The unseen merciful hand of Lord Krsna helps a determined young science student become one of Srila Prabhupada’s first Indian disciples.

I was born in Aravade, a small village in the Indian state of Maharashtra that differs little from more than seven hundred thousand others in India. After I graduated from high school, my family sent me to Bombay to study chemistry in college. But my college career was not to be.

In the year 1971, in late March, something happened to prevent me from following the program my l family had so carefully laid out for me. For the first time, His Divine by Lokanatha Swami Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was touring India with his foreign disciples. They had arrived in Bombay just before I had, and now they were going to have a pandal (a spiritual festival) at Cross Maidan.

The devotees publicized the pandal very widely, in newspapers and on billboards. In the advertisements, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were described as American, Canadian, European, African, and Japanese sadhus (saintly devotees). This was unprecedented. Previously, whenever the word sadhu had been applied to someone, it was understood that the person was Indian. There could be no other consideration. But these advertisements were talking about sadhus from all over the world. This was indeed a novelty for every Bombayite, and it especially fascinated me.

Intrigued, I went to the Hare Krsna Festival, which was quite well organized. The Hare Krsna sadhus were the biggest attraction for me. I appreciated their singing, dancing, walking, and talking. In fact, I liked everything about them, and I attended the function practically every evening. I would simply watch and listen. Though I knew English , I wasn’t fluent, and speaking with foreigners was too difficult for me. I purchased a few magazines and a few booklets with the little money I had.

Srila Prabhupada spoke every evening. He discussed many issues relating to Krsna consciousness and made many points. But the point that had the greatest impact on me, and which attracted me to him and his society more than anything else, was the simple point that if you serve Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead , you simultaneously serve everyone and everything else. Srila Prabhupada gave the analogy of what happens when one waters a tree. Just by pouring water on the root of a tree, one automatically waters all the leaves, branches, fruits, and flowers on the tree.

Srila Prabhupada had simplified my job. “Here is my chance,” I thought. I had always wanted to serve others, and thus at different stages in my life I had contemplated becoming an engineer or a doctor or a lawyer. When ever I thought of my future, I would think of how I could serve others. Yet although throughout all these years I had mainly thought of service, I didn’t know where to begin, and I had practically no resources in my possession . But now Srila Prabhupada had cleared my path by showing the easy way of serving the whole creation through the simple medium of serving the Lord, the source of all that be. This idea greatly appealed to me.

As scheduled, the Hare Krsna Festival ended after eleven days, and everything went back to normal.

I continued going to college in Bombay. I shared a room with some people from my village, whom my family had asked to keep an eye on me. Once, seaveral years before, I had left my studies and gone to join an asrama in a town nearby my village. I had almost made it to the asrama, but the unseen merciful hand of the Lord brought me back so that later I could join Srila Prabhupada instead.

After this incident, my family had anticipated my going away somewhere, sometime, and that is why they asked the villagers to watch over me. But how much could they watch me? I had gone to the Hare Krsna function practically every evening, and no one had noticed that. I would keep Hare Krsna magazines and booklets inside my big fat chemistry books and read them for hours. My roommates would marvel at how seriously I was studying chemistry. They couldn’t detect that instead of absorbing myself in analyzing chemical solutions, I was probing into the ultimate solution to the problems of life.

Whenever my roommates went out, I would bolt the door and, with my arms raised, chant Hare Krsna and dance to my full satisfaction. Having seen the devotees chanting and dancing on stage at the festival, I was trying to imitate them. Thus, in hiding, I was following the process of Krsna consciousness: chanting, dancing, and reading over and over again the few pieces of literature I had.

I knew that the Hare Krishna devotees were living somewhere in Bombay, but after the function their small group had merged into the big city, and I was deprived of their association.

One year passed.

Then, in March 1972, ISKCON organized another festival, this time at Juhu Beach. During the course of the year, the devotees had purchased some land at Juhu, and the function was going to be held right on their premises. Once again, advertisements appeared in the newspapers and in other media, and news of the festival reached me by the causeless mercy of the Lord. I had been waiting for this news, and I was extremely happy to receive it.

Naturally, I attended the programs. I would go long before they began, borrow books, and read them. During the chanting I would join in wholeheartedly. The foreign devotees, in Indian dhotis and kurtiis , and the Indian student, in imported trousers and shirt, would dance together.

Occasionally, during prasadam time, when I happened to be near the gate, the devotees would invite me to come and take prasadam with them. I was eager to observe their life closely, so I would t ake advan tage of the opportunity and join them. They were all nice devotees. On top of that, they were all foreigners, and I was duly impressed.

A few days after the festival at Juhu ended, I sat down and composed an application for membership in ISKCON (the International Society for Krsna Consciousness). I had decided to join the devotees, and to join any organization, I thought, one needed to fill out an application. I addressed my application to the president of ISKCON, Bombay. I wrote that I agreed to follow the four regulative principles- no meat-eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, and no gambling. I also stated that I liked their dazzling dratis, ecstatic kirtanas, and sumptuous prasadam. (I had picked up all these terms from their publicity handouts.) I went to a typing institute and had the application typed out. ISKCON was an international society, so I thought everything had to be formalized and just right.

