva, Deity seva, and sankirtana. He transcendentalized my life. Now I’m safe. Whatever happens, if I just keep following his instructions, Prabhupada will be there for me. I don’t have to worry about anything. I can concentrate on sharing Krishna consciousness with others and Prabhupada will take care of the rest. 
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32901

With regards to these moral principles given by Bhismadev here in the purport, the principle of, “Not to lie,” may be exempt in exceptional circumstances. When devotees are hiding in the basement and a soldier comes looking for them then we can say, “Devotees, I don’t know, I’ve never seen them!” One must not take these principles in a fundamentalist way, they must be applied with intelligence. Fundamentalism is a form of reductionism where we try to eliminate the complexities of life and try to get a few slogans which are applied at all times, all places, all circumstances and which cannot be possibly adjusted in any situation. This creates fanaticism and can create many problems.

Prabhupada also gave the example of the father who has to lie to a child to give the child medicine and tells them that it is sweet. For a higher purpose! Once there was a debate about book distribution because some book distributors were at times not so moral and not so honest in the way they were distributing books. There was another group who was into honesty and it became a big issue. This matter was taken to Prabhupada. Prabhupada said that not to lie and to be honest is very important. He wrote this in a letter to Bhurijana and said that he upheld the importance of moral behaviour and honesty and then Prabhupada asked, “What about those who are so moral, are they distributing books?” The answer was, “Not so many as the other group…” and Prabhupada asked what was the point of morality, books have to somehow or other go out! So sometimes, we have transcendental morality that for the sake of Krsna things may be different…

Also Yudhisthir Maharaj’s example can be applied. At the end of his life, Yudhisthir went to hell, well not himself but he saw that all his brothers had gone to hell and Yudhisthir asked how was that possible – there was Arjuna who gave his life to Krsna’s service, Bhima who had no evil in his heart, Nakul and Sahadev – how could they go to hell!? But this was the punishment that Yudhisthir had to go through for hesitating to lie when Krsna requested it. However, this does not justify that in the name of transcendence, to lie left and right. We cannot take these stories and say that for Krsna and for the sake of sankirtan it is perfectly alright to tell endless lies. 

Even though we have principles, we are not being relieved from using our brain. We have to, in a refined way, take these principles and say that this is dharma and dharma is to be followed and then, there is apad-dharma, religious principles which is followed in case of emergency and sometimes one may deviate from the principle i.e. not to lie, not to get angry…

Now what if we have to apply this to the four regulative principles. Let’s say there was a plane crash and the only survivors were in a jungle and there were no vegetables that one could eat but there were these fat birds which moved very slow, so what are you going to do!? Fast for the first couple days and then what to do… apad-dharma?? I will leave that up to the individual, to their intelligence but personally, I will tell you that I would fast… and if I die that is okay, it is all still in Krsna hands wherever we go! That part does not warrant apad-dharma. As far as the four regulative principles go, I think it is very important to keep those very fixed.

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2016/10/transcendental-morality/

As an offering to Srila Prabhupada for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary, Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Global Headquarters for ISKCON Child Protection, hosted a child protection training seminar for more than 20 leaders, GBC members, temple presidents and ISKCON charity trustees from across the UK. The training was delivered by Paul and Derek from RWA Child Protection Services and the Manor Child Protection Team. Ray Wyre Child Protection Services are an independent child protection specialist organization that, for the last eight years, have been assisting the UK Regional Director, Daksina devi dasi, in an advisory capacity.

This intensive one-day training was the first of its kind in the UK, where leaders gathered to learn about all aspects of child protection, including what child abuse is, the mindset of offenders, how to prevent child abuse and how child abuse is dealt with within ISKCON.

The GBC Chairman for the UK, Praghosa das commented:
“It is always most interesting and engaging listening to experts, not least because they know their brief inside out. When the subject is of such crucial importance for the well-being and safety of our children, that listening becomes quite magnetic.

Hearing from Derek Green and Paul Roffey was a mixture of riveting, inspiring yet shocking. The information, detail & statistics they gave us were eye opening.
Putting what I learned from the morning spent with them into sutra form I would say: Paedophiles will always be with us, indeed going forward it is very likely they will be an increasing phenomena. So we need to fully understand the ever-constant threat to our children. That being the case we must ensure that we make our ISKCON centers as uninviting as we possibly can for paedophiles. We can do this by putting as many safeguards, systems and screenings in place and thus create a very strong deterrent that will make ISKCON a most unattractive environment for them to operate in.

As a father of two children I can only imagine the devastation if anyone would have interfered with them, that is a driving force for me in trying to ensure it does not happen to any other parent.”

This training was one of many such training sessions that the Manor Child Protection Team have carried out this year, with many more planned. Each will be tailored towards different groups of devotees such as teachers, parents, community members and ashram devotees. Earlier this year, in addition to the annual Good Touch, Bad Touch, Secret Touch training program the gurukula children receive, all the temple ashram devotees also attended a child protection training course. They were given background information on ISKCON child protection and how the Child Protection Team at the Manor functions as well as what is appropriate behaviour for them when interacting with children.

“The training sessions were practical, informative and very much needed. It was vitally important for us all to be updated on the standards and protocols in this regard.”
– Sutapa das brahmachari
A few weeks ago the Manor CPO Team also hosted an open Questions & Answers session for community devotees. This was attended by many residential and community devotees who asked questions about how the CPO operates in the UK. There have since been a lot of requests for more of these Q&A sessions that will be booked in the upcoming weeks.

Additionally, this year, as usual, over 1,400 volunteers were also given basic child protection training where they were advised what the CPT policies are, the importance of always reporting any child protection concerns they have and who to report to.

Each and every adult makes a difference in the lives of our children. We all have a responsibility to create a safe environment for the most vulnerable among us, the future of Srila Prabhuada’s movement – the children. Learn how you can be a trusted adult for those around you; find out if your temple has an active Child Protection Team; be part of progress. What a gift that is to the future of ISKCON.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=32906