Then I went to the Hare Krsna asrama at Juhu and asked who the president was. It wasn’t difficult to get to see him. His name was Giriraja dasa. He went through my letter-application, and on the spot he accepted me and embraced me. Not only that: he welcomed me in and immediately introduced me to all the asrama inmates as a n ew devotee.

I quickly adjusted to my new lifestyle. I had a new home, a new uniform, new associates, a new program- almost everything was new to me. Nonetheless, I immediately embraced all of it and liked it. Although the devotees were mostly foreigners, I felt completely at home. I was determined to make this my life’s commitment.

One week passed quickly. Then my elder brother arrived at the temple with one of my old roommates. Among the things I had left in my room was a handbill with the Hare Krsna address at Juhu on it. That’s how they’d found me. It was no big surprise to them that I’d joined the devotees. They had been expecting something like this for some time, and now all they had feared had come to pass.

My brother wanted me to visit my family, especially for the sake of my mother. If I wouldn’t go she might die, he said. But he assured me my family had no objection to my returning after the visit. I had always respected my brother, and here he was practically begging me to return home, saying that it was a matter of life and death for my affectionate mother and that I could return soon. Finally, I asked permission from Giriraja and left, wearing my new uniform of dhoti and kurta.

After I a rrived in my village, people began saying that though I used to be such a nice boy, now something had gone wrong with me. The difference was that I was wearing a dhotf and kurta, chanting Hare Krsna, and avoiding the association of non devotees. The townspeople considered all these things strange and abnormal.

My father requested me not to wear my new clothes and not to put on tilaka, even though he wore clothes similar to mine and occasionally wore tilaka himself. He was a devotee of Lord Vitthala, a form of Lord Visnu, or Krsna, and devotees of Lord Vittala apply tilaka in a way similar to that of the Hare Krsna devotees. On special occasions my father would put on his tilaka, but he didn’t want me to imitate him, because he was worried about what people would think. (If such is the reaction of Indian parents, I can hardly imagine the reaction of parents of devotees in other lands).

Thus my parents tried everything in their power to dissuade me from returning to the Hare Krsna devotees. They even went to astrologers to learn some way to “cure” me or to find out how long I would continue living this “strange type of life.” They were really concerned.

More than a week passed, yet no plans were made for my return to the devotees, as per the original agreement between my brother and me. My parents kept telling me that some relative or other still had to come see me and that it wouldn’t be proper for me to leave without meeting him. My family planned to enlist the relatives as agents to somehow or other talk me out of this sildhu business. My parents tried everything on me, but my mind was fixed on going back to the Hare Krsna devotees.

One day I saw my sister shedding tears. When someone asked her what was wrong, she replied, “Just see how in our house all the other boys are nicely engaged in playing cards, but my brother Raghunatha isn’t sitting with them.” Such was the cause of her tears. She was feeling sorry that I wasn’t playing cards with the other boys but was instead busy chanting the holy names of God on my beads.

When my family all realized I wouldn’t give up the life I had embraced, they came up with the proposal that I could continue the life of a sadhu but that I should do it in our village. They promised to build a small temple so I could do my devotional practices there. I rejected this idea, too, however, because I wanted to associate with the devotees. There is no question of leading a spiritual life without proper association, without the association of devotees who are practicing Krsna consciousness full time. I didn’t want to be just another bogus sadhu. India was already over· crowded and overburdened with them. I wanted to engage in the service of Krsna in the Hare Krsna movement. Srlia Prabhupada had already cleared my path. He had given me my life’s mission, and I was fully satisfied once and for all with that.

I had sold my heart to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. So, finally, my family accepted the inevitable. I returned to Bombay after about a month and moved had sold my heart to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. So, finally, my family accepted the inevitable. I returned to Bombay after about a month and moved back into the asrama. Since I had stayed in my village quite a long time, I wasn’t sure how Giriraja and the other devotees would react to my return. When they saw me, however, I was surprised to find myself most welcome, just as before-and they were surprised to see me back in their midst. Their experience had been that many Indian devotees had come and gone, promising to return soon, but hardly any had actually returned. Thus they were surprised and pleased to see me. By the causeless mercy of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, my return to the devotees became possible.

POSTSCRIPT

Although it may appear that my joining ISKCON disrupted my family’s life and caused a disturbance in my small village, these negative effects were only temporary. In the years since I joined ISKCON, I and many other devotees have often visited Aravade and taught the principles of Knna consciousness, and now my familyand my whole village-embrace ISKCON as a genuine religious movement. There are seven fulltime devotees from there, my sister has enrolled her son into the ISKCON gurukula school in Vrndavana, and whenever I see my father he asks me for tilaka and proudly decorates his forehead with it. Also, my family and many other families in Aravade regularly chant Hare Krsna on beads. All in all, my whole village loves the Hare Krsna movement, and there is no disruption of any kind.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22142

Vijaya das: This festival attracts 60,000 people every year. It lasts six days, and people mostly just camp out the whole time, as we did. Ajita Prabhu (the president of New Govardhana) and his team of seventeen devotees were there to feed prasadam to the masses. They distributed thousands of plates of prasadam, and the people loved it.
Ajita arranged for a book booth right next to Govinda’s, our prasadam tent. I distributed from a table in this booth. The people were really receptive. The first day I spoke to a family consisting of a husband, his wife, and their ten-year-old son. The man was interested, and then I heard from the son: “I know the Bhagavad-gita. I’ve read all the translations to the verses, and now I’m going back to read the purports.” I was of course surprised and happy to hear of this young lad’s attraction to Krsna, so I gave him my e-mail address in case he had any questions. Then his father, seeing his son so impressed by the Gita, got one for himself, .
An hour later I again spoke to a father and son. I could see that the father was not into the book (he just wanted to go) but that the son was showing interest. So I gave my attention to him, and when I asked for a donation he said to his father: “I would like to read this. Can you get it for me?” The father then very reluctantly gave a donation, and the fortunate boy got the mercy.
Later I spoke to a man who was interested, but suddenly a lady came and grabbed his arm. As he was being dragged away he asked me to tell him more. I said, “How are you going to listen if she keeps dragging you away?” At that he yanked his arm away from her, and I told him some more about the book. Then he said, “But it’s so big, and I would have to carry the book around all day.” Then a man inside the booth said to him, “The benefit you will derive from reading the /Bhagavad-gita/ is much, much greater than the little inconvenience you’ll experience from carrying around such a storehouse of wisdom.” Upon hearing that, he decided to take it. I then thanked the man who provided the encouraging words. I learned that he’s a long-time friend of the movement.
Later a man came to the table and, before I could say a word, gave a nice donation for the /Bhagavad-gita/. He then went on to tell me that he’s a Christian minister and that he quite often uses the teachings of the /Gita/ in his sermons.
An hour later another Christian came by, one I’d spoken to earlier. He said he had some doubts about Christianity, such as how a merciful God could cast sinners into hell to burn forever. I said to him, “God is the most kind person and would never force anyone to suffer eternally, even if he’d committed the greatest sin. He may arrange for punishment, but He’ll always give the sinner another chance.” Then I explained about reincarnation and that this is how He gives us another chance. He said this made sense and took a /Bhagavad-gita/.
It was sooo nice to be out on book distribution again. What a breath of fresh air!
Your Servant,
Vijaya das 

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22171

Dear devotees everywhere: This evening we begin a 2 1/2 month summer festival tour. Myself and a team of 300 devotees will hold a festival every day of the week, except Mondays, from now until the beginning of September. It means over 50 festival programs, including the great Woodstock festival in early July where just under a million people are expected. We are beginning here in Moldova and moving to the Baltic Sea Coast in Poland next week. This is a herculean task and we beg your blessings, along with the blessings of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya, to be successful. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we may touch the hearts of literally hundreds of thousands of conditioned souls in the weeks and months ahead. Thank you! All glories to Sri Krsna Sankirtan!

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22163

Ananda Vrindavana Devi Dasi: I pushed through the crowd to hold the rope for a few moments. We were in New York, on 5th Avenue, and the 3 large carts of the Ratha Yatra festival – an annual parade held in cities all over the world – were being pulled.
I held the rope and made my prayer – ‘Krishna, as I pull you to Vrindavan (Ratha Yatra symbolizes Krishna’s return to his home, Vrindavan), please pull me back to the spiritual world, back to loving you with full heart.’
As I released the rope and moved away I stumbled. ‘Watch your step’ were the words I heard. Yes, I can pull you, Krishna acknowledged, but you also have to be pull-able because I do not force. I am not that kind of God, and not interested in that kind of love.
I need to be pulled as I am, in truth, a reluctant pilgrim on this path. The glitter of the world interests me, the promises of happiness in ordinary affairs allures me, and my tendency to self reliance instead of trust in great teachers and teachings slows me down.
Watch your step is a message for more than my feet. ‘Watch your step’ tells me to be careful with my spiritual practices, but more than that, to be careful the way I live. ‘Watch your step’ on how I move, how I eat, where I go, who I know. As we make our way out of this world, out of the restricting and ultimately diminishing bodily concept of life, how we live can help or hinder that.
Life is a journey from birth to death, and we are moved along by time. Where we walk on this journey is where we will end up. As the poet Robert Frost says – ‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.’ Attempting self-realization is the road less travelled. It’s the best road to be on, but not without its challenges. Watch your step Krishna reminded me in New York. He want’s me to make it. I do too.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22144

Our article “Thoughts from the Astrology Tent” (Dandavats, Aug.21, ’09) generated much interest from Dandavats readers, and we received a number of inquiries that ranged from Krishna conscious astrology to the first Woodstock Festival in NY. However, in that article I mentioned that in 1969 “I was one of three devotees at the first Woodstock”. But no, there were four shaved-up brahmacharis in dhotis (and a number of future devotees, as I have since learned). My memory has been jogged by a recent reading of our Godbrother Shriman Bhurijana das Prabhu’s wonderful book My Glorious Master.

Yours truly was the only devotee from the New York Hare Krishna Temple, but the entire Chapel Hill, N.C. ISKCON crew, numbering three, as seen below, hitch hiked the six hundred miles up to Woodstock, NY to spread the message of sankirtan. The following passage from Shriman Bhurijana das’ book sets to rest the issue concerning which devotees were there preaching at Woodstock in 1969. It is taken from part 8 of Chapter Four (“Buffalo to Chapel Hill, 1968-69”). Here then is Bhurijana Prabhu’s…

“Adventure at Woodstock”

Tosana Krishna, Vrndavana Chandra (who had recently come to assist us), and I heard about Woodstock, the upcoming giant music festival and decided to attend and preach. We hitchhiked from North Carolina to New York City and then on to Woodstock. We had no idea what to expect when we arrived.

Tens of thousands of young and hip citizens of East Coast America had converged on Woodstock’s barren farm fields. Although tickets were sold for the event, no one was prepared for the size of the turnout. The promoters gave up demanding payment or checking tickets. They were moved by the spirit of the ‘60s and they opened the gates to all. Throngs of young men and women channeled through and became part of the “happening.” This was the event and they were part of it. Countless gaily dressed hippie pilgrims milled around and danced, or sat absorbed in the intoxications of the moment and the music from the main stage.

They had traveled on Kali’s call to Woodstock. Their mood was accepting, so they accepted us with our shaved heads and Indian dress. We held kirtana in the evenings and many joined in the chanting. During the day, we handed out incense and peacock feathers and asked for donations. We also looked for opportunities to preach.

One evening I attempted to chant on the main stage by disguising myself as a follower of Swami Satchidananda, the bearded and trendy Uptown New York hatha-yoga guru. As he and his followers marched up the ramparts to the stage, I followed behind waving my bundle of peacock feathers up and down, looking like the final member of their entourage. But my attempt was foiled at the last moment by a yoga student, and I was ordered off the stage. (Years later, I met Swami Satcidananda in Hong Kong and he showed a movie of his exploits in the West. The screen filled with a shot of the Swami and his students walking onto the Woodstock stage. Behind his head, I could clearly see my bundle of peacock feathers waving up and down. “Hey, that’s me,” I proudly told him.)

We were determined to chant Hare Krishna onstage. On the final evening, we were given permission to chant side-stage at the “Hog Farm.” The weather was threatening and it was already dark. The rock group’s electric guitars were screaming out heavy metallic blues notes. The lead singer called to the crowds, “You are moving the sun! You are moving the moon!” The blues notes bent, the bass guitars thumped, the drums thundered, and the crowds went wild in the dimly lit, cloud-covered night. Dancing with abandon, eyes turned upward, with and without partners, the audience clapped and approved of the band’s reminder that mankind is God.

We were the next act. In that moment of demonic insanity, we walked onstage with karatalas and our simple message. “Chant Hare Krishna and be happy. We’d like you all to chant with us.” Our chant began and a few from the audience joined in.

Suddenly, we heard loud, antagonistic cries, “Shut up! Stop chanting!” The fever of the protests increased but we kept chanting. “Shut up! Stop that chanting! Rock is our soul!” We heard and recognized the black leather jackets of the “Mother-F______,” a New York City motorcycle gang, as the leaders of the dissent. We kept chanting and they stepped up their protest. We chanted faster. We saw gang members standing up and moving toward the stage. “How can we stop chanting,” I wondered, “but how can we continue?”

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,” we chanted into the microphone. Our eyes scanned the dark toward the crowd; our ears weighed the sound of responding chanters against the calls of angry protesters. Suddenly, just as the tension began to peak, the electrical generator exploded and the power was cut off. Darkness fell like a stage curtain. Our act was over.

That night a heavy rain fell, halving the Woodstock fever. The crowds were drenched and the festival began to wind down. We three tired, aspiring servants of Prabhupada, happy, but sick from the damp, began our return journey to New York City late the following morning.

Part of our gain from our weekend’s preaching was a trunk full of small coins. When we arrived at our 61 Second Avenue temple in New York, we discovered that we had collected almost $600! ISKCON was poor in those days and we were astounded at the huge size of our three-day collection. We decided to send part of the collection to Prabhupada.

Our letter offering Prabhupada $200 was sincere, but not in touch with the actual worth of $200. It began with flowery pomp: “My dear Shrila Prabhupada, Please accept our humble obeisances and this donation of $200 for your book fund. Please use this money to publish The Nectar of Devotion and thus save all the university students throughout the land.”
Prabhupada, as his reply showed, accepted the spirit of our donation and overlooked its amount:

My Dear Bhurijana, Tosana Krishna and Vrindavana Chandra,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your sending me the check for $200 for my book fund, and I think of it as a big contribution of $2,000,000. I have come to your country to carry out the wishes of my spiritual master, and you are kindly cooperating with me. Certainly Krishna will be pleased to bless you with all spiritual benediction.
I shall be glad to hear from you about your other progress in the matter of Sankirtana Party and selling BTGs. That is our main strength for preaching work. Thank you very much.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

If we had thought more carefully, we would have distributed Back to Godhead magazines at Woodstock rather than only incense and peacock feathers. Back to Godhead distribution was becoming the backbone of Prabhupada’s preaching formula.

-From My Glorious Master by Bhurijana das Adhikary

My Glorious Master is an excellent and well written history of an era of Krishna consciousness that would be lost to memory except for the few rare and valuable accounts scribed by far-sighted devotee-writers like Bhurijana. The author’s literary skill captures the reader’s interest in such a way that his journey into spirit is not only shared, but the reader becomes gradually Krishna-ized through the association. The book is rightly titled, for what greater glory can there be for a genuine spiritual master, than the absolute surrender of a sincere disciple? Therefore My Glorious Master is more than a great ride of spirited progress into devotional service. Indeed the author’s various guru-sevas—from driving a cab to laying bricks—represent “association in separation” with the glorious master at the highest level. As the author’s faith in his glorious master becomes strengthened, so does the reader’s.

Through exciting narrations, the author’s connection to His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada becomes our connection to the parampara. After all, Krishna consciousness is contagious. Shrila Prabhupada often instructed us that association with the spiritual master through vani, or carrying out his orders, is higher than direct physical or vapu association. In My Glorious Master we share the author’s devotion in both separation and personal association, thereby advancing our own attempts at loving service. Every devotee who reads My Glorious Master will gain new insights into his own bhakti through the pages of this spiritual voyage. And this is a very important journey indeed. Throughout scripture it is declared that there can be no link to the Supreme Lord without the blessings of a bona fide spiritual master appearing in the disciplic succession that leads back to Him.

My Glorious Master is available on the Vedabase under sec. 22 “Biographies and Glorifications of Shrila Prabhupada” (2003 edition).

Devotees interested in communicating with me on the above topics are encouraged to write to me at dhimanakrishna@yahoo.com.
-Patita Pavana das Adhikary
Mithuna Twiins Astrological Services

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22148

 After years of planning for its 50th anniversary, and nearly six months of celebrations this year so far, ISKCON is now gearing up for its Golden Jubilee Incorporation Day on July 13th, 1966. And temples, centers, and individual devotees all over the world are getting ready to do something big for founder Srila Prabhupada, whom many feel they owe their lives to.

After braving thirty-five days at sea on the Jaladuta steamship and two heart-attacks to bring his message of devotion to the Western World, Prabhupada arrived in New York City on September 19th, 1965 with only seven dollars and a few boxes of books to his name. By the next spring, he had initiated the legal work to establish an “International Society for Krishna Consciousness,” while still living in the Bowery.

Early followers in his small storefront at 26 2nd Avenue helped him complete his legal documents, which revealed his seven purposes of ISKCON for the first time. On July 11th, 1966 he signed the papers, and on July 13th, he received a certificate showing that ISKCON had been officially incorporated.

“It was from this day, that Srila Prabhupada started a revolution that succeeded in transforming the hearts and minds of millions of people all over the world,” says ISKCON 50’s International Cordinator Romapada Das. “It was on this day that Prabhupada revealed his mission in the service of Lord Chaitanya for the first time. Temples all over the world should plan something that glorifies this exemplary and compassionate vision of Srila Prabhupada in their local communities within and outside ISKCON.”

Romapada suggests a host of different special things temples can do on Incorporation Day or any day during Incorporation Week (July 11th to 17th).

During their morning programs, devotees can sing the songs ‘Markine Bhagavad-dharma’ and ‘Prayers to the Lotus feet of Krishna,’ which Srila Prabhupada wrote aboard the Jaladuta. They can also give classes about Srila Prabhupada, with readings from the Prabhupada-Lilamrita about how he incorporated ISKCON.

Either after class or in the evening, they can hold a “Gratitude Program,” during which they can make Vyasa-puja style ‘offerings’ to Srila Prabhupada; read from his Jaladuta Diary and New York Journal to appreciate the struggles he went through; stage the play “Swami at Sea,” which is available for download at iskcon50.org; distribute the ISKCON 50 magazine; and display ISKCON 50 Expo panels showcasing ISKCON’s achievements over the last fifty years.

Before or after the Gratitude Program, devotees could also hold a maha-harinama chanting procession that culminates in a park or public place, reminiscent of Prabhupada’s first Tompkins Square Park Harinamas. Or they could hold six, twelve or twenty-four-hour kirtans, during which they sing many of Prabhupada’s favorite bhajans.

While these are guidelines, devotees can get creative on the day, week or even months surrounding Incorporation Day – there’s no hard and fast rules for what to do or when to do it.

ISKCON Moscow, for instance, is celebrating its Incorporation Week in June with a Vaishnavi Festival, during which female Prabhupada disciples will give seminars on Deity worship, cooking, developing one’s relationship with Prabhupada and more. The 45th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s visit to Moscow will also be celebrated, with key disciples telling stories of the early pioneering days.

On Incorporation Day itself, devotees in Guyana will open their first ever temple in their capital Georgetown with a huge five-day festival. Elsewhere in July, devotees in Durban, South Africa will perform kirtan and distribute prasadam to over 50,000 people at public trek Walk the City. And in Mauritius, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation will feature a special discussion about ISKCON’s 50th anniversary.

Meanwhile the World Holy Name Week will shift from its usual October spot to July and August this year. It will culminate in grand harinama processions all over the world to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first public harinama in the Western World – led by Prabhupada on August 14th, 1966 from 26 2nd Avenue to Washington Square Park in New York.

Of course, the ISKCON 50 celebrations will continue on past Incorporation Day and its surrounding months.

Some of the biggest plans later in the year include completing 50 Padayatras (foot pilgrimages) worldwide; 50 Hare Krishna festivals in the UK; and major VIP events in Cape Town, South Africa, Washington D.C., USA, and Delhi, India – the latter of which is expecting an audience of 50,000.

There will be major melas for youth and older second generation devotees too in New Vrindaban, West Virginia; Leicester, UK; and Johannesburg, South Africa. The New Vrindaban one, held this weekend, will explore the themes of celebrating family and building community; the UK one from September 1st to 4th will empower youth and connect them with Srila Prabhupada; and the Johannesburg one will also focus on community-building and kirtan.

And in Weisbaden, Germany on September 20th an Interfaith Summit will see delegates from different faith communities learning about Srila Prabhupada.

ISKCON 50 Coordinator Romapada Das encourages devotees everywhere to organize similar events in their area, or get other ideas for 50th anniversary celebrations at http://iskcon50.org/ideas-for-50th/. Resources for your events are also available at http://iskcon50.org, including posters, logos, banners, video clips, Powerpoint presentations, and scripts for plays.

“With all these events, we want to educate people about ISKCON and its Founder Acharya, and their remarkable achievements in the last fifty years,” says Romapada. “We also want to celebrate the fifty years of ISKCON in a befitting manner. And we want to appreciate all those dedicated devotees who have contributed their entire lives in the service of Prabhupada by spreading the sankirtana movement to every town and village to fulfill the prediction of Lord Chaitanya.”

Source:http://iskconnews.org/iskcon-gears-up-for-incorporation-day,5633/

Three 40-foot high, colorfully-decorated Rathayatra carts hand-pulled by devotees and surrounded by thousands of chanting and dancing people —rolled down New York’s 5th Avenue June 11 to kickoff a national celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness better known as the Hare Krishna Movement.

The Rathayatra parade began at 12 P.M. at West 45th Street and 5th Avenue, and ended at Washington Square Park where it joined the “Hare Krishna Festival” for an afternoon of free vegetarian food; stage performances of classical Bharatanatyam dance; a one hour dramatic rendition of the Ramayana performed by an theater troupe from the England; and multiple booths about reincarnation, meditation, and yoga.
ISKCON’s founder Bhaktivedanta Swami, first came to New York City from India in September, 1965 to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna to the western world. “It’s very special for us to kick off the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON where he began right here in New York,” said Amrita Hari, spokeswoman for the Krishna society.

Bhaktivedanta Swami affectionately known as Srila Prabhupada, arrived alone in New York City at the age of 70 to fulfill his guru’s order to spread Vaishnava teachings to the English- speaking world. Prabhupada arrived in America with just $7 and several trunks of his translations and commentaries on ancient Sanskrit texts, the Bhagavata Purana.

After struggling for almost a year, the Swami attracted a core of followers among young American spiritual seekers of the 1960’s, and on July 13, 1966 he incorporated his fledgling community as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Despite its humble beginnings, over the past 50 years ISKCON has grown to a global community of over 600 temples, 110 vegetarian restaurants, and 65 farms and eco villages. The affiliated Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has sold 516 million books and magazines on Krishna consciousness, and Hare Krishna Food Relief programs feed a free vegetarian lunch to 1.2 million school children each day in India through its mid-day meals program in affiliation with the Indian government.

Celebrations later this year will include dozens of Rathayatra parades in cities worldwide including Washington, DC, Los Angeles, London, and Paris, and gala events at the Sydney Opera House, Washington, DC, and other major venues. In addition, an ISKCON sannyasi is walking across the United States to spread Lord Krishna’s message of devotion and the Bhagavadgita.

Source: http://www.newsindiatimes.com/nycs-5th-avenue-parade-launches-iskcons-50th-anniversary

Schedule of Events: Groundbreaking Ceremony 10 am
Cultural Dance and Music, Kirtan 11 am
Sumptuous Lunch Free for the Public 12 pm
When: Sunday July 10, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM MDT
Where: SLC Krishna Temple
965 East 3370 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84601

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22098

Nowadays the great innovations of medical and scientific science can maintain patients alive, even those that in the past were given no hope to survive. These innovations can prolong the patient’s existence artificially even knowing that they will never regain acceptable health and life conditions. This situation is commonly called over-medication. The definition of cerebral death, since the end of the sixties has allowed for the development of transplant surgery. Before that time, the extraction of organs from a patient with a heartbeat was deemed a felony. Among this scientific and social debate there are ever more crucial questions. Up to which point is it right to keep alive a body that is worn out and unable to grant a minimum of dignity to the psycho-physical entity called person? What is the line that marks the decisive boundary between the unavoidable medical assistance and the over-medication?

The recent story of Eluana Englaro and other similar stories such as those of Piergiorgio Welby and Terry Schiavo, made the whole world think by highlighting the urgency of a serious thinking.
The incomparable value of freedom and of the sacredness and dignity of life and respect to all creatures should be a common patrimony in every social body regardless of its scientific or individual religious orientation. This should be true not only toward human beings but also toward every living being. Life must be protected in each of its manifestation. In the complex human, social and scientific context, it is becoming ever more important and urgent to offer information and teaching on the process of dying and also on the post-mortem phenomena in accordance to medical-scientific prospective but also in accordance to spiritual, humanistic and existential prospective. It should be done by sensibly operating with sincerity so that each person can build, without intrusion or cultural prejudices a clear vision of his will and give and explicit and clear indication through a biological testament and other useful instruments that society indicates and uses for this purpose. We can have better opportunities to self-determine our present and our future if we open ourselves to a deeper comprehension of the death phenomena by taking a distance from various taboos and from the many things removed by the collective imagination that usually hamper a mature elaboration. In fact, only by growing in consciousness we can grow in responsibility and freedom.

For this purpose who is writing has been personally taking care of those so called “incurable” patients and of those medical personnel involved with the taking care and assistance of these patients. He does this by offering instruments of reflection based on the sociological, psychological, philosophical and spiritual Hindu-Vedic tradition. This tradition can significantly extend our perception and conception of the individual and of the death event. We can understand how to extend our perception, through a continuous string of considerations intimately connected among each other and we can also find them in the text: Psychology of the cycle of life – Experience beyond birth and death” (edizioni Centro Studi Bhaktivedante www.c-s-b.org). Let’s not only wonder what to do with the organs of a body that has reached the end of this life. Let’s also think of the future of that person that lived in it and that in accordance with the Hindu-Vedic prospective will continue his existence even after he has left that physical body. How can we help that person still imprisoned in that suit that is now worn-out? How can we stimulate him to prepare himself to abandon it? How can we orient the evolutionary journey that will begin after his clinical death is confirmed?

The answer to these questions is important not only for those that work in the medical field but also for every individual. Welcome, assistance and accompanying are three key concepts in this area.

The meaning of welcoming is meeting the other person, opening not only our arms but also our heart and our mind. The meaning of assisting is intervening with sensitiveness by becoming emphatic and listening to the modalities and the needs of others. The meaning of accompanying is being by the side of a person, without preceding him, but staying almost behind him, being a humble and affectionate person and stimulate him to proceed. Accompanying means staying sensibly alongside and helping him to reach his destination by providing warmth, goodness, empathy, compassion and mercy.

The Hindu-Vedic tradition doesn’t use psychotherapeutic techniques, but offers teachings toward the development of a cosmic vision of life, man and the world that doesn’t concentrate on the resolution of psychological discomfort but on the elevation of a global consciousness. This allows those who apply it to re-discover the entirety of their nature on the bio-physical-spiritual level and express all of their most noble potentialities and aspirations by facing even death in an inner-peace state.

Why does death exist? Who or what dies? How can we prepare ourselves? What does dying consists of? How can we assist a terminally ill person? How can we interact with his family and with medical personnel? By asking ourselves these questions we can reach surprising intuitions, sometimes they make us feel beyond the changing flow of this shining and deceiving world (Veda define it maya which means illusory).

The first question to ask ourselves is: when the objective cure-doctor-medication is no longer reachable, what can we do to take care of the person? Can we transform a traumatic even such as death into an evolutionary experience? The answer is Yes!

The phenomena of death is usually lived as the end of everything, dissolution, disappearance, with tonalities that go from resigned to dramatic all the way to desperate. However, according to the Hindu-Vedic philosophical-spiritual tradition death doesn’t exist as an entity, but only as a concept or a moment of transaction from a segment of life to another. Through a consciousness journey, every human being can learn to “live” it by perceiving that his identity is different from the one of the body and discovering in front of him a new phase of his eternal existence to be projected constructively.

Bhagavad-Gita (II.20) says: “The living being is not born, nor will die. He is eternal. He doesn’t die when the body is destroyed. Tagore writes: we walk when we lift our foot just as much as when we put it down. Like daybreak prepares the new day that will later reaches the sunset, the sunset, through the night, will lead to a new daybreak. Life goes on incessantly and if we understand its evolutionary sense and finally its arcane transcendental meaning, we can overcome even the greatest fear, the fear of death and realize the immortality of our essence, and give a new hope to the deep aspirations of every living being toward authentic freedom and happiness, beyond the limits of space and time.

Readings
Renate Greinert, Cerebral Death and Donation of the Organs, the doubts and inquires of a mother that has donated her son’s organs. Macro Editions 2009.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22104

Bhima the mighty warrior of the Pandava dynasty requested one vrata day by which he could obtain the fruits of all the other days of vrata that he was incapable of observing. Vyasadeva advised him to follow this difficult vrata.

PADMA PURANA – Vyasadeva speaking to Bhimasena:

“Oh son, Lord Keshava, Who holds the club, disk, conch and lotus flower in His hand, personally told me that all of the merit achieved by fasting on whatever Ekadasis fall in one year can be attained by fasting on this one Ekadasi (Nirjala Ekadasi). Of this, there is no doubt.”

Source:http://www.ramaiswami.com/pandava-nirjala-ekadasi/

Giriraj Swami: Ekadasi is one of the regular celebrations in the Vaisnava calendar. It is observed eleven days after the full moon and eleven days after the new moon of every month. Even in the thirteenth, or leap month, called adhi-masa or purusottama-masa, which comes every three years, during which no other festivals are celebrated, Ekadasi is observed. Ekadasi is known as “the day of Lord Hari” and is said to be “the mother of devotion.” Of the sixty-four items of devotional service listed in Srila Rupa Gosvami"™s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, keeping the fast on Ekadasi is one. In fact, observing Ekadasi is one of the first ten basic principles.
The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada’s summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, states: “In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana it is said that one who observes fasting on Ekadasi day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life. The basic principle is not just to fast, but to increase one’s faith and love for Govinda, or Krsna. The real reason for observing fasting on Ekadasi is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.”
Later in The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada cites the observance of Ekadasi as a stimulus (uddipana) for ecstatic love: “Some things which give impetus or stimulation to ecstatic love of Krsna are His transcendental qualities, His uncommon activities, His smiling features, His apparel and garlands, His flute, His buffalo horn, His leg bells, His conchshell, His footprints, His places of pastimes (such as Vrndavana), His favorite plant (tulasi), His devotee and the periodical occasions for remembering Him. One such occasion for remembrance is Ekadasi, which comes twice a month on the eleventh day of the moon, both waning and waxing. On that day all the devotees remain fasting throughout the night and continuously chant the glories of the Lord.”
The importance of the Ekadasi fast is also seen in the history of King Ambarisa and the sage Durvasa. Maharaja Ambarisa had observed the fast without even drinking water up until the appointed time to break the fast, called the Ekadasi-parana. Durvasa Muni was to have returned before the time of the parana, and because Durvasa Muni was playing the part of a brahmana and Ambarisa Maharaja the part of a ksatriya, proper etiquette dictated that Durvasa break the fast first. However, because Durvasa did not come in time, Ambarisa was in a dilemma. If he did not break the fast in time, the whole observance would be spoiled. At the same time, if he did not wait for Durvasa, he would be guilty of an offense, because the etiquette demanded that he wait for the sage to break the fast first. King Ambarisa consulted his advisors, but none could resolve his problem. Finally, the King himself determined the solution: He would take water. Taking water would break the fast and at the same time not break it.
So, Ekadasi is an important observance. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally observed Ekadasi, and He ordered all of his followers to do the same. And of all the Ekadasis, Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi, or Bhima Ekadasi, is most special.
The story behind this special Ekadasi is recounted in the Brahma Vivarta Purana. Five thousand years ago, back in the time of the Mahabharata, Arjuna’s elder brother Bhima admitted that he had great difficulty fasting. (In those days everyone would fast completely from all food and water.) So the Vedic authority Vyasadeva gave Bhima permission to observe the full fast (nirjala, “without water”) only once a year, in the early summer, and to derive the same benefit as if he had observed all the other twenty-three Ekadasis. Thus devotees who are unable to properly observe Ekadasi during the year, or who by chance happen to miss an Ekadasi, can get the benefit of fully observing all the Ekadasis if they properly observe the Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi. Strictly observed, the fast begins before sunset the evening before Ekadasi and continues until the parana, about the time of sunrise, the morning after Ekadasi. Many devotees try to chant at least sixty-four rounds on Ekadasi, especially the Bhima Ekadasi.
Once, when we were with Srila Prabhupada in Amritsar, Yamuna-devi read to him from the newly published Nectar of Devotion: “Ekadasi, which comes twice a month on the eleventh day of the moon, both waning and waxing. On that day all the devotees remain fasting throughout the night and continuously chant the glories of the Lord.” Then she asked Srila Prabhupada, “Should we also observe Ekadasi like that?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “No. We have too much service to do for Krsna.”
The basic observance of Ekadasi, as prescribed by Srila Prabhupada, is to refrain from grains and beans and to chant at least twenty-five rounds. Although most devotees in ISKCON do not perform nirjala on every Ekadasi, many do on Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi. They also try to chant at least sixty-four rounds. And by the mercy of Ekadasi, they make great spiritual advancement: they are blessed by spiritual strength and realization and so continue their service to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission with renewed vigor – enthusiasm and inspiration.
Hare Krsna.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=22112